Trinity

“It almost feels like my mother’s palace.”

Bruce Wayne looked up from beneath the Batman’s cowl and supposed such a statement could come from no other place than a princess from a far away land to not sound odd. Fixated on reviewing the plans of he had uploaded into his PDA, Bruce was more concerned with how thieves would attempt to steal Harmonia’s talisman from the near sacred halls of the British Museum. Like the Louvre, the British Museum’s security was damn near impenetrable. If someone was planning on breaking into the place to steal it, Bruce wanted to know how so he and Diana could intercept the thieves and take the talisman themselves.

“It was built to mimic Greek architecture or more specifically Ionic styles.” He remarked offhandedly before returning his attention to the PDA again, searching for the way in. He had mapped out several possibilities already but unaware of what kind of resources the thieves had, Bruce couldn’t be certain about which would be the most likely avenue in. In the museum in Athens, the theft had been undertaken using conventional burglary methods. Difficult of course but within limits he could appreciate.

However, once you added meta-humans like Clark and Diana – the limits tended to shift quite a bit.

Diana marvelled at the structure, thinking that the craftsmanship rivalled that of the buildings in Themsicyra. She found it odd that the statues of the gods were displayed so prominently and yet they were neither worshipped nor remembered by most. Even at night, the marvels of the patriarch’s world had allowed the building to be illuminated with soft light that seemed to add to the grandeur of the structure. Diana made a mental note to tell her mother about this and perhaps even to the masons at home at how to enhance their craftsmanship with clever lighting.

“It is very beautiful,” she continued to speak. “It is a pity we are unable to go inside. I should like to see the treasures within.”

Underground? Bruce thought to himself, half listening to her. Possible, he decided. Coming through the sewers and then out again was the best way of making an effective escape, particularly if one was armed with a good set of blue prints of the London’s underground tunnels. There were passages beneath this city that were almost a thousand years old. Someone with the intelligence and the time could slip out into one these tunnels during a pursuit and never be found.

“Get Superman to bring you back for a tour after we save the world.” He grunted in reply.

Diana threw him a look from the edge of the roof top they had been standing on for the last hour and frowned. “Must you be so abrupt?”

Bruce blinked and raised his head to look at her. “Don’t worry, Superman will be along soon. He’s better at the small talk than I am.”

”You are charming, ” Diana retorted with sarcasm. It was not in her nature to be acerbic but this man brought the worst out in her. She recollected how pleasant Bruce Wayne had been, to say nothing about Kal’s warmth since they had met and thus found this Batman’s cold manner grating.

With a hidden smile, Bruce retaliated. “Considering you’re from a race of females, I’m surprised you’re able to tell when a man is being charming at all.”

“I have met enough of them to know the difference,” she replied mildly offended. “It doesn’t take enormous hours in the company of your gender to recognise rudeness.” Diana pointed out.

“You think I’m being rude?” He asked with amusement, eying her through the white lenses of the cowl.

It took all of Bruce’s concentration to not be distracted by Diana of Themiscyra. She was so incredibly beautiful that it was easy for a man to become tongue tied and stupid around her. Considering he needed his wits in this situation, Bruce found the best way to keep his balance was to ignore that aspect of her, a thing not easy to do when she kept insisted on having a conversation.

“You should appreciate rude. It’s the charming ones you need to be wary of.”

“Do you have so little faith in your own people?” Diana accused, disliking his inference that she was easily deceived. “I am accustomed to such words from Philipus and my mother but I did not think that you would be so suspicious of your own kind. I refuse to think that all men speak with a serpent’s tongue.”

“You’d be surprised what they speak with when they want to get laid,” he replied, positive she wouldn’t get the reference.

Diana wasn’t entirely certain what he meant but it didn’t seem very nice. “You are making fun of me.”

“On the contrary Princess,” he slipped the PDA onto his belt and approached her. “I am being honest. People lie, men and women. I prefer to speak plainly at all times. Unfortunately, I don’t have the patience to make it sound charming.”

Tilting her chin up slightly to meet his eyes, eyes she could not see through that costume he wore, Diana found the need to take a step back. He was taller than she was and made Diana, for reasons she could not explain, nervous. It was ludicrous of course. She could kill him without even trying and yet he managed to be imposing even though she was the one with the power to fly and bend steel.

“I do not require charm, merely politeness.” She countered. “Your words drip with derision. What offends you so much about me?”

