"I love you too, Thomas... it's okay, it's okay...", Martha whispered before Bruce and Poppy got closer to him. "Bruce, Poppy... come here, you two... please... I want you to join in...", Thomas sniffled.
Bruce felt like he was that eight-year-old child again, and he gave a sob, "Dad!", colliding into the hug, almost laughing as he literally had an inch or two over his father, yet he didn't care as Thomas kissed his temple, squeezing his arm around his son, "Oh, son, how I am so happy to see you, and oh, look at you, you're literally a chip off the shoulder, Bruce! Oh, Martha, he looks so much like both of us!", ruffling his son's hair.
Bruce laughed, "Dad, not the hair!", happy to have that affectionate action he had long missed as it wasn't the same with Alfred or Poppy. Thomas laughed as he kissed Martha on the cheek and then looked at Poppy who was both in awe yet nervous anxiety, looking at her father's face, a face she only knew from the portrait, the photos, the old family videos, and the stories.
Poppy whispered softly, "Hello...", and Thomas nodded to Martha slightly as she let him go, next to Bruce, and Thomas stepped closer, smiling warmly, "Poppy, you look beautiful, just like your mother...I watched and listened every day...I did little things to be there for you...You called me Daddy on that day of the river, remember?".
Poppy exhaled with tears in her eyes, "I never have forgotten that day...", stepping closer to him, and Thomas opened his arms as she came into them, embracing her, whispering, "I'm here, my Poppy-flower.", and Poppy distinctively, somehow recalled a memory, a memory of being a newborn within Thomas's arms, hearing him hum a lullaby, and calling her that, and she realized that it was the same embrace, the same familiar feeling of being home as she sobbed out loud, "Daddy!", hugging him back, with Martha and Bruce gently joining in from the sides, being observed by the rest of their family in Alfred, Caroline, and Waylon, with Caroline nestled between her boys while cupping her baby bump with Jane kicking warmly, tears in all their eyes.
The moment, however, was stopped when Ra snapped his fingers, and his men moved into to break up the family, "As touching as this reunion is, we have things to do this day... now then, Martha Wayne... your side of the agreement? Or do you plan to resist and put all your family at risk? I promise you; I won't use the Pit to bring them back again... and you will not escape yourself.".
Martha, in the hold of a League member, took a deep breath, and looked at Ra, "I do not want to lose my family at risk. I will hold up my side of the agreement for I am a woman of my word.".
Ra nodded, "Excellent. Let's go.", with a snap of his fingers again, and everybody departed from the Pit, heading up and through the temple to the chamber of the machine, with the family trading looks, staying on good behavior.
"So, do we exactly have sort of a timeframe of the escape plan?", Kel internally asked Martha. "When exactly do we make our move? Surely, Poppy and Bruce planned to try and pull this off before Ra would try to use the machine on us.".
Martha mentally replied, "No, we cannot afford to expose that too early...If Ra sees that the machine gets destroyed by the chain of grenades along with the place going up into flames and such, he will immediately order his people to kill our family and us...maybe you and me would survive if we go mad with grief and all, but honestly, would you want to leave our family's bodies with our enemy's bodies next to them?...".
"No... you're right; got to plan this right... even if it comes at the cost of one of us...", Kel internally admitted. "Promise me, Kel... if I'm the one who doesn't make it, you keep taking care of this family. Thomas will certainly need your help once things would get back into a slight semblance of order. Poppy and Bruce, no matter how old, will still need a mother to be there... and Gotham certainly needs its emerald amazon to watch over especially if the League or Mad Hatter was any indication.", Martha told her.
Kel mentally whispered, "I promise...But I also ask the same for you...Even if it's scary to you personally, please watch over Gotham, either human or some resemblance of a she-Hulk, and take care of our family, would you?".
Martha mentally responded with a mental sob, "I promise...I...I don't want to say goodbye...", and Kel mentally gently reassured her, "Then don't...Just...Just like Thomas said, this is only seeing you later, as this isn't forever...I really am believing you and Thomas that I have a soul...I'm with you to the end of the line...".
Martha was about to say that she loves Kel mentally when she saw the open door of the chamber of the machine, and she focused on marching on under the hands of the League, and as they all arrived at the chamber, Martha can see the rest of the League in various places along with Dorji.
Ra replied sharply, "I am patient, but I won't be patient long, so you have two minutes to say things you wish to say to your family. Is that clear, Mrs. Wayne?".
"Yes...", Martha sighed. She had pretty much already said goodbyes slightly earlier during breakfast. Martha was practically treating it as a possible last meal. Her eyes glanced over to Talia who still had the look in her eyes that what Ra was planning on doing was going to be a mistake. She then turned her attention to her family and held her arms out, "I don't want to say it... I just... I just want an embrace that would say it all.".
