- . -

- Swan Song -

- . -

- Themyscira -

"D-D-Diana...?" a dazed Bruce ganders up Diana's frame, eventually their eyes meet, "W-what's going on...?" he asks frantically. With minimal reluctance, Diana forms a fist and flies towards the man. With less than a second to think, Talia grabs Bruce and shifts her weight to roll with him, avoiding the Amazon's attack. Diana's attack leaves a large hole in the floor, one that was the height of her forearm. Talia reaches behind her back, pulling out serval small black orbs which she throws at Diana. The several orbs roll under the Amazon and explode, covering Diana's vision with clouds of smoke. She begins to cough, covering her mouth with her right arm while she rips her left arm out of the ground.

The dark-haired Amazon looks around as the smoke begins to dissipate, seeing that the two mortals had vanished. She bites her lip and snarls.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

From outside, Talia sprints holding the hand of the man that was falling behind her, "Move!" she orders, throwing him past her and to the edge of the hill. As she wanted, Bruce loses his balance and rolls down the hill. After falling down serval feet of dirt and bramble, Bruce had made it to the bottom, splashing down in the stream. Now completely soaked, he rubs the water from his eyes. He then looks up towards the voice of Talia, "Eyes up here," the heiress holds the utility belt out for him to see.

Talia then throws the belt down to him, prompting the man to lunge forward to catch it, "W-what am I supposed to do with this...?" he calls up.

"Figures the one time you want my advice is when you have amnesia," Talia shakes her head as she climbs down the hill, dropping down half-way into the stream. She lands on her knees, grasping at the handle of her blade, "No. This is pointless unless I know exactly what you can still do," she rises up, grabbing at the utility belt. She traces her fingers along with the different compartment of the belt, landing upon the one that she was searching for. She opens it, ejecting a folded metallic object in her palm "For your sake and your pretty face, I hope that my hunch is correct..."

"Uh...what?" Bruce's confusion was escalated when Talia turns her back to him and walks off, stopping once she was a suitable distance from him. A metallic object snaps open, taking the shape of a bat. She turns on her heels and hurls the Batarang at Bruce in less time than the man could blink. With a scream that was more higher-pitch than Bruce would feel conformable with, he somehow fought against the incoming sense of dread and catches the Batarang between his fingers, less than a centimetre from his eye.

He moves his head back, out of the close clutches of the object and glares at Talia, "What the hell was that for?! You could've taken my eye out!"

"Don't fool yourself, beloved. Failing to catch that would've killed you," Talia smirks, brushing her hair from her eyes, "But once again, I was right. Even with the gaps in your memory, your muscle memory is unaffected. You would've caught that blindfolded," she tilts her head, "You better keep that on you. If you can still catch it, then you can still throw it, C'mon" she tells him, leading the way. Bruce takes the utility belt and wears it around his chest.

"W-wait! H-hold on just a minute..." Bruce hurries to catch up to the daughter of the demon, grabbing at her arm to halt her, "How do we know each other? Can I even trust you? No, why should I even trust you? What the hell is going on?"

"We don't have a minute, darling," Talia warns him, yanking her arm out of Bruce's hold, "You once trusted me enough to love me, to promise yourself to me. And in return, I haven't always given you the same courtesy, but I do love you. I even...cared for you enough...to let you choose another woman over me..." She turns from the man, looking ahead of them, "Feel free to take your chances with the Amazon, but if you value your life...move your ass..." She walks along the stream.

"That kiss..." Bruce ponders, drawing Talia's attention.

"Huh?"

"Back there, you kissed me. It wasn't just to shut me up...was it? I felt too...meaningful. Like...you were happy to find me alive," Bruce slugs along behind the woman, "I...I think I remember kissing you before... Yeah, I do. I remember that... Something like that can't be forgotten, right? Wait...I even remember us having s-"

"Enough!" Talia growls, giving a soft squeal to express her irritation at the matter at hand "I get it, you're remembering. Just shut up already and pick up the pace," she marches with her hands on her hips, "We are still stuck on this island, only speak when you remember your plan to get out of here..."

"Wait? Why didn't I tell you the escape plan? Isn't that a really important detail for me to leave out?," Bruce follows after Talia, creaking his neck to look up to the clear sky as he crosses over the steam, using the rocks as a bridge, "So you're telling me that it was my idea to come here in the first place and that I didn't even clue you in on how we're meant to get out of dodge?" the man shakes his head, throwing his vision back onto the back of the woman.

