7.2: …And Not To Yield

She looped the lasso at the thrown fist in the midst of summersaulting through the air. A tug of the rope and it was taut before she touched the ground. The maintenance technician was immediately spinning, fury in his eyes, ready to hurl another punch. Ready to try again to stab her with the screwdriver in his grasp.

But a thrust of her arm backwards was all it took to throw him off balance. The other end of the lasso still tied around her own wrist, she pulled him that way like a puppet on a string. Then, one hard stamp to the back of his knee was enough to knock the latest assailant down. Another kick, and his makeshift weapon was sent scuttling across the deck.

Too many in this hospital had needed to be taken out in that way. Too many. Too many succumbing to rage in their absence of love. An unfortunate path of broken and injured lay in her wake. But considering the broken and injured in this building who would be in an even worse state soon if she didn't act, she didn't hold back. And that was why the lasso was now starting to glow even stronger again, as the man at her feet shared the kind of truths with him that it was constantly pumping into her own mind too.

The truths that were keeping her sane.

The truths that were reminding Wonder Woman that she was loved. And that she loved in return.

But she also had to move fast. She had passed so many suffering the effects of the gas, directly or indirectly, but she had only had time to subdue the most violent. She had only had time to use the lasso on the most extreme cases were death seemed otherwise inevitable. Because she couldn't get around everyone, not before they would have already lost. Not just with the lasso. She had to try something else.

Which was where the tanks came in. The tanks she'd taken from Pyg's own surgery.

The anaesthetics. Knock out gas.

The vents, their path in the walls, it had led her here, even if it hadn't been her only guide. Now, as the man at her feet finally began to calm under the lasso's freeing influence, her determined eyes set on the door up ahead. The maintenance room. The place with the air filters, the fans, where all the fresh air pumped around this sealed hospital was distributed. The place where Pyg must have unleashed his gas.

And the place where she would unleash hers to stop it.

But in looking up, Wonder Woman noticed something else, something that made her pause, even now. A hole in the wall, looking like it had been made by some form of blade. And there, dripped below it, red… Blood red… A veritable trail of it…

Lois…

The kick she unleashed at the door before her had even more venom than required after that. Her accompanying growl must have been heard miles away. She could put two and two together, she could guess that her friend was in grave danger, but there was nothing she could do to help. Not yet. Not until the hospital was safe. A thousand lives or one life… But it was safe to say, her determination was steelier than ever before.

She would save them. She would save them all.

The door was smashed clean off its hinges, flying back with a clatter and a bang. The room revealed was dark, dingy, but Wonder Woman needed only to see one thing. The huge bank of fans built into the far wall to distribute the air. And the canisters of toxin still slowly spewing their contents out for all in this place to irresistibly breathe.

The lasso must have known what she needed to do. Because she made no effort to unhook it from the man left dumped on the floor. She merely let it grow again. As, with the speed of the gods, Wonder Woman leapt forwards towards those tanks. Then, with the strength and precision of a Titan, the grabbed the nozzles of all of them, every point where the gas spewed forth, and crushed. Teeth bared, she squeezed the usually inelastic metal tight. So tight the flesh of her hands went white. And then she kept on squeezing. Only worry about the time the people in this building had left made her finally let go. But when she did, it was to see exactly what she had wanted to see.

The tanks were sealed. Not a single drop more was escaping.

But enough damage had already been done. Her own rage at what the Pyg had done here showed as Wonder Woman cast those canisters aside with nothing more than a swipe of her hand. It was strong enough to send them all scattering out the way like bowling pins, not firm enough that they would break open all over again. Over the tumultuousness of their fall, though, Wonder Woman's next action was one of much greater calm. Next, she was stepping back to where the fallen maintenance man still lay. To gather up the anaesthetic tanks she had left by the doorway, that she had carried all that way.

And, as she gathered them up and stepped back towards those fans, she simply also redrew the phone. For even hard-hitting, award winning, danger-enduring reporters who were coupled with an almost indestructible powerhouse could care and worry for their partner enough to store their work number in even their spare device.

"Wonder Woman to Metrotower. Michael, you still with me?"

