Chapter 29: Wonder Woman Returns
"You will remove yourself from all those who know of the Amazon champion, Wonder Woman, or even just the woman, Diana." Artemis ordered. "You will leave behind both your family on Themyscira, and your friends in the Justice League. None are to know of the child that continues to grow inside your womb. To speak of anything hinting toward this pregnancy or the reason for isolation will bring about immediate and sever consequences, I promise you."
"Why must you be so difficult, Artemis?" Aphrodite questioned in a huff, folding her arms over her chest. "Love is a wondrous emotion, and it should be celebrated, not condemned."
"A moment of weakness in the arms of a man hardly constitutes love." Artemis argued. "She barely even knew the man she bedded, and as such, our champion must accept the consequences of her actions."
"If I might ask, my Goddess Artemis, what would these consequences be, were I to fail adhering to your orders?" Diana asked, wanting to know what options, if any, she might have. She disagreed with Artemis, opinion, and wanted to share the knowledge of their child with Bruce. He deserved to know, and in spite of Artemis' claims, she refused to believe that the Bruce from the altered timeline wasn't the same man as this one. He was in there somewhere, hidden by tragedy and years of training. Plus, regardless of who was correct, he was still the father. That gave him every right to know about their child. If her gods and goddesses felt she deserved to be reprimanded, she would willingly accept any punishment or challenge they decided to put her through if it meant Bruce would be permitted to know.
Artemis leaned forward in her throne, glaring straight through Diana. She could tell immediately that the Amazon princess was already considering defying her judgment, and that only further irritated her. The insolence Diana revealed only further proved how far their champion had fallen by allowing herself to be tainted by a man. She knew that Diana would likely accept any punishment onto herself up to the point of death if it meant she could still do what she believed to be right. And because of that, the punishment had to be at a high enough cost in which Diana wouldn't be able to live with.
It was then that Artemis smiled as she concocted an idea on what Diana's consequence should be. "Should word of that abomination come from you to anyone that knows of you personally, then the child's life will be ripped away from the world, and you will be forced to live with the knowledge that your child will spend an eternity in the pits of Tartarus serving out punishment for defying my order."
Diana's head snapped up, making eye contact with Artemis for the first time since she'd been placed before them. She couldn't believe her goddess would make such a threat. "But the child is innocent." She pleaded, falling to her knees. "It was my actions, my choices. I humbly implore you to punish me instead."
"Be glad that I am being generous enough to allow this child the opportunity to live." Artemis fired back. "It is up to you Diana, to heed my word and remain silent so that the child is allowed to live."
"How long is this sentence to stand for?" Diana asked somberly as her head and shoulders slumped in defeat. She didn't want to accept that she was going to lose everyone she loved as well as all the good she'd done in the name of peace for the world, but knew that she would without hesitation. She already loved the child more than life itself.
"A minimum of ten years I think is just." Artemis answered.
"Absolutely not." Hera intervened. "You cannot expect our champion to refrain from the world for such a vast amount of time. Her initial order of bringing about peace to the world is difficult enough without being removed from it for so long."
"Very well." Artemis conceded while crossing her arms in frustration. "Five years."
"If you wish for our champion to seclude herself from the world for at least five years, there should at least be a means added for early release." Aphrodite said. She didn't care what Artemis believed. She knew that Diana was truly in love with Bruce, and the crime certainly wasn't fitting the punishment in her opinion.
She paused to think for a short moment, considering what would be the best way to help Diana get out of this mess. Her finger tapped lightly against her lips as she focused on those closest in Diana's life, and then it hit her. Bruce. The Batman was the most driven, paranoid, and stubborn mortal the world had seen in centuries. Perhaps ever. He surely could serve as the one to help free her.
Artemis glared at her fellow goddess once she saw Aphrodite's eyes suddenly lighting up. The look of confidence she suddenly revealed said it all. Aphrodite had come up with some way to further undermine her ruling, and a brief glance about the room told her that any suggestion wouldn't be able to be completely shot down unless it was utterly absurd.
