It was inevitable the black-clad guards would come rushing at them. It was assumed they were dosed on the super pills, cocky, and ready for action. They were stronger, more durable, had increased stamina, and just about everything going for them.
They found out rather quickly that all of those factors didn't prevent pain from a hyper-extended arm.
The first guard found that out the moment he threw a punch at Batman's head. Dodging to a side, the Dark Knight shot both of his hands up, one grabbing the man's wrist while the other pushed right into the arm's socket. As he pulled back on the wrist and hyper-extended the arm, the guard cried out as he undoubtedly felt a burning sensation running through his shoulder.
Pivoting, Batman forced the man to run around in a circle as he spun in place, only letting go when the guard came face-to-face with his comrades. The guard stumbled towards them, which caused the rest to slow their charge.
Flying right by Batman's side was Batwoman, the vigilante leaping into the air and extending a leg out, landing a flying kick to the back of the stumbling guard's head. This sent him lunging head first into the stomach of another guard, who tried to catch his friend.
Only for two bat-shaped shuriken to hit his helmet, along with the helmets of the man he was holding and the guard next to him. The sharp ends stuck in the helmets, causing them to pause.
Then electricity blasted out of each shuriken, delivering a powerful shock to each of them. As their bodies spasmed and they screamed, Batwoman had moved onto the next guards. Seeing the man swinging a club at her, she slid to a stop as she leaned backwards, avoiding the swing. At the same time she raised one of her feet and kicked out with it, her heel ramming right into the man's groin. A sharp gasp came from the guard as he bent over, Batwoman leaning back up so that she could slam the palm of her hand as hard as she could into his face.
As that man stumbled back into the wall of the hallway they were in, Batman leaped over the three electrified guards, all of whom were crumbling to the floor. Landing before two more guards, the dark-clad man dropped to a knee, arms cross over his chest. The moment his knee touched the floor, he swung both arms out, the back of his fists colliding with the sides of the men's knees, causing them to twist into an awkward angle and ultimately buckle.
As the two guards dropped to one of their knees as well, Batman pulled his arms back, holding them at shoulder height, bent at the elbow. He then lashed out with them, slamming his fists right into their throats, causing twin gagging sounds to come from the men as they grabbed at their necks. Hands moving to the sides of their heads, he then cracked their helmeted skulls together, letting them fall to the floor.
Batwoman then shot passed him again, throwing her own bat-shaped shuriken. Much like the ones he had thrown earlier, these shuriken embedded themselves onto the armor or helmets of their targets before sending out a powerful jolt of electricity.
"How are they doing this?!" one of the remaining guards cried out, the remaining three shuffling backwards.
"You really want to know?" Batwoman asked as she stalked towards them. One of the guards swallowed his cowardice before lunging at the redhead, swinging a club at her. Ducking the swing, she then spun into the guard, her back pressing up against his chest as her hands grabbed onto his arm. Once she was sure she had a good grip on him, she let go with one hand and balled it into a fist, jerking that arm back so that her elbow slammed right into the lens of the helmet behind her. The glass cracked from the blow, but didn't shatter, though that wasn't needed as the guard's head jerked backwards from the force he was hit with.
This also caused him to lose his grip on his club, which Batwoman snatched out with her other hand, completely releasing the guard. Dropping down, she spun on the heel of her boots and swung the club, nailing the man against the side of his knee. She hit him so hard in fact that she knocked both legs out from under the guard, sending him crashing to the floor in a heap.
"No matter how strong you are," she said as she shot back up onto her feet, just in time to meet the next charging guard. She blocked the man's swing of his own club with the one she held, the metal rods clanging against each other. "The human body has limits," she continued as she let go of her club, shooting the palm of one hand out to slam it against the man's throat. Her other hand followed that paralyzing blow with a punch to the solar plexus, which rendered the guard breathless. "Joints, eyes, groin, they're all still viable weak points."
Leaping up into the air, she then lashed out with a leg, delivering a powerful sidekick that sent the man crashing up against the wall head first, leaving one last guard still standing. The moment she landed, she finished, "But for someone who only values power and strength, you wouldn't know anything about that."
