I do not own any of the DC or Marvel characters in this story. I see several people have added this story to their list of alerts and favorites; I am humbled and quite appreciative of that gesture. I would love to read a reply from some of you; you know, things I can do better, things you liked. Of course, a big nod to Diana Rulz for always being so supportive and to the others who have replied. I am trying to find my rhythm with this again and still trying to clear up some of the Cadmus/Apocalypse/Superman clutter as far as who's on who's side and so on. Please bare with me. I have a feeling this chapter will be a bit easier to understand.
"Atom Smasher…dead…Blue Devil…dead…B'wana Beast…dead…Gypsy…dead…Hourman…dead…Red Tornado…dead…"
He sits in the burning Watchtower as it heads down to earth. J'onn is unconscious and in his more Martian form nearby, but the Man of Steel is paying it no mind. He can hear their hearts stopping as the explosions continue…
"Crimson Avenger…dead…Stargirl…dead…Mr. Terrific…dead…S.T.R.I.P.E…dead… Crimson Fox…dead…Vigilante…"
Vigilante crawls into the room very slowly… he's hurt badly and he's without his cowboy hat.
Vigilante- Superman…what in Sam Hill happened?
Superman- The end…the END.
Metamorpho arrives with Supergirl, Fire, Ice, and Elongated Man, who is also badly hurt.
Fire- Wildcat…
Superman- He's DEAD.
Fire- I barely knew him… he dove on one of the explosives and sacrificed himself for us.
Vigilante- A true hero and a man… but we've still got to figure this situation out.
Superman- It's easy. Get to the javelins and get out of here. The whole place is burning.
Supergirl- We may be able to put the fires out and we could carry it down.
Superman- You let me worry about that, Kara. You do everything you can… save as many as you can… but they're aren't that many left to save.
Brutality
Chapter 6
"Takeover"
"She sits alone
An empty stare
Her mother's face
She wears
Where did she go wrong?
The fight is gone
Lord, help this broken home…"
-- "Mother, Father" by Journey
Near Themyscira, flying near Apocalypse's ship… she watches through her crystal blue eyes as the Watchtower burns, her long curly black hair flapping in the wind, the blood red S on her chest outlined in black, her long flowing cape… an Amazon and an alien.
Deep underground in Egypt…Lobo holds Batman up by his neck as Diana looks at the tall hitman. Batman is severely burned and Lobo is lighting a cigar off of Batman's head. Diana frowns in anger and balls up her fists, but she is still so weak from the fumes and from her fight against the combined might of Apocalypse, Fatale, Artemis, and now, a new player, a long haired girl, appearing to be in her late teens, with long curly black hair, crystal blue eyes, and a black and red suit, complete with an S on her chest. Who was this girl and why did Diana find her so familiar? Diana glares angrily at the hitman. The reaction Lobo gives her is laughter.
Lobo- What are you gonna do about it, girly? I could break his neck with a snap of my fingers.
Diana- Lobo… what are you doing here? You're a member of the Justice League, remember?
Lobo- Ahem… uhhh…you know, I don't quite remember you being all that open to me joining. If my memory serves me right, baby, you grabbed me and slammed me… then you punched me for no freakin reason the second I showed up at yer little blender in the sky (see the episode titled "Hereafter")
Diana- We don't have time for this. Batman is going to die and my homeland will be destroyed unless you get out of my way.
Lobo- I don't care. You're gonna have to work harder to gain my affections, baby. After all, I'm on a contract to take you out… so I suggest you (singing) try a little tendernesssssssss!!
Diana's temper finally gets the best of her and she charges Lobo… the gray-skinned hitman holds Batman in her way and Diana stops. She takes a deep breath as more of the ceiling in the catacombs comes crashing down into what remains of the Lazarus pits. Lobo's eyes widen a bit and he pops his eyebrows up and down twice. Finally, Diana realizes that she must take a different approach with this man.
Diana- You came for me. Put him down and you can have me.
Diana is wearing only a white garb and her bracelets. Well, she has on undergarments as well obviously, but she is barefoot. Lobo stares down at Diana's feet as licks his lips.