"Nowhere else I'd rather be," Mr. Terrific's dulcet tones burst from the speaker. "I've still got eyes on you on the feed. Diana, you're going to have to…"

"Hurry, I know," she quickly reacted. Hera, did she already know that. But such reminders weren't why she had Mr. Terrific on the line anyway. What she needed was eyes and ears. Hacked remotely into the building's security feeds, Mr. Terrific could be exactly that. "I'm on it. But very soon I'm not going to be able to breathe, let alone speak. I can't afford for this to take me down too. I need you to tell me when everyone else in this place is down. Tell me when its clear."

"The very second," Mr. Terrific curtly confirmed.

It was all Wonder Woman needed to hear. The anaesthetic tanks were already set in place, right against the fans. She needed this stuff to spread, and spread fast. She'd seen it in action, she knew how fast it could knock out someone infected by the Pyg. It just had to reach them. But even with the suction of the fans, she knew that blowback was inevitable. And she didn't want to test how that stuff would affect her.

Which was why she breathed in deep one last time before she finally turned the dials.

The anaesthetic was immediately spilling out. Immediately, it was being dragged into those fans. Immediately, it was beginning to spread… But, just as feared, that feared wasn't one dimensional. It wasn't taking much effort yet to keep her breath bated. The tension alone was doing that. But the need was greater.

Before her very eyes the spray of fumes began to build around her. Diana took a literal step back as if it would help, but the wall was forming in the room, every bit of the gas that wasn't pulled into the fans merging. Strengthening. Like a swarm. A swarm that was coming right for her. Durability was her greatest ally. She could feel the air in her lungs draining away, but she could hold on where others could not. Even as the swarm slowly began to envelop her.

Within moments she was fully within the cloud. She could feel it on her flesh, a heavy hang to a gaseous substance. Her eyes burned slightly within it but she didn't look away. All that mattered was that she didn't go down. Even completely surrounded by the strongest anaesthetic she could get her hands on, Wonder Woman was still standing. But there was no room to doubt the gas' power. The blowback continued to spread. Only moments later, it had enveloped the maintenance tech, still wrapped in the lasso's grasp. After only a few more seconds, he was completed out for the count.

It was working. Now it just had to work fast enough…

Time began to tick by. What was no doubt seconds began to feel like hours. But the silence in Diana's ears was deafening. Her eyes were starting to not be the only thing burning either. Her lungs, her trachea… Enough time had passed that even Wonder Woman was starting to struggle. Even Amazon's needed to breathe. Her body was starting to scream at her, to tell her that time had come. She told it no. She resisted. She ignored the weakness. She kept on standing. The sight of that blood trail outside, the whole in the wall… It meant that she had to.

Yet still the phone remained silent. Quickly Wonder Woman stared at it, as if expecting to see it broken. But it wasn't, and the call was still connected. Which could only mean the anaesthetic was yet to run its course. That some of the hospital was still awake. That the coast wasn't clear…

They all had to be taken down. Everyone in the building that could pose a danger. They all needed to fall. They couldn't afford to miss anybody, to have anyone remain infected. What Pyg did had to be undone. And so Diana would have to endure. No matter how long it took. Even if that time was already well beyond what any mere mortal would last without breathing… Even if she was really starting to struggle too…

Reflexes were trying to kick in, reflexes she had to fight hard. Her body wanted a breath, regardless of what it would be that she'd be taking in. Her mind resisted with every ounce of strength it had. But it was a strength that was slowly starting to run out. A fact made all the clearer only moments later when she almost collapsed. Her legs buckled under her, Wonder Woman only staying somewhat upright as she caught herself on those tanks still pumping out the anaesthesia.

Steadily, she forced herself back up, but this was it. This was the threshold. It was now or never. And to symbolise that, she raised the phone again. She might not be able to talk, but she could still communicate. She had to get Mr. Terrific's attention. Identifying the microphone, she started to tap away on it, almost like in code. A message in its simplest form.

A message that was received.

"Hold on, Diana, hold on!" Mr Terrific called back. "We're almost there. The anaesthetic has permeated the final areas of the hospital now. Only the last areas left to go! Only the last few people standing! Just stay with me. Stay with me! Any second… Now! Now, Diana, now!"

She didn't need telling twice. Knowing the plan, she'd clocked the controls the moment she'd stepped into the room. The emergency ventilation systems, ready to vent all toxins from the building and into the atmosphere, allowing clean air in in its place. Wonder Woman could only figure it was part of some sort of contamination containment system, but frankly she didn't care. All she cared about was pulling that damn lever, fast.

