A/N :: Continue from Part 1.
Warning :: No Beta, sorry for misspelling, I will fix that later. Explicit language, violence. Please do not try at home and young kids should not swear!
Part 2;
"Can we go in yet?" Lysandra asked for the hundred times from a place beside him, both lay flat on their bellies on the narrow terrace building across the street from the warehouse, watching the guard finishing his Chinese take-out. Sound of heavy metal music floated out from inside. Tim felt his mouth twitched as he lowered his binocular down. Could this girl be anymore impatient?
They or more like he, decided to wait for the sleeping pill to take effect on the guard. All the while, Lysandra kept asking him the same thing over and over. Sure, it was fine for the first few times but as the hours starter moving, so was her patient as it became thinner and thinner. Tim could tell she wasn't the kind of person who waited in the shadow, the girl wanted to charge in head on. And for the last time, he had to explain the reason. Again.
"Not yet. Come on, Lysandra. We talked about this…" Tim said.
Lysandra let out a huff and lay her chin on her arms. Looking down at the warehouse. "No, we didn't. You just said 'We need to wait until the guard to fall asleep' and we've been laying here for almost two hours! I don't see why in Hades we should wait for anything. Could we just go in, knock the guards out, get it and leave?"
"Do you know who own that warehouse?"
"Does it matter?"
"Yes, it does. The building belongs to LexCorp…." He waited for her to give him any response but nothing came so he glanced over at her. Lysandra just looked at him like she had no idea what he was talking about. "Do you know who own LexCorp?"
"Do I look like I have an idea?" Her brows knitted together, giving him a scowl.
"Well, you know who Bruce Wayne is, even know about me and Dick. I thought you would know this man, he's pretty famous…" Yeah, famous for being an evil mastermind billionaire. But the scowl on her face deepened even more. "His name is Lex Luthor. He's very rich and powerful and very smart….and been giving hard times for the Justice League since forever"
"And?"
"And it's mean if he's involved with our murderers/thieves, we have a big problem" Tim paused gave her time to think. "And you could see that those women aren't here. And we don't know how many guards are in there. So that place might be a trap of some kind―"
"See! I should never hand over that stupid bowl to you to begin with! I should just tak―"
"That's not what I mean" Tim cut in. Lysandra glared at him and rolled on to her back. She crossed her arms.
"We'll sneak in, disable the surveillance cameras. And knocked out some guards, called the cops, take the bowl and get out" He explained the plan again. Lysandra still ignored him. He clicked his lenses on the mask, checking the time. Almost three AM. "Come on. Any minute now….just think of it as hunting a game or something?"
"Pleeeease. If those men were my games they will have arrows through the necks since the first ten minute we got here…"
Tim blinked, and just looked at her. The girl talked about killing someone like she was chatting about Sunday football games. "Have….." He started, brought Lysandra attention back to him as she turned her head to the side. But the words seemed to stuck in his throat. "Have you ever…."
"Have I ever what?"
"You know….kill―" He shut his mouth. "Never mind, I really don't want an answer"
"Why? Can't handle it?" Lysandra smirked and rolled back on her stomach, her body slammed to his side. Tim tried to think about all those concealed weapons on her sleeves instead of a bright look on her face or the warmth of her body being near his―
"Not that it matters….They can't actually die anyway…" Lysandra leaned her head in and said. His body went rigid. He swallowed the lump in his throat.
"What―what do you mean?" Great, now he's stuttering.
"When the gods created the Amazons, they modeled them after the Amazons of Themyscira. They have duties to serve our creators, fuels their powers with our worship and tributes, doing the deeds they needed to be done. And what's the better way to keep a leash on them forever? By making them immortal… any fatal injuries will always heal, sure it might take time but the Amazons were warrior born, they are tough. A few maiming won't put them down. The only way to kill them is to decapitate. But beheading would pretty much kill any immortals except for some certain creature like Hydra…." Lysandra explained the details so casually, Tim just looked at her in bafflement but she didn't stop there, instead continued as her finger playing with the silver edge of a knife strapping across her upper arm. "…Every time they play war games or sparring, any blows are allowed excepted decapitation. So if you asked that have I ever kill anyone then, No. But if I ever delivered death blows then Yes. On daily basis…"
Tim forced himself not to gape. Instead, turned away from her and lifted the binocular up.
Should he be surprise? No he shouldn't. From Wonder Woman's file of the Amazons, he should have known Lysandra wasn't just average teenage girl. The files had said the Amazons had begun their traditional way of training since a young age. Their training was worse than the Spartans'. And because birth was uncommon on Paradise Island, it would make Lysandra the only young they had in millennia. He should have known she was accustomed to killing since the first time they'd met when he saw her slit the giant's throat without even blinking.
Still, it…baffled him.
What do you expect, Timothy? Do you think she was some girly who prancing around in flouncy skirt? Hah! Nice Dream, pal!
Train of thoughts stopped when his eyes caught the guard by front door falling asleep on his post, snoring. Tim decided this wasn't a time for discerning the details of Lysandra's life. Who was he to judge her anyway? He started his first training since he was twelve. He told himself then, it was for the greater good. Did Lysandra have the luxury of choosing her own path? What kind of life had she live until now?
It didn't matter now. They were in this together, he'd decided to help her. And he wouldn't break that promise.
Tim tugged the binocular into his pouch. And started to get up, Lysandra took that as her cue. She giddily sprang up from the cold terrace floor, checking her weapons while muttering "Finally" softly under her breath.
"There's only two entries, one is the front door, I'm covering that. All windows are barred, so another way is the glass window on the roof. But there's no way you could get in without break the glass, so we can't sneak in there by break that window. I'm going to check the guard, then cut the power…" He said as he pulled out his grapping hook gun. Tim turned to her waving his index finger." You" He started. "Wait for my signal. Remember to press the comlink before replying or it won't communicate back."
"Yeah, yeah. I remember" She swatted his finger away. Tim gave her a long look until she put her fists on her hip and said. "Get moving! Go!"
Tim gave her last warning look. Before fired his gun and jumped, slung away in the air. He dropped silently right at the front door. He rushed over to the guard to check his pulse, making the sedative he bullied the delivery guy and slipped it in earlier wasn't too much for him.
Satisfied, he pulled out the plastic cuff and proceeded putting it on both of the bulky man's wrists. Alice in Chains' We die Young floated from inside the warehouse, obscured any chance of eavesdropping to see how many men they had on the other side. In time like this Tim wished he had X-ray Vision.
He was tempted to call in Nicholas Kent, A.K.A. Superboy, to be his backup in case something gone wrong. He didn't want to ask Dick for it, because if everything went to hell, and Bruce found out. At least he won't be able to touch Superman's son. Or at least, he couldn't do any real damage.
But he decided against it. Nicholas had certain reputation when it came to girls. And the idea of Nicholas flying around, flexing pectoral muscles, not to mention those hypnotized violet eyes he heritage from his mother and flashing white teeth smile around Lysandra? The thought made him want to punch a hole in a wall or rather someone's face.
Would Lysandra be infatuated with Nicholas? Would she like Nick's handsome face better?
The thought was put to a stop when he heard a loud noise of glass breaking, followed by shouting sound came from the inside. As Alice in Chains' We die Young started to fade away in the air, gunshot erupted from the other side of the door. Drowning Pool's Bodies started blazing. He could hear the beat pulsing through the closed door.
Tim cursed after he turned back at their earlier hiding spot. Nothing was there except empty air. Lysandra was gone.
Shit!
