Night Day Night
Marionette
The first wave came just after sundown.
They were beaten back.
The second wave came twenty minutes later.
They were also beaten back.
Now they waited for the third wave.
Vigilante, Wildcat and Vampirella were exhausted and each had their doubts about whether they could fight them off one more time. Vampirella harvested those that had fallen, gaining any additional strength she could for the coming battle. Vigilante reloaded his guns, but the sight of what she was doing kind of turned his stomach. She was an ally and about as dangerous as anyone out here, so he wisely turned and went inside. He found Wildcat standing at the window looking out towards the mountains.
"Trying to pick out a nice spot for a summer home?" He joked.
"More like my grave,' Wildcat replied without turning. His voice was low and seemed to have an edge to it. Vigilante had noticed Wildcat was getting increasingly somber as this battle went on. That wasn't a good sign.
"Hell, pardner, I've been in worse situations then this,' Vigilante said with a forced gaiety. "Why once I was caught between three showgirls all on the warpath for my head. Them ladies put these here blood suckers to shame."
"Save it,' Wildcat said, turning to look at his friend. "I know what you're trying to do and I appreciate it, but I think it's too late for that now."
"What are you talking about?"
Wildcat turned from the window and looked at his friend.
"We came out here looking for answers. I guess we found them."
"Do tell?"
"Yes,' Wildcat replied. "We're just like the athlete that hangs on too long. We were wondering if maybe the superhero life had finally passed us by and now we know. It has. We're just two men past their prime trying to hold on to what we had. We're going to die here. Whether it's this attack or the next, it doesn't really matter. We should have hung all this up long ago."
Vigilante stood for a moment just staring at his friend. The emotion behind the words caught him by surprise. It also put him in a fighting mood.
"I hate to disagree with you, son, but I don't see it that way." He hitched up his gun belt just a bit more. "I reckon on making it out of here. Them blood suckers ain't whipped us yet!"
"Oh, come on, Vigilante!" Wildcat snapped. He softened his voice as he looked over his shoulder. "Greg, we're an ex-prize fighter and an ex-radio country singer. Our world is long gone. This is a new world for different heroes and there's no place for relics like us. We've been gone, what, two months and in all that time the League hasn't called once. You know why? Cause they don't need us. How simpler could they make it? Ted Grant and Greg Saunders are just men. We don't have any superpowers. We should have hung it up a long time ago. Now we're going to die out here in the middle of nowhere. For what? Nothing. We'll be forgotten just like the long list of others that died out here."
Vigilante started to speak, but saw how set Wildcat was in his opinion. Reluctantly he checked his guns and started to pull up his kerchief. Just before he had it in place he looked at Wildcat one more time.
"Maybe you're right, Ted,' he said with a nod. "Maybe all this don't add up to a hill of beans in the bigger picture. Maybe when the next world conquerors come, guys like you and me won't be worth a damn against them. Maybe we all just die and are forgotten. That's the way of the world, always has been, always will be. That don't mean you give up the fight though. Sure, this might be a lost cause, just like us, but you fight for the lost causes harder than any others, my friend. It ain't always about the destination, but how you get there. I plan on getting there with my boots on and my guns blazing."
Vigilante pulled up his kerchief and headed back out into the night. Wildcat wanted to say something, but no words came. Finally he just turned back to the window and stared out at the night sky.
"Your friend is right,' a female voice said. Wildcat turned to see Vampirella standing in the doorway. She wiped the last of the blood from her lips and her eyes held his.
"About what?" He asked.
"It doesn't matter how you die, but how you live."
"That sounds a little odd coming from someone that's undead,' he replied.
"Perhaps, but another way of saying undead is not dead,' she stated. "I'm not dead, Wildcat and I don't plan on that changing here."
"I don't imagine anyone ever planned on dying here, Vampirella, but that don't mean it doesn't happen,' he explained. "We're in the middle of nowhere. How many people do you think have died out here? Hundreds? Thousands? Probably no one will ever now. They all had hopes and dreams were just washed away like we will be."
"So you've become a nihilist in your old age?' She asked.
