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Legal disclaimer: I tend to liberally "borrow" DC adapted character profiles and art from the Earth-27 wiki created by Roy Westerman with principle art coming from digital artist Phil Cho. Other creators and artists are found there as well and I will specifically list any original creations with creator citations as I utilize them. In short, this is the single most comprehensive retelling of all things DC and beyond I have encountered. It's worth your time to explore.
Disco Mummy cover art provided by Image by HANSUAN FABREGAS " /
That having been said, the properties, and their variations belong to DC Comics through WarnerMedia and its former parent, AT&T, and now the Discovery empire with notable exceptions. More on that in the footnote. I do not own DC characters or their interpretations and re-imaginings. My own characters are implied Public Domain since I have not included a copyright notice as required by the 1974 revisions of the copyright statutes and regulations. While an intellectual copyright is implied without the due symbols and language, all such considerations are generally voided under CC-BY-SA, which governs this site, unless duly noted otherwise.
Open Source attributions are listed after the story concluded to satisfy legalese requirements. And all "super" characters other than Open Source have been seen in comic books before barring any original characters coming from the Earth-27 Wiki or myself. You can look into Public Domain Superheroes Wiki and the DC Database Wiki's own vaults to verify this.
Although this is primarily set in the DCAU, I incorporate attributes of dozens of interpretations of each character, comic telling era, and medium into the telling.
A new Justice Leage Beyond: DCAU Series policy will be that any stories longer than 20K words will be in chapter format.
The chronology of the story takes place after the Justice League DCAU Series Parts 1-26 and the accumulated Justice League DCAU series Anthology stories. If something seems lacking or historically confusing, I've given just enough backstory in this Part of the Justice League Beyond DCAU Series for readers to function and enjoy but the real details are in the stories that have come before.
"Ms. Carnes, I was surprised to receive your request for an invitation," Erishkigal Narayana, the owner of Ryder Corp, admitted.
"You've been…reclusive. I thought we, you as the owner of Ryder Corp and I as owner of Carnes Development, should finally meet," Charise Carnes told her.
"That desperate for new business?" Erishkigal snarked.
"Ryder Corp, under Ruby Ryder, and Carnes Development have history going back since before I was born," Charise reminded her.
"Twenty-one years isn't that long," Erishkigal retorted.
"Carnes Development built every Ryder site," Charise said drolly, "Including the recent 'temple' site that Disco Mummy subverted for her own purposes to depopulate the Narrows."
"An incident Carnes Development greatly profited from. Though all of your constructions sites complicated the recent transformation of the Narrows into a racial ghetto," Erishkigal reminded, "A choice that would've been applied to me and my closest assistants as well. But your haste in tearing down buildings to build anew exacerbated the overcrowding crises."
"I could hardly have foreseen Nazis and Imperialists occupying Gotham." Charise was irked.
"Dear, this is Gotham. Existential crises occur on a weekly basis," Erishkigal chuckled.
"How can you so blasé about it all?" Charise asked.
"Charise, may I call you Charise or do you prefer Knightfall?" Erishkigal inquired.
"It was legally proven that Knightfall and I are separate entities," Charise argued against the truth.
"Dressing Ms. Sarasota up to play your part in several well documented, and very staged, appearances hardly fools those seriously interested in happenings in Gotham. You're an empire builder in both guises and your empires were threatened by Hellequin's actions. So you adapted and defeated the prosecution. With Intergang's eager assistance." Erishkigal explained.
"You can't prove any of it," Charise scowled.
"I don't need to nor do I care to," Erishkigal assured her, "You need to relax more in public, Charise. I know you luxuriate in your coveted three story spire at the heart of Three Towers but you're amongst the people now. Try to blend in."
"You hardly seem to be a woman of the people," Charise countered, "You command this entire floor as your personal office. The floor above are you personal assistants' apartments and you solely occupy the two-story penthouse."
"Does Lena Luthor do any less for herself, Mercy Graves, and Eve Tessmacher?" Erishkigal wondered, "To break the ice, you may call me Erish rather than by my full name."
"We'll see," Charise said.
"So wary," Erishkigal smirked, "You do well to mistrust a total stranger whom you know so little about. Particularly in her own lair."
"You talk like a super villain," Charise stated.
"Do I?" Erishkigal moved past Charise strode to the elevator, "Coming?"
"I'd rather not," Charise wavered.
"I gave you my plegde you will not be harmed in any way," Erishkigal vowed again.
Charise relented. Inside the elevator she made an observation, "I notice you don't any privacy lockouts on your elevator."
"Do I need them?' Erishkigal chuckled.
"This is Gotham," Charise scowled again, "As you pointed out."
"You'll learn," the elevator opened and Erish stepped out into her penthouse. Charise went forward and was smashed face first by an invisible force.
"Nothing living can penetrate my abode without one of these," Erishkigal removed an ankh amulet from hook beside the elevator door. She passed it to Charise, who found she could enter the space.
"I don't see your amulet," Charise observed.
"But then again, I never claimed to be alive," Erishkigal laughed.