Wait for me, my ass.
Lysandra blew out a breath as she watched Tim jumped away. She had been wasting her time long enough. So she aimed her own grapping hook gun at the balcony of building next to the warehouse and fired. Slinging away on the opposite side from Tim. She landed on quietly the platform, getting the view on top of the warehouse roof next door.
From her location she could see all the way inside, Lysandra leaped over on the roof next door. Landed with a thud sound but no one seemed to notice since that ungodly music was blazing from the inside.
Lysandra crept over the edge of the dirty window and looked inside, pallet racks stacked on one side. Although the racks were pretty much empty. Dusk and cobwebs told her this place was abandon for sometimes until these people took over. Lysandra caught a sight of two who was finishing moving wooden boxes with a forklift. She bet they were those stolen artifacts. One was dozing off on the chair next to the door, take-out Chinese food container abandoned next to him, probably asleep because of Tim's sedative just like the guard outside. He didn't look that old like the rest, maybe in his early twenties. Two other were playing some kind of cards game not too far from the snoozing one.
Lysandra leaned in to check the surrounding. Three surveillance cameras, might not be working but she wouldn't take a chance. Next, her eyes traveled down to the muscles. Five all together, three armed with guns that she could see. The other two…..they might have anything concealed under those sweatshirt they wore.
For what it worth, They movement weren't dreamy or eyes weren't glaze over like they were hypnotized. Great, she won't be feeling bad knocking them around. And she hated guns. They were loud and obnoxious. Crossbow was much preferable for projectile weapon to her liking. But as a good Amazon brat that she was, she preferred to fight with blades. Swords were good choice if she want to show off the fight but she like something fast and lethal, she would go with knives or daggers most of the time. But these fools had to go and armed themselves with guns!
Steve had taught her how to handle firearms a few weeks ago. Even though she didn't like them but knowledge of new weapon was something she never refused to learn.
Reaching to the back of her belt, she switched the grapping hook head to a harpoon like head connect to the cable wire. The other hand grabbed throwing knives in her hand. Without further ado, Lysandra smashed the butt of her gun to the window. It shattered with a loud noise. The men shouted and she aimed her now spear gun at the opposite wall inside and fired. The spear head penetrated the wall. Dropping her body through the broken window, Lysandra swung herself across the warehouse.
The two men who were playing cards earlier jerked their bodies to her direction, one pulled out his gun. Without blinking she threw three knives to them. The other guy seemed to have no weapon, he drove away from the knives. The blades plunged right on his hands and one foot. He dropped his firearm and the knife embedded on his foot was deep to the ground locking him to the spot. Crimson liquid pooled around him.
A bullet wheezed pass her ear as she dropped on top of rack. Clicked to release the spear head from the cable as she rolled away from the bullets, she plunged and switch to a new spear head without the attaching wire. Her left hand grabbed another set of knives. She let them flied to the closet gunman as she shot the nearest surveillance camera at the same time she leaped across from one shelf to another. Lysandra didn't wasted time to see the result, she knew she always nailed the target, both the first camera and the thug who now had three knives stuck through his body locking him the nearest shelf. He moaned in pain as the blood spilled out.
Two disabled, three left.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
Tim's voice boomed from the comlink inside her ear. But both hands were too busy, as Lysandra shot another camera with a spear and leaped across to another pallet rack, throwing a knife at her third gunman, the blade dug into the back of his hand. He cried out and dropped his gun, Lysandra jumped off the rack, landing with her knees in his face knocking him down to the ground.
"Lysandra! I told you to wait!"
Tim screamed in her ear. Oh well, Mr. Stiff just snapped.
"Can't talk, busy…" She muttered as she rolled off the third gunman, she grabbed his gun and slammed the butt into his temple, clicked the magazine and threw the gun away. He crumbled on the ground. She quickly searched for the second guns, fining it laying five feet away next to the second man, she rushed to it, ignoring his cry for help, she picked up his gun, disarmed the magazine and tossed the pieces to the opposite sides. When she was about to switch another knew spear for the last camera, someone yanked hard on her braid. Lysandra fell backward with a yelp.
"You fucking bitch!" She heard the man behind her cursed, he was the one who played card with the first gunman. Ignoring the pain of being dragged by hair, she let her body swayed backward instead of yanking back. As doing so Lysandra used her free hand to pull out her knife on her belt. A big ten inches Bowie knife that Steve had bought for her. Waiting until he brought her close enough to his body, she slammed the knife into his instep so hard it went through the floor. He screamed in pain and let go of her hair. Taking that opportunity to swung her elbow backward to his face as his body bow in pain, cracking nose suggested she broke it. But he wasn't going down so Lysandra slammed her wrist cover metal into his throat then temple, knocking him over. Finally lay cold on the floor.
Lysandra got rid of the last camera. Her shit kicker slammed into the radio, broke it, stop that ungodly music from playing. As she pulled her baton out, front door busted open and Tim rushed inside.
He stared at the bloody splash on the floor, one cried in pain from three knives in hands and foot, one was staked through the flesh to the pallet racks shelf, two lay unconscious on the ground.
Huh? Someone is missing…
"What in god's name are you doing?! We have a plan!" Tim rushed to her, Lysandra swore he got smoke coming out of his ears. Lysandra shrugged and went to retrieve her bowie knife, she pulled it out and wipe the blood away on the man's shirt, ignoring something Tim bitching about.
"We have a plan! You were supposed to wait for my signal! You could get kill! They're armed with guns, for god's sake!"
"No, You had a plan" Lysandra interjected. Sheathing her bowie knife back to the sheath at her belt.
"Besides, I like to go in and out with a bang…." She teased. But Tim just gawk at her.
"You're not just crazy…." He almost shouted. She could tell even with his mask obscured part of his face, it flushed red now. "You are suicidal!"
"Aww, baby. You say the sweetest thing?" Lysandra batted her eyelashes at him.
Tim grunted as he went to check on the pulse of unconscious ones before cuffed them. Lysandra snickered, putting away her baton and bent down to pick up a crowbar that lay around nearby the card table. Time to find what she came here to find.
As she getting back up, someone pressed the cold barrel against the back of her head. She froze.
"Don―Don't move! Or I will shoot!" The voice was full of panic. Lysandra bet that thing pressing at the back of her head was the first gun she forgot to disarm. And from that trembling voice, the one who got away was probably that babyface who doze off a while ago. She looked over at Tim who also froze midway during cuffing the fourth guy. Even the lenses of his mask hid any emotion he might have in his eyes but panic was written all over his face.
Aww, aren't you sweet…. Lysandra wanted to snicker, only she couldn't because there was a gun point at her head.
Lysandra gripped the crowbar hard in her hand. Tim stared at her with What the fuck are you doing?!-Look. But Lysandra scowled back at him and mouthed I've got this to him. Ignoring his shaking head, she slowly turned around to face the barrel of the pistol and the one holding it.
"I…I said don't move!" Babyface yelled. The hand that held the gun shook. "I'll shoot!"
"No, you won't" Lysandra just said casually. Looked straight at him, Glaring into his eyes as if she was the one who hold the weapon not the other way around.
"wha..What?!" Sweats slid down his face, he was getting nervous when he saw she didn't even flinch from the gun pointing at her forehead.
"I said―" Lysandra spoke slowly with a firm voice, gaze hold his, with deadpan expression on her face. "―You. Won't. Shoot. You can't."
"What the fuck not?"
"Look at your gun, dumbass. The safety's still on…"
"Huh?"
