Hollow
Themyscira
Diana had a smile on her face as the chariot carried her through the streets of the capital. Most probably didn't realize it was a forced smile, as her real reaction was one of disbelief. Each side of the main rode was lined with her sisters, invited guests, photographers, cameramen, dignitaries and people that had won a raffle to be there. The royal guard marched in front of her, their new armor shining in the midday sun. A band played and would stop every so often and do a complete number for the crowd. Confetti was everywhere and more balloons than Diana had ever seen in her life filled the air.
Artemis was having a wonderful time with the t-shirt cannon, although she didn't seem to get just how it was supposed to be used. Diana nearly lost the plastered on smile several times as she watched people scatter as Artemis fired at them. Quite a few were definitely going to have bruises after today. It seemed a lot to ask for a t-shirt, but Diana was too stunned to really do anything. Mostly, she tried to wave, as that seemed like the thing to do, but her wave turned into a swat as the balloons rained down on her.
Her smile finally was genuine when she saw many of her teammates in the Justice League standing along the side of the street. She almost chuckled as she watched Wally, Shayera and Zatanna cheer and wave homemade signs. Artemis, of course, fired a t-shirt at them, but Kal reached up and caught it to save them from being beaned. Dinah waved as she stood next to Kal. It was heartening that so many members had turned out to see this. Bruce wasn't, but then Diana had really expected him to be. A crowd in daytime really wasn't Batman's sort of thing.
The band stopped again and began to play and Diana found herself waiting right by her friends. She waved to everyone, but her eyes kept returning to her friends. A wave of melancholy hit her as she realized this was how it would be now. She wouldn't be one of them, but separate and not part of the group. Her smile slipped a bit as it really hit her she was Queen now. There would be no more adventures with her friends. She wouldn't be at her friends' side as they went into battle.
Kal gave her a reassuring smile when she looked at him and she returned it. Their talk the night before had helped, but now in the broad daylight it only reminded her that the probably wouldn't talk like that again anytime soon. He had become her best friend in the Man's World, but now she would probably only see him on rare occasions. She wouldn't be sitting in the cafeteria listening to Wally make his obvious and harmless sexual innuendos and telling his dirty jokes. She wouldn't talk with Dinah, Shayera and Zatanna and get caught up on all the gossip that was going around. She wouldn't be there to mentor Kara and the other young women of the League. She wouldn't remain after a mission with Kal, talking and discussing what was happening in each other's life. That was all over now; she was the Queen of the Amazons.
The band finished its number and started again. Her chariot moved forward and passed her friends. They cheered for her, but Diana wasn't feeling very festive. She turned her head and watched them slip away as the chariot continued on. Diana turned away, as the emotions started to well up inside of her. She remembered all the cameras and news crews and tears were something she wasn't going to give them. She shifted her hips and let her gown slip open just a bit so some thigh showed. She'd give them that, but not her true feelings or self. Those were private and not for sale at any price.
Themyscira – Later
The festival had continued long into the night. Donna and Artemis had outdone their selves on making it a spectacular show. Several things had stood out for Clark about the day. One was the image of Diana at her crowning ceremony. She put all the royalty he'd met in his life to shame. There was a natural majestic quality about her. As she was crowned and took the throne, cheers went up and he joined along, but he felt a little sad about it. He remembered the first time he'd met her, thinking she was a Princess and he was just a farm boy. It seemed like ages ago. They'd become such good friends.
She was the Queen now. He might be Superman, but somehow that seemed like nothing compared to her being Queen. His title Superman had come because of the mistaken belief it was an S on his chest and the paper needing a catchy name for him. Diana was Queen because she had always been royalty. It was so easy to forget when they were together, but looking at her today there was really no doubt. She was born to this.
There was a sense of loss too. They had promised to stay in touch and talk often, but as he watched her at the banquet, he could see that the affairs of state were already closing in. Diana would have her hands full being Queen and running the government, so she wouldn't have time for old friends just dropping by. The casual nature of their friendship had changed the moment she was presented to the world as the new Queen. He only wanted the best for her, but already missed their closeness.
There was also Dinah. He knew he'd done a poor job of explaining things. She hadn't spoken to him and left soon after the ceremony. He would give her space and hope she decided they could get past this. It was just the beginning, but he really wanted to see where it would go. For a man that made a living with words, they had failed him when speaking with her. How do you explain it, he thought?
