Chapter 28: Located on Tinian Island
A/N: This chapter went a tad longer than normal, but I think it will turn out to be worth it.
Hippolyta approached the same window she had earlier that day when the trespasser had initially intruded upon her personal chambers. This time however, she immediately regretted repeating that move. Upon reaching the window, she'd mistakenly not anticipated Batman's change in tactics. He'd strategically placed a flashbang grenade just below the window sill, and it exploded in a blinding, disorienting light combined with an ear popping concussive noise. Immediately, instinct took over for the queen, and she pinched her eyes tightly shut while simultaneously ducked for cover.
Unfortunately for her, even considering her Amazonian heightened reflexes, the damage had already been done. She could only hear a loud ringing in her ears, and couldn't see a thing. Panic briefly grabbed hold of her as she desperately started to feel around the room, seeking out anything or anyone to help her get back up to a vertical base. She tried to focus her thoughts to calm herself, quickly ascertaining that the trespasser wasn't likely to return. She took a deep breath and eventually located her bed. She was able to use it to sturdy herself, but still struggled in trying to rise up. It was at that moment she realized just how much damage had been done. Added to the loss of sight and sound, her orientation was well off as well. Despite her best efforts, remaining standing was quite a difficult task to maintain now, and she began to wonder if the resulting effects of this weapon would be permanent.
It took a few minutes for that concern to be answered, but her body eventually began to show signs of recovery. The minutes it took for the realization felt more like years without being able to see or hear anything, but as she began to recover, she became increasingly consumed with white hot anger. This mortal's continued unwelcomed presence on Themyscira had resulted in an attack, and that anger only grew as she was eventually met by her armed guards. "What are you doing here?" She emphatically yelled at them as they tried to help keep her on her feet. "The trespasser used this as a means of creating a distraction."
Hippolyta could only just make out the sounds of murmurs from the guards as they responded, and she was about to yell at them to speak up until she realized she could barely hear herself. She knew that she'd been yelling out her dissatisfaction to them, but upon reflection, it had sounded more to her like someone trying to speak through a pillow. Under normal circumstances, she'd be concerned over her health, but she wasn't dead yet and this wasn't any normal circumstance for her sisters. "Everyone is to return to their posts immediately!" She ordered as she shrugged off the helping hands of her faithful guards, determined to stand on her own.
The flashbang grenade seemed to have worked as Batman hoped. Prior to entering into the queen's chambers, he attached the grenade onto the wall below Hippolyta's window at a far enough distance to ensure that if the queen did happen to follow his point of escape, no permanent damage would be caused. At better than 170 decibels, he calculated that it would also be loud enough to reach the soldiers standing guard around the Batwing. All he needed then was to help sell the image of an attack, and did that by use of a smoke grenade. It helped to hide the building from view as well as giving off the appearance that he'd destroyed an important building.
Sure enough, some soldiers did arrive only to be surprised at the building's still standing stature. They hesitated for a moment until fear for the queen's safety overtook them, and then they ran into the building searching for her. While this occurred, Batman scaled the tallest of the buildings in the city, and watched silently as the soldiers soon found Hippolyta. He knew it wouldn't be long after discovering that the queen wasn't harmed before the troops returned to their posts. The queen would likely demand it of her armed forces. His "attack" would most definitely bring her anger to the forefront, and if it could reach anywhere near the level of Diana's, he knew that he had to move quickly.
Coming to terms with what had to be done, he launched himself off the building in the direction of his jet. With the height of the building he'd leapt from, Batman was able to make use of the gliding capabilities designed into his cape. While not as high as the hilltop in the woods, the lower height was offset due to the fact that the Batwing was much closer to the city. It helped make reaching his destination a much more attainable target. The only downside was that he would also be gliding in at a much lower trajectory, and that made him more susceptible to attacks from the ground below.
