Important Author's Note: I took a quick look at my chapter statistics earlier, and it looks like a lot of you are skipping over chapter 7. Probably my fault for posting 7 and 8 within such a short amount of time. So if I were you, I'd make sure to go back and catch 7- it's pretty important as far as exposition goes.
When Wonder Woman and Batman reappeared in the command room of the Watchtower, J'onn had already taken the liberty of preparing a crash cart and gurney. A medic lifted Batman onto the gurney and began rushing toward the sickbay, J'onn and Diana in tow. As soon as they'd reached the infirmary, J'onn unlocked the door of one of the private rooms and blacked out the windows. He dismissed the medic, and removed Batman's mask, carefully lifting him onto the bed where he could better examine the unconscious body. Bruce continued to stir feverishly, hampering J'onn's attempts to draw blood.
"My initial scans show most troublesome signs." The Martian began quietly. "Lacerations on the torso and forearms, punctures from multiple injections to the neck, small amounts of water in the lungs, and some severe electrical burns. I assume that I do not need to explain what this must mean?"
"He was tortured?" Diana whispered, a chill running down her spine.
"Quite severely." J'onn continued. "A lesser man would most likely have died from sheer strain. But what troubles me the most is the sample of his blood. Given the concentration of toxins in his blood, he would have been nearly incapable of speaking at all, never mind providing information."
"But.. Why would anybody do this if not for information?" Diana said, mortified.
"I cannot say. But it stands to reason that we are dealing with a deeply troubled and sadistic individual... I can scarcely imagine the sort of monster who would be capable of inflicting such suffering without reason."
"Will he be alright, though? He will get better, won't he?"
J'onn stared pensively for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "I... Cannot say. His body can be repaired easily enough. I will have him placed on dialysis to remove the chemicals without risking damage to his kidneys. He should recover within several days. His mind however... He has been through severe trauma. Serious damage has been done. How much, I cannot say until I have further probed his mind."
Diana paused for a moment, chewing over the implications of what he was saying. "You mean... He might not...?" She cut herself off in mid-sentence, unable to voice the rest of the thought."
"I am afraid that it is a very real possibility."
"If that's what's at stake, then I want to come with you. Into his mind."
J'onn took a moment to pore over her request. "I am not sure that Batman would appreciate that."
"That doesn't matter right now." She said, pacing the room. "If there's even the slightest chance that I can help, then I'm going."
"Very well." J'onn placed one hand on Bruce's forehead, and the other on Diana's. "But I warn you, it is impossible to predict what we may find. It would be wise to prepare yourself carefully. We shall proceed as soon as you are ready."
Diana took a steadying breath and nodded firmly. "I'm ready."
J'onn's eyes glowed a brilliant orange for a moment; Diana felt the odd sensation of flying through an incredibly bright tunnel. Then, there was a sudden darkness, and they fell to the ground. Diana gasped in horror at their new surroundings.
She could see several of Gotham's distinctive landmarks, but most of the city had been destroyed beyond all recognition. Several of the buildings had been completely leveled, and those that remained were burning ferociously Thick fog prevented them from seeing more than a few feet ahead, and tortured screaming could be heard from all directions, punctuated by the occasional bout of mad laughter.
"Hera..." Diana muttered, taking in the scene. "Is this...?"
"The inner workings of Bruce Wayne's mind." J'onn said grimly. "We had best press onward. This way." He flew forward, watching for any sign of life. Diana followed suit, still in awe of her new surroundings.
"J'onn, look!" Just a few yards away, she could see a mass of red on the ground. She made to approach it, but J'onn stuck an arm out to stop her.
"We must proceed with caution here. Not everything is as it should be here."
Diana nodded in understanding and proceeded forward. As the mass came into view, she received yet another unpleasant shock. "J'onn, it's Flash!" The Flash's body lay on the ground, crumpled in an awkward position, his eyes wide open, clearly dead from a single gunshot to the chest.
"Remember, Diana; it's only an illusion." The Martian said comfortingly. "As unsettling as it is, it is not real. But we are getting closer. I can sense it."
Diana closed the Flash's eyes and began to move forward again, still reeling at what she was seeing. "J'onn... This isn't what his mind is like all the time, is it?"
"To some degree. The toxins in his blood are no doubt responsible for a large amount of the damage here. However, as the gas is designed to feed of off one's inherent fears, it is difficult, if not impossible, to say how much."
As they forged onwards, more bodies appeared out of the fog; the rest of the founding Justice League members, Zatanna the Magician, Alfred, Robin, Nightwing, and an old woman that Diana didn't recognize. Finally, Diana found herself standing over her own body.
"Too weird..."
"We are close. Very close... There!" John pointed ahead to a narrow alley, where Diana could just barely make out a huddled form, larger than any of the bodies that they had come across so far. "You go ahead." J'onn said, gesturing toward the mysterious form.
Diana's nerves mounted as she drew closer; something was terribly wrong. As the form came into view, she could see that it was not one body, but three. "Oh no..."
At the bottom of the pile was a tall, finely-dressed man with graying hair and a handlebar mustache. Draped over his chest was a petite woman, wearing a black gown and a broken string of pearls around her neck. Crouched over the two, and drenched in their blood, was a young boy; by Diana's estimate, he couldn't have been more than ten years old. "Bruce?" Diana asked cautiously. The boy didn't answer. "Bruce, is that you?" She placed a hand on his shoulder.
The boy slowly turned around. As he did, Diana saw that tears were running down his face, and he was shaking in fear.
"They all leave. Nobody stays." The boy said sadly, his voice breaking.
Diana couldn't think of anything to say, so she simply hugged him tightly, rubbing his back comfortingly. "It's alright, Bruce. You aren't alone." She murmured, pity filling her heart. She gently lifted him in her arms, continuing to mutter soothingly until his sobbing ebbed away and he fell into a restful sleep. She carried the unconscious body back to the mouth of the alleyway where J'onn was waiting. The Martian nodded approvingly, and his eyes glowed orange once again.
When Diana opened her eyes, she was in the Watchtower once again. Bruce was still drenched in sweat, but he was no longer stirring. "Did it work?"
"I certainly hope so." J'onn said, examining Bruce again. "I believe that we have done what we can. The rest is up to him now." He paused at the doorway. "However, given the circumstances, a bit of company couldn't hurt." He gave her a knowing look. "If you would be so kind, you might stay with him for a while?"
Diana smiled weakly. "Of course, J'onn."
"Good. I shall be back in several hours to check on his condition. In the meantime, I would suggest that you both get some rest." He left the room, flipping off the lights as he went.
Diana yawned broadly, reaching for the supply cabinet. She retrieved several spare pillows and blankets. She lifted one of the blankets over Bruce, relief flooding over her as his shivering subsided slightly. She wheeled the gurney up against the bed and placed the spare pillows and blankets on it, creating a makeshift bed for herself. Settling in for a long night, she climbed into the bed and grabbed Bruce's hand, squeezing rhythmically until she too fell into a deep sleep.
Author's Note: Holy sentence fragments, Batman! Just one more chapter for the list of future edits. I think I caught enough of the bigger errors, so I'll let it slide for now. Now, for a word about the future. I've had an inspiration for a new story arc; I just need a bit of time to flesh it out. It could take a couple days, which works out pretty well, because my class schedule may not allow me to post for a few days anyway. Should I have time to write in the next few days, I'll probably put out a few 'filler' chapters to flesh out characters a bit more. But I'll play it by ear for a bit.
Unleash the Shadow: Nuuuu indeed, nuuuu indeed. But Batman's tough, he'll pull through in the end.