---

 

Being dead, basically, gives you a different perspective on things all around. Oh sure, technically I wasn't dead, I had a living body and the life that came with that body. Unfortunately, it wasn't the body I was born in and grown up with.

When I died, okay was murdered, in my old life, my soul screamed for vengeance, for a chance to make things right. And something heard me. Worse, it answered.

Then made me an offer.

One I foolishly accepted without much in the way of thought.

Then I, once David Streeter, tough, generally uncaring security specialist became something else entirely. I became The Spectre. A vengeful spirit who had one purpose. Taking out the bad guys, the really bad guys, no matter what it took to do that.

And I did that.

The first thing I'd done once I incarnated, or reincarnated, into my new form was to kill the people who had murdered me and the woman I'd loved. That would have been satisfying but there was one hitch. A big one.

I was female now.

And gorgeous if you discounted the dead white skin and red eyes. I had the body of a centerfold, the face of an angel, long, thick fiery red hair, and my — costume — was a brief green bikini type thing with knee length boots that had a four inch heel, along with a hooded cloak that at least covered some of that.

It was embarrassing, to say the least, and a shock considering that I had been male, all male, before I died.

Worse, I did have a live body as an alter ego. But that was as a beautiful little lady with basically the same attributes. But she was a prostitute. Her, my, name was Deena Elaine Dawson. Oh yeah, I did manage to catch the ironic joke in the name. Just read the intials, I'm sure you'll see it, too.

My life was so — fucked. In more ways than one, by the way.

But Deena turned out to be a nice person who actually cared for the people she knew, and helped them out when she could. Plus she was going to school for business, and not just to be a secretary.

The people on the street generally loved her — me — and so did the people in the dingy little apartment building she called home. And before you get outraged about me taking over a life and displacing someone who deserved to live, she had run into a really bad one on the night I died, and she was killed. My soul, spirit, whatever, was put in her dying body and it was healed by whatever brought me back from the dead.

The more I learn about that girl, the more I know she deserved to live and keep doing what she had been. I grieved for her too. And found her murderer. I won't go into that, but he suffered before he died, just like the original Deena had. Justice is often cruel, as I've found to my occasional dismay.

So am I.

But I'm also compassionate. Odd juxtaposition there isn't it?

I'm vengeance incarnate, like the Greek Furies. But I'm also someone who can actually care for other people, and give some of my potential victims second chances.

Provided they haven't actually killed an innocent.

So that is where I'm at right now. In life, I'm a whore with a heart of gold she tries really hard to hide, and in my other form I'm a terrible, frightening instrument of unyielding justice. The Spectre.

Every law enforcement agency wherever I've worked is trying to catch me.

I'm a vigilante, and that just isn't acceptable. There is LAW and it should be adhered to.

But LAW, and JUSTICE are often two different things.

And I was justice. I could do nothing to change that, and honestly, didn't wish to.

I found the really bad people, and things, then made sure they would hurt no one again.

That is my purpose, my reason for being. Like I said, I found the really bad people and made damned sure they wouldn't hurt anyone again.

And for that I was hunted.

I was just floating over River City, St. Louis, my city, and thinking about all that while keeping a psychic eye out for something that demanded me to fix it.

Happily, nothing hit my radar just then. Crime, the really violent ones, had significantly tailed off once I make a few appearances. People knew that if they harmed innocents there was someone out there who would make them pay for doing so. They also knew that payment didn't include jail time and time off for good behavior.

I noted a green streak in the sky headed my way and let out a sigh. I thought I'd come to an agreement of sorts with Jade. I wondered what she wanted now.

But it wasn't Jade who ended up hovering in front of me.

He was weirdly familiar, too. The one real human friend I had in my Diana Spectre form was Kyle Raynor, the comic book artist. This guy looked like him, but wasn't the man I knew and had saved from another version of myself.

“Spectre.” He said and Icould see his arrogance as he gave my form an appreciative, and half lustful look. “You are a menace.”

“Depends on who you are for that.” I shrugged. “I protect the weak, and take out the predators.”

“So you say.” He nodded, still giving me that man who sees a babe look. “But the law is the law, and you don't pay attention to that at all.”

