Spectacle
Themyscira
Diana paced back and forth in front of the throne waiting. She had been here many times, too many to count yet this was the first time as Queen. An official ceremony was schedule for later in the week, but the crown on her head was testament that she was the Queen. Reaching up, Diana took it off. It was heavier than the tiara she usually wore. As she looked at the crown, Diana could remember times when she was a young girl being fascinated by it. She had even snuck into her mother's quarters and tried it on. It had been hopelessly big on her, but she had tried it on anyway. Now it was hers.
There was a knock at the door and then a guard stepped inside and bowed. Diana rolled her eyes at this, but only said, "Yes?"
"Queen-I mean, Hippolyta is here as you order, my Queen,' the guard stumbled to say.
"Good! Send her in,' Diana replied. She picked up the crown and put it back on as she sat on the throne. A moment passed and then Hippolyta entered the room. She looked at Diana sitting on the throne and almost smiled. She remembered those times when Diana was a little girl and would sneak in to sit here when she didn't think her mother was watching. Hippolyta suddenly realized this wasn't a time for reminiscing. She stopped several feet in front of Diana.
"You wished to see me,' Hippolyta said.
"Yes, mother, I do,' Diana fired back.
"As Queen, I am at your service."
"Oh, don't try that with me, Mother,' Diana cut her off. "I want to know what's going on!"
"In reference to what?" Hippolyta asked.
Diana was boiling now. Her mother knew perfectly well what she was talking about, yet she wanted to act as if nothing had happened.
"Why, mother? This time I want the truth!"
"You're referring to the Tournament?' Hippolyta calmly asked.
"Yes!"
"You agreed to it I would point out."
"Under false pretenses,' Diana reminded her.
"Be that as it may, the Tournament was open to anyone that wanted to enter,' Hippolyta offered. "I decided to enter and I won."
"Why? I know you have little interest in going out to the Man's World as our champion, so why,' Diana asked.
"I have no explanation to offer you."
"Are you refusing to answer,' Diana asked.
"Yes."
"I could remind you that is a serious offense to defy the Queen,' Diana stated. "You do remember that little bit of information that you so helpfully gave the Senate. I'm Queen now, mother, whether I like it or not. Are you defying the Queen?"
Hippolyta took a long slowly breath. Being Queen so long, being spoken to like this wasn't something she was used to. Of course the only times she was, happened to be with Diana. She looked up at her daughter and felt a sense of pride as seeing her sitting on the throne. She would make a great Queen, Hippolyta thought. She never expected to see this, but then things change.
"I am not defying the Queen,' Hippolyta finally said. "My reasons are my own. I entered the Tournament and won fairly. I claim my right to be Champion by virtue of my victory."
The two women stared at each other for a long time. Neither blinked or flinched.
"That's all you're going to tell me, isn't it?' Diana finally asked. "You're not going to explain why you would stab me in the back like you did. You're going to just say you have your reasons."
"Yes."
"That's not good enough, Mother,' Diana said.
"It will have to be,' Hippolyta replied.
Elsewhere
A large circular reflecting pool sat in the middle of a dark room. Images flashed one after another on its surface. Images of Diana being made Queen, Hippolyta leaving for the Man's World, the transformed Mary Marvel drifted in and out. Two women had been watching it all unfold and they shared a sinister laugh that echoed through the room.
"To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub;
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil.
All is not what it appears and fates change for one and all.'
"Well said, Circe,' Morgaine offered. "I'm so glad you came to me with your plans. When Hippolyta dies, which she will, the new Queen will suffer like never before."
"Yes and thanks to the dear departed Oracle, I have the perfect weapon," Circe replied. "Sweet, innocent young Mary doesn't even realize yet that her fate will change much more than just her appearance."
"We must be careful, Circe,' Morgaine cautioned. "If she possesses the same force that Mordred has, it comes from an old power, one from before time. It is very dangerous."
"I don't wish to bed her like you with your son, Morgaine, just point her in the right direction," Circe snapped. "I wish you'd reconsider using Mordred, it would make things much simpler."
"No, I will not risk Mordred for anything,' Morgaine immediately said. 'He is too valuable."
"Your obsession with him will be your undoing, Morgaine,' Circe replied. "Don't let your lust compromise your judgment. Hippolyta will die, but only if we do this right."
"Don't ever question me again, Circe,' Morgaine coldly stated. "I have no love for Hippolyta or her daughter, as you well know. I will do my part, but you will not mention Mordred again."
The two women stood close, eye-to-eye, a deadly silence hung in the air.
