Chapter 10

Batcave; May 4th, 17:17 EST

"Alright, I've gone through the files and pulled up all of their profiles," Bruce informed her as he began to bring up the pictures one by one, positioning them side by side on the bank of computer screens before them. "These are the most likely suspects."

"All right, let's start with this first one," she said. "What about this…Bloodsport? Who is he?"

"That is Robert Dubois. He's currently working off and on with Amanda Waller's Suicide Squad along with…this one," Bruce informed her, pulling up a picture of Deadshot. "Floyd Lawton, also known as Deadshot. He wants me dead too."

"Just because they're working for Amanda Waller doesn't mean we can completely rule either one out," she decided, her brown eyes narrowing in thought as she studied the screen. "Maybe they've gone rogue."

"Maybe, but I'm not convinced yet," he replied. "Waller keeps her Suicide Squad team on a very short leash. I can't imagine any of them running rampant on their own without her knowing it."

Without thinking, Diana reached for the mouse that Bruce's hand was on, her hand covering his. She felt that now-familiar spark of attraction tingling on the surface of her skin. She turned to look at him, giving him a cheeky smile. "We keep doing this, don't we?"

"I've never minded it," he replied with a smirk. "It gave me a chance to finally touch you."

She smiled in response, tilting her head slightly as she studied him. "Why didn't you ever try to kiss me before Paris?"

"I was afraid to drag you into my dark world when I had an unknown threat stalking me," he admitted. "Besides, it's not like I live a normal life that lends itself to a family. I'm not exactly husband or father material, Diana."

"And you think that I've lived a normal life," she responded with a chuckle. "I'm an immortal Amazon warrior who is hundreds of years old from a magically hidden island."

"Point taken," he confessed. "Let's get back to work."

"Right…Ra's and Talia al Ghul," she read, staring at their pictures on the screen. "Talia is very pretty. Do you know her?"

"Once upon a time," he vaguely responded, wishing she'd move on. It was something that he didn't really want to discuss with her right now. "It's a long—"

"…long story," she interrupted him with a grin. "Ex-girlfriend, I take it?"

"Yes, but not one of my finer moments," he reluctantly admitted. "She's psychotic just like her father."

"Do you think they could be the behind the attack?"

Bruce's lips thinned into a grim line as he rubbed his chin in consideration. "Doubtful," he ultimately decided. "They've both known my identity for a long time. I don't think they would suddenly be coming after me now like this. I guess there's always a chance, but they're lower down on the list."

"Okay, what are your thoughts on this Lady Shiva?" she asked, giving him a mischievous smirk. "She isn't an ex-girlfriend, is she?"

Bruce snorted in amusement. "No, she was never a girlfriend," he assured her, glancing at her in amusement. "Are you jealous?"

"Not all," she confidently replied. "I'm just trying to get all of these people straight. If I'm going to live here and be a part of your life, I'd like to know what I'm getting myself into and who all the players are."

Bruce gave her cheek a quick kiss. "I admit that I have a very storied past, but I promise that you're the only one that I love."

"I love you too…and you'll have to tell me all about your past someday."

"It'll probably take more like several weeks than a day," Bruce revealed with a grimace.

"Good thing we have plenty of time together," she pointed out.

"I have a feeling Deathstroke could get in the way of that."

"Is that who you think is behind this or do you think Lady Shiva could be involved?"

"It's not really her style to send notes," he replied. "My best guess is Deathstroke now. It makes the most sense to me. He's wanted me dead for some time. He's a master shot and assassin."

"We need to find him and lock him up before he can hurt you."

"Or you," he added. "I'm afraid you're in it now along with Alfred. There's no getting out."

"I'm glad that you're finally seeing things my way now," she teased him. "Why does Deathstroke want you dead?"

"He blames me for the death of his son, but it wasn't my fault," he confessed.

"I'm sorry that he's forcing you to carry the blame," she replied. "Would it help to prove who is to blame for the child's death and clear your name?"

"No," he responded with a shake of his head. "It won't matter to him. He has his mind made up and nothing is going to change it. It's always going to be my fault."

Alfred appeared with a tray of snacks and drinks, knowing they could use a small break from their work. "I thought you could use some refreshments," he announced, setting the tray down.

