Batman sat amuck, adjusting the veil that was keeping his fingers from pressing the keys on the rectangular keyboard. He had been working on a lead that could probably lead him to the whereabouts of Brainiac, to put a stop on the android once and for all.

The watchtower had been very passive lately with how peaceful the world has been. But as tranquil as it is, there's no telling when threat is gonna show up. This is what drives Batman to ensure the safety of everyone despite the clear status that could be considered imminent

The members were currently on the cafeteria, chatting with each other. The ambient noise of laughter had reached places even to the monitor womb itself which deliberately caused the man trying to focus to gnash his teeth.

"Is there even such thing as subtle in this place?" he pondered to himself, trying to recollect his thoughts while strands of data continue to form on the monitor

On the corner of his eye, Batman notices a specific network that could be traced from a series of encryption. A slight tug of anxiety caused his hand to clamp as he leans closer to the second monitor

And there it was, Brainiac's network lingering just beneath the vicinity of Bahamas, Nassau. Batman groaned in disappointment upon realizing the robot itself is literally unbreakable, especially knowing it isn't just a robot, it is a code.

Batman shook his head of dismay. He had realized that the league has yet again failed a mission to finally neutralize the tyrant android once and for all

Without hesitation, The Dark Knight stood up and finished his coffee while turning off the monitor in the process. He stormed to the cafeteria which was currently inhabited by loud and noisy hyenas whom been aching on his nerves ever since earlier

As he reached the front door, Batman notices the mess that was on the watchtower from last night's party. Batman lets out grunt of annoyance upon realizing the "meta's" had been too "comfortable" with last week's triumph over the said
"Brainiac".

The door slides open as a view of certain heroes comes to his sight. Everyone was celebrating without a worry at all in the cafeteria. Laughter and chatter filled the air as the ambient noise from earlier was louder now to him.

He found his way to a table where the founding members of the league were currently sat. Superman notices him first as he stood up to welcome him properly

"Batman, what can we do for y…"

Disregarding the Kryptonian's polite greeting, Batman throws a paper unto their table which surprised everyone out of nowhere.

"Gee, what a way to greet your friends" Shayera sarcastically rebuked, crossing her arms in the process

"Batman, do you need something?" Green Lantern asked, slightly concerned of the urgency that Batman was showing

"He's alive, and well" Batman responded

Flash glances at the paper which consisted of words and numbers that was too advanced for him, scratching his head in the process.

"You couldn't mean, Brainiac… do you?" Flash softly suggested, clearly not wanting the idea of the Batman claiming he survived

"Yes. And I located his trail near Bahamas." Batman answered in his typical monotone voice

"But Bruce… we defeated him already." Green Lantern uttered

Catching his attention, Batman turned placed a hologram on the table which illuminated a network of strands which were too complicated for them to understand.

Batman eagerly tried to explain the whole thing to them but unfortunately, they were still too slow on the uptake.

Black Canary rolled her eyes on the notion of the Brainiac still being alive. It was still clear on her mind how they all defeated him once and for all and how his ship was destroyed to bits.

"So what you're saying is just because there's a very unusual network the world means the Brainiac himself is still alive?" Black Canary suggested, disregarding what the man himself had just explained

"Just so you know Bruce, we already have foreign inhabitants in the planet, in case you forgot.."

She paused for a second and glances at Martian Manhunter

"No offense"

"None taken," Martian Manhunter uttered

"Same here." Superman added

"The point is Bruce.." Dinah slowly walked up to him. She rested her hand in his shoulder, trying to ease out the tense notion that he was having

"You ought to trust us more." Dinah stated with a warm smile, trying to make the man understand

Without any hints of budging, Batman took the projector and took a step back.

"I am gonna investigate this matter, whether you or anyone in this watchtower is coming or not. This dilemma is too dangerous to overlook and I have no time explaining the whole thing." Batman rebuked harshly as he turned his heel

Everyone on the table was at shock upon hearing this. Dinah was concerned on whatever the Batman might do alone, he always had been very independent, but this time is different. He is going up against Brainiac of all villains, if he is indeed still alive.

From a distance, a certain green cloaked, blonde man was watching the whole thing while holding a glass of whiskey in his right hand. Deliberately listening to this interesting conversation from the other table

A part of Black Canary was leaning upon her friends' notion which was how they defeated Brainiac, but a part of her tells her that The Dark Knight himself is right. Probably an intuition

She decided to ease things out with Batman himself yet again

"Bruce… please calm down and..."

Ignoring the lady, Batman didn't hesitate and continued on in his track out of the cafeteria and towards the teleporter. He had no time for such prattle.

They didn't understand what the situation is, there's nothing he could do about that. He had so much things to do like tracking down the other networks that were intertwined with Brainiac's link

But as he was pondering to himself, Dinah appeared in front of him, preventing him from taking more steps

Her expression was now different, like a viscious tiger. She clearly didn't appreciate how Batman disregarded her like that. With such a hostile look on his face, any man would definitely melt on the spot

"You will not do that again, Batman. I deserve respect more than anything else and you will hear what I have to say" Black Canary sternly commanded, with such a very sharp tone that was very cold and threatening

"You don't understand, no one did in this god forsaken place. If I have to take care of Brainiac myself then so be it. Get out of my way" Batman responded, he wasn't threatened even a bit. The world is at stake and he knows it for himself.