That was when Batman flew by the woman, the guard starting to scream as the Dark Knight charged at him, cape spread out wide behind him. Leaping forward, Batman passed next to the screaming guard as his hand latched onto the man's face. Using his momentum, he pushed and shoved the man backwards and down, ramming the back of his head against the floor as hard as he could. The guard's legs shot up into the air, where they spasmed before falling back to the ground.
"You forgot to mention concussions," the vigilante observed as he stood back onto his feet.
There was a smirk on Batwoman's face. "Why bother when you were going to show him?"
He returned the smile. "Touche."
Seeing as they were alone now, they began walking down the hallway until they were forced to stop at an intersecting corridor, one that gave them a choice of a left turn or a right. "So, which way?" Batwoman asked as she looked down both paths.
That was when both corridors were suddenly flooded with guards, a door down the left hall opening while the right had the men flying around a corner at the end of the hallway. "We'll have to figure that out in a bit," Batman said as he faced the guards charging from the right, shifting himself into a defensive stance.
Behind him, he felt Batwoman faintly press her back into his, no doubt facing the men from the left. "I bet I can take all of my guards out before you do," she challenged.
"You're on."
Shazam had left the city limits of Neo-Metropolis a long time ago. Yet, the moment he had, a sinking feeling at filled his stomach.
He blamed it on Solomon's Wisdom. He could sense something was up. First there were the Rogues rising up in Neo-Central City after a long hiatus, then Themyscira was under attack. It had been a long time since he had heard from Cyborg, not to mention the lack of communication between them and Enchantress and Aquaman.
Something was up, he could feel it.
Slowing his pace, Shazam began to float in midair. Why were all of these things happening and now? The sudden activity of the criminals and Insurgency had picked up right around the time this Batman fellow returned, so logically all of this stemmed from him. He had made his knowledge of Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and Hawkgirl quite apparent at the Bat Underground headquarters.
Was it possible he was using that knowledge even now?
But what would be the purpose? Green Lantern and Hawkgirl were usually the first responders of the Regime, so them getting into a fight was no big surprise. Having someone take them on to the point of requiring assistance was new, though.
Cyborg, on the other hand, was in Motor City, which was very different considering he was normally on the Watchtower, which was no more. They were having to adjust to the change in the location of their communication hub, which made them more vulnerable.
Wait a minute, Neo-Central City, Motor City, and Themyscira. All of these places had Regime members either present or heading to. That was a long ways off from Neo-Metropolis, where Superman was. Shazam would've added Wonder Woman's presence except—
His eyes widened. Why hadn't he seen this before? They were being purposefully spread out. Spinning back around, Shazam went flying as fast as he could back to Neo-Metropolis. Superman was all alone, and while he had utmost confidence the man could hold his own—Wonder Woman had given him explicit instructions not to leave his side. Now he knew why.
"Don't worry, Superman," he muttered to himself as the wind screamed in his ears and buffeted against his body, "Shazam is on his way."
Assassins and Amazons danced around each other, bobbing and waving, ducking, jumping, slicing, stabbing, and blocking each other. The sound of metal clashing against metal filled the air as sword struck blade and shield alike. Sand was kicked up with every step, every jump, and every fallen combatant.
As Ra's al Ghul strode through the chaos, he watched as an Amazon ran through one of his assassins with a spear, holding her weapon in his body as she watched the light in his eyes fade away. Satisfied, she yanked the spear out, allowing the corpse to fall to the sand. Turning, she spotted him strolling towards her and turned to fully face him. Holding her shield in front of her as she drew her spear back, its tip hovering by the edge of her shield, she then charged at him.
Ra's came to a stop, standing his ground as the Amazon rushed towards him. He waited until the last moment when the warrior thrust her spear at him, the older man pivoting on his heels to dodge, the side of his body facing his foe.
Yet, he didn't stop there. He continued to spin, raising his sword up to shoulder height. He fully expected to Amazon to try and strike him with her shield, a maneuver he had seen many of her brethren try on him to little success. Increasing his circular momentum to avoid the hit, he drop down as he lashed out with his sword, the blade biting into the woman's calf. The Amazon cried out as she dropped to one knee, releasing her spear so that she could grip her wounded leg.