“So what are you going to do?” I asked while thrusting out a hip, placing a hand on the out thrust one, and tilting my head as Deena would do with a potential client. “Arrest me?”

“Not necessarily.” He answered while obviously looking me over. “Maybe we could come to some kind of agreement here.”

“Oh?” I asked with a little smile and a toss of my hair. “Just what kind of 'agreement' are you thinking of here?”

“You know.” He leered at me and moved forward a bit, so his hand could reach out to touch my cheek. “A few drinks, some conversation, then move on from there.”

My loins were responding, but my mind was outraged. I gave him another little smile while moving his hand away from me. “You know, I'm intimate with your alter ego on this world, Kyle. He's a nice guy and he cares for me. How did you get to be such an asshole?”

Having said that, I moved myself so I was about thirty yards away from him and grinned evilly. “Besides, what makes you think you could catch me if I didn't want to be caught?”

“I know a lot more things than Jade did when you two first met.” He growled. “And now I'm going to show you some of those, girl.”

“Are you always this nasty when a girl turns you down for a date?” I asked with amusement clear in my voice. “If so, no wonder you hit on anything with breasts and a pretty face.”

He didn't answer, just got red in the face and threw an elaborate cage at me. I will give him this it was much better than the one Jade had thrown at me. But it still didn't work.

I shifted aside and actually admired the workmanship on the cage. “Nice. But you're forgetting one important thing here, dear.”

He growled and threw a bunch of green spikes at me. I let them hit, then go through me and laughed with that sepulchral sound I could do so well. “Oh, Kyle. I'm so happy that you think I'm worthy of that kind of attack. What are you going to do next?”

Next he threw a green globe at me. I avoided that and taunted. “Oh come on now. Jade did better than that and like you said, she was a newbie.”

Kyle growled and surrounded me with green blades that cut, slashed, and stabbed.

I just waited until he ran out of energy on that one, and smiled. “Oh come on, I know you can do better than that.”

He tried other things, which I dodged or ignored and finally his ring was running low on power. When that happened I moved in and grabbed his head to give him a soulful kiss, then pulled back with a laugh. “Kyle, Kyle. Get it through your head here, I'm not your usual opponent. Why that is, I'll let you puzzle out, if you can. By the way, your alter ego on this world is much nicer than you are.

“But I might, sometime when I'm really bored,” I swooped in again and gave him another mind melting kiss, “visit you some night.”

He just floated there in the air as I vanished after that one.

Oddly, I'd had a lot of fun teasing and kissing him. I decided it was probably because he looked a lot like my Kyle.

But also decided I'd haunt him in the future.

Hey! I'm a girl, I'm beautiful and I know that because I used to be a guy and have seen what I look like in both persona’s, besides, girls have to have fun after all.

Yes, I'm evil. I know it. But come on. I was a pretty girl, and even if the guy was a jerk, he was good looking and built. Teasing him would be lots of fun.

And Like I said before, I intended to tease him in the future. A lot.

So sue me, or whatever. I knew what I was and what I looked like. Both were gorgeous girls.

I was finally coming to grips with that and had discovered that it wasn't such a bad thing all around.

Besides, I liked the attention. Much to my old self's chagrin. But even he was coming around. It was fun being a pretty, sexy girl after all, and David never lacked a sense of fun even if he was the hard assed macho dude who 'took care of things'.

Then again, being Deena in my human life had shown me that being a girl wasn't all that bad and could even be fun.

And I was sooo going to visit that Kyle again. I couldn't resist it. He was sooo tightly wound, and really needed a good time in the sack.

Urrk! What am I saying?!!

Okay, time out.

Take a breath or two here, girl.

I was already half in love with the Kyle Raynor — the comic book artist in this world, that I's first met. And we'd had the congress you would expect between a male and female who were attracted to each other. More than once.

But this other Kyle Raynor, the Green Lantern, was magnetic. I felt like I would be cheating on the Kyle I knew, but at the same time knew that they were the same person in some basic sense. But they weren't the same.

My Kyle was gentle, loving, and considerate of my needs.

The other Kyle was demanding, needy, and had to dominate his partners.

Oddly, I found myself loving them both. If that makes sense.

They were, after all, just different aspects of the same person.

Now that was something that threw me on my figurative butt.

I'd never before even thought about loving a man. I mean I had been one not so long ago.