It should have been easy. It wasn't about romance or sex or anything of the other things everyone assumed, but something so much more basic and human. Clark didn't want to end up alone. With each passing year he understood so much better that one by one everyone that knew him would pass. In a hundred years, who would actually know the man that had grown up in Smallville? He would stop being an equal and a colleague and take on something else. Everyone would forget the man he was right now.
Yes, he had Kara, but there was no guarantee she would stay in this century and not return to the 30th. That would leave only one person, Diana. There is a saying that no one is truly dead as long as one person remembers him or her. In a hundred years who would remember Clark Kent? Superman, yes, but what about the man in the costume? As it looked now, the only friend he had that would still remember him would be Diana, but now she was becoming Queen and they would drift apart.
It had always weighted on him that he would watch them all die, one by one till he was alone. In time he would have to give up being Clark Kent, as it would become obvious he wasn't aging. When that happened a whole chunk of his life would be lost. It wasn't about anything other than having at least one person remember who he was beside himself.
That realization also brought with it an appreciation of right now. As he looked at his teammates in many ways they were all at their peak. He wanted to cherish every second of this time, for it would be gone all too soon. It was also the reason Dinah's asking him out was such a wonderful surprise to him. It was a beginning and about right now. It's so easy to forget that memories in the future are the stuff of everyday life in the here and now. Something amazing and unpredictable had changed and a whole new possibility had opened up. He didn't want to miss the chance to explore it with Dinah.
There was one other thing that stood out for him about the ceremony and that was the absence of Hippolyta. He'd been nervous about seeing her again after what happened the last time, but found himself disappointed when she never appeared. His mind had been rolling over and over what Bruce had mention, about there being a connection between her sleeping with him and then calling for a tournament. His ego certainly wasn't so great that he believed the connection was that he was so great in bed she was giving up everything to be with him. Superman was just a name after all.
No, the thing that seemed to trouble him most was that both seemed so out of character for the now former Queen. While he'd been around her on numerous occasions, he couldn't honestly say he knew her that well. He did have the impression she didn't do anything without a reason though. That made him wonder just what it was that had made her do what she'd done recently.
As the festivities continued, he quietly excused himself from the other members of the Justice League and went outside. Diana was receiving all the well wishes of the dignitaries, so he knew she wouldn't notice him leaving. The Amazons were celebrating and as he moved through the streets many called out for him to join them. Several made rather suggestive requests of him, but he politely declined. It was uncomfortable enough when a rather tipsy Artemis had suggested to him early that she wouldn't be against them sharing more than a drink tonight. He'd been so caught off guard by her suggestion; he had fumbled with what to say. Thankfully, Wally had heard this and jumped in to offer his services. Artemis had shot him down rather roughly, but it did give Clark the opportunity to escape.
As he floated up from the street, he let his vision extend out as he looked for Hippolyta. The magic of the island made it a little more complicated, but eventually he spotted her. She was sitting alone on the beach beside a small fire. He was hesitant to intrude, but he felt he had to know what was really going on. Clark circled around so he came in from the water, giving her time to see him before he got to her. She seemed surprised, but didn't move from the spot she was sitting. He gently landed, waiting to see if she would ask him to leave. She looked at him for a moment, as if pondering the situation.
"Hello, Kal-El," she finally said.
"Your Majest-Hippolyta,' he said, correcting himself in mid-sentence. She wasn't Queen any more, Diana was.
"Why aren't you at the celebration?' She asked.
"I could ask the same of you,' he countered. She nodded in agreement. He noticed she had a faraway look in her eyes and almost a melancholy air about her.
"This day is about the new Queen, not the old one,' she at last offered. He moved over and sat down on the other side of the fire from her, looking out at the ocean. They were silent for some time, both deep in their own thoughts. Clark looked over at her, again reminded at just how lovely she was. He felt the need to ask, though, and couldn't put it off any longer.
"Why Hippolyta?' He said softly.
She turned and looked at him, the sadness plain in her features now.
"Did my daughter send you to ask that?' She replied.
"No, but I'm sure she'd like to know too."
"Yes, I know she would,' Hippolyta admitted.
"I can see something is weighting on you, Hippolyta,' Clark said. "I've been told I'm a good listener."
"So do you want to know why I slept with you or why I called the Tournament?' She asked. There was a challenge in her voice, but he wasn't going to let that stop him.
"Both,' he said. "I have a feeling they are somehow connected."
