REIGN
By FAH3
"What?" Sherri asked as she sat up in bed.
"That's what my contact told me." Merci said as she rolled herself out of the large bed.
"But that doesn't make any sense! What did he mean it was stolen?" Sherri asked.
"The mole said that something stormed in and took Doomsday's body from them." Merci said as she slipped her panties and bra back on.
"That can't be right. Cadmus Labs has some of the most advanced weaponry and security devices known to man. Hell, half the tech they have in that lab is what they stole from us! How could someone just storm in there?" Sherri asked as she threw the covers off and walked to her computer, not caring that she was nude. "Do they have any idea where the thief went?"
"None. It was too fast for the radar to track."
"DAMNIT!" Sherri cursed as she looked at the data on her monitor and tried to think. Right know, both body and mind screamed for the taste and effects of alcohol. But she wasn't going to fall into that trap again. "Merci, do we still have connections in NASA and the space center in Middleton?"
"Yeah, we do. Why?" she asked her employer.
"I want them to start using those old spy satellites that are still in the air. Have them start using the more advanced birds too. We should be able to hack the STAR Labs data base and get the readings those bookworms took from Doomsday."
"Sherri, are you saying what I think you're saying?" Merci asked her.
"We need to find Doomsday. That thing is too dangerous to be on Earth or out in the open, and we can't let anyone try and clone him." Sherri said.
"And we can't let Lex get him." Merci said, knowing where her employer's mind was going.
"Especially, Lex. If Luthor gets his hands on that thing's body, who knows what he'll create. Believe me Merci, he wouldn't stop at anything to get what he wants. He'd even sell his own mother if it meant him gaining more power." Sherri said as she turned and kept her gaze fixed to the cityscape. "Just tell me one thing, Merci. How did Cadmus get him? How did they get their claws into that monster?"
"They went over everyone's heads. They found out that STAR Labs couldn't even get x-rays of that thing. So they used their short comings as an excuse for them to seize the body." Merci said.
"Hurry up and get dressed. We need to find that thing." Sherri said.
"I'll do what I can to find him, Miss Gough. But if Lex does have that monster, we're going to need the Justice League as a body guard." Merci said as she finished putting on her uniform.
"Maybe not." Sherri said as an idea came to her.
"What?"
"While you're at it, see what you can do to find this Supergirl that Lane wrote about."
"The Cadmus reject?"
"Yes. Find a way to contact her. Tell her I want to meet with her as soon as possible."
"But why would you want to talk to that brat?" Merci asked her.
"Because the little princess isn't being a hero out of the goodness of her heart, not like the woman she was created from. This one is doing it for all the fame and glory. And if I can use that naivety to my advantage, I could finally have one of those super beings in my pocket."
"But I doubt she would be any use to us if Lex has Doomsday and makes another one." Merci said.
"Who know, Merci. Who knows."
Ron's eyes narrowed as he kept looking at the data in front of him. When he was a teenager, looking at information like this would have made his head spin. But know, he was examining every detail that he could find. He was having a hard time believing what he was seeing. He understood what everything was saying, he understood how everything it described worked. But just something about all of it didn't feel right to him. Something in it just wasn't right. Even as he heard the elevator stop and open not too far from him, he still kept his eyes glued to the task at hand. Trying to figure out what the hell he was dealing with.
"Ron? Are you okay?" Dick asked as he stepped off the elevator.
"I'm fine, Dick. I'm just doing some research. Were you and Hanna able to find anything?"
"No such luck. Wherever Crane is hiding now, he's doing a good job at covering his tracks." Dick said.
"He doesn't want us to find him until its too late." Ron said to himself as he kept looking at the data on the large monitor. "Is there something you need help with?" Ron asked, feeling Dick look over his shoulder.
"I was just wondering what you're looking at. Is this for real?" Dick asked him.
"It is." Ron said as he handed Dick a newspaper. Dick took the paper and his eyes almost fell out of his head as he saw the large photo and headline that was on the front page.
"Superwoman is back? Cyborg super heroine saves President from assassination attempt, story by Ron Troupe? What the hell is this?" Dick asked his mentor.
"Anne told me about her almost two weeks ago, and I didn't want to believe it. A cyborg found her with gaps in her memory and claimed to be Kim. Anne took her to Professor Hamilton at the Space Center where he and the Tweebs ran several tests. Barbara was able to hack their systems and get me a copy of their results." Ron said to him.
"So what do they say?"
"Every metal and circuit in the cyborg is Kryptonian. Even down to the elements that made it. And every cell in her body is a match to Kim's DNA." Ron said.
"It is? How close?"
"The sample they took from the cyborg is a 99.7 percent match to Kim's DNA." Ron said. He could hear Dick's gasp as Ron continued to examine all the information in front of him. Ron could almost predict the next words out of his young ward's mouth.
"So – it's her? It's really her?"
"I doubt it, seriously." Ron growled as he could almost hear the hope that was in Dick's voice collapse in on itself.
"Why? I mean – if everything says it's her,"
"Facts tell the story, but; they don't tell the whole story, Dick. You should know that by now." Ron said, confusing the young man for a moment. "Not to mention there's one important question you're overlooking. If that's really Kim, then who the hell resurrected her?" Ron asked as he stood and faced Dick.