"No, I've just become old,' he replied. "I envy you some times Vamp. You don't have to worry about growing old like the rest of us. You have eternal youth, while the rest of us have to watch it slip away day by day. Rich or poor, it doesn't matter in the end really. Everything you fought and worked for is for nothing. You're forgotten as easily as people turn the page. Do you know who Otto Graham is Vampirella?'
She shook her head no.
"Most people don't,' Wildcat replied with a sad smile. "He played professional football in the early days. Ten years he played and ten years he lead his team to the championship game. He won 7 of them, but ask someone today who's the greatest quarterback ever and his name won't even be mentioned. He's mostly forgotten, except for the diehard fanatics. I saw him play, Vamp."
"And your point?"
"I guess I just never saw myself as an old man,' Wildcat admitted. "I never thought the world would pass me by and one day all this superhero business would all be over. I know now that you reach a point in your life where you have to face that. I keep thinking of that old proverb, when I was a child, I thought and spoke as a child, but now I'm a man and it's time to put childish things away. I guess I'm just realizing the transition comes whether you want it or not. Time waits for nobody."
Vampirella had been listening to all of this. Slowly she began to move towards him. There was a cold look in her eye as she stopped right in front of Wildcat.
"Poor you, Wildcat,' she said sarcastically. "You think your life is over because you can't play superhero anymore. The transition to middle age is so horrible you're just going to give us, is that it?"
"That's not what I'm saying,' Wildcat snapped.
"But isn't it? What's the point if we're all going to die and be forgotten, right?" She challenged him. "Life is a zero sum game, Ted, no one gets out alive. What matters is how you live that life and what you do with it. Your friend Vigilante might be irritating, but he's right. Yes, all life is suffering and lose, but do you just accept it or as the old Irish saying goes, is this a private fight or can anyone get involved? You think you're the only person that is going through a transition in their life? You're not, Ted. There are probably millions of young people struggle out there to make the transition to adulthood and it seems just as hopeless to them as this does to you."
She moved closer, pressing him against the wall.
"What does it matter in the big picture? Is that what you said?" She hissed in his face. "Perhaps nothing and in a week some alien army will invade and everything that happens here will be forgotten, except by us and the people here. You're closer to the end of your life than the beginning, but one thing hasn't changed. It's all up to you. When it ends, how do you want to remember you life, Ted? Did you keep fighting to the end like your friend, Vigilante, or did you give up? Are you just going to go quietly into that long good night? Or are you going to be what you always thought of yourself as, a man. Yes, just a man with all his faults and failings, but a man. This isn't about honor or glory or any of those others things that most talk about. This is about you, Ted. Are you going to be the man you wanted to be all those years ago when you started this?"
She held his gaze for a moment and then pivoted on her heel and marched out into the night.
Metropolis
The morning sun flooded into the room. Usually it brought with it hope and power, but today it also brought Clark shame. As he lay on his bed he could feel Hippolyta in his arms. They had spent the night together. He had crossed another line and broken another trust. She was blameless in this, not knowing of his relationship with Dinah. Hippolyta had come to him for comfort in her dark hour and he should have been able to give that without going further. He felt ashamed of his weakness. He wanted to believe he was above such things, that he lived by a higher code of behavior but now he knew that was just a lie.
He might have all the powers in the world, but he was still just a mortal man. He wasn't that symbol of everything good and right in the world now. As with most that cheat guilt came first. Guilt over the betrayal and so many other things, but soon it is always followed by rationalization. The cheater tries to mitigate what they have done. They try and talk themselves off the hook, so to speak. Some are even so good at it they can talk themselves into the idea that they are really the victim, that the other party drove them to it.
Most rationalizations aren't this involved. Most start with it was a one-time thing and will never happen again, that sort of thing. It was an Outlier for their life, one strange aberrant night that won't happen again and that need not be told to their partner. This usually works for a while, until they do it again. Other rationalizations come into play, but for the most part they are variation of that theme,
The truth is really much more simple. They wanted to. They weren't thinking of anyone else or the future or what it all means, they just wanted to right now. They were bored or lonely or sad or countless other things and then this amazing chance presented itself and they took it. Like their reasons, cheaters are all different and can't be covered under one blanket statement. Are most cheaters good people? Probably not the best, but some are. It's not as if they couldn't have helped themselves, for the most part they could have. They don't really need to admit their problem and seek counseling for it, but that's the acceptable way today, so most will give it a try. They're not addicted to sex, they just like it like most people do.