The second Babyface tiled the gun in his hand to check on the safety, Lysandra snatched his gun as well as his hand that holding it. Panic, his finger squeezed the trigger. Shoot up at the ceiling, ricocheted off one of light bulb, shattered it in the process. Lysandra heard Tim cursed as she jerked Babyface's wrist with unnatural twist until she heard a pop. The man cried in pain from his newly broken wrist. He immediately let go of the gun. She yanked it out of his hand at the same time, letting the man choked a sob and stumbled to the floor. Chucking the magazine off from the gun instantly, she tossed the parts to opposite sides, out of anyone's reach. For now.
"Didn't your momma ever teach you not to shoot a girl?" She pointed her finger at him. Only got a whimper as answer. She grunted. "Ugh. I hate guns…"
"And I hate you! Period!" Tim rushed over, checking the man wrist.
"Oh god! I'm dying!" Babyface whaled at Tim. Lysandra rolled her eyes.
"It's only broken, you are not dying" Tim said after examined the crying man's wrist. "I'm going to put first-aid splints on for you but try not to move until EMT arrive, got it?"
He sniffled back at Tim.
Mortal Men, so weak. She remembered her own memory at thirteen, clawing up a hole with broken leg. She didn't even shed a single tear.
While Tim dragged the rest of the thugs back in the middle of the warehouse, all tied up and gaged. Lysandra used a crowbar to open the wooden crates. But after ten minutes of having a hard time opening the first one and started cursing all the gods she could think of. Tim walked over to her, scowling.
"You are bleeding….again" He said after taking away the crowbar from her, he eyed her upper left arm. Lysandra looked back at herself. Red blood was gushing from a wound. No wonder her left arm felt a little tingling. Now that she'd noticed, it also starting to hurt. Ugh…
"Bullet probably grazed it…" She lifted her arm up for a closer look, then shrugged. "I'll liv―"
"Shut up" Tim snapped and she shut her mouth. He took a look at her arm before pulled a small package out from his belt, and the gods be damned…Did that belt had everything? He torn it open with his mouth and pour dark powder on her wound. It stung, she hissed at him.
"Serve you right…" Tim bit back. "I'll look for the bowl. You. Go sit or something…" He gestured her away.
She sneered at him but didn't argue. "Maybe I will do better than sitting…."
Tim eyed her walking over to the tied up thugs. Six of them(including the outside guard) bundled up together, tied with Tim's special cabled. Three unconscious. Other three, moan through the gags in pain from their injuries. When they saw her sashayed closer to them, they started making protest noises, jerking away from her.
"Aww, don't be a baby. I just want to talk. " Smile on her face, Lysandra looked down at them. "So,...who want to play twenty questions game? You win, you keep your important body parts. You lose... Well..." She pulled out her Bowie knife, turned it back and forth letting the light caught its sharp edge. Lysandra gave them a flashy smile. "….now, who's go first?" All three of them shook their head, screams muffled by the gags Tim had put on them. "No volunteer?...Alright then….." She Pointed at each one of them with her big knife and start counting. "….Eeny…meeny….miny…moe!"
The knife pointed directly at first gunman. His eyes went wide, shaking uncontrollably, sweats rolled down his face. Lysandra stepped closer, pulled down his gag.
"I ain't tell ya nothin'!" He spat.
"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk!" Lysandra crouched down in front of him and waved her knife in his face. His blood shot eyes followed its sharp edge. "Wrong answer….You see, my friend over there―" she gestured to Tim who using his crowbar, trying to open the crate. "―he's nice enough to seal your wounds….But me? I'm happy to rip you a new hole, got it? Now let's try―"
"Fuck you!"
Without saying a word. Lysandra raised her knife and stabbed the man in his thigh. He whaled. Blood gushing out. "You! You crazy bitch!"
"Lysandra!" Tim yelled at her.
"What? I was just helping him loosing up his tongue" She turned back to the man. Knife still imbedded in his flesh, she gripped the handle. She smiled at him. "Now, let's try this again. Who hire you to guard these stolen artifacts?"
"Fuck off!" He spat at her again. Lysandra sighed.
"Well, since you're not gonna talk then…." She pulled the gag back in place as the older man struggle against the bondage. She pulled the knife out of his blood soaked thigh. "Hopefully, the police get here before you bleed yourself out, Asshole."
Lysandra turned to Babyface who Tim put next to the gunman. Their gaze met and he shrunk away from her. "Now, now….don't be afraid. You won't get hurt if you answered, understood?" He took a minute to think then nodded. The bloody gunman next to him slammed his shoulder at Babyface, telling him not to say anything. Lysandra just shrugged and pulled Babyface's gag down.
"Please…." His voice trembling. Tear brimming in his eyes. "…please don't hurt me. I don't wanna die!"
"You won't, if you answered. Now, the same question as I asked your bloody friend earlier. Who hire you to guard these stolen artifacts?"
"Some dude…big dude with yellow eyes. Scary, but―" The gunman elbowed him in the rib, cutting him in. "What?! You wanna die, dude? This bitch is crazy, I ain't dying here with you!"
Lysandra kicked the gunman in the wound, his bellow was muffled by the gag. She turned back to Babyface who had horrify look on his face. "…you were saying?"
"And some hot chicks, sisters I think. Though they looked nothing alike…"
"I bet they don't…." Lysandra murmured. "Do you know who own this warehouse?"
"No idea….we were told to guard the shits until they come back for transporting"
"Found it!" Tim yelled from behind the crates, he pulled out the Phiale bowl and waved it in the air for her to see. Lysandra stood up.
"Hey! I answered your questions, now please let me go. I need a doctor!" Babyface whined until Lysandra turned to him with a glare. He shut his mouth.
"You shouldn't stab that man" Tim said as he put the bowl in a protective case he brought along in his back pack inside his cape, He lifted his eyes to her, disapproving.
Lysandra shrugged. "Interrogation is never a pretty thing"
"You don't need to stab the man for information, there're other ways"
"I bet there were. But it's the fastest. You know, Killing the chickens to scare the monkeys"
Tim shook his head as he closed the case and secured it behind his back, under his cape. "As I said. You are just pure crazy…." He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I'd only known you less than a week. I want to shoot myself already"
Lysandra leaned in after she cleaned her bloody knife and tugged it back in its sheath, resting her elbow on his shoulder. "Aww, You said sweetest thing"
Lysandra could tell, Tim was trying hard not to chuck her face. His calm façade shimmered, she knew if she pushed too far, he'd probably snap.
But she wanted him to see. To know what she capable of. Whatever delusion he had about her that she was some spun glass princess needed to end. She didn't give a flying monkey if Steve had made him swear to protect her. This was her fight. And she wouldn't just sit around waiting for anyone to make a play. Whatever happened, she could hold her own. She'd been through worse, much worse with the Amazons.
And making him twitch from annoyance was so funny! The way corner of his eye would spam. His mouth became a straight line from trying to reign in emotion. And how he tried to take a long deep breath. Not to mention his hand formed a fist then he realized what he was doing so he released it but a minute later he bunched his hand again. Making his whole body shook a little.
For some reason, Lysandra almost laughed. This could be so addic―
A deep feminine laughed rumbled out of nowhere made Lysandra stopped cold, her body went stiff. That familiar laugh. One she'd never thought would hear ever again.
Lysandra spun around at the source only to see Babyface whose body shook from laughter.
