Chapter #5 -
A small cellphone he'd bought a year before vibrated in Clark Kent's shirt-pocket. His every-day cellphone was silent on his beltclip. There was only one person who had the number for the phone in his shirt-pocket. She would typically call Superman a few hours in advance to let him know whether she wanted him to drop by for one of their little 'talks' on her hotel balcony.
Sitting at his Daily Planet desk, he debated about slipping into one of the conference rooms for more privacy, but decided to chance it, covering the receiver with his hand as best he could.
"Hello." Clark answered, hardening the tone of his voice slightly to Superman.
"Hi, it's me."
"Hi, me."
"For a superhero, you're surprisingly funny," Lois replied. "Busy?"
"Nothing I can't handle. What's up?"
"I can't make it tonight," Lois whispered, a hint of trepidation in her voice. "It's not fair to you, or to him."
"I understand," Clark replied calmly, but his lip quivered while he stared across the newsroom. "I wish you luck, I really do."
"That's very kind of you," Lois whispered. "That's what makes this so hard. Can we still be friends?"
"We were never anything but friends," Clark whispered bitterly. "But it makes it easier to move on anyway. Take care of yourself." He hung up the phone before she could reply.
With a pang of regret, he quietly crushed the phone into little pieces, surreptitiously dumping the contents into his trash can. Clark looked at his watch then with a start realized that he'd tentatively made a date with Diana the previous day. He'd left her exploring the Fortress of Solitude, but the various halls displaying Krypton's history and heritage would only entertain her for so long.
'I've got to get to the grocery store,' he mused, trying to think up a meal which might impress the Amazon Princess.
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT"So where did you learn to cook?" Diana asked, the corner of her mouth upturned in a warm smile. She was sitting on a barstool, having flown with Superman from the Fortress to an unfamiliar apartment in Metropolis a few minutes before. It was relatively late in the city, though Superman had ensured their arrival went unnoticed, hugging the rooftops and parapets before quickly sneaking onto his balcony with Diana in tow.
"Both of my parents are pretty handy in the kitchen." Superman replied, distracted by the task of mixing a Caesar salad at superspeed. He placed the large bowl next to a basket of crescent rolls, roasted chicken, and a bowl of fettucine. "I learned from them. It's not as if I'm a gourmet or anything. Besides, restaurants are pretty expensive in this town on a reporter's salary, and eating in a restaurant dressed like this can attract a crowd."
Diana's face clouded at that revelation. "Your parents? I thought you said you were the last Kryptonian."
Superman nodded in understanding at her confusion, then motioned for Diana to sit at the dinner table. He poured her a glass of iced tea as he started to explain. "I was born Kal-El on Krypton. A few weeks later, my birth parents, Jor-El and Lara, sent me to Earth in a spaceship to escape that planet's destruction. I grew up as the adopted son of Jonathan and Martha Kent in Smallville, Kansas. My name…here on Earth anyway…is Clark Kent. In order to pay the bills – " he dashed out of the dining room at superspeed and came back dressed in his trademark blue-suit and thick, horn-rimmed glasses "- I work as a newspaper reporter for the Daily Planet. Speaking of which, I've been meaning to ask you for an interview."
Surprised by his sudden change of appearance, Diana slowly nodded in assent to his request, all the while processing the information, then followed up. "So what would you like me to call you? Superman, Kal-El or Clark?"
"As long as I can remember, nobody has ever called me Kal. Clark is fine around the apartment, but everyplace I wear the uniform I'd prefer Superman. Less chance of confusion for those not in-the-know."
Diana thought about his admission for a moment, then her eyes narrowed. "So who else knows about the dual identity?"
"My parents in Kansas, obviously. My cousin, Kara Zor-el, who you probably know as Supergirl…"
"I've only saw her once in through the scrying glass. Is she from Krypton as well?"
"She's Argonian. A sister planet the Kryptonians colonized centuries ago. When Krypton exploded, Argo's orbit deteriorated. The planet froze overnight. I found Kara in a stasis chamber my uncle had built. As for her infrequent appearances here, that is by design." Clark admitted, eyebrows knitting. "She's young. I want her to complete her education before she starts patrolling on a full-time basis."
