Bruce shut off his computer after studying more about this "Superman." He didn't like anything about him. His power, his influence, or his destructiveness. After pulling on his cowl, he walked to the Batmobile and drives out of the cave, past the long hallway, leading out to a small elevator for the car. It lifted him up onto a lake path and drove off into the city en route to Metropolis.
Clark sat back from the desk, rubbing his eyes. He'd been working on this piece for hours now. Normally writing wasn't such a challenge, but it was hard to put into words just how he felt about what had happened with Zod and the Luthors, and at the UN later. He sighed and walked to the window, opening it and stepping out into the night. He needed a chance to clear his head, and a short flight would do just that.
Diana hovered high above Metropolis and let the wind catch her black hair. Her lasso was tucked safely on her hip, giving her a slight feeling of security. She had heard about the Man of Steel and decided he might be the man to talk to about this new world she was now a part of.
Batman drove past cars and through tunnels leading out past the city limits, and right into Metropolis. He could feel the rumble of the engine through his hands as the Batmobile thundered down the highway toward the City of Tomorrow.
Clark heard a noise pricking at his ears. An engine. But not any engine he was familiar with. This one was big, powerful, with an angry growl. He could hear it making its way toward the Planet.
Diana's attention turned to the sound of a vehicle. Her eyes narrowed and she stared at the black armored man He must have been the fabled Dark Knight of Gotham. She had also heard about this man and his violent methods. Both men seemed so strange to her.
Clark saw the woman standing on the Planet. He could tell she was the Amazonian, Wonder Woman. He had written an article for the Daily Planet after an interview with her then-handler, Steve Trevor, but he'd never met her in person. She made eye contact with him and tensed slightly. Clark saw the car stop below him and the Batman step out. What a strange coincidence, he thought.
Batman grappled up to a vantage point and watched Superman in the air from the shadows. He followed his gaze to Wonder Woman. The Amazonian. What was she doing here? He then followed his gaze to the Batmobile. He's spotted the vehicle.
Diana raised her brow and decided to speak first. "Greetings," she said, "I am Wonder Woman," she hovered down to be between the men.
Clark floated down to fifteen feet above the ground. "I've heard of you."
"And I you," she replied, remaining above him but below Batman.
The detective turned on his bio-vision to examine Superman. He looked at his DNA structure and matched him to any citizens in Metropolis. Within moments, he had a name. Clark Kent. A reporter for the Daily Planet.
"You know I can see you," Clark said, then a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, "Bruce."
Diana raised her brow and looked up at the shadows. "Bruce? As in Bruce Wayne? I've heard about his antics in Gotham. Generous man," she looked between the two curiously.
Bruce felt his pulse spike slightly in surprise. He stood from his kneeling position. "How do you know my name?"
"I assume you know mine, so I'll just be upfront. I'm an investigative reporter who once read the entirety of A Song of Ice and Fire in a day, and I can use a technique similar to that bio-scanner you have hidden in your cowl," Clark said calmly, waiting for a reaction.
"A reporter?" Diana smiled slightly and crossed her arms. "A billionaire and reporter as man's greatest champions."
Bruce said nothing, letting them talk. He turned the scanner off and examined the two. He looked at Diana as she spoke then back at Superman. "I heard about the order from the government on me," He got to the chase, "Don't try it."
Clark sat back and waited for him to finish, and chose to let Bruce and Diana hash it out. They were both more mercurial than he, and he'd rather see how it played out before stepping in.
"The government? What order have they placed against your name?" Diana looked at Batman with her brow raised.
"I was talking to him," he looked at the man in blue.
She looked up at Superman with the same expression on her face.
"I'm not with the government," Clark tilted his head. "They like me even less than they like you. You're a local phenomenon. I'm a weapon of mass destruction."
Bruce scoffed dryly. "Don't understate it."
"Just using their words," Clark said. Diana listened to the two of them, thinking they bickered like an old married couple.
"Right. Like you used this world as a battleground?"
"Zod brought the fight here, and I took it to the desert. It was the Luthors who brought it back to Metropolis."
"I'm dealing with the surviving Luthor. You deal with your problems in a more controlled manner. We've only been talking for five minutes and I can deduct from you complete apathy. That's dangerous. You're dangerous."
