answers to reviewers questions or statements:
Jamal rarick: If you mean did they know who he was in that he's Diana's husband? Yes, or at least Robin knew and than told the rest like five minutes before they engaged him.
Shinobi scribe of the kage: Let's just say that Diana won't be making many friends after this chapter.
chimera629: Yeah it really is surprising, I mean it's not like it's been explained that Oscorp has been WORKING WITH INTERGANG AND MOVING THEIR APOKOLIPTIAN TECH AND EVEN TAKING SOME OF IT FOR THEMSELVES.
Harbinger of Kaos: Too bad that Peter will make sure that the League or the Flash can't do either of those things.
The great gamer: Let's just say that Diana's diplomatic skills will be put through their paces, along with her patience.
darthwolf: Realistically, it's going to take a lot more for Darkseid to invade Earth than the Titans attacking one of his sons. Like if maybe they killed him, than yeah, he'd bring the full might of Apokolips down on them.
Spider-menace76: I've always been more of a Barry Allen and Jay Garrick fan myself.
Triton0501: Your implying that Oscorp would tell the authorities everything that happened while Peter was snooping around inside, there's bound to be a few things they want kept under wraps to avoid the League giving them a closer look. Peter isn't so much worried he's acting outside the bounds set so much as he's worried that the League is aware of his and Diana's little... argument, and they may jump at any chance to go after him because of it. Plus technically Peter is only there to destroy the renegade cells, not breaking and entering and killing random guards and crippling teenage superheroes. Yes the company he's broken into seems to have ties to Intergang, but he needs more than just what he found on Bruno's laptop and Oscorp having an unusually robust firewall protecting it's data to justify it. Plus there's a difference between killing rogue Intergang members versus a couple of average joes whose only crime was being on the clock that night.
DarkThunderbird1604: How is she sleeping with Bruce once a random hookup? Did I ever say it was? Was it ever mentioned to be one?
Batros940: It wasn't so much he couldn't hack it so much as he didn't have the time. Normally he'd have a program or two that would handle something like that but he was going into this expecting to only have to deal with earth level encryptions, not something he'd use. Now he could've hacked it without the programs, but Oscorp's security wasn't exactly just sitting around and letting him. Your thinking of the old Teen Titans tv show, they were based in Jump City.
Disclaimer: I don't own any Marvel or DC characters seen, mentioned or used.
"Sooo how's this work? One of you plays good cop while the other plays bad cop? Or is it your both good cops and the bad cop comes in later? I'm using the right terminology, right? Sorry, I've only just recently gotten into Human media entertainment"
Things had... escalated, for the lack of a better term.
Not long after Peter and Carol returned to the Watchtower following their encounter with the Teen Titans, stupid name he knows, Peter ordered the blonde beauty back to Apokolips with his Asgardian Cube and the Soul and Mind Stones. He knew the Justice League was going to be out for blood once they received word of what happened to that yellow speedster, Kid Flash, and he knew that they'd be gunning after Carol. He also knew that the Titans would alert the League to the cosmic cube he's had in his possession and the self righteous bastards would try to take it from him and the stones if they somehow found them. So to avoid losing one of his Furies, and possibly the most reliable artifacts he's ever encountered, Peter had all of them returned to the one place the League couldn't and wouldn't follow them to, not over something this trivial...
Apokolips.
Not a second after Peter had all but shoved Carol into the Boom Tube he opened up for her, Superman had suddenly torn through the door to the room that the New God was in with a glare that would've given Darkseid pause. Peter didn't even bother to order his Parademons to attack the approaching Kryptonian, or even offer up any sort of defense. He just calmly closed the Boom Tube portal and subspaced his Mother Box and held his hands out and demanded a trial and a traditional conjugal visit from his wife and-
*BAM!*
Peter blinked at the fist that slammed into the table in front of him, leaving a sizable dent in it's metal surface as the hand's owner glared at him with glowing red eyes. Behind the man of steel, the dark Knight, Batman, stared at the New God with a neutral expression on his half covered face.
"Give me one reason why I shouldn't break every bone in your body!" Superman growled as he leaned forward slightly, an attempt at intimidation.