"What does SHE want?"
"Kara?" Clark snorted. "She wants to patrol full-time."
"Is that so wrong? Why not let her?"
"Because if she patrols full-time as Supergirl and doesn't act human, there's a better than average chance that she'll get addicted to the power."
"Interesting observation," Diana replied between bites of chicken. "Come from personal experience?"
"I did a lot of damage to my reputation leading Darkseid's army to Earth," Clark noted. "I don't want her to go through something like that."
"I watched that battle with the Oracle," Diana noted with a frown. "How did they stop you?"
"Blasted me with radiation generated by a mineral from my planet called Kryptonite," Clark replied grimly. "It's my only real weakness. The only good thing that came out of that Kryptonite blast was the fact that the trauma nullified Darkseid's brainwashing."
Her face blanched slightly at the mention of Darkseid. He was the one enemy she'd seen from the scrying glass that gave her pause. "Did you kill Darkseid?"
"No, I don't kill," Superman replied grimly. "I left those he'd tyrannized for years to decide his fate."
Diana pursed her lips as if she was going to argue the point, then thought better of it. "Are there other weaknesses?" Diana replied with a forced grin, trying to lighten the tone. "A woman, perhaps?"
He forced a smile as well in response, measuring how much he wanted to divulge on the first date. He decided that if they were going to be teammates, or maybe even more judging by the way she was looking at him, Diana might as well know the whole story. "Awhile back there was a girl that I worked with at the Daily Planet. She was always getting into trouble, requiring Superman's help. Some of my enemies eventually got wind of that and held her hostage as leverage."
"What happened?" Diana asked, making a show of looking around the room. "I don't see her here."
"She liked Superman but she wouldn't give Clark Kent the time of day. I don't think she ever understood that Clark Kent is who I am, Superman is what I do."
"Interesting observation," Diana replied. "So you never let her in on the big secret?"
"It came close a number of times, but before I resolved myself to tell her, she started
dating Batman while he was on a mission here in the city. She moved to Gotham a few weeks later."
"Let me make sure I have this straight," Diana started, eyebrows raised high. "This woman chose him…over you?"
"It's not quite that simple. I never really declared my intentions towards her, so in all fairness, when he showed up, Lois was fair game."
"And Batman pursued this…Lois…upon arrival?" Diana queried.
"Well, Batman also has a secret identity and no, I'm not going to tell you who he is," Clark noted with a wry grin. "Lois didn't find out he was Batman until it was too late."
"Too late for you, you mean?"
"Touche," Clark replied, then he allowed himself a scowl. "Do we really need to talk about him all night? He's not my favorite subject."
"Nor mine," Diana soothed. "It's just intriguing from my perspective, that's all. After all you two have been through, no wonder you don't get along."
"I don't hold a grudge against him for Lois, not anymore, anyway. He's everything I'm not. Sauve, rich, sophisticated…"
"What is it then?"
"I've always suspected that he was responsible for supplying the kryptonite to the military." Clark admitted, the guilt of that day still evident on his face. "That blast almost killed Kara."
"Can you prove it?"
"No."
"Who else had access to kryptonite?"
"Dr. Hamilton at Star Labs has a sample in his vault." He mused. "Lex Luthor keeps a piece on him at all times."
"So it's possible they were responsible?"
"I doubt it. You have no idea of how ruthless and cold Batman can be."
"I saw firsthand how quickly he changed tactics against the Invaders," Diana pointed out, sitting back in her chair. "He's a cunning warrior, to be sure." Her eyes twinkled as she debated about whether to tell Clark about her encounter with Batman on Themyscira, then Diana realized that Clark had been brutally honest about the details of his own life so quid pro quo only made sense.
"But 'cold' is not a word that comes to mind when I think of him. Batman is quite ardent in his own way. Did I tell you that he kissed me when they came to find me on Themyscira?"
Clark's eyes grew huge with amazement. "He kissed you? Where? When?"
Diana related some of the basic details of the story, but she decided to leave out the parts involving her nudity as well as the part where where she'd returned Batman's kiss before coming to her senses. Clark's ego was sensitive enough.
