Chapter 34

BoP Headquarters, Gotham City...

"So...um...what is going on?" Misfit asks Huntress at a whisper, as her eyes behold two Dinahs. The one she knows and one with short hair who had appeared at this impromptu meeting of the Birds of Prey.

"She's a quantum double from a less reputable universe," Nightwing answers from the other side of Misfit.

"Huh?"

"Evil twin," Huntress clarifies with a roll of her eyes at how Dick couldn't just say that. He's been hanging around Barbara too long. That's how she speaks.

"Oh!" Misfit says with a sudden clarity of the situation.

Batgirl observes Dinah's double with extreme caution. The Justice Lords were perhaps the most dangerous criminals ever...because they were them twisted into brutal tyrants.

The Justice Lord Black Canary observes Batgirl back with a nostalgic air. "You know it's weird," she says.

"What is?" Batgirl asks her, with a suspicious gaze.

"To see you as Batgirl. Haven't seen that in a long time."

"Is that so?"

"Yep. You were forced to...retire the cape and cowl back home."

"Dead?"

"Close. Joker shot you, severing your spine and paralysing your legs. Put you in a wheelchair. There was a lot of bitterness after that."

Barbara pauses. That's...she can't imagine what that must be like. "And did she turn this bitterness to the same goal you did?" she wonders.

"Pretty much yeah," Lord Dinah confirms that Barbara's double, too, fell from grace. "Should have seen her revenge on the clown," she says with a chuckle of amusement at the memory. "Masterpiece of manipulation even Riddler couldn't compete with that tricked him to into his own demise. You're cunningly evil once you drop the moral pretence."

"Moral pretence?" Batgirl questions.

"That's what it is," Lord Dinah insists on calling it. "It isn't moral what you do. Sending all these criminal away to Arkham and for what? So they escape? Kill more innocent people? That's why we did it. To break the cycle. To protect the innocent."

Dinah snorts derisively. "Please. How many innocents did you kill in the process of bringing about your so-called order?"

"Collateral damage. Unfortunate but necessary," Lord Dinah justifies the deaths that, in her opinion, were necessary to bring peace to their world.

Dinah shakes her head. "You've lost all perspective. You will justify anything in the name of peace and order. All the Justice Lords are the same." She looks at Barbara. "Don't indulge her in a debate Batgirl. You can't win. She's too far gone. Believe me I tried that when she was here before. It's a waste of time," she dismisses any attempt to try and reach some goodness left within the Justice Lord version of herself.

Barbara is beginning to see that. She had never had the personal pleasure or misfortune, depending on your point of view, of meeting the Justice Lords previously but she had heard stories and from what she has seen so far the stories underplay just how far gone they are.

"Just get on with telling us what you promised," Dinah tells her double, in no mood to indulge this any further.

"Lex Luthor's mansion in Metropolis. There are secret underground levels. That is where he has the gateway device and has been keeping us as his guests."

"Can you describe the layout?" Batgirl asks.

"Yes and where the blind spots are in the security. After all that is how I escaped."

The next short while is spent with the Justice Lord Dinah sketching out everything she remembers from her time spent in Lex Luthor's company. Everything she learnt for her own escape will be used to plan how to get in.

Lord Dinah then steps back to allow her double and Batgirl to plan strategy. She could help but they don't trust her. Clever them. She turns her gaze elsewhere to the other members of this little group. "So tell me Ev," she addresses Starling, "how did my double talk you into this? After all you're aren't a team player."

"Is this the part you expect me to reveal my soul to you or something?" Ev asks back, not sounding or looking all that impressed at being in the presence of the big scary Justice Lord. Please note the sarcasm.

"I'm just curious. Been a long while since the Ev back home and I were on speaking terms...with you know her being dead and all," Lord Dinah says with a knowing look and an almost smile pulling at her lips.

Emotions flicker across Starling's face. "You killed her," she realises.

"Wasn't a team player. Can't have loose cannons just feeling they can do as they please," Lord Dinah says, essentially confirming that, yes, she killed Ev back in her world. "Now Helena on the other hand...that's a different matter," she remarks.

Huntress glares coldly at the double of her friend. "Don't," she warns her. "Don't even think of trying to play these games with me."

"Oh but come on Helena. Don't you tire of it. Don't you tire of suppressing that killing instinct of yours. In my world we let you cut loose and deal with our enemies the way they needed to be dealt with and she was never happier...well except when she was riding some stallion hard and fast," Lord Dinah says with a very suggestive tone.