"Anne said that Kal had been at the fortress since her funeral. Maybe he could have,"
"Kal isn't capable of something like this, Dick. No matter what he finds in the fortress or how much smarter he is than a normal human his age, his IQ is only slightly above average on Krypton. Kim told me that when she had first found him." Ron said as he walked down a few steps and headed to the crime lab. He needed a moment to think.
"But that's the only logical thing I can think of, Ron. If the machinery in the cyborg is Kryptonian, then the fortress had to have had a hand in creating it."
"Dick, the Fortress can't generate elements from Krypton's periodic table. Kim let me study that thing, and it could only simulate them. Every atom and piece of matter in that fortress is from Earth. Hamilton's test results show that the metal is made from refined Kryptonian materials." Ron said.
"Maybe the fortress has a system that can use Kryptonite. Maybe it can filter the radiation out." Dick said as he followed Ron into the crime lab that was built into the cave.
"There would have been some evidence of it left. Every ounce of debris from Krypton was changed when it was destroyed and irradiated what was left." Ron said as he removed a microscope slide from the evidence locker and placed it under the very powerful microscope and begun to have a look.
"Then I'm stumped. Unless someone traveled through time to save her. Or – you're not thinking?"
"J'onn had once told Kim that a Kryptonian scientist came to Earth several years before she did. If he's still here, he may have had the resources to create a Kryptonian cyborg." Ron said as he adjusted the focus knob. "But even that theory doesn't have a leg to stand on." Ron said to himself.
"But that's impossible."
"Sherlock Holmes once said that when you've eliminated all other explanations; whatever remains, no matter how impossible or improbable, must be the answer." Ron said as he examined the piece of evidence closely. "So that means another survivor of Krypton brought Kim back to life, or that thing isn't KP."
Dick was having a hard time dealing with what Ron had just said. It was one thing that a clone of Kim was running around, but the possibility of another one? If he didn't stop thinking about this, he was going to have a headache so bad that his eyes were going to cross. Maybe he should have gone with Hanna out on patrol. As Dick gently shook his head to get his thinking straight, he quickly decided to change the subject of what they were talking about.
"What are you looking at?" Dick asked him.
"Mud. It was found at the scene of the chemical theft three days ago. It might be a clue as to where Crane is hiding."
"You sure he was the thief?"
"All the chemicals that were stolen are key ingredients that he uses in his fear toxin. And there were gallons of these chemicals taken, which means he's planning something big."
"So have you figured out what the mud is?"
"It's not mud. It's fecal matter. But it's been heavily deluded." Ron said as he looked up. "Crane may be traveling through the sewer system." Ron said out loud.
"How does that help?" Dick asked him.
"If he's traveling through the sewer, it might give us an idea where he's hiding. What do you remember about Dr. Crane, Dick?" Ron asked him.
"He's tall, skinny, loves to scare people." Dick said.
"What else?" Ron asked him, testing his young sidekick.
"I don't know. I think – birds." Dick said as he looked at Ron. "That was in his file. He's afraid of birds."
"He's terrified of them. When I studied his past, I found several recorded incidents through out his life where he scared away any kind of bird he came across. Even when he was working at Arkham."
"Weird twist since he calls himself the Scarecrow." Dick said to himself.
"Keep your mind on what we were talking about, Dick. Remember what you just said. Especially the part about his need to scare people. That's like a drug to him. Not to mention, he will want to be in a place where he can easily hide, and still be able to make his fear toxin." Ron said to him.
"Then he's going to need a lab." Dick said.
"With sewer access. And with the amount of chemicals that were stolen, it has to be close by. I imagine that even with several hired hands, those chemicals would be pretty heavy to carry for even a short distance. And he wouldn't want to risk spilling any of it." Ron said as he thought to himself. "And I think I may know where he's hiding." Ron said as he quickly left the crime lab and went back to the large computer. Within seconds, the data of the cyborg was transferred to a smaller screen to the side as a map of Gotham City occupied the main screen. After typing in the data, the map targeted and zoomed in on the industrial sector with several points targeted.
"A refinery?" Dick asked him.
"Certain refineries have labs built in them. It depends on what kind of chemical it was built for. And if I can just – THERE!" Ron said as a strange grid was placed over the map of the industrial sector. Highlighted in red was an old refinery that had closed around the time he and Kim were high school freshmen. "That one right there. That has to be it." Ron said.
"How can you be sure?"
"It's the one place that has the shortest distance to the lab he broke into. And most of those refinery locations look like something that not even the Ghost Hunters would even try to explore." Ron said.
"But I don't think the main sewer system runs through there." Dick said.
"It doesn't have to. Gotham is filled with several older sewer systems that the city either built around or forgot about. To save time and money, the city actually connected parts of the older system with the current ones that are in use. It's almost like a giant labyrinth down there. And that's why we compare blueprints of the old sewer systems with the current one." Ron said as the strange grid was combined with another, and a path was soon highlighted. "I was right. A branch of Gotham's original sewer system joins the current one. It makes a one way connection to the refinery and to the lab that was robbed." Ron said.