"The mortal known as both Bruce Wayne or Batman. Should he confront our champion with knowledge of this pregnancy without Diana failing to adhere to Artemis' orders, then she should be allowed to return to her normal life immediately after child birth." Aphrodite stated, leaning back with a proud smile plastered on her face.
Artemis snarled in anger. The Batman was an extremely clever mortal, and she had to be careful in order keep any form of punishment in place. "Only should he discover that he is the father on his own, will I accept these terms." Artemis said. She figured the discovery of the child might be a distinct possibility. All that would take would be for Diana to be around the one known as Superman long enough. However no one would be able to confirm the father's identity so easily without Diana's revealing it to them.
"She must also leave all others behind in one month's time before her pregnancy becomes noticeable by others."
Diana walked along a corridor within the Watchtower. This was the first time she'd been back aboard the space station since her departure some sixteen months ago. By the time she'd walked out of the teleporter room, she began to think about how this metal structure had been a place she considered home. Though now as she continued walking through it, there seemed to be something foreign about it to her.
It almost felt like the very first time she ventured through the many rooms and corridors years ago. It was an interesting sensation, but she soon moved past it, figuring that she really shouldn't be surprised by such a feeling. After all, she had been gone long enough, and change was a practiced regular occurrence on the Watchtower. When taking that into consideration, she concluded that it would've felt even more odd had everything been precisely the same as when she'd left.
Change was inevitable as technology continued to improve and advance. So she continued on her trek, a journey of rediscovering her home, and becoming curious to see just what all had changed. She wondered if her fellow Watchtower inhabitants might have experienced changes in their lives as well. Perhaps events similar to hers had occurred with any of them while she'd been away? Or might they still the same exact people, right down to their uniforms?
While isolated on Tinian Island, Diana had done her best to keep tabs on her friends through the use of the many media sources available. She'd found that it wasn't too difficult with all the reports coming in covering all the major events around the world. It wasn't enough to ease her worry or miss her friends all any less, but at least she had that much to hold onto.
Unfortunately everything was quiet around her at the current moment. Only the soft echo of her heels clicking on the metal floor could be heard throughout the Watchtower as she continued moving forward. It was because of the hour, she figured. She would likely be the only person awake aside from J'onn. He'd been the one currently performing monitor duty when she made the transport request. She assumed the rest of her teammates were likely on the surface or slumbering in their personal chambers.
She could've arrived a little sooner, but when she'd initially contacted J'onn, she couldn't help but to start up a friendly and time consuming conversation. She didn't try at all to hide how much she'd missed them all when she heard his voice, and J'onn revealed just how much everyone had missed her as well. She wasn't entirely certain, but she thought she even picked up on a hint of emotion coming from the Martian's voice as he regaled her with updates on how things had been in the League while she was gone.
Their conversation then moved over to what she'd been doing while she was away. She delved into how she'd set up a temporary life for herself, but soon she was also telling him how Tinian Island unfortunately also represented a place she'd been virtually forced into. As much as she wanted to deny it, that was the main reason why she could never be completely at peace with remaining there any longer than she had to be. At the end of the day, the Watchtower was still her home, and the Justice League had become her extended family. She'd missed them all dearly. Especially the one who unwittingly managed to help shorten her sentence.
She wondered if by chance Bruce might be aboard the Watchtower at such a late hour. He could be configuring some new device, or testing equipment in the labs. Perhaps after a stop for an iced mocha, she would set about reacquainting herself with the rest of her home, and see if he might be there. She couldn't help but to be anxious to see him again, especially because she hadn't been in his presence since the day he found her and set her free.
"Bruce?" Diana asked in shock once she regained her bearings from almost being bowled over. She felt like a blimp with how much her midsection had ballooned, and couldn't believe someone was blind enough to miss seeing her, even if she had been bent over. She was about to rip them a new one, but that was only until she realized who it was.
