Chapter 24: Consequences
Diana was standing in front of the giant viewing paneled section of the Watchtower. Her eyes were reddened and puffy as she'd been fighting against the desire to break down and cry, and had been failing miserably ever since she'd left Themyscira. Had someone been with her during the flight back to the Watchtower, she might've been better able to keep the tears at bay as she typically tried to hide her sadness from others. This instance seemed to not be in the cards for her, and as a result, the only thing she was accompanied with was pure and utter silence even after reaching the Watchtower. She couldn't help herself to hide away the saddened state she was experiencing, and as such assumed she'd be assaulted with questions and well wishes, none of which she wanted to receive.
She happened to arrive discovering a skeleton crew was all she had to contend with. Great timing and a combination of some luck, she assumed, but upon seeing just who was scheduled for Monitor Duty that night, her opinion of bad or good luck was solidified as she noticed that Bruce was scheduled, but performing via remote access. While somewhere deep inside, she almost wished that a close friend were onboard. Even if they did notice her current emotional state, it was at least provide her someone she could talk to, maybe get some things off her chest before she was accosted with pity. Bruce certainly wasn't on that list, at least not for the time being. She wasn't quite ready to face him yet.
Diana wandered around the large space structure with no real destination in mind at first. She could only think of places where she didn't want to go. Her personal quarters typically served as a welcoming safe haven of sorts. It was always the place where she could center herself and relax, either coming down from the high she experienced during battle or to reach out to her patron goddesses and gods. Not even the concept of a nice hot shower seemed appealing to her.
Eventually, Diana found herself in the very place where she quite often would catch her best friend, standing before the gigantic viewing panel which revealed Earth to who so ever chose to gaze upon it. Normally, viewers would stop just to look at it and all the glory that Gaea bestowed before them. However Diana found the view to be more vexing to her than anything else.
Simply put, she was lost as to what she should do, but knew that standing in that particular spot wouldn't be the answer. While she had arrived to a skeleton crew, soon the Watchtower would be crawling with colleagues and friends. Even after already being aboard the space station for a little over an hour, they'd still know just by looking at her that she was obviously upset, and more so than she'd ever attempted to hide from them before.
Try as she might, she just couldn't shake her thoughts from the fact that not only was she being punished, but also she was being punished by one of the most fervent supporters of the Amazon people. She knew that Artemis was upset with her, but still never expected what happened after she left Mount Olympus.
"What were you thinking Diana?" Hippolyta scolded her daughter in utter disbelief and disappointment. "I cannot believe that you would be so careless with your actions."
"I hadn't planned it and certainly had no intentions of doing what I did mother, but it's too late to take it back." Diana countered. "I didn't intend to fall in love with a man, but it happened, and I'm being punished by the Gods for it. I'd hoped that my own mother would be a little more understanding."
"What I understand is that you obviously weren't as ready to enter Patriarch's World as you had originally believed." Hippolyta scoffed as she began about the throne room. "I do understand how compelling an emotion love can be, but my transgressions came prior to our protection from our goddesses, one of which your choices and actions have angered. I'd hoped that you would also see the repercussions of my actions and how our people and myself are affected as an example, but that certainly didn't seem to reach you."
"Bruce is different from Hercales." Diana explained. " There was no trickery or deception from him. He loved me freely and wholeheartedly. I never realized how much Artemis would be against something such as that kind of love. Especially considering Aphrodite sits alongside her on Mount Olympus."
"But it did anger Artemis and you have as a result." Hippolyta said in reiterating the obvious. "I can only imagine what your punishment is, considering that you've told me you aren't permitted to tell even your own mother what this punishment entails. At the very least, has Artemis allowed you to inform this mortal of what he has unwittingly caused for you?"
"I...don't know." Diana dejectedly responded. "I didn't ask because I honestly don't know if it would be right to do such a thing. While he may have been involved in the other timeline, here he has no memories of what occurred. Here he might not even be the same man."
"How could he not be the same man?" Hippolyta spat out in derision, tossing her arms in the air out of sheer frustration.
"The man from that timeline hadn't been molded by tragedy as a child like he has in this reality." Diana calmly explained. "Here, he's rigid and set in his ways. He tries to remain logical in his thinking and actions, never allowing emotion to cloud his decisions. In the altered timeline he was more open and willing to show affection. He didn't seem to hold every weight of the world upon his shoulders, even if those problems were of no fault in his actions. That is how much the tragedy he experienced here has influenced his personality over the years."
