The headache was a mild nuisance, but it was enough to keep him awake. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Bruce leaned forward, a hand pressed against his forehead. His cowl was laying on the mattress next to him, discarded in favor of the cool air of the bunker.
On the opposite side of him was Cassandra, who kept a trained eye on him. By that, he meant she was staring at him blankly, waiting to see if he'd vanished into thin air. J'onn stood a few feet away, looking impassive as usual.
Bruce wasn't certain why he had a headache. There was something about being attacked by a telepath called Dr. Destiny, but he didn't find that all too unusual. Telepaths were a dime a dozen nowadays, so it only stood to reason that eventually he'd be attacked by one.
What he found most concerning was that a little girl had taken up residence in his head and seemed quite content in staying there for the foreseeable future.
"So let me get this straight," he started, rubbing his temple warily. "I've got a teenage telepath in my head, who knows all of my secrets and shares in my experiences—and she's trapped in there since her physical body is crushed underneath a giant pile of cement and stone."
"If it makes you feel any better, she does not appear to mean you any harm," J'onn said. "To the contrary, she wants to protect you. In fact, she is the reason Dr. Destiny is no longer in your mind."
No, that didn't make him feel better. While he did appreciate that he wasn't out of commission, he didn't like having another person inside his head. "What needs to be done to remove her?"
"I am unsure to be honest." The Martian looked uncomfortable. "As you mentioned, we are unable to recover her body and due to it being deceased, she would die instantly upon reversing the transfer. It would be a death sentence for her."
Bruce didn't like that either. No way would he be responsible for the termination of another life, even if they were only a spiritual form, or whatever form she was currently in. But she couldn't stay in his head either; no way did he want anyone other than himself in there.
His mind wasn't a pleasant place to be.
"So she's stuck in there for now. Nothing we can do to get her out?" he questioned.
"That appears to be the situation."
Great. "What can you tell me about this Dr. Destiny then?" If he wasn't going to be able to change the Ace situation, then he would need to tackle something he could, namely the telepath that incapacitated him.
J'onn straightened out his posture. "He appears to have power of dreams, which is how he was able to keep you in an unconscious state. Thanks to Ace, he was unable to learn much about you, so you can rest easy about that. He did refer to himself as a god."
People with great power usually did. However, there was something about J'onn that told him there was something else going on, as if he wasn't too surprised by this admission. "What else is there?"
J'onn was silent for a moment before he replied, "There is a case with the Justice League with a similar M.O. We've had at least two individuals make the same claim of being gods. Perhaps there is a link between Dr. Destiny and them."
That was a possibility, sure. "Then we'll need to find Destiny in order to find out. What are we doing to locate him?"
"Between the time he escaped his bunker and you awoke, I have been performing mental sweeps through the city. He has been doing his best to remain unnoticed, but for a man with a high opinion of himself, he will use his power again and I will be able to hone in on him in that moment."
That wasn't exactly what he wanted to hear. "Then we'll need to search the entire city for him," he grunted.
"That is indeed an option."
Unfortunately, Gotham was a large place. Between the three of them, even with their detective experience and J'onn's psychic powers, that could take an inordinate amount of time. Bruce didn't want someone that had the power to subdue him easily out there for so long. If his power was indeed control over dreams, the potential for Dr. Destiny to invade their minds when they slept was high. Obviously the counter to that was to not go to sleep, but the human body could only go so long without rest before it crashed. They would need to go to sleep eventually, leaving themselves vulnerable.
No way did he want this telepath inside Cassandra's head either.
"Then we'll need to increase our numbers," he reluctantly suggested. "As capable as the three of us are, the city is too large to cover in one night. We'll need help."
"Perhaps the Justice League will suffice?" J'onn suggested.
Bruce shook his head. "They're currently working on another case—" that was currently allowing them to invade Gotham, which pleased him even less than their current situation, "—and they're unfamiliar with Gotham. No, we'll need to bring in locals."
A frown appeared on the Martian's face even as his daughter perked up. "Do you mean…?" she trailed off.
"Get in contact with the Birds," he told her. "Tell them we need their help searching for this Dr. Destiny. J'onn, I'll need you to plant what this man looks like in their heads—that will save us the trouble of having to make a computer rendition of him."
Cassandra immediately hopped off the bed and made her way to the computer console even as J'onn nodded his acceptance. "Are you sure these...Birds are capable of handling a telepath?" he asked after a moment.
