Batman landed on the ground with a thud. He hopped to his feet and away just as Superwoman's Made Man took a swipe at him for getting too close to his mistress.
Superwoman held her hand up in a gesture that told her henchman to pause. "Well," She began, "Since you came all this way just to see me I guess I'll have to entertain you." She smiled at her Made Man, beckoning for him to come closer. When he did she dropped the Quantum Trigger into his palm. She noted that he treated the trigger much more gingerly than she did. "Take this to Owlman right away."
He closed his hands over the trigger and did a half bow. "Yes, ma'am." He eyed Batman. "Do you need help before I leave?"
"Of course not. I'll be just fine." She told him. "I needed some exercise anyway." She kept her eyes on Batman as her lackey disappeared from her sight. Only when she heard the door close behind him did she speak. "It's just you and me."
Batman said nothing and threw a slew of batarangs at her.
Superwoman thought of dodging them, but thought better of it. Why not let him hit her and see for himself what his little toys could do?
Batman tried not to make a sound when his weapons struck her. One hit her at an odd angle and just bounced off her skin. The two others managed to inflict superficial cuts on her arm and leg.
"I hope that's not the best you can do." Superwoman taunted, starting toward him.
"Not by a long shot." He answered back. When she came in close her went on the offensive, striking at her face and body with his arms. She smiled sweetly to him and held still again, wanting to let it sink in how powerless he was compared to her.
She caught his fist and twisted his arm until he had to kneel before her. "Not so tough without your little machine to hide in are you?"
"We'll see." He grunted. No longer worried about hurting her, he left a small explosive charge on her chest. She shouted in surprise when it went off and let him go.
Superwoman checked herself for damage, but it was nothing she couldn't handle. "We are going to have so much fun together." She was initially surprised that he had used such a weapon against her, but she was beginning to feel excited again.
Batman used her own movements against her. As she came at him he would twist her arm just so, causing her to lose her balance and sending her careening to the floor. After several more attempts she decided to be a little more quick and forceful and began to connect with him. He was going to need to end this soon and before she was bored.
Superwoman still went slowly of course, sure to not give him all she got. It wouldn't do for her to break him and end all her fun. "You are so agile." She purred, watching him dodge her attacks. "I like that in my men."
He sprinted off, needing to create some space between them in order for his plan to work.
When he got too far away from her she merely blasted out a part of the heavy ceiling with her heat vision. Heavy chunks of marble landed directly on top of him. "You can't leave yet." Her voice sounded pouty. "We're just getting started."
Bruce growled, trying to give himself the strength mentally to free himself. His legs were pinned under a slab of rock. It was a miracle they weren't broken but he didn't know how long that would last if she got to him. He struggled for leverage to lift it off of him but it was simply too heavy. He cursed lightly, Superwoman was nearly on him.
"Here." She said gently, as someone might a frightened animal. "Let me get that." She kneeled down next to him and easily flipped the stone off of him. "You remind me of my boyfriend." She said, leaning down to look him in the eye. "Why don't you become my pet? I will be good to you." Her hand was on his throat faster than he could react. There was a gentle pressure, not painful but she was cutting off the blood flow to his brain and making him feel light headed. Suddenly she was kissing him, her tongue invading his mouth. She finished by biting his lip hard enough to draw blood.
"I'm not interested." Batman swung at her and she caught his fist easily.
"That's going to cost you." Superwoman sounded gleeful. "Let's see…" She let her hand run down his body, trying to think about what she could break on him so they could continue their game of cat and mouse. Not a leg or arm, no that would make things too easy. Her hand came to rest on his ribcage. She pushed her thumb against the hard bone she felt underneath, snapping it and causing him to gasp in pain. "That's what happens to bad little boys."
He felt himself wilting from the pain for a moment, but he gained control of himself. This wouldn't be the first or last time he broke a rib. To hell with it, he didn't want to be so close when this went off but it was his only chance to get away from her. He threw down a canister that exploded in a cloud of smoke. He only just managed to get his mask over his mouth before he got out from under her. He didn't run too far from her, staying just near the edge of the gas cloud. In order for his plan to work she needed to stay put and it wouldn't do if she was racing after him.
"You think you can hide from me using smoke?" Superwoman laughed as the haze blinded her. She sucked in a great lungful of the air around her, taking in the cloud of smoke and clearing her vision.
Bruce appeared from the clouds with a mask around his mouth and nose. "That wasn't smoke."
