Chapter 33
It was done. Diana now stood in a replica of the uniform she use to wear. The all in one piece red suit, black around the neck with two golden bands that went around the upper part of the chest, which were shaped like two Ws, on the front. Replicas of her bracelets were back on her wrists. Not the indestructible ones of home. Titanium. They would stop bullets at least. It would have to do.
Her original bracelets, uniform and lasso had been sent back to her mother after she was incarcerated. Her mother who disowned her as did her sister. Her supposed family who conspired and took away that which was most precious to her. When Diana gets back home she will be having words with both her sister and her mother. Then Diana will reclaim what is hers.
However, more important at the moment, was that her powers were back. When she lost them it was like an emptiness within her but now the emptiness was gone. She squeezes her hand shut and then opens it a few times just to get the feel back for her strength.
She looks up as J'onn is zapped by the ray Luthor created. After it is done she watches him shapeshift back into the more human-like form he generally had and the uniform he wore. J'onn is the last of them to regain their powers.
Diana turns her gaze to the others. Zatanna, dressed in black leather pants, a white corset like top, laced up the middle which emphasises her cleavage. A short black leather coat with fishnet sleeves and black high-heeled boots finish the look. She is practising a few small spells and Diana can see the gleam of joy in Zatanna's blue eyes at being able to practice her magic again.
Flash, dressed in his yellow suit with a red lightning bolt across the chest, is zipping about the room, in a blur of motion, like the others, trying to shake the dust and cobwebs off in using their powers once again.
Aquaman was practising some moves with a replica trident. Luthor must have been planning this for quite some time to have it all ready is the only conclusion to be made.
Diana steps up to Lex who has Tala and Roulette with him.
"As promised yes?" Lex inquires.
"Yes," Diana confirms before she grabs Lex by the throat and lifts him off the ground. "Now why don't you explain what it is that keeps us honouring this deal. What have you done to us?" Diana demands to know what leverage Lex has over them because she knows Lex Luthor. He would never allow this without some method to control them.
Lex smiles, despite Wonder Woman's death grip around his neck and his eyes turns to Tala.
"Remember who created the crystal Wonder Woman, deary," Tala says in a condescending manner.
Diana releases Lex and folds her arms across her chest. "Let me guess. What you give you can take away, correct?"
"With a snap of my fingers," Tala explains, meaning that literally.
Diana's eyes narrow while Lex rubs his throat and coughs a little.
"Now shall we discuss taking down Cadmus' weapon?" Lex asks of Wonder Woman.
"There a couple of things that need done first," Diana states.
"Such as?"
"The taking of the ring of this world's Green Lantern."
"Oh that," Lex says in such a tone as if it were a simple task. "It shouldn't be too hard. He's been seen frequenting the resident of Lois Lane on a regular basis."
Hal, nearby, frowns slightly at hearing this. "Lois Lane, the reporter?"
"That's the one," Lex confirms.
Hal takes a moment to reflect on that. Lois Lane back on their world had been one of their biggest, most outspoken, critics so they had her arrested and thrown in prison. He guesses the old him, before he grew up and realised what needed to be done, might have seen her as an attractive conquest. His double in this world obviously did.
"And the other thing?" Lex asks Wonder Woman.
"Black Canary. We need a few hours to deal with her."
"You said she wouldn't be caught," Lex reminds Wonder Woman.
"She won't be. Not by the police nor your forces but we can find her," Diana assures Lex. "Isn't that what you desire so she doesn't ruin your plans?"
Lex can't help but feel he isn't being told the whole truth here. After all why didn't Wonder Woman offer to do that earlier? "How do you want to do this?" Lex asks.
"We split into two teams. Flash, Green Lantern and Aquaman will subdue this world's Green Lantern and take his ring. Myself, Manhunter and Zatanna will find Black Canary and deal with her. We will then meet up where you wish and launch the assault on Cadmus and destroy its weapon," Diana proposes her plan to Lex.
"And I am just suppose to let you go out of my sight?" Lex asks sceptically.
