A world without limitations

A world where one could escape this shitty game of reality

A world where there is no responsibilities, no consequences, and no pain

A world where everything can be according to plan

A world that I…

~0~

"Mr. Wayne!"

A sudden loud voice broke Bruce from his nap. He slowly raised his head up to see Benjamin Goldmann presenting something on the screen. It was the newest product that his company was producing

He slowly rubs his right eye, while checking the time on his wristwatch. It was exactly 4 pm and he wanted to be anywhere but that place

And so, Bruce stood up to his feet and cleared his throat

"I have somewhere to be." Bruce announced as he turned to Goldman "You take over for now"

"But Mr. Wayne, we need your decision on the matter"

The young man heaved out a yawn as he started walking out of the door. The people on that board could only sit and watch as the CEO of the company had ditched them in such an important meeting

Goldmann shook his head of disappointment, as he then resumed the meeting

Meanwhile, Bruce was half-asleep walking the halls of his building. He passed by some of the workers who made sure to leave him a nice greeting before so.

Passing by the walls, there were different posters strewn all over them, especially the main grossing export of the Wayne Enterprises as of the moment – The Nerve Gear I. The poster next to it was different, for as Bruce noticed the content, he couldn't help feel a certain way

It was the promo of the new upcoming online server that is considered to be one of the most immersive in the gaming field. Certainly something that a lot of people would be very into, and adding to the arsenal that the Wayne Enterprises are producing, it would surely be a major success

But somehow, The CEO himself had mixed opinions on the matter. He had expressed his skepticism over the product, but the chairman, Goldmann, convinced him that it would be a major big step of the company.

There was something about the word "video game" that wasn't sitting right with his whole ordeal

As his gaze transitioned from every word, and every design on the artwork. A certain memory came to him as he found himself spacing out on the poster…

~0~

"Say, if I help you with this, will you make everything better?"

"Better? I will make everything flawless, Mr. Wayne!"

"But… can you really replace reality with this creation of yours?"

"My world has no bounds, no edges and no limitations. My world is vast and immersive that it would even surpass reality…"

~0~

"Mr. Wayne!"

Again, Bruce was shaken off from his daze by someone. He turned around, and Goldmann was looking at him with a dissatisfied expression on his face

"What was that earlier, Mr. Wayne?" He grunted

"Sorry, I didn't have much sleep last night, Ben…"

"Don't use that crap on me, boy" Goldmann grunted furiously "This is the fifth time this has happened this month, and now I am growing my suspicions over you enthusiasm and dedication of this direction that we are talking"

"It's okay, The idea seems nice and it would be great, I can see that"

"No, you can't. This is important for the company. And so, I must hear your real thoughts on the matter" Goldmann said

"Me and the board are expecting a decision by tomorrow" He insinuated "Or else–"

"Or else what?" Bruce retorted, now shifting the authority to him who obviously has the higher ground

Goldmann shook his head "Just make a decision tomorrow, Wayne" he added before turning his heel and walking to the other direction

Bruce could only stare at the poster with everything going on. Clearly he was bothered by something in correlation of it, he just didn't want to acknowledge such thing

"Virtual Reality…"

~x X x~

"And… checkmate."

Bruce announced, moving the queen sideways, trapping the opponent's king in the corner upon doing so.

In the opposite table, was no other than Diana herself who was clearly surprised of what just happened

"Why does this always happen!?" she grunted, clearly infuriated about the result of the match

"This is like… the 20th in a row. It doesn't make sense at all, even though I used to be undefeated back in Themyscira!"

"You lack the skill of rationality, Princess. That's why you always lose" Bruce carefully explained

"You tend to take risk too much, and most often than not, it would always result to an utter blunder rather than a well planned move"

"So you're saying I'm way too incompetent to win?" She frowned

"Well, a game is a game regardless. But even advantages could lead to one's downfall"

Diana casted a confused expression "I don't quite get it…"

"It means you will never beat the Batman himself no matter what you do!"

The boy who was watching the entire time finally spoke. Diana then turned to this heckler

"Oh, so are you underestimating me?"

"Not underestimating, but it's the Batman. Trust me, I've tried many times and he still wins every time!" Tim explained

"Go figures." He uttered

Suddenly, a broadcast was heard from the television.

"We are coming to you live from Gotham downtown where an unidentified man is currently broadcasting himself in every televisions and dev–"

Out of nowhere, the television was corrupted by a series of flashes and images. But eventually, an image finally came to view – it was a set of some sort of a tea party with a masked man wearing a long hat

With him in that table were lots of characters and animals that could be mistakened from a fairy tale.

"W-What's going on, Bruce?!" Tim nervously shrieked "There's no way we could be hacked, we have top notch security!"

Bruce shushed him in response. Diana, who was also getting concerned, couldn't help but turn to him, but he was calm and collected throughout

The man in the television finally stood up and went closer to the television

"Hello, if you can hear me – well not like you have a choice… but I am the Mad Hatter, and these are my friends!" His voice was eerie, and reeked of a certain feel that could gives out unpleasant vibes

Suddenly, his broadcast was interrupted by a series of crashes, the GCPD and the networks probably doing their best to stop it from airing. And so, the screen was filled with nothing but TV static noise

"Bruce, I can't track his location. This guy is a professional hacker!" Tim whimpered in desperation while holding his laptop

"Diana, where's your sister and student?" Bruce immediately asked, still focusing on the screen

"Donna and Cassie?" Diana asked, quite astounded by his sudden question "They're at the house right now"

Bruce faced her with a serious expression, his hands holding her shoulders close "Listen to me, I need you to go back home for now and make sure to shut down any electronics that you have, and turn off the circuit before any further notice"

"Which includes televisions, computers and laptops!" Tim added in a hasty manner

"Why? What's going on?"

"I'll explain later." Bruce said calmly, kissing her forehead in addition. "You have to trust me in this one, Princess"

"Now go, you don't have much time!"

Diana nodded in response. Whatever the situation was, it was certainly urgent with how the Batman is acting. And she had to trust him.

"Okay." Diana uttered as dashed to the door. But before fully leaving, she paused to turn to Bruce

"Whatever it is you're gonna do. Be careful, Bruce."

He nodded in response

The broadcast resumed again, as the form of the Mad Hatter and his tea party set returned back to the screen

"Now don't worry, this won't take long. I just have a challenge for each and every one of you, especially the children. I invite you all to my humble world of Wonderland, the best place in the world – and here you will have the best of fun!"

A floating teapot then comes closer, somehow tilting to the side to pour a hot tea unto his tea. Somehow, it was shown as if it was controlled by magic

"Isn't that right, my dear Alice?!" a light illuminates the corner of the table, and sitting there was a blonde girl who was struggling to speak, but her mouth was sealed shut for some reason

"Oh do forgive my little Alice, she's not the talker like how she used to be" The Mad Hatter chuckled

The broadcast was getting interrupted more and more, but the speech stood still, His voice was now muffled, but it could still be heard

"I havveee givveeen a tasssk for each one, and I want people in my Wonderland, for what is a masterpiece without admirers?" The Mad Hatter stated "And so here are my conditions."

The man took a glance of his pocket watch "About 24 hours or so, which is like… an hour in your time"

"And if no one will be able to reach me by that time…"

The Mad Hatter paused for a quick second, finishing his cup of tea as he raised his head slowly into the camera with a now serious stern look on his face as he said…

"Then something terrible is gonna happen."

An unsettling smile quickly forms in his face with his friends slowly leaning to the side to look at the television in an awfully creepy manner. But before anything else could happen, the broadcast was now broken through by the channel, which brought back the reporter and the news back to the television

"Again, this is Vicki Vale reporting from Gotham Downtown, and that was certainly something that no one expected would happen, but right now we are officially back."

Quickly, Bruce turned off the television and sat down to the couch

"We have to do something, Bruce!" Tim grunted in resolve

"The Wonderland that he was talking about, I might have an idea where it is!"

The man turned to him "I'm all ears"

"I think I recognize that place from somewhere. It's from a server I've been before in the Virtual Reality"

"Virtual Reality" Bruce repeated, quite intrigued over his statement

"Excuse me sire, but I have received updates. It seems that the there is no such place as the Wonderland in the city" Alfred came to the scene, holding a foiled radio in his hand to prevent foreign frequencies

Holding his hair back, Bruce was now getting disgruntled with the whole thing. As if it hadn't bothered him enough already, not it has found its way back to haunt him once again

"We don't have time" Tim said while preparing his very own nerve gear for Virtual Reality

"I know my way around VR, you can just stay here."

Bruce raised his head up to look at him. "No, you can't. You won't be able to survive that server alone" he said

He then stood up and took his Batman helm resting on the table

"How do you know? You've been there before?" Tim barked back, quite offended by his statement

"Because I know so." He answered, tapping a button in his helm upon doing so

"Helm, VR mode."

"That's pretty cool, didn't know that can do that"

"You coming or not?"

"Of course I am" Tim put on his nerve gear

"Alright, counting 3…2…1"

They both closed their eyes, saying a certain line in unison

"Aschente."

But out of nowhere…

"Bruce, this is Diana" a certain feminine voice echoed in his helm "I've heard about everything from Cassie"

"I'm coming with you."

"Wait… what? he muttered, but it was too late, the initiation was about to begin

"Wait sto–"

.0.

Welcome, please enjoy your stay.

A voice of a female artificial intelligence automated guide spoke as Bruce opens his eyes. The first thing he noticed was the vast area of the surroundings with the people in such a different clothing and appearance.

It was a completely different world

He tried to move, and it was the same as before. It was exactly like in the real world

Suddenly, a voice echoed "Bruce, this is Tim. For some reason, I can't access the virtual world"

"What do you mean by that?

"It says the slots are full, and the server is too packed." Tim explained "It must be caused from the channel interruption earlier that the connection is muffled

"No, there's no way that's the case. The virtual world is way too advanced for that" Bruce explained while scanning the area.