"Disco Mummy didn't subvert that social center," Charise realized.
"Guilty, I'm afraid," Erishkigal looked like a cat with a caged canary in range, "But I did give you my pledge so have nothing to fear from me."
"So…your talk about empire building?" Charise recalled.
"I was in line to rule all of Mesopotamia with Sumeria as my base of power. Sadly my idiot cousin had other plans," Erishkigal sighed, "Being entombed for four thousand years can drive one slightly mad."
"I thought you were cursed to wear mummification wrappings," Charise also recalled details now.
"I found a way around that pesky detail," Erish smirked again, "Just as I dealt with Ruby Ryder."
"She committed suicide by jumping out of her, now your, office window," Charise recalled the news reports and police investigative ruling.
"Or was she simply pushed?" Erishkigal asked, "Verbally rather than physically?"
"You can't command the living," Charise backed a step away.
"But I can kill someone with a thought and then command their corpse to do what I wish," Disco Mummy revealed, "Now, calm down. You're my guest not my target."
"Then why agree to meet with me?" Charise asked.
"You want to do business and I want to resume doing business with Carnes Development," Erish shrugged, "I prefer doing business in lavish comfort."
"This certainly qualifies," Charise admitted.
"See? First prohibition vanquished. Now, what would you care to drink?" Erishkigal slid behind a fully stocked bar.
"Do admittedly gorgeous mummies need to eat and drink?" Charise asked.
"No, but it's pleasurable. I do so enjoy my pleasures," Erishkigal confessed.
"So…sex?" Charise inquired.
"On occasion," Erish shrugged, "But I do lack all bodily fluids, appearances aside, so it requires some external helps."
"Not even saliva?" Charise excepted her drink. She found it was an aged malt whiskey, neat Her favorite.
"They sell synthetic saliva as a mouthwash," Erishkigal shared, "It's available at any well stocked store. I buy Biotene, Uberlube, and Backdoor in bulk."
"I think that was more than I actually needed to now," Charise said straight faced. After three years in Arkham, it took a lot to shock her. Charise preferred three to four male sexual partners at a time so she was hardly a prude either. She was familiar with most of the brand name products. Just the Biotene was new to her.
"What kind of work?" Charise asked, "Because you'll forgive my newly developed skepticism."
"Nothing so banal as a conduit for my power," Erishkigal assured her, "However, I do need to expand my bases of operation for my…empire building endeavors. I can no longer mix Ryder Corp resources with my so-called 'extracurricular' interests."
"Why Gotham?" Charise asked sharply.
"Why anywhere?" Erish asked in reply, "But New Jersey and Gotham's anti-vigilante laws play to my favor. I simply require a space from which to plan global operations."
"I wasn't aware that you were global," Charise countered.
"That desperately sounds like skepticism," Erishkigal replied evenly, "I'm a retail space client looking to privately lease property under my own name through my personal…and vast…resources."
"Will your empire building threaten Gotham, New York City, or Metropolis? I am attempting to expand my brand after all," Charise sought clarification.
"I mean to lessen your reliance upon those that deem themselves the 'Light'." Erishkigal explained, "They've approached certain rivals of mine and must be shown the error of their ways. In order to persuade these others to forsake their offers of alliance, I must demonstrate my would-be rivals' inherent weaknesses. I must also secure the neutrality of certain vested parties."
"So, is it it safe to assume you had some corporate minion peruse Carnes Development's current catalog of available properties?" Charise inquired.
"It is. I'm interested in all the listings," Erish told her.
"I'm sure our people can come to an equitable deal on one of them," Charise shrugged.
"I want all of them," Erishkigal told her again.
"All thirty?" Charise was surprised again.
"I'm willing to pay the asking prices if you'll cover the closings," Erishkigal advised her.
"I didn't bring any legal paperwork," Charise warned her.
"Nevertheless, I'll trust your word once I show you which properties I want," Erish told her.
"Show me," Charise wasn't surprised that a nearby table had the listings displayed. She scowled, "Derek Powers has made offers on these three."
"At discounted prices," Erishkigal replied, "I said I'd give you the asking prices. I'll even increase the amount by fifteen percent over any counter offer Powers makes."
"To be honest, they're not that much. He's intending to demolish them and build new manufacturing complexes," Charise advised her.
"I want these three. Do you always advise clients to go elsewhere?" Erishkigal was piqued.
"When I doubt you can free up that much money without financing. That takes time and Powers is ready sign and transfer the money into the corporate coffers by the end of the week," Charise explained, "Powers' offer is official and he intends to close by week's end. That's two days from now."
Erishkigal looked disappointed, "How small of you, Charise Carnes. Follow me."
She was led to a room with a room filled with large duffels bags, "Inspect the contents."
Charise unzipped one to discover it was filled with bundled ten thousand dollar bills.
"They only use these for international currency transfers," Charise gaped.
"You have accounts that can accommodate such funds. That is your asking prices plus the fifteen percent in estimation of Powers reaching asking price in his inevitable counter offer. Security has already been arranged to escort you and the sums to the banking facility of your choice," Erish explained further, "You can bring the deeds and titles to be signed at the end of the week."