"A deal's a deal," Diana repeats Lex's words back to him. "I will uphold it. All we want is to go home as soon as possible. Coming here the first time had been a...misjudgement. One that shall never be repeated. We do not care for this world and we do not care for you, beyond you possess the means to send us home. We will fulfil our bargain and depart."
Lex ponders this for a moment. "Very well," he accepts. "But remember this. At the first hint of betrayal your powers will be taken and the lives of your comrades left here will become forfeit," he warns.
Diana stiffens. "Can we go?"
Lex nods his ascent. "Yes. When done return here. Cadmus' secret facility is close enough for here to be an effective staging area."
Diana nods once before she, Hal, J'onn, Flash, Zatanna and Aquaman exit the mansion. They head out into the city until they come across a closed computer store and break their way in. They have some research to do before heading out and Diana wanted to do this away from Luthor's prying eyes.
First things first is finding the current address of Lois Lane. Zatanna places her hands over a keyboard, her eyes glow with power as do her hands as she magically interfaces with the system. It was a trick she picked up awhile ago. Being rusty it takes a short amount of time but she finds it eventually and Hal, Flash and Aquaman make their departure to find Hal's double and steal his ring.
"So where do we find Dinah?" Zatanna asks.
"We don't," Diana states.
"Huh?"
J'onn looks at Diana closely. "We're going after him aren't we?"
"Yes," Diana says, simply.
"Him who?" Zatanna asks, with a frown, as her eyes shift back and forth between Diana and J'onn.
"Superman," J'onn answers.
Zatanna's eyes widen. "He's here. He's alive," she says in totally surprise at hearing that.
"Yes and I intend to make sure he stays that way," Diana states her aims.
J'onn almost imperceptibly shakes his head. Diana is transferring her emotions from their Superman and applying them to this one. It's a mistake.
"That's why you wanted me on this team," Zatanna suddenly understands. "His vulnerability to magic."
"I'm not wishing to harm him. Just keep him out of the way until we're done," Diana explains her plan. "Find him," she instructs Zatanna.
Zatanna turns back to the computer and does as she is told. "I'm searching employee records at the Planet," she reports. "But I can't find him there."
"Start at the beginning," Diana suggests.
Zatanna nods and uses her personal knowledge of him to trace his life. "Looking for Clark Kent, Smallville, Kansas...I have his school records. He definitely grew up there like he did in our world. Moving on to college...He attended the same one..."
"What?" Diana asks at Zatanna's trailing off.
"He never finished," she reports. "He never graduated and there is no reporting I can find of what should be Superman's subsequent appearance in Metropolis shortly after that. Something happened there that stopped him becoming Superman like he should have."
"Which is why we never found him when we came here before," J'onn concludes.
"But he's Superman now," Diana points out.
"For just about most of the last 6 months...oh. There he is," Zatanna says.
"Explain."
Zatanna brings up the images on the screen of Clark receiving his award.
Diana bends down and reads. "Clark Kent...outstanding reporting for expose on Churches link to Intergang...Metropolitan? What's the Metropolitan?" she asks.
"A solely online publication. Now I have a hint where to look I've found him."
"He doesn't work at the Planet?" Diana seeks to clarify.
"Nope...nor the Justice League while we're on to organisations he doesn't work for. He seems to work solo...apart from the Black Canary of this world with whom he is most seen with apparently."
Diana frowns. It is all so unlike the Kal she knew yet at the same time it has echoes. He's still a reporter and a hero only he's starting out much later in his life so it seems. "Can you get his cell number?" Diana asks.
"Sure. You planning to call him?"
"Text him," Diana corrects. "Send him a message so we get him where we want him."
"And ambush him," J'onn surmises.
"It's the easiest ploy that gets him hurt the least," Diana says.
"Right," Zatanna says, not sounding very convinced. "You do remember he's Superman? Supervision, superhearing...any of this ringing a bell?"
"Perhaps if it was our Superman who has been using his abilities for years but if this one has only been doing so a few months his command over his powers won't be as accomplished and more than likely he only has a few months of combat training behind him."
"Which could be enough if Dinah has been teaching him. You do know how much butt Dinah can kick right?"
