A/N Don't own these characters so don't sue me.
Special thanks to Lady Isis for the beta. And always many thanks to DaisyJane, for her support and help. My prayers and thoughts are with you at this time DaisyJane.
Shout outs to Hepburn I'm going to steal it one day! whahaha. ;)
Kitty Batman love the new avatar!
Icha can't wait for the next update of "The Wildest Dream and Worst Nightmare."
Batman's Gift
Chapter 3: Plans and Actions
For the next three weeks Batman wouldn't take any calls from the Justice League or take any of Diana's calls. He holed himself up in the Batcave, researching and planning. Even his nightly patrols had stopped while he planned.
Alfred came down the stairs and stood next to Bruce. "Master Bruce, you should get some rest, it's been five days since you last slept. For the past three weeks you have not gotten more the a few hours of rest. You need a break."
Bruce slowly turned to Alfred, and the Englishman was shocked at what he saw. Bruce's face had a week's worth of hair growth, his eyes were puffy and red and had large dark circles under them. His face was greasy and pale, and Bruce looked like he hadn't bathed in weeks. Alfred was afraid for his employer - he thought he was going crazy. Bruce Wayne was planning on killing Zeus and nothing else mattered to him any more.
"Alfred, I will get some rest very soon, just need to get a few more things done here. Then I will go to bed and sleep for half the day," Bruce told him, then rubbed his hairy chin. "I know I have not been acting myself lately and I know there is no way I could ever take on a god. I'm sorry for scaring you."
Bruce sighed out and got up from his chair. He walked over and hugged Alfred. Alfred was shocked by his action, but he was correct Bruce hadn't bathed in a while. Bruce turned and got back into his chair. "Alfred, I want to invite Diana to the manor for the weekend. Would it be possible for you to... disappear during that time?" Bruce turned to Alfred and gave him a wink.
Alfred's smile took over his whole face. "Certainly, sir. This weekend you say - reminds me I do have to run to the summer cottage for some winter cleaning."
Both Bruce and Alfred smiled at each other. Alfred turned and started to walk up the stairs "By the way, sir, you have five more minutes and if you're not up in your bed, your weekend alone with Miss Diana will have a third wheel," he threatened him.
Bruce chuckled to himself, he finished up what he needed done and was in bed before Alfred's five minute limit was up. But he didn't find rest. Bruce lay in bed and thought to himself. A single tear slid down his cheek. Sorry, Alfred. Sorry, world. And sorry, Diana. Tomorrow I do something I promised I would never do. I will kill.
He then closed his eyes - and finally fell asleep.
Bruce awoke, showered then shaved. Alfred had breakfast ready for him when he went downstairs. After eating he left for the office to finish up some work that had been waiting for him since he hadn't been there for three weeks. After supper he helped Alfred pack some stuff for his weekend trip to the summer cottage. Just before that Alfred made sure that Bruce called Diana and listened in on the conversation.
"Hi Diana, it's Bruce... I know I shouldn't have kept you waiting this long... think you could come to the manor for the weekend? ...Great, but don't come before 8 pm, I have a few surprises I want to get ready beforehand... No, I can't wait to see you too. Goodbye."
Alfred smiled and nodded his head. "Well, Master Bruce, I'm off, do say hello to Her Highness for me."
Bruce turned and smiled at his lifetime friend and butler "You bet."
Bruce watched the Rolls Royce slowly make its way down the driveway. His smile had long since vanished.
Bruce picked up the phone and made a call. "Clark, I need to speak to you in private. Meet me in the cave a.s.a.p... Speak to you then." Bruce placed the phone down. Sorry, Clark, but I have to do this, he thought to himself.
He picked up the phone once again and made one more call. "John, it's Bruce Wayne, I need to talk to you in private. Come to my place so we can talk in person... In an hour... Bye, John." He could also stop this plan, so, John, you're in my way also, Bruce thought as he hung up the phone.
Bruce whistled as he opened the clock to his the Batcave and slow descended the stairs as the clock door slowly closed behind him.