"Each one is an experienced crime fighter and ones I'd trust for a mission like this," he answered truthfully. "Their knowledge of the city will help too. We'll be doubling our numbers with just them. That said, it wouldn't hurt to inform them on what Dr. Destiny is capable of."
Picking up his cowl, Bruce then slid it over his head. "The sooner we find this guy, the better. I don't know how long you can go without sleep, but we're on a running clock right now."
"Because of his ability to enter your mind through your subconscious," J'onn finished. At least he knew where he was coming from. "Very well. I'm ready when you are."
This city, it was intoxicating. Exhilarating. The throngs of people herded like cattle through streets were saturated with discontent and malicious.
It had been quite some time since Eris had gotten to enjoy herself in such displeasure. While it was a shame she was not the source of it, its proximity was filling her with discord. How wonderful it tasted.
"No matter the time, or era, mortals scurry about like rats," Deimos observed as he stood next to the goddess at the roof's ledge. She and her brothers had taken to a rooftop and were gazing down upon the masses. This was supposed to be the epicenter of the city, or so the maps had shown. There was a distinct design, one to maximum space to its utmost efficiency. It was nothing like the Greek city-states of old.
But even if the city was different, the people were just the same. The same worries, the same concerns, it radiated off of them like a cloud, one practically visible to the three gods. They could certainly work with the materials provided them.
"This Zeus fellow wants us to prove ourselves to his 'cause'," Eris spoke, running a hand through the thick tangle of red hair. This was most certainly not her natural color, but she was definitely thinking of a change now. Also, this mortal seemed to have a rather interesting ability, one that connected her to the life of Gaia. She could feel the plant life around her, a gentle caress upon her ears. No wonder Demeter took pride in them.
It made Eris sick with such incessant cooing.
"Then let's give him a show," Phobos eagerly hissed. "After all, we all want to feast on the vermin."
The embodiment of fear was not wrong in that regard. His gangly appearance, though off putting, rather suited him. He practically drooled at the thought of creating yet another masterpiece.
"Then if you will excuse me, brothers, I have this location covered," Eris announced. "Go stir up your own trouble as only you can."
Phobos needed no more incentive as he vanished within a cloud of smoke. On the other hand, Deimos took his time. "Remember, we're only here to cause a little mischief, enough for Erebus' vessel to get what is needed for that little stone."
That gave Eris pause. "Why, Deimos, you're normally more eager to cause terror and madness. Are you having indigestion again?"
A smirk appeared on his white face. "You know as well as I that the vessel influences our behavior. Look at Phobos, his vessel thrives on causing fear. It's no wonder he's so eager. As for me...despite this clownish get up, this body has a rather intelligent mind."
Suddenly he winced, his features smoothing out a moment later. "And unstable. It keeps...changing itself when I am not paying attention."
Eris ran a hand down her hips, caressing the material of her gown clinging to her body. "Of course I know that. Now get out of here. I'm about to perform."
Deimos just shrugged his shoulders at her before he turned and walked away, vanishing into the night. Now, she was all alone. Eris took in a deep breath. She knew just what she wanted to do as her opening act.
Raising her hands out in front of her, she called upon her mortal's power, reaching out to the very plants that spoke to her. She was rather surprised at how eager they responded to her hailing, not that she was complaining.
Far below, pieces of the street began to crack and warp just before giant stalks ripped through the hardened material. The vehicles the mortals used skidded chaotically to avoid the absurdly large plants, some barely accomplishing the feat only to run into another vehicle, others having less luck and slamming right into the stalks. Horns blared out loudly.
Higher and higher, the stalks rose until their heads reached the height Eris stood at. Bulbs opened then, revealing large petals and within them gaping mouths full of razor sharp teeth.
"Go on, my offspring," Eris cooed. "Feast on the mortals below."
With animalistic cries, the monstrous flowers whipped their heads back down, roaring as they descended upon the populous. One flower chomped down on a vehicle—a car, her host told her—and lifted it up off the ground. With a flick of its thick stem, it swung its head and threw the car through the air, where it crashed into a building, causing it to explode. As for the other flower, it slammed its head into a nearby building, ripping through it and sending debris falling to the ground.
That was a good start, but Eris was not finished. Keeping her hands out, she called upon more plants. Where the two stalks broke through...pavement? Yes, pavement—more cracks began to form right before roots began breaking through. All throughout the intersection of two roads, the roots spread out, digging up into the air before forcing itself back into the ground a short distance away. Some formed sharpened ends and launch themselves at unsuspecting victims, impaling fleeing mortals.
