Uncanny Wonder Woman

Chapter 16: She's Back!- Part 1

By

The Uncanny R-Man

Disclaimer- All familiar characters belong to DC.

Quote of the day- Insolent Trickster! You dare to strike... (hit by a chair)...You dare to strike- (hit by a table)...You dare... (covered by a tablecloth) QUIT IT! ...oh no... (hit by a grand piano)- Circe (Justice League Unlimited: This Little Piggy)

Gotham City-

It was some time in the afternoon in Gotham City. Innocent civilians were sent scattering as the wall to a nearby bank exploded outwards. The Riddler strode out of the building alongside his bazooka-toting lackeys.

'Riddle me this, boys...' The Riddler spoke to the hired thugs. 'When is Gotha... Ow!'

The Riddler never got to finish his question as he was hit in the a head by a Birdarang. Robin swung down on a rope and subdued the puzzle-themed purloiner's goons with well-aimed kicks to their faces.

'Quiz time's over, Riddler!' The Boy Wonder told the green-hued quizmaster. 'Now, why don't you do us all a favour and come along nicel... Aghhh!'

The Riddler blinked in surprise as Robin doubled over in pain.

'Oh, this is too easy...' The Riddler smirked as he aimed a gun at the Boy Wonder's head. Unfortunately for the villain, but fortunately for Robin, he never got the chance to fire one shot as he soon doubled over in pain as well.

'RAGGhat's happRRGGH to mRGH?!' The Riddler growled as course brown fur started to sprout all over his body.

Robin couldn't answer as he was too busy coping with the pain of his arms starting to morph into wings. Both of them were going through some kind of fearsome metamorphosis. The Riddler was turning into a moose while Robin was gradually changing into his namesake: a red-breasted robin!

Once the change was complete, a sleek figure stepped up to the two creatures. An evil grin spread across the woman's face.

'What's the matter, dear?' Circe asked the twittering Robin. 'Did that hurt?'

The angry little red-breasted bird tried to peck at the chuckling sorceress, but ended up being grabbed in the furry spotted hand of Circe's lackey, the male Cheetah, Sebastian Bellasteros. The feline villain opened his mouth and went to shovel the struggling Robin inside.

'No, Sebastian...' Circe shook her head. She lightly slapped the feline man's hand, making him release Robin. 'We don't eat our enemies.'

'But I'm hungry...' Sebastian sulked. 'I haven't eaten since...'

'You ate the owner of that jewel clerk when we went to pick up Scarecrow after he turned into a well... crow.' Circe pointed out. 'Heh. Talk about ironic.'

Wayne Manor-

The mysterious goings on weren't just limited to the streets of Gotham, Bruce Wayne found that out once he discovered that his trusty aide Alfred had been transformed into a chimpanzee. The Dark Knight hadn't been able to help much as he soon started to transform himself. the World's Greatest Detective found himself being transformed into a bat. Unexpected but appropriate.

Diana had just walked back into the mansion after talking her young daughter for a walk. The Amazon princess gawked at the state the mansion had been left in. Chairs had been upturned and the drapes had been torn. It looked like a bomb had gone off!

'What in Hera's name went on here?' Diana thought out loud. 'Bruce, are you okay? Bruce?'

'I don't think he's here.' Donna told her sister as she knelt down beside a torn cowl. 'Something really bad must have happened here for Bruce to leave without telling anybody.' The elder Amazon took the cowl.

'That's odd...' Diana frowned. 'Bruce never brings his cowl up here. Alfred doesn't allow costumes outside the cave...' She tried to raise the Dark Knight on her communicator. 'Hades's beard!' Diana growled in anger. 'I can't raise Bruce on his League communicator.'

'I don't see any sign of Alfred, either.' Donna frowned in concern. 'No Tim or Dick, either.'

'Wonder Woman, are you there?' Black Canary's tinny voice asked through Diana's League communicator.

'I'm here, Dinah...' Diana replied. 'What's wrong?'

'It's Ollie...' The blonde-haired heroine explained. 'We were having dinner when he just... freaked out. He started to have some kind of fit, then he started to change into some kind of animal. I think it was a wolf. I tried to chase after him, but he just ran off!'

'That is most strange...' Diana tapped her chin in thought. 'Stay where you are and I'll come and meet you.'

The raven-haired princess then turned to her sister.

'Donna, take Cassie to Leslie Tompkins's surgery in the East End. She'll be safe there. Then come and meet me back here.'

Donna simply nodded in response and took her niece in her hands before flying off to find the fair doctor.

Later-

Diana had met up with Black Canary and had brought her back to the Batcave. The two Leaguers, along with Donna, had sought out anybody else who had experienced the same things that they had, namely men changing into beasts. Hippolyta had been shopping with Ted Grant. That was until the veteran hero had changed into a panther. The Amazon Queen barely had time to defend herself before the transformed Wildcat had bolted.

Huntress had also been there. She had been... entertaining the Question when the conspiracy-loving vigilante had changed into a raccoon.

Starfire was there too. She was in the Gotham Museum of Modern Art with Dick Grayson when the former Boy Wonder transformed into a blackbird.

Supergirl, Zatanna, Shayera, Barda, Vixen, and several members of the Titans had turned up as well. Their other halves, or the men that they had been fighting crime with at that precise moment had all disappeared in mysterious circumstances.

'This whole thing stinks of bad magic.' Zatanna frowned, shaking her head. 'But who could have done such magic in such a magnitude?'

'I know the very person...' Hippolyta told the assembled heroines. 'This has Circe's fingerprints all over it. Turning people into animals is what you call her M.O. Just ask Odysseus and his men.'

'Then what are we going to do about it?' Supergirl asked. 'We can't just charge in all gung ho-like. Some of us are vulnerable to magic, you know.'

'We will have to split into teams.' Diana explained. 'Each team will be led by myself, Donna, or my mother. Our primary concern is to capture any heroes that have been changed into animals before they hurt themselves or any innocents.'

'I'm getting in reports of female villains running through the streets...' Shayera told the othe rheroines as she used her League communicator to listen in to the police radio band. 'They're hunting the transformed heroes!'

'And the transformed inhabitants of Arkham Asylum have taken over!' Vixen piped up. 'They're trashing the whole place!'

'I'd wager that Circe has chosen Arkham as her base of operations.' Diana surmised. 'Supergirl, Vixen, Dolphin, and Jade are going to combat the villains hunting the heroes with Donna. Zatanna, Raven, Starfire, Arrowette, and Rose, you are with Hippolyta. It's your job to round up the transformed heroes and try to find some way to change them back. Black Canary, Barda, and Huntress, you're with me. We're going to head to Arkham Asylum to take on Circe.'

And with that, the heroines all split up to go about their separate missions. Hopefully they would all be successful in finding a way to stop all this chaos...

TBC...

Next: She's Back!- Part 2

Diana's team takes on Circe in her Arkham hideaway. Unfortunately for them, Circe has backup: She has transformed the inmates of Arkham into deadly beasts! Will Diana and her team be able to defeat the sorceress and turn the heroes back to normal? Tune in next time to find out...