The Knight and the Warrior:
Episode 2: Savage's Prey
By Long T. Tran
Disclaimer: All DC characters are owned by DC Comics. This fic is not intended to make any monetary value. This fic was created in pursuit of reader entertainment.
Special thanks to Meljean Brook, for helping me tweak my writing voice.
Author's Public Announcement: I find that I am really enjoying the experience of writing about these iconic two characters. However, I feel rather lost as to how the readers are receiving my material. I believe that the next two chapters will be the most crucial point of the series and for me as a writer. Although the reader reviews of the first chapter were positive yet very few, I feel that if I did not write a good story, then I will not get much feed back. I am a more of a storyteller than a writer. A story teller is an entertainer and the joy shared between the teller and the listener is identical to that of a writer and a reader. A good storyteller can gauge whether the tale he weaves is involving based on the reactions of his listeners. A writer does the same but in a more difficult manner. The story he composes has to be finished before knowing whether it is worthy of continuing on.
So, with all humility and joy, I thank those who took the time to write me on my first outing. I thank my first readers; those who wrote and those who haven't for taking the time out of their busy lives to read what was so far written. For those who haven't written me yet…well, there's my ultimate challenge; a self-imposed challenge that I put on to myself. I challenge myself to write the best story you readers have ever laid your eyes upon. To make the tale so good and so involving that it makes the silent readers to come out and ask the storyteller to weave more tales and adventures!
Downtown Keystone City
The explosion rocked the skyscrapers of Keystone City. The Robot stood 10 feet tall. It had a dome shaped head and a single eyepiece. The machine had thick round arms which flailed around like a land stranded squid. The body was made of a chrome-like metal and its mobility was a technology of repulsor lifts which allowed the robot to float in mid-air. Outward looks aside, the mechanic dynamo had the strength of Superman and it shot blue laser beams from its eyepiece. Just another typical day for the Justice League, Batman thought to himself as he dodged out of the path of a flung car. The machine was from another time period and was sent back to disrupt the timeline. Another typical prevent-history-alteration scenario; these situations always made the vigilante nervous.
Superman flew overhead like a speeding bullet and impacted the robot with an earth-shattering force. The man of steel was against the machine's chest. He punched as hard and fast as he could in an attempt to stop the machine from endangering the populace. One of the machine's tendril arms wrapped itself around Superman's waist. Then a bolt of laser laced with high voltage energy electrocuted the superhero and swatted him through a building like a wrecking ball. The building's concrete rubble fell over the man of steel. Superman was knocked out.
Having seen what happened, Batman estimated that Superman would be out for at least two minutes. He the noticed that the machine's chest cavity was slightly exposed and there was a pulsating light coming from the damaged area. Wonder Woman appeared directly above the robot and managed to tie her golden lasso around the machine's waist. She landed behind the time droid and tightened her grip on the threads. The warrior princess swung the cybernetic in an arch and slammed it against the concrete with a meteoric force. The robot went limp and inactive. The princess touched down near the fallen machine and inspected her handy work. She kicked the robot to make sure it was out. Then she gazed over to Batman and gave him her thumbs up.
Across the street, the Martian Manhunter was recovering; he was down and out through the battle. Batman ran over to him. When the green Martian regained his senses he took out a scanner from his back pocket and scanned the robot. His red eyes widened.
"What's wrong, J'onn?" Batman asked.
"The droid is recharging his energy cells. He's going to attempt another time jump. We can't let him escape or he'll alter the timeline."
"Right," The Dark Knight agreed. Then, suddenly, Bruce immediately saw a twitch from one of the robot's tendrils. "Diana! Watch out!"
The droid's tendrils wrapped around Wonder Woman like two hungry snakes coiling around its prey. The Warrior princess struggled to free herself from its strong grip. Without hesitation, Batman ran. He reached into his utility built and grabbed two batarangs laced with electro-magnetic explosives designed to take down any artificially powered machine. As the robot floated, a ripple in time and space appeared behind it and a brightly lit tunnel appeared. Batman threw two batarangs into the open wound of the machine's chest.
The batarangs stuck onto the beast and surged their didruptive energy. Bolts of electromagnetic currents swam through the robot's innards. Then the detective noticed that the time hole began to fluctuate and destabilize. He ran towards Diana whose still in the machine's grasp.
Wonder Woman began to loosen the droid's grip when suddenly the machine managed to float through the time stream with her in toll. As the two disappeared, Bruce acted on impulse.
"BATMAN! DON'T DO IT!" Superman yelled as he got out from under the rubble.
"Diana!" The knight yelled out as he jumped into the time tunnel. Then the bright vortex closed on itself and all was clear and calm.
"NO!" Superman screamed. They were gone. Not knowing what to do, he angrily gave the concrete a shattering pound. He was too late. Then he felt a hand rest on his shoulder, it was J'onn.