"Does she need to be conscious?" Huntress asks Batgirl and her Dinah in reference to Lord Dinah.

"Unfortunately so. Just ignore her," Dinah advises.

"Boo," Lord Dinah pouts. "You're spoiling my fun. After all I don't have long left to enjoy myself do I?"

"That remains to be confirmed," Dinah counters.

"You don't trust me?" Lord Dinah asks back, looking offended.

"No. Any reason I should?"

"I'm you."

"You're not me!" Dinah snaps back quickly before she calms her emotions. "I thought that was the point you were making about the differences between us," she reminds her double in a prickly tone.

"Wow. This boyfriend of yours must have really struck a nerve."

"What?"

Lord Dinah smiles slyly. "I heard you talking to mom remember. Had a fight did you. Explains your bad mood...or maybe you just haven't been getting enough from him."

"I get plenty from him!"

Lord Dinah snorts with laughter.

Dinah's face sours as she realises what she just did. Her double can so easily get under her skin she is getting sloppy.

Lord Dinah turns her gaze to Misfit. "So Charlie want to let me in on who she's dating?"

Misfit shuffles a little on the spot.

"Leave her alone," Dinah warns her double about daring to drag Charlie into this.

"Oh come on. It's a small thing. I wonder do I know him?" Lord Dinah asks. "Yes? No? Is he an improvement on Ollie? Well to be fair that isn't hard," she remarks with a strange little smile. She then steps over to directly in front of Misfit. "Want to know what happened to my Ollie?"

"Don't," Dinah warns her again, wondering if she should step in or not. That could be exactly what her double is trying to get her to do.

Lord Dinah brings her head forward to beside Misfit's ear so she can whisper the following. "You see my Ollie didn't go along with the whole bring peace and order to the world plan. He opposed it so he had to be dealt with. I brought my lips right to his ear just like this and then I screamed as loud as I could. Do you know what my Canary Cry is capable of doing to a human at this range?" she asks Misfit.

Misfit shakes her head in the negative.

Lord Dinah grins and prepares to explain.

"Don't," Dinah repeats her warning, her voice taking on the kind of tone she saves for people she is about to beat the crap out of.

Lord Dinah ignores the warning and speaks anyway. "His skull shattered and his brains liquefied...which to be honest was an improvement on the usual state of his brains."

"That's enough!" Dinah yells as she grabs her double and roughly throws her up against the wall. "Huntress if she talks more feel free to shoot her," Dinah permits Helena.

Helena looks quite cheerful at that idea as she pulls out her bow and aims it at the short haired double of her friend.

Lord Dinah smirks smugly as if this is proving something she was intending to prove. "I do find this interesting," she comments.

Huntress undoes the safety on her crossbow. "No more talking," she warns.

Lord Dinah laughs. "You really think I care about any threats to my life. Didn't my double mention that I'm dying anyway?"

Huntress looks puzzled.

"Cancer. Terminal. Got a few months left maybe. Still I do find it interesting how you're planning to do this yourselves and not call in the Justice League. Do I detect a modicum of conflict and mistrust?"

"It's not necessary to call them yet. We don't yet know the full situation with your colleagues," Batgirl counters.

"Assume the worse and that they have their powers back. I would. No. That's not the reason you aren't calling them. Something is going on with them isn't it?" Lord Dinah fishes for information.

"It isn't your concern," Dinah tells her double. "We will do this our way."

"Definitely interesting," Lord Dinah murmurs quietly to herself as she considers all the possibilities.

Dinah glares at her double for several moments.

"Are you sure you want to believe her?" Batgirl asks in a low voice in reference to what they are about to do and basing it off plans given to them by Dinah's corrupted double.

"Not really," Dinah replies in the same low voice. "But if she's here they have to be as well and we've got to find them before they get their powers back," she says with urgency. "You didn't meet them Barbara. You didn't see their world. You can't begin to imagine how dangerous they are."

"Then can I suggest you call Clark."

"Must I?"

Barbara looks at Dinah closely and can see the unhappy, tense expression on her face. "You two did had a fight just like she said didn't you?"

Dinah nods.

"Greater good," Barbara says as in they need Clark and his powers...especially the x-ray one to look down underneath Lex's mansion.

Dinah nods. She knew this was probably inevitable. Doesn't mean she has to like it. She walks out onto the balcony where she can't be overheard and pulls her phone out and starts ringing numbers for where he might be.