"Thank you, Alfred," Diana replied. "That is very thoughtful of you."

"Any luck yet?" he asked.

"I think we have it narrowed down to Deathstroke," Bruce told him.

"But we're not ruling out Ra's and Talia al Ghul or Deadshot," she replied. "Then again, it could be Lady Shiva or Bloodsport."

"Bloodsport is more Superman's enemy than mine," Bruce revealed. "His list is starting to grow, but I don't think he'll be able to catch up with me no matter how long Clark lives."

"Have you considered Red Hood?" Alfred suggested.

Bruce bristled with the reminder that he'd tried to ignore while going through his options. He knew that he had to consider Red Hood at the very least, but he'd sooner not think about it. "I was trying not to," he grumbled.

Diana looked from Bruce to Alfred and back again, wondering what they weren't telling her. "Who is Red Hood?"

Bruce huffed in annoyance as he pulled up a picture of Red Hood. "Jason Todd, AKA Red Hood," he informed her. "We first crossed paths when he was a kid. He tried to steal the tires off the Batmobile."

Diana chuckled with the image that popped into her head. "How in the world did he think he could accomplish a feat such as that?"

"That's what I wondered too," he agreed. "I made sure he was taken to a school for troubled youth."

"That lasted a whole hot second," Alfred murmured under his breath.

"It was worth a try," Bruce defended himself. "Jason ran away from the school the next day, returning to the streets and his life of stealing."

"That's so sad," Diana replied. "What happened to him?"

"I tried to help him, but he didn't want any help," Bruce revealed. "He held a grudge against me ever since that night he tried to steal the tires."

"Why would he hold a grudge over tires?" she asked.

"I didn't know it at the time, but his mother was dying," he told her, feeling that familiar tug of guilt. "He was hoping to sell the tires of the famous Batmobile for money to help his mother. She died a short time later, leaving him an orphan. He's blamed me for it ever since then. His rage and hatred led him to later become the Red Hood."

"Bruce, none of that is your fault," she attempted to reassure him.

"I wish he saw it that way," Bruce softly said.

"It sounds like it could be Red Hood then," she decided. "I think we have a few suspects to work through."

"It could be him, but I can't rule out Deathstroke," he stated. "My money is still on him."

"I can't believe how many enemies you have," she thoughtfully said.

Bruce gave her a half-smile. "It's what happens when you've been fighting crime for as long as I have," he told her. "This isn't anywhere near all of them."

"I'm afraid that list has grown by leaps and bounds over recent years," Alfred added.

Bruce snorted in amusement. "That's putting it mildly."

"I guess so," Diana murmured, thinking of Cheetah and Max Lord.

"You had to have made some enemies over the last hundred years," Bruce prodded her. "You haven't been completely hidden away that entire time."

"Maybe a couple," she cryptically replied. "Some of them are no longer around because I stopped them permanently."

Bruce couldn't help but think about Joker, wishing that he would have taken his life when he'd had the chance. If he had, then Robin would still be alive. He felt the familiar pang of sorrow spring up in his chest but quickly tamped down on it. He didn't have time for regrets.

"So, how are we going to find these people to rule them out?" Diana asked, interrupting his thoughts.

"It's going to take some time," he admitted. "The problem is we don't have time. We have to figure out what this Amazo project is that Professor Ivo is working on, and we need to find Luthor. I have a feeling we could be in for another Doomsday-type fight if we don't."

Diana shuddered to think of another fight on the scale of Doomsday. It wasn't that she was afraid of the fight, but all the destruction and the threat to civilians that worried her the most. It could be catastrophic again. They needed to avoid that at all costs.

"Perhaps Mister Stone would be able to work on tracking down your suspected assassins' locations while you work on Professor Ivo," Alfred suggested.

"That would help," Diana agreed. "Right now, though, I think we need to take a break. Let's go out for dinner and decide on our next step."

Bruce's head snapped to the side, his brown eyes narrowing. "Diana, someone tried to shoot you this afternoon and now you want to go back out in public to eat dinner?"

"I am not going to be cowered into hiding," she insisted, standing to her feet as her hands came to rest on her hips. "I refuse to change my life just because someone out there tried to kill me. Besides, it's not me who is in danger. It's whoever tried to shoot me. They have no idea the hornet's nest they stirred up by attacking me today. They're going to have to answer to me for that."

