Chapter 14
Tower of Fate; September 7th, 12:37 EST
"Do you know something about this?" Zatanna asked as she finished her tale. "Is there anything you can do to help us?"
Doctor Fate paused for a moment, causing the pair to wonder if he was going to answer them. "Yes…and no."
Constantine straightened up in overt frustration and irritation. "What do you mean yes and no? That's not an answer."
"It is my answer," Fate replied with surprising patience.
Zatanna ground her teeth, sharing Constantine's emotional state at that moment. "Which is it, Fate? Do you know something or not?"
"Yes, I do know something, but no there is nothing I can do to help Diana," he evenly stated.
"What?" Constantine exclaimed as he leaped to his feet. "We have been everywhere in creation trying to find answers to help Wonder Woman. You have the answers we need and you're not going to do anything to even help her?"
"That is correct," Fate said.
"You miserable piece of—" Constantine began with a snarl on his lips only to be stopped short by Zatanna's hand on his shoulder.
"Fate, we are desperate here…we're running out of time," she told him. "I don't think you understand the gravity of the situation. Diana could die…her baby could die. We need to find a way to stop that from happening."
"I completely understand, and I know who is behind it…I even know why," Fate informed them. "Unfortunately, I am unable to give you any information for reasons you cannot begin to understand."
"Why?" Zatanna cried.
"I have seen the future, and I cannot interfere with what is to come," he cryptically revealed.
"What damage could it do to tell us how to save her?" John demanded to know.
"As you know, the future is not set in stone," Fate attempted to explain. "There are always choices that are made that could change the course of events. If I tell you what you want to know, it will change the future for the worse. Sometimes what is currently occurring is not as horrifying as the alternatives."
"What could be worse than Diana and her baby dying?" Zee spat out.
Doctor Fate slowly shook his head, clearly affected by what he had seen. "You don't want to know how much worse it could become."
"Fine," Zee ground out. "Is there anything that you can tell us to help? Point us in the right direction?"
Fate sighed, deciding that it wouldn't hurt to give them a morsel of information. "I can tell you that all is not as hopeless as it may seem."
"So, there is hope that she will survive this?" John pressed.
"I can say no more," Fate insisted. "Tell Batman if there is anything more that I find that I can share he'll be the first one to know. Until then, I'm afraid there is nothing more I can do. I'm sorry."
"That's a big help," John grumbled under his breath as Fate turned to leave.
"Come on," Zee told John. "Let's get back to Gotham."
"There has to be someone somewhere who knows something that can save her," John angrily said. "Is there anyone else you can think of?"
Zee shook her head. "I've got nothing. I'm out of ideas."
"I hate returning to Gotham to tell Bruce we still have no answers."
"I really thought we'd be able to save her."
"We're not giving up, Zee," John said with utmost determination. "You heard Fate. He said it's not as hopeless as it seems. There's just something we're missing; someone we still need to talk to."
"I wonder what he meant by what he said about there being hope," she thoughtfully replied. "Does that mean that Diana is going to pull through this, and she'll be okay?"
"Or does he mean that we will find the answers we're looking for?"
"I don't know, but we should check in with Bruce," she decided. "Either way, we can't give up…not yet."
"I agree," he said. "Giving up is not an option. We've come too far now to stop."
A small smile graced Zatanna's lips as she gazed at her former boyfriend. "I love it when you get all resolute and determined. I think it's pretty sexy."
John smiled in return. "You think so?"
John leaned in and kissed her sweetly on the lips, mildly concerned that she might cause him physical harm by kissing her. He was especially pleased when she responded in kind, giving him hope that she had truly forgiven him for any presumed indiscretions.
"Come on," she responded, taking his hand. "Let's contact Bruce."
Diana's Mind; September 7th, 15:46 EST
"Nothing?" Diana repeated in stunned disbelief.
"I'm sorry, Diana," J'onn replied. "I ran every single test I can think of, and they all came back perfectly normal. I could not find one thing that was abnormal."
"But there has to be!" she exclaimed as she began pacing. "I…I don't understand this."
"Diana, listen to me," Bruce said, coming to stand directly in her path. "There may not have been anything physically wrong, but that doesn't mean that something isn't going on."