"I said be quiet," Talia repeats with a more direct tone.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Later.

"W-wait...," Bruce faces the sky, seeing a shape moving across its blue boundaries, being distorted by the scorching heat, "Is that a plane! Are they here for us?," he keeps his vision trained on the moving object, growing a smile, "That's it! It has to be! WAIT! WE'RE DOWN HERE!" he chases after his target, flailing his arms as he calls out to it. Talia's eyes widen, seeing Bruce run past her along the stream. With a strained groan, she chases after him.

Talia catches up to Bruce, throwing her left arm around his neck, and her other around his arm. She holds him in place as she bends the man's arm behind his back "Idiot! That's too small to be a plane!"

"Then what else can it be?!" Bruce then looks back to the object that's high above, now seeing it rapidly descend towards him. He makes out the form of a winged-woman who was bulleting at them, "Oh..," he gulps, remembering fragments of his last encounter with the villainess. Talia and Bruce throw themselves out of the path of Silver Swan, splashing themselves in the stream as the redhead passes over them, aiming a sonic scream along her trail.

Silver Swan turns in the air, returning along the same path. She becomes earthbound, landing in the stream and guns for Bruce, "Last time that we met, I tried to give you a quick death, but then you blew me up!" the woman snarls, grabbing up Bruce by the collar and pulling him in close, raking her talons across his face, leaving fin crimson trails across his flesh, "You might be something in Gotham, but out here, the bat is nothing but a pathetic insect! Now..." Talia runs at Silver Swan with her blade but is quickly thrown back by the villainess's scream.

"Hold on! D-don't do this! I c-can do anything you want, just please don't kill me..." Bruce panics.

"I thought you had guts, Bat? Oh well...there is always one way to find that out..." Silver Swan curves her arm back, extending her talons as they glimmer in the sunlight. Then with a lack of hesitance, she rams her claws towards the man's stomach. Expecting a river of red to leave the man, Vanessa was disappointed, then confused as she saw no blood, not even the wet sounds of her talons ripping through her prey's skin, she only was answered by a metallic clang.

Looking down, she sees her claws held back between the tips of the Batarang in the man's hand and the angered look from him as he pries the woman's arm away with the grip of his Batarang. At the same time, Talia returns to Bruce's side and throws a handful of dirt into the redhead's eyes, throwing her into a pained grunt as she holds her eyes, releasing Bruce. The man drops down and is quickly moved back by Talia, giving her a questionable look "H-how did I do that?"

"You son of a-. I'll tear you to shreds!" Silver Swan cries, kneeling down as she holds her hands over her closed eyes, "Diana!" she yells, using her sonic cry to carry her voice throughout the island. Talia and Bruce then shudder as they see the sights of a flock of birds fleeing from the jungle, being trailed by falling trees.

"Beloved! Run! We must r-" with force, Talia is suddenly held against the muddied walls of the streams by Diana with enough force to knock out the daughter of the demon with a single blow. Diana then grabs the woman by the throat and hurls her into the stream, turning her sights on Bruce. The billionaire backs away from the Amazon, soon moving into sprinting away from her. Diana was quick to catch him, within less time than Bruce's eyes could perceive, Diana was standing in front of him.

She then grabs him, lifting him as if he's the weight of a feather. She tightens her hand around the man's throat, making speech impossible which only gives Bruce the option to give strained gasps. He sees Silver Swan jet over to them, throwing her arm around Diana's shoulder, "Do you like my handiwork? It took a while for the nanites to develop enough to take over the mind of another person, but I'd say that the wait was so worth it..."

Silver Swan walks on the side of Diana, softly gliding the tips of her talons across the skin of her raised arm, coming towards Bruce, "But now...we have you to deal with. You should be grateful that Minerva is dead, she would've drawn out your torment much longer than I will, she was always a savage like that...," Silver Swan grins, giving Bruce a crazed look, "Still though, I do owe you for leading me to this island...," she comes in less than an inch from the man, her lips near his as she holds her hand against his cheek, "I know...release him, Diana"

As ordered, Diana relinquishes her hold on Bruce and lets him drop into the spring, soaking him all over. He holds his throat that hurt from the Amazon's grip. Silver Swan comes forward, hands on her hips as she looks down to Bruce, "The nanites inside of Diana allows me to hear her thoughts, she is fighting my orders to kill you. So...we're going to draw this out... We will hunt you down together, but don't feel too hopeless... we'll give you a head start. You don't have any powers, so we'll give you ten minutes..."