Without missing a beat, Ra's rose up as he continued his spin, cutting through the air with his sword until it came into contact with the woman's neck, slicing her head off with one stroke. Her headless body collapsed to the sand as blood poured out of her neck.
As exhilarating as this fight had been, the Demon's Head was growing bored. He could practically see the first, second, and third moves his Amazon foes would do, allowing him to counteract long before they actually attacked. He had yet to defend himself be it with a shield or sword. If these were the fabled warriors of the ancient world, their legend far outpaced their skills.
Again, he began walking, pacing by another Amazon in mid-struggle with an assassin. Without skipping a beat, he raised his sword, flipped it around in his hand so that the blade pointed outwards rather than in, and drove the tip into the Amazon's back. The woman stiffened where she stood as his sword broke through her chest. Then he cleanly drew the blade out, the woman dropping to the ground, where the assassin made one final cut to her throat to ensure her demise.
That's when he saw her. A redheaded Amazon flew into his view, beating aside an assassin's sword with her shield and driving her spear into his chest. The spear's tip burst out the man's back, which allowed the Amazon to back up a step so that she could heave the man's body up into the air. Swinging her spear above her head and then down, she slammed the corpse onto the ground, which also withdrew her weapon from the bloody body.
Whirling around, she swung the spear, just in time for the tip to sliced into not one, not two, but three assassin's bodies, much like a sword with greater reach. Each man cried out as they twisted around awkwardly from the strike, falling down shortly after.
Hmm, this one holds promise…
If he wasn't mistaken, this was the same Amazon that had demanded his withdrawal from the beachhead. Striding towards her, Ra's flipped his sword back into its usual position, clutching tightly at the handle. An Amazon leaped in front of him, facing towards something to his right. He didn't bother looking as he reached out with his free hand and grabbed the wrist of her spear arm. Pulling it to a side, he then ran his sword through her open chest, her eyes bulging in pain and surprise right before he shoved her away, pulling his sword out all at once.
This caught the redhead's attention and he could see the murderous look she aimed towards him. Squaring herself off as she faced him, she then began marching towards him, the distance between the two shrinking with every step they took.
There was no salute between them, no acknowledgement of the other's presence and skill. Ra's only offered such regard to opponents he respected; he could read in her body language that the Amazon neither respected nor deigned to acknowledge him. That was perhaps forgivable in the middle of a battle, but he suspected it came from her disdain for men most of all.
Then, the red-haired woman lunged at him, leaping high into the air as she drew her spear back, thrusting forward as she descended towards him. Leaping to his left, he dodged the spear as it impaled the sand where he once stood. Again, he went into a spin, lashing out with his sword to slash her in the back.
Except, the Amazon used her forward momentum to go into a roll after her missed strike, dodging his sword stroke as she rolled down her back and ended up on her feet, her weapon pulling out of the ground as she did this so that its tip pointed up to the sky.
Then the spear was turned to hover horizontal to the ground right before the Amazon swung it through the air, attempting to use the longer reach to cut at him. Ra's parried the blow with his sword, letting out a yell as he lunged forward to strike at her head. Easily, the Amazon moved her spear up, blocking his sword with the shaft of her weapon. Forcing both of their weapons up, she then swung her shield arm across her body, attempting to ram its edge against the older man's body. In response, he leaped backwards to avoid it, incidentally putting some space between them.
The Amazon then assumed the traditional Greek fighting stance, her shield held in front of her as she drew her spear back, much like her fellow warrior, the one of many he had slain. In response, Ra's raised his free hand and drew his second sword. "You are skilled, Amazon," he complimented.
"And you are lacking," she responded, shifting her feet for better footing.
He narrowed his eyes. "What do I call you, Amazon?"
"I give my name to no man."
"So be it, nameless one. I have killed many a warrior since I first took up the sword and most I have forgotten. You shall be no exception."