"Enough!" Diana shouted. "You two bicker like children." Bruce leaned against the wall and listened to the Amazonian scold the Man of Steel and him, and Clark held his tongue, knowing nothing he said will change Bruce's opinion of him. "Fighting over the common good is foolish. You both seek justice, correct?" They didn't answer, knowing she was right. "Exactly. I did not journey here to bicker. Is that understood?"
"What did you journey here for?" Bruce growled. Clark raised one eyebrow, chuckling softly.
"Your world needs a Wonder Woman," she smirked.
"I'll build a giant space station if that works out for you," Bruce snarked and crosses his arms.
"I'll take you up on that offer," she offered her hand to him. He reluctantly accepted, gripping her hand. She was surprisingly strong. He didn't expect that. She squeezed his forearm tighter than needed, making him wince.
Clark landed on the roof next to them. "I suppose with your money, that wouldn't be too difficult."
Diana smirked and pulled her arms away. "Oh, and you may call me Diana."
"Clark."
"Pleasure."
Clark smiled softly, saying, "The pleasure is all mine."
Bruce rubbed his arm in pain. She had dented his gauntlet and he glared at her for it. Then Alfred commed him. "I'm sorry to interrupt – Sir… tell me your POV cam is malfunctioning. Are you having tea time with Superman and… who is that woman?"
"What do you want, Alfred?" he growled, turning his back and placing his finger on his earpiece.
"Your butler?" Clark turned towards him, his smile tugging up at one side.
Diana smirked. "A butler for the Batman?"
"I think, even with the alien who can shoot fire from his eyes and the immortal Amazon warrior, the human is the strangest one here."
Batman ignored the teasing from the two super beings. Alfred replied, "That religious cult you were after? I've isolated their location. They have a boy and the intentions of sacrificing the poor pre-pubescent child. I've put a way point on your HUD."
"I'm on my way," he said, cutting the comm.
"Something wrong?" Clark asked, having heard the full conversation but not sure Diana could hear it.
"I need to go," he turned to the two. "Don't follow me." He leapt down from the building, gliding down to the Batmobile.
"I'm following him," Diana said.
"Me too."
"I shall follow you." Her tone implied it was not a question.
The PA on the Batmobile blared out in response to them both. "No, you're not." Then it roared off into the night.
Diana looked down at the Batmobile. "He's an interesting man."
"He wants to work alone. There's something about a cult going on. Child sacrifice."
"This world is so troubled… It will be a while before I can fully comprehend it," Diana frowned slightly.
"I don't know if I ever will," Clark replied, starting off after the Batmobile.
Diana took off after Superman. "People need to live in harmony. I would like to help you achieve this goal here."
A riot suppressor thudded up from the Batmobile, exploding against Superman's chest. It burst harmlessly, not even shifting his flight path, but he stopped briefly. Bruce knew it wouldn't affect him, but the message it sent was clear: back off.
Diana looked over Clark. "Are you alright?"
Clark shrugged. "I've been hit by tanks, missiles, and alien war machines. A bean bag does about as much damage as a pebble to me," he smiled slightly.
She set a hand on his shoulder. "We'll have to exchange war stories sometime," she said before resuming their pursuit of Bruce.
Bruce stopped outside the complex. Chanting could be heard inside, along with the faint sound of a child's sobs. Bruce exited the vehicle and entered the building, as a youth in red hopped in from the rooftop.
Touching down beside the Batmobile, Clark quickly swept the building with his x-ray vision. He could see a large number of cultists, and one small child in the center. He tracked Bruce as well, watching him sneak up along with another young, lithe boy. "When Bruce makes his move, I'll get the kid out of there. You help Bruce with those lunatics," he told Diana.
"Or I can get the child. Batman may need a bulletproof man on his back."
"I'm faster, and from what I've seen, you're bulletproof too."
"Who says you're faster?" She raised one eyebrow. "If you want me to be backup, fine."
"We're both backup today," Clark said, rising into the air.
Inside, Bruce snapped into action. He threw a smoke grenade in the middle, and Robin grabbed the boy and darted outside to the batmobile. He stopped in his tracks when he saw the two superbeings. He looked up at Superman. "Woah… um… uh… hi," he stammered. Then his eyes turned to Wonder Woman. "Are you an angel?" He quipped, "Because I just died and went to heaven." Meanwhile, Bruce had already taken out half of the cult.
