He knows from past experience that tossing batarangs at her is pointless given that last time she had turn them into harmless doves. He instead charges at her once pulling on the cowl, it had been habitual instinct for someone to remember the Batsuit, but he usually never travels anywhere without a spare, even on his own honeymoon. As he lunges at her however something feels strange yet it is clear what she had done when the light fades away. Batman and Bruce Wayne are now separate people thus without the traits that Bruce bought to Batman, the costume is decidedly different, not unlike his old Justice Lord costume.
"Perhaps you are wondering where I got that trick, but it is a simple matter to divide people into separate selves… fragmented mentality within you made it simpler than usual… let's test this trick on the others."
Zatanna and Jason trigger a magical barrier around the others in the group leaving Bruce to face Batman alone. Bruce however finds without the martial arts training that he relies while in costume, he possesses only the mind… the heart… the will… the wits. Batman's edge comes from the theatricality… the deception… the psychology… the fear including Bruce's fear. They battle much to Circe's amusement and so Zatanna concedes to Jason the task of restoring Bruce and Batman as a whole. However Jason or rather Etrigan is the only cause for the why of the barrier is capable of withstanding the sorceress' attempt to divide them too.
"We are going to need Fate and Inza on this one… anyone know how to get there attention?"
Jeremy discards his cover up to reveal his Hawkman costume and so he urges the others to let him distract Circe if that is indeed possible. He goes out blocking Circe's magical strikes with his sword, one he had found to the tomb of Katar and Chay Ara Hol. His curiosity to find a reincarnation of Chay Ara would have to wait with two of the world's modern iconic heroes in danger from this vile being at least in his mind.
"How delightfully annoying to see another Thanagarian… you remind me of Hawkgirl… or at least she went by that until recent years… oh what was the name… ah Shayera… Shayera Hol Stewart… wife of the former Green Lantern John Stewart…"
Hawkman's surprise at the revelation had given her an opening except his distraction had given someone else opportunity to make a strike. Artemis catapults into the air kicking Circe square in the stomach. Circe tumbles to the ground and then Artemis is advancing towards her again with Hawkman. His demeanor is almost as angry as the one worn by Artemis, but she had seen that she struck a nerve with him. He tries to stab at her except she rolls then gets back to hovering before disappearing in a blinding glow. Both Artemis and Hawkman grumble then look back towards the one sided fight between Bruce and Batman.
"How are we to reverse that?" quips Hawkman.
Fate and Inza emerge from Fate's call sign of a portal. Inza and Fate together entrap the dark specter of the magically maligned Batman. He struggles with them though Etrigan and Zatanna join hands with Fate and Inza to weaken the spell's grip over the specter's equivalent of a mind. Bruce crumples to the ground in the midst of all this. Dick and Donna help him towards the restrained Batman specter then in a whiplash effect there is another glow before they are left looking at only one man in a Batsuit. There is a sigh on his part for the restoration.
"Who would ever think Batman would be so eager to kill Bruce Wayne…" mumbles Zatanna.
"There was once a time I thought being Bruce had become unnecessary to Batman… during the Justice Lords' reign… I went out less and less as Bruce until the speculation hit all time that 'he' had died at least until it had come out that Bruce Wayne and Batman are both facets of me."
"So who is the real you?"
"Even I don't always have an answer to that one Zanna."
Zatanna attempts to conceal a blush at Bruce calling her Zanna for the first time in years. Etrigan reverts back to Jason and figures not to ask considering this is a past memory for his girlfriend soon-to-be fiancée and his old friend Bruce. The probable destination now is to return to Bana-Mighdall to meet up with the loyalists to Antiope. It means going back to the Sahara Desert for most of them except the Amazons.
Donna and Artemis travel to Themyscira to approach Hippolyta for help in restoring Antiope to the throne and hopefully the fact Diana's life is in danger through this plot too will incense the Themyscirans to meet this situation head on. She contemplates revealing Diana's pregnancy to their mother, but of course how would their mother react even if she is aware of the fertility brought on by making Diana mortal permanently after restoring her powers after her return.
Donna starts to plummet as she grabs her skull knowing that another glimpse of futures, of realities is being set off, she would pummel Chronos for this if she ever met him or rather met him again. As she falls, Artemis calls out hoping to refocus Donna's unstuck mind. The visions or the glimpses purposely absorb the entire focus of Donna's mind. As she splashes into the water, Artemis is left to dive in after her knowing she have to get to her quickly.
A Spartan inspired city rises from the ruins that had once been the original site of the Amazonian home land before the Schism. It is a more militaristic interpretation than even the one kept by the Bana-Mighdall and of course such military driven policies are unfavorable in Themyscira. However neither tribe exists as it had before instead a reunion is made of the two though only by those who would swear loyalty to this new beginning under the auspices of someone masquerading as Princess Diana who is now the Queen.