Lobo- You know, a woman who takes care of her feet takes care of everything else. Damn you got some sexy toes.
Diana almost sneers at that comment, but fakes a smile, turns around, raises her arms above her head and begins to back up. She gets about three feet away from Lobo and lifts her garb up, revealing a pair of white shorts as Lobo licks his own blood off of his lips from biting them at the sight of Diana's bottoms.
Diana- As you can see, I am unarmed. Take me, Lobo.
Lobo tosses Batman down next to Diana and she leans down, placing his gasmask on and checking his pulse. Diana is still very weak, but every moment she can buy, she feels her strength returning, despite the fumes making her feel anemic and the fact that she must resort to this sort of tactic against such a powerful adversary making her sick to her stomach. It's also the desperation of this situation. Both Longshadow and Batman are down. Longshadow's heart has stopped beating… but Diana has not given up hope. As she backs into Lobo, she takes another deep breath.
Diana- Make sure you have a secure grip on me. I'm not going to try anything. So go ahead and get your grip.
Lobo places one hand around Diana's neck and the other one around her lower abdomen. Diana can feel his breath on her neck as she looks down at Batman and feels her heart sink.
Diana- I know what you really want, Lobo. You complained earlier about my actions when you tried to join the Justice League… but let's face it, you know you enjoyed having my hands on you.
Lobo stops to consider what is being said.
Diana- Now, it appears you have me at a disadvantage. The true question is… what are you going to do about it?
Lobo- Well, the Main Man doesn't--
Diana- Think about this, Lobo. We are going to fight… you are here to kill me, or you're working with Apocalypse. But I am allowing you the opportunity to have an advantage and you have taken it. The question still stands… can you take me?
Lobo- I think I liked you better in your costume. I have a thing for those blue bottoms you wear with the stars and that bustier you wear.
Diana- (getting angry) That's not a bustier and I don't wear a costume! Okay, sorry. Well, if you let me go, I can change into it. After, I'll let you get your grip back.
Lobo lets her go. He still intends to kill her… he just likes his fun and he watches as Diana spins and spins and changes into her uniform, then she backs up into him again.
Lobo- You know, babe, you're not so bad after all. You've got honor, you know? All my travels in the universe and all the bastichs I've laid to rest… I've gotta say… you're in a class by yourself. You want me to do ya up close… ya ain't even givin me a fight. I guess I've learned that not all you women are as dumb as the stuff running out of your mouths.
Diana- And do you know what I've learned Lobo, in all my travels through the galaxy and my missions here on Earth?
Lobo- What's that?
Diana- I've learned that most of you men are about as smart as all the dung in Apollo's stables!!
Diana rams her head into Lobo's face, smashing his nose and stunning him. She then throws her leg back and hard into Lobo's crotch… her toned and beautiful calf slams between Lobo's legs and makes a crunching noise as Lobo doubles over. Diana doesn't believe that these seductive and dirty tactics are honorable, but she feels that desperate situations call for desperate actions. Diana reaches back and locks Lobo's head down on her right shoulder with her right hand, then jumping up, lands on her buttocks and slams Lobo's chin and throat across her shoulder in a version of the Stone Cold Stunner. Lobo is shot off of Diana and lands on his back. Diana wastes no time grabbing the Lasso of Truth and throwing it around Lobo, then throwing him around the catacombs, slamming him through wall after wall after wall. Lobo is out of it and Diana walks up to him and punches him in the face several times, fighting back her instinctive Amazon urges for combat and trying not to lose herself in punishing Lobo.
Diana- Who sent you? (punches him again) Who in Hera's name sent you? Are you working with Apocalypse? (punches him again) ANSWER ME!!
Lobo- (slowly) Ares sent me. He hired me to kill you.
Diana- ARES?!
Lobo- You and Thor made a fool of him. He wanted revenge (see my first story here and the prequel to this one, "Days of Thunder").
Diana- Does Ares have anything to do with Apocalypse?
Lobo- I don't know what the hell you're talking about.
Diana- Well, he won't have his revenge.