She felt the suction immediately. Not fierce enough to have a definitive pull, but enough to make all the air around her move. Enough to confirm it was actually happening. But a building this size, it would take time to scrub the whole place of substance infused air. Time before it was safe to breathe. Which meant she still had to hold her breath. She had to hold on. She simply couldn't risk it.

Not when, in her heart, perhaps enhanced by the truths of the lasso, she knew that there was at least one person left in this place who may not have fallen.

But every second now was practical agony for her. Even though her will held strong, her strength was dwindling. No longer could she hold herself. She dropped in stages. Her knees buckled. Then her arms could no longer hold her. Before she knew it, she was crumpled in a ball on the floor. Her body was literally starting to convulse, fighting her, desperate screaming for air. But she wouldn't give it what it wanted, not until she knew it was safe.

But now her vision was starting to get foggy… Starting to get dark… She didn't need the anaesthesia. She was on the verge of passing out anyway…

"Diana! Diana, are you still there…?"

The voice… The distant voice the electronic voice… Coming from the light a short distance away… The phone… Mr. Terrific… Hera, she was so close to the edge she was almost delirious. This had to be one thing and one thing only. This had to be good news.

"Diana, I'm patched into the Watchtower sensors and have them locked on your area. All chemical scans indicate the air in that building is now ninety-five percent clean. The traces of anaesthesia left are minimal. You're in the clear! Just tell me you're still out there!"

But she didn't speak, even then. There was only one thing she could do. Breathe.

The inhalation was sharp, almost painful in its own suddenness but most definitely jubilant. Air rushed back into her lungs at a rate of knots, her throat wheezing as she sucked it in deep. It was followed by another breath, and another, almost at a cough and a splutter as her body finally won the battle. As it did so, slowly but surely her vision began to clear too. Her strength was coming back to her even slower but it was there. And with each breath she could tell the anaesthesia was indeed gone. It had done what it had to. And so had she.

Slowly, Wonder Woman heaved herself back up, calm in motions so as not to exert too fast too soon. But she still had focus as she moved straight back towards that phone, awkwardly gathering it back up from where it had dropped when she fell. Mr. Terrific was still calling out to her from it, desperate to make sure she was okay.

"I'm here, Michael," she wheezed down it, taking that initial moment to comfort before getting straight on with the matter at hand. A matter brought home as she gazed out into the corridor. The fallen maintenance tech was still unconscious where he'd fallen. The anaesthesia may have dissipated, but all who had succumbed to it would still be feeling its effects for a while. Giving them the chance to end this once and for all. "I'm here. You need to contact Assistant Superintendent Fazio Marsiglia. He's commanding the Police forces outside the building. Let him know it's safe. Let him know it's safe for his people to enter the building. Get them in here, now. Get every single person locked down before they start waking up. Get them isolated and secure until I can get to each of them with the lasso. And get every last medic you can in here. There's a lot of sick people in here needing a lot of help. Get them in here. Get them here fast."

"I'm on it!" Mr. Terrific quickly gave the affirmative. "I'm on it. I've already got them all on standby. They'll be inside bef– Wait a second… What's that…? Who's…? Wonder Woman, we might have a problem here. There's someone else still conscious in that building…"

It was news that clearly startled Mr. Terrific, but it didn't startle Diana. Her strength was increasingly coming back to her. She was almost walking normally again by then. Yet she had still made it to the corridor already, back past that unconscious man. Back to within sight of the hole in the wall, of the blood trail on the floor.

The path to Lois. And to the Pyg.

"I know Michael. Just get the Police and the Medics in here. I'm already on my way."

The trail ran almost through the length and breadth of the hospital, or at least it felt that way. Enough so that the dread was building, dread over what she what find when she reached the end of it. A dread only countered by faith in her friend's ability to survive. But even that faith was being tested. Tested by the spatters of blood lining these corridors around her.

Wonder Woman surged through the building, following the trail tight, up through the elevator shaft, up to the higher floors. Her energy, her strength, it was with her in full again now, spurred there with each passing moment, with each frightened thought. She barely even stopped to register the unconscious medical staff, patients and other occupants of the building, not even to celebrate the success of stopping the Pyg's gas. She barely even registered the distant sounds of Marsiglia's forces and the emergency medics surging into the building and to complete the rescue of those innocent people so nearly torn apart by the madman. Because for Wonder Woman there was only the trial, and the fate of her friend.

