Sorry for the long delay folks. Moving over 4000 miles takes a lot of your time.

Rome-2008

Diana sat at the table while shifting uncomfortably. This round of the negotiations had already been long and tense, but she needed to get the other countries on board to help support the regime change. If Dragovic had the UN supporting his bid, it would give him enough momentum to unite his country and avoid partisan factions devolving into an insurgency. Unfortunately, certain countries like Russia attempted to use the negotiations for their own ambitions, jeopardizing the peace process. Dragovic was her best hope to not only keep peace, but to unite Kasnia as well.

"I'm concerned about trade agreements still," Dimitri pointed out as he looked over some papers. "We used to have a special relationship with the royal government. I think we should still have a more favorable arrangement with our Slavic brethren."

"As I've promised you, my new government will keep many of the international policies from the previous regime," Dragovic assured in a stiff tone.

"Very good," the British ambassador concurred. Next to him was the French ambassador who seemed more focus on his notes than listening to the proceedings. Diana decided to seize the opportunity to try to move the discussions to their end state.

"You've already received enough concessions," Diana reminded Dimitri. "Now it is time for you to live up to your end of the bargain."

"I can assure you, Madame Ambassador," Dimitri said condescendingly. "My country wants peace and stability for Kasnia just as much as you do. We just want to make sure our interests are protected however."

She coolly stared at the large Russian man as the other ambassadors pretended to not notice. Yet, she held her tongue. Dimitri had tried to bait her throughout the negotiations in hopes of undermining her authority, but she wouldn't give that to him. Dragovic coughed nervously to remind her he was not done presenting his proposals for his new, potential government.

"Go on," Diana encouraged.

"As you all know, it is still important for me to win an election just as much as it is to be recognized by other countries. I need to have a legitimate government that both North and South will follow. I've sought support from many former royalist allies and factions."

"Understandable," the French ambassador nodded. "Peace is the time enemies become friends, or at the very least tolerate each other."

Diana sensed something more was amiss though. Dragovic seemed to avoid eye contact with her and she could see a small bead of sweat on his forehead.

"In order to lock in this royalist and southern support, I'll need help from all of your countries as well."

"How can we help?" the American ambassador asked curiously. Dragovic choked on his words for half a second before speaking again.

"I need you all to agree not to call for war crimes against Colonel Josef Vox based on his alleged conduct during the conflict."

"What?" Diana asked incredulously. "You can't be serious!"

"Madame Ambassador, I don't-"

"That man implemented most of Audrey's vile policies!" Diana accused, ignoring the British ambassador's protest. She almost didn't notice Dimitri smirking in the background.

"I understand there are troubling rumors…" Dragovic defended nervously.

"Those weren't rumors, they were atrocities!" Diana cut back in. "That man was a butcher who not only destroyed and tortured the lives of many Northern Kasnians, but the minority Serbs, Sacrians, and Muslims as well. He has wrought too much horror on this world to avoid justice!"

"But didn't Vox immediately turn himself in and has he not been cooperating with the UN forces since the intervention?" the French ambassador asked. "He actually has been valuable to our efforts."

"To save his own skin," Diana snapped back. "He'd be lucky if Kasnia didn't hang him for what he did."

She looked back at Dragovic.

"How can you say you want a better world for your country when you want vile men like Vox to roam free without justice?"

Dragovic tensed up before looking at the rest of the room warily.

"I think the Ambassador of Themyscira and I need to have a moment alone if you will."

All the other ambassadors immediately took the cue to get up and leave the room. Dimitri lingered a little longer than the others, but he still nonetheless departed without protest or resistance. As soon as the door was shut, Dragovic let out a sigh.

"Madame Ambassador, I understand how you feel. I'm well aware of what Vox did during the war."

"All the more reason you should help me make sure he rots in prison for the rest of his life at the very least."

"You don't get it Madame Ambassador. Vox is still very popular with many Kasnian nationalists and royalists. Many view him as a hero still due to his efforts in the past. I would be hard pressed to find any political momentum among Southern Kasnians to convict him."

"Then let the international community take care of him," Diana argued. "We will ensure he faces justice if you can't."

Dragovic took a seat and shook his head cynically.

"Doing that would give fuel to my political enemies' accusations that I'm not really interested in keeping a united Kasnia, but instead letting it become a puppet for foreign interests. That would even anger my northern allies who fought for Nardoc's cause. And some hardliner royalists already are planning to paint me as the one who secretly planned the invasion and civil war all along to enable a bid for power."

Diana wanted to correct him that it was more of a humanitarian intervention than an invasion, but Dragovic continued speaking.

"But more importantly, I need Vox's help."

"How can you trust him to help you? He hated you and everyone involved with your cause."

"So does the other half of Kasnia right now," Dragovic reminded. "Vox still has some political clout and powerful allies who can help smooth things over. Imprisoning him would squander that away."

"What happened to the Dragovic who was a political prisoner after demanding political dignity for his fellow people in the North?"

Dragovic sighed and shook his head.

"Most Northern Kasnians thought receiving dignity would mean total independence from the South. They thought we could form our own country. Nardoc's dream was just pure fantasy. I've seen the reality. We don't have the resources to function as a stable state without the entire Kasnian populace. As much as it pains me to admit it, we were luckily to survive this long. The best thing for my people is not independence, but to remain in Kasnia, under better terms and representation of course."

Dragovic looked up at Diana and she saw the anguished look in his eyes.

"I'm the best hope for my people and nation, you know that to be true. Vox is essential for me to have any chance in keeping a united Kasnia together."

Diana wanted to argue with him, but for the life of her, she couldn't think of anything at the moment.

"Madame Ambassador, I wish we lived in a world where men like Vox got what they deserved. A world where smaller communities could peacefully break away from larger ones and form their own self-reliant, functioning governments. A world where villages like Ognjišće don't get completely leveled by war. However, we don't live in that world yet."

Standing up again, he still stood shorter than her, yet Diana felt like he somehow took up much of the room with his presence.

"Help me lay a foundation for a better world. Not for the present, but for the future."

Hesitating, Diana found herself agreeing with him in spite of herself. He must've sensed her internal conflict, because he turned around to indicate he would exit the room shortly.

"I'll leave you some time to reflect, but understand that Vox is the key to peace Diana. Otherwise, your efforts will have been in vain and all those lives lost died for nothing."

And with that, he closed the door. Immediately, Diana felt sick and furious. She had thought Dragovic would be more principled and braver than that. He wanted to ally with Vox to secure his presidential bid? What was he thinking? Yet, deep within her, she knew he spoke the truth. There was a clear road to peace and that was Dragovic leading a united Kasina. But at what cost? Letting Vox get away with his crimes seemed a small price to pay for peace. And yet, that man was one of the worst war criminals in the history of the world. He would've made even Ares blush. Hera, what could she do?

Sighing, she got on her knees and sent her prayers to her gods for guidance, particularly Athena. Surely, they would know what to do. They could determine if protecting one man like Vox was worth the preservation of Kasnia. However, she had an inkling they wouldn't give her an answer. This was the affairs of Man's World, not Themyscira or Olympus. She would have to decide this on her own. A part of her regretted getting involved now. She hated being put in this position. In the recesses of her mind, she could hear Bruce's warnings not to meddle. She could just imagine the satisfaction he would feel seeing her in this moment of moral dilemma. He'd have that smug, arrogant grin on his face like the condescending jerk he could be.

Angrily, Diana rejected him from her head. She would not yield to him the victory of his memory playing with her insecurities and doubts. What she did was just and right. She got the world to commit to try to save Kasnia and itself. Her efforts were not misguided. They were for a better world. As if on cue, Dragovic's words came back to her.

"Help me lay a foundation for a better world. Not for the present, but for the future."

And then, she knew what she had to do. Dragovic was right. Sometimes it was better to do the hard thing for the greater good. Images of dead bodies of children, haunting photos of labor camps, and burned corpses of former friends reminded her of the cost of the war in Kasnia. That country had seen utter hell the last few years. How many more conflicts like these happened throughout the history of Man's World? Could she once again just sit idly by and continue to allow such atrocities to happen out of pride and desire to get everything she wanted? Getting to her feet reluctantly, she made her way to the door to find Dragovic and tell him she agreed to his request.

It was for the best in the long run and she knew that, despite the nagging, sickening feeling she actively suppressed.

Gotham City - 2011

"And stay down!" Stephanie ordered through her ski mask as the last hoodlum fell to the ground. She had caught three of them trying to break into a local deli mart tonight. Luckily, they hadn't seen her sneak up on them as she made her attack. None of them were really tough and they were only slightly older than her. Nonetheless, she still felt a little sore after the scuffle and she could taste blood on the side of her lip. Unconsciously, she almost removed the ski mask, but stopped herself. Last thing she needed was accidentally taking it off in public and someone spotting her. She made to hurry out of the alley to make an anonymous call to the police when she found someone blocking her way.

He only startled her for a second. Just a second.

"Oh, it's you," she greeted the man dressed like a bat. For the last two months since she started her own little nightly patrol on the East End, he had approached her three separate times. All three times he told her to stop and to not let him catch her out at night in the city streets. The nerve of that asshole. She helped save his life and then he says she can't do what he does all the time? What was his problem? This time though, she wasn't in the mood to sit quietly as he tried to intimidate her.