She saw Clark's face turn to scowl again, and she decided to change the subject. She perched her chin languidly in her hands, then whispered in a sultry voice, "But as you've said already, enough about him. I'm done eating. Do you want to sleep with me?"
Clark almost spit out the last bite of chicken he was scraping from his plate. He coughed a few times so not to choke, then cleared his throat with a few sips of iced tea.
"Are you all right?" she asked.
"Fine," he gasped. "You just surprised me, that's all. I'm not used to a woman being so…direct."
"Is that a problem?" she asked, concerned. "I just assumed from Batman's actions that men and women are somewhat forthright about declaring their intentions."
"Not a problem," he replied. "Just different. "
"Different? Good different?"
He pushed his chair back from the table, a strong resolve evident on his face. Clark reached down and pulled Diana out of her chair, then kissed her tenderly. "Definitely good different."
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT"You're late," Lois noted with a mock scowl.
"Sorry." Bruce replied, sitting down at his private table in the executive dining room of Wayne Enterprises.
Lois waited for the waiter to take their drink order before pressing for information. "This is getting to be a routine, you know. We haven't had a real date in a month."
Bruce winced but lamely offered a shrug of resignation. "Don't blame me. You were the one who wanted me to join the League."
"I haven't seen any indications that you've gone on any missions with them."
"I haven't."
"Then what's so damned important that you've been skipping out on our dates?"
"I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you."
"Bruce, please don't develop a sense of humor at this point. It would change the dynamic entirely." Lois teased, then her expression grew serious. "Really, what are you working on?"
His eyes twinkled with delight, but he waited until the waiter had delivered their drinks and taken their lunch orders before divulging the secret. "Did you happen to catch that announcement about that Ariane-5 rocket that went off-course last week?"
"It wasn't exactly headline news," Lois replied, searching her memory. "But I think it was somewhere on the news briefs."
"Page nine to be exact." Bruce replied proudly. "Second time in two months that a WayneTech satellite was lost during launch. Insurance companies are starting to hate me."
Lois processed the information for a few seconds then a grin spread across her face. "So what are you building up there?"
"A space station," Bruce replied in between bites of chicken cordon bleu. "Want to see it?"
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After he'd announced to the Justice League that he was joining them as 'an associate', Batman had promptly disappeared for six weeks. He'd ignored all of their calls during that time, then as suddenly as he'd disappeared, Batman paged them on the comm. link, ordering them to report to the Fortress of Solitude by noon. Superman had arrived first, aghast to find Batman waiting patiently in the hangar bay next to a plane that loosely resembled a white SR-71.
"How did you get in?" Superman barked, furiously scanning his security systems for damage. There was none.
"I asked nicely," Batman replied innocently, then turned his attention towards the rest of the team as the members individually arrived in the hangar. "Besides, its not like I haven't been here before."
Superman opened his mouth to further inquire about that admission when one by one, they all whistled amazement at the new plane.
"What do you call it?" Lantern asked, nodding at the plane.
"Javelin-7," Batman replied.
"What's it for?"
"League missions."
"Capabilities?"
"Mach seven at fifty thousand feet. Mach twenty-five at one hundred thousand. Warp six once you're out of the Earth's gravity well."
"Mach twenty-five?" Hawkgirl asked, "Isn't that…"
"Escape velocity?" Batman interrupted.
"Yes."
Superman knitted his eyebrows in exasperation. "You built us a spaceplane? Why?"
"When I heard about the little misadventure with your spaceship, I thought it only made sense to build us something reliable."
"Where did you get the technology?" Superman pressed. "Your plane isn't space capable."
"Borrowed the thrusters from the schematics on your computer." Batman replied impatiently. "Everything else is from spare parts from NASA. Can we go?"
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"I still can't believe the view," Diana marveled, looking down at Earth from a vantage point of 1,000 miles high.
"Batman does like his little surprises," Superman responded with awe. "But I never expected…this."
The two were standing on the Observation Deck of a space station Batman called The Watchtower. With Batman at the controls of the Javelin, the flight up from the Fortress of Solitude was amazingly smooth. Once they'd reached the inky darkness of space, Batman had plugged in a series of coordinates into the autopilot that took over the controls. Minutes later, a spacestation loomed out of the darkness.