In this future countless Amazons from both tribes are slain during the War of the Tribes including the Queens of both tribes as well as Antiope's chosen successor Artemis. The only one that remains is Diana or rather someone masquerading as her, but of course it could only be Aresia somehow in her body.
This is a new trick she notes to herself as before she had only been to be aware of what might happen instead of being conscious of some intervening events that could lead to this future. There is also another dislikable quality to this city as there are male slaves here yet something is bound to happen on this day, Donna is uncertain why this day. There is something curious about the fact that she is watching two armored fighters, one female and one male. The female looks every inch the militaristic Amazon whereas the male looks far more slender yet almost entirely in brown and black.
Their eyes however are surprisingly identical and then when she hears the voice of the female. Her heart races a little and whispers the name to herself though uncertain if in this future she has that name. As she watches them fight, they are near equals with weapons and in melee combat. It is no doubt due to plenty of training, but who would teach a slave to fight in this way.
Another flash brings her to another place where she sees a worn down older man hobbling with a cane and wonders how far into the future this possible future is yet at the moment is she suddenly torn back to the present looking up at Artemis.
Together they continue towards the walls of Themyscira and of course they welcome Donna yet all keep weapons at the ready once spotting Artemis.
Throne Room, Royal Residence, Themyscira
"Explain why you are in the company of a Bana-Mighdallian," demands Philipus.
"Stay your weapons Sisters especially you Philipus," responds Donna.
Hippolyta arrives with Mala to her left and Venelia to her right.
"Your majesty Queen Hippolyta… I come with a request for assistance from Antiope for a usurper now holds the throne of Bana-Mighdall… one with plans to force a tribal reunion and the end of mankind."
Hippolyta arches her eyebrows in disbelief yet senses no deception on Artemis' part for Antiope's most trusted warrior is the one coming with this request then it must be desperate.
"She speaks the truth… my Queen," continues Donna.
The queen and her daughters never acknowledge familial ties publicly, but Artemis recognizes a slight resemblance between Donna and the Fountain's images of Diana that Aresia had briefly shown them days ago plus Donna like Diana has the same eye color as Hippolyta. Blue eyes like the waters that surround this beautiful island. However the island's beauty is offset by having it house the Gates to Tartarus, the Greek variant of the underworld, which is under the auspices of Hades no less.
Aresia was an outsider taken on as one to be taught the Amazon ways had well and truly broken her word by so violently assuming the throne when she had not proven in the least that she is worthy of holding any authority within the tribe.
As for mothers and daughters, it is not so unlike Antiope's adopted daughter Phthia who had been taken in by Antiope after her Amazonian mother's death whilst living in Man's World, but of course the fate of Phthia's birth mother only fuels the Bana-Mighdall's contempt for mankind. However not even Artemis like Antiope would fall to using a weapon of Man's World to eradicate the gender. The deeper issue is that being near immortal had almost made Amazonians arrogant if not for the occasional humbling acts of mortals, man and woman alike, but often men prove to be a greater surprise.
Artemis relates the error in slaying Aresia's 'attacker' decades earlier for he had taken her into a tiny oasis in the desert in order to cool them both from the grisly heat of the desert. However she had been delirious for days, which appears to confuse and worry the man. The way he had taken to carrying her into the water is mistaken for him trying to drown her. The oasis water had turn a shade of blood red as he had bled out into it and after getting her back to the city, she spent days in recovery until awakening to share the tale of what happen to her homeland.
Artemis' search parties found what is left of the plane and discover that Aresia's mother had died in the crash along with most of the other refugees, but of course the pilot had no way of knowing where exactly he had landed the plane at the time. The decision to kill him had haunted Artemis for years, but she usually pushes it out of mind. As a penance she tried to raise Aresia almost as her own daughter though of course she never did try to replace Aresia's birth mother. She had little idea as to how Aresia had become so clever and misleading because the latter among other traits is not taken as reputable or honorable qualities for an Amazonian.
Hippolyta listens intently to all the developments in Bana-Mighdall with the grooming of Aresia, but of course this Aresia had been violating many rules and traditions that predate the Schism. Her hatred of mankind while not wholly misplaced, it still does not mean she possesses the authority or power to doom mankind alone to extinction with a gender specific virus. Donna's approach the situation is taken as a sign that she is learning the ways of negotiations well and Hippolyta also wishes to speak with her daughter in private in regards to the fact that the renegades had taken Diana.
Hippolyta's Chambers, Royal Residence
"What do you mean pregnant?" gasps Hippolyta.
"It is true Mother… the Goddesses in making her mortal had also given her the ability to sire offspring so long as the male in question loves her without restraint, without restriction, and is honest about it."
"How far along is she?" continues Hippolyta.
"She is in the middle of what they call second trimester, so around five or six months in…"
"There is more isn't there?"
Donna wonders if she should anything about the number and what the newest vision had shown her.