Clark swooped in, quickly taking the two largest cultists out of action with a flying tackle. Bruce was taking on three at a time. He blocked a knife, kicked one across the room, spun and kicked the second, and planted his hand into the third's neck. Clark stood in the path of a crowd of cultists charging to the aid of their comrades, letting them exhaust themselves a bit trying to get past him before tossing them across the room with the shockwave from a clap.
Diana looked down at the boys. "I need you to stay behind the Batmobile and wait for us to come back out," she said before flying swiftly inside.
"I don't think so," Robin muttered, putting the boy in the Batmobile before following her in. "It sounds like fun in there."
Diana punched a cultist across the room and into the altar. "I do not advise helping," she told the impulsive boy.
Robin leapt over Diana and planted both feet into a pair of cultists, then slid behind her again to trip another one, jumping up and landing his fist down on his face. "You underestimate my power," he says, mimicking Anakin from Star Wars.
A cultist raised a crowbar over Robin's head from behind, but quickly found himself sailing through the air into the ground. Clark smiled down at the boy. "I don't doubt your heart. Only the reach of your arm."
Robin looked up at the dark-haired young man with a grin. "My arms are just fine."
"I noticed," Clark chuckled, dusting off his hands. He does another sweep of the building. "I think that's all of them. Bruce?"
Robin's head wagged side to side as he searched the room. "Um, how do you know his name? And where is he?"
"I don't see him anywhere," Clark said, a touch of worry in his voice.
"I feel like it's my duty to interrogate you on how you know his name… But seeing as how you can probably ring me into spaghetti…" he cleared his throat and asked very nicely, "How do you know the big bad Batman's name?"
"X-ray vision and doing my homework," Clark said absentmindedly.
"Huh…" Robin looked around. "Well, I guess this means I get to drive the Batmobile!" He said, trying to draw out Batman. Meanwhile, Diana kneed a rising cultist in the crotch and slammed him across the room. No answer from Batman. "Well then. I guess I really do get to ride in the Batmobile. You guys wanna come to the cave?"
"The cave?" Diana cocked her head.
"Yeah! You'll love it. Bunch of cool toys. Besides, it's our best bet on finding Batman."
She nodded. "Can you lead the way?"
Clark had his back turned on the pair. "I'll follow," he said, looking about one last time.
Robin nodded and hopped into the Batmobile. He cast about, looking for the right control. Once he had found it, he took off, careening wildly.
"Is this legal?" Diana asked, taking off after him.
Robin's voice replied over the PA, "Vigilantism is illegal. Might as well break some driving laws too." Diana chuckled as she flew over the armored car. Clark sped behind, catching up and keeping his eyes open to the surroundings. Robin made a stop at GCPD to deposit the boy, then led them to the cave.
"It's quite impressive," Diana marveled. Clark expressed his agreement as he landed, causing all the bats in the cave to startle and fly to the far side.
Robin hopped out of the Batmobile. "Yeah, yeah. Gets old quick when you're forced to sit against the wall for hours after I totally didn't take the bike out for a spin!" He glared up at the cameras in the cave. He hopped on the computer. "Too bad Batgirl isn't here. She's the computer whiz. Time to find grumpy."
Diana stood next to Robin. "May I ask you your name?" she said," looking down at her.
The boy removed the domino mask on his face. "Dick Grayson," he beamed up at her.
"Pleasure to meet you, Dick. I'm Diana."
"What about Big Blue over there?" Dick thumbed at Superman.
"Clark Kent," he replied. "How do you plan on finding Bruce?"
"I'm sure this young man has some sort of tracking device on him," Diana said.
"Actually, I was hoping to find him here to be timed and judged on how long it took me to realize I'm a disappointment." Dick paused. "But yeah, tracking device sounds good."
"Is Bruce really so harsh?" Clark asked, sitting next to Dick.
Robin shrugged. "Only when he's in the tights. He's really a good fath – guy. He's just strict with the training and patrols."
"I see," Clark smiled slightly at the slip.
Diana smiled warmly at Dick. "I'm sure you do him honor."
"Oh I know I do," the boy grinned. "I'm beginning to think he just tells me he's disappointed as a hobby."
Diana laughed softly. "When we find him, we can find out for sure which of the two it is."
