Blake looked at himself in a mirror hanging on the wall in what used to Bruce Wayne's childhood bedroom, but had now been converted to the reception area for the Wayne Foundation offices on the second floor of Wayne Manor. This wasn't going to be the sort of meeting he had expected to have with Diana Prince – not after what happened last night. He adjusted his tie slightly, and turned to the door.
He turned the knob and opened the heavy wooden door, entering the grand study that overlooked the lush green lawn of the estate. Diana sat at a conference table, and she rose to greet Blake.
"Good morning," Blake said. "Sorry for being a few minutes late. Quite the evening last night. How are you feeling, Diana?"
"Nothing major bothering me," she replied. "Just some bumps and bruises."
"Glad to hear it. It sounds like everyone is going to make a full recovery. The gas quickly dissipated and did no long-term damage. It was a good thing the Batman was around."
"Indeed. I've heard a lot about the Batman, although I would have preferred to meet him under other circumstances."
"Too true. Why don't we have a seat and get down to business?"
Blake and Diana took seats across from each other at the table.
Pennyworth approached the table from the far side of the study, carrying a large roll of papers. He placed them down, and unrolled them to reveal a series of blueprints.
"The Metropolis plans, John," he said.
"Thanks, Alfred." Blake turned his gaze over to Diana and began his description of the plans as Alfred left the room. "As you can see, we've got an ambitious plan to take the Wayne Gardens model to Metropolis."
"The situation for the poor in Metropolis is worse than ever. The destruction of the attack by General Zod has eliminated much of the physical and community infrastructure. It's not just the buildings and the roads that are destroyed, but the capabilities of government and private charity to get help to the people that need it."
"When hope is lost and desperation builds, things go downhill in a hurry. Believe me, I've saw it far too often in my old neighborhood."
"Can I ask you a question, John?"
"Certainly."
"What do you think of the Batman? I have to admit that I'm not used to – or entirely comfortable with – the notion of putting so much reverence and responsibility on a person wearing a costume. Symbols are powerful, but shouldn't real people with real names be leading the charge?"
"Well, I don't disagree with you. That's why the Wayne family had a heritage of leading to preserve and enhance life in Gotham City. But there's also a lot of good that can be done through symbols, especially ones willing to stand up and directly confront those who would victimize our citizens."
Blake paused for a moment, thinking. Should he?
"Diana, I think there's something else you need to see."
Blake stood up and walked over to the piano. He flicked up the keyboard cover, and quickly banged out a three-note sequence. Blake watched Diana's reaction as the bookcase slid to the side, revealing an opening in the wall.
"Come with me," Blake said, holding out his hand to lead Diana through the opening. It was dark, and her gait was slightly unsteady as she blindly stepped onto a metal platform.
"Hold on," Blake said, as he punched a button on the side of the wall. The platform began to descend rapidly. As they moved lower, the interior walls that surrounded them changed to the cement block foundation, and then to rock.
"At one time, this area was a stop on the Underground Railroad," he explained. "These caverns below the site of where the Manor stands today were excellent hiding places for those who were on the run."
Blake saw the confusion on Diana's face as the platform came to a stop at the bottom of the elevator shaft.
"But today, they serve a different purpose."
Blake led Diana off the platform, and around the corner to reveal the Batcave.
Diana released Blake's hand and walked slowly around the room, taking it all in.
"You're the Batman?" she asked, half-incredulously.
"Well, yeah," Blake responded. "I kind of inherited the job, you might say."
"Bruce Wayne was the first Batman. He died saving Gotham from the nuclear weapon instead of the story that he was one of billionaires sentenced to death by Kane's kangaroo courts." Diana said, beginning to piece it all together. She circled Blake, as if interrogating him. "And he picked you to carry it on?"
"We had some things in common."
"And all of this equipment comes out of Wayne Enterprises, I'm guessing?"
"More or less. You've got to know the right people."
"Why did you show this to me?"
"I think you know, Diana. It wasn't the Batman saving you last night. You saved me. That was an amazing feat of strength and agility."
"It was a reaction, John. Instinctual."
"Come on, that was more than instinct."
"Our society isn't the same as much of the modern world, John. We were long a matriarchal society, coming from the belief that our women had been blessed by the gods with great wisdom and strength."
"Sounds like something out of a comic book."
"To you, yes. You come from the exact opposite frame of reference that I do, however. You come from a society where men have traditionally held the power, and it is only relatively recently that women have achieved a measure of equality."
"What about the men in Themyscira?"
"Our society has evolved as well. Our history states that there was a time when men were only allowed to live on the neighboring island of Thalarion. That, now, has changed, and men share equally in the blessings and responsibilities of life in Themyscira."
"But what does that have to do with what happened last night?"
"We respect our legends, John. To you, our society is known for its non-violence. But every female child born in our society is raised to fulfill their birthright. Legend says that Themyscira was created by the female Greek gods and populated by the legendary tribe of Amazon warriors. Our ancestors were once kidnapped by the forces of Heracles, but were freed by the goddess Athena. However, they failed to obey Athena's commands, and killed their captors. As punishment, our tribe was banished to our island, where we were left to grow as artisans - and warriors. We live in peace, but we are always ready to defend ourselves."
Diana held up her arms, showing off her broad golden forearm bracelets.
"All the women of Themyscira wear these bracelets. They represent our submission to Athena, and as reminders of our past – how our desire for revenge blinded us to what was truly important."
"Going after those who have wronged you isn't always about revenge, though. It can be about preventing others from becoming victims. Croc has done too much damage for too long. It's time that he was stopped."
"And you're going to be the one that does it?"
"That's the plan."
"How?"
"I'm still figuring that out."
Blake paused for a moment, and then flashed a playful grin at Diana.
"Say, have you ever heard of a ride-along?"
