I OWN Nuffin

Batman glanced down at the coordinates Bronze Tiger gave to him. "Chu's shrine on Mount Biquan in Dragon Rock. Everything he had collected over the years was hidden there, including several magical items that I would like to keep out of Ra's' hands. I left the school before Chu granted me access to it, so in a way, collecting the Power Pole will be a parting gift from him and the task an honor for me to complete under his name."

"How did you get involved with a League of Assassins anyway?" Oliver asked. "Of course, the training paid off, but I'm just curious as to why you know so much about them."

Bruce sighed. "Well, I have an announcement for all of you anyway. It's two weeks late, but as you can see, there have been more pressing matters."

"Out with it, then," Clark said.

Batman's partners looked at the Dark Knight with concern and curiosity, waiting for what he had to say. "I have a son."

The jet gasped. "Who's the mother?" Diana asked.

Batman cursed under his breath, gripping the controls of the jet tightly. "Talia al Ghul."

"WHAT?!" everyone except Trunks exclaimed, leaning in toward his chair.

"Isn't she Ra's' daughter?" Clark asked.

Wait, he had a baby with the daughter of the head of the organization that killed his master? Trunks folded his arms and cocked one eyebrow, leaning in his chair. This story was going to be good. "Yes, she is," Batman said. "I should have told you about us sooner." So wait, he was dating her now? Trunks made sure to drown out all other distractions, except maybe the back of Diana's head every now and again. "I was twenty years old when I graduated Ra's' training; I then defeated the immortal plague by beating him into the ground in his own home, preventing a worldwide genocide that would have dropped Earth's population to mere millions. He saw me as his greatest pupil and wanted me to see eye to eye with him and his plans to cleanse the Earth, so I tore that eye out and fed it to him. He never forgot about me or was resentful; the last thing he said to me before his warehouse collapsed on his face was 'you will do perfectly.' Little did I know that we'd be meeting in every aspect of my life afterward. Three years later, I was responding to a murder case of a politician carried out by a secretive assassin organization run by a crime lord now dead at Ra's' hands. I rescued a young woman from the leader of the organization and from that point on, this and my secret personas would end up running into her everywhere, saving her again and again from assassin after assassin. Eventually we dated; we were on and off for a year, but within that time I was blind by my feelings for her. Two years ago her father revealed himself and informed me on who she was. We had feelings for each other, yes, but it was all a lie. He orchestrated us together so that I could carry on his plans for genocide."

Trunks didn't see Bruce as the type to have, well, feelings. He looked the least dumbfounded and surprised in the jet, besides for Batman himself.

"But you two stayed together?" Karen asked.

"No, we cut it off," he said, "but with Ra's now running a prominent organization and her running LexCorp under Luthor, we clashed numerous times."

"Wait, she works for Luthor now?!" Clark exclaimed. His face settled into a hard grimace. "I'm going to have a little talk with Luthor when we return to the Watchtower. I have some inquiries about his latest dealings."

"About nine months ago," Bruce said, beginning the descent of the jet, "I responded to a call mimicking the one that threw me into this trouble in the first place. I burst into the dead politician's office while Nightwing handled the ninjas in his complex. I saw Bane in the office hurting someone I used to love, and I took it upon myself to hurt him tenfold. I made sure Talia was okay and told her to leave before I took her down too. She, on the other hand, wasn't planning on leaving until we discussed what we were. We had a moment, and nine months later, I'm 26 years old and hiding our only son from assassins and my master is dead out of spite. Happy birthday to me, I guess."

The jet sat in an uneasy silence. Batman's teammates glanced at each other nervously as the jet stopped on top of a gray, rocky mountain peak.

"You don't have to say anything, just know that I value our camaraderie enough to tell you this," Bruce said, hopping out of the jet and onto the mountaintop. "It's just up these columns."

The League hopped out and looked around. The rain had let up, finally. They were on one of the highest peaks of the range, with a small pond filled with bright orange koi fish. The water was off to the side overlook a hundred foot fall onto a rocky slope descending into thick, loud jungles with the single screech of an old world monkey welcoming them onto the peak. They noticed the circle of firewood and stones in the middle of the peak with several large rocks just a few feet away. On another side of the peak was a tall slab of jagged rock forming a thin wall with a small hook-like cover at the top. Under the hook, hidden by the shadow was a large, bamboo cage bursting with magical energy. Batman started scaling the wall with Diana, Oliver, and the Saiyan behind them. The other two floated toward the hanging cage. The League stayed silent, unsure what to say after that reveal. "What's his name?" Diana asked. Bruce stopped climbing for a second and just stared at the cage.

