Disclaimer: I do not own any DC characters. However, the plot is mine.
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FINDING LIBERTY
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Chapter Nine: Nice Night for a Stroll
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~~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~ ~~ ~ Metro History of Art Museum ~ ~~ ~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~~
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The lithe dark figure landed onto the rooftop noiselessly. Moving towards the vents, she went straight to the largest one on the far right. Checking that her goggles where tightly strapped, she activated her sensors. She knew that this vent would lead her to the main vent that would take her to the security room. Lex's blueprints were a life saver. She worked her magic to remove the cover and placed it on the side against the base. A dark cat suddenly appeared beside her foot. "Not this time girl. You keep guard." The moving silhouette spoke in a soft voice, before grabbing onto the top of the vent. She pulled herself up and deftly hopped inside; with the echoes of a Meow floating further away.
Catwoman felt herself sliding down the vent. She kept her hands and her feet firmly against the walls to keep her pace slow and steady. Once her boots stopped onto a solid landing, she allowed her body to relax. She proceeded to go through a narrower vent. Luckily, she was still small enough to fit through. Stealthily, Catwoman made her way through the passages and to the security room with no arising issues.
Once she was in the vent above the security room, she noticed two guards on duty. "Guess luck's just not with me tonight." She whispers under her breath. How unfortunate she didn't catch them on a break. But that's why she was here; to steal a copy of the list of surveillance areas as well as the guard shift list. Only now she needed them to- Oh wait… Maybe Lady Luck is on her side after all.
Guard 1 rises from his chair. "Okay, I'm gonna start my rounds. I'll take the third floor this time." He says grabbing his walkie and a flashlight. He paused at the door and turned back to stare at his partner. "Don't take too long, we have to both be back in forty-five… You need to have your own floor finished by then." He said, and stepped right out of the door without waiting for a response.
"Yeah, yeah…" Guard 2 didn't make any sudden movements. He slowly ate the last of his pretzels, while enjoying his Coke. Ten or so minutes later, he crumbled the bag and tossed it into the waste bin.
CHHHHH… Albie Come in… … Over… CHHHHH…
He wiped his hands on his pant leg and grabbed his walkie, holding down the red button. "Yeah? Over…" CHHHH…
Are you still in the surveillance room?... Over… CHHHHH…
Albie grapped his flashlight and opened the door, holding the walkie up to his mouth. "Of course not, how unprofessional do you take me for…" He responded while exiting the room, the door closing shut behind him, drowning out the rest of their conversation.
The room sat empty and quiet for thirty more seconds, before the vent screen on the ceiling popped open and a dark feminine figure fell from the opening; landing softly on the ground below. "Finally." Was all she said before setting to work.
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~~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~ ~~ ~ Star City ~ ~~ ~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~~
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Superman pushed the pieces of building out of his way as he climbed himself out of the pile of rubble. This was not going so well, but he needed to give Batman time. He noticed Despero's third eye beginning to glow. Fearful of what this could mean, Superman went into action. He slammed his foot into the side of Despero's head; hoping to have disrupted the Kalanorian's concentration. Superman knew that if given the chance, this battle could escalate to a point where neither he nor his other four comrades would be enough to stop it without more reinforcements. That was something Superman could not allow. He sent another kick to Despero's stomach and aimed to give the beast an upper cut with his right arm; but in that instant his fist was caught in the tight grip of the adversary before him.
Despero growled into Superman's face. His breath a hot stench of death and decay. "My turn Superman." He growled, before tossing the superhero away like a rag doll. With Superman struggling to halt his unwanted flight, Despero used the moment to light up his third eye once more. "Flame of Py'tar give me more strength!" He growled. And before Superman could find his bearings, Despero began to grow.
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Batman is crouched down beside his fallen comrade. He had already administered the serum, he now awaited J'Onn's awakening. He could hear a vicious growl in the background. But this one was different. It was not the growl of pain or even anger. It was one of power. He slowly turned around toward the sound. "Dammit." He said in his own, softer growl, as he witnessed Despero's form enlarging. He looked back to his unconscious teammate. "J'Onn, it's time to get up." He all but commanded, thinking of his next move.
