Superman/Wonderwoman: It Could've Happened
Disclaimer: I do not own any DC related characters present in this fanfiction story.
Author's Note: So… it's been a while… again. Sorry to all readers of my lateness with this chapter. I want to say that I can pick up the pace of my writing this, but I'm not sure I can make the commitment. I'm juggling this story with some other little writing projects of mine as well as school. Though I am truly grateful for the positive feedback I've been getting. All the responses I've been receiving as I write about characters I love makes this an awesome experience all around. But getting to the story… dark actions are being set into motion. Our super heroic duo is gathering more enemies then they realize. Prepare for the appearance of another powerful DC character to be thrown in on this chapter. Hope you enjoy!
"I don't know if you hear this all the time, CK, but you are the MAN!" Jimmy was adjusting the focus on his camera, getting a good side profile shot of Wonderwoman at the podium. The journalist/photographer duo found themselves standing in the wings of the amphitheatre, granted this privilege by the Princess Diana herself, combined with Clark's obviously hidden negotiation skills. Whenever Jimmy would ask him "really, how'd you do it?" Clark's modesty would take over, shrugging his shoulders and replying, "The Princess is very gracious and generous". He and Jimmy had to have been the only press allowed backstage, the other guests being higher ranking members of society; politicians, activist groups etc.
"Don't look now, CK, but I think that's Lex Luthor in the crowd over there." Jimmy's head twisted a wide angle around, eyes pointing in his direction of viewing. Clark thought he could see the shiny baldhead swimming through the dozens of socialites choosing to stand further in the sidelines than them.
"I thought Lexcorp was into military applications, why would Lex attend a peace conference?" Jimmy's brows shuffled as he lolled his tongue around inside his mouth, a habit he performed while in deep thought.
"Lex is a media shark, Jimmy. He'll probably try and get a shot shaking hands with the Princess. It gives him a great appearance to the public eye while he continues undoubtedly with secret deals." Clark had a frown cemented to his face, as he directed his gaze back to Princess Diana.
"Wow Clark, you really know how his type thinks, don't ya? Investigative journalism give you that gift over time?"
"Let's just say I've crossed paths with Lex many times, I ought to know him well by now." Clark Kent was an annoyance to Lex Luthor, he alongside Lois Lane being the reporters gutsiest to bring his shadier side to the public eye. But comparatively, Lex still considered Kent small fish. Where the mortal man was a slight irritation, the Superman was the object of his pure hatred. It was the Man of Steel whom utterly defied the multi-billionaire, business mogul at every turn. Basically, were it not for Clark's super identity, Mr. Luthor's claws would be sunken much deeper into Metropolis than what they were now.
"-We Amazons are not all war-like as is the image portraying us. It is mandatory that the best scholars educate us all. We examine art, literature from both worlds, the philosophies of peace are of course a major topic of interest…" Diana worked that silky voice magic of hers to win over large portions of the audience. Clark scribbled short hand on his note pad, collecting what he thought significant quotes and angle ideas for another good story.
"Amazing, isn't she?" Normally Clark could hear any person approaching from behind him, but he had directed all of his senses towards the Princess that he failed to notice the stealthy woman.
"Hm? Oh, hello Ms. Rich. Yes, she certainly is something." Priscilla Rich was the one that Diana told Clark to ask for. He half expected some large, busty woman in tight, glittery clothing, an oversized ring for each chubby finger and a strangely quaffed hairstyle. So naturally, when the petite blonde woman with the slender figure was the one to appear behind the security guards, he was taken aback. Underneath her arm was a large clipboard, obviously a very "by-the-book" kind of woman. She seemed very professional in her look that Clark respected, but at the same time, she had this enticing look in her sparkling green eyes.
"Your investigative people skills must be quite extraordinary to have Diana warm up to you so quickly, Mr. Kent," That jade gaze gave him a full blast to which he turned his head away a little shyly, "How exactly DID you manage to meet her?"
"I um… jumped off a building." His comment was followed by a soft, bouncy laughter, as she was not aware of how serious he really was about the comment. Jimmy didn't even bother to try and intervene between the two, merely shifting his focus from one to the other; a "give me a break" look splashed across his face. But listening to his better judgment, he kept his mouth shut and snapped more pictures.
"I'm sorry, but I don't think my relationship to Superman has anything to do with the pressing matter of this conference…" Clark's eyes went over to Diana again as he bit his lip nervously. He more or less assumed that this would happen since this morning. He also had experience with the press, now they would only try to capitalize on the subject further.
