Chapter 02: Her Majesty's Privy Council

His fingers flew across the keyboard as his eyes quickly scanned his triple monitors, otherwise, his body was perfectly still and his face was as impassive as an statue. To the outside world, Bruce looked like the very picture of focus. His co-workers had no doubt in their minds that he was single-minded in whatever task he was performing. However, the truth was very different. While his subconscious toiled with the confidential memorandum from a robotics start-up they were interested in, a routine exercise he had performed countless times, he revisited the very interesting meeting with Oliver Queen the day before.

Two billion. Billion with a capital B. That was the amount Oliver and Lucius had managed to raise from Queen Industries, their own bank accounts, and the various investors trusting, or foolhardy, enough to pledge themselves to a mysterious new fund based on just reputation and a white paper so vague it might as well have been blank. His own mandate was even more vague, since it consisted of only one line: find promising and lucrative investments. What made the meeting even more interesting was Oliver's announcement that they would be working directly with himself and Lucius Fox, and that their new offices would be located on the 50th floor of Queen Tower, right below Oliver and Lucius' offices.

Bruce found it curious that he and his colleagues would be working closely with a Fortune 500 chairman known more for his "extracurricular" night-time affairs than his business acumen, along with a renowned CEO. Lucius' involvement was understandable, he was a legend in his own right, studied by business schools all around the world. Oliver on the other hand, baffled him. The consensus was that Oliver was chairman in name only, and that Lucius Fox was the real rainmaker for Queen Industries.

However, from his brief encounter with Oliver, Bruce realized that Oliver was no fool. He saw a glimpse of intelligence and determination behind the mask usually flaunted by TMZ. He may not know Oliver very well, but what little he knew all screamed that Oliver's public image was a façade that hid many secrets. That being said, if Oliver's public image was merely a façade, why did he take a sudden interest in his businesses? What made this project special and important enough to risk compromising his well-built persona?

Bruce Wayne was not nosy individual, nor was unravelling others one of his very few hobbies, but the promise of a good and intriguing puzzle was too tempting. Especially for someone who took pride in his ability to read people. His mind began replaying his earlier encounter with Oliver, but his thoughts were quickly halted by a tap on his shoulder. With a slight hint of annoyance, he removed his earbuds and turned to face Arthur, who pointed towards Will's office. Bruce turned once again to face Will, who asked,

"We're ordering take-out from the sushi place down the street. You want anything Bruce?"

While he was not too hungry, a free meal was a free meal, and he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"Just dynamite rolls with extra wasabi on the side-"

Suddenly, the crisp and sterile air ruptured with a thunderous clap. The unmistakable sound of an explosion pounded on the mental floodgates that held back Bruce's traumatic memories.

"Bruce!"

His eyes widened as the sound of his mother's frantic cry escaped, triggered by the sheer violence of the explosion. After seventeen years, his defenses were still flawed. After seventeen years, the remnants of the past still suffocated his mind. Suddenly, a beam of purple struck Will's office, and his body hit the wall with a sickening thud. Fighting off the ringing in his ears, Bruce knew immediately what he had to do. No one else was allowed to die in front of his eyes ever again. He forced his body to act through sheer force of will and sprinted beside Will's unconscious form. In no time, he was dragging his colleague's body as fast as he could towards the emergency exit.

"Bruce! Is he okay?" Ben shouted as he ran towards them with panic showing in his usually calm demeanor. Around them, men and women alike were in terror. Some were too afraid to move, while others scrambled over each other in a desperate race towards the fire escape. Bruce could understand why.

"I'm not too sure, I'm not a doctor," Bruce replied while bending down to place Will over his shoulders in a fireman's carry, panting slightly from the effort.

"What happened to him?" Ben asked while opening the door for them, the dread still seeping from him in droves.

"His office got hit by purple light," Bruce replied with hurried breaths. He had been quick, but it still felt like too long. Still, now they were moving. Now they were through the door, beginning to chase the others as they ran down the fire escape. "Yes, purple fucking light! Don't ask me how because I have no clue what the hell is going on!"

