Chapter 3
Batcave; May 20th, 18:48 EST
Bruce descended into his domain with a cup of coffee gripped firmly in his hand and a determined expression fixed on his face. He was anxious to track down Killer Croc before anymore bodies showed up in the sewers, but he was also interested in reading Diana's report from the stakeout.
He still felt a twinge of guilt about leaving Diana during the stakeout last night, but Robin had gotten a lead on Croc. He had needed to return to Gotham or there could have been more fatalities. They had followed his trail for hours only to lose Croc in the end.
When he had returned to the cave early this morning, he had checked the Watchtower logs to find out if Diana had needed backup after he had left. Thankfully, she hadn't called for any, returning to her quarters on the 'Tower around five in the morning.
He hadn't been very happy that she had been called out for a mission in Bolivia an hour later. Even though blessed by the gods, even the Amazon princess needed sleep once in a while. He made a mental note to have a long talk with Flash about calling in Leaguers for a mission like that after going a night without sleep.
Bruce pulled up the report that Diana had filed earlier today from their stakeout. He quickly read through it, impressed once again with her concise yet detailed report. It appeared that Luthor had met with an unknown woman at the bar last night, but, according to Diana's report, it didn't appear to her to be a romantic meeting.
With Luthor, though, that didn't necessarily mean that it wouldn't turn into a romantic encounter later on down the road. He wondered if this woman was the scientist that Luthor had hired to replicate Kryptonite for him. He jotted down a few notes about the woman's appearance that Diana had thankfully provided in great detail. It would certainly help him narrow down the search for this woman and the nature of her relationship with Luthor.
He was going to have to get Diana a small camera to carry with her at all times. The problem was where she was going to keep it while on missions. That posed a problem seeing how her uniform left very little to the imagination and yet just enough to be completely and utterly dangerous.
Bruce began running a cross check on all of Luthor's known associates against the description that Diana had provided. So far, he was coming up with nothing. Hopefully, Clark and J'onn would be able to gather even further information tonight on their stakeout.
He decided that this latest situation with Luthor couldn't have come at a worst time. He was already on a man hunt for Killer Croc before he amassed any more victims. On top of that, he was trying to oversee the construction of the new Metro Tower they were about to build in Metropolis.
He wanted to get it underway as soon as possible to help temper the fear that the Justice League was becoming far too powerful. He hoped that being more planet based than orbiting in outer space would help quell some of that fear and suspicion that Cadmus had only perpetuated.
Now, they had been forced into an offensive mode, forced to improve relations between the Justice League and the world. Public relations work was definitely not something that he enjoyed or even participated in. He didn't have the patience for it. He preferred to let Clark or Diana handle the PR work while he worked in the shadows where he felt far more comfortable.
Clark and Diana were the bright and shiny heroes that the world wanted to see, and he was more than happy to let them do it. Besides, he'd probably end up losing his temper and terrifying the reporters not to mention further damaging the reputation of the Justice League. It was just as well that he remained hidden behind the scenes.
"Whatcha doin'?"
"Working on a League case," Bruce muttered as he pulled up other case files. There wasn't much more he could do about finding the woman until he had more information on her.
Bruce suddenly felt a head lean over his right shoulder. "What kind of case is it?" Tim asked.
"Nothing you need to worry about right now," Bruce informed him. "Did you get your school work done?"
"Report for history is written, math homework is done, and I read the first three chapters of Moby Dick," he revealed with a proud grin as he hopped up to sit on the edge of Bruce's desk.
Bruce smiled to himself at the smug grin that his young partner was giving him. Tim was clearly pleased with himself for being caught up with his homework. "Good," he praised him. "Now, you can work on cleaning up the mess you made in the training room yesterday."
Tim's grin fell with the reminder of that event. "That wasn't really my fault," he adamantly swore. "I was trying out a new fighting move that I thought would work. It didn't exactly turn out the way that I had anticipated."
"Obviously," Bruce drawled as he glanced at the boy. "Still, you need to clean it up. It's not Alfred's job to clean up after you down here."
