Chapter 2

Thank you so much for the reviews guys. I really appreciate it. (Obviously) chapter 2 is up! I'll try to get the next few chapters up ASAP but work is starting to stress me out. Oh well, gotta push through it right?

This chapter will be more on Batman's side of things as to what he does with the other visitors to try and rehabilitate them.

Again, I don't own these characters.

The Present

Bruce walked into Belle Reve Penitentiary quietly. Once the prison that held the world's worst criminals and super villains (besides his own Rogues Gallery), it was now almost empty because most of the villains had either joined Superman's Regime or been killed. Now, all it held within it's walls were the fallen Justice League members and some of the villains who had joined the Regime.

Moving silently through the prison's hallways, Batman opened a door and saw the Belle Reve's warden, Aaron Cash. Cash was once a former guard in Arkham Asylum but had decided to move underground in order to secretly help in Batman's Insurgency. After the super heroes of Prime Earth came and helped end the One Earth Regime, Batman had offered Cash a new job that payed well and allowed him to return to the surface. Walking over to Cash, the two men shook hands and turned to face a wall with several monitors attached to it.

"Anything new happened since I've been gone?" inquired Batman.

"Not really, although Bane has begun to show withdrawal symptoms from his time away from Venom," answered Cash. "Despite what he did though, I gotta feel sorry for the bloke. He's been sitting" Cash points to the monitor which shows Bane's cell, "in that corner for the past week. He refuses to eat despite our efforts to help the poor bastard."

"He'll be fine in another two weeks. Until then, try to force his food down his throat if you have to. I'm not in the mood to tell the new President that one of our inmates has died of neglect," said Batman.

"Right you are Bats," muttered Cash.

"What else have you got for me?"

"Hold on let me check." Cash started to comb through some files of the past month's inmate activity. Finally he stopped at one file. "Here we are. The Flash has decided that he's ready to return to the real world, help rebuild," he said.

Not looking away from the screens in front of him, Batman said, "Good. Have your guards on standby, I'll go talk to him soon to explain the conditions of his release."

"Ok then," replied Cash. "Oh, and another thing, Wonder Woman's been asking for you." At this, Batman's eyes quickly darted to where Cash was standing, then he turned and asked, "What did she want with me?"

"No idea, all she said is that she wants to talk to you about some stuff," answered Cash.

Batman thought for a moment. What would she want with me now? Making his way to the room's exit, Batman opened the door but not before thanking Cash for his time.

His first interview was with Barry. During the final days of Superman's Regime, the Flash had turned against them and helped the Prime Earth Justice League and Batman's Insurgency defeat Superman and bring down his government. Despite his aid however, Barry decided to turn himself in because he couldn't forgive himself for what he had done in the past. His decision to help rebuild the planet was a sign that he had forgiven himself and was ready to join Bruce in rebuilding their home.

As Barry walked into the interrogation room, Batman noticed that he had grown a beard since the last time he saw him. His eyes still had bags hanging under them but his face looked fuller. "Hello Flash," Batman said as Barry sat down.

"Hey Bruce," He wearily replied. There was a brief moment of silence before Bruce decided to break the silence.

"So you've decided to get out. Good, I've been trying to release you for over 3 months now."

"I know, but I felt that I wasn't ready to just put the past behind me and move on." Barry thought for a second before a multitude of questions poured out of him. "Is Iris okay? How's Wally? Is Central City still standing? What about-"

"Easy, Flash," Bruce interrupted. "Don't worry they're all fine except..."

"Except who?" It was Barry's turn to cut Bruce off. Bruce hesitated for a moment.

"Jay Garrick passed away three days ago," he quietly said.

"What?" was all Barry could say.

"Jay died in his sleep three days ago while on holiday in Vanuatu with his wife. Iris thought it best if they waited for you to come back before they buried him." If Barry could sink any deeper into his chair he'd have to phase through it. Tears began streaming down his face and into his shaggy blonde beard. Bruce let him mourn in peace for a few minutes before he continued. "Iris will be here to pick you up tomorrow and the funeral will be held the day after that. Go back to your room now and shave. We both know how much your wife hates facial hair."

