- . -

- Prisoner -

- . -

Many Years ago.

- Nanda Parbat -

The Head of the Demon: Ra's Al Ghul walks through the chambers with his arms held behind him, looking at the two League members who guard the entrance to the next room, "You are to come with me. Gather with the others and wait for me there," he dismissed the guards. They leave, walking around his frame. The demon then continues into the next chamber. Entering the confines of the hall, his eyes are quick to find what he sought.

His daughters, both Nyssa and Talia.

But they were sisters by blood only. When it came to their feelings for each other, it was anything but family. The pair are deadlocked in a braw that took them far out of the reach of anyone, even their own father. Their minds were only focused on the other as they clashed with their blades. Even attempts at fatal strikes were not out of the question when it came to their daily skirmishes. Ra's remained silent, watching over them. Seeing the way that they fought against each other, the brutality made him smirk.

Nyssa was older than Talia, predating her by over a decade of both combat prowess and experience while the younger sister had recently entered her twenties. Many would name such fight as unfair, but not in the League of Shadows. Here you either fight or die.

Nyssa and Talia clash their swords together, over and over as the young sister was pushed back. With an additional swing of her blade, Nyssa then kicks her sister away from her. Talia growls, throwing a grimace glare at Nyssa, throwing a punch. Nyssa dodges it and smirks, showing her sister just how little that she thought of her. The older sister then slides forward and pushing her blade against her sister's, pushing it away from them before striking Talia with her own punch across the face.

Talia was shoved to the ground and touches her now bloodied lip with her thumb, the looming presence of Nyssa above her only angered her more. Nyssa then sprouted a grin like a Cheshire cat as she begins to take off her gloves, "This is always my favourite part of my day," she then spots their father standing at the doors to the chamber, "Father," she approaches Ra's and kneels. Talia does the same, though aiming an unwavering scowl at her sister along every moment of the way to her side.

"I see much improvement in your skill," Ra's commends, looking over the two sisters.

"I am honoured by your praise," Nyssa hides her smirk from Ra's as she faces the ground. Nyssa knew that she was on track to one day take over from her father and lead the League of Shadows. She just needed to keep him focused on her and not her sister.

"I was not refereeing to you" Ra's takes his view from Nyssa and solely upon his youngest daughter, "Talia you showed restraint against Nysa's childish ways. When it comes to one's own skills, the discipline to show restrain is just as vital as one's call to arms. You have mastered this far more than your sister," Ra's al Ghul informs Talia, "With the power of the League at your disposal, it is needed to keep such impulses in check." the Demon turns his back to them, signalling the sisters to stand.

"W-what was that?" Nyssa stammers, nearly choking on her words.

The Demon's head looks over his shoulder to Nyssa and Talia, "There is a matter that requires my attention. I'll be heading out to Gotham this night and until my return, Talia shall be appointed head of the League in my absence."

Talia steps closer, "Father. Not to overstep, but what matter could possibly be needing your acquaintance? Isn't that work left to Whisper?"

"No. Not when it comes to this matter," Ra's holds onto Talia's shoulders and leans in, "In Gotham lies what I have been searching for centuries. A worthy successor, one that will take command of the League, along with you. He will be your betrothed."

"Madness father!" Nyssa raises her voice at her father, "This is madness! Have I not shown you that I am the right choice? Have I not proven myself to you? To entrust the League to her is to put the future of your legacy in the hands of a child! And now you tell me that you have now chosen an outsider over me?"

"Watch. Your. Tongue," Ra's grabs his eldest daughter's neck and pulls her towards him, yet he showed no signs of anger. He was still calm, disturbingly so, "You have always been bewitched by the power of the league and not the responsibility that comes with such a role," he then releases Nyssa from his hold and flings her onto her back, "Combat skill can be refined, one's own pride is not so easily tempered." Ra's turns and begins to leave, "Talia. You will from now train directly under Shiva every day until she is pleased with your ability."

Talia then skews her vision to Nyssa who was grasping her throat.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Themyscira

- Present Day -

Talia trudges through the jungle of the island, cutting down the branches in her way with her blade with each step that she takes. Though her eyes only kept to the direction of her front, all of her other senses covered for the rest of her. She listens out for anything that could be a threat among the sounds of nature around her. The gentle sounds of the downhill stream that leads down to a spring guides her path, reaching the edge of the spring. she kneels, taking handfuls of the water to drink.