Tim's shoulders sunk with the mention of Alfred, knowing that Bruce was right. "Fine," he relented, slipping off the desk and onto his feet once more. "It's not like you don't leave stuff all over down here too."
"It's my cave," he pointed out.
"Why do we even have to clean up down here then?" Tim questioned him, still hoping to get out of it. "It's not like we get very many visitors down here and besides that it's a freaking cave. Caves are supposed be messy and dirty."
"Actually, we will be having a visitor this evening," Bruce absentmindedly informed him as he continued to peruse files.
Tim paused to give him an incredulous look, his eyebrows furrowing with curiosity. "Really? Who is it?"
"Wonder Woman," he revealed as he focused on the crime scene that Killer Croc had left for him to clean up the other night. It was a gruesome sight to behold, one that he knew would be haunting his dreams for weeks to come.
"So? She's been here before," Tim reminded him with an indifferent shrug of a shoulder.
"Yes, but you still need to clean up the mess you made," he told him. "Go get the broom and dustpan and clean up the broken mirror. Make sure you get all the pieces. I don't want to find a shard of mirror in the bottom of my foot later on."
"It's not like she's your girlfriend or anything," Tim muttered under his breath, sulking as he stalked away. "She should be, though. It's not like you don't really like her."
Bruce's lips curled into a frown with Tim's words, nearly causing him to miss a keystroke as he typed on his computer. He glanced at the clock at the bottom corner of his computer screen. He'd hoped to get a little more work done in the search for Croc before she got her, but he really needed her input on the construction of the Metro Tower.
He heard the transporter alarm at that moment, alerting him to the fact that he had a guest arriving. Leaving his computer system, he made his way down the platform steps to meet her. A bright glimmer of light preceded her appearance on the transporter pad in the cave, a smile gracing her face as she saw him approaching her.
"Sorry I'm late," she apologized, dressed in a pair of blue jeans, a t-shirt, and sandals. "I've been away on missions all day."
Bruce frowned with the revelation, taking note of the fatigue that lined her eyes. "Diana, we could have rescheduled this," he told her. "We didn't have to review the plans right now."
"No, it's all right," she reassured him as she descended the steps. "It's a welcome reprieve from being sent out on another mission."
"You never should've been sent out right after returning from an all-night stakeout," he stated, angry with Flash for his thoughtlessness.
She held up a hand in an effort to stifle his anger. "It's okay, Bruce…really," she said. "They were shorthanded and needed the help this morning. I was more than happy to help out."
"You're always more than happy to help out. They take advantage of that fact," he stated in annoyance. "You should have been taken off the schedule after returning from Bolivia."
The corner of Diana's red lips ticked up with his comment. Of course, he would know that she had gone to Bolivia. He knew everything that went on. "Well, I'm here now so let's see the plans you have so far."
"Follow me," he told her, turning on his heel and leading her towards a large table in the cave where several blueprints were spread out.
"Hey, Diana," Tim greeted her as he walked by with a broom and dustpan in his hands.
Diana chuckled softly at the sight, wondering what had happened down here this time that required clean up by a sullen-looking sidekick. "Hello, Tim," she replied with a grin. "Tried another move that didn't go so well?"
Tim drew a deep breath, releasing it through his nose. "You could sort of say that," he replied.
"I'd be happy to teach you some Amazonian moves if you'd like," she offered.
Tim's face immediately brightened with the thought of learning Ancient Greek fighting skills. "Heck yah! That would be so badass!"
"Language, Tim," Bruce warned him.
"Sorry," Tim muttered.
"We'll have to find time for me to teach you," she said.
"Right now, though, she's here to work with me," Bruce clarified. "I believe you have more training to do before we head out on patrol."
"Oh, yah…right," Tim muttered, wrinkling his nose. "I hate practicing Tai Chi. It's so boring."
"It's very important that you master those moves," Diana encouraged him. "It's one of the building blocks that many other martial art skills are based on."
"Okay!" Tim excitedly responded, running off to start his exercises once he'd cleaned up the mess that he'd made.