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~~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~ ~~ ~ Metro History of Art Museum ~ ~~ ~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~~
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The brunette hopped out of the cab as soon as it met the curb. Tossing a few bills to the cabby, she ran straight to the alley beside the Art Museum. Digging in her purse for her trusted flashlight, she stumbled over a piece of garbage. "Crap!" She shouted, momentarily set back by her disorientation. With the flashlight now poised, she flicked it on and surveyed her surroundings. The alley was a dead end and luckily for her very much empty.
Spying a fire escape not too far above, she immediately plotted on a way to get to it. "Come on Lo', this is child's play for you." She looked at the dumpster sitting across from the fire escape. She could probably reach the fire escape if she stood on that; but she needed to position it beneath the ladder. Lois walked over the dumpster and was please to find it generally empty. "Thank God for garbage day." She grunted, positioning herself beside the green dumpster and PUSHED! … … It moved about half a foot. Lois looked down at her progress and let out a groan. "This'll take a while." She moaned to herself, before leaning against the dumpster once more ready to push.
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~~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~ ~~ ~ Star City ~ ~~ ~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~~
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Wonder Woman broke through the green light encompassing her in a ball. Once free she went straight for the one who trapped her. Sending a fist toward the superhero in green and black, she was not at all surprised when Green Lantern used his ring to create a shield, protecting him from her assault. Anticipating such a move, she used the momentum to flip over him and send a swift kick into his back; sending spiraling far away. But Wonder Woman was not content with waiting around for her opponent, she followed after with the full intent to rip him limb from limb. But first, to get rid of the source of power… that ring.
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The Martian began to stir. The first thing he noticed was Batman looming over him. "Wha… what's happened?" He asked, before a rush of memories hit him. "Wonder Woman!" He exclaimed once the whole of his memories returned. He looked towards the sky in desperate search of his comrade. It took him a moment, before he noticed her high above engaged in a battle with Green Lantern. "She's under Despero's influence." He said matter-of-factly, as he struggled to his feet, putting his thoughts together. He then noticed the beast massive size in the distance over Batman's shoulder. "We've got to stop him." He stated, head finally clearing up.
Batman simply shook his head 'no'. "Your first priority," He began pointed high above them, "is Wonder Woman. Get her back and send Green Lantern to assist with Despero. Once she is back to her senses, we'll need you to suppress Despero's Flame of Py'tar. We only have one shot at this J'Onn." Batman finished, voice as gruff as ever.
Martian Manhunter nodded his head, "I'll see what I can do. However, I will need Green Lantern's aide in subduing her." He calmly explained.
Batman's expression did not change. "Fine. Just stop her." He says before leaving to assist Superman.
The Martian then cloaks himself from view.
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~~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~ ~~ ~ Metro History of Art Museum ~ ~~ ~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~~
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The dark lithe figure stood over the copier humming a light song. She pressed down onto the green start button and waited for the light to pass and the growl of the machine to cease before lifting the cover and removing the security shift schedule. She soon replaced it with the security "rounds" schedule, and proceeded to make a copy of that. Once she was finished, she folded the sheets of paper and placed them into her storage pouch.
Catwoman continued to peruse the documents in the security room, looking for anything that might be advantageous to her and her ultimate task. 'Hmm, there is nothing detailing the location of all of the surveillance equipment in the building.' She thought to herself. 'Guess I'll have to find that out the old fashioned way.' She decided, mentally thinking of her schedule and the next time she'll be able to visit the museum without looking suspicious.
With a quick glance to the monitors on her left, Catwoman realized her time was running out. She could see that Guard #1 was headed back to the room. She held in a sigh, "Time to go." She uttered under her breath. Immediately she moved to re-connect the two cameras in the room that she had disconnected upon her arrival. She moved towards the open vent, subconsciously staying out of direct view of said cameras. However, before she could make her escape she noticed a partially hidden set of unmarked, and possibly unassigned, key cards hanging against the wall. "Now how did I miss you?" She wondered. Though, she did not have long to ponder on it as she heard the guard at the door.