"Just get me his cell number Zatanna," Diana commands in a harsh voice. "This isn't a debate. My decision is made."
"You're the boss," Zee replies in a rather flippant tone as she does as she is told.
Gotham City...
"Dying?" Dinah speaks the question as if saying a strange word. "What do you mean dying?" she asks her double.
"As in cancer. Terminal cancer. Won't see the end of the year," the other Dinah replies with the tone of someone who has come to accept her inevitable mortality.
Dinah's brow furrows up in thought.
"I know what you're thinking," the other Dinah comments.
"Do you?"
"You're thinking that if I can get cancer so can you."
Yes. That thought had crossed Dinah's mind.
"I wouldn't be so worried. Well no more than you would be normally. We've led different lives. Been exposed to different environments and energies and radiations and god knows what else. I suppose if you were religious you might consider this just punishment for my many sins," the other Dinah says with an ironic air.
Dinah won't comment her thinking on that. "What do you really want?"
"I told you. To settle up. To understand how we ended up so different. I mean I lost my parents the same way you did. I joined the Justice League just as you did."
"Yes but we never became dictators."
"But why not?" the other Dinah asks the pertinent question. "This world has the same problems but you never chose to do what was needed."
"Murder is never needed," Dinah retorts forcefully. "And I think you're mistaken. You're looking for a single event that changed us...made us walk along different paths. I doubt it is that simple."
"Probably not," the other Dinah agrees.
"How did it start?" Dinah asks.
"How did we start on our path to dictatorship you mean?"
Dinah nods.
The other Dinah shrugs. "I can't pinpoint the day. Like you said there probably wasn't a single event. It was a progression. We just started to get tired of the little game. We chase the bad guys, we lock them up, they escape, we lock them up again, they escape and so on and so on, over and over, while all the time innocent people get caught in the crossfire and die. Friends die but the villains get to live because we're the good guys and we don't kill them. The whole twisted cycle is a joke. A great cosmic joke. You must see that."
Dinah knows better than most how easy the line between the good guys and the bad guys can be blurred and what's worse is that her double's argument has a point. It is a tiresome cycle they are on. However Dinah can counter that argument. "No-one ever said this life was easy. The right choices are often the most difficult."
"Interesting how you didn't say I was wrong."
"It doesn't justify murder and tyranny."
"The cycle had to be broken. We broke it. It had to be done for the greater good."
"Do you honestly believe that?"
"Yes."
Dinah looks at her double with a mixture of emotions. Pity. Anger. There's a couple of them.
The other Dinah interprets the expression differently. "You're disappointed aren't you? You were probably expecting me here in my final months to repent or something weren't you. I won't. I'm not Batman. They'll be no sudden flash of guilt or whatever it was that made him betray us and help you. I am at peace with my actions because we made the world safer. All I want now is to understand why you can't see it."
"This is a waste of time," Dinah suddenly decides. "We both face the same cycle as you call it but we see what needs to be done differently. We could spend hours here picking apart our lives but there isn't time for that. Not with your friends on this world."
The other Dinah smiles. "Ooh. It's such a turn on when you take charge," she jokes.
Dinah's face darkens.
"Oh come on. Lighten up. I'm betting your boyfriend thinks so."
"What?"
"I heard you speaking to mom. You have a new boyfriend. Finally gave Ollie the heave-ho then. Good for you. Always was a jerk," she praises Dinah and insults Ollie at the same time.
"Can you be serious?" Dinah demands sternly.
"I'm always serious," the other Dinah says back with deadly intent in her tone. "How about an alteration of the deal. I tell you where the others are on the condition that you give your word that you and I finish this talk even if that means picking our lives apart to see how we ended up so different."
Dinah prays for a little strength. Of all days why did this have to happen to her on this one when her emotions are at their rawest and most exposed. On the other hand being practical she needs that information her double possesses. "Fine. I accept your terms," she informs her double who smiles in response.
"Knew you'd see it my way."