He was currently at the entryway, or the lobby of the virtual reality. With a bunch of characters walking, a lot of floating hologram advertisements and portal entries everywhere that will lead to a certain server of a videogame

"There's someone who took your place when we entered, and that person might be close by" he added

"Who do you think it is?" Tim asked

.

.

Remembering what happened just earlier made Bruce heave out a sigh

"What next?" a voice from behind took Bruce's attention. It belonged from a woman who had yellow hair and green eyes. She was wearing a battle armor of some sort with a sword and shield ready

"You mean I can just move normally in here?"

Bruce carefully inspected who this individual is. Like him, she was talking to another person on the other

Line

"Hera, this is so infuriating!"

This was what he only needed.

He steps closer to let his presence be known. When she turned to him, it seemed as if she didn't recognize him at all

Bruce sighed, having knowledge of how everything works in this world

"How'd you get in, Diana?"

Her green eyes widened upon hearing this "B-Bruce!?"

He nodded

"I can explain." She stuttered.

Diana looked at him with her eyes stooping below, and she was awfully surprised

"Bruce, why are you a little boy?"

He didn't notice it at first, but as he turned to a reflection of himself from a glass pane – he was indeed in a form a boy. In fact, it was actually an 11 year old Bruce. Slicked back hair, dress shirt waistcoat and shorts

A certain memory came to him, but his train of thought was interrupted

"Bruce?"

"It's a long story." He responded with his high-pitched young voice

"But the real question is, what are you doing here?" he glared at her

"Well, I heard about it all from Cassie, who is actually an avid visitor of this virtual reality. Diana grinned in response "She heard about the plan from Tim and I knew I just had to go with you."

Bruce sighed to himself, knowing full well it was Tim who spilled the beans to his best friend, who was also a techie

"But, Diana. This is a world you've never been to before" the boy reasoned out

"This is not my first time of going to a different world, Bruce" She beamed him a smile

"You don't understand, this situation is serious. This person could be a dangerous cyber terrorist"

"I know, and we have to stop him." Diana finished "Together."

"Diana…"

"Bruce." Her voice was calm and collected as she kneeled down to his level to look him in the eyes "With the two of us together, we are undefeated… remember?"

Bruce faced the ground, still skeptical since Diana has no knowledge with the virtual world whatsoever…

A sudden beep came from the system

"Wait, Diana is in there with you?" Tim asked from the real world

"We don't have time to waste" Bruce said "I'll call when something comes up, but for now, do your best to track this Mad Hatter guy."

"Understood, Robin out"

Bruce turned to Diana, who was eyeing her reflection from the same glass he was looking at earlier

"I look different."

"We gotta move, Diana" he said "Follow my lead"

"Right!" she responded

With the boy leading, they dashed to a certain server which had the Queen of hearts nametag. They entered in, which teleported them to a floating transparent waiting lobby which gave a nice view from the top

Diana was waltzing around, looking at the view with from where they were. She was clearly captivated of how this "artificial" world is. It was as beautiful as the real world, and feels nothing different as well

"The game is loading, Bruce. Hang on…" Tim said

"For how much longer?"

"Just a few seconds actually" he responded

"And…"

Suddenly, a sudden zap was heard, which teleported the pair to a different surroundings. The place was pixilated all over and everything was made out of blocks

"Talk to me, Robin"

"A rare glitch has happened in the system, and it had caused the lobby to take you to a random game." Robin stated from the other line "Damn, must've been caused by the signal interruptions from earlier."

"No, the virtual reality is way too advanced for that." Bruce stated "Someone is sabotaging us from entering the Wonderland"

Tim gasped "Could it be the–"

His connection timed out, caused by another glitch that was too good to be true.

He scanned the area, but when he saw Diana approaching a green looking pixilated creature of some sort, he immediately ran to her

"Diana, get away from that!"

He managed to tackle Diana into the ocean before it finally exploded, leaving a mark of destruction on the ground it was in

As they were slowly drowning in the water, they blipped into another world which was awfully lot different.

Instead of pixels and little blocks, they were now in the middle of a battlefield with the two of them wearing battle suits and carrying big blasters. Up ahead were a group of creatures unknown to each other, and the others seemed big and gigantic

They were rallying with soldiers who were also wearing the same gear as them

"Rally up on front, Captain Chief's orders!" One of the soldiers spoke as he threw a grenade, eventually taking down a bunch of creatures afar

"Diana, watch out!" Bruce stated as he saw one of the creatures suddenly appear beside Diana but the boy managed to shoot it quickly with his blaster

Diana did the same upon seeing the same creatures appearing beside Bruce. Without hesitation, she pulled the trigger which blasted a focus blast that disintegrated the creatures into small shiny coins

"Keep it up you two" A person appeared. He was wearing the same armor as them but a bit more complex. He had the name tag "Masterchief" above his head

Bruce gave a nod of respect as the man resumed the battle by running up ahead and shooting some more creatures. Diana was thoroughly confused with what's going on, but she knew they didn't have time to talk whatsoever. It was a battlefield, and she shouldn't let her guard down

But before they could get ready, they were yet again blipped into a different game. This time, it was of the same setting in the warfare, but the people around were different. There were humans, elves, orcs, and even undead fighting with each other

"You two there," a green orc riding a wolf approached the pair "You two look different."

"Leave them alone, Grom. These are civilians" Another orc who had long hair and long teeth spoke

"My name is Thrall, war chief of the orc rebellion" it spoke "You two go find somewhere to hide. This is a dangerous place"

"It's okay, we're leaving anyways" Bruce spoke, finally getting the grasp of what was happening

And again, they were blipped into another game. But this time, there was no warfare whatsoever. Diana exhaled a sigh of relief upon realizing this

"Will you explain what's going on now?"

"We're currently in a glitch phase, which means we're going through different kinds of videogames as of the moment"

"Okay, how long will this continue?"

"I don't know, but for now, we have to be ready for anything. You don't wanna die in any of these videogames or we'll be separated."

"Understood" Diana answered. Scanning the environment, she noticed something peculiar from afar that she couldn't help telling it to Bruce

"Bruce, one more question."

"Yeah?"

"Why is that kid breaking vases?" Diana pointed at a certain direction where a kid in a green tunic and hat wielding a sword and shield was throwing vases to the ground

Before Bruce could make a conclusion…

They were transported yet again to an another warfare setting

"Take cover!" Bruce stated as they hid behind a boulder.

Diana took a peek and noticed something. For some reason, the participants were building infrastructures in the middle of the battlefield.

"Bruce, why are they doing that?"

"Beats me, this is a new game. I haven't played this one before.."

BLIP!

Another game, another setting. This time, it felt close to home as they found themselves in a certain street where there was a big red fire truck flipped to the side was in the middle of the street

There was also a police officer in hurt leaning on it. Diana wanted to help, but Bruce held her hand and kept her from moving forward. He shook his head, indicating no

A group of people then approached the officer. But after a few while, they walked away but one guy stayed. He kicked the officer a few times before saying…

"See you around… officer"

Another blip came

This time, the game seemed peaceful. They were in a middle of a farm with a guy wearing a blue and yellow cap was busy watering crops

"Diana, what you did there was risky" Bruce spoke

"That officer was hurt, I wanted to help"

"He was programmed to be in that position. We are not here to disrupt the flow of things, Diana." He explained "And that cop was corrupt, if you knew how the story went, you would think differently"

"You knew how the story went?" she asked

Before he could respond, they were blipped into a different game where they were in the bushes with the strong pressure coming from a big aircraft. Two badly injured soldiers were walking towards it

A man then walks out of the aircraft, he approached the two weakened soldiers. It seemed as if he was their general or something

But suddenly…

"That's one more loose end"

Bang

The man shot one of the soldiers, which he followed by shooting the other one. Diana was completely astounded of what she saw.

Bruce rested his hand on her shoulder

"I know, Diana" he uttered slow

"Well… gotta go"

Another blip came, this time, they were not transported into a complex setting. And instead of warfare, this one seemed more of a taking turns game

Diana was far across, and Bruce was on the other end. They were holding what seemed like a red and white ball with a circle in the middle

"Diana!" Bruce shouted from afar

"Throw the ball!"

Upon hearing his instructions, Diana did so, and the ball splits open, revealing a blue like little creature to appear on the ground

"Squirtle squirtle" it said,

Diana was very mesmerized with how cute it was. A blue turtle like creature with a fuzzy tail and a hard shell

Meanwhile, Bruce on the other hand also had a creature for himself. A cure little red lizard looking thing

"Charmander" It said

"We're supposed to battle" Bruce said

"But we'll blip anyways, so it won't matter"

"Yeah, goodbye little squirtle" Diana bid her goodbye to the blue turtle before disappearing yet again

This time was different, for they were transported literally up in the sky and they were falling to the ground. Diana tried to fly like always does, but for some reason, she couldn't.

Diana embraced Bruce's small body close to her, planning to take the impact upon crashing. But suddenly, a voice came echoing in Bruce's system

"Bruce, it's me." It was Tim "I'm back"

"Can you get us out of this situation?" Bruce asked

"Sure thing, I just need to use mods for this one" Tim responded

After a few seconds, almost reaching the ground. Diana held Bruce tighter, but before they could reach the ground, he was instantly transported to a rooftop

For some reason, Diana was no longer with him.

"Bruce, I officially transported her back to the lobby"

"And myself?" he asked

"Hang on, I'm working on it" Tim responded

"Man, the powers I would trade to have teleportation"

There was someone behind him. As he turned around, a certain man wearing a red and blue tights with black lines all over it – was there watching the entire thing

He was also wearing a mask that had big white eyes but no mouth. Perhaps the most iconic thing about him was his white spider like symbol on his chest

"Who are you?" Bruce asked

"Seriously kid?" his eye twitched for some reason that emphasized disbelief "You don't know me?"