Laughter and voice that didn't belong to him. She felt Tim's hand caught her shoulder, pulling her back as she unconsciously stepped closer. The laugh grew louder. And when baby face lifted his face up again, his eyes turned black, even his sclera. Sinister smile across his lips. She remembered that smile all too well.
Selia's―No, Eris's.
"Hello, princess….." Babyface said but it wasn't his voice anymore, instead belonged to Selia―Eris. "I should have known you would run to your daddy"
"I run to no one, you bitch! I was sent here because you heifer tried to steal Hermes's feather!" Lysandra glowered back at her. Hand instantly went to her knife, but Tim resisted her pull. So she snapped and snarled at him. Even then, he still held her in place. "I should have known you are the source of this mess"
Babyface/Eris laughed even louder, mocking her. "Please, you know those three sisters never care about anything but men and food….well, to them those are the same. But look at you, Having a mortal as your protector? How cute!" The bitch in a man's body jeered. "Don't you realize, Princess. That it won't matter. They will die because of you. Whoever they are. I will rip them to pieces...just like your loyal sentinel? Your mentor? I bathed in their blood"
"I will kill you!" Lysandra screamed, knife raised but Tim grabbed her waist. Eric's mocking laughter echoed through the warehouse.
Flash of memories assaulted her. Artemis's morning practice, Epione's gentle smile. And their deaths, how they died for her to make an escape. Her heart shattered all over again. Lysandra could feel something inside her snapped. With sheer will power Lysandra twisted out of from Tim's hand. She roared and charged. Someone shrieked and she didn't know it was her own or Eris's mocking laugh.
Tim mentally cursed as he jumped after Lysandra. Tackling her from behind. Who knew a girl as slender as her could throw him off? Her face slammed the cold floor, knife flew out of her hand, skidded across the ground out of her reach. She fought to get free like a hell cat. But Tim pressed his knees on her back, locking her in place.
"Get off me!"
"Calm down and I will let you go"
Lysandra let out profanity that would make U.S. Navy blushed. Wondering how in the hell this girl learned that much of obscene vocabularies and this was the second time in one day he had to force her into submission.
Tim glanced over to the source of her rage, the man smirked at their struggling. Whoever that had taken over this man's body seemed to know a lot about Lysandra. And Tim suspected, her quest had just entwined with the museum robbers/murderers.
"Don't worry, Princess..." The man said, but with feminine voice, so cold it sent shiver down his spine. His black eyes gaze upward to lock on Tim, the smirk became wider, more sinister. "We'll meet again, soon. And then, I shall take pleasure in killing everything that you cherish, just like I did once before...until then, enjoy the blood trail along the way!"
Suddenly Lysandra stopped struggled, letting out a gasp. Tim held in a breath when he saw the man's black eyes rolled back in his head, his body started to convulse. His whole body shook violently as if he had a seizure. Other tied up thugs who sat beside him scrambled away with horror in their eyes. Both him and Lysandra froze at the spot until the man stopped shaking, His head lolled to the side.
For a long minute, the man whimpered in his own voice. Tim let out a relief breath when he opened his eyes, they were back to normal.
"What did you do to me?!" He whinned. Yep, he was back.
Tim was about to answer before something shifted from underneath him, so fast before he could blink. His body was rolled over, on his back. Lysandra and her glittering blade at his throat, on top of him.
"You pulled that again I will slit your throat myself!" She hissed. Tim swallowed. That playful girl who was bantering with him earlier disappeared. Lysandra got off him and sheathed her dagger. Before went to retrieve her knife.
Tim pulled out one of the thug's cell phone that he confiscated when he tied them up. "We should get going. We've got what we came for"
Tim was about to dial 911 but Lysandra snatched the phone from his hand.
"Oh no, Stiff. We won't be calling the police…." She said, a smirk painted across her pretty face. But Tim's eyes narrowed at her. So she added.
"They will" Pointed over at the tied up guards.
Lysandra was still pouting when he handed her large strawberry milkshake. She muttered "This better be really good or else…" Tim didn't say a word until she slurped some of iced cold shake and hummed in satisfaction. He just grinned. "Told you so"
She shot him a look as he sat down next to her. Both of them sat on cold terrace floor belong to one of the rooftop building in Upper West side area. A takeout bag of burger joint that opened 24 hours sat between them. The phiale case sat the other side of Tim.
After they called 911. Lysandra was still pissed at him for taking her down again, for the second time in the same day. And her growling stomach made her made her blushed and snapped at him "What?! I was just busy preparing the weapon I forgot to eat!" made him offered to feed her, again. Threw in strawberry milkshake, she seemed to be less pissed at him now.
So they settled and dug into their foods. Less than five minutes, Lysandra already on her second burger. Tim just gave her amused look.
"What? I said I was hungry"
"I can see that" he snickered.
"Shut up, stiff. Before I shove that girly food you're eating in place where the sun doesn't shine" Tim only chuckled softly and finished his girly food―Caesar salad.
Another fifteen minutes passed until they finished all their food, Lysandra slurped loudly on the remaining milkshake. When she was done, he let out a satisfied sigh. "By the gods, that was good…"
"If you don't mind me asking―" Tim started. But…
"I do"
"I haven't asked you yet"
"Whatever it is, I do mind"
"Come on. I'm just curious…"
"You know what happened to curious cat, it got gutted"
"I thought they said, it got killed?"
"Gutted, killed, maimed. Same different…" Lysandra shrugged then stretch her legs. Tim just shook his head.
"You are a very strange girl…"
"I thought you said I was crazy?"
"That too, and suicidal"
"Now, you sound like Epione…." With that, Lysandra looked away into dark sky.
"That woman who took over the thug's body….she called you princess…" Tim asked. It had been bugging him since the warehouse.
"It means nothing, it just a word, Stiff" He could tell she was avoiding the question.
"Then tell me, what did she meant by your mentor―"
"They died! Alright?!" She snapped at him. "They tried to protect me and died! That bitch killed them….and I couldn't do a thing to save them because I was too damn weak!"
Lysandra let out a long frustration sigh and turned her whole body away from him again. Trying to hide emotions on her face.
"I know how you feel….I know you want revenge. I―" Tim said. Memories of his own surfacing in his mind. "…..when my parents died, I tracked their kidnappers down. I knew where they live, where their family live. I want to kill them all. So they could feel what's like to have everything taken away from them like they did me"
Lysandra glance back at him. "But you didn't"
Tim shook his head. "No, I didn't. Not because I couldn't. But because I shouldn't. Taking a life was easy. But to live with a consequence of the action was another story" Tim paused and their eyes met. They held gaze. "My parents were dead. But I'm still alive. My life barely even starts. Why would I go to jail because I killed some worthless thugs? Besides, I could do better….I could help those who can't―"
"Yeah, yeah. By becoming his sidekick…" Lysandra murmured, she dropped her gaze and turned away again.
"Bruce knew how it was for me. He'd lived through it, he helped Dick through it…"
"I bet he did…." She muttered. Tim frowned at a little resentment he caught in her voice. He opened his mouth to speak again, but Lysandra got around to it first.
