Thoughts

Computer Speech

"Speech"

Disclaimer: DC and the Dragonball Franchise belong to their respective owners; I own nothing.

Chapter 53: Dominoes II


January 9th

Age 763 (2013), Belle Reve

"How do you know about the Dragonballs?" Vegeta demanded. The sudden outburst caused all the heads in the room to whip around and face him, but he ignored them. It had been nearly two years since he'd learned about the Dragonballs, and what he thought was secret knowledge now appeared to be known by everyone.

"That's classified information, Vegeta," Amanda Waller responded with a goading smirk. Vegeta's history with the Dragonballs was part of the reason why she had fought so hard to bring him on board for this assignment. The Saiyan wouldn't rest until he knew what her source was, and that was what she was banking on.

"Vegeta? As in the crazy alien who blew up a part of New York City and caused the Massacre in Manhattan?" A woman with hair as spiky as a hedgehog said. Her lips were the color of an iceberg, and her skin was a hypnotizing blend of arctic blue and chalk white. She wore a long-sleeved black leotard that featured a lightning bolt over her breast, and from the look in her eyes, it wasn't just for display.

"Ooo, I thought ya looked familiar," The woman known as Harley said as she scrutinized him. She was seated three tables away from Vegeta and had to squint past a giant monstrous crocodile to get a good look at him. "Never thought I'd get the chance to meet a real-life alien."

"But Harley, you met Superman before, and he's an alien," The crocodile spoke, surprising Vegeta as a loud guttural voice emerged from the depths of his throat. The creature was massive in height and girth. He was easily the size of Piccolo, and the bench he was seated on looked like it would collapse at any minute.

"You're right, Killer Croc, silly me; how could I forget that?" Harley chuckled and palmed her forehead so hard it left a bright red bruise. "I think all this time behind these walls is starting to get to me, ya know?"

Before Killer Croc could respond, Amanda Waller cleared her throat, reeling in everyone's attention.

"As I was saying," Her voice rose in decibels, and it was apparent that she was growing agitated, but she wouldn't allow her speech to be deterred. "The Dragonballs present a great risk to our nation, and I've assembled you all here today for a mission that will lead to their retrieval."

"Why don't you use the military for that? We're a bunch of criminals who will most likely never see the light of day again," A man at a table beside Vegeta said. He sat at the closest table on the prince's left side and had dark slick-backed hair. His outfit, a brilliant pantone orange prison uniform, was in stark contrast to his nonchalant attitude. His hands folded behind his head as he spoke, and he never bothered to look in Amanda's direction. "Unless there's something you're not telling us, I don't see why you brought us here."

This time Amanda Waller wasn't annoyed by the interruption; she smiled at it. Floyd Lawton, better knowns as Deadshot, was one of the world's premier marksmen, and he was as perceptive as always.

"This is an off-the-books assignment. Our government can't afford to have its name attached to this mission in case something goes wrong."

"So you want us to be stooges for the same nation that's screwed us over? I don't think so," Deadshot unfolded his hands and placed them on the table, clenching them into tight fists.

"I'll make it worth your while; I'll make it worth all your whiles," Amanda said as she glanced around the room. Everyone looked disinterested and reluctant, but all they needed was the proper motivation.

"And pray tell, how exactly do you plan on doing that?" Deadshot asked with a raised brow.

"I'll cut time off all your sentences once you complete the mission," It was the only thing Amanda Waller was willing to offer, for now at least. She would lowball them and see what they were willing to accept before raising the stakes.

"I'm serving a life sentence that's meaningless to me," Deadshot rolled his eyes, quickly dismissing the proposition.

"Pemdas….pemdas. Carry the two, subtract that by four, divide that in half," Harley mumbled to herself as she started counting the fingers on her hands. "I'll have two hundred years left on my sentence; if I can get it reduced!" She leaped up from her seat, shouting the words enthusiastically. She looked proud of herself, but the rest of the room gave her quizzical expressions.

"Hey! Don't look at me like that; math wasn't my strongest subject in school," Harley slithered back into her seat and pouted, causing Vegeta to shake his head.

"There's nothing you can do for me or offer me that will make me work for you. Once I figure out how to escape these handcuffs, and I will, I'll make sure you suffer for this embarrassment," Vegeta's eyes narrowed in on Amanda Waller, who was typing something on her cell phone.