"So Dick? How ya doing?" Lord Dinah suddenly asks Nightwing.

Nightwing has been careful not to indulge her. He can see what she is doing. Trying to use what she knows about them to get under their skin and reveal information to her. "You going to tell me how you killed my double too?"

"Pft," Lord Dinah dismisses that. "I never hurt him...not unless he asked me to," she says with a sultry grin strongly implying a sexual overtone to her meaning.

"Is he here too?" Nightwing asks, ignoring the implication and focussing on the thought he might have to kick his own butt in a manner of speaking.

"Shh," she says, bring her finger up to her lips. "Spoilers," she adds, with an amused gleam in her eye.

Huntress jabs her crossbow forward until the tip of the arrow is digging into Lord Dinah's shoulder. "I think I've given you enough leniency," she warns.

"Too much if anything. My Helena would have shot me stone dead already. She so enjoys being the Hunter. I'm curious though Helena. Do your friends know who you really are?"

"What are you on about?" Huntress asks, clearly having no idea what Lord Dinah is meaning.

"Not sure if it applies on this world but you see my Helena was not whom she claimed to be. Helena Bertinelli was merely a front...a cover for the real person. The real Helena Bertinelli in my world died when she was 8 and had her identity hijacked by the woman who became Huntress."

Huntress finds many eyes now staring at her curiously. "I don't know what she is on about. I am who I said I am."

"I'm sure you are," Lord Dinah says, not sounding like she quite believes it though.

"I'm sure you're a lying sack of crap trying to undermine our trust in each other," Dinah says as she strides back in from the balcony.

"Tsk. Tsk. Language dear," Lord Dinah rebukes her double in a condescending tone.

Dinah actually growls softly. She is that annoyed.

"Any luck?" Batgirl asks Dinah, cutting into this.

"No," she replies. Clark isn't answering his phone.

"Couldn't you just shout on him?" Misfit asks.

Every head snaps in Misfit's direction because by saying that she just revealed something.

"Shout on him?" Lord Dinah queries. "There's only one person I know who could hear something like that. Let me make a stab here. Would you shout something along the lines of 'Help! Superman!'?"

Dinah's expression in reaction to that confirms it.

"I'm right aren't I," Lord Dinah assumes. "Tell me Dinah is he the boyfriend because if he is I must say I think I might have severely underestimated you."

"Oops," Misfit says as she realises what she has done. "I'm sorry," she says to Batgirl.

"It's alright," Barbara assures her.

Lord Dinah chuckles before exclaiming, "Wow! You're doing Clark! I always knew that boyscout routine was an act. Has to be to have snagged you."

"Shut up," Dinah says, her anger seething below the surface.

"Oh this time you will want to listen to me."

"How do you know Clark?" Batgirl asks her. "I've read every report the League wrote about your world. There was no Superman."

"You are absolutely correct Barbs!" Lord Dinah praises her. "And you are absolutely wrong!" she then chides her. "There was a Superman. Please notice the past tense I am using." She looks at her double. "You said before there wasn't a single moment where we diverged and became who we are. You're probably right but there was a tipping point. The straw that broke the camel's back when we crossed the line and never looked back. The death of Superman was that moment."

Something painful strikes Dinah's heart at the mere idea of Clark dying.

Lord Dinah continues, "That's when it all unravelled if you want to see it that way."

"How..." Dinah's voice is breaking so she starts again. "How did it happen?"

"Luthor. Who else," Lord Dinah says with disgust at having to say his name. "Clark...our Clark was always the one who tried to see the best in people. The one who thought people could change if you gave them a chance. Even Luthor. When Lex became the President..."

"Whoa. Wait. President?" Nightwing asks in disbelief at that.

"Yes. President Luthor...and you wonder why we got rid of democracy when people voted that monster into power?" Lord Dinah asks them rhetorically. "Democracy is a joke. His whole campaign was based on his so-called redemption and reform. The belief in the possibility a man could change but he hadn't changed. Not at all. It was all another one of his schemes. After his inauguration he invited Superman, as leader of the Justice League, to a meeting. Clark, willing to give Luthor one chance to show he had changed, agreed. It was a trap. Lex finally got him. I think I'll spare you the details beyond it wasn't pleasant," she says with deep sorrow and anguish as she remembers.

