Bruce

I groan as a sash is removed from my eyes. There is a pressing weight on my abdomen and I struggle to break free from the chains that bound my wrists and ankles. I pull at the chains and the posts of the bed moans in pain. I look up and see Artemis, twirling the sash around her finger. There are shards of glass surrounding me, poking at my sides.

"I see your hospitality has improved." I say sarcastically. I tug at the chains once more. "Although the chains were a bit much, don't you think?"

"The chains aren't for your mere pleasure, but for mine." She said, running her hands up and down my chest. I shift against the movement and a shard of glass rips through the Kevlar of my suit. I wince. She smirks.

"Are you going to torture me?" I ask. She shakes her head.

"I thought we could do something more fun." She tilted her head to the side. "Well, fun for me at least." I raised an eyebrow. She had reminded me so much of Selina, except Selina didn't dig her nails into my skin.

"You're going to rape me?" I asked. She frowns.

"That is such an appalling word, don't you think? Just think of this, you are doing me a favor by giving me pleasure."

"I'm going to take that as a yes." I stated. She scowls.

"Isn't this what you men call on your world, 'freaky'?"

"It's freaky, just not the good kind of freaky." I said. She rolled her eyes.

"Enough from you." She said, stuffing the sash into my mouth. I pulled at the chains once more.

Fortunately, someone came in before she began her descent on me. It was the fast talking woman. She cleared her throat. Artemis sat up with a groan. I look at the woman with a desperate look. The woman stepped inside and stood tall.

"Your presence is needed." She said. Artemis glanced at her.

"Lola, you're a big girl. I think you can handle it." She raked her nails across my skin once more. I winced. She smirked. "Besides, I'm currently busy."

Lola cleared her throat once more, earning a glare from the twisted woman on top of me. Still, Lola seemed determined. With a huff, Artemis got off of me. I gasped for air, almost choking on the sash. She turned and glared at me. I said something, which turned out to be muffled noises. She turned back to Lola.

"A group of civilians found skeletal remains of one of our own by the shore." Lola said. Artemis crossed her arms.

"It could have been one of our sisters from the war." She shrugged. Lola shook her head.

"It isn't. They found the coat of arms ring on the body. The ring that only the queen would wear." Lola explained. From where I lay I see Artemis's eyes widen. She quickly rushes out of the room, making a sharp turn to the left.

Lola walked up to the bed, ripping the chains with her bare hands. I raised a brow before pulling out the sash from my mouth. I sat up after she had set free both of my wrists and had begun to free my ankles. I rubbed my wrists and gave her a nod in thanks. She walked to the door, motioning me to follow.

In broad daylight, we hid in the shadows of buildings until we were able to get inside the bell tower. Instinctively, I head for the staircase that led to Diana. Lola pulls me back down from the first step and glares at me. I start to believe that the island full of women had a thing for glaring at one another.

"You can't tell Diana what you just heard." She warned.

"What? That Artemis killed her mother? That she killed the queen?" Lola's eyes widened. She opens her mouth to ask how I knew. I cut her off. "Diana told me her mother had jumped into the sea because she didn't want her. And if you found a body on the shore, it could have only meant one thing. You also said that the coat of arms ring was only worn by the queen and Artemis reacted in a way that proves that she killed the queen." I explained.

Lola crossed her arms. "How were you able to figure that out so quickly?" I shrugged.

"I'm Batman."

She rolled her eyes and pushed me toward the stairs. I look back at her, only to find her gone. I look back at the staircase and shake off the sudden chill. I went up, looking behind me one more time to see if Lola was hiding behind a pillar.

"So that's what that feels like." I whispered. "That's rude."

I peered around the corner to see Diana in her usual spot in front of the clay city. I walked toward her. She isn't working on anything, and it looks like she's looking down at her hands. Her hands are covered in scratches.

"Diana? Are you okay?" I asked, kneeling down. She turned to me.

There was scratches on her face, yet her smile still radiated through it. I refrained the urge to reach out and touch her face, to somehow make her feel better. Instead, I give her a smirk. My smirk fades.

"Your mistress is a crazy bitch." I tell her. She giggles.

"I have no idea what that means." She said. I take her hand in my own.

"Don't worry about it." I reassured. She gave me a slight nod. After a long pause, she sighs and sits up straight.

"So what happened with you? I got rocks thrown at me as my punishment." She said. The worst part, she sounded like it was normal.

"How can you say that so calmly?"

She shrugged with a grin. "Happened before when I was little. Sometimes it hurts so much that you just stop feeling the pain at all."

"Well, Artemis attempted to rape me." Her eyes widened. I nodded. "I was chained up to, I'm assuming, her bed. She gagged me and every time I moved there was glass that would stab into me."

"Were you not scared?" I shook my head.

"I was. But it has always been a thing for me in dire situations to act extremely calm." She smirked. She stood and took a glance at the stairwell I had just came from. I stand up.

She grabbed my hand, leading me to the second stairwell that led to the rooftop of the tower. "You have to go. It's best if you leave now." I don't let go.

"What about you?"

She shakes her head. "I'll just stay here. There is no way I'm going to be able to leave anyway. You should just go back to your son and father. I'll be okay." I frowned.

"I wish I could help you." I said quietly. She gave me a small smile.

"Bruce, that was the first time I had ever been in the forest. You've helped me, even if I was only outside for a couple of hours." She said. The corners of my mouth twitched upward. She gives me a kiss on the cheek before pushing me out of the door. With a sigh, I leave for the forest.

I'm betting that everyone wants to kill me right now. But I have been working on my submissions for the Wonderbat Milestones. I hope to get those done because it will be the first time I will be participating in the event.