AUTHOR'S NOTE: It's been a while and I've been promising I was gonna upload this and I finally got around to finishing writing it. So here it is. That one cool time when Nightwing and Prodigy broke into Themiscyra to steal some stuff that turned out longer than planned. This AU's Nightwing and Damian are being fleshed out a little here. Hope you enjoy.
WAYNETECH PORTABLE COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM
STATUS: ONLINE
[userID/prodigy] logged in 4 minutes ago
[userID/nightwing] logged in 2 minutes ago
MISSION PARAMETERS
updated 2 hours ago by [userID/batman]
Infiltrate Themyscira. Find all relevant information on target. Extract information. Leave. Preferred visibility: zero.
TARGET: Diana Prince
— — —
Damian Wayne runs a finger over the sharp edge of his blade – a gift from his mother – as the Batwing cuts through the air over the seas surrounding Greece. Below him, through the darkness, he sees the waves rolling as far as his eyes can go. A few ships blink in the waters below.
He looks to his side at Nightwing, in his sleek black and blue stealth-suit, who is focused on flying the Batwing. Tt, Damian thinks to himself while reviewing the mission parameters in his mind, this will be easy.
His father has trusted him to carry out this important task. It was clear. He was the only one in the family who was beyond good in maintaining zero visibility beyond enemy lines. Nightwing was not entirely bad, sure, but Damian knows that he has the edge even his father doesn't have. Ten years of tutelage under the Head of the Demon, the revered Ra's al Ghul. His grandfather.
He runs through his father's words in his mind. Preferred visibility: zero.
"How much longer till we arrive?" Damian asks Nightwing.
"A few minutes."
"Are you sure?"
Nightwing turns to look at him. Damian can't see his face underneath the mask, but the image of a raised eyebrow is clear and present. "Do you trust B's directions?"
The question offends Damian. There could never be any doubt whether he trusts his father. Damian trusts his father, it's the brothers – especially the imposter – that he doesn't trust. But still, he knows that Nightwing is… tolerable. "You doubt my trust in father?" Damian asks.
Nightwing shrugs as if it answers the question. Then, turning to the controls, he says with a finality, "A few minutes."
Damian closes his eyes and meditates. Experience has taught him that meditation helps him keep his temper in check around infuriating siblings.
— — —
The carefully concealed Amazon headquarters – codenamed 'Themyscira' and referred as such by all the Amazons – is situated in an island somewhere in the Aegean sea. Not many outside the Amazons know of the existence of the Amazons, much less the location of their top-secret headquarters.
It is this knowledge that keeps General Phillipus able to rest without worrying too much about the day-to-day security of the Amazons in a world where espionage and infiltrations have become a daily occurrence. Though she does now have a very serious concern that overshadows all else and takes priority above food or rest.
Diana, the Princess, is missing.
After returning from her Norway mission against the Sorceress, Diana had reported to Phillipus. A few days later, Diana had left the daily training session and gone into her personal quarters for rest. Later that day, when the Princess hadn't arrived to meet with her mother, Queen Hippolyta had grown worried but did nothing. It was only the next night Phillipus had overridden the security on the Queen's orders to find that Diana was gone.
Phillipus sips from the cup of coffee on her desk and then wearily looks again at the security footage from the day Diana had gone missing. She rewinds it back to the beginning. So far, she hasn't found anything that gives her confidence. It worries her.
— — —
[07.00pm] Dick: Babs?
[07.05pm] Dick: baaaaaabs? babe?
[07.16pm] Dick: where are you? okay. doesn't matter
[07.17pm] Dick: B gave me a mission. Im going and might be late
[07.17pm] Dick: don't stay up late also, where Im going? supposed to be filled with ladies
[07.17pm] Dick: all the agents of the amzons are ladies :D
[07.18pm] Dick: wonder whether taking damian is a good idea
[07.18pm] Dick: love you. bye. *heart*
[10.12pm] Me: Sorry, I just got back from
[10.12pm] Me: What? Amazons?