"You trust me to take billions of dollars away with me and just show up on Friday with property deeds?" Charise asked.
"Yes," Erish assured her.
"And no one is looking for these funds?" Charise cautiously inquired.
"No one left alive is," Erishkigal replied, "The funds were properly laundered. The United States will not attempt to seize the funds, if you're concerned."
"All this, on my word?" Charise asked.
"Yes," Erishkigal made it sound so simple.
"And if I sell to Powers anyway?" Charise asked.
"Then you'll be damned to serve me forever," Erish shrugged, "Nothing too drastic."
"I think we have a deal," Charise offered.
"You'd best be certain," Erishkigal was cold now.
"I am. The properties are yours. My people will deliver the paperwork on Friday as soon as your doors open," Charise promised.
"Then another drink to salute our new working relationship. I'll summon hands to ferry your cash to an armored truck and the waiting Sally Sarasota," Erish offered.
"Are you always this direct?" Charise wondered.
"This is my being discreet. You saw my 'direct' when I cleared parts of the Narrows," Disco Mummy warned her, "And you've profited greatly from my effort."
"So I have," Charise allowed.
"Oh, and one last thing," Erish poured and handed Charise her drink.
"Name it," Charise accepted it.
"I want Powers to know who outbid him," Erishkigal smiled over the top of her glass, "Not Ryder Corp but me."
"You want to start a war," Charise understood now.
"I want Derek Powers to realize he has limitations just like any other mortal," Erishkigal told her.
Charise didn't appreciate the derisive tone Erishkigal delivered the term 'mortal' with but she nodded her compliance, "I'll make certain to tell him."
"When he defies Knightfall's edicts, I want him quietly dealt with as well," Disco Mummy's smile widened.
"He can afford a license to steal from you," Charise advised Erish.
"Oh, he won't try to steal from me. He'll try to kill me," Disco Mummy gloated, "And that violates your express rules. No murders and no violent crimes, I believe the city advertised it as?"
"This is entrapment," Chariose realized, "The properties are the bait."
"And you've given your word," Disco Mummy said in a chilling voice, "So you'd best follow through or you'll wish to damned to hell rather than to me."
As Charise understood Disco Mummy's power, Erishkigal could mummify her and enslave her with a thought. She'd been stupid enough to walk into this. She had to carry it out or she'd be the one and not Powers to pay the price.
"It'll be done. But I believe our future dealings are done as well," Charise swallowed her drink in one shot.
"We'll see, won't we?" Erish gloated.
Black Pharaoh and Scarab wore ankhs to gain entrance and began carting the bags down to Erishkigal's office where Duquesne Security officers waited to transport the cash to Charise's waiting vehicle. Sally was displeased to learn that an armed escort would convoy them to the bank.
"Don't worry. We won't be coming back," Charise consoled her. She'd send the paperwork and deeds by day's end and be done with Disco Mummy forever. She was half right.
GCPD Police Commissioner Barbara Gordon wondered just how stupid Bart Benson was. As Dagar the Desert Hawk he led the Pax Mundi and Mayor Marian Grange had authorized his peacekeeping forces to remain in Gotham after the Masked Leader and the Dragon King were assassinated, thus ending the United Nations' debate on whether or not recognize Gotham as an independent fascist state. Discounting the fact that the Fourth Reich and the Imperialist Forces planned to eliminate three-quarters of the population to accommodate their white and Japanese-only dreams. But with a third of the GCPD recruited into the Purple Shirts, that left Gordon and the GCPD seriously short staffed. Even the Crows Security details weren't making up for the differences.
Mayor Grange was actually considering deputizing Duquesne security officers. Barbara had the highest respect for Kathy Duquesne's employees as bodyguards, but just not as a privatized police force. Fortunately Kathy agreed with her. But former SpecCom Col. (Ret.) now Crows Commander Jacob Kane seemed eager to replace the GCPD with ex-military agents. The Crows had lost a proportional share of agents to the Purple Shirts as well but a hard fought recruiting campaign was filling in the absences.
Thanks to the Fourth Reich and Imperialist Forces' blatant racism, Kane was able to disproportionately fill those vacated posts with people of color discharging from the military. Kane's own Jewish roots having made him a target of the Masked Leader's rhetoric. Kane's top lieutenant, Agent Sophie Moore, was a Black woman dating Kane's own daughter, Kate. Kate's twin sister, Beth, was the infamous terrorist known as Red Alice. However, Red Alice had lost the backing of the Red Claws and its subsequent Wonderland Army. But she'd recently recruited a Wonderland Gang that was wreaking havoc across Gotham now that Knightfall's licensing system was in place.
Five distinct and progressively worse things had occurred upon Knightfall's re-investiture. The city's districts had been carved into fiefdoms by Empress Penguin.
The Jokerz had been given free reign in Devil's Square once again. The Injustice Gang had robbed Gotham's Federal Reserve and had escaped police custody because they were "properly licensed" for the crime by Knightfall. The Federal government had launched a full investigation into both the crime and the legality of Knightfall's system.