As he glided through the air, he noticed how small of a contingent of the soldiers were actually sent back into the city as a result of his diversion tactics. It wasn't nearly as many as he'd hoped for, but there was nothing he could do about it at the present time. He'd already descended to under thirty feet above the ground, and he was easily within striking distance for arrows and spears. Especially considering he was up against Amazons. Sure enough, much to his chagrin, the quiet fluttering of his cape was just loud enough to draw attention to him. Soon shouts from below could be heard pointing out he'd been spotted.
Arrows started to fly passed him as he continued gliding toward his jet. Just as before, some projectiles managed to pierce his armor while others ripped more holes into his cape. He was fortunate that while the thrown spears could reach him, they'd slowed enough in their upward trajectory to simply be kicked or slapped away. The arrows however, came at him in waves. He waited until one of those waves passed, and he spared a glance forward. He saw that already Amazons were scurrying onto the aircraft in anticipation of his arrival.
He hated to do it, but just as he got close enough to the Batwing, he remotely engaged the outer hull security measures. An immense jolt of electricity coursed over the plane, and all of the Amazons standing upon it were temporarily stilled in pain. Their muscles seized and spasmed until the electrical current eventually stopped coursing through their bodies. When it finally did cease, they lost muscle control just long enough to fall off the jet.
The window of opportunity was small, but Batman had been in tighter situations before. Just as he was about to touch down, he remotely engaged the engines while also unlocking and opening the canopy. He landed in the pilot seat just as he'd calculated, but just as he started to sit down, a sharp pain struck him in the back. It felt like yet another arrow had penetrated his armor, but he couldn't let that stop him. He didn't dare hesitate in closing the canopy and taking flight. Escape was his first and only priority.
He didn't allow himself the chance to let his guard down until he was well away from the island, but once its magical properties caused it to disappear from view he finally sighed in relief. Bruce reached up to remove the cowl, and winced in pain. He'd apparently forgotten about the last arrow that'd struck him, and gingerly reached around until he could pull it out. It'd struck him just below the left shoulder, and luckily enough didn't appear to have sunk in enough to damage bone or vital organs. He briefly inspected it as he leaned back in his seat. It was slightly different in appearance than any of the other arrows that'd been shot at him, but didn't give too much thought into it.
Instead Bruce closed his eyes as he set the auto pilot, more than ready to head back to the manor. However a beeping noise grabbed his attention, and any thoughts of returning home were quickly squashed. His program had finally found something. A picture had been posted on social media revealing a thirty-seven percent match to Diana's facial profile. He immediately tried pulling up the image, but the background was too blurry to be absolutely certain.
He lost complete track of time as he worked meticulously on enhancing the image, and before he realized it he'd already returned to Gotham City airspace. The only thing that brought him away from his work was the feeling of the jet transitioning from forward motion to hovering. As this happened he looked up, and then realized there was no time to get back to his cave before the sun rose. Some rays of light were already jutting out over the ocean. Despite the stealth technology of the Batwing, the human eye could easily track it in daylight.
Not wanting to risk it, Bruce instead set down in a wooded area a good distance from the city as well as the manor, and he called the Manor, instructing Alfred to pick him up. Despite being in a remote location, he paranoia was on high alert, and he used every bit of technology the Batwing had at its disposal to ensure he was completely isolated. He went to every imaginable length, using radar, sonar, and infrared cameras. Even then, when he exited the plane, he remained in full Batman regalia.
It took a little more than an hour to reach the destination, and upon arriving, Alfred found that no one seemed to be near the Batwing. Not even his surrogate son. Slightly unsure, he cautiously opened the driver side door, looking around for any signs of trouble. The faithful butler slowly walked around the Batwing, occasionally glancing at the aircraft before returning to the surrounding area. He was about to give up in his search until he heard a car door shutting behind him. The sudden sound startled him, and he was sure it also caused his heart to flutter slightly. He spun around and found that Bruce managed to slip into the car without triggering his senses. It was then that Alfred let go of a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding in, and then returned to the car while trying to calm his erratic heartbeat.
They both remained silent until Alfred returned to a more main road. The faithful butler then glanced angrily up to the image of Bruce in the rear view mirror. "You certainly seem to hold the desire to be the death of me sir." He said.