"Come, let's get back to the watchtower and try to find our friends."
Superman nodded in agreement and stood up. He pressed a small button on his earpiece. "Superman to watchtower."
"Watchtower here. Over." The voice rang out in response.
"Two to transport."
There was a pause. Kent could sense the confusion coming through his earpiece.
"Uh…affirmative, Superman." The confused voice replied.
The two superheroes disappeared in a flash. They left with hope that they could get their friends back from wherever or whenever they ended up.
Time, Place Unknown
Evening time, the green plains were serene and the clear skies were a dark reddish purple. In the middle of the green pastures was a dirt road. On the earthy path there was an Asian man and his horse walking west towards the setting sun. The horse was carrying a heavy load of pots, pans, two boxes containing clothes, and other personal belongings. The man was humming an old Asian folk song, when all of a sudden, a bright vortex appeared. It was windy and the tunnel rang with a thunderous sound. The man was mortified as he saw a giant metallic creature with snake-like arms falling backwards away from the opening. As the machine dropped to the ground, a woman came out and she landed on the monster very hard. Then with a kick, she jump-flipped off of the robot and landed on the soft ground. The man had decided that he had seen enough; he screamed and ran away as fast as he could and left his horse behind.
As Diana turned around to face her enemy, she saw that Bruce's batarangs were still stuck on the robot and still active. The cyborg began to move around erratically and its repulsor lifts were destabilizing. This kept the machine off-balance. Behind the droid, she saw Batman tumble out of the vortex and landed softly on his feet. He quickly noticed the machine's behavior and made his way towards her while avoiding the wily creature.
"Let's go find some cover." Batman said quickly as he grabbed Wonder Woman by the arm and led her behind a nearby hill.
"What's it doing, Batman?" The black haired princess asked.
"Something I hope doesn't happen."
Surely enough, what he hoped won't happen…happened. The droid exploded. The two heroes ducked to avoid the debris. A moment later, the heroes peered over the hill. Batman was the first to walk over to the flaming wreckage. He did a quick overview of the site and shook his head negatively. Concerned, Diana followed him.
"This is not good. Not good at all."Batman commented pessimistically.
"I assume this machine was our only ticket back."
Batman only nodded slightly in confirmation. Without wasting another minute, he started to explore the debris field which was illuminated by sporadic flames of the burning wreckage. The princess watched as the detective worked.
Diana frowned. She turned around and did a quick survey of their immediate surroundings in an attempt to gauge where and when they've ended up. The sun had set completely and the night full of stars. Then she felt a strong nudge against her shoulders. She heard a deep snort and recognized the stench. She turned around to see and her eyes lit with encouragement.
"Batman, take a look at this!" Diana yelled excitedly. "Our friend here has some clues!"
Batman peeked over the wreck and saw the horse. He quickly walked past Wonder Woman and grabbed the lead. He efficiently untied the rope that held all of the luggage and personal items together on the back of the horse. All of the pieces fell to the ground. Diana watched in fascination as her teammate quickly and methodically organized the items and examined each piece. She without disturbing him, she walked over to the examining area and sat down. As the detective worked, she observed his every move. He had great qualities, she thought to herself. No matter how tense the situation, she felt lucky to end up out here with him. If he hadn't followed her through the time vortex, she might've ended up here alone. The thought rattled her. She thanked the gods silently.
"Hmm." Batman commented as he examined a white pot and some articles of clothes. "I think I know where and when we've ended up."
Diana waited with dreaded anticipation.
"Judging by the looks of these items, I say we are in China. Ancient China, to be exact, I think roughly around the 12th or 13th century AD."
Diana felt her jaw drop by the revelation. She was already unfamiliar with the modern world; ancient China was even more alien to her.
"This was a very dangerous time," Bruce stated coldly. He started to gather the items together. "This period in history was very ruthless. We have to take precautions now if we are going to explore this land unnoticed. Lets go set up camp."
Diana nodded in agreement. An hour later, they set up the camp fire well away from the debris field and far enough from the road so they wouldn't be detected. The location was in a patch of trees and the camping ground had a wooden log placed near the fire pit. As Batman started the campfire, Wonder Woman made two flights between the camp site and their arrival site to gather their new found belongings. As the princess returned from her final flight, Batman noticed that she carried the horse from the arrival site by using her lasso as a carrier for the steed during flight. The knight was used to such sights of feat. He sat down on a log in front of the fire and began to cook a meal using a wok he found from the horse's possessions.
"What are you cooking?" The princess asked as she tied the horse to a nearby tree.
"Duck, I think," The cowl avenger replied. "There were packs of salted meats in a bag; I grabbed the best edible looking one I could find."
"So how long do you think it'll take for our teammates to find us?" Diana asked as she comforted the horse with a pat.