The woman's nostrils flared with rage, just before she lunged towards him. Predictably, she thrust her spear towards Ra's, who dodged to his left. He shot his swords up, one clashing up against the blade of the spear to block it as the other collided with the shaft to reinforce the block. However, instead of going into a spin like he had done previously, he slid his sword down the spear's shaft, metal scraping against metal until his weapon's edge met with the Amazon's arm. With a quick jerk, his sword bit into her flesh, leaving a long red mark in its wake. Blood began to dribble out of the wound as the woman backed a step away, hissing from the sting she must have felt.
Yet, Ra's did not let up. Pressing his advantage, he raised one of his swords above his head, and swung it down towards the Amazon's head. In response, she shifted her shield up to block the blow, the sword clashing against it. Undeterred, Ra's swung his other sword much like the first, raising and dropping sword strike after sword strike, hammering away at the shield. The Amazon shifted to a side so that her spear arm was the further side away from the man, allowing her to keep cover behind her shield.
Just as he wanted.
Without warning, Ra's raised one of his feet and stomped it on the side of the Amazon's knee, causing it to buckle and twist at an odd angle. She grunted from the pain she must have felt, but it was nothing in comparison to what Ra's did next. With the red-haired woman dropping down to a knee, she incidentally exposed her upper body to the Demon's Head. Raising his right arm up, holding his sword horizontal to the ground, he thrust with it right into her exposed shoulder, eliciting a wild scream from the Amazon. Ra's even gave his sword a slight twist, which caused the woman to hiss as she tried to suppress further signs of weakness.
The entire time, Ra's gazed stoically. It seemed no matter how many Amazons he faced, they fell just as quickly as the last. Truly, he was disappointed. Stepping back, he pulled his sword out and stood a few paces away, watching his opponent attempt to catch her breath. "It seems I overestimated you," he remarked after some time.
The Amazon continued to breath until it slowly began to steady. "Artemis," she said after a moment.
Ra's frowned. "Pardon?"
"You asked for my name. It is Artemis."
"Why tell this to me now?"
She looked to him with a scowl. "It will be the last name you will ever hear. I vow in the name of the Hera, Athena, and Artemis that you will lay bloody and broken at my feet, Man."
"Then your Gods will be sorely disappointed," he stated. "Fear not, I will offer them your corpse in my stead."
Artemis stared at him before she shrugged off his shield, allowing it to drop onto the ground. Tossing aside her spear as she stood up, she then reached to a sword hilt at her waist and drew it, holding it with her good arm. She turned to a side, raising her sword arm up so that she could point its tip towards him. "Let's see just how good you are with your sword," she challenged.
Ra's shifted into his own stance, holding one out and across his body while the other extended forward from his hip. "I was the Master of Arms for Kublai Khan. The Safavid Dynasty of the Persian Empire feared the very whisper of name. My tactical genius was the cause of Wellington's rout of Napoleon at Waterloo. I assure you, Amazon, my skill is without peer."
Though Ra's was rarely inclined to boast about his abilities, he knew from the Detective's original report on the Amazonian Princess of her intolerance for misogyny and short temper. He was anticipating most, if not all, Amazons shared the same view. The look on Artemis' face told him this assumption was indeed correct. Already she had one foot in the grave.
It was time to push her the rest of the way in.
Artemis lunged at him, swinging her sword for his head, an attack he deftly blocked with his forward-most blade. This left an opening for a thrust directly into her heart, yet, Ra's held back. Instead he shuffled his feet backwards, watching his red-haired opponent pull her sword back before she swung at him again, going for his hip. This time he moved his backmost sword, and blocked the blow.
Suddenly, Artemis spun around, swinging her sword from the opposite direction. Ra's ducked the swing, stepping back again rather than attacking. As the Amazon completed her spin, her feet skidded across the sand as she fought for surer footing; regardless, this didn't stop her from arcing her blade high above her head, and then bringing it down in an attempt to split the older man's skull.