A cruel laugh tore its way out of Eris' mouth, a sadistic expression covering her face. "Oh, I like this," she crowed. "I like this a lot."
John Stewart could hear the commotion from practically the other side of town. Taken to flight, he could see what looked like weird tentacles whipping around in downtown Gotham. Though he was only supposed to be here to search for Shade and Dr. Alchemy, there was no way he was going to stand aside as something monstrous attacked the city.
Hawkgirl kept up with the Lantern as they flew. After the encounter with Shade at that factory, he and Flash had taken a break. The Thanagarian had opted to take the speedster's place when they were on their way out, but that was only part of the contingency the Justice League had sent. With John and Flash having combed the city several times in the last couple of days, it would be to their benefit to have them leading teams as they conducted yet another search.
"You know, I heard Gotham had a reputation for weird things," Shayera called out to him. "And if what I'm seeing from here is any indication, then it's justly deserved."
"What can you see?" John quickly questioned her.
"Those tall ass plants are tearing the city a new one. One of them I can see teeth on, so I can only assume their carnivores."
Flesh-eating plants huh? That was weird. That said, it wouldn't be much of a problem for the Lantern.
Suddenly, a sense of unease settled on John. It literally had come out of nowhere, causing him to waver in his flight. Frowning, he slowed his pace and began looking around him, which caused Shayera to pull ahead.
"Hey! Is something wrong," she called back to him over her shoulder.
"I'm not sure," he answered her right before something slammed right into him. Crying out, the dark-skinned man was sent hurling through the air until he crashed right into the pavement, the impact causing it to buckle before it gave way, the Lantern tearing through it as he left a trench in his wake.
"Ow," he groaned after he came to a stop. Slowly he pushed himself, shaking his head to rid himself of the stars he was seeing. A pair of red boots landed next to him, Shayera placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"What happened?" she demanded, even as she moved to help him stand up. "You just suddenly went flying right into the ground."
"Something hit me," John told her, revving his ring to life as a green aura surrounded him.
Suddenly, the winged woman jerked away from him. "Ahh!" she yelped, right before he was hit again, John stumbling back a step. Then he felt something pull on him, causing him to lunge towards Hawkgirl, who was also throwing herself at him. Their heads collided, causing pain to explode inside John's skull as the stars returned with a vengeance.
"Gahh," he shouted as he dropped to a knee, rubbing his head with a hand. Then something rammed right beneath his chin, his head snapping back before he went flying away, hitting ground shortly after on his back and skidding across it until he came to a stop.
"Alright, where are you?!" Shayera shouted, her mace in hand. She spun from one side to the other, sweeping the mace along to ward off the mysterious attacker.
"EVERYONE HAS A FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN."
That voice, though it seemed as if it were coming from all directions, it was about as loud as someone conversing with you from a foot away. It wasn't loud, but there was no telling where the source came from.
Then Shayera jerked to her left, spit flying from her mouth as if she had just been punched. Then she was flung to her right, again as if she had been hit. Then she lifted right off the ground before she was thrown right back down onto the asphalt.
"Raagghhh!" John shouted as he raised his ring hand up and fired a green beam just above the redhead. The beam raced through the air, following down the street until it faded from sight.
"I KNOW WHAT SCARES YOU, LITTLE MAN."
Oh great, the voice sounded closer now. John looked from side to side in search of it. However, as he made a turn, he came face to face with the face of a monster. A bald head with random tufts of hair sticking out its scalp and razor sharp teeth protruding from its mouth stared at him with fierce eyes.
Before John could even react, a hand that was damn near skeletal, skin stretched over it as if no muscles were present, clamped down over his mouth, a couple fingers crawling over his eyes. "You fear uncertainty and a little black monster."
Suddenly, the creature's arm began to stretch forward, forcing the Green Lantern to go flying backwards, his backside and legs scraping across the ground until he crashed right into a street lamp. John cried out as the back of his head collided with the metal pole, the pole itself denting from the impact.
"Haaaa!"
That was when Shayera came flying it, slamming her mace against the side of the monster's head. Instantly it cried out, its hand letting go of John and its arm quickly returning to it. That wasn't enough for the Thanagarian as she swung her mace back and forth, hitting it with each swing and causing it to stumble back a step.
