Post by redsycorax on Jan 18, 2021 4:52:43 GMT
And now we come to one of the darkest alternate Earths within the Greater DC multiverse. Worlds where zombie apocalypses overwhelmed that Earth's metahuman population are sadly not uncommon within the multiverse. On Earths 2149 and "Z", "Marvel" metahumans destroyed humanity, while on Earth- 2421, the Anti-Life Equation was interfered with, precipitating a chain of events that led to Darkseid's death, the destruction of Apokolips and the Anti-Life Equation's destruction of most of the senior echelon of metahumans resident on Earth at that point. Earth- 2124's trajectory was more conventional. Fearing an election result in which he would be comprehensively defeated and his party decimated, US President Farlow Flavors and a mysterious collaborator unleashed a necromorphic thanatovirus on Earth, spreading it through his last minute, desperate political rallies. They turned into charnel houses and within weeks, millions of Americans were dead- and then reanimated. It had originally been developed as a weapon against a Middle Eastern War, which concluded before it was to be used, but it remained in existence...
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WASHINGTON DC:
Farlow Flavors, the 45th US President, was a maverick populist whose prior claim to fame was his fast food company. There was some inconclusive evidence that in Denton, his hometown, he was responsible for the death of his older brother, Bradley Majors. Shortly afterward, he married his brother's widow, singer Janet Weiss Majors. Despite his wife's revenue from her musical career, Flavors had multiple affairs, leading to their separation and subsequent divorce while in the White House. Due to the weakness of the Republican Party, who put up a reality show host as its presidential candidate in 2016, Flavors' new "Homeland Party" won the election, garnering votes from disaffected voters. There is inconclusive evidence that Flavors' medical practitioner had certified him insane, which would have enabled Vice President Peter Ross to invoke the Twenty Fifth Amendment and remove him from office. However, Vice President Ross and Dr Giselle Letrouve perished in a terrorist attack on Air Force Two in 2018, shortly before midterm elections that resulted in bipartisan dominance of both houses by his Democrat opponents. With his presidency in tatters, the deteriorating president desperately sought a solution to his impending impeachment and removal from office. At some point, the hitherto black dossiered Virus Z necromorphic thanatovirus information and access codes were delivered into his hands. It only remained for the initially symptomatic virus to be spread through his rallies as he sought to remain in power. The first signs of Virus Z emerged two weeks after his opponent, Hillary Clinton, won the presidency from him.
METROPOLIS:
"This is a WGBS Emergency Broadcast, with Clark Kent and Lois Lane. We have been informed that billionaire philanthropist Alexander Luthor has passed away at the desk of his LexCorp company, after several inconclusive attempts to find an antidote to Virus Z, the deadly global pandemic now confirmed to have been spread by former President Farlow Flavors. Thankfully, the Justice League has been able to intervene and close down his dark-funded misinformation and propaganda pirate services, but there are still ongoing demonstrations in the states that still voted for the Homeland Party, his now defunct political vehicle. Although a mortal enemy of Superman for some years, Alexander Luthor distinguished himself with the vigilance and discipline with which he sought to find a solution to the plague that now besets us. There have been several fatalities here at WGBS- our own chief executive Morgan Edge, colleagues Catherine Grant, Steven Lombard, Lana Lang and James Olsen, and Daily Planet editor Perry White.
In neighbouring Gotham City, fires have now blazed out of control. Batman is known to be dead, shot by his nemesis the Joker as he sought to ferry medical supplies to Gotham Hospital. One gruesome side effect of the thanatovirus is reanimation of those deceased from it, transformed into rapidly moving anthropophagic predators. They appear to be reanimated through a network of dark fibres that spread throughout the brain as well as the digestive system. Martial law has been declared in Gotham and Joker was executed late last afternoon. As for other major American cities, Black Canary and Green Arrow are enforcing a strict quarantine in Star City, while Aquaman has implemented an identical policy in Atlantis. As extraterrestrial Thanagarians, Hawkman and Hawkwoman are immune to the virus, as are Superman and Superwoman. Sadly, JLA scientists such as the Atom and the Flash passed away due to their early exposure to the virus while engaged in research to find an antidote. This is the end of the current bulletin. In the event of significant developments, we'll be back on the air sooner than the next hour. Keep sheltered and safe from the undead. And keep your spirits up."
Lois Lane leant back in her chair as the cameras blinked off:
"It gets harder to do this, Clark."
"Have you heard anything from your father, sweetheart?"
"It's a mess, Clark. He's hiding something. Whether that was that this was intended as black ops for the Iranian War back in '03 before the revolution in Tehran is a matter of supposition and rumour. Damn it. I thought dad was better than that."
"Have Dinah and Ollie been successful in contacting Amanda Waller?"