"If anything," The Princess continued her explanation; "I respect him as a colleague, fighting for peace in his own way, in the places where I cannot be. But that is as far as the connection goes. We're both very busy individuals and each have our tasks to accomplish."
"Good answer." For whatever reason, Clark felt immensely relieved at how well Diana was handling the situation, and in some ways awe-inspired by it.
"Ah yes, I can see our hard work paid off after all." Priscilla beamed, Clark couldn't help but feel she was speaking to him directly and having it not as a general statement, he played the fool nevertheless.
"What do you mean?"
"Oh well, I know how "trustworthy" you reporters are with deep secrets…" She began to examine him from head to toe in a way that made him feel kind of awkward, "But you seem like an honourable gentleman… between you and me," she cupped a hand around her mouth and went down to a mere whisper, "Diana isn't so strong on her public appearances. The Amazonian Warrior gets a little tongue-tied. That's why I'm hired, I give her the reassuring pep-talk, lighten her spirits, get her out on the "battlefield" as I like to call the stage." Her smile was near ready to blind Clark it seemed. He didn't want to look at her funny, but it was a struggle.
"Well… I'm sure the Princess is glad to have a publicist like you than…" He gave an offhand smile and made it seem like he had to get back to his note scribbling.
"Er… right. Well, I need to make sure all the tech support and refreshments and such are going according to the schedule… it was nice meeting you Mr. Kent."
"Pleasure's all mine, Ms. Rich." His voice was genuine and she gave a nodding smile before brushing past Jimmy.
"Nice to meet you too lady." Jimmy grumbled as he stepped up beside Clark. The reporter chuckled at his partner's sarcastic remark, but Jimmy was not done.
"I hope the pretty, fake girls aren't your type Mr. Kent." Jimmy said rather casually.
"What?!" Clark shot him a look of surprise.
"Oh come on… could Ms. Rich's flirting be ANY more obvious?"
"Ms. Rich is just very friendly, Jimmy!" Clark turned into super defensive mode.
"Yeah… very friendly to those that catch her appeal, what am I? The invisible sidekick?"
"Don't worry Jimmy, you'll get your recognition one day." Clark reassured him in what could've been a pat on the head moment, but he thought it best to save Jimmy the pitying.
"Man, I can't believe what Lois is missing out on. Can you say pride-filled or what?" Jimmy spoke while firing off rounds of his camera.
SNAP!
SNAP!
CLICK!
SNAP! Clark's ears came to attention when he picked up a sound that didn't belong. Among Jimmy's picture takings was a louder sound of something thick and metallic. He adjusted the range of his hearing to try and zero in on the noise; it didn't go off again.
"Damn…" He didn't have a good feeling about this; he added his enhanced vision into the fray to help with the search. But there were so many people present… he had to find something unique, something to start with, that stood on its own.
DA-DUMP! DA-DUMP! DA-DUMP! Someone's heartbeat was going off like a machine gun, Clark estimated about 230 beats per minute; that was on verge of heart attack. His ears lead the way, ignoring whatever it was Jimmy was saying to him… his eyes found the target. SCU Inspector Dan Turpin filled his entire peripheral vision. He had encountered the law enforcer many times both as Clark and Superman; he was a good and honest man, a firm belief of upholding the law and an attitude to get the job done. But this good and honest man was holding up a powerful looking handgun, and it was pointing straight at the Princess. There were too many people around, too many cautious eyes, there was no way he could sneak out, transform into Superman and fly back in time without being noticed. But he was down to the wire, and his super fast thinking brain could only think of one logical option.
"LOOK OUT DIANA!" His voice was like a thunderous boom that forced away all other sound.
BLAM! The average people may not have been able to see it in such detail… but Clark could see everything. The firing of a gun was like a miniature version of Armageddon. The chamber flew back in one powerful motion as an explosion of fire erupted for just a split second; a giant lead slug spiraled on a path of imminent doom, cutting through the air in a way that looked extremely violent. Clark wanted to move now, his feet beckoned him to launch forwards, he could catch the bullet easy; but Wonder Woman was just as quick. Her keen eyes caught onto the gunman, throwing up her arm. The metal round ricocheted off one of her silver gauntlets, a harmless ping sound as if it were almost comical. Clark saw the bullet wedge itself into the stage and his heart was at ease. Everybody was so panic-stricken and confused that they paid no attention to the burly reporter standing solitary in his spot. He ripped off his glasses, and before Turpin could fit another shot in, Clark's eyes poured out pure heat. A twin shot of crimson beams connected with the weapon, sizzling against human flesh and making the seasoned officer cry out in pain. The orange glowing pistol fell to the ground with a thud, and the other officers began to push in on their superior.