“Nothing about you offends me Princess,” Bruce returned and knew that now he was lying, to himself most of all. There was an answer to that question but admitting it made Bruce Wayne extremely uncomfortable. Therefore, he did what he did best when confronted with an emotional moment that was more than he could handle. He withdrew.

It was bad enough that he could smell her scent riding on breeze of the cold night air, taunting his senses and the sparkle in those eyes had power enough to make his heart beat just a little faster. While he was Batman, he didn’t want to be affected by anything, least of all by an Amazonian Princess with absolutely no clue how filthy and ugly this world could be.

Get a f**king grip, Bruce told himself sharply and turned around. “However if you want charming or polite, I suggest you wait for Superman or…” he smirked, “Mr. Wayne.”

“What would you know about Bruce Wayne?” Diana snapped, feeling her cheeks bloom with annoyance.

Bruce held a straight face, “obviously not as much as you.”

“He was perfectly charming,” she used the word like a weapon, “and expected nothing from me.”

“Well there’s always the second date,” Bruce deadpanned, feeling a little more on firmer ground now and enjoying her take on ‘Bruce Wayne’ immensely.

Diana almost let out a groan of exasperation but chose instead to turn away when the sudden sensation of breeze overhead and the gentle sound of flapping material made her look up to see Kal descending.

“Kal,” Diana burst into a radiant smile, partly borne out of pleasure to see him and relief for a third party. “I am very glad to see you.”

”Hello Diana,” Clark greeted, landing in the space between them both.

Clark’s super-hearing had picked up the conversation well before he arrived at the roof top a short distance away from the National British Museum and he listened barely able contain his laughter. Privy to their conversation, Clark suddenly had an idea of what it felt like to be Jimmy Olsen caught in the crossfire of the Lane and Kent team.

“It’s about time you got here,” Bruce replied, foregoing the niceties as always.

“Nice to see you too,” Clark gave his friend a look.

“Can you not be pleasant even to your friends?” Diana shook her head in disapproval before turning back to Clark. “There have been no signs of disquiet, Kal.” She explained.

“As far as we know,” Bruce interceded, not so eager to jump to that conclusion yet. “There are numerous ways into the museum through the London tunnel system. Unfortunately, without actually breaking in ourselves, it’s impossible to tell.”

“Okay,” Clark nodded, walking to the edge taking in the two reports. “Let me take a look.”

Scanning the grounds of the Museum with his x-ray vision, Clark was able to see inspect the famous archaeological treasure house with a good degree of certainty that for the moment, it was safe. With the exception of some lead lined doors, he was able to see everything, from the levels of ancient artefacts to the rooms barred to the public. Workrooms, security stations and staff rooms were thriving with activity at this time of night, even though the rest of the museum closed for the day. Eventually, his gaze fell on the talisman itself, kept in the section of the museum called the Parthenon Gallery. It too was undisturbed for the moment.

“Everything seems peaceful,” Clark remarked and couldn’t resist adding, “which is more than I can say for out here.” He tossed Bruce a look.

“If nothing avails our presence this moment, you will excuse me, I require some air. I shall return soon.” Diana replied pushing herself off the ground and sailing upward, disappearing into the darkness a few seconds later.

When she was gone, Clark turned to Bruce. “You are such a bastard.”

*********

Diana felt flustered and she didn’t know why.

Flying through the air above the city of London, the wind through her hair and the peace away from the busy city below gave her some measure of peace. The Patriarch’s world was such a different place from Themiscyra and yet she was to be their champion as well as that of the Amazons. Batman’s words, as barbed as they were, had driven home how little about it she understood, how much of a mystery men were still to her.

For years, she had heard the tales of men, the cruelties that had led to her sisters’ eventual banishment to the island guarding the Doom’s gate. She knew that there were injuries not easily healed in the minds of the Amazons and necessity and only fear of Ares’ plot had instigated them to re-enter the Patriarch’s World. Ares would undoubtedly employ minions who were men and they would speak with a serpent’s lying tongue as Heracles had once done to her mother.

The Batman was an arrogant, obnoxious prig but he was right, charm was a tool employed by men to pierce a woman’s heart and hers, it seemed was vulnerable as any woman born under the sun. She would burn in Tartarus before she ever admitted this to him of course. Diana did not think she could endure that smug, satisfied voice crowing over her in triumph. Although it was unbecoming of Hippolyta’s daughter to be so prideful, Diana refuse to apologize for it.

