A/N: Here's the next chapter, concluding the great conflict that brought our two favorite heroes together!
Just a slight note, it took me WAY too long to try and translate Batman and Wonder Woman's conversations. Therefore, to preserve both my sanity and the sanity of those I offended through my awful Greek translations (lol, sorry) I decided to identify conversations happening in Ancient Greek with brackets ({,}). In my copy and on other sites, I used carrots (,) like the comics actually do, but of course FF doesn't let me do that :). So, I settled with the next best thing!
I hope you all enjoy!
Chapter 7: Heroes Band Together
South of Metropolis: 1 Day Before the Formation of the Justice League
Batman typed briskly on his gauntlet's computer, pulling up a map that pinpointed the locations of the three Minoscopters. He silently cursed under his breath in seeing their locations; all three of the machines were equally distanced across the world. Their ranks would be spread out thin, but they had no other choice.
Closing his gauntlet, Batman turned towards Superman. "The machines are positioned in specific equally-distanced spots across the globe. We only have under 24 hours to take them all out before Savage activates them, so we'll have to get our other allies as fast as we can. Then, we can split up into three teams to simultaneously take out all three machines, not giving Vandal a chance to regroup and form a defense."
Superman nodded, agreeing with Batman's strategy. "I agree. I'll get the kid from Keystone City, along with the Martian."
Batman nodded, knowing about the young speedster and the secluded Martian alien Superman was referring to. "I'll call in the Green Lantern. I also have someone who's currently undercover in Mexico that can help."
"Great, the more help the better," Superman acknowledged. He then made a brief glance over to the Amazon Princess, who was intently watching the two men converse. "What about her?"
"I'm the only one who can communicate with her, so she'll stay with me," Batman replied, slightly turning to face Diana. "She can prove to be a formidable ally."
Superman smirked slightly at Batman, watching as his friend appraised the Amazon. "Never thought I'd see you trust someone that quickly."
Batman turned back towards Superman while giving a slight glare through his white lenses, choosing not to respond to his comment. Truthfully, he could not explain why, but for some reason he did trust this mysterious woman. There was something about her that seemed almost… familiar.
Giving a small chuckle, Superman looked into the sky before launching off straight into the air. He went a good distance above the clouds, finding Keystone City with his enhanced vision. He then bursted towards the general direction of the city, breaking the sound barrier as he did so, wanting to find the heroes before it was too late.
As soon as Superman took flight, Batman turned and faced Diana, relaying to her in Greek everything that he told Superman. She nodded intently, agreeing with his decision to take on all three of the metal contraptions at one time to not give the enemy a chance to formulate a defense.
Satisfied that the Amazon Princess knew the plan, Batman reached into a pocket on his utility belt, taking out a small emerald-green box, one that had a flushed lid on the top. The box was a gift to him a few years ago when he met John Stewart—the Green Lanterns of this 'sector'—for the first time. It contained a specific technology which had the ability to make contact with the Green Lantern's rings. Flicking open the lid, a small button rested inside of the box. Without hesitation, Batman pressed the button, knowing that the box was currently transmitting a message to the Green Lantern of this sector.
Putting the box back in his utility belt, Batman turned to face Diana. "{We've got to get our first ally,}" Batman informed.
"{Who are they?}" Diana asked.
"{Her name is Hawkgirl. She's an alien from a distant planet called Thanagar. Superman and I worked with her once a couple of years ago to infiltrate a cult that was collecting a special weapon in order to sell it on the black market. She's currently undercover in Mexico, so we'll have to use my plane in order to get to her quickly,}" Batman said.
Diana raised a questioning eyebrow, confused as to the item he mentioned. "{What is a plane?}" she asked with interest.
Batman turned to the Amazon in shock for a brief moment, before remembering that she had never stepped foot into the modern world. "{It's a machine that allows people to fly at high speeds,}" Batman informed, not fully sure how to explain the flying machine to the Princess.
Diana nodded in understanding, although her interest was yet to be sated. "{How does it work?}" Diana questioned.
"{Through a process that would take too long to explain right now,}" Batman replied. He pressed a button on his gauntlet, calling the Batwing to his current location. He did his best to ignore the small frown of disappointment that formed on the Amazon Princess's face, knowing that he had more important things to worry about.
Diana heard an indescribable sound come from a good distance away. Turning to look, she saw that the sound was being produced by what looked like a large metal black bird soaring through the air at speeds she did not know were even possible for an object that large. The metal machine moved with elegance, gracefully turning within the air before stopping directly above them.
Batman turned to Diana, stopping for a moment in seeing the wondrous expression on her beautiful face as she marveled at the Batwing. Her innocence was shocking to see, yet it also created a feeling he could not describe.
Slightly shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Batman detached a grapple gun from his utility belt, pointing it up towards the Batwing. "{Let's go, Princess,}" Batman said.
"{Princess?}" Diana questioned, slightly annoyed at the seemingly disrespect Batman had for her title. She turned to confront him to defend her honor, however she was surprised to see the spot he was previously standing in void of the man. She looked up to see Batman floating up to the metal plane using a thin line, watching as two metal panels slid open on the bottom, effectively creating an easy entrance inside of the vehicle.
Knowing that she had to complete her task given to her by the gods, Diana decided to put her annoyance of the man to the side at the moment. She quickly flew up to the opening of the machine, entering the metal contraption and becoming amazed at what she discovered inside.
Although the machine was not fully spacious, there was enough room for a person to stand up to their full height within the main belly of the metal plane. There were a few seats within the place she was currently standing at, each with black harnesses on them to supposedly hold in their passengers. A couple of boxes were stacked towards the back of the plane, their contents unknown to Diana.
She faced towards the front of the plane, seeing where the metal machine was controlled. There was one seat at the very front of the plane currently occupied by Batman, with a large panel of various multi-colored buttons and lights sitting in front of the dark hero. Behind Batman's seat were two other seats similar to the ones she saw when she first entered the plane.
Moving towards the front of the plane, Batman made no outward appearance of recognizing her presence, making Diana believe that he did not know she was in the plane. However, as soon as she crossed the threshold to be next to one of the seats behind Batman, the man suddenly spoke out.
"{Sit down in one of those seats and put on the harness,}" Batman said, his focus still on the control panel as he adjusted a few sensors to make sure they were accurate.
Diana gave a hard glare at the man, wondering who he thought he was to blatantly command her in such a way. "{Why should I?}" Diana questioned, her tone stern and determined.
Batman paused slightly in his movements, taken back by her comment. "{Because you will be propelled to the back of the plane without the harness on,}" Batman said, his tone remaining neutral.
Accepting his reasoning, Diana moved to sit down in the seat to Batman's right. It took her a few moments, but she was able to figure out how the harness attached to the seat.
Seeing that the Princess was buckled in, Batman engaged the Batwing's thrusters, piloting a course directly to Mexico. The flight would take a few hours, but the time was worth it if more people would join their fight.
X X X
Keystone City
Superman flew over the vast city, his eyes on full alert as he looked for the young speedster running through the city. The sun seemed that it was only an hour or so away from setting, and he wanted to find him fast. He caught sight of the Keystone City hero known as the Flash just before he arrived at the city, but the hero was gonna before Superman could confront him. Now, Superman was weaving between buildings, hoping to catch sight of the red blur once again.
Superman knew the Flash due to various events where they have met up in the past. Most commonly, they were meeting under less-than-favorable circumstances, as both heroes were attempting to catch a villain that crossed both of their paths. However, there have been a few times in which they met for something other than catching the latest villain. Recently, they both raced in a charity event in Metropolis, one which Superman was embarrassed to admit that Flash won easily.
Although Superman does not know the true identity of the Flash (he could look using his x-ray vision, but the values instilled by Ma and Pa Kent restricted him), he was confident that the young hero was someone who understood the minor problems in his city and worked to fix them just as hard as he worked to fix the larger problems. It was an honorable trait, and Superman appreciates the speedster for it.
