I seem to be out of words lately, and I'm quite sure that some of you are tired of hearing my incessant, mawkish gratitude—but what the hell, Thank you so much (Special thanks to Catgirl R and S Fan, klutzyspaz, Lavender Gaia, Skite, amazing redd phoenix, Mike9, oneredneckgoddess, Brutal2003, ccabello, and Tefa)! And I do believe we must carry on with the following episode…
Btw, I'm so amused to read each of your interpretations. Some of them I have considered for which were originally far from what my story is heading to. Nonetheless, it was fun and very evocative. So, I'm still very much interested in whatever comments or suggestions you are burning to barrage me with… ;)
Enjoy!
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"The god has spoken," she mumbled faintly, yet the Batman heard her before she could retract her words. She torpidly let the leaf fall to the floor, her face a combination of uncertainty and palpable respite. Dick gave her a sidelong glance, his brows arching questioningly. Flash too gawked at her curiously.
"Donna, everything ok?" Flash asked. Glancing back at the golden message, Wally felt goose bumps flecking his bronzed arms; and seeing Donna's suffused relief didn't calm him one bit. In fact, it doubled his agitated nerves.
Wally suddenly turned his head when he felt a nudge at his ribs. Rolling his eyes and twitching his lips, Dick mimed to Wally that Donna was definitely concealing something. Wally nodded, mouthed to Dick that their problems seemed to have barely culminated their intentions.
Before they could further read Donna's interpretive movements, she was already halfway out the door. Wally caught up with her, queried suddenly, "Which god are we dealing here, Don? What's going on here? And where are you heading off to?"
Without stopping a second's breath, Donna answered him brusquely, "It's not my position to tell you who left that message but I do know that my worst fear may have diverged from nearing peril."
They reached the teleportation zone where Donna sped to the monitoring area, whispered her terminus to Mr. Terrific. Batman and Nightwing furtively glanced over Mr. Terrific's shoulder as Flash continuously bombarded Donna with aimless, hasty questions.
"Don! What's going on?"
Before stepping on the circular patch of blue light, Donna glanced over her shoulder. Her piercing gaze met Batman's and atypically enough, she motioned them to come with her. When Batman stood beside her, she murmured, "You're in deep shit."
"Quite surprising that I anticipated as much," Bruce retorted silently as they were conveyed to Themyscyra.
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Wally and Dick swallowed tense sighs as glinting spears, swords, and choppers besieged every narrow escape they could think of in case they had to make a run for it. Wally uneasily smiled when an Amazon soldier inched closer, nearly perforating Wally's neck with the razor-sharp sword.
"Uh… Dick…" Wally mumbled in Nightwing's earshot.
"What?"
"Why aren't we dead yet?"
Dick stiffly shrugged his shoulders. "That's 'cuz Mr. Death hasn't answered our calls yet, so stop fidgeting. Besides, Donna's buying time. I suppose she's imbuing some sense into the general's misguided skull over there."
Flash craned his neck to better see Donna muttering something tactfully to a bulky soldier. They stood at the far side, careful that they wouldn't be heard. Flash could sense that Donna's regal status was either working to their advantage or Theymyscyra's new specialty for tonight's dinner was Justice League flambé.
Batman, on the other hand, ignored Dick's escalating anxiety and Wally's restless mannerisms. His mind wandered to Diana, his eyes closed to picture Diana's radiant smile, her thoughtful frown, her resolute anger to injustice… and then her condescending, appalling grimace that crossed her face just a few minutes ago.
What had happened? When they were so close to breaking Diana's curse, purblind light flashed before them and then Diana mysteriously disappeared. The only frustrating clues they had were the message and leaf. Other than that, everything was a blur. Back to square one.
Heat from the sun glared at them, causing Batman to narrow his eyes as waves of intense heat wavered in front of him. He wiped sweat off his chin, his breathing turning uneven. He glanced at Nightwing and Flash. They looked fine… just nervous. But why was he feeling like an inferno was burning inside him? Damn… the more he moved, the more ferocious the guards became.
What was taking Donna so long? Where was the queen? It was absurd if Donna was banned from seeing her mother directly just because three guys accompanied her to the island. It was so absurd. And extremely hot. Not to mention that the general looked fat and wavy.
How odd. Everybody around him seemed as if they mysteriously adopted ten extra pounds in a second. And why couldn't they stop swaying their hips like they were following the wind's tuneless whistling?
"Bruce?"
Odiferous scent wisped into his nose, and he smiled dreamily. It reminded him of his mother's favorite perfume, which used to gag him when he was a little boy. Suddenly, Diana's luminous face inched closer, everything gradually shifting to blackness. But he could still smell that scent… the scent of Diana's singularly fragrant sweat during battle… the scent that reminded him of his mother.