"Judging from how randomly we jumped, the watchtower computers would have to sift through the entire course of human history to locate our temporal transponders. Locating us will take at least three days and locking on to our exact time and location will take another three. It takes the tower to fully charge its time transporters to send us any help or hope of any return."
Diana sat down next to Batman as he cooked.
"Great Hera," The warrior princess commented glumly as she gazed at the delectable meal. "At least 6 days in ancient China. So what do you plan for us to do in the meantime?"
"We just need to keep a low profile and try to stay out of trouble. I don't want us to attract any attention. Unfortunately, most of the food in the sack was already rotting, so we'll have to venture into the nearest settlement to gather more supplies. I've gathered some clothing to help us disguise our appearance."
Bruce pulled his cowl back to reveal his perspired face. Diana looked over and noticed how the light from the fire made the shadows on his face dance. She smirked; he was the only guy she ever met who looked striking in low-light settings. Bruce noticed the her gaze.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to stare," Diana apologized with a slight blush. "I'm just glad that you're here with me."
For a moment, Bruce didn't react to her comment. He just turned away from her and started to look through the pockets of his utility built. Diana felt slightly rejected by his cold reaction. The princess tried not to let the feeling sink in. She grabbed a bowl from a nearby sack and started to gather some cooked meat from the wok and began to take a few bites. The taste and texture of the duck was good yet familiar; she never had duck but it reminded her of beef, greasy beef.
"Here, I've found it." Bruce said as he looked over to Diana.
"What is it?" Diana asked as she took another bite off of the meat. She looked over and saw two gold star earrings which resembled hers.
"I want you to wear these. The earrings contain a new type of communicator. It will keep us in constant contact in case one of us gets lost. These communicators have extreme long range, are hands-free, and only your inner ear will hear my voice, and they are completely soundless if anyone happen to be eavesdropping. All it takes is a whisper for the device to carry through. It also works as a language translator."
"Sounds handy." Wonder Woman said as she took the earrings from Bruce's hands. She looked into his eyes and gave him a mischievous grin. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thank you for the lovely gift."
Bruce frowned at this. He stood up and looked away from her. "You do realize that it is my fault that we are stranded here."
"You shouldn't say that Bruce." Diana said as she stood and placed a hand on his shoulder. She squeezed lightly. "It was inevitable. We had to stop the droid no matter what. You know the repercussions."
After much thought, the dark knight turned around. "You're right." Bruce agreed. "We had no choice."
"It's alright. I know we'll get through this." The princess encouraged as she wrapped her arms around Bruce. "We've been in worse situations. Batman and Wonder Woman can get through this together."
Bruce tensed a little bit. He could feel that her body felt chilly and cool. He did his best not to show his nervousness and delicately wrapped his arms and cape around her. She was completely enveloped. The Amazon felt that it was time to take the initiative again. She closed her eyes and meditated. She wasn't a telepath but she tried to give her friend a sense of peace which he constantly denies himself.
"You're cold." He coolly stated. He tightened his grip around her and let the warmth of his body soothe over to hers. Bruce could've sworn that he felt her comforting aura penetrate his batsuit. He closed his eyes and calmed his stormy mind. Now that they are alone, Batman allowed himself the pleasure to act human and enjoyed the emotional rush of the moment he shared with the Amazon Princess. He opened his heart a little bit and soaked up the strength and tenderness of her presence. Just this one time and keep it brief, he reminded himself. However, the brief moment lasted longer than he allowed.
Diana gazed into his eyes and smiled at the detective who wore serene look on his face. When Bruce opened his eyes, he noticed Diana pulling in close to kiss him. He gently pulled away from her and held her at an arm's length. She looked hurt but did her best not to show it.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable." Wonder Woman apologized.
"You don't have to apologize."
For a while, they just stood there and looked away from each other. The sounds of the night were audible and there were chirping crickets and the forest was filled fireflies dancing around in the air like little ballets of tiny stars.
"You should get some sleep. I'll keep watch." Batman suggested as he made a makeshift sleeping bag. Diana felt it wasn't the right time to press the issue of their vague relationship. The princess simply lacked the energy. She only nodded in agreement and slipped into the sleeping bag. Diana closed her eyes and a veil of exhaustion covered her tired body. She fell asleep.
As the beautiful Amazon slept, Bruce watched over her like a sentry. He looked away from her and kept his attention out towards the wild. The Dark Knight kept his watchful vigil.
The next morning, Diana opened her eyes as she felt the heat of the morning sun. She woke up groggily and stretched. She looked over and saw that Bruce was not in his batsuit but wearing a Buddhist monk's outfit with a red sash covered with a brick-design. He was facing away from her and he had placed a mirror on a nearby tree. He grabbed a razor and proceeded to shave the hair off his head. As the black hair began to fall off his head, Diana watched with uncertainty as Bruce's appearance changed. She was aware of his mastery in the arts of stealth and thought on how it greatly contrasted with her Amazon upbringing in direct warfare. They were both out of their element and had to rely on each other if they were going to live through this ordeal. At the moment, Batman's approach seems to carry more weight and now would be the best time to learn from him. As Diana watched Bruce transform his appearance, she saw that he brought out a theatre makeup kit.