"She carries twins and there is something else I must tell… I can see futures, realities, and one recently shown to me… showed a world where someone… presumably an Amazon rules the planet and I believe I saw the adult forms of the twins except they appear to not know each other…"
She knows it is just a future, not the future, but it is a disturbing glimpse for a future.
"Someone made a point to separate them after birth in the years leading to that future…"
The twins are adults, which makes it impossible to not infer their genders.
"One is female… the other is…"
Donna hesitates to tell what she believes to be the gender of the other twin.
"… Male."
Hippolyta is vaguely aware of Phthia's tale prior to Artemis' tale. The older Amazon recalls that Phthia had a twin, a male twin, yet he had been kept separate from her as well, he gone on to be a great king in his time millennia ago. All the same, the prospect of a repeat troubles her, but of course when there is an echo repeat in history there is often a point to it except a question in mind is how far will this repeat go from here.
"Clearly action must be taken to prevent the deployment of the virus and stop Aresia's plans. Where are the others you were with before bringing Artemis here?"
"They have gone ahead to Bana-Mighdall."
"How could they know where to find it when it is hidden in a manner similar to Themyscira?"
"A servant of Isis, the one called Horus is guiding them to the borders, but beyond that he is forbidden to interfere lest Aresia's supernatural allies discover them prematurely."
"I will send others to aid you if you believe them necessary though I believe they will be if you should experience anymore of these 'visions' in the midst of battle."
"Perhaps someday the tribes can become one again without war as an impetus."
"Perhaps, but for now it is important to restore Antiope to her throne and saving your sister from the fate you have seen for her as well as everyone else including her unborn twins."
The Amazons of Themyscira were not ones to shy away from battle yet they had spent millennia as the gatekeepers for the enchanted doorway that led to the Pits of Tartarus. The domain of Hades, the father of Diana or at least one could allude to the possibility as his more human guise's hair is virtually the same as Diana's. Hippolyta's association with Hades had given her the greatest joy of her near eternal life in the form of a daughter yet her realm would perhaps forever sit atop the domain of Hades, the God that dares to call Diana his daughter even though he is wed to Persephone. However the Gods and Goddesses had often had offspring with those outside the Pantheon.
Themis Shipyards, Themyscira
Several vessels are being brought out for service again after not being put to use since the days during and after the Trojan War when Penthesilea led her people to battle against the Greeks or rather the Argives as the Greek soldiers would call themselves. Of course many already saw the real purpose behind why Agamemnon led his forces to Troy if one was so believing in this war would be fought over a woman instead of Agamemnon looking to dominate city-states beyond the Peloponnesian peninsula. The wars of Man's World had become increasingly destructive since then as in the days of the Trojan War it took almost a decade to break the deadlock, but by then many had been lost to both sides including the anguished yet valiant Hector and the headstrong yet courageous Patroclus.
Penthesilea however had begun to have feelings for Achilles though of course the outcome of their romance would be the real meaning of the phrase Greek tragedy. A recurring theme of history is that wars of the past always lead to wars of the future and so one day another war comes yet plenty ask the same questions once more. However the one that remains eternally without an answer or even an explanation is the one about what led to this war, what are its origins besides the rhetoric and battle cries.
The vessels are meant to depart at nightfall as it would be less exposed for the Themyscirans to set sail under the darker skies. Not all Amazons possess the power of flight as this is a gift of the Gods so in order to keep everyone together they would go by ship. It would be the first time in centuries that Themyscirans sail towards the prospects of war. Amazons from childhood onward are constantly undergoing training to prepare them for battle, but those of Themyscira had not gone to war for a long time. There are however a few exceptions over thousands of years since Troy.
Sahara Desert, en route to Bana-Mighdall
Across the vast waters between Themyscira and Bana-Mighdall, Batman leads the team through the Sahara Desert towards where his captive wife is kept by Aresia. Horus had done all that Isis would allow and so he had to leave them to find the quickest route to the outer dunes of Bana-Mighdall without being seen. Deserts are not unfamiliar to Hawkman or Batman, but for different reasons. Hawkman believing himself the reincarnation of Katar Hol had been in Egypt long ago during a long since forgotten war. As for Batman, his last trek through a desert was years earlier when he had to prevent one of Ra's Al-Ghul plans to remake the world.
There is always someone left to fight and that someone just happens to be Aresia. He fights for more than just the world this time around, but even those who travel with him could see that in him.
Nothing is beyond being possible with everything he had been through between becoming Batman and teaming up repeatedly with a host of costumes in the past decade.
The epics of the past are only sparingly accurate though Diana often made a point to remind him of that years earlier and again more recently after they spent all that time in Italy.