"You should never have left our home." Hippolyta affirmed as she started making her way toward her bed chamber. "This never would've happened had you simply obeyed my orders and remained in your homeland."
"Hindsight is always twenty-twenty mother." Diana argued, standing and crossing her arms over her chest in defiance. She'd had enough second guessing of her actions. "I've done nothing to dishonor our people or our goddesses for almost three years while in Patriarch's world. I've always fought using your teachings and followed Themysciran beliefs. I know I've said this before, but I never expected this to happen. However, even though I am being punished for it, I can't say that I regret the choices I've made."
Hippolyta sighed as she turned around to look Diana in the eyes, knowing her daughter was ultimately right. She'd done well throughout her time in Patriarch's world, and in doing so had also Hippolyta extremely proud to be her mother. She walked over and sat down next to Diana, reaching out to hold her hand as she came to accept there was no avoiding the inevitable. "How long will I have to wait to see my daughter again?" She sadly asked.
"I wish I could say mother, believe me." Diana answered, tears welling in her eyes as she knew that she had to leave sooner rather than later. "I will return. As soon as I'm permitted to do so. I promise."
Diana planned to remain on the island as long as she was permitted, but each day she remained there, her heart managed to break a little more. She never imagined how it could ever hurt emotionally to stay on her homeland with her mother and sisters, but the clock continued to count down, and each hour only brought her closer to the time where she would have to leave. She never thought that she would face such a difficult decision, but knew there was really nothing she could do.
Diana knew that she was only delaying the inevitable by staying, and by the seventh day she'd had all the heartbreak she could stand. So she left her sisters and mother to fly back to the Watchtower. She knew the decision moved forward her timetable on Artemis' decree, and what she had to do next would only be more difficult to endure.
"Hey Di!" Flash excitedly called out as he screeched to a halt just behind her, breaking her away from the gloomy memory she'd been processing. "When did you..."
Diana sighed after hearing Flash gasp as he halted mid sentence, knowing that he'd obviously caught a glimpse of her reflection in the window before her. She turned to face him, confirming what he thought he'd seen, the same red puffy eyes that'd actually been a fixture on her face for days. "Just a little while ago." She commented sullenly, answering the unfinished question.
"What's wrong?" Flash asked in concern. "Is there anything I can do?"
He was worried, and was openly showing how he cared for her wellbeing. She initially wondered if he would only show her pity if he knew what was really wrong, but right now it was purely concern. That warmed her heart, even if only a temporary reprieve before she returned to the depressed state she'd been stuck in. "You just did." She replied with a half smile before quickly embracing him in a heartfelt hug. His concern helped her to find enough resolve to muster the strength to better hide her pained heart on the exterior.
"Okay..." Flash responded in confusion, seeing that the smile on Diana's face didn't quite reach her eyes even if she tried to make it appear to be the case. He'd dealt with tough crowds before, and wasn't about to give in on cheering her up just yet. A week apart was like a lifetime for a speedster, and he was determined to make up for it by sharing all she'd missed. Hearing stories of victory and triumph had always lifted her spirits before. "Don't suppose you've stopped by the commissary for an iced mocha yet, have you?"
"No, but that sounds splendid." Diana answered, quickly lacing her arm around the crook of the scarlet speeder's elbow and heading toward some much needed caffeine.
During the trek to the commissary, Diana was able to better manage hiding how she really felt inside as she listened to Flash expounding upon all the missions she'd missed out on. Even though there weren't all too many, he still excitedly told each one with a vigor that Diana found she had sorely missed from her scarlet clad companion while she was away. He was so full of life and always seemed to have a smile on his face, and it seemed to be infectious. In fact, Diana soon found that she was legitimately smiling for the first time since she'd returned to the real timeline, and that was a welcomed change.
Her temporary happiness increased more so as her best friend Kal was the next person to arrive. He seemed to be in a chipper mood as well, stopping and joining them with breakfast in hand. Just his presence alone offered the same quality that Diana had come to know and love from him. While Flash could instantly brighten her day, Kal seemed to have the power of making her feel welcomed and appreciated no matter the situation. And like Flash, he didn't hide the fact that he'd missed her presence while she was away either. Even when she knew from Flash's stories that she hadn't actually been needed, it was seeing how they all wanted her there with them, if only for her presence alone that really helped to cheer her up a little.
That reflection however, was what triggered a souring mood to overtake her by the time the next person stalked by. Batman didn't so much as speak a single word as he headed straight for the coffee maker, his cape billowing behind his every eerily silent step. Never had she met person that could walk so quietly.
