Becky had stopped shouting awhile ago as she fell through the portal and braced herself for whatever waited for her on the other side of the portal as she saw a light open up and she prepared for impact as she fell into the end of the portal and gave a roll forwards before landing in a three-point stance.
"Whoa," she said as she looked around her to see nothing but a ton of stone around her as well as seven statues of various demons. "Where am I?"
Thinking quickly, the Huntress unsheathed her spear and twirled it in her hand before baring it in front of her and circling around.
"You are in the Rock of Eternity."
Hearing the voice, Becky looked out to see a large throne erected from the stone in front of her. And sitting in front was an African American man with long grey hair and a grey beard wearing red and golden robes weilding a large staff.
"Um... do I know you?"
"No. You are not from this universe after all," he said as he removed his hood to show his red enchantlet.
"You're with the Protectors?"
"Indeed. I know why you are here, Rebecca Tennyson. I am the Wizard known as Shazam," he said. "I've been waiting for someone worthy to come along and take my place."
"Well, I'm sorry, but I'm not who you're looking for," Becky said, waving her hands in front of her. "I have my own responsibilities back home."
Shazam held his staff to Becky's heart and then gave a nod.
"No. You are not who I am looking for. However, I do sense greatness within you. There is a great evil coming to this world. And you have the power to help save it."
"Power? The rest of my team have powers. I'm just a regular girl."
"For now," Shazam said. "But there is trouble brewing somewhere far off. I can send you there to help them. If you wish."
"If I'm stuck here for now, fine," Becky said. "That's what my family would want after all. A true hero helps anyone, no matter where it is."
"That's just what I was expecting you to hear," Shazam said before he shot his staff outwards and twirled to open another portal as Becky facepalmed.
"Oh, come on!" she shouted before she vanished again.
The the remote mountainous regions of Iceland, a man splashed some water to extinguish his campfire and he saddled up his horse to traverse the region, his face completely covere protect himself from the snow.
Eventually, the man made it to a cliff and looked over it to reveal a remote village on the shores of the ocean. He then removed his goggles and the hood from his parka to reveal his face to the readers and then he hiked down the cliff into the Icelandic villagers, walking down into a local bar.
"Bruce Wayne," the mayor of the village read from Bruce's business card before speaking to him in Icelandic. "Storm's grounded choppers for six days. Where did he come from?"
"He said he climbed over the mountain," said a bearded man with long brown-blonde hair.
"Impossible."
The man at the bar then turned to Bruce to reveal his face to him with a stoic glance. "Talk."
"I believe there is a stranger," Bruce said. "Comes to this village from the sea. He comes in the winter when the people are hungry. He brings fish. He comes on the king tide. That was last night.
"You have eyes. So see," the stranger said. "Icebergs in the harbor. It's four months since the last ship got through."
"Well, this stranger doesn't come by ship."
The stranger nodded before muttering something in Icelandic.
"There are enemies coming from far away. I need warriors. This stranger, others like him. I'm building an alliance to defend ourselves. It's very important that I see this man."
"If this stranger exists, he'll give him your message. $5,000 American."
"Look, I'll give you $25,000 to talk to this man right now, outside."
The stranger chuckled before muttering something in Icelandic to the mayor, who laughed in response along with every other patron in the bar.
"How dare this dog speak to us like children," the mayor said. "Ooh, magical man from the sea. We are poor, not stupid. Get out!"
"I'm sorry," Bruce said. "Can't do that. I'll leave after we've spoken."
"He said get out," the stranger said, stepping right into Bruce's face.
"I don't think so," Bruce said in Icelandic.
The stranger grabbed Bruce's coat harshly and slammed him against the wall. Bruce smirked as he pulled a wad of $25,000 from his coat pocket, promptly causing the stranger to smirk as he lowered Bruce down as he handed the money to a child, who ran by and handed it to the mayor.
"Arthur Curry," Bruce nodded. "Also known as Protector of the Oceans. The Aquaman."
Arthur only stared at Bruce intensely before both left the bar.
"Let me get this straight. You do it dressed like a bat? Like an actual bat?" Arthur asked Bruce as both exited the bar and walked through the village.
"Worked for twenty years in Gotham," Bruce confirmed.
"Oh, that shithole."
"When the fight comes, we'll need you."
"Don't count on it, Batman."
"Why not?"
"Cause I don't like you coming here digging into my business and getting into my life. I want to be left alone."
"Is that why you do this? Why you help these people out here in the middle of nowhere?" Bruce asked as Arthur took off his coat and threw it on the ground. "I've read the stories. Your good deeds you think no one sees. You'll join us."
"Strong man is strongest alone," Arthur said, taking off his sweatshirt, revealing his many tattoos. "You ever heard that?"
"You ever hear of Superman? He died fighting next to me."
"My point exactly," Arthur said as he walked to the waters of the harbor.
"He believed we were stronger together. We owe it to him."
"I don't owe anyone anything."
The villagers all watched Arthur as he walked further into the ocean as he turend to Bruce with a sly smirk.
"Dressed like a bat. You're out of your mind, Bruce Wayne."
Then, the women of the village started singing an Icelandic folk song as Bruce looked to the harbor to see that Arthur had dived under out of sight. Bruce only shook his head and walked off as one of the women picked up Arthur's sweatshirt and continued singing as Bruce left the village.