He would not allow her to come to any harm not so as long he could still draw breath yet they would have to camp until dusk as it will eventually grow to hot to press onward despite how much they had in the way of supplies. Nobody argues with him over the wait as they neither like the humidity nor the prospect of arguing with Batman. Most didn't have to be J'onn to guess why it is more than advisable to avoid arguing with Batman especially with the lives at stake in particular for him.
As the sun finally starts to descend, Batman emerges from a makeshift tent to notice the others all standing there as if waiting for his reappearance after he had taken leave of them to head into his tent and even he could not refrain from smiling just a little.
"Pack it in, we need to get moving five minutes ago," orders Batman.
The gear is put away as they ready the horses after taking them to a nearby oasis, which are few and hard to find in the desert naturally. Batman mounts a horse that mirrors his costume, but this is not on purpose as all the horses are equally dark in appearance. Hawkman elects to fly as he would have to be their eyes in the sky. There is an unmistakable serenity to the desert at night yet it is unlikely that their passage goes unnoticed by their enemies at Bana-Mighdall. Circe's appearance had set them back some yet the aid of Horus got them back on track. He had taken them as far as Cairo then given them a direction to take in order to cross the barrier that shields the hidden city from prying eyes.
As they gallop across the sands, it causes Bruce to think of the stories from Arabian Nights. Not even storytelling could stave off whatever Aresia intends to do with Diana and he had already seen what some would undertake to accomplish a master plan. There is a faint touch of moonlight casting soft shadows upon the sands. The air makes faint ripples as each passes through the barrier and realize before long the Bana-Mighdallians would make a reprisal or not for this 'incursion'. Batman expects opposition and Bruce knows it will be another of his darkest hours in the search to reclaim his future.
Like Achilles he would make the first strike against enemy lines yet like Hector he would be doing it for wife as well as the lives that dwell within her. There is much in mind that begins with a dark alleyway that gather upon him like all the memories that come after him in his nightmares and he refuses to allow her to join their numbers. The other riders with him realize what drives him though not nearly as well as he does for why else hide so much of his face behind a mask, he need not look at his reflection to know what the mask or rather the cowl represents when facing this situation.
The Dungeon, The Royal Palace, Bana-Mighdall
Diana awakens in modestly comfortable surroundings yet she knows she is a prisoner of the Bana-Mighdall though what had given them away were both their accent and their stance when they had come for her in Hokkaido. She could feel her twins kicking unless she misunderstood the concept of feeling a baby kick in the womb and being pregnant continues to affirm her belief that she is forgiven for the mistakes of the past even though those same mistakes go unforgotten. Memory is the price of forgiveness to her. She sees the one that led her captors to Hokkaido and it made her angrier than before especially after she saw how they hurt Bruce from a distance. They had caught her and Bruce off guard though that would not happen again even if she is still carrying the twins inside her so she had to protect them for this is what mothers do their children.
"All that was once Themysciran and Bana-Mighdallian shall again be one except under my rule so the queens of the divided nation must accede and step aside," asserts Aresia.
"Mother and Antiope will not bow down to you. Antiope's people have given you a place, a heritage, and more so this is how you repay their kindness? By turning on them?" retorts Diana.
"I am grateful for all that, but the Amazons cannot retain their hidden sanctuaries unseen forever. We must make ourselves to be a race to be feared, to be reckoned with, and we cannot do that divided as we are!" snaps Aresia.
"It hardly seems like gratitude to me. You think yourself a better woman for the role of leader, but you lack the disposition among other qualities to be a leader at your age. Those who do become queens do not do so easily, they often spend their whole lives wrestling with the responsibilities."
"I have plenty of time to learn, but in the mean time those that rule now must stand aside."
"They won't do that, you are unfit to rule and whatever your intentions by holding me here, I assure you my sisters won't sit by idle once they know I am here!"
"I am counting on that and my observers already tell me that your husband is on his way too!"
Diana smirks knowingly at the word that Bruce as Batman is coming for her.
"Then you are in more trouble than you know Pretender!"
"My name is Aresia, future Queen of the Amazons… all that could have been yours will now be mine!"
"What are you rambling about now?"
"Prepare her for the transfer!"
It takes six Bana-Mighdallians carrying special ropes made from the same material as Diana's lasso to bring her along to the chambers where the transfer ritual is set to be done and they prepare to lash her down. Diana attempts to resist that attempt by throwing half her jailers in one direction or another, but more appear with ropes to bring her down. She curses at them for what they are doing to her. She can't believe so many would betray their queen for someone like Aresia, but then there is little to change the opinions of those who do not think often enough for themselves so feed clever words. Then you can own their allegiance, which is what Aresia had done with these women.
The altar table pivots upward until Diana finds herself face to face with the body they are switching her into, and it is the body of the woman she hates in particular right now, the body of her abductor, the body of Aresia no less. Diana pulls at all the restraints, but to no avail now.
Hera, help me! I cannot allow this woman to harm my little sun and star!