"I thought he wasn't coming up here unless it was something important." Superman mentioned quietly as he glanced over in the direction of the black clad vigilante pouring himself a fresh cup.
Diana wasn't able to stop herself from following Bruce's movements with her eyes right up to the point where he'd filled his cup and spun around. At that instant, she quickly tried but failed to look away before he noticed, and in retrospect, she should've known better. He'd probably realized she was looking at him from the very instant her eyes initially trained on him. "Good morning Batman." She announced, trying to rid herself of the awkward feeling from being caught starting as he started to walk passed the trio.
Bruce paused upon hearing Diana's words, but never turned his eyes or body in the direction of the three seated League members as he maintained a rigid stance. "You have a mission report to complete, Diana." He grumbled as he again started walking toward the commissary exit.
"Wow, I guess being away for over a week hasn't improved his mood any." Flash pointed out once he was absolutely certain the Bat no longer in hearing distance.
"Wait, are you saying that Batman hasn't been to the Watchtower recently?" Diana asked, as Flash had apparently felt he didn't need to share that bit of information with her while telling stories. "I can understand him skipping out on meetings, but not being here during missions?"
"He hasn't been on the Tower at all Di." Superman answered for her. "It's been the typical excuse we usually get from him even though reports out of Gotham have been slow."
"Gotham's more important, he's too busy, blah blah, you know, that type of stuff." Flash finished. "And I still don't get how he's the only one that's allowed to handle monitor duty from home."
Superman huffed and gave a look that indicated this topic had already been discussed before. "He doesn't trust anyone to keep an active eye on a remote computer monitor, and the fact that the Batcomputer is the only linked device from Earth to the Watchtower are two main reasons, not to mention the fact that he designed most of..."
Yeah, yeah, I get it." Flash whined, crossing his arms and looking a lot like a pouting teenager. "Still doesn't seem fair though."
"It could be worse." Superman pointed out. "He could just remove himself from the rotation completely."
"He wouldn't do something like that, would he?" Flash asked in disbelief. "The rest of us do have personal lives to live you know."
"I'm certain he's at a minimum contemplated leaving that task to the rest of us before, considering all that's already on his plate." Diana replied before standing up from the table. "And speaking of, I'll see you two in the meeting later this morning. Apparently I have a mission report to complete."
Diana excused herself as she pitched the remnants of her nearly finished iced mocha into a nearby waste receptacle, and made her way over toward the Monitor Womb so that she could get the remaining tedious work required of her out of the way. After having thought about some things, she came to the conclusion that she should've known better than to think avoiding Batman until she was ready to face him was at all possible. He just seemed to have a knack for knowing when he wasn't wanted and forcing himself into the picture, and this time appeared to be no different. Especially considering he was very likely going to be in the same location Diana had to go so she could finish her mission report. He was still on the clock for monitor duty, and apparently he'd decided finishing it remotely wasn't necessary.
The closer she got to the Monitor Womb, the more she half expected to be on the receiving end of a patented scolding at the hands of the infamous Batman as soon as the doors slid open. In fact, among the anticipations, she felt that there was a distinct likelihood to also be at the receiving end of a few batglares. that was almost an inevitability, and she could almost envision his facial expressions to go along with the litany of questions he'd likely have at the ready.
In fact, the more she thought about it, being alone in the same room with him might have more of an interrogation feel to it than simple questioning. Batman certainly wasn't known for his delicacy when it came to seeking answers, and combined with his approach in the commissary just moments ago, any pleasantries should be thrown out the door. Especially considering that she'd abruptly left during a training session with him. A training session where he'd made time out of his busy schedule as she'd requested from him.
That revelation began to add little intricate details to what she assumed that she'd be in for. She might as well shut off the lights, find a chair, and hand Batman a single lamp to create the aura that many movies had revealed to her about how an official interrogation should look. He'd probably pace around her, hidden in the shadows, periodically revealing himself in intervals where her guard would let down even just a scoatch. Just enough for him to get her on edge, but she was already at that point and it had nothing to do with what he likely had in store for her.
But by the grace of the gods, she was granted a reprieve as an alarm sounded. There was a received threat of a high enough nature that Justice League presence had been requested. She knew that she could use the distraction and method to put off the inevitable, so instead of continuing her trek to the Monitor Womb, Diana broke off her current course as she reached for her communicator. "Wonder Woman responding, I'm heading to the teleporters now." She announced.