Barry slightly grinned at that as he stood up and headed for the door. But as he got past Batman, he stuck his hand out. "Thanks for not giving up on me Bruce," he said.

"You would do the same for me Barry," replied Bruce as the two men shook hands.

Later...

The interviews with the other former heroes didn't go as well as Barry's unfortunately. Hal spent the whole time crying as Batman told him that the Guardians had forbidden him from seeing his old friends. Although after what Superman had done when the Green Lanterns had invaded Earth to arrest the Kryptonian, most of them were dead and it was Hal's own fault that John had been killed by Sinestro. Raven refused to even talk to Batman as all she did was try to break free from her power dampening cuffs. Vic however, was the worst of them. He spent the whole time rambling about how much he enjoyed torturing his former friends and spoke unrepeatable things. Batman had to subdue the Cyborg (albeit very painfully) and dragged him back to his cell before unceremoniously dumping him on the floor.

Batman had tried to rehabilitate some of the villains but most of them were uncooperative. Bane was the only one not threatening him and instead pleaded with the Dark Knight to give him some Venom. By the time the last inmate was called in Bruce was suffering from a mild headache and was feeling very grumpy.

As Wonder Woman entered the interrogation room Bruce couldn't help but stare at her silky black locks, which hang down the length of her back. Noticing Bruce's dazed look, Diana decided to have some fun. "Enjoying the view?" she asked.

Realising he had been caught, Bruce's face went back into it's usual stone cold look. "How's your cell?" was all he could say.

Diana shrugged as she sat down. "The food could be better I guess."

"I can't do anything about that. You are in a prison, after all."

Diana smiled. "I thought you were a billionaire who has so much money he doesn't know what to do with it," she teased. But Bruce wasn't buying her sudden warm demeanor towards him.

"I know what to do with my money, and I'm not going to spend it on making sure criminals get a good feed," he coldly replied. Diana's face fell at that and turned into a face that matched Bruce's.

"For the last time Bruce, we're not criminals," she said as warmly as she could, despite the fact that her blood was starting to boil.

"Killing in the name of Superman is being a criminal," Bruce said as his piercing eyes looked Diana up and down.

"The world was on the brink of turmoil, we had to enforce every rule, even the little ones." Diana's voice was starting to break.

"You didn't just enforce the rules, Diana. You tore Atlantis from the sea and dumped it in the middle of the Sahara desert. You destroyed the world's governments and formed a dictatorship that controlled the lives of every living thing on this planet. You KILLED the people who you once called friends, and you don't consider yourself a criminal?" Bruce's voice had begun to raise as he listed just a few of the horrific things that Diana had participated, even instigated, in.

Slamming her hands on the table, Diana screamed "YOU WOULD HAVE DONE THE SAME THING IF YOU WERE PUT IN CLARK'S POSITION!"

If Bruce had heat vision, his stare would have burned a hole straight through the Amazon's skull. "I have been in Clark's position. More than a few times and you know it." His voice could have frozen hell. "My parents' murder, Jason, your death," Bruce paused for a moment. "I know exactly how Clark felt when his whole world was lost. The only difference is, I didn't break like he did. So don't you dare tell me I would have done the same things he did when you know better than anyone else what I've been through." Bruce's eyes narrowed as Diana's head dropped down to face the floor.

"Bruce. I did it to protect you, US, from suffering the same fate as Clark," she tried to say, but her voice cracked at the end.

"If that were true, you would have stuck by my side," Bruce replied coldly. Diana then started crying, but Bruce didn't feel anything for her. Her tears and sobbing didn't pierce his heart, make him want to hold her. "Guards, we're done here," he called out. As the guards came and took away Diana, she looked down on him with bloodshot eyes.

"I'm so sorry Bruce," she whispered as she was led out.

Bruce sat there for a few more moments as his heart rate rose. His blood started to boil and his eyes could only see red. Finally he yelled at the top of his lungs and threw the table across the room. before he stalked out of the room.

Once again Thanks and Review please!