Once again all thanks go to The Lady Isis for being my Beta for this, now on with chapter 2...
Wonder Woman came home after a long hard day of being a superhero. "Now I know why Clark hates robots," she says to herself as she begins to change out of her armor. She gets as far as the second boot when the phone rings. She sighs and picks up the receiver. "Hello?" her tired voice asks.
"Good evening, Your Highness," a very familiar British voice answers.
A smile crosses Diana's face. "Now Alfred, I told you just to call me 'Diana'," she says back.
"My apologies, Diana, and I wish I was calling with better news, but Master Bruce asked me to call you about an attack on the mansion tonight," he tells her.
After Alfred describes the event, Diana flies straight for Gotham. When she reaches the mansion she lands on the vast back lawn and comes in through the kitchen door. She walks in to find Barbra and Dick sitting at the counter eating sandwiches.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah, we just had a nap and when we woke up, we took care of the mess," Barbra explains. "Also Dick got to strip search an unconscious Amazon."
Diana turns to Dick and he explains, "Casandra and Steph did the searching, Idid the carrying. Amazons are heavier than they look." After a moment he looks rather embarrassed at Diana and says, "Not that-"
"Amazons are large, muscular women. We do not put much stock in being light," she assures him. "Where is Bruce?"
"He got into his work clothes and went down into the basement," Barbra explains.
Diana thanks them, and heads for the cave. She goes through the clock entrance and down the stairs to find Batman sitting at his computer, going over the footage from the mansion's security cameras. She looks at the giant screen and sees her friend battling for his life, against women using Theymisciran martial arts.
"You've been going easy on me during our sparring sessions," she notes.
"Hardly, if any of these women were as good as you, I'd be dead," he tells her.
She looks at the screen as it shows him taking out the redhead. "You're aren't giving yourself enough credit," she says. Then she looks back at him and asks, "Where are they?"
He leads her through the gave to a series of holding cells, four of which hold the attackers. "I'll take them to Themyscira, well get answers from there," Diana tells him.
"No, I want to interrogate them here," he answers.
"Bruce, they are my people," Wonder Woman insists.
She knows she said the wrong thing when he turns and glares at her. "Your people? These women came into my city, gassed me and my family, and assaulted me in my own home, I don't give a damn whose people they are!" he finishes, in an uncharacteristic yell.
Ever the diplomat, Diana says, "I can see you're upset, and I can understand that. So how about we both handle the interrogation - but I want your permission to take them back to Themyscira afterward. Deal?"
Bruce nods. "That's acceptable."
Diana touches her friend on his shoulder and says, "Something's gotten to you Bruce, something else apart from this. What's wrong?"
"They knew who I was, Diana. I've kept my identity secret for years to stop something like this from happening. To protect those closest to me," he explains.
"I understand," she tells him. "Come on, let's figure this out."
The two of them manhandle the leader of the four into an interrogation room. They strap her into a chair made of a titanium and Nth metal alloy, then Diana takes her lasso and wraps in around the prisoner. She sits across the table from her and orders, "Wake up."
The Lasso glows and the dark woman is instantly awake. She looks between Batman and Wonder Woman and says, "So you brought the Princess?" she asks in a language very familiar to Diana.
"Who are you?" Diana asks.
The Lasso glows again, and the woman it holds is compelled to answer, "I'm called Onyx."
"Are you a member of the Bana-Mighdall?" Wonder Woman asks.
"No," Onyx answers.
"You aren't from Themyscira, who are your people?" Diana asks.
The dark skinned woman struggles to stay silent as the Lasso of Truth glows brightly around her. Finally she is forced to spit out, "My people are The ξεχάσει."
"The Forgotten?" Batman asks.
"Explain where your people came from," Diana orders.
"Before the war which devastated your civilization, and before your rulers argued liked schoolgirls and split the survivors into two different tribes, we were banished from our home by our sisters. We were cast out into the wild like dogs. We were expected to die. We survived however, and we thrived in the secret, dark places of the world. Now is the time for our victorious return," Onyx explains.
Batman takes hold of the Lasso and asks, "What do the Xechasmenos want with me?"
"I was simply told to take you alive," Onyx says. Then she smiles, "But after seeing how you handled yourself, I'd keep you chained to a bed and use you for breeding stock."
Batman leans close to her and growls, "Who sent you after me?"
"Tal Rashiarna, the leader of the Xechasmenos, the Priestess of Darker Gods," she answers, her eyes glazing over a bit.
"Where can we find her?" Batman asks.
The Lasso glows bright and Onyx is about to answer, but her head falls back, her eyes roll up to the whites, and a different voice comes out her mouth and tells him, "Too close, Dark Knight."
Then before their eyes, the bound woman's body begins to shake violently as if she is having a seizure. Her tattoos glow, then her head falls forward and she goes still.
Wonder Woman quickly rushes over and checks the woman's pulse. "She's dead," she tells him.
Batman runs out and checks the others to find them in the same state. "They all are," he calls out.
Wonder Woman walks out and looks in shock at the bodies of the lost Amazons. Her expression turns resolute and she says, "I'm going to return to Themyscira to learn all I can about the Xechasmenos."
Bruce nods, "While you do that I'll search for Tal Rashiarna."
TBC. Reviews are always welcome.