"You must be new here then…"

"But anyways" he added "I'm your friendly neighborhood Sp…"

A ringtone was heard coming from him, it sounded like of a cell phone.

"Hold on one sec." he said, tapping his mask "Yuri, what's the situation?"

"Fisk?" he gasped for a second "Alright, I'll be there"

He turned off his communicator as he turned to the pair "Well gotta swing kid, enjoy New York City!"

His voice was barely audible due to the distance that he made by just jumping off the ledge, but instead of falling, a white thread came out of his wrist which he used as a swinging vine like Tarzan. And so, he went on his way.

"GEROONIMOOO!"

"Man, I wish I had one of those…" Tim spoke on the line "But anyways, I'm on it"

Suddenly, Bruce is blipped into the lobby this time with Diana waiting on a corner

"We were separated" she spoke upon seeing him

"Where were you transported?"

"To some videogame" he responded "But that's not important now"

"Tim?" Bruce asked in his earpiece

"I have the entry ready in any moment now." Tim responded

A big portal then appeared before them which led to a certain dark forest just up ahead

"Let's finish this thing already"

"Right with you" Diana responded

He took her hand as they entered the portal, which closed just as immediately. Now they were in the middle of a steepy forest with a big castle up ahead

"Are we in Wonderland?"

"We are." Bruce responded

A flurry of pixels then enveloped Diana's avatar, surrounding her with bright colors. After a few moments, a new avatar was now on Diana. This time, her avatar resembled her a lot unlike her previous avatar

"What just happened?" Diana checked her hand, which seemed different. She was also wearing something different this time. Her heavy armor was replaced by a black and white dress

"Diana, it's me Cassie" A voice spoke inside of Diana's system "I've already updated your avatar, now you look cute to Bruce Wayne…" the blonde girl giggled in response

"Cassie!"

Diana's sudden outburst caught Bruce's attention "What's wrong?"

"Cassie did something with me" Diana huffed

She held the corners of her dress, spinning around in addition "Be honest, Bruce. How does it look like?"

Bruce glanced at her, and couldn't help but feel mesmerized. Despite in a pixilated world, Diana was still as beautiful as ever

"You look… normal" Bruce tried to keep his focus on ahead "Let's go find the Hatter now..."

Diana pouted in response, for some reason. She was unsatisfied with his answer. Perhaps her dress wasn't good enough for him.

~x X x~

Bruce and Diana started walking into the steepy forest, hoping to find a hint or a clue to the Mad Hatter's whereabouts. Despite the jolly place, something eerie and sinister was lying up ahead, especially with how dangerous the individual is

"Don't be fooled by the sceneries, this place is far from being colorful" Bruce stated

"You seem quite familiar with this place, Bruce" Diana wondered with curiosity "Have you been here before?"

Bruce didn't respond

"Before we continue, there's something you need to know, Diana" Bruce halted, in his tracks

"I'm listening" Diana responded, looking at him

"This world operates on games, which means fighting and all those primitive means of competition is unnecessary and forbidden"

"By games, do you mean the more rather complex ones, Bruce?" Diana asked

Bruce turned to her "The games that you mostly play with someone for fun"

"But why would they just settle for something as minimal as that?"

"That's just how the Wonderland works, Princess." He responded

Diana was uncertain, and so she held his hand tighter with every distance they take. But she noticed something…

The more step they take, the more they shrink to a small size. Bruce seemed to notice it too but he didn't budge

Eventually, they were almost at thumb size with the grasses from the ground seem like big trees from their vantage point. Despite this, Bruce continued to walk towards a certain path, not letting go of Diana's hand

They entered a deeper part of the forest with lots of mushrooms and truffles all over. They were all blue for some reason. The bits of the hue strewn all over the place

"Ah uh, stop right there!"

A voice coming from a big mushroom that looked like a throne was heard. There, sat a big blue caterpillar who was holding a smoking vessel of some sort

"Golly, I can't even smoke in peace without these bland things entering my land!"

Diana leaned closer to Bruce "What does he mean by bland things?"

"He meant our color, since we're not blue just like the other things all over"

"Ohhh" Diana finally realizes

The Caterpillar then moved to the side to have a better look of the pair from above

"Aha, you two seem different and unlike the usual visitors" The Caterpillar stated "What might you be looking for?"

"We're looking for the Mad Hatter" Diana answered "Can you please point the way"

"Point the way!?" The Caterpillar huffed, clearly offended over what she said "Can't you see that I have no fingers?"

"Of course…" Diana responded, noticing the blunder upon her words

The Caterpillar rolled his eyes "Bland creatures nowadays, I swear…"

"What was I talking about again?"

"You were just telling us about the Mad Hatter" Bruce responded

"Yeah Yeah, the Mad Hatter"

The Caterpillar then pulled out the hose of his hookah which moved a bunch of leaves out of the way – revealing a path towards a kingdom of some sort

"Thanks Caterpillar, we'll be on our way now" Diana bid her farewell

"T'was nothing." The blue bug responded "Also, one word of advice… change your wardrobe into color blue next time–"

Bruce nodded in response as they went on their way

~x X x~

"Off with his head!"

The Queen of hearts yelled, as a group of knights in shapes of thin cards escorted a certain card away from the kingdom.

"These lowlives know nothing of true art, I swear!" The Queen nagged, fanning herself in the process

From afar, a shape of two wanderers was almost visible. Seeing this intrigued the Queen just as immediately. She ordered her knights to stand post as the visitors grew nearer and nearer

When they finally entered the kingdom, the knights made way to the castle where the Queen is waiting for them.

The Queen could not believe her eyes at first, they seem different from the usual visitors. One was a woman who had raven hair and sapphire eyes and the other one was a little boy, about between the years of 11 or 12

Surprisingly, the boy was the one who took the lead. He challenged the Queen into a game which she found really laughable at first – but the look in his eyes says otherwise

"Very well then, And I do presume you know the rules when you lose?"

The boy only nodded

Her red painted lips curved in response. The Queen ordered the card knights the gather at the center in both sides. From a standpoint, one would think that the roles were reversed. The small boy was the one being assertive and leading while the young woman was watching attentively

But for the Queen, the weirdest was how they were wearing something of not red. It infuriated her to ends seeing them in different colors

"He may be clever, but surely he doesn't know the rules of how this game works. This is gonna be easy for me" She whispered slow

They had no decks, so both players had to pick out the cards manually from the field. The carded knights were all face down to add anonymity to the whole thing

Due to her familiarity with her knights, The Queen obviously had an advantage on this fact alone. And the knights immediately gathered to her out of fear of being beheaded to form a full house rank (a hand that contains three cards of one rank and two cards of another rank)

The dealer spoke, announcing the game has finally started. Without hesitation, The Queen decided to leave everything on the field, confident that her carded knights were enough to triumph

"I win!" The Queen yelled out in confidence

But her eyes widened when the boy revealed his hand.

"A royal flush!?" she grunted in disbelief

"There is no way…" she stood up from her seat "I demand a rematch!"

The dealer suggested a rematch, in which the boy didn't have complaints with. The game started again, And again, the result was the same as before

The Queen gnashed her teeth. A royal flush is a lucky draw, but happening twice – something is definitely behind this

But what irked her most was the fact that the he had a royal flush of spades, when she had already ordered her knights to paint every single one red

The boy however was unfazed, with his stoic expression and calm demeanor, a perfect example of a poker face.

Somehow, the Queen was convinced over this. The Queen knew the rules, if she were to accuse him of cheating, she'd have to come up with a good and exact reason, or she'll be punished for sure

"Well… a game is a game." The Queen finally admitted as she went down her throne and to the boy's front "What would you like to have from me?"

He only had one thing, which were directions to the Mad Hatter. This was a surprise for the Queen, for no one has ever defeated her before, and such wish was rare

And here he was, merely asking for directions?

"This might be a downer, but you already passed the path to his place" The Queen explained while pointing at the gates whence they came from

"And also, as an additional prize" The Queen added as she handed them a special handcrafted gun from the Kingdom of Hearts

"It might come of use in your quest to find the Hatter"

The boy sighed, as he bid her farewell. The woman was still with him and she was just as confused as the queen. Either ways, they were really strange for that simple reason

Upon finally leaving, a frown forms on her face as her eyebrows furrowed together. She turned to her knights with anger as she furiously yelled

"Paint everything red!"

.

.

.

.

Meanwhile…

The pair was now walking back to the path that they came from. Eager to find the next instruction whatsoever

"Bruce, how on earth did you get a royal flush?" Diana asked, walking side by side with him

"Simple" he responded

"The kingdom had a majority of red in it, so were the knights. When we arrived there, they were still painting themselves red in fear of the Queen's beheading."

"And…?" Diana asked, quite curious

"And, when we picked our carded knights, I picked the one that was new and had no signs of weariness whatsoever. That's how I knew those weren't the ones that haven't been painted yet."

It took her a while to realize, but upon doing so, her face lit up just as quickly

"Ohhh, I get it. Since the ranks are based on their colors, you picked the ones that the Queen would want red the last!"

"So the Queen was too scared to accuse of cheating since she had no evidence whatsoever." She added, deep in her thoughts "This must be the reason why she seemed to accept it just fine."

"This proves one thing" Bruce said "No matter what status you are in this world. Rules are rules."

Diana looked at him from the corner of her eyes

"Either ways, that was very clever of you, Bruce" Diana said in an impressed manner "And you didn't even need to cheat to win. Well done"

And so, they continued on with their journey back to the way they came from. But a few walks passed and eventually, Diana realized something…

"Wait, how did you get the same hand the second time then?"

Bruce turned to her with the same blank expression and calm face before when he was playing

"I cheated."