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Guard #1 swiftly uses his key card to gain access into the security office. Walking into the room, he grabs his radio and holds it up to his mouth. "Albie come in… Over…" CHHHH…
CHHHHH… Yeah, what is it?… … Over… CHHHHH…
"I'm back at the room. How much longer for you? Over…" He asked as he sat at his desk glancing at the monitors before him. Completely unaware of the vent closing above his head; or the one less key card in the stack hanging on the wall.
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~~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~ ~~ ~ Star City ~ ~~ ~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~~
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Wonder Woman brought her clenched fist down upon the glowing green shield. Over and over her fists pounded against Green Lantern's light. Just when he thought he could not take it anymore, the attacks abruptly stopped.
Allowing his light to dissipate, Green Lantern looked on in shock as he watched Wonder Woman frozen in mid-air, eyes wide and bright, but empty. He flew nearer to her. "Wonder Woman?" He asked with his ringed fist raised in caution.
Wonder Woman's lips began moving, but it was another's voice that slipped past them. "She is fine Green Lantern."
Green Lantern raised a singular brow. "J'Onn?" He asked a bit weary and unsure. A figure materialized from behind Wonder Woman. "J'Onn!" He exclaimed at the sight of his teammates fingers plunged into his other teammate's head. "What are you doing to her?" He asked concerned.
"I will exorcise Despero's demonic influence out of her." The Martian explained calmly, "However, I will need your assistance."
Green Lantern slowly nodded his head. "Wha… what do you need me to do?"
"His hold on her is strong. But his fight with Superman is causing him to weaken. As I extract his presence, she will become unstable."
The green clad superhero did not like the sound of that. "Oh… kay…" He uttered hesitantly.
"I will need for you to contain her." The Martian told him in all seriousness.
"Contain her?" Green Lantern questioned, but did not receive an answer as the Martian Manhunter extended not only his fingers but his entire person into Wonder Woman. "Wait! Wait! What do you mean by contain?!"
Though he did not receive an answer, Green Lantern soon found out exactly what the Martian meant when Wonder Woman blinked her eyes and surged forward at an alarming speed.
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Batman rushes to the front of the battle. He has to watch his step as he dodges debris after debris that seems to be flying in every direction due to the extreme battle ensuing before him. "Superman." He shouts into his comm. "Status."
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A red and blue blur circled around Despero several times before steadying at his back. In a swift move, Superman had Despero's arms pulled back to halt his movements."Superman… Status…"
Superman grunted a little as he tried desperately to hold onto Despero. "Kinda… busy… Batman…" He got out before Despero broke his hold and sent Superman crashing into the pile of rubble that was once the abandoned building from before. After a few short moments, Superman crawled himself out of the wreckage. "Ya know my patience is wearing thin." He announced. Noticing Despero preparing to send a mental blast his way, Superman flies high into the sky, before shooting himself back down and slamming his fist into Despero's third eye.
Despero moves back in agony, quickly placing his hands over his third eye.
Batman uses this moment to quickly move to Superman's side. Superman turns to his friend. "How are the others?"
"J'Onn has recuperated and is not assisting Green Lantern with Wonder Woman. I believe your attack just now may have even further weakened his hold on her. J'Onn should be able to break the link soon." Batman explains quickly.
Superman nods his head. "Good. The sooner this is over, the sooner I get back to Metropolis."
Batman kept his eyes on the flailing Despero. "And the sooner I get back to patrolling."
Superman raised a brow, his face grim. "You had better be talking about Gotham." He said in a no nonsense kind of way. He was already past disgruntled from Despero, so he was really in no mood to fight with Batman.
Batman chose not to comment on the insinuation. "Let's just finish this."
"You've got a plan?" Superman asked him, as he watched Despero finally coming back to his senses.
Batman remain silent for a little while, before turning back to Superman. "Yes, I do."
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~~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~ ~~ ~ Metro History of Art Museum ~ ~~ ~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~~
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CLING… CLANG… CLING… CLANG… And a GRUNT… "Almost there." The brunette announced to no one as she climbed the rest of the way up the fire escape. With one last GRUNT, she pulled herself over the last rail and onto the dark rooftop.
