An/ Sorry for the long delay between updates everyone, I've been really busy lately :( Please bare with me for the time being, promise I'll get this finished :D Thanks for all of your support so far, I really appreciate it :)

Advocacy: Part One – Troubled Waters

Chapter Fourteen

Mercy Corporations – Lower levels

The foundations quaked and groaned as strike after strike was made. In the lower levels of Mercy Corporations, the very same one that had been built upon the ashes of Lex Luthor and his mad campaign, the one that had survived the suspicions of the Justice Lords, was now the ring in which Wonder Woman and Galatea duelled.

They were women at war.

Diana ducked fluently beneath a left hook, her body in tune and her elegance never forgotten as she twisted and rose bringing a strike of her own to bare. Galatea was struck in the jaw, the first true hit of the match thus far. Before this point both women had effectively dodged and avoided all contact but Galatea hadn't been expecting the fluent dance of an Amazon in battle. Earth's new appointed guardian stumbled back as Diana stood tall and firm as she watched the woman before her dab at her lower lip. When Galatea removed her hand and examined the dull crimson that was her life's blood, she raised her eyes to meet Wonder Woman's.

"I haven't seen my own blood before." She observed aloud in genuine curiosity. No needle was strong enough to pierce her skin and thus no blood had ever been taken from her.

Wonder Woman adjusted her stance to one prepared for further conflict "Be expecting to see more of it." She warned darkly before flying forward with a bolt of speed.

Galatea glanced up and nimbly dodged to one side as Diana began to pass her, yet as she did so, she grabbed at the former Lord's wrist and twisted. Galatea had the strength to anchor Diana's momentum and turn it upon her, twisting her body and throwing her in the opposite direction of her previous flight path. Diana careened towards the far wall but regardless, managed to flip in the air and alight back onto her heels. For a moment the two women glared each other down before they flew towards one another intent on causing the other harm.

The force of the impact rocked the battle wounded foundations harder as each woman gave and received punches and kicks. The experienced Champion of the Amazons clashing with the less experienced, yet well informed and trained clone of Supergirl. Although Galatea's training and knowledge gifted her with battle strategy and a wealth of technique, Galatea had yet to come across the dance like method of Amazonian battle form. Regardless, she adapted quickly just like she did in everything else.

Just as before when Galatea threw a strike, Diana danced beyond her reach twisting and sliding into her own attacks as if she had never been interrupted. Naturally Galatea began to grow frustrated, irritated that despite all of her training she was struggling to match the former Lord Wonder Woman who in regards to power was her lesser.

"You would have to do better than that to best me." Diana snarled as she struck Galatea with her elbow, shoving her opponent back a couple of steps as she prepared to follow it up with a lunging kick to the midsection. A lunging kick that despite her disorientation, Galatea caught and pulled bringing the Amazon towards her to receive a bone crunching strike to the face. Diana was once again thrown back but it would take more than that to keep her down.

Lord Batman's vision was obscured as he opened his lensed eyes, his left felt swollen and seemed to gift him with nothing but vague tunnel vision. For a few moments he didn't move, simply took in his condition and his surroundings. There was a distinct piercing pain in his side, a few broken ribs no doubt and his head was pounding while his jaw ached. He wasn't in fine shape that was clear. Slowly he cast his eyes about him, discreetly of course as he was loathe to drawing attention to himself for the moment. To one side he briefly saw the battle between Diana and the unnamed woman. Diana was angry he could tell, could see it in her punches and in her stance, but none the less he was relieved that she was here. They couldn't hope to escape without her.

Further away John was on the ground, his breathing seemed slow and rugged, clearly in pain. Bruce looked back towards the cracked and broken ceiling and came to terms with the situation and the knowledge that it was his fault, his suggestion. They were here because of him and were in danger because of him. That would not do at all.

Groggily he moved to his feet leaning on the nearby wall for support as he stood, hunched and partially broken. His uniform was torn and he was covered in cuts and bruises, but it didn't stop him from pressing onward.

"Where do you think you're going?" Atom Smasher asked as he too took a step forward and blocked his path.

"Step aside." Lord Batman warned.

"And why would I want to do something like that?" Smasher asked, his voice slightly muffled by his mask "Why would I want to do anything you say?"

Batman looked upon him closely but yet had no answer for him, there was nothing he could say, nothing he wanted to say. Behind Atom Smasher, John was beginning to win against his pain, was starting to re-gather his will and refocus. Steel was occupied watching Galatea and Diana closely and didn't see as the Lantern began to rise to his feet.

"I'll ask you again. Step aside."

"I don't think you understand the situation Lord Batman. You're not going anywhere I don't want you to."

John was on his feet now. His balance was off thanks to his persistent injury at the hands of Hro Talak but his eyes were burning, his rage was tangible. Bruce felt it too, felt it boil deep below the surface, felt his anger at the death of his parents, at the loss of Flash, at the allegiance of Nightwing to Mercy…and he glared at Atom Smasher, the former Lord that he was.