Batman took over manual control, completed a revolution around the spacestation so that his passengers could all get a look, then hit a button on the pilot console. Two hangar bay doors opened, then a series of landing lights switched on dramatically as they entered the station.
They touched down in the hangar next to a boxy looking craft. J'onn looked at it with interest.
"Shuttlecraft." Batman noted, securing the controls. "Not as fast as the Javelin in the atmosphere nor is it deep space capable. On the other hand, it can lift five tons of deadweight up to orbital level. I installed four of those anti-gravity pod designs you showed me for lift and propulsion. It will serve as our cargo carrier for supply runs or to ferry members back to Earth if the Javelin isn't available."
Exiting the plane, Batman led them through a guided tour of the Watchtower. Surprisingly spacious, the structure was over two hundred meters tall by thirty meters wide. Engineering, life support, communications and the central computer were housed on the lower floors under the hangar bay. Above that, a workout room with weights, stairmasters and even a sparring mat occupied another level. An infirmary with four beds sat directly across from a conference room on the next level. A cavernous Monitor Room dominated the central part of the structure, with an elevator system available for transport down to the hangar and lower spaces as well as up to the residential quarters and living spaces in the upper levels. At the top floor, an observation deck provided an uninterrupted view of the planet below. The seven of them were milling about there now, but Diana and Superman had broken away to enjoy the view by themselves.
"An impressive facility," John Stewart noted behind Superman and Wonder Woman. "But is all this really necessary?"
Flash, Hawgirl and J'onn J'onnz considered the question a few feet away. None of them noticed the Dark Knight emerging from the shadow of a bulkhead until he was upon them.
"This facility will allow us to respond to any threat in a real-time basis. All of the systems are pre-set to emergency broadcast networks around the globe, not just the U.S."
The group followed him back down to the residential quarters, where they were pleasantly surprised to find large bedrooms and private bathrooms. "Diana," Batman murmured, punching in a master command code to open the door. "This is your room. Next door is Flash, then Hawkgirl, J'onn, Lantern and Superman."
"How did you decide that order?" Flash asked.
"Alphabetical. Next question."
"Where do you sleep?" Diana inquired.
"Who sleeps?" Batman deadpanned, then activated the security system. "Computer, acknowledge Batman, Security Code 01."
"Batman, acknowledged." A feminine, yet metallic voice chirped back.
Batman turned to Superman. "Can you repeat that sequence when asked, only use your name and Code 02?" Superman nodded in reply.
"Computer, acknowledge the following voice as Superman."
"Superman, acknowledged."
Batman turned to Diana. "You're next. Code 03."
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTThe tour had just wound down when Batman surprised J'onn, Lantern, Hawkgirl and Flash by inviting them to explore the kitchen and monitor stations. It wasn't an order, but the four responded warily, as if they'd been dismissed.
Once the four had disappeared behind a corridor bulkhead, Batman turned to face Diana and Superman, then beckoned them into the conference room.
Warily, Superman sat down on the opposite side of the table from Batman, while Diana sat between them.
"Problem?" Superman asked.
"When are you two going to tell the others?" Batman responded.
"Tell the others about what?" Diana asked.
"Tell the others what's going on between you?"
"Are you sure there's something going on?" Superman smirked.
"Despite rumors to the contrary, Bats aren't actually blind, but apparently Kryptonians are now deaf. Noting that, I'll repeat my question loudly, when are you going to tell the others?"
"Is it really any of their business if Superman and I are involved?" Diana asked, firmly returning the Dark Knight's accusing stare.
"I've already expressed my concerns about the world's view of a group of superpowered beings forming a league not sanctioned by a body of government."
"What you do in Gotham could hardly be described as 'sanctioned'," Superman observed sarcastically.
"People still see me as a man, not a god." Batman replied coldly. "Back to the league. Some will worship you, others will condemn. We'll deal with that when the time comes. Noting my reservations about the League itself, I'm still a firm believer that dating within the team always leads to disaster," Batman observed. "Think about the ramifications. You're two of the most powerful beings on the planet. Once the world press realizes Diana has joined the League and that you two are in a relationship, they'll start to wonder if you're planning on having the next generation of demi-gods to help lord over the Earth."