~x X x~

"If we passed by the path to the Hatter, then we probably missed it" Diana said, still trailing the forest "That can't be possible, I was being observant this entire time. There is no way we missed it"

"This land can be tricky sometimes, Diana. Always be ready for anything" Bruce responded

Before they could take another step, a ruffling noise was heard from the surroundings. Bruce stopped which Diana followed as the ruffling noises turned into the loud swaying of the leaves and trunk from a tree

"I haven't seen you two around here before" A voice from nowhere spoke

Suddenly, a pair of yellow eyes was visible from where they were standing. It was resting on a trunk just from the big tree from the side

"Where can we find the Mad Hatter" Bruce asked to the pair of eyes

"The Mad Hatter? Now that's something…" as it spoke, the more it revealed itself. It had two large ears and a tail, but it was transparent so its color could not be indentified

"Are you a cat?" Diana asked curiously

"Why of course I am, clever girl" the cat slowly revealed its full form, now it had more details, such as the stripes on his back and his long whiskers, but the color stayed unidentified

"My name is Cheshire Cat, and I watch over the woods in this place." it spoke

"Why are you in the middle of nowhere?" Bruce asked

"Well child, it is because of my shade. They keep saying I am on both sides just because of my delicate fur"

The cat paused to look around, seemed to be wary about something. But as he turned back to them, he uttered "You two are looking for the Hatter, you say?"

"Yes" Diana responded

"Nothing is free in this land, and so, you must beat in a game for information"

"Alright, what game?" she asked

The cat slowly purred in response, rubbing it's whiskers with the paw "I'm thinking of a guessing game. If you can guess what color of a cat I am, then I will reveal where the Mad Hatter is"

"What color? How are we supposed to know that?" Diana asked

"That's the beauty of it, you'd have to think" Cheshire the cat responded with a snortle

"Can you at least give us a few hints?" she asked again

"The surroundings around is enough hint" the cat yawned in response, preparing to take a nap

With this, Bruce set to work. Finding every detail in the surroundings that could connect to an answer. But he was interrupted by a certain tapping from behind. He turned around and Diana smiled at him

"I think I know the answer" she whispered

Bruce looked at the Cheshire Cat before whispering "You do?"

Diana nodded

"If the Queen of Hearts hated anything that isn't red and the caterpillar only allows blue in his yard, then that must mean the cat is purple, hence why he is stuck in this forest and is playing both sides"

"That could work…" Bruce uttered, deep in thoughts

"Go on… tell him your answer"

"Wait… but what if it's incorrect?" Diana hesitated

"Well then we try again." Bruce responded with a smile of his own

"Do we have an answer now?" Cheshire cat hummed as his eyes became visible again

"Yes." Diana answered with confidence and pride

"Your fur is color violet"

"Are you suuuree?" the cat's eye squinted

"Yes." Diana looked at Bruce who then gave her a nod

Suddenly, a poof appeared. The cat was now fully visible and it was violet colored indeed

"Bravo!" The cat cheered in joy "And now as promised…"

The cat opened up a scroll that contained a map had glowing illustrations in them

"The Mad Hatter currently resides in the village outside of this forest. Take this map with you" The cat gave the map to Diana

"Well, I must be off now." He added "Thank you for playing my game…"

He then slowly disappeared from the area with his invisibility skill

"Thank you, Cheshire Cat!" Diana yelled out in joy

Before Bruce turned, but as he did, he heard a certain whisper from the cat himself

"She is the key to your victory, little one. Nurture her skill and you two will reign untouchable"

The boy turned, and as expected. There was nothing but thin air

"Bruce!" Diana yelled from afar "What are you waiting for, let's go!"

His thoughts centered with Diana, and what the cat meant by that. Regardless or not, Bruce already knew the answer to that since the beginning

Diana opened the map, which had a one-way path to the outskirts of the woods. It was their wayfinder out of the forest

"Bruce, we're almost there!"

Seeing Diana's excited expression brought a certain feeling of nostalgia inside Bruce. But he knew they had to run so there was no time for it whatsoever

This time, it was Diana who held his arm, leading the way with a proud smile on her lips. Despite being new to this land, she was now getting more and more confident of how it goes.

And together, they ran their way to the exit of the forest

~x X x~

They could almost reach the edge of the forest, by a form of light visible from the very end. This brought joy to Diana knowing they could almost finish this once and for all

Upon finally reaching the village, a bright colorful and lively view came to their sight, like it was straight out from a fairy tale book

There were bunnies everywhere who seemed to be settling the village, with a couple of cartoonish looking individuals. From a distance, a huge crowd gathered just by the central plaza. Diana and Bruce went there, and what they saw was some kind of a competition of some sort

On a table nearby, there was a pair of identical looking twins who seemed to be waiting for someone. There was a deck of cards on the table with a couple of unique looking chips strewn over

Bruce took a seat, hoping they could answer a few questions that they will need

"Good day, Gentlemen. Do you happen to have any information about the Mad Hatter by any chance?" he asked

"Oh the Mad Hatter!" one of the twins said "Of course, he's located at the…"

He was then cut short with a smack from his brother

"You fool!" he nagged "We are not supposed to reveal information unless they win!"

"Oh right… sorry"

Bruce blew out a sigh "Alright, let's play"

The Twins sniggered in response, looking at each other with intent on their face. "Now that's a good tempting idea indeed" one of them bursted out

"My name is Tweedledee, and this is Tweedledum" Tweedledee said "And we are twins from this land" Tweedledum added

Tweedledee started by shuffling the deck in an awfully suspicious manner which Bruce caught on immediately. Diana was about to call them out for it, but Bruce held her hand, giving her a look of reassurance

"Is Blackjack fair?" Tweedledum asked

"All Fair" Bruce responded

They couldn't even keep their subtleness as they kept on chuckling in a nefarious manner. This however didn't budge the boy as he kept his calm composure

Diana leaned in to Bruce "Bruce, isn't blackjack a game of chance? What did we wager?"

"They haven't named it yet, they're up to something for sure" he responded "But with the way they are eyeing you, I say they'd want you as their prize"

She exclaimed to herself upon hearing this "What!?"

"Don't worry, I never lose." Bruce responded as he looked into her eyes "And when have I ever let you down?"

A smile forms on her face. And just like that, her doubts and uncertainties faded away

"Never"

"Exactly…" Bruce smirked in a confident manner "Diana, If there's anything you need to know about games, it's that there is no such thing as luck in the field."

The game started, in which Tweedledee acted as the dealer. Both players had their own cards, but the odds were obviously in the twin's favor

"Hit" Bruce stated, upon peeking at his first two cards

Upon receiving an additional card, the boy spoke "Stand"

It was Tweedledum's turn, with her smile flashing with confidence. He revealed three cards amounting to a total of 21,

Bruce revealed his, which came short with only an amount of 19. Tweedledum wins this round.

The twins were satisfied with the results, as they both were looking at the woman beside the boy. They knew what they wanted from the moment they saw her

After a couple of rounds, the final one finally came as Bruce peeked at his cards for the last time. The twins were now celebrating early by giving each other high fives before even having the results

"Say…" he finally spoke, breaking the triumphant mood of the twins "Blackjack is one of those rare games where the player has an advantage…"

"And what do you mean by that?" One of the twins raised his voice, an attempt of intimidation

"The dealer has to draw another card whenever he's below seventeen… so he has a high chance of going bust"

"But that hasn't happened once to you" The boy raised his head up to give them an eerie stare with a tricky smirk on his face "Pretty impressive luck."

The twins were quite disturbed over his words, but they tried hard to keep their poker face on. The round begins, as the dealer distributed the cards to each side.

Without even checking his cards, Bruce apathetically said "Stand"

Somehow, this brought suspicion over Tweedledum. "The boy didn't even bother to look at his own cards, has he finally given up?" he whispered to his brother

Tweedledee only shrugged in response

Either ways, that wasn't his problem anymore. Because right in his hand is the winning factor of this one-sided game

He flipped his cards over, revealing a King and a 10 Diamond, the cards amounting to 21

"The game's over, kid" Tweedledum chuckled with confidence

"Right…" The boy revealed his hand, two cards revealing a king… and an ace.

Seeing the ace card brought shock over the twins. They thoroughly expected everything to come forth in their favor. They had everything planned as well…

How could they have lost?

"How…"

They slowly looked at the boy who had a menacing smile on. His gaze was like a dagger staggering through their façade of confidence earlier

"Now that was a good game" he fixed his cards to the table

"Now about that information…"

Now accepting defeat, the twins had no choice but to submit

"No one knows where he lives, but the girl playing in that table does" Tweedledee pointed at a certain table up ahead where the crowd was gathering upon

Bruce stood up from his chair and bid the twins goodbye. Diana was proud and impressed by the outcome, but she couldn't help but wonder on how he pulled it off despite the blatant cheating

"Bruce, what exactly did you do?" Diana asked "Was it sleight of hand or what you told me before?"

"I wasn't the dealer so I had no access to the deck itself, Diana" he responded in a cocky manner

"Then how…?" she asked him

Bruce looked at her as he answered…

"Card counting."

She grew intrigued over his response "Card counting?"

The boy inhaled a deep breath "You turn the cards into numbers and count them. Cards between two and six are raised one, ten and above are lowered one, and seven through nine are 0. You count the numbers of cards that have been played to mathematically find a numerical probability for what will be played next." He carefully explained

"You're using Mathematics in a game… I didn't even know that was possible." Diana hummed in a low voice, realizing how complicated it was for her to even consider trying

She beckoned to herself that if it was her playing, they'd lose for sure. But luckily, the World's Greatest Detective himself was on her side all this time. The smartest person she knows

"What's wrong?" he asked upon noticing Diana's sudden melancholy

She immediately beamed him a smile in response "Oh nothing nothing… I was just thinking about it"

"You're just so intelligent, Bruce. No wonder I can never beat you in anything that involves the mind"

She clamped her hands together as her smile turns into a frown "Sometimes, I wonder if I will ever reach even an ounce of the intelligence that you have. Maybe we're not just equal in terms of that field"

Bruce looked at her from the corner of his eyes.