"But how would he know about it?" Dick asked.
"When the Asylum had remodel for some of the more dangerous criminals, Crane oversaw some of Arkham Asylum's renovations when he was still a doctor. He would have had to look at some of the old city schematics to make sure that the workers didn't destroy something important."
"Which means that he would have had access to some of Gotham's original blue prints. Like the sewer systems." Dick said as he and Ron headed to their own separate uniform vaults. "Should we let Hanna in on this?" Dick asked him.
"Once we hit the road. Right now, she's doing a patrol." Ron answered.
"And Barbara?"
"I've already activated her pager. She should be here shortly." Ron said as he emerged from the vault and entered the Tumbler, with Dick following closely behind.
"Out of curiosity, what is it about the cyborg that's got you so suspicious?"
"The results were too perfect." Ron said as he floored the gas.
Wade could hardly believe what he was looking at, even through it was standing in front of him in its full glory. From head to toe, it was a thing of beauty. It was more refined than the original prototype had been, and some of the more bulky power supplies and circuitry had been reduced in size, but still packed quite a punch. There were two things Wade was slightly uncomfortable with about it. On was the large gauntlet that sat on the right forearm. It was able to shoot a limited supply of spikes, but not for lethal use. Wade had to practice with that thing constantly since he was going to be the one in the suit, and he though he had finally gotten the hang of it. He just hoped he wasn't in a rush to aim the thing. But it would be able to stop someone in their tracks, or destroy one of the cannons out there. Which was the main reason for the gauntlet's creation. The suit would increase his strength seven fold, but he just couldn't try and grab a gun to destroy it. So with the gauntlet, it would destroy the housing and the inner working to prevent it from firing.
The other thing Wade wasn't a fan of was the helmet. Actually, it was the design. For now, it was a sleek designed helmet with a tinted HUD display that would prevent the face from being seen whenever the suit was activated or powered down. Wade had originally come up with a full motion mask that would act like a normal face, but it would have a built in voice changer/amplifier along with a HUD display in the eyes. But Dr. Irons was as eager as he was to get the prototype up and running, and they had to meet halfway. At the moment, they were running a final diagnostic on the suit itself. After that, it would be time for a field test. Of course, Wade would get so nervous at hearing that word that he would begin to tremble slightly. It wasn't because of the excitement, but because he would be out there in the suit itself.
The last time he had actually and gone out and done what he called "field work" was when Kim and Ron were still in high school. After Kim discovered she was from another planet, she took down her website and stopped saving the world. Or at least, as often as she used to. Every so often, something would come up and she would try and save the day without revealing she had superhuman abilities. One of those times was when Drakken tried to change the weather while using a muffin franchise to support and front it. Since Ron almost had a nervous breakdown, Wade had to step in. If it wasn't for Ron finally getting his common sense back, and a little of Kim's abilities, they would have been gourmet treats with a side of coffee. Wade used that incident to try and talk himself out of doing more field work ever since then. But with Kim dying, the feeling just wouldn't go away anymore.
"I've got the last piece finished." Dr Irons said from the other end of the lab, causing Wade to turn with confusion.
"Last piece? I thought the suit was already finished." Wade said as Irons begun to walk with the crutches, with a large piece of metal in his hands.
"This is something important." Irons said with a smile as he finally made it to one of the work benches and placed the newly crafted item down. "Did your mom ever tell you stories when you were a kid?"
"A couple." Wade said as he walked over to the table, confused on where that question came from.
"My grandfather was a master at telling me bedtime stories. My favorite was the one about John Henry."
"I remember that one. He went up against a steel driving machine and won. Unfortunately, it also killed him." Wade said.
"I know. But my granddaddy always told me that story as his way0 of telling me that there was nothing I couldn't do if I just put my mind to it. Well, we're up against a deadlier kind of machine, Mr. Load. And it's one I created. So I want to make sure we do this right." Dr. Irons said as Wade joined him and looked at the piece he had just fabricated. Wade wasn't sure to make of it at first as he gazed at it.
"Are you sure bout this?" Wade asked him.
"She was your friend, Dr. Load. And I still owe her for saving my life. I thought this might be a way of paying our respects to her." Irons said. "Well?"
"Let's get the sucker mounted." Wade said with a small smile as he took the new addition to the armor so he could attach it.
"Are you sure this is the place man?" the large man asked as he and his shorter companion tried to stay inside the shadows as the moved along the side of the building.
"Would you chill, Mucus? This is where that Shark bitch lives. I saw her coming in here earlier today." The small man said as he removed a piece of cloth from his pocket and a lighter. "You bring the booze?"
"Yeah, I got it." The large man said as he removed a large bottle of vodka from his inner coat pocket and handed it to the smaller man. "Hurry up with that, Dutch. I don't want the damn cops seeing us."
"Would you shut up already?" the smaller man said as he removed the cap and shoved the cloth into the bottle until it was dipping into the alcohol. He held the bottle in one hand as he reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out a cheap little lighter and lit the cloth. "In one second, that Shark is going to be extra crispy." Dutch said as he stepped back and flung the bottle through the basement. As the two ran away as fast as they could, the bottle shattered under and against the old oil reservoir. Within moments, then building exploded in massive plumes of fire and smoke.