"Diana, please put on those garments I set aside for you next to the sleeping bag." Bruce directed as he changed his appearance from a Caucasian to a Mongoloid.
"Alright but before I do, let me perform my morning ritual." The princess said as she walked a short distance away from the doused campfire. Bruce watched her as she untied her golden lasso and kneeled on to the ground. She wrapped the lasso around her body and started to pray silently to herself.
Bruce watched curiously as he finished off his disguise. He saw the lasso around Diana began to glow brightly around her. He could almost hear a simmering sound echoing from the magic tether. When the warrior finished, she untied the lasso from her body and caught Bruce staring. She smiled tenderly at her observer.
"You've never seen me do that, have you?"
Bruce shook his head negatively. "Why with the lasso?"
"I use the lasso to help affirm that I will always stay truthful and honest from within myself and outward. I do that to stay pure as possible, free of lies and deceit."
"What if you were caught with a lie?"
"Then I get hurt. Really hurt. In truth, every time I do the ritual, there is always a certain amount of risk involved."
"Fascinating." Batman commented. "Have you ever been caught?"
She gave him an awkward smirk. Without a word, she lifted her uniform from her waistline and showed the detective a thin scar snaking along her belly and up her lower back. Bruce crept closer to examine her scar.
"The scar runs deep." Bruce stated as he ran a finger along the mark.
"If caught in a lie, the lasso will try to purify me it'll leave a scar as a reminder to maintain my purity." Diana explained as she pulled her uniform back in place. "I don't plan to repeat that experience again."
"I would imagine so." Bruce replied. "Here, wear these over your uniform."
The hero handed Wonder Woman her disguise. Diana took the garments and a few moments later the disguise was on her. The clothes were baggy and blue. The disguise also included an oversized round umbrella-shaped hat made of yellow straw. The bald Bruce Wayne walked up to her and inspected the costume. He brought out his make up kit and started to work on Diana's eyes. When the knight was finished, he handed Diana his mirror for her to gauge his handy work.
"Wow. This looks convincing." She complimented as she looked at her reflection. She was amazed at how her Greek features complimented Bruce's Asian make up. She smiled; this experience felt new and exciting.
"If we follow the road a few miles down I believe there's a small settlement west of here. Let's be as subtle as possible."
Diana nodded in agreement. Bruce placed his costume in a cloth sack and picked up a Bo staff he recently found. Diana straightened her costume and put on a large hat. The front curve of the accessory obstructed a clear view to her face. They were both ready to venture.
Yuang-te City
After hours of traversing the countryside, the duo arrived at a city surrounded by an outer wall. Bruce was the escort with Diana riding the whole journey. Before they started out, they debated with each other on who should ride the horse. He replayed the exchange in his mind.
"Why should I ride the horse?" Diana inquired. "Why don't you ride it?"
"Because I'm dressed as a monk."
"And what are you going to do? Walk the whole way?"
"Yes." Bruce stated.
"What if it takes hours to get their?"
"Whatever's necessary."
"This isn't some kind of macho thing, is it?"
"No. I assure you it's far from it."
"I don't feel comfortable doing that." Diana admitted. "It feels weird and almost sexist. I'm not weak kneed or afraid to walk."
"Well it isn't about any of that. A monk in this time and age strives for true altruism and selflessness." Bruce argued firmly and coolly. "If they saw me, a monk, riding a horse and his lady companion walking, then the people of this time will take notice of this. Then they'll start talking and whispering amongst themselves. Needless to say, I don't want any attention drawn to us."
"Oh fine." Diana agreed grudgingly. "Since you put it that way, I'll go ahead and get on. I don't think the horse would want you anyway."
"Thank you." Bruce thanked gruffly but with a hint of relief.
"Remember, if it's a long walk, don't you ever forget that I offered and you refused."
That was hours ago. In a weird way, Bruce couldn't help notice how they argued over something so trivial. He turned around to check on Wonder Woman. She was admiring the countryside and enjoying the company of the steed. When the princess looked over and caught him staring at her, she winked at him. Bruce felt somewhat embarrassed and immediately looked forward. Focus, he chided himself.
They finally reached their destination. As they passed through the massive red wooden doors, Bruce saw that the name of the city was posted above the main gates of the wall.
"Yuang-te City." Bruce read aloud as they passed the doors and reaching the main street of the vibrant lively Chinese settlement. To live up to the image of a Buddhist monk, Bruce held his right hand up in front of him and his palm vertical towards the ground as they walked down the street.
