Ult. Wonder Woman #15: Where is Diana Prince? pt.3

[jackalope]

Wonder Woman #15
The Wonder and the Vision: Where is Diana Prince? pt.3

The Sweet-Shop Emporium,
Gateway City

Music pumped away, pulsing through the heady mix of sweat and alcohol as men from all walks of life looked either at the girls or at the half drained drinks that sat in front of them. On stage a girl in a bikini thong the shape of a small American flag, spun around the pole in the centre of the stage as a techno-remix of the stars and stripes played across the sound system. Women, naked from the waist up, walked about the tables, delivering drinks and euphemistically offering services. The men closest to the stage leered and offered cash, dollar notes mostly. A pale man, skinny and unshaven, drunkenly stood, reaching forward and grabbing at a dancing redhead's ankle. She yelled, angrily kicking her leg to release his grip. His clammy grip remained tight as he wobbled on his feet until a tap on his shoulder makes him turn. The crack of a huge fist connecting with his jaw sent him sprawling across the floor.

“Thanks John,” called the stripper.

“No worries, love.” The huge bald bouncer lifts the drunkard by his collar, dragging him through to the doorway and throwing him onto the curb, amongst the surging crowd of passerby’s. He stepped forward and kicked the man in the guts. He pointed at the man. “You know the rules Harry, no touching the girls.” Turning, he pushed the door back open. From out of the market stalls that lined the night streets, a woman approached, wearing a blue hoodie over some sort of black outfit. He held out his hand, “Sorry darlin' you must be new here. You probably want to use the back entrance.” He pointed to the alleyway, alongside the doorway.

She nodded gratefully, “Thank yoou,” and walked back to the alleyway.

John, the bouncer, stood admiring the new girl’s long shapely legs that carried her into the shadows. “Nice. The Professor will like her” The man on the ground murmured. “Shut up Harry!”


To anyone who knew anything in Gateway City the Sweet-Shop was the notorious hot spot for illegal and sub-legal activity. It stood in the middle of the city's bustling red light district that tentatively balanced on the line between the city's rich areas and its poor. A veritable underground mall of stripping, prostitution, drugs, gambling, and services sometimes harder to procure. No one knew how the underfoot maze had been built itself, who had gone to the trouble to buy up and convert the old subway tunnels into usable real estate for the city's less desirable population, or who had managed to broker a (wary) neutrality deal between the major gangs that surrounded it. No one knew, but most could guess: Professor Jenkel. A child of a poor family, that had grown up to become one of the richest in the city, or that's what the Gateway Police Dept. Major Crimes unit believed, though in truth it was hard enough to prove he existed. They nick-named him the 'Willy Wonka of Crime,' because of his sense of absurd style and reputation, and he in turn started calling his home base the 'Sweet-Shop.'


Diana walked briskly down the dark alleyway. By a couple of large garbage cans a couple of women stood, smoking. Dragging until half the cigarette burnt away, the closest woman glared at her. Diana beamed back. In their high heeled platform shoes, they were intimidatingly tall, except as the Amazon woman approached and stopped in front of them. Even with Diana only wearing trainers she looked down slightly at both of them. “Excuse me.” She waited.

Finally the older of the two threw her cigarette on the ground. “Yes?”

“I am looking for Prophetor Jenkel.”

“Professor Jenkel?” She smiled with giant white teeth at the other woman, “She's looking for the Professor.” The other lady laughed. “Honey, you sure you really want to meet the Professor?”

Diana nodded. “The Prophetor knows answer to question I need.”

The woman looked at each other. “Well then,” the younger of the said, “through here.” She opened the door beside her. “Just follow the yellow-sick road.” Diana walked through the doorway, and as the door closed behind her she heard the laughter fade behind her.

*

Cale Incorporated, Research Department.

Veronica Cale looked into the microscope, adjusting the focus, and scribbled some notes. She leaned back and flipped back through the file on the desk. She frowned. “Tony,” she called, “are these numbers right? The rate of decay seems to be off.” Waiting a moment, she turned, “Tony?”