Bruce quickly focused on the task at hand, deftly reaching around and placing a tracking device. He wasn't going to lose her this time, and once finished, his eyes drifted to the pregnant belly protruding out just before him. "Diana?" He responded hesitantly. She looked the same, but also somehow different.
"How did you find me?" She asked with an appreciative smile growing on her features.
Bruce opened his mouth, but promptly shut it back tight. He was caught initially off guard and his voice evaded him. But he tried to move past it as the silence between them began to grow noticeable. After a few more seconds of silence, he finally was able to clear his throat and locate his voice again. "Umm, well Diana...You certainly didn't make it easy." He said, instantly feeling lame for such a horrid response.
Diana looked directly into Bruce's eyes. From the tone of his voice, she felt like he seemed surprised to see her. She also quickly noticed how his eyes were wandering about the crowded airport, and never truly making eye contact with her. "Is everything alright Bruce?" She asked, reaching up with a hand, gently placing it upon his jaw.
At Diana's touch, Bruce seemed to snap out of the haze he'd apparently been in. His eyes finally managed to set onto hers, and it was then that she started to sense a hardness as it began to protrude off his features. He took her hand and moved it away from his face, letting go as he became even more rigid in his stance. "You left the League because you're pregnant." He said darkly, stating what was clearly obvious in front of him.
Diana flinched initially. It was the tone of his voice that caught her by surprise. It seemed as if he was all Bat at that moment. Being engaged in his Bat persona at that moment, she wondered if perhaps he'd somehow uncovered the truth. She sincerely hoped that he had. That would also explain the harshness in the tone he'd just sent her way. She opened her mouth to respond, but he quickly jumped on the small movement of her mouth before she could speak.
"Lab results confirmed what's more than obvious now." He said, gesturing with a hand to her midsection. "I know almost everything I need to. The only remaining question is why. Why would your gods order you to leave the Justice League behind for multiple years? After seeing the evidence, I thought perhaps one of those meddlesome pests parading around as gods might've been the father. But that was only until I had an audience with your mother."
"You went to Themyscira?" Diana asked in shock. Bruce was more than aware of Amazon laws, and if he was being honest with her, he'd knowingly broken one of the most sacred.
"I ran out of other legitimate options in locating you." Bruce revealed. "At the time, it seemed like the only viable place to continue searching, but that's of little importance considering the testy conversation I had with your mother."
"What would you expect?" Diana heatedly asked. "You knowingly broke my people's laws. You're lucky she didn't order for your..."
"Her anger or the rest of your people's response toward me wasn't what I was referring to." Bruce interrupted. He moved in close, his mouth right next to her ear as he continued in a growling whisper. "According to your mother, I'm the one that defiled you. I'm the reason you're being punished."
Bruce paused as he stepped back, and Diana could almost feel the anger as it emanated from him, and he continued in a threateningly low voice. "But I've never slept with you. So that could only mean you slept with the Bruce of the altered timeline. And with you being the only constant between the two timelines, somehow the baby was able to transition from that altered timeline with you when everything was corrected. That also means I'm still the father even though I had nothing to do with the conception."
He'd done it! He'd discovered that he was the father of the baby, and because of his discovery, that meant as soon as the baby was born she could return home. She was overjoyed in spite of Bruce's obvious anger toward her, but when she saw the look on his face, that joy quickly dissippated. "I'm so sorry Bruce." She offered, stepping closer to him as an offer of comfort. "I can explain."
"Save it." Bruce barked, pulling further away from her.
Diana immediately concluded that he seemed to be more than just angry with her. He actually seemed filled with hate pointed toward her, and that deduction was breaking Diana's heart. All she'd wanted to do was confess to him that she was carrying his baby, and because of Artemis' order she couldn't without costing the baby its life. "You have to understand Bruce..." Diana tried to explain again only to be interrupted by him again.
"When are you able to return to the League?"