Diana noticed the bald Bruce Wayne getting into his role. From her view, the back of her partner's head was as pale as can be maybe due to the fact that it was always covered by his cowl. Batman resembled Curly from the Three Stooges, Diana giggled silently to herself. She looked around and noticed that the street they were on was bustling with activity. There were people window shopping at meat stands, kids playing ball across the street. In one corner there was an acrobat performance, on another corner there was folk music being played on a Chinese violin. The town looked happy. Suddenly, there was a gathering of people around Bruce. The crowd wore looks of curiosity and awe. Their disguises were good but because of the different diet and nutrition of the period, the heroes were surrounded by short people. The locals crowded around Diana and Bruce. One of the townsmen approached Bruce; he was an older gentleman with a bald head and squinty eyes.
"Hey, you guys are awfully big; you're not from around here are you?" The old Chinese man spoke.
Bruce bowed his head greetingly. "Amida Buddha," Bruce blessed the man. "No, good local man, we're from the far north. We've come along way from home and we're just stopping by."
"Oh really?" The man replied. "I guess that explains your pale skin." Then kids started to gather around Bruce. When they were next to him, they started to tug at his garments and they were trying to touch his face. "Wow! He's so pale. I've never seen skin so white!"
Bruce distinctly heard a snicker coming from Diana's direction. He glanced over to her and saw that the Princess's eyes were concealed by her hat but her smile was still visible. She was obviously enjoying the sight of the Dark Knight held hostage by little children.
Suddenly, the sound of a bell chiming from one of the wall's towers caused the people of the city to panic. They stopped their normal activities and fled into their houses with urgency. A moment later, the once vibrant city was now a scared silent town. Bruce and Diana looked at each other and nodded in agreement to go check out the reasoning for the alarms to ring. They both turned around and hurried towards the wall.
As they headed towards the city defenses, the duo noticed that soldiers were lining up along the perimeter of the wall. Bruce counted the number of defenders and frowned. There were only 20 defenders, most of them old men. He saw the garrison leader pacing along the wall nervously. The knight approached him.
"Is this all you have for defense?"
The garrison commander nodded grimly.
"What happened to the rest of your soldiers?" Diana asked.
"We sent them out to stop the invaders a few days ago. They were annihilated. This is all that we have against the coming storm."
Then, over the horizon, they saw dust being kicked up in the distance. As the riders came into view, Bruce immediately recognized their would-be invaders. The situation was turning grim. Diana noticed her partner's look.
"Do you recognize them?" The princess asked.
Bruce nodded with a frown. "Mongols."
Diana's was startled. "I've heard of them during my studies back home on Paradise Island. They held an empire so large that Alexander the Great himself would envy. They are also known for their ruthless reputation. They killed anybody who resisted, men, women, and children."
Outside the City Walls
Just outside the city walls, a cavalry of horseback riders appeared from the Horizon. The column was a scouting party made of 150 riders. At the head of the posse were two leaders. One was a woman dressed in white garments; she wore a white mask with a finely drawn red lip line and two dark slits for eyes. Her face was completely hidden. She carried a regal attitude as she rode. The other leader was a young male dressed in heavy hides and wore a round domed hat made of the same materials. As the group galloped over the hill, they saw in clear view of the walled city. The city doors had shut closed in clear defiance.
"This town refuses to give up willingly." The lady in white said with a slightly muffled voice. "I want you to make an example out of it. You will raze it to the ground and leave no survivors."
"Yes, Savage Lotus."
"Remember, the Great Khan is testing your abilities as a captain. Take this opportunity to show him what you are made of. If you succeed, you will have five cavalries under your control."
The young captain smiled and eagerly nodded.
"I will stay back here and observe your actions. I will see everything that will happen during this battle. From the looks of it, this should go by easily. You may commence your attack, Captain."
"Hyaah!" The young captain screamed out as he galloped off. As he rode off, the 150 horsemen followed suit and made their way towards besieging the town.
On the Walls
"Great Hera." Diana said with unease. "Bruce, they're making their attack. What are we going to do?"
Bruce was silent. He was deep in thought. Should we help or shouldn't we? If we attack, we risk altering the timeline. If we don't help, innocent lives will be lost. If we help, we'll attract attention to ourselves. If we just stand by, there will be blood on our hands. Countless innocents will die on our account.
"Bruce?" Diana asked again. "What should we do?"
The knight was still. The city garrison readied their bows and arrows and aimed at the approaching aggressors.
"They're closing in! I know we shouldn't but do we just stand by and let it happen? These people have no chance in surviving!"
"Fire!" The garrison captain ordered. A volley of arrows flew into the air and arched towards the horsemen. Only two of the arrows managed to hit their targets. This was a pitiful situation.
"No." Bruce answered quickly. "Damn the timeline. We help. You take out the brunt of the attack. If any of them manages to get by you, I'll make sure that they don't reach the walls."