Robin began typing, isolating a location. "Not in Gotham."
"Maybe Metropolis?" Clark suggested.
"No, not there either."
"Where, then?" Diana asked, one eyebrow cocked.
"I'm not sure. Wait… There. Nanda Parbat. Dang it! I'm not allowed to go there, under any circumstances, or I'm fired."
"Don't worry. Superman and I can go and keep you updated."
"Nah, I trust you guys. And Bruce is too stubborn to die. You'll get him. I'm gonna go get donuts." Robin stood and ran up the steps, taking them two at a time. He turned back to look at them. "Please please please don't tell him I'm having donuts… Or any fried foods… Or going to a party."
Clark laughed and Diana called after him, "Have fun!" Then she turned to Clark. "We should leave," she said grimly.
"Agreed. Let's go get him," Clark says, rising and heading towards the cave exit. Diana jumped up and flew after him. "So why did you come here?" Clark asked as they flew.
"I told you, the world needs a Wonder Woman."
"But why come to us?"
"We abandoned mankind… I peered into your world and saw the sadness and destruction. I believe with the Amazon way the world can know peace and harmony. You're trying to help my cause, Clark. That is why I sought you out."
"I'm just trying to use my gifts as best I can," Clark said. "I have these powers for a reason. I need to be sure that reason is to help people less fortunate than myself."
"I agree completely," she looked over at him and smiled.
Clark smiled slightly at that. "And what about Bruce?"
"He… He is interesting. I believe he wants the right thing but deep down he's hurt so the only way to protect himself is to hide in the cowl."
Clark saw what she meant, and offered some explanation. "He's lost a lot. He's angry at the world for taking so much, so now it's his turn to take back. But I think he wants the same thing we do. His methods are just so different it's hard to tell sometimes."
"I think he's a good man," Diana said. "He just needs a chance."
"Agreed."
"Do you know where we're going?" Diana said as the headed out over the ocean.
"Nanda Parbat," Clark said, thinking back to the world map in his apartment. "It's in the Himalayas."
"Then we'd better quicken our pace," Diana said, gaining altitude and speed. Clark followed, easily matching her speed. She put on even more speed, and looked down at the water below.
"Quite a view, isn't it?" Clark asked, keeping pace, not wanting to leave her behind.
"I've seen better," she smirked slightly. "I come from paradise."
"Well then your life must be surprise-free," Clark chuckled.
"I wouldn't say that," she chuckled, noting the decrease in temperature.
"We must be getting close," Clark said, his breath fogging in front of him. He was all business again.
"How shall we approach this? I say we go in quietly." No sooner had she said it than arrows began flying up at the pair.
"Too late for that," Clark sighed. "I see him." He dove down, smashing through the roof.
Meanwhile, Diana avoided most of the arrows, deflecting the rest with her bracelets. She lands at the front of the monastery and walks in. She walked quietly down the hall, nothing to be seen. She veered off into a side hall. The only familiar sound was the clicking of her boots on the stone floor. She opened a few doors, but all the rooms were empty. "Strangely quiet…" Suddenly a sword flashed from behind one of the doors, and she tumbled through a wooden wall into a hallway already occupied by Superman and Batman, arguing once again.
Clark slammed into the hallway, landing directly in front of Bruce. He was surrounded by several sword-toting ninja. Ninja may be fast and stealthy, but these were no match for Clark's speed and senses. He quickly dispatched them, then untied Bruce and helped him to his feet.
"Get out of here. Both of you. I have work to do," he snarled.
"A thank you would be sufficient."
Bruce started walking down the hall, looking around. "I had it under control."
"If by 'under control' you meant tied up and guarded by more ninja than you could shake a stick at, then yes, you did," Clark said, slightly rankled by Bruce's ungratefulness.
Bruce wheeled on Clark, getting right in his face. "Leave," he growled in a low tone.
Suddenly, Diana burst through the wall, closely pursued by a woman waving a sword. Diana caught the blade twice on her bracelets, then ducked and kicked the woman hard in the stomach. She flew back into the wall and slumped to the floor, unconscious. She walked over and looked down at the woman. "I apologize, sister." She turned to look at Clark. "Where did Batman go?"
"Up," Clark said. "Used his grapnel. I can't see him through these floors. Too many lead pipes."
Diana looked up. "What exactly is this place?"