"Sorry Alfred." Bruce contritely replied. "I had to be sure no one was around, but then I noticed the way you approached the Batwing. You approached it as if you'd just happened one of Batman's vehicles just like any other person would. You showed extreme apprehension. It was similar to the way people approach the Batmobile if they happen to stumble across it in the city wondering just how close the Batman is to it. I knew that would only help in maintaining my identity should anyone happened to have spotted us."
"My only apprehension was for your well being sir." Alfred spat back at him. "Consider yourself lucky that I'm much too advanced in age to turn you over my knee in order to properly tan your posterior. Next time I suggest you simply fly up to that space station instead of trying to shorten the number of my remaining years."
"Couldn't." Bruce said. "Fuel level was too low for that trip, but speaking of the Watchtower, I need to get up there. Today."
"So it seems that Master Kent's pleas were able to reach your ears sir." Alfred said, finally allowing some of the anger to simmer and leave his tone.
"Not exactly." Bruce replied. "I need to borrow the Watchtower's technology. I might've located Diana."
Alfred's eyes widened a bit upon registering that information. He knew his surrogate son had been spending an inordinate amount of time seeking out the princess. He'd been forgoing numerous business meetings and charity functions as Bruce Wayne, while also shirking his duties even for a part-time member of the Justice League. That bit was more than obvious even before Superman had come down asking Bruce to be at least somewhat proactive. He'd all but left them on their own to handle the rest of the world while he tried to justify it as needing answers to questions about Wonder Woman's latest mission. Alfred however, knew better.
Bruce had never dove so far into one of Master Dick's plethora of cases in Bludhaven as Nightwing, and he was Bruce's adopted son. There was something different about Diana that drove Bruce to great lengths, and no one else was be able to coerce the same response out of Bruce. Alfred also knew that the only thing harder to do would be convincing that stubborn man of the real reasoning behind his desperate search, but at least now it seemed to finally be coming to its end. Bruce seemed to have a legitimate lead after over five months of dead ends.
Glancing back again at his passenger with the rear view mirror, Alfred couldn't stop the small smile from appearing on his features, noticing the constant fidgeting of the man in the back seat. No one would've thought that Bruce Wayne had gone without sleep for the past few days considering the amount of movement he was currently displaying. Either that or they'd believe he'd been testing the necessary levels required to overdose on caffeine. It was nervous energy he knew, and Bruce would never admit to it either.
As he drove back to the Manor, Alfred began a mental checklist of what needed to be done in explaining Bruce Wayne's absence from the public on this day. There was no doubt that Bruce wouldn't be in Gotham, and certain people needed to be notified. Judging from what he'd seen thanks to the rear view mirror, he knew that the master of the Manor certainly wouldn't be concerned over such details, and in this instance, it was a task Alfred was glad to oblige. He'd attained a high level of fondness for Diana from the few visits she'd made to the manor, and he certainly wouldn't stand in the way if there was one iota of a chance that Bruce would continue on a path that might just lead to happiness in the Wayne family once again.
Soon enough, they reached the manor, and Alfred had parked the car while Bruce disappeared into the cave. By the time Alfred reached the kitchen entrance to the cave, he knew it was very likely that Bruce had already teleported himself up to the Watchtower. Therefore he instead went about the more public details by first picking up a phone and dialing the first number on his mental list, and after a couple of rings, a man answered on the other end. "Hello Master Fox." He said in greeting. "No. I apologize, but Master Wayne will not be coming into the office...Yes, you're assumptions are in tune as always sir...Actually no, this time it isn't a blonde. Her hair color is more black in nature."
Batman strode through the corridors of the Watchtower like a man possessed. He had only one goal in mind, and that was reaching the Monitor Womb as quickly as possible. There wasn't much going on in the way of activity as he made his way through, not that it mattered or really registered with him. He didn't have time for any of the other League members at the moment. There was no telling how long Diana would remain in the location where the selfie had been taken, and he'd spent entirely too much time searching. But in the end he simply couldn't let it go until he had his answers.
The Monitor Womb doors swished open, letting the Flash know that he was no longer alone. "Whoa, heya Bats." He said after spotting his welcomed guest. "Long time, no see. Glad to see your still..."