No one is gonna stop him otherwise from stopping Brainiac, He serves for the world, not for "friends"

Still standing upright, Dinah crossed her hands, showing persistence to the Dark Knight himself.

"The Brainiac had been eliminated Bruce, and everyone knows that."

"He isn't, and I had explained it thoroughly to you and your friends, but clearly, you all are too comfortable to understand the risks" Batman stated

"And I have no time babysitting you Metas" He added sharply, which was his concluding statement

This however had caused a stir of fury upon the blonde lady, she might be laidback in terms of personality but no one disrespects her like that

Not even her dear beloved Batman

Dinah always had a bit of a crush on Batman ever since they met in Gotham. Despite his feeble stubbornness and egocentric notion, she knew for herself that the man behind the mask is a sweet and gentle man who cares about others than himself

Emotions had flared up in her as she felt her fists clench. She was about to burst when suddenly she notices the persistent look in his face. The calm and resilient expression that stood frozen in his features throughout.

She finally calmed herself down as she takes a step aside to let him pass,

Without hesitation, Batman passes through but paused midway to give the lady his regards

"Thanks Dinah, trust me with this one." He slowly whispered

"Call me when something comes up, Bruce" she slowly responded, playing the locks of her blonde hair like a little girl

"I mean call us.. rather" she clarified sharply, noticing the poor choice of words she had uttered

While this whole secret conversation occurred in the cafeteria between Batman and Black Canary, from a mile distance, a certain Amazon was watching suspiciously while shaking a cup of iced mocha in her hand.

Diana just came back from a 18 hour charity service in Washington DC, clearly tired and exhausted for the whole thing, and the first thing she sees upon returning is this

Clearly she wasn't liking it as much as the blonde bombshell over there. She had a sudden urge to personally come over there and break their suspicious "conversation"

Zatanna, who was sitting with her, notices her friend's strange behavior while watching from across the table.

"Diana!" she slowly whispered

The Amazon was too engrossed on the two to even hear the lady whispering to her, trying to get her attention.

She felt her fist clench with her knees unstably shaking with the scene of Dinah giving an embrace to the man himself.

Diana mumbled a Greek curse under her breath as her eyes were now filled with jealousy especially seeing how close they were to each other. He wasn't really a big fan of people being all up in his personal space

Oh, but with Dinah, everything seemed fine

With every second that they spend talking to each other adds more fuel to the fire, or the fire that was raging deep inside her.

"Diana!" Zatanna yelled

The loud noise that originated from the corner had caught everyone's attention. The whole cafeteria was now looking at them including the two who Diana was glaring daggers with

Zatanna beams out a bright smile, indicating that everything was indeed alright, which made the others focus on what they were doing before

Diana turns to her friend who had been trying to get her attention

"What?"

Zatanna points to floor with an unsatisfied look on her face

"Your iced mocha is spilling, caused from all that shaking you've been doing!" she whispered, trying to be subtle this time

Diana gaze was then diverted to the floor and she couldn't help but groan with the fact that her precious drink was now scattered on the floor. She only had a few sips, which weren't even halfway enough on what she needed after all that work.

She let out a sigh of exasperation as she stood up from her chair.

"I guess I better get the mop then…" she slowly mumbled, with a frown on her face

Zatanna halted her in the process as she mumbled a spell under her breath.

"nealc pu"

Upon uttering the spell, a gust of wind came strolling which caused the iced mocha to dry up. No one seemed to notice as she rubbed her hands of satisfaction.

"Now sit back down Diana, we have something to discuss"

Diana sat down, leaning on her palms which made her cheeks look puffy on the middle. She had a miserable look on her face as she was fidgeting her cup that once had a full

On the other hand, Batman was walking towards the teleporter when suddenly a voice coming from behind caught his attention.

"Batman!"

He turned around to see Green Arrow running with his bow and arrows. Finally catching up to him, he paused for a moment to catch his breath

"I've always been skeptical about the whole mission, I knew something was fishy when the ship blew up" Green Arrow whispered as he was inspecting the environment

"You do know these people have super hearing right? We'll discuss this at the batcave" Batman interrupted as he pressed a button as a bright streak of light appeared and took them out of the picture.

xXx

Diana casually walked up to the table which had all the founding members. She was curious to know on what Batman was pertaining about when he came by earlier

She spotted an empty chair in the middle and had decided to take it for herself to sit on. Black Canary gaze was then shifted to the corner as she notices Diana who had joined their table

"Diana, how was your mission?" she asked

Still feeling salty about what she had seen, Diana crossed her arms and looked away from her gaze

"Exhausting."

Flash notices Diana and had decided to join in on their conversation

"DC Charity work ain't no walk in the park Dinah, I've been there. Literally sucks the life out of you especially for straight 10 hours"

Diana looks at Wally who was stuffing his mouth with two big macs. She wanted to know what happened that caused quite a ruckus earlier

"So Flash, did I miss anything?" she asked patiently

At this point, everyone has noticed Diana sitting on the once was empty chair before. They've heard of her question and had decided to engage in the conversation

"Just Batman being grumpy as usual" Shayera mocked while having a sip of her iced mocha

Noticing the Thanagarian, Diana couldn't help but salivate as she watched Shayera sipping the cold and delicious iced mocha that she so desired. But coming back to her senses, she shook her head and sat upright

"Is that so… did he mention anything major?"