"After what happened on the island, certainly you have no right…" Diana started.
Batman cut her off before she could continue. "And that's the best case scenario if it does work out happily-ever-after. If it doesn't work out, we'll have to start re-arranging duty rosters so the two of you don't have to see each other except on those rare occasions where we have to save the world. We're averaging twice a month there by the way." He noted flippantly.
Superman and Diana stared sullenly at him, but neither said a word.
"Look, as much as you may want it to be, this conversation isn't personal. Based on firsthand experience, I've learned the hard way that the team dynamic can be irreparably damaged once a romance goes sour."
Diana and Superman stared hard at each other in response, then Superman decided to respond. "Whatever your agenda is here, Batman. Rest assured that Diana and I are adults, perfectly capable of having a relationship…good, bad or indifferent…without your intervention."
Batman's eyes narrowed with anger, but he decided to let Clark's insolent tone pass. "Agreed, but I think it's only fair to the rest of the team that if things get serious, you respect them enough to let them know what's going on."
"How will we know if it's serious by your standards?" Diana mocked.
"Because if it gets that far, I'll already have told them. In the meantime, consider your interaction on missions and here in the Watchtower. If other members start to notice that you only go on missions with each other, they'll figure it out soon enough."
Batman kicked his chair back from the table. "I've said my peace about this. Who wants to be first to fly the Javelin?"
Diana shrugged blankly then replied. "I do."
Clark scowled.
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTSitting alone, surrounded by sea of empty desks normally occupied by fellow reporters who'd long since gone home, Clark Kent was busily hammering away at his keyboard console, trying to meet a ten p.m. publishing deadline. His senses suddenly told him he wasn't alone. It was Lois fragrance that gave her away. Not that his super-hearing couldn't pick her up her footfalls, but years of practice had taught him to ignore background noises, lest he go crazy from the continual distractions.
"Hey, Smallville," Lois purred, sidling up behind his chair. "Whatcha workin' on? Another fluff piece about Wonder-Babe? That was a really hard-hitting interview by the way. Next time we'll put a disclaimer around it, then let the makers of saccharine sponsor it."
"Another Port Authority corruption article," he replied over his shoulder, tapping away. "What are you doing here? In town to regale us with another story about the lifestyles of the rich and famous?"
"Whoa!" Lois exclaimed. "Smallville finally fights back for a change. What brought that on? Too much coffee?"
Clark whipped around in his chair, then leaned in to stare at her. "Some of us are honestly a little tired of the Gotham dilettante routine, Lois. You drop in once a month, tell us all about your great new lifestyle, but you're a little short when it comes to asking us about how our lives are going, aren't you? With friends like that, who needs enemies?"
Lois didn't say a word, but the tear that formed in the corner of her eye told Clark that his accusation had hit a little too close to home. "I didn't mean…" she started.
"…to ignore the little people you left behind when you started making regular appearances at photo ops for the society pages?" he growled.
Lois was stunned. "Is that what this is about? My God, Clark. Are you jealous?"
"Not jealous," Clark replied. "Just sick and tired of being treated like a second class citizen by somebody I thought was my friend."
"I am your friend." Lois protested. "I still don't understand what I've done wrong."
Clark stared long at her, deliberating if there was something more he wanted to tell her, but he turned around, withholding whatever was bothering him from her. "Don't you have another black-tie auction to attend? I've got to get this article finished for Perry."
Speechless, Lois left the room. She paused at the elevator vestibule, debating about whether to make amends with her colleague, then thought better of it.
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Diana was still getting used to the equipment in front of her when a priority message came into the Monitor Womb. The LCD informed her the call was coming from Green Lantern.
"Yes, Lantern?" she called, switching on the comm link.
"Flash and I have got a situation here," his agitated voice piped in. "There's been a containment breach of a reactor core here in Central City. It's overpowering my ring, I can't…"
The line went dead.
"Lantern! Do you read me?" Diana barked into the comm link, but there was no reply.