Spanning out of his thoughts, Superman finally caught sight of the Flash running down one of the main streets of Keystone City. He was chasing a runaway SUV on the wrong side of the road, clearly not running to his full potential since he did not want to scare the driver into crashing in oncoming traffic.
Deciding to help out, Superman quickly flew ahead past both the Flash and the runaway car. He swept down beside the SUV, grabbing it by the side and lifting the car off of the road. He heard a panicked exclamation by the driver, but he ignored it as he flew the car to the top of an empty parking garage.
Placing the car down, Superman went over to the driver side door, knocking on the window to alert the driver. There was a single man in the driver seat, wearing the typical criminal garb of a ski mask with all black clothing. The man rolled the window down, the parts of his face exposed by the mask still contorted in a fearful expression after literally flying in the air a few seconds ago.
"Excuse me, sir," Superman said with a smirk, "you were driving on the wrong side of the road. You could've gotten someone hurt."
The man stared blankly at Superman, before quickly unbuckling his seatbelt and escaping out the other side of the car. Superman frowned at the man, and he was about to fly over to him when a red blur passed by, tripping the man as he tried to run away.
"Careful, Supes," the Flash said as he swept his hands together, "these ones like to run away from the people dressed in colorful tights."
"Flash," Superman greeted. He was about to continue before the Flash held up a finger.
"Give me a second," the speedster said. A quick breeze was felt by Superman, and both the Flash and the criminal were gone. Not even a second later, the Flash zipped back in front of the Man of Steel, now leaning against the concrete wall of the parking garage.
"Sorry, I had to bring him down to the police department," the Flash said. "So, you wanted to talk?"
"We need your help," Superman said, quickly getting down to business.
Flash raised an eyebrow at Superman's comment. "We?" he asked.
"Me and Batman," Superman replied. At the mention of the Dark Knight's name, the Flash's eyes went big.
"Batman?!" the Flash exclaimed. "I didn't think he was real!"
"He's real all right," Superman said, not really wanting to get off topic. "That doesn't matter, though. The world is in danger, and we need your help to save it."
The Flash immediately stood up straight, realizing the gravity of Superman's words. Nodding his head, he responded, "So what do you need me to do?"
X X X
Undisclosed Location, Mexico
The Batwing flew silently through the just-occurring night sky, its destination entered on the flight computer to determine the fastest path to reach the undercover agent. Both Batman and the Amazon Princess were silent for a majority of the flight, with only a few comments made by the Amazon Princess as the ground rapidly passed by them outside the windows.
An alarm went off in the Batwing's cockpit, causing Diana to slightly tense as if she were preparing to defend herself. Batman must have seen the hesitation coming from the Princess, as he quickly told her the source of the alarm.
"{We've arrived,}" Batman simply said, pressing a few buttons on the dashboard in order to slow down the vehicle to a controllable speed.
Diana slightly relaxed in her seat, relief flooding through her in discovering what that strange alarm sound meant. The world was a foreign land to her, and she knew that there was much for her to learn.
Switching the Batwing into manual controls, Batman guided the sleek craft through the air, switching between looking out the cockpit's window and observing a small screen to his right, one that had a small blinking red light on a map showing the location of the undercover agent Batman.
Moving the plane closer to the ground, Batman engaged the silent engines on the Batwing in order to not arouse suspicion from the local inhabitants. He did not want to create a large scene that would waste time in stopping this madman from destroying the world.
Finding an opening within a small forest a few hundred yards from the undercover agent's location, Batman guided the Batwing with perfect skill, landing the blacked-out jet without creating a disturbance in the area.
Unbuckling his harness, he swiftly moved to the back of the Batwing, opening a small crate and grabbing a few extra supplies and weapons to store in his utility belt.
Diana unbuckled her harness as well, standing up and turning to observe Batman as he resupplied the belt around his waist with various gadgets. She watched him for a few moments, and right before she was about to speak, Batman beat her to the punch.
"{Stay here. I'll be back with the agent in a few minutes,}" Batman said.
The Amazon Princess shot a glare at Batman, stunned that a man would order her to stay put. "{No way. I'm coming with you,}" Diana commanded, her tone hard and determined.
"{We have to get in and out as quickly as possible. I don't know your stealth skills, and now is not the time to test them,}" Batman sternly said, his focus still on his utility belt.
Diana was about to respond to his comment, however he quickly opened the floor hatch to the Batwing and jumped out, effectively ending the conversation on his terms.
"{That infuriating man!}" Diana mumbled to herself. Who did this man think he was, ordering her to stay within this metal contraption while he went out to complete the mission? She assumed that he did not think she could handle herself.
With her chin raised in determination, Diana jumped out of the Batwing, intending to meet up with Batman and help extract Hawkgirl. She would show him that Amazons are not meant to be underestimated.
X X X
Metropolis
Superman flew over the city he called home for almost five years, occasionally looking below him to make sure that the Flash was keeping up with his pace. Although he knew that it was pointless since the Flash was the fastest man on the planet, Superman still took a slight second to make sure the young hero was not struggling to keep up.
"Hey Supes!" Flash yelled from the street, "Where do we find this alien friend of yours?"
Superman flew down so he was flying side-by-side with Flash. "His name is J'onn," Superman informed. "I found him stranded in space a couple of years ago inside some type of capsule that was disguised as a meteoroid. Apparently, he was the only survivor of his home planet after an invading species laid waste to the surface, eradicating all life on the planet including themselves."
"Jeez," Flash grimly replied. "What's the name of the planet?"
Superman smirked at Flash. "Mars."
"What?!" Flash exclaimed, almost tripping over his feet. "You're telling me this J'onn guy is a Martian? Like the aliens from those movies in the '80s?!"
Superman chuckled at the Flash's comment. "No, Flash. J'onn is actually one of the nicest people I know. He's been secretly living in Metropolis for the past couple of years, slowly assimilating to our culture and learning what it's like to be human."
Superman smiled slightly at the thought. He knew what J'onn was going through: being a part of a completely different species and trying to adapt to their culture. Clark is forever grateful that he had the love of his parents to help him adapt to earthly customs. He knew that J'onn was alone in this world, scared of being rejected by this planet and being at a loss of where he was supposed to go if he was not accepted here. Superman made an effort to make sure that J'onn was comfortable on earth, telling the Martian that he always had a friend in him if need be.
A voice snapped Superman out of his thoughts. "How much longer till we're there?" Flash asked, sounding slightly impatient.
"It's a few seconds away," Superman replied. As mentioned, a few seconds later the two heroes stopped in front of a normal apartment complex, one that seemed identical to the surrounding buildings within the area.
Superman turned to the Flash. "He lives on the third floor, but it would raise suspicion if both of us walked in an apartment building dressed like this."
"Okay…," the Flash hesitantly replied, "So then how do we meet him?"
"Don't worry," Superman assured, "He has telepathic powers. I just told him to meet us on the roof." Superman then jumped high into the air before using his power of flight to slow down his descent as he approached the rooftop.
Flash, for his part, shook his head upon hearing about this new Martian. "I did not think my day would end up like this," he commented. He quickly ran towards the wall of the building, and using his speed, ran up the side of the wall and up towards the roof.
Arriving on the rooftop, Flash was about to ask Superman where J'onn was when something…or someone…phased through the roof of the apartment building. Flash stared slack jawed as he watched the being morph into a physical form, looking like an average man in his late thirties to early forties.
"Superman," J'onn spoke aloud, "it is good to see you again."
"Hello, J'onn," Superman replied with a smile. He then turned and motioned towards the Flash. "This is the speedster from Keystone City. He's called the Flash."
J'onn turned towards the man dressed in red and yellow, slightly apprehensive in seeing the young hero's shocked expression.
Flash stood in place for a few moments before catching Superman's eye, one that encouraged him to introduce himself to the Martian. Nervously, the Flash made his way to the seemingly-average looking man.
"Uh, hey… I'm the Flash," he said, holding his hand out for a tropical handshake.