"My mother…." She started, still looking upward to the sky. "….everyone loves her. She was the perfect Amazon, perfect daughter, perfect champion, perfect…everything. Until she had me…" She laughed with mocking tone in her voice and continued. "….I am the half-blood. The mongrel. I am the weakling because half of my blood was mortal. I am something they despite, because of me, my mother was shunned by the gods…"
"From what I see, tonight. You're nothing but weak, Lysandra…"
With a snort, she turned to face him. Her voice bitter. "Don't you understand? It won't matter. To them, I am still the weak little girl no matter what I do, how many battle I won. It won't matter"
"I think you'd matter to your mother though, right"
"My mother is as good as dead, has been since I was six. Two of the queen's personal guards basically raised me. I have no friend because the whole island think I was the reason my mother in the state that she is now. Except maybe another sentinel…she was kind to me…"
Tim stunned at her words, she was basically telling him she grew up in a place where the whole island despite her existent. "I thought the Amazons weren't that petty"
Lysandra snorted again. "They are the biggest hypocrites you'll ever find" She shrugged. "But you were right…Even I kill that bitch, I technically couldn't kill her, only one I would kill was babyface"
"Babyface?"
"Yeah, that thug looked too young to be join that crew…." Lysandra pulled her knees up and hug them close to her chest. "But this is bad, Tim. Eris is involved with your murderers….only the gods know what else would be joining them" She paused. "I'm sorry we didn't catch them tonight…"
"It's not your fault they didn't show up and join the parade, Lysandra…besides, I have more clues to follow now. We know, they used one of Lexcorp's warehouse, I bet I'd find them in one of Lexcorp's properties here in Gotham…"
"Alright then" She stood up, held out her hand. "Now give me the bowl so I can finish the ritual"
"You're going to do it here? On top of the rooftop?"
"What's different does that make? Just give it to me. That bowl's been bitching ever since we got it back. And believe me, its annoying little noise is starting to get on my nerves"
Tim only shook his head in defeat and grabbed the case laying next to him. Opened it up, he saw Lysandra draw out her dagger.
"Just hold still" She said, taking off her fingerless glove. Holding her left hand over the bowl, she slashed her palm with a quick swiped. Tim winced as she gritted her teeth and squeezed the blood into the bowl.
Crimson liquid dripped from her hand and splashed on to the eye at bellybutton of the bowl. As soon as her blood started to fill up the round container. The surface started to glow. Lysandra squeezed the last drop with a hiss before pulling her hand away. The phiale bowl now filled with her blood. The red surface of the liquid glowed brighter before it began to shimmered.
Both of them leaned their head in automatically, ignoring the bump of their heads because the shimmering surface was glowing bright with images.
Tim recognized the first two right away, the famous ring of standing stone set in Wiltshire, England―Stonehenge. The image glowed for a few minute before shimmered and change. The second was crater lake in Kamchatka, Russia, Karymsky Lake. He only remembered it because it was one of the world largest fresh water lakes until recently polluted by toxic gases. The last took him a few minute to recognized, the famous snow-caped Volcano cone, Mount Fuji in Japan.
The images shimmered back and forth in loop for a few more minute until Tim felt it heated up in his hand, the blood inside started drying up and in a matter of minute, the whole bowl disintegrated.
Both of them gasped. But there was nothing but dusk left in Tim's gloved hands. A thousands year phiale bowl was gone in less than five minutes.
The museum wouldn't be happy about this, at all. Meaning, if Bruce ever known what Tim had done. His hide would be skinned alive and hang on the cave wall for the next Robin to learn the 'not to do' lesson.
"What..umm…What happened?" Sounded stupid because they both knew what just happened, They lost a thousand year old artifact! That what happened, But he asked anyway.
"It served its purpose, so it disintegrated. Those are the location of first three seals to Tartarus" Lysandra shrugged. Not looking concerned at all. Instead, she just held her opened wound to stop the blood. But it seemed to stop bleeding a few minute ago. Tim leaned in to check, seeing the wound was already started to close but Lysandra leaned back away from him.
"What's wrong?" He asked.
"You are…um…too close…"
Too close? His eyes narrowed at that. Hours ago they were just laying flat on the rooftop side by side, touchi― well, not skin to skin but close enough. "And…?"
"And you shouldn't" She shrugged.
"Why?" He pressed.
"Och! Didn't you hear what that bitch goddess say?" She snipped. And pulled on her glove. "Want to die early? Because that heifer will grant you your wish!"
"And why do you care?"
"I don't" She said so quick, Tim felt his heart dropped a little. "But….Athena said not to let you die and I don't want to face the wrath of gods. I like my human body as it is"
"Ah…" Disappointed. He picked up their stuffs and ready to head out. "We should get you home, it's almost dawn"
"Hey…Can I asked you something?" Lysandra said as she pulled her grapping hook gun. Tim quirked his eyebrow.
"Sure"
She looked hesitate for a minute then finally continued. "What it's like having two parents?"
Tim blinked at her question, stunned mostly. Because this girl looked so bloody sad. Was this the same girl who stabbed a man's thigh as interrogation technique? The same one who slapped armed hoodlums who twice her size around? Was this the same girl?
"I don't know, it was a long time ago" He shrugged. Because truthfully, he barely remembered his own parents until they were gone.
"But you had them once…"
"Well, they've never really did much parenting unless you count how they always put money in my account so I never have to starve." Not that he would ever starve. His house staffs always took good care of him. And Bruce always looked out for him as a family's friend. He never really felt the loneliness he should feel, instead he spent time in library, reading encyclopedias or in the lab, solving physic problems. He kept himself busy. And he was surrounded by good people….unlike Lysandra…
He looked over at her. Standing over the edge of tall building, height never seemed to be problem for her. Head held high as the wind whipped around, touching her face and brushing her hairs. She had taken the mask off and gave it back to him since they left the warehouse. Her blue eyes were dark, he couldn't see its alluring color in this time of night. But he remembered how the pair seemed to lash out any emotions inside her, showing him whatever she was feeling. And those emotions right now, shimmered out around him, her sadness, her determination, her loneliness….He didn't even know why he felt them.
So he stepped closer to her. Reached his hand to her shoulder, rested it there and squeezed. Lysandra looked at his hand then back up at his face. Uncertainty in her eyes. So Tim just gave a smile and said. "It's my choice, you know….to be close to you or not….no one's going take that choice away from me. Not even you…"
She stared at him for a long moment before their gaze broke. She pulled herself away.
"And people said I'm as stubborn as a mule. Clearly…they haven't met you yet" She muttered.
And Tim just laughed.
They separated a few blocks before Lysandra reached her apartment loft. Or more like she shooed him away. She was tired and the wound in her arm ached. After a day full of events, almost made her feel like she was back in Themyscira, training with Artemis and Epione again.
Thought of Artemis and Epione brought a painful jab inside her. Tim was a fool for not listening to what she'd been telling him. If anything happened to him, it would be her fault. That cow goddess had laid her eyes on him now. And even Lysandra might now be able to protect him from that bitch.
But inside, she felt relief. Somehow, knowing there was someone willing to be her friend even with all that risk. It made her a little content.
Lysandra sighed. Her body felt a little too heavy than usual. Possibly from the injuries today. All the blood loss, making her feeling a little sleepy. Blinking her eyes to rush the drowsiness away, she reached her rooftop terrace.
She frowned when she saw no light coming from inside. Steve always left some light on so she wouldn't stumble upon anything and break her neck by falling over. But tonight there was no light. From the outside, it was complete darkness.
Something was not right.
Lysandra pulled her knife out in one hand, ready for anything that waiting for her inside as she crept across the empty terrace toward the door connecting outside to her kitchen. When she reached it, noticing that it was slightly ajar.
Something definitely wrong.
Lysandra narrowed her eyes as she pushed at the door, opened her other senses since she wouldn't be able to see as well without the light. She'd have to relied on her ears and nose instead. So when she first stepped inside, she paused.