"Sir?! What are you doing?!" All the officers held their mob control shields up, unsure how they could approach such a situation. Terrible Turpin's eyes were ablaze with fury, his mouth twisted into a mangled snarl.
"Pathetic flesh bag mortals!" The words were more spat out than spoken.
"Sir, don't think just because you're our commanding officer that we won't bring you down by any means necessary-." The one officer didn't get to finish his threat; Turpin lunged at him.
"AH! AAAAH!" The officer cried out. Despite his crowd control shield, Turpin managed to bring him down with surprising strength and resiliency. His fists that pounded against the Mylar protection actually began to make dents in it. Another officer rushed in to try and wrestle the old guy off, but received a kick to the stomach, the sound of cracking ribs present. He finally ripped the shield off the man's arm and went for the officer's Beretta M9 handgun.
"NO SIR!" The officer latched onto his arm, but Turpin punched through his visor, rendering him unconscious.
The violence had broken out so quickly before Wonder Woman could even think about reacting. The audiences backing away only emphasized the riot between the crowd control officers. A bunch of them were pounding their ballistics down on one man, whom still fought to wriggle his way out of them.
"Enough!" She cried out, her feet lifting off of the stage, "Let me deal with him-!"
EERRRRRRRK! The sound of metal wire wrenching and something quite massive came from behind her.
"AAAAAH!" One of the stage crew screamed out, throwing his hands in the air in a feeble attempt to protect his self. One of the giant stereo speakers, so heavy it had to be supported by a number of wires, began to shift its weight over. It cast a long shadow over the comparatively delicate man, and would crush him into the floor instantly.
"No!" She took off, positioning herself between the man and the stereo speaker just as it was about 9 feet from the stage and the fallen man. Her muscle sinews were like chords of metal, as she carefully began to ease the giant, black piece of weight upwards.
SPRRRK! SPRRRK!
"Gah!" She twitched as she felt worrying amounts of electricity snake through her body, the situation was getting worse. She had to move it into a safe position before there was a large enough electric shock to fry both her and the man she was trying to save.
"CLARK?! CK?! WHERE ARE YOU?! WE GOTTA-!" For whatever reason, she could hear the tiny voice of the red headed photographer that had accompanied Mr. Kent. He was being shoved in all sorts of directions by the larger suits trying to reach a safe distance.
"Steady…" She told herself calmly, as she came closer to standing the speaker upright.
Turpin elbowed his final opposition in the throat, now a convulsing heap on the ground. He watched menacingly as his target directed all her attention to stopping a speaker from crushing another man. It was a big mistake on her part to leave her back turned to him. He shut one eye, aiming the pistol carefully, pretty certain he'd be able to land one right in the back of her head.
SWOOOOOSH! Where there had once been the Princess' slender backside in his target zone, now stood a blazing pentagonal "S" on a large barreled chest. He opened his other eye and drank in the full view of Superman, a disappointed look on his face.
"No cheap shots, Turpin." He didn't even notice that the Beretta had already been snatched from his hand, now looking pretty harmless in the Man of Steel's. Keeping true to his namesake the hero crushed the firearm in his palm like a ball of paper and tossed it to the ground. Turpin's soul was on fire; he had to complete his task, no matter what obstacles stood in his way. He would tear this tight-wearing freak limb from limb, massacre him and then make his way toward the target. It was all he could think of, all he wanted, to make his master happy, to make the Spear happy. Turpin clearly wasn't thinking straight, taking into account the sheer impossibility of actually ripping Superman limb-from-limb.
"OUT OF MY WAY!" He practically foamed at the mouth, never would Superman have believed he could see such a predatory look on Turpin's face. The Inspector threw his fist forwards. Another faster than the human eye could catch gesture, and the Man of Steel clutched Turpin's wrist in his grip.
"Don't hurt yourself, Inspector." Superman brought up his other hand, and tapped Terrible Turpin on the forehead with two fingers; the sheer concussive force from just that was enough to make everything go dark for the Inspector, his body hanging limply.
"Are you alright?" After securing the speaker in place, Wonderwoman floated down and gently picked the man up and onto his feet. His body quivered in her hands, though trying to relax she could tell.
