Thoughts
Computer Speech
"Speech"
Disclaimer: DC and the Dragonball Franchise belong to their respective owners; I own nothing.
Chapter 52: Dominoes I
January 7th
Age 763 (2013), Themsycira
It had been nearly two years since Diana had laid eyes on the Themysciran capital. It was still a breathtaking sight to behold, but even from this distance, Wonder Woman could tell that a lot had changed. The gigantic statue of Queen Hippolyta that had once stood in the royal courtyard had been toppled and had been replaced by an image of Alkyone. It was still a work in progress, but it was clear that Alkyone intended to build an even bigger statue of herself.
The Royal Palace was constructed on a gigantic plateau that overlooked the rest of Paradise City. There wasn't an official name for the Themysciran capital, but the nickname Paradise City had been given long ago by sailors who had gotten shipwrecked, and the nickname had stuck. In its prime, the city had been a veritable paradise, but the scars from a civil war and massive flooding due to Hera had withered away much of the capital's beauty. There had been some rebuilding efforts, but there was still much to be desired. Iphthime, who stood beside Diana, was heartbroken by what she saw.
"My beautiful city, what have they done to you?" Iphthime wailed as she removed her helmet. This was her first venture to the capital in months. "You deserve so much better."
It was rare to see her so emotional, but Diana understood her pain. Iphthime had been one of Themyscira's top architects and had a direct hand in shaping the capital. Some of her most proud works now lay in ruins, unlikely to be renovated for years, even if the war was won today.
"Sister, it's time for us to begin the assault," Wonder Woman whispered in Iphthime's ear. She hated to interrupt her grieving, but it had to be done; their troops were waiting.
"Of course," Iphthime coughed into her hand and righted herself. She nodded to Diana and slid her helmet back on before turning around and walking back towards her troops. They were huddled together in the clearing of a forest. There were roughly three hundred soldiers, and each one of them saluted Iphthime as she walked by their ranks. Her troop's emotions ranged from frantic to anxious, though none of them tried to let that show in their exterior.
Finally, after a few minutes, Iphthime's stroll came to an end, and she beckoned her soldier's attention for one last time. "Sisters, what we do here today will decide the fate of our nation!" Iphthime shouted. Her voice was naturally loud, but at this pitch, it sounded like she was talking out of a megaphone. "If we win, glory, honor, and justice shall be restored to our once-great nation."
A chorus of cheers erupted from the crowd of soldiers who raised their shields, swords, and spears in agreement with the declaration. Diana, who was shadowing Iphthime, even found herself applauding.
"But if we fail….." Iphthime's words trailed. That was an outcome no one wanted to speak into existence. "If we fail, all will be lost, and it will spell our eternal doom."
Diana watched as several troops took hard swallows.
"Across the way, over that bridge stands our greatest obstacle," Iphthime half turned and pointed past Diana's shoulder towards the entrance of the forest. It was barely visible from where they stood, but a long stone bridge stood over a river that led to the gates of the Themysciran capital. "I know what you are all capable of, and I ask…no, I demand that you rise to the occasion!"
Chanting ensued, and the soldiers thumped their weapons against their shields in a jarring staccato.
"We will retake the capital and give the crown back to its rightful owner," Iphthime's eyes shifted to Diana, who was suddenly forced to think on her feet. She hadn't expected to give a speech, but it was evident that Iphthime was passing the figurative microphone to her.
Wonder Woman cleared her throat and took a bold step forward, brushing past Iphthime. The gaze of hundreds of soldiers fell upon her, and it felt like the eyes of Panoptes were bearing into her soul. But still, she had a job to do. "Sisters, believe it or not, I am just as nervous as you," It wasn't an ideal way to begin a speech, but it was the God's honest truth. "I can see it in your eyes that you are all nervous about this upcoming battle."
All Amazons were taught how to conceal their emotions. It was an important skill for any warrior, and it had proven to be vital during Hercule's siege ages ago. But all the training in the world still couldn't erase human feelings, especially the ones painted on the windows to the soul.
"We don't go to do battle against mythical creatures or beasts from Doom's Doorway; we're fighting our sisters. The same women we grew up with, played with, learned with, and have grown to love. And some of our opposition today might've even once been your lovers," Lesbian relationships were common on Themyscira, which only served to muddle the situation even more. "I know it is difficult, but we must put those sentiments aside for the time being."