"Shouldn't you be at a black-tie event? I heard Wayne Enterprises is sponsoring the police ball tonight."

His eyes only narrowed slightly more at her, making Stephanie feel a little satisfaction. Maybe if she reminded him she kept his secret, he would at least leave her alone eventually. Not that she would tell anyone anyways, but he didn't know that. At least that's what she thought. To her surprise though, Batman didn't say anything and instead he turned around. The lack of lecture or threat from him disturbed Stephanie almost as much as it surprised her.

"Where you going?" Stephanie asked. He didn't answer and kept walking. Stephanie impatiently followed after him. He didn't walk that long and Stephanie realized he was approaching a large, sleek black vehicle. The vehicle's canopy suddenly slid open with a quiet hiss and Batman turned to face her.

"Get in," he ordered. A part of her was angry at him for commanding her like that, but her overall curiosity and excitement overrode her sense of caution or annoyance. She was going to get a ride in the Batmobile! It would be worth to put up with lectures from him if she could ride in that thing for ten minutes!

However, when she got in and he took his seat, he didn't say anything at all. He instead played with the controls and next thing she knew, she was gliding down the streets with him. At first she thought he was just going to drop her off somewhere on the other side of town, but when she realized that he was heading to the outskirts, she knew something was up.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked, attempting to make it sound like she was curious rather than apprehensive. Again he continued to not speak and she resigned herself to sit in the vehicle and stare out the windows. Eventually they drove further out of the city limits and when she started seeing more trees and brush, she realized what was happening.

"We're outside the city now, aren't we?" she asked eagerly. "You're taking me to your home base?"

The still silent and rather cold response he gave her deflated her excitement only a little. But she didn't have much time to reflect. Before she knew it, she realized the Batmobile had passed through a waterfall and into darkness. Even with the lights of the Batmobile, she could only see unending blackness. It felt suffocating, but then she realized she was holding her breath. Chiding herself for getting too excited, she tried to calm herself down. She may have only one shot at this and couldn't screw it up.

Finally, the vehicle stopped and Stephanie could barely contain the excitement within her. As the canopy slid open, she eagerly jumped out and almost fell off the platform that the Batmobile resided on. Her heart picked up on seeing the endless fall into the abyss. As she calmed herself to adjust her senses to the darkness, she heard the faint screeching of something and the slight fluttering of wings. Of course Batman would have bats in his lair. Turning around, she realized the cave had some dim light within it. Low illuminated stairs led up to a level that housed a large computer. Further away, there were, randomly, a large dinosaur model and a giant penny.

"Doesn't the Gotham Bank have one like that?" she asked, turning around to realize Batman had vanished. Where did he go? Deciding she wouldn't be deterred, she cautiously walked up the steps. The computer and dashboard around it seemed more complex and intricate than anything she had ever seen before. A part of her was tempted to turn it on, but she feared she would break it and undermine her one chance with him. Looking behind her, she saw some stone steps that went upward into the darkness. Where did those lead to?

Beyond the computer, she saw what looked like a training mat. There were dummies, boxing bags, and all sorts of exercise equipment. Walking up to it, she stood in the center of the mat and noticed to her right there was a display case showing costumes. One she recognized as the Batman's costume, but she saw three other ones in their own display case as well. The second one she was sure was Batgirl's costume. Stephanie didn't like the yellow and blue pattern with it. Next to Batgirl's outfit was a dark blue costume for a man that she wasn't sure she had seen before. Lastly, there was a Robin costume that stood a little further away from the other display cases as if on purpose. Stephanie noticed a small plaque above the Robin costume. Walking up to the Robin display, she saw the plaque read "Timothy Drake."

The faint shuffle of feet caused her to turn around and she found herself facing the man himself. Bruce Wayne no longer wore his costume and instead was in a black shirt and sweats. He gazed at her with his piercing blue eyes and Stephanie found herself more intimidated by those than the white, soulless lenses of his cowl. He still didn't say anything while he eyed her, as if he was still determining whether he made the right decision to bring her here.

"Is this like your hall of fame?" Stephanie asked nervously with a sheepish grin. He didn't say anything still, and that made her more annoyed than anything else. Before she could come up with a flippant remark, he finally spoke.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"Excuse me?"

"What do you want from me? Money? A new car? What is it? You have my attention, but not my patience."

"I-hey! You think I'm trying to blackmail you?"

He didn't answer that.

"I'm just trying to do some good work on the streets!" she complained. "You seem to not care anymore. Someone else has to step up!"

His unflinching stare continued and that just made her more determined.

"You don't have a right to stop me!"

"How would you like a job?" he asked casually.

"I-what?" she responded in confusion. A job? He was trying to bribe her with a job? Then again, he was a billionaire and made a lot of money.

"I need someone to help manage my affairs here," Bruce admitted. "Help keep the estate above in order and maintain a certain level of cleanliness to it."

"Sounds like you want me to be a maid," Stephanie replied incredulously.

"I also would need someone to help with my office work as well. I do not actively participate with Wayne Enterprises anymore, but there is still plenty of calls and emails I need to sort through on a given day."

"So a secretary then," Stephanie replied bitterly. "That's not much of an upgrade."

She had thought this was going to go another way. That was what she got for getting her hopes up.

"More like, personal assistant. If you accept, you'll have a place in the manor and find the salary more than satisfactory."

Stephanie was trying to find a creative way to tell him off for trying to bribe her, but he spoke before she could.

"I have to warn you, the job will require you to often work long hours, especially during the night. It will also be physically demanding one as well."

She picked up on the hints in his statement and her anger vanished so rapidly she almost got emotional whiplash. He was going to recruit her for his team!

"I'll have to find you some new clothes and a uniform for you," Bruce noted with a frown at her dark garments.

"No yellow pattern," Stephanie suggested. "I prefer dark purple."

Bruce grimaced, but she thought she saw the faint grin hidden in those eyes.

"So you'll take the job then?"

"Hell yeah I will! Where do I sign?"

He lifted up a warning hand.

"I have three stipulations for you. If you don't accept them, I will drop you back off into the city tonight and you can forget about ever coming back here."

That made Stephanie feel a little nervous for some reason. But she would accept anything to be given this once in a lifetime chance at the moment; so she hoped at least.

"First off, I'm not your father."

"What?" Stephanie asked, confused by the curtness and randomness of that statement.

"I'm not your father, nor your friend," he explained. "I won't give you special treatment. I will see you as strictly my employee both during the day and night. If I feel like you are not up to the task, I will have no problem letting you go. And I have very high standards. You will have to give me everything you got and more to meet them."

She gave him a grin to show she accepted his challenge. She would meet those high standards of his and exceed them.

"What's next?"

"I make the rules around here. You will listen to me no matter what. Regardless of what you think, if I give you an order, you will follow it. You are working for me, not yourself or anyone else. If you want to earn the privilege of being involved in my world, you will have to listen to me."

She expected something like that. Well, she could follow his orders for the most part. He didn't say anything about doing things he didn't explicitly tell her not to do.

"And the last?"

"Under no circumstances you are to talk to any authorities outside the GCPD. That includes federal, state, and even members of the Justice League."

Stephanie thought she detected a hint of disdain on that last part.

"The Justice League for the most part respects my jurisdiction in Gotham and leaves it alone. But that won't stop them from occasionally trying to meddle into affairs that they have no business being involved with. You will not interact with any of them and rebuff any attempts they make to try to reach out to you. The same includes other authorities outside the GCPD."

Bruce glanced to look at the Robin display behind her briefly and she thought she saw anger and oddly, a twinge of regret in his face.

"My work in Gotham is too important and it can't afford distractions or interference from outside parties who don't understand. Last thing I need is them screwing things up around here again."

He seemed to be talking more to himself than her and suddenly, he seemed to remember she was still there.

"So," he noted with a cocked eyebrow. "Do you accept these terms? I have to warn you that this isn't a game. What I do is very dangerous and risky. If you are feeling any doubt or trepidation, now is the time to back away."

"Bring it on," Stephanie encouraged without even hesitating for a second.

Bruce then finally smirked and lifted up a hand. She noticed it fidgeted only so slightly. Immediately, she grasped his hand and shook it. He had a strong grip despite his seemingly fragile hand.

"Welcome to my world, Ms. Brown," he greeted.

Paris – 2018

"Audrey's alive and has been posing as Etta?" Erik asked in disbelief on the phone.

"Deathstroke rarely leaves anyone alive. He wouldn't fail to kill someone without a reason," Bruce cut in. He had spent a good ten minutes trying to explain to Erik what he had uncovered.

"He even argued he was against having Anya stay at the embassy with Diana until the time was right. Why would someone agree to have Anya there in the first place unless they could keep a close eye on her?"

"Bruce, this is-this is just too-"

"It doesn't matter Erik; you have to believe me! Diana is in more danger than she realizes with Audrey alive. She'll be blindsided and will need a backup. Tell me where she is."

"I promised I wouldn't tell anyone," Erik reminded him.

"I know you did, but things have changed. Audrey is still alive. Erik, I need you to trust me. Tell me where she went and I can help her."

Bruce received at first no response, but then he thought he heard Erik straining in pain.