Gotham
There was nothing on the banner or flag in any of the databases so Bruce returned to Gotham. He'd just finished up a talk with Jim Gordon about the murdered Yakuza man and was getting ready to leave. Gordon hadn't waited and was already back down in the building. Bruce startled to shoot a line off into the night when heard the sluggish footsteps. He turned to see Selina stumbling towards him. He rushed over to grab her just before she fell.
"Selina, what happened? 'He asked.
"Dragon Lady,' Selina mumbled. She then lifted her head, her eyes barely open. "I saw the light, Bruce, I knew you'd be here."
Her eyes rolled back in her head and she slumped in his arms.
"Alfred, get ready for surgery, I'm coming in hot,' Bruce barked into his communicator.
"Are you injured?"
"No, but Selina is,' he replied. Lifting her limp body into his arms, Batman gazed down at her face and a rare tender expression came over him.
"I always knew you were trouble,' he whispered to her. "I'm looking forward to many more years of it from you, so you can't die, Selina."
He was moving in the next moment, heading towards his car. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw her, the figure barely noticeable, a ghost in white and black. She disappeared in the next instance. He gave her no mind, right now; Selina was the only important thing to him.
New Genesis
High Father smiled as he looked out on the children playing in the gardens. His dream of a peaceful world had come to fruition and was manifest in front of him. He waved to the children and then headed back inside. The smile on his face disappeared once he was in the chamber. He could feel the Source all around him. It felt different then usual, as if something monumental had happened.
The flickering script began, flashing across the wall. It was a warning, of something old reappearing. High Father had felt the stirrings along the fabric of the cosmos, but didn't know what it meant. Apparently the Source felt it to, but then it was the Source of all things, but not this. This was from the past, the time before the last world had ended and this world began.
Something that shouldn't be had reemerged and even the Source was concerned. As High Father read the flickering words his own sense of unease grew.
The Watchtower
Dinah moved gracefully down the hallway. She was in a good mood, but there was something on her mind. Her laundry night with Clark had been special. They'd eaten and talked the whole night. She felt very attracted to him and the urge to take the next step was almost overpowering, but she still had concerns. She knew he was a good man and certainly charming, but she knew other charming men. What she was concerned about was Clark's admission to having a one-night stand. Normally this wouldn't have bothered her, as it had been before they were actually dating, but something about this time had stuck in her mind.
While she wasn't known as well as some others for being a detective, Dinah held her own with the best of them in this area. It hadn't really taken the world's greatest detective to figure out the most likely place for Clark's one-night stand was Themyscira. Themyscira meant Amazons and in Dinah's mind Amazons meant only one person, Diana. If his one-night stand was with Diana that changed everything. Before she could even consider moving forward with their relationship she had to know.
She found him finishing up a report and silently took him by the wrist and led him into one of the smaller rooms. Once the door closed she moved over and kissed him. He was a little surprised by this, as they had agreed nothing would happen on the station. Partly this was because it was where they both worked, but it was also in deference to Ollie. It might be over between Dinah and Ollie, but she still cared about him and didn't want to rub her new relationship in his face. As the kiss ended, she took a step away from him.
"What was that about?' Clark asked.
"I think we need to talk,' Dinah replied. "Depending on how it goes, I wanted at least one more kiss."
Clark could see the seriousness in her features. He moved over and sat down.
"Okay."
She took the seat next to him and then took a deep breath before beginning.
"Your one-night stand, Clark."
"Yes?"
"Was it with Diana?" She asked, not sure she wanted the answer, but knowing she had to know.
"No, of course not,' he replied.
"Okay,' she said, a little relieved to hear it. "But it happened on Themyscira, didn't it?"
"Yes."
"So you can understand why I thought it might be Diana, don't you?"
"Of course, but I told you, Dinah, there is nothing going on between Diana and me except friendship,' Clark replied. "Friendship, Dinah, I think that's what she needs right now is some friends. I was even thinking of stopping down tonight to see how she was doing."
"That seems a little more than friendship, Clark,' she had to admit.
Clark weighted what to tell her. He was getting involved with Dinah and wanted to pursue it, but things were so complicated at the moment. If things were going to work between them though, he knew he had to be honest with her.
"Dinah, I need you to promise what we say in this room goes no further,' he said.
"What? Why?"
"I just do, please?"
"All right, Clark,' she replied.
"I wasn't Diana I had the one-night stand with, it was Hippolyta."
To say that Dinah was stunned would be an understatement. She just sat there for a moment with her mouth open just staring at him.