By instinct he knew that he was standing on the verge of a precipitous cliff. And as the jagged rocks crumbled into nothingness, he didn't move. He couldn't. He reached for his utility pocket, but his fingertips only met his six-pack.
Still stoic, he tried to look down. Clouds, misty fog hung below him. He mused over this. Was he dead? He felt for his hands. His sense of touch was functional. Then he smelled her again. And saw her flying towards him. To save him.
But when she reached out her arms, he didn't hold fast to them. He could hear her calling out to him, crying for him. Diana was crying… she had always cared. But he neglected her, pushed her away as it was the right thing to do. He didn't want to complicate her life. He didn't want to jeopardize her.
He was only a hindrance to her existence.
Before he realized it, Diana jerked in impact as a circular object shot through her heart. Darkish blood oozed out, flowed down her body, trickled down to the bottomless pit. Her glazed eyes looked at him, but didn't really see.
And then she disappeared.
Bruce turned his head, searched for her. But she was totally gone. He clenched his fists in frustration, called out her name, but he gasped in shock when he felt his hand closing over something hard and wet.
Ensnared in his trembling hand was the orb—all bloody and cold. He tried to let go, but it was magically glued to his palm. Dammit! He just kept shaking his arm, tried to slide it off his grip. His mind had soon overlooked its origin and purpose.
Why was it covered in blood? Where did it come from? Why couldn't he smell the fragrant scent anymore? Why hasn't he hit the ground yet? Why did he feel lost?
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"It sure wasn't the smartest move, but it got us safely inside," Wally remarked when he saw Bruce rubbing sleep off his eyes. Dick immediately strode to Bruce's side, said, "You scared us there. If you weren't feeling well, you shouldn't have forced yourself to tag along."
Bruce somberly scrutinized the room before asking, "I fell unconscious?"
"Oh yeah," Flash replied as he darted to the bed's edge. "Good thing Dick caught you before the floor did. It surprised all of us, even Donna." Flash chuckled silently, then continued, "At first, they refused to let us in. But Dick gave them the pup eyes, and they conceded."
"I did no such thing," Dick retorted. "My diplomatic glib got us through. And what did you do? Try to win them over with your twitchy smile?"
"If they didn't growl so much, it would have worked."
Ignoring their meaningless exchange, Bruce sat up, scratched his head. He glanced at the chair in the corner and saw his costume resting there. He gruffly stood up, walked to where his cowl faced him.
Pulling it on, he mulled over his dream. He glanced down, stretched open his hand. Was he killing her slowly? Was he lost without her? Was his construal of the dream bordering on accuracy?
He let his hand fall to his side as he searched deep down, dubiously unearthing his inner self's sentiment.
'You love her, why push her away?' A small voice asked him.
Because I have to. It says so in my future.
'Ah… future's puppet, eh? Mmm… typical. The Green Lantern's perspective is very different from yours though.'
It's his life, not mine. I don't care how he leads it. But I do know that my future would be in jeopardy if I took a different slope.
'Are you sure? Strange…'
Quit prancing around it and just spit it out!
'Temper, temper… Have you forgotten the old saying? We write our own destiny, not the other way around. And do you honestly think that Diana would hamper your better judgment? Do you believe that she would obstruct your duty to stave off felons, both at present and future?'
"Bats? You feeling faint again?" Flash interrupted his thoughts when the Crimson Speedster materialized beside him.
"No. I was only thinking of something exceedingly trivial."
They whirled their attention to a knock at the door.
"Come in," Dick answered the soft thump on the wood. Donna padded to the room, her gaze on Bruce.
"You all right?" she asked quite demurely.
Looking at her brought the pang to his inner core. He thought of Diana, and at that same instant, he froze.
"How long was I out?" he asked briskly.
They exchanged a few glances, exhumed their memory banks moments ago.
Donna filled in, "Twenty-five…?"
"I could have sworn it was thirty," Flash interjected.
"I think somewhere in between, it doesn't really matter," Dick butted in when Flash and Donna were on the edge of contending their conflicting credence.
Bruce only nodded. So if Diana wore the orb within twenty-four hours, maybe a little past the twelfth hour, and disappeared still wearing it, they were still suspended in instability and caprice, which were unhelpful at this sort of situation. And since he passed out, they had very little time to be able to find Diana, fight her if necessary, and seize the necklace before all was lost.
He was losing here. He didn't know where to start. But then…
"Donna," he startled Donna from her reverie. "Who's the god we're dealing with?"