Gritting his teeth, John then stood up and fired another beam at the creature. At the last moment, the beam widened and formed a giant hand, one that grabbed the monster, entrapping it.
"Gahh! It hurts!" it cried out. Then it glared at Shayera. "I do not know what weapon you use, but I will destroy it!"
"Yeah, good luck destroying Nth metal," the redhead shot back sarcastically. Then she shoved the spiked head of the mace right up into the creature's face. "Now, tell me what the hell you are."
As John walked towards it, he could see it still seething. "I am beyond you, mortal. I am Phobos, the God of Fear! Tremble before my deathly hand!"
Oh great, another god. They must have found some degenerate to give powers to now. "So I'm guessing you're familiar with Shade and Dr. Alchemy," he surmised.
This Phobos turned its head, but not in the way you would imagine. It bent its neck backwards, then twisted its head to look towards him. It was kind of freaky looking, what with his head sideways. "Maybe," he replied coyly.
"So what's the big idea in attacking us?" Shayera then questioned. This caused Phobos to unwind his head and snap it back forward to look at her.
"Why, to inspire fear," he said innocently. "And I know you were afraid, I could taste it. An invisible foe striking you down, seemingly coming from all directions. If only it could have lasted."
Ah, so he had been invisible. John willed his hand construct to tighten its grip. No way would he allow this god to escape, not this time.
This action caused Phobos' face to twist with disgust. "Ugh, determination, will, I can feel it all around me." This time he turned his head like a normal person, directing his ire at the Green Lantern. "I can't stand it."
"Too bad, you're going to have to get used to it," John returned.
"No, I don't think I will."
Suddenly, Phobos opened its mouth, a yellow light shining out from it and his eyes. Before John could react, a bright yellow light erupted from the god and blasted him. The Lantern cried out as he was thrown backwards, his construct falling apart from the loss of his concentration.
Shayera immediately leapt into action then. "Haaa!" she shouted as she swung her mace at Phobos. Unfortunately, he was ready for her as he shot one hand up and grabbed the wrist of her mace-wielding arm, stopping her attack. Then with ease, he swung her through the air, letting go of her and sending her flying right towards John, the winged woman crashing into him. The two of them cried out as they were left lying on the ground in a pile of appendages.
"That could have gone better," Shayera admitted after a moment. She pulled herself off of John before offering him a helping hand.
Taking it, he pulled himself up. "I've had enough of this," he growled as he raised up his ring hand. He then pointed it towards the god. "It's time I showed this guy just what a Green Lantern can do."
And then he called upon his will to launch an attack, only for nothing to happen. That was odd, but he was undeterred. He willed the ring into action again.
And again, nothing happened. "What the hell?" he said before he moved his ring hand to where he could look at it. His eyes widened when he noticed just how dim the ring looked, as if it were completely drained of power.
In fact, it was out. He could no longer sense the ring's presence in his mind.
A wide, toothy smile appeared on Phobos' face. "Now then, let's get the real fright party started."
Diana saw the signal before she was alerted to the crisis. High in the sky was the symbol of the Bat, no doubt a call for the city's hero.
The Amazon had a suspicion as to why the Dark Knight was being hailed. In the heart of the downtown sector were two large vine-like plants. Currently they had demolished a city block, once proud standing buildings now just piles of rubble that formed one lumpy mountain of brick, stone, and debris. Those just happened to be the structures closest to the plants as they were expanding their circle of destruction.
Flying like a missile, Diana closed in on one, approaching it from behind. She kept low, below the so-called head so that she could curve upwards at the last moment and fly straight up beneath the bulb. With both fists extended out in front of her, she rammed right beneath the mane of petals, causing the monstrous plant to throw its head upwards from the force of her blow.
The plant screamed with rage before it snapped its gaping mouth down, revealing its sharp teeth and green-colored drool leaking out. It then lunged at the Amazon, attempting to eat her. Diana hovered in place for a moment before she darted to one side, avoiding the cavernous mouth as the head and stem of the plant flew right by her.
Of course, it would only be easy if she had to fight one man-eating plant at a time. The second one had sensed her and turned its destructive tendencies towards her. Where the first one missed, the second one then charged it, it too attempting to consume her. She avoided this one by flying straight up.
The first plant shrieked then, alerting her to another charge by it. As she turned her head to look at it, an idea popped into her head, one she rather liked. Waiting for the ravenous plant to close the distance between it and her, she then went into a dive, flying straight down as the plant arced its head to follow.