Thomas came forward to embrace his wife in front, with Bruce and Poppy at either side of her, with Caroline next to Bruce, Alfred behind Martha, and Waylon next to Poppy, creating a family embrace with tears and silence, basking in the love, devotion, and faith of the family, saying goodbye without actually saying it, and the only words Martha said, "We love all of you with our hearts.", saying it not just for herself but also for Kel.
They echoed it back, "We love you both...", and so, they stood like that for two minutes before Ra's voice replied, "That's two minutes. Don't make me ask my men to pull you out of that.".
Martha sniffled, wiping her tears, taking a deep breath as the family moved back, breaking up the embrace, and they held hands as they then became surrounded by a group of League members, watching Martha glance at Ra and straightened her clothes, and then walked forward, not daring to look back otherwise she'd turn around and run back into Thomas' arms, to show that she's a coward when she won't be.
She was at least relieved that she still has her special outfit under her prison clothes, and she mentally replied to Kel, "If the pain makes me unable to talk mentally and such, I say now that I love you, Kel Emerald Wayne, and I won't forget you as long as I live.".
She heard a mental sob, hearing Kel mentally whispering, "I love you too, Martha Rosalyn Wayne. I won't forget you either as you are part of my heart and more. Let's do this, let's destroy those bastards, and let's save our family.".
Martha mentally nodded in agreement and determination, and as she soon got into the table-bed, laying back, Ra snapped his fingers, nodding at the closest group of his people, and they moved in to cuff Martha around the wrists and ankles, like how they did with Dorji.
"Okay, she's all prepped up, milord!", the leader of the group respectfully bowed, leaving the machine, moving back to stand with the rest of the League.
Ra smiled, flourishing as he walked, looking at all his League, "Ladies and Gentlemen, today, on the day of Halloween, after miracles of resurrecting lives as leverage, we shall have a miracle of our own, in the very powerful She-Hulk, and we shall meet her soon in a glorious moment! Talia, daughter, if you would please start up the machine.", sending his daughter a sharp glare, telling her not to push his buttons by arguing with him again.
"Yes... father.", Talia said as she went to work starting things up as Martha closed her eyes. "Don't worry, Martha... they'll have to go through me first before you... you'll survive this even if it kills me.", Kel mentally assured her as Martha almost wanted to tear up. She had saved her life before the night Thomas was killed and when Chill shot her, and she had done it quite a few other times, now, if it came to it, she would do it again.
Martha took a deep breath, mentally reaching to hold Kel's hand tight, as she heard a few minutes later of Talia's voice, "Ready!", and Ra's voice commanded, "Do it!".
All of a sudden, she felt about the worst pain she'd felt, worse than the gamma rays, and even giving birth was a mild comparison of pain to this, and she screamed as her nerves went into fire, mentally sobbing, "It hurts, Kel!", clenching into Kel's body.
"Hold on, Martha!", Kel snarled as she closed her eyes, digging deep to get Martha into having her impervious skin, her gamma energy, tears falling as she welcomed the pain in, still hearing Martha scream, and she moved to distract her, kissing her passionately as she embraced her lover, still feeling Martha's physical body reacting painfully with screams echoing through the chamber.
Kel dug deeper, embracing her lover closer, tears falling as she found her gamma strength, her hulk rage, passing it all into Martha, still feeling physically that Martha's physical body is reaching limits, and Kel narrowed her eyes as she embraced Martha, kissing her far more passionate as she found her gamma genes of height, her beloved green skin, passing them into Martha yet knowing that Martha, in her own Martha Hulk mode, will be originally Martha now, and as she searched deeper, she realized her own beautiful soul, and something else she was bittersweet to find yet with a small smile, she knew her last gift would be the most treasured one of all...
She ever so tenderly yet passionately passed her last gift into Martha's body, feeling that Martha's physical body is no longer screaming in pain, and she opened her eyes, feeling like she could finally rest in peace, and pulled back from her kiss, "Martha, look at me, please...".
Martha opened her eyes, seeing that her mindscape is beautiful with all of Kel's memories in floating images, and she looked at Kel, having felt everything that she passed into her, whispering with tears with a bittersweet smile, "Give them hell, right?".
Kel gave her a loving smile, "That's right...I would never forget all of this...I did good, didn't I?", and Martha gave a sob, "Yeah, yeah, you did...I love you, Kel...", seeing Kel fade away, with a peaceful look.
Kel whispered, "I love you, Martha. I will always be here in your heart, your memories, and I'll be waiting for you someday, I promise.", kissing her on the lips bittersweetly, feeling the embrace fade, and Martha's eyes saw Kel smiling peacefully, and then nothing.
Martha silently felt that she was alone, her mindscape occupied by only herself, her memories, her feelings, and then it all hit her...She screamed in grief, anger, fury, horror, fear, and more as her physical body reacted in unison, and then she woke up with the mind of only destroying, to save her family, and determined to treasure Kel's last wish.