J'onn looked down at the Flash's extended hand, recognizing the earthly custom. He shook the speedster's hand, understanding it as a gesture of greeting. "Hello, my name is J'onn J'onzz," the Martian replied. "However, if you like…," J'onn began before trailing off.
He then morphed out of his human form, not noticing the Flash's eyes wide in surprise as he took a much more common form. "…you may call me the Martian Manhunter."
Flash stared in amazement at the man before him. The Martian had green skin, however most of his features seemed very human. Even with how different he seemed, Flash felt no fear from the being in front of him.
"The Martian Manhunter?" The Flash questioned. "Dude, that's like the sickest name I've ever heard of!"
The Martian Manhunter replied with a small smirk, slightly joyful that this young hero was not fearful of him. Turning towards Superman, J'onn decided to address the largest concern.
"I saw the news earlier this evening," J'onn stated. "I'm assuming that's why you're here?"
Superman nodded his head. "Batman and I need help, J'onn. The two of us can't do this alone. We also have two others with us and hopefully more, but we really need you to help us defeat Savage."
J'onn did not even think about his response. "I know what it's like for your home world to be destroyed, watching with my own eyes as the planet I called home for half a millennium was turned into a wasteland along with everyone on it." He paused for a moment, trying to control his emotions. When he continued, his voice remained in its original octave. "While I never intended it, Earth has become my new home, and I will not let someone destroy my home for a second time."
Superman nodded approvingly at the Martian, happy that J'onn cared about the Earth as much as he did.
"Well then," Superman replied, looking between the two heroes, "we got a madman to stop."
X X X
Unknown location, Mexico
Diana crept through the dense woodland, the leaves barely making a sound under her feet. She caught sight of Batman moving through the woods, however she quickly lost him. Night had fallen, and it made tracking him difficult. He moved like a panther in the night, almost making no noise as he moved through the wilderness. It shocked Diana that a man, a mortal nonetheless, could be so adept in stealth such as the dark crusader was.
She saw a clearing in the woods a certain ways away, and she picked up her pace slightly. Although he was nowhere to be seen, Diana knew that the Batman had to be somewhere up ahead. There was a building slightly outside of the woods, and she assumed that he was inside there.
Right as Diana was about to exit the tree line, someone grabbed her from behind. She quickly broke the grasp and threw a punch, however all she hit was air. She paused in her attack before turning slightly to her right, finding the menacing white eyes of the Batman not even a few feet away from her. Hera, even with her advanced hearing, she did not hear him approach.
"{What are you doing here?}" Batman sternly questioned in Ancient Greek.
Diana gave a slight glare. "{It is not the Amazon way to sit and let a man handle the issues. I can take care of myself,}" she replied.
"{Fine,}" Batman said. He then gestured towards the house. "{Hawkgirl is inside there. It's been her base of operations for the past month. She was here mainly to gather information on a drug ring that was smuggling a new drug into the southern United States, keeping low and seeing if any of the locals have picked up on anything.}"
Diana nodded her head in response, before observing the small house in front of her. She was about to exit the woodland when a sound to her far left caught her ear.
Diana quickly pulled Batman down, the two heroes observing as twenty men dressed in all black gear started advancing onto the house, almost a third of them armed with automatic weapons.
"{I'm assuming they're not friends of yours?}" Diana sarcastically asked.
Batman cursed under his breath. "{We have to take them out. It's an ambush.}"
A large grin formed on Diana's face. "{Finally. I've been wanting a battle.}"
The two heroes leaped from their position in the woodlands, each jumping in the middle of the large group and quickly throwing punches and strikes before anyone could react. Many of the thugs were scared to see what appeared to be a demon brutally taking down man after man while a woman in armor did almost as much damage as he.
Some of the armed gunmen were on the edge of the battle, and they quickly snapped out of their shock and switched off the safety of their guns, firing at the two heroes.
Unbeknownst to everyone, the shouting and gunfire alerted the female warrior inside of the small house. She quickly put on her metal helmet before running to a false wall in the house, punching a hole in the cheap plaster and grabbing her sacred mace from its hidden spot.
As soon as the armed gunmen started shooting, both Batman and Diana dove behind cover: Batman behind a concrete wall that acted as a property barrier and Diana took cover behind the wall of the house.
Batman quickly peaked around his cover, seeing that there were still five armed gunmen in addition to six unarmed thugs advancing on them. He took out a few batarangs from his utility belt, planning on making a stand when he heard a warrior cry coming from the sky.
Diana turned in hearing the war cry, watching with awe as a woman with what appeared to be wings descended from the sky at a rapid pace. She quickly took out one of the armed gunmen using her mace, sending him flying a few feet back and landing unconscious on the ground.
Using the distraction, both Batman and Diana sprinted from their covers, attacking the remaining thugs. The Amazon Princess was joyful to discover that her silver armbands were impenetrable to the strange weapons that these men were using, and she was quickly able to take out two of them. The winged warrior took out another one with her mace once again, leaving the two women standing side by side.
There were only two gunmen left, and they both pointed their weapons at the two female warriors.
Hawkgirl looked at Diana, and giving her a smirk, she charged one of the gunmen, knowing that the other woman would advance as well. Just as she suspected, both gunmen were out within a few seconds.
Hawkgirl turned and observed the woman who had just helped her. The warrior was extremely beautiful, wearing some type of ancient armor. She was tall as well, with Shayera having to look up slightly to even make eye contact with her.
Diana also observed the winged warrior. She had stunning red hair leaking out of the mask she wore, with emerald green eyes that contributed to her beauty even apparent through the metal helmet. However, what stunned Diana the most was the wings that were on the back of the female warrior. They looked identical to the wings of a female hawk, which is why Diana assumed that Batman referred to her as Hawkgirl.
Shayera turned to Diana, wanting to know more about the woman standing in the ancient armor. "So, who are you supposed to be?" Shayera asked.
Hawkgirl watched with a befuddled expression as the warrior gave her a confused expression. Shayera was about to comment again, however a voice behind her interrupted.
"She can't understand you," Batman said. Hawkgirl turned around and watched as Batman made his way out from the center of a pile of unconscious bodies, one that contained the six unarmed gunmen that he took out while the two female warriors dealt with the armed thugs. "She only speaks Ancient Greek."
"Ancient Greek, huh?" Shayera asked with a raised eyebrow, turning to look at the warrior once more.
"Yes," Batman replied. "She's an Amazon."
"Wow, I didn't think that the Amazons existed," Shayera responded, her eyes wide in shock upon learning the woman in front of her was a part of the mythological race of woman warriors. Hawkgirl then turned to Batman, "I can tell something's happened. What's going on?"
"We need your help," Batman simply began. "A man named Vandal Savage is threatening to destroy the planet."
"And you need my help? Usually Superman is on stuff like this," Hawkgirl replied.
"Trust me, he's more of a threat than you think. He's unleashed three machines across the globe with impenetrable armor. He's planning on activating them in less than 24 hours," Batman explained.
Hawkgirl's eyes rose in shock, her worry over the situation increasing. "Then what are we waiting for?" Hawkgirl questioned. "My cover's been blown, anyway. There's not much left I can do here."
Batman began to walk away. "It's fine, I already have all the locations of their warehouses in Mississippi. The authorities are already en route."
Hawkgirl rolled her eyes with a grin. "Just like Superman said: always takes the fun out of everything."
X X X
South of Metropolis: The Day of the Formation of the Justice League
A few hours later, Superman, Flash, and the Martian Manhunter were back at the original Minoscopter just a few miles south of Metropolis. They wanted to see if there were any notable weaknesses within the machine and see if they could figure out a way to disable it before Batman arrived with his help.
The Flash was searching the surrounding area, checking to make sure that there were no hidden bases or hidden garrisons of the robots that Superman mentioned Savage used as henchmen. So far, he had found nothing of importance.