"What?" Superwoman looked around; her vision began to dance back and forth.
"It was anesthetic gas." Bruce informed her.
She coughed and a wisp of vapor escaped her lungs. That would be something Owlman would pull on her when he got into one of his moods. "Oh, you are the worst." She collapsed in a heap on the floor. It wasn't long before she was snoring soundly.
Now that he had a moment he allowed himself to bend over in pain. Every place she hit him felt like it was swollen and bloody. He grit his teeth and sucked it up. He needed to get that device back, but where to start? Unfortunately he was out of the loop and had no idea what was going on here. Bruce needed to summon his friends. He pressed on the comlink in his ear. "Batman to the Justice League."
--------------• × • × • --------------
Johnny Quick was looking impatient and irritated at the lack of seats that were being occupied in the conference room. Both J'arkus and Superwoman were absent. "Why did I even bother showing up?" He asked out loud. "Are J'arkus and Superwoman playing around somewhere together without you again Owlman?"
Owlman frowned at that. He was referring to a time when Superwoman asked him to "play" with J'arkus and M'ar'leen. He went along with it simply because she asked and he had nothing better to do at the time. She had a good time, being able to take some of their more serious punishment but it hadn't been the most pleasant experience for him. Unfortunately word had gotten out. It was all rather humiliating.
Johnny and Power Ring seemed to enjoy his expression enough to laugh.
"I sent J'arkus on a vacation." Ultraman interrupted their merriment. When Power Ring gave him a questioning look he clarified. "No, a real vacation. He's not dead. He's probably playing around on Mars with that M'yri'ah girl he stole a couple days ago."
"If he is there on Mars then where is Rose?" Power Ring asked. "Isn't she our insurance that the U.S. won't nuke us?"
Ultraman shrugged. "Probably starving to death in some cell or he might have sold her." It didn't seem to matter to him one bit. "I'm calling the meeting to order without Superwoman. Owlman?"
"The bomb is nearly complete." Owlman gave his report. "Superwoman is out doing an errand for me." Owlman said. "I located the trigger and-" He saw someone coming into the conference room out of the corner of his eye. "And here we are." He smiled.
"I'm sorry to interrupt." Superwoman's Made Man came through the sliding door. "But my mistress said to bring this directly here."
"Yes, thank you." Owlman took the Quantum Trigger from him and stared at its beautiful glow in his hand. Finally, at long last he would have what he always wanted. "Well gentlemen," He wore a chilling smile. "Who wants to come with me and help finish this bomb?" His associates were all looking very happy and couldn't wait to volunteer their services.
--------------• × • × • --------------
"Batman to the Justice League." J'onn heard Batman's voice in his ear. So he had decided to come along after all. "I have one of your Crime Syndicate friends." Bruce said, not sounding too concerned. "She's knocked out but I'm not sure for how long."
"I can see from the signal on your comlink that you are in Superwoman's home." Lex told him. "I'll send everyone directions. Just stay put. We'll all be right there soon."
"I'm on my way." J'onn told them. He supposed that solved him needing to call a meeting together to impart his knowledge of the Syndicate's hideaway. He felt it was a waste of time to do so. He could easily just think the information into his friends' heads, but it bothered some of his teammates to have him inside their minds, so he would respect their wishes.
On his way to Superwoman's hideaway J'onn felt M'yri'ah's presence emerge once again and he sighed in relief. He stopped on top of a building to concentrate.
"J'onn." He heard her say his name softly, like she was trying to whisper.
He felt something or someone blocking him from pin pointing her location. When he saw through M'yri'ah's eyes, they were darting around inside a building trying to find something to help him find her. They left a room and were walking along a long hall. She got into an elevator with fifteen stories. They were in a garage soon and someone was pushing her into a limousine.
She started feeling panicky when she couldn't see outside the windows.
"Please calm down M'yri'ah." J'onn said. "Can you tell me where you are?"
"I don't know." M'yri'ah's eyes fell on J'arkus, who was still wearing J'onn's shape.
"I can hear the two of you." J'edd said calmly. "No point in acting so shy."
From M'yri'ah's vantage point J'arkus seemed so wickedly contented at having so much power over someone else. With J'edd looking nearly the same as himself it reminded him of his brother Malefic. "You should let her go." J'onn told him, but he already knew how he was going to answer.
"I could… but I'm not going to."
J'onn watched through M'yri'ah's eyes as he reached for her neck. Suddenly he felt all traces of her mind disappear and he gasped.
