Welcome to this AU I could bring to life thanks to fyeahwonderbat on Tumblr and the event they hosted. All hail Wonderbat! ^^ I am two days late for the first day, I am deeply sorry. Anyway it was about the first meeting between Batman (which became here Batwoman) and Wonder Woman. So here we go!
In Greek mythology, 'Chaos' was the first state of the world, where everything was mixed and nothing was distinct from the other. Any element which composes our present world was in this chaos, but they were not put in order.
Absence of order without a point de repère: that was how Grecian people defined the beginning of the world.
What would this absence bring? Panic and fear, because humans would not know what to do. They would be lost in this chaos, which at these moments would not mean a beginning but an end.
A twilight of fire where any hope was lost.
It was how Safia would have defined the chaos that plagued her city, lost somewhere in Syria. Wherever she ran, she was greeted by death and destruction. Bombs from the coalition fell from the sky like a maleficent rain, bringing doom and sufferances. Buildings collapsed into thick clouds of dust, crushing whoever was hiding between their walls, a shelter which became a downfall. The inhabitants who have tried to run away from the city were met at the boundaries by the soldiers of the Islamic State and their bullets, forbidding anyone to escape the shelling. It was a game of death between two opponents and the civilians were nothing but bugs in the way.
Safia knew that they were trapped and knew that they couldn't hide and knew that sooner or later her legs would give up and yet she was still running, carrying her old mother who lamented and chanted unintelligible psalmodies to Allah. And then, despite the uproar which seemed to never end and the broken voice of her mother, Safia heard the loud whistle that she was too much used to, a sound of an apocalypse that meant only one thing.
A bomb was falling straight to them.
She kept running even with laboured breathing and tears into her eyes. She kept running because she could not accept this fate.
She did not want to die.
The threatening whistle was coming closer and closer, and with that, her body gave up. She fell onto the hard ground while a strangled cry escaped her lips. Her mother clung to her, a warm embrace before the end.
But it never came.
Even if the city was still roaring under the chaos, the two women could clearly notice that the whistle had brutally stopped. Confused, they opened their eyes after a second of hesitation.
The sky was clear.
Then a massive figure gracefully landed before them.
"Are you alright?"
It was a woman with short black hair and golden brown skin. She was wearing a heavy armour and a shield and a blade in each hand. She spoke in fluent Arabic with a concerned and kind tone that comforted the still shocked women. She helped them to get onto their feet. Safia's legs were wobbling but she managed to stand without falling.
"You have to quickly get out of here," the woman said while she shook the dust off their clothes. "I have managed to chase away the jihadists around the city, but it is only a matter of time before reinforcements arrive. Are you able to walk on your own to the south of the town?"
"Y-yes," Safia choked out with surprise. "But how did you…"
"Go. Now," the woman ordered in a firm tone, making it clear that there was no time to discuss.
In one jump she was floating into the sky and disappeared from the women's sight.
"امراة رائعة…"
That was what her mother mumbled in awe while Safia started heading in the direction the strange woman designated. Along the path more people joined them: they too had met this strange person and had been asked to get out of the city. One said she had lifted the rubble they were trapped under with her own arms as if it was a pile of feathers. Another told she had punched the jihadists that threatened them with ease and without any injury then tore the assailants' car apart. Other people shared their meeting, the first time they saw this woman, with a tone that made it sound like an incredible tale.
No one attacked the group during their march as they were more and more numerous. The path was clear and no bomb greeted them. Still, they could hear them exploding not so far, making them too scared to even stop for a second. All of them wanted to escape from this hell as fast as possible.
Finally, they reached the end of the town. The woman was there, sitting on the roof of a massive truck among other vehicles.
"Listen carefully!" she shouted in a deep voice, earning the attention of everyone. "I took as many vehicles as possible. There are enough trucks to drive you all to the peacekeeping force which is close enough and will give you protection and supplies. But I cannot do it alone. Are there people here able to drive?"
A few hands raised from the crowd.
"Good! Then proceed. I will protect you from any attack, but I need you to act with calm and respect towards each other. We must stay united or else it shall be our doom. Understood?"
Everyone acknowledged before beginning to split and climb into the trucks under the supervision of the odd knight.
O*O*O*O*O*O
Diana hoped that would be enough as the vehicles were soon overcrowded. She knew that she could not save everyone, but she was ready to do anything to help those people, harassed between the conflicts of powerful foes that did not care about their fate. But she cared about them, about their lives. And she did not have to pick a side to save them. Well, she had one: her own.