"Right." Diana complied immediately. That was all she needed to know. She did a quick check of her vembraces, lasso, and straightened her disguise.
"Diana?"
"Yes, Bruce?" She answered as she readied herself for battle.
"Stop them at all costs. Don't mind your disguise."
She smiled almost fiendishly at this request. "Understood."
An instant later, Diana was in warrior mode. She shot through the air like a missile and headed straight towards the Mongol cavalry. Bruce saw the stunned look on the garrison soldiers faces after Diana took off in flight. He smirked and grabbed a rope from under his monk's garments. He took his Bo staff, a sword, and several bolos with him. The knight rappelled down the wall and stood ready in front of the city gates.
The Battlefield
"What the hell is that!" One of the men yelled out as they saw a figure headed straight towards them. Like a cannon ball, Diana plowed through the line of horsemen knocking the riders off their steeds. The captain was stunned to see a woman flying around like a hawk.
"Keep moving!" The captain ordered.
Diana took out ten men; only 138 left to go. As she came around for another diving run, the Princess saw several of the horsemen aiming their arrows at her. They released a torrent of arrows at her but they were easily the deflected by her silver bangles. The disguise she wore felt hampering to her movements. She immediately stripped out of her garments and revealed her Amazon uniform underneath. The heroine then swooped down on her galloping prey, knocking another ten off their horses.
From a distance Bruce saw the horsemen move about in a bewildering fashion. He readied himself as the first of the Mongols avoided Diana's attacks. He picked a long Bo staff and the first horseman arrived. The Mongol galloped at Bruce but was immediately jousted off his horse as the Knight hit a well placed strike at the rider. A second horseman followed immediately behind and Bruce swung around to avoid the horseman's spear attack. When the Mongol passed, the detective struck the rider's back knocking him out. Above his bald head, the city's garrison fired off another volley of arrows at the invading force, this time with more success. Ten of the arrows struck the riders on their approach to storm the city.
Meanwhile, Diana brought out her golden lasso and immediately tethered a galloping rider. She lifted the man off his horse. She flew over the body of the advancing cavalry and started to swing her victim against the other riders knocking them off their horses. Then she heard an explosion coming from a distance. The Princess glanced over to the source of the sound and noticed an object or person rocketing away in some kind of primitive flying device. The airborne object was shaped like a bird and the material was made of wood and cloth. Diana distinctly saw a lady in white in its undercarriage. The machine was gone. At the moment, the warrior had no time to investigate the strange occurrence; she had to keep the invaders away from the city.
As Bruce fought off the aggressors, the detective also took note of the strange occurrence. The moment he saw the bird-like machine rocketing off, he could only feel a sense of foreboding. He swung two bolos at two approaching riders and both fell to the ground. The dark knight surveyed the battle scene and saw that Diana was rounding up riders, keeping them from approaching the city. The number of attacking Mongols had decreased significantly. What was once a strong 150 showing had dwindled down to one third of their strength. The Mongols weren't cowards but they're not idiots either they will keep on fighting, Bruce thought. He had to think of a way to end the battle now. As the detective surveyed the battlefield, he found his answer. He had to take out the cavalry captain.
Conveniently, the Captain was already headed towards Bruce's location. The man looked furious. Bruce smiled. Can't say he blamed him, none his men ever reached the city. The mad Mongol brought out his sword and Bruce braced himself. The rider jumped off his horse and pounced onto the faux monk. They tumbled along the front of the city's wall. The man was on top of Bruce but he was immediately kicked off by both of Bruce's legs. The Mongol quickly got to his feet and Bruce drew out his sword. The two locked blades with each other and stared each other down. The knight could smell the rancor breath of his attacker. Bruce punched the captain in the face.
The Mongol fell back a little and before he could recover. He felt himself being entangled by the dark knight's bolos. Quickly, he saw the faux monk ran up and hit him square on the jaw with his Bo staff. The captain was knocked unconscious. Bruce stood over him with one leg planted on his captive's body. The detective stood triumphant and visible to the Mongol horde. He saw the look of the riders' faces and smiled.
As Diana threw off another rider, she immediately saw the change in the attackers' behavior. They were suddenly disorganized and fearful. The Mongols were on the retreat. She looked over to Bruce's direction and saw him standing triumphantly over their leader. She smiled and knew that victory was theirs.
When Diana returned to Bruce's side at the entrance of the city, a crowd of people came out excitedly and cheerfully. Before she could say anything to her partner, the crowd took them by surprise. The happy Chinese hoisted both Bruce and Diana on their shoulders and proceeded to parade them around the entire town. They were being showered with kisses, gifts, flowers, and thanks from numerous citizens. For once since being stranded in China, Diana saw the joy on Bruce's face as they were being showered by gratitude. She could hear him react heartily as they rode the celebrating mob. He had a wonderful sounding laugh; she thought and then laughed along with him.