The diagnostics were almost finished as the lab began to shudder almost violently. Both Wade and Irons looked at each other for a moment before Wade scrambled to one of the computers and accessed the sensors to the lab.
"Please tell me that didn't come form us." Dr. Irons said.
"It didn't. But all the perimeter sensors are going crazy." Wade said as he tried to call up the data. "Oh Christ. The tenements next door just went up like a bottle rocket!" Wade said as he looked at the readings.
"Oh God. Rosie!" Irons said.
"Who?"
"She a fortune teller next door. She and a dozen other families live there!" Dr. Irons said. After being in the lab for so long, John had gotten to know some of the people when he went out on a few errands. Rosie had become a good friend, and the idea of her getting hurt was beginning to make his stomach feel like it had turned into a lead weight.
"Shut the diagnostics off." Wade said as he rushed to the armor.
"What?"
"Shut them off! This thing is fixing to get a test drive." Wade said as he started to open the suit. He also thanked God he lost all that weight over the years.
The smoke was so thick, she could barley see anything in front of her. It burned as it entered her lungs and her body began to almost spasm with every cough. She was trying to expel it as she stayed low to the floor. There wasn't that much fresh air as she tried to crawl to the door. Her eyes were burning as her eyes watered. She had just finished with her last customer and put on a pot of tea when everything exploded. She could see the smoke and feel the heat of the flames that were consuming the building, but she couldn't see anything! She hoped the hall was clear. If she didn't get out of there soon, she was going to pass out. Who would do this? She had been trying to contact Superwoman for several of her customers, hoping she could reach her on the other side. But instead, she only found hints that she may be alive. She wished Superwoman was here now. Where was a hero when you needed them?
"Is there anyone here?" she heard a loud voice call out. It was coming from outside her apartment, in the hallway! She had to let them now she was here, but she could barley talk. She had to try though.
"I-in here." She squeaked before she started to hack and cough again. She tried to take in a clean breath of fresh air before the tried to shout again. "IN HERE!" she shouted as loud as she could, but didn't know if it was loud enough. She was almost to the door, but she was having a hard time staying awake.
"GET BACK FROM THE DOOR!" the loud voice shouted. She looked up as she heard something hit it. Something hard. She tried to pull herself up a little before the door was completely destroyed. She then saw a large, tall, and very broad figure enter with a red cape hanging from its shoulders. The other two things she noticed right off the bat was that his face wasn't visible. It was a smooth helmet that showed no features at all. The other was the large pentagonal S shield that was on its chest. "The Man of Steel is coming through!"
The old mustang belched out a cloud of exhaust as the small driver inside pulled to a stop. The building they had been at earlier was now completely in flames with not much left standing. Several people were standing along the streets as the firefighters did their best to extinguish the flames and reporters were interviewing the people that were wrapped in blankets. Several others were near ambulances with oxygen masks on their face as paramedics did their best to treat them for smoke inhalation. But both the small driver and his passenger began to scowl in anger as they saw the gathered crowd.
"I don't believe it, Dutch! The damn Shark is still alive!"
"Then what are you waiting for, Mucus? You got a Toast Master. Waste the bastard!" the small driver said to the large man.
"Right." Mucus said as he reached into the backseat and pulled the large cannon into his lap. "What about everyone else, Dutch?"
"Does it look like I care? Waste the fool!"
Mucus leaned out the window with the large weapon mounted like it was a rifle. Mucus turned off the safety and began to smile as he had the member of the rival gang now lined up in his sights. As he began to squeeze the trigger, the gun was struck by something so fast and hard that it almost sent Mucus sprawling to the pavement. As Mucus looked up to see what happened, his eyes widened as his heart almost stopped beating as he gaze on the large metal man before him that was holding a very large and heavy looking sledge hammer.
"We need to talk." The man said in a voice that almost sounded like the wrath of God himself.
"LET'S GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE, MAN!" Mucus screamed as Dutch slammed his foot onto the gas pedal as hard as he could.
Acting quickly, the Man of Steel grasped onto the car as tightly as he could, letting the hammer drop as he was dragged away. The strength of the suit allowed the Man of Steel to latch tightly onto the roof of the car, punching his fingers through the steel and holding on tight. The large boots of the suit were kicking up sparks as they made contact with the asphalt beneath them as the car's speed kept increasing. Balling his right fist tightly, the armored man punched through the passenger side door and ripped it free from the rest of the car and let it drop and bounce away.
"HE"S STILL COMING, DUTCH!" Mucus screamed as he saw the armored man look into the car, seeing his reflection in the faceplate of the armored man.
"You've got the damn gun, you idiot! Use it!"
"Right! Fixing to chalk up another one to the Toast Master." Mucus said as he raised the gun.
"I don't think so." The Man of Steel said as his free hand grabbed the barrel of the cannon. With one firm and swift twist, the barrel bent and broke with a loud crunch as his grip began to crush the barrel itself.
"HE'S BREAKING THE DAMN GUN! PEEL HIM OFF!"