Diana made sure she made large arches when she was able to, always making sure she had a plant following her. She drew closer to the second plant, flying by its base and circling around it. The chasing plant followed, making as many circles as she did before she went straight down again. A gap had formed towards the base of the plants and she flew right for it. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw she still had her tail.
Passing through the opening, she then ached upwards, flying right for the head of the second plant. This one was looking right towards her, snarling before it lunged to meet her. Dodging it, she turned her head just in time to see both plants run into each other, their heads bashing against each other.
Each mouth shrieked at the other in protest, which left Diana with a prime opening. Dropping down towards them, she wrapped her arms around the stem of the second plant and pulled it down with her. This caused its body to tighten in the coils that had been made with its friend, making a knot.
Diana was done, however. Using her strength, she then flew upward, holding tightly to the plant. She forced it around the first plant close to the head, making another coil before she dropped down and flew through the gap made below their knotted necks. Forcing the head through it, she continued to push it forward until she was satisfied and let go, pulling away.
Just as she intended, she saw both plants tied in knots together, each one beginning to pull at each other to free themselves, only to tighten their binding more. That would keep them at bay until they figured out how to work in unison, which didn't look likely.
Now, she needed to find the source of these monstrous vines. Rising higher into the air, she wanted to get as much altitude as she could before she began her search. No doubt these plants' creator would want to be close to watch the destruction they made.
As luck would have it, she was right. As she climbed, she spotted a figure on a rooftop, looking not the least bit concerned with the carnage below.
Diana hardened her expression before she took off towards the figure. She flew until she reached the roof, setting down on it. Taking in the person, she came to realize they were female, what with the green dress that clung to her body. Red hair cascaded down her back, nearly touching the ground.
"Well, well, it appears I have a visitor," the woman murmured as she turned to face her. Green eyes stared at the Amazon bemused, a hand running down the woman's side and over the curve of her hip.
"I assume you are the one that created those monsters," Diana spoke.
The woman didn't answer, merely continued to stare at her before her eyes suddenly sharpened. "Amazon," she gasped before her face hardened into a scowl. "What brings you this far away from your island?"
Diana wasn't taken back by the reaction. The entire world knew who and what she was, so there wasn't any reason to be shocked by the reaction. Admittedly, it was rather odd considering the aforementioned fact. "You brought me here by your complete disregard for life," she responded coolly.
The redhead's eyes seemed to glaze over for a moment before she jolted, shaking her head as if to clear her mind. "Pardon my delayed reaction; I seem to have a little trouble concentrating in this body. It has a sensuousness that reminds me of Aphrodite."
That caused Diana's head to perk up. There weren't many people that spoke of her gods and not with the familiarity this woman did. Most happened to be graying old men in universities and even they were poor substitutes for her Sisters. "What do you know of Aphrodite?" she questioned.
"That she has an insatiable appetite and is very vain. But then, you know her quite well, Princess Diana of Themyscira."
Her blues eyes narrowed at her title. "Who are you?"
"Come now, we've met before." The woman raised a hand up, a vine seeming to grow out from behind her. The vine reached out to hover above her hand, where a small bud sprouted. In a matter of seconds the bud grew bigger and bigger until it formed an apple, its golden skin glowing. Eventually the weight of the apple caused it to fall off the vine, plopping right into the woman's hand. "After all, we've had our own little strife once upon a time."
Diana's mood soured. "Eris."
"Ding, ding! You got it one turn!" Eris praised her.
"What are you doing here? The Old Gods aren't permitted in Man's World," the Amazon snarled. "Such was the decree of Zeus."
"Yes, yes, I'm quite familiar with that order," Eris waved off absently. "No meddling with mortals, yadda, yadda. However, I found a loophole, which is why I am here in the flesh. Not my flesh, mind you, but a suitable one."
Of course there had to be a loophole. Trust one of the gods to find a way around a commandment by their very king. Before the emergence of what was now called religion in Man's World, Zeus had commanded all of his kin to abandon this world for the sake of mankind. The games the Gods had played had caused unrest and chaos, threatening to unravel the very fabric that created this place. To save it, he recalled every god and barred them from direct intervention, oaths being sworn by the River Styx. This allowed Man's World to settle and become what it was today.
However, just because the Gods could not be directly involved did not mean they could not influence things indirectly. It's what kept Diana busy when she wasn't involved with the Justice League, having to clean up after them. It was only by divine grace that they weren't allowed to physically appear here that mitigated the damage they caused.