And what of Bruce Wayne? What if the Batman spoke truthfully? That Bruce’s charm and pleasing manner was merely a façade for more unbecoming behaviour.

Questions for another time, Diana thought to herself and turned back to join Kal and Batman. Insufferable man, she thought to herself when suddenly, a siren screamed loudly in her ears from below and immediately, she dove down to seek out its origin. She had gone above the cloud for some quiet but upon breaking the barrier of cumulus, Diana saw that the noise was coming from the museum.

Their hunt it seemed was a foot.


*************

“You realize Bruce,” Clark was saying, “that if Diana ever finds out that you are Bruce Wayne, she’s going to kick your ass to the other side of the planet.”

“Eavesdropping again?” Bruce accused, bristling at the smug look on Clark’s face. Times like this, he wished for a piece of a blue kryptonite so that he could kick the farm boy’s ass instead.

“Oh come on,” Clark laughed, “the only thing you didn’t do is stick her pig tails in…”

The conversation was cut short by the sudden sound of an alarm screaming from across the courtyard between them and the museum.

“It’s happening!” Bruce declared, “Let’s go.”

Clark didn’t waste any time, grabbing Bruce and taking off over the edge towards the courtyard. Even though he could make the trip in a seconds, having a passenger required him to slow down somewhat. Clark could reach terminal velocity and rip the skin off Bruce’s bones even with the layers of Kevlar without a seconds’ thought. They flew across the grand courtyard, one of the largest in the world, to reach the main frontage of the building.

”Use your x-ray vision,” Bruce ordered, “we need a visual of what’s happening.”

“Uh Bruce,” Clark replied, “I have done this before.”

“Then stop wasting time talking,” the Batman retorted swiftly.

Clark debated dropping him.

The urgency of the situation was soon escalating with new sounds heard over the screeching of the museum’s alarm system. Following gunfire and breakage was the piercing sound of screaming. With no doubt as to the reason for the sudden pandemonium, Clark sought out the talisman but what he saw when he laid his eyes upon it, astonished him.

“Jesus Christ.”

“What?” Bruce demanded, hating it that he couldn’t see what had turned Clark pale with shock. “What is it?”

Clark looked at him, “I don’t know.”

*************


Smashing through a wall, Clark discarded ceremony for speed, giving only enough quarter to ensure that Bruce was unharmed in his care. As soon as he penetrated the chamber where Harmonia’s talisman arrived, he relinquished his hold of his friend and went promptly to deal with the reason for all those horrified screams and his utter horror. Debris crumbled around him as he landed on the marble floor covered with dust and debris.

As Clark advanced, Bruce swept his high-powered gaze over the surroundings. The second piece of the exhibit called the Sacred Folly of Phallyus remained so far untouched in its glass casing. Guarded by numerous security sensors inside the glass display case and in the ceiling above, the cabinet was surrounded by velvet ropes and security guards.

Except the security guards were all dead and Bruce could understand why Clark had been so taken off balance. The men lying on the floor clad in uniforms were hardly men now. They were withered skeletal husks. It was as if in a matter of seconds, the life had been drained from them and their bodies forced through the process of decomposition until they resembled the mummified corpses housed in other parts of the museum.

”What happened to them?” Bruce asked, not expecting an answer from Clark. “What did this?”

“That.” Clark looked up at the ceiling to see someone or something, descending onto the marble floor in front of them. With blistering red eyes, it stared at them, a face that was little more than rotting skin sheathed over the skeletal frame of a woman. Her hair flowed down her shoulders like the decaying roots of a dying tree. When she smiled at them, she revealed brown teeth. Wearing an indigo toga, she regarded the two men with amusement.

“The life in you,” she looked at Clark. “Is like a feast.”

“Superman, get out of here right now!” Bruce warned, realising what this thing had done to those men and how much power she might be able to take from Clark if she did to him, what she had done to the guards.

“Forget it!” Clark retorted, blasting her with a wave of heat ray vision.

She uttered a screech of indignation as the heat consumed her clothes but it did not stop her. Instead, the creature retreated to the far wall and placed her hand against its smooth marble surface. The effect was almost immediate, like cancer consuming healthy tissue. Clark watched as the wall turned grey, the paint peeling off its surface before fissuring, with might cracks running up and down until it reached the ceiling and kept going.