Lobo- Yes he will.
Diana- And how is that going to happen?
Lobo- I am going to kill you.
Diana- This is the Lasso of Truth, you ignorant dolt! Once entangled in my lasso, you are under my control. You must tell the truth and you are under my control. I still can't believe you honestly fell for that trick earlier. To think that a woman of my class and my stature would be attracted to a miserable, insufferable, despicable--
Lobo- But I am telling ya the truth. I am going to break your lasso and beat you to death.
Diana's eyes widen as Lobo tenses up. She struggles to hold onto her lasso and tightens it even more around the hitman… but the impossible becomes possible and Lobo snaps the lasso!! Wonder Woman takes a moment to look down at the pieces of the lasso… Lobo notices a brief look of discouragement on the face of the Amazon (it should be noted that in the Trinity trade paperback, Bizarro snapped Diana's lasso, so it has been done).
Lobo- Let's dance, sweetheart.
Diana charges Lobo and hammers the hitman back with lefts and rights to his jaw, then doubles him over with a knee to his stomach, jumps on his shoulders, locking her firm legs around his neck, then flipping and throwing him down on his back in a wrestling move called the hurracana or the frankensteiner. Wasting no time, Diana mounts the massively muscular hitman and begins to pummel him with punches, but Lobo turns his head causing Diana's fists to hit the ground, and while she isn't feeling the pain, he stuns her with a head butt, grabbing her forearms and causing her to hiss as he applies pressure to the insides of her elbows with his thumbs. He head butts her three more times before she goes airborne, pulling him up and slinging him into the collapsing ceiling. She grabs him by his neck and slams him hard into the floor. She interlocks her fingers and brings down double axe handle blow after blow, but he freezes her with a hard kick between her legs and she rolls off of him coughing. He easily climbs out of the hole she pounded him into and stands over her.
Lobo- Are the warm-ups over? I'm not even breathing hard… you're supposed to be getting me hot, baby, you ain't doing your job. But that's cool. The Main Man's gonna show ya how it's done!
Meanwhile… Cassandra Sandsmark aka Wondergirl sits in a Washington DC containment cell… but not for long. The cell is blasted open by a blue energy beam as a muscular African American male wearing a trench coat walks in.
Cassandra- Okay, now what?
Nightwing approaches and so does Robin.
Nightwing- Okay, let's go Cassie.
A few moments later, after being teleported back to the Batcave, the reunion begins. Though they're a bit older, Cyborg, Starfire, Beastboy, Raven, and the former Robin now known as Nightwing are talking just like old times. Green Arrow, Question, Black Canary, and Huntress are there and Zatanna is as well.
Starfire- It is so superlative to see you, Nightwing.
Nightwing- Believe me, the pleasure is all mine.
Robin- (whispering) You're going to have to tell me about this one later.
Nightwing- Will do.
Cyborg- Well, since we're all back together, man, I'm wondering when we're gonna go kick the crap outta something.
Starfire- All things in moderation, Cyborg, including moderation. We cannot take an amorphous approach to resolving this conflict.
Raven- Well, you've got us here, Nightwing.
Beastboy- I feel great just being here! The band is back together, guys… the Teen Titans are back!
Cyborg- Bumblebee, Speedy, and Aqualad are on their way.
Huntress- What a bunch of dweebs.
Cyborg- What did you say?
Huntress- I'm looking forward to breaking something and you guys just turned this into an after school special.
Raven- Hey, we're not that much younger than you are. We might even be the same age, so watch your mouth.
Huntress- Or else what?
Cyborg- (to Black Canary) Is she always this friendly?
Black Canary- You're asking the wrong person.
Green Arrow- Look ladies and gents, nobody's wanting to go and do something else right now more than I am, okay? But despite our differences and despite our obvious confusion with whatever's going on here, we have to get to Egypt and get Batman so he can tell us what our next move is.
Huntress- And who put you in charge?
Cyborg- Yeah, who indeed? We can make our own moves and I'm moving to take down Apocalypse NOW.
