Thoughts
Computer Speech
"Speech"
Disclaimer: DC and the Dragonball Franchise belong to their respective owners; I own nothing.
Chapter 50: Apolutrosis V
January 7th
Age 763 (2013), Themsycira, Mount Tartarus
"Remind me again, how did you convince me to go along with this insane plan?" Iphthime grumbled in Diana's ear.
The princess of Themsycira chuckled to herself before responding to the cranky Amazon with a smile, "You didn't agree; you were outvoted."
"Oh, yes, how could I forget," Iphthime said in a satirical tone. "Euboea sided with Philippus and Nubia once you presented that key, and I was once again left alone on an island." At times during their meeting four days ago, Euboea and Iphthime had appeared to share one mind, but Euboea had eventually floundered in her decisions making.
"The gods have not abandoned us, nor will they, sister," Wonder Woman said confidently as she descended down a steep set of steps. The stone stairs had been built ages ago when her mother had first become queen, and up till now, they had managed to stand the test of time.
"It's easy for you to have faith in them; you're one of them," Iphthime said with panted breath. Climbing Mount Tartarus to attend the council meeting had been no easy task, but scaling down the mountain in full military garb made her wish for Hades' embrace. The dozens of troops that trailed behind her weren't fairing much better, but their hardened expressions didn't denote any unease.
"I am a child of the Amazons; nothing more," Diana brushed off Iphthime's comment. Sure, her biological father was Zeus, but she'd never had any meaningful interaction with the Olympian before. "The gods have done little to favor me."
Iphthime wanted to argue but swallowed her words. The sun was bearing down on her pale skin, and it was far too hot for needless quarrels. The former architect still couldn't understand how the pocket dimension functioned. It had been nearly two years since Hera had flooded Themsyscira and flung the island into this dimension. The sun and moon still operated as if they were on Earth, but it was clear that the celestial objects didn't reside within the Amazon's prison.
"If you need a break, we can stop," Diana said as she glanced over her shoulder, noticing the slow pace of her soldiers.
Iphthime frowned, shaking her head as she told the princess, "No. I'll be fine. It's just been a while since I've done this," She was sweating underneath her gold Corinthian helmet but trudged on. "And besides, if I can't handle this mountain, how will I be able to handle Alkyone's forces?"
It was a valid point, but it didn't lessen Diana's concern. Once they made it down the mountain, there would be little to no time for rest. "Mount Tartarus was created to be a treacherous climb and descent. Athena herself formed this mountain."
"I know the story well, Diana," Iphthime said. It was a tale that was repeated in the halls of every Themysciran gymnasium. "Mount Tartarus was the original home of Doom's Doorway."
In antiquity, the Olympians had placed Doom's Doorway inside Mount Tartarus, which was at the center of Paradise Island. It was the highest point of an expansive mountain range that stretched as far as the arms of Atlas. Mount Doom overlooked the royal palace, and in her youth, Diana had sought to venture to the distant mountain, but her mother had always refused. Queen Hippolyta had been wary of the dangers that Mount Tartarus presented, and with good reason.
Legions of Amazonian warriors had once guarded Mount Tartarus. For decades they valiantly patrolled Doom's Doorway and its surrounding areas until they'd been betrayed by one of their own. Myrina, who later became known as Myrina the black, unlocked Doom's Doorway and opened Pandora's Box. None of the Amazons knew why she did it, and they never discovered her reasoning as she promptly vanished from Themyscira after that. Myrina unleashed ancient untold evil that hadn't roamed the Earth in ages. [1]
The Seven Deadly Sins emerged and almost consumed Themyscira, nearly taking Queen Hippolyta's life. The Amazons were unable to reseal the Seven Deadly Sins but managed to cast them off the island. Following that, the Olympians decided to move Doom's Doorway to the Forbidden Island, which was on the southwest coast of Themyscira's main island. The Forbidden Island was isolated, and in the unlikely event that some monstrous blight managed to escape from Doom's Doorway again, it would be cut off from doing major harm to the core of the Amazons. [2]
However,the specks of evil from the Seven Deadly Sins remained on Mount Tartarus. Amazons would often report strange occurrences and encounters with demonic beings while roaming the rocky terrain. In the eyes of many Amazons, Mount Tartarus was a cursed, haunted place filled with lingering darkness. Even Alkyone dared not to venture to the mountain for fear of invoking the wrath of some prehistoric creature. That was the reason why the leaders of the Resistance had chosen to hold their meeting here.