"Y-yeah. Thank you… t-thought I was a goner there." He forced a smile onto his face, admiration in the eyes that stayed glued to her.
"Helping people is the least I can do with the gifts granted to me." She didn't know it, but her smile pushed away all doubt and worry in his mind and he began to shift into relaxation, stepping away as his fellow crewman crowded around him.
"We really have to stop meeting like this." The soft baritone voice came from her left side. She turned to find none other than Superman floating over the stage edge and close up to greet her. Slung over his shoulder was a man's body, barely moving, and his legs swaying dully with nothing under them.
"Is he?"
"Just clonked out. He'll be up in an hour or two, mind you with a swollen skull." She looked a little more closely and recognized the broad-shouldered, bull-like body stature.
"That's the man that was aiming to shoot me." She spoke off-handedly, as though this were an expected thing to happen.
"It seemed that way."
"Perhaps in league with those terrorists in Greece, than?"
"No." Superman answered sharply, defensively, "This is Inspector Daniel Turpin of the Metropolis Special Crimes Unit. I can't count the number of times he's volunteered to help me with a case. It makes no sense why he would attack you, he was supposed to be protecting you."
"I can protect myself, thank you very much." She clarified, holding up the gauntlet she deflected the bullet with. Superman smiled in reaction and nodded.
"But of course. Nobody would dare oppose you in that." She returned his smile, and they just stood there in this awkward silence.
"Oh boy, Superman! Showing up in the nick of time as always!" Jimmy ran from the back stage, grinning from ear to ear, his arm waving wildly in the air. Clark was relieved to see that he was ok, what with how abruptly he had to leave him.
"Jimmy! I see the Planet can always count on you to be where the story is, becoming a regular "Mr. Action" aren't you?" Jimmy's face went about as red as his hair with pride, fingers tapping against the camera nervously.
"You two are acquainted?" Wonder Woman said in puzzled casual conversation style.
"Oh, me and Superman? Yeah! We go way back! Pretty much around the time he first appeared. Us, we're like pals!" Jimmy spoke with the utmost confidence, but seemed to look nervously at Superman as well, hoping for his approval.
"Yeah, only Jimmy can take the good pictures of me."
"Where's Mr. Kent?" Again, Clark was surprised to have someone like Wonderwoman asking about him, "He was with you if I am not mistaken." Jimmy's eyes widened in realization as he took a quick scan behind him, as if Clark would magically appear.
"You know what, I think he ran to call for some back-up police force or something, CK's always thinking smart like that." One couldn't help but notice the way his eyes went from Superman, to Wonder Woman, back to Superman and so forth.
"So how about a shot of you two, shaking hands? It'd be an instant front page and-."
"Hold the phone kid, wait until I'm finished with them." Superman recognized that tough-as-nails female voice instantly, a well-built women in a brown trench coat, short, blonde hair showed up. Her expression was hard, unflinching; she was Maggie Sawyer, Chief Inspector of the SCU. The moment she reached the two superheroes, towering over her in sheer majesty, she held her hands to her hips and gave them a thorough scan. Her eyes especially zeroed in on the unconscious pile thrown over Superman's shoulder.
"I got the gist of the situation from my men, Superman… I have no idea what got into Dan. Sure, he comes on a little strong, but this is something else entirely." Her hands twitched, like she wanted to take her partner off of Superman's hands; but she pulled back knowing she couldn't carry him like the behemoth of a hero standing before her.
"I agree with you, Maggie. There's something more to this; Dan was not himself. As a matter of fact, I've never seen any rational person act the way he did." He turned to Wonderwoman to see if she had an opinion of this, though she had never gotten the opportunity to interact with her would-be assassin.
"He should receive medical attention as quickly as possible," She suggested, "Perhaps this time we can get some word out on why I'm being attacked…" She crossed her arms unsettlingly. Already there had been two conferences, and each one ended poorly with an attempt on her life. Maggie looked at Wonderwoman almost grudgingly, kicking her feet a little before she attempted to apologize.
"I am truly sorry about our Inspector's actions, Princess. Please, let me assure you we at the SCU don't train our men to attack ambassadors… there's something that doesn't fit here." Superman recalled how it took Maggie some time to warm up to him, not used to having a super powered man beat her to the crime more often than not. Wonderwoman raised a hand to signify apologies unnecessary.
"I do not doubt your claim, Ms. Sawyer. I would like to ask you a favour though."
"… Go on?" Maggie's upper lip stiffened as she waited for whatever this request could be.