The critical stage is right afterwards, the very place Clark found himself in now. What do you do? You're responsible, no one else, so what do you do? Do you come clean with everyone and tell everything? Do you just tell the person you're involved in and leave it at that? Or do you say nothing.
"Good morning."
Clark glanced to the side and saw Hippolyta smiling at him. She looked lovely in the morning light.
"Good morning."
"Thank you for being there for me last night."
She leaned up and kissed him. One kiss led to another and all those questions were pushed to the back. The moment took over again.
Elsewhere
"The moment grows near,' Circe said with an evil grin. When she didn't hear a response from Morgaine, she turned. Morgaine was looking off into the distance, lost in thought.
"This is too important, Morgaine," Circe spat out. "Concentrate on the moment and not your lost toy."
Morgaine spun around and faced Circe. There was fire in her eyes.
"I warn you, do not speak of him again,' she growled. "That is none of your business!"
"You are making it my business by mooning over Mordred,' Circe replied. "We're this close to achieving our goal of eliminating Hippolyta and your mind is on your lover!"
"He's disappeared,' Morgaine replied. "I can't find him, even with all my magic!"
"A boy runs away from home, he'll eventually comes back,' Circe stated. "I need you focused. The moment is almost at hand. The power is starting to build within our vessel and she's already close to the target!"
"I said I would do my part, Circe,' Morgaine coldly said. "Don't question me again."
"Make sure I don't have to Morgaine."
The two women stared at each other for a moment. This had always been an uneasy alliance and the strain was starting to show.
"If you are ready, it's time to set the stage,' Circe said in a low voice.
"Let the battle begin."
The Watchtower - Later
Dinah had been preoccupied with her dream and wasn't sure what to do about it. She knew Hippolyta was on the station somewhere, but the whole idea of saying out loud that the Goddess Aphrodite had come to her in a dream to warn her about some impending disaster seemed just too far fetched. Sure, Hippolyta believed in those sorts of things, but Dinah still wasn't sure she did. Plus there was still the linger matter of Clark and Dinah didn't feel like getting into that right now. As if on cue, the warning sirens went off and all other thoughts were pushed aside. Dinah, Ray and Jonn snapped into action, assuming their positions at the controls.
"It's in Washington,' Dinah said.
"It looks like a full scale attack,' Ray added.
"Let's assemble a team,' Jonn replied.
The door opened and several members entered.
"So what's the emergence, guys?' Wally asked.
"An attack in Washington," Dinah said. "Wally, you Hippolyta, Mari and I should get down there."
"From the looks of it, you'll need some heavy hitters,' Ray offered. "Should I contact Superman or Supergirl, maybe Power Girl?'
"I'll help,' Mary spoke up. Everyone turned to look at her.
"Nice outfit, Mary,' Wally offered with a big smile.
"Thanks,' she replied, blushing a little. "I can help and I'm right here."
Dinah looked at Jonn. There were doubts in their eyes.
"I did save your bacon already, I'll have you know,' Mary said defiantly.
It was Hippolyta that spoke up.
"If she can help, we should take her. Mary welcome."
"All right, Mary, you're in,' Dinah finally said. "Jonn and I will go as well."
He nodded and the group moved over to the transporter.
"See if you can get us some backup as soon as possible, Ray.' Dinah said as she joined the others on the platform. He nodded and then started the transporter sequence. In a moment the group disappeared.
Elsewhere
Morgaine le Fey and Circe watched the heroes arrived on the scene. Cold wicked smiled crossed their lips as they saw Mary and Hippolyta were in the group.
"We should strike now,' Morgaine said.
"Patience,' Circe replied. "Let the heroes fight a bit. Let them trust her and let down their guard around her. The power is still building and is tied to her anger. Whatever being possesses her grows stronger by the moment. When the time comes, our little Mary will let out some of that power that transformed her. We have both tasted what power it is, Hippolyta will not be able to stand against it."
"I doubt any of them will be able to stand against it."