The Martian Manhunter and Superman were observing the massive machine, performing small tests on its outside hull without causing too much of a disturbance as they did not want Vandal activating the machines due to their tampering.
Superman tried to scan the machine from multiple angles using his x-ray vision, however it did not seem to matter as he could not see past the metal walls. He was about to check one more time when he heard the Batwing approaching from a few miles away.
A few minutes later, the Batwing jettisoned through the air over the three heroes, circling the area before finally landing close to the Minoscopter.
Superman, the Martian Manhunter, and the Flash made their way toward the sleek black jet, with the Flash looking on with awe. He could not believe that he was going to actually meet the Batman.
The back hatch of the Batwing opened up, and to Flash's surprise Batman was not the one who stepped out. Instead, a woman wearing a mask who had actually wings on her back walked out first, wielding a terrifying-looking mace.
Following the winged-woman, Flash's mouth almost dropped to the ground when the next person stepped out of the fabled Batwing. It was a woman with silky black hair, dazzling blue eyes, strong yet delicate cheekbones, and an outfit that was slightly revealing compared to the normal superhero attire. All in all, she was gorgeous.
Flash zipped to the Batwing's ramp right next to this beautiful mysterious woman. He threw an arm around her shoulder, and gave her a lavish grin.
"Hey, girl," the Flash said in what he believed was a suave voice, "I'm the Flash, y'know, 'the fastest man alive'?"
Diana looked upon this man who had the audacity to touch her with both shock and disgust. She quickly grabbed his arm from her shoulder, before flipping him over and onto the ground, with the Flash falling hard on his back.
The Flash struggled to regain his breath, shocked at the skill this mysterious woman had. He quickly got up, before dusting himself off and looking back up to the woman.
"Sorry, I must've come on too strong," the Flash replied with an apologetic grin. When he saw the glare given to him by the woman, he silently gulped while putting his hands up before him in a pleading gesture, slowly backing away from the woman out of fear for his own life.
Suddenly, the Flash seemed to bump into what felt like a brick wall. Turning around, his throat suddenly went dry in fear upon seeing a black Bat symbol right in front of his face. Angling his head slightly up, Flash froze in fear in seeing the white lenses of Batman staring down at him, eyes narrowed dangerously.
"I…uh—," the Flash began, before nervously chuckling in seeing Batman's expression not change. With a burst of speed, the Flash quickly ran back over to the mysterious woman.
He grabbed her hand, before giving her his best apologetic look. "I am so sorry for my actions," the Flash said. "I hope you can forgive me, for my sake. Please I don't want either one of you hurting me."
Not seeing the woman's expression change, the Flash quickly ran over to Superman, hoping his friend could help him out. "Supes! You gotta help me! Bats wants to kill me!" The flash exclaimed.
Superman chuckled at the Flash's antics. "Don't worry, Flash. He's that way to everyone," Superman replied.
A measure of relief came over the Flash, yet he still would not let his guard down. There's been a reason that no good photos of this man have been taken, and he does not want to find out why.
The six heroes gathered together, hoping to formulate a plan. However, introductions had to be made first.
"Hawkgirl, it's good to see you again," Superman said with a smile, "although I wish it was under better circumstances."
Hawkgirl gave a shrug. "It's what we're all here for," she simply replied.
Diana was looking at the green man in wonder. She was curious to know if he was some type of being not native to earth.
"You would be correct, Diana," the Martian Manhunter replied telepathically. On hearing someone's voice inside her head that was not her own, Diana quickly drew her sword, holding it tightly with both hands as she faced the Martian.
Everyone quickly turned to the Amazon, adopting a defensive posture as they were surprised by her actions. Superman was about to intervene, however Batman stopped him with his arm. He wanted to see how this would play out, testing both the Amazon and the Martian.
J'onn quickly held up his hands apologetically. "I am sorry for disturbing you," he replied, "I had no intention of making you think ill of me. I just recognized that you could not understand the English language, and I wanted to be able to converse with you. Our minds speak their own language, therefore we can understand each other."
Diana lowered her sword, accepting this man's reasoning. "So, you can speak to me with your mind?" Diana questioned in her mind.
"Yes, it's one of my many abilities as a Martian," J'onn replied. Diana could tell that the man was being completely honest with her, and she sheathed her sword.
"I am sorry I acted so rashly," Diana apologized mentally. "I barely gave you a chance to explain yourself."
"There is no need. I should not have entered your mind unwillingly. I've learned from my mistakes, and I promise to gain your permission next time," J'onn replied. At this, Diana gave a small smile to the Martian. He did not seem deceptive at all to her: he just wanted to communicate with her. In a world where only one man so far could understand her language, it was nice knowing she had someone else to converse with.
Seeing that the conflict settled down, the Flash hesitantly went up to Batman. "He-Hey B-Batman," the Flash greeted, his hand out for a handshake.
Batman just stared blankly.
"I just wanted to say hi to you. I'm a big fan…," the flash nervously said. To the shock of almost everyone, especially the Flash, Batman took Flash's hand and shook it.
"I've seen your work in Keystone City," Batman replied. "While somewhat clumsy, you hold your own very well."
The Flash was left speechless. 'Did the BATMAN just-kinda compliment me?!' Flash thought in his head.
After the greetings were done, the heroes instantly got down to business.
"Right now, three of these machines are positioned across the world at specific points," Batman began. He pulled a small cube out of his utility belt and placed it on the ground. Pressing a button, the cube came to life, unfolding to create a large screen which displayed a digital map of the earth, with markers to represent the three machines. "Savage is operating the machines remotely from his private jet. I currently have my satellites tracking his movement." The map displayed a shifting blinking jet that represented Vandal's plane. "We'll have eyes on him at times."
"Woah, you own a satellite?!" The Flash enthusiastically questioned.
"Several," Batman responded. Ignoring the way the Flash's jaw dropped, he continued. "Vandal has a remote that can turn on the Minoscopters with the press of a single button. However, he also has a failsafe within the Minoscopters themselves. If any one of them goes offline, the other two will automatically activate, and two alone can still create vast destruction across the earth. In order to take these down, we need a coordinated attack, with three separate teams, taking out a single machine at the same time as the other two groups. Then, we can get Vandal."
Seeing the nodding of heads, Batman assumed that the heroes agreed with his plan. "Very well then. Flash, you go with Hawkgirl to Kenya. Superman, take the Martian Manhunter with you to Australia—besides the Flash you two can make it there the fastest. Diana and I will take out the Minoscopter here."
"I hope you didn't forget about me," a deep voice rang in from above. All the heroes turned to look as a man dressed in green and black descended from the sky in what seemed like a green orb made out of actual light.
The man landed on the ground before immediately turning to the Dark Knight. "Batman," the man greeted. He then shook Batman's hand. "It's good to see you again."
"Likewise," Batman responded. "However, we got a situation on our hands."
"I heard. I'm glad you contacted me," the man replied.
"Wait wait wait, who are you again?" The Flash asked.
The man turned to regard the group. "My name is John Stewart, previous U.S. Marine and now full time member of the Green Lantern Corps. I specifically guard over Sector 2814, which contains earth."
"You're a Green Lantern?" Superman astonishingly asked. He had heard of the Green Lanterns before, yet he never believed they were real.
"Yes sir," John replied. "Batman contacted me, and I'm here to help."
Superman turned to Batman with a raised eyebrow. "How do you know a Green Lantern?"
John was about to answer for Batman, however the latter cryptically replied. "He had a proposition for me."
"Which you refused," John said with a smirk, shaking his head. "You know, in all my years of being a Lantern, I've never seen that happen before. By the way, one's still waiting at Oa with your name on it."
Batman shook his head no. "Sorry, I have more important things to do."
John responded with a chuckle. "Anyway, what's the issue?"
Batman gave a quick rundown of the plan that he previously told the other heroes. "John, you'll go with the Flash and Hawkgirl. Try to see if you can find a weakness in these machines."
