The bar was as dank and disgusting as any she had ever seen. In the course of her life, she had been to many places and seen many things that sickened her. Here, however, the weight of despair, greed and avarice was almost a physical thing. Still, she walked inside. She needed something.

She walked up to the bar counter and caught the eye of the bartender. Her beauty generally caught the eye of most men, giving her an advantage in a new situation. Here, though, the bartender appraised her from top to bottom, his pupils dilating. She wore blue jeans, steel toed boots, a dark leather jacket and a white t-shirt. Her beauty had indeed caught this man's eye, but not in a way that would work to her advantage.

She motioned to the bartender, and he slowly came her way. He was wiping a dirty glass with his stained apron, making it even dirtier than when he had started. He sauntered up to her and gave her a grin that was anything but pleasant.

"What? " asked the bartender.

"I need something, " she said. "Information. "

"Only have booze here, " said the bartender. "Nothing else. Now either order a drink, or leave. "

She smiled. "I'm willing to pay handsomely, " she said as she slid over several bills of the local currency.

The bartender grabbed the money and slipped it beneath his apron. His eyes never left her. "What information? "

"I'm looking for a man, " she said. "A man I'm told frequents this establishment when he is in town. I would appreciate being notified when he arrives next. "

The bartender spit on the floor. "A lot of people come through here. " His gaze came down to her chest. "What's his name then? "

"Daniel Singh, " she said. "My eyes are up here. "

The bartender lingered his gaze further before looking at her face again. "Daniel Singh. Can't say I've ever heard of him. " He patted his apron under which the money was stashed. "No refunds. "

"How much will it take to refresh your memory? " she asked.

"More than money, " said the bartender, "But you can offer more than cash, can't you, sweetie? " He nodded at something behind her.

Two burly, muscled men each grabbed an arm and held her. They began to move her away from the bar. "Take her out back, " said the bartender. "Mess her up. "

She was moved no more than an inch when the men found themselves lifted off the ground and tossed across the bar like they were cardboard. She hadn't broken a sweat.

"I don't think they liked what I had to offer, " she said. "Would you like some as well, or will you tell me what I want to know? "

"Fat chance of that, " the bartender said as he brought up a sawed-off shotgun to bear on her. Instantly the weapon was wrenched from his grip. An arrow held it into the counter through the trigger guard &and his hand. He screamed in pain as another woman with strawberry blonde hair walked up, bow in hand. Her face gave no indication of anything other than determination and mercilessness. Her face said that she would kill him in a heartbeat if necessary.

"Artemis, " said Diana, "That was unnecessary. "

"Hm, " replied Artemis. "I think you have his undivided attention now. "

Faux DC Presents

# 343

"Demon's Ruin - Part One "

By Mike Hintze

"You should have let me skewer the man from the start, " said Artemis. "Men's tongues loosen easier when they think they will lose an appendage. "

Diana, Queen of the Amazons, gave a wry look at her companion. "Not everything revolves around the threat of death. " She sighed. "At least, it shouldn't. "

"Is that barman not still breathing? " asked Artemis. "His hand will heal &but it will be a long while before it holds anything heavier than a feather. " She grinned in satisfaction to herself.

"In any event, " said Diana, "We have another link in our chain. "

"Al Ghul will pay for the sisters he killed, " said Artemis. "I swore that the instant an Amazon fell. "

Diana looked straight ahead as the two Amazons made their way back to their hotel. They had been in Cairo for two days now, following leads that led to nowhere. Now, with confirmation that Daniel Singh was indeed here, the next step could be taken to finding Ra's Al Ghul.

It had been a week earlier when Diana, recently crowned Queen of the Amazons after the death of her mother Hippolyta, had made her first official state visit to the United Nations in New York. No sooner had she began her address, when the UN was savagely attacked by an army of robots that were able to cloak themselves from detection. Even with the intervention of the Justice League of America, dozens of lives had been lost, many of them Amazons. In the end, Diana and Batman had discovered where the robots had come from, an underground LexCorp facility in New York, but were surprised when they found out who was behind the actual attack. The culprit had been a man named Ubu, who Batman knew was a subordinate of Ra's Al Ghul, the eco-terrorist. The attacks had been aimed at Diana and the Amazons, but no one could figure out the reason why.

Luckily, Batman had some ideas as to where to start looking.

The Dark Knight had located Ubu's point of access to the United States within an hour. Ubu had flown into a private airfield outside of New York in a jet owned by GreenWorld Industries, which was owned by several shell companies across the world, eventually leading to a numbered company Batman knew was a front for one of Ra's Al Ghul's American arms. The evidence was circumstantial, but then Batman said that when it came to Ra's, it usually was. That didn't mean, however, that meant they were wrong.

Ubu had come to America under a private charter that was filed by Daniel Singh of Cairo. Credit Card transactions had shown that nearly every time Singh was in Cairo, he went to the bar Diana and Artemis Had just visited. Diana knew being as direct as they were was risky, but they hoped that by shaking a few cages they could continue their search for the killer of their sisters.