"Because you discovered that you are the father, I am now permitted to return once the child is born instead of the original five years." Diana answered. She looked into his eyes, searching for any sense of understanding from him, but finding none.
"I'll be sure to inform the League." Bruce said before he spun on his heel and walked away.
Diana was absolutely shocked by Bruce's words and abrupt departure. Had she not been an Amazon, she may well have crumpled and fallen to pieces. Her heart shattered thanks to the response she received from the man she loved wholeheartedly. Even being an Amazon, she wasn't able to stop a single tear from escaping her composure as it trailed down her cheek before she wiped it away.
She'd been lost in her thoughts, and didn't realize that she'd absentmindedly wandered into the commissary. Being mentally on autopilot, she was glad to find that at least the iced coffee maker was in the same location. One of her few guilty pleasures, she didn't resist making herself an iced mocha as she reflected on her thoughts.
The last memory with Bruce now caused her to toss away the idea of seeking him out immediately. She wasn't about to walk right into heartache again as the first thing she did since her return, and instead gave thought to traveling up to the Monitor Womb to see J'onn. But to her surprise, Superman thankfully came strolling into the commissary, his unexpected presence bringing a friendly smile to her face.
"Diana?" He asked in surprise before suddenly making a bee line over to her and enveloping her in a smothering bear hug. "We've missed you like crazy."
Her smile grew as she returned the warm embrace to her valued friend. "I've missed you all too Kal. I'm glad to be back."
"We're glad to have you back." Superman responded as they each stepped back from the embrace. He looked around her for a moment before transitioning to the thought that went through his mind. "So, when do we get to meet the little one?"
"Soon." She answered happily. It was nice to see someone so anxious to meet her child. "I'd like to get settled back in before Alessandra comes aboard the space station."
"That's a beautiful name." Superman responded. "And I'm sure she's already just as beautiful as her mother."
"She's more beautiful than I could imagine before, Kal." Diana replied lovingly. "Her grandmother and aunts have done nothing but swoon over her ever since I returned to Themyscira."
Superman paused for a moment, glancing over to a nearby wall before smiling again. "Well, Flash should be coming through any second now."
"I didn't think he had Monitor Duty this early in the morning." Diana commented.
"He doesn't." Superman answered simply, but quickly noticed the questioning look on his friend's face. "Sorry Di, I have to remind myself that you've been gone for so long. We changed the time for our weekly meeting. We found that it's typically quieter on the surface at this time of day. Plus when the meeting ends, it also gives everyone with established secret identities a chance to grab a bite to eat before heading to work."
"What of the other members?" Diana asked as she followed Superman out of the commissary.
"Shayera and J'onn voted in favor as well." He answered.
Diana opened her mouth to ask for more details, but they were interrupted by the shouting down the hall from one scarlet speedster who'd just spotted her. She didn't have time to brace for the impact as Wally assaulted her with a loving, high speed hug before he began rattling off random topics faster than she was able to comprehend. It took Superman yelling his name three times before the Flash finally realized what he was doing, and he put on the brakes while revealing a sheepish look as he released Diana from the hug. "Sorry Supes." He said contritely. "Sorry Di. It's just so great to see you, and its great to hear good news around here again."
"What do you mean Flash?" Diana asked in confusion.
"We'll discuss that in more detail after the meeting." Superman quickly answered for Flash while shooting him a stern look.
Wally picked up on it, and quickly zipped his lips. He then leaned in for another brief hug, and changed topics to his need for caffeine before streaking away in a red blur. Still confused, Diana gave Kal a questioning look in the hopes that he'd elaborate on what Wally was talking about, but she noticed he seemed to now only focus on not making eye contact with her. He appeared extremely interested in making his way to the conference room as quickly as possible too.
If Diana wanted to get any more clarity from him, she was going to have to follow him and pull him to the side before everyone else arrived. Past experience told her that with Wally already being aboard the Watchtower, that had to mean the meeting was getting very close to its expected start time.