Suddenly, a loud cheering of the crowd caught them off guard. They had finally reached the table where the girl who knew about the hatter was currently in

A blonde looking girl who was wearing a traditional sky blue and white dress was facing off with a bunny girl with long ears, wearing a nice long sundress

It was clear from the game alone that it was one-sided – in favor of the bunny. The girl looked pretty distraught, as if she was running out of options

"Why don't you give up already and come with me, Alice?" the bunny girl suggested "I most definitely have no time for these"

"I will never go to that place!" Alice defiantly responded with a determined look on her face

She took a look at her cards again, and notices that they were all of losing ones. Her luck was never in her favor when it comes to games such as these, and so, her defeat was inevitable

Out of nowhere, a boy passes by her and whispers something on her ear

"She's cheating. You'll never win this one."

And then fled.

The bunny took suspicion of this as well as she leered at the boy on his way afar.

After a few moments, Alice's loss was indeed predicted by the boy as she was completely outplayed on all rounds. But in a quick second, Alice immediately rushed and escaped from the area, which caused the dealers to chase after her.

Alice ran as fast as she could, hoping she'd escape the pursuers. She was starting to run out of breath after a few moments of running, and she'd be caught if she stopped for sure

But suddenly, she was grabbed by an unknown woman which carried her away from the area. The pursuers were all confused on wherever she might've been, but the bunny girl was furious for Alice's escape

Alice was brought in an open area, where a boy and a young woman were currently in. They seemed different from the usual villagers and settlers of the village

The Woman knelt down to her level with a friendly smile on her face

"I hope you aren't hurt, but we do not mean harm" she spoke in a soft manner "My name is Diana, and that boy right there is Bruce"

"And we're gonna get you out of here" she added

"Get me out?" Alice's eyes widened upon hearing this

Bruce went closer "But first, you'll need to give us information."

The girl took a step back out of fear "How do I know you aren't working for the Hatter?"

"You'll have to trust us on this one, Alice" Diana said in her usual kind and pleasant voice

"And you have no other choice whatsoever" Bruce added in "It's either us or the Hatter. It's your decision"

Alice grew surprised upon hearing the Hatter's name "H-How do you know about him…"

"We know a lot more about this land than what it seem to be" Bruce responded

Alice was hesitant at first, but he was right. She had no other choice. And between them and the Hatter, she'd choose the side of them

"Oh…kay" She hesitated for a split second "What do you need to know?"

"How did you end up in here?"

The poor girl pouted in response, as tears started to form on her eyes. She was thoroughly sad

"It was that night. Me and my mom were arguing and I decided to log in the virtual reality to take my mind off things"

Alice paused, she sniffled to herself while trying to remember the events that was still fresh in her mind

"And then… I saw this tall guy in a suit who invited me for a tea party. I followed him to a server and then all of a sudden… I was transported into this world. He always tries to chase after me with his minions, but I manage to escape every time. But I'm not entirely sure if I can do that for longer"

Diana wrapped the poor girl in warm embrace, while the weeping girl couldn't help her tears any longer. The Amazon slowly caressed the poor girl's head as she cried on her

She looked at Bruce, who was clearly troubled about what he just heard. His fists were clenched tightly as he just stared at the ground

He slowly raises his head up, and saw Diana's look towards him. That alone was enough for Bruce to know what they should do. And it required a help from the girl herself.

"Alice…" his voice was now tender and soft

The weeping girl turned around to look at Bruce. He held her shivering hands in addition as he stated

"I need you to lead us to the Hatter" He looked at her straight in the eyes

"Can you do that?"

Alice's eyes were filled with horror, and terror. Hoping she would never step foot of that place again

"I-I cant…"

"You'll have to trust us, Alice" Bruce pleaded, his eyes never leaving hers. "We will never let anything happen to you. We promise."

He looked at Diana who then responded with a nod

"I need you to have courage, little one." It was Diana's turn to speak.

Alice turns to Diana, her words was powerful to her for some reason. As if she was listening to someone with high power – a Queen to be precise

"Girls are strong, and we fear nothing. Be brave, and nothing shall shake you anymore"

It was at that moment that the girl realized who it was. From the voice, and the way she seemed to inspire the bravery inside of her.

"Wonder Woman!?"

Diana smiled in response "That's right"

Alice didn't even hesitate to embrace her, which Diana responded with an embrace of her own "I'm a big fan of you!"

"Glad to hear that, little one." Diana said, wrapping her in a tight embrace

The little girl weeps her tears away. No more is the coward and scared little girl that she was before. Her expression now shining with courage and determination, she stood to her feet as she faced the two with resolve in her sky blue eyes

"Your name is not really Alice, is it?" Bruce asked out of curiosity

"No not really." The girl responded as she looked at the both of them

"What is your name?" Diana asked, while caressing her soft blonde hair

The girl looked at her with admiration and courage as she uttered

"My name is Brown, Stephanie Brown."

x X x

"Bruce, I am connecting from your system itself. I was completely blacklisted from the Wonderland so I couldn't reach you earlier, sorry about that" Tim spoke from Bruce's system "Safe to say, I won't be disconnecting anymore. What did I miss?"

"A whole lot" Bruce responded, he was walking with Diana carrying the little girl on her back

"Damn… anyways, there's someone here who reached out earlier. He said he wanted to help"

"Bruce, it's me. I just heard from Donna, how can I help?"

"Dick?" Bruce asked

Suddenly, a new network was added in his internal link. It belonged to a user that goes by the name Nightwing

"I heard you and Diana were linked up in the virtual reality." Dick stated through a different network

"Would you be needing my assistance there? Should I come with?"

"No, the server is too jammed already. You couldn't access the Wonderland since the Mad Hatter already had locked everyone in"

"Damn it" the previous Boy Wonder cursed

"It's alright, we can handle the rest" Bruce said "Tim, how's the situation outside?"

"Bad, very bad." Tim answered sharply "It seemed as if every network is tripping and bugged by some kind of a hacker. I couldn't even use TV in peace"

"He's plotting something big…" Bruce muttered to himself

"I tried tracing him, but I came up with nothing. This guy is a complete new hacker that hasn't been heard of since" Tim stated

"Do you have any idea on whoever it is, Bruce?" Dick asked

Silence followed, as Bruce didn't respond

"Bruce?" he asked again

"Yeah, I'm here." Bruce finally spoke up

"Not a hundred percent…"

Another network joined again. This time, it had the name of "Red Hood"

"Sup guys."

"Who's this?" Tim asked in an aggressive manner "How did you intercept our conversation!?"

"Relax kid, you're not the only Boy Wonder with hacking skills" the random man responded

Bruce sighed to himself, knowing full well who it was

"Jason…"

"I just heard about everything from Artemis, how's the situation"

"News travels fast huh.."

"You know how Amazons are."

"Hold up, this is Jason!?" Tim cut in "I thought it was the Hatter…" the kid sighed in addition

"Wait, is that Robin?" Jason spoke through the microphone "Don't tell me Nightwing is also in attendance?"

"You know it."

"Wow, this is some random dilemma to have a Batfamily reunion" Jason chuckled in amazement

"Are you guys done?" It was the Batman who spoke this time

"My bad" All of the robins uttered in unison

"We're here" Alice announced which made Bruce and Diana to stop in their tracks

The place looked too shabby, and it didn't seem to fit a place for an actual supreme ruler of the Wonderland. It was just a small clock shop that had colorful signs on the outside

"Later." Bruce uttered as he turned off his communicator

He then slowly marched up ahead, while keeping Diana and Alice in his back. He opened the door, and the person who greeted them was no one other than the Mad Hatter himself wearing the same mask from before

"Ohh visitors!" he cheered in excitement "Welcome to my oasis of clocks!"

It didn't take a while before his eyes landed on a certain girl hiding behind Diana

"Alice!" He yelled in joy "You returned her to me, thank you!"

Suddenly, the man slammed his fist on the table "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH TROUBLE IT IS TO MAKE ANOTHER ALICE PROGRAM BECAUSE YOU REFUSE TO COOPERATE?!"

The little girl hid behind Diana as the Amazon glared at him

"We know everything." Her voice was slow and calm, yet so deadly and full of authority

"And You're gonna pay for this."

The Hatter chuckled in response. He clapped his hands, which emitted a loud sound which went in unison with the old wall clock by the counter.

"I almost forgot…" The Hatter raised his right hand which made Diana and Bruce brace themselves

"I did promise a game."

He snapped his fingers, and all of a sudden. The Wall clock emitted a loud sound which seemed to have caused a glitch in the Wonderland. All of sudden, everything was being blown and disintegrated from the place.

The pieces of the shop were then put together to form what seem like a big castle. Diana held on to Bruce and Alice tightly as they fell to the ground. When the ground itself was glitched out, Bruce gripped on a piece of a wooden table, in which Diana held on to him with Alice on her back

"Diana, let go!" he yelled

"What!?"

"You'll have to trust me!"

And just like that, Diana let go of her hold which resulted to the both of her and Alice falling into nothingness. But suddenly, they landed into a non visible ground which somehow was still processing. After a few seconds, a black and white checkmark revealed as the color of the ground, so as the other designs and infrastructures of the castle.

Bruce fell just by them, as he helped Diana and Alice off the ground

"What's going on?"

It is very laggy, and the Wonderland was rebooting with all of the surroundings appearing from thin air. Out of nowhere, there was a big crowd of bunnies from the sideline watching them, like a coliseum of sort

"Sorry it took so long" The Hatter's voice echoed from nowhere "It has been a very long time since I had to do this"

The tiles from the floor crumbled and floated from afar, as the Hatter himself was making his way down carrying a pot of tea in his left hand and a cup in his right. The crowd started to cheer his name as he made his way down

"Welcome to the inner Wonderland!" he announced, as he snapped his fingers again, forming a couple of remnants on the ground to form what seems like big pieces on the floor.