Eris' presence here was a threat in and of itself. If she was able to find a way around the oath she had taken, others could too. She needed to be stopped now.
"Go back to Olympus," she warned coldly. "Leave now and I won't inflict harm upon you nor inform Zeus of your broken oath."
"And what if I like it here?" Eris mocked.
"Then I will force you to go."
"Tsk, tsk, you're still as stubborn as ever. But that's okay, I have more investigating to do before I go back. You see, my knowledge will be quite valuable to the other Gods and you can bet your tiara that they'd be quite interested in learning what I know."
"Then I shall send you back as a warning," Diana threatened.
Eris, unfortunately, didn't seem concerned with the threat. "Just know, this is only the beginning. I can't wait for you to see all the strife and discord I plan to inflect on these mortals.
"Until then, ta ta for now!"
In a flash of light, Eris vanished, leaving Diana by herself. Her hands tightened into fists, her fingernails digging into her palms.
This was not good, not good at all.
Superman slowed to a stop. Thanks to his X-ray vision, he could see long distances and he could see the main problem of what looked like giant plants being swiftly handled by Diana. She wouldn't need backup to handle them, not to mention her warrior's pride at play. If she had a situation handled that didn't require assistance, she didn't want it.
So that was why he had stopped heading to the epicenter of the disturbance, having landed on the sidewalk of an empty street. There were a couple cars parked, but there were no people out and about, though that wasn't unusual for Gotham. This wasn't the well protrolled areas by the GCPD, especially where the bars and clubs were. This was a ghetto, where police presence wasn't as welcomed as it was in other places.
"So now what, we go back to where we were looking, or do we just pick up right here?" Flash asked. "Not gonna lie, I kinda hope it's the other place. This place is giving me the heebie-jeebies."
Superman understood the feeling. There was just something wrong with a deserted area. It may have been his exposure to Metropolis, where the entire city was alive and people had no problem spending their nights out in every corner of the sprawling urban jungle. He had to remind himself Gotham had a much different nightlife and that required different precautions.
"It would be better to check this area out first, at least to rule it out," the Kryptonian eventually answered. "The sooner we get it done, the better."
"I had a feeling you'd say that," Flash grumbled before he turned to go do a quick sweep. With his super-speed, he could have it done in a literal second.
However, before he took off, he paused. "Hey, there's the first sign of life I've seen since I've been here."
Looking to see what the red-clad man was talking about, he caught sight of a man walking away from them, a dark trench coat flapping behind him, a wide-brim hat on his head. The dark-haired man heard the sound of whistling, which was odd since it seemed as if the person was in mid-note and he hadn't heard it until just then.
In the pit of his stomach, he felt as if something wasn't right with this picture.
As the person entered the light of a streetlamp, he suddenly stopped, his whistling cutting off in mid-tune. "Well, well, it seems I have your attention, gentlemen," he called out over his shoulder.
That voice. Superman recognized it almost immediately. The figure turned around, his hat's brim low enough to hide his face. Shadows further hid his face, but he didn't need to see it to know who it was.
"You sound familiar," Flash said back. "Have we met?"
"Perhaps, perhaps not." He lifted his head then. "That depends on if you believe in deja vu."
Gone were the shadows and the hat was no longer in the way. The face of the Joker stared back at them, a smirk on his face versus his usual wide grin. His hair was longer since the last time Superman had seen him, something he found odd, but ignored.
"The Joker!" Flash gasped before jabbing a finger towards the maniac. "What are you up to now?"
"Little ol' me? Why, trouble of course. In particular, I'm in the market for some good ol' fashion terror. Care to help me out?"
"We're not scared of you," Flash shot back. "Tell 'em, Supes."
A disappointed look appeared on the Joker's face. "Is that right? Then perhaps I need to try a little bit harder."
Unease began to well up within Superman's stomach. Strange it would start to do that almost immediately after the green-haired man would say that.
Suddenly, a crack appeared at the feet of the Joker, one that raced down the sidewalk towards the two heroes. Superman and Flash looked down at it, their guards up as they waited to see what was coming towards them.
Then the cement broke apart and the head of a large snake exploded into sight. Its mouth was wide open, revealing a sharp set of fangs as it shot towards Flash.
"Whoa!" the speedster gasped before he darted to one side and avoided the serpent's attack. Then he took off running right for the Joker, a red blur that swiftly closed the distance between them.