"Some kind of monastery, it would seem. But what kind of monastery would be guarded by assassins is beyond me." Diana peered back out into the parallel hall. Clark lifted off the floor. "Bruce didn't want us here. Said he was handling it."
"Handling whom is the real question," Diana returned.
"Indeed…" Clark stroked his chin, then leapt up after Bruce, keeping his eyes and ears open. Diana followed closely. He saw Bruce near the top of the building. He was cut up badly, and half his cowl was missing from his face. He slouched slightly, holding a sword in front of himself. An old man with black hair and a silver moustache paced in front of him like a tiger, holding a sword of his own.
"I assume the fight is over, detective," the man said, his voice as deadly as viper's venom and smooth as oiled sin. "You have brought your friends."
"Bruce!" Clark rushed to the bleeding man's side. "We need to leave."
"The fight isn't over," Diana said, taking the sword from Bruce's hand. "It has just begun."
But the old man wasn't interested in fighting. "Bruce?" he hissed, his eyes gleaming like wicked emeralds, "Bruce Wayne? That is your name?" Bruce glared daggers at Clark.
Clark felt his neck flush. He knew what just happened. He had given this man, whoever he is, the ultimate weapon against Bruce. There would be hell to pay for that.
"Get him out of here, Superman!" Diana said, putting herself between them and the man. Lightning seemed to flash in her eyes as she raised the sword, pointing it straight at the man.
"It matters not," the man said calmly. "Your city will be dust in a matter of hours." He raised his sword in response.
"Can you handle him, D- Wonder Woman?" Clark said, putting Batman's arm over his shoulder and preparing to lift off. Bruce tried to struggle free, but it was no use. He didn't want to leave just yet. He had his business to take care of. Clark's grip was like iron, however, and he couldn't budge.
"Of course," Diana said evenly, and even though he couldn't see it, Clark could hear the confident smile on her lips. "Now go!" She cried.
"We need to get you back to Gotham," Clark said, taking off and speeding away.
Diana turned to face the man, but he was gone. He came from behind, grabbing her hair and pulling her off balance before kicking her against a glass window. Diana growled and dove forward, tackling him to the ground and knocking his sword out of his hand. He kicked her off and snatched away her sword, and drove it down.
Diana's eyes widened as the sword pierced her in a soft point in her armor, and she gasped out.
The man kicked her in the mouth, picking her up by the neck. "How disappointing," he said, those serpents' eyes staring into hers with cold indifference. He tossed her out the window absently, and she fell, down down down into a pit.
Clark heard her gasp as he sped away, and it made him falter. No, he had to get Bruce to Gotham. Whatever the man was planning, that was where it was going down. Diana is strong, he told himself. She'll make it out.
As they swooped low over the city, he saw Robin and Batgirl on Main Street, fighting together against a veritable swarm of ninjas. They moved with fluidic ease, baffling even the best fighters with their techniques. Bruce smiled down at them. As long as they stuck together, they wouldn't fail. "Get me to the tunnels," He said, his low, gravelly voice somewhat softened by his wounds.
"Right." Clark scanned the city, looking for dead spots where the lead pipes that surrounded them came close to the surface. As soon as he found one, he dove in.
Bruce stepped down and limped to a large device. A digital display on the side was counting down to zero. It was a time bomb, but it wasn't like any time bomb Clark had seen on Earth. "This is…" Batman gasped, "This is similar to your technology. Ra's took it and made it his own. It's going to flatten Gotham."
"I can read the symbols," Clark said, looking closer. They were indeed Kryptonian. "What do you need me to do?" He scanned the device inside and out, looking for some weakness, but he wasn't sure how it worked.
"Find the gravitational generator."
"And then?" Clark said, seeking it out.
"Break the connection," Bruce growled impatiently. "Put your hand in the way."
"Alright." Clark peeled back the casing on the bomb, revealing the gravitational generator. He reached his hand in, knifelike, and interrupted the beam. He could feel the intense pressure working on his hand from both sides, and a slight tingle. The longer he held the beam down, the less pressure he felt, and the sharper the tingle became. "I think it's working!"