"No. Satellites show that Belle Reve is surrounded by a horde of the undead. And for some reason, I'm immune, Clark. Whether that means Dad slipped an antidote into my food or drink at some point is an excellent question. Iris, thank goodness. Honey, you look all in."
Iris Allen managed a shaky smile: "I'm afraid I have some bad news. Hal. He died after he caught the virus evacuating survivors from Coast City. Carol is holding up well, but she has it too. Selina is co-ordinating relief efforts in Gotham, but decades of urban decay and neglect have made it a tinderbox. And she's grieving Bruce. Alfred has opened up Wayne Manor as a shelter for uninfected fleeing the city."
"What about John and Kyle?"
"The Guardians have assigned them off planet until further notice. Clark?"
"Sorry, both of you. Time Kara, Karen and I went out on heat vision sweep. If we can manage to wipe out enough of them, then we may have a chance to survive."
Lois kissed her husband goodbye: "Don't worry about me, honey. I'm an army brat. Locked and loaded already. So, Iris. I haven't had a chance to say how sorry I am about Barry. It must hurt."
"It does, Lois. Like hell. When he realised he'd gotten infected, he took himself away to an uninhabited, airless alternate Earth through his cosmic treadmill so he couldn't infect anyone else here. From the notes he left, that was a contingency plan."
"So you can't even see his body?"
"Cross-bleed webcam. So yes, I did. When he left vibratory egress, he finally died through explosive decompression immediately. There's something else, Lois. I think I'm pregnant."
"Oh, Iris. That's wonderful...you do want it?"
"Because he or she was born out of our love? But into this world, Lois? I don't know. I just don't know."
"It may not always be like this."
Iris looked out the window: "Look out there, Lois. Billions of mindless zombies and a handful of human and metahuman survivors. I know Clark, Kara, Karen, Katar, Shayera and Koriand'r are immune and can protect us, but what about all the others? Dinah? Oliver? Selina? Wally? And no-one's heard from Diana for weeks."
"She's probably okay. Amazon technology is seriously advanced. They might even find an antidote."
"We've lost so many already, Lois. Hal, Bruce, Barry," her voice caught at her late husband's name, "when is this all going to end? Will it end? And what happens if one of the heavy hitters gets infected, like Wally or Diana?"
THEMISCYRA:
But Diana, Princess of Themiscyra, was having her own problems. While her remote, encapsulated island wasn't under threat from Virus Z, it was under attack from another source- an invasive detachment of all-female Navy SEAL soldiers: "Hera help us! Granted, we will not lose our abilities should these women set foot on Themiscyra, but we trusted the United States not to do this." Antiope said as she fought off two of the onslaught
"It wasn't the mainstream United States, it was their insane president. He must have ordered this through covert operations." Wonder Woman said, fighting alongside her sister Amazons.
"Princess! Queen Hippolyta has been advised by Hygeia and Aesclepius that some of these women are infected by Virus Z, the so-called zombie virus raging through the rest of the world."
"What sort of nihilistic- no, on second thoughts, fall back, sisters. I'll take care of this." Diana pressed her JLA signaller.
METROPOLIS:
"Clark, it's Diana. She says that Themiscyra is under SEAL attack. Can you spare me for a few hours?" Power Girl said.
Superman nodded: "Tell her you can. I'm sorry we can't spare more of us, but I'm sure she's aware of the situation elsewhere. Zatanna?"
"Ready to transport her over, Clark."
THEMISCYRA:
As Power Girl materialised, she couldn't believe what she saw:
"Waller? Tell me you're not co-ordinating this!"
Amanda Waller shook her head: "No, Power Girl, I'm not. The problem is, as well as this illegal act against an allied nation which has fought to assist our country in past wars, we have a divided executive. President Flavors refuses to recognise his impeachment and is at war with his recognised successor under the Twenty Fifth Amendment, President Clinton. I've deployed the Squad to assist Wonder Woman. Harley is having a good time. I've respected Themiscyra's imperatives, so only Enchantress, Plastique, Black Orchid, Killer Frost, Lashina, Psi, Firehawk and Silver Swan are on duty here. I'm sure they'd be glad of the help."
"I suppose you've heard some of the troops here are infected?"
Waller groaned: "No, I didn't. But given what a power-crazed psychopath Flavors is, it makes sense that not only would he sanction this illegal covert operation and needlessly sacrifice brave soldiers from an elite military unit, he would have also have weaponised them as zombies. Damn."