But now I had two of them I would give my life to preserve, and worse, they were the same person. Just from different places.

And one of them was determined to 'bring me to justice.” so to speak.

Oh, this was going to be fun. Not.

“Hey Kyle.” I announced myself to the comic book writer. “How's things?”

“Good.” He answered once he'd gotten over my showing up in his studio without notice, but I'd been dong that and he, god love him, had just taken it in stride. “How are you doing?”

“Pretty good.” I answered with a little smile then gave him an embarassed look. “I was wondering...”

“Wondering what?”

“If you could make love to me as I am now.” I hesitantly answered.

“Make love to you as the Spectre?” He asked with an almost frightened look on his face.

“Yes.” I answered, and gave him a look that I knew was vulnerable and needy. “Could you do that?”

“I think so.” He nodded, then grinned. “I already love 'Deena, you know. It's only fair that I love you, too. You two are the same person after all.”

“I'm not Deena.” I softly told him.

“No, you aren't.” Kyle smiled. “But you are someone like her. Both of you try to find the good in people and I love you. You aren't a different person Diana. You and Deena are the same being, and your determination and caring show whether the authorities see that or not. Of course I could take you to bed as you are and enjoy it. You're beautiful, Diana. And I love both of you.”

That was the first time Diana learned what it was to be a woman, and loved.

The other Kyle would pale in comparison.

But it didn't mean I wasn't going to keep messing with the guy.

He needed to have some sexy girl teasing him and then getting away. It might teach him a little bit about humility, or at least that he wasn't god's gift to women like he thought.

Sheesh, another project.

I gave my Kyle — wow, when did I start calling a man mine? — a deep kiss and left his apartments feeling better about things in general than I had since I'd awakened as I was now.

But I had work to do.

Even if the urge to find and tease the GL Kyle some more was hard to resist.

What can I say? I know how I look, what I am, and all that. Given all that, a girl likes to have an effect on a man, you know. Yes, I think teasing the Green Lantern version of Kyle is going to lots of fun, but I'll have to be careful about that.

Not that it will stop me.

But that's for times when I don't have to be doing something else.

Thoughts of either Kyle faded as I was floating over the city again. I had a duty to perform, and one that didn't allow me to indulge in personal fun when the time came to do it.

Scanning the city I caught the sense of a lot of things that were wrong, but I couldn't punish every petty thief, or random little cruelty that happened. That's something that humanity as a whole has to work on in it's own time and it isn't up to me to fix that for them.

But as usual, something drew me.

What I was drawn to didn't appear to warrant my attention at all to begin with.

I saw a normal enough kitchen where a suburban housewife was cleaning things that wouldn't fit in the dishwasher while humming a contented little tune to herself.

But her soul was screaming. When I looked to see why I saw abuses that sickened me. Not only from her husband, but from others in the past and present who still visited her apparently placid, well kept home. Or people her husband took her to at times.

“Hello, Helena.” I greeted her softly, appearing in my Deena form, wearing slacks, a pullover top and comfortable shoes, unlike her own attire of an anachronistic dress, short heels and apron, so I wouldn't completely scare the poor woman out of what wits she had left. “Or is that your real name?”

I caught the pan she dropped before it hit the floor and handed it back to her with a smile. “No need to be afraid, I'm not going to hurt you, dear.”

“Huh... Who are you?” She questioned with fear clear in her face, eyes and posture. Something I noted was pretty normal for her, by the way. “How did you get in my house?”

“There are ways.” I answered then gave her my best disarming Deena smile. “I'm not here to rob you or hurt you. I want to help.”

“I don't need help.” She countered, still trying to see if I'd come through an accidentally unlocked door or window. “I was fine until you suddenly showed up in my kitchen. My husband won't like you being here unannounced.”

“I'm not concerned about your husband,” I told her with another smile while pulling out a kitchen chair and sitting on it to show that I wasn't hostile to her. “I'm concerned about you. What's your name?”

“My name?” She shook her head for a moment, carefully set the pot into it's place in a cabinet then looked back at me in curiosity, what does that have to do with anything right now?”

“Humor me.” I told her then asked again. “What's your name?”

“You already know that.” She shot back. “You called me Helena when you just — appeared in my kitchen.”