She punched up the coordinates of Central City into the scanners, however there was no city evident on the monitors. Only a residual energy signature remained. Hawkgirl and J'onn joined her a moment later after Diana paged the two remaining stand-by members, and the three of them puzzled over the read-outs.
Batman's image suddenly appeared on the monitor a moment later. The stalagmites hanging in the background were an easy give to his location. "Diana, I've been monitoring the situation. There's another location in Africa evidencing the same energy signature as Central City. The two have to be connected."
"Meet you in Central City, or in Africa."
"Lantern and Flash can handle whatever's happening in Central City. Let's try Africa."
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTDiana warmed up the Javelin auxiliary power units while J'onn and Hawkgirl had strapped themselves in next to, and behind her, respectively. She experienced a quick moment of doubt about her piloting skills, but Batman had assured her after an hour of pilot instruction that she was ready to solo.
She admitted feeling a smug sense of satisfaction that she'd learned how to fly the craft faster than the rest of her teammates. J'onn and Hawgirl took a few minutes longer than Diana, but she attributed the differences mostly to their physiology, not their skill. Of course, Diana didn't admit to the fact that she'd grown up flying a similar plane – the Invisible Jet – back on Themyscira.
As Batman had instructed, she let the computer handle most of the departure from the Watchtower and the subsequent descent into the stratosphere over Africa. If J'onn or Hawkgirl were worried, neither of them showed any signs of agitation.
The sensors indicated they were nearing their destination, however a proximity warning light flashed on with the target still a few miles away.
"Collision alarm," Diana noted. "Brace yourselves."
"There's nothing on the scanners," J'onn pointed out.
"Batman built this plane," Diana replied, reefing the plane into a hard left turn. "Do you want to be the one to tell him he's wrong?"
The Javelin had nearly completed its turn but the forward momentum was still too fast for the turn to fully compensate. The three of them winced as a sickening groan rattled through the hull. The right wing bashed itself across the outer rim of a force field for a few seconds, and then they were clear.
J'onn peered back through the canopy toward the wing. The lateral stabilizer evidenced a great deal of damage, however the Javelin was still airworthy.
"Your faith in Batman's engineering skills seems to be well founded." J'onn murmured.
"Nice job," Hawkgirl added. "You saved the plane."
Diana deftly maneuvered the plane into hover mode, then brought the plane down gently, landing in an open meadow next to the Batwing. Batman was patiently waiting for them, leaning against the fuselage. His face blanched when he saw the mangled wreckage of the stabilizer, and glanced sideways at Diana when she walked down the ramp.
"I take it the Watchtower is still in orbit?" he muttered dryly. "Bump the hangar doors on the way out?"
Diana scowled back at him. "There's a force field protecting whatever we're here to see. How did you avoid it?"
"Proximity alarm system," he noted smugly. "It helps if you listen to it."
"I did…" Diana protested angrily, color rising in her cheeks, then she shut up before he could goad her any further as their comm. links suddenly came back on-line, with Lantern's desperate voice clearly audible.
"Green Lantern to all points. Can you read me?"
"We're here, John." Hawkgirl answered quickly. "What's your situation?"
The words had hardly left her mouth before the entire horizon suddenly shimmered. Where a mountain had previously been visible, a huge city suddenly stood in its place. That alone was shocking, however the appearance of a squad of armed gorillas riding hover-bikes towards their position left them momentarily speechless.
"You're not going to believe this," Lantern's voice started. "But a bad guy named Grodd has taken over Central City and the ICBM base outside of the city. He just fired four missiles towards Africa. I'm chasing them down, but I don't know if I'll be able to catch them all in time."
"This Grodd by any chance a really smart gorilla?" Batman asked.
"How did you guess?" Lantern replied, bewildered.
"Because we're parked outside a city filled with them." Batman murmured. He turned to face his three companions. "Give me some air support now. I'll vector you up to the missiles."
A thousand miles away, Lantern used his ring to neatly cut out the guidance system from the nearest missile. He attempted the same feat on the next missile, however his aim wasn't quite as steady and the missile detonated in the stratosphere. Lantern's ring protected him from the worst effects, however the blast wave knocked him off his intercept course. As he plunged towards the ground, stunned, he managed to warn his teammates of two more incoming missiles.