Soon everybody was ready and Diana gave the signal of departure. The trucks began to drive, Diana floating around them with vigilant eyes. For one moment the trip was peaceful.
Unfortunately, it did not last. Diana could hear the roar of engines in the distance. She had to act quickly: if the trucks were surrounded by the assailants, she could not protect them all at once.
She scanned her surroundings. She gave attention to each detail until she knew how many were coming. Seven light vehicles and three armoured ones. It was a lot for only some citizens, but she was not naive: they were coming for her.
She told the drivers to continue at all cost. She appeased them that she was not abandoning them, that they had to trust her. Then she flew away with hundreds of persons staring at her back.
She carried their hopes. She was going to do more than her best to keep them safe and sound.
First, she had to take care of the heaviest and thus most harmful vehicles. When they came into view, she let herself fall and violently crashed onto the first one which burst into crimson flames. The other vehicles began to fire and she rolled on the sand, dodging the bullets in a mortal dance. Someone shouted something in Arabic and threw a grenade. In one swift motion, she sent it back at its owner, and the sand almost melted under the intense heat of the explosion.
More yelling, more bullets.
Diana beat her wristbands and the blast wave knocked down two other vehicles. She rushed towards the next one and grabbed it until metal folded under her fingers. Lifting the vehicle with ease, she threw it onto the last armoured one.
The characteristic click of a Tommy gun echoed behind her. Her shield was raised just in time to block a great burst of fire. Gritting her teeth, she held against the pressure – how long she did not know – before flinging her blade. It sank into the shooter body with such violence it tossed him out of the vehicle. Diana took advantage of the break it allowed her to rip the wheels of the car.
Then she realized that the three last ones were not here anymore.
"NO !" she screamed with dread when she saw them heading to the trucks.
She rushed to the vehicles, she tried to fly as fast as possible.
And the gunshots filled the desert air.
O*O*O*O*O*O
Safia heard these sounds of death like everyone else and the people around her started panicking and moving everywhere and screeching. Then the truck began to get out of control. Between all the cries she heard that the driver had been shot down. She froze for a second, understanding that they were now helpless.
Later, she could not explain why she did what she did next.
She avoided the limbs that spasmed in shock and the people that tried to cling to her in despair. She got out at the end of the truck. One deep breath. Then she started to climb on the roof. Wind slashed her face while she tried not to slip despite her sweaty palms. The terrorists on the right side of the truck could not harm the civilians because of the reinforced walls, but the driver seat was more vulnerable and Safia was even more vulnerable. A bullet hissed and skimmed her hair. She made herself as tiny as possible and continued her progress.
Finally, she reached the front end of the truck and entered it on its left side. She crawled on the seat, her heart racing fast against the fabric. Taking the wheel while staying down, she stabilized the vehicle until it was going straight.
A wavering sigh escaped her lips. It was one less thing to worry about.
Then her throat made a hoarse yelp when the butt of a gun smashed against the glass of the right window. The car door was violently pulled and a man with a black hood got inside then pointed his weapon at her.
Her tears had run dry. She could not cry anymore in front of the reaper.
But he was not going to take her now. Powerful shots took down the car of the assailant which distracted him from harming Safia. Then both of them heard a thud on the roof. Before the man could do anything a dark glove coming from the broken door grabbed him by the collar and brutally tossed him out of the truck. His screams died far away on the sand while the glove and what came next sat beside Safia.
It was tall figure covered in black. It looked like a living shadow with nothing human except for the entirely white eyes that seemed to stare at her.
"Are you hurt?" a deep voice asked, so frightening that one could think it belonged to the Devil itself.
It took a moment for Safia to recollect herself and shake her head. Looking away from the strange being, she tried to secure her catch on the wheel but her trembling hands made the task difficult if not impossible. She startled when a gloved hand took the wheel with a steady gentleness that contrasted with the earlier violence.
"Take a rest. I will drive until all of you arrive safely."
She did not dare to object to anything. She sat as far as possible from this… person and wondered in silence where did this scary… saviour come from.
O*O*O*O*O*O
One could tell and it was Diana. She had arrived too late to stop the gunshots. Thankfully the civilians were not hurt except the driver of one of the trucks. She started panicking when the vehicle began to drift, but before she could reach for it she was stopped by an intense gunfire. Two vehicles had encircled her and prevented her from rescuing anyone. She could not think straight when she tried to survive as fear tightened her throat. They were going to die and she could not do anything!
Then something materialised into the sky. Something that looked like a black plane which shot down one of the cars, allowing Diana to act again. While she was taking care of the penultimate car, the plane had put away the last one before ejecting something that landed on the damaged truck which stabilized some seconds later.