There was a moment of silence after she'd made her announcement, but it only lasted a few seconds. "Flash will meet you there, and J'onn is already en route to the location of the disturbance." Batman revealed. Diana knew from the pause as we as the tone of his voice that he'd wanted to tell her no, but there really was no true reason aside from his own personal agenda to stop her. While she may have been away, it was set as temporary leave, so there was no formal paperwork to file aside from her previous mission report to complete. Batman had pulled the same tactic himself on occasion, and that gave him two strikes against any argument. The third and final blow to any perceived argument was the fact that she hadn't opened a private channel to him or the Monitor Womb, but rather an open channel to the entire League. Anyone with the communicator on them and active would've heard her volunteering to go.
She knew she'd successfully evaded the confrontation for the moment, and if she were lucky, she could avoid him until at least after the meeting later on in the day. She was certainly hoping for that to be the case. It was simply too soon, too raw at the moment.
Just over a couple hours later, the three heroes involved with the mission all arrived back on the Watchtower, none looking the worse for wear, even though they'd just returned from a rather large factory explosion. J'onn was his typical stoic self, showing little to no emotion whatsoever, while Flash was once again all smiles just as he had been before leaving for the mission. Diana seemed almost rejuvenated, a little bit of a glow shimmering about her now that had been missing before the mission. She felt relaxed again, but that only seemed to last until she saw the man standing before them all upon their arrival.
"Flash and Wonder Woman need to report to the sick bay for some tests." Batman barked.
"What are you talking about?" Flash complained animatedly. "We're perfectly fine."
"While you were at the scene, I managed to hack into the building servers." Batman explained. "You two were exposed to an untested and potentially noxious gas. We need to perform a series of tests to confirm that you weren't adversely affected, even minutely. Especially since any evidence we might've been able to retrieve from the site was destroyed in the explosions."
Flash opened his mouth to plead his case because of his hatred of being held in any form of isolation, let alone being poked by needles, but he was interrupted by J'onn. "Batman makes a valid point." He concurred. "It doesn't do any harm to rule everything out before any potential aftereffects may begin to reveal themselves."
"You wouldn't be saying that if you were the one being poked and..." Flash started to grumble until he was met face to face with the venomous glare of the Bat. Instantly, he put his hands up in surrender before speeding off to the sick bay voluntarily. Being poked and prodded was definitely better than dealing with an angry Batman, especially if that anger was about to be placed firmly in his direction.
Diana stood there defiantly, hands placed on her hips, not wanting to give in to Batman's demands despite J'onn's agreeing to the reasoning behind it. "What seems to be your problem today, Batman?" She angrily asked. "I have every intention of filling out both the previous mission report as well as this one, so there is little need to punish Flash or myself."
"There's nothing wrong with me, Princess." Batman denied. "From what I found with this gas, we need to be cautious. Especially considering they seemed to be targeting the League."
"What are you talking about?" Diana asked, confused.
"The tip we received was fabricated." Bruce pointed out. "They made the call on their own facility, and that means its very likely that they wanted the League to be there to serve as test subjects."
Diana's anger began to dissipate instantly upon hearing what Batman had discovered. Especially when she noticed the growing tension in his body language. He was holding himself responsible for putting them in danger. Yet another weight to be added on top of his shoulders if she would let it happen. "Don't do this." She pleaded as she reached to put a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Do what?" Bruce asked, feigning at ignorance.
"What happened down there wasn't your fault." She explained as he stepped out from under her hand before a sudden thought occurred to her.
She tried to hide it, but his acute sense of awareness picked up on the slight widening of her eyes. "What is it?" He asked, now more concerned than before.
"N...nothing." She stammered. "You're right, we should test this right away. Especially with Flash's and my enhanced healing abilities possibly hindering finding any meaningful results."
Diana promptly flew straight to the medical wing as Batman followed after her. She was hiding something from him and he knew it, but why? She'd never attempted to hide things from any of her teammates before. Sometimes, especially in the early beginnings of the League, she was more brutally honest with everyone than anything else. Now, she was trying to hide something, from him of all people. She had to know that his paranoid tendencies would force him to dig into whatever it was she was trying to hide, and she knew him well enough that she should expect nothing less from the Batman.
By the time he caught up with Flash and Wonder Woman, the scarlet speedster had already assisted by providing every sample required of him, and J'onn was almost finished with Diana's as well. On the surface, both members of the team seemed to be unaffected, but their physiologies were difficult to hinder. Whoever was responsible seemed to have failed in their first attempt, but Batman chalked that up to more a lack of knowledge and experience dealing with Meta's such as the Justice League members.
