The flight to Kasnia wasn't an enjoyable one.
Diana expected it to be awkward being in such close quarters in the Javelin; she just didn't think it would be this silent.
She noticed Bruce looking at the GPS for the third time and spoke, "We're pushing 600 knots. You don't want to break the sound barrier, do you?"
"Not when we're planning to keep a low profile," he replied smoothly.
Still looking straight ahead, she replied without any hint of malice, "You don't have to be here if you don't want to."
He didn't answer, and Diana was almost certain he's going to take the cue and ask her to open the hatch right then and there. Instead he turned to face her. "I'm sorry if I gave the wrong impression, Diana."
She glanced at him, startled by the apology.
From years of being teammates, she had learned to examine the tone of his voice, the line of his mouth, the tension on his stance. But there are still instances when a rock is easier to read. Right now she longed to see the eyes behind the cowl. Perhaps they could offer a clue.
At her silence, he continued, "Yes, Clark was being pushy. But I could've said no."
Diana almost asked him why he didn't, but stopped herself. She doesn't want to dive into this. Not now, and honestly speaking, not in the foreseeable future. The past 6 months had been good. The less she saw him, the less she thought of him. She's not going to wash all the progress down the drain.
When in doubt, she offered the truth, "You're a confusing man, Bruce."
"That's a nice way of putting it."
"You prefer infuriating, disagreeable, and bull headed?" she asked, the words tumbling down.
He actually smiled. "That's still a nice way of putting it."
A small smile crept up her lips despite herself.
"Diana!" Audrey exclaimed, walking down the steps to the garden.
"It's so nice to see you," Diana smiled, greeting her friend with a hug.
"You look gorgeous as ever."
"So do you, you look lovely," Diana replied. Her friend had a rosy glow about her, her blond hair in loose curls around her shoulders, blue eyes filled with mirth.
"That's the effect of getting rid of my ball and chain," she said cheekily.
Audrey linked her arm around Diana's as they walked around the palace's vast estate and caught up with each other's lives.
"So when will I get to meet Lucca?" Diana asked.
"He's out of the country I'm afraid, but he'll be back tomorrow in time for the party, which you'll have to attend of course" Audrey grinned.
Diana grimaced at the thought of another formal affair. "I'm not exactly prepared."
"Nonsense darling, we can go shopping this afternoon."
"Actually Audrey, I'm here to ask you something."
The Kasnian princess's smile diminished. "I knew this is too good to be a social call."
"I just want to hear from you. There's talk of Kasnia's space program reactivating again. It is true?"
Audrey sighed. "After the Vandal Savage fiasco, we've been rebuilding the country – the infrastructure, the economy, and most importantly the people's morale. We're a small nation but our space program has been our pride. We're slowly scaling up, but it's mostly research and technology advancement. Nothing sinister, I promise."
Diana smiled. "You sound so grown up."
"Not quite, I still love my parties."
Audrey glanced at their surroundings and spoke quietly. "There's nothing to worry about but if your Bat friend is doing some investigation work like last time, I won't stop you, providing you tell me what you learn of course."
Diana looked at her in surprise.
Audrey shrugged. "Think of it as a third party audit by a person I trust. It's actually a good deal for me."
The Amazon gave a curt nod. "Thank you Audrey."
She grinned brightly. "Now let's go find you some clothes."
Bruce heard a knock and looked up from his laptop. 9 am on the dot.
"Good morning, Princess," he greeted.
He was amused to find her looking every bit the socialite in a sleeveless, white silk top, cream slacks, and a pair of sunglasses perched on her head.
He in turn felt underdressed in shirt and sweats. Diana didn't seem to mind though. In fact she looked pleased.
"It's nice to see you Bruce," she said warmly, as if they haven't spent yesterday morning cooped up in a small aircraft.
The tender expression on her blue eyes warmed him to his toes. Then he realized it's the first time in months she'd seen him without the cape and cowl.
After their arrival, they parted ways with Diana settling in the hotel and meeting Audrey. Bruce checked in the same hotel a few hours later and began his investigations that went well into the early morning.