The fear of Mount Tartarus was why Alkyone had never bothered to comb the mountain searching for dissidents. It was why Nubia had been able to make the mountain her base of operations following the civil war. And it was why the Royal palace had a glaring weakness that the Resistance planned to exploit. Alkyone's naivete about the willpower of her opposition would be her downfall.
"Perhaps when this war is over, we can ask Athena to sculpt a more accessible mountain," Diana mused aloud. It was said slightly in jest, but Iphthime found no humor in her words. In fact, Iphthime found little humor in anything.
"If I had your powers, I would just fly to the palace," Iphthime said flatly. Mount Tartarus was a spectacular view from the bottom, but the mountain itself was basically a death trap. It contained massive, uneven hills that featured jagged rocks. It was elevated at a height that made breathing a hazard, and its curving slopes were like a whirlwind. And that was without mentioning the palpitate evil presence that hovered over every poor soul who sought to explore the mountain's terrain.
"I could fly to the bottom of the mountain," Diana admitted; the thought had crossed her mind a few times. "But I refuse to leave you and the rest of our troops behind, and besides, who knows what monsters you might encounter in my absence," The words were said teasingly, but Iphthime was as serious as Hephaestus.
"You joke, but we're fortunate we haven't come across any dark entities during our time here," Iphthime said in a grave tone. "Some of Nubia's soldiers weren't as fortunate as us."
Wonder Woman sighed, exasperated. She'd heard the litany of tall tales during several campfire dinners with her Amazon sisters. Nubia's troops had an imaginative way with words. They were great orators that would've made Demosthenes proud. But irrespective of how many stories they had shared, Diana's skepticism remained.
"If those evil spirits and creatures really do exist, then they've made the right choice by tucking their tails and hiding so far," There were no sirens singing to her or minotaurs roaring in the distance like so many Amazons claimed to hear. The only thing Wonder Woman could hear was the sound of gravel crunching underneath her sandals with her every step.
"You would think that someone who spent all that time trapped in Doom's Doorway would be more open to the idea of the supernatural," Iphthime remarked. Diana had never believed in the rumors and myths surrounding Mount Tartarus, not even in her adolescence.
"I very much believe in the supernatural, sister. I just don't believe in mass hysteria," There were so many claims made about Mount Tartarus, but no Amazon had ever presented any concrete evidence. "I can't deny that this mountain gives me a spooky feeling, but I believe that's more so due to the fear that's been passed down through the generations."
"So basically, you believe that since we were taught to fear this mountain, that fear has manifested itself in our perceptions and is distorting how we view reality?" Iphthime asked. Her question seemed to catch the princess off guard as her energetic march slowed to a snail's pace.
"Yes, actually," Diana said in a surprised tone as she twisted around. It was a succinct summarization of her thoughts, one that she'd been unable to form herself. "And that same type of fear is distorting your perception of my sister."
Iphthime scowled as she was given Wonder Woman's backside once more. The princess resumed her march down the mountain, but Iphthime gave her chase. She wouldn't allow Diana to get off that easy. "I'm not afraid of your sister; I just know what she's capable of!" The former architect yelled, managing to swipe Diana's wrist and pull it back.
"She's capable of great good; you haven't even given her a chance," Wonder Woman could've easily broken out of the grip but refrained from doing so.
"She'll have her chance on the battlefield," Iphthime contested hotly. That was more than Donna deserved in her mind anyway.
"And once she does, then what?" Wonder Woman asked as she turned around.
"Will your preconceived notions about Donna change?" Diana's glare was as stern as her mother's, and it was obvious that it made Iphthime uncomfortable. The former architect loosened her grip, sputtering a response.