Green Arrow- Nobody put me in charge of anything. I'm just saying what we need to do.
Robin- Guys, we really don't have time to argue with one another. We've got a team, so let's get going.
Meanwhile, aboard the Watchtower… more escape pods launch as the Watchtower continues to burn and Superman continues to sit. Galatea, clone of Supergirl, defeated by Supergirl and Steel during a Cadmus invasion of the Watchtower months ago and reintroduced as Powergirl, stands by Superman. With her are Superboy and Captain Atom.
Powergirl- You know, Superman, when I joined this team, I felt that I had something to prove. I'd been living my life trying to prove that I deserve to exist.
Superman- Sand… dead… Creeper… dead… Starman…dead… what have I done?
Powergirl- I got so obsessed with eliminating Kara, that I forgot the truest lesson in life. And that lesson is that I'm not just some imitation of her… I have a purpose. If I am alive, then I have a purpose, whether I'm a clone or not. I feel… human, you know? I feel like… I have a soul. I am no longer a pawn of Cadmus, hell, I went toe-to-toe with Thor! I would've never found a purpose had it not been for the Justice League.
Superman- Why are you telling me this now?
Powergirl- Because… you always remember the good times when you're at the end.
Captain Atom- You know what you must do. You know fully what has to be done. We can't have another repeat of this.
Superboy- Time to go, Big Blue. Time to do the right thing. Time to do what we were put here to do.
Themyscira…
The Amazons are fighting valiantly against the forces of Apocalypse, but the hundreds of robots have quickly become thousands, invading the island and killing everything that shows any resistance. Shayera takes out ten of those robots with just a swing of her mace as they close in on her. She can see Apocalypse standing atop the floating ship, watching stoically. Artemis breaks a neck of one of her Amazon sisters, but is knocked to the ground by Shayera. Amazons close in quickly on Artemis, but are gunned down by the redheaded assassin with the pupiless eyes known as Fatale… the horseman Famine. The Amazons shoot arrows at Fatale, but she dodges them and kills the Amazons just as quickly with her guns.
Hyppolyta- Murderers!! Sisters, to me!! Charge!!
The queen of Themyscira is on horseback and charges Fatale, but Artemis lands a jumping kick that hit's the queen just below her left breast and with an "umph!," Hyppolyta is knocked from her horse. High above the island, Serenity battles the hybrid daughter of Superman and Wonder Woman and lands repeated blows to the black haired girl's face, backing her up across the sky.
Serenity- You are the one responsible for the destruction of Miracle Island!! I will personally enjoy putting an end to you!
The black haired hybrid grabs Serenity's fist and drives a knee deep into the black Amazon's stomach, forcing a loud "Ough!!" from her and then pulling her into a full nelson.
"You've got a lot of heart," she says, "but heart won't win this war for you. My name is Trinity and I am power."
Serenity struggles against Trinity's grip as the Kryptonian Amazon tightens with relative ease and causes tremendous pain. Serenity forces with all her strength and manages to break Trinity's grip, then turns around, nails Trinity in the jaw, grabs her by her shoulders and throws her to the ground, but Trinity is able to stop herself in mid air before hitting the ground, flies up and slams a two fisted shot to Serenity's throat, knocking the black girl through the air and into a temple's steeple.
Meanwhile, Shayera closes in on Apocalypse, and it seems as though none of his robots are stopping her. She's taking out robots almost at the same rate that Fatale is taking out Amazons, but these flying imitations of Apocalypse just keep on coming.
Shayera- Coward!! You say you are all powerful; you say you are the strong… SHOW ME!!
Apocalypse- THEN COME TO ME, CHILD.
On the ground, Hyppolyta lands a vicious kick to Artemis' nose and the redheaded horseman known as War goes down, but does a backwards somersault and gets to her feet.
Hyppolyta- You betrayed your Amazon sisters, Artemis! How could you do this? No matter… I will take you down.
Hyppolyta charges in, her sword and shield ready, but Artemis, showing blazing speed, steps in and punches the queen to the heart.