Diana stared at him for a long moment, realization sinking in. "You think I'm crazy, don't you?"
"I didn't say that," Bruce insisted with a shake of his head. "I'm just saying that I think we need to look further into other possibilities."
Diana stared in disbelief at her husband, pausing to glance at J'onn. "You both think I'm out of my mind…that I'm delusional."
Bruce watched as his wife took a step back away from him. "I just want to get you the help that you need," he told her as he reached for her.
Diana took another step back as she glared at them. "I'm not delusional," she angrily snapped, grabbing the magic lasso from her hip. "If you don't believe me, then test me."
Bruce adamantly shook his head as she began to wrap the lasso around her arm. "Diana, that's not going to work," he said. "You believe something is happening to you. The lasso will only confirm what you already believe."
Diana stared at him, feeling trapped for the first time in her life. No one believed her, no one could help her…and the one person that she knew she could always count on no matter what had just revealed that he thought she had a mental problem.
"Fine," she spat out, blue eyes flashing with fury. "I'm going to Themyscira to get the answers I need."
"I'll go with you," Batman said.
"No need," she icily replied as she stormed past him. "I do not need you to accompany me, especially someone who doesn't believe me."
"Diana!" Batman yelled as she stalked out of the medical bay. "That did not go well."
"Did you expect it to?" J'onn asked.
"No, but I had hoped for better than watching her leave believing that I'm against her," he growled. "Now, she thinks I believe she's mentally unstable."
Batcave; September 7th, 16:35 EST
"What is it?" Bruce demanded to know.
J'onn looked up at him, trying to decide how to tell him. "Her heart is broken. She's completely crushed."
Bruce's shoulders sank with the news, watching as another tear escaped the corner of her eye only to disappear into her hair. He reached out to gently stroke her face, doing his best to soothe whatever had hurt her so deeply.
"But you still can't break through to see what it is?" Bruce asked, his own heart fracturing with the thought of her hurting and not being able to do a damn thing about it.
"I'm afraid not," J'onn informed him. "I have tried everything I can think of to break through the barrier in her mind, but I'm afraid nothing has worked. I've never seen anything like it."
"Physically she's okay?"
"Yes," J'onn confirmed. "She's remained perfectly stable through this whole ordeal. The baby is fine. She's growing as expected."
"This just doesn't make any sense!" Bruce angrily growled, feeling utterly helpless.
He feared that Diana was giving up. Whatever had broken her heart could be the reason that she gave up fighting for her life. The thought was devastating to consider. If that happened, then this was all over. There was no saving her. He needed her to fight the same that he was fighting for her.
"What about a Lazarus Pit?" Damian suggested from his perch on top of a desk.
Bruce's head snapped up to stare at his son, taken aback by his suggestion. It wasn't something that he had considered. It was dangerous, to say the least, but, at the same time, they were rapidly running out of time. Was it worth the risk?"
"Absolutely not!" Jason exclaimed. "There has to be another way."
"Why not?" Damian demanded to know.
"You have no idea the mental chaos that it causes…the absolute rage…the way it corrupts your mind," Jason angrily bit out.
"But it could be worth the risk if it saves her life," Damian argued. "Besides, isn't she a demigoddess? Her abilities could protect her from the Lazarus Fever."
"It's not worth the risk," Jason decided.
"If her own family on Olympus won't help her, then we need to do it," Damian stated. "We're the only family that cares about her."
"It's not our decision," Dick reminded them, glancing at his father figure. "It's Bruce's."
Bruce felt completely torn with the thought. It would be extremely dangerous to be certain. They would not only be battling the effects of the Lazarus Pit if it did work, but they would also be fighting the League of Assassins to even get to the pit. Besides that, what effect would the Pit have on their unborn daughter? He shuddered to think of it.
"Before we go throwing my sister into a Lazarus Pit and driving her crazy, why don't we try her lasso?" Donna suggested. "It forces the truth to the surface. Maybe it'll be able to break through the magical spell that's holding her hostage."
"It's worth trying," J'onn agreed.
Bruce immediately went to Diana's station where she kept some of her things. Picking up the golden lasso, he could feel the hum of magic vibrating through him straight to his heart, confirming what he already knew.
He loved her with every fiber of his being.