[10.12pm] Me: Just… take care of Damian. Don't get in trouble. Love you too.
— — —
Dick Grayson watches the Batwing's exit slide open as the aircraft hovers in air, about a hundred meters above the compound. According the WayneTech navigation system – not the consumer model or the military one, the one better than either of those – and according to B's directions, they have arrived at Themyscira. The headquarters of the Amazons.
The wind rushes in through the exit and he carefully peers over the edge down below. In the ground, he sees a few women walking about, looking not unlike vacationers in luxurious hotel on the scenic island. He also sees the perfect spot to jump down into. A seemingly unguarded area in the raised part of the roof.
Dick attaches the high-tensile wire he pulls from his belt to the Batwing and jumps off the edge. Within two seconds, he's landed nimbly on part of the roof. Not a moment later, Damian lands beside him.
Immediately, Dick activates the holographic display on his gauntlet and quickly inputs a command. High above, the Batwing slides it's doors close and goes into standby mode. Dick and Damian look around them at the compound in which they've now landed. It looks like an ancient castle – complete with some ruined sections – that has been repurposed in the modern era as a hotel. Dick nods to himself, recognizing the tactical brilliance behind the move, and turns to look at Damian.
"That way." Damian points, answering Dick's unanswered questions.
Dick takes a look at the direction in which Damian is pointing and then looks around once more, noting the location of the seemingly innocuous women around the compound. The lack of men seems to be the first sign that where they are isn't a vacation resort, but in fact the headquarters for an exclusively all-female secret organization. The many security cameras placed all around the compound is the second.
Thankfully, due to the Batwing's capability to detect closed-circuit systems and other security measures, Dick had known about them prior to jumping down. The place where he and Damian now stood was not within the view of any of the cameras and also not pressure-sensitive.
"Little brother, you ready for this?"
Damian scowls at him. "Tt. Do not call me 'little brother' in the field. I am Prodigy," Damian corrects. "And you are Nightwing."
"That I am."
— — —
General Phillipus finishes reviewing security footage from the cameras monitoring the airfield. There isn't anything to show that Diana left using any of the Amazon's planes or helicopters. Feeling a little boost in confidence, she opens the folder containing security footage from the port – the only other way in or out of Themyscira.
Just as the footage starts playing on her computer screen, an alert pops up on the lower right corner of her desk. She enlarges it and reads.
PRESSURE SENSORS TRIGGERED
SECTION 34R
POSSIBLE THREAT LEVEL: FIVE
A level five threat? Phillipus immediately presses the alarm button on her desk, sending a muted alert to the entirety of the base. A muted alert meant that there wasn't any red lights flashing or a loud alarm blaring. The intruders, whoever they were, would never know they were detected. The false sense of security was an absolute advantage to the Amazons. Along with the alert, every Amazon has also received the section where the alarms were triggered. When the intruders came in, they would inevitably face an army of Amazons.
Grabbing her sword from its rack, the Amazon's Army General Phillipus drained her cup of coffee and set off to war.
It had been so long since she fought off an invader. General Phillipus would savor this fight.
— — —
PRESSURE SENSORS TRIGGERED
SECTION 34R
POSSIBLE THREAT LEVEL: FIVE
Dick reads the alert on his gauntlet and grimaces. The Amazons had exceedingly excellent security – barring one or two excusable flaws – but Red Robin had cut through the security like it was butter. More precisely, the software that Tim had written – with Babs' help – had hacked through Themyscira's internal security like it was mall security.
He feels a surge of pride for both his brother back home and his girlfriend, currently in Star City.
"I am a genius." Damian declares, beaming at Dick, looking down from the security port.
He doesn't feel so proud of his insufferable little brother, but he agrees with Damian's assessment of himself. It was Damian's idea to pull a bait-and-switch-like move. Hacking into the Amazon's security system using the security port underneath a CCTV camera, Damian had used Tim's software – named 'Red Robin', after his own secret identity – and triggered a pressure sensor alert in a doorway in the opposite side of the Amazon compound. Damian had done all this while hanging upside down, so as not to trigger the pressure sensors in this area. To top it off, Damian had disabled all security measures except the CCTV cameras while still keeping them turned on. Dick knows that now, he and Damian have carte blanche access to Themyscira. More or less.