Hyppolyta- Uggh…uggh…uggh…
Hyppolyta drops to the ground on her back, her left leg shaking as Artemis stands over the queen.
Artemis- Apocalypse has given me strength and power that is beyond your understanding, Hyppolyta. And by now, Diana is dead and the Justice League are destroyed. There is nothing that will stop us!!
Egypt…
Diana groans an "UNNHHH!!" as she takes a left hook to her jaw and stumbles, trying to plant her feet as Lobo pauses, then pokes her sternum hard enough to cause her to grip her teeth and take a step back. Diana has definitely been landing more shots to the gray skinned killer, but Lobo has been getting in his shots as well, and Diana has been noticing that Lobo doesn't seem to be tiring; his breathing has picked up considerably, but that seems to be more so because he's getting excited. She lands two hard shots to both his eyes and he slaps her hard to her temple, forcing another "UNNHH!" from her as she goes down on her back and blood comes from her mouth. She looks up at him as he licks the blood she inadvertently spat on him from the corner of his mouth.
Lobo- Mmmm… tastes great, but less filling. Your blood is so rich… it's everything that would be expected of you.
Diana looks over at Batman and sees that he's barely moving. She thrusts herself forward, slamming her head into Lobo's stomach and driving him back with a WHOOF!! As Lobo is sliding back and Diana is charging, the large hitman grabs Diana by her armpits and throws her upward and over his shoulders, slamming her to the ground. She gets up quickly and throws a winging right hand at him, but he catches her fist and gives her a submarine shot aimed for her stomach, but Diana turns and takes it to the ribs.
Diana- Uhhhh…hssss…
Lobo- Come here and give me a big kiss!
Lobo pulls Diana close and sticks his tongue out, trying to kiss her, and he succeeds… Diana's eyes widen and she bites down hard on the hitman's tongue, drawing blood and repeatedly kneeing the Main Man to the crotch. Diana's teeth sink deep into Lobo's tongue as she is trying to tear it clean off; tears are running down her face from the effort she's putting into this fight and the unbearable heat of the catacombs. Lobo grabs Diana by the breastplate covering her right breast and squeezes hard.
Diana- AHHHH!!
Diana releases Lobo and goes down on her side; she looks at her garb and the gold is crushed. There is the outline of Lobo's fingers around her right breast in bloody prints as she grits her teeth and gets to her feet. Lobo is doing pushups, mocking Diana as she slowly rises.
Lobo- Was that as good for you as it was for me, baby? Oh, you don't want to talk now, huh? Are the warm-ups over, princess? Are they?
Diana growls as she jumps at Lobo, nailing him with a left hook-right cross combination to his jaw and his left eye respectively. He steps back and as she comes in, he ducks her kick attempt and lands a left to her right side.
Diana- Uhhhh!!
Diana instantly brings her elbows in and lowers her arms, but Lobo swings in a short right cross straight into Wonder Woman's stomach, a decimeter above her navel.
Diana- OOH!
Diana squats as Lobo bends her back, picking her up and slamming her to the ground in a modified sidewalk slam.
Diana- Uhhh… hufff…uffff…uhhhh…
Lobo drives his elbow down on Diana's stomach, right in the pit of it, and Diana's body comes off the ground with an UFFF! sound as Lobo stands back up and Diana curls to a fetal ball breathing heavily.
Lobo- I'm trying not to hit ya in the face, so's that ya can look all pretty for your open casket funeral… but you know I couldn't give a crap one way or the other. Come on, baby!
Diana gets to her feet and raises her arms. She feints a shot at Lobo, but realizes that he's out of range just as he hits her with a straight right to the pit of her stomach, bending her with an "ooohhh" sound as she regroups. She goes in with a front kick to his stomach, but he catches her foot, hits another right to her stomach, hears her make an "ummpphh!!" sound and pushes her back, then moves in and slaps her once to the face and another to the belly, then pushes her back as she looks weakly at Batman and Longshadow, swallows hard, touching her stomach and taking in slow deep breaths.
Lobo- There once was a Wonder Woman who lived in a shoe, she had so many lovers, she didn't know what to do. She asked Lobo for advice, but he just shook her, and said 'that's what you get for being a hooker!'