However, upon catching up to Kal as they walked into the meeting room, Diana stopped in her tracks. She immediately noticed something was off about the room. She couldn't quite place what it was that had thrown her at first, but she knew there was something very different in the conference room than she recalled. She quickly looked over every detail to discover what it was. The windows, the monitors, the table. Everything looked the same, but then she saw it as Kal took his seat. There was a chair missing.
Making a joke about them not anticipating her return crossed her mind, but before she started to speak, Shayera and Green Lantern walked in, turning her attention to them.
Shayera was in the middle of a yawn, stretching her arms and wings outward before she noticed the other female Leaguer standing in the room with them once again. She offered a tired and warm smile to Diana, but was obviously not yet awake enough to engage in any full fledged conversation. There would be time for that after some coffee was in her system.
Meanwhile John Stewart paused once he noticed his old comrade, and he offered a simple nod before taking his seat next to Shayera, leaving three remaining seats and four League members, should the part time member choose to make an appearance.
Diana couldn't help but to think back again to his behavior at the Tinian Island airport. Despite his heated anger then, Diana was still hopeful that he would be there. She hoped that time would've cooled his temper toward her. They had a great deal still to discuss, and he had a daughter to officially meet.
Soon J'onn was next to arrive as he phased through the floor and Flash followed shortly after, speeding in through the entrance. By the time Diana even registered the last two occupants in the room, everyone else was already seated leaving one final chair available.
"C'mon Di, join us at the table so Supes can get this meeting started." Flash energetically said to her as he pointed over to the lone empty seat.
Diana glanced around the table at each of the League members present, the obvious question etched firmly onto her face. Flash, being the fastest man alive reacted first to it. His smile quickly disappeared and he dropped his eyes to the table. Shayera slid further down into her chair, trying to appear relaxed yet failing to do so. Green Lantern sat there rigidly, appearing to not reveal there was anything in need of questioning. J'onn was his normal stoic self, and Kal seemed only focused on getting the meeting started. Though he did give Diana a kind look saying he would answer her question as soon as he could.
Somewhat deflated, Diana slowly trudged over to her seat. She was confused, but not wanting to interfere with protocol just because she'd apparently been out of the loop. Once she was seated, Superman opened up the meeting. "I'm sure it comes as no surprise that Diana's finally returned to us." He said. "I'd like to officially welcome you back, first and foremost."
Some applause erupted around the table combined with random heroes chiming in with messages of their happiness of her return, but what started to catch her off guard was how no one was bringing up her child or the fact that she'd been pregnant with Bruce's child. She started to wonder if Bruce was so secretive of his private life that he would've kept their child a secret from the group. The possibility of something so absurd was enough to evoke some anger inside her. Their child was a beautiful creation of life, and even though this version of him may not have any memory of the conception, her birth should be celebrated instead of hidden in secrecy.
Thoughts along those lines continued to infiltrate her mind in spite of her best intentions to keep them at bay until she could speak with him. She tried to pay attention to the meeting, but regardless of how hard she tried, she just couldn't focus on anything except the question of why Bruce would keep their daughter a secret. She became filled with more confusion and anger toward him after each passing second, and soon even J'onn began to sense her demeanor.
I sense a great deal of confusion coming from you Diana. J'onn communicated telepathically. Is there something I can help you with?
I'm sorry J'onn. Diana apologized. I just don't understand. Where is Bruce? Why does no one seem to know that we have a child together? Also, I informed everyone that I would be gone for multiple years. Why isn't anyone asking for the reason behind my early return?
Batman only informed the rest of us that you would be returning within the year. J'onn conceded. As far as Batman's lack of attendance this morning, there are certain changes which Superman intends to discuss with you after the meeting.
Changes? Diana questioned as her concern began to grow. What kind of changes?
J'onn hesitated for a moment, but then felt considerably more confusion from Diana before he finally relented and explained. Batman recently chose to resign as a part time member of the Justice League. He cited life changes and the need to focus solely on the protection of Gotham.