Bruce knew when Superman entered the Cave, he always could feel his presence. "So, Bruce, what was it you wanted to talk me about?" Superman landed beside Bruce's chair.
Bruce stood and Superman followed him. "I think I've found something of Krypton origin - and it's old."
Superman's eyes lit up. "Really - how old?" Batman opened a lead box and took out a piece of Kryptonite and showed it to Superman. Superman stumbled over and fell to the ground. "Why, Bruce?" Superman asked in confusion.
"Because, Clark, you will try to stop me from what I'm about to do." Bruce stood over Superman and tired the Kryptonite around Superman's neck. "Clark, you and I never really looked eye to eye on things and I'm sorry I have to do this, but I have no other choice." Bruce picked up a long silver dagger.
"You always have other choices, Bruce," Superman spoke in a weak voice.
"Not this time, Clark. Please forgive me." He came closer to the man of steel with the dagger.
John landed at the front of Wayne manor and knocked on the oversized front doors, and after about a minute, Bruce opened the door. "Glad you could come, John." Bruce greeted him with a smile.
John Stewart said, "Anything for a friend, what is it you wanted to talk about?" Bruce let John into the house then told him,
"I found, a Thanagarain object from a not-so-reliable source. I know Shayera would be able to tell me if it's real or not but you have been around her technology. You might be able to tell me without upsetting her."
John shrugged his shoulders and followed Bruce to a darkened room. "What? Didn't pay your electrical bill this month, Bruce?" John laughed.
Bruce turned to John and pushed him hard, further into the room "What the hell, Bruce?" Bruce shut the door behind him and turned on the lights. The room was painted yellow and before Green Lantern could do anything, Bruce delivered a knock out blow to John's face.
"Sorry, my friend but you could stop the plan as well. Hopefully this makes it painless."
Bruce pulled out a syringe and injected John with it. He took John's ring and left the room. Once the door closed he activated the security system. The room was designed to act like a prison - there was a bed and bathroom with a week's worth of supplies.
Diana was five minutes early and knocked at the door, fidgeting with her over night bag. Bruce opened the door and looked at Diana with a lustful stare. "So did you bring the magic lasso?" he smiled mischievously at her.
Diana's face blushed a little. "Yes, I bought my uniform. Never know if we might be called into action."
Bruce motioned for Diana to enter, and once in Bruce grabbed her and gave her a passionate kiss. He pulled away and then asked her, "Diana, can I ask you something personal?"
Diana's eyes blinked a few times from the heated kiss before her mind could process what Bruce had asked her. "Sure you can."
Bruce stared into her beautiful blue eyes and asked, "Is it true that if an Amazon's hands are bound by a man, she loses her powers?" Bruce asked with a twinkle in this eyes. Diana watched Bruce and her face became almost red with embarrassment.
"Yes that is true, Bruce, why?" Bruce moved towards her for another kiss. As the kiss intensified Diana felt her hands being tied together. She moaned into Bruce's mouth.
Bruce pulled back and said, "Please forgive me, Diana, for what I'm about to do."
Diana looked puzzled at Bruce until he pressed his finger into a pressure point, and then the darkness of unconsciousness took over.
Diana awoke to Bruce in his Batman suit standing in front of her "What are you doing, Bruce?" Diana asked as she struggled with the bonds that held her in the chair.
"I truly am sorry for doing this, Diana. But Zeus must pay."
Diana looked up in horror as Bruce showed Diana her lasso. "Listen to me, Bruce, you cannot go against Zeus. Even the whole League wouldn't be able to hurt him," Diana pleaded.
"Diana, you are the light to my darkness, but your light isn't bright enough for me stop what I've done and what I'm about to do," Bruce said as he wrapped the lasso around Diana.
"Please, Bruce, I'm begging you not to do this, I don't care what you're going to do to me. All I care is what is going to happen to you!" Diana cried out to him. But the Batman was in full control and Bruce was just along for the ride.
"Can Zeus be hurt by anything on Earth?" Bruce demanded from Diana.