Red Alice and her Wonderland Gang had robbed all five of the mob owned banks in Gotham with Hellequin's avid assistance. Besides common street thugs, the Wonderlanders now included the new Mad Hatter, the Tweedles, and had received active support from the ever unpredictable Hellequin. Who the GCPD had just a major break on. A seemingly devastating mistake had been made when Hellequin robbed a mob bank alongside the Wonderland Gang and a teller had recognized her even through her skin bleaching and hair color change to blonde. Marian Drews had once been a teller in the same bank while attending Gotham U. on a student visa.
A native of Toronto, Canada, Marian had attended university in Canada on a softball scholarship. She received a Master's in Finance at Gotham U. and became an investment banker. The GCPD quickly built a case against Drews for embezzlement, fraud, illegal wire transfers, and a host of other financial crimes
They were still linking her to Hellequin's crimes. No one understood that there were two Marian Drews on the New Earth. Hellequin was from the obliterated Earth-2 universe where she'd been the Joker's lover and foe to the Justice Lords
Now Earth-2 had never existed in the New Universe history.
But Hellequin and Red Alice were both that special brand of psychotic that naturally recalled the Multiverse before its obliteration in the Crisis of the Multiverse and erasure from history in Zero Hour. Dr. Manhattan had sacrificed himself to spark a new Creation event and Glorith used the power to sculpt a Rebirth that shaped a New Universe and a New Earth. Saturn Queen had artificially imprinted that knowledge on scores of super villains as well members of the Kent Family. Those memories reigniting Earth-2's Lois Lane's murderous intentions regarding her husband. She'd abandoned Clark Kent and their five children to go forth to find a means of killing Superman in place of Lord Superman.
Glorith had built lockouts into the Rebirth history so that alternate timelines couldn't be created. But neither was history completely immutable. The Age of Heroes had begun. But that age could be cut short and its legacy diminished. Which was why Saturn Queen, the Emerald Empress, and Glorith were all waging a temporal cold war. Saturn Queen held undue influence over Vandal Savage and Lois Lane. Through Savage and Lois, she courted the Light.
Vandal Savage presented a powerful ally for her in the 31st Century. As did Superwoman now that Lois' powers were returning after the cellular repression that Luthor had applied to her and Saturn Queen had used the architect of that suppression therapy, Dr. Ernst Smalley, to impart partial immortality upon Lois through the Kryptonian genetic splices in her DNA. But even a telepath as powerful as Eve Aries was unaware that Smalley had betrayed her before his death.
While he tested his repression therapy on Lana Linda Lang of Earth-2, he also injected her with the viral agent that would grant her the same extended longevity that her fellow Superwoman now shared. The Heckler, the remaining survivor from Earth-2, hadn't intended for Smalley to die in the lab fire he started but the geneticist refused to leave his lab despite his obvious doom if he refused to. Hellequin had gotten Lana Linda Lang to safety and persuaded the Heckler to abandon Smalley to his fate. After all, Smalley chief accomplishment, the Daxamite DNA infused Bill Dunn, was still prowling about. But even the self-proclaimed "Superman" failed to save Smalley.
Smalley had incorrectly assumed Saturn Queen gave him the clue to his successful cellular regeneration process based on her knowledge from a thousand years in the future. She purposefully neglected to mention that she'd stolen the formulas incorporated into the process from his contemporaries: I-Ching, the Immortal Dr. Fu Manchu, and a rogue biochemist that had reversed engineered a World War II era Nazi serum. The procedure was outlawed in both the United Planets and the human-dominated Confederacy of Worlds of her time. Earth and other planets had been devastated by conflicts over the science. The conflicts on Earth had driven the Age of Chaos that followed the collapsing Age of Order that died with the end of the Age of Heroes. Order wouldn't be restored until the 29th Century by the second Flash, a time traveling Barry Allen
But the Flash would create the time bending Flashpoint Paradox that insured Glorith's victory over Mordru in the 31st Century. Making her and her consort, the rogue Daxamite Legionnaire from the Legion of Superheroes, M'Onel. Lar Gand himself the former 21st Century hero, Valor. Glorith used the Clark Kent Superboy and Lana Lang Insect Queen she'd shaped out of the Pocket Universe created by the original Time Trapper and subverted for her purposes. But Matrix, the second Supergirl, had come from the torched universe as well.
Matrix herself had fused her protoplasmic body to the dying Linda Danvers and become more than human but less than a Kryptonian since she was an artificially created life form. But being rooted in Linda's body, Matrix lost her shape changing ability. Her sole ability left was that of altering her hair color at will
So the blonde Supergirl wasn't suspected of being the brunette Linda.
Saturn Queen was attempting to manipulate the Light. The Light was attempting to manipulate Knightfall. Charise was aware of it. So aspects of Disco Mummy's offer had been appealing. But Knightfall was confident she could navigate Vandal Savage's intentions. The question of whether or not she could remained an open question.
