I can't do this…I can't!

This was the last thought Diana, Princess of Themyscira, known to the world at large as Wonder Woman, had before she was thrown through a concrete support slab under the Gateway City Bridge. The impact took her breath away as she skidded to a halt on the ground fifty feet from her point of impact. Brushing dust and debris from her eyes and face, she got up and saw her attacker approaching once again. Its body was covered in a brown shell-like carapace which oozed a green viscous liquid between individual scales, dripping onto the ground beneath its taloned feet. Its face was vaguely human, tinged a dark red, and looked as if a man's face had been stretched out to the limit of his skin's elasticity. The green ooze crawled down its face, glistening off of its razor sharp teeth which protruded like spikes on a mace. The arms of the attacker were covered in sharp spikes which were barbed on the ends, oozing the same substance as the rest of the body. Its hands were large and seemingly composed of bone, with large fingers that ended in barbed spikes.

But those details were not what horrified Diana now. What horrified her were the eyes of her attacker.

They were the only remaining feature of the creature that retained a wholly human appearance. They were sky blue, with black flecks located near the irises. They were eyes Diana knew well, for they belonged to one of her most valued allies and dearest friends.

They were the eyes of Officer Mike Schorr of the Gateway City Police Department.

  Faux-DC Proudly Presents:

Issue # 337

"Metamorphosis - Part One"

By Mike Hintze
Edited by Mighty Miry Clay Arceneaux
& Rollickin' Ralph Angelo Jr.
Dedicated to John Byrne

48 Hours Earlier

Mike Schorr sat at his desk in the headquarters of the GCPD, typing away on his computer. He loved his job, but he absolutely hated the paperwork. Every moment of an arrest had to be accounted for, every spent shell tabulated. Sure, a new heroin smuggling ring had been busted, one of the largest catches on the eastern seaboard in years, but it always ended the same way. More paperwork.

"Hey, Schorr," came a voice from across the room. "You've got a visitor."

Mike got up from his desk and made his way to the lobby a floor below. He wondered who would stop to see him here at the precinct. Of all his friends, only Diana was one to stop by, and even then most likely to drop off a felon she had apprehended. Diana was still missing, though, god knew where. Mike reminded himself that he had to get used to it. His feelings for Diana aside, she was a superhero, and a member of the Justice League of America to boot. Disappearances for extended periods of time were commonplace in her line of work. He still worried, however. Not only because she was Gateway City's resident defender, although she was getting competition in the form of the GCPD Special Crimes Unit. Since her arrival in Gateway, superhuman activity had risen 80%, necessitating the creation of a metahuman police unit unmatched save for perhaps Metropolis.

He was assigned to the SCU fulltime, but when lulls in metahuman criminal activity occurred like the last two weeks since Diana had left, he often found himself backing up other departments on high profile busts. Being commanding officer of the GCPD SCU was a very high profile, very public job to hold, so when he was involved in a major bust, the media lapped it up. Like today's heroin seizure and subsequent media circus.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs to the lobby, he looked to see who it could be that wanted to see him. Immediately, he saw. His visitor, after all, was very hard to miss.

Diana stood by the duty desk, signing autographs for various officers. He knew some were getting them for their children, but others he knew wanted an excuse to say hello to her. Lieutenant Davis, he knew, already had sixteen autographs from her, and he still grabbed any chance to get another. Of course, Mike was one up on the others, being that he was close personal friends to Wonder Woman herself. Not that he thought in terms like that. Well, not often, anyway.

"Diana! You're back!", he hollered to her from across the room. Immediately she turned to face him, and she smiled. He loved her smile. He had never seen one like it before, and never had since. She was the perfect woman, not only physically, but mentally as well. She was the girl Mike wanted his parents to meet at Christmas. But Diana and he had come to terms with their feelings for each other a while ago. Diana wanted only to be friends, while he had wanted to explore things further. He agreed that they should just be friends, but that didn't stop how he felt for her, regardless of what he said.

"Mike!", replied Diana. She walked towards him, politely excusing herself from the throng of followers she had gathered. She was wearing a blue skirt with a white blouse, complete with high heels. No raiment spoke of her Amazonian heritage. However, her six foot frame spoke enough. Whatever she wore, she was definitely Wonder Woman.

"Where have you been?", asked Mike with a grin. No matter how often she was gone, he always loved seeing her again, as if it was the first time.