He returned to Diana's side, gently picking up her hand and wrapping the lasso around it. It immediately began to glow as he released it, hoping that this was the answer they had been seeking. Could it be something so simple as her lasso that could bring her back to him?
They waited in silence, studying her for any spark of life. "Please, Diana," Bruce whispered. "Fight."
The glow of the lasso soon dissipated, returning to its natural state. They waited for her eyes to open, a smile forming on her face as she wondered why everyone was standing around her, but unfortunately, it never happened.
"Leave the lasso wrapped around her hand," Donna recommended. "It's a powerful spell. It could take time."
"I still think the Lazarus Pit is the answer," Damian grumbled.
Jason huffed angrily under his breath as he crossed his arms against his chest, Artemis putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder to calm him. "It's the reason your mom and grandfather are off their rockers…why I nearly lost my mind."
"Stop," Bruce stated. "While I think the Lazarus Pit could help, I'm saving it as a last resort. We're not going to give up until we've exhausted every avenue."
"Diana's gifts could protect her mind," Damian pointed out. "I say it's worth the risk."
"I don't think there's any other avenue to take," Tim added with obvious frustration. "We've covered everything we can think of. Nick and Kaia are smart kids. They're getting suspicious that something isn't right. How much longer are we going to be able to string them along?"
"Hope we're not interrupting a family meeting," Zatanna interjected as she and Constantine approached.
"You're back," Dick said with excitement. "What did you find out from Dr. Fate?"
"He knows, but he's not saying," John informed them with overt annoyance.
"What do you mean he knows?" Donna questioned them.
"Fate knows exactly what's going on and who's behind it, but he said he can't tell us," Zee explained.
"Why not?" Bruce demanded to know, his anger mounting,
Zee sat down in a nearby chair, clearly exhausted from all the traveling they had done. "He said that while what Diana is going through is distressing, knowing the truth could result in a worse outcome."
"That makes no sense!" Tim exclaimed, throwing his hands up in anger. "He knows but he's not going to help her!"
Bruce's blue eyes flashed with an anger felt deep in his soul. "He has the answers to save her life, but he won't give them to us."
John nodded his head. "He did say that it's not as hopeless as it seems."
"So, there's a chance Diana could pull out of this?" Artemis asked.
"It seems like it," Zee replied, rubbing the back of her neck. "Maybe Diana will find a way out of this herself."
"Wouldn't that be awesome?" Dick added. "Let's just hope it's sooner rather than later."
"Oh, and Doctor Fate said to tell you, Bruce, that he finds there is more than can tell you, he'll contact you," Zee revealed.
"That's a big help," Jason snorted. "Don't call us, we'll call you."
"I wouldn't advise you to go up there to see him," Zee told Bruce. "You know how Fate can be. If he says no, he means it and you know he always has his reasons to not get involved."
"Maybe if we all go," Tim suggested.
"No," Bruce stated. "Fate is a dead end as far as I'm concerned. We're going to have to come up with something else."
"Trouble is we're running out of time," Donna replied.
Diana's Mind; September 7th; 17:01 EST
Diana fumed as she flew to Themyscira in her invisible jet alone with her anger and thoughts. She couldn't believe that Bruce of all people would not believe her. She had always trusted that no matter what happened, he would always have her back…would always be there to support her.
Instead, he was ready to have her committed for being mentally unstable.
The thought brought hot, angry tears to her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away. She was not going to give up on this. Something was wrong and nothing was going to keep her from finding the answers that she was growing more desperate to find, especially since her husband had turned on her.
She tightened her grip on the controls, her teeth clenched tightly. There was something about this that continued to nag and tickle at the back of her mind, prickling with annoying regularity and telling her that she was on the right track.
It was like a lost thought or memory that she couldn't quite pull to the forefront of her mind. What was it about this that seemed almost familiar? Was it something that Bruce or J'onn had said about magic possibly being involved?
There was something to it. She was sure of it.
Diana relaxed slightly as an unexpected sensation of warmth began to seep through every fiber of her being. It was like a warm, illuminating glow that fully encompassed her, causing her to look down at her arms to see if she was actually shimmering.
"What in the name of Hera?" she murmured to herself, wondering what was happening to her.