Donna blinked several times, slightly dumbfounded by his sudden enquiry. Nightwing and Flash stood at the side, intently watching the scene being played before them. If Donna ever attempted on backing out or tried to ingeniously digress from the subject at hand, they were supporting Bruce's back. If Diana was still under the orb's volatile power, they needed to rescue her at once. They couldn't bear the thought of losing a dear friend. And if Donna knew something about Diana's baffling desertion, they were going to extract it out of her no matter how grueling it might be.
Unsure and nervous, Donna covered her face with her hands, wearily sat on the bed's edge. To further ease down the tension building up inside her, she rested her head on her knees, then mumbled, "Cupid."
"Seriously? I thought he's Diana's friend?" Flash asked when Donna went silent.
She looked up, shook away the dread that crept up her tingling spine. "He is. If I'm not mistaken, he helped her. But…" She glanced at Batman. "He's not happy with you."
Nightwing and Flash turned their heads abruptly to Bruce, finding Bruce blowing out a sigh. Masking his swelling apprehension, he commented, "Maybe I do deserve all the bitter retaliations against me, but stop euphemizing the harsh facts and tell us what is really going on. If Cupid cared for Diana, why did he stop us from grabbing hold of the necklace?"
Donna bit her lower lip, said tentatively after a second's reflection, "He does care. He took her away because—"
"I don't want Princess Diana to see her pokerfaced beloved triumphing over her when his heart hasn't changed yet," a good-looking man interrupted them as he quietly skulked into the room.
He lightly smiled at Donna, assuring her that he was not mad at her for nearly unveiling his plan to them. Then he primly scanned the room slowly, his hard gaze examining the trio's cautious appearance.
Bruce rebuffed the man's unfriendly gaze by narrowing his own. He inspected the chinwag-basher from head to foot; the man's brown locks were glistening against the sun's light, which filtered through the laced curtains; his slightly tan, slender build was barely swathed by his white tunic; and his deep-blue eyes were profound of interred aversion and swooning charm.
There was no question that he was a god. And his arrows tightly bound to his back were enough disclosure to his identity.
As maddening silence took over the pause that befell on them when Cupid's presence arrived, he and Batman shared a glare so spirit-deflating that if Queen Hippolyta didn't intrude by knocking on the door, they would have continued throughout eternity. At that moment, they knew that they despised each other's guts.
They bowed respectfully at her entrance. Two burly guards policed her right and left.
Certain that she was in harmless hands, she whispered to them to leave. They hesitated for a while, baring their teeth in the direction of Flash and Nightwing's direction—Batman's line of sight was blocked by Cupid's figure—then they finally left silently.
"Are you feeling much better?" she inquired icily at Batman.
"Yes, thank you," Batman answered. She nodded her head, never leaving Batman overlooked.
Still looking at the Batman, she addressed her daughter, "Donna, please escort your two friends to the leisurely area while Cupid and I have a few questions and stipulations for the Batman."
Donna nodded, motioned Dick and Wally to follow her. The two men hesitated for a moment, but Donna gave them a pleading hiss to hurry before her mother resorted to incarcerating them for procrastinating and abusing the queen's patience.
When they left, Queen Hippolyta elegantly sat on the wicker chair near the window, gestured to Cupid to seat himself on the other. Cupid did as he was told, smirking inwardly when the Batman was left to stand in front of them as if facing prosecution.
Unsmiling, she said after a minute's stillness, "Not too long ago, when my daughter arrived, I was supposed to be thrilled. But I grew worried instead—a very unusual emotion of a mother whose daughter has come home after months of separation. I questioned her but she refused to face me. Why? As much as my heart was bursting with curiosity and anxiety, I did not pursue her for fear that I might only provoke her." She paused to sip from a glass that materialized in her hand. She thanked Cupid for the gesture and continued, "And I now understand my daughter's abnormal behavior. The cause? You."
Batman felt cold by hearing her astringent accusation. But he kept an unperturbed front nonetheless. If Diana's life was hanging in jeopardy, he couldn't deny his liable actions. But that didn't also mean he would allow them to mortify him in every possible way. He would act on his guilt, he would save Diana, but loving her explicitly afterwards…? It was a question of fate.
"I perfectly understand your exasperation, and I take whole blame for it. But if I may ask…?"
Hippolyta nodded her head.
Batman faced Cupid. "If a friend knew where his friend was getting herself into, why did he let her use dangerous means to reciprocate the mistake I've done?"