The smells hit her first, rusty like blood and rotten like eggs. Lysandra stood there for a moment. Someone whimpered in the dark, familiar voice that made her rooted to the spot.
Her heart slamming in her chest, sweats rolled down her forehead. Lysandra slowly, quietly reached her free hand to the light switch by the door. A whimper came again and she switched the lights on. What she saw almost stopped her heart from beating.
The whole loft was ransacked, trashed, furnitures knocked over, slash marks on the couch, bookshelves fell over, the flat screen TV cracked. But it was the sight in the middle of her living room that made her breathing stopped.
No! No! This is not happening!
Steve sat limply on a dinning chair, head lolled to the side, his hands tied separately to each side of the chair legs, his wrists were slashed, blood still dripped down from the wound, pooling on the carpet. His cotton shirt stained with dark red, his chest was slashed open several times. He whimpered again.
Her legs gave out and she dropped on to her knees right in front of the older man. Her hand reached out cupping his face.
"Steve! ….oh god, oh gods…..No, no, no!" Her throat hurt from trying to get the words out. Her hands trembling when she lifted his chin up. His handsome face was battered, cuts on his lips, bruises on his cheek, one of his eye was swollen shut and one that wasn't, fluttered before it opened. His blue orb fixed on her.
"…tie…." He struggled to the word out, after gritting his blood covered teeth for a few moments he finally succeeded. "…cut….the….tie…."
She blinked the tears away for several second before realized what he was saying. "Yes! The tie!" Forcing her hands not to shake, her knife sliced the plastic cuffs on his wounded wrists. she helped Steve from the chair before laid him down on the carpet floor.
"This…..this is my fault….." she choked back the sob. Hovering herself over Steve's battered body. Lysandra looked down at her crimson stain hands, blood that wasn't hers but Steve's. A sob wrecked her body as she wiped the blood away from his cut cheek. But there was so much, too much blood. "….this is all my fault!"
"….c…..here….." Steve blinked away the blood that rolled down from the cut above his good eye. He tilted his head for her to come closer. Lysandra rubbed her wet cheek with the back of her hand and leaned in.
"Key…fr…..front…pocket…." He managed a small nod to his shirt pocket. Lysandra's trembling hand reached inside his blood soaked shirt pocket. Her finger caught a cigarette pack, she pulled it out, seeing half empty Lucky Strike―the only brand she ever saw he smoked. Her teary eyes frowned at him in confusion. He nodded again, signaling her to open.
When she did, they pack only have one cigarette left inside and a small lighter but also a small piece of paper and a key tugged inside. She looked up from it and stared back at the man.
"G….give me….the last…..one…you…save…the rest…" Lysandra almost shook her head. The man was beaten so badly but he still wanted to smoke!? By all the gods…..what was wrong with him?!
But she gave it to him anyway. With her shaking hands she put the cigarette between his mouth. Steve struggled to sit up, he winced from possibly broken ribs before Lysandra lit the roll. She watched him inhaled and exhaled before tugged Lucky Strike pack in her pants pocket.
"You need a doctor….I'm going to take you to hospital….hold o―"
"No…..No time….." He said with a firm voice. Lysandra glared at him. So Steve gave him a small smile. He took another breath of that horrible thing before continued. "Gun….under the table….give me…." He nodded toward the end tabled a few feet away. Lysandra remembered it was one of the location Steve had stashed his gun.
She went to retrieve the Desert Eagle that lay hidden under the table. But when she about to turn around, something sharp pieced into her lower back. She gasped as the pain erupted.
"Hello, Halfling…" A feminine voice whispered into her ear, she felt a twist of the blade in the flesh of her back before it left her body. The pain blinded her as she dropped to the floor. Steve's Desert Eagle slid from her hand. She could hear Steve screamed out something that sound like her name when she hit the carpet. Lysandra felt something pushed her body to rolled over on to her back, realized it was someone's foot―more like high heel…
A beautiful redhead smiled down at her as she licked the blood from a small blade. Her designer cloth, soaked with blood―probably Steve's. Lysandra's wide eyes glared up at her when she hummed in satisfaction. After a few minutes, the redhead's pretty face shimmered and the glamour broke for Lysandra to see, just like at the museum. She was one of those Empousa whore! How did she find her?! "Hmm….yumm….You blood tastes so good!"
"…W…..Whore!" Lysandra gritted her teeth. Trying hard to subdue the agony from the wound on her back. Blood seeping out, soaking her shirt.
"Och! A freak like you have guts to call me names? Me?! The most beautiful woman who walks the earth!" The redhead scrunched her nose in disgust.
Lysandra laughed at her words. Making the bitch frowned. "What's so funny, mutt?!"
Laughing hurt her even more. But she won't back down like a helpless victim for this horse face to have any power over here. Gritting her teeth again, she forced herself up, one hand reached back to her wound, pressed it to stop the blood. With her body, she'd heal soon. The other hand grabbed her bowie knife, but didn't pull it out just yet.
"…You. Are. So…Funny…" Lysandra gritted the words out. Mocking smirked painted her face. "Maybe you are, if you meant by your horse face family"
The witch shrieked and Lysandra felt her pointy shoe connected to the side of her jaw, salty taste of blood bloom inside her mouth. The redhead bitch grabbed the back of her head and pulled Lysandra up by hair.
She shouted in Lysandra's face. "You stupid little shit! You dare insult me?! Wait until we're done with you. I swear to the gods, I will drain you dry myself then skin your pretty face and use it to decorate my wall!"
Lysandra spit blood in her face then smirked again. The ugly horse face bitch shrieked and backhanded her. Lysandra flew back hit the destroyed couch. Her back hit the metal base of the seat, pain exploded behind her eyes.
"You think you're so smart, you shit!" The redhead Empousa marched over to her, stepped over Steve who trying to sit up again. She reached Lysandra, grabbed her by the throat. But this time there was a sardonic smile on the bitch's face. "….you think you found the artifacts we took so easily? We let you, you mutt! We don't even need those damn stingy pots. We always knew where the seals are…..we're just baiting you" She paused and squeezed Lysandra's windpipe tighter. She laughed. "Now…..I will kill your handsome friend over there, and bring you back to my sisters. The bitch Eris thought we can't do things without assisting? I will prove that wench wrong!...And I will enjoy sucking your handsome friend dry…."
"..s..th..is…." Lysandra breathed the word out.
"What?"
"I….said….suck this, bitch!" Before the Empousa had a chance to actually knew what she was saying Lysandra slammed her dagger into her abdomen to the hilt, twisted and pulled out. She shrieked and let go of Lysandra. Staggered backward, blood gushed out from the deep wound Lysandra just inflicted.
"You stupid whore! You bleed me!" Her bellow echoed the loft. Lysandra coughed in the air, hand gripped her weapon tight. She could feel magic in the air become thicker. But this witch couldn't do much damage to her when she's alone, without her sisters, she couldn't go full force attack with magic.
"The only whore in this place…." Lysandra hissed through her teeth as she tried to get up and stood her ground. Shimmering dagger in her hand. "…is you!"
The Empousa shrieked with a high pitch voice in rage, all the glass/windows shattered at the power of it. Her hands flailing about and a force of magic hit Lysandra in the face. She flew backward from where she stood. Slammed into something before knocked to the ground. The pain erupted again from wound on her back making her vision dimmed.
A groan came from the wall behind her.
Then she realized there was no wall she slammed into. More like a solid body of someone.