"Well….of course…it would be…" Iphthime had never been a good liar. She attempted to construct a sentence that would appease Diana but couldn't. "No, regardless of what Donna does today, my opinion of her will still be the same."
It was a harsh truth, one that Wonder Woman had expected to hear, but that didn't mean she wasn't any less disappointed in Iphthime. "As long as we allow fear to steer our outlook, our people will be doomed even if we manage to overthrow Alkyone."
January 7th
Age 763 (2013), Themsycira, Mount Tartarus
"Things won't be so bad once we get to the bottom," Euboea said as she watched Donna peak over the edge of a cliff. In truth, Donna had nothing to be worried about. Hippolyta's clone hadn't even broken a sweat under the now sweltering heat, and on top of that, she was practically invulnerable. This was just Euboea's attempt at breaking the ice, and Donna could sense that.
"An eternity will be shorter than that will take," It was an awkward attempt at humor from Donna, but Euboea still obliged her and feigned laughter.
"It's not that bad," Euboea chuckled. "And besides, this time around, you have all of us to keep you company," Euboea's hand outstretched, pointing to the platoon of troops that were silently marching behind her.
Donna cocked her lips to the side. She had made the trip up Mount Tartarus with her sister and would've preferred to descend down it with her, but that choice had been taken out of her hands. The Resistance's strategy for the invasion of the royal palace had required them to split up. Diana had volunteered to go with Iphthime, and Donna thanked Athena for that. Euboea was her partner for the journey, and though there was tension between them, Euboea was still far more pleasant than Iphthime.
"I had almost forgotten about them," It was a dry response, but Donna didn't know what else to say. Unlike Diana, she wasn't good at making small talk.
"This is strange for the both of us, I know," Euboea admitted, straying from their original topic. Donna's discomfort was painted on her features like makeup. "The things I said at the council meeting are how I feel, but I can acknowledge that I'm biased."
For the first leg of their journey, Euboea had been as silent as a mouse. Neither Amazon had tried to strike up a conversation. Donna had appreciated being left to her thoughts, and if it were up to her, she would return to them. But rather than being rude and standoffish, Donna decided to take Euboea's symbolic olive branch and hash things out.
"It's okay; I understand your point of view," If the roles had been reversed, Donna's attitude would've mirrored Euboea's, if not been worse.
"But still, it's not fair to you," Euboea said, trying to make eye contact with Donna, but the Amazon's eyes wouldn't sit still. "The words you said about being manipulated gave me pause to think."
"I'm glad they did," Donna assumed their conversation was over and returned to marching, but Euboea raced after her, managing to match her pace.
"You know, the first time I saw you, I couldn't believe my eyes. It was as if Queen Hippolyta had been reborn," Euboea said from beside Donna. Her head was turned as she spoke, and from this angle, the resemblance Donna shared with Hippolyta was even more striking. "A part of me even thought you might be a suitable replacement for her."
Donna's cheeks scrunched. She had never expected to hear those words from anyone in the Resistance, let alone one of their commanders. Her mind was in a frenzy, and before Donna even knew what she was saying, words were leaping from her mouth. "And then what happened? The short speech I was forced to give wasn't riveting enough for you? I was too young? I was too…."
"No," Euboea cut Donna off. "I came to my senses and realized what Derinoe wanted was treasonous. What Queen Hippolyta did was wrong, but she still deserved a fair trial, not a raucous mob at her doorstep." That day would be etched into Euboea's mind for eternity. Her hesitance to act had cost her queen and her nation dearly.
"You were there in the crowd at the marketplace when Derinoe introduced me, weren't you?" A surprised Donna asked as she glanced at Euboea, who was suddenly too ashamed to meet her gaze. "Why didn't you warn Hippolyta?" Queen Hippolyta had been aghast when Donna had barged into the throne room. No one, not even the royal guards who were supposed to protect the queen, had tried to warn her, or at least that's what it had seemed.
"That….that's something I'll have to live with for the rest of my life," Euboea's tone was as somber as the reading of funeral rites. Her head was downcast, and her long black hair, fortunately, kept Donna from seeing her trembling lips. "I was there at the marketplace. After some of my Amazon sisters unknowingly consumed the apples of discord, there was an observable change in them."
