The fall of Green Arrow.

Chapter 13: Arrow Down

Diana started to rouse from her slumber by the feel of a gloved hand as it gently moved some stray strands of hair from her face and tucking them behind her ear. She felt compelled to lean in to that affectionate touch for some reason that she didn't quite understand. She didn't open her eyes at all as she almost didn't want this moment to end. She had no memory of someone showing such care and affection towards her, not even her own mother. She realized by the sound of the sigh that it was a male standing next to her medical bed, and although she was curious, she still didn't open her eyes as she was enjoying the sensation that she felt. And then he started to speak. "Diana….." Bruce started quietly. "I….I have some things that I need to tell you….things that I wish I could say when you're awake but know that I'll never have that chance. I'm….I'm sorry if I've done anything to cause this between you and I. If I'd have known that keeping Shayera would've caused me to lose you….I'd have….I….I never would've gone through with it. I love you Princess. I always will."

Diana wondered why Batman had risked his life to sneak aboard the Watchtower just to see her. Even though Superman had told her that she had a distinct power over Batman that caused him to try getting to her, no one in their right mind would get onboard the Watchtower where there was no chance for escape. He'd also apparently felt the need to confide in her his regrets. Listening to what he said made her wonder what he believed he'd lost between her and him. He certainly didn't seem like the type that Kal had described. Perhaps there was more to him than Kal knew. She managed to catch a peek at Batman standing next to her bed. It appeared that he was getting ready to leave and there didn't seem to be anyone coming around to catch him. She knew that she needed to detain him if possible, and when she was sure his guard wasn't up, Diana shot her hand up and latched onto Bruce's arm, holding him there. "You're not going anywhere Batman." She said as she snapped her eyes open to see him standing there. She was slightly surprised by his not trying to escape from her grip. Instead he remained there just looking at her hand that was latched onto his forearm. She found that her curiosity about this man was increasing. Was he not attempting to get free because he knew that she was stronger and could stop any attempt, or was he so self assured that no harm would come to him that he was just waiting until she let him go? "Why aren't you trying to get away?" She asked as her curiosity got the better of her.

Batman's gaze moved from Diana's hand to her ruby red lips, pausing there for a moment before finally trailing up to meet her eyes. "I don't want to go unless you're coming with me." He admitted quietly.

"What makes you think that I'd willingly leave with you?" She asked, her grip loosening slowly.

"Our past." Batman answered simply.

"Our past?" Diana repeated. "We have no past aside from your betrayal from the Justice League."

"What betrayal?" It was Batman's turn to ask a question as he was slightly taken by surprise by that statement. "I haven't betrayed anyone."

"So you say." Diana responded as she released her hold on Batman. Something inside told her that he wouldn't attempt to get away, and she had more questions to ask. "How can I trust that you're telling the truth Batman?"

"Bruce." Batman responded. Diana's head tilted to the side slightly, wondering why Batman would do such a thing as give away his secret identity so easily. He noticed the curious look on her face and delved into more details. "You always called me by my real name before. It doesn't seem right to hear you call me by any other name."

"Before what?" She asked, wanting more details.

"Before your memories of us were somehow taken away from you." Batman explained as best he could without knowing exactly what had happened to Diana. He lowered his head and looked away from her in disgust from not having taken action and gotten her instead of meeting the President. "I'm sorry." He apologized again.

Hearing the word sorry leaving Batman's mouth was surprising to Diana for some reason. She had a feeling inside that it was a rarity to hear him say such words to anyone. "I'm not sure what you're sorry for Bruce, but I'm not sure that sorry will be enough."

"No, I don't suppose it would." Batman conceded. "But I still am, and I needed you to know that."

"You are an enemy of the Justice League Bruce." Diana stated as she wasn't sure where else to lead the conversation, so she brought it back to what she could recall about Batman. "You took a great risk coming here to checking on my health, and it was rather foolish of you to do such a thing when we could have you arrested for your crimes."