"T-this is c-crazy! I haven't done anything to you! J-just let me go...," Bruce looks pass Silver Swan and to the unconscious woman across from them, "Us. Let us go." He looks up to Diana, shuddering at the coldness in her eyes, "Dina...please...? Whatever is going on with you, you need to stop. She's m-messing with your head!"

"You poor, poor soul," Silver Swan giggles, "Your eyes...it's like looking at dying animal, so, so, so sad" she ascends off the ground, hovering just off it as she folds her arms, "By the way, your head start is now 9 minutes 30." She follows after Bruce as he weakly heads over to Talia, like a demon over his shoulder, "What's this? You're going to take her with you? You do know that she'll only weigh you down now, taking her will doom you even sooner...Hell, you don't even remember her..."

Bruce uses all his strength to pick up Talia, holding her in his arms as he struggles in his weakened state to move "No!" he decries as he sludges his way across the stream, Vanessa still above him, "She risked her life to save me, I'm not abandoning her! If I am going to die, it's not going to be as a coward!" His words bring down a death-glare from Silver Swan while Diana's eyes twitch in acknowledgement to his words. The redhaired villainess scoffs, halting her movement and allows the man to distance himself.

"Fool. Trust me when I say that people aren't worth it! They claim to care, claim to love you, claim to be there for you...but they always, always betray you! The only one you can count on in this world is yourself! Anyone else is just an inevitable knife in the back, an unavoidable heart-break!" Vanessa growls, biting her lips, curving them into a smile when she sees Bruce drop to his knees, still holding Talia in his arms, "Let her go and run! RUN! Save yourself, forget her! You know that it's your only chance!"

"Never!" Bruce tries to stand, falling back down on his knees. He cups the woman's face, "I will never leave her! I will not abandon my friends..." he attempts to stand but is once again unsuccessful, "I don't know what happened to you, but the world wasn't the one who gave up on you...it's you to gave up on the world!" With a hiss, Silver Swan bullets towards Bruce, slashing her claw across to strike the woman that was in his arms. Bruce shifts himself up and takes the brunt of the strike, gaining four large gashes across his back and one at his sides, screaming as he holds Talia tighter to shield her.

"Let her go! Runaway! Hear me! I said run! Save yourself!" Silver Swan swipes her hand down towards the heiress again, being blocked by Bruce's own body once again. Her talons were now lodged in Bruce's shoulder, creating a river of red to wash down the man's arm and making him scream, "What are you trying to prove? This is all pointless! Hear me? Pointless! POINTLESS!" she yanks her claws out of the man's shoulder and swings again, this time cutting across his back and overlaying new cuts with the old ones, "DROP HER! I SAID DROP HER AND RUN! WHY WON'T YOU RUN! WHYYYYYYY!?"

Bruce smiles with a bloodied mouth, looking at Talia's face as he caresses her, "Because I remember," looking down, he sees his reflection in the water below that momentarily took the shape of Batman, "Not everything, but I do remember them...And my promise to them..." with subtlety, he reaches the lower cases of his utility belt and takes out a small device, "And I membered my protocol for taking you down." He then throws the device over Vanessa's head as it emits a blue sphere of energy that expands, covering the entire area before vanishing.

"What? What did you...?" Silver Swan then drops down uncontrollably, becoming dazed and angered as she learns that her wings were inactive, "The nanites! I can't hear them! I CAN'T HEAR THEM! What did you do!"

"E.M.P. Made specifically to counter your abilities and those nanites..." Bruce explains, feeling the blood loss begin to get to him. With absolute fury, Silver Swan rakes her claws and aims for the back of his head with her next strike, but something stops her. Her arm is grabbed away from her target, giving Vanessa a petrified look as Bruce continues to smile, "And not just with you. Every one of your nanites in a five-hundred mile radius has been smoked."

Silver Swan's eyes tremble as she cranks her neck to see that Diana was the one who stopped her assault. The Amazon gives a displeased look as she lifts her arm and uppercuts the redhead, throwing her up into the sky without the reliability of her wings to save her "Vanessa...," Diana shoots off the ground to intercept the villainess with one more blow to knock her back to the ground. Diana lands next to the knocked-out Silver Swan, dusting her hands off, "What would your mother think?"