"I ordered room service." He gestured to the table with a spread of fruits, toast, and pancakes. A pot of coffee and a carafe of orange juice at the side.
"Blueberries and pancakes. I didn't expect you to have a sweet tooth."
"Every once in a while."
"Sure," she teased.
They updated each other with their findings with Bruce showing her footage from the surveillance.
"This is one of the mainframes I can access. The security is laxed after midnight. I don't think I'll run into problems."
"There's a formal dinner at the palace tonight. Perhaps their attention will be diverted as well."
"I thought so too." Bruce paused unsure of the next information he'll disclose. "One more thing, I heard some talks in their ranks - a coup. Has Audrey mentioned anything about military or civil unrest?"
Diana frowned. "No, are you sure?"
"Not entirely." Bruce played a clip in his laptop showing uniformed men inside the control room. "I bugged the room. The two generals seem to be recruiting this man."
There's a loud clink of metal to porcelain. "Hera."
Bruce turned at her breathless remark. Her eyes were wide, mouth slightly agape.
"What is it?"
"It's – I know him."
Bruce froze the frame. "This guy they're approaching?"
"His name is Steve Trevor," she said, her voice now more controlled.
The name rang a bell. "The first man you've ever laid eyes on."
Diana looked at him in question.
"I check everyone's background."
She turned back to the screen and zoomed in for a close up. "I haven't seen him in years."
Bruce doesn't know the extent of their relations, but he knew of their history - how Trevor's plane crashed in Themyscira, how Diana was chosen to bring him back to Man's World which led her to become the ambassador of the Amazons.
"What is he doing here?"
"I don't know, but he works with the government. He can help us."
He suppressed the urge to roll his eyes at the easy conclusion. "We can't be sure to trust him."
"Yes we can," she replied almost absent mindedly, eyes still trained on the figure.
"How long have you last been in contact?"
"Three years."
"Anything can happen in that period. We don't know where his loyalties lie."
"I know him," she spoke. "Trust him with my life. Last I heard he was in deep cover in Moscow. He's probably looking into something. He'll help us."
"Diana – "
"I'm not arguing with you Bruce. Not about this."
He recognized the steely look but said it anyway, "Banking on a person's character without knowing his motives. Letting emotions drive your judgement - it's a dangerous flaw."
"And yours is thinking the worst in everyone."
"It's what keeps a mere mortal like me alive."
Diana felt the jab. "It's always about us metas relying on our powers and being complacent and naïve, isn't it?"
"I'm just being logical. You know I'm right."
She looked at him in disbelief. "I know him implicitly. He is a good man. Why do you have to complicate things?"
"You place that much faith on a man you haven't spoken to in 3 years?"
"You're making me sound so unreasonable. It's not like that."
"Then what is it?"
She stood up. "If you trust me, you wouldn't even question this."
"I do trust you."
"Not enough apparently," she scoffed.
"Diana," he called out just as she reached the door. "There's a good chance Trevor will be at the dinner tonight. Ask him whatever you want, just be careful."
She glanced back, her glare making clear of what she thinks of his precaution.
The door slammed and he sighed.
It's in her nature to believe in people and it's in his to question and probe and doubt. She and Clark operate in the same manner and it irks him to no extent on how the two most powerful metas on earth can't see the danger of their trusting nature. The topic has come up every now and then, but rarely does it warrant a full blown argument.
And if he's being truthful, something else is getting under his skin.
"I know him implicitly."
His jaw ticked. Irritated at that line and even more irritated that he's affected by it.
She's about to reunite with the first man she has ever met and possibly ever loved. The implication is not lost on him. It's making his blood race with simmering urgency, as if time is quickly running out.
His logic kicks in. It's better this way. She's a distraction. A liability to his mission, a deterrent from control and discipline. If their argument is any indication, there's no place for these feelings in their line of work.
Besides she's too good for him. He's an untrusting man who thrives in ruthless logic and solitude. How can he deserve the love of someone with such a pure, open heart? It's for the best.
And yet as the usual reasons run through his head, Bruce never had so many doubts.