"It's probably not the smartest idea to proclaim your intentions to your enemies," The lightning-themed woman said. Vegeta gave her a dirty look, and she snarled back at him. "You don't have to take my advice, but it hardly ever works out."

"That's enough!" Amanda Waller yelled. She was at her wit's end dealing with the prisoners. "I tried to offer you all an olive branch, but you won't take it. I realize now what I have to do," The look on her face was grim as she displayed her cell phone to the occupants of the room. There was a picture of a man who Vegeta didn't recognize on her screen. Underneath his photo, the word "armed" was written next to a timer.

"Before I brought you all to this assembly, I implanted your bodies with a nanite bomb. You either accept this mission, or you die." Amanda's tone left no room for debate, but several prisoners still refused to take her seriously.

"She's bluffing."

"She wouldn't dare."

"The ACLU would be so far up her ass if she even thought about doing something that crazy!"

"This is just a trick, don't fall for it!"

Were some of the various responses from the prisoners, but Vegeta had a bad feeling about this. He hadn't known Amanda Waller for long, but everything about her, from her aura to her demeanor, was dead serious, and when the timer on her phone finally ran down to zero, all hell broke loose.


January 7th

Age 763 (2013), Themsycira

Wonder Woman ran like a woman possessed. Her feet glided across the stone bridge in long strides, not once sparing a look behind her even as worry gnawed at her bones. Iphthime would be alright; she had to be. The former architect couldn't die like this, she was too proud a woman to have such an inglorious death, and if she somehow did perish, Diana vowed to drag her soul out of Hades.

The battle so far had been a disaster. The Resistance was taking astronomical losses, and nothing they did seemed to be able to turn the tide of the battle. Wonder Woman kept her eyes ahead of her, locked onto the gate that would soon be in reach, but her peripheral vision couldn't ignore the gruesome sights around her. Her comrades were dropping like flies as enemy blades, spears, and arrows pierced their skin. Soon, there would be no one even left to save.

Diana grit her teeth and strengthened her resolve, picking up the pace. She rammed into the gigantic steel gate, uprooting it as she plowed through it. Soldiers that had been manned by the gate were flung into the air, their bodies crumpling into unmoving heaps in the dirt when their feet finally found ground again. The enemies that had avoided being harmed by Diana's bullrush attacked her immediately, firing volleys of arrows at her.

It was a tired tactic, and Wonder Woman didn't even bother to deflect the incoming assault this time. She let every single arrow hit her glistening skin, and they promptly snapped on impact. Maybe the apples of discord impeded their intelligence, Diana pondered as she watched the enemy Amazons prepare for another barrage. They were in an open courtyard with nothing but empty space between them. Normally for an invader, that would've been a negative, but in this situation, it meant Diana's foes had nowhere to run.

She lashed out at the nearest Amazon, a lanky woman whose jaw broke under the weight of an uppercut. Diana then snatched an arrow out of midair and redirected its trajectory, using it to stab the Amazon who had fired it. The princess rammed the arrow deep into the woman's thigh, and she screamed as she dropped to her knees. The bleeding was profuse, and the woman's wailing didn't cease until Diana kneed her in the face, silencing her cries.

The remaining Amazons descended on Wonder Woman like a pack of wolves. There were at least fifty of them, and each one suffered a worse fate than the last. Diana spared their lives but made sure to inflict as much pain as possible. Multiple sets of ribs were cracked, teeth were broken, and blood splattered the ground as Diana kicked and punched her way through her enemies. Wonder Woman took no pleasure in what she was forced to do, but it was a necessity.

By the time Diana made it to the end of the courtyard, none of her foes were on their feet. They were scattered across the ground bruised and battered beyond recognition, and the few ones that were conscious wished they weren't. Wonder Woman gave them a parting glance before dashing off. There were still three levels of the city to climb before she reached the royal palace. Flying there was an option, but that was most likely what Alkyone was expecting. She was in the midst of running through a garden when something perched high in the sky caught her eye.

It had long brown feathery wings but was too colossal to be a bird. Its talons were the length of a human's head and looked sharper than any blade a blacksmith could forge. Diana squinted and, upon further inspection, realized the creature bared a striking resemblance to a woman. Its face was feminine, but the red stripes that zigzagged across the creature's face stymied any beauty it could've possessed. The beast crossed gazes with Wonder Woman and screeched loudly as it swooped down to attack her.