This time, Ra's blocked, raising both blades and crossing them, forming an X with them. Artemis' sword collided right where they intersected, the Demon's Head feeling a strong jolt go through his arms that caused him to crouch down. The force of that strike had been more powerful than he had expected, but then this was an Amazon. They had far greater strength than a normal man. It seemed Artemis was starting to use hers to her advantage.
For a moment, Ra's struggled to hold off Artemis' sword. It was in that moment that the red-haired woman suddenly closed in on him, swinging the fist of her injured arm at him. Unable to react, he took a punch to his face, which caused him to momentarily fly backwards through the air. His boots faintly slid over the sandy beach until he finally fully touched down, skidding to a stop. A tickling sensation from his lip told him blood was leaking from a cut there.
How dare she draw his noble blood…
Artemis was running at him again, leaping into the air as she drew her sword back. As she reached the apex of her jump, she thrust her blade towards him, making use of her momentum to power her thrust.
Ra's danced to a side as he avoided the attack, holding one sword up to block should the Amazon attempt a side swipe. It turned out that's exactly what she did as the blade rotated before slicing towards him, their weapons colliding with each other.
In an instant, Ra's swung his other sword up, the blade cutting right into Artemis' wrist. Blood instantly sprayed out as he hit an artery, causing the woman to drop her sword as she immediately grabbed at her wound to stop it from bleeding her dry.
Sliding to stand in front of her, Ra's swung his arms out and then brought them down to his sides, pausing for a moment just before he drove both of his swords right into her chest, running her through. A strangled gasp escaped Artemis' lips as her eyes widened, her skin quickly paling.
"This is the end of you," Ra's told her, leaning his head closer to her face. "Take solace in the fact that you drew blood from me, Amazon. No other woman has been able to accomplish such a feat. For that, you pay with your life. Though skilled as you are, I am your superior in every facet."
The Demon's Head then pulled one of his swords out of Artemis' body, causing her to hiss in pain. He held it up by his face, the point hovering before her throat. "Fare thee well in your next life."
And then he drove the sword through her neck, effectively ending the Amazon.
It took two jerks to remove his swords from the dead woman, which allowed her to collapse to the ground. With a flick of each wrist, blood that clung to the sharpened metal flew off, decorating the sand in red strips.
Suddenly, something landed a short distance away, kicking up a cloud of sand and sending it in all directions. Ra's immediately shielded his eyes with a forearm, waiting for his vision to clear. He hadn't heard the tell-tale whistling of a cannonball, so he highly doubted one had landed before him. The Amazons lacked any sophisticated weaponry that would've caused such a phenomenon as well.
That left only one thing.
As the cloud dissipated, he saw a woman come into view. Ra's eyes narrowed as he saw the long dark hair, furious blue eyes, and the red, blue, and yellow uniform.
"Princess Diana," he greeted coldly. "Welcome to your doom."
There were a set of doors up ahead. Between them and Batwoman: guards. She didn't know what was on the other side of those doors, but it was going to take more than some drugged up goons to stop her.
At some point, the Regime's guards had retrieved taser rods and had attempted to use them against her and Batman. They were very much like escrima sticks with electrified tips. Honestly, it reminded her of Dick Grayson's escrima sticks. It wouldn't have surprise her if they had modeled these off of those. However, while she was sure Grayson had kept the power of his weapons to stun, these were cranked right up to flesh-charring.
The first mistake made was that these men had pulled these weapons outs. To think they could wield them in a manner that would stop her was ludicrous. Men that learned fighting tactics from a guidebook drawn up by meta-humans was laughable to a martial artist trained since birth to know seventeen different kill strikes at a moment's notice.
Their second mistake was letting her get her hands on them.
Batwoman had a taser rod in each hand and wielded them expertly. As a guard rushed her, his own rod drawn back and ready to strike her. She waited for the swing, shooting up one of her own rods to block it, the two weapons bashing up against each other.
In an instant, she lashed out with her other taser rod. Ramming the end right into the man's stomach, an electrical discharge blasted through the armor, causing her opponent to flinch back a step. In the next second, the rod she used to block shot down, landing in the space between the shoulder and neck, causing the man to spasm from the blow.