There was only the race to save Lois Lane from the clutches of Professor Pyg.

And finally, at long last, the trail stopped. No more drips of blood. Instead, they were disappearing beyond a sealed door. A sealed door with a sign outside; 'Quarantine'. Mr. Terrific had said there was one other conscious life signature left in the building beside herself. It made sense that they would be found here, in the sealed room which would have an isolated airflow. But as she stared at that door, Wonder Woman was left with one clear question.

Who was it still conscious in there? Was it Lois, or was it the Pyg? And if it was Lois that was down…

She only paused long enough to steady herself and then, with a thrust of effort, Wonder Woman slammed her fist clean through the sealed door. A hard jerk backwards and the whole things was torn from its hinges, sent flying over Wonder Woman's shoulder and clattering into the corridor behind her. Leaving Diana immediately able to see the room beyond…

And what she saw, it immediately stopped her in her tracks. But it wasn't the sight she had feared. It wasn't Lois' end. But it still sent chills down her spine. Chills of fear.

There was the Pyg, but not as she expected. Not as the figure of menace. He was slumped, beaten, fallen. He was unconscious. His face, almost lifeless. Crisp. So burnt it was still smoking, encrusted with black. His eyes closed, head lolled, arms limp and fallen by his side as gravity pulled his extremities down. And like that he remained, unmoving, propped up in an office chair by the bank of smashed screens. Defeated. Harmless.

And completely at her mercy…

Pyg wasn't alone. Wonder Woman had raced here to save her. But she had had no idea that it was to save her from herself.

Because there she was, Lois Lane. The gash in her arm, drying blood trails running to her fingers, a sweat and exhaustion radiating from her. Yet stood tall, proud, defiant. A fact Diana should have been celebrating, but a fact that she could only fear. Lois should be standing in victory, in relief at survival, and in joy at contributing to saving the people in this building. But instead she stood only in malice.

It was like she had known that Diana was coming. Maybe she had. Maybe somehow she'd seen everything that was happening. Maybe that was how she had known how to escape the anaesthetic gas. It was like she had intentionally propped the Pyg up like that in that chair, to put him on display for Wonder Woman to see. But not as a trophy. No, as a marker, a judgement. A cry for help…

The crisp shine of the metal cleaver gleamed out to Diana's eyes from where Lois held it, clutched tight. The cleaver stained with her own blood, the symbol of Pyg's menace and malevolence.

The cleaver she now held right at Pyg's throat.

Wonder Woman's instinct was clear. It was sudden, breaking the burdens of the shock. She didn't need to think to understand. She'd seen it too often already today, in the Amara, in the dolls, in the doctors and patients in this building. Lois had been affected by the Pyg's gas, just like everyone else in here. The only explanation she would act like this. The only reason why the warmth in her eyes had gone so cold. But also meaning that, just like the others, she could be saved, before she did something she'd live to regret. Forever.

Wonder Woman's reflexes were quick. Very quick. Hands wrapping around that all important lasso. But even as she was starting to take hold of the golden twine, she was stopped fast. She was stopped as the blade pressed deeper into the Pyg's throat. As Lois moved closer to the kill.

The message was clear. Wonder Woman was rapid, but she couldn't move quicker than time and physics. She couldn't free Lois before Lois could free the Pyg's blood.

And so Diana was left no choice but to let her hand drop away.

"Don't. Don't try to stop this, Diana. You cannot save him. He doesn't deserve it."

Lois spoke with such coldness, bitterness. Such hatred. All tones so alien to the woman Diana knew. Lois had always had steel, gumption, at times almost animosity, but never this. There had always been a clear sense that she spared such feelings for only those warranting them, and that she knew exactly where to draw the line. Now… Now it felt like the line had been torn away. Like the Lois Lane Diana knew was gone.

She had to bring her back.

"And neither does he deserve to die," Diana was quick to add. Both her hands were now raised. In part it was a sign of her compliance, to show Lois she wasn't going for the Lois. But it was also the universal gesture to stop. "Lois, we've beat him. We can save everyone. Its over. He will face the justice of his people, but not like this. This is wrong. Murdering him now is not the answer."