"You-You slept with Diana's mother?! Oh My God, Clark, she's going to kill you!"
"You're not the first person that's told me that,' he replied.
"That's kind of gross, Clark,' Dinah said, making a face. "I mean it's her mother. You never struck me as the Stacy's Mom type."
"It wasn't something I planned, believe me,' he offered. "It was the night of the Red Kryptonite and then we drank wine from Aphrodite and one thing led to another."
"That you were both drunk really doesn't make it any better, Clark,' Dinah pointed out.
"I'm not making excuses, well, yes, I guess I am,' he admitted. "It happened and it wasn't just the wine or anything else, we were both willing. The next morning I woke up and well, let's just say I've been a bit confused since."
"You think?"
Dinah was standing now, pacing, and still trying to process this unbelievable information. She thought she was prepared for him to admit he'd slept with Diana, but there was no way she was prepared for him to say he'd slept with Hippolyta. She was the Queen of the Amazons, man hater number one as far as that went, Dinah thought. The very idea that she would sleep with a man, never mind Clark was just too difficult to process. It was like Focus on the Family asking Howard Stern to be their keynote speaker, it just didn't happen.
"Hippolyta? Really?"
"Yes, but there's something going on bigger than that, Dinah,' Clark replied. "I don't know what it is, but first her and I and then she called this new tournament. Whatever is going on, it's bigger than sleeping with me, I just don't know what it is."
"Well, sleeping with you seems like a big deal, Clark,' Dinah replied. "I would imagine Diana would certainly consider it a big deal."
"I know and I know I crossed a line I never should have," Clark admitted. "We both agreed it would never happen again, but I'm still now sure why it happened in the first place.
"What do you mean?' She asked.
"Why now, Dinah? Why now and then call a tournament several days later?"
"This is just too weird, Clark,' Dinah said, shaking her head as she paced back and forth. "I was almost prepared for you to admit you slept with Diana. I mean she's gorgeous and ever guy wants to, but her mother? I don't know what to say."
Clark slowly stood up and moved over to her. He reached his hand out and touched her on the shoulder, so she turned to face him.
"Look, I get this is a lot to drop on you, I do,' he said. "I'm still trying to figure it out myself. If it's too much for you to take, I'll understand, but I want you to know why I told you. The other night in the laundry room … I really liked that. It was just you and me talking and it was an amazing night. It was just Dinah and Clark getting to know each other better."
"I liked it too, Clark, but all this,' Dinah replied, trailing off. "I don't know."
"I don't either,' he admitted. "This is all unchartered territory for me. I've been with four women in my life, that's it. The one-night stand was the first time that has ever happened to me. I'm not going to tell you I didn't know what I was doing, I did. It happened, but it's over. The woman, the beautiful woman I'm interested in is standing right in front of me."
"I'm not Diana, Clark, or Hippolyta for that matter," Dinah pointed out.
"No, you're not and I'm very glad about that,' he replied. "The woman I'm interested is you, Dinah. Diana is my friend and something is going on with Hippolyta, but that's different. I'm always going to try and be there for my friends, but you and I that's something different, or at least I hope it is."
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"I'm very attracted to you, Dinah and the more time I spend with you, the more I'm attracted to you,' he explained. "I know this is a weird time for it with everything else going on, but I'd like to see where this goes between us, but I'll understand if you don't."
"What about Diana?" Dinah asked.
"Diana's my friend, that isn't going to change,' he replied. "She's always been there for me and I owe it to her to return the favor. I've already betrayed her trust in a way I can never fix, but I still want to believe I'm her friend. I don't have that many friends, so the ones I do I tend to stick by. I know you do too."
"And Hippolyta?"
Something is going on and she seems to be the only one that knows what,' he said. "You don't just change everything in your life after 3000 years without a reason. I'd like to know what it is."
"I don't know, I'm going to have to think about all this, Clark,' Dinah replied.
"Okay, I understand,' he said with a nod. "Whatever you decide, I'll accept, I will. I just ask that you believe me when I say you're the only person I'm interested in having a relationship with."
Dinah looked at him and just nodded. She started for the door and stopped just before it opened.
"I'll call you."
She didn't wait for him to reply.
Apokolips
Darkseid stood at the top step gazing down into the world below Armagetto. He lit a torch and began his descent. Down, down, down he went in the Stygian blackness of the underworld. He finally reached the necropolis, an underground labyrinth that Apokolips had been built on. The Dreggs were down here, the last surviving Old Gods. Survivors of the sundering of Urgrund, but they were rendered mindless. Below the Necropolis was the Black Ways, a labyrinth that was the prison of Sirius, one of the last few surviving Old Gods, stuck in the form of a large wolf. Powerful artifacts created by the Old Gods have been found in the Necropolis.