Meanwhile on the outskirts of Smallville, Martha Kent sighed as she looked down at her son's grave and walked over to her pickup truck, moving her dog aside.
"Move over, Dusty."
With that, Martha drove off with the van with all her house's belonging's trailing behind her as the Kent family home had recently been foreclosed without her son working at the Daily Planet.
The helicopter Bruce was riding in landed on a platform, where the billionaire hero was met by his butler Alfred Pennyworth.
"My God, Master Wayne, but this is cold," Alfred said. "Maybe we can catch the next king tide in... Jamaica? Might be a metahuman or two in Fiji. Costa Rica's nice."
"That won't be necessary. I found him," Bruce said.
"And?"
"He said no."
"So the draft stands at naught for two? Maybe a man who broods in a cave for a living isn't cut out to be a recruiter, hmm?"
Bruce only sighed as he and Aflred walked into the plane nearby
In Metropolis, Lois Lane exited the local coffee shop and made her rounds through the city, opening her umbrella as the rain tumbled down in powerful sheets. Speaking of the printing company, a mail truck drove by, tossing tons of newspapers to all the businesses lining the street.
"Good morning, Ms. Lane," a cop said, rolling down his window as Lois smiled to him.
"Jerry, hi," Lois said, handing him the coffee as he took one.
"Wow. You don't miss a day, do you?"
"Like it here."
Lois then walked further through the city to see the destroyed memorial of Superman, looking down sadly
Meanwhile in London, a group of terrorists exited a white van, weapons trained and ready as they walked into a local museum. A security guard took aim, only for their leader to walk behind and shoot him in the head with a silenced gun.
The man walked through the security gate, which of course beeped at the sight of the gun in his hand, only for the guards to be gunned down by his approaching men. The museum patrons all flew into a panic as the man approached as the terrorists backed them all up into a room.
"Back them up along the wall!" the leader ordered. "Keep them quiet!"
All of the museum patrons, most of them young students, looked on, extremely scared for their lives as the leader got onto the museum phone.
"We'll be making a statement shortly. Until then, if I see any movement, you'll have a lot of dead kids on your hands."
Of course, the London S.W.A.T. team were all lined up surrounding the museum, with a sniper aiming at the leader through the window as he tipped his hat to him.
"Should I take him?"
"Hold your fire," the task force leader ordered. "They've got kids in there."
"Yeah, he's not bluffing, chief," the deputy said, looking down at a clipboard. "St. Brigid's had a school trip today."
Little did any of the terrorists know, standing on top of the golden statue of Lady Justice on top of the museum stood a regal heroine in a sleeveless red, blue and golden chest plate with bulletproof silver bracers on her arms and red, blue and gold armored boots with a mighty sword and shield strapped to her back and a golden lasso looped around her belt and a regal golden tiara strapped on her head. She was of course, the one and only Diana of Themyscira, aka Wonder Woman.
Wonder Woman glanced down at the scene sadly as she prepared herself and punched her fists together.
The leader of the terrorists placed his briefcase down on the desk and his hostages all panicked along the wall, only for his men to glower at them, training their guns right in their faces.
"Quiet! Shut up!"
The briefcase opened to its full length to reveal an atomic bomb inside that was ready to be armed.
"Down with the modern world," the leader said. "Back to the Dark Ages."
The hostages all shouted out as the leader put his key into the bomb's hole and turned it, arming the bomb, which was set to go off in one minute.
"Quiet!" a terrorist shouted, tthreatening to pull the trigger at any moment. "I said shut your fucking mouth!"
Outside the room, the terrorists walked along the premieter, just about ready for anything... up until a lasso dropped down from the ceiling, wrapped around him and hoisted him up to Wonder Woman's level as the lasso glowed with a glare.
"Who are you?" Wonder Woman asked. "Don't try to lie. The Lasso of Hestia will compel you to reveal the truth. Now, who are you?"
"We're a small group of reactionary terrorists who want to turn back the clock in Europe a thousand years-"
"Boring. Why the hostages?"
"We have no demands. We're just stalling the police while we do it."
"While you do what?!"
"You're already too late. The countdown's already begun. In a few minutes, four city blocks... boom. While the world watches."
Back inside the room, the hostages all stood trembling in fear, waiting for the inevitable explosion to kill them all... when suddenly, Wonder Woman burst into the room with a shout of effort, blowing the doors off its hinges.
The terrorists all blasted their guns at the powerful Amazon, only for the camera to slow down around her as she looked down at the bomb intensely, which only had fifteen seconds left as she avoided all of the bullets with her super speed.
Springing into action, Wonder Woman sped off to slam a terrorist back into a wall, knocking him unconscious before speeding in to slam two off their feet with a single punch and then sprang back up to give a right hook to another terrorist, sending him flying back into the wall behind him. She then deflected all the bullets from another with rapid punches, sending the bullets ricocheting off her bulletproof bracers and then she slid forwards, knocking the terrorist off his feet and then gave a roundhouse kick to send him flying into the wall headfirst. Grunting in fury, she grabbed another terrorist by his gun, tossing him into the wall behind him before she threw the gun into another terrorist's head and then gave a mighty kick forwards, sending another terrorist flying back into another. She then shouted out as she leapd outwards and grabbed another terrorist, sending him at the wall to the hostages before she caught him and tossed him into the wall again.
