317 - DC: The Infinite Villain (Patreon)

317 - When a Man Is Too Strong

"Yes."

Patty was startled by Joe's question, but she answered him. "I asked Damon to find Mark Mardon. Then I shot Mardon. I belong to Damon now. I came to resign. If you're going to arrest me, you can do it."

Arrest her?

Under ordinary circumstances, Joe would have. He would have regretted her choice, but he would not have looked the other way. Damon's involvement made him hesitate. "File your resignation," he said at last. "When I have evidence, I'll arrest you."

"Thank you." Patty turned away.

The paperwork did not take long. Once she left the station, she drew a breath and went home. Damon was already gone. He had left just after her, returned the Disciple to his Central City villa, and checked on Tula, Aquagirl. Her condition was stable, but she still had not regained consciousness.

Steppenwolf's blow had done serious damage.

Damon told June Moone to stay at the villa for a while and make coffee, then went to the laboratory.

Lena Luthor and Caitlin Snow were inside.

They were working on the black kryptonite. Damon asked briefly about their progress but did not linger. Making it work on a human would take time. It was almost evening before he remembered Patty. He sent her the address and told her to come over.

Night fell.

The living room was crowded and lively.

Damon stretched across the sofa with his head on Laurie's lap and his feet on Patty's. June and Samantha sat on the rug beside them. Each woman wore a different scent, but the mixture did not bother him. The television carried the day's news. Nothing on it held his attention.

Someone yawned. One by one, the others followed.

"Go to bed if you're tired," Damon said, rising. No one moved at first.

"Patty, June, sleep in my room. Shower and come in." He went ahead. The others exchanged looks and made their own way to bed.

Patty arrived first, and June joined them soon after. June's first encounter with Damon had given her little reason to welcome this one. Neither woman's position with him made the invitation easy to refuse. Damon treated the arrangement as a matter of his own convenience.

The following day, Laurie joined them as well.

Even without using his powers, Damon's endurance was extraordinary. He kept seeking out the women over the next few days, then turned his attention to Samantha. He had begun to expect more from them than any one of them could give, and his frustration grew.

"What is it?" Samantha asked when she noticed him looking at her.

Damon shook his head and forced her Reign persona to emerge. Her expression changed; her cells transformed, turning her from an ordinary human into a Kryptonian.

"Master." Reign dropped to one knee as soon as she appeared.

Damon acknowledged her and took her into the bedroom. More than an hour passed before he called out.

"Laurie. Patty. June. Come here."

Another hour passed behind the closed door.

When it was over, Damon lay among the women. He looked satisfied; they had followed his lead throughout.

"Maybe I should keep my pillows together from now on," he muttered before falling asleep.

Damon told himself his desire was not usually so insistent. He could go days without sex, and a brief encounter generally suited him. That did not change how little say the others had had in the past week. About a week later, he remembered to put Patty's and Samantha's photographs on the wall of his collection room.

...

Name: Patty Spivot

Codename: None

Number:

Era of origin:

Location: Earth-1, Central City.

...

Name: Samantha Arias

Codename: Reign

Number:

Era of origin:

Location: Earth-38, National City.

Their photos went beside Catwoman's and Poison Ivy's. Damon had now counted twenty-two women as pillows, and space on the wall was running short. He shrank the photos with a reducing beam to make room. Then a message from Indigo-1 arrived.

She had found the Book of Darkness.

There was a complication: she could not bring it back. Damon would have to go to her.

"Samantha."

He stepped down from the Disciple and called her over.

"Bring out Reign and come with me." Samantha's expression shifted. Soon she wore a black uniform with a large S emblem, a cape, and a mask. Her lips darkened; she pulled back her hair. Reign looked fierce. Damon put an arm around her waist, located Indigo-1, and teleported them with rainbow light.

Light flared.

Damon and Reign appeared on a distant planet.

They seemed to be in a sealed chamber. The black book on the floor was larger than a bed. Seven upright stones stood around it in a fan shape, each linked to the book by a chain.

"Master." Indigo-1 came forward and explained.

Each stone represented one color of the emotional spectrum. The power within them held the Book of Darkness in place. Indigo-1 had tried to remove it and failed, so she had left it untouched. She knew what the Black Lantern Corps could do and had called Damon rather than risk breaking the seals herself.

...