The Giant pieces were placed in a certain formation which was identical to the other side. The white ones were on the other side and the black ones were on theirs. The Pieces then started to move, crumbling and forming what seems like whole identical characters that was similar to both sides

There were knights, bishops, a Queen… and a King.

It was at this moment that Diana realized what was going on

"I see…" She finally spoke "We are playing a game of chess."

The Hatter didn't respond as he was sipping on his hot tea

Suddenly, the formation that they were currently standing on raised up, which positioned them to a higher level that the chess board. From this perspective, they could easily see the entire field like a real chess board

The noises generated from the crowd contributes to the whole festivity atmosphere, made it seem like it was going to be a fight of gladiators, but this is far from that. This battle is gonna be of a psychological warfare and a clash of tactics from each sides.

Diana looked at Bruce, who was watching the entire field. "Bruce, what's the plan?" she uttered with uncertainty "The game of chess is not really my strongest suit"

"I know." Bruce gazed back as a smile forms on his lips

"I'll take care of this one." He added, while glancing at the blonde girl beside her

"Just make sure to keep her safe"

Diana nodded as she held on to Alice rather tightly

"Are we ready for a game!?" The Hatter's squeaky echoed yet again. It was powerful and loud enough that it reached them despite the distance which had garnered the endless and loud cheers of the spectators from the sidelines

The boy sighed out a breath of relief, as a confident smile forms on his face

"Let's end this."

~x X x~

~0~

"Say, if I help you with this, will you make everything better?"

"Better? I will make everything flawless, Mr. Wayne!"

"But… can you really replace reality with this creation of yours?"

"My world has no bounds, no edges and no limitations. My world is vast and immersive that it would even surpass reality. My world is a perfect escape for any hardships in the real world. My world is the answer to every troubled teen out there … my world is the answer to your troubles, boy"

"I'm not sure… but even if there's only a one percent chance that it is true, then…"

"That's what I've been telling you this entire time. Now all I need is funding from your company, young one. I need resources for this to happen, and then… you and I… we will change the world!"

~0~

"H-How can this… be?"

The Mad Hatter uttered in a defeated tone, as he fell to the ground with his voice lingering of shock.

"This cannot be? This is my world and I cannot be defeated!"

The results of the game were as expected, with a literal genius on the other side of the field, The Hatter had no chance. Bruce, who kept his calm composure, was then hailed by the audience for his victory.

"Again, I congratulate you, Bruce" Diana whispered, proud with what she witnessed. Again, Bruce had shown his excellence in tactics and strategy.

Something she is skeptical that she could do…

The boy then stood at the cliff to face the Mad Hatter as he yelled

"It's over now, Tetch!"

Hearing his voice immediately caught the Hatter's attention. "Tetch? So you do know my name…"

He used his small telescope to zoom unto the boy's face, and to his surprise…

"N-No.. way…" he murmured, as his mask fell to the ground, revealing his face to everyone

"Bruce… Wayne…"

Mad Hatter raised his head up to glance at a certain statue up at the castle. It was a statue of a certain little boy who was wearing a crown on his head

It looked very similar to Bruce

Just as suddenly, the hatter gnashed his teeth upon the realization of this "You dare come back after what you've done!?"

He snapped his fingers, which caused the statue to slowly fall to the ground, crumbling into the pieces upon doing so

"This was supposed to be our creation!" He yelled angrily as he snapped again, this time, the sky turned from sky blue to dark blue, indicating of a more dark and serious environment

"But where were you?... oh that's right…" He glared at the boy "You abandoned all of this!?"

"And your board took my ideas and pitched in that project. A company that lives off the ideas of others!" he added

Diana was growing concern, as she glanced at Bruce who managed to still keep his composure

"B-Bruce…?"

"Diana, I need you to do something" he muttered in a low voice

She froze for a second, but managed to return to her senses

"What is it?"

The boy looked at her "You need to leave now, this situation is getting dangerous."

"B-But how…" Diana stuttered slow "You mean leave without you?"

The boy nodded "Take the girl with you, and find the portal outside of this server. Tim should be able to help"

"I wouldn't be so sure of that one!"

All of a sudden, the girl was blipped into a transparent floating room with a talking keyhole at the front. The girl was tried to look for the opening, but to her surprise, she couldn't escape

"No leaving until I said so!" The Mad Hatter chuckled in an awfully nefarious and sinister way

"And we are gonna do a rematch, but this time…" he snapped his fingers, which brought changes to the chess figures from the field. This time, they were transformed into realistic counterparts of themselves

They looked human, and they were even moving. Safe to say this version of chess is different from the usual this time

"This time, if you lose…" He smiled, snapping his fingers in addition as a random wall clock appeared out of thin air appeared

"You will never leave Wonderland ever again!"

Bruce was now being conflicted over what was happening, his fists almost breaking the balcony ledge as he was glaring at the Hatter

But suddenly, his expression eased out. He then turned to Diana

"It's too dangerous here, Diana…" he uttered in a low, defeated voice "I can't risk you being put to danger"

"Bruce…?" She asked

"If for some reason, I don't return from this. I need you to track down the whereabouts of the Hatter with the help of the Robins and rescue all of the people that he had kidnapped…"

Diana turned, as she saw the boy himself pointing the Heart Gun that the Queen has given them earlier to her

She immediately realized what this meant, as she pleaded

"Don't do this, Bruce…"

"I know, but…"

He held her hand in tight

"I can't lose you too..." Bruce beamed her a smile. It was the first time she saw him show emotions throughout this entire journey

"Goodbye, Diana…"

.

Diana woke, as she removed a certain gear from her head. Her vision was blurry after having her eyes closed for a long time. She was now back to her home, back to reality.

Donna and Cassie were beside her this whole time as they tended to her

"Sister, are you okay?" Donna asked worriedly

"Here, have a glass of water" Cassie gave her a nice glass of water which Diana received "How was it, did you succeed?"

"He's still there…" Diana hummed, upon finally realizing everything that's happened

"He's still there!"

Quickly, the Woman jumped out of her seat and went straight to the door

"Sister, wait!" Donna called out, but Diana already left.

Diana flew up from the city of Gotham with the people below. They were acting weird for some reason. They stood still, and not even moving at all. They were all staring at certain electronic TV Screens

"Oh no…" Diana whispered upon the quick realization of what was happening. In that moment, she boosted her flight to reach the Manor faster

~x X x~

Diana finally reached her destination, as she opened the gates for entry. She was met by Ace who seemed to be worried about something.

She made her way inside the Manor and made a straight path to the wall clock, where the entrance of the Batcave resides. As she made her way down the stairs, the sound of the waterfall and the light from the computer was now visible from afar

Upon reaching it finally, a certain boy wonder was sitting in the bat computer. He was typing some sort of code

"Tim, where is Bruce?"

"Welcome back, Diana. Something very dangerous just happened" The boy didn't even bother to look at her as he was completely focused on coding

"I couldn't tell how, but Bruce has sent out a distressed signal. The Mad Hatter had completely locked me out of his server despite everything I've done. That guy is a maniac when it comes to hacking!"

"Well, there must be something we can do!" Diana grunted as she stared at the screen of the Bat Computer where it was literally empty

"For now, all we can do is wait" Tim responded while typing the codes from his seat

Diana was uncertain, she didn't want to leave Bruce alone in there. But the entire time, she realized that her presence was quite useless whatsoever. Sometimes, it even seemed as if she was holding him back

When she decided to join him in the virtual world, she thought it would be another day as Wonder Woman where she could help him in the battlefield with the Batman. But little did she know that this was completely the opposite because it turns out that it was more of a game of logic and strategy. A battlefield that requires a person's mind rather than her fists – and that is a field that she is weak at.

"Damn!" Tim cursed out of nowhere "If only I was in there also…"

Hearing this made Diana guilty, it was supposed to be Tim who should've been with Bruce all this time. The boy was a natural genius; surely, the Wonderland would've been a cakewalk if it was then

But because of her insistence, that she thought they could work better together as WonderBat, Diana had ultimately sabotaged what seemed to be a better combination of the intellect of Batman and Robin

Diana frowned, remembering how the city is getting destroyed over her stupid idea. She shouldn't have done that, she shouldn't have…

"Miss Diana…"

Alfred's voice brought her back to reality, as she turned around. The British Butler was there who seemed to have something important to discuss to her

"Alfred?"

"There is something you need to know.." The British Butler said "Follow me"

Alfred started walking, in which Diana followed. They went back to the Manor and went the elevator that would lead them to the fifth floor

"What is it, Alfred" Diana asked

"It's about sire…" Alfred uttered, quite unsure of something

"About Bruce?" Diana wondered

The elevator door opens as Alfred started walking. He then led her to a certain room which was locked. Alfred then took out a key from his pocket, and unlocked the door. The door opens, which revealed a very dark room that had a distinct scent in it

Alfred went in and turned the lights on, as a dim light of purple and pink enveloped the room. It was quite a spacy room, with a lot of things in it. There was a bunch of video game console, a television, bunch of cartridges, and a very big monitor.

"What is this place, Alfred?" Diana asked as she wondered around the room

The British Butler cleared his throat "When he was in his early teenage years, a young sire had tried out things to cope for something he's currently dealing with…"

Alfred stopped midway as he turned on the Monitor

"And that's when he discovered Video Games." He finished

Diana slowly walked to the monitor, it was all dusty, from all those years of not being cleaned

"I thought Bruce hated video games, I always thought he didn't have time for such things?"

"He didn't want to discuss it over anyone because it was a tragic point of his life. When his parents were killed, Master Wayne desperately tried to escape reality so that he couldn't feel the pain of waking up every day without them."