"Mike, do you have time for a visit?", asked Diana. The look she gave him told him all he needed to know. She had something to tell him, something personal.

"Its time I took lunch anyway. Come on, my treat," replied Mike. It was then that he noticed something about her. Something different. She moved stiffly, as if she was in pain.

Once the two of them were outside, Mike motioned to a deli across the street. Diana shook her head, and pointed up. Floating above GCPD HQ was a shimmering vehicle, almost impossible to see if the light wasn't just right. It was Diana's Lansanarian plane, a gift from the race of the same name. It was able to assume the form of whatever Diana desired, which most of the time was a flying craft of some sort. A stairwell flowed down to where Mike and Diana stood. The two stepped aboard, and the stairwell lifted them into the plane. No sooner were they aboard, than they were off into the sky.

"Okay, I'll bite, Diana…what's the matter?", asked Mike, the concern evident on his face.

"Mike, the reason I've been gone this last while is because I was…offworld."

Mike's face showed some surprise. "Offworld…and you don't mean the JLA Watchtower, do you?"

Diana gave a warm smile at Mike's attempt to understand what she was saying. "No, Mike, not the Watchtower. I had to go to the Vegan Star System. A dear friend was in need, and I had to help her."

"Wow…did you help your friend? Who was it?"

"You've met her before. Her name is Donna."

"All the way in space? Wow. Is she all right?"

Diana winced again in pain. "Yes, she's better than she's ever been. But during the fight to save her, I was injured."

Mike got a concerned look on his face again. "Your back, right? I can see you can't even sit back properly. Is it bad?"

Diana continued. "I was struck by what is called anti-matter. I'm lucky to be alive, quite frankly. My ship did an admirable job of tending to my wounds until I was able to get to the Watchtower for more complete medical attention."

"So that's why you're wearing the civilian clothing. Your usual attire would probably be quite uncomfortable, I imagine."

"You imagine correctly. I just wanted to let you know I'll be convalescing for a short while. I've alerted the JLA as to this, and they will keep an eye out for me on Gateway. I just thought you and your fellow officers could use a heads-up, as it were." Her smile returned. It always amazed Mike how strong she was in spirit, let alone physically.

"Well, I'm glad to hear you're all right. I appreciate the heads-up, Diana. I imagine you want to get back to resting. Where are you staying?"

"I'll be staying on Themyscira for a while. I won't be too long, I promise."

With that, Mike was dropped off gently in front of GCPD HQ once again. He waved as Diana took off into the sky, and saw her wave back. He hoped she was all right. People like her came across once in a lifetime. He may have no chance romantically with her, but that didn't dilute his concern for her well-being.

"Godspeed," he said quietly to himself, as the invisible plane flew out of sight.

Hell

The demon lord known to men as Neron strided down the cavernous tunnel leading to the temporary residence of his 'guest'. Plans were within plans when you dealt with him, and this particular gambit was perhaps the most ambitious of his to date. If all went according to plan, nothing would be beyond his reach.

A large stone slab acted as a door to the chamber where his guest resided. Waving his hand, the slab moved out of Neron's way. He proceeded inside.

"I tire of waiting like this, Neron," said the Anti-Monitor. His form was wispy and almost immaterial, but it still retained the image of a being clad in segmented armor.

Neron had seen countless spirits and souls come into his domain, to be played with and tortured as he saw fit, but he had never encountered so evil a soul. Usually, evil and one's capacity to perform it were simple traits that allowed one to enter hell. The Anti-Monitor was different. His soul was so black, that Neron feared it may allow the Anti-Monitor a firm step into becoming one of Hell's Hierarchy. Even Lucifer's soul wasn't as evil as this. Luckily for Neron, the Anti-Monitor had no need for anything involving the rule of Hell. His sights were set far higher.

Neron had come across the soul of the Anti-Monitor when exploring the vast domain that was his to rule. He had discovered a chamber that had been buried so deep that it had lain untouched since the creation of hell. Inside, he saw a soul imprisoned with mystical wards, set by whom he did not know. The soul belonged to the Anti-Monitor.

This was strange, because Neron remembered a being called the Anti-Monitor who had instigated one of the most deadly campaigns known to life in the universe: The Crisis. After the Anti-Monitor had been defeated, Neron had never heard of any trace of the creature in any of the regions of Hell. Yet, here he was, as if he had been imprisoned for millenia.