Diana then looks back to the weakened man, flying back to him. As she lands, she sees him succumb to his injuries and keel over, still holding Talia close to him, "Diana!" she hears a voice call for her. She looks up and sees Alexa who holds a wounded Artemis, soon a small army of Amazons join them, "Diana...what happened?"

"Now's not the time sisters, please these two need our help!" she calls up, turning a few heads, "NOW!"

- 5 Years Ago -

Nanda Parbat

Bruce stands at the balcony of the tower, dressed in his League of Shadows gear. The night air was cold to the touch, enough so to make his breath visible. He looks out over the snow-covered mountains from afar with the lights from civilization right at the edge of his vision, "Having trouble sleeping, Beloved?" he hears a familiar voice address him. Talia stands at his side, giving him a look of lust and a toothy-smile, "Usually...you are unable to keep your eyes open after our sparing sessions..."

"I'm...just thinking. That's all..." he keeps his eyes off Talia and on the small town that is revealed by its lights over the mountains, "I've been here for five years, I've learned so much...seen so much. I think that it's time...time that I...head back home. To Gotham..."

Talia creaks her neck, lifting her eyebrows at the man's concern, "We've spoken about this, Beloved. You can only return to Gotham once you and I become wed. Only then can you and I lead the Shadows and use its full power. That is the wish of my Father."

"Yeah, I know. Ra's wasn't exactly subtle about it," Bruce replies returning a soft look to the woman next to him, "But...what if I don't want to lead the Shadows? What if I just want to protect my city on my own?" he asks his bride-to-be, "The last thing that city needs is for the League to invade it again."

"Oh...I see..." was the woman's first response, sounding neither annoyed nor saddened, just a calm medium, "You sound conflicted, my love? You used to be so sure of us, what has brought on this sudden change?"

"Nothing," Bruce answers, observing his breath, "Honestly, I've been battling with this for a while, Tal. Actually, the whole time that I've been here," he answers truthfully.

"Oh...," Talia lowers her head, resting her arms over the walls of the balcony, "I always had a feeling about this, about you. But I've always desired that I was wrong or that you would end up changing your mind," she answers, looking at him with the corner of her eyes, "I trust that I need not remind you that our wedding is to take place less than a week from now...have you been having doubts about that too?" she asks, not sounding hurt, just curious.

"In a way...Yeah...I kinda have been," Bruce scuffles his hair to shake out the flakes of snow, "But not in the way that you think. I love you, Tal. You mean the world to me, but...I can't look at you without seeing him. Your eyes are just the same as his... every time that I look at you, I can't help but see your father. It's like I'm being haunted by him...sometimes that's hard to overcome...no matter how much I love you...," he explains with a sigh, "I know that it sounds selfish, scratch that...I know that it's selfish."

"What is? That you punish me for the actions of my father?" Talia looks to him, "My father's legacy is far from clean, but that doesn't change the fact that it's now mine. I despise my father in many aspects, but...I do also admire him in others, for instance...uniting me with you..." Looking directly into Bruce's eyes, Talia tilts her head, "And with the many that I despise...his traditions. My father always wanted a son to one day to succeed him...as far as I know, he only had daughters... me and my sister, Nyssa"

"Gotta be honest, out of you two...you clearly are the more sane choice."

"Without you, my claim to the throne will be voided...and Nyssa, the first-born will be given leadership of the Shadows..." Talia explains, showing her eyes slightly tremble, "At that point, not even Lady Shiva will intervene and Nyssa will be left unchecked with the full power of the League."

"What?" Bruce spouts, glaring, "With that kind of power, she'll have the means to destroy Gotham for good."

"That's not all, beloved," the woman continues, shivering but not from the cold, "I'm sure that I'll meet that same fate. She'll have me executed to preserve her rule, along with anyone who could challenge her. And the one's who could aren't any better than she is, some are somehow even worse..."

"This can't be. He didn't...he couldn't have been this evil...could he?" Bruce leaves Talia's side, heading back into the warmly lit chamber with his bride-to-be following behind, "This is a new low. Even for Ra's...," crossing his arms over his chest, his hand rests under his beard, his eyes reflecting the flames from around the chamber, "That son of a..."