"Your Gods cannot hear you here! We made sure of that!" quips Aresia.
"You weren't born Amazon! You were adopted by the tribe!" hisses Diana.
"True, but none can deny me with your body Diana!" cracks Aresia.
Diana continues to wrestle with her restraints as the ritual is beginning and both bodies settle into place as the transference begins with streams of light passing between the two bodies. It is only a matter of time before it is complete though as for how reversible is another question entirely. On the inside, Diana fights with all her mental stamina, but then she senses three other presences within her mind. One of them is clearly Aresia, but the other two are at first unfamiliar.
Use our strength together with yours Mother.
Outwardly tears stream down Diana's face and inwardly she takes hold of the ethereal essence of her unborn twins drawing strength from them as she lends her own to them. Together they are holding against Aresia, but even Diana suspects this tactic will not hold back the transference indefinitely as well as the worry that using their strength would harm them. Harm in the sense that when Aresia gets into her body that they might be in greater danger though she would have to deal with that later.
Batman's Team, near Bana-Mighdall
"Here they come now!" shouts Hawkman.
The Bana-Mighdallians converge on them on horseback and so the fight begins.
"Kill the interlopers!"
Batman recognizes the armor style as comparable to the Virago who were at best thought of a myth, but then all myths all had some basis in reality so why not the Virago too. They were after warrior women similar to the Amazons and he had more than plenty of proof as to the existence of Amazons. He is after all the husband of one now and for that reason among others she would not face this challenge to her life without him there to help her.
"You are a fool to come here. We will not be beaten by the likes of you!"
"Now where haven't I heard that before?" retorts Batman.
"It'll take more than a witty response to save your hide dark one!"
"I am Batman!" quips Batman.
"Makes no difference to me, you are still just a man who dresses like a bat!"
She swings at him with her traditional weapon of choice except it connects with his gauntlet on the way towards his shoulder. He launches himself off his horse towards her, which knocks both of them to the sand. This takes her by surprise no one except Artemis had ever unseated her from the saddle so quickly. She rolls away from Batman and slides her sword back in its scabbard before pulling out her shorter blades yet Batman uses his gauntlets to block them. He also side steps and pivots away from her always three moves ahead of her next attack.
"Clearly you know how to fight one on one… let us see if you can handle more… sisters… here my call!"
Batman now finds he is facing not just one, but now six Bana-Mighdallians. The one he fought to begin with leads the charge and so he pays the most attention to her as she angles her blade downward looking to take off his utility belt except he does the unconventional as always. He runs up her blade as it turns downward. This move takes the other five by surprise and he lands beyond them. He whips out and throws six stun batarangs. The leader still off guard from his agility topples when it shocks her through her armor though because the armor is made from metal it absorbs then release the stun charge quickly. Only two of the others move out of the way in time and then they charge at him except Hawkman plows into one of the two while the other is comes into headlong contact with Etrigan, which shocks the younger woman who had never seen a demon looking opponent in her life.
The fight is not over yet as more riders come from a distance to join the ones they just fought and the fact that advance group had lost to the 'interlopers' made them angrier than before.
"They are going to make us fight for every grain of sand we advance across from this point onward. All the same you know why we are here now and they simple know we are here," says Batman.
He, Etrigan, and Kyle initiate a triangle formation as another group of Bana-Mighdallians encircle them. Zatanna uses spells to turn weapons into harmless looking objects, which is infuriating to the Bana-Mighdallians to say the least. As for Hawkman he continues swooping in and out whilst smashing the enemy Amazonian's shields, which hold up considerably well to the mystical properties of Nth metal. The numbers stand against them for the moment, but all they could do is hope that Artemis and Donna return soon, perhaps with Themysciran reinforcements if they got that lucky. The Bana-Mighdallian ranks continue to surge with each squad that they break through, which is to be expected yet without Artemis they had no way to contact Antiope's supporters.
"I don't know how much longer we can keep pushing forward before they completely wear us down. We need help, but the comlinks don't work within the barrier that protects the sands surround Bana-Mighdall," says Zatanna.
Themysciran Fleet, The Mediterranean Sea
Donna stands on the deck of the Themysciran flagship alongside Artemis.
"There is something romantic about being out here on the seas, to sail off to battle, but mostly I am here leading this fleet because of Diana, because of her unborn twins, and all the futures I intend to prevent by helping Batman save her," murmurs Donna softly.
"She matters that much to you? All that trouble just to restore her to her husband? How often have men been a disappointment to our people? Too often I'd say, but yes I made a mistake killing the man that saved Aresia, but she continues to hold onto the resentment she holds for mankind," remarks Artemis.
"They have been through much together and apart, but all the same, she chose him, every time an Amazonian falls in love with a mortal man, it is her decision to leave the island to be with him. I'll admit things did not turn out well for Penthesilea, but you cannot hold the whole of mankind accountable for all their past mistakes."