"What crimes?" Batman fired back He couldn't believe how much of her memory had been taken and it left him frustrated. "Come on Diana. You're supposed to be the beacon of truth Diana. Instead of taking me at my word or not, use what you have available to find the truth."

Diana stared at Batman for a few moments, wondering just what game he could possibly be playing at. Surely he was referring to the Lasso of Truth, but was he suggesting that he would willingly allow her to bind him by the magical lasso so that she would question him? From what she could recall of the Dark Knight, that didn't seem to be what he was after. Was there something regarding her that was untruthful? How could that be possible so thought to herself? Perhaps this was another attempt at manipulating the truth in order to turn things into his favor. She strangely found that she wanted to believe him, but she knew deep down that even if one were to want something that didn't necessarily mean that they would get it.

Batman knew that time was becoming short for him. Even though he'd done his best to deter any form of detection, it was only a matter of time before something or someone beyond his controls would discover his presence aboard the Watchtower. Deep down he wished that he would be taking Diana with him, but he could tell by the questioning look that she was still sending his way that she wouldn't come willingly. He certainly wouldn't be taking an unwilling Amazon either regardless of how much he found himself wanting to. As he took a step back in order to make his exit, Diana again reached for and grabbing his arm to halt his escape. "You know Bruce." Diana stated as she looked directly into the lenses of his cowl. "I shouldn't allow you to leave."

Batman smirked confidently upon hearing her say that to him. In her right mind, she'd know that he'd have already prepared an escape plan as well as a backup escape plan. Diana didn't like the scene before her and she revealed her displeasure with the sneer that formed on her face. "What?" She demanded. "The almighty Batman believes that he can escape from an Amazon's grasp?"

"If only you knew, Diana, if only you knew." Batman responded before pausing to look up at her medical room door sliding open, granting access to another visitor.

~~ Fortress of Solitude ~~

"If he wasn't here for you, then what did he want?" Superman asked his parents. He was visibly frustrated, but no one aside from him knew if the reason for that frustration was that Batman had gained access to the Fortress, or if it was that he couldn't' be sure if his parents were actually on his side or not. They had been giving him vague answers to that point, and from reading their vital signs, he knew that they weren't being completely honest with him.

"He only told us that he was looking for a way to….even the odds." Jonathan Kent replied. "That's all son, I swear."

"And just how did he….."

"Superman." Cyborg interrupted. "I've found something."

Superman rubbed his face to try and wipe away the frustration he felt towards his parents at that very moment. "What is it?" He asked as he turned his attention to his mechanical companion.

"There's a missing pill on this tray labeled Five-U93-R." Green Lantern answered.

"And according to the computer in your lab, a program was run just a few hours ago while you weren't here." Cyborg added.

"What was run?" Superman asked as he quickly entered into what he believed had been a secure lab area until Batman's break in.

"Some sort of nanite build program." Cyborg answered. "I'm digging into the programming of the nanites now."

"No." Superman answered very quickly. "I already know what they're for. It's a part of my re-education program that Lex and I are working on for the more violent criminal element of the world."

"Why would Batman have an interest in something like that?" Cyborg asked.

"It's Batman." Superman answered simply before turning to exit the lab area.

"He needs to know everything that's going on, regardless of its relevance." Green Lantern added. "It's his paranoid nature."

"I need to know what he took. Superman stated while looking directly at his parents. "We need to find out if he took materials or just downloaded files from the program, and then we need to get back to the Watchtower. He may very well become the biggest threat to our campaign if we don't do something soon."

"What do you think we need to do?" Green Lantern asked.

"We'll hold a meeting to discuss that." Superman answered. "But it's fairly obvious that he's working alongside the U.S. government and they should be dealt with as well."