Looking at the briefcase bomb, Wonder Woman grabbed it quickly and then took off into the skies, barreling through the various floors of the museum before she burst out of the top and tossed the briefcase upwards before it could cause any damage. The bomb then detonated, sending Wonder Woman scattering back down.
The leader of the terrorists only chuckled as the hostages gasped at what just happened. He then trained his pistol on the terrified hostages before he lowered it and then took his defeated comrade's machine gun and trained it on them as well, causing all of them to fly into a panic.
"Like lambs to the slaughter," he said.
But just as he was about to open fire on all of them, Wonder Woman suddenly burst through the roof and deflected the first bullet with a beautiful smirk to him. The leader only groaned outwards and flicked the switch to change the bullets in the machine gun.
Thinking quickly, Wonder Woman rushed forwards with her super speed and deflected all of the bullets that even got close to the poor hostages with her bracers. For the one she wasn't fast enough for, she pushed the man out of the way before she finished deflecting the bullets before she slid forwards with a grunt.
"I don't believe it."
"Believe it," Wonder Woman said.
The leader quickly changed his ammo pack and was about to open fire. But before he could pull the trigger, Diana quickly slammed her bracers together and sent out a massive wave of energy that annihilated the entire floor of the museum.
The officers all clamored before looking up to see the leader's hat floating away in the massive gust of wind that followed the energy. The chief only looked at that in awe as he looked up to see Wonder Woman nod.
"Is everyone alright? Are you okay?" she asked the hostages warmly. "Good. It's okay. It's okay, it's over. You can stand up. It's all over now. It's all good. You okay?"
The hostages all rose to their feet at their heroine as she gave a warm smile to them, helping them all to their feet. The Amazon princess then looked down to see one little girl still on her knees. She then knelt down to her level as well.
"You okay, princess?"
The little girl only smiled and nodded.
"Can I be like you someday?"
"You can be anything you want to be. Come on. Let's go."
The little girl only smiled as Wonder Woman led her and the rest of the hostages away from the destroyed museum.
Becky groaned out as she landed in a heap on a grassy plain and she got to her feet and looked downwards to see nothing but ocean and grasslands around her. She then walked forwards and wrung her hands together nervously as she saw a group of female warriors walking into a remote stone temple on the island and she put a hand to her mouth as she recognized their leader.
"Hippolyta?" she asked.
She braced herself against the side wall of the temple as the Amazon Queen and her subjects all walked into the cavern to come face to face with the island's most treasured artifact: some kind of ancient box that was glowing in the cracks and was rumbling intensely on its pedestal.
All of the Amazons had their weapons trained on the box as Hippolyta walked in and gazed at it intently.
"Any changes today?" the Queen of the Amazons asked.
"No, my Queen," one of the Amazons, named Philippus said.
"The Mother Box has awoken, yet nothing has happened," another Amazon, named Menalippe said.
"It has slept for thousands of years since the First Age. Why did it wake at all?"
That was when every warrior woman, including Becky, who snuck a peak at what was going on, looked out to see the humming die down as the Mother Box powered down. Menalippe gasped softly as Hippolyta glanced over her shoulder at what just happened.
"That's the first time it's gone quiet since the crack appeared," Menalippe said.
"Maybe it's going back to sleep?" Philippus suggested.
"Evil does not sleep," Hippolyta said. "It waits."
Inded, the Mother Box hummed to life again as the Amazons all gasped in horror.
"Something is coming."
"Prepare for battle!" Hippolyta shouted as all of the Amazons shouted out and bared their weapons.
The Mother Box whirred intensely before a portal suddenly appeared, sending out a surge that send all of the Amazons flying off their feet.
Becky looked to the sky to see a massive beam shining down from the sky as she saw more Amazons riding in on horses. In fact, the beam could be seen all over the Island of Themyscira.
"Amazons! On your marks!" Menalippe shouted as all of the Amazons recovered and retrained their weapons on the portal's opening.,
And from the portals opening flew several flying insectoid aliens known as parademons and a single hulking figure dropped down from the portal's opening. He was a giant figure with a giant axe and silver armor that was constantly moving and shifting its form around his body, including the two massive horns at the top of his head.
"Steppenwolf," Hippolyta growled outwards.
"Defenders," the figure said as the parademons all aimed their weapons at the Amazons. "They have failed a hundred thousand worlds. They always fail. I've come to enlighten you to the great darkness. I will bathe in your fear."
Becky nodded at what was coming as she unsheathed her bow and knocked an arrow.
"Daughters of Themyscira!" Hippolyta shouted. "Show him your fear!"
"WE HAVE NO FEAR!" the Amazons all shouted.
With that, the battle begun as Becky ran into the cavern with a shout of fury as the Amazons all fired their arrows outwards that blasted into the parademons while avoiding their laser fire as best as they could.
Becky suddenly ran in and let loose tons of arrows that sniped into the heads of any parademon that got near her as she smirked and backflipped over and Becky sheathed her bow and brought out her spear, running forwards and saving an Amazon by skewering three parademons in a row with it and slamming them into the wall, dead before she shucked them off.
"A human?"
