Fine Lines
A flash of light out of the corner of her eye caught Diana's attention. Glancing to her left briefly, she commented, "Looks like a storm's brewing."
Bruce tapped a few of the controls. After a few seconds, he said, "International weather stations are reporting a tropical storm off the coast of Florida and Georgia. We should change course to avoid it."
Diana nodded and began to change their flight path. Once they were flying steady toward their destination – Metropolis – again, she asked, "Audrey's teasing aside, you did have some fun, didn't you?"
He paused for several seconds before admitting grudgingly, "I've been to worse parties."
High praise… Diana blinked, suddenly feeling disoriented.
"You okay?" Bruce asked, having sensed her sudden distraction.
"I think so," she replied, "I just felt strange for a moment. This all felt familiar, like we'd done it before."
"Déjà –"
An explosion rocked the Javelin, ending all further conversation. Diana worked with Bruce to keep the craft in the air until they reached the coastline. Her hands were lined with sweat and she could feel the controls slipping.
Diana's eyes widened. "Bruce –" she started, but she was too late. The controls slid through her clenched and aching fingers.
The reaction was immediate and the Javelin plowed into the beach nose first. The wings were wrenched from the main body, which slid along the sand for several yards before coming to a stop.
Diana groaned and struggled to release her restraints. "B-Bruce?" She turned around to see him also working to free himself. Blood was trickling from both his mouth and his nose.
"We've got to get out of here. The fuel tanks are leaking." His voice is muffled and nasal due to the damage to his nose.
Diana nodded and lurched out of her chair. Ignoring the pain shooting through her legs and back, she grabbed Bruce's arm and threw it around her shoulders. She could smell the fuel and the smoke. She did not have much time.
The explosions started just before they reached the exit. Her eyes widening, Diana hurriedly punched the damaged doors open. That was when an explosion ripped through the innards of the Javelin.
The last thing Diana saw was Bruce being launched clear of the burning aircraft.
A flash of light out of the corner of her eye caught Diana's attention. Glancing to her left briefly, she commented, "Looks like a storm's brewing."
Bruce tapped a few of the controls. After a few seconds, he said, "International weather stations are reporting a tropical storm off the coast of Florida and Georgia. We should change… course to…"
Diana's mind was flooded with images more quickly this time. She didn't even have to look at Bruce to know he was experiencing the same thing.
"Don't change course," he snapped, even as she came to the same conclusion. "Better to brave a storm than whatever is waiting for us if we do go further north."
She nodded. "What is happening?" she asked as she drove the Javelin toward a dark and stormy horizon.
"I'm not sure," Bruce replied. "Some kind of time-loop, perhaps. We've relived the same –"
Yet again, an explosion rocked the Javelin, only this one seemed even worse. No matter what Diana did, the Javelin went beyond her control and they plowed nose first into the ocean. The impact tore the ship – and everything in it – to pieces.
The words "Looks like a storm's brewing" were barely out of Diana's mouth before she realized what was wrong. "The time-loop has started again." Tapping a few of the controls, Diana swung the Javelin upward. "Heading toward the Watchtower," she said, "we can run diagnostics on the ship from there and take the transporter or another Javelin back to Earth."
"Agreed. I'll contact the Watchtower, let them know we're making an emergency stop," Bruce said. Making a few adjustments to his console, he spoke again. "Batman to Watchtower; come in Watchtower."
"Watch… receiv… man. Can ba… hear…"
"Copy that, switching to alternate frequency," he told them. After he did so, Diana listened to him begin to explain the situation when the Javelin gave a fierce shudder. It ceased its steep ascent into orbit and began to fall back from whence it came.
"At this trajectory we're going to burn up in the atmosphere," she said in frustration.
"Watchtower, beam us from Javelin VII immediately!" Bruce shouted into the comm link.
"Repeat…not c…"
Too late, Diana thought angrily. "What is happen –"
This time the Javelin was incinerated on re-entry through the atmosphere.
"Diana!"
Her eyes shot open and she gasped in the air greedily. Instinctively, she rolled onto her side to avoid choking on anything. After several seconds of trying to calm herself, Diana looked up at Bruce, who was staring down at her worriedly.
"Are you all right?" He asked. "Your heart stopped."
She slowly sat up, answering, "I… think so." She glanced around in confusion. She could have sworn. "Weren't we just on the Javelin? Trying to make it to the Watchtower?" she asked him.
He stared at her. "What are you talking about? We crashed here, Diana. The impact threw you out of the Javelin completely."
Diana blinked. She could have sworn…
Bruce shook his head. "Don't worry about it for now," he told her. "We've got to contact the Watchtower." He paused, studying her. "You should get looked at when we get back."
Diana didn't argue with him.
Bruce stood up and started to climb back up the tree toward the Javelin, prompting Diana to get up and follow him. A wave of dizziness hit her as she made it to her feet, but she pushed it back and started to climb. By the time Diana managed to get back into the Javelin, Bruce was already working at the emergency communication systems in the back.
"Batman to Watchtower; come in Watchtower."
Diana shivered.
"This is Watchtower, we read you, Batman."