Even on the island, the weather was still scorching, maybe even hotter than when she arrived.

After several mouthfuls of the water, her taste buds warn her of a faint metallic taste. Looking down at her own reflection, she sees a trail of red that was mixed among the stream that was coming in from the north. She follows the path along the trail of watery red until she found its source. Her eyes land upon two severely maimed Amazons that were floating on the surface of the spring. She reaches out and pulls one of the Amazons in, seeing the bow and quiver on them.

She takes the bow and sets it next to her. Next was the quiver that she straps around her and then the arrows that she retrieved from the water to fill the quiver. Talia holds the bow in hand as she continues on the path, "You better be alive, beloved..."

Themyscira.

Bruce Wayne was still alive...or maybe he wasn't. It all depends on one's own perception of memory. The man could still breathe, think, see, hear and speak and his heart was still beating. Yet something was still wrong. The man now without a name was lost, both literally and figuratively. It's true that he was stranded on some unknown land, maybe even an entirely different world than the one he vaguely recalled. His mind was fuzzy, barely able to see through the foggy clouds that storm in his mind.

Regardless of what is and what isn't, Bruce knew that the prospect of clarity would be far from useful when combined in this moment of his turmoil. Even if he suddenly remembered his name and who he was, what would that do to remove the chains from his wrists? Would it lead these unbelievable women to want to listen to him? Bruce knew that the only ally he could possibly name is Diana, and even he found a stretch. She was still far beyond his moral frame who showed the might to snap him like a branch from a dying tree.

Aside from his lost history, another thing cuts deep at his confidence. A thing that could not be so easily identified, let alone even understood. There was something deep inside of him, a sinking feeling that made him feel heavy, something that chained him down far greater than the restraints. If he had to choose a single word to describe this feeling that was haunting him, it would be *dark*, like a beast submerged in blackest depths of the lands, a creature far beyond his own imagination.

A Monster that was just as intelligent as it was vicious. Bruce could fee this imaginary force clawing its way at him, sinking its claws deep within his flesh as it tries to pull him down into the depths of the same darkness that it lurks, trying to drown him in its endless void. Over time, he could feel the pull of the beast become stronger, dragging him more into the abyss, gaining the advantage over him. Bruce could feel the darkness evolving, becoming more resilient against his will.

Deciding that he needed to get his mind off of the thought of the lingering shadow, he directs his attention to the Amazon that sat at the other side of the gate that trapped him. She was younger than the others that he had seen, another detail that he couldn't help but notice was the lack of weapon at her beckoning, instead, she just held a book. He could tell that she wasn't a fighter simply by the way she was lost in her book, giving him no thought and only taking interest in the literature in her hands.

Bruce leans over to sneak a view at the book's cover, recognizing it and knowing that a book like that wouldn't have come to the island by normal means, "That book... where did you find it? Did it wash up on shore?" he asks Alexa who was nearly-nose deep in the story. With a flick of her wrist, the amazon sets the book on her crossed legs and turns her head back to the caged man. The look in her eyes was innocent compared to even Diana's. She didn't recognize him as a threat to her, whether from the bars that separate them or even her possessing the power to crush him easily, maybe both were the answer.

She then speaks to him, with earnest but still clearly being wary of the prisoner, "I have many books like this one, all were gifts from my sisters. They brought them back from scavenges of lost ships."

"So you're a bookworm? Nice to know that this place has variety, are there others that are into philately too?," Bruce leans against the stone wall, "I'm not accustomed to being held behind bars, but aren't the captures meant to keep their prisoner fed? I'm starving..."

"Speaking truthfully, the likelihood of you living long enough for that to matter is slim, and it would be a waste," Alexa turns her body to be facing the prisoner, "How can you be sure that you have not spent time behind bars? I was told that you have lost your memory?"

"Slowly piecing it back together," Bruce flashes a quick smirk, folding his arms around legs, "Can I at least have some water? I'm going to die of dehydration before the trial even starts. Or would that be a waste too?"

Alexa stands and glares through the bars at to the man, "Diana made me promise that I would not leave you alone."

"Fine," Bruce closes his eyes, "But have fun explaining to Diana if I die under your watch."

Alexa slides her hands onto her hips, "You think yourself clever enough to coax an Amazon into doing your bidding?"

Nudging his shoulders, Bruce opens his right eye, "I know enough to remember that Lennie dies at the end of that book of yours." Alexa's eyes twitch and she turns away, throwing out a disgruntled grunt as she folds her arms over her chest.