"Security in Greece would forbid such an opportunity… but I would like the chance to look into this matter myself. Allow me visitation to this Inspector Turpin, give me the opportunity to find the source of these attempts on my life. I fear that they may only grow greater in abundance if I don't take more forward an action." Maggie's face contorted in a way that showed she was giving some serious thought to the situation.
"I'd be more than happy to grant you that jurisdiction myself… but it would not reflect kindly on the SCU or Metropolis in general if I let an ambassador into a crime investigation… no matter how powerful she may be."
"-Then let me accompany her." Superman took the role of mediator, trying to find a solution in the cleanest way possible.
"Hm?" Maggie turned to Superman, intrigued. Wonderwoman could not help but feel some surprise herself to the idea.
"Surely I can more than qualify as protection for the Ambassador, despite the fact that she is fully capable of protecting herself," he winked at Diana quickly and she grinned, "Please, I think it's only fair that she'd want to have a personal look into her own potential assassination, and I'll be there to make sure everything's in check. We'll take it off the record for the SCU, you won't be responsible for either of us." The Chief Inspector tapped a finger against her pant leg and shifted her teeth against each other a little. Finally coming to a decision, she gave the thumbs up.
"Fine, I'll allow it, just because your record is better than spotless Superman." The wailing siren of an Ambulance cut through the hordes of people standing in hushed awe. A path had already been made by a number of SCU officers, and the white vehicle cruised through with ease. Two paramedics hopped out of the back with a gurney supported between them.
"We'll take him off your hands now, Superman." A young, tanned paramedic assured him politely. Superman nodded, gently placing Turpin's unconscious, mumbling body on the gurney, at which point he was tightly strapped down.
"You're a credit to the EMS, boys." Superman saluted them off as they disappeared back into the ambulance.
"I'm going to have to round up some of my men for further questioning. I'm not sure it's wise to continue the conference today, rescheduling may have to be in order." Maggie apologized once again to the Amazonian; Diana shrugged, it was something that could not have been helped.
"You two can do whatever follow up you need, I guess. Turpin ought to be confined to a hospital room within the next couple hours. I have a strange feeling I'll be talking to either of you two again very soon." Maggie nodded, finally cracking what could be passed as a friendly smile and jogged off. What had been abnormal silence for so long; finally shattered as the media did their regular screaming out questions and flashing their cameras. Superman wasn't even sure how long the barricades would hold up.
"Hey." Wonder Woman motioned with her head to follow her off stage, to a basically clear area. As he followed suit, she turned to confront him right away.
"You didn't have to do that you know… help me like that. Whether she let me or not, I would have found a way to reach Inspector Turpin one way or another." Her face produced that familiar stern look, that of a purely independent woman.
"I know, I don't doubt your capabilities at all Princess… I just like to think I'm lending a helping hand. Breaking and Entering wouldn't look good on your image, no?" She sighed, those perfectly rounded shoulders dropping from frustration, a single hand running through the black silk that was her hair. It didn't matter whether she was frustrated, excited, sad, or enraged, she must have always looked beautiful.
"It's always about my image, isn't it? No matter how deep my words sink in, I do one thing that contradicts social norm, and those words are immediately forgotten…" She looked up to him to see what words of wisdom he could possibly endow upon her.
"I wish it weren't this way, Princess. But if you want to be heard in "man's world", you've got to start adjusting to their ways. I can try and help you with that." Something was set off within Wonderwoman, Clark thought it presumptuous to call it a glimmer of hope in her eyes, but there was definitely something.
"Why do you choose to help me so?" A reasonable question, the two had just met a day ago. Clark was treating her like an old friend already, why to her he was just some really strong man who appeared at random out of the sky.
"Helping's what I do, what I live for, Diana. Besides, I think it's about time we had someone spread a message with the best of intentions, I can think of no better cause to help."
"Um… guys?" The two had almost become overtaken in this deep conversation when they were broken out of this trance by Jimmy and his steadied camera.