“Uh,” William hesitated. “Tony's gone home. It's ten past 12. I was just about to head home mys...”

“Really?” Cale looked at her watch, “of course. Of course Will, I just got caught up. Go home.” She rubbed between her eyes. “I'll finish up here.”

“Alright, thanks Ms Cale.” She nodded, rolling her eyes, 'Ms Cale', when did that start making her feel so old? The young research scientist quickly packed up his notes and left. She sighed and looked at her notes. Reversing cellular degeneration, basically this was the fountain of youth stuff. So far no good, but where there's a will... She fell back on her chair, and pushed it so it rotated around again and again until she started to feel dizzy. Stopping she closed her eyes.

“What do you want?” The croaking voice startled her and her eyes flicked open. She squinted, trying to spot what spoke.

“Who's there?”

A figure shimmers into visibility, becoming like a standing shadow in the doorway of the lab. The figures black head turns on an angle. “Immortality? Life everlasting?” Something about the unnatural modulations of the shadows voice kept Cale on edge.

“Who are you?” she whispered.

“That is unimportant.” The figure took a step towards her. “What is important is... that.” The shadow pointed her fading hand at the file. “Isn't it?”

Cale's eyes flicked down at the research. “You know the secret to eternal youth?”

“Perhaps.” The figure turned swiftly, walking a couple of steps away. “Immortality is not as uncommon as one would think.”

“And you know this because...?” The fear in Cale's voice was swiftly being over taken by curiosity.

“If I say 'gods' to you, what do you think?” The shadow figure remained still, fading in and out of visibility.

“Lies,” Veronica said, “superstition. Myths.”

The figure turned its large round head. “And have you read any of these... myths?”

“I've read many things.”

The figure flicked out of existence then suddenly appeared on the other side of a startled Cale. “In Norse Mythology,” the voice croaked, “the Æsir had a tree, and on this tree grew apples, golden apples that allowed those that ate them immortality. The Greek Olympian's too had a tree that grew golden apples of immortality, and the drink ambrosia- both allowed those that consumed them eternal life. The Chinese Gods had the Peaches of Immortality. Even in Christianity, it is written that God only kicked out Adam and Eve because there were two trees in the Garden of Eden, the tree of knowledge and the tree of life. God was afraid that mortals may have found the tree of life and lived forever.”

Veronica frowned. “You are trying to tell me there really is some sort of mystical fruit out there that can grant immortality.” She smiled, unconvinced. “That's ridiculous.”

The shadow-woman disappeared again and reappeared at the doorway. “And flying men, aliens, robots terrorists destroying buildings...”

Veronica opened her mouth to reply but stopped. She turned away from the shadow figure. “What are you suggesting?”

“First we will steal the fruit of immortality from the gods,” the voice travelled across the room, vibrating through her spine, “then I will make you a god.”

*

The Sweet-Shop Emporium

Strange music pulsed through the corridors, twirling through the humid air and across Diana's skin. She ducked her head around a corner to see two women grinding across the lap of an old Asian man. Apologising, she kept walking, bumping into fat woman in a Mrs Santa costume, who giggled and kept walking. Passing another room she spotted a group of men sitting around a large hookah pipe, playing cards. Smiling and waving, she moved on. At the end of the corridor two men in sunglasses, standing under a flickering neon light, shouted at each other, their voices loud and angry. They suddenly went quiet, both turning to look at Diana. She looked behind her then pointed at herself.

“What are you looking at?!” Both men drew handguns from their black jackets. Diana shrugged, unsure. The two men aimed their weapons at her. She stood watching them. They hesitated, finally dropping them after she failed to react. “Are you crazy?” She smiled, walking past them and around into another corridor.

She spotted a green door that had a lopsided sign on which 'dressing room' was written on it. Diana knocked. “I'm not on for another 20,” a female’s voice shouted out. Diana knocked again. A scuffling of feet was followed by, “Who is it?”