"You got it, bro! Just like a banana!" Dutch said as he jerked the wheel of the car to the left, causing the car to hop into the sidewalk and push the Man of Steel into the wall of the buildings they were passing. The cape that was on his back was shredded as sparks flew as the alloys were being forced along the various bricks and windows of several store fronts.
The HUD display in the helmet was beginning to light up like a Christmas tree as the suit's sensors were going nuts. Wade knew that the suit may not last long, and he couldn't let these two get away. He had dropped his hammer back at the burning building, and he couldn't use the rockets in the boots. If he did, he might make the car catch on fire or ignite the gas tank. And the last thing he needed was for anyone to get hurt or cause any unnecessary destruction. Wade almost couldn't stand the vibrations that were going through the suit as Dutch kept trying to shove him into the wall even harder. Trying to use the targeting system in the helmet, Wade balled his fist and aimed his free arm as best he could. Hoping that the targeting system was working right, Wade fired three of the large spikes from his large gauntlet and saw them tear through the dash board and into the engine. Immediately, strange grinding noises could be heard as warning lights came one. White smoke began coming out of the AC vents and from under the hood as the grinding noises became worse and the car began to loose speed. Terrified at not knowing what was wrong with the car, Dutch began to swerve as he saw that the Man of Steel was still hanging on and looked to be glaring right at both of them.
Using the dying car as a distraction, Wade grabbed the front Mucus' shirt and jerked down hard. Mucus went flying downward and struck his head on the dash board, knocking him out cold as Dutch kept trying to make the car speed up again. The car still was going pretty fast and knew he had to stop it if he wanted to get any information out of the driver. Holding onto the car tightly and trying to position his feet forward, Wade fired his rocket boots and almost sent the car spinning in a circle. However, it gave the result Wade had been hoping for as the car screeched to a stop and almost tipped over. Dutch wasted no time in throwing open the driver's side door and began running as fast as he could. Even though his legs were still wobbly from the adrenalin rush of what just happened, Wade stood to his feet and aimed the large gauntlet on his arm again.
"DUTCH!" he shouted as he fired two large spikes. With an echoing clang, the spikes hooked Dutch by the cuff of his left pants leg and sent him falling onto the dirty street. Dutch tried to free his leg, but it felt more like it was wedged in between the spikes instead of them nailing him to the ground. He could hear the footsteps of the armored man coming toward him like it was the sound of a large tank coming towards him. As he looked up, he almost felt like crying as he saw the large figure standing over him. And that was when he was finally able to see the large shield that was sitting on his chest.
"What the hell?" Dutch squeaked as he saw it glowing in the light of the street lamps.
"We need to talk." The Man of Steel said as he grasped Dutch firmly by the arm, and jerked him up with enough force to rip the cuff of his pants away. "Where did you get the canon?" the armored figure asked him.
"I-I ain't no squealer." Dutch said and began to hyperventilate as the armored man raised the large gauntlet to the side of Dutch's head.
"I'm not going to ask again, and I want the right answer." The armored man said as Dutch heard another spike load itself into the chamber of the gauntlet.
"I GOT IT FROM THE WHITE RABBIT! SHE'S THE ONE SELLING THEM!" Dutch screamed as loud as he could.
"Nice fairy tale, but I'm not buying it." The Man of Steel said.
"No, man! It's true! It's the bunny! She's,"
Dutch never finished his sentence as the back of his head exploded in a burst of bone, blood, and brain which caused the armored man to jump slightly. He quickly spun behind him and saw Mucus was awaked and leaning against the car as a gash in his forehead allowed blood to flow down his face.
"The Rabbit doesn't like pigeons." He said as he aimed the gun at the Man of Steel and started pulling the trigger.
Each shot bounced off of the armored suit harmlessly as he dropped Dutch's lifeless body and stomped his way toward the thug. Mucus kept pulling the trigger faster and faster but saw that it had no effect on the large man. As the Man of Steel now stood over him, Mucus began to shake as they had an unwinnable staring contest.
"I-I ain't goin back to prison, man." Mucus said as he quickly jammed the barrel of the gun into his mouth and pulled the trigger.
Wade quickly turned away as the shot rang out and Mucus collapsed into a heap on the ground. Wade couldn't help but half growl and half groan to himself at what had happened. How could he have let this happen?
"Wade, are you there?" Irons asked him.
"Did the cameras get everything?" he asked him.
"I'm afraid so. Come back to the lab, and don't forget that hammer you dropped. I'm not done with t yet." Irons said to him.
"I'm on my way. I think we can safely say that our field test was a failure." Wade said as he turned and activated the rocket boots.
"The systems were working fine."
"You know what I mean."
"Yeah. I do know what you mean." Irons said to him, knowing to well how Wade was feeling. Several people in the building were still injured, but they didn't want the gang bangers to die. It was safe to say, their mission to get rid of the weapons was going to be harder than they had thought.
"Do you think he was telling the truth about this White Rabbit?" Wade asked, trying to get their minds off of what had happened.