"You feel that pricking sensation? That's the atoms getting ionized. Get your hand out now," Bruce said. Clark quickly wrenched his hand free, shaking away the tingle. "If I understand your biology right, you soak up the sun and convert it into energy, like a plant. The energy that the bomb is producing now is… it's poisonous to you. Ionized radiation. Soon it's going to blow, and if you're caught in it you will die."
"So how do we stop it?" Clark asked, looking at his hand more carefully, then back up to Bruce. His immediate thought was to fly it up into space, but that would just give the radiation free rein.
Bruce seemed to read his mind with his eyes. "First…" he stood and walked over to Clark, then whipped around to kick him into the bomb, and Clark's face came into contact with the ion beam. He fell to the ground, heavily stunned. "You need to stay put. I'm sorry." Bruce called the Batmobile, and shortly later it arrived. He hooked up the bomb and drove the car away from Clark, getting to a safe distance, then down to the lower sewer systems, near where Killer Croc made his home. Croc would survive. He unhitched the bomb and let it slide down into the system, but the cable snagged, and started to take the Batmobile with it. The sliding car knocked Bruce to the edge of the dropoff. He watched the car fall down, down, down, until it exploded at the bottom of the pit. Pieces of flying shrapnel flew upward, and Bruce barely managed to scramble over the ledge in time to avoid them.
Bruce had lost a lot of blood. He staggered back out of the sewer system and to the tunnels, all the way back to Clark, avoiding the police. Clark was coming to just as he arrived.
"What hap-" he started, but then his eyes fell on Bruce. At first, he felt his anger well up inside him, but when he saw the state of the Batman, the sight of his wounds tempered his wrath. "How did you get rid of the bomb?" He asked, rushing to support him.
"Sewers," Bruce grunted. His skin was approaching a deathly pale. Combined with the dark cowl and blood trickling down the corners of his mouth, it made him look almost vampiric. "We need to find Diana."
"We need to get you to a doctor first," Clark said. "Once you're there, I'll look for her."
"No hospitals!" Bruce roared, almost indignant. "The cave," he continued, more hoarsely.
"Right. The cave." Clark lifted him out of the tunnel and up, out of Gotham. He took him straight to the cave, flying down though the lake entrance. "I need help here!" He shouted, his voice bounding off the rocks almost loud enough to shake them.
An elderly man in a suit walked calmly down the staircase, a white towel draped over one arm, the other hand supporting a tray of surgical implements. "Your booming voice was not necessary. He comes in like this every week."
"What's this place under? A blood bank?" Clark asked, laying Bruce across the table.
Alfred walked to the tableside. "Oh, Master Bruce, You've ripped the stitches from last night. And these as well!" He set to work sewing up Bruce's deeper cuts.
"Bruce, do you have any idea where to start looking for Diana?" Clark asked, leaning over the operating table.
"Start with Nanda Parbat. That's where we left her," Bruce grunted, turning to his side to allow Alfred to stitch a gash on his back.
"And if she's not there?"
"Then come back here."
"Isn't there a way to keep in touch while I'm out there?" Clark paced back and forth. Bruce pointed to a row of earpieces on the table. Clark took one, then another for Diana. "Alright. I'll be back." He lifted off, making for Nanda Parbat at top speed.
When he arrived, there was no sign of Diana anywhere. The monastery was deserted, no sign of life. There was a deep pit beside the monastery, full of a foul-smelling liquid. It hissed and steamed like a pool of liquid dragons, and Clark thought better of stepping in it. He put his hand to the earpiece and called back to the cave, wondering just how many satellites Bruce had in orbit to make the network connection. "Bruce, I'm not seeing her. Any ideas?" he cast about, but still there was no sign of her.
"I have a tracker on her," his voice crackled over the earpiece.
"Where is she?" Clark asked, rising back up and making for Gotham.
"I can't say exactly. Just follow me."
When Clark arrived, he saw a dark, wedge-shaped plane rising up from the lake with Bruce inside. He followed closely as Bruce flew eastward, out over the Atlantic.
Diana felt a shock flow through her body, and her eyes flew open. She pulled herself gasping from the water, glowing slightly and completely healed. She wipes the water from her face. Need to purify myself of this filth, she thought as she flew off to return home. When she returned, she dove into a small pond and emerged with a splash from the sparkling water. Better already, she thought, ducking beneath the clear rippling water again. She scrubbed the outside world from her body, feeling more whole with every second in the cool water. She stood and stretched, the wild growth of the forest lending an air of mysticism to the pool. She felt at peace. She smiled to herself, ruffling out her long, ebony hair. She rinsed herself one last time before rising and climbing from the pool. She slowly wrapped a white linen around herself and shook out her hair as she rose, then pulled on a white robe and did up her hair in a bun. She turned when she heard a noise from behind to see… Bruce?