"Damian," Bruce said, continuing up the wall.

Clark reached the cage first. He touched the gate and backed away, feeling sick by the overwhelming magical aura surrounding the stuffed cage from weapons to armor to scrolls to books. Karen flew around the side and she reached for the small lock on the door, finding it already open with a single tug. "Batman, someone has already opened the cage. It doesn't look like they took anything."

Batman flashed a frown. He looked down at his climbing partners. "Go back down. We're going to take the cage."

"Take the cage?" Diana said. "Wouldn't Bronze Tiger and Richard Dragon be entitled to a third of the items in there?"

"This location has been compromised," Batman said. "Whether the nyoi-bo is in there or not, if whoever made camp here could find Chu's cache, then Ra's won't be too far behind. We have to take this back to the Watchtower and the other two will have to go there to get their share."

"Understandable," Diana said, flipping off the wall and landing on her feet. "Let's have it, then."

Clark and Karen unhinged the hook and carefully placed the cage on the ground. Bruce opened the door and he and Trunks looked inside it. "May I?" the Saiyan asked. "I know what it looks like. I apologize for sounding entitled."

"I'll take them out," Bruce said, "just stop me if you see the staff."

They sorted through the entire cage while the other four worked on surveillance. They put away all the objects and Trunks hefted the cage onto one shoulder. "It's not here," Bruce said.

"Then who took it?" Oliver asked. "And why would they leave everything else?"

"The nyoi-bo was all they were after," Bruce said.

"And it's just a short, red stick," Trunks said. Diana shot a glare at him. "Basically!"

"With all of the other objects here," Diana said, pointing at the firepit. "It's safe to say they were specifically after the Caduceus."

Trunks and Bruce set the cage in the jet and locked it with Karen and Clark standing guard. "But who are they?" Karen asked.

Bruce and Trunks walked over to the firepit. One of Batman's eyepieces jutted forward and expanded, acting as a high-powered magnifying glass. "Scouter," Trunks said, "zoom in." The Scouter followed his orders and he could now see the coarse ash of the firepit contrasting with the smooth rock. Diana and Oliver started searching around the rocks and in the koi pond for any foreign objects, cloth, shoe skids, bits of food, anything. "Batman," Trunks said, "what's the magnification levels on your piece?"

"2000x, max," Batman said. "You?"

"Only 1500x," Trunks said with a small laugh. "2000? That's astounding."

"1500 isn't bad for your age; I assume you've done a little detective work where you're from," Batman said.

"I messed around when I was 13," Trunks said, "got a PhD in Criminal Science when I wasn't fighting Androids. I have four years to catch up."

"Well, good luck with-" He made a confused expression and increased the magnification to 80% power. "Wonder Woman, what do you know about golden dust?"

"Golden dust with an energy field that's messing with my Scouter," Trunks added, seeing the gold sprinkles in the ash less clearly than Batman.

Diana walked away from a rock and stood over the two investigators. "Let me see," she said, taking out her own blue Scouter, much to Trunks' happiness. "Scouter, zoom in."

"You're doing the thing!" Trunks said giddily.

"The what?"

"Nevermind," Trunks said quickly, moving over to give her room. She squatted and fastened the Scouter to her face, quickly looking over the golden dust.

"It's…" Her eyes widened and her expression was one of shock. "Ichor! Ambrosia residue. Only the Olympians and Themyscirans are able to find it." The three dust analyzers racked their brains for any reason anyone godly would be actively searching for the nyoi-bo.

"Do you think that Athena could still be trying to slam Hermes for hiding Prometheus?" Bruce said.

"Or perhaps your sisters are trying to find him themselves," Trunks said.

"What if the Amazons are trying to keep it away from the Olympians?" Clark suggested.

"Or maybe they're working to keep it away from Darkseid," Oliver said.

"We should probably ask the Amazonians themselves," Karen said bluntly. Diana agreed.