"Erik, now's not the time to get worried about a promise you made in bad faith. I need you to tell me now!"

"I'm trying!" Erik complained. "I'm trying, but something is blocking me!"

"What do you mean?"

"It's on the tip of my tongue, but something is preventing me from saying it. I swear I'm trying to tell you!"

Confused, Bruce paused to try to figure out what Erik was talking about, but then he thought of Diana. If there was a way for her to bound someone to a promise, she would find a way.

"Did she leave her lasso with you?"

"Yes! Deathstroke required that she leave it behind. What's that got to do with anything?"

"Did you make your promise while holding it?"

"I-well she handed it to me when she made me-"

"Clever," Bruce complimented.

"What?"

"Diana had you promise while holding her lasso to prevent you from breaking it and trying to send people to rescue her. It's very creative of her, if not a little stupid."

"But what can I do now?" Erik asked. Rapidly, Bruce began to try to think of a solution. Somehow the promise didn't prevent Erik from telling him that Diana left to rescue Anya and "Etta." Perhaps the only limitation was he couldn't tell anyone directly where she went.

"Erik, I'm going to ask you some questions to try eliminate everything but the right place. If I'm right, don't say anything. If I'm wrong, say any word. You may not be able to tell me directly, but you may be able to tell me indirectly."

He quickly listed the possible places she could be in his head. Better to start broad and narrow the search.

"Is Diana heading to America?"

"Concert," Erik replied.

"What about Kasnia?"

"Engagement."

"France?"

"Wedding."

Pausing, Bruce mulled it over. Audrey would've had to retreat somewhere she had an advantage. Most of Cyber Industries' facilities were in America or Kasnia. And Lord and some board members had ties to Paris. If Audrey wasn't in any of those three places, where else could she be? What place would have ties with either Cyber Industries or Kasnian royalty? And then, in his memory, he remembered a proud Maxwell Lord showing off his planned nuclear power plant island.

"Erik," Bruce replied. "Remember to not answer if I'm right. Is Diana heading to the Lotus Eater?"

Bruce only received silence in response. That was the confirmation he needed.

"Thank you Erik," he said, relieved he had exploited a loophole.

"Are you going to let the League know?" Erik asked hopefully. "I can't, but you can."

"I won't," Bruce admitted. "Nor will I contact the authorities."

"But Diana's in danger and so is Anya!"

"And Diana knew that before she left because she also understood she couldn't bring in the cavalry to help her. Deathstroke and Audrey are already at the end of the line. The sight of members of the League or a military force coming will provoke them to take hasty actions. Besides, I have seen the schematics of the island. It is well defended with state of the art weapons. It would be a massacre for any strike team attempting to take the island."

"But we can't just leave her there!"

"I'm not, I'm going to go there myself."

"You just said any rescue attempt though would make things worse."

"I said a rescue attempt would be unwise. Not a prisoner exchange."

Erik gasped on the other end.

"Surely you don't-"

"Audrey may not want anything to do with me, but Deathstroke will. If I offer to come to him in exchange for Diana, he may bite."

"You can't just give yourself up. He might not even let you."

"Best case he releases Diana and Anya unharmed and settles for me. And even if Audrey won't let him, it may sow enough division between them that I can exploit it to help Diana escape. Or it may even give me the opportunity to at least get close enough to the island and hatch another plan. Worst case, he kills me before I even reach the island and I die trying."

"Bruce-" Erik pleaded.

"It's the only option we have," Bruce reiterated. Erik didn't respond right away and even though they were communicating on the phone, he knew Erik understood.

"At least let me go with you. She is my fiancé!"

"No," Bruce denied.

"But I can help!" Erik pleaded. "I'm a helicopter pilot, I can fly-"

"I'll have my own way of getting there. Diana went out of her way to keep you safe. I will not disrespect her wishes by having you put yourself in danger."

Erik grunted and Bruce felt actual pity for the man.

"I understand you feel the need to do something, but sometimes doing nothing is the only thing you can do. You've done all you could to help me Erik. Now I need you to do the hardest thing among all of us and sit back and wait."

Erik once again remained silent and Bruce almost expected more arguing, which he didn't have time for. Instead, Erik spoke again in a solemn whisper with a tone of finality.

"Please get her back."

"I will," Bruce assured and hung up. He turned around to pull up the schematics of the Lotus Eater from Lord's files only to find Stephanie standing in the foyer with her arms crossed and a look of consternation on her face.

"How much did you hear?" Bruce asked, not surprised she was there.

"Enough to know what you're planning to do," she answered. He detected the anger in her voice.

"It's the only way," Bruce justified. "I'm the one with the best chance of being allowed anywhere near that island."

"I understand," she assured although her tone indicated otherwise. "But don't think I'm going to let you just go on this suicide mission by yourself."

"I didn't plan to."

That caught her off guard as her eyes bulged in surprise.

"What?" she asked, sounding disappointed that he didn't resist at all. Bruce turned his laptop that had a layout of the anti-air defense missile sentries for the Lotus Eater.

"I'm going to have to take the Batwing there. If Deathstroke won't accept my offer to give myself up, I won't be able to pilot it through that death trap once those weapons are turned against us. I'll need you to pilot the Batwing."

"I-"

"You have better reflexes than me now," Bruce admitted reluctantly. "You're also younger and have sharper instincts. You'll have a better chance of navigating us out of there than I do."

"But I've crashed the Batwing before, several times."

"Don't remind me," Bruce grumbled. "You've been making a lot of improvements though lately with your training. Besides, if Deathstroke is guiding the defenses, he'll be able to predict me because he knows me. He won't be able to anticipate you."

"Okay," Stephanie said, still sounding a little flabbergasted. "Even if what you say is true, what if we do reach the island and Deathstroke takes up your offer. What then? You can't just go quietly and be at his mercy."

"I don't intend to just go quietly," Bruce explained. "I'm not offering to give myself up defenseless. I'm offering Deathstroke one last chance for both of us to end this once and for all."

Bruce turned around and sighed.

"We both knew this day was coming years ago. He knows that he and I would have to face each other until one of us dies. He won't care if I'm willing to fight him instead of just giving up and letting him kill me."

"Even so," Stephanie complained. "You can't beat him head on. It won't be a fair fight."

"I think I have something that may even the odds a little."

He then pulled out a small gray suitcase he had leaning against the wall and opened it. Stephanie gasped at the angular red bat logo contrasting with the black background. Reaching out a hand, she began to touch the material.

"What is this made of?"

"It's a prototype," Bruce explained. "Designed to compensate my failing strength and weaknesses along with some other benefits. I haven't started using it because I've been waiting for the servomotors to be properly tested and fielded. Doesn't really matter now though."

"This is beyond anything you've worn before," Stephanie complimented as she pulled out the suit to examine it further. "It must've cost you millions to make this."

"Over a hundred million," Bruce thought to himself, but now wasn't the time to grumble about costs. He gently grabbed the suit and looked down at her.

"You understand what we are getting into? Neither of us may survive this and we might fail before even reaching the island. This could be the end for you, me or the both of us."

Stephanie responded to his warning with a little grin.

"Bring it on," Stephanie challenged. And despite the sense of urgency, the uncertainty of their fate, Bruce couldn't help but feel a little surge of pride towards the young woman in front of him. She was still that headstrong, feisty girl willing to join him in his mission with no fear of what lied ahead for her. Stephanie had rightfully earned her place with him.

"You got five minutes to get ready, go!" he barked.

Lotus Eater

Diana started feeling again and she wished she hadn't. Every nerve on her body, every pore on her skin, ached in pain. She wanted to vomit and cry, but she hardened her resolve. The darkness began to fade away as she forced her eyes open and her mind tried to form a coherent thought. Groggily, she looked up and realized she was in a place with low light. It looked like a prison cell based on the barred doorway ahead. She noticed oddly there was a large computer monitor and control panel in the room. She tried to move, but she found out that her legs and arms were pinned against the wall. Upon further examination, she saw her hands encased in metallic, electronic bracelets. She had been trapped in devices like that before once.

Everything came back to her at that second. Deathstroke, Anya, the island, Audrey. Hera! Etta was Audrey this whole time! How did she not notice that? How could Etta be Audrey? She was loyal to Diana. Or that's at least how she presented herself. Diana didn't know whether to be angry at Etta for her duplicity or at herself for not seeing this coming.

"Good, you're awake," a voice noted. Her head snapped towards a man leaning against the wall wearing armor. He may've had the mask on, but she could see the smug satisfaction in his one eye.

"You!" she cried and tried to lunge at him, forgetting those restraints temporarily. They sent a painful shock at her and she yelped. They didn't have those the last time she was imprisoned by them. Grimacing in pain, she could feel the faint electronic pulse of the restraints that trapped her hands and feet.

"I wouldn't move so much next time," Deathstroke advised.

"Where's Anya?" Diana demanded.

"Safe, for now," an accented voice called as the cell door opened. "I wouldn't want to kill or permanently harm a girl with talents like her."

Diana glared as the woman stepped closer to her, revealing Etta's face. It may have been Etta's face and body, but Diana didn't see Etta anymore. The woman stood tall, proud, stiff, and regal. That was foreign to Etta's usual persona of shaky clumsiness. But most of all, those eyes staring back at her showed death, hatred, and oddly, a mix of satisfaction.