“No, Helena, your real name.” I gently answered. “The one you were given when you were born.”

“I can't,” she gave me a look full of fear and pain then sank into another chair at the table and cradled her head in her hands. I couldn't see her eyes because of the curtain her thick blonde hair made but I could feel her distress and sense her tears in the deepest parts of my being, “I can't tell anyone. It hurt whenever I tried, I don't want any more pain. Please don't make me say any more.”

“Helena.” I reached into her mind and did what I could to free the imprisoned parts, or at least allow those to speak at least this time. “Who were you? Before you became Helena?”

Something was working to block that, not just ingrained training or brainwashing. That something was centered at the base of her skull and was sending impulses to the rest of her brain. Painful ones at the moment. I did my best to block that and asked again. “Who were you before Helena?”

“Kevin.” She gasped, waiting for the waves of agony that she had become accustomed to whenever admitting to that little and venting a little sigh of relief when it didn't come. “Kevin Logan. I was — was a software designer.”

“Who did this to you, Kevin?” I asked softly, but with a sick feeling deep in my stomach because I had an inkling of what had happened, at least in the behavior parts of the poor woman's life. I say woman because she clearly wasn't even close to male now though her soul still was that in part, and was screaming at the cage it was in.

“The — the people I worked for.” She answered slowly. Still afraid of the pain that would be inflicted if she didn't act just as programmed. “I was working on applications for a revolutionary new chip, one that could help impaired people regain the use of their limbs, or voices, or anything else. I discovered that they were also doing mind control research, based on my work and confronted them with that.

“They, they took me somewhere else. To show me the benefits of the work, they said. “When I left, I don't know how much later, I was like this, a pretty, old fashioned housewife with a husband I had no choice but to love and defer to.”

“Damn.” I whispered. “Maybe I can help, a little at least.”

“No one can help.” She answered miserably then sobbed. “The chip has replaced part of my nervous system, if it is taken out, I'll die.”

“Do you want to keep going as you are?” I questioned quietly, containing the rage I felt at what had been done and pushing it down to a deep place to be called up later.

“I have no choice!” She grated out then glared at me. “Why make me relive that now? Are you with them? Did they send you to make sure I'm being a good little housewife?”

“No, they didn't send me.” I answered with a sigh. “I'd like to put a stop to what they're doing, if it hasn't been done already.”

“Like you could do anything.” She actually snorted, having only seen pretty little Deena.

“You might be surprised.” I actually managed a smile at her. “I did release you enough to tell me what happened to you, didn't I?”

“Who are you?” She asked again, while looking carefully at me.

“This.” I told her as I shifted back to my Diana form. “Don't be afraid, I'm not here to hurt you.”

“You're that Meta vigilante that the police are after.” She let out a little gasp and sat further back in her chair, obviously afraid.

“Yes.” I nodded and shook my head. “But I don't harm the innocent Helena, Kevin, whoever you are now. “Tell me who you worked for. I'll do my best to see that they don't do this to anyone again.”

Lo — Logistic Solutions, it's on...”

“I'll find them.” I gave her shaking hand a reassuring pat. “You've suffered enough just telling me this much.”

“Can, can you help me?” She asked and the tears in her beautiful green eyes were ruining her once perfect makeup.

“I'm sorry.” I really was, but anything I could do would be very temporary and would only result in more agony for the the poor soul once that had faded. “My powers over the living are very limited. I only bring death, and then only to those who deserve it. You aren't one of those.”

“Then kill me.” She almost begged. “Finish this horror of a life that I have to act like I enjoy.”

“I can't do that.” I shook my head and almost cried myself at the admission. “But I can give you an out if you'll take it.”

“Anything!” She was pleading and I felt it to the deepest parts of what I had left of a soul, and it hurt feeling that need.

“You'll have ten, maybe fifteen minutes after I leave.” I told her simply. “When you can do what you want instead of what you've been programmed to do. I can't give you any more than that. I'm sorry.”

“It's enough.” She nodded resolutely even though she was still crying. “Thank you.”

“Use the time you have wisely.” I answered, then stood up and moved to give her a tight hug. “I can't tell you how to use it, I'm not allowed to do that, but do what you think you have to.”

She nodded and something came into her expression that had no place on a normal housewife's face. “I will.”