"Yes, and our revenge will be complete against Hippolyta. Let's relish her last moments on Earth."
Morgaine seemed frustrated with the thought of waiting, but didn't say anything.
"He'll still be out there when this is over, Morgaine,' Circe derisively said. "You can find your toy when this is over."
"I told you once that is none of your concern,' Morgaine spat out in reply. "Don't make me show you the err of your ways, Circe."
"One thing at a time, Morgaine. Let's kill Hippolyta first."
Themyscira
Diana had contacted the Embassy, but had been told Hippolyta hadn't been there all night. It seemed to confirm what she'd been trying to ignore. The anger began to boil up inside her and most of it was directed at Kal. How could he betray her trust like that? Sleeping with Diana's own mother was beyond the pale. She'd been putting this off for too long and now it was time to get all the answers she'd been seeking. It was time to confront this head on. Signaling to her aids, Diana canceled all of her appointments and then headed straight for the portal. Artemis was standing beside it.
"What are you doing here?" Diana asked.
"I just came to wish you luck,' Artemis replied. "I figured sooner or later you'd get around to confronting your mother on this. Took longer than I though, actually."
"She owes me answers and this time I'm not going to be put off,' Diana stated.
"While you're there, you ought to let Superman know just how you feel about his part in this too,' Artemis suggested.
"I plan on making my feelings very clear to Kal."
'Well, all right,' Artemis said with a smile. "Kick his ass, my Queen. I'll see you when you get back.
"Yes, you will."
Diana took the unexpected step towards Artemis and kissed her. The held each other's gaze for a moment and then Diana stepped through the portal.
"Really wouldn't want to be a Kryptonian right about now,' Artemis mutter to herself.
Metropolis
Clark was just finishing up his patrol. He let himself fly out over the ocean just as twilight started. He always loved this time of night. He could see the lights starting to come on all over the city. It was safe. Questions swirled around in his head, but he found no easy answers. He had been living with the thought that he wasn't the man he thought he was all day and it was eating away at him.
A familiar heartbeat reached his ears and his expression changed to one of surprise. What is she doing here, he wondered? Knowing she was a friend, he didn't even raise his defenses as he started to turn towards her.
"You Bastard!"
Diana roared as she hauled off and hit Clark with all her might. The anger had finally boiled over and it was all directed at him. The confusion, anger, frustration, and hurt had all been building up inside of her for so long. Diana had been trying to keep it all inside, but eventually like everyone else it had to come out. Seeing him, it suddenly had a focal point. She wasn't even sure what his real role in all of this was, but somehow he was involved. She wanted to lash out at someone and he was the best candidate. Her punch caught him flush on the jaw and sent him hurling towards the water below. Diana dove after him.
Many things can be said about Superman, both pro and con, but one fact is undisputed; he can take a punch. In his time, he's taken on Darkseid, Doomsday and countless others. What he hadn't done and really never expected to, was take a full on shot from an Amazon. This particular Amazon wasn't your ordinary Amazon, either. Up until recently she was Wonder Woman, but now she was Queen Diana, but in either guise, she was a force to be reckoned with. When she was pissed, look out.
Unfortunately, Clark wasn't aware of this one crucial fact until after her fist met his jaw. She had rung his bell, as the saying goes. He shook his head, trying to clear the cobwebs and piece together what had just happened. Was that Diana, Clark wondered? He received his answer as she came crashing into him, driving them both into the ocean.
"Di.." he started to speak, but then they were underwater. She's hitting me, Clark thought, why is Diana hitting me? Did she know about what happened between him and Hippolyta? How? Whatever the reason it hurt! With a burst of speed, Clark wrapped his arms around her, pinning her arms to her side. He figured now she was neutralized and couldn't punch him again. A second too late he remembered her knees. One of them forcefully made contact with his lower anatomy. Oh God, Clark groaned. He might be pretty much invulnerable, but that still hurt, a lot.
His grip slipped and she starting hitting him again. She added kicking to the mix, as well. He could see air bubbles streaming from her lips, as if she were trying to curse him, but the water was stopping the sound. She'll run out of breath soon and if I can just keep her underwater, maybe I can get her to calm down, he thought. I hope she runs out of air soon.