After Cyborg was finished investigating just how much information Batman had gleaned, the three men marched back to the Javelin, Superman fighting to restrain his growing anger towards his former friend. Batman should be on his side seeking out a means for world peace. Hadn't Batman's actions outside the League been considered too violent at times to be considered heroic? How was that so different from what Superman was attempting? He'd lost his family once and Superman thought for sure that Bruce would want this since it could very well mean that no other eight year old boy would ever have to bear witness to his parent's deaths again. Why was he fighting this change? Was he jealous that he didn't have the power to do this on his own? Would it be possible to convince Bruce that this path was the best one, or would more extreme measures need to be taken? He would likely be researching the pill and anything regarding the nanites that he'd taken, and it wouldn't take him long to recognize that Diana's change would be too coincidental to not at least draw some form of suspicion. After all, regardless of what anyone thought, there was no denying that he was the world's greatest detective for a reason. Bruce could find the impossible from seemingly out of nowhere. Superman found that it was infuriating being on this side of the Dark Knight's mind. No wonder all of Batman's villains were insane. They'd have to be after going up against Bruce's great deductive mind. How else could they ever for any length of time seem to gain a step on the Dark Knight before he took it right back?

~~ Back at the Watchtower ~~

"You son of a bit…!"

Shayera's screeching voice called out before dodging a batarang that was aimed at her head. Diana still held Bruce's one arm, but he was able to pull out a batarang and let it fly to keep the Thanagarian off balance. Her having to duck out of the way also gave him enough time to quickly pull out another and fire it at her again. The Second batarang stuck into the ground just before her feet, causing her to smirk. He'd missed, or so she thought before a light on the batarang came on followed by a beeping sound, indicating that it was an explosive batarang. Shayera jumped back to avoid the blast, and before she could react in another fashion, the medical room door slid shut in front of her face.

What Shayera had believed to be an explosive batarang had in actuality been in electrically charged batarang, and it sent voltage up to the doorway controls, shorting them out. It wouldn't keep her away for long though. Batman would have to fall upon his last resort of an escape plan after all. He turned to find a still injured Diana standing before him just before she slammed him against a nearby wall. She was so close to him at that moment he could feel her breath against the unprotected section of his face. He was amazed by her level of strength even though she was still incredibly injured. She had to be in immense pain, but she was hiding it well. "You just attacked a Justice League member and a friend of mine." Diana seethed.

"I didn't attack her." Batman argued as he glanced over to the door that was in the middle of a pummeling at the hands of an angry Thanagarian wih her mace on the other side. Unfortunately for him, he'd run out of time to help Diana rediscover what had apparently been taken from her somehow. "I gave us another minute before I have to go."

"I have you now." Diana fired back. "You're not going anywhere unless I allow it."

Batman merely smiled at her, catching her completely off guard. The Batman barely ever smirked, let alone smiled. It was incredibly unnerving for her to see, and Batman took advantage of that moment of hesitation as he leaned in and kissed her lightly on an uninjured portion of her cheek. "Alfred…" He said. "Go."

Diana was stunned to see Batman's body disappear right before her eyes. The Watchtower should have access restrictions to prevent anyone from being able to teleport onto or off of it without proper authorization, and the teleporters were supposedly hack proof. By then Shayera had managed to pound her way through the door, only to find a still stunned Diana looking at her now empty hands. "Where is that son of a bitch?" Shayera yelled as she searched the room for where he could have possibly slipped away to.

"He's gone Shayera." Diana replied. "Teleported out just a few seconds ago. I thought I had him, but it seems he was prepared for this moment."

"We need to tell Superman about this intrusion." Shayera decided aloud. "There will be hell to pay for that asshole. First he kidnaps me, and now it seems he was trying to take you too."

"Actually he never tried to take me at all." Diana explained. "He just talked to me, and even said that he didn't want to leave at all unless I willingly came with him. I know it sounds strange, but I don't think he would've tried to take me otherwise."

"Really?" Shayera questioned. "He never gave me a choice. The coward just waited until I was knocked unconscious by the Apocalypse forces and held me in a medically induced coma until J'onn's cover was blown."

"I know Shay, but I don't believe he intended any harm to you." Diana responded. "He seems to only want to stop what Kal is doing. For some reason he doesn't think Kal's vision is in the people's best interest."