"Relax, I didn't kill her." J'edd said, sounding bored. "I just turned on her inhibitor collar. I wanted to speak with you in private."
J'onn could hear M'yri'ah's muffled voice in J'edd's mind as she spoke with him. He could see through J'edd's eyes now. M'yri'ah was sitting with him, her arms cuffed behind her back. "What do you want with her anyway?"
"Lex's pets took my M'ar'leen, so I've decided to take her back." J'edd said, tugging M'yri'ah by the collar to sit closer to him. "I'd much prefer to have M'ar'leen but maybe having a sweet obedient wife will be just as good."
"M'yri'ah isn't your wife." J'onn growled.
"She isn't yours either." J'edd countered. "Her husband is dead. I imagine he would be rather upset at the two of us if he were here right now." He sounded like he was having a good time. "Tell me that if he were still alive and you saw M'yri'ah that you wouldn't just try to take her from him."
"I wouldn't."
"No, of course not." J'edd didn't sound like he believed him at all. He allowed J'onn to see M'yri'ah through his eyes again. He ran the back of his hand over her face and she jerked away from him. "She is so weak J'onzz." He seemed to both love and hate that about her. "I bet it won't take much time to break her. How many hours do you think it will take for her to beg me to stop?" He put his arm around her again. "How many hours until she betrays you and begs me to take her instead of hurting her?"
"I will come for her." J'onn promised. "And if you touch her I'll kill you."
"Well, aren't you full of surprises?" J'edd was shocked that J'onn would threaten him in such a way, considering what his friend had said about the Justice League not killing.
J'onn realized from J'arkus's thoughts that J'edd had been present for when Slade had announced his release of Ultraman.
J'arkus wasn't worried about J'onn's threats. "I hope you do come." J'edd said wickedly. "I don't mind adding you to my collection as well Manhunter. Husbands and wives are my favorite you see. I'll let you watch. Maybe I'll even share her with you if you are lucky."
J'onn felt revulsion course through him at his words.
"The two of you are such prudes." J'edd laughed. "I'll be on Mars if you want to find me." And with that he was gone.
--------------• × • × • --------------
Everyone rallied at Superwoman's mansion. By the time Wonder Woman arrived Clark had already twisted a couple metal girders around Superwoman's body to keep her from escaping.
Batman stood there, waiting on Lex to arrive so he could find out what in the world happened and what had been left on his ship. He knew it had to be either him or M'yri'ah who hid it. When Lex finally showed up, he was about to make his way over to him when Diana blocked his path.
"Batman!" Wonder Woman was so happy to see that he was safe. "You're alright." When he didn't move to her, she hugged him and he grunted in pain. "What is it?"
"It's nothing." He pushed her away from him.
Sensing something was amiss Lex tried his best to keep his face straight when Bruce went straight at him.
"What did you hide on my station that was so important they had to come to my universe to get?" Bruce demanded, grabbing the neckline of Lex's armor.
Lex was tight lipped and looked guilty.
"What was it?" He repeated.
"It's the trigger and power source for their bomb." Lex admitted. "I hid it in your world to keep it safe."
Bruce looked like he sorely wanted to hit him but released him instead.
"You hid a bomb detonator on the Watchtower?" Superman asked incredulously. "Why didn't you get rid of it?"
"It's not something that can be destroyed." Lex explained. "It's the power source to the bomb. It could destroy more than just the world. It could create a reaction and blow the whole damn universe up."
"So you left it in our world?" Superman was starting to sound as mad as Bruce. "And you didn't tell anyone?"
Maybe M'yri'ah had been right, maybe he should have said something after all. "It was harmless there. I doubt anyone of you would have tried to create a bomb with it."
"Enough." Bruce said. He didn't want to hear any more of his excuses. "Obviously we need to get it back now."
"They'll have taken it to their hideout." Lex could never find it, despite his years of searching. "But we don't have the first clue where to look."
"Yes we do." J'onn appeared behind Bruce, startling him for once. "The President told me where their base of operations is. I'd hazard to guess that's where they will be building the bomb."
"Where is M'yri'ah?" Flash asked when she didn't appear immediately behind him.
"She was captured by J'arkus." J'onn explained what had happened during the rally up to the point where Rose escaped and returned home and Slade's knowledge of the Syndicate's base on Earth's moon.
"I heard about Rose on the news but..." Lex ran a calming hand over his bald head. "Oh God, M'yri'ah."