Lois took this moment to look over the area. The moon was high in the sky, and gave off a generous amount of light, so Lois saw no reason to use her flashlight at this time. Walking past a few generators and vents, she found nothing unusual. And then, she spotted it. Squinting her eyes, in the distance she could see an… "Open vent?" She murmured, before the light dissipated. Frowning in annoyance, she quickly pulled out her flashlight and made to step forward; but in her haste she tripped and fell forward… flashlight tumbling out of her hands.
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Crawling through the vents at a steady and fluid pace, Catwoman quickly made her way down the route she had used to get to the security room. Easily finding the vent that led to the rooftop, she proceeded to just as steady and fluidly climb her way up. Admittedly, she was bored of the entire mission. Nothing exciting or complicated happened, but what did she expect; it was all pretty routine.
She knew she was close, as she saw the soft, but bright glow of the moon above her. Quickening her pace, she nearly reached the top, but paused as she noticed she was not alone. She could see someone near the other end of the rooftop snooping around. "Dammit." The soft swear slipped past her lips, right before
Luckily for her, a large cloud fell over the building, blocking any further light from the moon. Catwoman used this time to jump out of the vent. She quickly and efficiently reattached the vent cover and moved out of sight.
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As soon as the concrete met her face, Lois could the soft sound of a purr. In the corner of her eye, she could see a black fur ball running away. "Ugh… damn cat." She groaned. Her hands were a little scratched up, from cushioning most of her fall. However, her chin still got scratched from grazing the rooftop. "Probably Catwoman's" Feeling around for her flashlight, she quickly made her way to her knees. Once her finger tips reached it, she grasped it into her hands and turned the object on.
With a new source of light, Lois slowly made her way onto her feet and headed into the direction of the open vent she saw. As she came closer, she could not find it. The only thing she saw was a large vent in the same place she believed she was looking earlier. But… "No, this can't be right." She spoke aloud. Her hand caressed the vent cover. "The vent I saw was… it had no cover. I'm sure of it!" She then looked over every inch of it. "Impossible!" She exclaimed, sure she had a story, but frustrated that she could not find it. "I know Catwoman was here."
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Catwoman could hear the other woman fussing to herself in the distance. With a slight grin, she moved to the nearest edge and brandished her whip. Noticing her faithful companion coming at her side, Catwoman picked her up and placed her on her shoulder. "Good girl." She told her before cracking her whip and jumping off of the rooftop.
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Lois abruptly stopped her movements and started moving her flashlight around. "Here kitty, kitty, kitty… Come out kitty, kitty, kitty…" She looked around but found no signs. "Where are you ya little fur ball?" She asked with an attitude. "I know you tripped me on purpose." After a while, she began feeling silly standing on a dark empty rooftop talking to a cat that apparently was nowhere to be found.
With a heavy sigh, she moved towards the fire escape. Looking back over her shoulder to the closed vent once more, she frowned. "I know what I saw. You win this round Catwoman, but you'll slip up soon enough." Once that was said, she exited the rooftop.
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~~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~ ~~ ~ Star City ~ ~~ ~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~~
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Green Lantern willed his light to wrap around Wonder Woman before she could reach him. With the Martian Manhunter busy exorcising her, she became slightly sluggish in her movements; and was much easier to deal with. "Hurry up J'Onn." He grunted while looking into the eyes of a crazed angry amazon. Not particularly something he'd want to see… ever.
Within mere moments, the struggle ended. All was calm for a while before the Manhunter appeared once more. "All is well." He said.
Wonder Woman blinked once, twice, and the fog was cleared. "What happened?" She asked her comrades.
"You were possessed." Green Lantern answered calmly. "J'Onn here unpossessed you."
"Thank you J'Onn." She said while brandishing her lasso of truth. Her eyes immediately lit up with a fire of determination. "Now it's time that I repay the favor to Despero."
"Yes, let us go end this once and for all." Martian Manhunter stated as he and Wonder Woman made their way back to the battle. Green Lantern followed behind.