But he's the one who found me J'onn. Diana pointed out. If not for Bruce, I wouldn't have been able to be here right now. I was granted an early return from my goddess' orders because of Bruce discovering that I was pregnant and he is the father.
J'onn's eyes widened in surprise upon Diana's comments. The shock causing him to accidently break the telepathic connection between them. He too was curious, but for slightly different reasons than his Amazon friend as to Bruce's reasoning behind staying quiet with such news. However neither of them had the chance to continue their conversation, as Superman's voice snapped them to the realization that the meeting was close to its end.
"Well, if no one has anything more to add... I think we're..."
"I have something to add, Kal." Diana interrupted. Everyone's focus quickly turned onto the Amazon princess. Not to be deterred in her gumption, she took in a mind clearing breath and stood to her feet, leaning over the table with the palms of her hand placed firmly upon it. "It appears that you've all been left in the dark as to the reasoning behind my early return."
Everyone around the table listened intently as Diana detailed the story of Bruce locating her, and his discovery permitting her to return early. She wanted to focus on Bruce's resignation, but soon the main topic of interest was their baby. Flash was more interested in who would get to babysit the little bundle of joy, and that brought about the next question.
"Wait, where is the baby?" Shayera asked.
"My mother, while disappointed that the baby and I will not be staying permanently on Themyscira, still happily volunteered to look after her grandchild until I've settled in to a home of my own in Man's World."
"If the baby's on Themyscira, that means it HAS to be a girl." Flash teased.
"Regardless of if the baby had been a boy or girl, I'm certain my mother would have loved the child equally and offered the same regardless." Diana replied in annoyance, and waited until she was certain he was done joking before she turned back to the topic at hand. "Obviously its too dangerous for the baby to live here on the Watchtower, and as a result of Bruce's behavior when he located me, I had little choice but to keep Alessandra where she would be safest."
At that point in time, the conference room fell into a deep and distinct silence. It almost felt like there wasn't a single person even breathing, nor their hearts beating. Diana had never experienced such a resounding silence before, and it was honestly an unnerving experience. It felt like an eternity, but after a couple of minutes, someone finally managed to break the spell to end the awkward silence.
"I still don't understand. Bruce is the father?" Clark asked in bewilderment. "H...How?"
"I'd rather not get into the details of it, and I can't completely fault his actions until I've had a chance to speak with him again." Diana replied, which only brought about a slew of more questions in rapid succession. How's, when's, and why's were asked from a litany of directions before J'onn stepped in and returned the room to a semblance of order.
Many emotions could be felt as teammates reluctantly accepted the meeting's end and made their exits. They reluctantly complied with J'onn's suggestion to not bombard Diana after she'd only just returned. She was thankful for his assistance in calming the situation, and understood that everyone had their questions. But she had questions of her own, and those questions required answers before she could even begin to settle back into her life as an active Justice League member.
Soon only Kal, J'onn, and Diana were left in the conference room. Her Martian friend engaged the door locks to provide the three of them with some added privacy.
"I still don't understand how Bruce wouldn't wanted to be there every step of the way." Kal said. "You'd think he would've. I know he seems heartless at times, but this is his child we're talking about."
"That's because it wasn't Bruce's actions." Diana tried to explain. "I need to find him and try to talk to him about this. He was technically involved in Alessandra's creation, but at the same time he also wasn't."
Superman's brow furrowed, puzzled by her response.
"He has no memory of being intimate with you." J'onn quickly deduced, and upon Diana's nod of affirmation, Superman became even more flummoxed.
"It was during my mission in an altered timeline prior to my having been forced into leaving the League all those months ago." Diana stated. "Somehow even though the timeline was corrected, Alessandra was able to survive. Bruce guessed it had something to do with me."
"Because you were a constant in both timelines." J'onn guessed.