"Beloved?"

"Your father knew that this was going to happen, that if I don't Lead the Shadows, Nyssa will...and with all that power at her disposal, she could cause all kinds of irreparable damage to the world," Bruce answers, narrowing his gaze, "And...you'll die... and Nyssa won't stop there..."

Talia comes in behind Bruce, wrapping her arms around his chest and resting her head on his shoulder, "Forget about my father. Just, for now, tell me...what is it that you desire, beloved? Forget the outside world and everyone else, just think about us. Do you love me?" she nuzzles against the man's neck. Bruce lifts his hand over the woman's hands that were over his chest, "Do you think of me as more than the daughter of a man who you hate? Do you believe me to be worth more than just the sister of one of your enemies?"

"Of course. Of course, I do" Bruce gently moves out of the woman's hold, turning to face her, "I love you, Talia. I just wish that what we have could be less complicated."

Talia caresses Bruce's neck with her hands, locking eyes with him "What we have can be as simple as we desire, beloved. If you truly love me then that's all that matters. Together no one can stop us." Smiling, she creeks her neck, "The Shadows will be at your beckoning. They can be as benevolent as you desire or as ruthless as needed. With them, you can protect Gotham until the end of days...with me by your side. Your loved ones will be forever safe with you as the Head of the Demon."

Talia lifts up and brings Bruce into a kiss, full of passion. Their lips connect over and over, "Beloved...I need you..." she and Bruce continue their make-out session, getting closer to the bed with each connection. Bruce holds the woman by the hips as he moves his lips down Talia's neck in a string of pecks from his lips. Lifting his arm to her chest, he begins to pull down the zipper of Talia's catsuit, exposing more of her flesh. She makes the move of taking off the top of the man's attire and throws it to the floor and marvels at his muscular frame.

Bruce then grabs at the woman's suit, pealing it off of her shoulders until her top was bare. They then interlock their hands with Bruce pushing Talia down onto the bed as they begin to kiss. While doing so, Bruce pulls off the rest of the woman's suit, lingering his lips down her chin. The daughter of the demon grins widely as she feels the man's lips travel down further, descending on her chest, kissing her mounds before lowering to her stomach.

"I will never leave you..." Bruce says with an honest look, smiling.

Talia returns the sentiment, directing her half-closed eyes on him, "I know." She then gasps, feeling Bruce move down to her hips. She grabs the man's hair and bucks her hips against him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Present Day

Bruce awakes from his sleep. He sits up to find himself on a lavished bed that is even more luxurious than his ones back home. He then feels stiffness in the left side of his body, a numb sensation. Examining himself, he finds his arm, shoulder and sides coated in several layers of bandages, well they were more velvet than cotton. Looking over, he sees Talia lying next to him, still unconscious, "So you're finally awake" a voice speaks out from out of his view.

Looking over, he sees Diana stood at the double-doors to the room, leaning against them, "D-Diana?" he looks around, "This is a big step up from a cell."

"As it should be..." Diana walks towards him as she too searches the room with her eyes, "This is my quarters. Figured it was the only way to get some peace and quiet with you to talk," she watches as Bruce climbs over the head, "You know that after all the trouble that you've caused with bringing Minerva and Vanessa here...I have half the mind to kill you where you stand. That's not even bringing up the fact that you lied to me" she folds her arms as she sees Bruce stand.

"I wasn't lying. I really did forget who I was back there"

Diana was almost taken back by the change in the man's front, from coward to someone who was brave enough to talk back to her. It was enough of a change to increase her interest in him, "I remember you now. You were that Bat creature I met back in that city?" she continues after she sees Bruce nod to confirm her hunch, "So you don't have any powers do you?"

"That almost sounds condescending," Bruce comments.

"I'm sorry if it does, that was not my intention" Diana gives a small smile, one to show her intrigue "You are just a mortal man, yet you come here and risk your life, face Minerva and Vanessa without a second thought and stand by your friend...even in the face of death?" She slides her hands onto her hips, "You were willing to die to protect her...that goes beyond what I was taught about man's world. Yet exactly what I needed to see...if only there were more men like you...my people could one day join them"

Bruce shakes his head, "It's not as rare as you think. The world has changed since when you Amazons hid from it."