Bruce visibly grimaced. He swore he was going to have an ulcer by the time all of this was over. "I still don't think it's a good idea," he told her. "You'd be out in public like a sitting duck. All it would take is a single shot to the head and that would be it."

"A sitting duck who is nearly invincible," Alfred asserted.

"Thank you, Alfred," she replied with a grin. "Come on. We're going out. I promise I'll make sure neither of us is shot during dessert."

Bruce's head fell back with a groan before allowing her to pull him to his feet. "You're going to be the death of me, aren't you?"

"Probably," she said with a chuckle, holding his hand as she began to lead him away from his workstation. "I'd like to enjoy a nice, relaxing dinner this evening with the man I love before we have to spend the night searching for Professor Ivo and this Amazo thing. That reminds me. Have you been able to find Martian Manhunter?"

"No, not yet," he replied as they walked towards the elevator. "He didn't exactly give me a lot of options on how to contact him and I have no idea who he is in human form."

"If he is a telepath, then you should be able to summon him with your mind."

"I thought of that too, but it's been a little lower on my priority list," he replied, leaning his head back against the wall of the elevator. "Diana, how are we going to do all of this?"

Diana moved to stand in front of him, her arms sliding around his waist as she gazed at him. "One day at a time," she reminded him, her lips finding his in a slow, passionate burn.

He pulled her body flush against his, returning her kiss. She always managed to make anything seem possible, the chaos that surrounded them less turbulent as if they were sheltered in the eye of the tornado that was trying to tear them apart.

Breaking the kiss, his mouth remained close to hers, unwilling to let this end just yet. "Are you sure I can't talk you into skipping dinner and going to bed with me?" he huskily asked, his lips tracing the outline of her jaw.

"As much as I'd love that, I really think we need to go to dinner and work on our plan of attack," she decided, though her resolve was beginning to tremble in the wake of his focused attention on her neck.

"We could go to bed and then go to dinner," he tried again, his hand slipping up under her shirt to caress her.

"Bruce…" she murmured with an airy gasp. "We have too much on our plate right now to give in to desire."

"Giving in will help free our minds so we can think clearly," he told her, his tongue and teeth teasing her earlobe. "Otherwise, I'm going to be spending the entire dinner trying to figure out a way to get you out of your clothes."

"How about a compromise?" she offered, sucking in a breath as he tightly gripped her hair and tilted her head to give him more access to her throat.

"What do you have in mind?" he muttered against her skin.

"We order dinner in and then make love?" she suggested. "That way we can have pleasure with work."

"I love how you think," he decided, lifting her up to wrap her legs around his waist. "I get to ravage you first, though. Then, we order dinner in and work."

"Good thinking," she said as he carried her to their waiting bed, Diana already unbuttoning his shirt.

Ponta Delgada; May 4th, 17:22 EST

"I'm telling you his yacht was right there," Arthur ground out as they looked out over the bay. He threw his arms up in the air in overt frustration as he turned in circles.

"We believe you," Mera told him.

"What did you find on the yacht that made you believe it was Luthor's?" Barry asked.

"There were some papers lying on a table," he replied. "They had LexCorp on the top of them."

"Okay, so we know he was here," Mera said. "Now, how do we find him again?"

"Maybe he spotted us," Barry suggested. "He might have just moved his yacht to the other side of the island."

"There's not a whole lot around here for him to go to," Arthur thoughtfully considered. "There are some small islands to the northwest…Madalena, Horta, Graciosa. He could have gone there or maybe back to Europe."

"So, you're saying we have no idea where he could be," Mera retorted, clearly frustrated to have been so close to finding him only to come up short once again.

"That's pretty much it," Barry awkwardly replied, glancing to his left at the pair beside him. "Looks like our plan we came up with during dinner isn't going to work this time."

"Look, we know he was here," Mera began, looking to her right. "Why don't we go check out that marina supply store over there. They may have checked in for fuel or supplies."

"I doubt Luthor is going to use his real name, but I guess it's worth a shot," Arthur decided.

"You two keep looking around here, and I'll go over there to see what I can find out," Barry suggested. "Maybe he just moved his yacht further out of the harbor so as not to be spotted."