"And he's tricked some of the higher powered people of the world into joining him." Superman added as he entered the medical room. "We're having a meeting in five minutes to discuss what options we have to take regarding a former colleague. I just need to have a word with Diana first if you don't mind Shayera."

"Of course not." Shayera responded before making her exit.

Superman and Diana both watched until Shayera was out of sight before he turned his attention to Diana. He led her back over to her medical bed and sat on the edge of the bed beside her, his shoulders slumped slightly. "What's wrong Kal?" Diana asked

Superman sighed as he raised a hand and pinched the bridge of his nose, working out just what to say in his mind. "I think Batman's manipulated my parents into trusting him Di." He finally responded. "They, they not only seemed to help him, but they tried to cover up for him as well."

"What makes you say that Kal?" Diana asked as encouragement to continue.

"I used my powers to read their vital signs, and they were lying to me about what he was doing when he broke into the Fortress of Solitude." Superman answered. "I think he took copies of some plans that Lex and I were preparing to use in order to help us get to the world peace that we all want. All of us except any government officials or men of power."

"In my time here, I've come to the conclusion that no man is willing to give up the power he's reached." Diana replied.

"Maybe the men of this world are incapable of self rule." Superman suggested.

"I'm not sure Kal, but that certainly seems to be the case." Diana agreed.

"I'd better get to the meeting." Kal said standing up. "I'll see you later, unless that is if you're feeling up to attending."

Diana smiled. "It's just a meeting Kal, I'm sure I can manage." Diana stated confidently as she rose up onto her feet again and removed the medical gown. She pulled her uniform out of a nearby closet and moved behind a curtain to change as Superman averted his eyes. No plain curtain could prevent him from viewing if he wanted to after all. Once Diana was dressed, she tapped Kal on the shoulder and accompanied him to the conference room. As they were late, they were the last ones to arrive. The chatter ended when everyone was able to see the damage that Wonder Woman had endured.

Superman waited until Diana was down in her seat before he cleared his throat as a means to focus the room. "I called everyone to this meeting because we've come across some issues that I believe we need to address now instead of later." Superman started. "First thing is that we need to decide how to handle the United States government. They've already shown their hands on their stance, revealing that they are against what we're trying to accomplish because it will remove their need and their power. I want to go to the United Nations and announce that we are going to disband any governments and take temporary control until such an institution is in place that has the whole world's interests in hand instead of just the interest of one country. The other issue is Batman. He's made himself become known as a potential threat..."

~~ Arrow Cave ~~

"I don't care what Spooky says, we can't just lay low and wait for him to come up with some kind of plan to stop Supes." Green Arrow argued over the phone.

"Batman has the best chance against him Ollie." Dinah responded. "I trust him that he has our best interests in mind."

"Like when he saved Diana?" Ollie continued.

Dinah gave pause to Ollie's argument, his last statement hitting a little close to home. She was surprised by his response. Did he really not know? "Wouldn't you do the same thing for me?" She asked.

"Tha….That's different." Ollie stammered. "I love you and we're getting married."

"Batman loves Diana Ollie." Dinah replied firmly.

"That's crazy talk." Ollie responded before he began to go through all of the memories of Batman and Diana together. "Isn't it?" He questioned.

"No, it isn't." Dinah answered even though she didn't have to. "Everyone onboard the Watchtower knew it Ollie. Well, everyone except Batman it seemed. He's always gone out of his way to save her if she were ever in trouble."

"Hmph." Ollie blurted out as he crossed his arms and continued going through his memories of the two other heroes. "Even so, that still doesn't change the fact that we shouldn't just sit idly by until Batman comes up with a plan. Every day we wait, Supes is only increasing his power over the world."

"Just give Batman the time he needs Ollie." Dinah coaxed. "When he contacts us, he'll have a plan set up to stop Superman."