She looked at him, surprised by his reply. Seeing those blue eyes again, she remembered how attractive he was that night and still was. He waited, she noticed, not pushing or demanding answers. The burden she'd been carrying had been so difficult. She had told Phillipus about the dreams and omens, but not about her night with this man. As she sat on the beach before he'd arrived, Hippolyta had felt an overwhelming sense of being alone. In giving up the throne, she had cut herself off from her sisters in every way. Being Champion meant she would soon be going out to the Man's World as Ambassador and she realized she knew very few people out there.
She had met many heads of state and important people, but those weren't friends. Once she left Themyscira she would have no one she could call a friend near her. The staff at the embassy was mostly the younger Amazons and they looked at her more with reverence than anything else. All their lives she had been the Queen so it seemed unlikely they would change how they acted around her now. She would be alone. She was convinced of the reason she was doing this, but the thought of dying alone troubled her. All those many years ago before she had been resurrected as an Amazon she had died alone on the ground. It was such an awful, desolate memory. Now it seemed it was destined to repeat itself.
As she looked at Clark, she realized here was someone that might be a friend. They certainly had already shared far more than that. She knew he was a good man, a kind and generous man. The night they spent together he hadn't forced himself on her and only took what she was willing to give. The morning after he had accept her statement that it would never happen again. Perhaps he was someone she could trust. Someone she could share her burden with. Perhaps he could be a friend to her.
"What would you do to save someone you love, Kal-El?' She finally asked him.
"Anything,' he immediately replied.
"Even if it meant your own death?"
"Yes."
"Than you have your answer."
Clark felt his heart skip a beat as the implications of her words sunk in. She was doing all this to save Diana? He leaned back on his hands, trying to wrap his mind around the sacrifice she had just said she was making.
"Diana would never want you to do that for her, Hippolyta,' he finally said.
"Yes, I know,' she admitted. "I find the alternative too unimaginable for me, Kal-El. To lose a parent is one thing, but to lose a child is something you never recover from."
"How can you be sure about it happening,' he asked. "Diana's been blessed by your Gods, surely they wouldn't allow it?"
"I have prayed to them, but they remain silent,' she replied. "I have seen the omens and dreams and the Oracle as confirmed them. Whoever wears the armor will suffer the fate. Now I've made sure it will be me, not her."
"There must be a way to stop this,' he said, a sense of horror filling him. "We can prevent this, change this fate."
"We all die sometime, Kal-El,' Hippolyta sadly replied. "In the end no one escapes."
"I don't accept that,' he countered.
"You're still young, so young,' she said. "You have a long life ahead of you, Kal-El. Death might not touch you, but those around you will feel its caress."
His thoughts from earlier came rushing back to him. The thought of Jonathon and Martha Kent's deaths suddenly came to Clark. For all his powers he'd been helpless to do anything about it. He knew that as the years went on, just about everyone he knew would age and die. He had tried hard not to think about it, but it was always there with him. It was as if she was speaking of his fears and hadn't even realized it.
Hippolyta saw the shadow come over his handsome features as her words registered. She found her heart going out to this man as she realized he'd already felt the sting of death around him. She slowly stood and moved over next to him and sat down at his side. They looked at each other and an understanding passed between them. Clark put his arm around her, not knowing what else to do but offer some comfort to this brave woman. Hippolyta didn't pull away and leaned into him. She slipped her arm around him. At least she would not die alone; she had a friend in the outside world.
Donna had been having a wonderful time at the party. The celebration had spilled out of the banquet hall and all of Themyscira was reveling in it. She congratulated herself on throwing one hell of a coronation. Carrying a bottle of wine, she weaved her way through the streets, toasting and drinking with her sisters. She had also noticed her mother wasn't there and hadn't seen her all day. She wondered how her mother was handling all this and decided to see if she could find her. She checked all the usual places Hippolyta would be, but found nothing. Taking a chance, she decided to try the beach, knowing some times when she didn't think anyone would notice that Hippolyta liked to slip down there by herself.
As she reached the edge of the capital, Donna rose up off the ground and slowly flew towards the spot she thought her mother might be. She saw the small fire and started to make her way towards it, when suddenly she realized her mother wasn't alone. Curiosity got the best of Donna, so she landed down the beach and silently made her way towards the fire. Staying hidden amongst the foliage she got closer until she could make out her mother plainly. The magic on this part of the island was stronger than others, so she was able to remain anonymous. Donna had to cover her mouth to stop herself from gasping as she realized the person with her mother was a man. They were holding each other almost like lovers.
Shock and surprise filled her, but her curiosity was too much. Who was he she wondered? From the angle she was at, she couldn't make him out, so she moved silently closer. A gust of wind came off the ocean and Donna stopped in her tracks. She saw the red cape billow out behind him and knew immediately it was Superman that was holding Hippolyta in his arms.