Part of Knightfall's decision to divide up control of Gotham's districts amongst the criminals that has assisted her efforts to eliminate the Fourth Reich and Imperialist control had been easy arithmetic. Other due considerations was that it placed them in positions of being beholden to her through Empress Penguin. Both the Light and Intergang believed Knightfall served their interests. Instead she was positioning them in opposition to one another. The Light had endured for over a thousand years. Intergang would be decimated. But it would be a global, bloody ordeal.
But the Light had just eradicated most of the New Gods and scattered the surviving members of the Darkseid's Elite that didn't join Vandal Savage's cause. The remnant faced extinction at the hands of Kalea-El. Superman and Maxima's eldest daughter typically worked for Almerac's Ministry of Executions but she owed Saturn Queen a favor and her assisting the Light obligated Vandal Savage to Saturn Queen. So that was the chessboard Gotham comprised a square of.
Dagar the Desert Hawk wasn't in the mood for the inevitable lecture from Commissioner Gordon, "Spare me whatever admonishments you're about to hurl at me."
"You're expecting to be chastised?" Barbara was surprised.
"Commissioner, we never converse face to face unless you have a grievance against the Pax Mundi or one of our policies," Dagar retorted.
"I have a helluva grievance," Agent Moore was joining them on the Crows' behalf, "The Wonderland Gang heisted five mob banks simultaneously. It became a bloodbath for law enforcement and the Pax Mundi, whom you committed to 'preserving public order' didn't intervene except to detain our officers in the performance of their duties."
"Your officers and fellow agents were disrupting public order. The criminals weren't," Dagar argued.
"I call bullshit. They weren't even licensed by Knightfall. So they ran afoul of every law and policy this city is governed by. Yet the vaunted UN peacekeepers we've been saddled with detained the wrong people," Gordon snorted.
"Tell your people not to discharge their weapons in public," Dagar angrily shot back.
"Those criminals drove school buses into banks, detonated explosives and discharged firearms inside of the banks, killing employees. Yet the Pax Mundi didn't intervene until the GCPD and the Crows were on the scene and your soldiers detained us while we attempted to apprehend thieves and murderers," Barbara snapped back at him.
"Then instruct your lackeys to do so without using their weapons," Dagar spat.
"Are futzing insane?" Sophie had to wonder, "Or just colossally stupid and blinded by your personal allegiance to Lex Luthor?"
"The Secretary-General worked out the details governing my force's role in Gotham with the Mayor. Maybe you should review the official mandate," Dagar sniffed.
"Maybe I should feed you your own teeth," Sophie growled.
"Really, Agent Moore? That's the best you've got?" Dagar sneered. The left jab broke his nose before he saw it coming.
"What is it with you women?" Dagar raged. Gordon had knocked him down but not quite out when he first arrived in Gotham for the second time.
"It's the water. I swear," Barbara laughed.
"No wonder Hub City, Coral City, and Gotham City are all viewed as the cesspits of America," Dagar sneered again.
"And look at which armpit you came from," Sophie gleefully retorted, "Or don't you want anyone to learn Bart Benson is from Coral City?"
Dagar froze, "How did you learn that?"
"Unlike peacekeepers that carry around guns and randomly aim them at people for no apparent reason, we investigators actually…what's the word for it? … ah, we investigate things," Commissioner Gordon said as if to a dullard, "The Crows and GCPD both like to know who we're dealing with. And your past in places like Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, the United Arab Emirates, Syria, Libya, Qatar, Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and even Iran is quite telling."
Dagar's eyes narrowed, "Is this a blackmail attempt?"
"No, this is a clarification," Barbara silenced him with a finger, "Any human or civil rights abuses like you've committed in other countries will not be tolerated here. I took the liberty of contacting the United Nations Human Rights Commission. They're dispatching a team of observers. They'll be here tomorrow. I also have a team of observers from the International. Atomic Energy Agency to monitor the Edgewater reactor plant. There's been noise that there's a viable threat against the facility."
"Isn't Edgewater in the neighboring county?" Dagar was baffled, "Why concern yourself?"
"Are you always this stupid?" Sophie asked, "Is it genetic or a choice? We're talking about a nuclear power facility."
"The Borough of Edgewater in Bergen County. It began as the Borough of Undercliff before the name was imaginatively changed to Edgewater given it location on the banks of the Hudson River," Dagar recited from memory, "The plant isn't under threat."
"We have actionable intelligence that the Purple Shirts and Black Dragon Society are planning acts of sabotage to avenge the deaths of the Masked Leader and the Dragon King and repay Gotham for throwing of the shackles of their fascism," Gordon explained, "Even damaging one reactor could irradiate Gotham, New York City, and Metropolis. I've sent alerts to the NYPD, Metropolis PD as well as Homeland Security and the FBI."
Barbara left out that she was barely on speaking terms with MPD Commissioner Mara Taggard over Taggard's enthusiastic support of Knightfall's licensing system.
NYPD Commissioner Maggie Sawyer was another contentious supporter. Sawyer and Taggard both rising through the ranks of the Metropolis Special Crimes Unit before Sawyer left Metropolis to become the GCPD Commissioner before Barbara assumed the role.