She goes in and hammers him with right left right left right left right left right left right left, hitting his face with relentless punishment, but he gets his arms up to block many of the punches and gets a sneaky submarine shot to her lower abdomen, an inch below her navel, forcing a piercing "OOP!!" from her as she falls forward into him, only for him to push her back.
Lobo- Aww… I didn't know you cared, sweet cheeks! Try to keep up, baby, don't lose the intensity!
Themyscira… burns…the Amazons have fought valiantly, but Hyppolyta and Cleopatra's forces are losing badly, now that the hybrid daughter of Superman and Wonder Woman known as Trinity, has turned her eye beams on them. Fatale is killing with no remorse, an Amazon herself, sworn to silence until her own homeland is freed from the oppressive rule of a male dictator, now under the control of Apocalypse. Serenity lies broken, battered, and beaten at the feet of Trinity as tosses the Amazon hero to the ground.
Trinity- Here is your champion… here is a woman who's strength could move mountains, whose skin could not be pierced by bullets… here she is… defeated…surrender now, or share her fate.
Cleopatra- Charge her, my sisters! To the death!
Trinity- If you say so.
Trinity's heat vision vaporizes the charging Amazon front line instantly as Cleopatra and the others stop dead in their tracks just as Trinity burns a hole deep into the earth, causing water from below the island to shoot up, resulting in instant flooding on the island. Trinity continues to burn the island with her heat vision and destroying the Amazons and their weaponry, losing herself in the joy of the slaughter. Cleopatra takes a blast straight to her chest, and drops off her horse, badly burned. Meanwhile, Shayera swings her mace wildly at Apocalypse, who only changes his shape to avoid her blows, all the while taunting her.
Apocalypse- GOOD… USE YOUR ANGER AND YOUR HATRED TO DESTROY ME, CHILD. I CAN FEEL THE POWER COURSING THROUGH YOU… FIGHT WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND ALL YOUR GIFTS… YOU MUST HATE ME TO KILL ME… YESSSSSS… THAT'S IT…
Shayera- SHUT UP!!
Shayera follows the changing shape of Apocalypse deeper and deeper into a darkness that she doesn't understand… it seems as though this black hole is surrounding her as she can only see the immortal mutant's face and hear his robotic voice as he continues.
Apocalyspe- YESSSS… LET YOUR HATRED CARRY YOU TO ME… ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS DESTROY ME AND YOU WILL SAVE ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS… BUT IF YOU DO NOT… YOU WILL ALL DIE….
Apocalypse grabs Shayera's mace and snatches it away, elongating his finger and knocking her down. Shayera realizes that Apocalypse has managed to morph his body into a room, with his tall, muscular figure standing and laughing, his legs spreading into the bluish gray symbiotic substance that surrounds her.
Shayera- If I must, I will kill you.
Apocalypse- YESSS… COME AND FULFILL YOUR DESTINY!
Shayera- You've seen too many Star Wars movies… I'll--ARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!
Shayera feels the worst pain she's ever felt in her life and curls into a fetal ball. Her deafening scream is heard across the battlefield and causes all the combatants to stop for a moment. Apocalypse emerges with an unconscious Shayera on the ground, bleeding badly as Apocalypse holds one of her newly ripped off wings in each of his hands.
Trinity- You ripped her wings off.
Apocalypse- THIS ONE WE WILL KEEP. I HAVE AN IDEA FOR HER "REBIRTH." AN IDEA ONCE USED BEFORE, BUT THIS TIME, THERE WILL BE NO BETRAYAL. (to the Amazons, still in shock of what they have seen) SURRENDER THIS ISLAND AND ALL ITS TECHNOLOGY… BECOME MY SLAVES, OR DIE WHERE YOU STAND.
Superman, Superboy, Powergirl, and Captain Atom land outside the White House and are immediately surrounded by soldiers. The four heroes raise their hands.
Superman- We are turning ourselves in.