"You try anything and I will beat you down worse than last time," Dinah warns, with a severe point of her finger at her double. She then fishes out her phone from her pocket and dials. "Barbara?...Yeah. It's Dinah. I have a situation. We need a team meeting like now! I'll be there as soon as I can...and I'm bringing someone with me."
The other Dinah smiles to herself as if amused by that. She wonders what the Barbara is this universe is like. She wonders if she's still Batgirl? It would be odd to see her best friend out of the wheelchair again.
Metropolis...
The former Justice Lords that are the Aquaman, Flash and Green Lantern stand and wait and watch the apartment of Lois Lane.
Flash is throwing a small stone to himself back and forth across the rooftop. He throws it, zips to the other side and catches it and then throws it back. "This is boring," he complains.
Hal gives him a half glance. "You have to learn patience. We'll have plenty to do when we do Luthor's dirty work," he says, sounding disgusted at the prospect of doing that.
"Why are we doing this? Working for Luthor of all people."
"Because we have no choice," Aquaman says, stating the blunt truth of it all, equally as disgusted and reviled by it as Hal is. "Luthor has control over our powers. Without them we can't regain what was taken from us."
"Which is Luthor's fault," Flash reminds them about who is to blame for them losing everything.
"No-one said this situation was an acceptable one Flash," Hal says. "It is just the one we have to live with. Like Diana said. We do this and go home and never think of this world again."
Flash throws his little stone to himself with a sour expression. He hated this. Is this what Supes died for? A team that now makes deals with scum like Luthor. Remind Flash to vibrate his hand through Luthor's head when he gets the chance.
A glowing green streak in the sky signals the Green Lantern of this world drawing near and as he does so they can hear him singing.
Hal chuckles a little.
"What is funny?" Aquaman asks him.
"He's drunk," Hal says, a tiny little bit amused by that.
"He is?" Flash inquires.
"I only sing that song when I'm drunk."
"If he is intoxicated that will make this easier," Aquaman quickly assesses the situation.
The 3 Justice Lords watch as Green Lantern floats himself down to Lois' window and then struggles to get in due to his inebriated state. He trips over the ledge and falls flat on his face inside the apartment. Flash snorts with laughter. Despite the mission they are on that's funny.
"Now Flash. Go," Aquaman orders.
Flash vanishes in a yellow and red streak. Aquaman picks up Hal and leaps off this roof over to the apartment block where the two men then start down the fire escape. They step inside the apartment to find this world's Green Lantern lying on the floor face down, still singing away.
Flash is watching over him flipping into the air a green ring. He tosses it to Hal. "You know you're kinda easy to beat after you've had a drink or two," he remarks at how easy it was to snatch the ring from the intoxicated man on the floor.
Hal slips the ring on his finger and concentrates as his clothes transform into a Green Lantern uniform. He exhales a breath as his body tingles with energy. It had been so long since he felt this.
"What about him?" Aquaman asks in relation to Hal's drunken double on the floor.
"Just...knock him out. We're not here for revenge as tempting as it might be ," Hal decides.
Aquaman rolls the man on the floor over so he is facing up.
"Hey fishy!" Hal greets him in a drunken merriment.
Aquaman rolls his eyes, draws his fist back and punches this Hal Jordan out. "Any sign of his concubine?" he asks.
Flash shakes his head. "Nope. Guessing she is working late."
Hal looks around and sees a few days mail piled up. "Or out of town on assignment." he proposes as the more likely scenario.
"We should go," Aquaman decrees. "We have to rendezvous and do this task for Luthor," he says distastefully.
Flash makes a face. "This is the worst idea ever."
"It's only temporary Flash."
"Read my lips. Worst. Idea. Ever!" Flash emphasises his belief. He then vanishes with a gust of wind.
"Why do I have a terrible feeling he's right?" Hal asks Aquaman.
"Probably because for once in his life he is," Aquaman says with some foreboding.
Kent farm, Smallville...
Clark should have listened to his instinct and not agreed to go with Hal and Flash. While he wasn't drunk he was definitely buzzed for the first time in his life. What was in those drinks Clark has no idea.