DEEP BUNKER, WASHINGTON DC:
As President Flavors lit his cigarette, he watched the milling zombie hordes several hundred metres above him with a growing sense of satisfaction. If he was lucky, the distraction on Themiscyra would end up decimating his potential metahuman opposition. Around him, gold kryptonite meteors emitted an unearthly glow, which would prevent the Kryptonians from entering his sanctuary and risk losing their abilities. It also shielded him from Green Lantern's intrusion, given the weakness of his power ring to that wavelength of the spectrum. And the vibratory barrier also shielded him from the Flash, or would have if he hadn't already succumbed to Virus Z. He laughed maniacally to himself, as his partner stepped from their bedroom. She draped herself over a chair:
"Ah, Paula, my dear. That diversionary tactic of yours was absolutely inspired."
"If it removes the Amazon from the equation, all the better. I just wish we could rely on more than the strength of numbers, Farlow."
"Isn't that enough?"
"Ah, liebchen, your soul is as Nietzschean as my own. Nein, it is unfortunate that we cannot retain the sapience of any metahuman we turn in this process."
"Damn Clinton and her usurpation of what is rightfully mine! Damn Janet for deserting me when I needed her most!"
"Ach, never mind about her. It is enough that we are together and can build a new realm out of this chaos and turmoil. One where only the pure in heart and body such as ourselves will exist."
"How was I ever lucky enough to encounter you, Paula?" She walked forward and they embraced, and Flavors kissed her deeply:
"We think alike, Farlow. We have nothing but contempt for weakling inferiors to ourselves and the indomitability and triumph of our will. I only wish our Fuhrer, Adolf Hitler, had had your strength of mind and purpose."
Flavors kissed her again: "Never mind the past. Tomorrow belongs to us."
"Indeed, leibchen. Now let us watch as this drama continues to unfold."
THEMISCYRA:
"What?" Wonder Woman exclaimed, as she and Power Girl impaled another horde of zombies:
"It's true, Diana. Clark heard her all too clearly. We were wondering which one of our old enemies were at the core of this nightmare. Turns out it was your old wartime nemesis, Baroness Paula Von Gunther."
"But Karen, she went missing at the end of the Second World War. I thought she might have died in Berlin, although her body was never found."
"She doesn't exhibit any decrepitude, so cryogenic suspension is my guess."
"Merciful Hera. She...She's destroyed most of the human life on this planet just to satiate her nihilistic Nazi desire for absolute nothingness and oblivion?"
"Diana. You're not responsible for any of this. There was no way you could have foreseen any of this."
"I had fantasies of rehabilitating her, Karen. In a very real sense, it is my fault."
"Don't do this to yourself. Von Gunther and Flavors did this, not you. They're the ones who deserve to pay for this."
While they were talking, the battle had ended. At least Themiscyra would survive the day intact, but for how much longer, Wonder Woman agonised. Hippolyta had brought her up to try to resolve conflict with reason, peace and love, without blood being shed. But her mother could not have predicted what the unregenerate soul of a wholly corrupted... woman... might do to achieve their fanatical ideological imperatives. And that was the worst part of it, because Paula Von Gunther was responsible for all this merciless carnage, not her lickspittle, weak accomplice, the insane US President who had foolishly collaborated in her dark artifice.
JLA SATELLITE:
"Karen's right, Diana. If it hadn't been for the fact that that damned vainglorious idiot Flavors had so much power at his disposal, as well as his own accomplices within the US military and political infrastructure, none of this would have been possible either. He's as much to blame as Paula Von Gunther."
"My mind tells me you're right, Clark. But I hope you'll excuse me if I'm the one that puts an end to her."
From the work console, Batwoman looked up:
"You're not going to like this. The effects are not limited to humans. By which I don't mean that other species necrotise into zombies, I mean that if unchecked, the weight of fallout from those undead cadavers will contaminate the biosphere. We're looking at a charnel house world, where nothing grows, a dead planet with roiling black clouds, sere grey dusty landmasses and silent seas."
Diana nodded: "Thank you, Kate. It looks like we have no choice, then. To the death."
LATER:
"Diana?"
"Clark, Lois. I'm glad you both came to see before things reached the point of no return."
"Kate told us what you intend to do. Is there no other way out of this situation?"
"At one point, Clark, I did think Paula was capable of redemption. But then her daughter Gerta was killed on that tragic day back in February 1943 when I tried to rescue her and she lost any remaining moral compass that she might have had, as well as any anchor in human relationships. From then on, her conduct deteriorated still further. Finally, she went missing in 1945. I assumed that she must have died when the Russians, British and Americans moved in on Berlin, but... I always hoped she might have reformed and even become an Amazon if I had successfully rescued her little girl. But..."
"You're not coming back, are you, Diana?"
"No, Lois. I'm under no illusions about what I have to do. Vanquish her at all costs before her nihilism drives her to destroy every surviving human on this planet."
"Then let me help you."
"Clark, if Lex hadn't reformed, if he'd been the one who'd done this, what would you do?"