Lord Dinah pauses for a moment before continuing. "That was it. That was the day when we essentially stopped being the Justice League. We tried being heroes. We really did and where did that get us? Luthor, President and thanks to him the world was soon on the edge of all out war. Superman was dead. You should have seen Diana. She was shattered. In that moment when she saw Superman's body I think that is when she decided Luthor would die and nothing and no-one was going to stop her. She's never been the same since. Almost like an empty shell going through the motions of living. Only carrying on to build a world where people like Lex Luthor pay the way they should. Where there is peace and order so Superman's legacy can live on. She swore this upon his grave, drawing her own blood in an oath."

"She was in love with him," Dinah can take from that in relation to Lord Wonder Woman's feelings for that world's Superman. She isn't sure how she should feel about that herself considering her own feelings for Clark. This is not the time, though, she knows to dwell on that.

"More than that. They were married," Lord Dinah informs them and then can see the surprised looks she is getting at that idea. "This is a surprise to you why?" she asks, at how big a surprise it looks to them, despite knowing her double is dating him which she still can't believe. She might even be a little jealous of her double she thinks.

"He and Wonder Woman don't really get on in this world," Ev supplies from what she has been told.

"Is that so?" Lord Dinah queries, finding that a little odd. Even before they got married Clark and Diana were best friends. As she remembers it that spark between them existed from the moment they met. This world is very different it seems. She continues, "Then again I didn't even know he existed here until Charlie mentioned it. He wasn't here when we came before." She looks at her double, her whole posture and expression changed to one she radiates a deadly seriousness. "No more games," she promises. "This is too serious now."

"What do you mean?" Dinah asks back.

"Diana would have done anything to get him back. She almost destroyed herself trying. Failing that I believe she might just take a substitute...and that would be why he isn't answering his phone."

"She would abduct him?" Nightwing asks.

"Clark can't be taken down that easily," Batgirl points out.

"He can if you know his weaknesses and Diana knows every single one of them," Lord Dinah argues.

"Why?" Dinah asks. "Why are you telling us this?" she has to know the motive behind this sudden change in her double's attitude before she will give what her double is saying any credence.

"Because I loved Clark...but this isn't Clark. Not the one I knew. We lost ours. I won't have you suffer the same fate. I can guess Diana is fooling herself into thinking it is her Clark. It will finish her off when she figures out how he doesn't love her back. I love Diana as well and I won't allow that."

Dinah judges her double is being serious. "I believe you," she says before turning to Barbara. "Clark's cell phone did ring. Can you trace its location?"

Barbara nods and quickly gets to work tracking down where Clark's phone is and hopefully where he is assuming he and the phone are in the same location. It doesn't take her too long. "He's in Kansas."

"He's at home. On the farm," Dinah can quickly see from the map Barbara has put up on screen.

"Makes sense," Lord Dinah assesses. "It's isolated. No-one likely to find him...I'm assuming his parents are dead?" she queries her assumption based on the fact Diana wouldn't ambush him there if they were still alive.

Dinah nods to confirm the deceased status of Clark's parents.

"If I'm right in my guess about Diana she probably left him there to pick him up later when it's time to go home."

"That's crazy," Lady Blackhawk points out.

Lord Dinah concedes the point. "Yes it is...but Diana doesn't think straight when it comes to Clark. His death is her justification for everything she has done."

"And what's your justification?" Nightwing asks.

"Don't have one really. I accept what I became because it was the only way to break the cycle."

"We need to get to Kansas," Dinah says with some urgency, her worry for Clark breaking into her voice.

"You should call Zatanna," Lord Dinah suggests.

"Why?" Dinah asks her double back, suspicious of that.

"Two reasons. One, she can teleport us there. Two, you'll need her to break the spell."

"What spell?" Batgirl asks.

"Clark's not an easy guy to restrain. There are some alien alloys that can hold him but I doubt Diana had access to those. Kryptonite can do it too but that's fatal to him and Diana won't wish to harm him. That leaves magic. Now Diana doesn't have her lasso anymore. If I was in her shoes that only leaves one option. Using Zatanna to whip up magical restraints of some kind that would completely suppress his powers. Zee can do that."

"She can?" Huntress queries that, not really convinced the magician is that powerful.

Lord Dinah modifies that. "Ok our Zatanna can. Remember we're the ones prepared to do what is necessary and in Zee's case that means dabbling in black magic when the cause justifies it. Anyway Zatanna is your best chance of breaking the spell. If anyone would know how to break her own spells it's her."