The JLA Watchtower
Meanwhile in the present, the Martian Manhunter was scouring the virtual database trying to pinpoint the location of his missing friends. The Flash was sitting in the next console terminal scurrying at lightning speed through the entire archive of human history. After only a few minutes of joining the Martian, the Flash reached a solid lead.
"J'onn, take a look at this." Flash requested. "I think I have something that will help."
"Show me what you've found." The green Martian said as he stood behind the superhero and peered over his shoulder.
"This seems to be an old legend about a miracle that happened at Yuang-Te City around the year 1227. The legend talks about a thwarted Mongol invasion by two individuals, a flying woman and a tall and pale monk."
"Interesting." J'onn commented. "Please continue."
"The flying woman had the strength of ten men, she had an indestructible yellow rope, and arrows could not penetrate her defenses." Flash read aloud. "The monk was described as having a fighting prowess of ten martial arts masters."
"That first description was definitely Diana. Is there anything else for Batman?"
"No, not directly, but I think the tall pale monk description might be Batman in disguise."
"Then we better get the time machine charged and ready to go. I'll start on the calculations and computations to pinpoint our target jump point. You let Superman know on our current progress."
"Right."
Citadel of the Great Khan
The throne room was lit by numerous candles and the floor was dressed with a red ornate rug. The great Genghis Khan sat there on his throne as he listened intently to every word coming out of Savage Lotus's battle reports. From the Captain's charge at the city walls right to the news of a flying woman. When the report was completed, the Mongol Leader sat their silently and lightly tugged at his slender beard.
"My lord, what should we do about this woman?"
The Khan simply smiled. "I want you to catch her."
"I beg your pardon?" Savage Lotus asked quizzically.
"I want you to get your sister and brother and capture her. This woman is just the type befitting a great ruler. She will be my wife."
"Great Khan, I would not step out of line to question your decisions but how do you suggest on bringing in this woman? She has the power of flight and the strength of many oxen. Even with the White Lotus' skill and expertise; to capture a being of skill and power would only invite suicide. Do you know something that we don't?"
The man laughed loudly. "Of course, I know! Silly woman! I have walked this earth numerous generations before recorded history! I know of her race and I know of her weakness!"
"Then I beg for the knowledge you have." Savage Lotus asked with formality and obedience. "Please indulge me, my lord. So I can bring you the prize your heart dearly yearns for."
"Listen to me well, my Savage Lotus. Based on your scrupulous description of her looks, garments, and fighting prowess; this woman is from a race of women from the lands of the far west. She is an Amazon."
"Amazon?" Lotus said quizzically.
The Mongol leader nodded. "Her upbringing is that of a warrior's; something that you should relate to very easily. Now listen to me well. You will need your brother. You see, the only way to defeat an Amazon is to have her hands bound by a man. If her hands are tied; all her strength and powers will weaken. You will need to utilize both you and your sister's swiftness to get past her defenses."
"Understood, my lord." The lady in white affirmed. "We will make the necessary plans immediately."
"Once you have her captured, bring her to me unspoiled."
"As you wish, Great Khan." The White Lotus assassin bowed and left the throne room.
Once the Savage Lotus was gone, Genghis Khan smiled with anticipation. During this time period, he was known to his followers as Genghis Khan. A name given to him because of the victories he gave to this nomadic people. However, unknown to them, he is an immortal and he had various names in the past. His real name was Vandar Adg. In the modern times he is simply known as Vandal Savage. For the first time in his life, his mind wasn't fixated on world domination. He was determined to meet this Amazon in person whether she wanted to or not.
The Road Back to Camp
Three days later, Bruce and Diana were heading back to their camp site. It was night time now in the countryside and stars were out at full force. In the far distance there was a coming rainstorm just off of the horizon. They were given a strong horse to ride on as a parting gift from the town. They both shared the same saddle; Diana had the reins with Bruce behind her with his arms gently wrapped around her waist. After the routing of the Mongol cavalry, the dark knight and the warrior princess stuck around the city to see if there were going to be any retaliation from the Mongol Empire. After three days of waiting, nothing manifested, so Bruce and Wonder Woman decided that it was time to return to the campsite and wait for rescue from the JLA.
Diana was silent during the trip. Her thoughts were elsewhere. Specifically, she was thinking about the man behind the bat and the bond that grew between them. In the past few days, she started to notice little changes in Bruce's demeanor towards her. It's either because they were dependant on each other or he was accepting the idea that he actually liked her. Or maybe a little bit of both. He was smiling a little more and he less aloof whenever he was around her. What was it about this mortal that she liked? Like the tales of the old age, Bruce reminded her of her favorite hero, Odysseus. They both shared common traits with each other, both are cunning, both are good fighters, and they are devoted to their ideals. However, there was one major difference between the two men, Odysseus had a woman that he loved while Bruce did not. At least, not yet, Diana wasn't worried. She knew she had more than enough time to pursue him and wear down his stoicism.
