A/N: I have a really good idea of where I'm going to go with this. Thanks for your reviews! I'll definitely keep them in mind when continuing on with the story. I hope you enjoy this one, and please let me know what you think.
The Party at Arkham
Materializing on the teleportation platform in the embassy, Diana immediately went straight for the main control station in the embassy's central hub. She flew up to the control console where J'onn and Mr. Terrific were monitoring the league's activates.
"It's good to see you Diana. It's been a while since you last came to visit the embassy." J'onn smiled warmly to his good friend, but felt something was bothering her.
Diana returned the warm smile as best she could. "Thank you J'onn. I promise to come by more often. It's just been really hectic in Gotham lately." Diana quickly turned to Mr. Terrific. "Mr. Terrific, can I use the announcement speaker to contact Donna?"
Mr. Terrific moved aside, allowing Diana access to the terminal. "Of course Wonder Woman."
"Donna… It's Diana. Meet me at the main control station in the central hub immediately." Her voice rang throughout the speakers within the embassy.
"Is everything alright Diana? I sense a great deal of suffering within the both of you…" J'onn asked with great concern for both of his friends.
Diana sighed as she closed her eyes before turning back towards J'onn. "So much has happened in the past few days J'onn… It seems Batman will always be cursed to live with nothing but pain and despair, no matter how hard the both of us try to create a happy life together."
"Hey Diana! How's it going? Why didn't you tell us that you were coming to visit?" Flash grinned as he ran up to Diana followed by Green Lantern, Shayera, and Superman.
"Yea Diana it's been a while… what's going on in Gotham? I heard there was a jailbreak in Arkham. Is Batman alright?" Superman asked as he saw the stressful look on her face.
"You look pissed… need any help kicking some butt?" Shayera smirked as she patted her mace.
"Damn it! Where is Donna!" Diana took a breath trying to calm herself down from all the irritating questions her friends kept bombarding her with. She saw Donna fly up to the station with a puzzled look on her face. "Donna!" Diana flew to her younger sister before turning back to her friends. "I'm sorry but I can't answer your questions now. Please stay out of Gotham." Diana took off towards the jet hanger with Donna following close behind her as the rest of them looked on wondering what just happened.
Flash scratched his head as he watched Diana fly away. "Did she just tell us to…"
"Yup" Green Lantern sighed while shaking his head.
"Is it just me or is Diana becoming more like Bats everyday?" Flash crossed his arms over his chest in disappointment.
"Well you know what they say… When two people live together long enough, they start acting like each other." Green Lantern smirked as he looked back at Flash.
Superman leaned against the console with the palms of his hands face down. "Yea… they really are the best thing to happen to each other. I just wish they would let us help them every once in a while."
"I fear that something terrible has happened to Batman… I felt the pain and stress that's being placed on her. It is like nothing I've ever felt from her before." J'onn watched Diana and Donna fly out of the jet hanger in a Javelin on the monitor screen.
Donna knew that Diana was very upset as she piloted the jet out of the embassy. "So what's up Di? Is everything ok? Where are we going?"
Diana sighed as she looked at Donna. Diana knew that Dick and Donna were good friends ever since they teamed up as members of The Teen Titans. Donna wasn't going to like what she was about to hear. "We're going to see mother and ask for the weapons required to take down Circe and Ares." Diana took a deep breath before continuing. "Donna… Ares and Circe teamed up to get to me through Bruce. They resurrected one of his former Robins to torment him… then they killed Dick and Tim…"
Donna choked on her own saliva in shock. She couldn't believe what she just heard. "WHAT! NO!" Donna's eyes widened with rage as anger boiled throughout her veins. "Nightwing… I'll kill that witch!"
"Join the club…" Diana spat out bitterly. "Circe then turned Batgirl, Oracle, Zatanna, Black Canary, and The Huntress into bats. We have to save them and make that witch and that idiotic God pay for what they've done." Diana gripped the controls too hard, crushing them as she spoke.
Donna closed her eyes and tilted her head back, trying to control her emotions as best she could. "Tell me everything…" Diana started from the beginning and told Donna everything that happened as they flew towards their mother in the Themyscira.
"Yo Bats… what's your plan to get The Commissioner and the rest of them out of harms way and deal with the clown and his goons in Arkham?" Detective Harvey Bullock twirled his gun as Batman jumped out of the batmobile and landed next to him.
"Commissioner Gordon, The Warden, and The Mayor will be safe." Batman looked at the guards hiding behind the cop cars and pointing their guns in the direction of the only bridge leading into Arkham Island.
"If you say so… We got all of Gotham's units surrounding the island while the S.W.A.T. team is guarding the entrance. No one in or out on our watch." Bullock stuck a toothpick in his mouth and began to chew on it.