Sawyer had left Metropolis in a sea of personal turmoil. As Captain of the SCU, she'd outlived Inspector Turpin, who co-founded the unit. Sawyer's coming out of the closet ended her turbulent marriage and had been used in the divorce hearing beside her police work to accuse her of being an unfit and neglectful mother. Gotham had been intended as a fresh start after Jim Gordon retired to move to Seattle to marry FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Sarah Essen. There Gordon quickly became civically involved and accepted a post as Deputy Mayor. Former GCPD Det. Sgt. Sarah Essen was one of the reasons the older Barbara Gordon had left her husband even after Essen had relocated and joined the Bureau.
James Gordon Jr. having threatened the younger Barbara's life if Barbara didn't leave the family had also contributed since Jim refused to recognize that his son was a psychopath. So Barbara left her husband, daughter, and son and disappeared. Only to return ten years after Barbara had become Batgirl. The elder Barbara wished to finally warn her daughter about the danger her son posed to his sister. He killed his mother in front of Commissioner Gordon and Batgirl.
Batgirl's response cost James Jr. an eye. He was committed to Arkham for life. Where he mentored the newly arrived Charise Carnes. Amanda Waller had recruited Gordon Jr. for Task Force X. But he betrayed the Suicide Squad and paid for it with his life. The only thing Barbara had ever thanked Waller for. Though Barbara had considered thanking Waller for reining in Andrea Beaumont. Having the Phantasm as a covert federal agent was preferable to letting Andrea loose amongst criminals untethered.
Barbara knew that despite her being the one that actually married Bruce Wayne, Andrea was his first true love. But Selina Kyle was his soul mate. And he'd denied them both in Batman's failed crusade. Truth be told, Bruce would've set aside Batman when Andie returned to Gotham after ten years abroad but her quest for vengeance denied her her chance at happiness.
Batman and Phantasm had agreed to operate independently and separately. Just as Bruce and Talia al Ghul had. But Bruce had acted cruelly to Selina. Disowning their daughter, Helena, even before she was born. But Alfred Pennyworth, having had enough of Batman's suicidal tendencies, left Wayne Manor to take up with Selina to care for Helena Kyle. Not even Bruce had known about Damien al Ghul until after his death when Talia threw it in his face.
So Bruce and Diana had hidden their love child on Themiscyra. Elissa Prince would come to Man's World to attend Gotham Academy when she turned thirteen. But under no circumstances was Elissa to discover who her father was. Nor was Bruce ever to contact her. His role was to provide for her academic education. Hippolyta would train up Elissa as a future Wonder Woman.
Just as Diana's mother, Artemis, Nubia, and Donna Troy had taken up, or retaken, the role of Wonder Woman when Diana ascended to the Amazonian throne.
Hippolyta returned to Man's World as the original Wonder Woman from the First and Second World Wars and an early member of the Justice Society of America.
Hippolyta returned to the JSA and became a leading instructor with the Young Justice program as a well as a mentor to adult JSAers. With the aggregated frustration with Secretary-General Luthor undermining the Justice League at the United Nations, more and more JLers were going independent or joining the Justice Society. The JSA were federally deputized law enforcement agents.
But the Justice League International's administrators were secretly recommending that the JLI once more become an independent Justice League Unlimited, free for the burdens of international or national constraints. But that would put the legality of their operations in question. Most of the JLers baldly voiced their intention to resign if such a decision was made.
The discussion was tabled but kept in mind should an existential crisis arise between the UN and the JLI. The recent debacle in Gotham illustrated all the reasons why the JLers were increasingly benched by Luthor. But the Martian Manhunter, Icon, the Weatherman, I-Ching, and Isis formed a majority on the Shadow Cabinet, outvoting Black Adam and Horus, united in opposition to an expansion of Stormwatch's purview to include law enforcement and peacekeeping missions the Justice League and Pax Mundi were intended for. Stormwatch had been, and would continue to be, a force solely equipped to deal with extraterrestrial and interdimensional threats.
As such, Renfri the Evil Queen currently occupied most of their time and attention.
As "the" Wicked Witch of Oz, Dorothy Gale and her ally, Maimie Mannering, devoted the bulk of their attention towards Alice the Mad Matter and Tinker Bell for killing Peter Pan and destruction of both Oz and Neverland by the hand of the Evil Queen's forces. The Evil Queen had persuaded Alice's half-sister and her cousin, the Silver Duchess and the Blood Countess, to overthrow the sisterly White and Red Queens. Now the Silver and Blood Queens sat as regents over Wonderland in Renfri's name. But Alice accepted exile after securing her family's safety, including that of her full blood sister, Ilyria.
Alice and Tinker Bell joined the Injustice Society after Goldilocks tracked them down on the New Earth. Goldilocks becoming the improbable leader of the Injustice Society and securing its place as the legal guardians of Superior City on the West Coast. The vast majority of the Injusticers were still criminals at heart. They just knew better than to soil their own nest. A trait Knightfall was having difficulty instilling in Gotham's criminal elites.