"I can give you thirty seven off the top of my head. Want them in alphabetical order sunshine?" Peter smirked at the Kryptonian as he rested his head on his knuckles before his gaze flickered towards the other Leaguer in the room "By the way, my compliments to your little helper. That explosive he tried to hit me with almost tickled. Pitty it went off too fast, be a giggle if I was able to tag him back with it before it went off"
Superman gritted his teeth as he seized Peter by the collar of his suit and dragged him out of his chair. Peter's eyes widened under his mask as he felt a flare at the base of his skull and was just about too fire off a Venom Blast into the man's eyes when Batman stepped forward and grabbed the man of steel's cocked fist.
"Stop"
"Why are you getting so worked up about this anyway?" Peter said as he was released and collapsed back into his seat as Batman pulled Superman away from him "It's not like it was your cousin or whatever the hell that girl's relation is to you that lost her leg. And there's like what, seven of those speedy bastards running around? I doubt losing one will make a difference in the grand scheme of things-"
"That's not that point!" Superman snarled at the New God "You cut off a child's leg!"
"Technically it was Warbird and she didn't cut it off so much as she shot it with a thin beam of photon energy that severed the muscles and bones. And he's not a child, he's a teenager" Peter said with a shrug.
"Where is Warbird?" Batman demanded.
"Home by now" Peter said as he tapped his chin in thought "Probably ranting and raving about how it's unfair that she, a former member of the Kree Honor Guard, was sent home like a disobedient child and-"
"And the cube that you had?" the Dark Knight said with a glare "Where is it?"
"With her" Peter said with another shrug though secretly annoyed that Robin went and told his master what he found "Though I'm hoping it's back in my lab. Safe and secure from nosy little humans such as yourself. Take my advice and forget about it, be a darn shame if I needed to call Warbird back to Earth for another pesky human like yourself"
"Why were you at Oscorp?" Batman said as he stepped forward while the man of steel stepped to the side and went to lean against the wall, his still glowing eyes watching Peter's every move.
"Heard they gave after hour tours, wanted to experience one. Have to say, I wasn't impressed" Peter said with a grin under his mask as he saw the growing frustration in the dark knight's demeanor.
"You think what happened was funny?" Batman said with a hint of anger in his voice.
"What, you mean a speedster getting his leg shot off and preventing him from ever running again?" Peter asked with a confused expression on his face before he thought about it for a moment "Honestly... yeah. I do-"
Peter was cut off by the door to the 'interrogation room' suddenly flying open and a red blur raced through and slammed into Peter. Before the New God could even register what was happening, he was suddenly in another part of the tower, being thrown into the wall with enough force to dent the metal it was made from and cause Peter to wince in pain.
"Ow-!" Peter began before he was suddenly hit again by the red blur before a hand grabbed him by the throat and pinned him to the wall while another hand, vibrating so fast that it was like a blur, laid just over his chest.
"Where. Is. She?" the Flash growled, his body vibrating and sending off small arcs of Speed Force Lightning.
"I'll do you one better... why is she?" Peter said with a pained smirk as he stared into the Speedster's eyes "Guess you heard-"
"FLASH, STAND DOWN!"
Peter and the Flash both turned to see Superman along with Captain Marvel and Green Lantern, the one that Carol punched out, fly into the room.
"Not until he tells me where Warbird is!" Flash said with a glare aimed at the man of steel.
"She's on Apokolips, behind legions of Parademons, her fellow Furies, the best security system in the known multiverse and-" Peter would've gone on had a green muzzle not appeared around his mouth, pinning his jaw shut.
"Finally, been waiting to do that for ever" Guy said with a smirk aimed at the New God as Superman approached the Flash with his hands held up.
"Flash, I know your upset. Believe me, I do, but we need to be smart about this" the man of tomorrow said "You hurt him, his father will-"
"We've beaten Darkseid before, several times" Flash argued as he released Peter and turned to glare at Superman "Why are we even having this conversation in the first place?! The person that mutilated Wally is out there still!"
"I know, but taking your anger out on Peter isn't going to make things better for him" Superman said in a comforting tone "Just... just go be with Wally, Flash. Right now he needs his uncle more than he needs you beating that piece of filth at your feet to a bloodied paste"
Peter made an indignant sound at the remark before he noticed the glare he was receiving from both the Flash and Superman. The scarlet speedster looked like he was one second away from tearing Peter apart, but a stern look from Clark, followed by a gentle hand on the speedster's shoulder, stopped him. Sparing one last look at the Man of Steel, the Flash nodded before he left the room in a blur. Peter watched the speedster leave with narrowed eyes before he glanced up at Superman and scowled at him as he pointed to the muzzle around his mouth.