"Yeah, can't talk now," Becky said before she backflipped away from a laser blast and unsheathed her machete to slice the head off a parademon that came close to Menalippe's head.
"Rebecca Tennyson?" Hippolyta asked as Becky nodded and ducked from a laser blast.
"Hey, Hippolyta. Care to tell me what's happening here and I'll tell you what I'm doing here?"
"I am very aware of what you are doing here. I will tell you what's happening in due time. Menalippe! Gather the legions! Go with them!"
"You must seal the cage!" Menalippe shouted.
"Go!"
"Philippus!"
Steppenwolf grunted as he bisected an Amazon that leaped towards him as he looked to see Becky running alongside Philippus and Menalippe. Tons of Amazons ran forwards in an attempt to dogpile him. Steppenwolf grunted out as all the Amazons stabbed and shot their weapons at him, but he reached for the Mother Box, only for Hippolyta to lasso it and bring it under her arm.
"NO!"
Hippolyta avoided all the laser fire from the parademons around her as Becky looked on in awe from the opening as she kicked up the wall and gave a flip over an approaching laser blast before she stabbed her sword into the head of the parademon blasting at her. She then looked to see her downed sister in arms, feeling at a wound on her chest.
"Epione!"
"Honor us," Epione grunted out. "It is what is right. Seal it."
Becky looked up from the opening as Hippolyta nodded to her and both ran out of the chamber.
"Ready the hammers!"
The Amazons lining the entrance all grunted as they lifted their hammers and Hippolyta shouted out as a parademon sliced at her, only for Becky to take her spear out and stabbed it in the head, saving the Amazon's life.
"Come on!" she shouted as they ran forwards.
"Seal it now!" Hippolyta ordered as the Amazons all shouted out and smashed the wooden support beams holding the chamber door open.
Becky gasped as she felt the parademon grab her left and dragged along with her.
"No!"
Hippolyta shouted out as she smashed its head with her sword while Becky stabbed it with an arrow from her quiver, finally killing it.
As the walls fell down, closing off the entrance to the chamber, two Amazons held the final wall in place as Becky and Hippolyta ran forwards with the Mother Box in hand
"Go!"
The two warriors nodded before they slid onto their backs under the final wall as it slammed to the floor, sealing the Amazons inside as Becky and Hippolyta panted in effort while Becky hoisted herself up on her spear.
"Whoo!" she said as Hippolyta looked to her. "So... I got sent here..."
"From the Forge of Creation. I know. We've been watching you," Hippolyta said.
"Right," Becky said before she chuckled softly and then she and Hippolyta ran for the hills (literally) as the cliff holding the temple up caved in, sending the temple falling into the ocean. "Whoa. What did I just land into?"
"A dire situation."
Hippolyta then handed the Mother Box to one of the Amazons on horseback with a nod.
"Guard this with your life. It must not fall into the enemy's hands."
"At once, my queen."
The group of Amazons then charged away as Becky and Hippolyta looked over the edge of the fallen cliff as Hippolyta removed her helmet as Becky grasped her spear, ready.
"There's no way he died from that," Becky said. "Being in this as long as I have, it's never that easy."
"You are absolutely right," Hippolyta said.
Indeed, Steppenwolf and his parademons burst out of the ocean and traveled far into the distance as Becky nodded.
"They're after the Mother Box. Stop them!"
"Right!"
Becky shouted out as she mounted one of the horses and flicked its reins harshly, instantly setting it galloping off after the rest of the Amazons with Hippolyta following on her own horse.
Steppenwolf leaped far into the distance, slamming his axe down into a group of Amazons with a surge of electricity, sending the Amazons and their horses flying off. One Amazon shot at him with her arrows, only for them to bounce harmlessly off the brute as he slammed her with his axe, sending her falling into a heap on the ground. Another Amazon tried to stab him in the neck with his spar, only for him to smash the spear in half and he tossed her and her horse away into the distance.
As Steppenwolf chased after the Mother Box, the two archers blasted several arrows at him, which all stuck into his chest and then, just as he was about to leap after them, they all tossed several grappling lines, which wrapped around each of his limbs and held him down. Not deterred by this whatsoever, he sliced several lines with his axe before he grabbed them and used them to toss the Amazons into the distance with a shout. He then simply flexed, which sent all the arrows flying off his armor.
The parademons flew overhead and grabbed at the Amazons guarding the Mother Box, trying to fly it out, only for all of them to be instantly sniped down by Huntress as she ran ahead, not missing any shots as she smirked outwards, sending the box crashing to the ground.
An Amazon ran up to the leopard-pelted warrior, who dismounted from her horse with a somersault as she nodded and wrapped a grapplign line around it, which Becky tied to one of her arrows before knocking it. Seeing Steppenwolf gaining on them, Becky fired the arrow, which sent the Mother Box flying to another Amazon as Hippolyta ran forwards, picked her up and placed her on her steed just as Steppenwolf was about to slice her head off.
"Got it!" an Amazon yelled as Becky and Hippolyta nodded. "Go!"
But before they could get far, Steppenwolf landed by them with a massive shockwave, sending them and the Mother Box flying. Hippolyta and Huntress groaned out before Becky gasped as they saw the Amazon holding the box pinned under the carcass of her horse.