"You halfwit, I was near the end too! What makes you think that I would be willing to grant your wish now?"

"In that case, I have nothing to lose from telling you that the one who killed Lennie was-"

"Fine. Just stop spoiling me! I was going to get you water anyway, but now...I'm taking my time," Alexa pouts, agreeing to Bruce's request.

- Meanwhile -

Cheetah prowls through the jungle, running on all fours as she hunts for her next target. She halts her pace, looking up to see a familiar redhead above her, "You dried off yet, Venessa?" she chuckles, seeing Silver Swan descend down until she stood on the ground. The redhead was soaked, still dripping seawater from her hair and body. Cheetah rises to be level with the woman next to her, "I would've given you a hand, but y'know how cats are with water..."

Silver Swan spits, grinding her teeth, "I'm glad that you find this amusing, Minerva."

Cheetah scoffs, standing with her hands on her hips, "Oh...but of course. I've been awaiting this very day for years. Sweet Diana can no longer run from me, this island shall be her tomb," she licks her lips, "I can smell her scent from here...I will make her scream..."

"Not so fast," Silver Swan comes closer to Minerva, flashing her talons at her, "I'll be the one to snuff her life out, and watch closely and the life leaves her eyes..."

"Oh? Will you now?" Minerva laughs at Silver Swan, "And why do you want to kill sweet, sweet Diana? You are just an annoying mentally-screwed fangirl that got upset because Diana didn't want to be chained to you. And that was before the split personality."

Venessa growls, clenching her hands into fists as she glares at Cheetah, "My reasons are personal. What are yours? Pathetic Diana kicked your ass a few too many times? You only want to kill Diana because of your pride!"

"Foolish, foolish, foolish child. Do you really desire to do this dance? Have you forgotten 'bout the bombs in our necks?" Minerva grins with playful delight at the other woman's anger, "They could be listening to us as we speak."

Silver Swan flexes her metallic wings and draws her talons "I rather have my head blown-up than listen to another goddamn word come out of your mouth!"

"As appetising as a pretty little bird like you are... Diana is getting closer, we can leave this little squabble until later. Can you play nicely until we're done with our task?" Minerva is proven right as Venessa backs off, "Good. Now, this is how're going to do this, we fin the herd...then leave sweet Diana for last..."

"Fine," Silver Swan reluctantly agrees, "And what of that man? If he washed up on the island too, he could be anywhere. We have to hunt him down..."

"I wouldn't worry about him, Swan. Even if he ended up here, his kind isn't exactly the most well-treated people to come to this island. Either he's already dead or soon will be," the villainess grins as she sways her tail, "He already led the way here, he has no further use. Now...," her pupils tapers into slits, "...Let the hunt begin..."

- North of the Themyscira -

Talia cautiously ambles through the tropical grounds as she has her bow at the ready. Her emerald eyes fixated at her front, her ears cover the rest, listening for even the quietest sound. After moments of peace, her senses alert her to something. The sounds of twigs snapping and tree leaves rustling, which was caused by someone as the wind wasn't nearly powerful enough to move them at such force. The Daughter of the demon raises her guard, higher than it was before and preemptively pulls at the string of her bow.

As long as she could remember, she was trained to treat her eyesight at her least valuable sense, knowing that it could easily be hindered or even taken away from her at a moment's notice. But her hearing couldn't be as easily exploited, not without her opponent suffering the same handicap, With her sharpened sense of sound, she hears the sound of twigs and branches breaking behind her. She swiftly turns on her heels and slides out of the way of a stray arrow that was left to fire over her.

As retaliation, she pulls back her bow and fires an arrow of her own back in the direction of the first strike, "Muhawalat Jayida!" she calls out in her native tongue as she takes another arrow from her quiver. Talia sees her attacker come out from the cloak of the trees, Artemis too held her bow at the ready as she confronts the demoness.

"Another stray? Identify yourself now and surrender!" the Amazon orders with minimal patience as she had already begun readying her bow.

"My name? I am Talia al Ghul, daughter of the demon and heir to the League of Shadows! I am not here to fight you, I am in search of a man who has come to this island," Talia keeps her guard up, knowing that there could be others around, maybe even surrounding her.

"And of what business do you have with the prisoner?," Artemis inquires.