"I left you alone for a bit, you went and pissed of some horse face woman" Tim grunted from behind her, still in his Robin suit. Lysandra rolled off him, clenched her fists from pain of the wound at least she successfully forced herself not to pant, she still had some dignity!
But then Tim suddenly grabbed and spun her around, taking away her dagger. The pain choked air out of her and she whimpered. "You are bleeding, again…"
"I am well aware of that! Considering I'm the one who got stabbed in the back!" She yelled at him then winced from the pain. His hand suddenly pressed on her wound, ignoring the blood seeping out he kept his hand there. She could only glower at him.
Another shriek brought both of their attention back to the situation. The red hair Empousa fixed her dark eyes to both of them. She jeered. "Come to die, Mortal?"
"Not today, lady"
But that wasn't Tim's voice.
Steve leaped from the floor Lysandra thought he was laying and grabbed the Empousa by the neck from behind, Locking his battered body with her as she struggled and flailed around to get away from his hold. Desert Eagle barrel pressed at her temple. He glared passed her to Tim. "You are late, boy"
Tim shrugged and before Lysandra knew what in Hades just happened. Tim fastened her body to his with some ridiculous straps, her back to his chest and one of his arm tightened around her waist, he dragged her backward to the door leading to the rooftop terrace.
"What in the unholy gods are you doing?!" Lysandra screamed and fought to get away. But Tim just kept his hold on firmly her.
"Keeping you alive" He simply said.
"Get her out of here, boy. Even you have to knock her out!" Steve shouted from his struggling with the Empousa. Lysandra just stared at him in disbelieve.
"You knew of this!" She stomped her foot on his instep. Tim yelped.
"Damn it, Woman! Stop that!"
"Or what?!" She fought harder, ignoring the pain from her wound.
"Or this…" A slight prickle at her side of her neck. She instinctively slapped her hand over.
"Why you people keep stabbing me!" She bellowed as Tim pulled out a small needle out of her neck.
"So you don't get killed?" Tim grunted when Lysandra buttheaded him. So he yelled back at her. "Dammit, woman! Stop fighting, your wound is gushing like a waterfall already!"
"I'm not leaving Steve here to that mad cow! Or horse? Whatever! I'm not leaving him here with her!"
"He asked me to get you out. So I'm getting you out!"
"Whenever that happened…." She paused. Then started fighting again. But this time her pain started to dull and her vision clouded. She realized what Tim just stabbed her with. "You!….you drugged me!"
"Sedated, more like…Now stop fighting, you need that wound tended" Dragging her to ledge of the rooftop. Lysandra's body starting to give out.
"I'm not leaving Steve there!" She bellowed as Tim pulled out his grapping hook gun.
Screams bellowing from inside of her loft, gunshots erupted and before Lysandra knew, her apartment exploded.
"I told you I don't like to hit girls, My momma taught me better" Steve gritted his teeth as he ducked the flying TV that wheezed pass his head. He ignored the pain in his body.
"You worthless mortal!" The mad woman screamed, Steve almost sighed. Typical Red head….such temper.
Steve ducked under his dinner tabled that was knocked over since those bitches entered his home. Beat him up, slapped him around, ransack his place. He didn't even fight back. Because he knew his time was about to run out. After they bored with torturing him, the two eldest left their baby sister with him, waiting to take Lysandra in.
But he wouldn't let that happen.
Steve didn't know if he could trust the boy to be the one who get her out when he gave him instructions in that piece of paper earlier before they left doing their things. He seriously didn't think the boy would have enough gut not to tell Lysandra.
But he guessed he was wrong about that boy. At least he knew, someone would look after her when it was all said and done for him.
He dug into his pocket for special ammunitions he had custom made a few weeks back. switching regular rounds out he put incendiary rounds into magazine instead. Pulling the slid back and released, he loaded the chamber.
"Your gun won't kill me, you stupid mortal!"
"Who said I'm shooting you?"
He smiled at the pretty but vicious female. Too bad, she was some hideous creature underneath those beautiful skin. But not everyone would be pretty inside and out, Not like Diana.
He aimed his Desert Eagle. The bitch uttered her high pitched screams. Steve emptied his rounds at the gas tank under the stove he left it on when Lysandra was fighting off the crazed female.
He smirked his bloody teeth at her stunned face. The tank blasted. Destroyed everything in its path, his temporary home for his second life ―the place where he sheltered a daughter of the only woman he ever truly loved, the monster screamed engulfed in flame, as well as his shattered body.
He pictured Diana's beautiful smile. Only regret that he wouldn't be able to see her ever again. And the darkness claimed him.
This time, it was forever.
"Steve!" Lysandra screamed as He swung away from the burning building. They almost gotten knock over off the ledge from the force of the explosion, if Tim fired his gun a little too late.
Lysandra still struggled in his hold. Tim wished the sedative would work already. Because they would drop to the street below for real if she didn't stop her flailing about!
Landed hard on the rooftop terrace several building away, he slammed his back to the cement floor, shielding Lysandra from the impact with his body.
"Get me back there right now! I have to help Steve!" Still screaming and blood gushing out, Lysandra still trying to roll off him.
If she didn't stop, then Tim would have to make her so.
He reached inside his pouch, pulled out another sedative dart and jammed it in her neck again, she gasped.
Double dose finally made her body slower, Tim muttered apologized, knowing she would punch him or break his nose for his action. But Mr. Trevor had asked him to get her out to safe place. And the girl needed to stop going crazy because her wound was still streaming blood. At this rate she was going to die from blood loss first.
"..you….trai…tor…." He could feel the rage from her word as her body limped then stopped moving altogether.
Tim almost sighed as he tightened his hold on her waist then lifted both of them up from the cold ground where they landed. He pushed her unconscious against his, checked her pulse then tightened the straps on their body. He dragged both of them to the edge of the building that when the small PDA he installed in his gauntlet beebed.
Tim lifted it up and checked. The small screen notified the test he ran against The Justice League Database the night before at Dick's apartment. He narrowed his eyes as he pulled out the result.
Tim almost dropped off the ledge when he saw it.
"I am so dead…." He muttered and looked down at Lysandra unconscious body strapping to his chest.
Yep, he would be so fucking dead when Bruce found out.
It was almost dawn when he teleported back to Justice League Watchtower in the orbit. After a long day full of events, First robbery at the museum then the police got a call from said one of the robbers, turning themselves in with the stolen artifacts later tonight. And a few minutes ago, Barbara just informed him someone was trying to hack into Justice League personal profile database.
He was even crankier than he already was as he marched through the hallway. Heroes and civilians working that night jumped out of his way, some turned their gaze away, fearing unexplainable wrath of the Batman.
He just wanted to get here, get the system locked then get out so he could have some sleep before another full long day when he march passed Monitor Womb. Before he could walk away a blur of blue and red obscured his vision.
"Hi, Batman!"
Batman glared at the teenage hero who was the son of his longtime friend and fellow comrade. The boy was tall and built for a seventeen years old, he knew it was the result from playing football at his high school in Metropolis.
Nicholas Kent, also known as Superboy inheritaged his father's look and that too bright smile. Though he was wearing a mask to obscure those violet eyes he got from his mother.
"Dad's looking for you!" He chirped and Batman tried hard not to cringe.
Sure, the boy was so friendly. Maybe too friendly with the female heroes or any females in particular. But no one could be this perky in front of The Batman! He didn't even know a boy could be this bouncy to begin with.
"What did he want?" His baritone didn't even affect the kid. He just shrugged back at him.
"Tell him I will be at the mainframe quarter" He quickly sidestepped and continued his march to the destination. Ignoring the boy's OK! shouting after him.