Diana turned to Bruce, a warm smile lighting her face. "He is so sweet, Bruce," she told him. "He has such a purity of heart."
"He is a good boy," he agreed. "He's not hardheaded like Dick and he's definitely not a troublemaker like Jason was. There's a genuine goodness in him. I just fear that I'll end up corrupting him one of these days, dampening his spirit."
Diana laid a hand on Bruce's forearm, squeezing it gently. "You could never do such a thing, Bruce," she reassured him. "I know you think there is nothing but darkness and rage inside of you, but there's far more to you than that."
Bruce gave her a soft smile, momentarily losing himself in her blue eyes that always seemed to draw him in. Catching himself, he cleared his throat as he abruptly pulled away from her. "These are all the blueprints that I had drawn up for the new Metro Tower. I'd like to see what you think of them and if you have any other suggestions before construction starts in the next couple of weeks."
Taking a seat at the table, Diana pulled one of the blueprints over to her to inspect it. She carefully studied the layout of the first floor, becoming acutely aware of a very muscular body leaning over her shoulder. "What is this going to be here?" she asked, tapping her fingernail on the blueprint.
"That is where the commissary will be…and this will be the monitor womb," he pointed out for her. He grabbed a pencil lying on the desk. "These over here are going to be conference rooms."
"Are there going to be quarters for the League members?" she asked as she looked over the plans with an intent gaze.
"Ah, yes…over here," he thoughtfully murmured, reaching past her to retrieve a different blueprint. "It's going to be on the upper floors. The founders will have quarters on the top floor and the rest of the League will be on floors beneath us."
"I like that idea. It'll make it easy access for departures and arrivals," she decided. "Will there be a common gathering room?"
"I hadn't considered it, but I guess we could make this area over here into an entertainment room," he agreed, moving to slide into a chair right beside her.
She watched as he began writing down some notes on the blueprints, crossing out some things and adding in others. "Where will the transporter rooms be?"
"They will be…along here," he said as he showed her another blueprint, leaning against her side as he reached past her. "The training rooms will be on the second floor…over…here. They're going to be even more advanced then the ones on the Watchtower. Off the training rooms, I designed a room specifically with hot tubs and a sauna to help with relaxation after missions."
"Bruce, this is amazing," Diana said, glancing at him. "I'm never going to want to return to the Watchtower."
The corner of Bruce's lips curled with her compliment. "I think this is really going to help create a more approachable view of the Justice League."
"I really like what you've done with this," she told him. "You've put a lot of thought and planning into it."
He sat back in his seat as he stared at the various blueprints on the table. "I fear that if we don't do something to connect more with the world we could be in for a nasty battle."
Diana frowned as she sat forward, her forearms coming to rest on top of the table. "What do you mean?"
"There's been a lot of backlash against us, princess," he replied. "All it's going to take is one fight that injures civilians or one mission that causes an international incident and we'll lose all backing from the United Nations. Our own government is questioning us, questioning our motives…assigning us a League liaison to keep tabs on us."
"You think Cadmus was just the beginning, don't you?" she inquired, sadness permeating her blue eyes.
He knew how much what had happened with Cadmus had affected her especially in regard to Long Shadow. She took the growing animosity against the League personally. It was her compassionate heart and her immense capacity to love that made the hurt that much harder to bear.
"I'm afraid so, Diana," he confirmed. "I think there will be more distrust from the government. They're going to start making demands, wanting us to make concessions…possibly disband the League."
Diana's gaze fell to the plans spread out on the table, the thought of the League being dissolved cutting her like a knife. This was her family. What would become of her and her mission? She couldn't return to Themyscira. There was no place for her to go.
She swallowed hard at the thought of it. She'd already lost one home and family. She couldn't bear to lose another. She saw a hand slip into her view, moving to cover hers. His fingers curled around hers, tightening and providing the comfort that she needed.
"I won't let it come down to that, princess," he assured her, her head lifting to meet his intense gaze. "It's why I'm taking measures to build this Metro Tower. I'm keeping a close eye on Amanda Waller and what she's been up to. I'm not going to let them shut down the Justice League."
