Fin
The Isle of White
"On guard, sir knight!'
A small, beautiful boy waved his plastic sword at imaginary adversaries. From one room to the next he fought some pretend grand battle. He shouted with glee as make-believe dragons and knights fell before his magical sword. Thrust and parried his way down the steps and into the main entrance the sound of thunder caught his attention. Holding his toy plastic sword, he slowly walked over to the window and looked outside.
Mordred, the bastard son of King Arthur and Morgaine le Fay stood gazing out through child's eyes at the approaching storm. Those same eyes had been looking out similar windows for millennia. There was always a price to pay when it came to his mother's magic.
Vague images of another life occasionally drifted through the boy's mind, but thanks to his mother's spell he didn't have the maturity to piece them together. That was the way Morgaine le Fay liked it. He was her son, but a long time ago he turned into a rival. When she sought to overthrow Camelot, Mordred had been the commander of her forces. As the battle waged on, the troops began to look to him as their leader. He had dreams of replacing his father and becoming King.
An adult Mordred was dangerous to her.
After the final battle with Arthur, Mordred lay dying. He'd inflicted mortal wounds on the King, but would not live to see those wounds achieve his ultimate goal. Morgaine stepped in and saved her only son. She reduced him to a child again, placing a spell of eternal youth on him. He would be her little boy forever.
Even as a small child she had come to realize he could still be treacherous. Correcting this, she kept him far away from any of her plans or magic. He would just be her little boy, for she couldn't bare the thought of him dying again. She also couldn't allow him to grow up either. There could be only one master and now as always that would be Morgaine.
So here he was, the eternal boy, Peter Pan that wasn't allowed to grow up. He was like a precious doll she liked to occasionally take down and play with. If he had been any older, perhaps he would have some understanding what she has done to him but it remains always beyond his grasp.
Space
He was neither of New Genesis nor Apokolips. He was something different, Metron. He wandered the vastness of space, always in search of greater knowledge beyond his own. He rode his Mobius Chair, traversing time and space. He took no part in the actions he witnessed, only sought to understate. That was his role.
Something old, something very old, from the time before, stirred the cosmic strings. He had felt it before and he was not alone. He instinctively knew it was a harbinger of something but not what. It was a mystery to him. Others would soon feel it as well.
Fawcett City
The storm has intensified. As Mary turned the corner on her block, she could see the light in her apartment. Billy was home. Glancing both ways, she started to cross the street, already soaking wet from the rain. The sound of thunder was deafening. It drowned out her scream as the first bolt of lightening hit her in the back. It sent her sprawling face down in the middle of the street. As she gasped for air, trying to understand out what had happening, more bolts of lightening hit her.
Mary's whole body convulsed in agony as the lightening hit her again. Spasms ripple over her skin as the lightening scorched her cloths. She tried to cry out for help, but it was lost in the thunder. The pain was like nothing she had every experienced, too intense to bear. In a daze, she managed to glance up at her apartment window. Her slender fingers trembled as they reached out towards the light. Billy was so close, if only she could call to him for help, but she had no voice left. Lightening stoked one more time and darkness overwhelmed her.
The storm continued, as her body lay smoldering in the street. No one came to help her. She was alone.
The Isle of White
The front door to the house was open, the sound of the storm was all around. Mordred stood in the front yard looking up at the tempest. He knew he should be afraid, yet something had drawn him out. The lightening bathed everything in such pretty colors and was wondrous to his eyes.
The first bolt of lightening knocked the plastic toy sword from his hand and sent him tumbling to the ground. Tears came to his little eyes, as his body shook and shuddered. Another bolt hit him. The air was filled with the smell of ionized salt from the ocean. One after another, the lightening bolts hit his little body, tossing him haphazardly around the yard. His cries fill the night as the very air around him shimmered.
"Mordred!"
Morgaine le Fay stood at the front door, looking out in horror at the little smoldering figure before her. Her mind didn't seem to be able to process what was happening. As his body was tossed and turned, clumps of dirty and rock were tossed into the air creating a cloud around him that obscured him from her sight. Again and again he was hit by lightening and she could do nothing but stand and watch.