"You died," Diana accused. "I cradled your body in my arms that day your palace was bombed. I buried you."

And she had burdened that guilt for ten years, which was more than what Audrey deserved. To think all those haunting memories had been for nothing.

"It wasn't my body Darling," Audrey explained with a smirk, as if she was amused by the notion her fake death had traumatized Diana for a decade. "When you declared your intentions to oppose me, I knew it was only a matter of time when you would convince the UN to follow suit. I therefore quickly formed a back up plan should the day come you invaded my country."

Audrey pulled a seat and sat down, still keeping her poise.

"I anticipated that the UN would seek to bomb my palace rather than risk an all-out fight with my forces, so I set things in motion to leave 'evidence' that I died in a bombing while I made my escape. However, you almost ruined it like how you always ruin everything else by interfering. Luckily for me, you got knocked out by some falling debris so I was able to evacuate discreetly."

"I was trying to save you!" Diana argued. "I failed in saving your soul, but I was trying to save your life!"

"I didn't need saving," Audrey snapped. "I was doing perfectly fine without meddling from people like you or others trying to undermine my throne for their benefit."

"That's a problem with these so-called superheroes," Deathstroke remarked. "They suffer an arrogant complex that makes them think that everyone and everything needs to be saved by their benevolent actions. Thus they feel morally justified to manipulate and interfere with things that aren't their business. Including our own fates and destinies."

"It's my business when innocent people are getting massacred or someone is using terrorists to commit slaughter for revenge," Diana noted. Etta chuckled menacingly.

"Is that what you thought this was about?" she smiled wickedly. "Revenge?"

"You were always petty and spiteful, Audrey," Diana pointed out. "And I have a hard time believing you were doing this for the money like Lord was."

Etta frowned at her and muttered angrily.

"Don't even get me started on Lord," she warned. "He almost felt the need to blindly meddle in everything like you as well."

"You mean Lord wasn't involved in your conspiracy?" Diana asked in surprise.

"Oh no, he was involved, just like how he was involved in many things. But he never really understood what was truly going on with the Crimson Flame and Vox's weapon."

"He never really understood anything," Deathstroke sniped. Etta ignored him.

"My Aunt Cylvia Anita died about a month before my country was unjustly invaded by you and the UN," Etta elaborated. "I inherited her company and all of her wealth and assets, but kept her death a secret. It was nice to have a hidden reservoir of money and resources to fall back on when everyone else thinks you're dead. But Lord, who was a board member for my Aunt's company, found out Cylvia had died and uncovered her will. He tracked me down soon after my palace was destroyed and blackmailed me to have 'Cylvia Anita' promote him to CEO of the company in exchange for his silence. I had no choice but to agree. I would own the company as Cylvia Anita in name while he ran the day to day operations. This whole time he thought he had control over me because he knew I was alive."

Etta put her hands together and had that sinister smile on her face again.

"The first few years while Lord turned the company into the powerhouse it is today, I underwent an extensive plastic surgery by the incredible Dr. Vitmen. It took four years for the process to be completed and it was painful, but it was worth it to have a new face and be able to start again. Lord thought I was just planning to hide away and live off my wealth from the company in secluded luxury. He didn't think that I would use Cyber Industries and himself to reach my true goals."

Diana glared at the woman in front of her. This seemingly harmless secretary had been under her roof for years. How could she have been so blind not to realize the truth? The pulsing of the bracelets seemed to be in rhythm with her heartbeat that thumped at a steady, but angry pace.

"During my four years of plastic surgery and recovery, I reached out to many of my allies within the Kasnian elite like Gunther, Asquith, and Cizko. I let them know I was alive and that the war was not over yet. With them, I conspired a way to get my family line back to its rightful place on the throne of Kasnia. Together we would tear down Dragovic's illegitimate government and restore the rightful heir to her throne. Of course, we had an uphill battle against us. Dragovic's government may have been illegitimate, but it was popular with the Kasnian people. It would be hard to topple it even with money and allies. Not to mention you personally having a tight fist around the UN and would more than likely use it to try to prevent my restoration."

"You needed chaos," Diana replied. "In the UN and Kasnia. So you found some terrorists to do the dirty work for you, just like how you used Vox to do your dirty work during the war."

"I needed extremists who would not only be willing to destroy Dragovic's government, but have a cause that would expose the secrets and lies he covered up. I needed to ruin the undeserved reputations of him and interventionists like yourself. Then the world would have realized Dragovic didn't have the right to run my country."

"You used Zara to be your own tool, even though you're the one responsible for what happened to her family," Diana accused in frustration, feeling more regret at Zara's death with that realization.

"It wasn't hard to pick Zara and her radical group to be my pawns. They actually had the benefit of being descendants of a secret Sacrian society that could make a special fire. Plus, their grievances were the result from Vox's treatment of them during the war. No one would suspect the royalist side supporting terrorists looking for revenge over something Vox did in the past when he was an ally to my cause."

Etta leaned back and had a reflective look on her face.

"Gunther and the others were the ones who put the idea in Lord's head to sponsor Zara's group and help them take out Dragovic and his government. With Dragovic gone and discredited, Kasnia would surely descend into war again and Lord would make even more money with the company due to all the advanced weapons of war it had been designing. He thought he was clever and coming up with an ingenious master plan to make money for himself and the other Kasnian companies. He even thought it was humorous to give Zara the weapon that massacred her village to help her achieve their goals. Zara of course had no qualms either using that same weapon to get her revenge. It was poetic justice in her eyes."

"The irony of the situation is even more amusing considering she ended up burning to death anyways," Deathstroke commented darkly. Diana glared at him. Zara wasn't justified in her actions, but she didn't deserve to be mocked like that. At the moment, Diana couldn't determine who was the more despicable one in front of her; Etta or Deathstroke.

"Until his dying breath," Etta continued. "Lord didn't realize this wasn't about money and he was just a puppet for my own plans."

"You needed to kill him off before Zara finished her attack," Diana added. "That way the trail would die with him after an investigation would be conducted in the aftermath."

"Good job Darling, you're finally catching on," Etta replied with an insincere compliment. "In the aftermath of Zara's attack, people would think Lord was just behind it to try to increase his profits, but he got in over his head and the terrorists went rogue and killed him. No one would suspect my allies or my own involvement and what we really planned to do. The investigation would have stopped at a corpse and no one would be the wiser."

Diana realized she needed to keep Etta talking. The woman seemed more focused on bragging about her perceived ingenuity with her plan than anything else. If she could keep Etta fixated, she may be able to figure out a way to escape. So far though, she couldn't think of a way to free herself from the restraints. The damn things kept pulsating and she knew they would shock her if she tried to put too much force on them.

"You paid Deathstroke a higher wage to kill his own employer. No honor among assassins I see."

"I would've killed that fool at half the price if she had asked," Deathstroke defended himself. Etta put up a hand to single him to be quiet.

"I reached out to him two years ago and included him in my conspiracy. He accepted easily not only because he grew bored with Lord's presence which is understandable, but also because I promised him many expensive contracts in the future once Kasnia was thrown in turmoil and a few assassinations were needed. I would face many political enemies when I would attempt to retake my throne."

"You actually believe you would've been able to retake the throne if Zara succeeded?" Diana asked in disbelief and almost wanted to laugh at the woman's foolishness. "You are still remembered as the tyrant you were by Kasnians and everyone else in the world. They remember how you drove Kasnia into the abyss."

Diana saw Etta's eyes flash with red hot anger and it looked like she was about to scream. At the last moment, Etta caught herself and her face went tight. Diana felt a little disappointed she didn't get Etta to lose her control at the moment.

"You are right," Etta admitted reluctantly. "Audrey Horvat unfortunately had a negative perception attached to the name. No matter how unjustly that perception was formed, it still exists. I'm no longer an idealist, but a realist. Even with political instability, I would never have a chance to sit on the throne again as Audrey Horvat."

Etta's face relaxed and she grinned at Diana again.

"But if I revealed myself as Etta Candy, the illegitimate American daughter of Gustav Horvat, who she had been lovingly taking care of since he was smuggled out of Kasnia during the war under a different name, it wouldn't be hard to find political capital for a queen again for Kasnia. All I would need is a DNA test proving Gustav was my father. With the backing of the elites, the chaos in Kasnia, and the image of a devoted, kind, illegitimate daughter being a faithful caretaker to her invalid father who was never there for her, I would've had the political momentum to make a bid for the throne again."

Diana remembered thinking Audrey in the past losing her grip on reality as the war grew more heated, but she didn't think of her as mad then. Now, Diana wasn't so sure of her former friend's mental stability. Etta truly was insane to think she would be able to control all of Kasnia with her plan. If Zara had succeeded, she would've just caused more death and disaster in the name of a far-flung bid at power again. This woman was truly lost. But Diana knew she needed to keep Etta talking and distracted.

"You knew I wouldn't stand for you to make a bid for the throne, even if I didn't know you were Audrey. You knew I would be an obstacle to your plans, so why didn't you just kill me earlier?"