Batman took out a pair of binoculars and scanned the perimeter of the island. "How many hostages are on the island?"
"About fifty… oh and just so you know… The Joker drugged up all his goons from Blackgate Prison with that Titan formula again. Except this time the goons are consciously aware of what is going on and can control their own actions." Bullock flicked his toothpick onto the street.
"I know… they're not a concern." Batman remembered the last time The Joker used the Titan formula. It was a serum that transformed anyone into a giant muscle bound freak like Bane. Before, Batman had to maneuver around them with precision to avoid getting clobbered and torn apart. But now, none of them could match up to his super strength. "Tell everyone to stay off the island until I clear it out."
Detective Bullock watched Batman walk onto the bridge towards the asylum alone. "He really is crazy to go in there…"
"Diana! Donna! My daughters! It's been too long!" Queen Hippolyta reached out and hugged her daughters. After hugging Diana, Queen Hippolyta noticed how upset she was. "My little sun and stars… what has you so distraught? Did HE do something to offend you?"
Startled by the tone of her mother's voice, Diana quickly shook her head. "No mother, Bruce has and will always honor me with his love." Diana smiled warmly. Thinking about the love she shared with Bruce always made her happy no matter what the circumstances were.
Queen Hippolyta sighed in relief as she knew how much Diana loved her husband. If it wasn't for her love for Batman, Diana would be back home living with her on the Themyscira. "Then what is troubling you?"
Diana clenched her fists tightly as she angrily spat out "That witch Circe is torturing my husband while that damn bastard of a God Ares killed both Timothy and Richard, and is trying to make me his Queen!"
Queen Hippolyta dropped her jaw in disgust. She too hated Ares and Circe for what they had done to the Amazons in the past. She felt the pain embedded within her daughter's heart. Diana had become mentally and emotionally stronger over the years, and Queen Hippolyta could only thank Batman for that. Before him, Diana would always let her emotions control her actions instead of thinking clearly. "Quickly! Come with me to the armory!" Queen Hippolyta lead both of her daughters to the armory to gather the magical weapons needed to aid them in their fight against Circe.
"Here are the bow and arrows of Apollo. They will pierce the skin of any being and if the wound is severe enough, they will send the victim straight to the pits of Tartarus. Use these on Circe. I'm not sure if these are powerful enough to kill her, but I do know that her magic is not powerful enough to instantly heal her from any wounds these arrows create. It would take a little over a hundred years or so for her to completely heal, depending on the severity of the wound of course." Queen Hippolyta handed the bow and arrows to Donna before turning to Diana. "Unfortunately Ares can't die from them, the most the arrows can do is cause Ares agonizing pain which would probably be healed in a matter of weeks … and that's if you do manage to get one to pierce his skin. We don't possess anything that is powerful enough to truly stop a God, but I pray that you kill that despicable menace to society."
Diana gave her mother another hug. "Thank you mother. We will defeat Ares. He will pay for his crimes."
"Be careful my daughters… Ares is still a powerful God." Queen Hippolyta said with great concern for the both of them.
"We will mother." Donna gave Queen Hippolyta one last hug as the two daughters went back to the jet.
"I think it's best if we moved without the jet if we're still trying to sneak up on them… they could see and hear us coming right?" Diana placed the bow in the quiver along with the arrows and strapped it onto her back.
"That's true. So where are we headed now?" Donna followed Diana into the sky, away from their home island.
"To the amphitheater on Mykonos Island. She has a habit of singing after turning us into animals…" Diana's eyes narrowed as she remembered the time Circe turned her into a certain chubby little animal.
"The Scarecrow is in the center while The Mad Hatter is against the wall to the right… The five giant goons surrounding the three hostages could be a problem. Got to watch the electrical switch next to Hatter…" The Cerebral Assassin quickly analyzed the most efficient way of taking down all seven targets while hidden within the shadows on the catwalk of a warehouse somewhere in the western end of Gotham.
He injected the antidote Batman gave him to nullify The Scarecrow's fear toxins before quietly moving closer for a better attack angle. "The throats and temples of their heads are the weakest points on their bodies. Everything else seems to be heavily armored…" Ghost saw that three of the goons were watching a TV showing what was happening in Arkham. The other two were helping The Scarecrow keep the video communication going with The Riddler in the asylum.
"Welcome to the party Batman!" The Joker's voice and psychotic laughter rang from the speakers throughout the island. "Remember that our dear Dark Knight is the guest of honor! Don't worry Batman. Everyone will help escort you to the courtyard so we can begin the festivities!"