Atom Smasher seemed to sense the change, more so when he heard Steel behind him as his ally saw the risen Lord Lantern. In a surge that neither man expected except for Batman, Lord Green Lantern's will burst forward, a swell of energy and might. In the roar of his power they heard him recite the oath, heard his voice ring clear amongst the storm. Atom Smasher was grasped in a construct, a simple one that saw him snagged about the waist and yanked away from Batman. The same construct sent him flying into Steel who was making his way over to the enraged Lantern. The two men were sent tumbling into the foundations as John alighted his vision on Batman.

"Get the data, now!"

There was no delay as Bruce ran forward, forgetting all notion of his pain and his bruised body. Lantern continued to fend off Steel and Smasher single handed as Diana battled Galatea. Diana's considerable experience was enough to at least keep Galatea at bay. She was stronger than the Amazon since she was endowed with an Argoan's strength, but Diana was not easily defeated.

The battle was merciless yet as Galatea began to meet Diana blow for blow, her learning curve beginning to even out as she continued to adapt to her opponent's fighting style. It was her first real challenge since her birth and while she fought, Galatea kept an eye on the others within the room. She saw that the Lantern, partially recovered, was holding Atom Smasher and Steel back by shear will alone and Batman…was nowhere to be seen. She focused her vision until she could see through the walls, still fighting Diana, even if she could only see her internal organs and bone structure, and that's when she saw him at the console. Releasing her x-ray vision Galatea struck out at Diana with a burst of heat vision, a weapon she had been keeping concealed. It was just as much out of desperation as it was for surprise, Galatea knew that in her present fighting condition she wouldn't be able to best the Amazon.

Diana although blocking the blast with a bracelet, was clearly stunned by the sudden burst, her eyes full of confusion as she witnessed a deeply familiar ability, and one that brought back too many bad memories.

"Are you…" Diana began to ask but was struck with a weighted right cross before a left kick sent her to the ground. The ploy had worked and the Argoan had managed to gain some ground against her foe, but now was not the time to celebrate her partial victory.

Galatea spun on the spot and called to Smasher, it was time to direct this thrown together team.

"Atom Smasher! Make us some room in here!" She called as she began to fly towards the Green Lantern.

In response Atom Smasher quadrupled his height, his head churning through several floors above them until he was head and shoulders through the ground floor. Galatea wanted to give them more space and manoeuvre room, as well as making it easier for backup to reach them. Lantern met her with a dense emerald shield which she punched through before being halted by a second. His eyes once again became alight as he forced her back, sweat beading on his brow in shear concentration.

Steel had gone to see Batman off at the pass. He reached the hub room where he had expected to find the Dark Knight, yet the man in question wasn't there. Puzzled yet alert, Steel readied his hammer as he glanced around in search of his quarry. Batman however was clinging to the wall fixtures that were set in the ceiling and released his strength as Steel stopped beneath him. Using all of his weight, Batman fell on top of Steel crushing him shoulders first into the ground. Quickly Batman yanked a Batarang out of his utility belt and struck it into Steel's metal armour. The Batarang on the five second mark would release an electrical surge that would, with any luck, warrant Steel at least temporarily out of the fight.

On the five second mark Steel yelled in pain as Batman ran from the room and towards the mass that was Atom Smasher and the crumbling ceiling that was collapsing in on them.

"Diana! We have to get out of here now!" He yelled towards the Amazon who seemed slightly woozy but recovered. She saw Galatea battling John and once again surged towards the fight.

John was holding his shield steady as Galatea pummelled into it, he wasn't sure how much longer he could hold out but it was thoughts of Shayera that kept him going. He wanted to see her again and he would be damned if some rookie in white was going to stop him. With one forceful move of his arm he jackhammered his green wall towards his opponent, catching her in the chin and temporarily knocking her back…enough that Diana cut in with a solid strike to the back of the head before a twist of her body rendered a knee to Galatea's nose. A strike that was hard enough to lay Galatea flat on the floor and her vision to swim.

"Lantern, we have to go." Diana urged John who with a nod of his head grasped the three of them into a green bubble.

Atom Smasher was still wrecking the ceiling as they passed him, the colossal giant slapped at the green force bubble knocking the Green Lantern and his cargo further into the building but it didn't stop them. John simply made a new exit of his own and hoped beyond hope that they would meet no more resistance. Smasher was restrained by the building's foundations.

As they breached the ground floor and were pummelled by bullets, Diana caught sight of the woman in white flying after them and she prepared herself for a further battle. Yet as she adjusted her stance, the woman fell back, a hand to her ear as if she had been given new orders. Bullets followed them as they fled, small aircraft following them as well and John was hesitant to meet them with fatal force. Instead he headed out towards the coast as fast as the ring would allow and when they met the ocean, John dived into the sea. Here they could not be followed.