"Oh believe me Darling, I've been tempted more than once and a part of me wishes I did earlier. I've often fantasized about finding a way to strangle you in your sleep, especially when working in close proximity to you. But unlike Zara, I'm not blinded by anger and I knew I had to keep my eye on the bigger prize, which of course was Kasnia. I needed time to determine a way to truly destroy you. I managed to get myself a job that got me as close to you as possible so I could watch, plan, and improvise if needed."

Diana wondered to herself why did she choose Etta? If only she had someone else like Shayera help her go through the applicants, maybe things would've been different.

"I was surprised that I managed to get the job and you never suspected me at all," Etta admitted before her Slavic accent changed into the bubbly, ditzy voice Diana was more familiar with. "But then again, you would never expect poor, bumbling, clumsy Etta working to destroy you."

Deathstroke snorted under his mask as Diana continued to glare at Etta. She had forgotten the pulsating sensations of her restraints due to her anger at Etta and herself.

"That was always your problem Darling," Etta spoke in her real voice. "You always looked down on people that you deemed yourself better than and never paid attention to them thoroughly. Don't deny it, I know you secretly looked down on me not only when I was just your secretary, but when I was the naive princes as well. I won't deny it wounded my pride greatly to be a glorified servant to someone I hated so much. Ignoring the fantasies of your eventual demise was difficult and I even sometimes lost control, letting a few revealing comments slip here and there."

Diana's memory vaguely recalled strange comments Etta had made the last few months. Mentioning her father and her going to the Pearl Hotel, scars, and her own house being burned down? How did she not pick up on those strange hints? If only she had paid more attention, perhaps she wouldn't be in the predicament she found herself in now. She should've minded her surroundings more and been less trusting. That was something Bruce would've said if he was there right now.

"But I resolved to remain patient and eventually I learned the best way to truly destroy you was to ruin your reputation. I was going to make you one of the most hated women in the world like how you did that to me."

"You did that all on your own," Diana corrected. "You were responsible for your descent. I tried to save you from yourself."

Etta didn't acknowledge the remark and continued speaking as if Diana hadn't interrupted.

"Unfortunately for my plan, Zara hated you as much as I did, but she wasn't in control or nearly as astute as I was. Zara didn't only want to attack Dragovic's government, but you and Vox as well. I personally didn't mind Zara arranging Vox to be killed before the attack because it worked out in my favor anyways. My allies and I knew we would have to get rid of Vox because he knew too much and he betrayed me at the eleventh hour. Besides, if he caught wind of his own weapon being used against Kasnians, he would've tried to interfere. He may have hated Sacrians and Serbians, but he still fancied himself as a patriot. He was a loose thread that I needed Zara to cut for me. As a bonus, his constant antagonism against you in the UN ended up being useful in destroying your standing in the world."

Etta then had a rather wistful, euphoric gaze in her eyes.

"Destroying your image in the world forever would have been more satisfying to me than outright killing you. If you were just killed by Zara during New Year's Eve like she had planned originally, you would've been a victim or a martyr, not exposed for the fraud you were. And that would've led to every country's intelligence agencies with the full might of the Justice League hunting down Zara and her allies before they could attack Kasnia."

"But Zara didn't care," Diana replied. "She wanted to lash out and so you had to step in."

Etta frowned again.

"That petulant child wouldn't listen to reason and it didn't help Lord didn't seem to understand how much of a disaster it would be if they attacked Metropolis first."

"Luckily Zara wanted Vox to be tortured and killed by a competent assassin, and Lord was more than happy to put me on loan for them," Deathstroke interjected rather smugly. Etta flashed a smile at him.

"Yes, neither Zara nor Lord realized Deathstroke was already on my side. I was able to influence and manipulate Zara in the right direction to ensure things went off without a hitch."

"You kidnapped Anya before she was delivered to the Flame," Diana accused Deathstroke, still hoping the little girl was alright. "And kept her away from Zara long enough so she had to call off the attack because Vox's weapon wouldn't work without her."

"Not only that," Deathstroke added. "I helped Zara find a consolation prize by ruining your reputation in the media and public eye. Just a few quick tips leaked to the media by myself was enough to start the fire. Made it even easier when you kept sticking your nose into things where it didn't belong as you stepped on a lot of toes. Your fall from grace managed to quell Zara's bloodlust."

"It was entertaining watching you get what you deserved Darling," Etta admitted with a nostalgic tone. Diana picked up the hint of finality as well in that tone. Etta would soon grow bored explaining what she did and who knows what she would do next? Diana needed to keep the conversation going and she remembered something Bruce mentioned at the airport.

"I'll admit," Diana said in a forced reluctant tone. "You really did think of everything out well. Except, there is one thing that bothers me still."

"What is it?" Etta asked with curiosity and a hint of annoyance in her voice at Diana's insinuation that she may have had a flaw in her plan.

"I understand why you needed to keep Anya separate and hidden for a while, but why did you arrange to have me find her and take her in?"

"For the millionth time, I pointed out the stupidity of that plan," Deathstroke grumbled. Etta snapped an angry look at him and to Diana's surprise, it seemed to cow him just a little.

"I shouldn't have to justify every decision I make to you when it was my plan from the beginning," Etta hissed. Diana made a mental note of that. Perhaps she could exploit that fracture later. Etta then glanced back at Diana.

"I wanted to be able to keep a close eye on Anya until the time was right. Deathstroke would be too busy manipulating Zara and her allies and I had to always be at your side being your faithful secretary. But I knew your self-righteous bleeding heart would take a random girl found on the streets in the right conditions and then just expect me to babysit the brat. You were my means of keeping Anya on a tight leash until it was time to give her back to Zara."

"And that was your mistake right there," Diana shot back. "Trying to use me to help you keep an eye on Anya. You make it sound like you know me well, but you still don't seem to understand me at all. It wouldn't matter to me if my reputation was destroyed and everything I worked for in the UN fell apart. If there was someone I took responsibility for and they disappeared or were harmed, I would search the heavens and Tartarus itself until I found them and made sure they were safe again."

"She does have a point," Deathstroke muttered under his breath. "You really didn't think that one through."

"Shut up both of you!" Etta shrieked, her face beat red. She glared between Diana and Deathstroke angrily and it took her a moment to calm down. Diana resisted the urge to smile.

"I'll admit, in hindsight," Etta said slowly as if she was forced to eat poison, "It may have been a mistake to allow you to get attached to that child. But regardless, I knew I had to stage a break in and kidnapping. I had Deathstroke make it look like he almost killed me. An underappreciated talent of his is knowing how to put someone on the brink of death, but not kill them. I had hoped not only that would throw suspicion off me for Anya's disappearance, but that it would also break you. My near murder should've made you collapse under the weight of everything thrown at you at that moment. I made the mistake of underestimating you by thinking everything I arranged would break your spirit and will. Instead, I should've predicted that you would just emotionally react even more and still remain the stubborn fool you are. Just like how you were with my reign."

Diana could see Etta's face flushing again with the recounting of how her misjudgment indirectly led to the ruin of her plans. Despite her worry for Anya and still without an idea for escape, Diana took satisfaction that Etta hadn't completely outmaneuvered her yet and seemed to be losing more power by the second.

"This was supposed to go perfectly," Etta hissed as if discussing what had occurred made her even angrier. "I was so close and you ruined everything, just like the last time. You never could stay away from something that doesn't concern you."

"No use complaining about it Etta, it's over," Diana warned. "You may have Anya and me prisoner right now, but it's the end of the line. Your allies are being approached by the authorities as evidence of their involvement with the Crimson Flame is being leaked to the public. One of them will talk sooner or later and the whole world will know you're still alive and have been behind this horror the last few months."

"You don't think I'm aware of that?" Etta snapped angrily. Her sudden mood swings started to unnerve Diana a bit, although the less control Etta had over her emotions, the safer Diana felt. Perhaps with bottling up her emotions when around Diana all her years, Etta was bound to snap. Suddenly, Deathstroke laughed hoarsely.

"What's so funny?" Diana asked. Etta had calmed down and smiled again, as if Deathstroke and her were in on some inside joke. That was not a good sign.

"It's not over, not by a long shot," Deathstroke commented.

"What are you talking about?"

"You took my throne and country away from me twice. It is now time for me to take something from you," Etta added.

Diana felt a mild panic. Not Anya! For the gods, please don't let them hurt her! Etta turned to the small computer monitor and turned it on.

"Deathstroke told me you stumbled upon these when you didn't follow the instructions," Etta commented. Diana blinked and realized it was the nuclear missiles she saw earlier. Hera! How did she forget about them?

"Many of my allies during the war tried to test and field experimental weapons to help my cause, but some sought a nuclear enrichment program as well in order to finally allow us to defend ourselves from foreign intervention. Unfortunately, this ambition didn't come to full fruition until after the war, but it has paid off in its own way. They had been built the last decade in secret and were meant to help me solidify my rule once I regained my throne, but now they will have another purpose."

Audrey then hit something and Diana saw what looked like a countdown for a launch sequence. Based on the numbers, it looked like it had already been counting down for some time. There was less than forty-five minutes left!

"I do wish I could launch them now, but the technology we use must be charged a good hour before they fly and I didn't want to launch them until I knew you were here to witness this moment."

"The League will stop them," Diana said with assurance. "The Watchtower will detect them and dispatch anyone available in seconds."

Etta scoffed.