Darkseid held the torch aloft and gazed at all that remained of the world before his. The greatest of their numbers were long gone, only these mindless few remained. Was this his fate, he pondered? Had she leapt through time to bring about the end of the Fourth World?
Questions plagued him and Darkseid found it frustrating that he had no answers. As he looked at the bits and pieces of the long dead age, he wondered if any of them had felt as he felt in this moment. Had they cared, he wondered, even as they fought to the bitter end and watched as their worlds crumbled around them. In the end is that all there was, the endless savagery of battle?
No, he would not let it happen, Darkseid silently declared. It was madness to continue fighting while the house around you threatens to burn to the ground. He was greater than those before and he would not surrender, whatever her plans were. If it meant making alliances with his mortal enemies, so be it, as long as it achieved his goals.
Later, once the storm had passed, there would be plenty of time to continue the fight. For now, he would lie, cheat, promise whatever it took to keep the past from invading the present. As always it was the future, his future that was paramount.
Let her come and do her worst; he would be the victor when it was all said and done.
Themyscira – Nighttime
Diana stood on the balcony in her old room looking out over the city. Tomorrow she would be crowned Queen of the Amazons, yet she had never been so confused or troubled in her life. Questions upon questions swirled through her head. It seemed in one fell swoop her entire life had been thrown into chaos. Diana liked the life she'd been leading as Ambassador and Wonder Woman. Yes, there were some rocky spots, especially with Steve, but on the whole things were going well.
Now that was all gone, seemingly vanished in the blink of an eye. The worst part was she had no answers why. Why had her mother done it? She had never expressed any interested in the Man's World, yet now she was the Amazon champion and taking Diana's place. It made no sense! That Hippolyta had stood there in front of Diana and given no reason was so frustrating.
There had to be a reason, Diana kept telling herself. What it was, she still couldn't fathom.
"So is it bad luck or something to see the new Queen before the ceremony?"
Diana turned to see Superman floating just to her left. He gave her a warm smile and she found herself returning it.
"That's a wedding, Kal."
"Well, I wasn't sure of the rules for this sort of thing,' he said, landing on the terrace a few feet away from her. He could see by her expression and posture this was all bothering her.
"So how are you doing, Diana?"
"I'm angry, confused and frustrated, Kal,' she honestly answered.
"And you're still going through with it,' he asked.
"Yes, whatever the real reason behind this, I have a duty I've always known about. I'm the Princess of the Amazons, it is my duty to fill this role."
"Whether you like it or not?"
"Yes."
"If it helps, I always thought you'd make a great Queen,' he said with a smile.
"Maybe a little,' she admitted. Diana blushed a bit and wanted to shift the topic to something else. "So why are you here?'
"I'm an invited guest, one of many from what I understand,' he replied. "Most of the League is going to be here tomorrow."
"Let me guess, Bruce isn't, is he?"
"Good guess,' Clark said, moving a little closer to her. "Large crowds and press really aren't his thing, plus he's not happy about any of this."
"Yes, I heard he objected to anyone sitting in my seat,' Diana said, turning to face Clark.
"Like a said, he doesn't like change."
"I also heard you argued against him. Why?"
He was a little surprised by the question.
"You have very good sources for not being on the station,' he offered.
"Kara called and told me,' Diana informed him.
"Yeah, I guess she would, she's not happy about this either."
"Why did you argue for it, Kal?" She asked again. Since hearing the news, she had wanted to know the answer.
"For the record, I'm not happy about this either, Diana,' Clark replied. "I hate the idea of you not being there or at least around."
"Yet?"
"I knew there was nothing I could do to stop it,' he explained. "I don't understand why this is happening, but the Amazon nation is an ally of the League and has a right to pick who they want. No one asked me my opinion."
"That's all true, but you were quite eloquent in my mother's defense from what I hear,' Diana replied. Something about that when she heard it hurt for some reason.
"I need to have a talk with Kara about listening in on others conversations."
"Kal."
He nodded, knowing her well enough to know she wouldn't let him off without answering the question. He turned and looked out over the city before answering her.
"Kal?"
"None of us like change, Diana, especially when it involved people we care about,' he began. "But there is nothing we can do to stop it. Things always change, fates change, people change, and it's the way of the world. I realized a while ago, that because of my unique circumstances I'm going to have to except a lot of changes I don't want to happen."