Slow head nods from the soldiers followed Diana's words, and it was a better response than she'd expected.
"Hermes is on our side, and most of all, Athena is on our side. Through their power and with their help, we shall succeed in this mission. But with that said, it is up to us to save the soul of our nation. We aren't just fighting a physical enemy; we're fighting against years of hatred that has severed Themyscira," From the corner of her eye, Diana saw Iphthime giving her a troubled look. There was no doubt about the veracity of her words, but they carried a bitter truth.
"Sisters, I only have one thing left to say," Diana unsheathed the sword on her hip and raised it above her head, letting it gleam in the sunlight. "Will you follow me to retake what is rightfully ours?"
All the soldiers, including Iphthime, raised their weapons and, with a mighty yell, said, "We follow you to the ends of the world!"
"And to the ends of the world, we go!"
January 7th
Age 763 (2013), Themsycira
The bridge was not an ideal battleground. It was thin, narrow, and cramped. The Resistance's soldiers fought in tight groups as they defended themselves from Alkyone's forces. The bridge had initially appeared unguarded, but that had just been a trick to lure the poor platoon of Amazons who had been sent to scout the bridge into a trap. The platoon had made it almost halfway across the bridge when they had suddenly been attacked.
A barrage of arrows that seemed to blacken the sky had rained down on the Amazons. Most of the platoon would've died on the spot, but Wonder Woman had raced to block the volley before it could land. With speed that would've made Hermes envious, Diana used her bracelets to deflect each and every single arrow, sending the projectiles flying in a multitude of directions. Another bombardment had followed but had ended with the same futile results.
By that point, Diana had grown irritated and had decided to seek out her attackers. But fortunately for her, her attackers had soon made themselves visible. Paradise city's gates had opened momentarily, and Alkyone's forces had scrambled out of them, charging towards the bridge. Iphthime had wasted no time and had directed her troops to rush towards the incoming enemy, bravely leading the assault. A battle had quickly ensued, one that was presenting a daunting challenge due to the overwhelming number of enemy soldiers.
Diana was fairing well, knocking out opponents left and right, but she couldn't say the same for her comrades. On her rear, Iphthime was struggling against a trio of enemy warriors. The redhead was doing her best to keep them at bay, jabbing her xiphos at openings when they presented themselves, but in the midst of that, it left her vulnerable. Iphthime was sacrificing defense for offense, but it wasn't a fair trade. She was losing far more than she was gaining.
Iphthime's swordsmanship had improved leaps and bounds from the last time Diana had seen her fight, but her skill still wasn't enough to juggle three opponents. Wonder Woman decided to leap into the fray but was intercepted by a spear that nearly took her eye out before she could. Diana managed to step back in the nick of time, but a nearby soldier paid the price for her heroics. The spear whooshed through the air and struck one of Wonder Woman's comrades, who had been locked in a tense sword fight. The woman never saw what killed her; the golden spear tore through the flesh on her backside and struck a major artery before her brain could even process the pain.
The blood that oozed from the fatal wound was immense, and it trickled all the way from the woman's dead body to Diana's boots. It soaked the grey stone bridge, bleaching it red, which matched the fury in Wonder Woman's eyes. Diana quickly scanned the battlefield, looking for the murderer of her now fallen sister. Her eyes narrowed into slits once she located her assailant, who was in the swing of launching another spear. Blinded by rage, Diana forgot her original objective and dashed over to her would-be-attacker.
In the blink of an eye, Diana was in front of a diminutive stocky woman who seemed to shrink even further under Diana's wrathful gaze. Her six-foot-two frame towered over the visibly frightened woman as Diana twisted her wrist in a direction that shouldn't have been humanly possible. There was loud pop that was immediately drowned out by the cacophony of noises from the surrounding battlefield as Diana snapped the woman's wrist. But Wonder Woman wasn't satisfied yet. She grabbed hold of the woman's other wrist and squeezed it until the veins were on the verge of rupturing right out of her skin.