“Are there any children from all this?” I asked.

“No, though that would have come in time, I'm — I'm female through and through physically, though I have no idea how the bastards managed that.”

“I'll find out.” I promised. “Believe me when I say the people who did this you are going to pay.”

“I believe you.” Helena nodded, but now I could see Kevin looking out of her eyes. “I just wish you could make them go through what they did to me, and others.”

“I can't promise that, but trust me, they'll regret the day they started on this project.”

“I guess that's all I can ask then. Has my time started yet?”

“Not until I leave.” I answered and gave her a sad look. “Is there anything else I can do right now?”

“You gave me my life back.” She shrugged in a very masculine gesture and gave me a faint smile. “Even if only for a few minutes. I'll take care of the rest. Thank you.”

“Go with God.” I told her and left the place.

Though I only went outside and hovered to see what the transformed male would do. Her husband wasn't home or I would have been hard pressed not to kill him since he had to be in on the events that had produced his 'wife'.

It only took her seven minutes and a few seconds. She didn't bother with a note, just went to where her husband kept his pistol, made sure it was loaded, whispered a little prayer, and shot herself through the roof of her mouth at an angle that made sure it would blow most of her brain out the back of her head.

Her last words were. “You can clean this mess up, you son of a bitch.”

I made sure her wounded soul went to a place of healing.

Then went hunting.

I can't really describe the rage I was feeling after that. Again, I thought of waiting for her husband to come home and starting my retribution there. In our brief contact I had felt all that the poor man had gone through to become the demure, beautiful housewife I'd found. Unimaginable pain, both physical and mental, not to mention psychic. Whoever had done this were far beyond what those people did to poor Dolores.

I floated above the city for awhile after that. Weeping, Crying my eyes out, and screaming my rage to anything that could hear.

“Diana.” The all too familiar voice intruded with uncharacteristic gentleness. “You do recall I warned you about this all consuming rage. And what it could make of you if you give in to it.”

“Dammit!” I screamed back. “Did you see what I did back there, feel what I did?!”

“You are my avatar in the world, Diana, of course I saw and felt all of it.”

“Then you should know why I'm so angry now!”

“I do, love, I do.” The voice answered softly. “My name is, or was Tisiphone. Believe me, I am all too familiar with rage and meting out harsh justice.”

Tisiphone. The most violent of the three Greek Furies. I knew that and was boggled that she had finally told me who she was, but at the time it didn't matter to me at all. That I was HER avatar on Earth did.

“They need to pay.” I grated out between screams of agonized rage. “The ones who did this need to PAY!”

“They will, dear, they will.” Tisiphone soothed. “And you will be the major instrument of that payment, but to do so you must put the rage aside and start thinking instead of reacting.”

Truthfully, I was worn out. Anger takes a lot of energy if you didn't already know that.

“Tisiphone,” I answered, sounding at least a bit more sane when I did. “I've never truly hated anyone I was sent after, not even The Necromancer. These people I hate, with a fire that feels like it could melt steel.”

“I know, love.” She answered quietly. “But put that hate aside for now, and the rage that comes with it. You will need to THINK to get to these people.”

“All right.” I let out a sigh and all the rage that was left seemed to flow out of me with it. “But I am going to visit Helena's 'husband' in the near future.”

“As I would do.” Tisiphone answered, then added. “Just contain the rage, daughter. It serves no useful purpose yet. It's time will come and you will know when that is.”

“All right — Mother.” I answered and didn't even know why I called her that, though it felt right.

“Go back to your Kyle, or the other one,” She advised. “Or become Deena and work extra hard. The physical contact will help you. You need to shed some of this physical aggression and that would be the best way to do it just now.”

“Okay.” I half reluctantly agreed. “Good night, Mother.”

“Good night, my child.” She answered I could swear I felt a hand stroke my cheek. “Rest, find relief. Tomorrow is soon enough to begin the things you must do.”

Part of me wanted to protest that even one night would make some other poor souls suffer more than they needed to, but she was right. I was pretty well useless in my present state of mind and emotional condition. So I went home.

But I had a mission. A real one this time instead of simply seeing bad guys and taking them out.

I wondered if I would need help with it, and if I did, who I would dare ask for that.