"I know that Donna, but still men have hurt us on and off for millennia yet few of us still dare to trust a man with that which is most sacred to us… our hearts and by extension of our bodies should we have children with them… though doing so means we have given up part of what we are."
"Becoming mothers doesn't mean we stop being warriors for our children will need protection and later training, certainly might say better to train the children among the mother's people, but what happens if the child is male? Is he forbidden from knowing his Amazonian heritage?"
"Rare is that an Amazonian sires any children, let alone a male.'
"Diana will have twins, a girl and a boy, which is the first time in millennia that an Amazon has done so."
"The last time historically was Phthia and her twin, but even then events did not unfold in ways many had prayed for to be the outcome."
Donna grips the railing as her head starts to pound, but not because of a vision, no something much different and in one way worse than a vision. She feels her lips moving, but someone else is speaking through her, she tries to stop it though to no avail.
"Hello Artemis, I know I sound like Donna, but I am not Donna, you would know me better as the one who will rule the Amazons with the deaths of those who lead the tribes separately at present. I have taken control of the Themysciran bloodline through the first daughter, through Diana."
"Release Donna you treacherous usurper or you'll regret whatever your next trick is!"
"You wouldn't harm Donna's body, that would turn all these Themyscirans against you and you do need them to reach me, but you won't even get close, not with my loyalists waiting for you since I now know where you are coming from."
Donna's hands grip her skull just as the connection between Aresia and Donna severs for the time being.
"Donna, are you okay?" asks Artemis softly.
"I'll be once we get my sister back and restore Antiope to her rightful place while taking care of that sickening perversion that dares to call herself a true Amazon!" hisses Donna.
"How did she get into your mind let alone control your body?"
"There is a link between me and Diana. It is how we know the other is in danger or in some cases experiencing other forms of extreme feelings or sensations as well."
"So Aresia used that?"
"Yes, because she intends to body swap with Diana and it is starting to work if she was able to tap the link so we are indeed running out of time to stop the transference. I don't know how to reverse it, but I am certain we would find a way if it comes to that."
Donna heads to the steering wheel, she grips it tightly, and then a signal is sent ordering the ships align into a tight formation.
"Oh mighty Poseidon, we beseech you to speed us across the sea towards the coast that borders the Nile River so that we might bring ourselves closer to the battle that we must fight for sake of the world and for those that honor your pantheon above all others with the gifts given to us by your family!"
The winds pick up and so their journey is given a boost by the winds while water with greater ease beneath the Themysciran fleet. It appears Poseidon is feeling gracious this night.
The Dungeon, The Royal Palace, Bana-Mighdall
Father is coming Mother, just hold on, but he is not coming alone. Donna is leading the others.
Diana wrestles about in her restraints, but it grows harder to retain her hold on her own body because it feels like it is slipping away from her as she is starting to see her own face instead of Aresia's. She feels the twins separating from her as she starts to see more through Aresia's eyes.
You won't take my children from me you maniac!
All that is yours Princess shall become mine and mine it is destine to be!
Not while I still draw breath, I shall resist your attempt to usurp my body from me!
You have seen how much effect your efforts have had so far!
I have come too far to have it all undone by the likes of you!
Such is your pride Diana, you have given up too much for a man though I never will, and never in my life shall I ever depend on a man to save my life!
In the words of my winged friend, don't knock it 'til you have tried it!
You didn't see men murder your entire family save your mother and you then you didn't survive a plane crash only to learn you were the only survivor!
My husband saw his parents murdered in front of him as a child and that is part of why he went onto become Batman as well as why he seeks to breach these walls.
He might understand why I have to do this then, but then he would view me as the criminal as I am taking your body for my own.
In time you could become a great warrior on your own abilities, you don't need my body or force the tribes back together for that.
It is too late, I am in too deep and I am not turning back from this. My decision is made and I have lost enough ground in your mind listening to your paltry defense hidden in attempts at sympathy!
It is never too late and doing all this will not make you happy. I have already been down a road like this one. Thinking I knew what was best for the world when I was one of the Justice Lords.
You were a fool to give that up as I already said and now you weaken yourself further by carrying the children of a man.
It was my monumental misstep and my life is better for all that has happen since then. If you cannot see the path I have taken as I have than you are lost to a hatred for an unchangeable past.
I will remake this world, and begin a future under the reign of true Amazon warriors led by me.
They will not follow you, not all of them, and certainly not those from Themyscira.
I would not be as sure of your belief in them as many of the Bana-Mighdallians are on my side.
You divide an already divided civilization that split apart over a long ago war where my mother and Antiope lost a dear sister, but that sister made her decision to stay with a man who loved her in a way only a man can love a woman. We are warriors born yes, we are sisters by following the beliefs of what it means to be Amazon, but we rarely know what it means to be lovers or for that matter mothers.