"Guy, remove the muzzle" Superman said with narrowed eyes as he stared down Peter.
"You sure?" Guy asked with a raised brow "I mean I don't know about you, but I kinda like the silence"
"I'm sure, we still need him to talk" the hero of Metropolis said with a sigh of resignation.
"Alright than" Guy said with a shrug as he removed the green muzzle from Peter's mouth-
"Finally!" Peter said the moment the construct was gone "You know, you never really appreciate the ability to talk until someone comes along and takes it from you for no other reason than because they can"
"Sounds like your father" Superman said with a cold expression on his face as Peter climbed back to his feet.
"Oh my lord doesn't take away a person's ability to speak, not much fun in that. He prefers to give you reasons to keep quiet on your own" Peter said as he brushed some imaginary dust off his shoulders before he scowled at the Man of steel "Now if your done letting your teammates abuse me, I'd like to speak to my darling wife. You remember her right? The woman you loved and were going to marry and start a family with before her father and mine decided to wed us-"
"Keep talking, and I'll give you plenty of reasons to never want to open your mouth in my presence again" Superman threatened as his eyes glowed red briefly.
Peter stopped for a moment to stare at the Man of steel before he scoffed.
"Please, like you'd have the balls to resort to that sort of thing. Your Superman, you wouldn't torture a guy even if it meant saving the day"
At least Peter was pretty sure he would, be rather awkward if that wasn't the case...
...
Today was not going in Diana's favor in any shape or form.
After escorting Cheetah to Belle Reve and overseeing her incarceration, the former Princess of the Amazons had been called by Clark and made aware of what transpired only minutes ago. To say that she was shocked about what happened to Wally would be an understatement, even worse to hear that Peter played a part in it...
After ensuring the Cheetah was properly secured, Diana raced back up towards the Watchtower, she barely remembered to call ahead and have a hanger opened and decompressed for her arrival. Once she was back on the tower, Diana wasted no time in seeking out Bruce and Clark to get an actual account of what transpired. She had just walked into the room when she heard Robin's enraged yell as he glared at his father with Starfire and Beast Boy standing behind him. Clark was nowhere to be seen, nor was Barry, but she could sense Manhunter's presence somewhere within the room, obviously cloaked.
"He had Kid Flash's leg amputated by his glorified bed warmer, Father, he demands justice!" the fourth bearer of the Robin mantle declared.
"You ignored my warnings to stay away from him" Bruce countered with a stony glare.
"He'd just killed several security guards after he broke into Oscorp to do god knows what" Robin scoffed "Would you have preferred I allowed him to walk away?"
"I would've preferred you never engaged him to begin with" Bruce said to his youngest with a shake of his head before he noticed Diana's arrival.
The boy wonder followed the Dark Knight's gaze and scowled at the sight of the amazon and marched over to her, shrugging off Batman's hand when it grabbed his shoulder.
"I'm sorry to hear of what happened to Wally, Damian, is he-" Diana began before she was cut off by Robin.
"WHAT THE HELL WAS YOUR PET DOING OFF IT'S LEASH WONDER WOMAN!?" Robin yelled at the Amazon before he was suddenly pulled away from the surprised woman and forced to look at the glare of his father.
"That's. Enough" batman growled at the teen before he turned towards Starfire and Beast Boy "We'll contact you when we have more information"
Starfire nodded, though Diana could see the rage in her eyes as she placed a comforting hand on Robin's shoulder and guided him from the room. Beast Boy remained for a second, glancing off towards the door that she knew held her husband behind it. The look in his eye wasn't so easy to distinguish as the very obvious rage and hate that flowed through Damian and Kory's eyes. His held a mixture of fear, anger, and a sense of helplessness as he reluctantly followed after his teammates.
Diana and Bruce waited until they were out of the room before she turned towards the caped crusader with a slightly distressed look on her face "Is he still here?"
"Yes" Bruce nodded towards the door that held Diana's spouse "Warbird was sent back to Apokolips before she could be apprehended"
"If that's the case, you'll never see her again" Diana said with a shake of her head "Warbird is one of Darkseid's most powerful Furies. He won't let her go and she's more than a match against most members of the League"
"Barry wants her brought back to Earth to answer for what she's done to Kid Flash" Bruce revealed with a frown "Do you think it's possible? To get her back here?"