"He mentioned something but its not really that major" Superman responded

"Just Batman with his typical killjoy tendencies" Shayera added

Despite their explanation, Diana wasn't totally convinced over their rambles. She felt like she had missed something vital, especially from the Batman himself

While the whole sour mood was hovering in the air, Black Canary had decided to give everyone a piece of her mind.

"Everyone, Batman can be a little stubborn and childish sometimes, but let's give the man the benefit of the doubt. I know him and he's very rational on every statement and decision that he makes. He's perplexed and based with everything that may compromise the league and the members in it."

Everyone was listening attentively as the blonde bombshell was speaking. Diana however, was not impressed with her take.

Giving her a side glance, the feisty Amazon was intrigued with how Dinah knows a lot about Batman. She had decided to give her a piece of her mind too

"Oh yeah? How do you know that?" Diana sarcastically asked, raising a suspicious eyebrow to emphasize doubt

Black Canary turns to Diana, she was in deep thoughts with how to respond to the woman itself. She couldn't possibly tell them that she has feelings for the man or how head over heels in love she is with the Caped Crusader. That will just complicate things even more

"Like I said… I know him well—" Dinah softly murmured with a smile slowly forming in her face

Diana furrows her eyebrows at the notion of Dinah being a little too sentimental towards Batman. She always knew that Dinah always had a big respect towards him, but respect is just the tip of the iceberg of how this lady sees The Dark Knight himself.

It's not like she has a right to be mad, her relationship with Bruce is the same as with Dinah's. It's just that Diana always had been very territorial over what belongs to her, and clearly. Bruce belongs to her.

As her partner in missions that is.

"I mean— I kinda noticed. You always had a good spot on that brooding isolated jerk" Flash uttered

Flash was immediately stopped when he had received a sharp glare from the Wonder Woman that can give the Batman a run for his money. Clearly she had been hanging a lot with him lately.

Wally cleared his throat and stood up, trying to catch everyone's attention and live up to his role as the life of the party.

"Come on guys, we're supposed to be having fun. We defeated Brainiac for crying out loud!"

"Good idea, Wally. Let's continue the fun, shall we?" Superman responded as he stood up also while raising an Irish glass full of whiskey

Everyone cheered in response as they all toasted, except for two certain ladies who seemed indifferent from the others

Diana was still staring at Black Canary who was facing the ground. She had something on her mind that's bugging her

"Diana, Dinah!" Shayera called

Both of them looked up to see everyone staring at them

"Cheers?" Wally asked, while raising a glass to them

"Cheers." Diana and Dinah both stated at the same time, they looked at each other with a slight shock on their faces

Diana was still peachy about the whole thing but decided to brush it all of under the rug. She didn't want to spoil the party and so she joined the celebration.

On the other hand, Dinah stayed in her chair with certain thoughts bombarding her like a missile. She didn't know what to do or what she could contribute to help whatsoever, but she knew for herself that she had to trust Bruce in this.

xXx

"Are you frickin kidding me? So what am I supposed to do then?"

Green Arrow ranted while polishing his Bow, they were now in the batcave doing a quick briefing of how they are gonna infiltrate the Brainiac himself

"We can't face him head on, that's what he's expecting and I'm sure he had something planned for that ahead" Bruce responded while typing keys unto the keyboard

Now holding an arrow, Oliver reached out a whetstone from his pocket to sharpen the point

"Gee, so what are we supposed to do then? Hum God save the Queen while we wait for the other meta-humans to come save our asses and defeat Brainiac, then they get all the credit yet again?" He ranted sarcastically, clearly annoyed of the fact that they aren't facing Brainiac head on

"Nope, this time we do things "Our" way" Batman responded with an emphasis on the word "Our'

Oliver snorted in the process as he aimed his bow at the ceiling of the batcave

"Do you mind if I shoot some bats here?"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you…" he responded sharply

"Well, then here's Ollie.." Green Arrow murmured, with one eye closed trying to aim at a bat.

"If you hit one of them, the other's will ravage you as revenge" Batman interrupted

"Really, who's to say I can't shoot all of them at once?" Green Arrow cockily responded, still trying to aim at a bat

Batman shrugged it all off afterwards, at least he warned him.

But seconds later he realizes something from Oliver's banter

He turned around to see Oliver about to release the arrow. Without hesitation, he pulled out a batarang that sabotaged the arrow from reaching the ceiling.

"HEY!" Green Arrow yelled, annoyed of the Batman's interference

"I have an idea." Batman uttered as he took out a map from a drawer. He placed it down to a work table to discuss it with the blonde marksman. They would definitely infiltrate the android no matter what and this plan just might make it happen

xXx

Back at the Watchtower, everyone was happily chatting with each other in the cafeteria. Despite the Batman scene, they still resumed their celebration on the Brainiac successful case.

"Got any more fries, Flash?" John asked

"Got seconds here if your stomach can handle it" Wally replied with his mouth full of burgers

While all the members are having the time of their lives, Black Canary was sitting all alone at a table, holding the projector that Batman had left her earlier

It turns out that Batman had left her the projector since she was the only one who seemed to believe him out of all the other members.