Dinah shares a look with Barbara. Neither can really argue with that point.

"I'll call her," Barbara says.

"Great. Always love a field trip!" Lord Dinah says enthusiastically.

"She's going?" Nightwing asks, wary of that.

"Would you rather leave her here unsupervised?" Dinah counters.

"Good point," Nightwing concedes.

"However if she tries anything I'll be making her life much shorter than it is already," Dinah warns her double.

"Trust me," Lord Dinah says.

Dinah silently snorts. Trust her? When pigs fly.


Metropolis...

Lois Lane gets to her apartment door after being away on assignment in Europe for several days. She can't wait to just collapse into bed. Jet lag, long hours and her feet are killing her. She knew these shoes would hurt until she broke them in but she was in Milan and saw them in a window and just had to have them.

Lois fiddles and fumbles around with her keys, too tired to concentrate properly on getting the right key into the lock.

After several attempts she manages to get her door open. She walks in and pushes the door shut. She makes it to her couch and crashes down. She pulls her shoes off and rubs her aching feet.

Lois leans back and closes her eyes. Maybe she'll just drop off here. The bedroom is so far away. Too far away.

It is then she hears a groan. Someone else is in her apartment.

Lois' eyes shoot open, the surge of adrenaline waking her up. She quietly reaches around for a weapon and grabs her one of her shoes. The heel should make a good impression on the intruder. Lois silently gets to her feet and looks around. She should have put the light on. Damn it!

Lois creeps silently forward towards the groan... and trips over something. She lets out a girlish yelp as she falls on top of a man.

Lois quickly tries to scramble herself free. She still has her shoe in her hand. She manages to manoeuvre herself round and pulls her shoe back, ready to bosh the intruder on the noggin...when she sees who it is. "Hal?"

Hal's eyes open and he looks at her, cross-eyed. "Hey Lo-lo. Lo-lo-lo," he says in merriment.

Lois sniffs the air. "Have you been drinking?" she asks him as the whiff of alcohol tickles her nostril hairs.

"Pft," Hal says. "We were just trying to cheer him up."

"Cheer who up?"

"The guy. You know the guy."

"Gee that was helpful," Lois mutters sarcastically. She stands up and strides broadly over to the light switch. She turns the light on before returning to stand over Hal. It takes her a minute to figure out what is wrong with his appearance.

He's not wearing his Green Lantern uniform. He's in his civilian clothes. Her eyes drift to her hand. "Where's your ring?" she asks at its absence.

Hal raises his hand above himself as he lies there on his back and makes a confused, and Lois can't help but think rather adorable, face. "Huh. That's funny. I'm sure it was there earlier."

"Is that a bruise?" Lois asks, pointing at the darkening splodge on his face.

"Could be. What's his name was here. God what's he called? You know the fish guy. The guy who smells like fish. He might talk to them as well...which is weird. A fish guy who talks to fish," Hal drunkenly babbles.

Lois looks to the heavens. This is the guy she is...dating she supposes. "Aquaman was here and he hit you?" she inquires from Hal.

"Aquafresh was here?" Hal asks in a surprised tone.

"Oy!" Lois yells in exasperation.

Hal snorts with laughter. "Oy! You sound like this girl I use to know."

"As much as I would love to hear about your exes," Lois says, her tone dripping with sarcasm, "how about we find your ring?"

"It's on my finger," Hal says as he looks at his hand. "Huh. It was there," he says, sounding and looking very confused as he has forgotten he just looked a minute earlier.

"I will not kill him. I will not kill him," Lois mutters to herself, restraining that homicidal urge that is rising up within her.

"You're so pretty," Hal says in drunken compliment as he looks up at her.

"I doubt it at the minute," Lois retorts because she can just feel that vein throbbing in her forehead.

"You're always pretty," he mumbles, as his eyes start to flutter close.

"Wake up Hal!" Lois snaps at him. "We have to find your ring!"

"Don't want to. Need sleep," Hal says, sounding like a grumpy, overtired 3-year old.

"You are so not sleeping on my floor Hal Jordan so get your ass up!" Lois yells as she grabs his hand and yanks at him.

A sly grin forms on Hal's lips as he pulls at just the right moment and Lois falls down atop of him. He buries his face into his neck. "Hmm. I like it when you're with me."

"That's nice...ah quit it!" she yells as Hal's hand slides between her thighs.

"Do you really want me to?" he asks in husky tones as his fingers drift over her sensitive spots.