"No" Diana shook her head.
And if Darkseid didn't protect her, she knew Peter would. Try as hard as he might, he could never fully hide his feelings for her, or any of his Furies like Psylocke and Faora, and Diana knew he'd fight to the bitter end to keep them all safe. And Carol, if the League pursued her, she'd fight back with everything she had in her, and Diana's seen from first hand experience what sort of destruction she can unleash if pushed into a corner.
'Warbird indeed...' Diana thought before she saw the air next to her shimmer to reveal the Martian Manhunter "Hello J'onn"
"Diana" the last survivor of Mars said with a somber look on his face before he glanced at Bruce.
"And luck?" the dark knight said with a nod towards the room containing the New God.
"Luck with what?" Diana asked, confused and curious as to what the two were talking about.
"Batman asked me to try and uncover what it was exactly that your husband was ding at Oscorp when the Titans found him" J'onn said as he glanced back and forth between Diana and Bruce "So far my attempts to covertly breech his mind and uncover the truth have been met with failure. His mental shields are far too powerful for anything short of a full mental intrusion. The result however, could be... unkind. I may end up fracturing his psyche beyond any sort of recovery"
"Has he said nothing of why he was in New York?" Diana asked as she glanced at Bruce with a curious expression on her face.
"No" Bruce growled in frustration "Any attempts to uncover the truth are met with flippant remarks. According to NYPD, Oscorp called in a intruder matching his description attempting to gain access to their database. From there, Oscorp Security personnel somehow drove off your husband and upon exiting the tower, he was intercepted by the Teen Titans"
"What happened exactly?" Diana asked with a feeling of dread growing in the pit of her stomach "Clark gave me a brief run down, but it wasn't ,uch. Only that Peter engaged the Titans and Wally ended up losing his leg in the ensuring conflict"
"I'm getting several different versions of what happened, but from what I pulled off the camera in Robin's mask, Damian attempted to disable Peter with a explosive batarang. When that failed, and he attempted to leave with the aide of some sort of cube like device, Kid Flash took it and... things escalated from there" Bruce said with a frown on his face "Not long after, Warbird arrived and severed Kid Flash's leg and Peter recovered the cube he took from him and teleported himself and Warbird back up to here. We received word not long afterwards on what happened and Clark went to apprehend both, only to find that Warbird had been Boom Tubed back to Apokolips"
Diana nodded slowly at this before she glanced at the door that Peter was behind "I wish to speak with him"
"Without your lasso?" Bruce asked, his gaze drifting to where the golden rope usually hung from Diana's hip.
"I wish to allow him to tell me what happened from his point of view of his own free will" Diana shook her head as she began to approach the room holding her husband "While Peter may not be powerful enough to resist the Lasso's effects, he does have a way with words when he needs them and may distort the truth"
"Than how do you know he'll tell you the truth?" Bruce asked as Diana came to a stop before the door.
"I'm willing to trust him to be honest with me. Whether he abuses that trust will be his decision to make" Diana said before she had the door open and she stepped into the room.
The room was bare save for the table and two chairs, one of which Peter was sitting in, at the center of the room. He was largely unharmed, though Diana noted a fading bruise on the left side of his jaw, where it came from she was unsure, she just hoped he didn't acquire it since being in the League's custody. His armored suit was also sporting a few dents and scratches, nothing that couldn't be fixed in a hour or so.
"I know what your going to say..." Peter said with an eye roll as Diana approached the table he was sitting at.
"What am I going to say?" she asked with a furrowed brow.
"'How could you?', 'Why would you do such a thing?', and blah, blah, blah, 'your a monster', 'just like your father' and blah, blah, blah!" Peter said with a shake of his head.
"So you know what I'm about to say next?" Diana asked as she stared at Peter with an unreadable expression on her face.
"Something along the lines of 'You and Warbird will answer for this'" Peter said with a rather exaggerated yawn.
"No..." Diana shook her head "That's not what I was going to say"
"Than what?" Peter asked, curious.
"What happened?"
Peter blinked at this "Huh?"
"What happened?" Diana asked again as she gestured towards the New God "What happened to have led you to this?"
"Why would you care?" Peter asked with a frown.