Hence the provocations that were at the heart of the GCPD and the Crows' dispute with the Pax Mundi. Dagar had little to offer. It was blatantly true that Luthor had ordered him to disrupt the GCPD and the Crows' efforts to rein in criminal activities. Furthermore, the Mayor was pressuring District Attorney Reynolds to recognize Knightfall's license program again. He could only prosecute the unlicensed criminals and even then, only if the GCPD or the Crows caught them before a district boss did.
At least with local enforcement, the crooks had a chance at survival. Assuming they survived incarceration under Emperor Blackgate's control of the federal and state penitentiaries. Only Belle Reeve and Arkham Asylum escaped Ignatius Ogilvy's control. Jack Crane, the new Scarecrow, had just been appointed Director of Arkham by Mayor Grange. Belle Reeve was under the control of Kyle Bolton, the federal agent known as Lock-Up and his cohort the Jailer. Lock-Up and the Jailer swore absolute fealty to the Secretary for Meta-Human Affairs, Amanda Waller.
Crane only served his own demented ambitions. Dagar was well aware of the politics thanks to his briefings from Secretary Luthor's staff. He was unaware of why Luthor wanted Dagar to run interference but he was happy to comply.
"I assure you, I'm simply doing my duty to my mandate," Dagar promised.
"Whether it's right or wrong," Barbara replied, "And you know it's evil."
Dagar couldn't argue against that. But his duty was to Luthor…and the United Nations. Knightfall, therefore the Light and therefore Luthor, wanted the GCPD and the Crows intact for public relations purposes but enforcing her licensing system fell on Empress Penguin.
"I knew you knew it," Sophie's eyes narrowed, "So what will you do about it?"
"Nothing," Dagar admitted, "My duties are clear."
"We'll see about that," Gordon had plans for when Dagar left. Which would be any minute now. She wanted Agent Moore to sit in on these calls. Sophie had Crows Commander Kane's ear. Barbara knew the retired Army Delta Force colonel had Waller's.
She'd already scheduled a joint conference session with Sec. Waller and Secretary for Homeland Security Bones. Bones and Waller reported directly to the POTUS, Olivia McKay. McKay was a vocal opponent of the Pax Mundi's presence. She'd been expending considerable political capital with foreign allies to secure the Pax Mundi's withdrawal. The UN Security Council had already called a nearly unanimous vote to demand the recalling of the Pax Mundi from United States soil.
Even the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China sided with the USA, the United Kingdom, and France on the issue. The only dissenting votes had come from rotating Council members, Iran and North Korea.
Both regimes had been enjoying witnessing the US struggle with the Fourth Reich and the Imperialist Forces. Their only regret was that the UN hadn't had time to recognize the Nazis' sham referendum to secede from the United States. Luthor had tentatively secured the necessary votes. But most governments balked at voting for Nazis and Imperialists. This coming from an entity that had recognized the Taliban as a legitimate governing body. Other examples had been formally endorsing Baron Bedlam's takeover of Markovia or Countess Ardora's rebellion against Queen Audrey of Kaznia. Bedlam and Ardora attempting to reverse democratic reforms imposed by the native royal families in the post-Soviet era.
So Barbara had little hope of resolving the matter through the UN's formal bureaucracy. But she would happily support a domestic military action to repulse the Pax Mundi. Gordon and Moore knew the FBI branch office was feeling increasingly frustrated with the Pax Mundi's interference in their investigation into the bank robberies and the gold bullion heist at the Federal Reserve and they could use that to their advantage.
"The uptick in unlicensed crime must be dealt with. As district bosses that falls on you," Empress Penguin chastised the various costumed criminals assembled before her. They included Killer Croc, Baby Doll, The Riddler, The Bonez Gang, the Neon Gang, the Ventriloquist and Scarface, the new Clayface, a resurgent Maxie Zeus, and Bane's genderbent clone, Vengeance. Hellequin, Red Alice, the new Mad Hatter, Punchline, J-Man and the other Jokerz were absent since they exempted from licensing requirements. Jack Crane, the new Scarecrow, ruled Arkham Island as his own fiefdom.
Also missing were the KnightsQuest of the Order of St. Batman and their avenger, Azrael. The Order had forced a reshuffling of district management by forcing their way into the Bowery and the East End. To the great relief of the citizenry. Who were subsequently freed from the criminals' "taxations".
Maxie Zeus' release from Arkham and the emergence of a new Clayface now that Matt Hagen was well and truly dead also changed the situation. Peyton Riley, driven by Scarface's demands, also stayed on in Gotham. Threatening everything was Intergang's insurgent forays into Gotham and Black Mask's open rebellion.
Roman Sionis promised to protect common criminals from Knightfall's enforcers in exchange for commissions from their takes. Black Mask also offered million dollar bounties on Batwing and Azrael. Which was bringing in outside contract killers to compete for the money. Competition breaking into open violence between them.