Cupid's face instantly hardened at Batman's accusatory tone. A vein throbbed in his temple but when he sensed Hippolyta's crossed eyebrows, he calmed a bit. A muffled chuckle escaped his lips, and he smirked.
"I was very much aware of Diana's potential danger, but she left me no other choice. She's a very hardheaded woman, easily determined to do as she thinks is right or fair. In this case, she was emotional yet she kept her wits intact. I reiterated the hazards to her, but she turned the deaf ear. I gave up because I trusted her decision and Donna's watchful eye. And I still do trust them… however," he paused, his face turning into a sudden change of mood; he grew somber. "The orb's power must have overwhelmed her. It unsuspectingly advanced to the critical stage after years of neglect."
He rubbed his face in frustration. Hands over his face, he muttered, "I should have been more mindful of the orb's variable effects…"
Batman brooded over the newly learned info. "So, what you're saying is… the orb rushed its development; there's a probability that Diana is in bigger risk now?"
Hippolyta abruptly whirled her focus on Cupid, her face aging by the second. "Cupid. I thought you told me she is in good hands?"
"She is," Cupid assured Diana's worried mother. "I cast a sleeping spell on her, but she's still in contact with the orb." He held up his hand courteously when Hippolyta was about to barrage Cupid with angry protests. "Don't worry, my queen. She is, and will be in safe hands if someone here has kept his word of taking action on his guilt…?"
Batman nodded, stood still. "One question. Why would the orb rush its progress after years of disregard? It doesn't make sense. When an item has been neglected for years, shouldn't it be fine? Unless… it's been abused in some mysterious way."
Cupid's eyes squinted in pleased recognition. "The orb's power is activated through skin contact, specifically when it's already in use. Centuries ago, a god used it. When his companions thought of it as danger to their friend's life, they did as what you and your friends tried to do beforehand. But their mistake was they didn't have protection over their skin. One of the unsuspecting gods got hold of it and consequently he became the new host. Flummoxed, the still ingenuous gods fought the new user and when the next fortunate god touches the orb, he's spellbound by it. So, throughout their continuous brawl and wild interchange of users, the orb's goal became unpredictable and unruly. And now, Diana's paying for their dense consequence."
Comprehending, Batman and Hippolyta concurred quietly. But Hippolyta's hands gripped the armrests so hard that it seemed bent when she let go of it. She straightened her back, barked fumingly, "If you knew that it washighly unstable, why didn't you fix it? Better yet, why did you consent to my daughter's hasty wishes!"
Cupid stood up and bowed his head before Hippolyta. "My apologies, my queen." He looked up, remorse engraved in his mesmerizing eyes. "That incident took place centuries ago, it slipped off my mind. And hearing Diana's story impulsively sparked foolhardy mischief in me. Again, I am sorry and the Batman should not take whole blame for it. Please forgive me, my queen."
Hippolyta blew out a tired sigh. She muttered to him to get up, then said, "Well, this just proves that gods are just as flawed as the humans. I slightly forgive you, that is, could I trust your decision to work?"
"Of course." Cupid turned to Batman. "If the Batman has kept his word to save Diana, it'll work." Cupid cleared his throat, continued, "I've done my part, it's now your turn."
"Your part?" Batman growled questioningly. "What have you done that helped us or Diana? Baffle us by blinding us and abducting Diana? We were so close to have saved her!"
Cupid faced him sharply, his face furrowed in gravity. "Were you really? Are you absolutely certain that if you've snatched away the orb she wouldn't want to use it again? Do you honestly believe that she'd feel guilt-ridden over her impetuous, spiteful actions? Please tell me if I'm wrong, I'm rather curious about your answer."
Sitting down, Cupid entwined his hands together, his lips drawn in a meditative line, his eyes scrutinizing Batman's thoughtful, grim expression. Then he thought of Diana, soundly asleep in his guest's chamber.
After swallowing Batman and his colleagues in biting light, he surreptitiously poked Diana with his drowsy arrows and gently carried her off to Olympia. Psyche helped him by writing the message on the wall and leaving the leaf on the bed. Knowing that Donna would recognize it, they didn't feel doubtful about Donna's resolution that Cupid was the mastermind of the whole disappearing act.
As much as he loathed the Batman's forbidding air, he had to admit that the Batman's gumption was credible. Cupid now understood Diana's reason of infatuation… love for the Batman. And looking at the Batman intently, although the Batman refused to open his heart, he knew that it was slowly creaking open, slowly allowing Diana's love to ignite the passion deeply buried inside him.