Donna nodded, remembering the stark contrast in the Amazons once they had eaten Strife's apples. "The apples of discord inflame hatred in a mortal's soul," Those were the exact words Derinoe had told Donna when she'd explained her scheme.
"I could sense that change, but I wasn't able to put it into words. After our feast, I followed a congregation of my sisters to a meeting that had been priorly discussed." Derinoe had only shared the location with the Amazons she felt she could manipulate, but Euboea had still ended up in attendance. "There was a surprisingly large crowd, but what surprised me the most was you."
The memories of that day were still fresh in Donna's mind. Derinoe had presented her to the Amazons as their savior. The one to rectify the wrongs that Hippolyta had done. She had been showered with praise and lauded like a goddess. But in the end, all Donna had wrought for Themsycira was chaos.
"That was my first time meeting the Amazons en masse," Donna said. Aside from her interactions with Derinoe and Alkyone's crew, Donna had never met, much less spoken to the populace of Themyscira. "And as we both remember, Derinoe did most of the speaking."
Euboea nodded. "Derinoe's words were riveting, and as she spoke, I saw more and more of my sisters turning to her side," Amazons who had straddled that fence finally chose a side that day. "The tension had been festering in Themyscira long before you were created or introduced, but once you were brought to the light, things reached a climax."
"I'm well aware," Donna said matter of factly; after all, she had been there. "A coup may happen overnight, but the build-up to it takes days, weeks, months, sometimes even decades," Derinoe had preached a gospel of hatred for years, and her dedication to the cause had paid off. "I will never understand why Hippolyta didn't kill Derinoe when she started revealing the truth about her secrets."
Donna's lips were curled into a frown, and based on the look on her face, Euboea concluded what route of action Donna would've taken in the queen's shoes. "Killing Derinoe wouldn't have been the right move, even though it might've saved our nation," If Hippolyta had killed Derinoe, it would've made her a martyr and would've only strengthened the resolve of her followers. "Derinoe's death would've vilified Hippolyta in the eyes of even more Amazons."
"Politics are so stupid," Donna said with a long sigh. "All these games and charades just give me a headache," Donna rubbed her forehead. Numerous times Derinoe had tried to educate her about the minefield that the political realm was, but Donna had always zoned out. She was a woman of action, not plots and subterfuge.
"And this is why you would've made a terrible queen," Euboea said bluntly. It wasn't intended to be humorous, but Donna laughed at the comment as if it were a joke told by the god Momus.
"That's something we can both agree on," Donna said as she wiped a tear from her eye. She hadn't laughed like that in a while.
Euboea blinked repeatedly like there was something stuck in her eyes. She had never seen this side of Donna before and hadn't thought it existed, but Hippolyta's clone was proving to be more human than she'd given her credit for. "You sound just like her," Euboea said somberly.
"I sound like who?"
"You sound like Hippolyta…. when you laugh," Euboea's comment seemed to strike a nerve with Donna, whose face shifted into a grimace.
"I hear so much about her every day. Hippolyta talked like this, she walked like that, she laughed like this, she was a mighty warrior, etc. Her mythos, as well as the comparisons I receive to her, grows almost daily."
"And that bothers you?" Euboea probed. Donna's tone was always less than enthusiastic when the queen's name was mentioned with hers.
"To a certain extent," Donna wanted to deny it, but the truth needed to be told. "My entire life, Hippolyta has been held as the barometer for my existence. Everything I've ever done has been compared and scrutinized against her. Derinoe and Alkyone betrayed Hippolyta but replaced her with an almost identical copy of herself."
"She's the only queen we've ever had, and she was a damn good one," Euboea said defensively. Donna wanted to vent to her, but she still wouldn't allow her to speak ill of the queen in the process of that.
"You're missing the point," Donna sighed in frustration. She was beginning to regret opening the door for this conversation.
"Well, what is your point?" Euboea asked.