"Although all of your hypotheses are insightful," Diana said, "my mother should know the right answer. As the ambassador to Olympus, she would have to know if the pantheon has the Caduceus. If they don't have it, then my sisters must."

"But I thought Amazonians couldn't leave the island," Oliver said.

"Artemis has clearance to explore mainly uninhabited regions with four elites for special artifacts," Diana said, "but it will be hard to convince her to give it up for this world's sake."

"Wait, the Artemis?" Trunks asked.

"She was named after the goddess," Diana said, heading back to the ship. "I will pursue this route further and keep you all updated. Generally, the artifacts collected by us are then reviewed by Hippolyta. If any belong to the Olympians, she will speak to the owner directly."

"Alright then," Trunks said, standing up and following her. "Is that where we're headed next?"

"I'm sorry, but you cannot go," Diana said. "I'm going to contact my mother and alert her of my arrival so we can enter without harm and possibly compromising this covert operation by loose mouths and open ears listening to my family's court. Usually I plan my visits to the island several days in advance because my sisters are paranoid that this world could poison me and endanger the others, so it will take two days for me to get clearance. Showing up any earlier would be suspicious and other parties, read Olympians, might realize the true reason for my visit."

"What? Why?" Trunks asked. "Two days?"

"This costume is a symbol of the sacrifice I made to be here," Diana said, "and if giving up my sisters' trust of me is what it takes to be a beacon of light in the overwhelming darkness, so be it."

"We don't know if we have two days," Bruce said, "with the discovery of Korin's Tower and the ambiguity of Darkseid's total forces, we can't lose any time."

"The Amazonians will imprison you on sight," Diana said sternly, "they have the most unforgiving jury to men, and women who have chosen to stay in this world of man would be treated equally if they come unannounced, granted they can see past the island's shroud. I will leave in two days. This is not up to negotiation."

"Maybe we should ask the Saiyan what he thinks about all of this," Oliver said. "His experiences are what we're riding on here to succeed."

"I disagree," Karen said, "we would have never known the Caduceus was lost without him, but this is Wonder Woman's culture. It's best to leave it to her."

"He's in our world," Diana said, "one with Amazonians that don't care what your role in this world is if you're a man. I won't risk any of you getting killed for bringing you along."

"He knows more about these tools than we do, and preventing the Olympians from getting their hands on the Power Pole may be a smart move," Clark said. "I'd suggest taking him at least."

"Your suggestion has been noted and kindly rejected," Diana said, hopping back into the jet. "We are headed to the Watchtower where I will begin my preparations to leave. Please do not try to follow me. It is more important to me that we all see this through to the end than sacrificing an asset for a gambled result." The League climbed back into the jet.

"But if your mother delivers the objects to the Olympians, what happens if Hermes is caught with the staff and Prometheus is placed back into exile once again?" Trunks said. "If Prometheus leaves his place as guardian, then no one will know where the Dragonballs are thus giving Darkseid the upper hand."

"Not necessarily," Diana said as the jet took off. "The slim chance of someone actually taking something the patron of cleverness himself is exponentially low and if we cannot get to Prometheus if he is caught, then neither can Darkseid. We're looking for an upperhand; a level playing field does not move. With the Green Lanterns now aware of their existence, we have every piece of our galaxy covered in people searching for the Flaws. You have to trust me that as soon as I contact my mother, the staff will be safe with them, if they have it."

"Wouldn't it be in our favor to eliminate any risk of that happening in the first place?" Trunks asked. The others had made their decision in trusting the Amazon, so it was just him and her. Something told him to trust her and to back down from this fight, but the cautious voice that kept him alive all this time spoke instead. "I apologize for this intrusion, but a lot of damage to our progression could be dealt in 48 hours."

"There is no risk," Diana assured him forcefully, "the Ichor was fresh, meaning that Artemis and company are still on their way back or have just arrived. It takes them on average two days to sort through five days' worth of collecting for Olympian artifacts. I'll have my hands on it before you can teleport to the outside of the island."

"But what if they got a small catch this time? What if one of the Olympians themselves decides to bank on that slim chance?" Trunks presented.