"Javelin VII suffered catastrophic system failure and was forced to crash land on the coast of the United States. Are the transporters still down?"
"Yes. The technicians are working, but say they won't have them back up for another day or so."
"Fine," he said. "Track this signal and send a Javelin to extract me and Wonder Woman. Also, alert the infirmary. Wonder Woman suffered injuries that stopped her heart, though she was resuscitated with CPR."
There was a definite pause before Mr. Terrific responded, "Acknowledged, Batman. Green Lantern and Vixen are boarding Javelin IV now. They will be at your location in twenty."
"Good. Batman out."
Once the channel was closed, Bruce turned to look at Diana. He opened his mouth, but was cut off by a violent heave from the Javelin. Metal screeched in protest as the aircraft began to fall from the trees.
Diana's eyes widened, but she reacted without delay. Grabbing Bruce in her arms, she flew out the way they came, ignoring the branches scratching at her skin and hair. They made it clear just as the Javelin crashed hard to the ground.
Choosing to land several yards away in case the aircraft caught fire – again, she thought to herself – Diana put Bruce back on his feet. "That was close," she said.
Bruce didn't answer, just nodded.
Diana sat down and leaned against a tree trunk wearily. Her limbs felt heavy, and it had taken much more effort than it normally did to fly both herself and Bruce clear of the falling Javelin. She closed her eyes, just to rest for a moment –
"Diana!"
Her eyes snapped open. Bruce was next to her, kneeling down. "Stay awake," he commanded. "You could have suffered a brain injury. You need to stay conscious until you get checked out."
Diana nodded slowly. "This is strange," she murmured. "I've never been injured like this before. I can withstand being electrocuted, but I am weakened from a crash? And that's not even the first one I've lived through –"
"I know," Bruce interrupted, "but your heart stopped, Diana. Literally. We don't know what that might have done to you. So stay awake."
Her lips twitched and she replied, "Of course, Batman. Hera forbid I disobey an order."
She was fairly sure Bruce was rolling his eyes beneath his cowl.
Diana managed to keep her eyes open, but was relieved when Javelin IV appeared in the skies above them. The aircraft came to hover just above them and the ramp lowered. Bruce, however, refused to let her fly them up and instead yelled up for Vixen to throw down a rope ladder for them to climb up.
Diana's body still felt strange, but she was determined to get up to the Javelin on her own power. Bruce held the ladder steady for her while she began to ascend it. She looked up and saw Vixen reaching down to her, ready to help her make it the rest of the way up. Diana reached up to take the other woman's hand –
Then everything changed. Again.
One-two-three-four-five-six-seven-eight-nine-ten. Breathe into mouth. Bruce kept alternating the chest compressions and giving Diana mouth-to-mouth. Pausing briefly to check for a pulse, there was nothing.
"Damn it, Diana," he growled, "come on!" He continued doing even more chest compressions. Sweat was dripping down from beneath the mask of his cowl. Six-seven-eight-nine-ten. Breathe into mouth. Check for pulse.
Still nothing.
Bruce's breathing was fast becoming ragged. "Diana…" He tried the chest compressions again, probably snapping a few of Diana's ribs in the process.
It was a horrible tableau to watch, and watching it Diana was. She stared, watching Bruce attempting to force life back into her own body. His attempts were not going well.
When for the fourth time the motions of CPR did not work, Diana watched Bruce's shoulder's slump. He pulled her body up off the ground, gathering her close to him. "Diana," he whispered, "Diana…" He then started rocking, continuing to mutter her name, over and over.
Diana herself started to tremble just a little bit. Biting her lip, she approached him. Kneeling down, she said, "Bruce, please, I'm right here."
He didn't react at all to her voice, just kept holding her body close to him, his face buried in her hair. "Bruce," she repeated, "Bruce, please, don't…" Diana reached out to lay a hand on his shoulder. Her jaw dropped when it fell right through his arm.
What is this madness? She thought, looking around desperately. I don't understand!
Bruce, meanwhile, seemed to have regained control of his emotions. He lifted his face from her hair. His face was dry, his breathing had calmed. Slowly, he released his tight grip on her body and lay her down carefully on the ground. He then stood up, his cape falling around his shoulders and encasing his body, as it so often did when he wanted to withdraw inside himself. Bruce's shoulders were hunched forward, and he stared down at her body for some time.
Diana tried several more times to get Bruce's attention, but to no avail. He could not hear her calling to him, nor could he feel her attempts to touch him. She even tried touching her own body, hoping that perhaps physical contact might merge them together again, and allow her to awaken from this nightmare. That too was unsuccessful.
Eventually, another Javelin soared overhead. Bruce finally stopped staring at her body and used a variety of hand-signals, ordering the pilot to land on the beach not far from the crash site. He then picked up Diana's body and started to make his way toward the beach. Diana followed.
Javelin IV had already landed by the time they arrived. The ramp lowered as they approached and both Vixen and Green Lantern rushed down it, the former holding a first-aid kit in her hands. Diana watched them freeze, shock falling over their faces.
"Batman," John started, "what –"
He was cut off when Bruce just marched right past them, not saying a word as he bore Diana's limp body up the ramp and into the Javelin. The first-aid kit slid from Mari's fingers to the ground and her other hand covered her mouth. Her eyes were wide.