"Yeah, he was. White Rabbit was the name I gave Angora when we were a couple." Irons said in a defeated tone. Finding out that the woman he had once loved more than anything was the one giving these deadly weapons to local street gangs made Irons feel like the world and his heart had just collapsed on top of him. Not only was it going to be hard for him emotionally to go up against Angora, but he knew how smart she was. They weren't just trying to clean up the streets of Metropolis, they were in a war for the lives of its youth.
They were now deep within the bowels of the refinery, hiding in the shadows and maintaining radio silence. Batgirl and Robin were taking their places as Batman was finally moving into a better position. They could hear voices echoing through the complex as they had gotten nearer to their source. Judging from the volume of the voices, it was an argument. And Batman could hear that one of the voices had a certain tone of voice. They way one was speaking and using certain words confirmed his suspicions. Dr. Crane was here. That meant Batgirl and Robin had to be extra careful. Only a brief whiff of the toxin may cause a delayed reaction or cause any of them to suffer a massive fear induced panic attack.
Soon, Batman was directly over them and could see what was happening. One man was on the floor, shaking and trying to cover himself as he was sweating. It was obvious that the shivering man had been exposed to the fear toxin and was now suffering its effects. Two other men were arguing with Dr. Crane, as he stood before them in his full costume. He was wearing wrinkled and tattered dark green shirt and brown slacks, with several places where large rips had messily sewn closed. He wore a wore a very worn trench coat with several rips and tears in it, with black gloves on his hands that also had ripped burlap covering them. He was wearing a hangman's noose around his neck like it was a neck tie, and also keeping the burlap scarecrow mask on his face as he glared at the two men in front of him.
"What the hell are you trying pull here? You said we were working on something that would pay off!"
"It will pay off. But it's not my fault if your friend here is nothing more than an idiot clutz." Crane said as he kicked the man on the ground.
"I don't like this at all, man. Just what the hell have you been making?"
"It's a little surprise for the good people of Gotham City. Something to make them appreciate how much they've taken their pathetic little lives for granted." Crane said as he turned to observe the rest of the containers and make sure that they hadn't been damaged as well.
"You're gonna hold the city ransom? I didn't sign up for this."
"Neither did I. Just give us the money you promised us, and we're outta here."
"Are you sure you don't want to stay and see what the grand finale is going to be?" Crane asked them as he popped his wrists.
"No way." One of them said.
"Then if that's what you want." Crane said as he put his hands into his coat pockets and walked toward the two hired hands.
When he was about a foot in front of them, he quickly removed his hands and grabbed them by their foreheads. Before they could have a chance to fight back, a quick and strong burst of gas shot from his coat sleeves and caused the two men to immediately cough like crazy. When he let the men go, both of the men immediately began to scream in pure terror.
"GET THEM OFF OF ME! GET THEM OFF OF ME! MOMMY, HELP ME!" one screamed as he kept franticly trying to brush something off of his body. He immediately began grabbing parts of his clothing so hard that he was actually tearing the fabric of his shirt and even ripping the leather of his jacket.
"GET ME DOWN! SOMEONE PLEASE, GET ME DOWN! I DON'T WANT TO BE UP HERE!" the other screams as he huddled onto his hands and knees. It looked like he was trying to hand on for dear life as he tried to stay still and in the same spot. Crane simply laughed at the sight he was seeing before turning back to his work and left the three men to live out their worst fears.
"Robin, Batgirl. Do you read me?"
"We read you loud and clear." Batgirl responded.
"Are you in position?"
"We are. We just saw what scarecrow did to those guys."
"I'll take care of Crane. Set the charges and get those men out of here. When you're clear, give them the antidote. Got it?"
"We got it. And be careful d- I mean Batman." Batgirl said.
Batman understood the feelings she was having. She was starting to call him dad every so often now, but she had to control it. Especially when they were on patrol. They couldn't risk any of their opponents finding out that they were related. Including him. He had to do this fast and quietly. Crane wouldn't hesitate in spraying him, and he couldn't risk it.
Batman used his grappling gun and quietly secured it around a large pipe that was in front of him before allowing the motors to begin his decent. He was coming in directly behind Crane and kept watching him go about his work. He could see at least ten or fifteen containers that were the size of wine barrels that were equipped with dispersing the chemicals in an arousal form. Just a small amount was enough to almost paralyze someone with fear. With this much, half the city would go insane. Halfway down, Batman cut the wire on his grappler and used his training to allow him to land quietly directly behind the crazed doctor. Batman slowly rose to his full height as he allowed his muscles to tense and readied himself for the impending fight.
"I'm not alone, am I?" Crane asked aloud as he turned and saw the dark scowl on Batman's face. "The Dark Knight. I'm so overjoyed to see you again." Crane said in a sarcastic tone of voice.
"Crane."
"No. Scarecrow." The man said as a speaker came on in the mask, altering his voice into a more menacing tone. "So what shall it be? A few sentences, possibly a pun or two before we fight and you drag me back to Arkham Asylum and save the day?" he asked the Dark Knight, but saw no change in the Batman's gaze. "Or maybe what's left of your mind will finally snap like it almost did with the Joker. I have to admit, that would be an interesting study. But it wasn't too obvious to guess what caused your mind to crack."