"What happened?", Ra asked Talia as she was looking over things. "I don't know... everything worked as it was supposed to. She's still alive...", Talia said.
"Yes, but where's our weapon? Don't tell me we've-", Ra started to say. "This isn't my fault, father! This is yours!", Talia snapped. "I told you it was too risky! It would just be easier to have her as is and being on a leash of her family threatened than all this... and not even build this thing to transfer the power! I WOULD'VE MADE A MUCH BETTER SHE-HULK THAN YOU EVER DREAMED!".
Ra immediately responded by slapping her hard in the face and knocked her to the floor. "Don't you ever speak to me like that, Talia! Do not think that you're indispensable to the League!", Ra shouted as the family got very concerned that 'shit was about to hit the fan' and that they'd be in the crossfire.
Even their guards around them were a bit at a standstill as they didn't know what to truly do at the moment. Alfred glanced over and saw that Dorji was quietly sneaking away while everyone was distracted.
"Neither are you...", Talia growled as she struck him in the face with her boot before getting herself quickly off the floor. "I think it's time I take leadership much earlier than you suggest. The Pit has clearly affected your mind and costed us perhaps the greatest weapon we could get our control over in centuries.".
"Now!", Bruce shouted as Waylon was quick to start changing and break out of his restraints. Ra turned his attention to the family but before he could say a word, Talia slashed him across the cheek with her dagger from her boot before she screamed and went on the attack with it. Suddenly, the guards were completely lost as they didn't know what they should do. Restrain the prisoners or rush to Ra's aid... or even a few wondering that if maybe it might be smart to push their chips in with Talia.
And of course; all hell would truly break loose the moment an almost inhuman growl came from the machine. One almost everyone but one had ever heard; and Bruce recognized it instantly.
Bruce whispered, "No...", as he realized it, and Thomas replied, "Bruce?", with worry, looking at his son, and Bruce glanced at his father, "That's the same sound when...when Mom and Mama lost you that night...".
Thomas widened his eyes, and stifled a sob as he focused, looking at Bruce, "We'll grieve later, son...We need to help them along.", before narrowing his eyes as he moved fast, doing martial moves, which Bruce gaped, "What? How?".
"Not going to reveal much about Heaven as I promised not to tell, but well, I got self-taught, next to learning from you and Martha. I swore I'd watch over you, didn't I?", Thomas smirked, "But now, let's go!", yelling as he did another kick at a League member, as Poppy and Alfred protected Caroline, hearing the inhuman growl increase in volume into a screaming roar.
The sound of shattering metal, the restraints on her wrists, certainly threw many for a loop aside from the family and the father/daughter duo of the Ghuls whose minds were now solely focused on killing the other. Martha's body began to grow and change like many times before, but it had been a long time since said form was practically driverless, almost totally savage aside from the few coherent thoughts of protection, family. One guard got knocked too close to her and with one grab, the She-Hulk tossed him violently across the room before she broke out of her leg restraints and swung her arm into the machine.
The machine suddenly went into sparks, igniting small explosions here and there as the She-Hulk picked and pulled up the machine, roaring as she threw it at the duo of the Ghuls. Talia was quick enough to jump back but Ra wasn't so lucky as the machine crashed into him, followed by a fairly violent explosion.
"Martha! Kel! Whoever it is, this way!", Thomas shouted as the family was fighting their way out of the chamber; with Waylon out front and Bruce and Thomas bringing up the rear for Poppy, Alfred and Caroline. The She-Hulk growled as she looked to the flames for a moment before charging right after; violently knocking two assassins halfway across the room that got in her way.
Talia coughed as she tried to see through the smoke, looking around when two assassins, their loyalty to Ra, came up to her before slashed one through the throat and stabbed the other in the head. She then heard groaning sounds that she knew was her father. She walked a few steps before she found his lower half pinned under the wrecked machine and a multitude of injuries covering him.
"Talia...", Ra groaned as he was trying to reach out to her. "Please... help me...", he muttered as she kneeled down next to him.
"No. I will take over the League and bring them to greater power than you ever could conceive. I will not bring you to the Pit to bring you back.", Talia said, and then stabbed him right in the heart as he gave out a dying gasp, "And this time I mean it when I say it.", as she then twisted the dagger.
Ra gasped, looking at his daughter, with a bleeding smile as he choked out, "The...student...precedes...the teacher...at..last... You...are...the...League...after...all.", as he then exhaled his last breath of life.
Talia pulled out her dagger, and got up, glaring at her loyal members of the League, "Don't let them leave!", as she snarled, getting up and sprinted to the escaping family, with the remaining League following her orders as they went into the shadows and the temple's passageways.