The lightening stopped even as the storm continued. Morgaine stepped outside, feeling the cold rain soak her clothing, as the dust cloud began to settle. She feared the worst, what she has been trying to protect him from all these years. This couldn't be happening, she thought, he's mine.
"My little boy,' she sobbed.
From the prone figure that emerged from the dust cloud came a rasping for breath voice, a smooth tenor that she hadn't heard in ages.
"No, mother, your little boy no longer."
Morgaine took a step back, her magical defenses up. It cannot be, she thought.
"Mordred?"
The dust cleared and she saw a young man struggle to his knees. He was perhaps twenty-four in appearance, with golden hair framing his handsome face. The tattered clothes fell off him and he somehow managed to stand. He was naked in the storm. Morgaine couldn't find words and just stared at him still not believing her.
Something caught the young man's eye and he slowly bent down to pick it up. It was the plastic toy sword. He held it up in front of his face as recognition sets in. Tears began to roll down his cheeks and mixed with the rain.
"Mordred,' Morgaine asked again.
He seemed transfixed by the toy he was holding. When he finally looked over at his mother, his beautiful face was marred by anguish.
"Why?'
It was a simple question, yet there was an accusation behind it. Morgaine bristled and quickly defended herself.
"You should be thanking me, I saved you life."
"Yes, of course you did."
He looked down again at the plastic sword as the tears continued to roll down his cheeks.
"How long?"
"A millennia,' she coldly replied.
"A millennia?"
He closed his eyes, his mouth open, but he stifled a wail of despair. Blinking the tears away he glanced at the plastic toy sword again.
"A living hell for a millennia."
"Oh, don't be so dramatic, Mordred,' she said dismissively. "It wasn't like you were aware. For the most part, you were a happy child."
"For a millennia."
"And now once again, you've grown up. How did you manage it, Mordred?'
He looked at her with those sad eyes and just shook his head.
"I-I don't know.'
"If you are lying to me, Mordred, this will end badly for you.'
If he was listening to her threats, he gave no indication.
"A millennia,' he whispered. "So they are all gone, Arthur, Genevieve, Camelot?'
"Yes, now merely the stuff of legends,' she replied.
"So you got what you wanted in the end."
"I usually do."
"Why?" He couldn't help asking, desperate to know the answer. 'I'm your son, why would you do this to me?"
"Because, son or not, we both know how dangerous you are, Mordred,' she explained. "You were always dangerous."
"How can you say that?"
"You are the scorpion in the old fable, Mordred. As he stings the frog and drowns them both, the frog asks why. Do you remember what the scorpion replied?' She said to him. He looked at her and then lowered his head, dropping the toy sword before replying.
"It's in my nature."
"Yes."
The Watchtower
Mr. Terrific and Jonn scrambled to get the systems back on line as the klaxons blared and emergence lights flashed. Batman came rushing into the room, a concerned expression on his face.
"What the hell is going on? Are we under attack?"
"No,' Mr. Terrific replied. "It started in the monitoring equipment. There was a huge power surge!"
"From what?' Batman asked. He had already moved over to assist the two in fixing whatever was wrong. He knew these systems better than just about anyone.
"Unknown,' Jonn answered. "It appeared out of nowhere and was off the charters.'
A few moments passed and the system was restored.
"We need to see all the data on this power surge."
"That's going to be a little tough, Batman."
Mr. Terrific turned towards the others and held up a smoldering data recorder.
"Whatever it was, our system couldn't handle it. They are all like this, completely fried."
"From the levels I saw just before this happened, I doubt there are many systems anywhere that could handle it,' Jonn added.
"A power that comes out of nowhere and overwhelms our system before vanishing again,' Batman mused. "That simply won't do. Check with every government, business and military system you can. We need to know what this is."
Fawcett City
The small apartment was warm and well lit. A bowl of fresh popcorn sat on the table. Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck cartoons played on the television. Laughter filled the room. Billy Batson was happy and content. The storm outside seemed miles away.
The world was a simple place for Billy. He had lived every young boy's dream. Just by saying a word he was transformed into the world's Mightiest Mortal, Captain Marvel. Six legendary figures agreed to grant aspects of themselves to him: the Wisdom of Solomon: the strength of Hercules: the stamina of Atlas: the power of Zeus: the courage of Achilles and the speed of Mercury. Speaking the word, Shazam, produces a bolt of magic lightning, which transformed Billy into Captain Marvel; speaking the word again reversed the transformation with another bolt of lightning.