John responded with a nod, before turning and looking at the Flash and Hawkgirl. He stopped for a moment in his tracks in seeing the winged woman. Even though she was wearing a helmet over her head, he could just tell that she had to be beautiful underneath, with those full lips, her vibrant emerald green eyes, and that fiery red hair coming out of the back of her helmet. It left him speechless for a few seconds.
Green Lantern was not alone, however. Hawgirl was looking over the man that seemingly dropped from the sky. She was taken aback by his strong features, with his rough jawline and his green eyes that were almost the same shade as hers. He looked well built, and he seemed to ooze out confidence and strength.
Batman turned and regarded Diana, who was watching on with slight curiosity. He felt that he owed her an explanation as to what was going on, since he was the only one that could truly understand her language.
"{You and I are going to stay here and figure out a way to take down this machine," Batman replied. "We have to be careful and take down all three at the same time, however, since there is a failsafe if one of them goes offline.}"
Diana nodded her head, satisfied that Batman was finally able to explain what the plan was to her. Truthfully, Diana felt slightly lost within this new world. It was a foreign feeling to her, feeling so alone in such a strange environment . Everyone around her seemed to be conversing fine, as if they had known each other from long ago. She, however, could only speak to Batman, and most of the time he was commanding the group and advising them on their next plan of attack. While she respected the leader that Batman was, she felt alienated from the group.
While she will never admit it out loud, she felt a happiness encompassing her when Batman said that he was going to be working with her. It was the logical choice, of course, since he was the only one in the group that could speak to her verbally. However, she also just appreciates that she has someone to communicate with. When she is with Batman, Diana does not feel as alienated as before.
Seeing that Diana agreed with the plan, Batman turned to address the rest of the group. "We all know our jobs?" He watched as everyone but Diana nodded their heads, as she did not know what he was saying. Reaching into his utility belt, Batman took out five commlinks. "Here, take these so we can all communicate together. They go in your ear, and one press on the side will open a channel to every commlink."
Each hero took a commlink, before putting them in their ear and testing them out. Batman explained the purpose of the commlinks to Diana in ancient Greek, and although it took her a few tries to understand, she was able to quickly figure out how the small communication device operated.
Everyone stood in a circle, waiting to see what was next. It was Batman who spoke up. "We all know what we have to do." Several heads nodded in response. "Then let's stop this madman."
X X X
Western Kenya: The Day of the Formation of the Justice League
The Flash, Green Lantern, and Hawkgirl had just arrived at the Minoscopter in Kenya, observing the surrounding area near where the machine was positioned. Luckily, there were no civilizations nearby, meaning that it was unlikely anyone was hurt when the machine first landed.
Flash quickly zoomed to the Minoscopter, inspecting it at a lightning fast speed as he tried to identify anything that stuck out to him as odd. He searched each metal leg, checking the hull of the metal machine before finally moving towards the large drill in the bottom that was already embedded into the ground similar to the machine near Metropolis.
Finding nothing noticeable, he ran back over to Green Lantern and Hawkgirl, who were stationed a couple hundred feet away from the base of the machine. "I can't find any weak points on this thing," the Flash commented. "Whoever designed this thought of almost everything."
"Not everything," Green Lantern said. He activated his ring, scanning the metal machine in its entirety. Hawkgirl and Flash watched on amazed as the metal machine became encompassed in the green light of the Lantern's ring. Before long, the light rescinded, giving John the data that it discovered from its initial scan.
Creating a holographic 3D image of the machine using his ring, John explained, "The walls of this thing are even impenetrable to my ring, meaning that I couldn't get a full scan of it's inner workings. There's one noticeable design flaw, however." John then pointed to the holographic representation of the drill on the bottom of the Minoscopter. "A drill that size has to expel a massive amount of heat. Because the walls are so dense, there had to be a vent somewhere on the machine. Luckily, I found it."
Green Lantern pointed out the small, barely noticeable vent on the holographic diagram. "It's not much, but that's an access point to the machine."
Hawkgirl nodded, impressed with the Green Lantern's work. "I'll contact the others, letting them know what we found."
As Hawkgirl motioned to her communicator, Flash turned to Green Lantern. "Why didn't you say that your ring could do that?" the young speedster asked incredulously.
Green Lantern smirked at the Flash. "I wanted you to feel like you were doing something," John commented with a smirk.
Flash gave a slight—yet not truly serious—glare to Green Lantern. "I'll get you back for this, GL," the Flash promised. "Just watch."
John chuckled at the Flash. "From how you act, I bet it has something to do with silly string and possibly a whoopie cushion," Green Lantern joked.
"Well, yeah… it actually does," Flash said with a slightly embarrassed grin.
Green Lantern shook his head, not fully believing that a kid like Flash could be so humorous even with the dangers they faced. As if out of his own control, John looked up to watch Hawkgirl conversing with someone on the commlink, presumably Batman. She was facing away from him, showcasing her flowing vibrant red hair along with the wings on her back that made her look like an angel fallen from heaven.
John must have been staring too long, as he was snapped out of his trance by the Flash releasing a low whistle. "Y'know, even with the mask on, you can tell she's pretty," the Flash commented, noticing Green Lantern's lingering gaze at the winged woman.
John slightly tensed in hearing the Flash's comment, before relaxing his shoulders and taking a deep breath. He did not know why Flash's comment rattled him so much. Before this mission, John had never even met Hawkgirl before. It was not like he had a special connection with her.
Then why did he feel a small, unfamiliar flare of jealousy when Flash called her "pretty"?
X X X
South of Metropolis
Batman was currently testing a specific acid on the hull of the Minoscopter, seeing if it could dissolve away parts of the hull in order to access the electrical components of the machine. So far, they have not made much progress in terms of research on the large machines.
He made a quick glance over at Diana, watching as the Amazon Princess flew around the top of the machine and inspected the outer hull, seeing if she could find any weaknesses. While she was extremely naive to this technology, Batman could not help but appreciate her determination in finding a way to destroy these machines before anyone could get hurt. She was doing anything she could to help, and he respects her strength of character.
Batman's commlink went off, snapping him out of his thoughts that were traveling in a direction he was unsure about. "Batman, this is Hawkgirl. Can you read me?"
"Batman here," the Dark Knight responded. "What's the issue?"
"We think we found a way into these machines," Shayera answered. "There's an exhaust vent shielded by the metal plating on the top of these things. It's too small for any one of us to fit in there, though."
"Hang on, I'll take a look at it. I may have something that can work," Batman replied. He cut off the connection, his mind working quickly to see if they could find a way inside of the machine to shut down its controls. They only had a few hours until it was too late.
Activating his commlink, Batman hailed the Amazon Princess still at the top of the machine. "{Diana, see if there's a small opening towards the top of the machine. That may be our only way to destroy it,}" Batman said.
"{Understood,}" Diana replied. She quickly flew around the top of the metal contraption, searching for any roughness or difference in the surface of the metal hull. She was about to give up and radio back to Batman when a slight discoloration of the metal caught her eye. She flew over towards the area she spotted, noticing the distinct difference between the metal hull and what she discovered. It appeared to be a thin, mesh-like metal that was covering a small opening in the hull, about the width and length of a book. She sent a quick prayer of thanks to Artemis for gifting her with advanced hunting abilities.
"{I found it!}" Diana informed him. "{There is a strange layer of metal covering the opening, but I can see that there is an entrance inside of this metal contraption.}"
"{Good work. I'm sending in a drone now. Hopefully, it can provide us a way of turning off this machine,}" Batman said. He reached into his utility belt, pulling out a small folded up drone that was barely the size of his palm. Opening his gauntlet computer, Batman took control of the drone and began flying it up towards the top of the Minoscopter.
"{What is this 'drone'?}" Diana asked, perplexed at the item Batman was describing. It seemed that he did not have to answer her question, however, as a small black machine that looked very similar to the Batwing but in a scaled down format flew up and hovered next to her for a few seconds. Diana watched as a spherical object moved on the bottom front of the small machine, almost as if it was an eye searching it's surroundings. Then, without warning, the small flying machine quickly flew into the metal grate, with Diana losing sight of it within seconds.