Wonder Woman kept applying pressure until a horrified shriek from an all too familiar voice drew her attention. Iphthime! Diana turned around and saw the redhead getting stabbed repeatedly just a few strides from her. Wonder Woman released her foe from her grasp, letting the woman tend to her now mangled appendage and sprinted to save her comrade. Diana's body was a blur as she slammed into the nearest of Iphthime's aggressors.
The woman, who was dressed in full bronze armor, was blown away and sent flying off the bridge into the waters below it. The two remaining enemy soldiers redirected the trajectory of their weapons as Wonder Woman's body came back into view, and their sword slices were aligned with deadly accuracy. If they had been facing any other Amazon, their attacks would've made contact, but Diana danced out of harm's way without breaking a sweat.
The larger of the two women was a muscular brute who seemed to thrust the entirety of her being into her strikes. But she couldn't keep up this level of strain for long and soon became winded. When she did, Diana flung her into her partner, sending the pair tumbling into one of the railings that supported the bridge. Two devasting punches knocked them out of commission and welcomed them into the realm of Morpheus.
Diana didn't dwell on her handiwork and set her sights back on Iphthime, who was now bleeding profusely on the ground. Wonder Woman scooped the redhead into her arms and surveyed the battleground, desperately looking for somewhere safe to place her sister. But the bridge was a tapestry of clashing weapons, soon-to-be rotting corpses, and mutilated body parts all haphazardly strewn together. All hope seemed to be lost when Iphthime's shaky hand reached up and touched Diana's face.
"You have to leave me, Diana." The words were mustered with all of Iphthime's remaining strength but were still barely audible.
"You can't be serious, sister," Diana looked down at the bleeding woman in her arms, and though the gashes looked bad, Wonder Woman's hope never faded.
"I'll just slow you down; you know it's true," Iphthime winced as she said the words. Her steel breastplate had deflected what should've been mortal wounds, but her arms had been turned into mincemeat. Her body hurt as much as the pained expression on Diana's face.
"No, No, No," Diana frantically shook her head. "You'll be okay; I'll get you medical attention, and then…."
"By then, we'll have lost this battle," Iphthime placed a cool hand on Diana's shoulders. "You are the backbone of our plan. If you waste your time concerning yourself with my well-being, everything we've done until now will have been for naught."
Wonder Woman wanted to argue that point, but as she looked Iphthime in the eye, she lost all will to pose a rebuttal. "If not medical attention, there must be something else I can do; I won't let you die here," Iphthime had called her a god earlier, and what pathetic excuse for one would she be if she couldn't at least help her companion in some capacity?
Iphthime's chest heaved as she let out a long sigh. Diana would be stubbornly faithful until the bitter end. "If you can, find Cydippe; she'll know what to do."
Diana nodded, and without a moment's hesitation, she took off running. The woman Iphthime had spoken of was someone Diana knew like the back of her hand. Cydippe had been one of Queen Hippolyta's handmaidens. She had served the queen honorably until Hippolyta had been deposed. But searching for Cydippe was like looking for Apollo in the sun.
All the soldiers on the bridge were virtually indistinguishable, and the helmets covering their heads didn't help either. Diana cradled Iphthime in her left hand, and with her right, she lifted the helmet of every Amazon she came across before they realized what she was doing. Relative to Diana, they were all moving in slow motion. Wonder Woman continued the repetitive routine until she eventually came across the woman she was looking for.
When Diana finally found Cydippe, the strawberry blonde Amazon was surrounded by a pack of enemy troops that were practically foaming at the mouth to impale her. There were four of them, and each soldier wielded a blade as sharp as Demeter's scythe. Cydippe faced them head-on, but it wasn't like she had much of a choice of either. Directly behind her, her sword-sister was locked in a struggle of her own and could not provide any assistance. Cydippe was overmatched and outgunned, but before her enemies could flay her skin, Diana cut into their scuffle.
With her free hand, Wonder Woman broke the swords of Cydippe's foes, shattering them like glass. Their mouths flopped open, but no sound was heard as Diana punched them in their throats before they could even vocalize their shock and awe. And a string of quick kicks sent them seeing stars. They were down for the count in the blink of an eye, and when Cydippe opened her eyes, the situation in front of her was an even worse peril than she could've expected.
"Iphthime!" Cydippe screeched. She shoved her sword back in its scabbard and ran a few paces towards Diana. "What have they done to you?"