That was all the confirmation that she needed. Now being aware of Bruce had indeed washed up on the island alive, her drive was once against restored and more focused than ever. As much as she desired to find Bruce as fast as possible, she was still in the heart of the unknown territory. She was confident in her skills enough to believe herself to have a fighting chance, however, her rational thinking quickly overpowered her drive for combat. Talia knew that attacking the Amazons here and killing even one could start an incident that could sweep the entire world into its crosshairs.

The mere thought of passing over a fight made her feel disgusted in herself, sick to her stomach. As much as she hated to admit it, her pride is not worth the endangerment of the world and all of its people. Especially if they had Bruce captive, her next actions to determine whether he lives or dies. Even if he had done the near possible and test her patience far beyond what she thought possible, she still couldn't risk his life. Not when it was in her hands and not his.

She needed another approach, one where she could get her desired result and not bloody her hands in the blood of the Amazons. She needed to have them trust her, put their unyielding faith for them to listen to her, let alone act in good faith to give her back the man. But there was something wrong with the pacifistic mindset that the daughter of the demon was planning to use, one large flaw that made it useless. Though she thought it to be the best course of action, there was one underlying flaw. Just one.

By the very nature of her blood, she doesn't stand down. Even if that would bring forth all kinds of dangerous consequences. Try as she might, she couldn't fight against her nature, reaffirming her grip on the weapon, she couldn't help but smirk, "I will not ask you again, where is the man that I am looking for?"

"An outsider like yourself does not demand answers from the Amazons," Artemis snarls, throwing out all previous lenity towards the heiress. Talia widens her smile quickly before shooting one of her arrows at the Amazon. With minimal reaction, Artemis deflects the arrow with her metal bracelets, "You just sealed your fate, outsider."

"My fate was decided long ago," Talia fires another arrow at the Amazon which yielded the same result. She repeated the chain multiple times, each attempt draws a larger smirk from her. Again, she reached to her quiver and loaded another Arrow and fires, this time a different outcome happened, ending the cycle. Observing the warrior's movements clued her in on how to proceed, watching her with all her concentration allowed to discover a weakness, a blind spot of the Amazon's guard.

Artemis moves her wrists to block the final Arrow, but she was at the wrong angle which paved way for the arrowhead to thrust into her shoulder. The redhead grabs at her collar bone, yanking out the lodged metal from her flesh with a strong exhale of her nose. Her eyes then constrict into a ruthless angered gaze, the gloves were now off.

The daughter of the demon was alerted to her empty quiver, the little number of arrows that she recovered from the springs had now been used and were now spread out over the ground. Falling back on her only alternative, she pulls out her sword from the holster on her back. It was now Artemis' turn to attack, bringing her bow to her front, she fires an arrow of her own. Talia whacks the projectile out of the air with her blade, showing no sign of worry.

Artemis throws her bow to the ground and unsheathes her blade, "Thanatos will soon be calling your name," she then rushes Talia, putting her full weight into a swing with the weapon in her hands, curving her shoulders to slash up vertically at her target. Talia was quick, in both her movement and planning, she met the impact of the incoming blade with her own and stalemates them both, but by then Talia had already mapped her next moves out.

Pitting brawn against brawn would not be a viable option, that much Talia knew. She would need to utilize her speed and mobility to come out on top in the fight, so she did. With absolute precision, the daughter of the demon slides out from the standstill and lags her sword behind, twisting her wrist to align her aim and then striking. The Amazon was just as quick to block the attack as Talia was to attack, pushing back the heiress out of striking distance.

Artemis then lunges forward, kicking high at Talia who counters. She wraps her hands around the redhead's leg and hurls herself up, trapping the woman's neck between her thighs. She then shifts her body to throw her opponent down into the dirt, following up by delivering a punch to the Amazon's face. Talia then rolls off of the downed Amazon and grabs one of the stray arrows that were placed along her path. The Amazon jumps back up, retrieving her sword and moving to close the distance between her and the other woman.

Talia rolls out of the path of the blade that was swung over her head, grabbing the Amazon's arms, she throws her over her shoulder and back into the dirt. Artemis wasn't one to be knocked down again so easily, she stops her descent by turning the tide of the battle. She catches herself, firmly pressing her boots below to secure her footing. Throwing forward a smirk of her own, she grabs the heiress' arm and twists it, following up the chain by throwing her on the ground.