"What do you mean?' She asked.
"Diana, unless something happens, you and I are mostly likely going to outlive all our friends in the League. You're immortal and I'm I don't know what, but I'm probably going to live a long, long time. The sad truth is the others aren't. One by one they will all pass, and new heroes will take their place. I'll most likely sit at that that table and watch all of it happen. I used to take some comfort in the fact that at least one person at that table would always be there, you. This change from you to Hippolyta jolted me out of that.'
He turned and looked at her, the smile gone from his face.
"I realized that someday it will be me that's missing from the table,' he continued in a low voice. "I've already died once with Doomsday so it can happen. It could happen tomorrow. If it does, I want the League to go on. I think what we started is important, more important than me or any member. It's our legacy of hope for the future. Bruce asked a question about if something happened to me, would I want Kara to sit in my seat. I never got to answer him, but I realize now, the answer is yes. I want the next generation of heroes to carrying on what we started, even if I'm not there to see it."
Diana listened to his words and was touched by them.
"I want at too, Kal,' she whispered. "I just didn't think it would happen this way and so soon."
"I didn't either,' he admitted. "The one bright spot is you are still here, so the people in the chairs might change, but I'll still know one person is always there besides me."
Diana smiled and leaned into him. He gently put his arm around her and they stood on the terrace looking out at the ocean.
"You just said all that to make me feel better, didn't you?" She asked him.
"Well, maybe,' he said, giving her shoulder a squeeze. "Can't have the Princess unhappy, can we?"
Diana punched him.
"Ow!"
"You know I hate when you call me Princess, Kal. I put up with it from Bruce, but not you. You I can hit,' she informed him.
He rubbed his chest where she had hit him and looked at her with a smile.
"So if I call you my Queen, are you going to hit me for that too,' he asked.
"Yes, and harder."
"Good to know,' he replied. "I guess not everything changes."
Gotham – The Batcave
Selina felt as if she were floating, as she slipped in and out of consciousness. Someone was whispering to her to hang on and it was a gentle, concerned voice. She liked it, as it made her feel safe. She wondered if she was hallucinating, as the images before her eyes kept shifting and changing. She was riding in something and Bruce was next to her. Streetlights strobed by as if lighting the path they were on. The seat was comfortable and she thought she might sink into it and disappear. She must have blackout again, for the next think she saw was rock and it seemed far above her. He was carrying her somewhere and she could hear his voice and another. Her head turned to the side and she knew she was hallucinating, as she saw through glazed eyes a giant penny and a dinosaur.
"Stay with me, Selina, stay with me,' his voice gently said to her. She nodded, but wasn't sure he noticed. He eased her down on a table and strong light blinded her. Her mouth felt so dry and she absently licked her lips. She could hear Bruce discussing her with someone else, but the lights stopped her from seeing who it was. Something pricked her arm and she moaned, but didn't move. Warmth spread out from that spot and seemed to unfold all through her.
"We'll have to remove her outfit to get at the wound,' the other person said.
"I'm not that kind of girl, at least not on a first date,' she sluggishly replied. A little laugh came from her lips, as everything suddenly seemed funny.
"It seems the sedative is starting to work,' Bruce offered.
"Please sir, I want some more,' Selina whispered, putting on a fake British accent. This was followed by more giggles.
"Try and sleep, miss, we'll get you fixed up in no time,' the other voice said. It had a British accent too and Selina thought they were playing a game.
"Thanks, Governor, chip-chip-cheerio,' she giggled.
"Yeah, she's out of it,' Bruce said. "Selina, can you tell me who did this to you?"
She felt herself drifting away, so tired, yet warm and comfortable.
"Selina, who did this?" The question came again.
"Dragon Lady,' she whispered before surrendering to the darkness.
Themyscira
An island as steeped in tradition, ceremony and rituals as this one was; it came, as a bit of a surprise they didn't have one for the coronation of a new Queen. It had never happened before, so they'd never needed one. Diana wanted something simple and small, but her 'advisers' had talked the Senate out of this. Artemis and Donna, who had appointed herself an adviser, got the Senate to agree to a big ceremony that all the island would take part in.
Diana thought the one plus of being Queen would be she could veto something she didn't want to do, like this, but apparently not. So here she was dressed in an elaborate, white flowing gown, the royal jewels and crown adorning her, waiting to be brought out in a chariot in front of all Themyscira and representatives from around the world while Artemis and Donna argued and fussed with her. She was not happy.