"Take a break." Batman interrupted. It wasn't a suggestion, and even though Batman hadn't been around the past few months, Flash still clearly recalled the meaning behind that tone of voice when he used it. It wasn't time to try and socialize with Batman. That was for certain.
"Yeah uh, I suppose I could use another muffin and iced mocha." He responded before quickly zipping out the door, and he didn't slow down until he was certain Batman was more than a section of the tower away. Maybe he'd take his time, eat a healthy portion of breakfast, and savor all the flavors in each bite while Batman did whatever it was he came there to do. If Wally was lucky, someone else would be up and about on the tower to join him when he finally did return to the Monitor Womb. He couldn't be absolutely sure, but he thought if there was a witness, Batman wouldn't try to maim him like reports indicated he'd been doing to the criminals of Gotham. For a man without powers, there was certainly no other hero who could emit such fear in others.
A few hours later, Superman teleported up into the Watchtower and made his way to the commissary only to find an unexpected occupant sitting there haphazardly stirring his drink with a straw. "I know you don't like monitor duty any more than the rest of us Flash, but skipping out a half hour early is a little excessive, don't you think?" He asked the scarlet speedster, who jumped slightly upon hearing his voice.
The Flash turned to look over at the Man of Steel, happy to have some more pleasurable company, but that joy quickly went away upon seeing the dissatisfied look on Superman's face. His demeanor then returned back to the dejected feeling he'd previously been going through thanks in part to the very reason why he wasn't performing his expected duties. "Sorry Supes." He apologized. "But Bats kicked me out earlier and made it pretty clear that he didn't want to be disturbed."
"Batman's actually here?" Superman asked in surprise. He hadn't thought his little "pep talk" would render results so quickly. In fact, he'd almost expected Bruce to wait a couple weeks just as an attempt to throw off any reasoning behind a return to active duty. Even with the elation at Batman's return, his taking control of the Monitor Womb when monitor duty was still necessary couldn't be left without some questioning. "Let's go see what he's up to, and find out why he kicked you out during your shift."
"You sure Supes?" Flash asked as he hesitated initially in following the Man of Steel. "I mean, Bats seemed like he was in a worse mood than I can remember him being in before."
"He's probably still a little angry over the gossip that's been taking place up here." Superman explained as he marched in the direction of where Batman had apparently secluded himself to.
Flash stopped dead in his tracks after registering the information Superman had just shared. He tried to gulp down the sudden lump of worry that'd formed in his throat. "He heard about that?" He choked out, hoping that he'd heard wrong.
Superman paused briefly, looking over his shoulder at the other hero who'd fallen a few steps behind by that point. "Yes." He answered simply before returning to his destination.
The rest of the trek through the corridors was filled with silence. The Flash took more of a position behind Superman as they continued on, and he remained firmly behind when Superman attempted his credentials to override the locked door of the Monitor Womb. He tried a second time when the first failed, and then resorted to knocking on the door. "Unlock the door Batman." He ordered as he continued to rap against it. "This wasn't what I had in mind when I tried to convince you to return to active status. Someone has to keep watch on the monitors in case the League is needed."
"I'm performing monitor duty while I'm here." Batman responded defiantly. "You and the human rumor mill can feel free to take holiday."
"You know I can just fly around the entrance." Superman pointed out. "You designed the layout of the room to be out in open space after all."
"And you know that I have Kryptonite, and I'm not afraid to use it." Batman fired back. "I have research to complete, and can perform the necessary monitor duty at the same time."
"Come on Batman, be reasonable." Superman pleaded as he started to pound on the door a little harder. He was becoming a little irritated by that point, and inadvertently started putting small knuckle-sized dents into the reinforced doors without noticing.
Flash meanwhile took the hint from Batman, combined it with the snarky nickname he'd just been dubbed, and chose to leave while he was still able. Perhaps enough time would pass by the next time he and Bats were in the same vicinity, and Batman would 've already found something or someone else to have on his bad side.