"The point I'm trying to make is that Derinoe and Alkyone thought so highly of Hippolyta, irrespective of what she'd done, that they wanted to replace her with a younger version of herself. They could've created a new queen from scratch but chose to use Hippolyta's DNA. Even with all the resentment, hatred, and anger they had for Hippolyta, they still wanted some version of herself to rule Themyscira."
Euboea mulled over Donna's words before finally responding. "They didn't want you to be an individual; you were supposed to be a living ideal for their beliefs," Euboea looked over to Donna, who nodded, confirming her theory.
"Derinoe and Alkyone used Hippolyta as a manuscript for my life, but they simultaneously despised her. I'm supposed to be the reflection of someone who I was taught to hate."
"Do you still hate Hippolyta?" Euboea asked cautiously. Given what Donna had described to her, it would make sense if she did.
"No…yes….I don't know!" Donna felt like pulling her hair at its roots. Her words were as jumbled as her mind was.
For the first time, Euboea felt sympathy for Donna. She had never taken the time to evaluate things from Donna's perspective until now, and it was understandable why she had turned out this way.
"If Queen Hippolyta was here, I could imagine what she'd say to you," Euboea said calmly, but Donna was anything but that.
"You think I don't know? I saw how she looked at me when we raided the palace. She saw me through the same lens you all see me with," Donna and Hippolyta had never had a meaningful conversation, but her facial expressions during the coup had spoken volumes.
"Whatever you're thinking is wrong," Euboea adamantly shook her head.
"What would she have said? Tell me then," Donna demanded impatiently. Euboea's mouth seemed hesitant to state the truth that Donna knew in her bones.
"Queen Hippolyta would've told you to look past the scope of your perception."
"What does that mean?" Donna asked as she wracked her brain. It sounded like one of the riddles that Diana would often tell her during their stay in Doom's Doorway.
"That is for you to figure out."
January 7th
Age 763 (2013), The Circus, Downtown Detroit
"What do you plan to do with the asset?"
"Well, it's nice to see you too, Amanda," Steve Trevor said dryly as he stared at the hologram in the middle of the room. It only displayed Amanda Waller from the neck down, but that was still more than Steve cared to see of her.
"Save your greetings and unnecessary remarks for someone who cares, Steve. We have matters of national security to discuss," Amanda's face was as placid as a rock in Stonehenge. "You apprehended Vegeta and didn't bother to inform me."
"Inform you?" Chi-Chi repeated incredulously. She was perched against a wall in the corner of Steve's office and had been ordered by Steve to remain silent unless spoken to, but she just couldn't help herself.
"If you have something to say, you'd better speak up, Chi-Chi," Amanda had never been fond of her. She was an extremely skilled agent, one of Argus's best, but her relationship with Steve was the very definition of inappropriate.
Chi-Chi looked ready to give the director of Cadmus a piece of her mind, but a quick glare from Steve shut her down.
"I wasn't aware that I had to inform you about anything," Steve said as he returned his gaze to Amanda. She didn't say anything, but her eyebrows twitched, and that was enough for Steve to discern that she was irritated.
"Whether you like it or not, I am the secretary of Metahuman affairs, and I'm entitled to knowledge about anything related to potential threats from Metahumans," Amanda stated smugly. Argus was already on thin ice from the Massacre in Manhattan and the Starro invasion. Steve had no room for any further slip-ups, and they both knew it.
"We planned on getting Vegeta situated before contacting any outside agencies. We have a chain of command at Argus, and certain information is only supposed to be privy to.."
"Everything is privy to me, whether you know it or not," Amanda said, cutting Steve off before he could finish his sentence.
"Are you implying that you have spies in my agency?" Steve asked, bewildered. The more he thought about it; the idea didn't seem so outlandish. Amanda's budget at Cadmus was practically limitless. There was no telling how far her reach went.
"What do you plan on doing with the asset?" Amanda reiterated in a louder voice, completely ignoring Steve's question. "I'm here to discuss one thing and one thing only."
Steve balled his fist and cursed under his breath, trying to settle himself. Amanda wanted him to lose his cool, but he wouldn't give her the satisfaction. "For now, we're just planning to detain Vegeta until he has his day in court."
"He'll be found guilty; that's a waste of his time and his talents," Amanda scoffed.