"Don't!" Lois snapped back, face twisted, blade pressing into Pyg's neck enough that for a moment Wonder Woman panicked it was already the end. Luckily, the skin remained unbroken. For now. But any more pressure… "Don't talk like that! Don't try to sound like you're Clark! Like you're Bruce! It doesn't suit you, Diana! I know you. You aren't them!"

"You're right," Diana instantly agreed, trying to temper Lois' rage however she could. "You're right. I don't always agree with them, with their methods. I… I am prepared to do what I need to do, should the situation demand it. Should it save other lives. I am prepared to have blood on my hands. But not like this Lois. Never like this."

"Why not?" Lois countered. "Why not exactly like this? He's a monster, Diana, you of all people should see that! You know what he's done, the lives he's destroyed, the people he's had killed! And he'll do it all again, if we let him leave this room alive! This is the only way to stop him. The only way to keep everyone safe!"

"And what about you, Lois? Would you then be safe? Would I, if I let you do this? How would we be any better than him? How would we be able to justify our cause? Lois, I get it, I do. Putting a permanent end to him is a quick and an easy answer. One so tantalising in its temptation. One so alluring. But what happens when the next villain rises up to take his place? And the next? And the next?"

"Then we do the same!" Lois refused to back down. "Again, and again, and again if we have to! Until these people learn that we won't accept their tyranny and terror in our world! Until they learn of the consequences!"

"Lois, you're talking about fighting terror with terror." Wonder Woman was doing her best to keep her voice calm, to defuse things. Lois was infected by the gas, her love and compassion were gone, there was no doubt about that. But while the loveless nature emboldened hate, it didn't ensure it. If she could calm Lois down, just enough… Just enough to think clearly again… "Don't you see the continuum, the paradox? If you go down this path, you set yourself on the course to be exactly what you're trying to destroy. Don't you see that? There is a better way. His threat has been ended. Now we can control it, we can eradicate the risk. We can lock him away where he will never harm anyone again. Where we can try to help him heal. But killing him isn't the answer. Killing in cold blood can never be the answer."

"I already told you, Diana. No matter how infatuated you are with him, you are not Bruce!"

"And you aren't a killer Lois," Diana retorted, casting aside Lois' pushback, pressing on her point. "And I think you remember that. I think, underneath everything that's been done to you, you remember who you really are. You remember that this isn't you, but just another side effect of his mania. That you're just another victim of this terror. And I think, deep down, you're fighting to save yourself. That's why Pyg is propped in that chair, why you waited for me to get here. Why he's still alive, instead of already dead."

Lois squirmed at that, clearly having heard something she hadn't wanted to hear. But thankfully, that cleaver didn't press any deeper. Yet it also didn't move any further away.

"Maybe I just wanted you to see," Lois finally snarled. "Maybe I wanted you to witness the moment he's ended. When justice prevails. Maybe I just wanted you to witness it, so you I could help you to see the same light I've seen. Maybe I wanted to help you understand what needs to be done to make the world a better place."

"Or maybe you want me to save you," Diana added. Now her voice was full of her own warmth, her own love for her friend. Lois voice had quivered as she had just spoken. Fractional, barely noticeable, but it was there. That brief moment of doubt. The faintest of cracks that Diana had to smash open. If she wanted to save her friend from the brink, she had to smash it open. "Maybe you were hoping I could save you from the gas before it was too late. And I can Lois. I can save you. You only have to let me. Listen to your heart. Remember your love. Love like that I have for you, my friend. Let it in. Let me save you."

"No! No, you can't!" Lois yelled, anything but calm, anything but warm. "You can't because there is nothing to save me from! I refuse to be blinded like I once was, Diana. I refuse! Valentin, the Pyg. He's a monster. He deserves to die! But he was right about one thing. Love is holding us back! Love is dangerous. And we must break its spell! And that starts today! Right here, right now!"

"How can you say that?" Diana leapt in again quick. Once again, Lois had that cleaver held in far too close for comfort. Diana had to say something, anything to keep her distracted. To hold the cutthroat moment at bay. "Lois, you can't honestly believe that…?"