Alfred took one of the video game cases from the shelf "And that's how he discovered video games. He was so hooked of it that he could finish up to ten games in one sitting. I've watched him clear out the most complicated ones as if it was nothing"

"At some point, he was even regarded as the best gamer in the entire world from his skill alone. He was so dedicated into it that he literally made everything you see in this room by himself at the young age of 11 years old"

Diana was surprised at this revelation "Wow, that's pretty impressive"

"He was that young huh…" Diana hummed as she took a look of the consoles that seemed more handcrafted than manufactured. There were also blueprints from the floor that had his handwritings in it

"But with every brilliance, must also come the downfall of his sanity, for there were days where he would not even touch his food, or go outside to play like a typical boy."

"He was really dedicated into escaping reality…" Diana said in a low voice

She let out a sigh as he turned to Alfred "Alfred, why did you bring me here?" she had a serious expression

"Because Miss Diana…" Alfred uttered, as the television turned on by itself "You are the only one who could save Master Wayne"

"He doesn't need saving, Alfred. He can handle it on his own…" Diana looked away with her arms crossed "Besides, I'm only gonna be in the way."

"Is that really how you see it?" Alfred asked in response "Because from the way I see it, I say he really enjoy your company in the Wonderland"

Diana was uncertain, but her frown was slowly alleviating "You really think so?"

"I've raised that boy all his life. I know so." Alfred answered with a smile

"Wow, this is pretty cool!"

Diana was astounded upon hearing a voice from nearby. She turned to it, and saw a certain blonde mesmerizing over Bruce's consoles

"And he did these at such an early age too?" she added "Awesome…"

"C-Cassie?" Diana muttered as she went to her "What are you doing here?"

"Alfred called me" Cassie smiled in response "He said you needed my help for something"

"Needed my help?"

The Butler cleared his throat, as he opened a cabinet that contained an older version of the nerve gear that seemed way too outdated

"This was the last thing he made before fully quitting video games. He tried it once, and realized to himself that virtual reality can never replace reality"

Diana looks at Alfred "You really believe that I can help him back there?"

Alfred only nodded

"With Miss Cassie's help, she can link you back to the Virtual Reality like you did before. But this time, with Master Bruce's old nerve gear."

Carefully, Diana took out the nerve gear from the cabinet. It felt… special. Right in her hands is a big relic of Bruce's life, and it was shared upon her

She slowly put it on, with Cassie's help tending to the computer. She was acting as Diana's guide back to the Virtual Reality

"Bruce made an actual nerve gear!?" Cassie couldn't help but be amazed over such a discovery

"Alright, Ma'am. Are you ready?" She was typing certain links in the computer which connected to the nerve gear

"Yes." Diana responded as she closed her eyes. For a split second there, she heard Bruce's giggles and hollers as a child, his grunts and tantrums and his woes and cries

It was like… a big part of his childhood was linked upon putting on his old nerve gear

A smile forms on her face as she whispers…

"Aschente."

~x X x~

"What is this now, the great blank is losing to me?"

Hatter joyously bickered as the sight of his pieces being in advantage over Bruce's were apparent. They had their rematch of the chess, but this time, the pieces now had a mind of their own. They could make decisions and they could decide whether they should listen to their masters or not

This, of course, was a major disadvantage for the young boy… for who in their right mind would listen to a child when it comes to a battlefield?

"Is this really how you wanna win?" Bruce asked

"Well… a game is a game" The Mad Hatter sipped his tea as he responded "And however you look at it, it is still a game"

It was adamant and clear that the boy had no options left. He ran out of strategies and mind games to trick the Hatter.

The Mad Hatter yawned as he snapped his fingers, causing a table out of nowhere to appear in his side. He also summoned a pair of headphones in his hand out of thin air "I'll give you time, boy" He insinuated while laughing "Think it over!"

The guy decided to be cocky and drink tea in his table while Bruce was still having his turn

Suddenly, a series of bright pixels appeared on the boy's side. A glitch in the system is happening which caught Bruce out of nowhere

"What the…" the boy uttered

The pixels soon turned into a figure, a small figure, a figure of a boy wearing the same outfit like Bruce. It also had the same face, and hairstyle,

It was like he was looking directly at the mirror

Bruce was astounded, he couldn't make an explanation over what was happening. But as he was about to utter, the pixelated boy stated

"Bruce… it's me."

A voice of a female he was very familiar of.

"Diana..?" he uttered slow

The figure nodded "I used the nerve gear that you created a few years ago."

"Hey Bruce, can you hear me?"

Suddenly, a voice echoed in his system. It didn't belong to Tim, it was more girly even…

"This is Cassie, Cassie Sandsmark."

Bruce touched his ear "Cassie? What's the meaning of this?"

"I know this is a whole lot to configure, but we managed to sneak back in using your network that was deeply connected to the Wonderland's internal data since you were one of the pioneers of this server a long time ago" Cassie explained "Since the textures were from a long time ago, Diana is still using the avatar that you used to since the newest technology of the Wonderland. The graphics might've been too outdated in this new world"

"But I might be able to hinder her avatar. Gimme a sec"

Suddenly, the pixilated version of himself was having another transformation. It has gotten taller, and it's small frame was replaced by a curvaceous build now with long hair in addition.

When the face was finally revealed, a certain Amazon greeted him with a raised eyebrow

"Shooting me… really?"

Bruce couldn't even look her in the eyes, as he faced the ground "I was…"

Suddenly, Diana knelt down to his level to give him a reassuring smile "It's okay. Alfred told me everything."

Bruce's eyes widened "He did…?"

Diana nodded slowly

"Well… I don't know what to say. I wanted you to get away from here so you won't get warped in the Wonderland" Bruce uttered

"Well then, let's make sure we both won't get warped in" Diana stood up to her feet to look at the chess field below from above

Bruce was silent, as he looked at her

"Batman and Wonder Woman together is unbeatable, right?" She winked at Bruce

A confident smile forms on his face as he responded… "We sure are."

"Now tell me what's happening?" Diana asked, as her expression turned into a more serious one

"The Hatter had changed the Chess game into something that would favor him mostly"

"What do you mean by that?"

"The Chess Pieces are now living creatures, programmed by him to have emotions, thoughts and decisions whether they would listen to the player or not"

"By Gaia's hand, that's new…" Diana cursed under her breath "And how are you holding up?"

"Bad, my pieces seldomly listen to me since they don't see me as a figure of authority…" he explained "As a result; the hatter had already captured my Queen and five of my pawns"

Bruce sighed which made Diana grunt in response

"That conniving wretched never plays fair…" Diana grunted with her fists clenched "Tell me what to do, Bruce. Let's finish this game now"

Hearing this made Bruce realize something. Something he has been missing this entire time. He then remembered all those moments earlier when she acted as she was, and it was the missing piece for victory all long

Now everything made sense, what the Cheshire cat had whispered to him earlier…

"No…"

Diana turned to him with a confused expression "No?"

Bruce turned around with a wide grin "No, I said No!" He jumped in front of her as he did "Diana, I finally figure it out!"

"Figured what out?"

"I want you to give orders and make decisions!"

"Me?" Diana stumbled a bit "Give orders?"

"Yes!" Bruce hopped back and forth "All this time, I haven't noticed it. You have the intimidation, authority and judgment to be a perfect Queen!"

He pointed at the chess board and the pieces below "You can be their Queen and give them orders, you certainly have the effect on doing so!"

"Me… a Queen?" Hearing that from Bruce was very satisfying to her, but she was still unsure

"But… I'm not as intelligent as you... or–"

"Diana!" Bruce interrupted "Stop comparing yourself to me. You can be great as you are."

"We are different, and that makes us so special. We complement each other because we are geniuses in our own fields. We don't have to be like each other, because we already have each other"

Diana was completely astounded hearing this. It was everything she ever needed. And just like that, her uncertainties, insecurities and inferiority left her system.

She can never be as intelligent as Bruce, but that's fine. She doesn't have to be him because she already have him as her own, just as herself as his own. That's what makes their pair so unique… and special

They will always have each other, and for that, nothing shall beat them

Her eyes flamed with determination as she gave him a nod

"You're right." Diana uttered as she stood up to the ledge

"Together?" Bruce asked, holding out his hand for her to take

Diana smiled, as she takes his

"Together."

Diana closed her eyes to gather the courage needed to pull this off. Seeking the authority inside of her to make this work

It wasn't hard at all, for it was right there all along. She was just too focused on Bruce's genius that she completely overlooked hers. Her inner voice and the courage and the Diana that she needed to have confidence in herself…

"Everyone!" She yelled, her voice was so powerful and regal that everyone immediately turned to her, even the audiences watching

"From now on… you listen to me!" Diana declared in a very powerful manner. Her voice was so eloquent that the pieces could only nod in respect

Everyone couldn't help but be in awe of what they are seeing. Diana was exemplifying the intimidation, assertiveness and classiness of an actual person of authority

"In this battle, we must fight for what must be done. We must fight for the greater good and for the sake of many!" Diana pointed at the jail floating from the side where Alice is currently being kept captive in

"In that cell is an innocent helpless little girl who has been kept captive by that evil man over there."

She gripped the ledges with her hand as she yelled

"Are you gonna let this man continue to do these things to other helpless little girls and push his evil upon them!?"

"NO!" The pieces yelled back in unison

"Well then, we fight for glory and for freedom against this false king that you kneel for!" Diana yelled in a powerful voice which was enough to motivate the pawns, knights, rooks and bishops to their own feet

Now having the resolve and motivation to keep on going, the pieces were not on fuming with determination to win. Especially after such a wonderful and moving speech by their ruler

Meanwhile, The Hatter who was just casually drinking his tea finally took notice of this as he accidentally destroyed his teacup

"WHAT IS GOING ON!?" he shouted

He pointed at his Queen "You, go attack them quick!"