"Oh, noble queen," Steppenwolf said, picking up the Mother Box as the duo limped towards the Amazon as Huntress stuck her spear under the horse and pushed down as Hippolyta used her strength to push the horse off the Amazon with a groan as Becky aimed her crossbow outwards to Steppenwolf's head. "You can't save her. you can't save any of them."
Huntress shouted out as she fired the arrow outwards, which Steppenwolf easily caught as he snapped it in two.
"The great darkness begins."
"AMAZONS!" Menalippe's voice sounded in the distance as the trio spotted an entire army of Amazons charging forwards on their horses, all baring their weapons towards the queen and this universe's visitor.
Unimpressed, Steppenwolf simply used the Mother Box to open another portal with a smirk to the Box.
"Yes, we will find the others."
"DRAW!" Menalippe ordered as the Amazons all drew their arrows as the light from the portal grew stronger. "LOOSE!"
The arrows flew towards Steppenwolf, but unfortunately, he finally teleported away as the Amazons all stopped their horses as they gasped in shock at what just happened. They all grouped around Hippolyta and Huntress as Menalippe walked up to them and turned to her queen.
"He's gone back to his universe," she said.
"No," Hippolyta said. "He's gone to the lands of men to find the other two Boxes. We have to light the ancient warning fire."
"The fire has not burned for five thousand years. Men won't know what it means."
"Men won't. But she will."
"Um," Becky said, stepping up. "I gotta get to the mainland to help stop this guy. It's why I'm here, right?"
"Of course. But as you are now, you can't hope to even last five minutes with Steppenwolf. You're just a regular girl, Rebecca Tennyson. You don't even have your team to help you this time."
Becky looked down in slight annoyance from that.
"However, we do have a way to give you some... improvements to help you against this mighty foe. And I will send you to my daughter to help."
"And how exactly to you plan to do that?"
Hippolyta only smiled slyly.
Becky, dressed in her casual clothing, stepped forwards to a chamber within Themyscira's mighty castle which had a stone table overlooking the skylight as she looked at Hippolyta weirdly.
"Seriously? You plan to make me an Amazon to give me the power to stop him?"
"In a nutshell, yes. This ritual will give you all of our strength and enhancements that normal humans don't have. But the one thing it can't give you our immortality."
"I don't know about this, Your Highness," Becky said.
"Look at the bright side. You will be a much better help towards your team now. And you can't hope to survive against Steppenwolf without the power of the Amazons."
"Well, when you put it that way, I guess I have no choice this time," Becky chuckled as she walked forwards.
Becky then laid on the table as Hippolyta looked to her as the Amazons gathered around them as Hippolyta brushed her hair out of her face with a warm smile.
"This won't hurt a bit," Hippolyta smiled. "I promise."
"Goodbye, cruel world," Becky joked as she laid her hands on her chest and closed her eyes softly as the torches all lit up around the table.
"I call upon thee, Gods of Olympus! Bless this kind young soul with the true strength and spirit of any Amazon!"
And with that, a brilliant golden light slowly descended from the heavens as it traveled down to Becky, who winced as the light fully absorbed into her body and her body thrashed around a bit as the torches then went out before instantly reigniting.
Becky groaned as she got up and then felt at herself.
"I... I don't feel stronger," Becky said as Hippolyta gestured.
"Menalippe?"
Menalippe then reached out and grabbed a large boulder and tossed it to the young heroine, who only gasped as she stuck her hands out and the boulder collided with her hands... before shattering into a billion pieces.
"Whoa..." Becky said, looking at her hands, impressed at herself. "I have superpowers now."
"If that's what you want to call them, then yes, you do," Hippolyta said. "But while you may have the strength, speed, durability and enhanced senses of an Amazon, one thing you do not have is our immortality. That is something you have to be born with in our case."
"I understand," Becky said. "If this Steppenwolf is as dangerous as you say he is, then maybe I need all the help I can get."
"We have also redesigned your costume," Hippolyta said as some Amazon maidens walked out and presented Becky with her new armored costume, which had the same leopard print of her old costume on her shirt but was now over by a sleeveless leopard pelt shirt that was reinforced with the same materials that formed the armors that the Amazons prided themselves in with a wolf pelt cape adorning her belt like a skirt, a fang necklace and she had several more holsters on her belt to hold her weaponry, black steel-toe combat boots with spikes around the ankles and a golden circlet with a ruby in the center.
Becky's eyes shimmered as she gazed at the outfit before she took it before running to another room to try it on before she came back out with a smile, admiring her new costume before she placed her new circlet on her head and smirked.
"I can totally see wearing this."
"I'll arrange for a boat to take you to the Shrine of the Amazons," Hippolyta said. "That's where your biggest ally will be. She'll know you'll be telling the truth of who you are because of her lasso."
"Great," Becky smiled. "I guess I'll see you when I get back to the Isles... my Queen."
"You can still call me Hippolyta. And you'll be seeing me sooner than you think."
In a hidden laboratory somewhere in Metropolis, one Dr. Silas Stonel founder of S.T.A.R. Labs packed his stuff after finishing his work for the day and exited the lab as the lights all shut off to signal the end of the day.
"Lab's all yours, Howard," he said to the janitor.
"11:30," Howard said. "Early night for you, Silas."
"Yes, early night. Tell your family I said hello."
