When Batman returned to the cave, he set an alarm to go off in 23 hours. Reaching into one of the pouches in the utility belt, he pulled out the key from Metropolis and placed it in the spectrometer.
Until the results came in, he decided on feverishly sifting through his databases to find a match to that key. There was no company name, but that did set him in the right direction. People who used companies that aren't easily identified usually stay below the radar for a reason. He kept the cowl on, ready to leave at a moment's notice. So focused on the task at hand, Batman was nearly startled when Alfred spoke. Nearly.
"I trust the princess will make a full recovery?" the butler asked. Of course he knows, what else should I expect? Bruce thought.
"She's healing," Bruce answered tersely. He loved the Alfred like a father, but he was working to find out why Diana was targeted. Plus, he suspected Alfred disapproved of his charge's current whereabouts.
"I'm sure the Princess' healing would be expedited by the presence of a dear friend," Alfred stated politely. Called that one, Bruce.
"Clark is there," he replied curtly.
"Well thank goodness for that," Alfred replied politely as he ascended the stairs to the manor. Bruce, not facing him, raised an eyebrow. I know you're scowling. I can feel your disdain.
Hours after Alfred closed the door behind him, Bruce heard the beeping of the spectrometer. The key was seventy percent lead, with a small percentage of platinum inside. Microchip. Bruce considered the possibilities. Lead was a terrible metal to use in a key, and this was certainly a custom job. It took Bruce all of the twenty seconds to realize who the culprits were.
Amanda Waller sat down at her desk, feeling the emptiness of her office. Without turning around, or even blinking, the air had shifted. She was definitely not alone.
"If you ever decide to change careers, I'm sure CADMUS could put your stealth to use," she deadpanned in an attempt to portray more confidence that she actually felt. Batman didn't say anything, but he did step out of the shadows. Amanda was once again reminded of just how imposing the man before her could be when he was angry. And she was fairly certain he was angry. She was also fairly certain she knew why.
"I'm going to be direct: what is CADMUS hoping to achieve by killing Wonder Woman?" he asked, his voice deep and venomous.
He knew she wouldn't fall for the bait. He also knew that she knew he knew everything. Her denial was mere showboating; she wanted to prove she was the biggest, baddest lion in the pride.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Amanda said, sitting still in her chair, trying to be calm as the unmoving figure ten feet away remained stoic as ever. To Waller, Batman always looked the same. He could be angry. He could be distraught. He could be homicidal.
"I won't ask you again." His tone was dangerous, causing Amanda to suppress a shiver. Homicidal it is.
Batman's façade portrayed tranquility, but his mind was screaming. For once, his patience was waning, and he really just wanted to punch the staunch woman before him. But he knew what was running through her mind, and keeping her guessing as to what he would do would keep her unbalanced enough to talk.
"WHY WONDER WOMAN?"
He cracked, and Amanda saw it. She would have rejoiced in his showing weakness had that little meltdown not meant that he was about to get very scary very quickly. She saw no need for the charade to continue.
"We weren't trying to kill her. Black Adam went off-book for that one," she began.
"I never would have guessed," Batman scoffed. Amanda ignored his sarcasm and continued.
"CADMUS is testing the league's response to focused attack. You have villains everyday trying to kill you. According to your own experiences, the loss of one league member led to the entire structure falling apart. We need to see how this plays out." Getting indignant, Amanda stood up, nearly yelling at the imposing figure before her. "Your group is too much of a threat to have the luxury of chance," she barked, not wavering to her own surprise.
Bruce couldn't necessarily disagree. Hell, he had dossiers on every meta he knew about. That didn't change anything.
"If you hadn't decided to execute a plan without actual research, you may have discovered Wonder Woman was not the straw that broke the camel's back," he said, reading Amanda's expressionless face. He could tell she didn't know that. "I've been here for five minutes and you have yet to answer my question. Don't make me ask again," he said with an eerie calm. Amanda sighed, and he waited for her response.
"We believed incapacitating the resident Princess would push the right buttons to test our theories." She paused, taking his silence as a request for explanation. Request probably wasn't the right term.
"Wonder Woman was the perfect independent variable for our experiment. She has earned the reverence and respect of every meta operating. Not to mention, she awakens the protective side of the entire league." Amanda paused and Batman merely narrowed his eyes, encouraging her to explain. "Oh please, I can't think of anything you 'heroes' love more than saving the damsels in distress! You like to think you're all about even playing fields, but when it comes down to it, you all treat your female counterparts like they need protection." Batman's expression didn't change.
"Not Wonder Woman," he said. Waller raised an eyebrow.
"Then why are you here? Why not leave this part of the investigation to her?" Amanda nearly smiled as the words left her lips. She believed she had won this battle.
"You're afraid of me," Batman replied. Amanda held eye contact, or at least she tried to through the cowl lenses. He remained silent, and the chill didn't leave her.
Picking up a pen on her desk to put away, Amanda dropped it and reached toward the floor to pick it up. When she was once again upright, her office was empty. She did see a note on the chair by the door, which prompted her to cross the room.
If you don't want rogues, don't create them. Watch your step.