Worried that something may have gone wrong, she contacted Batman. "{Batman, the flying contraption flew into the opening,}" Diana relayed.
"{I know; I'm controlling it using the computer on my gauntlet,}" Batman clarified. He navigated the small exhaust port of the Minoscopter with careful precision, making sure that he went slow at turns while not sacrificing time in any way.
Before long, Batman finally reached the end of the vents through an opening that led to the internals of the machine. He had to admit that he was slightly impressed by the level of detail put into these machines, technological components and techniques he himself had never seen before lined the innards of these units. Whoever this Vandal Savage is, he has had a long time to plan this.
Batman quickly searched through the area, trying to see if he could find anything that could shut down this machine. After a few minutes of no luck, a breakthrough was discovered.
Deep within the wiring and mechanical work of the machine, there lay a single orange wire, seemingly normal to every other multicolored wire that scattered the inner workings of the Minoscotper. However, Batman knew differently.
"Batman to all points," Batman relayed in the commlink, "I know how to shut the machines down."
"How do we do it?" Superman asked over the communication device.
"There's a singular orange wire within the main electrical area of the Minoscopter. While it may now seem like much, the orange wire is actually powering the internal computer of the machine. Removing that wire will cause a malfunction, shutting them down and possibly causing their own destruction as well," Batman said.
"So, like how do we get to this orange wire?" the Flash asked.
"That depends on the resources available to you," Batman commented. "Green Lantern can use his ring to reach the wire. The Martian Manhunter can also morph his arm in order to—"
Batman stopped speaking, as an alert from the Batwing's sensors told him that a few small vessels were rapidly approaching his location. He turned to look at Diana who landed beside him on the ground, noticing that she was looking around for something as well.
As if on cue, three black pods crashed down into the ground a decent distance away from the Minoscopter. The door of each pod shot off, revealing a group of the metal robots Vandal created, their eyes red and targeted on the two heroes.
"Yo Bats! These metal robots just came outta nowhere!" The Flash exclaimed.
"They're Vandal's henchmen!" Superman commented over the commlink. "They're here too!"
"Ok, everyone listen up," Batman commanded over the commlink. "Green Lantern and the Martian Manhunter, you work to reach the orange wire within the machine and prepare to sever it. Contact me when you're in position. Everyone else, protect them from the robots' attack."
Batman shut off the commlink, mentally calculating what to do. "{Diana, I need you to watch my back as I get the drone in position. Once I finish, I can help you fend off the robots,}" Batman stated.
Diana nodded her head, agreeing to Batman's strategy. She took out her sword and unlatched her shield, getting into a battle stance as she prepared for the robots' assault. She knew that they would be a difficult opponent, especially with their numbers, but an Amazon never backed down from a challenge.
Sending a battle cry, Diana charged at the robots, sword pointed in front of her as she landed the first blow. A robot on the front lines was the unfortunate victim, its mechanical neck meeting Diana's sword as the godly weapon sliced through the mechanical joint as if it were cutting into a fruit, no resistance at all as the robot collapsed upon itself. A majority of the robots turned their attention onto Diana, with the Amazon Princess holding her shield and sword up, ready for another attack.
As was the will of the gods, Diana was tasked to defeat the evil that plagued Patriarch's World, and she will not fail.
X X X
Eastern Australia
Superman was slicing through a good number of the mechanical robots using his heat vision, thankful that Batman was able to recognize a weakness within the machines before it was too late.
Taking a moment to gather himself, Superman spared a glance over towards the Martian Manhunter, wanting to check on J'onn's progress in locating the "shut off wire". While Batman informed him where the wire was located, the vast components of the Minoscopter made it difficult for J'onn to reach the wire, causing the Martian to go excruciatingly slow to not risk triggering a potential failsafe within the machines.
So far, Superman has been able to contain the robots well, with most of them not even reaching a hundred feet of the martian.
Reaching to his commlink, Superman asked, "J'onn, how's it going?"
"Not so good, Superman," the Martian replied. "It's difficult to navigate through the wiring of this machine."
"How will you know if you have the right wire?" Superman questioned.
"Unfortunately, I won't," J'onn grimly responded. "I just have to hope that Batman's instructions were perfect and that I do not make an error within my movements."
"Try your best, J'onn. I can hold off the robots for you, so they shouldn't bother you," Superman said. He cut off the connection, choosing to focus on the next wave of robots in order to dispel his worry about the ordeal.
While he trusted Batman with his life and J'onn's skills, Superman was still nervous about the situation. One wrong move, and everyone on the surface of the planet will cease to exist.
X X X
Western Kenya
The only thing seen surrounding the Minoscopter in Kenya was a red flash, a winged woman furiously swinging a mace, and a large number of destroyed robots. The Flash and Hawkgirl had made quick work in attacking the robots, making sure that they stayed far away from the machine as Green Lantern worked on moving his light construct through the advanced circuitry.
Hawkgirl smashed her mace into the shoulder-joint of a robot, watching with satisfaction as the arm cleanly came off. Wasting no time, she struck at the robot's neck, following the head as it flew off and landed a few feet from it's mechanical body.
Smirking at the visual, Hawkgirl missed two robots that were making their way behind her. It was not until the last second did she hear the mechanical joints of the robot, and she quickly turned around to defend herself. However, right before the robots were about to strike, they both suddenly collapsed, with all of their mechanical limbs separated from their main torso, rendering them immobile.
Hawkgirl looked to her right, seeing the Flash with a cocky grin on his face. "Close one!" he commented with a smile.
Hawkgirl gave the speedster a glare. "I could've had them," she said.
The smirk on the Flash's face fell. "Hey, I just didn't want those robots to turn you into a shish kebab," the Flash commented with his arms crossed over his chest. He turned around, preparing to run off and find the next wave of robots before they appeared.
Seeing the sudden change from Flash's joyful mood, Hawkgirl's gaze softened. She did not want the young hero to think ill of her. "Flash, wait!" Hawkgirl called out. She watched as he turned around to face her. "I'm sorry, Flash. I realize you were just looking out for me," she simply said, not making eye contact as she was uncomfortable with apologizing. In reality, it was something she seldom did.
Flash gave her a small smile. "It's cool," he said, his eyes lighting up slightly when she returned her gaze to him. His small smile then turned into a full grin. "I bet that I can destroy more robots than you by the time GL is ready," Flash challenged.
Hawkgirl gave a smirk to the young speedster, tightening her grip on the mace in her hands as she responded, "Bring it on."
The two rushed into battle, with numerous scrap pieces of what used to be Vandal Savage's robots falling to the ground in their wake.
X X X
South of Metropolis
Diana had been training with a sword almost since she could safely hold such a respected weapon. She was recognized as the best swordswoman on Themyscira, and in turn the Amazons. Therefore, it came as no surprise to her at how effective she was with the legendary Sword of Athena, slicing through the mechanical begins as if they were nothing more than the wooden practice targets back in her homeland.
She quickly thrusted her sword into the knee joint of an advancing robot before following up with a jab at the neck joint that sent the mechanical head flying off, effectively shutting down yet another mechanical henchman. Removing her sword from the defeated robot, Diana spared a glance at Batman wanting to make sure that he was alright.
Even though Diana's goal was to make sure that none of Vandal's creations reached him, she, for a reason truly unbeknownst to her, would check on Batman's condition at almost every chance she could get, that is if she was not currently dismembering a metal automation. Her actions confused her, being protective of a man nonetheless, however it would be something to ponder once the evil had been defeated.
Batman, for his part, has been guiding a second drone into the Minoscopter, this time with one that has the proper tools to sever the specific wire he identified as the catalyst to destroying these machines. He had climbed up on the side of the Minoscopter, perching himself on a small ledge so he could maintain a stronger connection to his drone. He would always spare a quick glance over towards the Amazon Princess, making sure that she was unharmed. Every time he looked, he always released a small breath of relief in seeing her alright, before snapping his attention back towards his gauntlet as he guided the drone deep into the Minoscopter.