As Silas left and Howard continued cleaning up the floors of the lab, he heard a soft rumbling and, curiosity getting the better of him, he walked into the lab to see a destroyed section of one of the tables, then he looked up to see an entire section of the ceiling with a giant hole in it.
Then, a muffled clang was heard off screen and Howard looked to see a red light in the other room and parted the curtain to see a hulking parademon rifling through tons of boxes, before dropping one at the sight of the janitor. We don't see anything as Howard's scream echoed through the halls.
Back on Themyscira, after Becky left on the boat, Menalippe and Philippus walked forwards to the balcony of the castle with a large wooden casket in hand as Hippolyta stood waiting for them.
The Amazons removed the lid from the casket to reveal a bow and a set of arrows inside.
"The Arrow of Artemis," Menalippe said, handing the arrow to her queen as Philippus handed her the bow. "It will reach the lands of men."
"Sky torch," Hippolyta began to monologue. "Hero beacon, scatter the darkness burn as you burned in days before. Show her the darkness before the daylight of history. Warn my daughter that war has come and protect her."
Hippolyta nodded as Philippus handed her the bow and the queen of the Amazons lit the arrow before she aimed it carefully into the distance.
"Return to me, Diana."
Hippolyta finally shot the arrow, sending it miles and miles away into the distance, far across the ocean, which Becky took notice of from the boat as she gulped.
"Hopefully her plan works."
The arrow traveled far before it landed at the Isle of Crete in Greece on the steps of the Shrine of the Amazons, catching a massive blaze that caught the entire Greek landmark to go up in flames.
"What did you do this weekend, Diana?" a museum curator asked as Wonder Woman's civilian identity, Diana Prince, was refurbishing a Michelangelo statue with a satisfied smiled.
"Nothing very interesting," Diana lied.
"That's all you ever tell us."
"What can I do? I'm not that exciting?"
"You might as well disappear when you walk out of here."
Another man walked into the room, speaking French to the duo as Diana sighed.
"Again?" she asked.
"What is it?" the curator asked.
"Now what?"
"Budget cuts, tomb raiders. Now add to the list 'arson,'" the man said, turning on the TV.
"Yes, good morning from the Isle of Crete," a reporter said on the newscast. "As you can see behind me, an enormous bonfire is burning. This fire has been burning through the night. We're now into the morning and we are at least five miles away and we can still see it burning as we speak. This has baffled local and government authorities alike here at this historical site of the so-called Shrine of the Amazons. Now, locals and government officials are baffled as to what may have caused this."
A shocked Diana turned her attention to the TV to see the blazing shrine on the screen, her eyes widened with horror as she knew exactly what this meant.
"Invasion," she said under her breath.
Silas walked into his lab to see a bunch of journalists taking pictures at the wreckage of what had taken place there the previous night.
"Ryan," Silas said to one of his assistants, Ryan Choi.
"Hey, Doc," Ryan said.
"Is the..."
"No damage to the electron laser."
"Uh, Dr. Silas Stone? Ryan Choi?" a detective said as he and his partner walked up to the duo with an empty box.
"That's us," Ryan nodded.
"Um, who did this?" Silas asked. "Did they steal anything?"
"They took whatever was in here," the detective said.
"That?" Ryan asked. "Oh, that wasn't stolen. Was it, Dr. Stone?"
"No, that was misplaced a while ago."
"Object 61982. Department of Defense Archives."
"Mm-hmm."
"What was it?"
"I don't know."
"You don't know?"
"No, I don't know, which is why I was studying it."
"Oh, really? What's your rank, Doctor?"
"Ryan, would you, uh, do the honors?"
"Sure. Okay."
"Thanks," Silas said as Ryan left the room. "Civilian. S.T.A.R. Labs is a private contractor. We work for the DoD. We advise them on xeno-science."
"Xeno-science?"
"Alien technology."
Silas led the detectives out of the lab and Ryan opened the metal shutters blocking the windows to the other room to display what was inside.
"For example: the Superman ship."
Indeed, in the display room was the recovered ship from General Zod's attack on Metropolis when Superman first made himself known.
"Eight people never signed out of the lab last night, Doctor," the detective informed Slias. "Cleaning staff, guards, a few of your research scientists. They were abducted."
"Are you sure?"
"Witness saw it all. He escaped. He's here in quarantine now, working on an ID sketch."
The witness walked up to the quarantine doors and slammed a sketch of what appeared to be the Batman on the glass door.
"Any idea who or what that might be?"
After leaving the investigation, Silas went back to his apartment and looked to see a hulking figure in a grey hoodie by the closet.
"The Box isn't safe here," he told him. "Victor, they came looking for it at the lab. People were taken by some kind of monster or something."
Victor looked to the side, showcasing a red glow coming from his left eye.
"You know a lot about monsters, don't you?" Victor asked as the camera panned into the closet to showcase one of the Mother Boxes resting inside before he closed the door. "Especially how to make 'em."
At the scene in Crete, Diana snuck past the security guards who had set up a line, long after the fire burned out, as she softly walked into the Shrine of the Amazons and gazed upon the Arrow of Artemis, picking it up and gazing at it intently.
"Um, Princess Diana?" a voice asked as Diana turned to see Becky standing there, clad in her new Huntress uniform as she chuckled and waved. "Hi. I'm Rebecca Tennyson. Your mother sent me here."