The answer was obvious, but Diana didn't dare to say it. Instead, she worriedly looked over Iphthime's battered body. She was losing more blood with every waning second and was on the edge of consciousness. "She told me to bring her to you; she said you'd know what to do," Wonder Woman looked down at Cydippe with optimistic eyes, but all she received in return was a grimace.
"I'll do what I can," Cydippe said, turning her gaze back towards Iphthime, who was faintly mumbling something.
"Whatever you plan on doing, you must do it fast. Diana's time is being wasted here."
Cydippe nodded, and before Wonder Woman could object, she snatched Iphthime out of her hands. "I'll handle things here. You have to go, Diana."
"I'll ensure you a safe passage before I…."
"No, Diana, you have to go…..now!"
Cydippe's scream was like a roar of thunder, and at that very moment, Wonder Woman's feet began churning. Every fiber in her body urged her to stay, but she cast aside her personal feelings and put duty before friendship. But Diana swore to return, and when she did, she would have Alkyone's head in her hand.
January 7th
Age 763 (2013), Themsycira
"Stay together, sisters!"
Donna heard Euboea yell. Even amidst the raucous clattering of weapons, the Amazon's voice managed to stand out. Euboea's voice was still as soft as silk, but her tone on the battlefield was a commanding beacon to her soldiers, giving them direction in a dire situation. The Resistance was outnumbered four to one, but they pressed on regardless of the seemingly insurmountable odds.
Euboea's battalion had taken the long route from Mount Tartarus. Diana and Iphthime's faction had taken the easy path from the tip of the mountain directly to the forest below it, which led to the bridge at Paradise City's northern gate. But Euboea and her soldiers had been forced to march for an extra few hours, following a trail that would usher them to Paradise City's eastern gate. The journey had been treacherous, filled with twists and turns at every corner, and the biggest of them all had awaited them at their destination.
They had descended from Mount Tartarus, waded through the shallow waters of the capital's river, and scaled a bridge as high as Icarus's flight just to get here. And when the group of soldiers had finally reached their goal and seemed poised to take their victory lap, they were ambushed by an enemy legion. No matter where Donna turned, in every direction, stood Alkyone's forces. They were more plentiful than the strands of her hair; it was like fighting against the waves of a tsunami.
The bridge was raised at a height that would ensure the death of anyone who fell off it, and several of Donna's comrades already had. She watched Amazon after Amazon plunge to their death, their screeches echoing like the wails of a ghost until the heavy boulders down below extinguished their life. The moss-covered bridge was painted with the blood of the fallen, and every few seconds, it was given a new coat.
The odds were bad enough, but the Resistance was essentially fighting with one arm tied behind their backs. They tried not to kill. They sought out every possible option to avoid doing so, but their enemy had no problem with wanton violence and, in fact, relished in it. On the opposite side, strikes that should've been aimed at lungs, necks, eyes, and other sensitive areas were instead diverted to non-lethal locations. Euboea's soldiers wanted to preserve the lives of those they loved, but Donna shared no such bonds.
Sure, she pulled her punches, but Hippolyta's clone didn't hesitate to eliminate a threat for good if the situation called for it and the enemy Amazon currently in front of her, was testing that rule. The long spear in the woman's jittery hands jabbed at Donna persistently. It was an exercise in futility and made Donna question what the woman's true intent was. It was obvious that the strategy wasn't bearing any fruits, but the bowlegged Amazon continued stabbing like a fencer. Donna ducked and sidestepped every thrust, and when the woman's arms finally grew weary, she snapped the spear in half with her knee.
It was a shame to destroy such beautiful craftsmanship, but it had to be done, and while she dwelled on that, her opponent wasted no time in drawing her Kopis and charged head-on, full of steam. Donna had always hated those swords, if they could even be called that. Kopis's were always wielded like an ax, and her opponent carried on that tradition. The curved blade was swung so hard at Donna's face that it was a miracle her enemy's shoulder blade didn't tear every time she lifted her arm. She intended to hack Donna to pieces, but Hippolyta's clone had no intention of being a pig at a slaughterhouse.