"The Demon's Head will pay, " said Diana. "I just want to know why first. We Amazons have never had dealings with the man. If anything, our way of living in harmony with the planet would make us an ally of him more than an enemy. I have never encountered the man myself, and certainly have never given him reason to bear me ill will. I mean to get that answer from him, mark my words. "

Artemis gave a wry grin and nodded. She was far more bloodthirsty and eager to kill than Diana was, and approved when Diana showed her that she was capable of avenging her sisters as much as anyone.

The Amazon Royal Cabinet had argued against Diana's insistence on searching for Ra's herself. Besides Diana and Artemis, there were dozens of teams of Amazon agents scattered across the globe conducting their own search for the Demon's Head. It was argued that Diana should not risk herself now that she was Queen of the Amazons. Diana was very vehement about her reasoning to the contrary, however.

"I intend to lead by example, " said Diana. "My mother was a great leader and ruler, but one thing she failed in was seeing that our culture was more involved with that of Man's World. Approaching the United Nations was the first step of that. Finding the murderer of our people will be the second. "

That seemed to convince them of her intentions, but she knew that if she was to maintain her political capital, she would need to follow through with her promise.

In her mind, Ra's was already caught and tried for his crimes. He just didn't know it yet.

"They await you in the chamber, Master. "

Ra's Al Ghul nodded to his subordinate, the latest to adopt the identity of Ubu, his personal bodyguard and assistant. He hated losing Ubu's predecessor, but the intricacies of the mission to New York were such that he could have trusted them to no one else.

True enough; the previous Ubu had failed in his mission in the end. Ubu was not meant to be captured, rather Lex Luthor was to be the one meant to take the fall of the attack on the Amazons. Still, even with the Detective on the Amazon's side, his plans would yet see fruition. His visitors in the chamber would not be a hindrance. The opposite, even.

Al Ghul entered the chamber, its walls adorned with the tools of torture from hundreds of years of such work, and saw his guests. Two women, stripped naked, were strapped to a wooden platform. They had been caught wearing civilian clothing, but to one such as him that was no such disguise. He had watched them for several days before having his agents capture them.

"Greetings, Amazons, " said Al Ghul. "You must feel vindicated somewhat. After all, you were sent to find me...and find me you have. Or rather, I have found you...but let's not argue over semantics, shall we? " He ran his hand over a curved scythe-like blade. Used correctly, the curvature of the small blade had made even the hardiest of men talk of their deepest held secrets.

"You will learn nothing from us, " said a dark haired beauty. Her right eye was swollen.

"Our Queen will make you regret ever harming a hair of an Amazon, " said a short-haired blonde. A wound bled slowly from her right side.

"Your Queen, " said Al Ghul, "Will do what I tell her. The Amazons will bend their knee to me and join in my quest to cleanse the planet. "

"Queen Diana will do no such thing, " said the dark-haired Amazon.

"One thing you should have realized before now, " said Al Ghul, "Is that I really...only need one of you. " He swiped the scythe across the blonde haired Amazon's throat. She struggled against her bonds and choked on her own blood.

"You will die for this! " cried the dark-haired Amazon. Her muscles bulged as she strained against her restraints, tears trickling down her face.

Al Ghul hit a switch against the blonde's restraints, tipping her platform so it arced downward. The floor slid away, revealing a bubbling chemical pool. The blonde, still secured, splashed into the pool, submerging.

"Maybe I will, " said Al Ghul. "The question is, how many times will you and your friend die before you tell me all I need to know? "

The blonde came up out of the pool, covered in steaming chemicals. Her throat was healed, and her eyes were pinpricks of insanity. They fixed on Al Ghul with murderous intensity. Several minutes passed, until the insane look left the woman's eyes, replaced with exhaustion...and fear.

Al Ghul stepped towards the dark-haired Amazon. "Your turn, my dear. "

A mysterious woman knelt on the shores of Themyscira, the moonlight giving her just enough light to work by. Her hands were covered in gritty clay as they worked, fashioning a sculpture not seen on this island in decades. She worked feverishly, paying attention to every detail possible. Finally, she was finished...and none too soon. The sun was set to rise shortly.

"It is done, " said the woman. "I have done as you asked. "

"So you have, " said the shimmering form of Aphrodite, Goddess of Love. Beside her, stood Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt. "Your service will not go unrewarded. "

"We must be quick about this, " said Artemis. "The others will discover if we are not. "

"They will not know, " said Aphrodite, "Before it is too late. " She reached down and placed a hand on the clay sculpture. It was in the form of a woman, the detail amazing for having been done with bare hands.

Artemis placed her own hand on the sculpture. "We bring you life...and grant you the power to act as our hand on Earth. "

"Breathe...and live, " said Aphrodite.

The sculpture glowed with an inner light. An instant later, the light dimmed...but the statue was no longer clay. It was a living, breathing woman. The new female shuddered with her first breaths and looked up at the Gods that had given her new life.

"Rise, " said Artemis. "Rise, and serve us. "

"M-Mothers? " said the woman. "I...I live again? "

"Yes, " said Aphrodite. "You live once more...Hippolyta. "

Next Issue: 'Demon's Ruin' Part Two!