"No games, Crane. I'm taking you back to Arkham." Batman growled.
"I think not." Scarecrow said as he grabbed a pipe that was behind him and swung. Batman ducked the first swing and saw the second one coming fast. Batman was able to grab the pipe with one hand, and then firmly grasped Scarecrow by his forearm and twisted. "I was hoping you'd do that." Scarecrow said as he jerked his free arm forward and ejected the spray right into Batman's mouth and possibly up one nostril.
Batman quickly let go as he began to cough uncontrollably as well, falling to his knees as he clutched his chest and tried to control the coughing. As the uncontrollable coughing continued, Scarecrow couldn't help but admire at the sight of Batman helpless and unable to defend himself. Unable to pass up the moment, Scarecrow swiftly kicked the Dark Knight in the face and watched him fall backward and onto his back with sadistic glee. The only kind of joy he felt when he was a kid on Christmas morning.
"I made the toxin stronger, more potent. That way, the victim actually believes their worst fears are coming to life and consuming them. Welcome to my nightmare Batman. Soon, the citizens of this city are going to be torn apart by their own subconscious. And all because I'm just simply bored." Scarecrow said as he turned around, and began to growl in anger. He could see small charges were planted on each of the containers of his new toxin, and they were ticking down with only a few minutes to spare. The damn Bat sacrificed himself for those brat sidekicks of his to plant those charges. Those brats were going to pay dearly for this. Even if he had to take a crowbar to Robin's skull.
"SCARECROW!" a very deep, and very angry, voice said behind him. Slowly, the doctor turned around and couldn't help but let out a gasp that would have been a small scream is he had been exhaling his breath.
"It can't be! You should be living through your worst nightmare!" Scarecrow said as he saw the tall figure looming over him.
"Been there, done that." Batman growled as he slammed a fast punch as hard as he could into Crane's abdomen before belting him across the head as hard as he could. Grabbing him by the shoulders of his coat, Batman threw the Scarecrow against one of the shelves, knocking several items off and sending them crashing as Crane tried his best to stay on his feet.
"It's – impossible." Crane moaned as Batman grabbed him by his jacket collar and threw him against a wall. Crane stuck his arms out in front of him to try and cushion his impact, but the impact caused the sprayers in his coat arms to become damaged and loosen the toxic gas into his own face. Like a man possessed, Crane ripped the broken sprayers off of his arms and onto the floor as he began to hack and cough. He began to clutch his chest as the coughing made his lungs raw and cause him pain, almost like he was coughing up barbed wire. When he looked back at the figure in front of him, his eye went wide with terror.
"Welcome to my nightmare." The Batman growled as he opened his cape, and a massive flock of crows, ravens, buzzards, and brown eagles all began to fly at him with their talons raised and their eyes glowing red.
"NO! NOOOOOOO! GET AWAY FROM ME! NNNOOOOOOOOO! NNOOOOOOOOOO!" Crane screamed as he was surrounded by the massive flock of birds. He could feel the wind of their wings flapping and their talons claw through his clothes and tear at his skin. Their cawing and screeching echoed in his ears like a thunder clap as they tried to peck at him. Crane was hallucinating so badly, he hadn't noticed that he had been thrown onto the ground outside the refinery with his men as the labs inside began to explode and destroy the toxins Crane had stolen and created.
"How are the others?" Batman asked Robin and Batgirl.
"We gave them the antidote, but it's taking longer to work."
"Crane made his toxin more powerful. Call Gordon and tell them where to find them." Batman said
"Where are you going?" Batgirl asked him.
"I need to get back to the cave." Batman said as he leapt into the Tumbler and pressed on the accelerator. The entire trip back to the cave, he kept seeing the same image over and over again in his mind. HE kept seeing Kim beaten to a bloody pulp by Doomsday before finally dying in his arms. Each time, she kept saying her final words like she had said them through a bullhorn. The only thing that still kept him sane was the vision he had. The vision he had where he had seen Kim waiting for him in the next life; and then bringing her back with him. Kim was alive and had to be out there. He just had to find her.
"This is still unbelievable. If I'm reading this right, it shouldn't be too much longer until,"
"KAL!" Galatea shouted as she walked toward the lab.
Kal-El quickly closed the information he had been reading as he turned to face Galatea. She had shed the cape and solar suit for now and was wearing nothing more than a robe. Kal had to try hard to keep the smirk from forming on his face as he enjoyed the fact that Galatea hadn't bothered to close the robe at all.
"Eyes on my face and not my tits, Kal." She said as she raised his head upward with one finger on his chin. That was when he noticed she was still wearing her visor for some reason. He could have sworn he lowered the lights.
"What makes you think I was looking at your breasts?" he asked her as the smirk made itself known anyway. One thing about being with Galatea was that it was starting to loosen him up.
"Later, fly boy. We've got another problem."
"What's wrong?"
"Please tell me you've seen the news." She said to him with a look of disbelief.
"You mean those other two Superwomen?" he asked her. He knew it bothered her that there were others claiming to be his late cousin. The one that got on her nerves was the clone since she had been an imperfect one and this one seems to be completely stable. But what was creepy and almost scary to look at was the cyborg.