"Please I saw what it has become. It still suffers from the selfish nature of your kind" Diana was quick to retort, almost like she knew what the man would say.

"No. I'm not disputing that... The truth is that world is a dark place, full of monsters and all kinds of horrible things, but that's why I fight it. That's why people are rising up to face it head-on because we've learned to see the good in people. We've decided that we aren't going to let the monsters win..." Bruce answers, throwing a look back to Talia, "Sure, it doesn't always go our way. Of course, there are times when we fail, but we don't quit just because it seems hard. We don't lose hope...because we know that nothing will ever change if we don't even try."

"So it appears," Diana lifts her hand, showing Bruce that she was holding the lasso. Bruce looks down and sees that the lasso was wrapped around the wrist of his numbed arm, "This world that you speak of, maybe it's time that I see if for myself and look for the good in its people...maybe the world can finally know of us..." She unties the lasso from the man's hand. She walks past him and towards the bed, "But now that I can trust you, what is the reason for you coming here? I doubt its a honeymoon gone wrong..."

"I was told to come here by someone. He said that I would find answers here, but I've yet to learn anything new."

"An interesting tale. Only a select few know of this island's existence, for you to tell me this does make me concerned" Diana ponders. Her eyes widen when something clicks in her brain, a revelation, "That person wouldn't happen to be named Vandal Savage would he?"

"Yeah. The same man who murdered your mother right? I've had a few run-ins with him, he's in Gotham. He's planning something but I don't know what. It feels like he toying with me at this point. He had me come all the way out here for nothing" Bruce confirms.

Diana snappily turns and looks at the man, "Maybe not. It appears that we share a common enemy, one who has murdered our Amazon's queen. Maybe mankind and the Amazons do have a basis for an alliance after all...or at least just us."

"Does the mean that my execution is going to be postponed...maybe indefinitely?" Bruce gives a coy smile, trying to lighten up the mood.

"My sisters and I have already decided that. For now, you will be granted amnesty. But only this once, return again and not even I can coerce them out of killing you," Diana returns a smile, "You better find a way off this island now, your amnesty only counts for today. Being here after midnight will be the same as stepping on this island again," she then goes to leave, heading towards the doors, "I would fly you home, but I have something that I must do."

"You got a plane that I can use?" Bruce jokes.

Diana stops, turning her head back to look at him, "Afraid not. Just an invisible jet...feel free to use it if you can find it."

"There isn't actually a jet is there?"

"No." Diana grins.

"What about Talia? You did quite a number on her. Is she going to be alright?"

"Dandy," Talia sits up, rubbing her throat, "Can we just get the hell out of here?" She jumps out of the bed, limping past Bruce, "Oh and that was a cheap shot princess," she glares at Diana. The Amazon holds back a smile, moving out of the way of the Demon's daughter.

Diana waits until Talia was outside the room before speaking "Feel lucky that it wasn't a kill shot." She then looks to Bruce, they exit the room together, "Artemis told me that lady of yours did quite a number of her too. She should be careful, Artemis seemed excited about a rematch. It's not often she gets to test herself against someone that isn't one of her sisters, it must have been like a new sensation to her. Now that I think of it, maybe we can put on a sparing match sometime? You can take a lot of punishment."

"Yeah...so the universe keeps telling me." Bruce rolls his eyes.

- Later -

Bruce and Talia lead away from Diana along with the other Amazons, "Please tell me you have a way off this island?" Talia asks.

Bruce nods as he looks down to the watch on his wrist and presses it, "Of course I do." He then looks up to the sky and whispers, "Ready Clark." He looks back to Talia, "You might want to brace yourself" he advises. Before Talia could ask the meaning behind his words, a red-blue-blur rushes around them and takes hold of them as it blasts off the island, vanishing into the night sky. Diana, Artemis, Alexa along with the group of Amazons around them are left shocked.

"The world really has changed," Diana observes.

Faster than the eye could see, Bruce and Talia were dropped off on top of Wayne Tower. Accompanying them, Superman stands next to them with a smile, "Nice watch. You know that reminds of one that I gave to a good friend of mine. At least I know what happened to it now," he holds out his hand, "You're lucky that I was still in Earth's orbit when you activated it. If I was any further the interference would have been too much even for me" Bruce takes his watch off and hands it over to the Man of Tomorrow.

"I was only borrowing it" Bruce holds back a smile, "I would've asked you to help...but..."