"This is obviously a trap… just not for me…" Batman glared at the giant goons who were cheering him on as he walked towards the courtyard. They were twice his size but twice as weak… probably more. Since none of his enemies knew about his 'godly gifts', they would be in for a shocking surprise. Batman made his way to the courtyard to see just about every single one of his deadly foes surrounding him. The Joker, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, Two Face, The Riddler, Killer Croc, Clayface, Mr. Zsasz, and The Ventriloquist with his dummy Scarface stood before Batman, each with a sadistic grin on their faces. The Titan enhanced goons closed the circle around Batman, surrounding him as they all eagerly wanted a piece of him.
Bane slowly made his way inside the circle as he cracked his knuckles. "Hello sénior Batman…I'll take great pleasure in breaking you in two." Batman's eyes narrowed as he glared at Bane.
The search lights turned on and focused in on the center of the circle, lighting up the area. "Then I'll enjoy feasting on your bones!" Killer Croc snarled as his snake-like tongue slithered along his giant teeth.
"Relax… you all will get your chance to beat the Bat. But first let's give the world the show that they've been waiting for!" Joker stepped in front of Bane as he took out a remote.
"You see Batman… as much as I hate to admit it, you have always out smarted us, defeated us no matter how ingenious our individual plans may be. But then a riddle hit me. Would the great Dark Knight survive if we ALL teamed up to take him down?" The Riddler began imitating the noise of a ticking clock before making the sound of a buzzer. "Time's up! The answer is obviously a NO!"
"And all of Gotham will see this glorious show!" The Joker danced around Bane as the television cameras began circling around Batman and Bane. "But first! Let's check in on our three Gotham favorites." A giant screen on the wall of the asylum turned on showing Commissioner Gordon, The Warden, and The Mayor still tied up in electric chairs screaming from their hallucinations as The Scarecrow and The Mad Hatter were injecting more fear toxins into them.
The plan that The Riddler and Joker made was perfectly clear, they wanted to humiliate and defeat Batman on national TV. Kill Commissioner Gordon, The Warden, and The Mayor, then wreck havoc on Gotham. The plan probably would have worked if Ghost didn't already find them, and is waiting for his signal to strike. Even without his powers, Batman would still have found a way to defeat everyone in Arkham. He'd probably come out of it with some significant injuries, and would have had to think of everything while executing his maneuvers flawlessly just to survive. But having them made this all too easy. While knowing he had already won, he still developed that plan to take all of them down without his 'abilities'. He wanted to suppress his powers as much as possible and do as much of this his way.
The Riddler twirled his cane with a confident grin. "Are there any last words you would like to say them before the party begins?"
Batman glared at all his foes before stopping at The Riddler. He brought up his right hand so that everyone watching him on TV could see him snapping his fingers. The five giant henchmen, The Scarecrow, and The Mad Hatter were knocked out instantly. The dark figure then powered down the electrical chairs and freed the three Gotham icons.
The Joker frowned in disappointment as he turned back to Batman. "Now why do you have to go and cheat like that?"
The Riddler slammed his cane down in frustration as he pointed at Batman. "GET HIM!"
Before anyone could move, Bane stepped towards Batman and put his hand out to stop everyone from attacking. "The whole purpose of this was to defeat Batman, not the others. I'll break him in two, and then you all can have what's left of him." Bane activated the device on his arm to inject the venom serum into his blood stream, causing his muscles to triple in size. "After I am done with you… I'll make sure to break every single bone in little Robin's body. And only when he begs for death, will I end his pitiful pathetic life." Bane slammed his right fist into his left palm, waiting to begin the fight. Batman's eyes narrowed as the image of seeing Robin's already lifeless body being mutilated by Bane infuriated him. With his anger escalating, Batman clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white.
"Speaking of Robin… where are all of your bird boys Batman? Did they finally realize what a loser you are? That you're nothing but a pathetic failure?" The Riddler grinned as he continued. "Once we're done beating you down, there will be nothing you can do but to simply watch as we kill off Robin, Nightwing, and all the other's one by one right before your very eyes."
The Joker began laughing. "Hmm…now where did I put that crowbar I used to beat down the first Robin I killed?"
The images of him finding Jason's beaten and lifeless body along with watching both Robin and Nighting die back in the same warehouse played repeatedly in Batman's mind. He was helpless to stop either from happening. They were dead and there was nothing he could do about it. He failed to save them. He was a failure. Batman's rage began to take over his body as his muscles twitched, growing slightly bigger as he began to breath harder.
"I think you hit a sensitive spot amigo. Shall we make this a fight to the death?" Bane grinned as he began walking towards Batman.
"If that's the way you want it." Batman spat out through his teeth as he let his rage take complete control.
"Something's wrong…" Diana stopped in mid-flight as she felt a deep agonizing pain within her heart. She looked at Donna with concern in her eyes. "Something's terribly wrong with Bruce…"