She then stomps down, aiming for the woman's neck. Talia barely had the time to throw her head out of the impact zone of the likely lethal blow of the Amazon. Not wasting a single second, the demoness rolls onto her arms and pushes herself up. By then, Artemis was ready to continue, blade in hand as she kicks Talia back, hitting her face. The demons' daughter was thrown back, now sporting a bloodied lip, "I would advise you to surrender, but I have yet to see you make a single smart decision," Artemis taunts, flaunting the same consistent grin.

"That's where you're mistaken," Talia kicks back up onto her feet and moves her thumb across her bruised lip, "Surrender was never an option. Not when it comes to the League, a sentiment that I am very much fond of...," she then strikes with her blade. As expected, the Amazon shielded the attack with her own sword. Talia slides forward and pushes her blade against Artemis, pushing it away from them before striking with a fist across the Amazon's face.

She then takes the recovered arrow from her quiver and rams it into Artemis' chest, purposely avoiding her heart. The heiress then kicks the Amazon onto the ground, the falling warrior gave no resistance against the plummet that she undergoing. By giving up the killing blow, some would believe that the daughter of the demon had suddenly decided to show her mercy, such an assumption would be dead wrong. She let the Amazon live, but no out of an act of kindness. She simply desired information, the knowledge that the Amazon had.

She avoided the warrior's heart, but still made enough damage to keep her down. She figured that if the Amazons used these arrows, then it would stand to reason that they could hurt their kind. Otherwise, training would be pointless. Why make arrows that are unable to hurt them and anyone else at their level of strength? Talia had her desired outcome, Artemis was alive to give her information that she wanted. The Amazon would live, even with the wound, Talia made sure of it. The injury that she gave the warrior wouldn't even kill a regular human.

Talia stands atop the Amazon, pressing her heel against her throat, "That man you spoke of, where is he being kept?" she says with little tolerance for even a second wasted, before the redhead had the time to answer, the above woman had already twisted her foot down further on her windpipe, forcing out bloodied gasps from her, "Do you think lightly of my tactics? I can and will kill you if you force my hand."

"Us A-Amazons do not fear d-death, nor do we give in to fear," Artemis glares straight up at Talia.

"Very rich coming from a civilization that hides away from the world like frightened children," she draws her blade and grazes it against the Amazons' face, "I got some bad news for you. He and I aren't the only people who've comes to Themyscira. Some olds friends are back too, you better hope that none of them finds you...," she slowly lifts her sword back into its holster.

"Too late!" a voice comes from above, followed by laughter. Snapping her vision up, Talia sees Silver Swan suspended in mid-air with her wingspan fully stretched out with her left leg raised. The light of the sun from behind her casts a large shadow of the villainess over the Heiress, "I'll be taking that," she points to Artemis with a gleeful smirk mixed with an oxymoronic dark look in her eyes, "Diana told Venessa all about her...," she then swoops down and knocks Talia away with a single strike of her elbow.

"Artemis, I presume...," Silver Swan snarls as she lifts the Amazon up to her level, "From what Diana told me, I thought that you wouldn't be so...weak. But I'm not surprised...Diana always lies. She makes you think that she is your friend...only to forget you even exist..."

Venessa was drawn to the soft sound of chuckling from her captive, Artemis lifts her chin and smirks "Funny... Diana can remember her first word. The only reason she would forget about you is that you're...just not worth remembering..." With that, Silver Swan had snapped. She throws Artemis at one of the large trees and screams, unleashing an earth-shaking sonic cry that carried all the force of her rage. The Amazon was struck by the blast, then the tree behind her. But it didn't stop there, Silver Swan continued to scream, expanding the reach of the sonic blast far past its original target and its size until a mile-long path of devastation was left in its wake.

Unable to continue, Venessa stops her rampage and falls to her knees, fatigued by her overexertion of power, catching her breath with a tired smile, "...That memorable e-enough for...y-you..." Steadily rising, she faces Talia who had drawn arms, ready to fight. Silver Swan flutters her wings, lifting her feet off the ground, "You wanna go...? Be my guest..."

"You tried to kill Bruce on the boat, I will not allow you to continue breathing!" Talia inches closer to the villainess.

"It would've been a mercy compared to what Minerva plans to do to him" Silver Swan then ascends further up, "Let me give you some advice sister, he'll never love you. He will betray you, he will take your trust...and throw it away like it was nothing! They always do, even so-called gods will betray you...only look out for yourself, because you are the only person you can count on when it matters the most!" she flies off, quickly vanishing from Talia's field of view.