Truthfully, Batman did not know why he was so concerned over the Princess's condition. From the brief glances he made at her, he could tell that she was a seasoned warrior even for someone who looked almost the same age as he was, her skills with wielding a sword being some of the best he has ever seen. Batman was not too surprised, however, especially if the legend about the immortal race of warriors was fully true. It would have to be something he researched, but after he saved the world.
Following the first drone's location with the second drone, Batman finally found the orange wire. Lining up the drone, he put it on autopilot so it would float in the same position. He was prepared to stop this madman once and for all.
Reaching his hand to the outside of his cowl where his commlink was, Batman radioed out, "Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, are you in position?"
"I believe so, Batman," J'onn replied. "I am not fully certain if I have the correct wire, but I trust your judgment and instructions."
"Green Lantern?" Batman asked.
"Hang on, I'm almost there," John replied. After a few short moments, his voice came over the commlink. "I got it!"
"On my mark, disconnect the wire," Batman sternly replied. He hovered his gloved finger over the button that would activate a small pair of wire cutters on the drone. "Three… two… one… disconnect."
A gloved finger pressed on a button, activating a pair of wire cutters that severed an orange wire.
An elongated dark green hand blinding ripped a wire from a circuit board, with an disconnected orange wire ending up in the hand.
A pair of emerald green scissors made out of pure light cut through an orange wire, separating it into two pieces.
Batman passed momentarily, as if the world completely stopped spinning for a few moments. He briefly looked around the surrounding area, watching as Diana fought off a few more robots, slicing them to the ground. She then turned as looked at him with her hair gracefully flowing in the wind, and even with their great distance, he could somehow see her sparkling blue eyes looking at him laced with hope.
He was about to activate his commlink again when he felt the Minoscopter activate, signaling that something was happening. He barely had time to register that the machine was starting to self-destruct, just as he had assumed, when a large explosion went off from inside the machine close to his position. The blast sent him falling off of the Minoscopter, his senses slightly impaired in being so close to the blast. Through a hazy mind, he reached down for his grapple gun when something struck him on his back.
At first, Bruce believed that he hit the ground, hurting himself so bad that he felt no pain. However, once the fog cleared from his mind, he recognized the feel of something soft and warm pressed against him. When he was able to see clearly though his eyes again, he looked upon the face of a beautiful woman, his saving angel with raven-black hair and piercing blue eyes.
Bruce examined her face, slightly astonished at the worried expression on her beautiful face. Her eyes were wide with concern, looking all over his body to see if he had any injuries. He looked towards her full, red lips, noticing that they were moving, as if she was trying to talk to him.
The ringing in Batman's ears finally dulled, allowing in to hear the words spoken by the worried Amazon Princess. "{Batman! Batman, are you alright?!}" Diana asked. She landed on the ground by the Batwing, kneeling down and resting Batman's head on her lap.
She watched as the white lenses of the Dark Knight narrowed and extended repeatedly as he tried to reorient himself after the large blast. Diana glanced over to what used to be a large mechanical contraption, now barely anything but melting metal falling upon itself.
Looking back towards the dark hero's face, she was glad to see that his white eyes seem to have settled, however it immediately took her breath away as they were focused only on her in what seemed like wonder. Diana felt something akin to a spark run through her, unsure of these strange feelings she was experiencing. She does not know how to explain it, but she felt their eyes connect.
Almost as soon as it began, however, Batman seemed to snap back into position. He quickly stood up out and away from her, missing the slight blush that adorned the Princess's cheeks. Ignoring the pain he felt throughout the right side of his body, he looked towards the Minoscopter, satisfied and relieved that it was taken care of.
Reaching a hand to his commlink, Batman said, "Batman to all points, what's the status of your Minoscopters?"
"Flash here… the thing just blew up pretty much in our faces. GL's ring saved us from being sent to the next life," the Flash responded.
"Superman here. Our Minoscopter was destroyed as well. No injuries, but J'onn was shaken up from the explosion. He's not too big on fire," Superman replied.
"Good work. We still need to catch Savage and bring him in," Batman said.
"Send me his location. Green Lantern and I can finally end this and bring him to justice," Superman replied.
"Sending now," Batman answered. Typing a few buttons on his gauntlet, he sent Superman the last tracked location of Vandal's jet.
Batman disconnected the communication line, turning to the Amazon Princess, who was now standing straight up and seemingly ready for more battle. "{What's next?}" Diana asked.
"{Hopefully, Superman and Green Lantern can capture Vandal. If they succeed, then we won,}" Batman explained.
X X X
Earth's Lower Atmosphere
Vandal Savage's jet soared across the key, its coordinates locked onto the secret base in the German mountains where he was able to build his Minoscopters. The outside of the jet was sleek and quiet, however the inside could not be farther from this appearance.
Vandal threw a computer into a robot standing stationary in the cargo portion of the jet, knocking the robot over and coincidentally slicing off the head of the robot as it met its final fate as it reached the ground. He was flushed with anger, his mind whirling at fast speeds, questioning how the heroes were able to defeat his perfect machines.
"There's no way!" Vandal screamed towards the lifeless robots in the cargo hold and himself. "I had everything planned out! The metal strong enough to withstand Superman; The machines positioned in perfect locations throughout the earth; A false lead to distract Batman from catching on to me! It was perfect!" He roared once more, thrashing aside a stack of crates, sending them flying throughout the cargo hold of the jet.
He made his way up to the cockpit of the jet, finding his right hand man in Malcolm Vox sitting in the pilot's seat.
"How much longer till we get there?" Vandal hastily asked, his eyes darting across the vast blue sky, looking for one of the heroes to show up out of nowhere.
"Don't worry, Boss," Vox's robotic voice replied. "I have the jet's computer set to autopilot. We'll get there in no time."
Vandal was about to comment about speeding up the plane, however he saw a flash of blue and red outside of the window. It was only for the briefest second, but Vandal knew that what he saw was no mistake.
Shock and, something that Vandal had not felt in a long time, fear encompassed Savage. With quick thinking, Vandal essentially tossed Vox out of the pilot's chair of the jet, ignoring the man's protests as he turned off autopilot and took control of the jet himself. However, before Vandal could make any evasive moves, a green light surrounded the cockpit of the jet, forcefully lurching the plane to a stop mid-air that sent Vox and Vandal flying forward, the latter slamming his head onto the control panel of the jet.
Disoriented, and feeling as if his head was cut open, Vandal slowly opened his eyes, his anger rising with the second as he watched a man dressed in a green and black suit float down to another man wearing a blue and red suit, with a red cape flapping in the wind and a notable and very recognizable S on his chest.
"It's over, Savage," Superman said, his arms crossed over his chest with a bright smirk on his face. "You're done."
Vandal slammed the control panel of the jet in rage, angered that after centuries upon centuries, he was finally caught.
X X X
Belle Reeve Prison, Louisiana : 4 Hours Later
Superman hauled Vandal Savage, whose arms were locked with special cuffs designed by Batman, to the front doors of Belle Reeve, the most elite prison within the world. A few of his and Batman's more powerful rogues were kept here, as the walls were strong enough to take even a few punches from himself. It also helped that it was a government-run prison with top of the line security.
The doors to the prison unlocked, swinging open to reveal a plethora of armored guards with a woman standing in front of them. She had a serious look on her face, and Superman could not tell if her hard expression was turned on Savage or himself.
"Superman, I see you brought us the latest catch," Amanda Waller commented.
Superman pushed Vandal Savage in front of Waller. "He won't be causing trouble any longer," he said.
"I hope so, for both of our sakes," Waller replied. She quickly motioned to her guards, watching as two men grabbed Savage and pulled the reluctant prisoner into the waiting doors.
The last thing Superman saw before the doors closed was Vandal's face, looking back at him as he screamed, "I'll get you all for this! I swear it on my life!"