"Because despite your attempts to say otherwise, I don't believe you actually sought this situation out. And I've been around you long enough to know that you have to have perhaps some of the worst luck I've ever seen someone posses" Diana explained as she folded her arms under her bust "Than there was you sending Warbird away the moment you left New York. You wouldn't have done that unless you felt that you couldn't control this situation, which means it wasn't planned. I've noticed that when your plans fail, and the lives of those you ca-... trust, are at risk, you attempt to get them as far from danger as you possibly can"
"Maybe it was a part of my plan and I'm manipulating you into thinking otherwise" Peter countered, feeling a tad bit uncomfortable now.
"Your not your father Peter" Diana said as she took a seat across from Peter and stated at him with a blank expression on her face "So I'm going to ask again... what happened?"
"What, you didn't ask your friends before you came in here?" Peter said as he reached up and cupped his still sore jaw.
"I wish to know your side of the story first before making any decisions" Diana stated with her eyes narrowing slightly "I'm aware that the Teen Titans found you outside of Oscorp Tower, after an intruder alarm was set off when someone fitting your description attempted to hack their database. I wish to know why you were there in the first place, and what happened when the Titans found you. In your own words"
Peter made an odd 'click' sound with his jaw as he stared at the amazon for a moment, his eyes unreadable as they've ever been.
"Just doing a little investigating is all" Peter said after a while "Oscorp was one of the companies that Bruno had Intergang use to move their weapons around. Turns out they were also stealing some of their tech and using it for their own ends"
"How long have you known this?" Diana asked with a frown.
"Not long" Peter answered with a shrug "Found out last night when I went to see Bruno at his penthouse in Metropolis"
"He told you?" Diana asked before her eyes narrowed slightly "Or you made him?"
"Bit of both" Peter said with a grin "After that... splat"
"You killed him..." Diana said with a exhale through her nose as she tried to stem the growing anger and annoyance she was feeling.
Diana was aware of the possibility of Peter attempting to take Bruno's life before they left Earth, the man made no secret he wanted the Intergang boss dead. But she didn't think he'd actually follow through with it until after his mission to deal with the renegade cells. Let alone be the one to actually do the deed, if anything she expected it to be Warbird.
"More like physics killed him" Peter answered with a helpless shrug "But what can you do? We're all slaves to the laws of the universe in some form or fashion"
"I'm surprised you don't think yourself beyond their reach" Diana stated.
"Well, some things can't be escaped" Peter chuckled grimly before he leaned back in his seat "After I got what I needed from Bruno, and dealt with him, I headed over to Oscorp to see if I could maybe find where the renegade cells had fled to. I had no doubt Oscorp was aware or had an idea on how to find them. They strike me as that sort of company to keep tabs on the people they do business with"
"Did you find what you were looking for?" Diana questioned.
"Sadly no" Peter shook his head with a displeased frown "Their security systems were... better than I originally thought. After I was forced out of the tower, I was on my way back up here when the Justice League's kiddy division showed up and attacked me"
"How so?" Diana inquired with a frown.
"The one called Robin threw some kind of bomb thing at me and the now 'Ex-Kid Flash' stole something from me" Peter answered with a growing smirk "After that things... escalated. Eventually Warbird appeared and-"
"How'd Warbird know when to appear and where?" Diana interrupted Peter with a curious expression.
"That's... a good question" Peter said with a frown "Not entirely sure myself"
At the time he didn't question it, he was just glad that he got his cube back. But ever since he sent Warbird away, the thought had been bothering him. He knew he didn't call her, and he knew for a fact she hadn't been shadowing him like Psylocke would do.
Diana nodded at Peter's answer as she leaned back in her own chair and rubbed her temples "You do realize how much of a mess you've both made things, yes?"
"So one kid got crippled, I say he got off lucky" Peter said with a carefree shrug "Sides, they started that fight. Warbird just sure as hell ended it"
"He was a child, Peter" Diana said with a pointed looked at the New God "He didn't deserve that. No child does"
"And as a child he'll have the chance to grow up and learn from his mistakes and know to never make them again" Peter said with raised brow "Sides, I gave them ample warning to return my cube and leave me alone. They tested me, and failed. Reap the consequences and all that"
"That doesn't give you the right to mutilate a child!" Diana said as she slammed her hands into eh table, cracking it "What if it was YOUR child?"