"I was well aware of that. Thankfully, the combined might of Cyber Industries and my allies' assets has allowed me to cloak these missiles from satellite detection. Unless Superman happens to be passing by one when it's in the air, no one will realize what has happened until they've hit their target."

Etta then turned around slowly with a sinister smirk of joy.

"Once all three hit their targets it will be WWIII! One will hit the Russia-China border, another along the Korean border, and a third one on the Indian Pakistan border. Three very volatile borders that just need a spark to start a conflict and demonstrate your era of peace is a sham! With all of them hitting at the same time, each country will react right away and not even your League can stop it. The League will then be forced to take direct action and interfere with the messy politics of multi-global conflicts, or sit by as the world destroys itself. Either way I win, because the world will descend into true chaos like my country has been the last century. In one stroke I will have destroyed everything you tried to build and maybe even expose you and your fellow League members as the passive, manipulative tyrants you truly are! Let Judgment Day finally come!

"Audrey," Diana gasped, still stunned by what Etta had revealed to her. Her friend truly was gone now and there was no coming back. But she was going to take the entire world down with her. She needed to be stopped! But what could Diana do? She was trapped.

"Audrey," Diana said again, not caring her tone sounded weak as she realized how powerless she was. "Please…"

"What's that?" Etta gloated and leaned forward.

"This is between you and me. Hurt me, kill me, break me if you must. Just please leave everyone else alone. You'll be condemning billions of lives if you follow through with this."

"But don't you see Darling? By doing this, I will be hurting you because nothing will damage your heart and pride more than seeing your peace descend into bloody war in a manner of hours."

Diana desperately looked at Deathstroke who watched her with rather aloof interest. This man was once Timothy Drake, the eager little boy trying to make Bruce proud. Surely a part of him was still there.

"Ti-Deathstroke," Diana corrected herself. If she showed him some respect, maybe she could win him over.

"How can you follow through with this?" Diana asked. "You're a mercenary, not a terrorist. You know you can't really profit from global nuclear war and Audrey's assets with Cyber Industries will have been frozen. Why do you help her when there's no money to be made in this?"

"Truthfully," Deathstroke admitted coldly. "I don't care about the money at this point. You and Bruce interfered too much and ruined everything. All I want now is payback against Bruce and the first step of doing that is helping her destroy you."

Diana gaped at him with disbelief. He would help usher in Armageddon just to spite Bruce?

"Don't look surprised," Deathstroke commented. "You know deep down Bruce has some affection for you still, otherwise he wouldn't have helped you. And the best way I've learned to hurt Bruce is to hurt all the women he has a soft spot in his heart for. I killed Talia and now I help break you by destroying everything you built. Then I'll kill that upstart sidekick of his and I will finally kill him after I've taken everything he has ever loved or cared for."

Before Diana or Etta could say anything, an alarm rang and the screen for the nuclear bombs shifted to show a radar map of what looked like a satellite image of the island. There was a tiny little image heading towards it. Etta turned so fast to face Diana, that the Amazon was surprised she didn't snap her neck right there.

"Who did you tell you were coming here?" Etta demanded angrily.

"No one!" Diana denied.

"Who did you tell?" Etta yelled madly.

"No one, I swear by the River of Styx!" Diana said quickly and that was the truth. Technically, Erik already knew because he inadvertently eavesdropped on her conversation with Deathstroke. But how did he manage to tell someone else? She made him swear on the lasso! Unless that poor fool was trying to rescue her on his own! Gods! She hoped he had enough sense to not do something that foolish!

"It's just one aircraft," Deathstroke noted calmly. Etta eyed Diana disbelieving, and then turned to face the screen.

"Looks like they're trying to make radio contact."

"The jammers are active," Etta reminded him. "They should only be able to contact the island itself and nothing else outside the bubble. The defenses will shoot them down once they get in range."

Diana squirmed uncomfortably and felt a little shock. She had gotten so used to the pulsating restraints she had forgotten they were there to prevent her from straining too much for an escape. She prayed whoever was flying that random aircraft had enough sense to fly away. The world didn't need one more innocent death today.

"What are you doing?" Etta asked as Deathstroke walked to the control panel.

"Just curious," Deathstroke mentioned and he hit something. The screen then changed to show a video camera feed of something fast approaching what looked like the outer edges of the island's territory. It was black, sleek, and shaped like a Bat. Deathstroke tensed right there and even Etta showed trepidation. Diana meanwhile felt relief and hope swell inside her for the first time since her captivity. Bless the gods for that man. She didn't even care if he had placed a tracker on her again to find her! His timing couldn't be any more important. Diana then couldn't help but laugh out loud at the moment. Both her captors looked at her in alarm. She ignored Etta and made eye contact with Deathstroke.

"I didn't tell Bruce at all, that means he's figured it out by himself. You know what that means, he's coming for you fully prepared."

"Ignore her, she's just trying to antagonize you," Etta warned. "Let the defense weapons shoot it down."

Deathstroke only glanced at her briefly, before ignoring her and heading over to the control panel and flipping a switch.

"Hello Bruce," Deathstroke greeted. "Didn't expect to see you so soon. I'd advise you to turn around the plane soon because once you cross the threshold. This isn't the Minor Leagues. You'll be slaughtered with no chance of escape."

"Well that's going to be a problem because he's not the pilot today, I am," retorted a familiar voice. Diana's eyes lit up at that. Deathstroke looked surprised as well.

"Why so quiet all of a sudden Timmy?" Batwoman taunted. "Were you never good enough to fly the Batplane?"

"Enough," interrupted the harsh, familiar voice of the Batman. "Deathstroke, I know about everything. Audrey, the Crimson Flame, all of it. I know you have Diana there and Audrey is with you."

Etta looked like she wanted to break something, but Deathstroke held up an arm and blocked her. She glared at him, but she ultimately did nothing else.

"What makes you so sure Diana's here?" he asked cryptically.

"Deathstroke, I don't have time for this. We both know that each of us wants this to end once and for all. I come willing to ensure that happens, in exchange that you let Diana and Anya go unharmed."

"Really?" Deathstroke asked in mild surprise. Diana felt a twinge of annoyance that Bruce would try to pull something like this for her, but at the moment, she didn't have much options. At least Bruce seemed to distract her captors' attentions from her. Maybe there was a way to break out of the restraints.

"You'd just surrender yourself to me?"

"I didn't say surrender. Rather, I'd come to face you one last time, on your own turf. Finally, we can know which of us is the better man after the other one dies."

"You'd break your rule for me? I'm flattered."

"What's it going to be Deathstroke?" Batman asked curtly. "You finally get to fight me one last time, or will you just cower and try to hide behind a bunch of automated turrets and air defense missiles?"

"Ignore him," Etta ordered. Deathstroke however, seemed to be mulling over Bruce's challenge. He put a hand on the knife at his side and gripped it tightly. Clearly he was interested in the offer. But, before he could say anything, Etta walked over to the panel and spoke.

"There will be no deal, Batman. You will die now," she proclaimed and turned off the radio.

"That wasn't your call to make," Deathstroke muttered angrily. "You had no right!"

"Did you forget about our original plan?" Etta demanded. "Besides, it's too late. The defenses have been activated."

The camera feed then showed missiles being launched towards the speeding plane rapidly.

"Hera, protect them," Diana whispered desperately to herself.

"Well, so much for that," Batwoman heard Batman mutter as the woman on the other line ended the radio conversation. He was in that new Batsuit he had revealed to her. Despite it not having a cape or as much bulky armor like his usual uniforms, this one somehow made him seem larger, even more intimidating somehow.

"Incoming," Batman warned as Batwoman saw a bunch of missiles speeding towards them.

"I know, I see," Batwoman snapped, feeling a little nervous. She could do this. Bruce trusted her to pilot them through this shitshow if it went wrong. All she needed to do was stay calm. She gripped the controls tightly and noticed her palms under he gauntlets were sweaty. Slowing down her breath, she waited tensely, but patiently, as the missiles approached them. Then, she suddenly jerked the controls upward, lurching the Batplane to the sky. Batman grunted in surprise as the Batplane soared straight up in the air and shook against the air drag. The vibrations tried to resist Batwoman's attempt to drive it straight up, but she held on.

"Careful!" Batman barked. Batwoman looked on the screen and noticed many of the missiles failed to turn upward to follow her sudden trajectory upward. However, plenty of them still managed to remain on their tail. Suddenly veering off, Batwoman descended the aircraft at a sharp downward angle, while steering it to its side. She let it rapidly descend before suddenly straightening it out at the last second, still soaring sideways. The right wing of the Batplane skimmed across the water as the missiles all crashed right into the sea. By the time some went off under water, she had already piloted the aircraft further away.

"That was too close," Batman critiqued.

"Hey, I got us out of there."

"More incoming!" Batman snapped as he pointed ahead. "Machine gun turrets as well."

Batwoman straightened the aircraft right side up again and sped towards the oncoming onslaught.

"Let the games begin," she commented under her breath.

Diana silently observed Etta and Deathstroke watch the Batplane dodge the island defenses, often just barely, on the screen. It was a miracle Batwoman hadn't destroyed the aircraft herself with all the wild turns and sharp drops she was doing. Etta remained stiff as a stone, not giving any indication she was worried the Batplane was cutting through. Deathstroke however, tapped his foot impatiently.

