Forces Aligned
Part Five
"You didn't get him!" Elise screamed in her phone. "I told you that Amazon contacted Superman and now my plans are falling apart!"
"We'll get Superman," the voice on the line promised.
"For the money I'm paying you, you're sure as hell not working hard enough!" Elise spat bitterly. "I have a brain that needs a body now! Do you know how long a brain can last without a body?!"
"I admit it's a little difficult capturing Superman with Wonder Woman in the way but we Aremid like challenges. It's best we get Superman and Wonder Woman together."
"Capture the two strongest people on the planet? How the hell are you gonna pull that off?"
"There's always the direct approach."
Superman touched down in his apartment, having to return home his nightly patrol over the city. Two nights passed since the disaster on Main Street Bridge. He has been watching the news constantly, watching for any disaster that were to lure him but it hadn't come. Superman given up a disaster would happen tonight and head to his bathroom to take a shower when an unusual high pitching noise pierced his ears.
"Superman," a distorted voice called out. "I know with your sharp hearing you can pick up this frequency. You know it's you we want. If you don't want any more humans killed, surrender yourself to us. You have thirty minutes."
"So, that's how they want to play it." Superman knew the way to find the Aremid was tracing the high pitched noise. Superman immediately contacted Wonder Woman. It took her ten minutes to reach him. Together, they went to the source of the sound which was the Remington mansion.
"The Remington mansion," Superman murmured. "This is a surprise."
"You've been here?" Wonder Woman asked.
"I covered the death of the owner of this place. Everything is left to the widow. I knew something was suspicious with her."
"It's a trap then." She smiled at Superman. "Well, let's not keep her waiting." Wonder Woman turned the doorknob and the ground beneath them gave way.
Superman and Wonder Woman slid down a long shaft, taking them several feet below the mansion. When they came to the end of it, they noticed they were in a stadium sized room with several figures in black aiming their guns and lasers at Superman and Wonder Woman.
"They all have kryptonite," Superman murmured as he scanned the weapons on the figures in black. All of them had kryptonite bullets or kryptonite lasers in their weapons. The kryptonite was affecting Superman but he was fighting hard not to let it show.
"I knew if I threaten the lives of millions you would come to me, Superman," a feminine voice said. "But I honestly didn't think I would capture you so easily."
"That voice…" Superman said then saw Elise Wood-Remington approaching him.
Elise grinned wickedly at the superheroes. "It's much easier than causing a disaster on a bridge." She noticed Wonder Woman standing in front of Superman. "And you brought the Amazon. I would hope you wouldn't, but she won't stop me from getting what I want."
"Why do you want Superman?" Wonder Woman demanded to know.
"I just want his body," Elise commented lecherously as her eyes roamed over the Man of Steel.
Wonder Woman refused to let the words get to her. "So do millions of other women, but they don't try to kill him."
"Does that include you, Wonder Woman?" Elise asked.
Wonder Woman didn't answer. "What are you up to?"
Elise smirked as if she knew something. "I don't want to kill Superman. I only want to preserve Superman's body so it's ready for Alexander Remington."
"But he's dead," Superman said.
"His body is but his brain is not. Superman, you will be a part of history. You'll be the first person to have a brain transplant."
Superman remembered Remington's brain was missing when he scanned Remington's body. The pieces started to fit for Superman. "Let me guess. Remington felt cheated by death so he wants to live again and in a body that's not vulnerable to human ailments."
Elise smiled. "Correct and since Remington has no known heir, you will come out as his love child and after we create records claiming that you are Alexander Remington's child, you'll take over the company with me. We'll of course fall in love and marry. Alex will continue to run his company and live again in a nice young body and I'll have the pleasures of your body. It's only what I deserved for serving an old man for three years."
"You're insane," Wonder Woman said. "Even if you pulled this off, which you won't, don't you think the world would recognize Superman's face?"
"Oh, I'm sure I can disguise that handsome face of his. After he makes his appearance to the world, he'll become a recluse like his father before any gets suspicious."
"And so you lured us by threatening the lives of innocent people?" Wonder Woman guessed. "We won't let you succeed with your plan."
"Oh, you don't have a choice. It's gonna happen," Elise said. She stepped out of harm's way and gave a nod to her soldiers in black.
Simultaneously, they began firing on Superman and Wonder Woman. Wonder Woman deflected the kryptonite bullets and lasers. Superman noticed one figure holding an electric charge laser fire on Wonder Woman. So far, Wonder Woman was doing well protecting Superman and if any bullets managed to pass her well trained eyes, Superman used his super speed to dodge the bullets and lasers coming at him.
Superman wasn't falling as quickly as Elise hoped. She was warned this could happen but she still had one more plan up her sleeve. Safely away from any effects, Elise pulled a level near her and thick clouds of gas rose from the floor. The figures in black and Elise put on a mask to protect themselves. "You may be a power Amazon, Wonder Woman but can you resist potent gas that will knock out elephants in seconds? And you, Superman? Are you unaffected by gas laced with kryptonite?"
Superman and Wonder Woman coughed heavily as they deflected the bullets and lasers. Superman started to swagger as the gas affected with kryptonite got to him. Wonder Woman was slowly weakening as well.
"We have to escape," Wonder Woman told Superman.
Superman coughed. "Let's fly. I'll create a hole through the top. "
Superman and Wonder Woman weakly flew in the air. A sharp shooter managed to shoot Superman's left leg and another got his right arm. He started to spiral to the ground.
"Superman!" Wonder Woman cried out. She went after Superman but the gas was taking its toll on her. Superman crashed to the floor with a thud and Wonder Woman soon followed as she plummet to the ground beside Superman.