I am afraid you have lost the battle of the minds Diana so forever shall you see the world through my eyes and your future now belongs to me as I set out to begin the Reunification!
Aresia-in-Diana is cut loose by the attendants overseeing the transfer while the guards remain with Diana-in-Aresia.
"No, this cannot be, you don't see what she has done? Do you find nothing wrong with this? She has taken my body and my unborn children from me!" yells Diana-in-Aresia.
"You did not deserve to keep that which you could not retain and your progeny will be the heirs to a reunified Amazonian nation."
Themysciran Fleet, Mediterranean Sea
"How far are we from the Nile?" asks Donna.
"A few hours more even with Poseidon's help," answers Artemis.
Donna doubles over in pain.
"What is the matter Donna?"
"Diana… the link… she lost the mental fight with Aresia… the link is still there, but now I only sense Aresia. She is trying to get to me through it, but I can hold her for now though not for long."
The Themysciran fleet had already made more than halfway across the sea to the waters north of Africa, but still Aresia had more than two days head start on them. Artemis could only hope the men were closer rather than further from the walls of Bana-Mighdall. Artemis begins to pray to Isis for assistance, but considers it might be in vain though a further supernatural boost would greatly aid their cause, but the question remains how far Isis would go at the risk of drawing attention to herself from the other Goddesses including Hathor. Hathor would rarely court favors, but Isis' limits had come from being the wife of Osiris, if one could imagine such limits existing for those of a supernatural realm.
Hathor exists as a relative counterpart to Hera, but then this compulsion by the sciences and studies of archaeology compel this notion to find more comparisons over contrasts in the societies that exist on Earth. The common ground cannot be forced upon the world, those of the world must find it in themselves and in others, but all the while people turn on people yet in the midst of all that others still manage to find meaning as well as purpose. This however only comes to those who find it without searching for it. Artemis found it strange to find wisdom so well when away from all that is familiar yet perhaps that might be the point.
"You already have Poseidon lending you the winds. Why do you need assistance from me Artemis? Is his help not enough?" queries Isis.
"I did not expect you to come or even hear me," answers Artemis.
"You left all that is familiar to you in order to dare ask for the assistance of your distant sisters in Themyscira so I realize that allowing Sekhmet and Ishtar to so blindly fall into step with Aresia's plans for the tribe that I took in at the risk of Hathor's wrath. However she was lenient for she too had seen what happen to Penthesilea and how it divided the Amazons at a critical time," continues Isis.
"We are in her service and yours, but surely you cannot tell me that freely allowing Aresia to do as she would still mean we honor your sanctuary at the cost of what makes us who and what we are."
"You will reach the Nile before dawn and from there your journey to your sanctuary city will be equally short though as for how to stop Aresia that is up to you and your allies. You might ask why don't I go further and my answer is this I can interfere in matters of life and death though not in matters of minds and hearts."
"I am grateful for whatever you can provide Isis."
As Isis decreed, so it would be, but as always the tasks left to mortals and near immortals would rest with them for even the Gods and Goddesses would not actively interfere in the affairs of life on Earth unless they felt they truly had to do so. It almost did seem hard to believe that some ancient primordial battle was fought on the very same sands where Bana-Mighdall stands now.
"We have another problem ahead of us now Artemis," says Donna weakly.
"What could it be?" murmurs Artemis.
A fleet sent against theirs from the waters to the south and they carry the banner she had briefly seen Aresia's supporters use, which meant Aresia had somehow found a way to track them, maybe even through Donna's psychic link to Diana.
"All hands to battle stations!" commands Artemis.
"I must continue ahead without the fleet. My being here endangers the defense against them."
"These ships will only heed my commands if they believe they come from you and if you leave I don't know how they respond to my commands. We'll break through and reach Diana in time… now help me win this battle we need each other to get through this."
"You are right, but I am afraid."
"We are all afraid here, but it is time to face our fears together."
Donna weakly smiles and turns her attention to the flagship's crew.
"We do this not just for Themyscira or for the rightful ruler of Bana-Mighdall, but for the lives of all Amazons even if they fight against us tonight. We also do it for my sister and her comrades who await our support to restore the balance!" shouts Donna.
"You heard her. Now we sail to battle!"
Vessels from both sides come into close quarters' contact and the deck fights ensue shortly after.
You will not take the hard earned redemption from my sister nor will you rob her of the happiness that has long eluded her. Furthermore you will not steal from her the children within her made from his love of her.
Bold words little one, but your big sister will be among the dead before you make it to my city and the same goes for her dark knight though I shall enjoy watching him die in my grip so the last thing he sees is her face while I use her hands to end him.
You will not find him an easy opponent, he has been through worse than you and he is not alone.
We shall see, but I believe you are wrong.