"Oh god," Lois moans because Hal is so good with his fingers.

"Flattered by the comparison."

Lois' eyes flutter shut as Hal works his magic. Hmm magic. That's what she thinks when he uses his ring so imaginatively on her...

Wait.

His ring.

His missing ring.

Lois' eyes snap open and she quickly pulls herself off Hal.

Hal looks at her through a drunken confusion. "What?"

"Your ring? Aquaman hitting you? Don't you want to know about that?"

Hal looks even more confused. "Huh?"

Lois rolls her eyes. Honestly she thought he held his liquor better than this. What on earth has he been drinking?

Lois does a search for Hal's ring but can't see it. "Did Aquaman take your ring?" she wonders.

No response.

Lois looks to see Hal has dropped off asleep this time. He looks handsome even like that...even with the bruise on his face.

Lois needs answers and there is only one way to get it. She bends down and reaches into Hal's ear. She knows each member of the Justice League have a small communicator in there. Lois manages to fiddle it out. She holds it in the palm of her hand and taps the centre to activate it.

"Watchtower?" she can hear.

"Yeah. It's Lois Lane. I'm with Green Lantern."

"Is he in trouble?" comes the question born out of the question why isn't Green lantern himself speaking.

"You tell me," she says. "You can start with telling me why Aquaman punched him out and stole his ring," she accuses.

There is a pause before the puzzled response she gets is, "Aquaman has been on board the Watchtower all night."

"Well Hal has a bruise on his face that says otherwise."

"I think it best I beam you both up," the decision comes. "Are you together?"

"Yes."

"Hang on."

Lois and Hal then vanish in a sparkling beam of light as they are teleported up to the Satellite high above earth.


Luthor Mansion...

In his study Lex waits for the return of Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter and Zatanna. Aquaman, Flash and Green Lantern had already returned after successfully gaining possession of the ring from this world's Green Lantern.

So far it seemed things were going to plan. Not that Lex fully trusted any of the Justice Lords but he held the advantage over them. Their powers, Green Lantern aside, were his to remove at will. Should they betray him the others he still has as his guests would be killed. That should hold Green Lantern in line.

A flash of light grabs Lex's attention and Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter and Zatanna appear in his study.

"Well?" Lex queries.

"It is done," Diana says. "Black Canary has been dealt with," she lies.

"How?"

"The details are not important," Diana tells him, her tone hard to say she will not discuss this further.

Lex looks at Wonder Woman suspiciously for a few moments. "Very well," he says, deciding to move on to what is more important. He clicks a hidden switch under his desk and the bookshelf on the wall slides open to reveal a hidden room. Lex Leads the Justice Lords inside.

There is flat table in the middle of the room. Lex presses a switch and a 3D holographic representation of Metropolis appears above the table. He zooms the projection in to a particular part of the city. The buildings becomes translucent and what becomes clear is an underground structure. "Lets begin shall we," Lex announces to the assembled group. He points at the hologram. "The base Cadmus are using to hold their creation."

"Cadmus have a base under the city?" Hal questions that.

"It's the perfect place. After all with all the service tunnels, subway tunnels and everything else that is beneath any major city who would notice it?" Lex argues.

"There's only one entrance," Diana's keen eye has spotted.

"Yes. There's no subtle way to do this," Lex admits.

Diana notices something about the way Lex said that. "Which is exactly what you want isn't it. You want us to be seen," she evaluates his expression to mean.

"Say what?" Flash asks, not sure he heard that right. They were supposedly not to be seen. Luthor had been at pains to keep them hidden up to this point.

"It's the only explanation," Diana says. "After all you're Lex Luthor and if you wanted to do this subtly you would think of a way," she accuses him.

Lex chuckles. "I do so enjoy interacting with intelligent people," he says, not denying Wonder Woman's accusation because she is correct. If he wanted to do this subtly he could.

"Why?" Aquaman asks. "Why do you want us to be seen? What is your game Luthor?"

"Game?" Lex questions that. "It's not a game Aquaman. I'm simply standing up for the truth."

Zatanna snorts in a derisive manner. "That'll be the day," she mutters. Lex Luthor wouldn't know what the truth was if it bit him in the ass...and trust her when she says she knows that for certain.

"Oh but I am," Lex rebuts Zatanna's mutterings. "My plan will strip back the lies of the Justice League and the government. Once people have seen you, both of them will have no choice but to finally come clean about what happened all those years ago when you first came to this world."