“Superman! That’s a load bearing wall!” Bruce warned as he saw the results of the weakened structure on the ceiling above their heads. “We’ve got to get everyone out of here. If that ceiling goes, it’s going to take the lower floors with it!”

Larger cracks had started to form, chunks of rock was raining down on them. Bruce went for cover, taking refuge behind a column as he fired something in her direction, anything to distract her. The gas pellet exuded smoke around her but instead of being affected by it, the creature merely inhaled it as if it were a breath of fresh air.

“Foolish mortal,” she cackled, “I am Decay. You cannot ruin my flesh for it is already ruined; I am she who brings forth destruction. Stand aside or become my bread for another day.”

As she uttered those words, a might crack was heard and some part of ceiling finally gave way. Clark immediately flew up to support the rest of the structure, leaving himself wide open as the creature named Decay intended.

“SUPERMAN NO!” Bruce shouted as she opened her mouth and what seemed like a swarm of bloated black flies flew out of her mouth and enveloped Clark in a matter of seconds. Bruce watched as Clark uttered a gargled cry as he was consumed by the things. Bruce felt his own fury bubble at his friend's ordeal. He flung a batarang at the creature, the sharp weapon spinning in mid air to strike her in the arm. She turned her menacing glare at him, before drifting towards Bruce at a leisurely pace.

“Puny mortal,” she hissed. “You are not even a crumb but I will eat nonetheless.”

Bruce moved quickly, looking over the beast’s shoulder and doing what he did best in situations like this; come up with a plan. Hurrying to the display cabinet where the talisman was kept, he reached into his utility belt and produced a vial kept safe in a metal case. The creature saw him as insignificant and thus made no effort to hasten her pace. Snapping open the vial, he tipped some of its contents against the glass and immediately caused it hiss as the acid ate it away.

“You’re not the only one who knows how to destroy things.” He stepped aside and showed what he was prepared to do. Another drop of acid landed next to the talisman, eating into the satin cushion.

Decay paused in her steps, “you would not dare. You need it as much as we.”

“Lady, I don’t even know what the hell it is.” Bruce warned and tilted his wrist just enough for more drops to fall causing the highly corrosive acid that he used to get past some especially stubborn locks, eat more of the case. “But I’m sure your master wouldn’t want it destroyed and if it is, I’m equally sure he’ll be just as forgiving.”

“You will never have the chance to destroy it,” she hissed. Decay opened her mouth when suddenly she was yanked violently backwards. Forced back so hard, the creature uttered another furious scream as the golden lariat circled her body.

“Nor will you have a chance to harm him, Gorgon!” Diana of Themiscyra declared as she flew through an opening in the ceiling, taking Decay with her.

Bruce had seen Diana’s approach and his gamble to distract Decay had paid off, giving the Amazon Princess the opportunity to attack or more importantly remove Decay from the museum. The building was perilously close to complete structural failure and Bruce hoped to hell that security had removed everyone.

Bruce tossed aside the pieces of vial and shattered the weakened glass housing with one well-aimed punch. Fragments of glass crumbled around his gauntlet as he reached into it and grabbed the talisman, slipping it into the folds of his cloak before turning his attention to Clark. God only knew what Decay’s attack had done to Clark, was he as susceptible as the other poor bastards lying around them?

No sooner than the question had entered his mind, a sudden flash of heat filled the room and the bloated dark flies that had swarmed around Clark were incinerated in mid air. If they had voices to scream, Bruce was convinced the high-pitched wail he heard was it. They fell around Clark like ash, leaving the Kryptonian whole but clearly injured. His flesh was blistering red as if the things had managed to break skin and Clark’s movements were sluggish.

“Superman,” Bruce ran across the floor, sidestepping falling debris and other pieces of mortar raining down upon them. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah,” Clark nodded, feeling the weakness in his body but aware that if he didn’t do something soon, they were going to have a catastrophe on their hands. Even though it hurt to move, Clark looked up at the ceiling and immediately aimed his heat vision against the largest cracks in the ceiling. If he could fuse them together, the ceiling might hold long enough for the emergency services crew to get in and apply a more permanent solution. Rays of crimson energy escaped Clark’s eyes to be applied against the mortar. Bruce could smell the stench of hot brick as he went to a window, trying to see if he could spot Diana.