"That's the only thing that can remotely explain it." Diana confirmed before focusing on gathering her own answers. "I was hoping to find Bruce here. Do either of you know why he actually resigned?"
"No." Both men answered in tandem before Clark somberly offered more to his answer.
"Bruce spent most of his time couped up in his cave after you left. He scoured over every clue he could find, and even did things like chasing Flash from the Monitor Womb when he believed he'd located you. The last time he came back from looking for you, he said that you'd be back within a year. Then he started to act differently. He never confirmed if he'd actually located you or not, but we figured he did because he stopped looking. That's also when he started coming aboard the Watchtower regularly. More often than he did before you left. It was like clockwork, but that too only lasted for a couple of months."
"During that time, he also seemed to be content around others. Smiling more often and even being jovial at times." J'onn added. "Flash termed it as him being scarily nice."
Now it was Diana who was confused. A happy and smiling Batman would throw off just about anyone who knew him. "I don't understand." She said. "If Bruce was here like clockwork and seemed happy to be here, then why would he resign?"
Superman turned an unsure stare to J'onn, and that only served to agitate Diana. She wasn't some child in need of protection. She was an Amazon in search of answers, and a mother looking to get back in touch the father of her child.
J'onn seemed to notice her growing aggravation, and nodded to Superman before beginning to type onto a virtual keyboard at his seat. "Two weeks ago, Batman made this announcement via secure video conference. As it was a portion of the weekly meeting, it was vetted into the system archives automatically." He explained as a screen came to life revealing a cowl covered face.
"With the topic being the annual League budget, I have something to add." Batman said. "Recently, I've spent a considerable amount of time establishing a strong portfolio to help the League in becoming a more financially independent organization. It should create more than enough revenue to keep the Watchtower functioning at optimum capacity for many years if handled responsibly, but I'd also suggest that you continue to seek out donations in order to help compensate for any unforeseen expenses."
"I've also done all this to help in separating the League from being so dependent on Wayne Enterprises for financial backing. This is in part due to some recent developments that are taking more of my free time away. As a result, I had to reevaluate my time and remove some unnecessary activities such as my continually having to hide line items in the Wayne Enterprises R&D Budget to support the League."
"If you choose to approach Wayne Enterprises, I can assure you that the company will still provide some funding, but it has to become a more publicly known investment from this point on."
The recording image, as designed, flipped onto Superman as he was the next to speak. "I'm sure we all can understand that request. You've been more than generous in finding inventive ways to help fund the League. What kind of a presentation would you need in order to ensure that Wayne Enterprises will publicly support us?"
"The same as any other company you want to approach Clark." Bruce answered. "In order for Bruce Wayne to advocate his desire to officially begin sponsoring the League, there has to be a believable pitch presented in front of him as well as to the rest of the board members."
"I'm surprised you really need this dog and pony show to approve the funding from your company. What with being a member of us and all." Shayera commented.
"That's because as of the end of this meeting, Batman is no longer going to be a member of the Justice League in any capacity." Batman replied.
Everyone in the room audibly gasped upon hearing the impromptu resignation. J'onn was the first to come out of the shock and form a verbal response. "But why Batman?"
"I've already stated my reasoning." Batman answered.
"So you're saying that being a member of the Justice League is an unnecessary time consuming activity?" Green Lantern asked, insulted by the insinuation. "You helped start the League! How can you honestly believe being a member is a hindrance of your precious time?"
"What the Justice League does is incredibly important to the world, John. Make no mistake." Batman said. "I've taken care of the largest part that I played as a member of the League, and helped to ensure that everything can continue to operate as expected. Besides, I was only a part time member any way, and there are a number of other heroes throughout the world that can offer more for the League than I can. Especially considering how my time is only becoming more restrictive. I'd like to close by saying that it's been an honor serving with you all, but change is inevitable. And because of change, I can't continue in the capacity I have been any longer."
A/N: I'm just going to duck behind this wall here to avoid any things about to be flung at me lol. It's not over yet, I promise!