She scanned the projector slowly, curious about what he was explaining earlier,

"What if he was right all along? And I didn't believe him, I mean, he left this with me and not with the founding members. Does that mean he's expecting me as a back up?"

Dinah ponders to herself while leaning her face on her palms when suddenly she was greeted from behind by a female voice

"Why are you sulking here all alone, Dinah?"

She turns around and sees Diana with a doubtful look on her face, still having suspicions over Dinah's conversation with the Batman earlier

Upon seeing Diana, Dinah immediately hides the projector in her pockets as she beamed the Amazon a smile

"Oh.. h-hi Diana…" Dinah greeted in a nervous manner, her voice was shaking as she uttered the line

Diana sits next to her with the same wary expression that she was giving her since earlier

"Is everything okay Dinah? You seem not yourself today"

"Oh, I'm fine Diana, don't worry about it" Dinah murmured as response with a fake chuckle to alleviate the mood

"Well, you mentioned something about knowing Bru… Batman rather,"

Diana slightly caresses the nape of her neck as she was hesitantly trying to utter her next words

"So… I'm curious, What's your relationship like with him."

Astonished, Dinah looks at her with a shocked expression as she was trying to absorb what Diana was pertaining at with the question. Either ways, she has to answer or it'll raise the suspicion even more

"Well… We're very good friends I guess. We helped each other in the past in Gotham and Star City respectively. He's very dependable and trustworthy, it's like he can do a lot of things which is one of his best factors" Dinah slowly began while caressing the table with her fingertips

"Is that so…" Diana replied

It didn't take a while before Dinah notices how the Amazon is infatuated with questions about Bruce.

"You've been asking a lot about Batman, do you happen to be interested in him by any chance?" Dinah asked, this time, the suspicion was on Diana as she bats her a narrow gaze

Diana snorts as response as she puts her hand on her waist, trying to be defiant over the blonde's accusations

"Me? Interested in him? Hera, that's preposterous. I have never felt such emotions before with a man, and I never will"

"So you've never been in love with a man before? Dinah asked, clearly shocked and curious about the Amazon's revelation

"There's no man in this world that made me feel some type of way, to be completely honest with you, Dinah." Diana revealed slowly

Dinah's eyes widened of shock, she always knew that Diana was a big man-hater but she wasn't expecting Diana to be at such levels to not have feelings with any man

Somehow, she felt relief upon hearing this. There have been rumors flying as of lately with her and Batman being together. Well technically, they always pair up in missions but still..

And after knowing Diana feels nothing towards the man that she has feelings on, Dinah felt a big load off her shoulders.

Upon thinking about Bruce, the thoughts from earlier came lingering again as she found herself back at her usual state from earlier, anxious and confused over something.

Finally coming to a conclusion, Dinah had decided to just leave the cafeteria at once to not give the others a wrong idea of her sudden melancholy.

She turns around to bid her friend goodbye when suddenly, the projector falls from her pocket which caught Diana's attention. Without hesitation, she reached out to pick it up but was grabbed by Diana before she was able to

"This is his… right?" Diana slowly asked while looking at the projector in her right hand

"Yeaaa… kinda…" Dinah responded

"Why do you have this?" Diana asked, her gaze now focused on her eyes, slightly irked over the notion

"Is there something that you're not telling me?"

She shifted her attention back to the projector as a red button caught her eye

"Diana, it's nothing important just give me back the…"

Dinah was trying to reach for the projector but Diana managed to keep it away from her. She pressed the button and suddenly a projection of Brainiac appeared with links of networks appeared.

Bruce had taught her about his gadgets and how it works, including the links and beacons of the networks with the projections, and so she was able to understand it all. Her eyes grew narrow upon scanning more and more strands that was connected to the main network itself

It didn't take long before Diana had concluded that…

"BRAINIAC IS ALIVE!?"

Diana's yelled as her voice lingered all over the cafeteria. Her outburst attracted everyone's gaze as they were now looking at her, including the founding the members

Dinah stood up to explain the whole thing to the riled up Amazon

"He said he can take it on his own…"

"BRUCE IS GOING AGAINST BRAINIAC BY HIMSELF!?" Diana furiously roared, causing Dinah to be stunned for a second

Diana walked up towards the table to where the founders were currently sitting. Clearly they have some explaining to do…

"Talk, Now!" Diana demanded, slamming the table that caused everyone to shiver

Flash tried to butter up the furious Amazon with his tactics

"Woah, chill out Wondy. You're acting exactly like Ba…"

He was then interrupted with a glare from the Amazon that was so sharp that it could make everyone shiver at their knees anytime.

Superman inhaled a deep breath as he stood up

"He claimed that Brainiac is still alive and he was gonna infiltrate him" he explained thoroughly

"By himself? Do you all know what that means? Batman is going up against Brainiac, a strong android that almost wiped out the world with his invasion"

"Well, that's the thing Diana. You were there when we clearly destroyed Brainiac and his ship back then. He couldn't have survived that, could he?"