Relieved that the attack was now over and that almost everyone was safe, Diana was however intrigued by whoever had helped her. She flew straight to the vehicle and was surprised to meet a blank stare.
"Who… are you?" she asked in English, not sure of the provenance of this strange person.
"An ally," the black figure answered in Arabic with an accent, a clue that they were not from this area.
Diana could not help but lightly shiver by hearing this voice that did not sound human.
"We shall talk later," the foreigner spoke again. "We must take care of these people for now. Then we'll talk."
The Amazon simply nodded. She hoped that the rest of the trip would be without any other incident.
O*O*O*O*O*O
The stillness of the trip lasted indeed. The civilians were now under the protection of the Blue Berets and some NGOs. All of them thanked the incredible woman many and many times, voicing a deep gratitude towards her with acclaims and light touches. Some UN officers glared at her with furrowed brows. After all, she had destroyed several bomber aircraft of the coalition, which of course did not make the U.S. very happy. But they kept their concerns under silence since she was seen as a savior, a hero.
Safia too was congratulated for bringing her fellow citizens to safety. Her act made her brave in the eyes of everyone in the truck. But she was not entirely proud of it. She had gotten assistance and no one knew it. The one who helped her had disappeared before they entered the UN camp, so nobody saw them.
When the woman of wonder decided it was time to leave, Safia touched her shoulders with shyness, still intimidated by her powerful aura.
"If you see the… shadow being again, can you tell them that I thank them very, very much?"
A warm smile spread across Diana's lips.
"I will. Take care of yourself, young one."
O*O*O*O*O
How long she flew, she did not know. But a long time had passed for sure when she finally landed beside the black plane.
"Why do you want to talk here? What is so important that you are afraid of unwelcomed ears?" she asked with a bit tired and irritated tone as the figure got out and stood before her.
"I do not think," they spoke in Greek, "you want someone to discover your true nature, Amazon."
Diana stared at them with wide eyes before folding her arms in front of her chest.
"What are you talking about?" she tempted with a firm voice, not willing to give any clue to this stranger.
"Maybe this will be clearer: Hippolyta greets you and hopes you are alright, little lioness."
Diana froze, mouth agape. 'Little lioness' was the nickname her mother gave her when she was a child.
"How… Are… Are you a messenger sent by mother?"
"No, I am not. Your mother simply asked me to tell you this if we ever crossed paths."
Before Diana could respond to anything, the shadow being explained themselves.
Some years ago, while they were wandering around the world, they were shipwrecked and they grounded on Themyscira. Her fellow Amazons rescued them and took care of them. They spent some time with the warriors before coming back to Man's world. When they were about to leave, they learnt that an Amazon, the princess Diana, was already in their world, willing to protect it. With the benediction of Hippolyta, they decided to meet her and make an offer.
"Which is?" Diana asked with a voice that was a little more intrigued than she would have wanted to.
"The world is facing threats that only one individual isn't able to resolve alone. Divided we are weak, but together we may rise and promise a better future."
"Who is this 'we'?"
"All the people who wish to make the world safe, or at least less decayed. Some of them are superhumans like you."
Diana detected the undertone in their sentence.
"But you aren't, are you?"
The figure shook their head then their hands reached for it.
"Your people told me your story. I know who you are, princess Diana of Themyscira, or at least a part of your life. You, on the other hand, don't."
Something hissed.
"A name for a name, a title for a title."
The voice was now human, smooth and clear. They took off the mask that covered their face. The wind swirled dark thick locks and caressed a porcelain skin. Asian eyes blinked, so black that the pupil was not discernible from the iris.
"Greetings, princess. My name is Lily Wayne. But the people of Gotham, my city, call me Batwoman."
Diana's eyes shined. The aura of the woman in front of her was something she had never seen before. Full of darkness, of mystery, with a strength and a willpower that seemed ready to silently engulf the world around her.
A true vigilante that definitely had caught her interest.
"Before you tell me more, Batwoman, I too have a message for you: the one you rescued, Safia, thanks you very, very much."
She raised an eyebrow then nodded in acknowledgment.
The two women made themselves comfortable. It was going to be a night full of talks before coming to an agreement and a better trust or at least better knowledge of each other.
But Diana did not mind at all.
Reviews are veeeeery welcomed ^^
Also yes Bruce/Lily has Asian origins, she was adopted by the Waynes when she was a baby (I will develop this later). And Diana has darker skin because I like it that way. Rationality? What's this? x)
See you!