"Could be," Arthur agreed, removing his shirt, and handing it to Mera. "I'll go out and check. You wait here. Don't get yourself into any trouble."

"Cute," she retorted. "Good thing you're handsome or I'd feed you to the sharks."

"You know you love me," he flirted with a cocky smirk before walking into the water without looking back at her.

Mera released a sigh, knowing she did love him. It didn't mean, though, that she didn't have the overwhelming urge to clock him once in a while. Barry suddenly appeared at her side, almost giddy with excitement. "What is it?" she asked.

"Someone did check-in at the marina," Barry revealed. "They ordered some supplies and it was signed for under a Mister AJ Lucas."

"So?" Mera said with a shrug. "Who is that?"

"Alexander Joseph Luthor," Barry clarified for her.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive," he assured her. "The guy I talked to said he saw a man with no hair walking off the yacht with a beautiful young woman on his arm."

"Like the bald man you two were following earlier?" she asked with an arching eyebrow

Barry frowned. "No, not that one…at least I don't think so. Hey, where's Arthur?"

"He's out there looking for the yacht."

"I wish we all had commlinks so we could communicate with each other," Barry said. "Hopefully, Victor and Alfred will have more made soon for the rest of you."

"How did you get one before everyone else?"

"I'm the favorite," he told her with a grin.

Mera couldn't help but laugh. "Here he comes," she noticed.

Arthur jogged up onto the shore, a grin on his face. "His yacht is on the move and it's moving fast," he revealed. "We gotta go…now."

Mera and Arthur both looked at Barry. "Hey, I can run on top of the water. Just don't lose me."

"It looks like he might be heading towards Africa," Arthur revealed.

"You should've stopped them," Mera told them.

"I would have, but you guys were waiting for me," he replied. "Besides, I thought it would be better to have a backup. We don't know who all he might have on that yacht with him. For all we know, some other maniac could be with him."

"Good point," Barry decided. "We better move."

"Don't get lost," Arthur told him as he and Mera headed towards the water.

"Just keep me in your sights," Barry said.

"Let's go already," Mera muttered with a huff, ready to leave them both behind to get her hands on Luthor.

Batcave; May 4th, 19:36 EST

Superman flew through the secret entrance to the cave, anxious to talk to Bruce and Diana. With a little luck, they would be able to find out what Professor Ivo was up to before it was too late. If not, they could be looking into the eyes of another monster.

Entering, he found Bruce and Diana working at a table, several boxes of Chinese food intermingled among stacks of papers. "Did you save some for me?" Superman asked with a grin as he approached.

"Help yourself," Diana said, eating Lo mien noodles out of a box with chopsticks. "There's plenty."

"Don't mind if I do," Clark said, grabbing a box of chicken fried rice and a fork.

"No chopsticks?" Diana teased.

"I prefer real utensils," he told her as he sat down at the table with them. "We didn't have chopsticks on the farm in Kansas. What are you working on?"

"We're trying to find Professor Ivo," Bruce replied as he tilted his chair back. Using the black marker in his hand, he lightly tapped the map of Metropolis that was spread out before them on the table. "We've ruled out the five buildings that you and Victor searched."

"These are three other properties that we know Bruno Mannheim owns," Diana pointed out, tapping the red Xs with the end of her chopstick. "We still need to check these out."

Clark frowned as he studied the map. "What are these green marks?"

"Those four are owned by people known to have ties to Intergang and Bruno," Bruce informed him. "These in yellow are properties that we believe Mannheim secretly owns, but we still need to prove it."

"It wouldn't hurt to check them out," Clark said.

"Victor is in the process of investigating those properties to see if we can find a connection to Mannheim," Diana replied.

"Was he able to break down that encrypted message from Luthor to Mannheim?" Clark asked.

"Yes, he was checking on Ivo's progress," Bruce revealed. "It didn't tell us what that project is about, only that he wants it done soon."

"Lois said you were shot at today during lunch," Clark said to Diana, concern in his eyes. "Are you all right?"

"It was nothing," Diana tried to dismiss it. "I'm just glad that your mother and Lois weren't hurt."

"Were you able to figure out who was behind it?"

"We're still working on it," she replied.

"I've got another one," Victor excitedly announced as he approached the table, grabbing the red marker off the table. "This property right here…is owned by a known associate of Mannheim through Intergang."