Lobo moves in as Diana stands with her mouth open, trying to get air and to regroup, but the gray skinned black haired assassin drives six devastating knees into Wonder Woman's stomach and drops her to the ground in serious pain. Each knee feels like it could be the end of life for Diana, each knee drives a horrific groan from her, each knee makes winning seem less and less likely as her entire body seeks to shut down. Diana has been battling Lobo for quite some time now, and the body shots he's given her are really taking their toll, but her will is holding up. She realizes that she is losing badly, but she's never given up and she'll go down fighting… that is the Amazon way. She looks once more at Batman, her love, and starts to get back up, but Lobo pulls Diana up and slams her back across his knee, then flips her over and slams her stomach across his knee… the only sound coming from Diana is the sound of her choking as Lobo begins to kick her in the side.
Lobo- My my my, grandma Lobo… what big legs you have… the better to kick the crap outta ya, my pretty!!
Diana gets to her feet, but Lobo nails her with a head butt, mounts her, and begins to head butt her repeatedly, busting her nose.
Lobo- My my my grandma Lobo… what a big head you have… the better to butt your freakin face in, my pretty!!
Lobo pulls Diana up, but the Wonder Woman drives a knife edged jab right into his throat.
Lobo- Ackkkkk…. Akkkkkkkkk…. Just kidding, baby.
Diana draws back and throws a haymaker right hand, but Lobo catches her fist and squeezes it, crushing her hand as she winces and her legs buckle. Lobo slams a hard right hand to Diana's ribs, breaking the entire set on her left side. Diana makes no noise and drops to her knees.
Lobo- That cracking sound reminds me of a kill I did about four years ago on this buxom blonde, she was a real looker… body like a model but a brain like a grilled cheese sandwich… I broke her ribs too and she moaned so loud…that's what your ribs breaking reminds me of… nahhh, it doesn't remind me of that… yours is a lot rougher, but it sure does sound just as kinky.
"Flash to Wonder Woman… Flash to Wonder Woman… come in, Wonder Woman… the Watchtower has exploded… Green Lantern, Vixen, and I are on a Javelin with some of the survivors… come in, where are you??"
Lobo- So, the damn things are working again… aren't you gonna answer that, baby?
Diana- Go… to… hell…
Lobo- Who is this guy? Is he another one of your lovers? You've been cheating on me, baby? You're breaking my poor sweet heart!
Lobo loops his chain around Diana's neck and gets on his bike. As the underground base continues to slowly fall apart, Lobo revs up his bike, then drags Diana across the gravelly ground at rapid speeds. Diana's skin is cut by the sharp rocks and she bleeds badly from Lobo's spiked chain cutting her neck and chest. With everything below her breasts aching, her face swollen and her tiara now cutting her skin, Diana knows she may not be able to take much more… but she refuses to give in. She tenses her muscles and breaks the chain, collapsing to the gravelly ground, huffing and puffing.
Lobo- That one was one of my favorite chains too. Oh well, a lasso for a chain.
Diana- I will never surrender… to you… dolt!
Lobo- Who said anything about surrender?
Diana dives at Lobo, her fingers interlocked in a double axe handle smash; she intends to hit Lobo with all her might and kill him, despite his supposedly being an immortal… but her mouth opens and her eyes widen as tears sprang out and she silently feels a horrible pain below… Lobo's knife is buried deep in the pit of her stomach. Lobo holds Diana up as the Wonder Woman's booted toes scrape the ground and her mouth and cheeks making the face similar to a dying fish. Lobo twists the blade hard and slowly lowers her down on her back.
Lobo- Shhhh…. Shhh… go to sleep now.
Lobo takes a seat on a nearby rock and watches.
Lobo- You know, all the stuff I've blown up and all the people I've taken out… I didn't care too much for watchin' em die. But with you, baby, I've gotta. You're supposed to be an immortal too… but the Main Man can kill anything.
Diana can barely hear those words as she looks up and tries to fight off the cold feeling growing inside of her. She knows that she is beaten, that Lobo has won… but she is a warrior, she is a hero… and even barely being able to understand what has happened as she fights off shock… she turns over… the knife still buried within her, and she slowly crawls towards Batman, Longshadow, and the Lazarus pits, grabbing the pieces of her lasso as she goes. Lobo humorously follows and spots Diana's small commlink on the ground.