Sensing she was likely hoping in vain, Diana nevertheless called out, "Lantern, Vixen? Can you hear me?" Like before, they did not respond in anyway to her. Shoulders slumping, Diana followed the two up the ramp. She certainly couldn't do anything if she was left behind on this Hera-forsaken beach.
Bruce had seated himself in the back of the Javelin on one of the benches. He had yet to relinquish Diana's body. Diana observed Vixen scoot around him, her eyes glassy. John paused in Vixen's wake, reaching out tentatively and resting his hand briefly on the top of Diana's head. Bruce stiffened, but otherwise did not react. His posture only relaxed when John moved to join Vixen at the front of the aircraft, leaving him alone.
Diana bit her lip, wanting to reach out and touch him but knowing it would do no good. Defeated for the moment, she sat down next to him, trying not to think too hard about her dead body lying in his lap just inches away from her. It wasn't natural.
Up at the front of the Javelin, Diana could hear Vixen contacting the Watchtower.
"We hear you, Javelin IV. Report."
Vixen's voice was shaking. "Green Lantern and I retrieved Wonder Woman and Batman. She… Wonder Woman is dead."
There was no immediate answer, but Diana could hear a sharp intake of air over the channel. "A-Acknowledged. Infirmary is on stand-by."
The trip up to the Watchtower passed in silence and without incident. Bruce continued to stare straight ahead, not looking down at Diana's body but not letting her out of his arms either. While waiting for them to arrive at their destination, Diana struggled to figure out her next step. None of the others present could sense her presence, no matter what she did to catch their attention. She could guess that the same would occur if she tried to interact with the other members of the League... unless…
J'onn. Diana recalled the end of the Cadmus Crisis, when they thought that the destruction of Brainiac within Lex Luthor's body had cost Flash his life. For many harrowing seconds, they had thought Wally was dead, until J'onn's telepathy had picked up on Wally's fading mind, giving them enough time to pull the young man back from the Speed Force. Perhaps J'onn's telepathic abilities would enable him to sense her much in the same way that he had sensed Wally.
It was a possibility, her best one at the moment. Feeling a renewed sense of hope, Diana looked to the front of the Javelin. They were on their final approach to the Watchtower. Biting her lip, she turned to Bruce, "I know you can't hear me, Bruce, but it's going to be all right soon. J'onn will surely hear me and we can find a way to fix this."
Indeed, Bruce didn't hear her, but Diana still felt a bit better for saying it.
The Javelin landed in the hangar in short order. When the ramp was lowered, Bruce stood up and carried Diana's body down it, John, Vixen, and Diana herself following close in his wake.
Superman, Shayera, and Green Arrow were the only ones waiting for them in the hangar. Diana's heart ached when she saw the raw anguish on her friends' faces. Clark stepped forward, reaching out as though to relieve Bruce of her body, but Bruce merely jerked away from him and continued toward the doors.
"What happened?" Diana heard Shayera demand behind her.
"We don't know," Vixen replied. "He hasn't said a word."
"He probably won't until the official debriefing," Green Arrow spoke up. "He doesn't handle loss well, and his ability to talk about it isn't much better."
True, Diana thought, shaking her head. She watched her friends follow Bruce toward the doors to the hangar. She moved to follow, wishing she could ease their pain –
"I know how you're feeling, my dear."
Diana whirled around, reflexively going into a fighting stance. What she saw, however, made her freeze, shocked to her core. Or rather, who she saw.
The woman in front of her wore the traditional garb of Themyscira, only with a white cape attached at her right shoulder with an elaborate pin, similar to the clothing Diana's mother wore for important gatherings. Her face was beautiful, and her intense green eyes stood out from healthy golden skin. Her red hair was done up in an intricate tower of braids, while a silver coronet was set at the base of those braids, resting on her head.
Diana had never met this woman in all her long years, but she had seen her before. The artisans on Themyscira had recreated this woman's face in many forms, in mosaics, in pottery, and even in portrait painting, though that art was a relatively new one to Themyscira. Diana had heard of this woman in stories told to her as a child by her mother as well as her sisters, most of whom had known her.
"Andromache," Diana breathed.
Andromache, while known as the wife of Hector, the eldest son of Priam, King of Troy, was far more than what Man's World remembered her to be. She had been an Amazon, one of the few of the sisterhood who chose in ancient times to leave the island and make a life separate from that of her people. When she married Hector, she gave up the immortality gifted to all Amazons. As a result, she had eventually aged and died, though she had lived for many years after the death of her husband at the hands of Achilles.
Andromache offered Diana a kind smile. "I greet you, Diana of Themyscira, daughter of Hippolyta and Princess of the Amazons," she said, bowing her head. "I know of your confusion. We have much to discuss."
Diana glanced at her friends' retreating backs and then back to the other woman. "I believe we do," she said. "May we do so as we follow them?" she requested politely. "I do not wish to abandon them."
A flicker of sadness crossed Andromache's features, but she nodded. "Of course. There is much you should see with them as well." Andromache held out a hand. "Please, lead the way."