The pounding on the Monitor Womb doors eventually ceased, and instead of relaxing, Bruce became completely tense. He stopped his search for Diana, and he reached for the compartment which held the sliver of Kryptonite. "Human rumor mill Bruce?" Superman rhetorically questioned with a small smile on his face as he touched down from floating around to bypass the entrance.
Bruce turned around, hand still on that compartment. "You know better than to use that name when I'm in uniform Kent." He growled. "Besides, he had that coming. Among other things."
"Maybe so." Superman conceded. "But locking him out while he was supposed to be on monitor duty was a bit excessive."
"Flash and his gossiping traits would only get in the way." Batman countered.
"That would only be the case if you're here solely because of Diana." Superman guessed, and upon Batman's subtle uptick in heartbeat, he received all the confirmation he needed. His eyes narrowed. "What exactly are you up to?"
Batman stared into the eyes of the Kryptonian standing before him. He thought really hard about the pro's and con's of pulling out the Kryptonite, but eventually thought better of it. He sighed, finally deciding to cave in and just get it over with. "I'm confirming that my facial recognition program is accurate, and if that turns out to be the case, I'll be able to confirm where exactly Diana is hiding."
"And what are you planning to do if you did find her?" Clark asked.
"I'm going to get answers." Batman answered. "There's more to this mission than she's letting on Clark. I know it."
"I believe you're most likely right, but you also need to respect her decision too. She wouldn't do it if she didn't think it was necessary."
"I can't." Bruce said.
"Why?" Clark asked, arms crossing his chest in growing exasperation over his friend's constant paranoia.
"Because if I'm right, that means Diana's pregnant and her gods are forcing her to stay away because of it." Bruce answered.
To say Clark was shocked by this revelation would be a severe understatement. "Pregnant?" He questioned aloud in disbelief. "How?"
"That's what I'm planning to find out." Batman responded, turning and focusing back on the algorithm he'd stopped on the computer.
"How do you know that she's pregnant?" Superman continued to question as he took a seat next to his friend.
"The lab results before she left confirmed it." Batman explained.
He went back to confirming the results of his initial search, and within a few hours, the percentage increased from thirty-seven all the way up to eighty-one percent. At that percentage, combined with his what he saw using his own eyes, he was confident that it was her in the Instagram picture. The next trick was taking the rest of the background and combining it with the coding of the digital picture to confirm exactly where it had been taken.
That process took quite a bit of time, and he had to deal with the interruptions from more League members trying to take their scheduled monitor duty as well. Luckily for him, a mission did finally come in to take the available League members away, and at that time Superman announced that Batman would serve to coordinate the effort while also taking over monitor duty for them until the rest of the team returned. Bruce was thankful for Superman's efforts in keeping the discovery of Diana's pregnancy under wraps until there was more to tell. Hopefully, when he finally located Diana, she'd be the one to explain everything.
He worked tirelessly without pause as he continued searching. The person who'd taken the picture and posted it did well in protecting themselves from discovery. They'd obviously paid attention to all the helpful tips on keeping internet sicko's from being able to track them down, but he was unwavering in his quest, and by nightfall the following day, he'd finally discovered what he was looking for.
Bruce sent the information securely to the Batcave before erasing everything he'd done from the Watchtower logs. He wasn't going to leave anything to chance now that he was so close to finding Diana. The last thing he needed was for someone like Wally to get there first and tip her off. Once he was certain no one would be able to trace his research, he finally unlocked the doors to the Monitor Womb and permitted others to enter for the first time in over twenty-four hours.
As he headed toward the teleporter, he opened a secure channel with his communicator, and made a call to his surrogate father. "Is everything alright sir?" Alfred asked, concern clearly evident in his voice.
"Fine Alfred." Bruce answered. "Have the private jet prepped for take off. We're going on vacation."
"And the destination sir?"
"Tinian Island."
"Welcome back." Bruce softly said as they both climbed back up to a vertical base. "I thought I was too late when I got here. You were barely breathing when I found you."
How long have I been out?" Diana asked.