"Green Arrow to Wonder Woman… Green Arrow to Wonder Woman… I can't get through to Batman… I've got a team and we're barely able to pick up signals from you guys… we're coming in for a rescue… Green Arrow to Wonder Woman…"
Lobo- Boy, babe, you've got a lotta men in your life… but soon, the only man you're gonna be with is the man upstairs.
Diana slowly wraps the lasso around Batman while Lobo laughs. Diana starts to head for the pits, dragging Batman's burned body with her.
Lobo- What are ya gonna do with that? Oh, I see… a murky, nasty grave for the lovers… I get it… Batman gets the rose and wins the show! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!
Wonder Woman falls into the remaining murkiness of the Lazarus pits and pulls Batman in with her. As the two heroes slowly sink to the bottom of what liquid is left in the pit, Lobo smiles broadly.
Lobo- If I had a hat, I would take it off in tribute… BWAHAHAHAHAHA--UNNNHHHHHHH!!
"Green Arrow to Wonder Woman… give me a sign you guys are alive down there."
Green Arrow and the others are on a Batjet when Lobo's body comes flying out of the sand, high into the sky, passed the jet and into space. The Batjet immediately crashes through the sand and enters the cavern, to find a crazed Wonder Woman smashing everything in sight.
Diana- WHY ARE YOU LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT? WHY ARE YOU LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT?! WHERE IS LOBO?!
Batman is healed as well, and the Lasso of Truth is whole again, but Batman is under control of the Lasso and does not go crazy as Diana is.
Batman- Diana, the Lazarus Pits do cause a state of temporary insanity, do not be alarmed, it will pass soon.
Diana- JUST GIVE ME MY SPACE, OKAY?? BY HERA'S NAME, GIVE ME MY SPACE!!
Beastboy- We better do as she says.
Black Canary- (to Huntress) She kind of reminds me of you… right now, anyway.
Diana calms herself and removes the lasso from Batman. The two look at each other and Diana smiles, then looks down at Longshadow's corpse. The entire area seems to darken as silence sets in for a few minutes.
Nightwing- This is only a fraction of it. Wait until you see what's left of Themyscira.
Washington, DC… Superman, Superboy, Powergirl, and Captain Atom walk slowly into a Cadmus meeting. Amanda Waller, Doctor Achilles Milo, Doctor Moon, General Hardcastle, General Eiling, Hugo Strange, Professor Hamilton, Maxwell Lord and Tala are deep in meeting.
Gen. Hardcastle- We're gonna have to put pressure on Bush to nuke every suspected Apocalypse stronghold! We are at Defcon 1,000.
Maxwell- This wouldn't have happened if the Justice League were still around. I told you they had uses.
Gen. Hardcastle- Shut up about them! We had to take them out, this is your fault, Waller! You were the one who--
Waller- Enough of this blame game!
Superboy- Yeah, can't we all just get along?
Gen. Eiling- What the hell are you doing here? I thought we put you four in captivity!
Powergirl- Did you really think those cells were going to hold us? Come on, did you?
Superboy- Better question… did you really think we came here to surrender?
Captain Atom tosses the members of Cadmus cuffs to put on.
Capt. Atom- Put them on; don't make us force you.
Gen. Hardcastle- What in Sam Hill do you people think you're doing?
Superman- We're taking over. Some good heroes died today. Some real fighters for truth and justice died today. We can't ever get them back. You've shown that you aren't fit to govern this country, or this world. You aided Apocalypse in my capture and I barely escaped his control. You allowed him to infiltrate your organization by making a deal with Ras Al Ghul, a terrorist and a servant of Apocalypse. You are the reason for the devastations across this world. But NO MORE. You have proven that you cannot handle this threat, or any threat that will ever face this planet. It is up to us to deal with Apocalypse. As of right now, Cadmus, congress, and this country is under our control. We will stop Apocalypse.