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"Well, I'm all ears." Superman said before shooting his laser eyes at Despero, aiming at the third eye. Unfortunately, Despero dodged the blast.
Batman out into the distance. "It requires the others. Who seem to be on already here." Just as soon as the words left his mouth, Wonder Woman landed at his side; with Martian Manhunter and Green Lantern landing after.
"So… what's the plan?" Asked Green Lantern.
"Simple. You and I will create a diversion." He answered Green Lantern. "Once Despero is busy with us, Superman will blindside him with the intention of subduing him." He said with a glance at the man of steel, before eyeing the woman to his right. "Wonder Woman will then use her Lasso of Truth to bind him, while weakening his psychic ability. This will inadvertently allow Martian Manhunter to shut Despero down." He finished looking at the Martian in question. "Any questions?" Batman asked them all.
"None." Green Lantern said before flying up into the sky, "Let's do this!" He shouted and headed towards Despero, who seems to have finally caught his second wind.
"You heard the man." Batman stated, before racing after Green Lantern. The others preparing for their own tasks.
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~~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~ ~~ ~ Metropolis ~ ~~ ~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~~
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Catwoman swings from building to building, jumping from rooftop to rooftop. As much fun as she was having, she could not deny that something was missing. Stopping at her current rooftop, she decided to look over the city. She removes Isis from her shoulder, and the cat jumps out of her arms. Isis scampers to the edge, looking over the city for herself. She lets out a soft meow. "I know girl. It's no Gotham City." Catwoman says to her companion.
She then moves closer to the edge herself. "Still, gotta admit, it is quite breathtaking at night." Catwoman crouched down, adjusting her goggle vision, to take a closer look. "These people sure are lax around here." She spied a lady walking down the street. Her wallet slipped out of her bag, and a passerby immediately picked it up. "That's more like it." Catwoman muttered to herself, but soon ate her words as the passerby called out to the woman, holding out her wallet to her. Catwoman frowned. "You've got to be kidding me." She rolled her eyes and glanced down at Isis. "It would seem that the people of Metropolis are just as golden as their boyscout." She then thought over what she just saw, flashes of her childhood coming to the surface. "I have to admit. It does seem kind of nice to live in such a place."
Isis meowed her agreement. Catwoman gave a light chuckle. "Though it would be awfully boring." She says, standing up. "This city could use a pair like us; to shake things up a bit." She then spots a very familiar looking establishment. The building is quite different, but the decoration looks oddly like… "Penguin." Catwoman says in disgust. "Come on girl; let's see if our fellow Gothamite is here." She grabs Isis, and they are one their way.
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~~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~ ~~ ~ Star City ~ ~~ ~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~~
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Despero sat immobile, surrounded by piles of rubble. His eyes were shut, making appear in a deep slumber. Martian Manhunter materialized from within Despero's mind. "It is done." He stated calmly.
Wonder Woman quickly removed her lasso from around the beast. It immediately shrunk back to manageable size. "That is a relief."
"The proper authorities will need to be notified." Green Lantern pointed out.
"I'm sure they are on their way. We'll just need someone-" Superman started before he was interrupted by a new voice.
"Aww man! Seriously, I missed the fight?!" The new green clad hero said, before sheathing his bow.
"Ah, Green Arrow-" Superman started, but was interrupted again.
"Nice of you to join us." Green Lantern commented.
Green Arrow held up both hands. "Hey, not my fault. Dinah needed… uh… a bit of assistance…" He stated scratching his head as a blush found its way onto his cheeks. "I just got back from Seattle."
"Well…" Superman began once more; and when he noticed no one would interrupt him, he continued, "We're just finishing up here. Despero is subdued. We were just awaiting the authorities."
"I will wait. I wish to keep a close eye on him, should he stir." Martian Manhunter said.
Green Arrow nodded his head. "Yeah, thanks buddy. It's my city, so I'll wait as well." He then glanced at his surroundings. "Man, this guy sure did a number on the place." He shook his head then shrugged. "Luckily this area is currently due for demolition." He then looked at his friends. "No casualties I assume?"