Seated in the Javelin, Batman used the craft's radar system to plot an intercept course for his teammates. "Diana, Hawkgirl. Incoming from the north-west at Mach Three. Steer a course of 300 degrees, stagger at Angels twenty and fifteen…forty-five degree separation. J'onn, 290 degrees, Angels twenty-five."
"Angels twenty?" Diana asked blankly as she and Hawgirl rapidly gained altitude, looking for the incoming warhead.
"Twenty thousand feet," Hawkgirl answered casually, then doubled her speed when her sharp eyesight spied the incoming missile. "I'll take high, you stay low."
Three miles away, J'onn gained speed and altitude at his assigned vector, then phased through the incoming missile, neatly removing the warhead's nuclear trigger as he emerged from the other side.
Hawkgirl had no such luxury as the missile approached her, smashing the center casing with her energy mace when it flew by. A mile below, Diana watched with delight then horror as the missile separated into three pieces. The largest, containing the warhead, was still intact and on course, fueled only by the remaining inertia the booster rocket had provided.
Diana met the warhead at fifteen thousand feet, debated about whether to bash the warhead with her fist, then realized the resulting blast would consume her and the city below. Her only alternative was to brake the warhead's descent and hope her teammates would come to her aid. She placed both hands on the warhead and pushed, but the effects were negligible. At five thousand feet she started to feel a drop in her rate of descent, but she had a sick feeling that it wasn't going to be enough.
"Hera, give me strength!" she yelled, then sighed in relief as J'onn appeared out of nowhere a moment later, phasing out the other side with the nuclear trigger in his hand. A second later, she hit the ground, pinned beneath the missile as the deadweight of the warhead buried into the soil.
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTBatman watched with dread as the remaining warhead plummeted towards the city. His eyes flashed with horror when he realized that Diana was still pushing against the nosecone, trying to deflect the missile's trajectory.
The missile hit the surface and burrowed into ground a hundred meters away from the Javelin. He leapt out of the canopy then sprinted to the crater the impact had created.
"Diana." Batman shouted with alarm, racing down the path of freshly turned soil. Arriving at the crumpled casing for the warhead, Batman frantically searched for any trace of the Amazon. Finding none, he started burrowing through the soil with his bare hands, desperately trying to reach her.
J'onn arrived a moment later, followed by Hawkgirl and a crowd of upright simbians talking quietly amongst themselves. Judging by the expression on their faces, the apes were obviously intelligent and they glanced appreciatively at the team of heroes. J'onn took a quick glance at the apes, briefly pondering the mystery of their evolution, but there were more pressing matters at hand.
He placed a calming hand on Batman's shoulder, signaling him to stop digging. Batman ignored him, clawing through the dirt for another minute before finally giving up. Resigned, he accepted a hand-up to leave the crater when the ground suddenly rumbled behind him. The warhead and casing suddenly lifted out of the crater, then Diana stood up, heaving the weight of the casing over her head, then deftly tossed it aside.
Batman stared open-mouthed, amazed that she'd survived, then turned away. Quietly, he sidled up next to Hawkgirl, pretending that he'd been a spectator all along. The Thanagarian allowed a small grin, trying not to embarrass him by noticing his dirt-covered hands. Diana joined them, standing on Batman's right side while J'onn stood next to Hawkgirl, staring at the apes in amazement.
The crowd of apes suddenly cheered them, thanking the lot of them for saving their city from certain destruction. Diana waved to the crowd, then peeked over at Batman. His hands were covered with dirt, and she grinned with understanding that it was his hands which she'd heard digging while she was pinned underneath the warhead. Batman caught her stare, and quietly slipped the gauntlets beneath his cape so she couldn't see them anymore.
On impulse, Diana leaned in and kissed him on the cheek, then choked back a laugh as he reddened with embarrassment, turning away from her so she couldn't see his face.
Hawkgirl and J'onn exchanged glances but didn't say a word, then Lantern arrived a moment later to debrief them on the events of Central City.
Diana nodded attentively as Lantern filled them in, but her focus wandered when she realized Batman had slipped away. She stared at the Batwing as it roared overhead, disappearing toward the horizon.
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