And he never resented his decision for let his friend's son join the league as a junior member this much before in his life.
Whoever trying to hack into The League Database was very good, they covered their tracks well. But He was The Batman. He invented the system himself for it to worked along with Martian, Thanagarian and Kryptonian technology.
The supercomputer hummed in that quiet quarter. Only authorized personals could enter this chamber. His fingers moved fast on the large keyboard, making click click sound as he continued in silent. He wanted to know what this hacker wanted, why would he target the League personal file.
The file itself contained all personal profiles, physical datas, DNA, phsychological evaluations, ect… of Current and former Justice League members as well as the junior members. That meant if this hacker got hands on it, he could made millions by selling the information to the media or worst…to the bad guys.
He finishing typed in the last of codes, before he clicked enter. And the safe guard system he installed would work itself, telling him what he wanted to know. Nobody knew about this safe guard system excepted for maybe J'onn who was another person who could operate the safe guard in case he was unavailable.
He leaned back in his chair and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He was really tired. Patrolling the city without Tim's help seemed to be a bit of bad idea. Not that he would ever admit it to the boy. A few more days to go and Tim would be back as Robin. And if he let Tim got away with what he did by cut the suspension down, the boy would never learn.
Although he was surprised with what happened. If it was Dick, he wouldn't. But this was Tim he was talking about.
Tim was very different from Dick. While Dick struck right out for what he wanted, Tim would just watch and wait. He was sneakier than anyone realized. Tim had patient, he could wait for hours, days without blowing the cover. Tim, who always had plans in his head and follow them through. The quiet boy who loved solving puzzles, who approached problem with gentleness but firm resolve. Tim who never jumped first, asked question later. Tim was more like him than he would ever admit.
Braced his elbows on the edge of keyboards, Bruce put his hands together as he watched the system ran the cod on the large screen. Only light in the chamber was the monitor itself.
His memories of this room brought something back into his mind. He always thought of it whenever he was here, a memory of that one moment, when everything changed. That time when he installed the safe guard system seventeen years ago, it still fresh in his mind.
"You know, you can't keep running away from me every time we met, right?"
He didn't have to turn around to meet the sole owner of that voice. There was the only one who stuck in his mind and he never seemed to be able to let her go...
Diana…
"I can't give you want you want, Diana…."
"Enough with the bull, Bruce…we both know we attract to each other. And by the gods, it pissed me off every time you keep running away from what we could have! If you don't want me why did you kiss me, then?" Her voice was full of anger and uncertainty.
He knew she was more than angry. After Him and John came back from that unexpected Time-Travel mission and saw Diana faded before his very eyes. Something inside him snapped and he dragged Diana out of the cafeteria into some unused conference room and kissed her blind. They made out like some hormone-driven teenagers. By the time he realized what he did. Diana had her long legs wrapped around his waist and arm around his neck. Her blue eyes blinked at him when he shoved her away and ran―well, he would say walk very fast away. Like a coward that he was.
It was two weeks ago. And Diana kept coming at him, wanting an answer of some kind… He successfully avoided her, until now.
Gave a big sigh, he turned around meeting Diana who was in Wonder Woman attire. Fists to her hip, long legs crossed at ankles. Leaning to the door frame. Eyes narrowed at him. She looked….beautiful. Even she was obviously pissed off.
"Because I know you deserve better, Diana…."
"No, Bruce…" She crossed her arms. They held gaze. "….I deserve what I want…." She paused but never let her eyes drop from his. "..But I guess we can't have everything we want now, can we?"
Silence dropped between them as they stared at each other. Every second passed he could see her expression change, from anger into sadness. He hated making her look like that. His heart couldn't take it when she looked like that.
"Sometimes….we can…." His voice was low, lower than usual. He should shut his mouth and let it go. Let Diana go, because she deserved someone better than him. But that was something about Diana that he could never did what he should be doing. Instead, he stood and crossed the room in less than a second he was in front of her. Pulling her close.
"Can we?" She asked, their noses almost touched. She gazed down at his lips and he gazed into her blue eyes. Her hand touched him through his suit, the suit that was bulletproof, but he felt naked every time Diana touched him.
"Yes…" No. That what he should have said. No, then walked away. But he didn't.
"Then….." She started. "…I want that dance you own me…"
"Sure, I will let Alfr―"
"No, Bruce. I want that dance now….no more stalling. Right here, right now"
"But―"
"Hush, Batman…Or I will start getting testy"
"Can't have that, can we?"
She gave him a small grin. "Well, then get me some music, I don't care what it is. Do that thing with your computer…like Flash did sometimes when we had monitor duty so we can pull up some music…"
"You and Flash…need to spend less time together"
"Jealous?"
"Maybe"
Diana laughed as he turned to the supercomputer behind him, entered some code on and he was able to put the radio on, familiar tune played in the air. Diana didn't wait, she strode right to him and took hold.
"I thought I was supposed to lead?"
"If I waited for you, probably take me another ten years" Diana said with a smile, they started swaying to the rhythms.
There is freedom within
there is freedom without
Try to catch a deluge in a paper cup
There's a battle ahead
many battles are lost
But you'll never see the end of the road
While you're traveling with me
"I like this song…" She said as he swirled her around. He didn't answer, just kept moving with her.
In that moment, he knew what he always suspected. How simple for both of them. How easy for them to be together…..but He was the Batman, and Batman never did anything easy.
Hey now, hey now
Don't dream it's over
Hey now, hey now
When the world comes in
They come, they come
To build a wall between us
We know they won't win
He looked into her eyes as they moved along the tunes. He pulled her closer, they were nose to nose―
"Superboy told me you are here" Familiar voice made him snapped back to the present. He leaned back, shut his eyes then re-opened them.
"What do you need, Superman?" He asked without turning back.
"Well, I just want to check how you are doi―"
"What are you? My therapist?"
"No, but―"
"Then please, stay out of―"
The beebing sound had his attention back when he turned and looked at the screen.
More than twenties pictures of a teenage girl with long black hair wearing nothing special but a T-shirt and a pair of shorts. Baseball cap on her head. The photos were obviously snapshots, surveillance pictures. Only some angles he could see her full face without the cap in the way. Those cheekbones, full lips, stubborn chin. But it was those eyes….those dark blue eyes that made his breath hitched.
Then he saw what the hacker had been trying to do. Running the DNA test against the members of Justice League, currents and formers. His eyes glued to the screen.
"Jesus..." Superman stepped closer to the monitor and stood by his chair. "Is that…..?"
He stared at the result. The DNA Profiles of both his, Wonder Woman and possibly the girl in the surveillance photos on the screen. Percentage of paternity and maternity match both were 99.99%
"…Yes…." His voice didn't sound like his own anymore. But there was nothing for him to do about it. He could only stare at the dark hair girl with darkest blue eyes just like his own.
Ps; Well, Told you it's loooong! A lot of things happened in this chapter. And yeah, Bruce finally know about his daughter! But the suspend has not end, I can say this. It's only begun! LOL
And…There goes our Steve! (duck shoes from Steve's fans) RIP (again) Steve!
Also, new character introduced. Teenage son of Clark and Lois! I decided not to go with names like Cornor or Chris or whatever that starts with C. And I just like the name Nicholas, Nick for short.
Next chapter….ehh I don't want to estimate because I seem to miss the deadline every time OTL. But there will be more actions next chapter. And what Batman will do after he found out?
Until the next chapter! Don't forget to review after reading!