Slade had the same reaction. It was starting to worry him. "J'edd let me hear her before he took her away. He said they would be going to Mars." J'onn said. "Obviously there are more Martians here than in my world."
Luthor looked upset at this new development. "Mars is intact here. There was never an extinction event like in your universe." He wanted to explain before J'onn asked. "J'edd runs a slave trade up there. He keeps the locals in line with bombs that could blot out the sun and freeze everyone to death." He already had this system in place years before the syndicate thought to use it here on Earth.
"M'yri'ah never said anything about Mars being alive." It seemed like something she would mention.
"She doesn't really know about it." Luthor said. "I never mentioned it to her before because there was nothing we could do at the time. The earth has been dealing with issues of its own. We couldn't fight J'edd's men on another planet and still protect the earth too."
"We should go get her back." Hal suggested, looking at his ring. "I can take us there in no time."
"But we need you to take us to the hideaway." Lex reminded. "We need to deal with them first. They are building a bomb that could destroy the Earth remember?"
"J'onn," Wonder Woman put a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder. "After we deal with the Syndicate I promise we will all go after her."
"If she lasts that long." Luthor was so conflicted. He wanted to save his last friend in the Justice League, but the whole world was at stake. "One of our members, Cold, theorized that he could use ice to hurt the Martians here since they don't share your fear of fire. He used a freezing device on M'ar'leen. He only meant to stun her but… she didn't die well." Lex admitted. "After Cold killed his wife, J'edd has been obsessed with getting M'yri'ah to even the score. He's been sending me letters. I didn't want to share this with her." He didn't even share this information with the Jester. "I didn't want to upset her."
Obviously Lex had found a way around lying to M'yri'ah. He simply didn't tell her anything at all even when it involved her. "I don't think J'edd is going to kill her." J'onn said, although with as unbalanced as he was he wouldn't put it past him. "But I'm not leaving him to torture her either." He looked at Clark. "I'm sorry I won't be there with you when you save the world. I'm going after her alone." The world was ending and he couldn't ask his friends to help him.
"Remember the locals are on J'edd's side because they are afraid of him. He's not weak himself" Lex reminded. "You might be better off waiting for us. They could kill you."
With as worried as Lex was he was surprised he was still arguing with him. "I'm not leaving my wife to be raped and butchered. I'm going." J'onn said with finality.
"You'll need a way to get there fast." Lex nodded. At least J'onn knew what he was getting into. "I made a copy of the machine that brought J'edd here years ago. It's back at the Watchtower if they didn't destroy it. It's not perfected like J'edd's though. There could be some delay."
Great, what else could go wrong? "How much delay?"
"A day, maybe more?" Luthor didn't know. "It would take longer to fly there or go by space craft, that's for sure."
What other choice did he have? "That will be fine."
After J'onn relayed the information about the Syndicate's hideout on the moon Clark took hold of the group. "Alright. We know where we need to go. Let's just be careful. That bomb can blow up a planet."
"Ha!" It seemed Superwoman had woken up finally. "You fools think much too small."
"What do you mean?" Hal took the bait.
"He isn't just going to blow up this planet." Superwoman snickered. "He's going to destroy this Earth and every Earth in all the universes."
"So you're just going to blow it up?" Lex couldn't fathom why they would want to do that. They seemed to enjoy the death grip they had on the Earth's riches far too much. "You aren't going to use it to hold over our heads?"
Hal sighed. Lex was missing the big picture. Who cared about blackmail when the fate of all worlds hung in the balance? This seemed right up his alley. "And how is he going to do that? How is he going to destroy all the Earths?"
"I'm not actually clear on the details myself." Owlman had explained it to her, but it was so convoluted she had no way of relaying the information to them. "But believe me Owlman is going to kill you and everyone else."
"She's convinced that what she's saying is true." J'onn said, reading her mind.
"If Owlman is Batman's equivalent then there might be some truth to it." Hal guessed that Owlman would also be incredibly smart, if not just as unbalanced in a bad way. It didn't help to be cautious even if what she said wasn't true. "No offence Bats."
"We should probably go now." Lex said, tired of wasting time. "Whether it's a world or a universe at stake we won't be here long if Owlman plans on detonating the bomb."
J'onn didn't want to wait any longer himself. "The President will be coming after you shortly so you won't be alone. He wasn't happy about his daughter being kidnapped." He knew this could very well be the last time he saw his friends. "Good luck on the mission."
"I'll come if I can." Superman promised.
"Thank you Clark." And J'onn was gone.