"And you are, little one?" Diana asked as she quickly took the young warrrior into a corner before instantly wrapping her torso in the Lasso of Truth. "Talk. The Lasso of Hestia compels you to tell the truth."
"Yeah, I know," Becky winced. "I was sent here from another universe. There was a parademon attack on Themyscira and they got the Mother Box there. Your mom, Queen Hippolyta infused me with the abilities of the Amazons and sent me here to find you so I can help you in the invasion."
"Hmm... you clearly aren't lying. You wouldn't be able to even if you wanted to. If mother sent you, then I trust you. But still, you must do whatever I say."
"Done."
Diana led Becky to the entrance of a dark cavern as she took a wooden stake, tied a piece of cloth around the end of it, dipped it into gasoline and lit it to form a makeshift torch.
Then, Diana and Becky dropped down into the cavern on a flight of stone steps, treading carefully as Diana lit the way as Huntress held her spear ready. The duo then approached a stone tablet as Diana shone her torch over it and the tablet shifted to reveal an indentation in the shape of an arrow.
Becky then took the Arrow of Artemis and placed it into the indentation, which caused the door to open up. The duo hesitantly entered the room and Diana shone the torch on the walls to reveal images of what seemed to be a great battle for the fate of the Earth.
"Whoa. Must have been quite a war," Becky said.
Diana then shone the torch to further display the images before the duo's eyes settled on the painting of three boxes that were encased in golden spheres. Then, they looked up to what seemed to be images of the parademons hoisting their weapons and battling Earht's warriors. Finally, the duo's eyes settled on the image of a large dark hulking figure overlookign everything. And that was when the duo looked to each other in deep worry, not only for themselves, but for the entire planet.
Somewhere in the ocean, the fisherman of a private boat was panicking as the boat was sinking down into the depths.
"Mayday!" the fisherman shouted into his radio. "Mayday! Mayday! My hull is breached! I'm going down!"
The man shouted out as he crawled out of the control room as it sank into the ocean and shouted out into his radio.
"Mayday! Is anybody out there?!"
The man grunted out, trying to stay afloat as his boat was slammed with the powerful waves and he closed his eyes, preparing for the inevitable.
However, much to his amazement, the boat stopped sinking. Looking up, the man saw the silhouette of none other than Arthur, looking absolutely graceful as the waves washed over his form.
Arthur suddenly burst into a bar on the mainland and grunted out, whipping his long hair back as he slammed the fisherman onto the table, causing him to grunt in surprise as he looked up.
"Whiskey," he grunted out.
The bartender complied, pouring Arthur a shot as he took a seat at the bar as the fisherman
"Tell him to respect the storm next time."
Arthur then downed the shot in one swallow before taking the whiskey bottle out of the bartender's hand.
"It's on him."
Arthur left the bar as he gulped down the contents of the bottle, walking across the harbor before he tossed the bottle down took a leap off the docks into the ocean.
Diving down into the depths, heading straight for the ocean floor, Arthur zipped past large schools of fish as he glanced into a large underwater temple and rushed forwards to see the statue of the late king of Atlantis with a nod.
Suddenly, a large surge of water started building up behind Arthur, which created a pocket of air around him and he glanced behind him to see an Atlantean with long blonde hair wielding a large trident appear behind him.
"King who would be man," the man addressed. "Son of a human father and Queen of the Seas. All the time I've wasted just to keep the promise I made to your mother."
"Are you finished, old man?" Arthur asked.
"You never sleep in the same place twice, yet you keep coming back here."
"I like it. It's quiet."
"It's your inheritence. You are the rightful King of Atlantis. Our people suffer."
"Your people. A brutal, petty, superstitious race."
"Oh, and is the surface any different?"
"Nobody calls me King of the Surface. What do you want, Vulko?"
"Guards near the stronghold have been disappearing," Vulko answered. "Snatchers from above."
"Talk to King Orm."
"Your brother?"
"Half-brother. He's trying to fan the falmes of war with the surface."
"He lies! The snatchers have come from the dark place," Vulko said. They're looking for it. The Mother Box our people guard is not safe. Go to the Stronghold of Atlantis. Protect the box. Take your mother's trident!"
Arthru only smirked and stepped back as Vulko angrily tossed the trident at his feet.
"You can't turn your back on the world forever, Arthur. Above or below."
With that, the water closed up around the two Atlanteans as Vulko swam far away from Arthur back to the stronghold. Arthur only slowly looked behind him at the statue of King Atlan longingly.
"DeSaad," Steppenwolf called out in his fortress, parademons swarming around him. "DeSaad, I call to thee!"
Steppenwolf stepped up to the stone slab that held the first Mother Box as the figure of a similar figure appeared before him, obviously using a communication system.
"Steppenwolf," DeSaad began "Have you begun the conquest?"
"This world is divided. They are a primitive species. Unevolved and at war with one another. Too separate to be one. Their free will must be ripped from them like the other worlds: Given absolution in one glorious belief... to serve him."
"The Mother Boxes?"
"I have found one of the three. The one that woke and called to me. The other two still sleep, but the parademons still feel their presence. They fly, they search, they take prisoners who carry the scent while I build a stronghold in the name of his glory."