“Diana of Themyscira.”

The door unlocked and opened an inch, limited by the thick chain that held it to the wall. A blue eye peeked through, giving her the once over. “Are you dangerous?” The tip of a pistol appeared in the gap, pointing at the Amazon.

Diana sternly nodded.

“Well you better come in then.” The door closed briefly only to reopen widely. A woman, attractive with short blond hair, gestured her in with the gun. Diana squeezed past her, into a dimly lit room filled with clothes and mirrors. “Sorry about this,” she said, waving the pistol, “there's usually a guy who stands outside, to make sure no one gets in.” Diana nodded. “So who did you say you were?”

“Diana of Themyscira,' said Diana of Themyscira.

“Is that some sort of club down south?”

Diana shook her head. “It lies across the ocean.”

“Europe? That's cool, I did some dancing there a couple years back,” she laid the gun down on the table near her, and leaned in to the mirror to touch up her makeup. “So, what brings you to Candyland?”

“I'm looking for the Prophetor Jenkel.” Diana curious watched as the girl expertly put on her war paint.

“The great Professor himself? You looking for a job? -because you have the assets, let me tell you.” In her reflection she grinned and raised her eyebrows a couple of times.

“No, I cannot dance,” Diana said, “I am looking for a girl who is missing; a man said the Jenkel knew where she was.”

The blond woman paused, the eye-liner pencil hovering over her eye. “You 5-0?” Diana shrugged. “Police, a pig?” Diana shook her head. “She a relation?” Again Diana gestured- no. “What does it matter to you then?”

“I promised someone I would help.”

The young woman turned and focused on Diana's face, trying to see if she was serious. Finally she sighed, “Well you're going to need a guide, a fresh face like you would get swallowed whole. I can swap shifts with Sarah- she's keen to get home to her kids early.” She grabbed the gun and stuck it in her belt, then pulled on a green jacket. She walked to the door and unlocked it. She looked up at the tall brunette and stuck out her hand. “I'm Etta by the way, Etta Candy.”

Diana shook it, smiling, “It is good of you to offer your assistance Etta of Candy.”

“Ha, you're funny Diana,” Etta pushed through the door, then walking past the door to the Strip joint she shouted, “Sweet-tits, swap with me, be back in half.”


The Sweet-Shop Emporium, Etta explained, had sat in the heart of the old industrial centre of Gateway City, where the old factory workshops used to be. During the late 70s the city was a manufacturing hub, by the early 80s most of the factories had closed down. No one knew what to do with all of these abandoned buildings, so close to the heart of the city, some thought they could sell it as prime real estate but the commercial side of the city had already started being built up on to the north. It was an eyesore, one the city council was keen to get rid of, and during the late 80's they had their chance. A small corporation no one had ever heard of made a generous offer on the land, buying outright the land below it as well as the buildings on top of it. The name that signed the contract, one Professor Jenkel.

From there it was all downhill, or uphill depending on how you wanted to look at it. The number of drugs in Gateway City increased tenfold, but on the other hand the traffic seemed to be happening in one location. Local residents initially complained of the noise and the sound of what sounded like gunshots, but soon the place was soundproofed, eventually it even became hip to live in the dangerous side of town. Local businesses were also affected by violence and robberies, but soon these too seemed to come under some mysterious protection. The place seemed to be having beneficial results all around in the local economy. Police commissioners and district attorneys would find themselves making promises to crack down on crime, but the Sweet-Shop of the enigmatic Jenkel seemed to remain untouched. Two raids were attempted, both failed, the first finding minimal drugs and four cops being shot, the second in 1999, ending with two judges and eight prominent business men being caught within the vicinity. They of course sued the police, and settled out of court. The Emporium, though constantly under surveillance, was now effectively neutral ground. It's proprietor, the 'Willy Wonka of Crime', now existed more as an urban legend than an actual person.