Diana drew a deep breath to calm her hammering heart, nodding in acknowledgement. "Thank you, Bruce," she softly said, finding that his proximity was even closer to hers than it just had been. "I really appreciate that. I'll do whatever it takes to help you keep the League together."
"Diana…" he murmured his name, his eyes falling to her lips, her warm breath brushing against his face.
"Hey, Bruce!" Tim yelled as he ran towards them. "We got trouble!"
Bruce abruptly yanked his hand from Diana's as if he'd just been burned by her, sitting up straighter as his surrogate son approached. "What's wrong, Tim?"
"The Bat signal just went up," he announced. "We got trouble."
"Go get suited up," Bruce told him as he stood to his feet. "Sorry, princess."
"No apologies, Bruce," she replied as she stood as well. "Do you want some help?"
She knew the answer to her question even as the words left her mouth. His hardening expression only added an exclamation point to the answer. "No, we've got this."
"I'll see later then," she said as she began to make her way towards the transporters. "Just let me know when you want to test that new Bat suit."
"I will," he agreed as he made his way to the changing area.
Bruce momentarily paused to watch as Diana walked up the platform steps to the transporter pad, brushing a raven curl behind her ear as she keyed in her destination. Steeling himself, he stalked towards the changing area as she disappeared from sight.
Gotham; May 22nd, 01:36 EST
Batman landed in the sewer with a splash, water and sewage spraying up around his black boots. It was one of his least favorite places to investigate, but circumstances were turning grimmer by the day. Another body had been discovered in Gotham's network of sewers…or what was left of a body.
After being examined by the coroner, the remains had finally been determined to be that of a human—Caucasian male, early thirties, one hundred eighty-two centimeters, dead approximately a couple of days. It matched the description of a man reported missing two days ago by a woman whose husband never returned home from work.
He had seen some of the very worst of man during his years as Batman, more than anyone should ever have to witness, but he knew that nothing could compare to the carnage left behind by Killer Croc. It was something that followed him into his sleep.
Pulling out his flashlight, he began heading south in hopes of finding Croc. The body count was steadily building. He needed to put a stop to it before any more people lost their lives. The death toll wasn't going to end any time soon if Killer Croc continued to run around free.
Batman repeatedly passed his light from one side of the sewer tunnel to the other in hopes of picking up Croc's trail again. He had been hot on his trail for three nights now. He knew that he was closing in on him. It was just a matter of time before he finally found him. It was a fight that he almost relished, knowing that he would be removing a vicious killer from Gotham's streets.
There was an overwhelming sense of foreboding and menace that seemed to permeate the air around him, pressing in on every side of him. The distant sound of rats skittering and squeaking as they ran through the tunnels filled his ears, the mournful meows of a lost cat accompanying the disturbing chorus.
He pushed the sounds from his mind as he methodically worked his way down the tunnel, ignoring the stench that he was walking through. It meant another uniform would need to be incinerated but it would be worth it if it meant catching a deadly killer in the end.
"Robin to Batman."
"What is it?"
"Any luck?"
"Nothing yet," Batman informed him, keeping his voice low as he came to a crossroads in the network of tunnels.
"Another person has gone missing," Robin replied. "A construction worker was reported missing tonight near Broadmoor and Stanton Streets."
"Great," Batman grumbled under his breath. "I'm pretty close to there. I'll head towards that vicinity. Keep me posted if you come across anything else."
"Roger that," Tim said. "Robin out."
Keeping a steady sweep of his flashlight, Batman froze as his light shined on something. He spotted a pile of bones near a wall. Fearing the worse, he cautiously approached as he reached for a batarang. His senses were hyperaware of his murky surroundings, his muscles tense in anticipation of a possible attack from behind.
Crouching before the bones, he began to exam them, picking one up and holding it up to his light. It was quite large but didn't appear to be human. If he had to venture a guess, he believed it to be a large dog, one that Croc had devoured. Whatever Croc hadn't eaten, the sewer rats had certainly finished off.