"Sorry to… bother the team meeting but… about that front page shot…"
Hours later…The pale moon high in the sky reflected an eerie glow across the Gotham City skyline. Though in all honesty, Gotham never gained notoriety for being a sunshine kind of city. Hell, even the very name of it left an ominous feeling welling up in ones stomach. Where Metropolis was seen as the pre-cursor to a bright American future, Gotham was still stuck in its deep seeded crime underground. It wasn't unusual to hear gunshots out your very window, and let's face the facts, some of the most twisted villains on the planet resided in this large city. As of lately, word was reaching along the town's underbelly that there was some new vigilante making a name for them self. Oddly enough, that's all anyone really knew. Who ever this vigilante was, they were as secret and hidden as the shadows themselves cast by that very same moon in the sky. Were they male? Were they female? Were they even human? Nobody knew, but this night stalker, this bat-thing as it was most recently referred to, was single-handedly bringing the crime-rate lower than it had been in decades. That's just what the papers reported though, and yet there was still a lot more to Gotham City than anybody, not even the great crime families knew about. Such an unknown thing was occurring at this very moment, in a dark alley in the narrows. Nobody went down there; not the mob, not the cops, not even the "crazies". There was something about this particular alleyway that repelled any curious spectators maybe wanting a quick peak into its darkness, any curious spectators besides one anyway. The man had to have been just over six feet, a dark black trench coat wrapped around his tall features. The collar had kept from being folded back, covering his head when looked at from behind. He extended his right hand out, running it through thin air, as if he was sensing something. The second thing that remained out of place was the red liquid that ran in pools along the street and walls.
"A ritual sacrifice, perhaps?" The man hypothesized to himself, thinking he may even have to sink his hand into the warm stuff to get a better grasp of what went on. He folded the collar back, revealing nicely combed hair that was as red as the blood that surrounded him. He sniffed the air, taking in the thickness, making it a part of himself.
"Yet all ritual sacrifices in Gotham have been much more organized than this. There are runes left behind, mystical markings and, specific signs that such a ritual had taken place. This… this gore shows no such hints… yet it has undoubtedly a mystical nature to it." He wriggled his fingers like thick worms, contemplating his next action. Perhaps a certain incantation or location spell would bring light this confusing situation before him.
"I've been watching you for quite some time now." A voice from behind him broke the man's concentration. He turned to find a lax figure resting atop a dumpster, feet kicking against it gently. A fedora hat concealed his face and he also wore a similar trench coat it seemed.
"Not many people can sneak up on me…" The red-haired man had a deep voice, an almost repressed gruffness to it at the same time. All of his senses told him that this new man did not belong to this world, not to this realm.
"Well," Brown fedora hopped off of the dumpster lid and casually made his way closer, "I'm not like many people to begin with."
"What do you want?" Red-hair spoke with some threatening in his voice. His teeth pressed together in a silent wince. He began to feel a strange, burning sensation in his head… like thousands of needles were pressing into his brain.
"I set out to achieve a goal," Brown fedora explained, as he snapped his fingers, it seemed as though he produced these small sparks strangely, "I have enough humility to admit I started towards my goal with limited resources. I misjudged what I was up against, my current forces not powerful enough. That is why I thought I could have you assist me. You, my friend, wield a substantial amount of power, don't you?" When he called him his friend, his flesh started to sear, those needles in his brain pressed deeper, digging at the nerves. The red-haired man literally made a hissing noise before he spoke.
"I warn you now… I'm not the kind of person you want to willingly make an enemy of." Brown fedora laughed sickeningly.
"Have you not been listening to me? I don't want you as my enemy. I want you as my ally. You see… it is so hard, in this day and age, for me to control a human being, to bend their will to match mine own. I have to look for… flaws in the psyche, the tiniest sliver of weakness that I can then stretch out into a full, manipulative wound." He was no more than three feet away from him. Red-hair's head was feeling heavy, the weight moving down to his neck, shoulders, his entire upper body. He wanted to make a move, to strike the brown fedora man down.
"You are unique, you're not just human. You have another half, one that is filled with rage, and hatred, and violence, and all those things that I can manipulate so, EASILY!" Brown fedora threw his open palm out and pressed it against red-hair's face, smoke rising from where he touched. Red-hair tried all he could to resist, making a cry that nobody would hear. He eventually succumbed to the control; his movements were no longer of his own free will. He held his face low, awaiting his orders.
"Good," Brown fedora smiled, "Now, I will not ask of your services right away. You will hear me when I call upon you. But, in these rare occasions where there are no prying eyes of the mortals… I would like you to show me the power that you possess, Jason Blood. Speak the words and show me the true form that will serve me." Jason Blood lifted his head now; that weight completely vanished. His eyes seemed to catch alight, a blazing fire behind them. His mouth motioned to move, and the words came smoothly into poetic form, each word increasing in dramatics.
"Gone! Gone! – The form of man!" Brown fedora clapped his hands together in excitement, ecstatic over the newest soldier in his ranks.
"RISE! THE DEMON ETRIGAN!"