Diana was slightly disoriented by the loud noise but composed herself enough to meet the creature halfway in the air. The two slammed into one another, and despite its size advantage, the monster was propelled backward. Wonder Woman gave chase, closing the distance between them, and punched the creature in its broad face. Her knuckles sank into's the beast's nose with a sickening crunch that drew blood. Razor-sharp talons nipped at Diana's forearms in retaliation, but Wonder Woman swerved out of harm's way effortlessly.

As Diana's other fist hammered the creature's cheek, she realized it was a Harpy. The creature's horrid rancid stench should've initially made that apparent, but Wonder Woman had never encountered a Harpy this large before. She had fought several of them in Doom's Doorway, but this Harpy could've devoured all those other ones for snacks and still had room left in its stomach for Diana. Wonder Woman's frame in comparison to the Harpy was comical, and if not for the dire situation, it would've elicited a hearty laugh.

Diana's fists peppered the beast with blow after mighty blow. The ripples from the force of her attacks were visible on the creature's feathery skin. The Harpy's counterattacks were useless and only resulted in more vicious strikes from Diana. But the princess was so focused on the beast's face that she failed to notice its tailfeather sneaking up behind her. It thwacked her like a tennis racket, stunning Diana and allowing the Harpy to flee.

But the Harpy didn't get far before Wonder Woman latched onto one of its enormous wings, pulling it back. It flapped desperately, but Diana's grip was ironclad, not budging an inch, and upon sensing that, the Harpy played its only remaining card and cried out for help. Wonder Woman instantly recognized what the monster was doing. The frantic shriek was a signal for any nearby Harpies. Harpies always hunted in groups, and sure enough, a trio of them nosedived from the royal palace's plateau.

Damn you, Alkyone! Diana mentally cursed. Alkyone had been so desperate to win this battle she'd released potentially unspeakable evils from Doom's Doorway. Wonder Woman tore the wing off the Harpy's back and tossed it at her incoming assailants. It didn't stop them in their tracks but derailed them enough to give Diana the time she needed to kill the enemy in her clutches. With only one wing left to support itself, the Harpy in front of Wonder Woman plummeted from the air.

As the duo careened towards the ground, Diana wrapped her arms around the creature's neck, placing it in a chokehold. The Harpy's neck was as thick as a tree trunk, but Wonder Woman had little difficulty snapping its neck. Diana gave the collum a hard jerk and released it from her grip, letting the Harpy slam into the turf down below. By the time the monstrous bird finally crashed into the ground, Diana was already in the thick of another confrontation.

The princess had little time to waste on this trio of Harpies and acted swiftly to end the skirmish as quickly as possible. Unlike their sister, none of them were towering masses of flesh. They were still large creatures but were only the size of a city bus. They attacked in unison, extending their viciously curved talons to stab Diana. Wonder Woman caught two of the talons with her right and left arms and deflected the last one with a kick. It splintered from its root, and the panic-stricken Harpy screamed in anguish as it backed away.

The other two Harpies attempted to wiggle out of Diana's clutches, but the princess refused to be moved and used their talons as a base to swing them into one another. They banged against one another like a drum, and Wonder Woman repeated the act several times until the Harpies dizzy expressions signaled her to stop. They were woozy, off-balanced, and ill-prepared to defend themselves as Diana's fist burst through their stomachs. Wonder Woman's arms were soaked to their elbows in blood as they dug through tendons and organs.

The last breathing Harpy was incensed by the Death of her sisters and attacked with blind fury, but Diana's ensanguined hands stopped the creature dead in its tracks. The princess literally choked the life out of the Harpy, watching its amethyst eyes dull as the creature's body spasmed to a silence. Wonder Woman discarded the body and turned her attention to the plateau that loomed over her. Alkyone's expectations no longer mattered; retribution was at hand. Diana blasted off towards the royal palace carrying the blaze of a thousand suns within her.


January 7th

Age 763 (2013), Themsycira

Alkyone's bitterness knew no bounds; Donna had realized that the first time she had met the Amazon. The clean-shaven former royal guard was the embodiment of vengeance, even more so than Derinoe. She would stop at no end to achieve her goals, regardless of the cost. But Donna hadn't expected her to go as far as releasing monsters from Doom's Doorway to ensure a victory. Despite the number of soldiers under her command and the odds stacked in her favor, Alkyone was still doubtful about her chances.