- Meanwhile -

"Oh, sweet Diana, I can smell you... I can taste your fear...," Cheetah laps her tongue across her lips, guiding her view upwards, "Oh... how I have waited for this moment...," she readies herself, spotting the incoming person that was approaching at a break-neck pace. Diana moves through the sky, glaring towards her oldest nemesis, a look of rage washes over her face as she is reminded of all the death and destruction that the person beneath her has caused.

This was going to be the final time. The last time that they fought, she would make sure of it.

With absolute fury, Diana comes in full speed and tackles her most-fearsome foe into the ground, shattering the ground and leaving the pair within a crater, "I care not of how you've come here, Minerva. Just know that today will be your last!" she forms a fist and rams it towards the villainess' skull. Cheetah rolls out of the way, avoiding the hole left by the Amazon's strength. Minerva extends her claws, slashing across Diana's face with the widest grin.

"Oh...Diana, just as naïve as when we first fought," Cheetah brings her hand in close and laps up the blood on her claws, "Naïve...and stupid, just how I've come to love you," she pounces towards Diana, claws out and ready for the next strike.

Diana catches Cheetah out of the air, grabbing at her wrists, "I grow tired of you," she spins, throwing Minerva out of her hold and into the path of brambles and thorns, ascending off the ground, "You've always had a one-tracked mind, Minerva. First, it was beauty, then immortality, now it's revenge that blinds you...," she bolts forward, slamming her fist into Cheetah's chest, sending her flying through the tree behind her, "But even that is not the biggest flaw in your character!"

The Amazon slams her elbow down on Cheetah, forcing out a mouthful of spit from her mouth, "You could never take responsibility for your own mistakes!" She then moves with her other arm, punching upward into Minerva's stomach, "For your own failings! Yet...you dare call me the naïve one?" she then strikes her opponent's face, knocking her back, "Wake up, Minerva! You have no one to blame but yourself...," she stops her assault, allowing for Cheetah to fall onto her knees, "You brought all of this upon yourself..."

"Oh...sweet, sweet...precious Diana...," Cheetah grins a bloodied smile as her auburn hair covered her eyes, she outstretches her words, giving them a dark-edge, "How I crave you. Your eternal beauty, your everlasting fighting spirit, your never-ending conviction. You are everything that I ever wanted to be...," she licks her lips, "And yet you chastise me for it without seeing your own flaws?," she pounces at the Amazon, slashing her claws, being blocked by Diana's bracelets. Cheetah continues striking with her claws, "We both know that you hate being trapped on this island. You want nothing more than to just leave and never return, never look back..."

"You know nothing about me!" the Amazon princess leans back to avoid the next swipe of Cheetah's claws, bring her right arm across, she slams her shield into the feline villain's jaw, "How dare you say such lies! I'll defend Themyscira till my last breath!"

"For once we agree!" Minerva slams her claws down on Diana, the Amazon lifts her shield over her face to intercept the razor-sharp talons, "After I slice you open, I'll take pleasure finishing off your sisters...then I'll pay little Steve a visit...," she catapults herself onto the face of the shield, grabbing Diana's shoulders with her feet, flipping her over onto the ground, "I'll take my time with him...go intestine by intestine...rib by rib, organ by organ...until he is nothing but a pile of bones..."

"ENOUGH!" Diana screams, grabbing her sword from her beck, she swings it at Minerva, "From now on, you will see no mercy from me!" she catches Cheetah in the path of her blade, cutting across her cheek. Cheetah jumps back, keeping her smirk. Diana lunges forward, Cheetah rolls out of the way and slashes at the Amazons' sides with one clean sweep of her left hand. The raven-haired warrior quickly faces Minerva, swinging her blade along the path.

Once again, Minerva moves out of the sword's reach, moving back once it was safe. She grazes her claws against the sword, creating sparks as she rushes Diana, "Mercy? Ha! How un-Amazon of you!" she wraps her hand around the warrior's throat and constricts her hold, pushing her onto the ground, "Stop lying to yourself, Sweet Diana. That boy changed you. You no longer wish to rule the Amazons, you rather leave the island...explore the world that you hide from..."