"Maybe you're right Dinah." Ollie conceded before looking up in response to an alert that had just sounded off. He glanced up to the security camera feed of his front door and saw the cause. "Looks like I've got some unexpected guests. I'll have to catch up with you later Dinah."

"Umm okay Ollie." Dinah responded, unsure of who it could be that would cause Ollie to end their call.

"I love you Dinah." Ollie said before ending the call and focusing his attention on his guest, who had just broken through the main door of the Queen mansion. He didn't have much time at all, and knowing this fact he quickly grabbed his quiver and bow before heading to a secure spot within his arrow cave. He'd designed the spot where he fled into to be efficient and hard for an enemy to get an open shot at him without sacrificing their safety in the process. He settled in and pulled out the two arrows that he had specifically made for this intruder, and waited for the inevitable. He didn't need to wait long.

"Ollie!" Superman yelled as he breeched his way into the Arrow Cave. "I know you're in here. I just want to talk about what you were doing in the Fortress with Batman."

"Forgive me if I choose to believe otherwise there Supes." Ollie countered. "You haven't exactly been the most trustworthy in my book lately. Taking down governments, passing judgment like some sort of higher being."

"It's not like that Ollie." Superman said as he pleaded his case. "Batman's been filling your head with lies."

"So that pill that we took from your lab was planted there by Batman?" Ollie fired back rhetorically. "Why do you need a bunch of super powered soldiers? Are you planning on pushing your ways onto everyone in the world Clark? Well no thanks. I prefer to keep my freedom and your no better than those dictators that you removed from power. What would Lois think of what you're doing?"

"I'm doing what she told me to do the last time I spoke to her." Superman fired back, his rage growing evident by the increased red glow of his eyes. "I'm saving this world. Even if I have to save it from the people that are in it."

"Look Superman." Ollie said. "We all get it. You're hurting because of what a mad man took from you. But don't think that you're the only one that's lost things. What you're going to do is crazy. You can't hope to control everyone on the planet just because you think you can make it safer. Holding us all down by subjugation will only end with revolt. You can't do this."

"I am doing this Ollie." Superman barked. "Now are you going to come out quietly, or do I need to pull you out kicking and screaming?"

Ollie drew back a nocked arrow. "Let's go with option C." He offered as he released the arrow aimed straight at Superman's chest. He watched as the arrow approached in almost slow motion as it headed toward its target, but just as the arrow was about to connect Superman's hand came up and caught it.

"Kicking and screaming it is then." Superman seethed as he began to stalk his way over to where Ollie was standing.

"Think again Supes." Ollie said as he stepped out with another arrow nocked and at the ready. "You see, that arrow came specially to order."

Superman looked down to see that there was a timer that had less than one second on it. The casing at the bolt of the arrow split open and a green powder exploded from within. Superman felt the instant sickness consuming him as he attempted to hold his breath and get away from the Kryptonite particles floating in the air around him. The particles making contact was bad enough, but if he were to breath any in it would only make matters worse. Ollie wasn't giving Superman much of a chance to escape though as he rushed forward, using his bow as a weapon, swatting Superman in the back of his knees and thusly taking him off his feet. He landed on his back with a thud, and the impact forced some air to escape him.

Ollie knelt down on top of Superman, and began swinging with rights and lefts. It felt like punching a brick wall, but he knew that if he was going to escape he had to incapacitate Superman for at least a few minutes. That was why he had the second arrow readily within reach. He intended to force Superman to inhale it. After a few more punches were thrown, he reached back for the arrow. It was now or never. "Just because you were vulnerable doesn't give you the right to do this Superman." Ollie stated as he grabbed the arrow and pulled it back out of the quiver. "Being vulnerable is part of being human and so is the fear of loss."

Superman glanced up to see the arrow that Ollie had pulled out was the same as the one he'd just used. Superman focused all his power, and shot out his heat vision at Ollie's hand followed by blowing out a mighty gust of air, which sent the arrow flying away before it could be opened to provide even more Kryptonite. Superman took that moment of surprise and grabbed Ollie by his shirt before flinging him away. Ollie slammed into a wall, knocking the wind out of him in the process. He never had a chance to get back to his feet before Superman was back on him. There was a murderous look on Superman's face as Ollie reached for his cell phone and pressed the send button. He wanted someone to know what was happening.