Truth be told, he had been.

Apparently, the Anti-Monitor had knowledge of a previous timeline, where existence was much different than it is now. Neron only knew scraps of that previous time, but he knew enough that if it was allowed to exist again, his power could be increased exponentially. A multiverse of Earths, ripe for the plucking.

However, for a guy who had lived two distinct lives in two different timelines, he showed a remarkable lack of patience.

"My friend, you mustn't let the passage of time cause rash decisions. We are well on our way to bringing you back to reality. Just have patience." Neron was getting tired of telling the Monitor this same tirade over and over again.

"How long until the changes we have wrought on the Amazonian wench have taken effect?" Every day he sounded more and more angry with the time needed to see the plan to fruition.

"Not long now. Soon she'll be ready for you, and the universe will be yours for the taking."

And then Neron, Lord of the Underworld, would see to it that the Anti-Monitor got what was coming to him.

Over the Atlantic Ocean, Diana sped in her invisible plane, preparing to make the potentially perilous journey to Themyscira, also known as Paradise Island. Nearing the zone of storms that heralded the beginning of the journey, she caught something in the corner of her eye. Upon closer inspection, she realized what it was, and had the plane come to a stop, hovering.

A door opened, and allowed a flying, caped figure to enter. He had a smile on his face, yet he also showed concern.

"Hello, Clark," said Diana.

Superman walked up to Diana, and gave her a light hug, being careful not to touch her tender back. "Hello, Diana. I just heard of your ordeal in the Vegan System from J'onn, and wanted to see if there was anything I could do."

Diana smiled. "I'll be all right, Clark. I just need some time to rest at home with those I care about. Thank you for your concern, though." She reached up and put her hand on his cheek.

"Kyle asked me to give you this." Superman pulled out a bouquet of green roses, with a card that said 'Diana, Get well soon. The place is falling apart without you. Kyle', complete with a caricature of herself and the rest of the JLA. "I'll personally see to it that Gateway City is looked after. You're not that far off the beaten path. You just concentrate on getting better," said Superman.

"I will. Thank you, Clark. And thank Kyle for the beautiful flowers." With that, Superman left the plane, and sped away towards Metropolis.

Diana may put her life on the line time and again, but it was nice to know that she had such wonderful friends backing her up.

Resuming her course, she sped on towards Paradise Island.

"Again!"

Cassie Sandsmark twirled her quarterstaff 360 degrees, landing it on the buckler held by one of the Amazon sisters who had volunteered in her training. Immediately, she spun again hitting the buckler held behind her, and again to hit the one on her right, and finally the one on her left.

"Excellent! I think you are ready to take on a sister in combat, Cassie."

Artemis walked up to Cassie, a proud smile on her face. She had been training Cassie for weeks on Paradise Island, and had been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to say those very words. She saw great potential for Cassie, and had promised Diana and Hippolyta that she would train her in the warrior arts. Diana wanted Cassie ready if she was serious in continuing her role as Wonder Girl.

"You mean it?!", replied Cassie. The grin on her face told it all. She was as happy, if not more, than Artemis was.

"I think you've had enough for today, child. The rest of the day is yours to do with as you will," said Artemis.

"Yesss!", replied Cassie. "Thank you, Artemis!" She then turned and ran to the shore.

"She is a fast learner," remarked Phillipus, one of the Amazonian sisters who had offered to help train Cassie. "She has the heart of a true Amazon warrior."

Artemis stared after Cassie. "Yes, she does. Diana will be proud when she returns."

On the shore of Paradise Island, Cassie ran through the ocean waters. She had collected hundreds of seashells in the past few weeks, and was amazed at how there never seemed to be an end to them. Reaching down for one, she saw someone sitting on the shore a ways down from her. It was Donna Troy, the previous Wonder Girl, now known as Troia.

Cassie walked up to her, and sat down. Donna and Hippolyta had returned to Paradise Island after being sure Diana was in good hands with the medical bay in the JLA Watchtower. Donna had undergone incredible trials and changes, Cassie had heard, yet she had pulled through. She only hoped she was able to maintain the tradition of Wonder Girl that Donna had set for her.

"Hey, Donna," said Cassie. "Is something wrong?" She noticed Donna looked incredibly melancholy.

