JLA 5 (Patreon)

JLA 5

“And there it is,” Huntress said, as the tracking system finally zeroed in on the source of the super-villains broadcast. It was a nondescript brick building nestled amidst the crumbling factories in the Industrial District of Gotham City.

Zatanna nodded. “But what do we do about it? They must have moved on by now.”

“Go look for clues,” Huntress said. “Like always. They always leave clues.”

“Meanwhile, look what’s happening to all the men.” There were a dozen monitors in the room, and on several news feeds from all over Earth were coming in, showing men turning into women, boys into girls. Just as amongst the superheroes, each man found himself assuming a subordinate position to a female. “Should we really be fighting this? Maybe the world would be a better place.”

“Maybe,” Huntress said. “But, as annoying as they can be, I kinda like men.”

“Hmmmn. Plus, this seems like it must be part of some larger scheme.”

The security panel started to beep. “Gem Girl seeking permission to enter.”

“Gem Girl?” Huntress said.

“Green Lantern. He’s my mini.”

“I thought Dr. Fate was your mini?”

“I have two.”

“Aren’t you special.”

Zatanna smirked.

“Permission granted,” Huntress said.

Having finished searching Selena Kyle’s penthouse, Wonder Woman and Canary had paused to check out the scene on the streets of Gotham. The men were rapidly changing. Many had curvy figures, long, feminine hair. Their clothes didn’t fit at all, and they all had a concerned, confused and worried look on their faces. “It’s going to look like Paradise Island out here pretty soon,” Wonder Woman said.

“Yeah. But these “girls” are far from amazons.”

“So, what next?”

“I think we get Lil Huntress to come down, she If she can get into the fundraiser. If we can connect with Cat Woman, maybe we can get some answers.”

Wonder Woman called up to the JLA satellite. There was no answer. “Wonder Woman to Huntress? Zatanna? Come in?”

Nothing.

“Do you think something happened?” Zatanna asked.

“No,” Wonder Woman said. “I know something has happened.”

Meanwhile, at the Daily Planet…

Perry White couldn’t stop checking himself out. Each time he looked, he’d last a little bit more of himself. His skin had grown smoother, his eyes bigger. His lips had grown more plump even as his chin had melted away. Now, he was batting his eyes, fascinated by his long, curly eyelashes. The whole world had gone mad, and they had put together the most radical version of the Daily Planet ever, with every single section of the paper now focused on the world wide gender swap that was occurring.

White, for his part, had found it increasingly hard to focus, and it had been a godsend that the women around the office had stepped in and taken over, making sure everything got done while he’d found himself alternating between staring at his new face and shopping online, drooling over skirts and dresses, heels and purses. He had’t bought anything— yes, but he was obsessing, thinking about how he’d look in that blouse, or how cute he’d look with those earrings.

Jimmy had found himself drawn into the same vortex of everything female, as had all the rest of the men in the office. Lois walked in to find him staring in awe at the Clairol website, creamy, wet lipsticks everywhere, while Perry was looking at Juicy Couture purses.

Lois couldn’t held but think it was kind of cute. “You never struck me as a JC girl,” Lois said.

“I never thought I was one,” Perry grumbled, though his voice had already started to drift into a higher, lighter place. “But these bags are so— uh! So cute! I’m sorry. I don’t know how to stop… omigod! Look at that one.”

Lois came over and look at the handbag, all scrappy and with sparkling buckles. “That’s cute,” she said.

“Cute?” Perry said, eyes sparkling as he touched the screen, caressing the image of the purse. “It’s everything.”

Lois smirked. An impulse was building in her, and thought she felt it was kinda wrong, she couldn’t help herself. “Why don’t you boys take the rest of the day off? Go shopping? Get your nails done?”

It was one thing to shop online, and another to do it in real life. Both Jimmy and Perry felt instant resistance to the idea. “Shopping?” Jimmy said.

“Nails?” Perry said.

But they also immediately felt a need within them to obey Lois, to do whatever she asked them to do.

Lois doubled down. “Yeah. I want you both to get yourself a cute outfit to wear to work tomorrow. Something feminine but professional. And Perry— you need to get that purse.” Would they actually do what she said? Lois couldn’t believe it.

But the feminizing men nodded, pretty smiles spreading across their female faces. “If that’s what you want,” Jimmy said.

“Whatever you think is best,” Perry added.

Lois grinned as the two got up and prepared to go shopping. “Boys?” Lois added, feeling wicked.

“Yes?” They answered in unison.

“Tomorrow you need to wear makeup.”

It was the same all over. Women sensed their newfound power, and they also felt compelled to use it. Husbands came home from work to find their wives ordering them to put on a dress and cook diner. High school boys found themselves putting on lipstick while the girls all watched, giggling. Executives found themselves ordered to obey their own secretaries, sitting and filing their nails while the women met in the conference room and restructured the company.

They were all bewildered, finding themselves both hating and loving what was happening, but most of all powerless to stop it.