307 - DC: The Infinite Villain (Patreon)

Granny Goodness and the Female Furies

Talia knelt beside the bed. Damon held his phone up and recorded the sexual encounter. She had agreed to his demand while fighting for her life; the recording was his decision, not part of their bargain.

People didn't change their nature easily.

Talia might behave differently for a while, but Damon didn't trust that change to last. In the comics, even her love for Batman and their son had never kept her from turning on him. He intended to keep the footage as leverage if she later refused to cooperate.

That was his calculation.

He saved the recording.

The encounter continued behind closed doors.

His phone rang.

The image on its screen gave way to an incoming call.

Damon glanced at the number. "Guess who's calling."

"Batman?"

The way he'd asked made the answer obvious.

"Couldn't have picked a better moment," Damon said, and answered without ending the encounter.

Neither man spoke at first.

Bruce heard enough through the phone to fall silent.

He understood that Damon was with someone, but he didn't recognize Talia's deliberately altered voice.

Batman said nothing. Damon let the silence stand.

Talia's voice could be heard now and then, though Bruce still couldn't place it.

"We have a problem," Batman finally said, his voice low and rough.

"Steppenwolf?" Damon asked. "All of you can't handle one Steppenwolf?"

Even setting aside the Flash and Batman, the team was formidable.

Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Superman, and Red Lantern Mera were there. Green Lantern had taken Cyborg's place in this version of events, and Mera had taken Aquaman's. Both were stronger additions in Damon's estimation. Even without the surge of power Superman might have gained from dying and returning, that lineup should have been enough to stop Steppenwolf.

Especially since this Steppenwolf was only a projection.

"It's not just him," Batman said. "Another group showed up. They call themselves the Female Furies. Steppenwolf may have called them in after taking a beating. The Mother Boxes have activated, the terrain is changing, and the effect is spreading fast. There are Parademons everywhere. We can't get through them to stop the boxes."

"We need your help."

Damon glanced at Talia. "I wouldn't bother for most people. Since it's you, I'll help."

Batman hadn't expected him to agree so quickly, or to make it sound like a personal favor. He had no idea why Damon was behaving that way, but there was no time to ask.

"Get here as soon as you can."

"When I'm done here." Damon ended the call.

He stayed with Talia, delaying his arrival while the battle continued.

Batman told the others Damon was coming. Until then, they needed to contain the spreading effect. The site had once been struck by a nuclear weapon and was largely deserted. After Superman and the Flash moved the few remaining residents out of danger, the team could fight without holding back for nearby civilians.

Red Lantern Mera was fighting Steppenwolf.

Superman, the Flash, Green Lantern, and Wonder Woman each faced armored members of the Female Furies. Batman, the only one without superpowers, tried to reach the Mother Boxes but found his way blocked by a wall of Parademons.

The Female Furies.

They were among Apokolips's most ruthless fighting forces, trained by Granny Goodness, a member of Darkseid's elite. She had risen from the planet's lowest ranks. As a child, she entered the Hounds and trained one of Darkseid's beasts, naming it Mercy. She grew attached to it. When a superior ordered her to kill Mercy, she killed the superior instead. Before Darkseid, she defended herself by saying that the man had tried to destroy valuable property belonging to their master.

She insisted that Mercy was the finest hound she had trained: obedient to her, but loyal to Darkseid above all. Darkseid ordered the beast to attack her. It did. Granny Goodness killed Mercy to survive, and Darkseid acknowledged her skill by putting her in charge of training his soldiers.

She rose through Apokolips's hierarchy, using punishment and brainwashing to make troops who would die for Darkseid. She established orphanages on different worlds and selected promising recruits. The best from her Apokoliptian orphanage became the Female Furies.

She knew exactly how to make a weapon out of a person.

And she was cruel enough to do it.

The Furies were powerful, cold-blooded, and trained from childhood to die for Darkseid.

There weren't many of them. Each had survived a selection process that left countless opponents dead.

"Where is Damon?"

"Can't he teleport? He should've been here by now."

Nearly an hour had passed since Batman told the others to expect him. Questions crackled over the comms. Batman was about to call again when the space beside him warped.

A shockwave breach opened.

Damon stepped out, smiling.

"Well, this is lively."

Parademons swarmed everywhere, and small battles raged across the wasteland. Damon glanced around, then gave Batman a friendly pat on the shoulder.

Batman frowned. He had no idea why Damon had suddenly become so familiar.

Damon let him wonder. Bruce hadn't recognized Talia's voice on the call, and the recording was now in Damon's hands.

Damon opened another shockwave breach in front of him. "Go on. Take a look at the Mother Boxes. I'll see about these Female Furies."