Gotham
The Question silently pried open one of the stacked crates and reached inside. Easing the bubble wrap to the side, he extracted one of the crates contents. If one could have seen his features, they would have noted the look of surprise on his face. He was holding what looked like an ornamental diary. As he opened it, he noted the handcrafted look of the obviously expensive book. Pulling a pencil from his shirt pocket, he pressed it against the luxurious handmade paper.
"Dear Mom, having a wonderful time at camp,' he whispered as he wrote. He absently brought the pencil up to where his lips would be as if to lick it and then sighed as he realized what he was doing. Something caught his attention, though, or more accurately, caught his olfactory senses. He sniffed the end of the pencil and then turned his attention to the handmade paper. Tearing a small sample off he crumbled it between his fingers. The resulting powder was immediately familiar to him, heroin, pure heroin.
"Very clever,' he murmured. They had worked the raw product as you would if you were making paper and thus they could ship it into the country as innocuous high-end diaries. This was just the break he'd been looking for. The Question had been investigating Hub City officials for numerous illegal activities, but this was the nail in their coffin. Slipping the diary into his inside coat pocket, he shifted back into the shadows.
While many saw The Question as a nut or some wacko conspiracy theorist on the lunatic fringe, he just saw himself as someone that viewed the world differently than others. In his mind the world is made up of patterns and systems that interlock and create larger systems, which combine to create even larger systems until you get to the one unifying system behind all of it. A system could be as simple as a favor. The reason The Question was here was to do some surveillance on Hub City officials meeting with Yakuza members. He had already tipped off someone he knew in the Gotham police and they were on their way. He'd done the man a favor when the policeman was just a rookie trying to get ahead in his job and now he was doing him another favor.
The system behind it was the same as any other working situation. Imagine you are new to a job. Some people give you help in those first few confusing days. They don't have to, but they do. You tend to look on them as a friend, someone you like. A bond has formed and later, you are much more willing to help them when the need arises. Some would call this the law of mutual benefit, but a much simpler way of putting it is you scratch my back; I scratch yours. We all are involved in the system in one way or another.
The key was to see behind the randomness to the pattern below. Just as in the game of Six Degrees of Separation, at first there seems to be no connection, but once you put your mind to it, you find surprising connections. The Question just thought he saw the connections better than most. The game Angry Birds might not seem connected to the LSD trials the US military conducted in the sixties to most, but The Question saw it. He was just surprised no one else did. It was as plain as the lack of a nose on his face. Why else did it sound like the birds were shouting Wolverine when you launched them? And whom were they trying to destroy? The pigs! Does Animal Farm ring a bell? Animal Farm is an allegory on the Soviet Empire and who was the Soviets biggest enemy in the Cold War? The US military, that's who and what is their symbol, an eagle, an angry bird, it was so simple!
The sound of cars arriving stopped The Question from fleshing out this branch of the system. The key players in tonight's little drama were arriving. Several brand new SUVs and Escalades pulled into the warehouse from both ends. The Question began to climb up the side ladder so he could get a bird's eye view of what was going down. He reached the catwalk and stayed in the shadows. The Yakuza representatives had come heavy. He'd heard about the attack on their hotel and could see they weren't taking any chances. He felt his blood boil when he saw the officials from Hub City climb out of their SUVs and warmly greet the Yakuza members. So much for the public trust, he thought.
The Question pulled out a disposable phone and sent a text to his friend in the Gotham police department. He also sent one to a reporter he knew at the Gotham Gazette. They would be here in minutes and hopefully the police and public attention would shine bright on all of them. He watched as the Yakuza leader handed the head official, a city councilman, one of the diaries. The councilman checked the papers and nodded in satisfaction. The Question watched as the Yakuza leader gestured to the stacked crates that surrounded them. Good, he thought, you'll be caught with the evidence all around you.
He didn't exactly hear her, but something made The Question turn his head. It took a moment, but then he spotted her. Who was that, he thought? Her pale white skin and jet-black hair were almost as striking as the Dragon tattoo that swirled around her body. Before he could move towards her, she launched herself from the rafters. He was sure she would be killed as she plummeted towards the cement floor below, but somehow she shifted in midair and landed on two of the Yakuza bodyguards. The Question watched in shock and utter horror as all hell broke out below him. Screams and gunfire erupted, as the small woman began her assault on everyone in her path.