Of any person that would seek out to at a minimum, potentially subdue a member from the League, he had more intimate knowledge of them than most that wished ill will upon any of them. If he were to be honest with himself, even with all that he'd come to know, Batman was still researching the best ways to take down any member of the League, should there ever come a time where one of all of them were to go rogue.
That likely meant this was only the first of many attempts at producing a form of weapon to use against even one member, let alone multiple. He didn't know what was more startling. The fact that an attempt to cause harm or worse was being developed by an unknown entity, or that whoever this could be was recklessly pushing concepts out in the hopes that one would stick. Either way, it made him sick to his stomach with concern, but he didn't have much time to focus on that as there was research to be performed.
J'onn had completed the initial task of collecting samples from each potentially infected teammate, and he'd moved over to consult with Bruce. "Are we looking for anything specific?"
"We need to run every test we can." Batman answered as he pulled out the first sample of blood. "I want to have everything to compare with previous results. Look for any anomaly, even the most insignificant change might be a sign to tell us what we're dealing with."
"You believe the building was deliberately destroyed to cover tracks of those responsible." J'onn deduced.
"I do." Batman replied as he readied a slide under an electron microscope.
While Batman and J'onn worked diligently on performing all testing perceived as necessary, Diana and Flash were provided the PC tablets and took the "free" time in isolation to fill out their mission reports remotely, but even after she'd finished, there was still plenty of time to kill before either could hope to be released.
While she understood the necessity for caution, Diana still couldn't help but to become frustrated because she felt perfectly fine. She knew Flash was feeling the same as she did just from sparing a glance here and there at his constant fidgeting. This had to be absolute torture for him, and it only worsened when he started to repeatedly ask Bruce to let him help with the testing.
The first time that Flash asked, Batman paused momentarily, likely to debate with himself internally, but that quickly fizzled as Flash continued to irritate him. A batarang to the communications speaker between the lab and the isolation room was the official last word between those two, much to Flash's chagrin. Diana knew that despite Flash's super speed, there wasn't much he could do. The lab equipment would take the same amount of time to perform the necessary tests regardless of how fast each man was, and no matter how much any of them disliked having to wait, that was what laid ahead. Batman wouldn't leave until the lab work came back, and Flash and Diana were stuck in isolation as a result of that.
The only break came about an hour later when J'onn entered the isolation area, pulling a monitor and transmission equipment behind him. "For the scheduled meeting." He announced, even though it wasn't really necessary. They knew that the meeting would go on even if they were still stuck in isolation, but now, for perhaps the first time, both were looking forward to the meeting. It would at least serve as a distraction, but it also provided Diana the opportunity to approach her Martian friend before he left the area. "J'onn, would you please give me a moment?" She asked her green friend politely.
J'onn, sensed that Diana wished to speak in private, and quickly ushered her to the other side of the room away from Flash before establishing a mental link with her. What seems to be troubling you? He asked.
Diana initially started to deny that something was troubling her, but quickly stopped herself, knowing better than to try convincing J'onn, especially at having seen the look her telepathic friend was directing toward her. She sighed mentally, and decided to accept the inevitable, and just move on to why she'd originally asked for an audience with him. I suppose you already have a sense about what is going to come, but that's not actually why I wished to speak with you.
Yes, I already sensed a deep sadness washing over you. While I do understand your reluctance toward currently discussing this topic, I feel there is a need express that I have not entered your mind looking for answers explaining why you are in such a sad emotional state. J'onn replied. As always, I respect other's wish to maintain privacy with their thoughts. However I also know that you will reveal what is troubling you once you are ready.
Diana truly appreciated that, and wished that everyone would take the same approach, but she knew that there was no way someone like Bruce would be so patient. She didn't pay attention to it at first, but with the mental link still established, J'onn was able to read her current thoughts clearly. It brought a noticeable smile to the Martian's face. He obviously agreed with her assumption that Bruce would be the one out of them all that would pry his way into discovering whatever she was withholding if he had the slightest inkling that something was amiss.
She smiled too, but soon it faded away as she wished to move forward. I have a blank spot in my memory, and I was hoping that you might be able to help me discover what I'd lost.
I will see what I can do to help. J'onn replied just before his eyes began to glow. Occasionally, as he sifted through her mind J'onn would ask questions to help him as he searched while simultaneously trying to avoid invading her privacy. Diana did everything she could mentally to help in simplifying the search, and thanks in part to having an almost eidetic memory, she was able to describe vividly the first memories from before and after her gap in time.