He slowly ran a gauntleted thumb over the deep scratch marks left in the bone by Croc's teeth. Removing an evidence bag from his utility belt, he took one of the smaller bones and put it inside, wanting to test it himself back in the cave.
Standing to his feet, Batman's light swept the sewer tunnel, his stomach churning with the thought of what else Killer Croc could have gotten his hands on and dragged down here to feast on. He needed to find him and put him away before any more people lost their lives.
He paused to glance back over his shoulder to check behind him before continuing towards his intended destination. His boots softly sloshed through the ankle-deep water, his mind working through the case in hopes of figuring out what Croc was up to with all these murders.
There had to be more going on then just a simple feeding frenzy. He just needed to corner Croc and find out what was actually fueling this string of murders. With any luck, he'd be able to track him down tonight and put an end to this nightmare.
He paused to check his coordinates on the mini-computer on his gauntlet, his lips fixed with a frown. It was so easy to get lost down here. One wrong turn and he could be wandering down here for days on end in an effort to find his way out. Thankfully, he had his mini-computer to keep him on the right track.
The soft sound of a low growl caused Batman to instantly freeze in his tracks, his grip on his batarang tightening. He carefully continued walking, pretending as though he hadn't heard the echoing growl that seemed to have built in intensity as it travelled along the sewer tunnel.
The acoustics of the labyrinth of tunnels made it difficult to pinpoint where the sounds were coming from, but the implants built into his cowl helped him to narrow it down. It was definitely coming from somewhere on his left.
He had no doubt that Croc knew that he was down here. His sense of smell was unrivaled despite the fierce stench that permeated the sewer. Turning his flashlight off, Batman switched to his night vision lenses, the tunnels becoming awash in an eerie green glow that only seemed to add to the nagging apprehension he could feel building. Whatever he was about to find, it wasn't going to be pretty.
He turned to the tunnel on his left, moving stealthily towards the rumbling growl. He couldn't help wondering who was the predator and who was the prey at that moment, but he knew that he would be the victor when all was said and done.
Exchanging his batarang for a modified one, he pondered why Killer Croc hadn't come after him yet. He had been down here for a couple of hours at least. Was the reptilian creature attempting to draw him into some sort of trap or was he just toying with him before attempting to make a meal out of him?
Something had triggered the feeding frenzy that Croc was on. The question was what.
A blood-curdling scream echoed through the tunnels causing Batman's blood to run like ice water in his veins. He raced towards the sound of the scream, hoping to get there before Croc could finish the man off. Rounding a corner, he spotted what appeared to be Croc, his dark eyes glaring at him with a disconcerting glow.
He had an arm wrapped firmly around a man who was screaming for help, a look of sheer terror on his face as he clawed futilely at the thick appendage around his neck. Blood ran down the side of his head from an open gash on his forehead, another one in his abdomen.
"Croc!" Batman growled, adjusting his grip on his batarang. "Let him go!"
Croc seemed to stare at him as if seeing him but not registering who it was, tilting his head slightly as if surprised Batman knew who he was. It was if he didn't recognize the Dark Knight as he glared darkly at him. Croc growled low in his throat as if in warning to stay back, sneering at him as if taunting him to try to get him to release his hostage.
"Help me…please!" the man screamed, his breathing ragged.
Croc lowered his head, his eyes narrowing as he studied the Batman. "You don't need to do this, Croc," Batman told him. "Let him go!"
The reptilian tilted his head as if trying to comprehend what he was saying. He tightened his hold on the man as Batman slowly edged his way closer towards them. With a threatening growl, Croc suddenly pushed his hostage directly at Batman, throwing his hostage at him before turning and disappearing down the tunnel.
Batman caught the man who immediately crumpled to the ground in his arms. He looked up in search of Croc, gazing down the tunnel where he had taken off but saw nothing. He needed to go after him, but he knew that the man needed medical attention right away.
"Thank you…thank you," the man breathlessly panted over and over again before finally passing out.