She squats above Diana, holding down the Amazon's arms with her feet, "But you feel that you cannot. Your poor mother died, which only leaves you to lead the Amazons, isn't that right? You would like nothing more than to leave, yet you feel that it's your responsibility to stay, to trap yourself on this island...for eternity..." she skims her claws down Diana's cheek, "You are a prisoner of your own destiny! Allow me to release you from your prison...!" she raises her arm up high, she then slams down with her extended claws.

With her deepest might, Diana propels herself up with force and right-hooks Minerva. Hovering in the air, she reaches for the lasso at her waist. Cheetah flips away, jumping onto a branch of the tallest tree near them, "Regardless of my feelings towards Themyscira, I will defend it from your wicked ways!" she flies towards the villainess. Cheetah swings from the branch and onto the next tree across, licking her lips. Minerva then leaps off, intercepting Diana with her claws at the ready.

Cheetah sets her sights upon the woman's throat, drawing her claws towards it. Diana deflects the claws with her bracelets, moving away from Minerva as she unravels her lasso. She then hurls it at the villain, wrapping it around her neck, "Gak!" Cheetah chokes in response to Diana's hold on her. The Amazon then swings the lasso, along with Minerva into the ground below. With little time to react, Cheetah's eyes tremble as she the Amazon bulleting straight down upon her.

With a remorseless glare, Diana stomps her boot on Cheetah's neck as she pulls at the lasso, serval times until she hears a bone-chilling snap. Minerva's eyes widen, reddening over time as she stares up to the Amazon, " You left me no choice...Barbara...," Diana then slams her boot down one final time, finishing the job. She then looks into Cheetah's eyes as the life drained from them, "I'll pray to the gods to show mercy to you," she watches Cheetah's lifeless eyes close.

Diana would've given anything to have a moment to mourn, even though she was her worst enemy. But even the gods were not that powerful. Diana is thrown aside, being blasted by a wide-sonic wave which was accompanied by a feminine scream. Diana quickly gets back up, grabbing her lasso. She twists her neck, looking to the airborne Silver Swan, "Venessa!" she grits her teeth, "I thought as much that you came too... you're too late, Minerva has been slain!"

"Late?," Silver Swan laughs, "I'd say that I'm right on time! I knew Cheetah would go straight for you...and she would pay the price for being too weak...," Venessa torpedoes forward, slashing her talons at Diana, "But no before tiring you out, making you easy pickings..." she then screams a sonic cry to knock the Amazon further back. Rushing in, Silver Swan slashes her talons on the raven-haired warrior's shoulder, cutting deep and spattering blood over her armour.

Venessa then screams again, stronger than the last. Diana is thrown down onto the ground. Quick-as-lightning, Venessa boots Diana in the jaw, kicking her across and into the bushes. Relocating her prey, Silver Swan saunters towards the focus of her vision, swaying her hips, "How does it feel, Diana, eh? To be at your lowest point, with no one there to help you? It's heartbreaking, right? But...also eye-opening." Diana reaches for her sword and lunges forward, Silver Swan unleashes another powerful sonic cry to force her back down onto the ground beneath the powerful wave of sound, "The people who you thought would be there for you...are nowhere to be found. You feel forgotten, weak, pathetic..."

"V-Venessa...listen to me...you're sick... Y-you need-d h-help! The n-nanites in your body are messing with your h-head!," Diana struggles to stand, "The Venessa I knew was kind. S-she was the most compassionate child that I have ever met..." Diana's shakes under the stain of her figure, barely able to hold her current posture, "Minerva was always cruel and heartless, but you...? You can be saved, Venessa! The kind girl I once knew has still be in there...somewhere"

"If she was...then she would've stopped me from doing this," Silver Swan screams again, spiralling the sonic blast fully on the Amazon with no sign of contrition. Diana was left beaten and bruised once the assault ceased, she was barely conscious, "But even with the heartbreak that you caused me, I do have to be somewhat appreciative to you for unleashing me...," Silver Swan squats down and holds one of her talons over the cuts in Diana's shoulders, "So I'll return the favour. The nanites in my blood gift me all kinds of abilities, even a psychic connection to them..." the tip of her talons drip dozens of nanites that mix into the Amazon's bloodstream, "Now...you'll have no choice. You and I are going to rec this world...together..."

Diana's eyes shoot open, she screams as her body becomes possessed by the micro-machines swimming through her system, "Agh! W-what are-..."

"Don't fight it, they'll reach your brain soon enough...then we can get started...," Silver Swan grins at her work.