"None." Superman spoke. "I've done a sweep with my x-ray vision. I've found no casualties."
"I agree." Martian Manhunter announced. "I sense no other sentient beings nearby."
"Well that being said." Green Lantern began, looking at Wonder Woman. "We should probably head to Watchtower. Our shift starts in an hour." He told her.
Wonder Woman nodded her head. "Yes." She then looked to the others. "If we are no longer needed, we will be on our way."
"Go ahead, we'll take it from here." Superman told her.
Wonder Woman nodded her head, and with a quick glance to Batman, she floated into the air. "Let's go Lantern." She said, before heading to the closest Watchtower transport station.
"Bye guys." Green Lantern said, following after his teammate.
"I guess I'll be heading back to Metropolis." Superman said then looked to Batman. "I assume you will be doing the same?"
"What do you think." Was all Batman said, before shooting his grapple hook high into the sky, just as his Bat Jet was flying by. It snatched onto the moving aircraft, and Batman was gone.
Superman merely shook his head. The night was still young… and he just knew it would be a long one.
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AN: Hey guys, I'm back with a lengthy chapter. So I hope that makes up a little for the late update. I really am sorry for not updating more frequently. But know that I am trying guys. Please stay tuned! And thank you so much for reading.
And a special thank you to all who have given Reviews:
QUATHIS: Thanks for the review. Yeah, I've got a lot of things going on in this fic. And Lex definitely has something up his sleeve. Though Selina can respect him in a way as far as his genius goes and that he's a fellow villain; she is still only an antihero and is not comfortable with the extremes that he would go through. So she definitely likes/want to keep her distance. The only problem is, will he let her.
RATDOGTWO: Thanks for reviewing. I'm glad you like it. I want to keep it entertaining.
THE GODDAMN DARK KNIGHT: I'm not a BMWW fan, mostly because I don't think it's probable and does not exist in the comic world. I like to keep people in character, and since Batman has such an aversion towards metahuman abilities and magic (why he and Zatanna didn't work despite how he felt about her) I just don't see this happening. However, I do respect those who do support BMWW and I've tried to incorporate a little of it here. But it's not an actual pairing, and mostly one sided. Honestly, I haven't decided on any pairings as of yet.
TIGRESS2929: Thanks. Yeah, Selina is very weary of Lex… but wouldn't you be too. He's a genius, but can be creepy. BTW when I write this, I imagine Smallville's Lex Luther played by Michael Rosenbaum. He is possibly the BEST portrayal of the character. Sorry, but you'll have to wait for Batman and Superman to finish that argument… but I assure you, they will.
MADGE58: So glad that you are staying tuned. I really am sorry for the long updates. I hope I'm forgiven.
GUEST1: So glad that you are enjoying this. Thank you so much for reviewing.
GUEST2: Thanks!
CC: Thanks for reviewing! Yes Selina is a master thief, but when swinging from building to building, you will be seen. Lois just happened to look up at the right time to see a dark shadow. (Mere coincidence.) Others would ignore it. But Lois is already suspicious of Selina, plus she recognized the shadow as something similar to Batman, but she knows Batman is not in Metropolis. She's just following her inquisitive nature. But it doesn't mean she'll be able to prove anything. Glad you enjoyed the update. And I agree about Bruce, but it's his own fault if he loses the girl. Lol
ARAYTIGRE: Thank you! I'm glad you are enjoying this. There's so much going on, but there is an end game to all of this, I PROMISE!
GUEST3: Thank you so much. I am sorry for the long overdue update, but I hope you enjoyed it.
GUEST4: Thanks for reviewing. I know that it has taken awhile, but we'll get there. So please stay tuned.
GUEST5: Thanks for reviewing. I hope this update makes you less grouchy. And I'll get the next one up a lot sooner… I hope.
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Again, I want you all to know that I do take your suggestions and comments very seriously. After all, we're walking this journey together. I don't know what happens next until I write it, then I immediately post it, don't even got time to edit. So you're really getting these chapters hot off the press.
Well, thanks again for reading. And thank you for reviewing. I like to read feedback to give me ideas on how I should shape my story.
Well, you know the drill…
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