"I know where that's at," Clark noted. "It's on the outskirts of Metropolis. There's an old mill out there. It hasn't been used in probably fifty years."

"It sounds like a great place to hide if you wanted to keep a project a secret," Diana noted, sitting forward to study the map. "I think we should pay it a visit tonight."

"We still need to search these other places as well," Bruce reminded them.

"Have you been able to find Professor Ivo?" Clark asked.

"He never returned to S.T.A.R. Labs after receiving that two-week notice that he was going to be let go," Bruce replied. "No one has seen him since."

"We need to search his apartment," Diana said to Bruce.

"Why don't you two go to the old mill," Bruce decided, looking at Clark and Victor. "Diana and I will search Ivo's apartment."

"Have the others been able to find any trace of Luthor?" Clark questioned them.

"Arthur found Luthor's yacht," Bruce told them. "Arthur, Barry, and Mera are following the yacht. They think he's headed to Africa…possibly Morocco."

"Something is wrong with all of this," Victor said, shaking his head as he considered the newest revelation. "Do you think he has something he's keeping hidden on that yacht?"

"Could be," Bruce agreed. "Arthur only got a cursory look around the yacht before the captain returned. When Luthor left Ponta Delgada, Arthur went back for Barry and Mera because he wanted back up. He had a bad feeling that Luthor had something on there that could be dangerous."

"With any luck, they'll be able to get their hands on Luthor and his yacht before it's too late," Clark said with a haunting tone.

Metropolis; May 4th, 23:30 EST

Diana followed Batman inside the window of Professor Ivo's apartment, finding it in just as much disarray as his lab had been. She shook her head with a sigh, knowing this was going to take some time to search if they were ever going to be able to find anything of importance.

"It won't take that long," Batman told her as if reading her mind. "Just look for anything out of place that might be related to this Amazo."

"Anything out of place?" she questioned him as if he'd just lost his mind. "This whole apartment is out of place."

"It's going to be someplace prominent…something that he can easily access," he explained. "It won't be buried on the bottom of any of these piles. It's too important and too new to be stuck under all of this mess."

Diana crouched down to begin the task of sorting through a pile. "It could be something that he's previously worked on, but he's just now getting the backing he needed through Luthor."

"Good point," Batman relented. "Keep looking in here. I'm going to check out his bedroom."

Diana checked a few files and papers at the top of several stacks, coming up with nothing but bizarre scribbled equations and jotted notes that made absolutely no sense. She placed a couple to the side to show Bruce and Victor, hoping they might prove to be valuable.

She found more journals that hadn't even been removed from their plastic. "This is from two years ago," she murmured to herself in frustration. What was the point of keeping it this long?

She moved on to a desk against the wall, finding it strewn with papers, unpaid bills, and a datebook from five years ago. She flipped through it even though it was severely outdated, hoping to find something that could provide some clues.

"Find anything?" Batman asked.

"Not much," she replied. "You?"

"He hasn't been here for a few days," he told her. "The used towels in the bathroom are stiff and dry. The bed doesn't appear to have been slept in."

"I think he sleeps on the couch," she revealed, nodding her head to the side of the sofa. "There are a couple of plates of half-eaten, moldy food peeking out from under the couch along with a pillow and blanket."

Batman made his way to the couch to find a pillow and blanket messily piled up on one end of the couch. Kneeling down, he pulled out the plates of rotting food. It looked as though it had been about five days since he'd been here. Going on a hunch, he reached further under the couch, finding a notebook.

Pulling the notebook out, Batman sat down on the couch and began to flip through it. It was filled with sketches of something that looked like a robot. "Look at this," he muttered, handing her the notebook as he stood to his feet.

Diana took the notebook, looking through the various sketches of a humanoid. "Do you think this could be Amazo?" she asked.

"That's what I'm wondering," he told her. "We need to finish checking the apartment and then meet up with Superman and Cyborg to see what they found out."

A shot suddenly shattered the window, a bullet entering the apartment. Diana immediately turned and blocked it with her bracer, keeping it from hitting her. Batman raced for the now shattered window, desperate to find out who had fired at them.

Diana raced after him, grabbing him from the window and blocking a second bullet before it could take him out. "What are you thinking?" she angrily hissed at him.