"Couldn't get over your pride?" Superman chuckles, scratching his nose, "I must say that you are the most stubborn man that I have ever met...and I've faced off against a few. You're lucky that Lucius filled me in on what you were doing" he looks to Talia and holds out his hand, "Hi there. It's good to meet you, I'm a friend of Bruce"

"*Friend*. No. No. Just stop..." Bruce sighs, "Thanks for the help."

Talia rubs her eyes and groans, "I'm tired, sore and pissed and now jetlagged. I'm done with today."

Superman's eyes focus as he turns his head, "It's bee fun catching up, but something just came up." He hovers off the ground, his cape fluttering.

"Not anything world ending is it?" Bruce inquires.

"I have some family visiting from out of town...very out of town..." Superman answers, his eyes widening, "Sorry have to go. Emergency!" he gives a salute before flying off in a blur, quickly vanishing from the duo's view. Now alone, Talia falls back, leaning into Bruce.

"I hate to ask, but can I stay with you tonight? I'm too tired to go on my own..." Talia asks, barely able to keep her eyes open. Bruce agrees, throwing his arm around her shoulder, he leads her towards the entrance of the building.

"Of course you can. You can have the bed, you've earned it considering all the trouble I put you through" Bruce continues to lead her forward as the woman lifts her head, fighting to keep her eyes open, "I will never forget what you did for me, Tal. I'm sorry that I've ever doubted you..."

"Whatever...just get in a bed and we'll call it even..." she turns her head to hide her blushing cheeks, "Oh...and a shower. I need a shower..." she tiredly says. Talia then reaffirms her grip on the man, "How much do you remember now? Has it all returned?"

"Not sure. I think that there are still a few gaps. But I remember the basics...maybe..."

"This is going to be one hell of story to tell the others, especially Selina. She'll likely kill you for being so foolish, which I am not exactly against" Talia becomes cautious when she doesn't hear Bruce answer her right away, instead silence befell them. Looking back to him, Talia sees the man addled.

"Selina?" Bruce asks, clearly unfamiliar with that name which leaves Talia stunned.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Later.

Themyscira.

Diana slides her bracelets over her hands, attaches her lasso to her hips and sets her shield over her back. She walks out into the night, looking up to the sky. From behind her. Artemis approaches, "I know what you're thinking, Diana," she tells the princess with a half-smirk, hands on her hips as she continues her path towards her, "From the way that you're dressed, I presume that your mind is already made up" Diana folds her arms, concentrating on the stars in the sky, slowly curving her lips into a smirk of her own.

"Do you plan to stop me?

Artemis shrugs, standing beside Diana, "What of our sisters? Without you, we will be without leadership, without guidance."

"I could never match my mother's ways," Diana answers.

Artemis gives the Amazon Princess a quick-look before turning away, "Perhaps not. Maybe you've surpassed her in ways even you have yet to understand. Queen Hippolyta would be proud of you. Without your ways, the Amazons would have surely killed that man this day."

"Man's world has changed from the way my mother described it. From what I have witnessed, there is hope for it."

"Between us, I am hopeful that you are right" Artemis smiles, "When will you return, Diana?"

"In time," the raven-haired Amazon reassures, lifting off the ground, "Until then, look after our sisters. Show them how we can move forward." Diana flies off. Artemis stood in silence as she sees her friend vanish from her view.

"Godspeed."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

- Several Hours Later -

"Artemis!" Alexa cries as she runs towards the redheaded Amazon, "Where is Diana?"

"She left. Left to man's world. What is the panic about?" Artemis asks as she looks over the hyperventilating Amazon. Alexa catches her breath, lifting her gaze to meet the woman's eyes, "Alexa, what is the matter?"

"Silver Swan's gone. Somehow she has escaped her cell!" Alexa warns.

"Madness! She's without her suit. Escape should be impossible for her now," Artemis says in disbelief of the younger one's words.

"There's more! Minerva's body has also vanished. Somehow both she and Vanessa have disappeared!"

"And what of Vanessa's costume?"

"Gone too" Alexa confirms.

"This is... What forces are at play here?"

"Sister?"

Artemis narrows her gaze, "It's just as Phaedra said. The sky...I can feel it screaming. But...why is it doing that? Just what horror lurks beyond its boundaries? I have the feeling that we're going to learn of it sooner than we think."