For Diana's part, she was livid. It seemed everything that had happened, the colossal upheaval of her entire life and complete sense of confusion and betrayal had crystallized into an undirected anger. It found a focus with Clark. He was her friend, her best friend in the Man's world and there were times when she thought perhaps he might be more than that. When you add to her confusion and frustration over everything that had been happening, that she believed he was having an affair with her mother of all people, it made her want to, simply put, beat the living shit out of him. That was the only thought in her mind at the moment.
When she had finally seen him in person the frustration and anger just spilled out. She had no rational plan, just the thought of hitting him, hard and repeatedly. All her fighting styles and skills were overwhelmed by that simple desire to hit him repeatedly. Emotions are difficult for everyone, from Queen to commoner. They take a person outside their usual sphere and into the unknown. We like to believe we can handle them, but we never know until they overwhelm us. Anxiety, fear, worry, sorrow and anger are powerful emotions. Pharmaceutical companies have been getting rich off promises to ease them, to make them go away for years. Take a pill. Take a pill and push the problems away. Smooth the rough edges of life off. Shorten those highs and lows and remain safe and comfortable in the middle.
The Prozac Nation.
What they don't tell you is that life is hard, always has been always will be. You can zone out for a while, but it's always there and so are those issues. Soon you're taking more and more pills just to get through the day. You justify it to yourself by saying it's only because of your ADHD or your anxiety disorder or your depression or your fibromyalgia or your emotional issues or your restless leg syndrome, etc, etc, etc. Now you're anxious if you get low on pills and the depression come roaring back. Look around you and try to figure out how many people, just say the ones over thirty, are taking some sort of pill daily. The number will surprise you.
All these problems are real, but there is another simpler truth that no one wants to talk about. Life isn't happy or fair all the time. It's a random series of highs and lows spaced sporadically around the calm. The sad truth is there are more lows than highs. Emotions are natural. Grief and depression are supposed to happen with a loss. Part of the human condition has always been how you deal with it, but not any more.
Anger turned outward, but misdirected leads to bigotry, mistakes, assumptions and violence. Anger turned inward leads to depression. Anger turned sideways leads to madness. The only real way to deal with it is to confront it. Violence isn't the answer, but sometimes it feels like it is. Some times things just build up until you want to smash your fist into something and scream at the top of your lungs about the unfairness of life. This isn't the point where you should pop a pill, but step back and realize why you are angry. Understanding why leads to growth and becoming a fully actualized adult.
Stepping off the soapbox and back to the scene, Diana thrashed about, swinging wildly at Clark. Slowly she realized she was running out of air and as much as she wanted to continue, she needed to breath. Pushing herself away from him, Diana made a beeline upwards. As her head broke the surface she panted, sucking in a glorious lungful of air. As she opened her eyes, she gasped as Clark was floating above her.
"Maybe we should talk."
Washington
A great fissure had opened up in the center of the city and a hoard of demons and monsters had crawled out. For some of the terrified citizens it seemed Hell had broken through into their world. The Justice League arrived and immediately went into action. Jonn and Hippolyta took point, while the others fanned out to confront the nightmare. As the battle went on, Hippolyta's natural leadership qualities took over. She was used to seeing the big picture and had a mind for strategy born of countless battles over the years. Dinah stayed in communications with the Tower as she fought her way around the back of the hordes.
Mary waded in to the crowd of howling demons and her new powers served her well. They seemed to be growing with each attack she withstood from the demons. She had the communicator in her ear and constantly being instructed and ordered around by Hippolyta began to wear on her. She's treating me like a child, just like the rest of them she thought in frustration. I've been in the League longer than she has; yet they all take orders from her like she's the original Wonder Woman.
"Mary! Move to your left and help Vixen push back those demons,' Hippolyta's voice came over the communicator.
"Yes, ma'am,' Mary replied. A hint of her frustration came through, but in the heat of battle it was easily missed. She's making me work the edges, crowd control, Mary thought. I'm the most powerful member here, yet I'm ordered away from the main battle. It's not right! Who is she to order me around? I save her butt just the other day! It's just like the last time and I'm just some kid she can use and then forget. I'm not a kid anymore! Mary could feel the power building within her.