"I'll be fine, Cassie," replied Donna. "I just need some time alone."

"Cool," replied Cassie. "If you need to talk, though, I'm right here. Just between us, Wonder Girl to Wonder Girl." She got up to go back to the shore, when Donna put her hand on Cassie's shoulder.

"Wait…I'm sorry," said Donna. "Please, sit. Maybe I do need to talk to someone."

Cassie sat down again. "What is it? I thought things were cool again, after that whole mess in space."

"Everything," replied Donna, "Except for one thing. I have all this power, and more thanks to the Titans of Myth, yet I still can't see my husband and baby. All this power, and I still can't bring them back." Tears began to flow down Donna's cheeks as she sobbed quietly.

Cassie reached over and put her arm around Donna. "I know I'm pretty young, and I can't imagine what you must be going through, but I can't help but think that your family is with you all the time. We live in a time where Gods exist, and people can fly. I'm sure your family is right here, right now, watching you. And…I know they would want you to live your life using the gifts you have to help others."

Donna looked over at Cassie, and smiled through her tears. "You know, kiddo, you're beyond your years." Donna wiped her tears away. "Thanks."

"Anytime," replied Cassie with a grin.

Suddenly, a noise was heard overhead. Looking up, Cassie and Donna saw the outline of Diana's invisible plane approaching the Island.

"It's Diana! She's back!", said Cassie excitedly. "Come on, Donna! Let's go see her!"

Smiling at Cassie's youthful exuberance, Donna got up and the two of them headed for the Central Palace.

Hippolyta stood on what was now considered the Royal Landing Pad on the roof of the Central Palace. Looking up, she watched as her daughter's plane came down for a landing. Almost soundlessly, it touched down on the marble rooftop.

Hippolyta looked at her daughter through the transparent material of the plane, and saw her get up out of her seat, and exit via a side hatchway. She was carrying a bouquet of emerald flowers. Probably from Green Lantern, by the looks of them. Once Diana exited the plane, Hippolyta put her hands on her daughter's arms.

"Daughter, I am glad to see you are well. I have had quarters prepared for your rest."

Diana smiled. "Thank you, mother. And thank you again for your aid in Vega. I could not have saved Donna without you."

"Daughter," replied Hippolyta, "I would fight Hades himself if it meant yours and Donna's well-being."

"Diana!", yelled Cassie as she rounded the stairs leading to the landing pad. "You're back!"

Diana put her hands on Cassie's shoulders. "How are your lessons coming along? You have to return to your schooling in Man's World very shortly."

"She is shaping up to be a fine Amazon Warrior, Princess," said Artemis as she walked onto the platform. "Evildoers will cower before this Wonder Girl."

"Thank you, Artemis", replied Diana. "It means a lot for you to be taking the time to train her."

"My pleasure, Princess", said Artemis with a smile.

"Hello, Diana," came a voice from the side. Diana turned to see Donna standing behind Artemis. "Welcome home."

Diana walked up to Donna, and put her arms around her as best she could. "I am so glad to see you all right. I couldn't stand it if I had lost one I now consider to be as a sister to me."

"Same here, Diana," replied Donna. "Cassie there is going to make a fine Wonder Girl. She-"

Suddenly, Diana fell to the ground. Her face perspired profusely, and heat radiated off of her. Hippolyta immediately reached down to her and felt her brow. "By Zeus' Thunderbolts! I can barely touch her! Quickly! Get her to the Medical Bay! Now!"

Artemis and Donna picked up Diana and rushed her to the Medical Bay. Once there, Amazonian doctors rushed to her side. Instruments were brought out, and diagnostics taken. Everyone else waited outside.

Minutes later, a doctor came out. Hippolyta rushed to her. "What is it? What is wrong with my daughter?"

The doctor looked up at Hippolyta. "Her wounds have caused her body to go into shock. The anti-matter hit she took must have affected her body in ways Man's World science could not detect. Also…"

"What?", asked Donna urgently. "What else?"

"I'm afraid," the doctor said, "That there is something else wrong with the Princess."

"What is it, blast you," demanded Artemis. "Speak!"

"I'm afraid," the doctor said, "That the Princess is pregnant."

Next Issue: "Metamorphosis" Part 2 - After this cliffhanger, I ain't saying nothin'!

Mike Hintze
08/31/00