It spoke volumes about the fear Alkyone had for Donna and Diana, and rightfully so. The only reason Alkyone had even managed to imprison either one of them was due to trickery. On the night of her banishment, an enchanted arrow had knocked Donna unconscious before she could've retaliated against Alkyone. But things would be different this time. Alkyone would face justice.

Euboea's words seemed like a distant memory of the past as Donna stared down a Minotaur. Euboea's warning had only been a few minutes ago, but as soon as her words had been uttered, the beast had come stampeding across the bridge. The Minotaur had barreled through bundles of Amazons, friends, and enemy alike, without any regard for their well-being. But for once, Alkyone's forces had suffered the greatest loss.

The Minotaur stood proud and arrogant. The creature towered over Donna, its gigantic muscular body, casting a massive shadow over her and the few Amazons who had yet to flee from its path. The shade was a welcome sight, momentarily cooling Donna's body from the hot sun. The Minotaur glared at her, huffing steam out of its wide flat nose. The beast expected Donna to run in terror like so many of her sisters before her had, but Hippolyta's clone stayed put, stretching in anticipation for what was to come next.

The jingling of the Minotaur's nose ring alerted Donna that the monster was on the move. The creature lowered its head and charged, two jagged horns leading the way. The bridge trembled with every mighty step the beast took, and before long, the Minotaur crashed into Donna. But much to the creature's surprise and ire, Donna didn't budge an inch. Both of her hands were wrapped firmly around the Minotaur's ivory horns, holding them in place even as the beast thrashed wildly. The Minotaur bellowed raucously, its hooves hammering the moss-covered bridge in an attempt to find better footing, but there was none of be had.

It was a pure contest of strength, and Donna outclassed the beast by leaps and bounds. With a graceful heave, Hippolyta's clone shoved the creature back, sending it stumbling onto its behind. Its fall was equate to a small tremor, and the beast bared its teeth, scowling as it tried to gather its bearings. Donna didn't grant the monster the opportunity. She pounced, leaping into the air with one tremendous hop that instantly closed the distance between them. Her fists rained down on the Minotaur's face, contorting bones out of place with strikes that caused the air to shudder.

By the time Donna was done, all that was left was the bloody pulp of a now unrecognizable face. The creature flopped to the ground in a ploom of dust. However, the victory was short-lived. Donna looked over her shoulder at Euboea and saw the commander pointing towards the heavens. An animal with a pair of hideous purple wings was descending from the sky, and the trajectory of its flight put Donna in its path. Hippolyta's clone acted with urgency and shot into the air to meet the creature.

She approached cautiously, and with the wisdom of Athena, she avoided the stinger of a scorpion's tail. It whizzed past her face, lashing out into the passing breeze harmlessly. The monster slowly retracted its tail, and Donna seized the opportunity to properly examine her opponent. The beast was a horrific abomination and featured a mixture of ungodly body parts from various animals.

It had the body of a full-grown lion, with paws as big as the arrogance of Hercules. A hideous scorpion-like blue tail protruded from its backside, arched and ready to strike at any minute. It had the gaunt face of a man who hadn't seen sleep in eons. But most surprising of all were the purple, hairless, elastic wings that the creature used to fly. They were similar to a bat's wings, but they expanded longer than the width of the creature's body.

To put it shortly, the beast was "nightmare fuel," as Diana had so often said during their stay in Doom's Doorway. The creature matched the description of an androphagos, but Donna couldn't be sure as she'd never met one. But regardless of the monster's true name or origin, it was speeding towards her with its mouth wide open, aiming to take a chunk of her flesh. With the feet of a ballerina, Donna spun out of the way, causing the beast to miss its mark.

It roared in anger and spun back around, racing through the air to chomp Hippolyta's clone. Donna met him head-on, and with the back of her hand, she slapped the androphagos into a new area code. The creature was catapulted into the clouds, and the city down below became a distant blip as the androphagos ascended higher and higher. When the beast finally reached a peak, it shook its wings to orient itself. Vengeance was the only thought in the creature's mind, and the androphagos didn't have to wait long to spot its target.

Donna burst through a nearby cloud; her arm cocked back in a punching motion. She sped towards the androphagos and rocked its jaw with a jab before the creature even knew what was happening. The beast bounced through the air, skidding to a halt as Hippolyta's clone reappeared behind it. The creature whipped its tail at her, and if not for Donna's nimble feet, she would've been stung a dozen times over. She timed her movements perfectly, and when the chance presented itself, Donna latched onto the androphagos' stinger and yanked on it.