Superman shook his head, wondering where all of the crazies were popping up all of a sudden. As he took to the sky, he started thinking about the entire situation that happened, and how close they were to losing the world. If it was not for the help of the five other heroes, who knows what the state of the world would have been today.
Landing on an open plain in the middle of a field, Superman walked up to the six heroes that were waiting for him to return after giving Vandal to the authorities. All seven heroes met up after Vandal's capture, with all of them making the journey to Lousisian either through their powers or through the Batwing and waiting for Superman to deliver the mad man to Belle Reeve.
"Well, that's all taken care of," Superman commented with a smirk. He looked around at the group of heroes, seeing with pride as Flash, Hawkgirl, and Green Lantern stood closely together like brothers and sister in arms, the Amazon Princess Diana standing slightly behind them near J'onn, and Batman standing off in the distance next to the Batwing.
"Did Waller take him?" Batman questioned.
"Well, yeah," Superman responded, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. He saw Batman was about to make another comment, but he quickly beat the Caped Crusader to it. "Listen, Batman, I know that you distrust Waller. Trust me, I do as well. But we have no other choice. Belle Reeve is designed to hold madmen like Savage. It was the reasonable and most rational choice. If anyone can acknowledge that, it's you," Superman firmly said, slightly shocked at himself that he stood up to Batman in such a way.
Flash, Green Lantern, and Hawkgirl slightly tensed, waiting for Batman to pummel Superman to the ground. Diana also watched intently, as even though she could not fully understand Superman, she knew that he said something about Batman, and she wanted to see how the warrior stood his ground.
Batman slowly turned Superman, walking with calculated steps up to the Man of Steel with no fear in him whatsoever. Superman stood up straighter, refusing to be intimidated by one of his closest friends.
After what seemed like a few moments, Batman commented, "I don't like Waller. She plays games and thinks she's always ahead and on top. That being said, Vandal had to go there. I won't make an unnecessary argument with you about that." Batman stepped away, walking back towards the Batwing.
Superman's eyes got slightly big in shock, surprised about Batman's acceptance. However, it also brought a new thought to his head. "That being said, what happened today shows that there are dangerous people in this world, some who will go to great lengths to destroy everything on it." He looked down slightly, contemplating his thoughts. "I used to believe that I could save the world on my own, that I could do anything by myself. I learned a few years ago that accepting others' help is necessary in times, but this taught me that now, I'm not enough anymore."
"Whatcha mean, Supes?" Flash questioned.
"I'm saying that the world needs a team, a team of heroes who will stand up for what is right, those who will fight for justice and will fight to protect the world we all call home," Superman replied, looking into the eyes of all present. "What I'm saying is that we should form a team, the seven of us, protecting the world from all threats."
Hawkgirl, Flash, Green Lantern, and Diana—who was filled in on what Superman was saying though J'onn's telepathic ability—were shocked at Superman's offer. Surprisingly, the first person to speak was none other than Batman.
"I've been thinking about this for a while too, much before this incident even occurred," Batman commented. The six other heroes turned to face him, wanting to know what he was elaborating on. Batman did not reply, however, instead pressing a button on his gauntlet that started the Batwing's engines. Everyone watched as the Batwing took off by itself, turning and locking onto a location before flying off towards the Batcave.
Everyone was astonished that Batman would let his only transportation seemingly fly away without him. Before they were able to question him, however, a blinding light encompassed the area around them. Each hero felt what could only be described as their molecules being pulled apart, rearranged, and placed back together again. When they looked around at their surroundings, they noticed that they were not in the field anymore, but instead inside some sort of metal room.
While Batman, Superman, and J'onn were the only ones not affected by the transporter, it took a few moments for Diana, Shayera, John, and the Flash to regain their bearings.
"Dude, next time you're gonna do something like that again, make sure to tell me next time…," the Flash weakly said. "I think I'm going to throw up."
Shaking his head, Green Lantern looked around their surroundings, impressed with the clean and detailed craftsmanship. "Where are we?"
Batman walked out of the room, his cape sweeping behind him. The heroes were quick to follow, and once they made it out the door, they all stopped in collective shock.
There was a massive window right outside the transporter room within the hallway, and the window showcased none other than a perfect view of planet earth… from outer space.
"This is the Watchtower," Batman informed. "From now on, this will be your base of operations. Any and all news reports, satellite feeds, and other alert mechanisms are linked to this one tower, meaning that we'll be able to know about a threat before it even happens."
Batman walked down the hallway towards the main room of the Watchtower, a four story room currently empty besides a few balconies and extended platforms that could be seen, however the most notable feature was the floor to ceiling window that took up most of the far wall. The view was breathtaking, and for people like Diana and the Flash who have never been in outer space before, it was memorizing.
Superman turned to address the heroes. "This will be a commitment. Some of you already have commitments in protecting other cities; I completely understand. However, this is not some small task you are doing on the side: this is a full time job, protecting the world from danger. I know I'm asking a lot, and any one of you is free to walk out. That being said…," he trailed off, holding his hand out, "who's with me?"
No one moved at first, however the Flash quickly put his hand on top of Superman's. "Hey, this could be fun," he said with a smirk.
Hawkgirl gave a small shrug, putting her hand on top of the Flash's. "Not like I got anything better to do," she said with a grin.
Green Lantern quickly followed behind her, placing his hand on top of hers. "I may not be around all the time, but I'll be here as often as I can."
The Martian Manhunter was next, placing his hand on top of the others. "Earth has become my new home. I will not let it fall like I let my last one did."
Diana looked at the hands, then back at Batman. He saw her confusion, and he quickly responded, "{They want you to join the team.}"
Diana's eyes lit up, quickly looking back at the joined hands and the eyes on her, all of them waiting for her decision. She was conflicted as to what she should do. On one hand, her duty was complete: she vanquished the evil that plagued Patriarch's World; her task given by the gods was complete. However, she felt an unexplainable draw to Patriarch's World, curious as to all that it offered and all the people and experiences she could have.
With her mind finally made up, Diana planned her hand on top of the pile, giving a smile as she did so. She would stay for a short amount of time, exploring Man's World and seeing all that it entailed. Then, she would return home to her island. She glanced back at Batman, watching as he started to walk away.
The other heroes did not seem to notice, but Diana wondered where he was going. She quickly pulled her hand from the group, turning and running off to Batman.
"{Batman!}" Diana called. The Dark Knight stopped in his tracks, turning his head slightly to look at the Princess over his shoulder.
"{Yes, Princess?}" he asked.
"{Where are you going? Are you joining us?}" Diana asked.
"{I have to get back to Gotham,}" Batman said, quickly turning around and walking down the hallway.
Diana gave a small sigh, wondering what was so important about this Gotham that it required Batman's full attention. However, right before he was about to reach the end of the hall, he stopped in his tracks, turning to face Diana.
"{I'll be back in a few hours to check on how everything is going,}" Batman replied, feeling that he owed her an explanation. He did not know why he stopped to give her the so-called 'time of day'—he never usually did for anyone under the Batman persona—however seeing the beautiful smile that appeared on her face, one that made his heart skip a beat, he did not regret it one bit.
"{That's great to hear, Batman,}" Diana replied, interlacing her fingers together in front of her body down by her hips. "{I look forward to seeing you again.}"
Batman just nodded in response, turning down the hallway and making his way towards the transporter room. He did not know how his life changed so much in one single day: the appearance of massive machines, meeting a beautiful Amazon Princess, defeating an immortal madman, and forming a team of heroes upon the Watchtower he paid for and designed.
While it was moving at a fast pace, Batman did not mind the hectic nature of these past events. He felt satisfied knowing that there were more people willing to stand up for what was right, for the ideals of hope, justice, and truth.
It made him believe—ever so slightly—of a brighter future.
A/N: I can't wait for the next update! It's going to involve more interactions with Batman & Wonder Woman, and it may even include a JL physical/powers test! Stay tuned! :D