"Try three."
"Three?!" Kal asked her in disbelief.
"Yeah. Turn your monitor to one of the Metropolis news channels." Galatea said to him. Within a moment, he had it turned to WGBS as it showed them interviewing a small woman in a head band, round glasses, and strange clothes.
"I'm a psychic, I know these things. A walk-in spirit is a restless soul who has unfinished business. When another spirit leaves its body and the body is not yet uninhabitable, the restless spirit can enter the vacant body and live again. That's the case of what has happened here with Superwoman." The woman said to the cameras.
"Say what?" Kal asked.
"I'm not sure what she just said." Galatea said to him.
"Again, an apartment building exploded earlier in the night. Many of the residents were rescued by an armored man, or possibly a robot, wearing a red cape and the symbol of the late Superwoman. Police discovered that the blaze was caused by two members of a local street gang known as the Bloods. The bodies of the gang members were discovered three blocks from the blaze, both were deceased. It appears that one of the suspect shot his accomplice before turning the gun on himself."
"An armored man? How can a man try and take Kim's place?" Kal asked himself.
"A confused Transvestite?" Galatea asked him. Kal-El just frowned in confusion as he turned and looked at her.
"What's a transvestite?"
"Um – I'll tell you later. Remind me to let you watch a movie called The Rocky Horror Picture Show." Galatea said to him.
"God damn Superwoman imposters are making me sick to my ass!" Shego said as she turned of her television and flung the remote against the wall. "What do we know about that incident?" Sherri asked Merci.
"It was a gang retaliation. A few nights ago, the Bloods and the Sharks had a turf war with both sides using Toastmasters. The leader of the Bloods was killed during the fight, and this was their was of getting revenge." Merci said to her.
"What about the two dead gang bangers?"
"A security camera caught what happened. We were able to get the footage before the cops. Whoever this armored man was, he was demanding to know who gave them the ordinance. The smaller one, Dutch, revealed the name of their supplier before the other one blew his brains out. Then he blew his own brains out."
"Damn it to hell. Did they say anything else?" Sherri asked her.
"Nothing. If this new pretender pursues this, it won't be long until he finds a lead." Mercy said.
"Then it's about time we cut the White Rabbit loose. Drop a few hints here and there, enough to let this guy find her. But make sure any signs of Gough Industries are gone. Even if she tells anyone about our business deal, I don't want there to be anything to back up her statement."
"You got it, Sherri. Anything else?"
"There's one thing. See what you can do about getting any information on this new pretender. There's something about him that's familiar."
"But, he was wearing a mask."
"I know. But it's just something that's nagging at me in the back of my mind. Just do what you can to find out anything about him."
"I'll se what I can do. By the way, I was able to contact the Super brat which wasn't as hard as I thought. She should be here later tonight."
"Good. If everything goes as planned, I'll have that squirt eating out of the palm of my hand. Do we still have a cooking staff here?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Just making sure. Whether it be a boy or a girl, the heart to any teen is always food." Sherri said as she picked up her phone and dialed down to the kitchens.
"I know I've asked this before, Sherri. But why are you so interested in this girl? You're not looking for someone to – replace Galatea?" Mercy asked her as she began to fidget a little.
"That's one of the reasons, Mercy. When Galatea disappeared, I lost a very strong advantage. And with this girl in my pocket, I can" That's when Sherri noticed the uneasy look on Mercy's face. She wasn't sure her assistant was looking at her like that before she remembered one of the other reasons she had Galatea around. "It's nothing like that, Mercy. I just need a secret weapon if anyone tries to screw with me. If someone wrongs me, I'm gonna rip the teeth out of their mouth before a rip their dick off through their ass." Sherri said.
As Mercy left, she felt a small shiver going down her spine. Something was wrong with Sherri. Ever since she had told her about Doomsday's body being stolen, she had been on edge. Maybe it had something to do with that alien robot that had actually paralyzed her years ago. She remembered how angry Sherri had been at being helpless. For days, she had vowed never to be that helpless again. And maybe that's what was happening now. Ever since that day, Sherri was a nut about security. There were projects in the works that not even she knew about anymore. Whatever she was planning, it involved that kid. If Mercy had stayed, she would have seen that Sherri didn't dial the kitchen staff. But instead, she dialed a number to a secured line that only she and a few others only knew about.
"This had better be good, Miss Gough."
"It is. I'm fixing to talk with the Supergirl, and I have several of the Toastmasters and ready for reverse engineering."
"Good work, Miss Gough. We'll need a sample of the clone's DNA if you can get it."
"I can get it after I convince her to sign with,"
"TONIGHT!"
"Tonight? Wait a minute, what's changed?"
"The object our deep space probes detected has altered course. It's now heading toward our solar system. It will be within Pluto's orbit within one month, maybe two."
"Then you'll get your sample."
"Are you sure, Miss Gough?"
"Don't worry, Miss Waller. If these aliens are hostile, they'll learn not to screw with the human race." Sherri said as she hung up the phone and began to turn on her charm. Company was coming.
Coming Soon in REIGN:
Chapter Six: Seduction of the Innocent