These days, if you didn't have sidekicks or an extended family, you couldn't even call yourself a superhero. The Superman family, the Batman family, the Flash family, the Wonder Woman family—all the popular heroes had them. Go out in public and you're surrounded by followers in coordinated costumes, and if you didn't keep up with the roster changes, you couldn't tell who was who. Even Green Arrow, whose entire gimmick was being Batman with a bow, had built up the Green Arrow family: Red Arrow, Speedy, Arsenal, sidekicks constantly cycling through. Could you believe it?
Donna Troy was one of the more famous members of the Wonder Woman family besides Diana herself. Her origin story was so convoluted it could fill an encyclopedia. In the DC Universe, with its constant major reboots, minor reboots, soft reboots, and hard reboots, her history had been rewritten so many times it was impossible to trace. Before encountering her, Jack Kadere couldn't have guessed which version he was dealing with.
So this was what they meant by "the more popular you are, the more complicated your life gets."
Jack Kadere reached out and pulled Lilah closer against him, her back pressed to his chest as he rested his chin on her shoulder. Through the window, he watched the battle raging in the distance—the suspected Donna Troy locked in combat with Ares.
Donna Troy's most famous origin involved a sorceress on Paradise Island who specialized in magical duplication. Using an enchanted mirror, she had copied Diana and created Donna Troy. As a copy, Donna possessed her own personality, but her childhood had been stolen when a dark angel mistook her for Diana and abducted her, trapping her in an endless cycle of tragedy. Years later, Wonder Woman, Hippolyta, and the Flash had teamed up to rescue her.
Because she possessed most of Diana's abilities, she called herself Wonder Girl. She carried equipment nearly identical to Wonder Woman's. She was a protege of the Justice League, one of the founding members of the Teen Titans—that team composed of sidekicks—and had even held the title of Wonder Woman during one of Diana's periods of seclusion.
In the post-Justice League era, where new waves pushed the old waves forward and the old waves crashed onto the beach, Dick Grayson had invited her to join the League. Batman's first Robin, now Nightwing, another founder of the Teen Titans. In that era, Donna had defeated Prometheus, a villain who had single-handedly dismantled the entire Green Arrow family.
They all played the "copy" game, but clearly some copies were more effective than others.
How could a man say he wasn't effective?
Jack's thoughts scattered as Lilah shifted against him. She had apparently already forgotten the fear of nearly being broken earlier—or perhaps that fear had transformed into something else entirely. Her attention had drifted from the distant battle she couldn't see without super vision, settling instead on the man pressed behind her.
Her fingers curled around him, stroking slowly, and a shiver ran down Jack's spine. His senses, amplified several times over by copied abilities, made every touch electric. The slight tremor in her hand, the warmth of her grip, the way she adjusted her rhythm when she felt him twitch—all of it hit with amplified intensity.
Lilah felt his reaction and her breath caught. She didn't know why Diana had left or what was happening in the distance. She only knew that making Jack happy was enough. Her hand moved with renewed purpose, grip tightening as she worked him steadily.
In the distance, the battle raged on.
Amidst towering flames, Ares flicked his fingers. The ground trembled violently. The next moment, something massive tore up through layers of earth and rushed toward his opponent. The woman—whether Wonder Woman or Wonder Girl—dodged quickly, but the gap in strength was too vast. After a few evasions, she stumbled and fell. A metal plate flew from somewhere and slammed down onto her, locking her against the ground.
"You are from Paradise Island, but you are not Diana." Ares's voice carried even at this distance, deep and rumbling like distant thunder. "Who are you?"
"Donna Troy," she spat back, straining against her restraints with a ferocious expression. "The one who will defeat you!"
"Since you are not my sister, then..."
Ares waved his hand, and a distant car ripped free from the ground and hurtled toward the trapped woman.
Jack watched with detached interest, one hand gripping Lilah's hip to hold her steady while the other braced against the window frame. She had shifted position now, bent forward slightly, giving him better access as he pushed into her from behind. The view was excellent—both the one through the window and the one directly in front of him.
Lilah's whimpers mixed with the muffled sounds of destruction outside.
Donna Troy had instinctively closed her eyes. A loud bang echoed across the battlefield. Waves of heat spread outward.
"Huh?"
She opened her eyes. The car had exploded before reaching her, intercepted by a tall, valiant woman standing between her and the wreckage. The newcomer wore Amazonian-style armor similar to Donna's own and held a gleaming shield.
"Are you Diana?" Donna asked, voice catching with surprise.
Diana turned. She bent down and swung her shield in a sharp arc.
BANG!
The metal plate shattered. Donna rolled to her feet.
"What is your name?" Diana asked, her gaze fixed on Ares even as she addressed the other woman.
"Donna Troy. I am here by command of Queen Hippolyta to kill Ares."
So it really is connected to Mother...
Diana paused, recalling Jack Kadere's earlier analysis. Her expression grew solemn as she faced her half-brother.
"Ares," Diana declared, her voice carrying across the burning battlefield, "I will defeat you. I will make humanity peaceful and kind again. I will prevent the crisis that would destroy the gods from ever being born."
Ares looked at Diana with her shield, then at Donna Troy with her silver lasso. He sneered.
"War originates from humanity's own choices. I merely whisper in their ears, give them sparks of inspiration to create stronger weapons. I never make them use those weapons." His voice dripped with condescension. "They choose to wage war themselves."
"It is humanity that has ruined the once natural, peaceful, and beautiful Earth." Ares extended his hand toward Diana, his expression almost wistful. "Diana, my sister. Join me. Let us reclaim the Earth from humanity and restore its natural beauty."
"You cannot succeed." Diana shook her head resolutely.
Ares chuckled. The sound started low, almost amused, then turned savage and cold. "And who will stop me? Just the two of you?"
"Exactly!" Donna shouted. She hurled her silver lasso toward Ares with practiced precision. At the same time, Diana charged forward with her shield raised, moving in perfect synchronization as though they shared a telepathic understanding.
Snap!
The silver rope wrapped around Ares's wrist. Diana was already within striking distance.
Ares's mouth twisted into a sneer. He stomped his foot, and the ground heaved violently, launching the charging Diana backward through the air.
Simultaneously, he yanked the Lasso with brutal force and flung.
BANG!
Donna Troy collided with Diana mid-air. Both women grunted in pain, hit the ground, and scrambled back to their feet to charge again.
But the old dog was still the old dog. Ares demonstrated exactly what a difference in raw strength meant.
It was complete slaughter.
One moment Diana was flying backward. The next, Donna was sent tumbling. Then both of them crashed together, thrown aside like ragdolls.
They were utterly helpless against him.
"So intense!"
Jack shivered with excitement, his hips snapping forward one final time as he watched Donna Troy get batted aside again.
The battle.
He meant the battle was intense.
He pulled out of Lilah without ceremony, leaving her slumped against the floor beneath the window, thoroughly disheveled and gasping for breath. Her hair was a tangled mess, her body trembling with exhaustion, her thighs slick.
Jack didn't spare her a second glance.
He turned, found his clothes, dressed quickly, and jumped directly out the window.