"You are a moderately skilled assistant." Dick tells Damian and then opens the door in front of them. Damian jumps down, snarls at Dick and walks inside the door. Dick follows, closing the door behind him with a smirk.
— — —
Damn.
General Phillipus arrives at Section 34R, a biometric secured door that opened to the outdoor pool, takes one look at the confused look at the gathered Amazons and realizes what has happened. She takes a moment to assess the situation and form a strategy.
"Spread out. Now! Find those intruders!" Phillipus shouts out, feeling a contained rage grow at having been made the fool of by the unknown intruders. "And when you do, call me!"
— — —
Dick walks out of the server room of the Amazons with a smile on his face. Tim's Red Robin software hadn't had much trouble with the servers. He simply had to plug it in, type in the keywords 'Diana Prince', wait for it to run the search and then copy all the files. Now, he walks down the corridor in a brisk pace, fully aware that the CCTV cameras can see him. But it's all according to plan.
True, B had preferred zero visibility, but his plan meant that the Amazons, seeing him on the security feeds would come running to him. Damian, who was excellent at making himself unseen, would have a larger window of time to find and extract all physical data pertinent to the target.
He turns the corner at the end of the long corridor at stops abruptly. A bunch of women stand in front of him, murder in their eyes and really sharp swords in their hands.
"Hey, ladies." He waves at them.
They attack. How rude? He cracks his neck and pulls out his twin batons. And for the next two minutes, he holds his own, dodging blades whizzing about his by mere inches and managing to land some bruise-inflicting hits on his assailants. He even begins to think that he might have a chance of winning, but soon, he is overcome. Twelve swords against two batons? It was never a fair match.
One of the women, looking decidedly older and with stern, hardened features that doesn't hide her beauty, sheathes her sword and steps forward. "Who are you?" she asks.
"I am…" Dick drags for a good while before continuing, "the smartest guy you've seen." He smirks and shrugs, as if to emphasize his point. Then he asks, "Who are you?"
"I am General Phillipus," the woman in front of him pronounces.
"I am Major Trouble." Dick offers.
General Phillipus glares at him. Then she reaches out with her hands towards his face. Dick takes a step backward shaking his head. He feels the point of a sword press into him from the back. He stops and takes a step forward.
"Now, now." Dick starts as the General's hands reach towards his face. "I know I must look very appealing but I have a girlfriend. That's not to say you aren't beautiful, because General, you are gorgeous."
Her hands are now at the edges of his mask. She pulls. Dick hears a slight whirring sound and a click before his suit's defense system kicks in. 15 milliamperes of current. There is a loud zap and a vibration around his ears and the General retrieves her hands, cursing. Anyone else, Dick thinks, would be curled up on the floor now.
"Also," Dick now adds, looking with a sheepish expression at the General, "My mask does that."
"Detain him!" the General orders the women around her. "We need to question you, 'Major Trouble'. Hope you don't mind staying here a while."
Smiling, Dick takes a step back into the point of the sword. He feels it poke through the stretched material of his stealth-suit. He raises his hands in front of him and counters in the best diplomatic tone he can muster. "You girls have a lovely vacation resort here. Can I have access to the swimming pool? You do have one, right?"
"Yes, we do." The General, still glaring at him, answers in menacing tone that reminds Dick of Talia, B's girlfriend from long ago, whom Dick had only seen once and been sufficiently scared.
Dick smiles. "Will any of you be joining me?"
Keeping her eyes locked in his, the General's hand whips to her sheath and she pulls out her sword in a blink. Within a second, the point is at his throat. "It would do you good to keep your mouth closed, intruder." There is no humor in the General's tone.
"Come on, I can't start doing that now!" Dick mutters, half under his breath. "I've been running my mouth for years!"