Peter considered Diana's statement for a moment before he shrugged "I'd ask if he or she learned their lesson"
Diana stared at Peter with wide eyes, she knew that he could be callous with others' wellbeing, if not outright apathetic, but this, this was well beyond that. The sheer lack of interest or concern that he all but ended Kid Flash's career, and irreversibly changed his life for the worse...
"How can you be so cruel?" Diana asked in a quiet, horrified voice.
"Have you seen where I was raised?" Peter asked with a grim smirk as he folded his arms across his chest "Believe it or not, not every child Darkseid has reaches adulthood. Hell, reaching puberty is a miracle. My sister is of course an exception for obvious reasons"
"Be she ever so lucky" Diana muttered.
"Luck isn't what I'd call it but alright" Peter said with a shrug as he slowly climbed to his feet "So are we done here? I need to prepare for Psylocke's arrival and-"
"Psylocke isn't coming to Earth. Or Carol. Or Faora" Diana said as she gave Peter a hard stare "None of them can operate on Earth. Not after this, I wont allow it"
"Than how are me and my Parademons supposed to find Intergang?" Peter asked with a confused look on his face "True I have a lead in the form of Oscorp, but that lead may end up going nowhere. Especially if they got word to the renegade cells to scatter even more than they already have"
"I'll be helping you track them down" Diana revealed with a resigned expression on her face.
"You?" Peter said with a snort of amusement "Help me?"
"The Justice League wants you off Earth as soon as possible. The best way to do that is to help you complete your mission in a timely manner" Diana said as she stood up from her seat "And after what just happened, I refuse to have you out of my sight for a second"
"I didn't start that fight" Peter remarked with an annoyed eye roll.
"Did you do everything you could to de-escalate it from open violence?" Diana questioned with a frown.
"Kinda hard to when their throwing explosives at you" Peter replied with a scowl.
"You mean to tell me that someone as smart and as powerful as you couldn't control a couple of teenagers?" Diana asked with a annoyed scowl.
"Oh what, you could've done better?" Peter said with a snort of disbelief.
"Perhaps..." Diana said with a one shoulder shrug "But I do know that none of them would've been dismembered"
"For the males all you'd have to do is flash them a pretty smile and make a suggestive comment or pose and they'd be putty in your hands" Peter said with a snicker.
"I don't know if I should be flattered or not that you think my appearance would've worked on them" Diana said with a displeased expression on her face.
"Would've on me" Peter smirked.
"I'm sure" Diana said in a resigned tone as Peter stepped past her and headed for the door.
"Honest. Now if you need me darling, I have a suit to repair, and a bed calling to me. Let me know how things go for me, yeah?" Peter said with a wave thrown over his shoulder.
Diana watched Peter exit the room with a frown on her face before she took a silent breath and followed after him, mainly to make sure he went back to his-... their room.
And to make sure no one tried to jump him.
...
"That piece of scum is lucky to even be walking after what he's done" Clark snarled as he paced back and forth, leaving slight cracks in the ground he walked on.
"Technically it was Warbird that did the deed" Diana said with a tired sigh as she, Clark and Bruce stood in the monitor room half an hour later.
Peter was back in his room, blissfully asleep and either unaware or unconcerned with the fact that Diana was trying to keep Bruce and Clark from throwing Peter in the darkest pit they can and deal with Intergang themselves.
"Does it matter?!" Clark turned towards Diana with growing frustration "What if it was Cassie he crippled?"
Diana reached up and rubbed her brow to stem the growing headache she's been feeling since this mess first started "You and I would likely be in each other's positions"
"Do you have any idea what this cube Robin mentioned is?" Bruce asked from his place beside a terminal, typing up a report of today's events.
"No, I do not" Diana shook her head "At first I thought it was a Mother Box of some sort, but after seeing the recordings from Robin's mask, I'm at a lost. It's not Apokoliptian, that much I know"
"Could it be from New Genesis?" Clark asked with a frown as he glanced towards the terminal that housed the League's deep space communicator "Would Orion know what it is if we showed him?"
"I doubt it" Diana said with a shake of her head "Orion isn't what I'd call a scholar. And we're assuming he'll be on New Genesis, he could be on the other end of the universe right now and it'll be weeks until he returns"
"Bekka might know" Bruce said with a look of contemplation as he paused in his report and glanced at the terminal Clark was looking at "The question is, will she tell us"
"What do you mean?" Diana said with a frown.