"Bruce?" Diana started.
"Yes, Diana?" The bald man replied.
"You were magnificent back there when we defended the city."
"Thanks." He said coolly.
"Bruce, when I'm around you I find myself growing closer to you. No matter how hard I tried to bury these feelings for you. I find that it hurts…a lot."
Bruce was silent but he listened intensely as they neared their camp.
"In a way, I'm glad you placed this wall between us, it makes me work that much harder around you. Did you know that? When we fight alongside together, you inspire me to fight harder and think faster. Your commitment to your ideals is titanic. But despite that, you do have your flaws; you're obsessive, rude, frigid, paranoid, downright ruthless."
"I'm not frigid," He said in an innocent way.
Diana laughed loudly. "Was that a joke you just cracked! It's nice to know that I have that effect on you."
Behind her, Bruce grinned. "I won't argue with that."
Having heard that last remark, Diana felt her heart lit up and she turned around to look at Bruce. He looked stoic to her, not a smile nor any reaction at all. She turned around somewhat disappointed. Unbeknownst to her, he smiled again, this time more brightly.
As they closed in on their destination, Bruce hopped off the horse. "I'm going to check the area for followers from the city. I don't want anybody knowing our location."
"Always the paranoid," Diana teased.
Bruce ignored her remark. "Why don't you head back to camp and get the fire started. I'll be there shortly".
"Okay, I can show off my domestic side".
Bruce did not say much to her jovial attitude; he simply gave her a small smile and ran off into the night. As he disappeared, Diana sighed lightly as she rode towards the camp. How long is the tension going to last between them, she asked herself. What will it take to get to him? As she arrived at the camp site, she got off the horse and started to unpack the belongings given to them from the town folk. There were herbs and medicines, food, clothing, and small pieces of jewelry. She smiled at these tokens of appreciation.
Suddenly, she felt a presence, when she turned around to look. The only thing she saw were three figures dressed in white. A lady with a white mask on, a young woman in her twenties dressed in a white Chinese dress, and a mustached bald man who was dressed in a monk's white robes. Without saying a word or doing much movement, the two girls pounced on Diana quicker and swifter than cats pouncing on their prey. Before the Amazon could throw the women off, they sprayed a white powder on her face. She inhaled the substance and she started to vertigo. Next moment, the princess was out cold. Thunder started to erupt loudly overhead. The women signaled for the monk. The bald man walked over to Diana's unconscious body and bounded her hands with thick iron-cast handcuffs.
Meanwhile, Bruce finished off his patrol when it started to drizzle. He looked over to the direction of the campsite and noticed that the campfire hasn't started yet. The detective felt uneasy, he knew that something was off. It shouldn't take Diana this long to start the fires. Without hesitation, he ran as fast as he could towards the camp grounds. The rain started to pour down heavily now, and the night was lit up by thunder and lightning. As his face was pelted by the precipitation, he was only fifty yards away from his destination. Suddenly, three explosions rocked the camp grounds; he saw three bird-shaped flying objects rocketing towards the sky. They were the identical design of the one he saw a few days ago during battle. He immediately noticed that one of them had an unconscious Wonder Woman in it's under carriage. Without much thought, Bruce reached under his garments and took out a homing device launcher from his utility belt. He quickly aimed the pistol at the flying wing that carried Diana and fired. With a silent bang, a bat shaped homing beacon flew and attached itself to the flying device without the notice of its pilot.
As the three flyers, disappeared over the horizon, Bruce was alone and disappointed. As the rain hit his warm body, he could almost see the steam come off of himself. He gritted his teeth. He thought to himself damningly. You should have expected this! He straightened himself quickly. Now was not the time for pity.
He looked around the camp site for any possible intruders. There was no one. They were only after Diana. Bruce quickly realized that he had the advantage. Ever since the battle, Diana was the most visible. The enemy doesn't realize that Bruce was just as important as she was. He felt encouraged in knowing that he had the element of surprise on his side. With renewed fervor, Bruce reached into his cloth sack and brought out his cape and cowl. It was time to bring back the mantle of the Bat.
There's no time to waste. Batman vowed to himself. For Diana, his needs were secondary. For her, he'd go the ends of the Earth to get her back; for her sake, for the world's, and for his.
Moments later, Batman stood there in the rain with grim determination. He brought out his beacon detector and saw that the assailants were headed due east. At the speed of their current velocity, he estimated that they were at least 6 hours ahead of him. He quickly jumped on the back of his horse and with a quick snap of the lead. The horse stood on its heels and sped off towards the horizon towards Diana.
To be continued in…
Episode 3: Relentless
Please send your comments and feedback to