"Throughout the night, but it could've been worse." Bruce responded. "I thought I was too late when I got here. You were barely breathing when I found you."
Diana heard the hint of fear in Bruce's voice, and stepped a little closer, her arms wrapping around him before Bruce went into the details of how he acquired the samples from the police station and Jim Gordon's involvement. Then he explained Jim's line of questioning. The thing that caught her off guard out of his explanation was how Bruce admitted his feelings for her to Jim. "You….you said you love me?" She questioned, in disbelief.
"Yes." He answered without hesitation.
Diana took a step back from him. She was showing some signs that she was feeling a little out of her comfort zone. but she didn't flee completely, continuing the conversation. "Did you say that to ensure that he would help you?"
"That's one reason, but definitely not the only reason I said it." Bruce explained as he closed the gap that Diana created. He reached out, gently grabbing her on her upper arms as he moved in slowly. "Jim is pretty good at reading when someone is lying to him. I said it because it's true. I love you Diana, and I think I have ever since I first met you."
"No." Diana said as she stood there, seemingly frozen in place. She seemed quite unsure of what to do, but soon she started to respond to his gestures. Her head turned slightly while her arms began to snake up around his neck. He paused a mere inch from her face a waited to see what she chose to do. There was a fleeting moment where he started to think she was going to turn away, but then she closed the remaining distance, pressing her lips gently against his.
At that very moment, he knew that she loved him in return. He could feel it in her kiss. It was incredibly passion filled.
A sudden shake from turbulence woke Bruce from his slumber, and as a result ended the dream he'd apparently been having. Just like the other dream that'd been haunting him whenever he actually allowed himself to sleep, this one also felt incredibly real to him. He wasn't sure what to make of it at first, as it felt like he'd really experienced what was going on in the dream. It felt more like a memory than a dream. His thoughts were interrupted as he felt the next jolt of the jet touching down on the Mariana islands. Bruce had arrived, and was so very close to locating the woman that'd been haunting his dreams ever since she went away.
He wasted little time in locating a small charter plane that would take him between the islands. If by chance he was wrong and couldn't locate her on Tinian, he planned to turn all of the Mariana islands over with a fine tooth comb until he did find her. Tinian was his first stop as it was where she'd actually been caught on camera.
He'd been fortunate that the scenery in the picture Diana was captured in was similar to others posted online. He'd managed to identify a plaque regarding the historic landmark of the north field, and that helped provide the final piece of evidence he needed. The same person who'd managed to capture Diana in the background, also captured the plaque in another picture. He quickly wrote off certain areas such as the atomic bomb pits. They were more tourist attractions than likely destinations she'd be. Diana had likely been on the island for quite some time, and would certainly be laying lown after having become familiar with her surroundings.
Even though the beaches also served as tourist attractions, Bruce didn't completely write them off until he visited each one. He also stopped mid day at J.C.'s café for lunch, which was known as the most popular restaurant on the thirty-nine square mile island. He hadn't seen any signs of her yet, but there was just a feeling deep inside telling him that she was on this island.
Diana sat up a little straighter as she stretched her stiff back muscles. When she first settled onto the island, she wasn't comfortable with just sitting idly by until her baby was born. She had an inherent need to help others, and due to that need shed chose life guarding as the occupation for herself. In the beginning it was enjoyable. She was able to look out for others, and help anyone who ran into trouble. While not the same as her role as Wonder Woman, it was at least something.
However as time went by, and with the child's continued growth, she began to struggle with sitting on the perch out-looking the ocean for extended periods of time. She was also getting extremely close to the baby's assumed due date, and because of that combination she took on much shorter shifts of life guard duty.
She still couldn't believe how fast time seemed to pass. She'd only been gone from Justice League for just over five months, but she'd also remained on Themyscira for a short time as well. It never donned on her until now just how long she'd been pregnant during her time traveling mission. Combining everything together, she'd already been pregnant for over eight months.
She stood up in discomfort, as simply trying to stretch her muscles wasn't doing enough to ease the pain in her back. She was actually glad that this shift was her last until after her child was born. She smiled in appreciation when she spotted her replacement walking up to her. "Good afternoon Diana."