That wasn't exactly true, he did have an idea of what was happening, but he didn't want to have to explain his hypothesis while carrying a 200-pound man down forty flights of stairs. There have been unconfirmed sightings of superhuman criminals recently on a few of the message boards, but those were denied by the authorities as urban legends and dismissed by the media as the modern-day bigfoot. While he was skeptical of the authenticity of those sightings, it couldn't be denied that what he just witnessed was nothing short of the impossible.

It couldn't have been a laser. First of all, the beam was around a foot in diameter and wasn't exceedingly bright. Second of all, judging from the angle, the beam must have originated from around the front entrance of Star City Bank, and the probability that there was a military-grade laser system on a regional bank's doorsteps was trivial. Lastly, the destructive force was entirely kinetic, definitely not characteristic of amplified light.

The burning sensation in his muscles and lungs forced Bruce out of his thoughts. Despite the chaos around them, he smirked self-deprecatingly as he realized just how out of shape he was. His heart felt like a jackhammer against his chest and his legs felt as if they'd fall off any minute. Breaks weren't an option, he had to get Will out of here and onto the ambulance immediately. Not to mention getting himself out too. Only 30 more stories to go.

She held her breath as hurried footsteps got closer and closer. Silently, she prayed to every god in the pantheon for protection against her pursuers, that today would not become worse than it already was. When the footsteps and voices became increasingly light and were heard no more, she let out her breath and stepped back out of the shadows. Her fear and anxiety turned into anger as she sent a dumpster flying down the alley with a kick.

She did not understand why the police had turned on her when they should've helped her to take down Star Sapphire and Ultra-Humanite. As the adrenaline wore off, pain flooded her left leg. She cursed as she dug out the bullet that she had not noticed until then. Thanks to her healing abilities, it shouldn't take more than a day for her to make a full recovery. She had had Star Sapphire in a headlock when the police started shooting at her, forcing her to escape and hide. Oh how she wished that she could punch the idiot who gave the orders to Tartarus and just let loose on the ingrates at the Star City Police Department.

In the sixth months she had spent in Man's World, although she had met many honorable and courageous examples, she couldn't help but feel that her mother and sisters were right about men. She did not ask or expect praise, or even gratitude, but she deserved better than being hunted down like an animal.

She came to Man's World six months ago to help make a difference, at a time when humanity was on the brink of extinction, but now she was stuck because she had been banished from her home. She didn't regret leaving her home to help in mankind's struggle against the Imperium; despite what her mother thought, they couldn't stand by and do nothing while countless men and women alike were slaughtered. She certainly did not regret bringing her teammates to Themyscira to save her home. But even so, she couldn't help but wish that everything that had happened in the last six months was a nightmare and that she'd soon wake up in the comfort of her bed, with her mother and sisters within arm's reach.

As she wrapped makeshift bandages around her leg, sadness and longing were etched in her beautiful features. She missed her home, her mother, her sisters and the life she had terribly. She was so completely and utterly alone. Her teammates were kind to her, and she saw them as her friends, but it just wasn't the same. They weren't her sisters and they certainly couldn't replace her mother. In a bustling metropolis of almost a million, she was surrounded by a sea of people from a plethora of backgrounds, yet she felt as if her world was confined to her small, rundown flat with a population of one.

Chiding herself for her self-pity, she wiped away the tears that threatened to fall and collected herself. She was the Princess of the Amazons, a warrior, not a weak damsel. She didn't have time to be weak, she had to be strong, not only for herself but, more importantly, for those that depended on her strength.

With a deep breath to calm herself, Diana of Themyscira, the exiled Princess of the Amazons transformed herself into the unassuming Diana Prince, a struggling writer and artist, and rejoined the world of patriarchs.