“...but I'm going to take you to see him. That's the one thing, he has a thing for his dancers, likes to hand pick them himself, so we all get to meet him.” Etta led Diana down an industrial looking staircase where gaunt men sat and injected themselves. “See he lets addicts and that stay- as long as they don't cause trouble- he even provides needles. He's sort of a fucked-up genius. He has a vision for this place, this city. He somehow keeps all of this going without it tearing itself apart.” Through a back door they started through a huge kitchen, filled with delicious smells that made Diana's stomach growl. “See the thing is, he's half legitimate, for every drug den down here there’s a kitchen, making proper food to buy, for every massage parlour there's a laundry service. I think there's even a hair-salon around somewhere.”

Another turn brought them to a large concrete room packed with people, jeering and yelling. A cage took up the main space of it, inside two huge men punched each other with bare fists. Diana smiled at the familiar scene, and felt a tingle of homesickness. Etta dragged her onwards.

“The Professor has a weakness though. He gets bored.” As they walked up another set of stair, a man with an AK47 waved them though into long low glass house. The room was surrounded by a few marijuana plants and lines of small cacti, more impressive though was the orchids, multicoloured and exotic, they were each held in specially made glass cabinets. “He has hobbies, like growing rare flowers, but eventually he does something dangerous.”

A ladder led down through to a tattoo parlour. A bearded Arabian man was tattooing a stylised S in a red and black diamond shape on a man's chest. Diana tilted her head to look at it. The man smiled and gave her the thumbs up. Etta pulled her around through to an elevator. “He gets these ideas, if someone has something that he thinks he should have, he'll take it. Happened a few days back, the leader of the West Street Tigers, Tony, he gets hold of some list of codes for the government or something. Jenkel hears about it and decides he'd do better with it. So he stole it.” Etta shook her head. “Just like that, the gang treaties- almost gone.”

Diana looked around and realised she could see the brick work moving around the elevator. Etta smiled, “I know, glass elevator, ha haar. I swear, if he thought enough people would get the reference he'd have everyone dress up as Oompa- Loompas.”

“What are Oompa-Loooompars?” Diana asked, still watching the elevator disappear deeper and deeper downwards.

The blond narrowed her eyes. “I can't figure you out Diana, either you're really good at playing dumb, or you're the most naive person I've ever met...” The elevator stopped and the doors opened, into a corridor, at the end of which four men sat with guns. “Do you even understand what I do? For my job?”

Diana nodded, following her into the hallway. “You are a dancer, like a priestess of Aphrodite. You have dedicated your life to beauty and love, an honourable path in life but a hard one.”

Etta stopped. “Wait seriously?” Diana slowed and nodded. Etta scratched her head, “That's what you think I do?” The Amazon nodded.

The door swung inwards and the four men, stepped aside, quite startled. “Well in a sense, that's ah quite an accurate statement, don't you think Etta?” The black man in a red top hat said, leaning on his cane, “though a little, let's say, innocent?”

Diana looked at him, “You!”

“Me?” he replied.

Diana started marching towards him. Etta grabbing her arm to stop her. “You are the Jenkel the Prophetor!”

“Fast one a'nt she?”

The men aimed their weapons at her but she kept approaching, her gait fast and angry. “You made me sleep with cheat gas! After I halp you!” She unzipped her jacket, reaching down at her belt. Jenkel's face lost its smile, the guards watched warily.

“Stay where you are young lady.” Jenkel said, pointing his cane at her. Diana didn't. The guns suddenly started firing and her arms blurred in front out her. The bullets deflected out into the walls, the noise deafening. The dark haired woman was grabbing their guns, crushing them in her hands, and throwing the guards into the walls. The cane sprayed out white gas, as Professor Jenkel retreated back into his doorway. The cane was ripped from his hand and a golden rope snared him, dragging him back into the corridor. Diana grabbed his shirt. “I can hold my breath.” She held up the photo of Diana Prince, which she had pulled from her belt. “You said the Jenkel knew her. You are the Jenkel. Where is she?”

“Excuse me ladies,” Professor Jenkel smiled, his eye twitching. “I think I may have just peed a little.”