Just thinking about it Billy got excited. Yes, currently the power had been taken away but he believed in his heart that was only temporary. He would be Captain Marvel again one day.
He heard the door open with a crash, but didn't look away from the TV right away. He just assumed it was Mary home from the library.
"B-B-Billy."
He turned and his eyes opened wide in shock. Clutching the doorframe was a woman in her early twenties. Her clothes were burnt and torn and she looked as if she were going to collapse. He got up and rushed over to help her. As he caught her before she fell, he got his first look at her face.
"Mary?"
The young woman looking back at him could only nod. His mouth hung open as he got her over to a chair and eased her down. Billy took a step back, scratching his head in wonder. She looked like his twin sister Mary, but she wasn't a teenager, she was a grown woman. Where Mary was always the girl next door, this woman was anything but.
"Holy Moley!"
Themyscira
The dreams had continued, coming every night. Each time it was a different scenario, but the end result was always the same, Wonder Woman lying dead on the ground. Other dreams, both troubling and disturbing, filtered through her unconscious mind, but she could only focus on the one. In the dreams they seemed to foretell Wonder Woman's death.
Fearful of losing her daughter, Hippolyta began to think of ways to change that destiny for Diana. In secret she began to formula a plan to remove Diana from her role as Wonder Woman and give the title of Themyscira's Champion to another Amazon. The thought of sacrificing another of her sisters ate at Hippolyta, but she saw no other way. She couldn't allow Diana to die if she could stop it.
Her plan was simple; a new contest for the title would be called for, though she would keep its true reasons to herself. The best fighters from both tribes would be invited to participate, both Themysciran and Bana-Mighdallians. Quietly and in secret, Hippolyta scouted all the possible contestants to see who would pose the greatest challenge to her daughter. It soon became apparent that Artemis of the Bana-Mighdall was the most likely candidate.
Hippolyta then in secret went to the Themysciran Amazon mystic Magala. She had Magala transfer half of Diana's gods-given powers over to Artemis in order for Artemis' victory to be better equipped. Hippolyta also set in motion many additional obstacles for Diana to encounter during her Contest trials in order for her to become sidetracked from the goal of winning.
Yet as the day of Diana's return and Hippolyta's announce grew closer, grave doubts began to fill the Queen's mind. Artemis was an honorable and courageous warrior, how could she, her Queen, sacrifice her for her own daughter? How could she be so cruel to one of her sisters, she wondered? She would be no better than the men that had enslaved them all those years ago. Hippolyta searched her mind for any other possible solution, yet found none. To save Diana, a sacrifice had to be made.
Metropolis
The battle was winding down and once again the good guys were winning. Lantern, Flash, Fire, Ice and Superman had met the challenge of the group of super villains and stopped their plans. It was the usual cast of characters for Metropolis with one exception, Poison Ivy. At first her addition had caught the heroes by surprise, but as time worn on they overcame it. Now as Superman finished off Grundy, he turned to her and finish it.
"It's over, Ivy."
"Perhaps, perhaps not." She replied with a smile. Her hand thrust out releasing particles into the air. He'd been ready for this, expecting her to try and use her spores against him. His heat vision shot out and swept over all the particles. What happened next was a surprise. When the heat made contact, the spores seemed to split open and the finest powdery dust filled the air. Red Kryptonite.
He began to move back, sensing immediately what it was. While it wasn't fatal to him, it did have its side effects. A cocoon of green suddenly surrounded him, protecting Superman as the dust swirled around. Moving like a well-oiled machine, the other heroes had identified the threat and moved to neutralize it. Wally put on a burst of speed, swirling his arms in the arm to direct the dust away from Superman. Fire and Ice moved in to first immobilize the dust and then destroy it. In a matter of seconds it was neutralized. Ivy was dealt with just as effectively. John lowered he shield and moved over to Clark.
"Are you alright?" He asked.
Clark seemed a bit distracted, but then turned and nodded.
"Yeah, I appreciate the assist from all of you."
"That's why we're a team,' John replied with a smile.