Clark Kent sighed contently as he leaned back in his chair. When the attack in Star City unfolded on television, he watched with bated breath as the police fired on Diana and chased her into the slums. He wanted more than anything to fly over and help, but he knew that his presence would only make things worse. Ma and Pa Kent didn't raise a dumb boy. He knew that if he flew over on a whim, it would only attract more unwanted attention towards her. He had to believe in his friend.

It wasn't unexpected. They all knew that the League wasn't exactly welcome in many countries around the world, including the United States. Soon after their victory over the Imperium, many governments around the globe denounced the Justice League. Many voices all around the world called for the imprisonment or outright execution of the Justice League, lest the "superheroes" one day go rouge. People feared their power, and that fear transformed into a hatred for aliens and metahumans alike, and that hatred spread like a plague. Clark understood, how could he not? Humanity was almost wiped out by a power beyond its own, but he could't stop his mission. Every time they saved an African village from a massacre, or miners in a collapsed mine, or a town from a tornado, he was reminded of the fact that no matter what the talking heads say, their missions were the difference between life and death for many, many people all across the world.

His faith and patience were rewarded when Oliver called to assure him that Diana escaped, and asked him to come for an emergency meeting that very night. Luckily for him, Perry marched to his cubical, shoved tickets into his face and told him to get his ass to Star City and don't bother coming back until he had a story. The cherry on top was his travel companion: Lois.

"Come in!" Clark said, as he heard a knock on his door. Of course, he knew Lois would knock thanks to his super hearing, but she didn't know that.

"Smallville, we've got work to do, this isn't a vacation," Lois reprimanded sternly. "We need to get our scoop and we need it now."

Clark glanced at the clock, he had half an hour left until the Justice League meeting. Now he had to momentous task of trying to convince Lois that he had to go to the Queen Mansion. Alone. The alone part was the problem, because Lois would definitely insist on coming if it was for an interview and, if it wasn't, well she would definitely rip him a new one. As much as he liked spending time with Lois in Star City, this was the one thing he wasn't looking forward to.

"Come on, what's the holdup?" Lois demanded with her hands on her hips and an arched eyebrow. The Man of Steel scratched the back of his head nervously. Whatever excuse he came up with, it had better be good.

"I…umm…" Clark began as he searched for the right words to placate the fiery redhead standing in front of him. Luckily for him, his phone saved him from a dreadful experience. It was Oliver. Perfect.

"Clark, where are you staying? I'll send a car to your hotel."

"Lois and I were just leaving," Clark replied. Translation: "I need an excuse, a good one"

"Tell her that you're buddies with one of my security staff, and that you're going to go catch up with him and hopefully get to see some security footage."

"I'll see you in 15 mins then," Clark said, relieved. He hung up and said to Lois,

"One of my friends from college works security at Queen Tower. I texted him before we got on the plane and he wants to catch up and show me some footage. Might be good to see things from another angle," Clark said convincingly.

Lois quirked an eyebrow but seemed to believed him.

"No drinking Smallville, you don't be drunk when he shows you the good stuff," Lois said as she turned to leave. "I'll get in touch with the police and see what they know."

Clark felt a pang of guilt as he watched Lois walk to the elevators. He hated lying to Lois but he had no choice. He couldn't exactly tell her that he had a Justice League meeting at Oliver's house. It was not that he didn't trust her, far from it. It was too dangerous for her to know, since there were plenty of people willing to kill for information on the League. He had to protect her, even if it meant lying to the woman he loved.

"Women troubles?" Oliver asked with a knowing smirk.

Clark settled into the overstuffed chair opposite of his teammate and sighed.

"I really need your help on this one, she'll kill me if I don't have anything tomorrow."

"Why don't you just make something up? Nobody else knows what's going on anyways. As long as you're first right?" Oliver said, having a laugh at his friend's expense.

Clark looked at Oliver incredulously. He worked at the Planet, not some third-rate tabloid!