"I understand your concern," Diana said, "this is all very new to you and it's hitting you all at once, I get that, but please do not make things harder for yourself by trying to intervene. There is still much you have to learn about my people and the gods, despite what you've read, and until I can set up a better line of communication between us and them, it's best to follow a trail of caution, would you not agree?"

The feeling of wanting to explode from anxiety settled down as the tiny voices inside his head telling him every way both their plans could go wrong were silenced by his willpower. "Yes; I'm just worried, that's all."

"You'll have plenty of time to worry after I retrieve the Caduceus," she said, "I'm contacting my mother today for an October third arrival. I will keep you current on all alterations to my mission if the need arises. I wish to play another game."

The rest of the League besides Batman stared at the Saiyan and Amazon, taking the hundredth game of chess as a sign that the tempest had calmed. They reached the Watchtower and parked the jet. This time, Clark had watched their games. "And it's another tie. How exciting." Trunks and Diana looked up at each other with lightning sparks between their eyes before heading inside the surveillance room. "Hey, Shayera," Clark said to the winged woman on duty in full costume.

"Hey everyone," Shayera said, "Hal came back here with Barry. Flash forgot his house key. How did the search go?" Diana glared at her before briskly walking out of the room. "Is that an indicator?"

"We have all but one piece," the Saiyan said.

"It was like an aircruise," Karen said, leaving the room, "but in tight spandex."

"I heard you all haven't slept for three days," she said, "after a while, it must have been uncomfortable."

"The only way my arms could burn more than they already are is if I caught on fire," Oliver said, "but unlike certain time travelers in this room, I have a job other than the League, so I'll have to leave."

"I'm sorry, did the fate of the world get in front of your nine to five?" Trunks shot back.

Shayera laughed. "You two always kill me. I hear a lot about you through what Diana tells Vixen and from Dinah directly. By the way, Trunks, you had a package delivered here by Barry. It's in your room."

Trunks wondered what it could be; they live just down the hall from each other. "Thank you," the Saiyan said. "We should spar again soon." He walked down the grate balconies and made it to the front door of his room within minutes and found a very large, birthday-styled present wrapped with a pretty red bow and holes dotting the wrapping paper. He heard it pant and a sweat drop rolled down one side of his forehead. He opened the door and carried the panting present inside, placing it in the center of the living room. He unwrapped it, finding the dire wolf he left in Karinga wagging its tail and bumping his little head up against the door. There was a pillow at the bottom of the cage that the Saiyan recognized as his own. "How did he get in here?" Trunks shouted to no one. He looked at the puffball grinning at him from inside the cage, totaling the amount of money he'd need for a week of dog supplies. "I guess you're mine now, little guy," he said apathetically, opening the cage. The bullet of an animal charged him and knocked him over, sitting on the Saiyan's chest to lick his face violently. "And that means I have to buy supplies and watch you, but I also have to work on my machine." Trunks stood up and crossed his arms, forming a clone that just confused the wolf. "Get a dog bowl, you know the rest." The clone nodded and headed out the door. He also remembered that he couldn't have pets in the Watchtower, so he would have to start the hunt for an apartment in- well, he didn't know where he would go yet, but he knew he couldn't stay there. All he knew was that he had a week to find a place.

Trunks spent the next twelve hours adding more internal structures and inter-structure wiring and connectivity. He came back to the room, washed his hands, changed, and laid back on the bed after merging with the clone. The dire wolf pup climbed onto his bed as well, finding his stomach to be the best stop to curl up and fall asleep. At least someone in the room slept. All he could think about was losing someone again to chance. He rolled over, trying to think happy thoughts, but every happy thought was interrupted by the memories of his friends dying because he sat idly by, deciding it was a likely win. That's how Gohan died, that's how his father died. He slowly sat up in bed, petting the wolf. He wasn't going to let another life slip through his fingers; even if he knew it wasn't, he needed to make absolutely sure there was no room for a costly error to occur.. He knew what he had to do and he believed he knew where to find them. He put his hair in a ponytail and put on his orange and blue gi with his sword strapped to his belt. He threw on his Scouter and took his Capsule and League badge with him. He left the room, closing it so quietly that no one could hear the lock engage. He chuckled as he rushed to the now empty surveillance room and hit his own coordinates on the Mediterranean sea coasts."Diana is going to be so pissed."