"Probably the same as you are. Earth needs a champion. You may also need to evacuate the surviving humans away from here in a space ark."
"Diana, do you want me to contact Steve, tell him about this?"
There was a moment of searing pain and sadness in the Amazon's eyes: "Thank you, Lois, but there'd be no point. Steve...was on the frontline when Washington fell to the zombies. He...was one of the first casualties."
"Oh, Rao. Diana, I'm so sorry."
"One way or another, it ends tonight. Goodbye, my friends. Hera bless your union and Aphrodite bless your love for one another."
WASHINGTON DC:
As she battered and fought her way downward, Diana was resolutely focused on her task. Inside, Paula heard the growing melee and nodded her head. The erstwhile president, Farlow Flavors, gibbered and screeched in the distance. When he became too hysterical and demented in tone, Paula pulled out her Luger and shot him through the heart as she awaited the arrival of her mortal nemesis. And then, abruptly, Princess Diana of Themiscyra stood before her after the shriek of torn metal gave way and they faced one another for the first time in sixty five years:
"Princess. We meet once more."
"Paula, is there no way that you can be convinced out of this? I don't want to kill you."
"Ach, Amazon, do not be so sentimental."
"If this is about Gerta, I'm sorry. I wish I had been able to rescue her before Ubermensch snapped her head that day in Berlin."
For the merest fraction of a moment, pain and hurt shone in Paula's eyes:
"It is no use trying to manipulate me. Moreover, I made sure that I had access to wunderwaffe Nazi weaponry before the fall of Berlin. Like this amazonium exoskeleton. It makes me your equal, Princess." Diana swallowed: "You were always that, Paula."
"Do you honestly have no rage within you? Your precious Colonel Trevor died at the hands of those revenants, and your foster-sister, Wonder Girl. I tried to invade Themiscyra."
"Don't mistake my absence of anger for the absence of determination or will, Paula."
"Enough talk. Prepare to die, Princess!"
And with that, battle was joined. And what Paula had said was true, they were equals on that day. The Baroness repeatedly battered at her valiant opponent, who returned combat with the discipline that had guided her whole life, as Superman, Starfire, Supergirl, Power Girl, Hawkman and Hawkwoman and the former Suicide Squad members gathered the surviving hundreds of thousands in evacuation zones and fought off any further incursions from zombies that might have assailed them. As the final souls were escorted into the vessels, Lois took one long look back at the burning remnants of Metropolis. She shed a single tear as the airlock hissed shut, as she said goodbye to everything she had once loved and held dear.
Escorting the vehicles into interstellar space, Superman resolved to make sure they were safe and then head back to the bunker to assist Diana. But then, his telescopic vision saw a grim spectacle. In the cavern below, the drama reached its tragic climax as Paula Von Gunther's extensor claw whipped out and decapitated Wonder Woman. Cleaning the blood from the blade, the demented Baroness Paula Von Gunther laughed to herself. But then, a television screen flickered on:
"Well, hello there, Paula my dear. I thought I'd save this little surprise for last. You see, you weren't the only one with access to that Nazi superweaponry. Before I revived you from cryogenic suspension, I decided to keep something in reserve. Were you aware that Werner Von Heisenberg had designed a reception for the Allies if they entered Berlin and tried to attack the Fuhrerbunker? Well, he did. Namely, a five hundred thousand megaton cobalt-salted nuclear device. I found it interesting as a concept and built one as an insurance policy, because, my dear, I always suspected you were corrupted enough inside not to spare me if it came to gotterdammerung. So, about one and half minutes from now, Midgard here reaches Ragnarok and all Father Wotan's Valkyries won't be able to put the pieces of this world together again." And with that, deceased President Farlow Flavors signed off. Paula Von Gunther's response was further laughter, maniacal and without a semblance of reproach at what she'd done and what had led to that impending moment of doomsday. One and a half minutes later, the fuse lit, uranium pellets crashed together and a fission chain reaction was enhanced by the unholy sheath of cobalt 59 and thorium around it. Baroness Von Gunther survived for only a millisecond and probably felt no pain, then the radius expanded to encompass the whole of Washington and its environs. In a matter of seconds, the shockwave cracked Earth's crust, then volatilised its mantle, and then it struck the Earth's core. As with Krypton decades past, the Earth erupted into a blinding pinpoint of life as the shockwave created new craters on the former Moon, now cast away from its former primary into a new, independent solar orbit of its own. For many years to come, the burning corpse that had once been a living, thriving blue and green world would form a roiling, incandescent cloud of slowly spreading debris as the prodigal fire consumed itself.