He sighed in irritation when Batman answered finally, "For one, Diana's life would be far from strife if you only let us get the necklace. I already feel remorseful by how my words have hurt her and I know that a simple apology couldn't compensate for nearly losing her. But do bear in mind that as you have your ways of bringing two people together, I have my own. Don't delude yourself that you're a thoroughly flourishing matchmaker. As Queen Hippolyta mentioned earlier, gods are as flawed as us humans." Batman paused to check the time. "So, unless you want her to remain as the cursed Sleeping Beauty forever, tell me: how long till the clock will have struck the twenty-fourth hour? And I understand that mortals aren't allowed to enter through Olympia?"
Cupid suddenly let out an amused chuckle. "You're going a bit too fast for me here." He paused to sip wine from a bronze cup that magically emerged in his hand. He lifted it in Batman's direction. "Wine?"
"No thanks. I don't gluttonize myself seeing that it has proven to lead one in a perpetual state of indolence and imprudence." Bruce scowled when Cupid only grinned. "What the hell are you smiling about at a time like now? You're bluffing about Diana's condition, aren't you?"
"I vow to my mother and father that I have not lied about Diana's snoozing episode." He turned to Hippolyta in question. She nodded her head in consent. Cupid then continued, "To answer your snippy question, you have… the remaining sixteen hours to complete the obstacle we gods have in store for mortals who wish to cross Olympia's gate. And it begins with my first question."
"Do you love Diana? Oh," Cupid butted in. "Change that. Why don't we make this a little more interesting?"
Cupid cunningly glanced at Batman's serious face. "Why have you chosen to push away someone you so cherished?"
Batman twitched his eyebrows in annoyance. Why did everybody have to ask the same question every single time unwelcome love was pushed in his face? It was infuriating when he had to reiterate the answer. And under now's circumstance, he wouldn't change it just because Diana's life was on the line. His future depended on it.
"I'm destined to seclusion for the rest of my life. It's my fate to be alone, live alone, die alone. Changing that would mean the future is at risk. I can't let that happen."
After a moment's thoughtful silence, Hippolyta finally queried, "So you believe that the future shouldn't be revealed to the present eye because if it did, the future is threatened? If that's the case, why did you see it then?"
"Accidents happen for a reason. Green Lantern discovered that he'll have a son with Shayera Hol. That son is bound to save lives in the future. As for me, I'd rather not repeat myself. Unexpected things happen for a reason."
Cupid slowly nodded at this. "Including this orb's impediment? It's unexpected and it could have occurred for a reason, don't you agree?"
Batman went silent for a moment. "Could be. But I'm sure Diana would have understood if I only told her everything more clearly. I should have bottled in my temper…"
"But the damage has been done; nothing we could do about it," Hippolyta filled in. "And if my deduction is correct, the future you went to was misshapen, it was corrupted. If that's the case, what makes you wholly positive that your destiny to be alone is fixedly decided?"
Before Batman could reply, Cupid interjected, "In addition to that, the mortal's future is still unsettled. That's one flaw that usually envies us gods. And I'm afraid that includes myself." Cupid leaned back in his seat. "Your choices are unlimited, boundless, lawless. On the other hand, ours is totally predestined, bound by laws. We are immortal, thus, our time is normally consumed by socializing with other gods, watching and criticizing humans, or creating havoc in your world—well, blame Poseidon for the recent shipwrecks—in short, we lead a very boring life."
For the first time in his life, Batman couldn't think of anything to defend himself. Stunned, he couldn't shake off the feeling that he has actually based his assumptions, decisions, his life on a future that was uncertain, perverted. Hippolyta was right. And Cupid? Damn! All this time he was being misled, toyed by a warped future that was created by a psychotic physicist.
He cursed under his breath, almost kicked himself for his rashness. Oh gawd… Diana…
"I think…" Clenching tight his fists, he muttered hesitantly, "How do I really save Diana? Or would you rather barrage me with questions or do I have to run through a floating obstacle course?"
Cupid and Hippolyta fleetingly shared a smile before turning their heads to the Batman. "You will have to go through a misty obstacle course, not floating," Cupid said. "But be warned, gods have conspired the whole course. Very, very few have accomplished it but that happened four centuries ago. You must be swift and cunning, and I'm sure you'll do fine if you've put your heart into it."
When Batman was first to exit through the door, Hippolyta whispered to Cupid, "You believe he is ready?"
"Most probably, yes."
Hippolyta raised her brow at him. "Most probably?"
"Don't worry, my queen. I'm the god of love, and I'm absolutely certain that love can surpass anything, even if one's heart has been shut to everything until now. Please trust me on this one."
Hippolyta stared at the back of Batman's cape when she mumbled, "I do. I do."
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TO BE CONTINUED…
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