With the two of them in charge of it, the ceremony was a strange mish mash of some old Soviet era May Day military show and the Macy's Thanksgiving parade. Donna was adjusting the gown and seemed to be shifting it so more of Diana's leg was revealed.
"I thought we agreed we weren't going to ask her to do that,' Artemis said in annoyance.
"Do what?' Diana asked. Donna looked at Artemis and was clearly not happy. Sighing she turned to Diana.
"The networks asked if it was possible for you to show a little leg during the ceremony,' she admitted. "I figured with what you usually wear as Wonder Woman you wouldn't mind."
"What?' Diana gasped, reaching down and closing her gown over her legs.
"I told them we would not exploit our new Queen for their drooling male viewers,' Artemis said. "I wanted to kill one of them, but Donna stopped me."
"Look, they paid a lot of money for the international rights to this,' Donna said in exasperation. "I thought a little thigh wouldn't be that bad."
"That's because it isn't your thigh,' Diana growled.
"It was a lot of money," Artemis admitted.
"It's just a little thigh,' Donna said in her defense. "I drew the line at cleavage."
Diana suddenly felt very uncomfortable and crossed her arms over her chest. She glared down at her sister.
"I said no,' Donna whined, a little uncomfortable under her sister's gaze. "It's just it's a lot; I mean a lot of money. I figured we could fund so many things with it. Besides, your armor isn't exactly modest anyway. It's just a little thigh for sex appeal. Ratings are everything in this game. If this does well in the overnights, we might be talking syndication deal here. That's where the really big bucks are."
"We shouldn't pander to those dogs,' Artemis countered. "I still say it should be artistic and highbrow, with a military flair of course."
"Great, we'll end up on PBS,' Donna sarcastically replied. "Doing it your way and we'll never unload all that merchandise we purchased. If this is a hit, imagine the markup we could do and the profits. Think about Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding and the licensing agreements they've made. We're talking about some serious cake here. We'd be rolling in dough."
"I still think it's not dignified,' Artemis protested.
"Are you the one that wanted the t-shirt gun to shoot some samples into the crowd?"
"That's different."
"How?"
"Isn't it obvious? It has the words – Big and Gun right in the title,' Artemis said in justification. "I think they call it a cannon."
"Hera help me,' Diana gasped. "No one told me this was going to be televised!"
"Well come on, Diana, it's the twenty first century,' Donna replied. She gave her sister a smirk that said 'come on, get real'. "Everything is on TV or the internet now."
"That is true, my Queen,' Artemis admitted with a smile. "Why let TMZ or some other show make the money, when we can do it for ourselves. Just the deal we struck with People magazine for the official rights to the photographs made a handsome profit."
"Do I get any say in this?' Diana asked, clearly not happy.
"Well you wanted some little ceremony in the Senate,' Donna offered. "Where's the money in that?"
"Your sister does have a point, my Queen,' Artemis added. "There's a huge amount of money to be made and it is the Amazons that should make it. As your advisers, we were only thinking what is in the Amazons best interest, my Queen."
'Would you stop calling me that,' Diana groaned.
Gotham
It was a small, clean hotel off the tourist map where Masami was staying. She slipped off her robe and knelt before the altar and genuflected. Totems and figurines stood in front of her representing the ancestors. She lit candles and the room was bathed in the flickering otherworldly light. Silently she prayed, asking for their strength in what she must do. After several minutes, she placed a small bowl in front of her on the altar. Picking up a long, thin, sharp knife she whispered another prayer to the Dragon spirit. Turning her arm over, she drew the knife across the white skin of her forearm and the deep, rich red of her blood appeared. She held her arm over the bowl as the blood dripped into it.
The dragon tattoo became to move across her slender back and around her body. Masami felt a rush of power. She brought the knife up to her chest and made another incision and another. The dragon began to writhe on her skin, the blood seemingly fueling it. Masami gasped, as the dragon seemed to demand more and more. The knife sliced again and again, as more blood oozed from her body, coating her white skin. The flames of the candles flickered, growing larger and hotter. She could feel her pulse like a drumbeat throughout her body and soon another, stronger and older than time, heartbeat joined it. Her temples throbbed as a rush of power went through her system. Her breathing became erratic, as this new heartbeat seemed to overwhelm her.
The pounding of the blood in her ears was almost like some far off chant, long forgotten to the modern ear. The crimson flow continued and soon her white skin was streaked with it. Her eyes rolled back in her head and her mouth hung open as if in climax.
"Blood for Blood,' she whispered and then the candles went out.