Donna's hand extended and grabbed the woman by the throat, lifting her into the air. The woman dangled helplessly, her feet kicking Donna, who merely shrugged off the blows. The woman's grip on her sword began to loosen as the oxygen in her lungs dropped to critical levels. More than ever, she desired to skewer Donna, but her strength was fleeting. The last conscious thing she saw was pair of remarkably cold eyes that would've sent a shudder through anyone's soul.
The woman slumped in Donna's hand and was promptly tossed aside as another soldier appeared in her stead. This enemy was wise enough to use her shield as she attacked. She brandished a trident in her right hand, and with her left, she toted a metal Boeotian shield. Her allegiance to Alkyone was literally carved into the metal; Alkyone's face was plastered all over it, and that was where Donna's punches landed.
The short trident did little to keep Donna at bay; she swatted it away before it even got close to doing harm. The only thing that kept her opponent in the battle was her shield that dented with every strike Donna gave it. The blacksmith that had hammered it into being had done incredible work. The duo danced for a span, and Donna actually found herself enjoying their fray. Donna couldn't visually identify the woman due to her obscuring helmet, but whoever she was, she was more skilled than the rest of her sword-sisters.
Donna's mind wandered, pondering if she would face any other opponent as skilled as this one, and in that brief moment, the enemy soldier managed to cut her. It felt like a prickle, but the blood that soon flowed from the gash proved that it wasn't it. The scar gave hope to the enemy soldier, but that hope soon dissipated into fear as the wound healed itself within seconds, leaving no trace of its existence. Donna's regenerative abilities were what set her apart from Diana. They were practically twins in appearance and skillset, but Donna's ability to heal herself was her trump card.
The enemy soldier must have realized that too and attacked with desperate ferocity. She sought to test the limits of Donna's regeneration by seeing how much damage she could withstand, but she never got the opportunity to. Donna phased out of sight and reappeared behind her. Before the enemy soldier could whip her head around, a chop to the neck sent her tumbling like the walls of Troy. Donna then bashed her with her shield for added measure to ensure that she wouldn't rise again.
When Donna looked up, she saw Euboea frantically running towards her, mouthing words that weren't heard until she was in arm's reach. "Alkyone she….she….." Euboea panted in between heavy breaths as she pulled Donna close. Her armor was glazed with blood, and it was difficult to discern whether it was her's or the enemies.
"What is it?" Donna asked, giving the commander a firm shake. Euboea's eyes bounced around, rotating in every direction before they finally settled on Donna.
"Alkyone has released creatures from Doom's Doorway."
January 9th
Age 763 (2013), Belle Reve
For all the power Steve Trevor possessed as the commander of Argus, none of it mattered when he butted heads with Amanda Waller. They both knew it, though Steve was too prideful to ever admit that. Years ago, they had been teammates on Team 7, a now-defunct military strike team. They had never been friends on any level, but in the field doing battle, they had always looked out for one another. But the bonds of that relationship had severed during Team 7's final mission.
Steve had always been an idealistic patriot. He was too hopeful, too good-natured, too compassionate, everything that Amanda Waller wasn't. Wonder Woman's effect on the man's life had been so profound that he was always willing to give second chances and seek alternatives to violence. In short, Steve refused to do the hard but necessary things, the things that left soldiers with mental scars so deep that suicide was an escape for them. But morally reprehensible acts came with the territory of being a black ops soldier.
Every soldier in Team 7 had known exactly what they had signed up for, and that was what had made Steve's decision during their final mission especially disappointing. The team had been tasked with retrieving a mystical item that contained an unspeakable evil. Things had gone left, as they usually did during these types of missions, and the malignant spirit hidden within the gem had escaped. The dark entity had jumped into the body of one of the Team 7 soldiers, slowly possessing him. Steve Trevor had been the only one capable of stopping what happened next, but the future commander of Argus had been too apprehensive to pull the trigger and kill his comrade.
Instead, the malevolent spirit had taken complete control of their colleague and had used his body to kill multiple members of their unit. Steve eventually managed to exorcise the spirit, but by then, it was too late. A third of Team 7 had been brutally murdered that night, and the few survivors had been better off dead. Amanda's wounds had been so grievous she fell into a coma for months, and once she finally had awoken, it had taken her nearly a year to relearn how to walk. But the most painful thing about the entire ordeal had been the fact that Steve had been rewarded for his so-called heroics during the mission.