Green Lantern pleaded

Diana placed the projector on the table and it played a hologram about Batman's thesis about Brainiac

"Can't you guys understand? It's clear as they that Brainiac is still alive from Bruce's research. Look at these foreign networks that could actually lead to the evil android himself"

"But Diana, you must understand that the existence of foreign networks is widely imminent nowadays. Especially with Aliens coming to the light as of lately" J'onn explained carefully trying to get everyone's point to Diana

"And also, you were there when we destroyed him Diana. WE DE-FEA-TED BRAINIAC, Diana" Shayera added, cutting the words "Defeated" into three parts to emphasize a point

Diana was not entirely convinced though, she knew for herself that Bruce wouldn't just make a rash decision if he wasn't sure for himself that it is true

"I'm going after him."

Everyone was shocked upon hearing Diana, especially Superman who wanted this day to be a celebration. He pleaded out to her while placing down his glass

"Come on Diana, you couldn't possibly believe what he was…"

"I have no time for this, Batman is in danger and I need to be there for him" Diana stated as she dashed to the exit door afterwards

From a distance, Dinah watched the whole thing and had decided for herself to join the Amazon on her way to Batman. He had trusted her with the projector and she still had doubts. It was bugging her since earlier that kept her from actually enjoying. She should've believed Bruce, but instead her doubts kept her from doing otherwise

And now she was gonna make amends.

xXx

"Why are you following me?"

Diana yelled in desperation, trying to match the humidity of the weather from flying.

"Because I have to!" Dinah shouted in response, currently steering her motorcycle to the streets of Bahamas.

"I know where to find them, you need me."

"You should've told me sooner, who knows what might happen to that stubborn man by now"

Dinah glances at Diana as her suspicion rose again from hearing the Amazon's last statement.

"Why do you care so much anyways? I thought you don't care about men whatsoever?"

"I LIED OKAY!" Diana screamed sharply

Astonished, Dinah looks at her with a confused expression

"So that means…. You care about Bruce?"

Diana closes her eyes as Dinah's words linger through her. The once isolated heart of the Princess had been opened by the man a long time ago, she just didn't want to admit that he was starting to warm up to her despite her principles about how Men are supposed to be

He was the one who taught her a lot of things including trusting teammates and Determination despite how hard the odds won't come in one's favor. Batman isn't always the affectionate type, so she wasn't sure on how he feels about her but eventually she knew for herself that she had fallen head over heels for her Knight

And now that her knight is in peril, she had to come over and rescue him before anything happens. It may sound ironic how the Princess is saving the Knight-in-distress but she didn't care about it that much. The only thing running through her mind is how she's gonna talk some sense into that thick skull of his

"Diana! You didn't answer my question"

Dinah yelled, interrupting Diana in her sentimental moment

Diana clenched her fists as she inhaled a deep breath, making her chest fluctuate in the process

"YES! I DO CARE ABOUT HIM!" She yelled loudly that it had caught lots of attention from the street

Diana looked straight, her hair flowing in the wind as she was flying straight into the coordinates from the projector. She took another deep breath as she cried..

"Is that what you want to hear? Well fine Dinah, I care about him more than anything. He means a lot to me and I'd be devastated if anything will happen to him!"

"Well guess what, I LOVE HIM!"

Diana Looked at the Blonde Bombshell with utter shock as her jaw slowly dropped to the ground

"Wha…"

"I know him more than you do, he has helped in a lot of my dilemmas and he had always been there for me when I need him. He's all that I've always wanted ever since I laid my eyes on him" Dinah revealed, forming a smile in the process while her motorcycle suddenly goes faster

Still surprised, Diana couldn't believe it. Black Canary is in love with the same man.

"There's no way that you could ever love someone like him Diana, you chose him of all the others out there despite you having millions of men literally fawning over for you" Dinah shouted as insinuation, trying to prove a point

Diana furrowed her temples as a slight rage forms inside her from that last statement

"I don't care, he's the only man I've ever felt this way for and its gonna be me who's gonna win him over!"

Dinah steered in front of Diana as she turned around

"So do I, and I'll be damned if anyone is gonna have him but me, Diana." Dinah uttered as she grabbed the projector from Diana's hand

"I'm taking this, he gave it to me first anyways. Seeya"

And just like that, she steered away faster ahead leaving Diana astonished behind

Diana lets out a curse in Greek as she flew faster as well, trying to catch up to the lady ahead

Everyone was looking at them with puzzled gazes as they were literally racing so fast about something. Thankfully, the streets weren't as crowded or else there would've been major destructions with the two ladies competing for a certain someone.

xXx

"How long is it gonna take?"

Green Arrow yelled as he shot 3 arrows at the same time, piercing Brainiac's tentacles into the wall.

The league's attempt at destroying Brainiac sabotaged all his assets to gain power and recuperate, but the Brainiac still lives otherwise and if he finishes hacking the world network, he'd definitely have the grasp of the world in his palms

Batman knew of this all long and had decided to use this as an advantage

Batman's plan had thoroughly worked against such a threat like Brainiac. First, he had Green Arrow as the main guy, making the android think that he was the only person against him. This made Brainiac too cocky unfortunately, not taking the marksman seriously.

This caused Brainiac not having the same resources he needed to gain strength and power thus falling deep into Batman's trap

Green Arrow had already bought him enough time for Batman to hack into Brainiac's servers permanently shutting down his connections to the world network.

