CH2: Orbital Bliss

Batman made his way into the main monitor room just as Superman and J'ohn were heading out.

"You sure about this Bruce? It gets awful eerie up here when you're by yourself. Even J'ohn gets offset when he's monitoring, and he's a Martian."

Batman all too eagerly sat down in the main command chair. "It won't bother me. I'm used to it. Besides, distancing myself from the holidays up here is almost… blissful." Batman said as he began booting up the systems.

"You know the invitation is still on the table. Ma and Pa would love to have you over for the holidays."

"Thanks, but I have work to do. The Batcave can only do so much. Up here the instruments are much more sophisticated for my purposes."

Defeated, Superman pat his best friend on the back. "If you change your mind, you know where we are."

J'ohn who was standing silently during the whole exchange followed the man of steel to the teleportation pads and immediately they were warped.

Batman began to work, cross referencing the pattern of hits on the shipments of toys with current active gangs in Gotham City. Consumed by his work an hour managed to pass by and he was caught off guard when he heard the teleportation pad go off again.

"Forget something?" He asked half expecting Superman to have left his favorite pair of glasses. Instead he heard a strong feminine voice.

"I don't believe so…"

Batman turned around to see Wonder Woman in jeans and a fuzzy coat holding a simply wrapped yet heartwarming present in her hands. It was about the size of a toaster and on it was a card.

"What are you doing here?" Batman asked as he turned his attention back to the monitor.

Wonder Woman looked at the humble package she carried and blushed ever so faintly. The warrior bred Amazon was a bit nervous and even questioned whether or not she should be there. "I brought you a gift for Christmas." She smiled.

"I don't do Christmas."

Wonder Woman's made a sour face as her spirits practically sunk to Atlantis hearing Batman's cold response. It wasn't entirely unexpected, but after the trouble she went through to get the gift, she was not about to let that stop her.

"Oh come on. This time of the year is about fellowship and you're up here all alone."

"I chose to be alone. Just like how you chose to come interrupt me while I'm working."

Wonder Woman was seriously irritated. Her eye was twitching and a vein on her forehead was pulsing as the blood rushed. She walked right behind the chair Batman was sitting on and spun him around very quickly forcing him to make eye contact with her very annoyed face.

"I'm not leaving until you accept my gift." She practically demanded.

Batman sighed and knew for a fact if he wanted to get any work done he would have to concede to the Amazon's request. "Put it on the desk."

"You have to promise to open it too."

Batman gave Diana his signature bat-glare leaving no room for interpretation that he was also annoyed.

"You don't have to open it now… or in front of me. Just promise to open it before December is over."

"Fine."

With that interaction Batman swung around his chair in annoyance and went back to work while Diana headed towards the teleporter pads.

"Honestly after everything we've been through I thought this would go much better…" Diana mumbled.

"I don't know why you would think that."

Diana lost it.

"You know what Bruce!?..."

As she was about to go off on Batman, the sensors onboard the watchtower set off an alert and the monitor zoomed in on an entourage of sketchy vans surrounding the last shipment of toys being delivered.

"Gotcha." Batman rose from the chair and brushed past Diana heading for the teleporters leaving her in disbelief. As the caped crusader was about to beam himself down he was stopped by a firm grip on his arm. He saw Diana now in her signature costume giving him a smug grin.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"If you think for one second we are done here then you are in as much trouble as the thugs you're about to beat up. I'm going with you."

While maintaining eye contact with the Amazon Batman finished locking down the coordinates and he pressed enter. In a flash they were gone.