She had two decorative fans in her hands and like the diaries they were far more than they appeared to be. Their edges sliced into flesh and blood showered from open wounds onto the hard, cold cement. The chopsticks holding her hair became weapons in her hands, lethal projectiles that brought down some of the largest men. The Hub City officials were scrambling for their SUVs but they were caught in her wake. A wounded Yakuza man's finger clinched on the trigger of his weapon and sprayed bullets everywhere, cutting down several officials.
The sound of sirens grew closer, but the tiny woman paid them no heed. She was here for blood, The Question knew and there was nothing going to stop her. It all happened in a blur and in the next moment the warehouse was silent. The tiny woman stood in the middle of all the bodies, blood splattered all over her. The sirens were very close now.
"Blood for Blood."
The Question heard her say and then she was looking up at him. As their eyes met, The Question instantly knew she would kill him. He saw no doubt, no fear in her eyes, just a cold, grim, unwavering resolve. While he had trained in the martial arts, the Question knew when he was outclassed. He wasn't that crazy. As she launched one of the deadly chopsticks at him, he dove for cover. Rolling so she wouldn't have a stationary target, he reached into his coat and pulled out several smoke bombs. Casting them down as another missile barely missed him, the catwalk enveloped in smoke.
When it cleared he was gone. Masami heard the police rushing towards the front of the warehouse and knew she didn't have time to track down the man with no face. Gritting her teeth in frustration, she began to move just as the huge warehouse doors were thrown open. The Gotham police rushed in, guns drawn, but they stopped when they saw the carnage. There was nobody there except dead bodies.
Themyscira
They just sat on the beach holding each other for quite awhile, but eventually they got up and headed back towards the capital. Clark was still trying to come to grips with Hippolyta's confession. He wanted to tell her she was wrong, that there had to be another way, but he found he couldn't think of one. Her question about what he would do to save a loved one resonated in his mind. What if it was Kara? Wouldn't he do anything to keep her safe? What if it was his teammates, Dinah or Bruce, wouldn't he jump in front of them to save their lives if he could? The answer kept coming back to him as yes; he would do it to save another. If he would, how could he tell Hippolyta not to? Diana was her daughter and he had seen how close they were. Diana had told him the story of her birth, how she was the answer to her mother's prayers for all those years.
It was a Sophie's choice, a tragic choice between two unbearable options, he realized. There was no good or right answer to the problem. Who do you sacrifice, if a sacrifice has to be made?
Hippolyta had been walking along side of Clark, her mind on other thoughts. To her the decision had already been made and there was no going back. She turned her head and looked at Clark, again struck by how handsome he was. Tonight it seemed was a time for unburdening herself, so she decided to answer the other part of his question.
"I wanted to feel like a woman, Kal-El,' she softly said.
Clark was surprised by her voice and turned to look at her. He wasn't sure what she meant and his expression must have told her this.
"You wanted to know why I shared a bed with you,' she reminded him.
"Oh, yes, that,' he fumbled to say.
"Yes, that,' she replied with a smile. "This may come as a shock to you, but though I've been Queen for all these years, an Amazon and immortal, I'm still a woman. The night we spent together, I'd already made my decision on what I must do, so I wanted to feel something I hadn't in a long time. I wanted to feel like a woman, not a Queen or Amazon, just a woman. When we were on the beach that night, I felt different. I was just Hippolyta and you were just Kal-El, a woman and a man. I imagine the wine had something to do with it, but I found I wanted to be with you intensely that night."
"I hope it was…" Clark started to say, but then stopped, as it sounded strange even as he was saying it.
"It was what?' She asked.
"I hope it was good for you," he said, blushing a little as he did. "I hope it was what you wanted and you don't regret it."
Hippolyta smiled, stopping herself from laughing. She slipped her arm through his and leaned against him.
"It was, Kal-El, it was,' she said. She couldn't keep the amusement out of her voice as she said, 'It was Super!"
He just gave her a look and Hippolyta couldn't help laughing.
"I couldn't resisted,' she admitted.
"Well, thanks for the ego boost, as corny as it was,' Clark replied. They walked a little further and suddenly Hippolyta stopped Clark.
"Kal-El, you must promise me you will not tell Diana why I'm doing this,' she said.
"I don't like to lie, Hippolyta and Diana is my friend,' he said, conflicted about her request. "I'm already lying to her about what happened between us."
"You can tell her afterwards if you like, but I have to beg you not to before,' Hippolyta pleaded with him. "I'm asking you to help me save my daughter, Kal-El, please."