"2 more minutes" Batman replied

Green Arrow lets out a sigh of exasperation as he took an arrow from his quiver and charged at the tentacles. Batman's expertise on hacking had proven otherwise that Brainiac was too weak at this point to even pose a threat as Oliver was just playing with the enemy at this point

"To think that we took down one of the universe's greatest threat all by ourselves, humans without superpowers of all people." Green Arrow boasted while slashing all the tentacles that were too slow to even touch him

"Don't be too cocky damn it, that's what Brainiac is anticipating all along. Which ironically caused his downfall" Batman responded while finishing the breach unto The Brainiac's links

Brainiac watched nervously as he took a step back, slowly regretting his decisions on subduing the "humans" that he thought was too weak.

"I cannot be defeated by your kind, I am almighty, I make no mistakes" Brainiac declared, noticing the shortage of power in his storage depleting at each second

Batman stood up and marched towards the android, grabbing him by the neck and slamming him unto the ground.

"The moment you had taken emotions in your system is the first mistake you have ever done. You purposely compromised you plan just to gain the satisfactory of winning, and it also caused your downfall.

"You… knew about this all along? I thought I had the league at my palm when I faked my death. Aren't you one of them? Brainiac stated, his voice slowly deteriorating

Batman slammed him into the ground once more, causing the android to hitch slightly

"Tell me, do androids like you experience fear?"

Batman slowly tightens his choke unto the Android, almost crushing his neck in the process

"You may fool meta-humans, but not me. Not me. I'm gonna let you live, but never forget about the day when us, merely humans, had almost ended your entire existence in your own game. Batman stated menacingly with his eyes slowly narrowing into thin lines.

"Who are you...?" Brainiac slowly questioned

A very intimidating silhouette of Batman appears before him as the pale moonlight made the man look like a monster coming to end him once and for all.

"I'm gonna hack your internal system to make sure you'll never go rogue again, your existence is in my hands and from this moment on… You serve me."

The irony that was presented in the confrontation was too painful for Brainiac to conceive. A once aspiring tyrant planning to take over the universe is now gonna serve a mere human.

"I see…"

He slammed him into the ground as he stood up. He turns to Green Arrow who had taken care of all the tentacles that was lying on the ground.

"I'll let you do the honors" Batman stated as he slowly walked away

"Don't mind if I do" Green Arrow boastfully uttered as he delivers the most vicious finishing blow that left the android completely shut down

Brainiac's cold figure left Green Arrow satisfaction as he found his way to the caped Crusader from a distance

"I think I killed him." Green Arrow stated, walking next to Batman who was looking at Brainiac's little ship

"You can't kill Brainiac by means of physical force or destruction. The only way to permanently shut him down is to lock his networks away for good." Batman responded,

"That was the main reason why I was skeptical about their "Successful" mission. He added

Oliver took off his cap as he placed his bow back to his back. A hint of curiosity came over him as he asked

"And you didn't permanently kill him, why?"

Batman turns to him with a stoic expression as a big breeze of wind brushed through them, making Batman's cape flow into the wind. Resembling an evil emperor that had just taken down a tyrant

Oliver's eyes widened of disbelief, He had read between the lines of why Batman didn't permanently kill the android…

And the conclusion just struck him which made him intrigued with hints of freight that the man would even think of such thing

"YOU WOULDN'T!"

"Yes I will."

"But Bruce, this is too much. Even for contingency that is messed up. Using the league's threat against them is…"

He was interrupted with a very vicious Batglare that had sent chills up to his spine. And the realization came just how powerful the man in front of him is, especially with preparation.

Brainiac's biggest blunder was underestimating the both of them, which ended up badly for him,

The realization that they just took care of Brainiac with just themselves still seemed surreal to the Blonde marksman.

"I see..."

Suddenly a loud beeping tone from his pocket interrupted their confrontation. It was a call from the Justice League. Green Arrow beams a smile as he presses the button to answer.

"Yes, Green Arrow here"

"What's the status, we just heard about the Brainiac situation and we're on our way. Don't try to engage Brainiac, he is too powerful for the both of you." Superman stated on the call

Oliver chuckled slightly as he was listening to his order, clearly annoyed with how incompetent they are on taking down the threat that he and Batman had to do by themselves

"Green Arrow? Gre…"

And Oliver hang up the call. He was having none of that

He turns to Batman who was just looking at him with the same stoic expression.

"You heard that?"

"Loud and clear." Batman answered sternly

Oliver kicks a few soil unto the tentacles as he was pondering to himself, trying to ease out the irk he had listening to the useless Kryptonian who was giving them orders. If not for them, Brainiac would've breached the world network by now.

"Say Bruce, If ever that day comes, make sure to contact me first hand."

"What do you mean?"

"You know damn well what I mean." Green Arrow stated, offering his hand for a handshake

Batman looks at his hand and to Oliver's face. He had a confident smile as usual

"I'll try." Batman responded with a smile of his own while shaking Oliver's hand

Everything seemed almost good for a conclusion of the story but suddenly..

"BRUCE!"

From a distance, a yell was heard that echoed through the depths of the forest

And moments later, A figure was visible of what seemed like women coming to where they are.

Slightly irked, Batman shakes his head of annoyance

"Did you call for someone?