— — —
Damian peers over the corner and his eyebrows raise in amusement at the scene before him. Nightwing was standing, surrounded by twelve women, all of whom had their swords raised. One of them, the one directly in front of Nightwing had the point of the sword at his neck.
He turns, mutters a quick prayer, flexes his wrist and then runs towards Nightwing.
The women don't stand a chance. He has the element of surprise, because no one – well, except one girl – has seen him and he also has the requisite skills to fight these women. All the women—why were they all women?—to his great delight were armed with swords. After having missed fighting his grandfather's army of ninjas for a long time, this was his turn to excel in a fair sword vs sword fight.
It takes a few moments, but soon, all the women are on the floor. Wounded and in pain, but alive and with wounds that while hurt, would heal quick. Though Ra's had taught him to kill, Damian's father's way was one of mercy and Damian tried his best to please his father. Once he is done with the women, he looks up at Nightwing, who doesn't even have the good grace to look thankful.
"I had it under control." Nightwing says.
Damian looks around at the twelve women, glaring at them from the ground. "I could see that."
"Our evac should be here now. Want to get out of here?"
Damian nods. Nightwing starts off in a quick jog down the hallway and Damian follows him, casting one last look at the downed women. "Why are they all women?"
"I don't know, really."
"They are worthy women. Mother would have liked them." Nightwing pauses for a moment to look at him. Damian doesn't understand the look of concern that flashes for a moment in Nightwing's face. It's gone quickly.
"Let's go, little brother."
"Tt." Damian utters with utter contempt. "I am Prodigy."
— — —
Sofia looks at herself in the mirror in the attached bathroom in her personal quarters. The day had been most unexpected and beyond exciting. When the alert was issued to all the Amazons, she had been thrilled to finally have a chance to demonstrate her skills on an actual battle. However, when she had started out, her instructor had stopped her and asked her to retreat to her quarters, citing her young age.
I am thirteen! Sofia had thought, but hadn't voiced her protests. She had turned silently to walk away. It was then, on her way to the residential area, she had encountered him.
The demon.
A boy who didn't look older than twelve. Shorter than her in height. With short, but wild hair and a crazed look in his eyes. Sofia had retrieved her sword to engage him in fight and ran at him, but he had parried easily with a sword of his own that was as half as long as him. She had attacked again, but the demon dodged. The fight had lasted less than thirty seconds and by the end of it, she was on the floor, with his sword at her cheek. The sharp blade sliced a thin line and it was bleeding lightly.
The demon had smirked at her. "You were a worthy opponent," he had said and then ran off the opposite side of the corridor.
Now standing at her mirror, she dabs at the dried blood in her cheek and smiles. The demon was skilful and well-versed in the way of the sword. She remembers the air of arrogance he radiated and beneath the domino mask he wore, an undeniable handsomeness. Her smile grows fonder.
The demon, she thinks. Will I meet him again?
— — —
[10.12pm] Babs: Sorry, I just got back from
[10.12pm] Babs: What? Amazons?
[10.12pm] Babs: Just… take care of Damian. Don't get in trouble. Love you too.
[11:57pm] Me: i am the best boyfriend ever
[11:58pm] Me: twelve gorgeous women flirted with me and desperately wanted me to stay
[11:58pm] Me: stay like with them on luxury greek hotel in the SEA 8|
[11:58pm] Me: i of course, said no because i have you :D
[11:59pm] Me: i also took care of damian like the best big brother ever
[11:59pm] Me: omw to the batcave to hand stuff off to B
[11:59pm] Me: im gonna call you before I sleep *heart*
A/N 2: If the direction I am taking the characters seems out-of-character, I am not sorry. This is my interpretation of DC's characters in my AU. Still, I hope you liked it. References to things that happened in this chapter can be found in chapters 2 and 4 of "The League 1 — WONDER WOMAN: Infiltration". About the character Sofia, I dunno why I added her and where I wanna take her... but, for now, she will be present way in the background. Also, on an added note, in this universe, Damian has only come into the Batfamily recently.