There was movement around the Joker's head, something that was hard to describe. If Superman had to call it anything, it looked like...wiggling? An odd choice of words to be sure, but it was the only thing he could come up with.
As it turned out, it was exactly that. The long mane of green hair moved then, surrounding the Joker's face from either side. It took a moment for the Man of Steel to recognize the hundreds of smaller snake heads hissing.
What the hell?!
Apparently Flash saw this even at the speeds he was running at and he immediately changed course, running right by the Joker and coming to a stop next to a streetlamp several feet down. "What the actual hell?!" he exclaimed. "Are those snakes?!"
"Why yes, they are," the Joker answered pleasantly. "I take them everywhere I go." Then he raised a hand up, pointing a finger towards the Fastest Man Alive. "Though you won't be going anywhere anytime soon."
Much to Superman's surprise, it wasn't Flash the Joker was pointing at, but the streetlamp next to him. The pole actually bent down, moving right behind the red-clad man before it sped up and wrapped around him, pinning his arms to his sides. As if that weren't enough, small cables burst out of the pavement at his feet and crawled up his legs, tying themselves around his calves.
"Hey, get off!" Flash shouted as he struggled against his restraints.
Something was wrong with this. The Joker, for all of his insanity, did not have powers. He was highly-intelligent, sadistic, and menacing. He could not point a finger and cause objects to move. He preferred a hands-on approach.
Superman knew this from experience. It was one he wished he could forget.
Lifting up into the air, he then rushed in towards the Joker look-alike. Leading with his shoulder, he rammed it into the man's side, knocking him off his feet and sending him flying down the street. The man cried out as he flew before he fell to the ground, skidding across it until he came to a stop.
Superman wasn't proud to say he had put a little more force than was necessary to take down someone of the Joker's vulnerability—meaning he couldn't take a super-strength punch without massive damage—but he found he couldn't hold back. Worrying about this man's welfare became second though, as he turned his attention to Flash. "Let me help with that," he said as he approached the speedster.
"Kinda hit that guy hard, didn't you," Flash observed.
He shrugged. "Couldn't help myself."
"Hey, you don't hear me complaining."
A shrill whistle then rang out, causing both men to look to one side. Much to their astonishment, the Joker stood there, looking no worse for wear. Superman did a double take, looking down the sidewalk to where he had last seen the man and found he was no longer there.
How had he moved from one block over to teen feet away without him noticing?
There was a difference though, that being the Joker missing his hat. This revealed the hundreds of snakes that formed his long hair, many slithering amongst themselves as a few reared their heads up and stared at the two heroes.
"Hey, the Joker couldn't move that fast!" Flash stated. "Who the hell are you? How are you able to do this?"
"I've always been able to do this," the fake-Joker answered succinctly. "But I've found a few new toys to play with since I came here. Maybe you'll recognize this one."
He then raised his hand, exposing his palm. Right in the middle of it was a round disk, a button at its center.
Superman felt himself go pale, his stomach dropping. He knew what that thing was—the Joker's infamous joy buzzer.
Intense pain seared into Superman's body at the moment of contact. Green bolts of electricity raced all over him as he screamed.
That was when the man's face widened into the infamous Joker smile. A green bolt of electricity fired from the joy buzzer, burning its way through the air towards Superman.
The Kryptonian had super-speed much like the Flash. He had all the time in the world to avoid the lightning bolt as it zig-zagged its way towards him. Yet, he found himself frozen in place, unable to move. Dread kept him rooted right where he was.
The green electricity slammed into his chest and life-draining pain ripped through the Man of Steel. Crying out, he was thrown backwards through the air, his back crashing into the side of a building. Muscles seized from the constant electrical current washing throughout his body, indescribable pain tearing him apart.
And then the electricity stopped. Superman dropped to his knees and then his hands, which he used to prop himself up lest he fall face first to the sidewalk. Smoke poured off his body as he gasped for air over and over.
"Superman!" Flash cried out, twisting and turning within his bonds. "Supes! Are you alright? Answer me!"
"He he he," came a sick chuckle. "Ha ha ha." It grew louder before the Joker threw his head back and began laughing his sick laughter.
"HA HA HA HA HA HA HAAAA!"
As much as he detested it, Superman couldn't do anything to stop it. Flash couldn't either, which left the both of them looking at the snake-haired man as he continued his insatiable laughter.
"HA HA HA HA HAAAA HA HA HA HAAAAAAAAA!"