[+++]
Bana-Mighdall, City's Outer Edge
Batman's team finally makes it over the walls yet there are still the defenders that stand ready to repel them if not for Antiope's loyalists who arrive to open the way for them. Antiope herself is on hand leading them as well.
"Welcome to Bana-Mighdall Dark Knight!" calls Antiope.
"Thank you for the invitation Your Highness!" replies Batman.
"You remind me of Leonidas as you lead your forces from the front, not on high like the nefarious Xerxes."
"You make quite a comparison linking me to him."
"I don't make them lightly and while you are here to see that I win this attempt to retake my throne, I know in your heart you are here for Diana…"
Antiope and Batman charge into the fray side by side.
"Few men in history ever go so far for the women they love… like Hector you are here not just for her, but for your future in her… like Achilles you prize love's passion over the heat of battle like Achilles."
Batman uses his glove gauntlets to block the sword strikes of the enemies.
"Above all else I intend that she not share the fate of several Amazons who had given up their place in your world for a place in Man's World."
"I know that too Batman. I like Hippolyta took Penthesilea's demise hard, but then neither of us understood love in that way. Hippolyta made her turn against love more so after the birth of Diana, but then she saw much of Hades in you though her mind has changed much since that assessment."
"Glad to hear that in some ways, but even darkness has a light, she has become mine."
"For my throne and your light then!" yells Antiope.
The battle for Bana-Mighdall is only beginning and the Themyscirans are kept back by a ship-to-ship fight only miles from the mouth of the Nile.
[+++]
The Tower Terrace, The Royal Palace
"Now mankind's downfall begins with the launch of these devices into the air that shall carry out the end of men and pass the torch of life's endurance to women," commands Aresia-in-Diana.
Diana-in-Aresia tackles Aresia-in-Diana, which sends both women sliding across the cobblestone balcony towards the edge of it.
"You risk your precious twins to stop me?"
"You would leverage them against me?"
"Men never fought fair when they took my family, when they hurt the Amazons in centuries past, so why should that matter to you?"
"Mankind has made infinite mistakes, but they are still mortal, some have shown they are learning while others prove that there are still those among men that could end us all. You would end their chance for redemption in the name of preventing the existence of more like those who killed your family?"
"I am doing this for more than myself. I do it so that Amazons will no longer have to deal with men ever again."
"Who are you to decide that traitor?"
"If anyone is a traitor in this moment, it is you, the weapons of men are not ours and that is what these devices are… you use them and you violate all that any Amazon holds dear!"
"Launch them now my followers!"
The devices rocket away from Bana-Mighdall and Diana-in-Aresia realizes she cannot fly off after them. In Aresia's body she lacks the power of flight, which is infuriating on some level.
"You are no better than the men that killed your family. You had a father did you not? What about brothers and sisters? You realize how many billions of lives you will ruin with those things? Women of all ages will one day resent this and you doom them to be the last of humanity with those things!"
"Then they are unfit to inherit the legacy of the Amazon nation!"
"Only you would deal in absolutes… you are no Amazon!"
"Condemn me all you want, but I am the future… ugh… the pain… what is this?"
Aresia-in-Diana falls to her knees and looks to truly be in pain.
"You see what you have done now? My little sun… you have condemned him to death!"
"He would be a man and this is no longer… uh… a world for them!"
"Still you cling to this… don't you have an antidote for this… I won't let you let him die just because you think he should be dead…"
"Remove her, she's to be put to the death… I only need one heir and the girl is destined for that role!"
The followers drag Diana-in-Aresia away.
"You b…"
One of the followers' decks Diana-in-Aresia and the blow is hard enough to knock her out before she could finish a rather deserved expletive.
"Her husband will join her in death… find him… kill them together," orders Aresia-in-Diana.
One device was intentionally detonated over Bana-Mighdall to ensure that the male 'interlopers' would perish in their fool's errand.
"The world will change and the end of mankind shall herald it!"
A/N 1: Last chapter left the heroes in a dire predicament and it scarcely improves much in this chapter too. Batman experiences a temporary physical split thanks to Circe, but this is quickly reversed with some magical help no less though it takes four Homo Magi to achieve this time.
A/N 2: Aresia's genocidal gamble goes forward as does the other part of her plan, which involves body swapping with Diana. However both Diana and her unborn twins resist in their own way. Ultimately the switch appears a success with a further consequence, which is quite apparent.
A/N 3: Batman fighting Amazons? I know that does sound believable, but if you'll recall he managed to throw Superman across the room when they first met in StAS World's Finest and he has also trained with an untold number of marital arts masters over the world. Enemies always underestimate him even when they think they know how to beat him.
A/N 4: Plenty of historic/mythological names thrown into the mix. Happiness is not easily found or easily kept, but Batman is more than willing to fight for it and so is Diana. The others are along to back them up for they too have their own stake in helping the couple though not all known Diana is pregnant. Batman still keeps secrets, but then he has always kept them, it is just his way at times.