Soon, an island rose on the horizon like it was climbing above the waves themselves. Tall white cliffs were topped with lush forests, and light green grass climbed halfway up a high mountain peak wreathed in low-hanging clouds. Just like she described it, Clark thought. Paradise. Then he realized just what that meant. "Oh no," he said. "We can't land there," he told Bruce over the earpiece.
"I'm landing there," Bruce replied gruffly.
"No, we can't." Clark caught the Batwing and held it in midair. "That's Themiscyra. Paradise Island. I interviewed Steve Trevor once. They don't allow men on the island."
"I don't care," Bruce growled. He tried to fight against Superman's strength, pushing the Batwing toward the ground, but Clark only pulled back harder, keeping it in place.
"Bruce, if you land," Clark grunted, "they will kill you. They won't even ask questions later."
Bruce didn't respond. Suddenly the canopy of the Batwing popped open and he leapt down, using his scalloped cape as a parachute to glide down to the clifftop. "Coming?" he smirked up at Superman.
"You're going to get us killed," Clark muttered, shaking his head as he floated down to Batman's side.
Fighting their way through the dense forest, Bruce suddenly saw something that made him stop. Diana was bathing in a spring-fed pond. She was beautiful. He could feel it overcoming his practiced control. Clark saw her too, just as she was rising from the water. He quickly turned away, and Bruce shielded his eyes out of respect. Clark could feel the pheromones rolling off of Bruce, and he could tell something was off. Physically, Bruce was the least expressive man Clark had ever met, but now he could have smelled him from halfway across the island. He tempered his own reaction to Diana's beauty and waited to see how things played out, hoping Bruce didn't get himself killed.
"Thank God," Bruce said, his low voice almost cracking into what would be a normal register on most people as he walked toward her, almost in a trance. "You're okay." He pulled her close and planted a kiss on her lips. Clark's jaw dropped. He'd expected a bad idea, but this was far beyond anything he had anticipated.
Diana's eyes widened and she quickly pushed him away. She didn't know how they'd found her or why they had come, but one thing was certain. No man tries to handle her. She swung her fist, catching Batman in the jaw and sending him sprawling.
Clark chuckled briefly, then clammed up when her glare fell on him, sparks flying from her dark eyes. "We were just worried," he said, holding up his hands. "If I knew what just came over him, I'd tell you." Bruce sat up and rubbed his jaw, a smirk playing on his lips.
Suddenly the forest came alive with a crashing of branches as a dozen Amazonian warriors came from behind Diana, encircling the men with weapons drawn. "Princess Diana!" the leader cried. "Are you alright?"
Bruce's eyes widened as Clark helped him to his feet. "Princess?" He stammered, losing composure.
"I'm fine," Diana told her warriors. "I will meet you two back in Gotham. Leave now, before I lose my patience," she said coolly, turning on her heel and leaving with her guards, walking stiffly.
"Of course," Clark said quietly, lifting Bruce into the air. "Come on, loverboy," he joked before setting Bruce back in the cockpit of the Batwing and carrying it away.
"Shut up," Bruce growled, his voice back to its gravelly rumble. "And stop carrying everything. We get it!" He turned on the plane and flew it out of Superman's hands.
Clark just laughed. "I'm sorry, the pilot was a little shellshocked," he said as he caught up with the jet.
"Don't you have a cat to pull out of a tree?" Batman groused, veering off from Superman.
"Mr. Wayne," Clark asked, pulling level and putting on what Jimmy called his reporter voice, "Which hurts worst? The wounded pride at going head over heels, the rejection of a beautiful woman, or the punch that would have registered on the Richter scale?"
"I'd say it might be talking to someone about lowering your pay over at the Daily Planet. Don't worry, it'd hurt me more than it'd hurt you."
"I'm a Pulitzer Prize winner with multiple bestselling books and novels, Bruce, and I'm still in my twenties. Perry hates admitting it, but he thinks I'm too valuable to snub."