"From what Clark and I have gathered from Orion, Bekka and Peter used to be close" Bruce said as he glanced at the Amazon "Very, before her marriage to Orion"
"What sort of person could love anything from Apokolips?" Clark said with a look of disgust.
"One that does not hold the place of their birth, or their fathers, against them it seems" Diana hummed in thought.
"Well in this case I think I'm justified" Clark sulked as he went back to pacing.
"How is Wally?" Diana glanced at Bruce with a worried expression "Will he be alright?"
"Too soon to tell" Bruce answered as he resumed typing up his report "The Titans were able to stem his bleeding and get him to the Justice Society where Doctor Mid-Nite was able to reattach his leg but..."
"But...?" Diana probed with dread, though she was relieved to hear that Wally was able to get his leg reattached.
"Physically he may recover, though I doubt he'll ever be able to move the same way again. Physiologically on the other hand, he may be traumatized for life" Bruce said in a grim tone "You need to remember, what was only an hour to us, to a speedster, it felt like weeks, months even. Than there was the event itself, the feeling of having your leg severed in such a way, it'll leave more than just physical scars"
"What about the rest of the Titans? It couldn't have been easy seeing what they did, one of their own being so brutally injured" Diana asked.
"Damian will be fine..." Bruce said, though the tone he spoke with held some doubt "But Beast Boy and Aqualad? They'll need time away from the Titans. Raven is staying with Kid Flash to help him recover and Starfire-"
"Is on the warpath" Clark finished with a closed off expression as he glanced in the direction Peter and Diana's room was "She wants blood for what happened to Kid Flash"
"Do you think she'll attempt something?" Diana asked with worry, more for Starfire than Peter himself.
"Possibly" Bruce stated with a contemplative look on his face "I'm having her monitored just in case. If she shows signs of making a move against Peter, I'll do what I can to slow her down long enough for you to get him off Earth"
"That's possibly for the best" Diana said with a tired expression on her face as she turned to leave, feeling more drained today than she has in months.
"Before you go Diana, there's something we need to discuss" Bruce said as he turned away from the terminal and glared at Diana with a expression that could freeze ice.
"What is it?" Diana asked with confusion.
"How do you plan to aide your husband in his mission exactly?" Bruce probed.
"Bruce, we can save this for la-" Clark began before he was cut off by the Dark Knight.
"He's made it clear that he will NOT be taking prisoners' or allow a single member of these renegades to live. So I ask again... what are you going to do about it?" Bruce asked Diana with a pointed look.
"Are you asking if I'm going to help him kill these people?" Diana asked with a scowl.
"It wouldn't be the first time you've taken a life" Bruce pointed out, causing Diana's face to contort into a glare.
"No... it wouldn't" she responded as her hand briefly twitched to forming a fist before she stopped herself "I'll stop him from harming those that are not a part of Intergang but I will not aide him in taking their lives. It's his mission, not mine. I'm only here because he was feeling oddly generous"
It occurred to her that Peter brought her along for this very reason, to keep the League away from him while he carried out Darkseid's orders. The realization that him bringing her back to Earth to be nothing more than a buffer or even a deterrent left a bitter taste in her mouth. She knew it couldn't have been out of the kindness of his heart, but a small part of her wanted to believe that he was simply being courteous.
Some courtesy.
"And how do you intend to keep him under control Diana?" Bruce said with a blank expression "Today just showed that no one but his father can keep him in line"
"I'll worry about that" Diana said with a sigh "All I'm asking is for you to both trust me"
Clark and Bruce both glanced at one another for a moment before the dark knight turned away and went back to typing up the report. Clark turned back towards Diana and gave the Amazon a reluctant nod.
"Alright... but Diana if he steps out of line again, he's gone. I mean it" the Man of steel said with a cold edge in his voice "Killing renegade terrorist, much as I hate to admit it, is much more preferable to him mutilating children whenever he wants. His mission to Earth may provide him some protection, but that does not grant him the right to hurt whoever he wishes whenever he wants. He does it again, he's going to find that he can't hide behind his father"
"Clark, if he ever raises another hand to a child again, I'll deal with him myself" Diana said with a hard look in her eye "I give you my word"
...
And done.
Next chapter, Vanessa Kapatelis...