"Why not?" Lois simply snapped back, though consolingly in a way so as to once again put her focus on Wonder Woman instead of the blade. Below her, Pyg remained completely motionlessly, completely unconscious, completely unaware of just how much danger he was in. "Why can't it be the truth? Why is it so unfeasible that we've been so blinded by the comfort blanket of love for all this time that we can't see what needs to be done? You should have seen enough proof by now Diana. You've lived in our world long enough, away from the shelter of paradise. And even casting the majority of it aside, you should've seen Gotham enough by now, now that love has steered you there. You've seen its terrors. You've seen its people suffering, burning. Dying. And how many of those people would have escaped that fate if their hero hadn't held back? If love hadn't blinded him to what needed to be done? Well, Diana? How many people would still be here if your beloved Bruce had killed the Clown years ago?! If he'd killed all of those freaks?! How many people would still be here if the city hadn't burned because Bruce fell in love with you?!"

And with that, somehow this had managed to get even more personal. The chaos in Gotham City seemed to be an eternal burden, at least for the last century. One that Diana had learned was far harder to solve than some people would believe. And one for which she had recently learned the hard way the true extent of its darkness. A fact which still left her heartbroken.

But she also had gained more than a little experience and understanding of her watchful guardian. Including the inner most recesses of his heart. All of his strengths, but also all of his burdens. All the innermost demons he had to fight every single day. The aching abyss surrounding him.

And his unerring resilience to it. His refusal to fall in.

"If he had, if he'd killed them, then Gotham would have had a new villain to fear in their place." They weren't easy words to say, but Wonder Woman found herself saying them. She didn't need the end of the lasso still wrapped around her arm to know it to be a truth either. There was no knowing what may or may not happen for sure, but she knew it was what he believed, what he feared, and that was enough. Especially when it further showed just how good a man he truly was. "Lois, I have not only shared his heart, I have seen into his mind. I see the truth in Batman every single day. And I know the theory you've have put forward is one that weighs heavily on him, and will do so to the end of his days. Bruce would give everything to protect the people of Gotham. Everything. Even his soul. Yet that remains a line he refuses to cross.

"You were once close to him yourself, Lois. I know you were. You may not have been with him for long, especially not in knowledge of who he truly is, but you should know that much. You should know just how strong his need is to keep good people safe. He may not be the most openly emotive of men, but the feelings in his heart are the strongest I have ever known. Ultimately, its those that mean he's served millions of lives, time and time again. And ultimately, that's all because he has so much love.

"The love he has for his parents drives his pain. And his pain drives his need to protect everyone else so no one else has to hurt the way he hurts. It drives his compassion for all the innocent, all the victims, all those who need protection. A love that drives him to need to protect them all and spare them the same pain that he felt. There's so much rage in him, so much hate, and without that love, that's all that he would be. And with those alone… There's no telling where it would end. Not just the Joker, the Penguin, Scarecrow, Zsasz… It doesn't bare thinking about.

"But he has so much love. So much love. A love that keeps him from that abyss. That lets him walk his life on the brink of the pit of endless darkness and not fall in. To never fall in. To pull him back when life tries to break him. When he's on the verge of falling, the love of his friends, his family, his people, is always there to pull him back.

"Lois, love isn't what stops Batman from saving Gotham. His refusal to kill, it doesn't hinder him. It saves him. Love is what makes Bruce the hero he is. And because of that love, he saves them all. Time and time again."

Lois seemingly could only stare as Diana finally broke off her speech, but she could only hope it was a good sign. Because there was something in Lois' eyes, something that had grown increasingly with every word that she'd just said. It was almost a…a tenderness. A regret, a compassion… Almost a sign that the real Lois Lane was starting to break back through. A sign that was exactly what Diana needed. A sign that made her even dare to take one delicate step forward towards her damaged friend…

"Stop, stop walking!" Lois finally shouted out as Wonder Woman dared to try for another step, grabbing hold of the back of Pyg's head to make her point. But her voice, it showed similar signs to her eyes. The faint crack, the doubt among the rage. It held hope. "Stop or so help me, this floor will turn red!"