The Queen was uncertain to move, thinking it wasn't the right move at all

"Just do so!" Hatter yelled again, which was enough for the Queen to finally follow

When she got to her place, a rook from afar was waiting the entire time which didn't hesitate to capture her, eliminating her from the game

The Hatter could only stutter upon seeing this

"M-My Queen!"

They didn't stop there, as Diana and Bruce went on full offensive mode. Slowly but surely, they captured each pawn to their advantage with the help of the knights and bishops. Poor decisions by the Hatter made it possible to completely overturn the course of the game as the wind of change was staring to blow unto the pair's favor

It was at that moment that the Hatter has finally lost it, As he pointed at their direction and said

"You useless pieces of shits, go attack them even if you die!"

He was now getting desperate, and with his command, his troops marched on with a whole different aura. An aura intent for completely destroying the opposition by oppression and fear by the ruler

"Just as planned…" Bruce smirked to himself which Diana noticed

"Did you say something, Bruce?" she asked

"Tell me Diana, do you know what happened to every tyrannical rulers in existence?" He turned to the battlefield

Suddenly, something was happening in the same battlefield. The pieces that were supposed to triumph crumbled into pixels, even the king itself sitting in the corner was completely disintegrated to thin air

Diana wondered what was happening, and as he turned to the Mad Hatter, He was now laying on the ground while shaking.

"For some reason, all the Dictators who lived through oppression and fear always share the same fate…" Bruce explained slow as he watched the Hatter squirm to the ground, struggling to catch his breath

"They always end up dead by assassination from someone who isn't even a part of a combat unit."

It was at that moment that a side was declared a winner. And it was of the team of Bruce and Diana, a pair that has done the impossible, beat the supreme Mad Hatter and his tricks of games

The elder white rabbit then went up to the battlefield to announce the winner "And hereby, you all have witnessed of how these two have completely defeated the Mad Hatter himself"

"But since there are two of you, who shall be the king?" The elder bunny asked

Bruce and Diana looked at each other with the same thing in mind

"We'll both be kings." Bruce responded in a confident manner

"Well then there you have it, we now rejoice the coronation of the two kings of Wonderland!" The Elder bunny cheered, which followed by a series of victory trumpets and cheers from the crowd

Everyone cheered their names, as a statue of them together was built at the center. They were wearing a crown as a symbol of their regnant. The Woman who had the charisma of a hundred Queens and the genius boy who tricked the tricker. Written in it was "The First Kings of Wonderland."

Diana couldn't believe it, she was certain they would've lost there at that moment. But the Hatter was just playing on Bruce's palm all along

This brought satisfaction and joy to her as she held Bruce in her arms

"You know, never in my life have I ever dreamed of being a king at least once" Diana hummed as she watched the people chant their names

After a few moments, she turned to him which he responded with a reassuring look of his own.

"We did it, Bruce…" Diana hummed slow

"And thank you for opening my eyes."

"Indeed. Together, we are unbeatable."

Suddenly, another girl joined their embrace. It was Stephanie who was finally free from the Hatter's constant chasing

"It's an honor to be freed by you two, your majesties" She did a curtsy as a sign of respect

"Please don't do that again" Bruce cringed on the spot

Diana gave a nod of acceptance in response

"But yeah… you're free now, Stephanie."

The crowd continued to cheer their names as the Wonderland was filled of hollers from every inhabitant in it

But suddenly…

"I say it's over when it is OVER!"

The Mad Hatter has awakened from his slumber as he snapped his fingers which froze everyone on the spot. He snapped his finger again which teleported Bruce to him as he choked the boy with his cane as the boy squirmed for air

"I am the God of this world, I created it… you think you can beat me in my own game!?"

"I beat you fair and square in a game…"

"The hell with fairness!" He yelled in an angry voice

"I will finish you myself even if it's the last thing I'll do…"

THUD

Jervis fell from his chair, as he felt the pain from his shoulder. He then looked up to see a man wearing a red helmet on his face with a leather jacket on

"So this is where you've been hiding all this time, huh?"

He kicked him again, which made the man groan in pain

"W-Who are you… how did you find… me?"

The Red Helmet guy picked him up from his collar and slammed him against the wall

"You seriously don't know me?"

"I think he needs some education…"

Jervis turned to the voice, and saw a man wearing black gear with blue highlights on the chest

"Can you guys keep it down? I'm trying to hack into his system" Robin stated, as he was trying to hack in into Jervis' personal computer

"Damn, he knows me but not you?" Nightwing jested as he walked up close "One point for me, Red"

"Shut up" Red Hood threw him on his chair, which made him roll over the floor

"Invading everyone's privacy, controlling everyone in Gotham and kidnapping kids?" Red Hood pulled out his pistol and pointed it at his head

"Tell me a good reason why I shouldn't just fucking

kill you right now?"

"You really think we wouldn't be able to find you, huh?" Robin quipped, typing something on his computer

"Well Thanks to my blonde friend, we were able to trace your whereabouts by a network that you had linked with many years ago…

The boy revealed his monitor, showing his personal information on the monitor as well list of networks. His ideas and works of everything about the Virtual Reality.

"Who would've thought the guy who created the Virtual reality himself was eventually gonna invade everyone's privacy huh?" Nightwing added

"None… you all don't know the full story…" Jervis slowly uttered "You have no idea… what you're talking about"

"I guess what I'm trying to say is…" Nightwing leaned in close and gave him a very intimidating glare that resembled the Batman himself

"You're done, Tetch."

Suddenly, a loud series of sirens was heard from the outside.

"Damn, we need to hop now." Robin stated as he saved his information in his flash drive and destroyed his monitor

"Seeya, Mad Hatter" he kicked him for the last time as the Robins fled out from the scene

Not very soon afterwards, a man carrying a pistol lead the forces into his room where Jervis was currently neutralized in with his face all bruised up from the beating

The man then lowered his pistol, as he spoke through his communicator "Gordon here, we got him."

~x X x~

"I already told you we can handle this, right?"

Nightwing stated, as he stood side-by-side on a certain Dark Knight watching the Police retrieve the cyber terrorist out of the premises at 4:00 AM

"Shut up" Batman said casually

Nightwing rolled his eyes as he then turned to the robins waiting up ahead "He's getting all grumpy again, boys"

"Isn't he always though?" Red Hood bickered

"Whatever, let's leave him alone" Nightwing stated

"Let's go grab a bite"

"Ohh, I'm in the mood for some burgers" Robin cheered of excitement

"And also… Hey Batman!" Batman turned to see Robin calling out for him. The boy threw him the flash drive that contained Jervis' information and his entire work

"Hell yeah, let's go" Red Hood added

"Cool, but Jason's paying right?" Nightwing jested

"Huh, why me?"

"because…."

Their voices were no longer audible as the fled the area with their grappling hooks. He then inspected the flash drive as a smile forms on Batman's lips

"Good job boys."

Suddenly, a feel of wind pressure appeared by his side

"How is it?"

"You need rest, Diana." Bruce uttered

He looked at her, which she raised him an eyebrow in response

"You really wanna start in this early morning, Bruce Wayne?" She rested her hands on her hips, giving him a playful defiant look

He chuckled slightly "No, not really.."

Jervis finally came out of the house all cuffed up while being escorted by the police forces

"It was one adventure though, spending a whole day with an 11 year old Bruce Wayne in a fairy tale themed land was definitely worth it!" Wonder Woman spoke as she leaned her cheek on her palm

"Don't push your luck, princess" Batman jested

"You said so yourself" Wonder Woman responded as she gave him a wink

"There is no such thing as luck, only skill…"

Batman walked to the other direction with Wonder Woman next to him

"So what is your skill, messing with me?"

"Perhaps…"

"Never change, princess"

Batman and Wonder Woman went on their way, as the dawn was beginning to break, as a streak of light from the sky was starting to pass through. Vehicles passing by echoed the streets and the gentle breeze of the early morning was oh-so-cold with the two of them in each other's company

And so that concludes the story of how a boy who loved video games and an Amazon Princess explored a land that was filled with games and tricks all throughout.

The unbeatable pair who conquered everything in their way. And in the end, became kings in a complicated and paradoxical world

~The End~

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"You called for an urgent meeting, Mr. Wayne?"

Goldmann uttered, as he sat comfortably in his seat. He was with everyone who had worked on the project that they were trying to push. The man was quite different today, unlike his usual laidback persona, and so they hoped that the Owner/CEO of Wayne Enterprises has finally made a decision

The chair turned, revealing Bruce Wayne himself in a nice suit. Everyone was feeling his authority in the room

"I called everyone today for something urgent" he spoke as he tapped the button of his pen

"I declare everyone in this room who had worked for this project..."

He raised his head with a serious look on his face "fired effective immediately"

Everyone gasped upon hearing this, most especially the head of the project that was Goldmann

"But Mr. Wayne?"

Bruce stood up and clicked the button of his remote, which caused the well lit room to dim. A bright projector from the screen was the only thing visible which revealed certain documents that was very similar to the project they were making. It belonged to an individual by the name of Jervis Tetch

"The company stands for fairness, and honesty among our consumers and board. But not just that, we implement respect in people's work and their ideas and talents." Bruce spoke, as he shook his head of disappointment

"Plagiarizing and theft is something that will never be tolerated in this company, especially with me in charge."

The lights returned as Bruce faced the window outside with his back facing them

"All of you – pack your things. Get out of my building."

"You can't just do this, Bruce!" Goldman yelled, losing his cool "We all have shares here!"

"And I bought most of the shares." Bruce responded calmly, not even bothering to turn around and face the man

"My decision is final. I want every single one of you out"

Bruce slowly inspects the pen, which had a bunny logo at the tip. A frown forms on his face as he whispers…

"Sorry old friend…"