"What did you describe this as once? Most secure place in the world? More than enough to keep an army at bay? Fat load of good it does with stopping one plane."

"My patience runs thin Deathstroke," Etta warned. "Don't push your luck."

Diana barely saw the clenched fist Deathstroke made before relaxing his hand. Clearly this partnership was not on solid ground at the moment. Meanwhile, the two seemed to have completely forgotten Diana or at the very least were content to ignore her. If there was a time she could make an escape, it was now. She felt the pulsation of the restraints for the infinite time. They seem to follow a strict time pattern. Diana wondered if there was a reason for that. She leaned forward slowly until she felt a shock and let out a muffled yelp.

Etta and Deathstroke turned to look at her as if just remembering she was there. Etta smiled at Diana.

"No use trying to escape Darling," Etta explained. "Your friends will die and the missiles will be launched. Then I'll kill you once you've seen that your world has burned down."

Diana glared at her and the two turned back to watch the camera feed. However, she resisted the urge to smirk. She had proven her theory true. When she extended herself to the limits of what the restraints would allow before shocking her, she realized there was a brief period, maybe a half a second, among the pulsating rhythm were nothing happened. For a brief microsecond, the restraints were devoid of power. It probably couldn't hold enough power constantly to shock her with such a large amount of electricity at its disposal. The restraints had to constantly release it after a certain time before rapidly charging up. That meant there was a small, minuscule space in time were the restraints weren't fully operational. The period of time was small, very small, but it was still an opening.

If she could time it right, maybe she could break out. But, she had to get it perfectly right. If she was not in perfect sync with the rhythm, she would fail and maybe alert Etta what she was trying to do.

"We're taking fire," Batman noted nonchalantly as machine gun fired at their flank.

"Gee, I hadn't notice!" Batwoman replied sarcastically as she made a hard-right turn, barely avoiding the latest missiles chasing after her.

"Look out!" Batman warned as Batwoman plowed right towards another turret, firing bullets at them. On instinct, Batwoman hit two red buttons and fired at the turret. It was gone in a flash as the Batplane sped through the smoke. The sensors indicated more missiles were coming at them.

"You can't shake those off as easily as the other ones," Batman warned. He sounded angry, but at the same time, only mildly annoyed. That, for some reason, aggravated Batwoman even more. Batwoman had an idea and gripped the controls tightly.

"Did you ever play video games?"

"What?"

"Did you ever play video games?" Batwoman repeated as the screen showed the missiles catching up to them.

"I heard you the first time. What's that have to do with anything?"

"Just be glad you haven't eaten anything in a while," Batwoman mentioned and then she jerked sideways. The Batplane immediately tilted over, but it didn't stop. It just kept rolling in midair as it zoomed by. An alarm on the panel blared in protest as Batman yelled in surprise. Batwoman kept the pressure and the aircraft continued to roll over while still flying forward. She found herself almost unable to concentrate by the constant blur and loss of focus. Yet, she kept the controls at that angle until she saw briefly among the blur a brief flash and she stopped as the Batplane suddenly righted itself.

She grunted at the sudden jerk and she thought she heard Batman curse under his breath. Immediately, she looked at the screen and smiled. Her barrel roll trick had worked. The missiles ended up crashing into each other due to the slight rotation of the Batplane's thrusters they were tracking.

"Don't ever do that again," Batman complained.

"We're halfway there!" Batwoman noted as the island became larger in view.

Diana had her eyes closed and steadied her breathing at the same, steady rate with her heart. She needed to be calm for this to work. One of the first lessons she had on Themyscira, before being allowed to pick up a sword or spear, was to learn to focus on her heart rate. It was a meditation technique and a good mental exercise for Amazons to learn. Passion and even anger could be valuable assets in battle, but one still needed to know their own body at a resting state before using emotions to fight.

"This isn't working!" Deathstroke snapped. Diana opened her eyes and saw he was standing over Etta while glaring at her.

"Your useless machines aren't helping!" he argued.

"It's one plane!" Etta reminded. "It will be destroyed by years of Cyber Industries technology before it can even descend for landing."

"You've put too much faith in Lord's toys," Deathstroke warned. "They're deadly and effective, but they can never replace this."

Deathstroke then tapped at his head.

"And what do you propose we do then?" Etta asked rhetorically. Deathstroke scoffed at her and walked out.

"Where are you going?"

"To close this out myself!" Deathstroke argued as he stomped away. "One of us has to!"

Etta glared at the doorway he exited out of. Diana felt anticipation growing inside her. Now was her chance. She just needed to make sure she was able to time everything to the absolute certainty. She would perhaps only have one opportunity to do this.

"There! Looks like there's a helicopter on top of the island!" Batwoman shouted.

"Probably how they transported themselves there. Try to see if you can land up there. Watch your right."

Batwoman jerked left and upward, barely dodging the screaming projectile that went by.

"We're dodging the missiles, but we've been hit too many times by the bullets," Batman noted.

"We're still flying," Batwoman pointed out.

"This isn't invulnerable," Batman replied. "We won't make it even close enough to land if you keep zooming towards those turrets to dodge those missiles."

"Well it's time to change plans!"

Batwoman jerked it towards the center and flew towards the island. Earlier she had been flying a zig-zag pattern on the approach. This time though, she kept going straight. All around them, missiles seemed to come out from behind, in front of, and everywhere towards them.

"What are you doing?"

"Give me a second," Batwoman warned. Quickly the gaps began to close and they would be surrounded by the missiles with no narrow opening to fly through. She needed to time it right.

"No…" Batman warned as if he caught on what she planned to do.

"Yes!" she affirmed and hit the emergency kill switch. The Batplane's control panel went dark and Batwoman and Batman jerked forward. Luckily, the restraints prevented whiplash from the sudden stop, but it still was an uncomfortable experience. The Batplane descended immediately at an angle towards the ocean as right above it, the torrent of missiles crashed into each other, confused by the sudden drastic change of heat from the Batplane. The Batplane continued to fall rapidly towards the ocean and Batwoman frantically hit a switch repeatedly.

"Come on, come on," she muttered urgently. Just when it looked like the nose was about to touch water, the lights turned on and Batwoman punched the controls, zooming the Batplane along the water towards the island. Batman didn't say anything and Batwoman didn't dare to turn around and look at him. She could feel his glare boring into the back of her head.

Etta paced angrily as the Batplane continue to avoid all attempts to bring it down. Diana however, hardly paid attention to Etta fuming in anger. In fact, she had forgotten she was there. The world was nothing to Diana now. Thoughts of Etta, Deathstroke, Kasnia, Lord, Anya, Erik, and Bruce had been emptied out of her head. Only thing she could focus on was the beat of the pulses. To her, it was part of her just as her own heart beat was. She had become one with the machine. Her whole body was in sync with it. Her breathing had steadied to almost nothing.

"Hera give me strength," she whispered quietly. It was time to act now. She felt the pulsating sensation again. And again. And again. She had to be certain she could time this right, lest her efforts would be in vain. Anticipating the pain she would bring onto herself, Diana jerked forward with all her might. Her legs didn't break free, but she didn't expect them to. Her left hand remained trap as well and immediately earned another painful shock for the effort. However, her right hand felt loose.

"AAAIGGGH!" Diana unwillingly yelled in pain, but she mentally fought through it. Her right hand had damaged its restraint!

"What are you doing?" Etta demanded. Diana gave no time for her enemy to react or respond. With her restrained might, she lunged her right arm forward. The restraint cracked as her fist broke free. The remaining ones in response seemed to increase their power. Etta's eyes widened in panic and she hit something on the control panel.

"NNNNGGGGGHHHHH!" Diana grunted and almost bit her tongue while convulsing. The pain was unbearable. But that didn't matter to her now. She was free. Struggling through the onslaught, she threw her free fist back over her head and hit the wall she was attached to. The impact made a loud booming sound as dust shook the area. She did it again and felt herself fall backwards. The shocking stopped and she almost passed out there. Forcing her eyes opened, she realized one of her legs and her other arm had become free by destroying the wall. She went to work freeing her last limb when a voice shouted.

"If you want Anya, Darling, you're going to have get through me first!" Etta's voice echoed. Diana realized the room was empty now. Etta must've made her escape when the wall had collapsed. Getting to her feet clumsily, her legs felt like jello. She almost collapsed and felt nauseous. Closing her fists and eyes briefly, Diana walked out of the room and headed towards the direction she thought she had heard Etta's voice.

"You cheated death and justice once already," Diana muttered. "I won't let you get away this time."

"Here we go!" Batwoman said eagerly and she tugged at the steering control. She could hear Batman groan behind her reluctantly as the aircraft began to rotate 180 degrees.

"We're inverted!" Batwoman shouted excitedly as the aircraft zoomed upside down. The maneuver paid off as the drone chasing after them failed to make the adjustments and crashed into the water below them.

"Enough showboating," Batman grumbled. Reluctantly, Batwoman slowly turned the Batplane right side up.

"You're no fun," Batwoman complained.

"This isn't supposed to be fun."

"Well look. We're right there!" she pointed out.