She knew she wasn't imagining it. It was a sensation that she felt every time she used her golden lasso. She glanced down at her hip, finding her lasso still at her side. It hung limply, with no golden glow to the magical rope indicating it was in use.
She felt as though she were floating adrift in a sea of uncertainty. She didn't understand how she could feel its magic flooding her system now. What was happening to her?
Thanagar; September 7th, 18:45 EST
Shayera pushed her plate away, not really hungry or in the mood to eat anything right now. She knew they had been so close to getting some answers today. Instead, someone had scared away the two people who seemed to know what happened to her sister.
"Shay, you should eat something," John said. "You haven't eaten all day."
"I don't want anything," she replied with a shake of her head.
"I wonder who it was that could have scared Romi and Nico," Erick said. "They don't usually scare too easily from what I remember. Samara always described Romi as being so strong and not someone to mess with."
"Then, whoever she saw is more dangerous than we originally thought," John surmised.
A knock at the door caused all three to freeze, but they immediately relaxed as Kantar's voice alerted them it was him. Erick opened the door, anxious to hear what he had found out today. Kantar entered, heading straight for the food spread out on the table.
"Rough day?" Shayera asked.
"What?" Kantar replied, lifting his head to find three sets of eyes staring at him. "Oh, sorry…I haven't eaten all day. I'm famished."
"Were you able to find Elowen?" Shayera questioned him.
"Oh, I found her all right," Kantar confirmed as he plopped down in a chair with his plate piled with food.
"Well?" Erick anxiously said, leaning forward in his chair. "What did she say?"
"Not a whole lot," Kantar replied. "She's dead."
"What?" Shayera exclaimed, shocked by the unexpected turn of events. "What happened to her?"
"Not sure until we get the autopsy results back tomorrow," he informed them. "She was found this morning in an alley with needle marks on her forearm."
"Drug overdose…like Samara?" Erick bit out, clearly upset. "Is that what you're assuming?"
Kantar shook his head. "She was found just like Samara," he revealed. "Too much of a coincidence for it not to be murder."
"So, you believe us?" Shayera asked.
He sighed heavily as he set his plate aside, sitting forward in his seat to clasp his hands before him. "Look, I knew you wouldn't have come here unless you believed that Samara's death was more than just a drug overdose. I must admit that when we originally investigated her death, I did have my suspicions, but everything we looked into pointed to a drug overdose…a relapse that went very wrong. I was heartbroken for you, Shayera, but at that time, there was no further evidence to say otherwise."
"But now, Elowen has died in the same manner," John added.
"Yes, it gives more credence that Samara's death wasn't just an overdose," Kantar agreed. "We're looking for a murderer."
"I wasn't able to find anything more at Samara's apartment," Erick said. "I spent hours going through every inch of that place. There's nothing there that points to why she was targeted."
"We found Romi and her boyfriend Nico," John revealed. "It was going well until someone in the shadows spooked them."
"No idea who it could have been?" Kantar asked, his brow furrowing.
"No," Shayera replied. "They ran off and we couldn't find anyone there."
"They know something," John confirmed. "You could tell they wanted to tell us something, but they saw someone…someone who terrified them."
"If Elowen was murdered, Romi and Nico could be next," Kantar decided. "We need to find them again…try to get them into protection."
"Good luck with that," Shayera responded with a scowl. "They were really spooked. I have a feeling we're not going to be able to find them until all of this blows over."
"I don't know," Erick mumbled thoughtfully. "With Elowen dead, maybe they'll show up to pay their respects."
"Or it could drive them further underground," John commented. "They could be next."
Shayera studied Kantar's expression, noticing there was something that he was holding back. She knew him well enough that she could tell when he was pondering something. "What is it?" she asked him.
Kantar looked at her with a somewhat sheepish look, knowing he'd been caught. He had never been able to hide what he was thinking from Shay. "I'm not supposed to talk about it, but there's been a case that was opened up last week," he began. "It involves Romi's father."
Shayera sat up straighter, intrigued by the revelation. "What kind of case?"
Kantar shook his head. "I'm not supposed to talk about it, Shay," he reminded her.
"It could be pertinent to finding out what happened to my sister," Shay pressed.