The Watchtower
Ray and Mr. Terrific had been monitoring the battle in Washington and decided to call up some reinforcements. It seemed the demons kept pouring out of the fissure and if nothing were done they would overwhelm the team. Ray moved over to the communications panel and sent out a message.
Metropolis
Diana launched herself again from the water at Clark. This time he was prepared and moved out of the way. They had sparred many times on the station, but this was different, there were no walls to contain him. Clark was in his element, the air and if need be he could avoid Diana's attacks for an eternity. He was nearly as fast as Wally, although from what he'd been hearing about the message boards many thought he was faster. He sidestepped Diana again and the miss caused her to plunge into the ocean again. That wasn't going to help calm her down, he thought.
"Diana, what the hell is going on,' Clark asked. "What are you so pissed about?"
"You!" She spat out, brushing her soaked hair out of her face. "You caused it!"
"I caused what? What are you talking about?"
"Your affair with my mother, that's what! You're a motherfu ..."
"Diana, I'm sorry, but can't we talk about this?' Clark said, cutting her off.
"You're lying,' she shouted and attacked him again. He moved out of her way at the last moment and she went flying by. His communicator went off as he turned to face her again. He held up his hand to her to stop and when she saw him touch his ear, Diana hesitated.
"Ray, what's up?"
"There's a full scale demon attack going on in Washington, Superman,' Ray replied over the comm. "Can you get there as quick as you can?'
"Yes, I'm on my way,' Clark said. "Diana's with me."
"Good, Hippolyta's one of the ones on the team in Washington. Hurry."
Clark switched off the communicator and spoke to Diana.
"I don't know what's going on, Diana, but there is an emergency in Washington. Your mother's there with others and they need help,' he explained.
"Washington?"
"Yes." Her anger suddenly transformed into concern and what made Diana a hero kicked in. "This isn't over but we need to help them, Kal."
Elsewhere
Circe and Morgaine watched the battle with growing enjoyment. The large crystal globe showed the scene as it happened.
"We should have her strike now,' Morgaine said.
"No, let it play out a little longer,' Circe replied. 'The power is building and soon will enough to kill any Amazon and perhaps some of the others as well. We may be blessed today, for Diana is going to arrive any minute."
"The weapon will kill them both,' Morgaine said, nodding in understanding.
"The power that will be released is from the old Gods, Morgaine, nothing can stand in its way,' Circe explained. "In one fell swoop we will eliminated them both and our vengeance will be complete!"
"And no one will know it was us that made it all happen,' Morgaine said with a chuckle.
"Not Gods or Heroes,' Circe added.
Mount Olympus
Another interested party was watching as well. Aphrodite gazed into the reflecting pool and saw the battle. Dionysus sat at her side, keenly watching the Goddess of Love.
"The moment approaches,' Aphrodite whispered. "The forces behind this will strike at my champion. I will not allow that!"
"You are forbidden to interfere, Aphrodite,' Dionysus pointed out. "Zeus himself has decreed you may not interfere with Diana's fate."
"Someone has changed it's course, Dionysus,' Aphrodite replied. "They have manipulated someone close to her to do this. Her fate is already changed, but I fear this has been done for evil purposes."
"It makes no difference, you are not allowed to interfere,' Dionysus repeated. 'Zeus was very specific on this."
Aphrodite turned and gave Dionysus a radiant smile.
"Zeus can be rather narrow in his pronouncements, Dionysus," she explained. "His decree was that I don't interfere with Diana, but he didn't mention anyone else."
"You have a plan, don't you?' He asked with a smile.
"I'm not just a pretty face, you know,' she replied. "They had changed Fates once, but it takes only a moment to change them again. Something as simple as a word whispered in the right ears can accomplish this."
"Why do I have the feeling I know which ear you'll be whispering in,' Dionysus said with a laugh.
"Not one ear, Dionysus,' Aphrodite replied.
Washington
Clark and Diana arrived and joined in the fight. Hippolyta turned and saw her daughter.
"Diana? What are you doing here?"
"Helping,' Diana replied, her fist knocking several demons out of the way. She punched and kicked her way over to her mother.