"Yes. Mighty Steppenwolf... who might have sat here by the side of the great one. But undone by his self-pride."
"DeSaad... I fall before you," Steppenwolf said, dropping to his knees. "Let me make a plea to him that I may come home after I take this world in his name."
"You betrayed him! Your own family."
"I saw my mistake! I slaughtered those who sougth his throne."
"You still owe the great one fifty thousand thousand more worlds. He will hear your plea when you pay your debt."
Steppenwolf picked himself up off the ground with a nod.
"The Mother Boxes will be found and united. No protectors here. No Lanterns, no Kryptonian. This world will fall like all the others."
"For Darkseid," DeSaad said, turning off his communication.
"For Darkseid."
After arriving in Gotham City, Diana led Becky to the lab at Gotham Aerospace, walking up to meet Bruce as he worked on a large air carrier's engines.
"You know, I paid millions of dollars for this building's security," Bruce said, not even glancing the two warrior women's way.
"You got your money's worth," Diana chuckled. "Took me almost a minute to disable it."
Bruce chuckled as he turned to the duo and was surprised to see Becky standing there as she looked up at him. "I see you brought a new guest with you. Hi there, little one. What's your name?"
"Rebecca Tennyson," Becky nodded. "But everyone calls me Becky. I'm from another universe. I was sent here after my team destroyed one of our most dangerous enemies yet. Not sure you believe me."
"Considering the things I've seen, that's not too farfetched actually," he said. "I'm Bruce Wayne."
"Yeah, I know. Diana told me about you on the way here."
"New toy?" Diana asked, looking up at the large jet.
"Prototype troop carrier."
"I once knew a man who would have loved to fly something like this," Diana sighed heavily.
"The best minds at Wayne Aerospace couldn't make it fly," Bruce said.
"But you can?" Becky asked.
"I have no choice. I need more range and I need more cargo. I think there's an attack coming."
"Not coming, Bruce," Diana said, lowering her head.
"It's already here," Becky said. "I've seen it firsthand when I first got to this universe."
Bruce's eyes widened as the two warrior women walked up into the cargo bay of the carrier.
"From what I've learned and from what Becky's informed me of, they are things from another universe," Diana said.
"Not my universe," Becky interjected. "I wish that were the case so I could be more familiar with them."
"They serve a dark power. An old power."
"So what do they want?" Bruce asked.
"To invade. To conquer. They came here once before. Long ago."
"What exactly happened?"
"A great armada appeared in the sky, laying waste to all who opposed it. The leader of the invasion was a being called Darkseid. A name cursed and feared in every universe. Darkseid was met in battle by Earth's defenders: the old gods, men, Atlanteans before their descent into the sea, Amazons before their betrayal and enslavement and guardians from the stars. In addition to all of them was my mother's organization, the Protectors."
"An organization of the most renowned heroes and warriors from across the multiverse," Becky said.
"Exactly, little one. Their histories had taught them not to trust each other, not to hope for an alliance. To fight apart. And as Darkseid waged war on Earth, he found a secret there. A power hidden in the infinity of space. He called forth mystics who worshipped and controlled three objects."
"The Mother Boxes," Becky nodded.
"Wait, wait, wait," Bruce said, looking up from the undercarriage of the carrier. "Mother Boxes?"
"Indestructible living machines. Made from a science so advanced, it looks like sorcery. To conquer, three boxes have to synchronize and join together into the Unity. The Unity cleanses a planet with fire, transforming it into a copy of the enemy's world: All who live become servants of Darkseid. Alive, but drained of life. Parademons."
"Those beings who were with Steppenwolf when he attacked Themyscira?" Becky asked.
"Correct. But before the Unity could synchronize, the defenders of Earth as well as the Protectors and their forces attacked and fought as one. Amazons alongside Atlanteans. Zeus and his son Ares alongside the guardians from the sky. A golden Age of Heroes fighting together to defend life on Earth. It was truly glorious. They all did what no world or universe had ever done at that point: sent the enemy back to the stars. The three Mother Boxes never synchronized. The Unity never came to pass."
"I've taken part in an event similar to that in my universe," Becky said. "We won there too."
"But in their retreat, the Mother Boxes were left behind on Earth. They grew weak. Dogs without masters, falling asleep, awaiting their return. Fading from the view of the enemy, anonymous among a trillion worlds. The defenders of Earth made a vow. Men, Atlanteans and Amazons, each would enshrine and guard one of the three sleeping Mother Boxes according to their rites and rituals of their culture in case a Box should ever wake again to call out to the Planet Apokalips to return and conquer the only world Darkseid had ever lost."
"Whoa," Bruce and Becky said, impressed at the story.
"Something woke the box my people guard. It called out to the dark place. To one of Darkseid's conquerors."
"Steppenwolf."
"The enemy is here, Bruce."
"But if it's here, then where is he?"
"He'll be searching for the other two Boxes. Hiding until he has all three. Until he's ready."
"Then we have to be ready. You, me, Becky, the others."
"They said the Age of Heroes would never come again."
"No. It will. It has to. It just has to."
"Well, you need warriors, Bruce?" Becky asked with a smile. "You've got a great warrior right here."
"I believe it, kid. I can see it in your eyes."
"The others. Where are they?" Diana asked as Bruce gave a solemn nod to the two warrior women in front of him.