Renee was laying on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She had woke up about ten minutes earlier, but she remained there, thinking about nothing in particular, just resting. She had spent the last night looking for, and then beating up, a pack of wrongdoers that were terrorizing the neighborhood. Not her fanciest job but it was better than nothing.

She went to that tiny room that her landlord called kitchen. On the countertop there was a bottle of scotch. Full. It was there to remind her of her demons, and to remind her that she banquished them. On the table was her cell phone. She could recall that it had ringed that morning, about six hours ago, but she was too tired to go get it.

It had a voice message from Kate: “Helena got a message from Dinah. Seems that Diana has something important in mind and needs a lot of backup. She cannot go, so she called me. Are you coming? I can pick you up so we go together in my bike.” Renee called back but Kate didn't answer. Too late, maybe. Whatever the mission was they would be already there.

Guessing that Kate might have more information she decided to go to her appartment. She still had a key. For emergencies supposedly, but also useful for finding welcoming arms in lonely nights. She put on some pants and a jacket and was ready to go. On second thought she grabbed the pseudoderm mask, just in case.

About half an hour later she arrived to Kate's appartment. She didn't see anything out of place, but then again, she didn't know what she was looking for. Not a single note. She called again, wondering if Kate had her phone with her, and heard a phone ringing in her bedroom. Following the sound she found it on the nightstand. She could try to call the other number, the apparatus that was hidden in her helmet, when she was dressed in the bat-attire, but she had no way to do it safely and untraceable. Maybe Barbara could, or Bruce, or Helena. Or maybe she should stop worrying. Kate was a big girl and she could take care of herself, even more aided by Diana and all that backup.

She heard something back in the living room. Steps. Something big and heavy. She quickly stretched her muscles, getting ready for a fight, and opened the door. Whoever it was had closed the blinds and the corridor was pitch black. Renee turned the lights on and then she saw it. A bat-like creature, around two meters high. Similar to Langstrom but more black and more heavy built.

It attacked, ramming, tearing off the paint of the walls as it went forward. With no room to evade, Renne arched her back trying to receive the blow in the least painful way. Good or bad tactic didn't matter. It hurt like hell and sent her flying against the wall knocking the air out of her lungs. She could feel something broken inside, just ribs, she hoped. The monster took a swipe with one of its claws, which Renne could dodge rolling to the side. She threw a punch that landed on the monster's face with which she only managed to hurt her own fist. The monster hit her with the back of its claw, again sending her against the wall. Again she tried to roll to the side and get up, but she was too slow that time and the moster hit her once more, knocking her down.

She woke up with the sound of metal hitting on metal. She was laying on a dirty cot, inside some kind of cell. All the walls were concrete, that hadn't been cleaned in years. In front of her there was a rusty iron door.

-Wake up, yet?- Somebody asked at the other side. Renee immediately recognized the voice, Vandal Savage.

-How are you, Cain?- She knew he hated that name, and it would anger him, but she couldn't resist the urge for that small act of defiance.

The door opened and the bat-like creature from before entered in. After it Vandal followed, carrying a cattle prod in one hand and a weird looking metal collar in the other. The cell was so small that those two big elements were occupying almost all the space. Renee couldn't possibly put up a decent fight and much less escape.

-You are very funny, aren't you?- He asked grinning.- Isn't she funny, Kate?

-Kate? Oh, no... This thing is...?- She reached up to try to caress the beast's face but she backed down when it almost bit her hand.- How...? What did you do to her!?- She yelled.

-Here, take this.- He handed her the collar. It was thick grey metal, with a bunch of green buttons on the front.- That goes on your neck.

-What!? No!

He used the cattle prod on that thing that could possibly be Kate. It groaned in pain, but didn't defend itself in any way.

-You don't want to cooperate?

-No, stop!

He ignored her and kept torturing the poor beast. As the duration and the strength of the shocks grew, the beast started to flinch and whine, but still didn't react. It was clearly docile to him. Or scared.

-On your neck!

-Ok, fine!- She grabbed the collar and put it on. Immediately her body started to change. Her arms and legs shrunk until they disappeared in her torso, which had gotten wider along the sides. Her clothes banished and all her body turned into a more pale skin color. From her tummy grew a big protusion.

Vandal laughed as the woman who had stolen the Longinus spear from his hands, and reminded him of his past failures by putting and humilliating mark on her forehead, slowly turned into a featureless giant pale mask.

-My new mask is too big. How could I make it smaller?