Superman wasted no words, but began pummeling Ollie in the midsection relentlessly. He wasn't at full strength due to the Kryptonite particles, but he still had Meta level strength to use at his disposal. After three punches, Ollie began to cough up blood, and by the sixth, his arms dropped to his sides as his body began to crumple over. Superman wasn't done though as he let loose a feral yell and continued beating into Ollie's limp body. By the time Superman was done he was panting heavily and covered in blood. After a few seconds, he heard a click sound in one of Ollie's pockets, and upon searching, he realized that Dinah had been on the phone and heard the beating. Surely she would be relaying what happened in the Arrow Cave to Batman and anyone else that had sided with him. Superman shot up through the cave and into the air, heading straight for Gotham City and it's protector.

~~ Outer space ~~

Kyle Rainer was traveling through space toward his home world. He'd been on a yearlong mission and couldn't wait to enjoy seeing home once again. Little did he know of all the changes that had been taking place during his absence. As Kyle came into view of Earth, he was surprised by his ring giving off a proximity alarm that someone was nearby. He turned to see who it could be and was surprised to find that he was surrounded by Sinestro Corps members. Before he could defend himself, the Sinestro Corps members ensnared him in a constructed trap they had concocted. The next thing Kyle saw was Sinestro himself approaching from behind his own Corps members. Kyle attempted to create a fist construct with his ring, but each time he did, the trap he'd been caught in tightened its grip around him. "What the hell are you doing here Sinestro?" Kyle demanded.

"I've merely been observing your planet young Green Lantern." Sinestro responded with a twisted smile as he floated around the Green Lantern. "It seems the heroes of your world are becoming more and more similar to me as each day passes. There appears to be a war on the horizon and I can see future allies to join my cause."

"Not strong enough to handle things on your own Sinestro?" Kyle mocked. "Some all powerful being you turned out to be."

Sinestro moved in closer, his twisted smile replaced by a sneer. He reached for and grabbed Kyle's ring finger before making eye contact with the Green Lantern. The smile quickly returned however. "Do I sense fear in you, Green Lantern?" He spat out.

Kyle attempted to use his ring to send out a warning to Oa, but Sinestro was having none of that, ripping the ring and finger off of Kyle's hand. As his powers left him, Kyle screamed soundlessly in the void of space as Sinestro turned his back to him. "It's a pity you won't be able to witness the upcoming war, but you have helped to start it." After that was said, the rest of the Yellow Lantern Corps began to tear Kyle's body apart piece by piece.

~~ Batcave ~~

"I'm sending over the file now." Batman stated as he continued typing on the Cray supercomputer. "As soon as it's uploaded, distribute it to the entire team."

"You need to get out of there as soon as possible Bruce." Oracle advised. "He already got to Green Arrow, and the Batcave is his next likely target."

"I'm not leaving until the analysis is complete on the nanite programming and this file is successfully sent out." Batman responded. "This pill is everything to stopping Clark, and with what happened to Ollie, it's obvious that the Superman the world once knew is gone forever. We have to be able to stop…"

Batman was interrupted by the feeling of the Earth shaking beneath his feet. It was a telling sign that Superman had arrived, and would be in the Batcave at any moment. Bruce quickly signaled for Selina and Tim to take cover in the docking area of the Batboat. He'd have to distract Superman until the pill analysis was sent. Batman typed furiously on the computer again, sending instructions to send the results of the nanite project out as soon as the analysis completed as well before minimizing both windows. At the bottom of the screen, he'd be able to tell how far along each process was before he retrieved a video file, pausing it before it started. He stepped back away from the computer and placed his cowl on just as Superman broke through the cave, surrounded by stalactites as he descended to where Bruce stood looking up at him. "Clark." Batman greeted coldly.