The group moved to finish up the mission and then returned to the station. As they arrived Batman was waiting for Superman. As he thanked the others, Clark saw the silent gesture from Bruce that he wanted to a word. He nodded and the two men moved off to the side.
"I heard about Ivy and the Red Kryptonite? Any problems?" Bruce asked.
"No, I don't think so,' Clark replied. "I caught me by surprise, but everyone moved pretty quickly. I don't think I got exposed to a large dose."
"But you were exposed?'
"Yes and I'm going to see Ray about it, but I don't think it's going to be a problem."
"So the 'wild' Superman isn't going to make a visit?" Bruce said with a small smile.
"No, I think I'll be able to control myself."
"That's good to hear," Bruce replied. "An amoral, horny Superman running around is always trouble."
"You can put your mind at ease, Bruce, I won't be hitting on every woman on the station,' Clark said.
"Okay, I just wanted to make sure you're all right."
"Thanks."
The two men shook hands and Clark headed off towards the infirmary to get checked out.
Themyscira – The Queen's Private Chambers
Hippolyta was dressed in her finest for the evening's banquet, but her thoughts were on other things. The dreams and omens weighted heavily on her mind. She had consulted the Oracle and while she was vague as always, she seemed to confirm Hippolyta's worst fears. Whoever wore the Wonder Woman mantle was going to die. That meant the person most precious to the Queen in the world, her daughter Diana was in mortal danger.
That couldn't be allowed to come to pass, Hippolyta thought. She would do whatever it took to save her most beloved. She would announce the new contest in another day and everything would change. Back and forth she'd gone with her decision, but in the end it had come down to one thing, she couldn't let Diana die.
She had also come to the realization she couldn't let an innocent sister, another Amazon die in Diana's place either. That left one alternative; the sacrifice would be hers and hers alone. There was finality about it all and it left her in a rather strange mood. Her course was set and Hippolyta knew there was really no option, but sadness overwhelmed her all the same.
In her world and religion, Hippolyta didn't just believe in her Gods, she had met them. The roots of her faith came from distant origins where sacrifices had to be made all the time. Omens and dreams were very real to her. She had no desire for death, but the sacrifice had to be made and she would not allow it to be Diana.
Standing on her balcony overlooking all the Amazons had built, Hippolyta had a sense of pride. It was her life's work and she had shepherded her sisters for all these years. The mantle of leader had been thrust on her so long ago, it was hard to remember what it was like to just me a woman, but even after all these years that was what she was, a woman. With death staring her in the face, Hippolyta found herself thinking of that private side of her life. One she had dreams just like anyone else. They were simple dreams, a peaceful life, someone to share it with and children. Those dreams had been put away when she was reborn and became Queen of the Amazons.
All these years later though those simple dreams were still there for her. A wave of sadness came over her as she thought of all the things she would never know. A Queen of the Amazons it was just a given she hated men, but this wasn't quite the truth. She had lived long enough to know that not all men were evil and cruel, but her own experiences and those of her sisters had shaped their attitudes. As their leader she could never allow those horrors to be visited on them again. Yet part of her did remember what it was like to feel the caress of a man. That was what made Hercules betrayal so cruel.
Now she would never know that feeling.
She couldn't speak with anyone about this, of course. She was the Queen, the ruler of the Amazons, but she was also Hippolyta, a woman. Thousands of years may have passed but she was still as she was when she was reborn. Physically she was a woman of thirty with all the same desires and wants as any other woman of that age. They had always been pushed aside, sacrificed for her larger, public role. Now one more sacrifice was called for and they would be pushed aside forever this time.
She had known love in her life, her sisters and most importantly her daughters, but the physical love of a man and a woman was something she'd never experienced. It would have been good to have just one tender memory of it a she now stood facing death's door. Just to know love not as a sister or ruler or mother, but as a woman seemed to be one more sacrifice she would have to make.
A knock on her door made her turn.
"Come."
The door opened and a guard stepped inside and bowed.
"The guests are starting to arrive, your Majesty."
"Very well, I'll be there in a moment."
The guard bowed again and closed the door. With a sigh, Hippolyta straightened her tunic and moved towards the door. She would play her part as host and Queen, just one more sacrifice she had to make.