I got ready to takeoff again when Clark landed nearby. This drew oohs/aahs from the many street rubberneckers that never got used to us apparently. "Diana - what the hell are you doing?" "What does it look like?" "You came here to Lane's campaign HQ without consulting us-" "I told Lois and Alfred how it was now-" "Yeah; and that's another problem altogether." "You shouldn't be here Clark." He scoffed. "Oh really? This is my city." I walked passed him; he grabbed my arm. "Do you really want to make a seen here like this Clark?" He realized many others were now looking at us. He'd always been more image conscious than me. My rhetorical there worked; he let go.

"What is going on here? Why did you leave like you did?" "My brother is escalating things in ways that only I can handle." "You're not alone in this Diana-" "For this, I am. This is my fight now. Stay out of it." I flew off without delay. He didn't trail after me; thus it seemed I'd made my point for now.

The wonder plane detected hellish energy from Gotham; which wasn't far at all; just across the bay of Gotham from Metropolis. I angled my flight for this change and had the plane keep its sensors locked onto it while going supersonic for it.

I reached it in mere minutes. As it was daytime Bruce wouldn't typically be out if he was back here. The plane told me then the malevolent energy pattern was coming from the port of Gotham; which was largely abandoned and used by criminals. I flew for that. I landed in the middle of the main deserted port area; much of it was decayed. The hell field remained as strong as ever.

I could sense Hecate... There was no doubt it was her. "Show yourself necromancer!" Hecate did so. "You won't be able to stop what is coming Zeus daughter. None can." "I know what you've done; what you're doing. It won't work." "And how many times have you said that before?" "Your operation here depends on people not realizing what you're doing. Your master, my brother, won't open the hell gates until he's ready." "Mm. You assume your brother and my lord can't change his mind swiftly. You of all people know he can do that faster than anyone else." "True; but I sense that he really wants this operation to succeed; to put Lex Luthor into the white house."

Hecate looked up into the sky without continuing our conversation; to call it that. My senses picked it up an instant later. Clark dropped down moments later. "So this is a mind behind all of this." "Clark you shouldn't be here." "But I am here now Diana." Hecate laughed. "Most interesting." Clark scowled at her. "How so?" "Your divisions are so clear. You don't see how you feed the Lord Ares." "I know how you do it." "Of course you do Zeus daughter; but not this 'illegal alien'." She cackled.

Cheetah then emerged from the Hecate provided concealment field and lunged right at Clark. I tried to intercept her but I was too late. Clark had tried to move away at super speed; but solar power was no match for magic. Cheetah's clawed hand slashed Clark's throat... Clark clutched at his throat and fell to his knees. Cheetah ran into another portal and was gone; Hecate right after her.

I caught Clark as he struggled to survive and fell to my knees. He convulsed and looked up into my eyes with widened terrified ones of his own. This was what I hadn't wanted... This was why I'd sought to work alone...

It was going to happen again. The tears already flowed down my face from their ducts as Clark's life force slipped away. "I'm so sorry Clark. I'm so sorry..." Despite the pain though he managed a small nod, and his eyes narrowed. It was his way of saying it was all right. It was anything but all right. The sun shown on him clearly from overhead...but the wound was magical in cause and bad enough that even the sun itself would not be enough to save him.

Superman died in my arms as though Doomsday had killed him all over again; I touched my forehead to his and wept...