EPILOGUE:
Humanity now lives on Sfar, a world of Alpha Centauri B's solar system that is neighbour to Rann. There are still darkly held traumas and nightmares for those who lived through the zombie apocalypse on the vanished, irradiated husk of Earth four light years away. Every year, the survivors would celebrate Salvation Day and honour the memory of Princess Diana of Themiscyra, Wonder Woman and humanity's saviour, who made the ultimate sacrifice at the hands of her mortal enemy, only for that mortal enemy to be extinguished in her turn after a pyrrhic victory. Superman and Lois Lane look up at the distant funeral fire of a wrecked world and remember what was. And a fallen friend.
THE END.
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WASHINGTON DC:
Farlow Flavors, the 45th US President, was a maverick populist whose prior claim to fame was his fast food company. There was some inconclusive evidence that in Denton, his hometown, he was responsible for the death of his older brother, Bradley Majors. Shortly afterward, he married his brother's widow, singer Janet Weiss Majors. Despite his wife's revenue from her musical career, Flavors had multiple affairs, leading to their separation and subsequent divorce while in the White House. Due to the weakness of the Republican Party, who put up a reality show host as its presidential candidate in 2016, Flavors' new "Homeland Party" won the election, garnering votes from disaffected voters. There is inconclusive evidence that Flavors' medical practitioner had certified him insane, which would have enabled Vice President Peter Ross to invoke the Twenty Fifth Amendment and remove him from office. However, Vice President Ross and Dr Giselle Letrouve perished in a terrorist attack on Air Force Two in 2018, shortly before midterm elections that resulted in bipartisan dominance of both houses by his Democrat opponents. With his presidency in tatters, the deteriorating president desperately sought a solution to his impending impeachment and removal from office. At some point, the hitherto black dossiered Virus Z necromorphic thanatovirus information and access codes were delivered into his hands. It only remained for the initially symptomatic virus to be spread through his rallies as he sought to remain in power. The first signs of Virus Z emerged two weeks after his opponent, Hillary Clinton, won the presidency from him.
METROPOLIS:
"This is a WGBS Emergency Broadcast, with Clark Kent and Lois Lane. We have been informed that billionaire philanthropist Alexander Luthor has passed away at the desk of his LexCorp company, after several inconclusive attempts to find an antidote to Virus Z, the deadly global pandemic now confirmed to have been spread by former President Farlow Flavors. Thankfully, the Justice League has been able to intervene and close down his dark-funded misinformation and propaganda pirate services, but there are still ongoing demonstrations in the states that still voted for the Homeland Party, his now defunct political vehicle. Although a mortal enemy of Superman for some years, Alexander Luthor distinguished himself with the vigilance and discipline with which he sought to find a solution to the plague that now besets us. There have been several fatalities here at WGBS- our own chief executive Morgan Edge, colleagues Catherine Grant, Steven Lombard, Lana Lang and James Olsen, and Daily Planet editor Perry White.
In neighbouring Gotham City, fires have now blazed out of control. Batman is known to be dead, shot by his nemesis the Joker as he sought to ferry medical supplies to Gotham Hospital. One gruesome side effect of the thanatovirus is reanimation of those deceased from it, transformed into rapidly moving anthropophagic predators. They appear to be reanimated through a network of dark fibres that spread throughout the brain as well as the digestive system. Martial law has been declared in Gotham and Joker was executed late last afternoon. As for other major American cities, Black Canary and Green Arrow are enforcing a strict quarantine in Star City, while Aquaman has implemented an identical policy in Atlantis. As extraterrestrial Thanagarians, Hawkman and Hawkwoman are immune to the virus, as are Superman and Superwoman. Sadly, JLA scientists such as the Atom and the Flash passed away due to their early exposure to the virus while engaged in research to find an antidote. This is the end of the current bulletin. In the event of significant developments, we'll be back on the air sooner than the next hour. Keep sheltered and safe from the undead. And keep your spirits up."
Lois Lane leant back in her chair as the cameras blinked off:
"It gets harder to do this, Clark."
"Have you heard anything from your father, sweetheart?"
"It's a mess, Clark. He's hiding something. Whether that was that this was intended as black ops for the Iranian War back in '03 before the revolution in Tehran is a matter of supposition and rumour. Damn it. I thought dad was better than that."
"Have Dinah and Ollie been successful in contacting Amanda Waller?"
"No. Satellites show that Belle Reve is surrounded by a horde of the undead. And for some reason, I'm immune, Clark. Whether that means Dad slipped an antidote into my food or drink at some point is an excellent question. Iris, thank goodness. Honey, you look all in."
Iris Allen managed a shaky smile: "I'm afraid I have some bad news. Hal. He died after he caught the virus evacuating survivors from Coast City. Carol is holding up well, but she has it too. Selina is co-ordinating relief efforts in Gotham, but decades of urban decay and neglect have made it a tinderbox. And she's grieving Bruce. Alfred has opened up Wayne Manor as a shelter for uninfected fleeing the city."