Pulling back the rod in this guy's stomach, Batwoman sung it out to a side, bringing it up so that she could cross it in front of her and nail him in the side of his head. Though the helmet would protect from the discharge, the hit would leave him stunned. Dropping to a knee, she then clubbed the side of the guard's knee, causing it to buckle as he too dropped to a knee, or at least he would have if she let him. As he dropped, she swung her other rod upward, landing an uppercut to his chin, which caused his head to snap backwards, throwing him off balance, and ultimately falling to land on his back. Rotating a rod in her hand so that she held it upside down, Batwoman slammed the electrified end into his stomach again and held it there, forcing as far down as she could, all the while the guard spasmed until smoke wafted up from his body.
The moment she saw that, Batwoman was back on her feet, seeing a couple more guards keeping their distance from her. That probably had to do with how she had dispatched their comrade. It might also had something to do with the multiple unconscious bodies lying scattered down the hall behind her and Batman. It was probably both.
As she approached them, one of them gathered up the courage to charge at her. She slowed to a stop, waiting for the guard to reach her. As the man drew his rod up by the side of his head before swinging it at her, she waited until the last moment before she leaned to a side, dodging the hit. In an instant she held both of her rods to the side furthest from the guard. She then swung them across her body, hitting the man in rapid succession. The first collided with the man's arm while the second nailed him right in the side of his helmet.
As the stunned man stumbled to a side, Batwoman pivoted on her heels, allowing her to spin around so that she could strike once more. She went lower this time, both of the rods hitting the guard in his side one after the other. The electric shock each hit delivered caused the man to crumble, ending up pressed against the nearby wall in an attempt to hold himself up.
Stopping her spin, Batwoman leaped forward, flying towards the dazed guard. Crossing her arms in front of her, she rammed them into the side of the man's head, which bashed the opposite side of his skull against the wall. As she bounced off of him, the man collapsed into a heap on the floor.
That left just one more guard left. Turning to face him, Batwoman stormed towards him, the man backing away from her as she approached. Suddenly, she raised one of her arms up by her head and then threw the rod she held at her opponent, the guard flinching back from it as he turned away. One end of the taser rod hit him on the back of his shoulder, the man grunting from the blow. Seeing him wide open, Batwoman raced towards him, leaping up into the air at the last moment. Leaning backwards, she extended a leg out in front of her as she sailed through the air. Her flying kick landed right in the middle of his back, the force of the blow knocking him forward. His head crashed right into the doors, forcing them both open as the man flew through the air and crashed onto the floor several feet inside. He skidded to a stop, where he didn't even stir.
Entering the room, Batwoman gazed at the opulence of it. She wasn't even sure what it was for other than the fact its walls and ceiling wore expensively decorated, including a large chandelier hanging from the roof. There was nothing else in the room though, making it just a wide open space.
"I don't think this is the way we need to go," she remarked after taking in everything. Looking over her shoulder, she said to Batman, "I think—"
Except, Batman wasn't there. In fact, he was nowhere to be found.
What the hell?!
Spinning around, the vigilante searched everywhere she could with her eyes, only seeing the unconscious bodies she—and apparently only she—had left behind in her wake. When had he disappeared on her? He was just right behind her! She could've sworn it a moment ago.
Oh, he was not pulling that disappearing act on her again.
Hitting her comm link, she called out," Batman, come in. Where the hell are you?" After hearing only radio silence, she growled.
She could practically see it now. Batman had chosen at some point to separate himself from her, letting their fighting distract her. She hadn't even noticed it until now. There was only one reason for him to do so and that was so that he could find Superman all by himself.
How goddamn selfish of him!
Hadn't she proven herself capable by now? She wasn't the mute girl he remembered, but a fully-functioning fighter, one that not only could hold her own, but read, write, and speak. It was like he was trying to protect her still.
Like hell would she let him do that.
Suddenly, the ceiling burst apart, sending large chunks of debris raining down on the floor. Whipping around, Batwoman held her cape in front of her in an attempt to ward off anything that might ricochet towards her, not to mention keep the dust out of her lungs and eyes. When the sound of raining rubble quieted down, she slowly lowered her cape down.