"Okay!" Diana quickly accepted, stopping as ordered and putting her hands back up as before. "Okay, I'm stopped. But Lois, you have to listen to me. You have to hear me. Because I know the importance of love. I know it. I was raised on it. Amazon's are warriors born, but in all of us is instilled the belief that paradise can only be maintained through love. Yet that upbringing, that training, it couldn't prepare me for what I have learned since I left the island. Because this world Lois, is full of so much love, if only it will allow itself to feel it. Hatred, bigotry, prejudice, violence, war. They all still linger. Bad people remain. But behind it all, fighting to be heard, is an ocean of love. Togetherness. Hope. I see it every day. I may despair that its being kept at bay by the tides of archaic aggression, but I know its there. Among the people, the citizenry, the comradery. It is there. Its what holds the society of Man's World together. What moves it forwards. What has enabled it to become what it is today. What defines its efforts to better itself for tomorrow. What holds it together even when the world is crumbling around them. It is there. And I would despair so much more if it was gone.

"But more than any of that, I know it because I feel it. Lois, I feel that love. I felt it all my life, but since I came here, to your world… Since I met Bruce… My life is love, but through him I've found a whole new meaning to it. It has given me a place in Man's World beyond which I ever thought I could achieve. Themyscira will forever be my home, but now, through love… Now this is my home too. Now I don't feel like the outside, a god among men. Now I feel like two worlds have been brought together.

"Part of my reason for coming to Man's World was to bring it to the light, to make it so Themyscira wasn't the only paradise. But with all the things I've seen, all the terrors… It would be easy to believe the mission was impossible. But I never doubt in it. Because I have seen the proof that even the darkest of places can see the light. My love for Bruce, his love for me… It hasn't only given my mission of peace a new strength, but also hope. Hope that if two as different as we can find such happiness, that if a man full of such torment and pain can strive so hard for love and betterment, then we can bring the whole world to being paradise.

"But it can only be achieved through love. By not succumbing to the darkness forever encroaching around us. Through embracing what we love and accepting the others. Through togetherness. Through hope. Lois, it's the same realisation I had back at the migrant camp, how I realised the only way we can save the Nairomians. It's the only way we can save everyone. And its why I can't accept what the Pyg has done to you.

"Love, Lois. Love is the key to everything. Love will save us all. And it can save you now. Please. Let it save you."

Every word seemed to be hitting Lois deeper and deeper. It was just like last time, only it was getting more and more visible. More and more obvious. The spark in her eyes, the warmth that had been extinguished, it was like it was coming back. Reflected ever more by the faint signs of tears beginning to form in her eye corners. And as if to make it even clearer, that cleaver had even begun to drift slightly away from the Pyg's throat.

It was enough of a signal for Diana to press on once again. Keeping her hands raised, keeping her eyes on Lois, she once again began to slowly step forward. First one step, then another, then another. She was only a few steps away when Lois snapped back from the clutches of her true self and into the cold creature she was at risk of becoming.

It all happened in an instant. The spark vanishing from the eyes. The swing of the blade. The piercing of the flesh. Diana was stopped in her tracks. In that moment, it seemed like the worst had happened. That she had failed to break through, and that now it was too late. Especially as she saw the blood…

But then the initial panic gave way to her senses. Then Diana could see that it wasn't Pyg's jugular. Lois had nicked his neck, yes, but she hadn't cut deep. She hadn't delivered a fatal blow. Jus the warning sign. Another warning for Diana to stay back. One she followed up verbally only a second later.

"I said stay back, Diana! Damn it, I will kill him!"

Wonder Woman fought to steady her breath again, letting the remains of the panic fade, trying to bring back the calm. It was working. She knew it was working. The fact she'd managed to take this many steps proved it was working. But she wasn't there yet. There were more steps to go. And she had to break through. She had to save Lois from what she was threatening to become.

"I don't believe you, Lois," Diana said as calmly as she could, a gentle shake of her head but those arms still outstretched. "I don't you. Its not in you. You aren't a killer. You aren't a murderer. And you know that. You know that Lois. That's why he was still alive when I got here. Its why he's still alive now. I think you're remembering it more and more. That you're resisting what he did to you. That you're remembering who you are. The good person who I am more than honoured to call my friend.

"Lois, you are one of the greatest people I have ever known. Passionate, resourceful, skilful, determined. Capable of changing the course of nations with a few moves of a pen. But better than any of that is your heart. It's so full of love, of goodness. Just like Bruce, but without the tragedy. It means you're so ready to do the right thing. That drives you to keep putting yourself at incredible risk to uncover the truth of a story, so that you can spread the word and help the people to face the danger. Lois, you are as much of a hero as any of us. And you do it all without a mask, without metahuman abilities, but most importantly without fear. And with love in your heart. That's what makes you who you are. That's what makes you my friend. And that's what meant you were the only woman on this planet capable of holding onto the heart of the mightiest man alive.