He was on his way back to his apartment in Metropolis when he received a message from Wonder Woman, of all people, saying she needed to meet him tonight and chose the farm as the place to meet.
Clark couldn't think why she needed to see him. They had barely met. Only once really. Back in Gotham, after Ivy had doped him up on red kryptonite, when Wonder Woman beat him down...rather easily as Clark recalls.
It could be his buzzed brain's fault but Clark just ended up agreeing to it. After all it had to be important, he supposed, for her to feel the need to contact him. He briefly wonders how she got his number but she was leader of the Justice League. She knows his name. Probably isn't too hard with the resources at her disposal to get a simple phone number.
He comes to a land on the farm...and stumbles forward as his balance is off. He barely avoids falling on his face.
That would have been embarrassing. Almost like when he first started flying when he was about 18. He was terrible at landings. Took him weeks of practice before he stopped creating impact craters every time he landed.
Clark walks, in a slightly wavy manner, towards the door of the house. He opens the door, takes two steps into the kitchen and that is when the pain, weakness and nausea hit him.
He stumbles forward and manages to reach the kitchen table to lean upon, gasping for breath, clutching at his chest.
"Forgive me Kal," a sorrow filled voice says from behind him.
Clark struggles to turn his head to see what appears to be Wonder Woman standing there, albeit oddly dressed and with short cut hair. In her hand is a glowing green rock. "Kryptonite. Why?" is all he can manage to say.
"Because it is necessary," Wonder Woman replies in a mournful tone before she draws the hand holding the kryptonite back and then punches him across the face with it.
With her power, combined with the close to paralysing effect of the glowing green meteor rock, the result is inevitable. Clark goes tumbling to the ground, through the kitchen table, smashing it to pieces.
Wonder Woman bends down, holding the kryptonite near, as she runs her other hand through his hair.
"Huh? That's an interesting look," Zatanna remarks from behind at what counts as Clark's Superman costume. It was so homespun looking. Jeans, black work-boots, a red coat over a blue t-shirt she thinks. Very different to the what the Superman she knew wore yet it is in keeping with the farmboy she knew. Perhaps he isn't so different.
Diana shoots her a glare. "Bind him. That's why you're here," she orders in a harsh tone.
Zatanna almost rolls her eyes as she conjures up some chains in her hands. They fly out of her hands and magically wrap themselves around Superman's body, tying him up tight.
Diana puts the kryptonite away, back in its lead box. It hadn't been hard to find since she knew from the Superman back home that he kept a piece around just in case he needed to be stopped. She then picks him up, almost reverent with her touch. "We'll take him down to the storm cellar. Out of sight," she informs her two colleagues.
Diana carries Clark while Zatanna and J'onn follow on behind.
"That was easier than I thought it would be," Zatanna remarks to J'onn about incapacitating Superman.
"It was easy for myself to cloud his mind and hide ourselves because he is slightly intoxicated," he replies in his usual stoic tones.
"Didn't know that was possible outside magic."
"From his mind it seems he was out with this world's Flash...and Hal."
Zatanna grins, amused by that. "Ah. That explains it."
Zatanna and J'onn follow Diana down into the storm cellar where she props Clark up against the wall. She brushes that errant lock of hair off his forehead and smiles when it flops back down automatically.
Diana turns her head to look at Zatanna. "These will hold him?" she inquires after the chains.
"Oh yeah. No problem. They will completely suppress his powers. No heat visioning his way out of these babies," Zatanna confidently predicts.
Diana turns back to look at him. Her fingers gently stoke his cheek in an affectionate manner, brushing over the bruise that is already forming from where she hit him "Kal," she whispers, in a loving tone.
His brow quirks and his eyes move under the lids before they start to flutter open. Diana's heart flutters in response at seeing those deep cerulean blue eyes look back at her. It takes him a moment to register what is going on.
"Wonder Woman?" he queries before trying to move and finding himself restrained. "What is going on?"
"I...apologise. Restraining you is necessary."
"Necessary?" Clark questions that sharply.
"It is for the best. Once I have completed some...tasks I shall return for you...and then we can be together again."