"Which will undermine trust, perhaps fatally, in both," J'onn assess the result of this to be.

"Which will weaken both your enemies," Diana makes the conclusion. Gods she knew this would be tough to honour a deal with Lex Luthor but they are basically opening a door for him to gain power.

"Perhaps," Lex coyly responds not confirming that. "But a deal is a deal Wonder Woman," he reminds her of the agreement they have.

"We will destroy Cadmus' weapon," Diana assures him. That part of the deal she will uphold but his plans for Kal...she will never let Lex touch him. She has a plan for that but she needs more time which is why she is upholding this part of the bargain that was struck. "I am certain you already have a plan so perhaps we should discuss that so we all know what to do," she says.

Lex nods in agreement. He must say Wonder Woman's ability to be calm and rational is a pleasant bonus to this. Makes it so much easier than dealing with the...mentally deficient imbeciles that comprise his Injustice League.

The plan is discussed. Lex concedes a few minor changes the Justice Lords suggest. In the end though what remains is that this will be a demonstration of brute force...and as far as anyone is concerned Lex Luthor had nothing to do with it. This will be the fault of the Justice League and the government who hid the existence of the Justice Lords from everyone.

Lex already has the information ready to be leaked to the press. This will serve his plans well. This will lay down the foundations for the New Order Lex will create. It is only a beginning...the beginning of the end for the Justice League.


Cadmus' Secret Base...

Dr Hamilton is watching Donna sleep in her...cell is the most accurate description of the sparse room. Really only consisting of a bed and basic toilet facilities just like a prison cell. His superiors were still trying to enforce that idea that Donna is nothing more than a weapon and not a real person. Dr Hamilton would not believe that. She was a real living person.

He wondered what she dreamt about if anything. He tenderly brushes a few tendrils of her ebony hair off her face. Moments like these, when she looks so innocent and young, he does briefly question if he has done right playing God as he has...but then he remembers that it is necessary to protect humanity.

After all if the government don't have a weapon like Donna someone, somewhere, will probably create something similar. Best they have it first and she is his best work so far.

Suddenly Donna's eyes snap open and she sits up sharply on her bed. Her eyes fixate onto her father who is clearly surprised she is awake. "It is beginning," she says.

"What is Donna?" Dr Hamilton asks her.

"Those that have fallen from grace seek to destroy me. They shall fail."

"What do you mean Donna? Who is seeking to destroy you?" Dr Hamilton asks, confused and worried about her odd behaviour.

Donna smiles gently at him. "Worry not father. I shall protect you," she promises. "I shall create a New Order in this world for you. Today it starts. You see I know why you created me father and it was not to be their weapon. It was to create a better world...but first the old world has to fall. This is where it begins."

Dr Hamilton is clueless as to what she means. Donna has never spoken like this. She barely speaks beyond acknowledging her commands.

Suddenly there is a loud explosion. Donna calmly rises to her feet. Dr Hamilton shoots up to his. "What was that?" he exclaims.

"Stand behind me father," Donna instructs him as she rises off the ground. The bed and mattress rise up and start to spin around her. The metal walls of her cell creak.

Dr Hamilton blinks. Donna had never shown this level of control. She hadn't shown she could control her telekinesis at all...unless she deliberately wasn't showing what she could do...but why would she do that?

He looks up and a cold shiver rises up his spine at the cold smile of anticipation pulling at Donna's lips. Suddenly he is pulled around behind her as if a hand grabbed him and did so.

The sounds of fighting can now be heard which draw nearer and nearer and nearer.

The air in the cell almost crackles with power as if Donna is preparing herself. "They are coming," she says.

Dr Hamilton can't even imagine who they are. How did they find this base? How did they breach its defences?

He jumps as the door is dented by a fist punching it. A second blow knocks it flat and Dr Hamilton eye's widen in disbelief and shock as he recognises the 6 people who stand there. The Justice Lords. The very reason Cadmus exists.

Dr Hamilton's eyes are not the only ones wide in disbelief and shock at what they see. Wonder Woman's are as well. "Donna?" she says in complete shock, her mouth agape, at who she sees.

"Hello sis," Donna replies in a creepy low tone of voice. Her eyes narrow and gleam darkly as a cruel, pitiless smile comes to her face as she pronounces the fate of all those in front of her. "Time to die."


Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; As Donna said 'Time to die'. The only question is who will as Cadmus' living weapon flexes her muscles.