Amanda had passed out before it happened, but Steve had found a way to seal the entity, and the mission had been deemed a success. And following that, Steve had been promoted while she had rotted away in a hospital bed, unsure if her legs would ever function properly again. Steve had tried to apologize for what had occurred multiple times, but his words always fell on deaf ears. Amanda Waller was numerous things, and spiteful was at the top of that list. But unlike so many others before her, Amanda hadn't allowed her rage to consume her; she had used it to chisel herself into the woman she was today.
She had climbed the military ranks at a record pace and learned how to navigate the political plane with one goal in mind; to secure the safety of her nation. Her time with Team 7 had shown her that very few people were willing to go to the lengths that she was to achieve victory and success. It was often said that she was a cruel conniving bitch, and while that was true to a certain extent, it wasn't the totality of her being. At her core, her primary desire was to protect her nation from the monsters that lurked in the shadows, and if she had to become a monster to do it, she would gladly accept her role. Amanda would use anyone, even reprobates like Vegeta, to realize her ambitions.
"When I get out of these handcuffs, I'll make sure that you die….slowly," The prince of all Saiyans threatened as he was led down a long corridor. It was dimly lit, making it hard to decipher where he was and what people surrounded him, but Amanda Waller's dour Ki signature was easily identifiable.
"You're in no position to be making threats, Vegeta," Amanda walked paces ahead of Vegeta, and the Saiyan couldn't see her rolling her eyes at him. "This is your new home now, and you'd better get used to it."
"I've escaped far worse situations than this one," Vegeta scoffed. Excluding Amanda Waller, he was surrounded by a quintet of guards whose power levels were pathetically weak. The handcuffs slicing at his wrists were draining his Ki, but even in this debilitated state, he was still confident about his chances.
Amanda suddenly stopped and spun on the heels of her boots to face Vegeta. "None of those situations were Belle Reve," She said the words like they were supposed to mean something to the prince, but all he did was tilt his head back and roar with laughter.
"If this facility is anything like that other one, I'll be out of here in a few days."
Amanda knew what Vegeta was referring to. The Circus was a secret Argus base for detained extraterrestrials and extradimensional beings. Vegeta had been housed there until this morning when Amanda Waller had used her power as the secretary of Metahuman affairs to get him transferred to Belle Reve. At least one prisoner had escaped The Circus, but not a single person had managed to get past Belle Reve's walls following her takeover of leadership. Belle Reve was an impenetrable inescapable prison, and Vegeta's soon-to-be teammates would attest to that.
"I hope you'll have this same spunk when I get through with you," Amanda wordlessly motioned for the guard on Vegeta's right side to inject him with something, and before the proud Saiyan could put up a fight, he was unconscious.
The next thing Vegeta knew, he was groggily opening his eyes in a cafeteria that was filled with dozens of armed guards. They were congregating in the open space at the front of the room. Unlike his previous captors at Argus, their uniforms were seaweed greed, and they all wore masks, except for Amanda Waller, whose impatience was written all over her face.
"I'm glad to see that you're all finally awake," Amanda said as she checked her watch. It was noon now, and she had a tight schedule to keep. "We have a lot of things to discuss."
"We?" Vegeta mumbled under his breath.
He looked to his right and left and noticed that there were other guests in the room. Though he was seated alone, there was a myriad of white tables that were occupied by all manner of bizarre Earthlings. Some met his gaze and gave him threatening looks, while others didn't even seem to be aware of his presence. But the person that caught his attention the most was a woman whose complexion was even paler than Frieza's. Her hand shot up like a canon, and her childlike voice shattered the silence that had fallen over the room.
"Waller, how ya doin, toots? It's been far too long," She spoke as if she had a close personal relationship with the ebony woman, but Amanda just ignored her.
"I've assembled you here today for a matter that concerns the national security of our nation."
Loud murmuring was heard as the occupants of the room talked amongst themselves. Vegeta didn't join their discussions; he wasn't even a native to this planet, much less America. And on top of that, he didn't care about securing anything other than power for himself.
"As much as I would looooove to help with that, there's just one wee lil problem; I'm locked up," The pale woman spoke up again, this time raising her wrists to showcase the chains on them.