**************

“Release me or pay the price! You Amazon bitch!” Decay screamed in fury as Diana dragged her out of the museum through the opening she had created with her destructive attack. However, instead of taking to the skies, the Amazon princess searched in place for a place to land. This battle would not be decided in the air.

“I will release only into the custody of Tartarus, Gorgon!” Diana snarled back, landing in the middle of park a short distance away from the museum proper. Snapping the lariat hard, she ensured that Decay’s landing against the ground was hard.

The beast crashed through trees, with any contact made to the greenery resulting immediately in turning the leaves black with and killing the mighty oaks where they stood. Diana felt a surge of grief for the demise of such magnificent growths but there was no choice in the matter. Gorgons had allegiance only to their hatred. While Decay served Ares, she would enjoy inflicting as much death and misery in the undertaking of her duty to him. Diana would not allow that to happen.

She wailed like a banshee as she turned the vegetation in the park Diana would later learn was Bedford Park into a wasteland of dead foliage. The ugly bloated flies that were the carrions of her will, laid waste to everything in sight. Fortunately, the spectacle had given any bystanders warning enough to flee for their lives and as Decay continued to struggle against the bindings forged by a God, Diana dropped to one knee. Maintaining her grip on the lariat, Diana pressed the end of the golden thread to the soft, damp loam of the ground beneath her.

“You cannot bind me forever Amazon!” Decay screamed at her again, struggling against the rope that simply would not break. “I am Decay and there is nothing that you can do harm me.” Her eyes blazed with red menace and she sniggered. “I can turn your flesh into the dung you came from.”

She opened her mouth to unleash more hellish spawn when suddenly energy travelled up the lariat, emanating from the ground like the light from morning. It moved along the golden rope, along the loops of glitter that surrounded the monster trapped by its bindings.

“What have you done?” The Gorgon cried out.

Diana held firm and answered her, “you may embody decay but against the power of Gaea, decay is transitory. While all things may decay, it is also Gaea’s will that they will also know renewal. You are as bound by this cycle as the rest of us. Hephaestus forged the lasso in the fires of Hestia. It was once apart of Gaea’s golden girdle and it is her will that binds you, not mine.”

“NO!” Decay screeched realising what was happening to her. Already her own form was breaking down, entering the cycle of decay and renewal that bound all living things. Her flesh began to crumble and as she opened her mouth to gasp out one final bit of venom her Amazon conqueror, her body disintegrated completely. Decay crumbled to the ground in a pile of dust and her last gasp had release not vile black flies, but a glittering shimmer of fireflies that soared into the night without malice.

Wasting no time, she launched herself into the air again, returning to the museum to find Kal and the Batman.

”Kal!” She hurried to them both. The Batman was helping Kal to his feet, which alarmed Diana to no end for she had seen first hand his strength. “Are you alright? Did she harm you?”

“I’m okay,” Clark assured her although he wasn’t. He really did feel like hell. Sick was something he was unaccustomed to experiencing and the sensation was no less pleasant even if the episodes were rare. “We have to get out of here,” he looked up at them both, able to hear the distant approach of police sirens. “I can hear the authorities on their way. I rather not cause an international incident by being here when they arrive, considering we thrashed the frigging British Museum.”

“At least you have your sense of humour,” Bruce remarked with a little smile, grateful that Clark was well enough to joke about his situation. “Diana, can you get Superman out of here? He needs to be in direct sunlight to recover.” Hopefully that would be enough to restore the Kryptonian to full health. Clark could be extremely resilient under the rays of a yellow sun but Decay’s attack was something entirely new. Bruce wasn’t sure what to expect.

“I can make it on my own,” Clark protested but Diana already had his arm.

“Don’t make me call you know who. ” Bruce warned.

“You wouldn’t,” Clark stared at Bruce in annoyance. ‘You know who’ being Lois.

“Try me,” the Batman retorted and Clark cursed under his breath knowing that Bruce would call Lois.

Not pretending to understand what these two men were talking about, Diana was more concerned with getting Kal the help he needed. However, she wasn’t happy about leaving another comrade behind either. “What of you?” She asked the Batman.

“I’ll be fine,” Bruce dismissed her concerns brusquely, “get moving before we end up on the front pages of the British tabloids.”

Diana shook her head and wondered why she even bothered.