"Except that last stunt you did jammed the landing gears," Batman noted at a red light blinking by the controls. "How are we going to land now?"

"I'll think of something!" she assured.

Deathstroke angrily walked out to the deck of the main bay. Two gun turrets flanked him and were shooting at a black aircraft that looked like an insect. He noticed the Batplane had turned upside down. Grumbling at that stunt, he looked at the turrets. They were doing a good job of keeping the Batplane at bay so it wouldn't land, but not doing a good job of shooting it down. That was the problem with automation. Everything always relied on codes and programs, not a human understanding of human nature.

"No matter how much money you spend or how many toys you have, you always will need a natural to come out and finish the game," he muttered and walked to the turret on his right. He ripped open a panel on its back that exposed some wires and a switch. He flicked the switch and the turret stopped firing while making a low pitch sound. He then climbed on top and manually steered the turret as he tried to lock in on the Batplane that looked more like an annoying pest.

"Wait for it…wait for it…" he muttered to himself. The aircraft then made a left turn and he knew that was his time to fire.

"Here comes the swing," he said as he smiled underneath his mask and fired.

"What was that?" Batman demanded as the Batplane was suddenly racked by something hitting it. Immediately, Batwoman realized she couldn't control the Batplane as well as before and that it was suddenly descending. Alarms blared and panic began to set in her.

"You were screwing around too much," Batman muttered in an oddly calm voice.

"It wasn't my fault!" Batwoman snapped as she worked to try to regain control. She looked out the window and saw both turrets near what looked like the loading dock were firing at them. But one oddly seemed to be firing more rapidly than the other and there was something orange and black on top.

"You," hissed Batwoman and then an idea popped in her head. Straining with all her might, she steered the still descending Batplane towards the main dock and hit a switch to force the thrusters to add more propulsion. Thank God those were still working. The plane began to descend at a forty-five degree angle.

"What are you doing?" Batman asked.

"We're going to make a play," she commented before a small smile formed on her face. "We're sliding into home."

The Batplane continued to descend rapidly, towards the one turret with a man in orange and black armor.

"And that's a home run," Deathstroke said in satisfaction as he hit his target. Smoke emitted from the Batplane and it began to descend. He continued to fire more shots at it as the other turret still on automated mode followed suit. The Batplane jerked like a wounded bird free falling and continued to descend more rapidly. Deathstroke stopped shooting to admire his work. All that technology Lord and Audrey had put on this island, and he still had to be the one to take them out. The Batplane continued to fall and Deathstroke realized it wasn't falling straight down, but diagonally in his direction.

"Oh crap," Deathstroke muttered and his eye bulged briefly. He jumped off the turret and ran as fast as he could. He managed to have a four second head start when he heard the crash.

The Batplane skidded towards him, tearing up the metal of the loading dock as it zoomed right into the main bay. Fire and smoke came out of nowhere as the metal crash continued to hurl towards him. He dove to the side just in time to see a wing break apart and fly right over him, crashing into a wall. The wall collapsed from the impact of the wing and Deathstroke screamed as it began to come down all over him.

Batwoman tensely held the controls as the Batplane skidded across the bay. A wing had flown off, but she didn't really notice. She just held tightly as the Batplane continued to skid violently across the bay, towards the wall on the other side.

"Please stop-Please stop-Please stop," she muttered rapidly, wishing there was some sort of brakes that could slow this down. The Batplane continued to speed along the floor, tossing sparks and metal sheets everywhere. It was slowing down slightly, but not enough to Batwoman's liking. She closed her eyes, expecting the worse. Instead, she just felt a little bump and everything stopped moving. Opening her eyes, she looked out the windshield to see the Batplane had managed to skid to a halt slow enough to just bump into the wall. It wasn't a small bump; the nose managed to embed itself in the wall. But they were alive at least.

Sighing with relief and realizing how sore her muscles were for tensing up so tight, she looked behind to find Batman just staring at her with a calm, aloof face, as if nothing had happened.

"Hi," she said sheepishly and he just cocked his head in slight interest. He acted like they had just been stuck in traffic in one of his limos in Gotham, rather than just surviving an aerial crash. Yet, she knew he had to have been as terrified as her seconds ago.

"The second worst mistake I've ever made in my life was letting you fly this," he replied coldly as the canopy slid open.

"What was the first?" Batwoman asked as they both worked to unfasten their seat harnesses.

"Hiring you," he retorted and very briefly, he flashed a smile at her. For some reason, Batwoman felt pride in that quip rather than anger. Batman's smile vanished and he gave his usual stoic look while scanning the bay area. Small fires, smoke, and debris littered the entire hangar. There seemed to be no sign of Deathstroke. Perhaps he got away, or hopefully, he managed to get killed. Batwoman at least wished for that. She didn't know how Batman felt.

"Are you okay?" she asked cautiously. He turned back around and looked at her.

"We need to find Diana," he urged. "Let's get moving."

Diana hurried down the halls. It was like a giant labyrinth and seemed larger than the first time she navigated through it. A part of her felt doubt that she had a semblance of an idea where she was going, but a stronger part of her knew she was on Etta's trail. She wouldn't make the same mistake with Audrey again.

Suddenly, the ground slightly shook, and she could hear a screeching and loud crashing sound. Even if she didn't have her enhanced senses, she would've been able to hear and feel that pretty easily. Did the Batplane crash? She looked on ahead, where she expected Etta went. She wanted to continue down that path, but she worried for Batman and Batwoman. They were alright, they had to be. But she couldn't forgive herself if she didn't make sure. Turning around, she headed towards the direction of the crash.

"Hera, please let them be alive," she whispered as she hurried along. "Those stubborn fools."

Batman growled in frustration as they navigated through the many rooms and hallways of the plant.

"You could fit Gotham and Bludhaven in here," Batwoman complained behind him. Batman ignored her. Something about this place bugged him. It was supposed to be a power plant that was nearly completed, but its design appeared completely off. He couldn't place his finger on it, but it looked almost like someone wanted it to look like an upcoming functional nuclear plant and that was about it. Like it's only purpose for existing as a power plant was for appearance's sake.

"Stop," he suddenly ordered and put an arm to block Batwoman. "Someone's coming."

Batwoman pulled out two battarangs and he just widened his stance. Wearing this suit felt much different than his previous suits. He felt like a new man. The pain in his leg seemed not to bother him as much and the aches and pains elsewhere were almost not there. He could still feel them, but the suit required almost little to no energy or strength to move around in it that he barely had to strain himself. He felt more like a machine than a man. Or at least young again.

"Go," he ordered as Batwoman tossed the battarangs and he charged forward, only to stop after seeing Wonder Woman deflect them with her bracelets.

"Diana?" he asked in surprise.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"Rescuing you," he grumbled.

"As you can see, I really don't need rescuing," she commented as if offended by that. Batman briefly glared, before flashing a smirk the same time she did.

"New suit?" she asked, eying him up and down. "I miss the cape."

"I destroyed my last cape in Kasnia," he bantered back. Diana smiled some more, before her face showed a look of urgency.

"Bruce, I am actually glad that the two of you are here, Audrey-"

"I already know she's Etta," Batman explained.

"Not that, she has nukes here."

"Nukes?" Batwoman asked in disbelief. Diana nodded.

"She has three nuclear missiles that will be launched in less than a half hour. She's trying to use them to start chaos all over the world in retaliation against me."

"Where are they?" Batman demanded.

"Somewhere at a lower level, I can't remember. They were in a room lit with red light. Can you disable them?"

"I got it," Batman assured her. Diana looked a little relieved and he knew she trusted him to disable the weapons for her.

"Thank you for coming, Bruce," she whispered as she leaned forward. He eyed her cautiously as she looked like she wanted to say something else. She then suddenly backed away and her face looked more steeled with determination.

"You need to hurry. I'll meet back with you later," she promised

"You're not coming with us?" Batwoman asked.

"I need to find Anya still," Diana pointed out as her eyes got a little dark. "And I need to settle something with Audrey."

She then turned around and hurried away. Batwoman looked like she wanted to go after her, so Batman spoke up.

"Let her go," he ordered. "She has her own battles to fight. Our priority is stopping those missiles from launching."

Deathstroke grunted as he tossed the wreckage off of him and then suddenly realized his face hurt.

"NNNNGGHHHH!" he grunted as he clutched his mask. Parts of it had cut into his face and he ripped it off. The ruined mask collapsed on the ground and Tim struggled to get to his feet before lurching over. Angrily, he saw the crashed empty Batplane ahead and he ignored the dizziness and the pain.

"Okay Bruce, you want to go into extra innings?" he talked to himself as he pulled out his sword from his back. It miraculously had remained undamaged, unlike most of his armor and equipment.

"This ends tonight, all of it," Tim said as he got to his feet slowly and he smiled wickedly. "But I'm going to make you hurt before I end you."

He clenched the sword tightly in his hand.

"First, I'm going to kill that brat," he promised as he limped towards the door ahead. "And then I'm going to chop off your head after you've choked on your own grief!"

No more flashbacks, no more set-ups. Up next, the climax of the story. Diana tries to rescue Anya while confronting Audrey, as Batwoman and Batman attempt to disable the nuclear threat with an angry Deathstroke determined to kill both of them. Find out who lives, who dies, and who suffers next chapter.