Bruce growled under his breath, grinding his teeth in frustration. He'd have to go after Croc later. Right now, he needed to get this man to the hospital right away. Lifting the man into a fireman's hold, he began to make his way out of the network of tunnels, knowing that his search for Croc was nowhere near over. Something was definitely wrong with the reptilian, something very different about him.
He was going to have to go back to the cave to review all the evidence that he had collected so far and review the images from the camcorder in his cowl. If what he suspected was happening to Croc, then Gotham was in definite danger.
Watchtower; May 23rd, 14:13 EST
Diana stretched her neck as she exited the Monitor Womb, anxious to get something to drink before heading to her quarters. She'd just pulled a double shift of monitor duty, something that she dreaded doing, but it had been an unavoidable necessity.
Batman was scheduled for the morning shift before her, but he'd had an emergency in Gotham that had required his attention. Evidently, Killer Croc was giving the Dark Knight of Gotham a run for his money. She had a bad feeling that the death count was rising, accounting for Batman's horrible mood when he had contacted her to cover his shift for him.
She had been more than happy to help him out despite his rather rude behavior, but only because she knew the real reason behind it. It wasn't often that she was aware of the cause of his dark moods or what cases he had going on in Gotham, but this time had been a unique situation.
Besides, she wasn't beyond using it against him in the future, gently reminding him of the fact that she had been so nice as to do him a favor by covering his shift for him without question. She had to admit that it worried her how tired he had appeared. Despite the fact his cowl covered half his face, she could still tell that the case was weighing heavily on him.
She just hoped that Alfred forced him to get some much-needed sleep. If the British butler didn't, she had no qualms about stepping in and forcing him to rest. Of course, she knew that particular mission was a dangerous one to undertake to say the least, one that would carry a fair bit of arguing and quite a lot of cursing on both their parts.
With a faint smile gracing her lips, Diana made her way to the mailroom, deciding to check her box before heading to the commissary and then her quarters to relax for a little bit before heading to the training room. It was her turn to stake out LexCorp again. Hopefully, tonight would be the night that Lex finally made some sort of move.
The last few nights had not produced anything helpful. It was almost as if Lex knew that they were following him. It was frustrating beyond measure to know that Luthor was trying to destroy her best friend and there wasn't anything that she could do about it.
She wasn't certain if Bruce was going to be able to join her tonight or not. It sounded as if things in Gotham were escalating. She definitely didn't want to take him away from any important case especially with how dire it appeared to be.
It annoyed her to no end that Bruce refused to allow her to help him with some of his cases. Releasing a reluctant sigh, she knew that she just needed to be thankful that he allowed her to even be in Gotham as it was. Last year, he wouldn't have even let her set one foot inside Gotham's city limits. Now, he was inviting her into the Batcave.
Entering the mailroom, Diana gave Tyler a warm smile. "Do I have any mail today?" she asked.
"As always," Tyler enthusiastically replied with a grin, handing over a large stack of mail. "You always get the most mail of anyone on the Watchtower."
"I hardly think so," Diana maintained as she took the stack from him.
"You're the most popular superhero in the whole world, Wonder Woman," Tyler told her. "Everyone loves you."
Diana shook her head in disagreement. "I highly doubt that," she said with a soft chuckle. "Thanks, Tyler. I'll see you tomorrow."
"See you then," he told her with a grin, a dreamy expression gracing his face.
"Dude, you've got it so bad for her," Randy softly said as Diana exited. "You know you don't stand a chance with her."
"Not with Batman constantly hanging around her," Tyler muttered dejectedly.
Hearing their conversation, Diana bit at her bottom lip in amusement as she left the mailroom. She began flipping through her mail, her thoughts wandering as she headed towards the comm. She tucked her mail under her arm, anxious to grab some lunch before heading to her quarters.
Taking a tray, she quickly made her way through the line before turning to leave, nearly plowing directly into Superman who had snuck up behind her. "Oh, hi, Kal," she said, surprised with his presence.