"What about John and Kyle?"
"The Guardians have assigned them off planet until further notice. Clark?"
"Sorry, both of you. Time Kara, Karen and I went out on heat vision sweep. If we can manage to wipe out enough of them, then we may have a chance to survive."
Lois kissed her husband goodbye: "Don't worry about me, honey. I'm an army brat. Locked and loaded already. So, Iris. I haven't had a chance to say how sorry I am about Barry. It must hurt."
"It does, Lois. Like hell. When he realised he'd gotten infected, he took himself away to an uninhabited, airless alternate Earth through his cosmic treadmill so he couldn't infect anyone else here. From the notes he left, that was a contingency plan."
"So you can't even see his body?"
"Cross-bleed webcam. So yes, I did. When he left vibratory egress, he finally died through explosive decompression immediately. There's something else, Lois. I think I'm pregnant."
"Oh, Iris. That's wonderful...you do want it?"
"Because he or she was born out of our love? But into this world, Lois? I don't know. I just don't know."
"It may not always be like this."
Iris looked out the window: "Look out there, Lois. Billions of mindless zombies and a handful of human and metahuman survivors. I know Clark, Kara, Karen, Katar, Shayera and Koriand'r are immune and can protect us, but what about all the others? Dinah? Oliver? Selina? Wally? And no-one's heard from Diana for weeks."
"She's probably okay. Amazon technology is seriously advanced. They might even find an antidote."
"We've lost so many already, Lois. Hal, Bruce, Barry," her voice caught at her late husband's name, "when is this all going to end? Will it end? And what happens if one of the heavy hitters gets infected, like Wally or Diana?"
THEMISCYRA:
But Diana, Princess of Themiscyra, was having her own problems. While her remote, encapsulated island wasn't under threat from Virus Z, it was under attack from another source- an invasive detachment of all-female Navy SEAL soldiers: "Hera help us! Granted, we will not lose our abilities should these women set foot on Themiscyra, but we trusted the United States not to do this." Antiope said as she fought off two of the onslaught
"It wasn't the mainstream United States, it was their insane president. He must have ordered this through covert operations." Wonder Woman said, fighting alongside her sister Amazons.
"Princess! Queen Hippolyta has been advised by Hygeia and Aesclepius that some of these women are infected by Virus Z, the so-called zombie virus raging through the rest of the world."
"What sort of nihilistic- no, on second thoughts, fall back, sisters. I'll take care of this." Diana pressed her JLA signaller.
METROPOLIS:
"Clark, it's Diana. She says that Themiscyra is under SEAL attack. Can you spare me for a few hours?" Power Girl said.
Superman nodded: "Tell her you can. I'm sorry we can't spare more of us, but I'm sure she's aware of the situation elsewhere. Zatanna?"
"Ready to transport her over, Clark."
THEMISCYRA:
As Power Girl materialised, she couldn't believe what she saw:
"Waller? Tell me you're not co-ordinating this!"
Amanda Waller shook her head: "No, Power Girl, I'm not. The problem is, as well as this illegal act against an allied nation which has fought to assist our country in past wars, we have a divided executive. President Flavors refuses to recognise his impeachment and is at war with his recognised successor under the Twenty Fifth Amendment, President Clinton. I've deployed the Squad to assist Wonder Woman. Harley is having a good time. I've respected Themiscyra's imperatives, so only Enchantress, Plastique, Black Orchid, Killer Frost, Lashina, Psi, Firehawk and Silver Swan are on duty here. I'm sure they'd be glad of the help."
"I suppose you've heard some of the troops here are infected?"
Waller groaned: "No, I didn't. But given what a power-crazed psychopath Flavors is, it makes sense that not only would he sanction this illegal covert operation and needlessly sacrifice brave soldiers from an elite military unit, he would have also have weaponised them as zombies. Damn."
DEEP BUNKER, WASHINGTON DC:
As President Flavors lit his cigarette, he watched the milling zombie hordes several hundred metres above him with a growing sense of satisfaction. If he was lucky, the distraction on Themiscyra would end up decimating his potential metahuman opposition. Around him, gold kryptonite meteors emitted an unearthly glow, which would prevent the Kryptonians from entering his sanctuary and risk losing their abilities. It also shielded him from Green Lantern's intrusion, given the weakness of his power ring to that wavelength of the spectrum. And the vibratory barrier also shielded him from the Flash, or would have if he hadn't already succumbed to Virus Z. He laughed maniacally to himself, as his partner stepped from their bedroom. She draped herself over a chair:
"Ah, Paula, my dear. That diversionary tactic of yours was absolutely inspired."