Wonder Woman tried to fight off the gas as best she could but her limbs were weak and eyelids heavy. She knew she was going to pass out and there wasn't anything she could do about it. Wonder Woman reached out a hand to Superman. "Kal," she whispered before she lost consciousness herself.
Elise approached the unconscious superheroes. "Finally, I get my money's worth with you people. I need to get Superman prepped for surgery immediately."
"What about Wonder Woman?" an assassin asked.
"I don't care. Kill her; have her as your prisoner. Do what you want. Just get her out of here and far away from here as possible. I don't want her interrupting my plans."
Superman laid on a stretcher unconscious as he was pushed to the operating room. Stainless steel bands held his chest, arms and legs down should he awaken. An oxygen mask laced with kryptonite dust covered Superman's nose and mouth. Machines were hooked to Superman to monitor his heartbeat and brainwaves. So, far his condition was steady despite the kryptonite in him from the bullets still lodge in his arm and leg and the kryptonite he was involuntary breathing in.
Elise stood in green scrubs. She was going to witness the operation herself. The medical team she paid twenty million dollars each to perform the operation were prepping themselves. They practiced the procedure on animals with success but this was going to be the first time the surgery crew test a human or alien in Superman's case. Even the operating tools had some form of kryptonite on it, so it could be used to cut Superman's skin. Elise was confident Superman wasn't going anywhere.
Elise sauntered over to Superman and ran a hand over Superman's firm chest.
"Mine," she said drawing circles on Superman's chest. "You're all mine."
A door behind Elise opened and one of the nurses pushed a large glass cylinder in the room. It was filled with liquid and Alexander Remington's brain. Machines at the bottom of the cylinder beeped, signaling life still in the brain.
Elise smiled. It wouldn't be long now before the surgery was to begin.
Fifteen minutes prior to this, Wonder Woman awakened to find herself in an empty cell with her arms behind her in large metal cuffs up to her forearms. She felt herself moving slightly. She was in a vehicle and from the size of her cell; she guessed a long armored truck. She looked around for Superman but knew he was taken to surgery. Wonder Woman thought about Superman. He could die and she would blame herself because she didn't protect him. The thought of Superman dying left a terrible feeling in her heart.
No! Wonder Woman vowed to not let Elise kill Superman and transplant a human's brain into his body. She had to get out. Wonder Woman pulled at the cuffs but it wouldn't budge. A man must have bound her. Wonder Woman rose to her feet and slammed herself against the steel wall. If she couldn't rip the cuffs off her, she was going to break it.
Wonder Woman kept hitting the wall over and over until she felt the cuffs loosening. One more hit and she was going to be free. Wonder Woman heard footsteps approaching. She immediately stopped as her cell door opened and an Aremid member entered. He wore a mask shielding his face from her.
"Wonder Woman tied up. My fantasy come true."
"Where's Superman?" Wonder Woman demanded.
"Probably without a brain now. I don't care. My concern is you. With you tied up, you can't do anything, can you?" He unzipped his pants. "Time to find out if you're really a wonder woman."
Wonder Woman was well aware of what this assassin wanted. She didn't hide her disgust as he approach her but she bided her time to make her move. He stood in front of Wonder Woman with his fly open.
"On your knees," he ordered.
Wonder Woman responded with a hit butt to the assassin's face. He fell to the floor unconscious. Wonder Woman slammed her cuffs against the wall and she came free. She bound the assassin and rushed out of the cell. Without wasting any time, Wonder Woman rushed to the front of the armored truck and knocked out the driver. She tied him up and called the authorities on his cell phone and alerted them to Remington's mansion. Wonder Woman then took to the skies and scanned the area. She was at least twenty miles away from Remington mansion. She flew off as fast she could racing back to the mansion. No matter what, she was going to save Superman.
Elise watched with excitement as one of the doctors began surgery. He used the scissors laced with kryptonite to cut Superman's hair. Only a few inches of the Man of Steel's hair were cut off when the room rumbled.
Elise and the surgery team looked around in wonder before the answer came in the form of Wonder Woman bursting into the operating room. She pushed the doctors and nurses away from Superman with her super strength. Some slammed into walls, unconscious upon impact. One doctor fell back against the tray holding medical supplies laced with kryptonite, causing it to crash on the floor. One of the nurses fell backwards and knocked the cylinder holding Remington's brain crash on the floor.
Elise screamed in horror seeing the liquid and Remington's brain splattered on the floor. Members of the surgeon team who weren't knocked out scrambled out of the room only to be caught by the police arriving at the mansion. Elise in rage grabbed a gun she had on her and foolishly shot at Wonder Woman.
Wonder Woman easily deflected the bullets and knocked the gun out of Elise's hands. She grabbed Elise and put her hands behind her. "If Superman is hurt in any way, I will personally make you pay."
Maggie Sawyer entered the room, armed and Wonder Woman handed Elise to her while she rushed to Superman.
"Is he all right?" Maggie asked as Wonder Woman ripped the steel bands and oxygen mask off Superman.
"Superman. Superman!" He didn't awaken. Wonder Woman glared at Elise. "How much kryptonite did you poison him with?"
Elise saw no reason not to tell Wonder Woman. She was caught and her plans were ruined. "Plenty. We needed enough to weaken him for operation."
"There's something in his leg," Maggie observed.
Wonder Woman looked at what Maggie was referring to and saw the bullet still lodged in Superman's leg with blood oozing out. She then remembered he was shot in his arm as well. Carefully, Wonder Woman quickly removed the bullets and watch in amazement as his skin healed before her eyes. Wonder Woman still knew Superman needed medical attention and the only place he would heal properly is at the fortress. Gathering Superman in her arms, Wonder Woman flew out the window and made the quickest route to the Fortress of Solitude.