"All the help we can get is welcome,' Hippolyta said, slicing through more demons.
"When this is over, we are going to have a long talk, mother,' Diana shouted. "It's time you told me the truth!"
Hippolyta hesitated for a moment, but the demons were too thick for her to reply and she continued fighting. Mary was fighting and destroying demons at a startling pace. She could feel the power building inside of her by the moment. She started to worry it was getting out of control, but she was neck deep in demons so she couldn't stop and examine it. Confusion and anger seemed to overwhelm her. The sounds of the howling demons seemed to reverberate in her head and the only other sound was Hippolyta barking out orders to her. Shut up, Mary screamed in her mind, all of you just shut up!
New York
He stood as if alone in the world. Mordred was mesmerized by the images on the screen. The nightmarish demons seemed to be inexhaustible and the heroes fought valiantly. For some reason his eyes were drawn to one hero in particular, a startlingly beautiful young woman in all black. She found with a recklessness that seemed different than the others. As a demon clawed her back, drawing blood, Mordred felt his heart skip a beat. Who was she, he wondered?
His eyes shifted for a moment and saw Hippolyta and Diana back-to-back fighting off the demons but again he was drawn to the young woman in black. She looked about the same age as he did, yet somehow he knew there as something different about her. He felt a kinship with her.
"Don't let her make this mistake,' a voice whispered to him. Mordred turned but no one was there.
"Who are you?'
"Don't let them die at her hand,' the voice whispered again. It was like electric velvet to his ears. He turned back to the screens and stared at the battle again. The voice didn't return, but as he watched he slowly realized what was going to happen. Morgaine was using the woman in black and was going to kill one of the heroes. Anger welled up inside Mordred, as he was only too familiar with his mother's manipulations. As always, he felt helpless to stop her. He couldn't reach the scene in time. An idea suddenly occurred to him. Perhaps there was a way he could distract Morgaine, if only for a moment. It was the only thing he could do.
Washington
Superman hovered over the battle, using his heat vision to destroy whole swaths of demons. He could see his teammates were starting to turn the tide. His eyes drifted over to Hippolyta and Diana. They were fighting together. He could see the same training in both of them, two strong Amazon warriors facing all comers. In many ways they were so alike, yet there was small differences that set them apart. It was obvious they were mother and daughter.
"Don't let her die." A voice whispered to him, it's tone like a silky purr. He looked around but couldn't local the source. Demons were flying at him and he unleashed another blast of his heat vision knocking them from the sky.
The world seemed to stop in that moment.
Clark turned and saw all the demons and most of his teammates frozen in place. Movement caught his attention and he saw Mary Marvel double over in pain and crumbled to her knees. In slow motion she let out a scream as energy erupted from her chest and flashed straight for Hippolyta and Diana. The world shifted again and Clark was watching two scenarios play out at the same time before his eyes.
The first was like a shadow, where the beam of energy from Mary hit Hippolyta full on, engulfing her and knocking her across the square. He heard Diana scream and could see the anguish on her face as she rushed to her mother. With each step this scenario faded and another took its place. In this one, Diana saw the discharge from Mary and stepped in front of Hippolyta. The beam hit her and he winced at her scream. Hippolyta shouted no, and then tried to get between Diana and the beam, but it was already too late. She dropped to the ground lifeless. A cry from deep in her soul burst out of Hippolyta as she knelt cradling the dead body of her daughter.
Then the world started again.
Clark shook is head trying to comprehend what had just happened. Hippolyta and Diana were still fighting and he turned to see Mary fighting as well.
"Don't let her die,' the voice whispered again. Clark started to answer and then saw Mary double over in pain and crumble to her knees.
New York
Mordred watched on the monitor as the young woman in black doubled over in pain and crumbled to the ground. He knew this was the moment and lowered the shield he had in place to keep his location from his mother. It was all he could do.
Elsewhere
Circe and Morgaine stared intently into the crystal as the battle played out. Circe jabbed her hand outward and watched as Mary crumbled.
"Now!" Circe shouted.
"Mordred,' Morgaine gasped, suddenly knowing where her son was.
"Focus,' Circe shouted. Morgaine hesitated just a moment before combining her power with Circe and unleashing it through Mary.