"No, did you?"

"I didn…"

He remembers something, the projector that he had given Dinah earlier.

"Nevermind, go check Brainiac for a second"

"Why?"

"Just do it. Arrow" Batman stated calmly

The archer then went to Brainiac, as the figure turned out to be Black Canary running towards the scene

She ran towards Batman first, with her worry fluctuating at every second

"Bruce, I'm here finally. I'm sorry I was.."

Batman interrupted her with a tap on her shoulder which halted her guilt rant

"None taken, Dinah" He uttered with a warm smile

Dinah smiled in response as she gives Batman a hug of her own.

Realizing something, Dinah breaks from the embrace as she pulls out the projector from her pocket

"I almost forgot, here Bruce."

Batman pushed the projector back to her as a means of insistence

"Keep it Dinah, as a remembrance from me" Batman jested, trying to uplift the mood

"If you insist, Bruce" Dinah uttered softly as a warm flush came over her cheeks

Turning her attention to the ship, the realization came unto her that the Batman and the mysterious Green man had made such a damage.

"Wha.. Bruce.. What's going on?" Dinah slowly uttered, scanning the remains and casualties of what seemed like a battle that had just occurred

From a distance, she notices a familiar figure lying on the ground.

It didn't take long for DInah to come up with a conclusion who it was

"Is that…"

"Braniac, the one and only." Green Arrow interrupted, standing next to Dinah in the process

Dinah turns and sees the mysterious mean beside her, She slowly backs away, giving the two of them distance.

"Who are you?" she asked suspiciously

"Did you have anything to do with this?"

"The name's Arrow, Green Arrow, new member and yes, I did" Green Arrow stated in a confident manner, clearly showing off

"I find that hard to believe mister Green Archer" Dinah scorned, raising her eyebrow in the process

"Well technically, we did."

The man then rambled about how they had defeated the Brainiac, showing off his marksmanship by pointing out the arrows punctured to the trees.

Moments later, A certain Amazon found her way to the place as she noticed a certain caped crusader from a distance. Seeing him all well and standing caused relief to her heart that was aching of nervousness. Without hesitation, she immediately rushed towards the man to confront him about the incident

Diana stood next to Batman with a very displeased look. She was clearly not amused with how he just took on Brainiac without telling her at least. Suddenly, her palms reached his cheek as she slapped him senseless which made a loud sound.

"Why did you go on such a dangerous mission? Why didn't you inform me? I could've accompanied you" Diana slowly muttered

Batman caresses his cheek as he tried to patronize the raging Amazon

"Diana…."

"YOU COULDVE BEEN KILLED FOR HERA'S SAKE!" she yelped in rage, causing the Batman to be stunned for a second

Before Batman could even utter a response, he could feel a tight embrace from the woman itself.

An embrace so passionate and tender that Diana's feelings ultimately reached him. Batman lets out a sigh of exasperation as he gave her a small pat on her head

"You were too exhausted after the mission so I decided to not inform you about it"

"Stupid, I'm an Amazon Bruce, I can handle all types of threats if it meant protecting you" Diana slowly uttered as she caressed his cheek

"You had no idea how worried you had me, my heart was literally beating so hard that I can't even think straight. I'd never experienced this with anyone before Bruce, but when I heard about you potentially in danger, I felt my heart sink of that revelation"

She lifted her head to meet his eyes watching her wailing. A tear forming in her eyes threatening to flow on her cheeks at the moment as she contemplated her emotions to the man himself.

"Don't you understand, Bruce? I .."

"We took care of Brainiac, that's all that matters." Batman revealed

Diana's eyes widened in shock upon hearing the revelation. She was too fixated on how Batman was doing that she had forgotten about Brainiac at all

"That reminds me, where is he?" Diana stated, as she scanned the environment. And from a distance, she saw a familiar figure with Dinah and a man in front of it

"Is that…"

"Brainiac"

"Wait… but how?"

"I'm Batman."

Upon hearing the jest, Diana slowly turned around to meet the man himself with a confident smile on his face. Slightly irked, Diana gave him a slight punch on the shoulder

"You're amazing, you know that? Even though I was worried about you, some part of me ached to have faith in you to finish the job and you did." Diana uttered as she rested her head unto Bruce's shoulder

Batman caressed her shoulder as a gentle breeze of the wind caused a romantic mood between the two of them. Suddenly, he remembers something.

"Wait here Princess, I have something for you."

Batman released his hold over her which made Diana curious what the something was. He made his way to the Batwing and opened a shelf of a small refrigerator. There stood a cup of chilled iced mocha that he had made especially for her.

He made his back into her holding the iced mocha. Diana couldn't believe but giggle in joy upon seeing the "thing" that Batman has for her.

"is that…"

"Yeah" Batman responds with a sweet lint on his voice, offering the cup of iced mocha to her in the process.

Diana took the cup gently as she giggled of excitement yet again. She had been craving for one since earlier but she seemingly had forgotten about it when her mind was centered on saving Bruce

"Thank you so much Bruce, you have no idea I needed this so much

"Actually I did, I saw you spill your iced mocha back at the watchtower and figured you might've been craving for it especially after an exhausting mission. So I took the liberty on making one at the Manor."