Kantar considered it for a long moment, leaving the others to wonder if he was going to answer them when he finally spoke. "He's being investigated for underground mob ties," he reluctantly disclosed.
"And you didn't think this was something we needed to know?" Erick nearly yelled.
"I told you I'm not at liberty to talk about it," Kantar defended himself. "No one is supposed to know about this. There's only a handful of us that even know about it in the department. We think he may have informants in the force."
"This could be huge," Shayera murmured, a haunting look in her eyes. She fully understood the ramifications of this.
"None of you can approach him or you could completely destroy our undercover operation to expose him," Kantar warned them.
"Noan is pretty well known across the city," Erick noted. "He's considered a pillar in the community…a great philanthropist and supporter of the poor."
"How did Romi fall so far from the family tree?" John wondered out loud.
"I didn't even realize Noan was Romi's father until Samara told me," Erick divulged. "Samara told me that Romi won't have anything to do with her family and most of her family have pretty much disowned her, though her father has tried reaching out to her a few times."
"No wonder she's living on the streets," Shayera said. "If she knows anything about her father's underground criminal activity, that could make her a huge threat to him."
"Noan probably wants to keep her close under his thumb," John decided. "That's why he's tried to find her despite the family shunning her."
"Do you think that is who Romi and Nico saw in that alley?" Erick suggested.
"We can't begin to go down that path," Kantar adamantly stated with a shake of his head. "Right now, Noan is off limits. Do you hear me? We pursue Elowen's death and see where it leads us."
"Fine," Shayera reluctantly agreed. "We're still going to try to find Romi again."
"Fine," Kantar said, "but do not go after Noan or the department will have my head."
"Understood," John replied.
"I don't think you really do," Kantar uttered with a scowl. "This is big…bigger than any case we ever investigated, Shay. If it gets screwed up…"
"I understand, Kantar," Shay reassured him. "We won't get in the way. We'll steer clear of Noan. How many do you think could be involved from the department?"
Kantar shook his head as he released an unsteady breath. "My chief thinks it could go clear to the top."
"Wow," she murmured. "That is huge."
"That's why you can't get involved with Noan."
"Don't worry," she told him. "We won't jeopardize the case. My only focus is finding out who killed my sister."
Gotham; September 8th, 00:53 EST
Devastation had Gotham in her sights, anxious to finally find Wonder Woman. She'd discovered the Amazon had married a mortal man and lived in Gotham City. If the Amazon wasn't going to come to her, then she was going to go to the Amazon and destroy her once and for all.
This had been her singular goal for as long as she could remember, something she had dedicated her life to. Finally, the time had come to see her mission fulfilled. Woe to anyone who got in her way because they would not survive the encounter.
Her father, Cronus, had told her that it was time for her to rid the world of Wonder Woman, getting his ultimate revenge on the Amazons. With the beloved champion dead, Queen Hippolyta would no longer have a successor should something happen to her.
Themyscira and Queen Hippolyta would be next. The island would burn.
Devastation watched as the lights of Gotham grew brighter in the darkness, rain beginning to fall as lightning streaked across the sky. No matter. She'd burn the city to the ground if needed to make her presence known and get the face-off that she desired.
She scanned the city, trying to decide where she wanted to start her reign of terror. She settled on the busiest part of Gotham—downtown. What better spot to get Wonder Woman's attention she thought. She'd heard that Gotham was Batman's city, but she had neither cared about him nor felt he was a true threat. There was little that he could do to stop her.
The Amazon's husband and children would pay the ultimate price for her cowardice, but she would soon join them.
Devastation was surprised when she was met by the Wonder Woman imposter, flying straight towards her with a dark anger in her eyes. "Here to try to fool me again?" she taunted.
"No, I'm here to finish you and put a stop to this senseless quest of yours," Donna spat out, wasting no time in slamming her fist into Deva's jaw.
Deva felt her world momentarily spinning as she attempted to stop her backward slide through the skies of Gotham. She shook her head, her fury expanding as she pulled her sword free. "This ends now!" she cried.
"I agree!" Donna exclaimed as she removed the Lasso of Submission.
Donna threw her lasso, the magical rope wrapping around Deva. Her arms were pinned against her sides, but she merely smiled at the sudden imposition she found herself in. "Is that the best you can do?"