"You love him, Lois. You know you love him. No amount of chemical agent can change that, or make you forget that. And he loves you. With every ounce of strength he has. And that is a lot. No one can love anyone more. And he needs that. He needs you.

"Clark is the most powerful person on the planet Lois, and with that he can do so much good. But he also needs to have so much restraint. The temptations with that power are intense. To literally have the ability to shape the world how he wants…? Believe me, I know. And I know just how dangerous those temptations could be. How much damage could be done to this world, to its people, to its trust in us and in our ability to protect them, if we gave in to those temptations. Clark especially. Clark has to be restrained. He can only use his power for good. And he has to trust humanity not to fail around him. But to do that, he needs his anchor. He needs to be grounded. He needs things to remind him every day that, deep down, he's the most human of anyone. And to do that, he needs you Lois. His love for you. Ma and Pa Kent instilled the compassion in him that made him the hero he is, but no one can inspire him like you. Superman has the ability to carry the world to a better tomorrow. But everyone on the Justice League knows, its Lois Lane who carries Superman.

"Clark is key to protecting billions of lives, but you're the key to Clark, Lois. And that, again, is all down to love."

Now there were definite tears in Lois' eyes. Now there was a definite quiver to Lois. Now that cleaver was definitely being moved away from Pyg's neck…

It was like Lois' eyes weren't on Diana anymore. They still faced her way, but instead they seemed focussed on something far off in the distance, something they could never see. Or perhaps, something that only existed inside of herself. The truth. The truth of who she was. It was like the cage of Pyg's gas had been unlocked, at least enough for the real Lois to begin to squeeze through the bars.

And it was enough to allow Diana to start to encroach forward once again.

"Please Lois, remember," Diana implored as she softly crept forward. "Remember who you are. Remember what's in your heart. This isn't you. What you're doing here, it isn't you. Remember that. Remember the good in you. Remember your love. Remember you."

She was doing. She was, Diana was sure of it. Time had slowed, but each passing second made her more and more sure. But she had to take advantage of it. She had to get that cleaver away from Lois before the Pyg's cage rebuild itself again, before the coldness once again consumed Lois' mind.

But to do that, and to do so without risking Lois killing the Pyg, she had to break through. She had to make Lois give in, to accept the truth, to accept herself. Without the lasso.

Eventually Diana came to a stop, having arc to stand to Lois' side. But she had deliberately stopped just out of arms reach, intentionally so. Slowly, she dared to lower one hand, but consciously the one the opposite side to the lasso. The other remained outstretched, but no longer as before. Now, a gentle twist of her wrist, and the gesture was completely different.

Now she was offering Lois her hand. Now she wasn't telling Lois to stop. She was showing her she was there for her.

And as if on cue, Lois even turned to face her, physically taking a step on the turn. And even better, she moved the cleaver with her, away from Pyg's throat. Now it hung in the air, still fixed in Lois' hand, still hovering dangerously close to the base of his skull, but it was a sign. It was a good sign.

Almost there…

"Lois, please…" Diana implored again, tears at the edge of her own eyes. They were even more definite in Lois' now though. Down they were beginning to run down her cheeks. Now, a definite tremble was in Lois' legs, as if they were struggling to bear the weight. Her face had sunk, her hand starting to shake. And then, finally, it happened. Finally, her grip loosened.

And finally, with the most heavenly clang Diana had ever heard, the cleaver dropped harmlessly to the floor.

"…Help me…"

The words were soft, barely a whisper, but so raw, so begging. So wounded. Words that no compassionate being could ever ignore.

Diana certainly couldn't. Now she left no distance between her and Lois. Now she flung herself forward, just in time to catch Lois as she almost fell down to her knees in despair. Her arms wrapped around her friend, one gently holding her head to show her she was there to share the weight. Then, as she held her, as they embraced as friends, Diana gently wound the free end of the lasso around her, so that it immediately began to glow.

"Its okay, Lois. I've got you. You're safe. I can undo what he did. It's over. It's all over. You're all safe."