"If it removes the Amazon from the equation, all the better. I just wish we could rely on more than the strength of numbers, Farlow."
"Isn't that enough?"
"Ah, liebchen, your soul is as Nietzschean as my own. Nein, it is unfortunate that we cannot retain the sapience of any metahuman we turn in this process."
"Damn Clinton and her usurpation of what is rightfully mine! Damn Janet for deserting me when I needed her most!"
"Ach, never mind about her. It is enough that we are together and can build a new realm out of this chaos and turmoil. One where only the pure in heart and body such as ourselves will exist."
"How was I ever lucky enough to encounter you, Paula?" She walked forward and they embraced, and Flavors kissed her deeply:
"We think alike, Farlow. We have nothing but contempt for weakling inferiors to ourselves and the indomitability and triumph of our will. I only wish our Fuhrer, Adolf Hitler, had had your strength of mind and purpose."
Flavors kissed her again: "Never mind the past. Tomorrow belongs to us."
"Indeed, leibchen. Now let us watch as this drama continues to unfold."
THEMISCYRA:
"What?" Wonder Woman exclaimed, as she and Power Girl impaled another horde of zombies:
"It's true, Diana. Clark heard her all too clearly. We were wondering which one of our old enemies were at the core of this nightmare. Turns out it was your old wartime nemesis, Baroness Paula Von Gunther."
"But Karen, she went missing at the end of the Second World War. I thought she might have died in Berlin, although her body was never found."
"She doesn't exhibit any decrepitude, so cryogenic suspension is my guess."
"Merciful Hera. She...She's destroyed most of the human life on this planet just to satiate her nihilistic Nazi desire for absolute nothingness and oblivion?"
"Diana. You're not responsible for any of this. There was no way you could have foreseen any of this."
"I had fantasies of rehabilitating her, Karen. In a very real sense, it is my fault."
"Don't do this to yourself. Von Gunther and Flavors did this, not you. They're the ones who deserve to pay for this."
While they were talking, the battle had ended. At least Themiscyra would survive the day intact, but for how much longer, Wonder Woman agonised. Hippolyta had brought her up to try to resolve conflict with reason, peace and love, without blood being shed. But her mother could not have predicted what the unregenerate soul of a wholly corrupted... woman... might do to achieve their fanatical ideological imperatives. And that was the worst part of it, because Paula Von Gunther was responsible for all this merciless carnage, not her lickspittle, weak accomplice, the insane US President who had foolishly collaborated in her dark artifice.
JLA SATELLITE:
"Karen's right, Diana. If it hadn't been for the fact that that damned vainglorious idiot Flavors had so much power at his disposal, as well as his own accomplices within the US military and political infrastructure, none of this would have been possible either. He's as much to blame as Paula Von Gunther."
"My mind tells me you're right, Clark. But I hope you'll excuse me if I'm the one that puts an end to her."
From the work console, Batwoman looked up:
"You're not going to like this. The effects are not limited to humans. By which I don't mean that other species necrotise into zombies, I mean that if unchecked, the weight of fallout from those undead cadavers will contaminate the biosphere. We're looking at a charnel house world, where nothing grows, a dead planet with roiling black clouds, sere grey dusty landmasses and silent seas."
Diana nodded: "Thank you, Kate. It looks like we have no choice, then. To the death."
LATER:
"Diana?"
"Clark, Lois. I'm glad you both came to see before things reached the point of no return."
"Kate told us what you intend to do. Is there no other way out of this situation?"
"At one point, Clark, I did think Paula was capable of redemption. But then her daughter Gerta was killed on that tragic day back in February 1943 when I tried to rescue her and she lost any remaining moral compass that she might have had, as well as any anchor in human relationships. From then on, her conduct deteriorated still further. Finally, she went missing in 1945. I assumed that she must have died when the Russians, British and Americans moved in on Berlin, but... I always hoped she might have reformed and even become an Amazon if I had successfully rescued her little girl. But..."
"You're not coming back, are you, Diana?"
"No, Lois. I'm under no illusions about what I have to do. Vanquish her at all costs before her nihilism drives her to destroy every surviving human on this planet."
"Then let me help you."
"Clark, if Lex hadn't reformed, if he'd been the one who'd done this, what would you do?"
"Probably the same as you are. Earth needs a champion. You may also need to evacuate the surviving humans away from here in a space ark."
"Diana, do you want me to contact Steve, tell him about this?"
There was a moment of searing pain and sadness in the Amazon's eyes: "Thank you, Lois, but there'd be no point. Steve...was on the frontline when Washington fell to the zombies. He...was one of the first casualties."
"Oh, Rao. Diana, I'm so sorry."
"One way or another, it ends tonight. Goodbye, my friends. Hera bless your union and Aphrodite bless your love for one another."