"Oh, there's a lot more where that came from unless you stand down right now," Donna shot back. "You will end this mission of yours to murder my sister."
"I think it's you who will stand down," Deva retorted.
Donna felt her mind growing fuzzy, feelings of confusion and bewilderment washing over her. She looked around at her surroundings, wondering where she was at. She looked back at Deva, seeing her sister Diana instead wrapped in her lasso.
"Wh…what's happening?" she stammered. "Diana?"
Donna immediately released Deva from her lasso, backing up from her. She suddenly lost consciousness, falling from the sky and plummeting towards Gotham's streets. The Batclan watched from below, stunned by the unbelievable turn of events.
Nightwing quickly fired his grappling line, desperate to keep his wife from harm. He swung into action, flying through the sky towards her and grabbing her around her waist. Landing on the street next to his family, he gently laid Donna down.
"Don…Don!" Dick frantically attempted to rouse her as he grasped her shoulders.
Her eyelids fluttered open, finding herself looking up into the face of Nightwing. "What happened? Where's Diana?"
"That's not Diana," he told her. "It's Devastation. She's messing with your mind."
"That's right," Devastation stated as she floated in the air several yards from them. "That's only the beginning. I'm going to destroy each and every one of you. After that, I'll go after Wonder Woman's husband and children, so you better pray the Amazon shows up soon."
"Lady, we knew you were coming before you arrived at the outskirts of Gotham," Red Hood told her. "Do you honestly think we're not prepared to end you right here and now?"
With that, Superman, Martian Manhunter, Black Canary, and Flash appeared behind the entire Batclan. A smile spread across her face as she glared at the sizeable group of assembled heroes that were ready to defend the city and its people as well as the Amazon's family.
"All of you against me…a teenage girl?" she countered with a laugh. "I'm flattered."
"You might be a teenage girl, but you are the epitome of evil," Batman growled with jaw clenched, and fists balled tightly. He was more than ready for a fight.
Batman didn't like the idea of calling in the Justice League to help protect Gotham, but this wasn't any ordinary, run-of-the-mill villain. This girl had come to Gotham to attack his city and destroy his family. There was no way he was going to risk her finding Diana in a coma or the lives of his young children because of his pride.
"I was created to destroy the Amazon for my father Cronus, and I'm prepared to see the mission through to the very end whatever that may be," Deva announced. "You will all have to pay the price for the Amazon's cowardice."
"We'll see about that," Superman ground out as he flew towards her as Martian Manhunter assumed the appearance of an enormous serpent.
Flash began to create a powerful tornado beneath her, attempting to pull her down into his funnel. The earth began to quake, everyone trying to brace themselves to keep from falling over. Out of the large tornado, Superman and Martian Manhunter were flung across the city, disappearing from the fight
A large crack in the asphalt caused Flash to fall into the crater, Artemis and Robin nearly being sucked into it as Devastation began her reign of terror on the city. Red Robin fell into the crater only for Nightwing to grab his arm at the very last minute, keeping him from falling to his death. The ground began to shake even more violently, Batman crouching low in an effort to keep his balance
Manhunter returned in time to rescue Flash out of the crater only to be met by another attack by Devastation. Batman looked around at his beloved city that was being violently assaulted, thankful the streets were fairly empty this time of night. His rage continued to build as he thought about this girl coming after his wife.
Batman ran towards where Devastation was about to take aim at a nearby building. "You want Diana and her family?" he yelled, gripping a Batarang. "I'm her husband! Come and get me!"
A smile spread across her face as her eyes darkened with a blood lust she felt bone deep. "You're her husband?" she questioned him. "Interesting…It's brave of you to sacrifice yourself for your wife."
"I am more than willing to give up my life for her every damn time," he swore to her. "If you want Diana, you'll have to get through me first."
"I'm more than happy to make that happen," Deva gleefully replied, raising her hands and directing her power towards Batman.
"I hear you're looking for me," Diana said with a fiery glare as she seemingly appeared out of nowhere, hovering in the air between Deva and her husband.
A/N: OHHHH SNAP!
UP NEXT: What just happened to Diana? Will she be able to defeat Devastation and send her packing? Shay & John get closer to finding out what happened to Samara.