"That's not how journalism works!" Clark replied, offended by the suggestion, "Not at the Planet anyway, I need facts. I'm an investigative reporter Oliver. I investigate, not fabricate. As long as it doesn't compromise our identities, I'm going to report it, because that's my job."

"Relax, I'm just messing with you. I'll email you the footage after the meeting," Oliver said with a chuckle. "And they say integrity is dead."

The doorbell rung before Oliver could make another quip. He answered the door, and ushered in Green Lantern, Flash, and the Martian Manhunter. The trio of superheroes usually arrived together courtesy of Oliver's private jet. Unfortunately, the League hadn't found a reliable method of hiding Hawkgirl's wings, thus Shayera had to Skype in to all their meetings. Her confinement in John's apartment caused her to be perpetually irate and sour, thus finding a suitable solution for Hawkgirl was pushed to the top of the agenda in every meeting, in fear of incurring her wrath.

They usually met the first Saturday of every month, in Oliver's Mansion. It was difficult to organize travel for the five heroes who lived thousands of kilometers away, but they all reluctantly acknowledged that their meetings were best in person despite the hassle. If they could use their powers for travel, it would be exponentially easier. However the risk of discovery was too high, thus Oliver's private jets were the preferred method. The heroes chatted amicably as they waited for the reason for the meeting: Diana. Wally, as usual, ate all the refreshments, much but to dismay of his teammates. An hour later, the doorbell rang again.

"Sorry for being late," Diana said, with a hint of embarrassment and irritation on her face. As a local, she took the bus to Oliver's Mansion, but traffic was unpredictable at the best of times. Oliver always offered to give her a ride, but her pride won't allow herself to depend on any man, especially not the Green Arrow. In the early days of the League, Oliver flirted with her every chance he had, and taught her sexual innuendo she wished could be wiped from her memory, until the unfortunate incident where a drunk Oliver tried to kiss her. The night ended with Oliver in a hospital, unconscious with a broken nose and a bruised ego. Since then, he had kept his distance. By Oliver's standards, at least.

"You know, I could-" Oliver said with a flirtatious smirk, but stopped himself when he saw Diana's glare. Diana may be the most beautiful woman on the planet but she was also one of the deadliest. The kind and sympathetic warrior princess was most dangerous when the innocent were threatened or when she received unwanted advances. She walked into the dining room and was immediately pressed against the Man of Steel in a hug. She returned Clark's hug with a smile. She liked Clark. One of the prime examples of a good and honorable man, he was the closest thing she had to a brother and her closest friend in this world.

"I'm fine Clark, just a scratch," she assured, knowing that he was worried for her. They sat down as Superman passed around photos of the attack and said,

"Alright, does anyone have a guess for what the heck happened today?"

AN: Thanks for reading! I really appreciate it! Hope you enjoyed the story! Please review :D I'd appreciate any and all criticism, death threats, and letters depressing your disgust with me as a human being. Well...maybe not the latter two but criticism is always welcome! Loved the reviews last time! Thank you guys so much for the encouragement! :D

Shout-out to The Sulkier Clown who basically made this story from the garbage ideas in my head to a halfway decent story, and being awesome in general. He's truly a godsend. If anybody is looking for an awesome fanfics set in DCAU, check out Sulky's. His post-JLU stories are so awesome that I think of them as the "true" JLU sequel.

Also, sorry for the late update, I procrastinated then things were more hectic than I've imagined. I also grossly underestimated how much time and effort it took to write a chapter. I wasn't happy with the first few drafts and had scrapped them. Mea Culpa. Next chapter won't come out for some time, because I have an exam coming up soon, but right after my exam (the 9th) I'll get to work on the next chapter. Look forward to a double chapter update hopefully mid-April! I personally can't wait to get into the meat of the story as soon as possible but a man's gotta get that GPA haha.

For anyone looking for a place to talk about Batman and/or Wonder Woman (especially those two together), google "batmanwonderwoman forums" and it should be the top link. It has friendly people, intelligent conversion and hilarious randomness.

See you guys next chapter!