The beast's stinger and the rest of its tail came loose with one fluid jerk. The androphagos wailed like the doomed souls in Tartarus as Donna discarded the creature's appendage. A geyser of sickly blood spewed from its hide, and for a brief moment, Donna felt sympathy for the androphagos until it decided to attack her again. She was forced to break the beast's forelegs, and they shattered like broken dreams once her kick made contact. The creature was in excruciating pain, but it pressed on with its would-be assault irrespective of that.

With its forelegs broken and its tail removed, all the androphagos could do was growl as it attempted to bite Donna. Its wings flapped furiously as it chased Hippolyta's clone through the sky. It was a miserable game of tag that only ended once the beast's blood loss became too fatal to overcome. The androphagos' eyes rolled back, and its body wobbled, teetering back and forth before eternal sleep overtook its consciousness. The creature plummeted from the sky at a breakneck pace, and Donna followed to see where it would land.

With a thunderous thump, the androphagos smashed into the tile floors in the courtyard of the royal palace. Donna had hoped to make a silent entrance, but the creature had that impossible now. As she lowered herself to the ground, Donna noticed that there were no soldiers present anywhere in the nearby vicinity. Guards were always on patrol around the clock in this area. That was odd….extremely odd, but it was possible that the guards had been called for duty elsewhere, especially considering the fact there was a war going on.

Donna tread slowly and cautiously. Her eyes scanned the courtyard for any sudden movements, but the area was completely empty, and even the fountain three paces ahead of her seemed to be devoid of noise. The statue at the top of the fountain featured an image of the god Poseidon whose trident was outstretched as water flowed from it. The trident faced the direction of a door that Donna suddenly heard the clanging of steel from. Donna sprinted towards the door, but before she made it halfway there, it splintered open as someone tumbled through the other side.

A woman lackadaisically stood up and just in the nick of time as her opponent burst through the remains of the wooden door, swinging an ax wildly at her. Donna instantly recognized her sister and rushed to join her but was waved off by Diana. Donna froze in place, blinking in confusion. She was about to voice her concerns but swallowed her words when she realized who Diana was fighting. Her sister's opponent turned her head just enough to give Donna a glimpse of who she was.

Diana's fighting Nubia? What the hell is going on?


A big thank you to everyone who reviewed chapter 52!


Q/A:

Ppsspp: I'm not doing GT or Super. There will be more crossover pairings.

derpmaster9000: Hit will appear too, but it won't be until the very end of the story like you said.

scl04: The Resistance is fighting for the rightful bloodline to retake the throne, but Diana might not necessarily want to be queen. Donna struggled a little bit with her last opponent because she got distracted, and keep in mind that she hasn't been adequately trained. Some of the things regarding Steve and Amanda were canon in the New 52, but I changed some things here and there. You guessed the first part of the Suicide Squad's mission. Kami and the Namekians could just deactivate the Dragonballs if things get tricky.

Vegeta is aware of certain things, but he's not going to going to share them with the woman who put a bomb in his head, lol. It will be more of an ideological battle than a physical one between the two groups when the time comes. I don't have any plans for Gorilla City right now, but that could change. Aleka and Artemis will both appear.

King Julius: Your question is kind of a double entendre because Gohan's mother is literally a prince, and Diana's last name is prince, lol.

Martiz S.G: The Paragus in this story will be a mixture.

traveler96: SSJ4 probably won't appear in this story. Other techniques will appear.

Loki's Tongue: You'll have to read and see how strong Beerus is. I don't know if there will be more female Z-fighters. Gohan and Goten will eventually visit Themyscira.

DRAGONDAVE45: Hal will be back soon with some important information. We've got a couple of chapters left until the Son family reunion.

Ayrton Senna: Condiment King most likely won't make an appearance, lol.

Guest: Darkseid nunca se ha encontrado con Broly. No he pensado en el origen de Whis pero tu idea suena bien. Hay otras buenas historias cruzadas de DC/DBZ como Crisis on Earth, Going Native, The Princess and the Dragon Y muchas mas.

Knock Knock: The U6 Saiyans will be from another Universe in this story, but not like your proposal; however, your idea is good.