"Hello Alula." Diana responded happily. Alula had quickly become a good friend. She was a sweet girl. Very level headed and friendly. Alula had spent her entire life on the island, and was instrumental in helping Diana to settle in.
Alula gently placed her hand on Diana's stomach as she'd done every day since they'd become friends, and waited patiently until she felt the baby gently kicking at her. Alula smiled. "Your baby continues to find my hand quickly Diana." She said. "It's as if she senses the slightest hint of pressure."
"It would appear so." Diana agreed. "She hasn't missed in almost two months."
"Are you sure you have to go Diana?" Alula asked. "I'm going to miss seeing your smiling face."
"I think it's getting too close to my child's birth, and unfortunately I have to relocate to Saipan." Diana offered. "The hospital is just better suited for child birth there, and I don't want to take any unnecessary risks despite my fondness for you or this island. But after the child is born, I still plan on returning."
"Then I will pray for a healthy child birth, and anxiously await your return." Alula said as she enveloped Diana in a warm embrace.
Diana smiled affectionately as she reluctantly released her friend. She was truly going to miss Alula. The young island native held a soft spot in Diana's heart, and she vowed to herself that she would indeed return to see her friend as soon as she could, but for the time being, she had to get on her way. She had to get to the airport in time to catch her flight.
Even though she could fly herself, as a part of her isolation she felt it was best for her cover to keep both feet on the ground. She didn't want to risk anyone spotting a human flying through the air without some form of technological assistance. Traveling just like others only helped to ensure no one would think Wonder Woman was inhabiting any of the Mariana islands. Especially since she was certain that the world's greatest detective was certainly on the lookout for any leads to track her down.
She knew that he was the least accepting of her "mission" out of all her friends, and he was far too stubborn to expect that he would ever give up seeking her out. She'd even spotted him a couple times early on when she was emptying out her banking accounts at various locations. He never seemed to realize just how close he'd come in catching her. Although there was a very large part of her that'd wished he had found her. She missed her life, her friends, and she missed her Bruce.
Bruce leaned against a wall in the small airport, awaiting the pilot to announce maintenance on the plane was finished. He was frustrated at coming up empty to that point in his search for Diana. He'd been absolutely certain that she'd been staying on Tinian island, and was beginning to wonder if she might've moved on again. Perhaps he thought, in order to comply with her gods mandates, she was forced to continuously move around in order to keep her friends from locating her? No, he immediately dismissed that theory. It would be illogical to keep moving around as that would only heighten the likelihood of her being discovered.
He didn't try to hide his frustration as he looked down to his watch for what felt like the fiftieth time, anxious to get on with his search. But as he looked up from his watch he noticed a tall, raven haired beauty with her back facing him on the opposite side of the small airport. He took in the long, dark tresses of hair. The slender, yet curvy physique. He couldn't believe that he'd missed someone like her. Now having spotted her, it seemed as if she absolutely towered over the rest of the people scurrying about between them. He started to walk toward her as he continued registering her features in his mind. The closer he got to her, the more he was struck by a strange feeling that slowly began to wash over him.
He found that he was consumed by his thoughts of her. In fact, the closer he got to her the more beautiful he suddenly realized she was. Gone were all the questions from his thoughts. His only focus at that moment was getting to her. So consumed was he, that he didn't pay attention to where he was walking, and gained her attention through sheer clumsiness.
Diana turned around upon feeling someone bump into her, and instantly realized who it was. He'd found her. Bruce was looking right at back at her. Thanking Aphrodite, she realized that she'd been freed of her punishment because of Bruce's indomitable will and stubborn nature. Diana smiled, knowing that she could return home again. "Thank the Gods that you found me Bruce." She said.
A/N: Thank you to Brenda992, LOTSlover, CrazyPhenom, Judy, DDLo18, NiCastle, Zellness, Penelope Grace and the guests for all the reviews. You helped keep my motivation high, and I had to pump this chapter out after the last one. We're not done with this story yet, so hold on tight. It's about to get really interesting.