WASHINGTON DC:
As she battered and fought her way downward, Diana was resolutely focused on her task. Inside, Paula heard the growing melee and nodded her head. The erstwhile president, Farlow Flavors, gibbered and screeched in the distance. When he became too hysterical and demented in tone, Paula pulled out her Luger and shot him through the heart as she awaited the arrival of her mortal nemesis. And then, abruptly, Princess Diana of Themiscyra stood before her after the shriek of torn metal gave way and they faced one another for the first time in sixty five years:
"Princess. We meet once more."
"Paula, is there no way that you can be convinced out of this? I don't want to kill you."
"Ach, Amazon, do not be so sentimental."
"If this is about Gerta, I'm sorry. I wish I had been able to rescue her before Ubermensch snapped her head that day in Berlin."
For the merest fraction of a moment, pain and hurt shone in Paula's eyes:
"It is no use trying to manipulate me. Moreover, I made sure that I had access to wunderwaffe Nazi weaponry before the fall of Berlin. Like this amazonium exoskeleton. It makes me your equal, Princess." Diana swallowed: "You were always that, Paula."
"Do you honestly have no rage within you? Your precious Colonel Trevor died at the hands of those revenants, and your foster-sister, Wonder Girl. I tried to invade Themiscyra."
"Don't mistake my absence of anger for the absence of determination or will, Paula."
"Enough talk. Prepare to die, Princess!"
And with that, battle was joined. And what Paula had said was true, they were equals on that day. The Baroness repeatedly battered at her valiant opponent, who returned combat with the discipline that had guided her whole life, as Superman, Starfire, Supergirl, Power Girl, Hawkman and Hawkwoman and the former Suicide Squad members gathered the surviving hundreds of thousands in evacuation zones and fought off any further incursions from zombies that might have assailed them. As the final souls were escorted into the vessels, Lois took one long look back at the burning remnants of Metropolis. She shed a single tear as the airlock hissed shut, as she said goodbye to everything she had once loved and held dear.
Escorting the vehicles into interstellar space, Superman resolved to make sure they were safe and then head back to the bunker to assist Diana. But then, his telescopic vision saw a grim spectacle. In the cavern below, the drama reached its tragic climax as Paula Von Gunther's extensor claw whipped out and decapitated Wonder Woman. Cleaning the blood from the blade, the demented Baroness Paula Von Gunther laughed to herself. But then, a television screen flickered on:
"Well, hello there, Paula my dear. I thought I'd save this little surprise for last. You see, you weren't the only one with access to that Nazi superweaponry. Before I revived you from cryogenic suspension, I decided to keep something in reserve. Were you aware that Werner Von Heisenberg had designed a reception for the Allies if they entered Berlin and tried to attack the Fuhrerbunker? Well, he did. Namely, a five hundred thousand megaton cobalt-salted nuclear device. I found it interesting as a concept and built one as an insurance policy, because, my dear, I always suspected you were corrupted enough inside not to spare me if it came to gotterdammerung. So, about one and half minutes from now, Midgard here reaches Ragnarok and all Father Wotan's Valkyries won't be able to put the pieces of this world together again." And with that, deceased President Farlow Flavors signed off. Paula Von Gunther's response was further laughter, maniacal and without a semblance of reproach at what she'd done and what had led to that impending moment of doomsday. One and a half minutes later, the fuse lit, uranium pellets crashed together and a fission chain reaction was enhanced by the unholy sheath of cobalt 59 and thorium around it. Baroness Von Gunther survived for only a millisecond and probably felt no pain, then the radius expanded to encompass the whole of Washington and its environs. In a matter of seconds, the shockwave cracked Earth's crust, then volatilised its mantle, and then it struck the Earth's core. As with Krypton decades past, the Earth erupted into a blinding pinpoint of life as the shockwave created new craters on the former Moon, now cast away from its former primary into a new, independent solar orbit of its own. For many years to come, the burning corpse that had once been a living, thriving blue and green world would form a roiling, incandescent cloud of slowly spreading debris as the prodigal fire consumed itself.
EPILOGUE:
Humanity now lives on Sfar, a world of Alpha Centauri B's solar system that is neighbour to Rann. There are still darkly held traumas and nightmares for those who lived through the zombie apocalypse on the vanished, irradiated husk of Earth four light years away. Every year, the survivors would celebrate Salvation Day and honour the memory of Princess Diana of Themiscyra, Wonder Woman and humanity's saviour, who made the ultimate sacrifice at the hands of her mortal enemy, only for that mortal enemy to be extinguished in her turn after a pyrrhic victory. Superman and Lois Lane look up at the distant funeral fire of a wrecked world and remember what was. And a fallen friend.
THE END.