She carefully scanned the cup, it doesn't look like the disposable cups that they had in the watchtower. The cup looks like it's actually from a home that was brought especially for her

A loud thump of beat overcame her heart as her gaze fell unto the Batman who was smiling in front of her. Despite being busy preparing for Brainiac, he was still thinking about her and even made such a treat for her to drink

"Oh Bruce, why must you punish my heart so…" Diana pondered as she was just staring at the Batman himself illuminated by the moonlight

All of a sudden, Superman and the rest of the founding members had arrived, surveying the scene and such. They had come to a conclusion that Green Arrow and Batman had done the impossible, defeating Brainiac of all villains.

Batman however was not having any of that as he made his way to the batwing, Dinah and Diana notices this however and decided to apprehend the man

"Bruce!"

Dinah yelled as she approached Batman who was almost leaving, Diana was beside her too,

"You did it Bruce, I knew you'd never let us down."

"But you still could've called. I would've enjoyed beating the hell out of Brainiac with you, Bruce" Diana casually suggested while cracking her knuckles

Batman lets out a slight chuckle as he turns to the beautiful ladies in front of him. Despite his mistrust for the league, it still felt warm and good that they believed in him despite how outlandish the thought of Brainiac surviving is.

He wanted to thank them, but he has to do it properly

Slowly, he took off his helm, revealing his Good Looking and well proportioned face unto them as he slowly uttered

"Thank you for believing in me"

Dinah was stunned for a second, as a warm flush of heat came over her cheeks. She had seen how Batman looked like many times already, but it never fails to mesmerize her towards him

"n-no.. problem Bruce" she nervously uttered, fidgeting her fingers on the process

Diana on the other hand was melting on the spot, his mysterious dark eyes that she seldom sees struck her out of nowhere that she couldn't help but fawn over. A warm blush escaping to her cheeks fluttered as she stuttered

"L-Like I said… call me next time when something like this happens again."

Despite being smitten, Diana was still stubborn about admitting her feelings towards the man. She was still skeptical about her own feelings even though it was clear as day that he is hopelessly devoted to the Caped Crusader

Bruce nodded in response as he gets on the Batwing to start.

Upon coming to her senses, Dinah noticed something, She had no ways of coming back to Gotham with only her motorcycle. But quick thinking from the Blonde Bombshell prevented her from being stranded in Nassau

"Bruce, can I ride with you? I have no means of transporting back to Gotham with my motorcycle only"

Batman shook his head of amusement as he nodded in response. The Black Canary can be quite a klutz sometimes

"Fine, put your motorcycle in the deck" he responded with a slight snicker

Diana on the other hand was not impressed over this whatsoever. She immediately got on the Batwing and sat on the front passenger seat

Dinah was shocked upon seeing Diana seated next to Batman on the driver's seat

"You're coming with us too? Can't you fly yourself?"

"I'm too tired."

"Can't you ask Superman to carry you back then?"

Diana groaned in disgust of the notion of a man carrying her

"I'm not letting any man touch me anywhere in my body, ever." Diana stubbornly huffed, crossing her arms in the process

"Of course, there's one exception" She thought to herself while looking at Batman from the corner of her eyes

Dinah sighed to herself as she got on the Batwing, She glanced at Batman who just gave her a shrug.

Dinah smiled in response as she took a seat at the backseat.

As the Batwing started to hover, Dinah whispered something to Diana.

"May the best woman win?"

Diana smirked upon hearing the Blonde's preposition. As she whispered

"May the best woman win."

Batman notices this and gave them a look of suspicion but they shrugged it all off with a smile

xXx

Almost 15 minutes later and they were halfway to Gotham as Dinah was sleeping sound at the backseat

Diana ponders to herself, while looking at Bruce on the corner of her eyes. It was clear how her emotions are literally fighting against each other. She knew for herself that she is head-over-heels but still she insists that no man can conquer her.

But as she slowly looks at him like this, she notices something from inside her that no one had ever caused. Her heart fluctuates and beats more faster than usual, especially when he himself is looking back at her

It's not just his presence alone, but his overall character. It just chimes well with her. She never had good outlook with men but somehow she always felt comfortable and at ease whenever she is with him. He was the first one to ever made her feel like this, to open up her heart of doubt and Misandry, proving her principles wrong about how men are evil and all the same

Diana turns to him fully as Bruce responded with a gaze of his own. His smile causing a shiver to her lips as she slowly rubbed her knees together as she turned away on the last second.

There's no denying about it anymore, she is in love with him. The first man that made her feel such emotions.

She knew for herself that she couldn't lose him over anyone, he was hers and hers alone. That conversation with Dinah deliberately made her anxious but she's going to do everything to win what she had desired all along..

"Bruce…" she pondered to herself, mesmerizing Bruce's good looks from the corner of her eyes as she takes a sip of the iced mocha that he had made for her, and as she expected..

It tasted so good that her taste buds were begging for more. She could feel the cold sensation from her throat. Diana closed her eyes of delight after imagining the wonderful colors on her mind (a ratatouille reference)

"How is it?" Bruce curiously asked while steering the Batwing. His smile still visible after removing his helm from earlier

"Beautiful." Diana responded.

She was too fixated on a certain someone to even acknowledge the drink on her palms…