Washington – On High
Dinah had been fighting her way through the demons while keeping an eye out for civilians and her teammates. When she saw Clark and Diana arrive, her eyes immediately went to Hippolyta. The world seemed to stop for a moment, yet Dinah could still move. Her eyes shifted over the whole scene and saw Mary for the first time. It was snowing, just like in the dream.
"Save them,' the voice said.
Dinah wasn't sure what all this meant, but she couldn't ignore what was happening right in front of her face. Something was wrong with Mary and the message of the dream seemed to be focused on Hippolyta. She had to act and act now. The world started to move and Dinah realized she only had one shot at this. For better or worse she cleared a path around her and then unleashed a sonic wave with all her force behind it.
Washington
Mary screamed as her whole body shook. It felt as if something were tearing it's way out of her and then the beam burst from her chest. It was headed right for Hippolyta.
Diana and Hippolyta saw it at the same time. Hippolyta knew this was the moment, the reason she had done everything she had. She moved to shield Diana and accept her fate.
Diana knew none of this; only there was a threat rushing towards them. Her only thought was to protect her mother, so she stepped forward.
"No!' Hippolyta screamed, the nightmares of watching her daughter die before her eyes coming into focus. It was too late; there was nothing she could do. All her sacrifices and planning had gone for nothing. She couldn't save Diana.
Clark was madly rushing to save them, but demons continued to bar his way. He saw the energy pulse erupt from Mary's and head for them, but he knew he wasn't going to make it in time. No, he screamed in his mind, he couldn't let it happened, he couldn't!
Hippolyta made one last second move and knocked Diana out of the way. Her one thought was of her daughter. Any price was worth paying to save her. She faced the energy bolt fearlessly; ready to make this sacrifice for the one she loved more than life itself. Then he was there, in front of both of them. The energy hit Clark and Hippolyta Just as Dinah's sonic wave made contact as well. The world around them started to glow and the two screamed in pain. Suddenly it got too much and an explosion shattered the very fabric of space.
Clark was too close as the twin waves met at his and Hippolyta's location. Shockwaves bounced out, sweeping everyone and everything up in their wake. Heroes and monsters were cast aside. As quickly as it started it was over. An unnatural calm came over the whole scene. Mary dropped to the ground unconscious the discharge too much for her. Slowly the others stood to see the aftermath. Clark had shielded Hippolyta as best he could, but they seemed to be caught in some sort of vortex. The others rushed towards them, but it was too late. Hippolyta slipped from Clark's grasp and disappeared. A moment later he was pulled in. The vortex shimmered and then winked out. Silence descended over the scene.
"NO!" Diana screamed in horror. Her mother and Kal were gone. The others stood in stunned silence, not sure what to make of it all.
Elsewhere
"No, this is not the way it was supposed to happen!" Circe and Morgaine screamed in anger, as they watched their plan change before their eyes. Circe spun around and shouted at Morgaine.
"You fool! Your pathetic need for your lover ruined everything!'
"NO,' Morgaine groaned, shaking her head in denial but knowing it was the truth. "Hippolyta is gone! Superman disappeared with her, so it succeeded!"
Mount Olympus
Aphrodite smiled as she watched the events unfold.
"Love works in many ways."
London
The sound of air raid sirens filled the air, as people rushed back and forth seeking shelter. The rumbled of one of the buildings began to move and then a great boulder was tossed to the side. The battered body of Hippolyta stepped out in her Wonder Woman costume and looked around. The world had changed around her.
"So who are you supposed to be?"
A voice said from above. Hippolyta looked up to see a strange man floating over her. He wore a red and green outfit with a mask and cape. There was a symbol on his chest that looked like some sort of lantern.
"Who are you? Where am I?" Hippolyta asked.
"I'm the Green Lantern, Madame,' he replied. "As to where you are, this is London, the Blitz."
"What? What year is it?"
"Are you alright?" He asked.
"Please, just tell me what year it is."
"1941." He said. "Now who would you be?"
"Wonder Woman,' Hippolyta replied, not understanding any of this.
"Welcome to World War II, Wonder Woman, I hope you're here to fight on the Allies side,' Alan Scott said to her.