Arkham Asylum

J'onn as Simon discreetly yet quickly dismissed himself from Arkham Asylum. He did this by rushing to his office, locking the door and then returning to his Martian form and phasing out of the building. His office was against the outer wall of the facility and had no window. Due to his still semi returned powers, J'onn's phase shift through the wall was laboured, his concentration stressed to maximum as he forced his entire body through the wall. He didn't have time to make his way through the whole of the Asylum as Simon, to be potentially stopped along the way and have to explain where he was going in such a hurry. He had to leave now.

After what felt like an hour he finally pushed through, his form falling in the air slightly as he passed through the wall. With speed he set off for Wayne Manor as fast as he could fly and faster than those in Arkham could catch a glimpse of him. Wayne Manor wasn't far. He could be there within five minutes.

Within those five minutes he thought over the situation. Although he was strong and could match Superman's strength, he wasn't sure how well he could fair in a physical battle. In his mind and in his heart J'onn still saw Superman as his friend, as the man he used to be before he became the Lord that was shaped by his rage. J'onn didn't want to fight him, he didn't want to hurt him, but then Shayera and Alfred were trapped in the cave and both of them in exceeding danger. He put on a burst of speed when the Manor came into view, knowing that he would do what he must.

The backdoor that opened out to the cliffs was open, the curtains that hung their billowing in the wind as J'onn touched down on the stony ground. Dubiously he entered over the threshold, his breath calm and his spirit likewise. Martians were a grounded race, calm and steady even against the most desperate of odds, like a mountain against the wind. The room was empty and he saw that in the next, there was a large oval like deepening into the wall. He assumed that this had been the scene of a battle. A canister lay upon the floor which J'onn picked up with interest although remaining alert the entire time.

Lord Superman was nowhere to be seen.

J'onn hesitantly scanned the area with his mind and sensed no one except for Alfred. Shayera was a permanently blocked mind that he could sometimes detect but at the current time he couldn't sense her. She was likely unconscious.

Confident that Lord Superman was not within the area, J'onn moved towards the Grandfather clock and moved it aside, he called out as he did so, so as not to surprise those within. Alfred seemed relieved at his arrival and quickly moved to the base of the stairs.

"Miss Hol is unconscious…is Lord Superman still here?"

"No," J'onn said calmly "He seems to have fled." He handed Alfred the discarded canister that he still held before speaking again "Where is Shayera?"

Alfred gestured to the computer chair that was most often occupied by Batman. Within the chair was the slumped figure of Shayera Hol, her dislocated wing hanging limply towards the floor. Alfred moved along beside J'onn and quickly filled the Martian in on what had happened.

"Thank-you for coming so quickly."

"I could not have done anything else." J'onn intoned as he reached for Shayera and scooped her up from her place in the chair "We must relocate her wing before she wakes."

Without hindrance he carried her toward a flat table, Alfred clearing the space upon it of the tools and gadgets Master Wayne often kept upon it. Shayera was then laid on it upon her stomach with her injured wing before J'onn. He had fixed numerous injuries amongst the founders and several of them had been breaks and dislocations of her wings. He knew from experience that the relocation was as painful, if not more so, than the initial dislocation. There were no sedatives here strong enough to sedate her. He'd taken the time to develop effective anaesthetics for himself and the other more resilient members of the Lords back in the old Watchtower, but he didn't have them here. To his dismay as he reached for her wing, Shayera began to wake, muttering something in her home language he didn't understand.

He had to act quickly.

Without warning and without giving her the time to comprehend her surroundings and recognise that she would experience imminent pain, J'onn twisted and forced her wing back into its socket joint. At that very same moment she screamed and flapped her one working wing as she struck the table top with the bottom end of her fist, denting it. After the immediate scream she growled and breathed heavily between her teeth, panting and riding the rest of the knife like pain out of her system. Once the worst of it was over she swore under her breath and tried to sit up, only managing to complete the action when Alfred and J'onn assisted her.

"When the pain is gone…thanks." Shayera said as her voice strained slightly.

"You are welcome." J'onn said as he looked to her expectantly "We must check that you still have full manoeuvrability."

She grimaced, but obeyed. Slowly she stretched out her wings, wincing a little at the soreness and the throbbing pain still born from her bruised joint. Under J'onn's watchful gaze she stretched and flexed her wings until he was satisfied.

"Is he gone?" She asked once she folded her wings and stretched her back.

J'onn nodded gravely "He had fled by the time I arrived…what made him leave?" he asked on an afterthought, there was in this world, nothing that Superman would run from.

Shayera blinked her eyes to clear them. She didn't want them to see that the pain had brought a few errant tears to her eyes.

"I'm guessing it has something to do with that." She pointed at the canister Alfred had left on the monitor table. "What was it?"

Alfred eyed the canister before he looked at each of them in turn, and then raised his eyes to the twinkling specks in the ceiling.

Shayera and J'onn looked too and it was then that Shayera realised that the gleaming specks she had always believed to be the eyes of bats, were in fact pieces of Kryptonite.

She and J'onn put two and two together and realised with a jolt that the Kryptonite that Lord Superman had ordered be destroyed once they became Lords…hadn't been destroyed at all.

"Oh my stars."

To be continued