"Hey, I wanted to let you know that I can help you tonight if Batman can't make it," he offered.
"I'll be perfectly fine," she told him, her pride instantly prickling with Kal and Bruce's overprotectiveness. "How are you holding up?"
Superman exhaled deeply, his shoulders slumping slightly. "I'm worried," he confided in her. "Every time I stop a criminal I can't help wondering if they're going to pull Kryptonite out to test it on me again."
"We'll find out where he's hiding his lab and we'll put a stop to it," she reassured him. "Luthor is going to make a mistake and we're going to be there to catch him when he does."
"Thanks, Di," Clark replied with a forced smile. "Call me if you run into anything tonight."
"I will," she promised him before leaving the comm with lunch and mail in hand.
Entering her quarters, Diana set her tray down on her desk, pausing to take a long sip of her iced mocha before grabbing her sandwich and mail. Sitting on the edge of her bed, she began sorting through her mail, a soft smile gracing her lips as she found herself staring at a brightly colored envelope with a drawing of herself on it from a child.
She was somewhat taken aback when she came across another pink envelope with nothing written on the front again, similar to the one that she had received the other day. Setting her sandwich aside, she frowned as she opened the envelope and removed the pink paper.
Wonder Woman,
I hope you liked my last letter I sent. I collect every article I can find about you in the newspapers and keep them in a book. You did a great job flying into that burning building to rescue those children yesterday.
I hope that we can meet sometime soon. I'd really like to get to know the most beautiful woman in the world.
Talk to you soon,
Your Biggest Fan
Diana reread the letter again before tucking it back inside the pink envelope, frowning with curiosity as she stared at it. She couldn't help wondering who this person was that claimed to be her biggest fan or why her name was never on the envelope. Still, it always ended up in her mailbox.
Was it one of the civilian staff who also had mailboxes in the mailroom? They could very easily slip it into her box without notice. Setting the letter back into the pile with the rest of her mail, she carefully thought through her day to day routines and duties, who she spent time with or frequently spoke to.
"Batman to Wonder Woman."
"What's up, Batman."
"I'm going to try my best to help you with surveillance tonight, but I won't be able to stay the whole night," he told her.
"Croc still on the loose?"
She heard an almost imperceptible sigh before he responded. "Afraid so," he curtly responded, his tone clipped with reluctance to discuss the case any further.
"I'll be perfectly fine watching Luthor by myself tonight," she insisted. "Take care of Gotham, Bruce. It's more important."
"Princess…"
"I'm serious," she firmly stated. "You worry about Gotham right now and I'll handle Luthor. Divide and conquer, right? Just go find Croc and then you can help me."
There was a long, tense pause, one that told her he was struggling with the decision. "Fine," he finally responded. "Promise to call me if you need backup."
"Bruce…"
"Promise me, princess," he nearly growled.
"Fine," she relented with a smirk.
"Good. Batman out."
Diana shook her head in frustrated amazement as she picked up her sandwich to finish her lunch. The two most important men in her life were always so overprotective of her. While she appreciated their concern, it was highly unnecessary and definitely unwanted.
She was a thousand years older than them, training with a sword from the time she could pick one up. If anyone needed to be careful, it was Luthor. She swore when she got her hands on him he was going to curse the day he'd decided to go after Superman.
A/N: Hmmm...what is up with Killer Croc and is Bruce getting closer to letting Diana in? It certainly seems to be looking that way. :)
A guest reviewer was concerned BM was out of character in this fic. I'm doing something different with this fic. There's going to be a lot less inner dialogue by the characters explaining their thoughts and feelings. I'm also skipping all the grunting and growling and pushing away by BM when it comes to Diana. I'm writing BM getting past all that and on the verge of actually letting her into his life so he's going to be more open with her, a little more flirty and more willing to let her be in Gotham and the cave. Hope that helps explain some things.
UP NEXT: Diana runs into interference while following Luthor, but ends up getting a lead in the end.
NOTICE: I started a poll on my profile about which fic you guys want to see after Deadly Intentions so please go vote! :)