"Again? We've never been together in the first place," Clark points out seriously starting to wonder if either Wonder Woman has lost it or if this is even Wonder Woman at all. Dinah's told him stories of clones and magically created duplicates...although the short hair and the incorrect uniform sort of suggests they weren't attempting to replace Wonder Woman.
Diana looks at him puzzled. "Never?" she questions that. "We don't know each other?"
Ok Clark is really confused. She speaks as if she thinks she is Wonder Woman. "We know each other," he decides to play along with her until he can figure out what is going on. "We just...don't get along all that well."
Is her double mad? That's the first question in Diana's head. How could her double not get along with Kal of all people. He's easy to get along with...and to fall in love with.
Clark watches the confusion, the conflict inside 'Wonder Woman's' sky blue eyes play out for several moments before she does the really unexpected. She kisses him. Her lips take possession of his and she kisses him for a long time.
When she pulls back Clark is speechless. He just looks at her trying to figure out what the heck is going on.
Diana's face remains close to his and she strokes his cheek affectionately, her eyes laden with moisture. "I'll come back for you," she promises. "And then everything will be alright again. Everything will be better and I'll show you the world I created for you," she says, her voice trembling with emotion as she speaks. "I'll never lose you again. I promise."
"Oh brother," Zatanna murmurs to J'onn in the background. "She's losing it," she says out of the corner of her mouth.
"Diana," J'onn speaks up. "We must go," he tells her. He doesn't respond to Zatanna's comment to express any opinion whether or not he agrees with the sorceress about Diana's mental state.
Clark watches control snap back in Wonder Woman's eyes but for a few brief moments he saw in them...well it was hard to say. Grief he thinks. Unbridled...almost overwhelming grief.
Wonder Woman stands up straight. "Of course J'onn," she says, the timber of her voice now showing she is back in control of her emotions.
"I'll catch up," Zatanna says. "I just want to double check that those chains will hold," she explains as she moves over and bends down beside Clark.
Wonder Woman and J'onn leave.
"Sorry about that," Zatanna apologises "I guess it doesn't make much sense from where you are."
"If you were sorry you would let me go and explain what is going on," Clark beseeches her.
"Cute," Zatanna laughs lightly before grabbing Clark's face and kissing him deeply and passionately. "You always were so damn cute," Zatanna growls as her kisses become aggressive. "God if I only had 10 minutes to spare. The things I would do with you in this situation," she lustily says as she ravages his mouth with her tongue.
Zatanna then pulls back and stands up. Her fingers brush over her slightly swollen lips. "Damn. You taste good," she comments. "Just try and be as comfortable as you can. This won't take long," she says before raising her hands...in the most blatantly sexually alluring manner possible, by having them skim over the contours of her body, before they are stretched above her head. She then vanishes in a flash of light.
Clark instantly strains against his chains but nothing. Heat vision, superbreath...all his powers. There's nothing. It's like he is utterly powerless...and what the hell is going on and how did he end up in this world where everyone kisses him?
Seriously.
Ok they were nice kisses he'll admit...but they weren't Dinah's kisses.
Clark wishes she was here right now to help him get out of this...and there may be an apology for her he has to give. Well apology for yelling at her. Not because he did anything wrong...which he didn't.
No siree.
Nope.
Didn't do anything wrong.
Krypton is just something that needs to be left in the past and not thought about.
Anything else is a waste of time...and damn these chains are well made.
Clark is coming to the conclusion that Zatanna must have made them. That's the only explanation he can come up with for chains that he can't break.
'Hmm she did look hot in that new outfit she had on' he muses to himself about Zatanna.
Ok that has to be the drink talking.
'Remember Dinah, Kent. Your girlfriend,' he reminds himself.
Clark gets back to trying to get free and the longer he tries and fails it only reinforces a belief he holds.
"I hate magic!"
Author's Note: I have special plans for the Justice Lord version of Zatanna whose look I got off the new one she currently has. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; The BoPs meet Dinah's Justice Lord double while the Justice Lords themselves prepare to destroy Cadmus' living weapon.