"We have to find out who is shooting at you!" he furiously growled, leaping to his feet and out the window before she could object or stop him.

Diana quickly followed him, watching as he fired his grappling gun at a nearby light pole. He landed on a rooftop of an apartment building across the street, taking off across the roof with his cape whipping behind him. She flew after him, wanting to catch the shooter and keep Bruce from getting himself killed.

She watched as Batman leaped to the next rooftop, shaking her head in amazement as he continued to chase after their shooter. She flew past him much to his annoyance, flying straight into their shooter and knocking him to the ground.

Diana pinned him to the ground with her hand around his throat and a furious glare on her face. Batman caught up with them, coming to stand beside her. She ripped the black ski mask off the shooter's head. "Do you know this man?"

"Yeah, it's one of Bruno Mannheim's men," Batman stated, infuriated even further by the fact that the shooter Diana had caught was not Deathstroke.

Diana backed off, straightening up and letting Batman move in. She knew that Bruce would want to be the one to interrogate him. He immediately grabbed hold of the gunman, yanking him to his feet by the front of his jacket.

"Did Bruno send you to shoot us?" Batman demanded to know.

"Are you kidding me?" the gunman counter. "I'm not talking. I talk, I die. I like being alive and want to keep it that way!"

"What makes you think you won't die if you don't talk?"

The gunman snorted in amusement. "I know my rights," he shot back. "I'm not talking."

Batman didn't hesitate to haul him to the edge of the roof, dangling him over the street below. "Talk or I drop you."

The gunman glanced down at the street far below. It looked a lot further away dangling above it than peering over the edge of the roof. "You wouldn't drop me."

"You don't know me very well," Batman stated, releasing his grip on the man.

The gunman screamed as he fell several stories towards the street only to be caught at the last possible second by Wonder Woman. She grabbed him by the arms, carrying him back up to the roof and an angry Batman who had obviously run out of patience. She unceremoniously dropped him in a heap on the rooftop at the feet of the Dark Knight.

"Are you going to talk now?" Batman growled.

"Fine…just promise you'll protect me from Bruno," the gunman stated as he struggled to catch his breath, his hand on his chest in an effort to calm his racing heart.

"Done," Batman said. "Now, talk."

"Bruno had me keeping watch on Ivo's apartment in case anyone came snooping around," he revealed.

"Why?" Diana asked, arms folded as she stood beside Batman.

"Bruno didn't want anyone searching Ivo's apartment," he told them, looking around for a way to escape. He knew, though, there was no escaping from the Batman. "He was afraid you guys would find out about Ivo's pet project."

"What project?" Batman questioned him. "Is it this Amazo project?"

The gunmen's head whipped up to look at Batman in shock. "How do you know about it?"

Diana squatted down, her forearm coming to rest on her bent knee. "Yes, we know," she continued the interrogation, "but why don't you tell us what you know just in case."

"No way!" he insisted. "I've already told you why I was here. I'm not saying anymore."

Diana took her golden lasso from her hip, the magical weapon beginning to glow brightly. The gunman's eyes grew wide with fear, not knowing what the lasso could do. "I think I could persuade you to tell us a little bit more." Looping the lasso around him, she tightened the rope. "What do you know about the Amazo project?"

"Just that it's some crazy plan by Ivo to create some sort of robot," he relayed against his will. "That's all I know."

"Where are they working on this project?" she asked.

"They didn't tell me that," he stated. "Bruno limits how much information each of us gets in case we get busted. Then, we can't give away too much."

"Is there anything you know that you're not telling us?" Batman demanded.

"I don't know anything except that Lex Luthor is involved somehow," he insisted. "I'm just given my assignment and nothing more than that."

Batman nodded at Diana who released the gunman from her lasso. She stood to her feet, wrapping up her lasso as Batman cuffed him. They had gotten more than they had bargained for tonight, but it wasn't nearly enough for what they needed.

Maybe Cyborg and Superman would be able to find something significant.

A/N: Man! Poor Diana can't catch a break with people shooting at her!

UP NEXT: Mera, Barry, and Arthur board Luthor's yacht only to be shocked by what they find. Superman, Cyborg, WW, & BM find Professor Ivo and Amazo. A very important meeting takes place that could change the course of things. :)