- Elsewhere -

Still leaning against the wall, Bruce rubs his eyes as he awaits the return of Alexa. It had been almost an hour since she had journeyed off to bring him water, "Come on! I'm going to die of thirst before you even come back!" he yells, the claustrophobic walls echo his voice, carrying his frustration across the hall. He presses the back of his head against the cold wall behind him "Hello? Anyone there?" he calls out, expecting his cries to go unanswered.

Bruce looks towards the cell's door, spotting a new woman behind the bars. Talia was quick to cut off the locks with her sword and pulls the gate open, "What the hell do you call this, beloved? Performance is over, now get out of those chains! We have no time to waste," she removes the sling bag from her shoulders and throws it into the cell, "The bird-lady followed us to the island, I've also seen bodies that I believe are the work of the other one. We best move now, what's our next move?"

"W-What?" Bruce questions, looking at Talia like she was a complete stranger, "What's going on? What the hell are you talking about? Who are you anyway?" he says dazed, unsure of what to make of the situation, "Are you one of them? I-is this a test? Tell me, what the hell is happening?"

"That is too many questions right now..." she makes her way over to Bruce, grabbing at his hair and yanking his head towards her. She sees the dried blood on the side of his scalp, along with bruising, "Quickly. Tell me what you remember?"

"W-what?"

"DO IT" Talia pulls harder on the man's hair, "What. Do. You. Remember."

"N-nothing! I told you guys...I don't remember anything... I don't know anything about who I am!" he answers.

"We'll pick this up later, Bruce. Just sit still... move and you'll regret it...," Talia moves her thumbs on top of Bruce's wrists. She then presses them down at the right angle to dislocate the man's wrists, bringing out a loud cry from him, "QUIET! I will not be your babysitter, now shut your mouth while I get these off you," she twists the man's hands to slide them out of the constricting chains, drawing out new cries from him with every bit of progress that she makes.

"Agh! A-are you c-crazy? You broke my hands! W-WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!" Bruce continues to scream, trying to pull back from the woman's grip, making Talia's job all the more difficult, "GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME YOU CRAZY B-." Talia draws the man into a kiss to silence him, grabbing at his shirt to hold him in place as she finishes removing the chains from his hands. She then parts from him, using her thumbs to snap Bruce's wrist back into place, That wasn't so bad now, was it?"

"Uh...YES, IT WAS..." Bruce's eyes fixate on his reddened wrists, "Wasn't there a key lying around or something?"

"Grow a pair," Talia grabs at the man's collar and lifts him up, "We have no time to bicker, just shut up and listen to me. Your name is Bruce Wayne. I am Talia al Ghul, and we are in a seriously fucked situation which you got us into. That should do for now until we reach a safer location to continue," she reaches down and opens the sling bag, taking out the utility belt. She holds it to Bruce, "Does this at all jog your memory?" she passes it over to the man.

Bruce couldn't help but focus on the main centrepiece of the belt, seeing the bat insignia. He couldn't explain his sudden fixation on it, it just felt so natural to him, even more than the mention of his own name. He traces a finger along the outline of the symbol, "This...? I think that I remember it..." The confession of the man brought about a new idea from the daughter of the demon. Talia walks over to Bruce, placing her hand over his as she looks into his eyes.

"Batman," she says, seeing something flicker in Bruce's blue eyes, almost like a shadow reflecting in them that took on the form of a demonic creature, resembling a large bat, "You must remember that. Your destiny is to be the dark knight of Gotham, that is your role."

"I th-think th-that I do r-remember...that name...," he holds his temple, "W-why does that name feel more right then *Bruce*? W-What's going on with me...? W-who the hell am I...?" he asks, beginning to feel his mind become overtaken by sadness, more specifically a single night. One night out of many that plague his thoughts, still blurred yet its power on him was not hindered, "I-I- d-don't understand...what's happening to me?"

Talia grabs Bruce's hand and starts to lead him out of the cell, "We will continue this later. We must take our leave. Being discovered by either party on this island could spell our doom...we'll figure a way off this island...this was a mistake...we should have nev-," the two were flung forward against the iron bars as the back wall was blown out by a powerful force. Bruce and Talia struggle to turn, facing the debris and the hole in the wall, seeing Diana hovering on the outside with an emotionless featured face.

"T-this isn't about you losing that game, is it...?" Bruce Coughs, eyeing up the Amazon's frame as he realizes that something was wrong, noticing her acting like she was a completely different person than before.