Intergang was tearing the city apart looking for Hellequin and Red Alice's Wonderland Gang for taking over a billion dollars from former Five Families' banks now owned by Selina Wayne and overseen by Intergang's interests. Intergang's high powered choice attorneys, Mouthpiece and Assoc., were already prepping defense cases for whoever killed the offenders. Intergang planned on surrendering the enforcer or enforcers to the GCPD or Crows should extraction prove to be impossible. Knightfall would demand a blood price for violating her cardinal rule of no murders occurring under her Knightfall Pace, Commissioner Gordon and Commander Kane both willing to bring the perp to trial rather than face Knightfall's "justice" system.
They would do so in the face pof Knightfall's condemnation and wrath. Forcing Mayor Grange into the position of publicly strong arming DA Reynolds and the GCPD and Crows into surrendering a murderer or murderers to vigilante justice. Vigilantism was outlawed by both Gotham City statute and New Jersey state law. So Grange would be expressly violating the law on public record, making her equally culpable under the city and state laws. They'd defy the mayor just to spite her and the aldermen and women adopting Knightfall's system once again.
But Intergang had learned from prior experience. Despite Knightfall being a member of Intergang's 100 and Empress Penguin a member of the 1000, they wouldn't condone the murders. Nor would they support Intergang enforcers and hired killers openly operating within Gotham's districts. So they'd hired private investigators.
Chelle Parker of Party Girl, PI and the Agatha Detective Agency were on the case.
Grace Adams and her spinster aunt Agatha made up the staff of the Agatha agency.
Chelle was the sole member of Party Girl and largely worked to pay off her bar tabs and her always increasing credit card debts for the latest clothing and eye-wear fashions. To save money, Party Girl was based out of Chelle's living room, converted into an office space.
While Grace and Agatha Adams beat the pavement on a "missing persons" case, Chelle hung out at the Iceberg Lounge drinking herself into stupors waiting to overhear when Empress Penguin's Penguins Gang located Hellequin and the Wonderland Gang for her. Bird of Paradise and her internal security agents inside the Lounge had taken up Pussy Katnip's former position as Regina Swann's personal bodyguard. Jinx still ran external security and coordinated the search for the targets. Plastic Woman, Nancy Morgan, and Black Siren stood by to either assist or condemn Intergang's intended kills. Patti O'Brien being the former Patrick "Eel" O'Brien known to the world as the hero, Plastic Man. But Patti had found a sense of liberation that she'd never felt as a man. She'd discovered her true self.
Her return to a life of crime had been motivated by the FBI's witch hunt after Plas and Morgan resigned. Patti's wife, Penny Lark, divorced her after the death of their son. Morgan had professed her undying love that had endured since Plas had been Eel O'Brien. Now that Patti had found her truth, Morgan found hers with Plas. The couple went to work for Empress Penguin and befriended the otherwise alienated Black Siren. Laurel Drake's true origins from Earth-3 were now nonexistent even to her. Like scattered others, she was a doppelganger to a well known figure.
But Dinah Laurel Drake Lance had gone from being Black Canary to being the Ra's al Ghul. Black Siren had hired on with Regina unaware of Empress Penguin's origins from Earth-5. The Monitor had brought dozens of people from other universes to Earth Prime before the Final Crisis and Zero Hour obliterated both the last Matter and Antimatter universes and erased their histories. The ultimate purpose of all these transitions remained unknown even in the Prime Universe's final seconds.
But Glorith re-stamped the echo of the that altered Prime Universe into being the New Universe. Replete with all the additions from now dead universes. So the New Earth had a Dakota City Earth Prime had lacked. Rebirth made everyone remember it as always being extant.
Some doppelgangers were completely obvious such as the three Victor Stones all becoming heroes called Cyborg or Lana Lang and Lana Linda Lang. Others, such as Lois Lane from Earth-2, Sonia Alcona and Renee Montoya from Earth-5 being alive in the New Earth when their Earth Prime counterparts had died, were completely obscured. Everyone's histories being scrambled to accommodate the doppelgangers. The most confusing counterparts came from Earths -4 and -27
Counterparts from Earth-4 were 14 years older than their doppelgangers from Earth Prime. One Victor Stone, Li Harper, Bruce Alan Wayne, Selina Wayne, and Helena Wayne being prime examples of those from the apocalyptic Earth-4.
Those from Earth-27 were half the age of their Earth Prime doubles. Another Vic Stone and Oliver Queen were examples of survivors of that doomed universe.
Knightfall's arrangement with Hellequin and Red Alice precluded her or Empress Penguin from doling out punishment to them or Punchline and the Jokerz. But Intergang was free to do as they pleased so long as they adhered to Knightfall's licensing law. They couldn't kill Hellequin and Red Alice in Gotham but they could take them anywhere else and do so. Kidnapping, if licensed, was allowed.
So Knightfall's Hellequin and Red Alice problems would be solved. So pointing Intergang in the right direction just alleviated a lot of Intergang's terrorizing Gotham's usual lowlifes. Unfortunately, Hellequin, Red Alice, the Mad Hatter and the Wonderland Gang all had understandings with Punchline and the Jokerz "royalty" to base out of Devil's Square. But if anyone could flush them into the open it was Azrael and Batwing so it was a matter of properly motivating them to do so.