There, standing in the faint glow of daylight from the hole, surrounded by debris, was Shazam. And he didn't look all that happy to see her.
"I was hoping I would find you," he said sternly as he took a step towards her. "I owe you for that missile you fired at me back in Neo-Gotham."
"Why don't we call it even?" she suggested as she fell into a defensive stance. This couldn't have happened at a worse time. Here she was, all alone, with someone who could bail Superman out should Batman somehow get the upper hand on him. It was the last thing any of the Insurgents wanted.
It looked like she would have to stall him.
"Mind telling me why you decided to invade the Hall of Justice?" Shazam asked as he continued to stroll towards her, the vigilante slowly backing away in response. "You went to a lot of trouble separating the Regime up. Why?"
Shit. Shazam was onto them. He didn't even need Cyborg to broadcast whatever damning information he had. A quick call on his communication device and the entire Regime would know.
"I would tell you," she responded after a moment, "except I know you'll try to kill me anyways. So how about we cut the chit-chat and get right to the fighting. I'd rather die without you knowing than die with you knowing."
"Whoever said I was going to kill you?" Shazam returned.
"Superman, mostly. He's been following a kill-on-sight policy for a long time. You can ask Black Lightning's body about it if you want. And since you work for Superman, that policy extends to you."
"You know it doesn't have to. I can show you mercy."
"Mercy that will only last until your back is turned. There's too many on your side that want to mount my head on a pike rather than let you lock me up. You can't tell me you haven't noticed this."
Shazam raised his hands up, making a fist with one as the other enveloped it, cracking his knuckles. "Regardless, I'm bringing you in whether you want to or not."
A batarang found its way into Batwoman's hand. It seemed this was inevitable. That was fine. She had a missile with his name on it. Sure, it wasn't going to be as easy as last time to use it, but all she needed to do was create a situation where he wouldn't be able to dodge it.
She could definitely do that.
Suddenly, a golden light flashed out from behind her, bathing her in its glow. Shazam froze in his approach, shielding his face with a hand. Turning her head, Batwoman was able to hold her gaze due to the lens in her cowl.
Hovering behind her was the symbol of the ankh. Dr. Fate's form slowly came into view, the man floating out of thin air to land next to her, the ankh fading away soon after. "I will not allow this to pass," he declared.
"Who the hell are you?" Shazam exclaimed as he lowered his hand down. At first Batwoman was ready to give him a disbelieving look, right up until she remembered he had been unconscious when Fate had whisked the Insurgency away from the old Gotham Underground.
"That is of little consequence," Dr. Fate said before he looked to Batwoman. "You are needed elsewhere."
"Uhh, as much as I would like to go, in case you haven't noticed, there's someone from the Regime standing right over there," Batwoman pointed out. "And I doubt he will let me leave this room."
"Is that so?" Dr. Fate turned to regard Shazam. "Then if it is combat he desires, I will be his opponent."
For a moment, the vigilante wasn't sure she heard that right. As long as she had known of Fate—because who actually knew the man?—he had never acted offensively. He had defended himself against herself and Batman in the Batcave, then teleported the Insurgency away from the Regime, never once attacking them.
This was new.
"Hey, this doesn't involve you," Shazam said. "If you know what's good for you, you'll stay out of this."
"No," Dr. Fate responded gravely. "Now is the time that Fate intervenes. There will be a battle here, but it will not involve Batwoman. If you desire her, you will have to go through me."
Shazam glared at him. "Fine, but remember, you asked for it."
As the sorcerer nodded, he then addressed Batwoman, not once looking to her. "Go."
Batwoman was not one to turn down that kind of order. Spinning around, she then took off through the doorway, entering the hallway of unconscious guards. While she had doubts that Dr. Fate could take Shazam head-to-head, he could at the very least buy them some time.
In the meantime, she was going to find Batman.
To Guest: I got Mr. Terrific's superpower from the Infinite Crises story. It was brought up when Batman led a strike team to take out Brother Eye and it was Terrific's power that allowed them to shut down Brother Eye.