"I'll get to that topic later," Amanda scowled. She hated being interrupted and could already see that would be a pattern at this meeting. "Our government has recently become aware of an object so powerful that it could wipe out our nation in the blink of an eye."
"Oooweee, what is it? What is it?" The pale woman was bouncing up and down in her seat, unable to contain her excitement. "I hope it's something pretty with a biiiiiiig explosion."
"Harley, shut up," Amanda glared at the woman, and she motioned her hands over her mouth, signifying that she would be zipping her lips. "It's not just one object, it's a group of them, and they're called the Dragonballs."
A big thank you to everyone who reviewed chapter 51!
A/N: Thank you all so much for helping me reach 1700 reviews! Not much longer till this story crosses the 2K benchmark.
Q/A:
Ppsspp: All of your questions are spoilers; you'll just have to read and find out.
Omnihallows: You're correct; that did happen in canon.
Martiz S.G: Yes, of course, Goku will have character development. There will be an arc that pits those two groups against one another, but it won't titled that. You raise a good point, I have no idea why Dr. Gero called them Androids instead of cyborgs, and no one ever seemed to address that.
Jackalope89: If I did a rewrite, it would still feature a lot of things from the New 52, though not everything. I've picked and chosen the things I did like from it. There are some foundational changes I would like to make to the story, but that's not really possible right now. I've thought about doing a soft reboot, but I don't think that would be as satisfying for me.
scl04: Hippolyta was/is a complicated woman. Unlike Goku, Donna is an Amazon, and she shares blood with the queen, so I don't think it would be too far-fetched for Hippolyta to be a tad more sympathetic in this situation. The Vegeta/Suicide Squad thing is something I had in mind for a long time. It's obviously not going to last for long, but it will be a fun ride, lol.
The killing vs. no killing topic will be addressed in a story arc called "Justice For All." That's a spoiler but not a major one. Yes, the Z-Warriors only kill when necessary, but people like Batman and Superman still have a problem with that. Krillin won't be a cop in this story, but one of the Z-Warriors will be an intergalactic one. Diana being a student of the Turtle School, will get brought up again, and Master Roshi will make an appearance too.
Lex has been planning a lot of stuff, and you'll see at least one of his schemes fairly soon. I don't really have anything planned with the Joker until the Buu saga. The origin of the Super Saiyan will share some similarities with the origin in canon, but there will be some changes. Yes, Turles will learn about Goku defeating Frieza. What Superman knows and doesn't know about the Saiyans will be explained.
In chapter 42, it was stated that Gohan was unconscious when Krillin died, but Gohan woke up before they got teleported to Earth and was able to see his father had transformed. Thank you for pointing out the King Kai inconsistency; I really appreciate stuff like that. I went back and edited that dialogue.
Fedbax25: Kami did die. I don't recall saying that Kami was still alive, but if I did at some point, that was most definitely an error on my part. I like some things about DBS, but I feel like it could've been done a lot better. I've chosen to exclude DBS for the most part because I feel like the characters have grown too powerful to be included in this story. Many characters in DBS are just too OP, and I feel like most of the DC cast won't be helpful by that point. There are some things I plan on including from DBS like Cabba, Kale, Caulifla, etc. But I'm always open to suggestions.
Fuckmegun: The Amazon civil war arc will end soon.
Guest: I can't give you an exact number, but soon.
Maximum Rhapsody: Some of those characters already appeared during the Dragonball era of this story; I just didn't write about them in-depth.
2000wires: I could do a rewrite after I complete this version of the story, but I most likely won't want to do that, lol. A rewrite would take a long time, and that's why I'm so torn about potentially doing one. If I did a rewrite, I would focus more in-depth on some of the things I skipped over in past chapters.
Loki's Tongue: Donna will have her own adventures and carve out her own identity. Goten and Trunks will go on adventures as well.
Ayrton Senna: Goku and Diana will still be paired together if I do a rewrite.
Nole: Goku and Diana will still be paired together.
Okhwang: I probably won't update that story until this one is complete.
Guest: Un humano como Yamcha con un anillo de linterna verde sería bastante poderoso y tendrás la oportunidad de verlo más adelante en la historia.