Once J'onn had pinned down what she was looking for, he delve in a little deeper, investigating the reason behind the mental block, but soon came to an immediate halt. I'm sorry Diana.
For what J'onn? She asked in confusion. She felt that she'd given him ample amounts of information to help him in discovering what she was missing.
It appears that you placed this block on your own memories. He explained. As there is obviously a reason behind this from your psyche, I believe it to be unwise to simply rip the memories free. Subconsciously, you've blocked these specific memories for a reason.
Are you sure there's nothing you can do? She asked. She was quite disappointed to hear that once again she wasn't going to find out what was hidden in her mind.
J'onn thought it over for a moment before sighing mentally, which Diana picked up on, and assumed what his response was going to be. I'd like for you to think about what you are asking first. He responded, slightly catching her off guard. If you are completely sure, I will unlock the memories for you, but you must understand doing something like this carries risk of causing damage to your mind. As I mentioned before, your subconscious chose to block these memories for a reason, and in time, your subconscious will unlock the memories naturally.
Diana was about to respond, but the sound of tapping against the isolation glass grabbed her attention. Batman was standing there knocking on the pane animatedly, clearly frustrated by J'onn's still being behind the glass wall that separated them. The Martian must have picked up on this, as he quickly broke the mental link before making his exit.
Once again, Batman had stuck his nose in where it wasn't welcomed, but Diana couldn't be too angry with him. Looking at a clock on the wall, they were already late for the League meeting, and both J'onn and he would need to be there to detail the events of the most recent mission. Diana and Flash would also be required to attend for two likely reasons. First to detail what they had seen and experienced, and the second would be in order to monitor them for any noticeable changes in health due to exposure to the gas.
Sure enough, after Flash quickly connected everything and turned on the video monitor, the rest of the League could be seen onscreen having already taken their seats, waiting on the two in isolation. At that point, Superman got things underway before giving way to J'onn, who detailed what he encountered, and how he had inadvertently been lucky enough to avoid exposure to the gas, having been on the opposite end of the building when they were alerted to the impending explosion.
The details of the mission then came from a combination of Batman as well as the mission reports filed by the three members intimately involved. The only point where Diana and Flash were expected to chime in was when they were asked if they'd noticed anything that could've hinted at being in danger, but the gas was odorless and unnoticeable to the human eye and no alerts were sounding. They also confirmed they had yet to experience any form of side effects, and at that point, the group chose to move on to other items on the docket.
Everyone could tell when the meeting started to wind down as Superman became the only one speaking. Eventually, he'd gotten to everything he planned to share as well. "If there's nothing else, then I'll expect to see a full report on your findings from the test results as soon as you have them, Batman." Superman announced as he began to stand, signaling he was about to adjourn the meeting.
"I have something that I need to add." Diana announced, stopping Superman abruptly. She waited until he reclaimed his seat before clearing her throat and continuing. "As you'll be able to see from the mission reports, I've recently completed a mission concerning a time travelling event. As a brief synopsis, it was decreed by my gods and goddesses to complete this mission, which entailed going into the past and restoring any changes made, which ultimately affected the present time. you can read the full details in the report if you wish, but my announcement today is that as a result of that mission, I've been ordered away by my gods and goddesses once again."
"I see." Superman stated in understanding. "We can assign someone to help you.."
"I'm sorry Kal, but this is something I've been instructed to do on my own." Diana interrupted.
"What type of mission are they asking of you?" Superman asked, digging for some details like any reporter worth his salt would.
"I'm not permitted to say." Diana reluctantly answered, knowing there'd be more questions coming because of the vagueness, and sure enough, her intuition was proven to be accurate.
"What can you tell us?" Batman jumped in, full detective mode on display. "Where are you being asked to go? Will it hinder you're availability with the League?"
"I wish I were permitted to tell you more, but all I can say is that it will require being placed as inactive for any current or future missions until my return." She explained.
"Extended leave then?" Superman confirmed in question, receiving a nod in response. "Do you at least have an idea of how long you'll be gone?"
"I'll be gone for a long period of time." She offered, knowing it would never be enough.
"Weeks? Months?" Green Lantern probed.
"Years." Diana finally relented.
"When are you leaving?" Flash asked in disappointment. She'd just returned and he was saddened to find out that she was going to be gone again, but this time for a long period of time.
"Soon."
"You are eventually coming back, right?" Shayera challenged.
A/N: Cliffy! Alright my precious readers, let's get those reviews up in droves. I know you can do it. The more reviews, the quicker I'll add the next chapter.