"His talents?" Steve stared at the hologram like he was seeing double. He had a bad feeling about what was coming next, and sure enough, Amanda Waller didn't fail to meet his expectations.
"I'm putting together a team, and I want Vegeta to be a part of it. Its name is; Task Force X."
A big thank you to everyone who reviewed chapter 50!
A/N: On previous occasions, I've stated that I'm too far into the story to do a rewrite, but I keep having nagging thoughts about how much better this story could be. I started writing this story when I was a teenager, and I'm a much better writer now. I feel like this story could be a lot better if I started from scratch. I created a poll on my profile about this, and I will take all of your opinions into consideration.
[1]: In the past, some reviewers have asked me if a certain character will appear. I'm not sure what response I gave at that time, but Myrina is her mother, so that should be a hint if that character will appear or not.
[2]: Different iterations of Themyscria have displayed Doom's Doorway in various places. In the New 52, Doom's Doorway was inside Mount Tartarus. In other media, Doom's Doorway is located on the Forbidden Island. I combined both ideas and came up with my own explanation.
Q/A:
Ppsspp: Yes, Goten will appear in this story. I'm not doing GT or Super. The version of Broly in this story will be an amalgamation. My current plan is to release a chapter every Sunday.
OmniIBIBUltraInstinctGodzilla: I'm not sure how I would've introduced the Super Dragonballs into the story.
chris2828: Vegeta's change will be a slow burn like it was in DBZ. As for how he and Bulma get together, you'll just have to read and see. Did you read my storyboard? Lol. The Android/Cell saga is when I planned to explore the killing vs. not killing ideologies. Whis's origin was never explained in the BOG movie and was left vague; I'll probably just keep it that way for this story.
guardianx15: Oh, I understand what you meant will still end up with Bulma.
scl04: First and foremost, thank you for the review. Reviews like this really make my day, and I appreciate the criticisms. The galactic ramifications of Frieza's defeat will be explored. In canon, King Kai did inform Bulma and co that Goku was still alive, but not in this story. If you go back and look at chapters 43 & 44, King Kai didn't tell them.
Yes, the Namekians got revived and were sent to Earth. My usage of the word "genocide" was a stretch. In chapter 15, it was stated that the Kryptonian archives didn't mention much about the Saiyans. Inbetween chapters 44 & 45, Superman dumped Starro in the Phantom Zone. During that period, Clark decided to do some more research on the Saiyans. The Kryptonian archives didn't exclude information about the Saiyans; Superman just had to ask.
Clark thought that information was omitted because the Fortress's A.I. never brought it up on its own. That happened off-screen, and I planned to have a scene with Superman at the fortress later on, explaining all that; but the cat's out of the bag now, lol. I can't answer all of your questions, but I'll answer some of them. The League of Assassins will appear again and will play a significant role in an upcoming story arc. The usage and the knowledge of the Dragonballs will be the focus of a story arc later on.
Honestly, I just completely forgot about what happened in Chapter 14. I've taken long breaks throughout the story, causing me to forget about specific plot points. There are some plotholes and inconsistencies because I forgot one thing or another. However, I do plan on having an in-story explanation for those plotholes.
TheRightPrice: The version of Broly in this story will be an amalgamation.
Martiz S.G: I agree with you about Diana joining the Justice League; it won't be an instant thing. I had no problem with the idea you proposed regarding Bizzaro Goku; it's cool. No offense was taken.
Enku: Chi-Chi and Vegeta aren't going to get together. Chi-Chi made one mental comment about him; that's it. Goku, Gohan, and Diana will be reunited in upcoming chapters.
Ikki: Both of your questions are spoilers, so I won't answer them. You'll have to read and see.
Fuckmegun: You'll have to read and see.
Maximum Rhapsody: Only Beerus and Whis will appear in this story. I'm not really a big fan of Dragonball Super, and this story will end a little while after the Buu saga. Yes, this version of Cell is going to be really OP. Cooler will appear, but I'm not sure about Slug or Garlic Jr. The DC heroes code about not killing will be the subject of a story arc down the line.
