A/N: I don't own any members of the Justice League. They belong to Cartoon Network, Marvel, and DC Comics. I do, however, own Taipana.

Chapter 6: Idiotic Decisions

"You lied," Batman seethed coldly at Taipana, who just looked at him oddly.

"What? What are you talking about? We don't have time for this. We have to go now," she urged exasperatedly, hands on her waist.

"You're right, we do. We have to go back to the Tower, and you have to go back to Arkham," he replied. Green Arrow and Shayera looked between the two, slack jawed at his words. Taipana looked at him in confusion, then sighed quietly in realization with her head hung low.

"Um, what's going on," Green Arrow asked, effectively breaking the silence that had fallen over all of them.

"Superman just contacted me," Batman announced, eyes boring into Taipana. "He told me some things that you failed to mention, Taipana."

""Failed to mention?" Failed to mention, what," he questioned again, his head moving as if he was watching a tennis game.

"That she's been living in the lap of luxury, rich as can be, and working for the Scarecrow, in Gotham, again," Batman explained. Green Arrow and Shayera turned from Batman to gawk at Taipana.

"You don't understand the situation, Bruce," she said quietly.

"I understand perfectly. You lied to me, Kendra. You lied to me, and to the others," he shouted, striding over to her.

"I didn't lie," she insisted. "I told you I was clean and needed help, which I do, and –"

"You've been killing people, Kendra," he cut off, and silence fell between them again as Taipana realized he knew everything. "You've been killing people, for HIM!"

"No! No," she argued, poking him in his broad chest. "I only kill the people that deserve it: drug lords, rapists, murderers – you know who I'm talking about! I kill the evil underbelly of Gotham. The marks he gives me that don't deserve to die, I don't kill. I fake their deaths, and he doesn't know any better."

"So you save people," Green Arrow questioned in confusion from the whole conversation.

"On good days," she replied dryly, scowling at Bruce.

"And, if you kill people for a living, why don't you carry any weapons," he questioned. The masker archer thought for sure if the situation became even more perplexing, would be scratching his head.

"I am the weapon," she said with a small smirk. "I don't kill unless completely necessary."

"Are you saying you're not dangerous and violent," Shayera asked, arms crossed.

"Absolutely I am," she stated, saying that she was indeed both things, and Shayera nodded, her curiosity satisfied.

"You were supposed to stay out of trouble," Batman said firmly.

"Don't tell me you're my very own private probation officer? How often would you like me to check in," she asked with a smirk.

"Why," he asked quietly, still in shock from the news. "Why'd you do it?"

"You, of all people have the gall to ask me that," she shouted at him, shocking even him into silence. "You ruined my life! You sent me to prison! I was willing to give you any life that you wanted, just to keep you out of mine!"

He knew what she meant by that. By her making parole and him in the League, no one was around to take care of Gotham, so she took up the cowl again and did it for him, so he could save the planet and be with others like him. It didn't really matter that he was still anti-social with most of them.

"I was just trying to stay alive, Bruce," she said quietly, and he wasn't sure if he could believe her sincerity.

"There's a difference between staying alive and living," he told her wisely, making her scoff. "You're a murderer, Kendra! You've killed innocent people!"

"So, the same criminals that you've put in jail, the real evil of the city, they're innocent now," she asked furiously, staring at him. "You may not kill them, but you sure don't save them either! Just face the facts, Bruce. You got nothing on me!"

"You seem to have me confused with the police, Kendra. I want information, and I'll get it anyway I please! Whose Scarecrow's boss? He's certainly not smart enough to run this operation with just you."

"You want information, watch the News! And stop calling me Kendra!"

"I'll call you whatever I want. Right now, I'm thinking of calling in the cavalry to ship you off to Arkham." With that, he grabbed her arm and pulled her aside, away from the other two heroes.

"Are you confused," Green Arrow questioned Shayera.

"I'm really not," she replied.

"As long as one of isn't," he commented, watching the black clad heroes across the roof.

"Don't you get it, Bruce? With the splicing drug, we could have fought back against all of the scum of the city. We could have made our own order," she said enthusiastically.

"I was born to fight your brand of order," he remarked, making her sigh. "Why did you lie to me? You could have come to me. I could have helped you."

"That's just it, Bruce. I didn't want your help, not after last time. Do you know how hard this was for me? Coming to you for help? You don't even know."

"I have a pretty good idea."

"Liar! You don't understand. I have to be the best there is, no matter what it takes!" Batman was astounded by how desperate she sounded, even concerned, but he brushed it aside nonetheless. He couldn't let this get personal, not again.

"Defeat can be more instructive than victory."

"What, did you're ninja friend teach you that," she scoffed, crossing her arms.

"What, did taking the splicing drugs make you even more crazy than you already are," he retorted with a barely noticeable smirk.

"I can't change what I am, Bruce! What do you want from me," she shouted in more desperation.

"All I want is for you to disappear," he shouted loud enough for the other two to hear, who stared at him in shock. Taipana paled a bit and nodded slowly.

"Okay. Okay," she conceded. "But just remember the old saying: "Be careful what you wish for."" The two just stared at one another for a long time before Batman sighed quietly.

"You can stay here if you want, but you're not coming with us," he stated firmly. Taipana was confused. Was he letting her go?

"No longer welcome," she asked, feigning curiously, knowing the answer.

"Exactly," he replied before walking over to Green Arrow and Shayera, Taipana close behind. "J'ohn, prep the teleporter for three," he said in his earpiece.

"Two," Shayera announced firmly, making the men stare at her in confusion while Taipana looked a little grateful. "I don't care about the history you two have, but there's still something to be done here," she stated, walking over toward the now stunned Taipana. "I'm not going to leave her alone to do this job, even if you will," she said pointedly to Batman, who glared at her. Green Arrow, for what seemed like the hundredth time that night, just looked dumbfounded.

"Prep the teleporter for two, J'ohn," Batman said quietly and the two men were soon teleported out of sight.

P.S.: Four pages total.