The lasso glowed hot, forcing Diana to speak. "Yes. A Gaea blade could injure or even kill him, the blade can injure any god, goddess or immortal," Diana told him as the tears slowly fell from her eyes.
"Do you know where I can get one?" Bruce asked.
Diana swallowed then said "Yes - there is such a blade on Themyscira, in the Royal Vault." Bruce stopped and thought for a moment. "Bruce, I love you, don't do this." He looked at Diana and for a brief moment his face softened a bit.
"I care deeply for you too, Diana." Then his face tensed up "But Zeus is going to die at my hands or I will die trying." He moved in closer to her. "Is there a way to Olympus on Themyscira?" Diana closed her eyes and held her breath as the lasso slowly started to burn her.
Diana cried out ,"Yes! There is." The lasso stopped glowing.
Bruce looked at Diana trying to regain her breath, when it was back to normal Bruce asked her "Do you, Princess Diana of Themyscira, truly love Bruce Wayne?"
Diana looked into Bruce's eyes and said without hesitation, "I love him with all my heart, but if he continues this plan he will die and I will be heartbroken."
"Diana, I have to leave. I'm going to put the news on for you so you don't get bored. I shouldn't be too long." Diana watched as he moved her towards the oversized monitor. He turned it to a local channel and left her alone.
The Batmobile sped to Arkham Asylum. Batman got out of the car carrying a very large bag. He walked to the front door. A few minutes later security guards, nurses and doctors ran out of the building. Batman walked until he entered the wing of the hospital that housed the criminally insane. The screams of laughter and noises could be heard outside. Minute after minute the screams intensity lowered - until there were no more. As Batman walked outside, the police had it surrounded.
He walked up to Commissioner Gordan and said, "Don't go inside for the next forty-eight hours, the place is rigged with enough explosives to level three blocks."
Batman started his way to his car when Gordan yelled, "Freeze, Batman, what is the meaning of this?"
Batman turned his head and said, "They got what they deserved, Jim."
Gordan saw with the light now on Batman, blood. Lots of blood. He could see it all over his suit. "What have you done?" Gordan whispered. Batman continued to walk to his car. He got in as the police stood there watching in horror at what they had just noticed on Batman.
The news crews had been filming it all and even got a close up of Batman's blood-covered suit. He made his way back to the Batcave.
On entering it he saw Diana crying at the video of the news anchor talking about what had happened at Arkham Asylum tonight. Bruce walked up and stood next to Diana's chair "How could you, Bruce?" she whispered.
He watched the TV then spoke. "Had to. Gotham is going to be without the Batman if I fail." Diana cried a little harder now. Batman wanted to embrace her at that moment but turned towards the TV and switched it so he could use his computer.
Batman typed into the console protocol 666 and pressed enter. 200 miles above the Earth the Watchtower received the message and started up the programs for protocol 666 to run. Within ten seconds of receiving the command the Tower started to beam Superheros up. Everyone was a little startled by what was happening. J'onn was trying to regain command of the Watchtower, but nothing would respond to his commands.
After each League member was accounted for except Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and Superman a message started to play on all the screens and over the Watchtower's communication systems.
"Justice League, this is Batman. Do not try to escape or disable this protocol. Doing so will trigger the energy core to overload and destroy the Watchtower and yourselves with it. This protocol will be effect for the next six hours, if this message repeats the protocol has been reset and will be in effect for another six hours." The message ended.
J'onn looked at Flash. "What is this all about?" Flash asked.
J'onn's eyes lit up, and not finding what he needed, spoke. "I don't know, Flash, but we must try to disable this protocol or escape."
Flash frowned at J'onn "Everything we try Batman will have figured out a way to stop us beforehand."
J'onn looked at him and said "Maybe... but we still have to try."
Diana looked at what Batman had done and saw on the display what his Protocol 666 was doing. "Bruce, what did you do?" Diana asked him.
"I'm making sure that they don't try to stop me."
Diana lowered her head and spoke. "I guess you are lost to us all, Bruce, for which I'm truly sorry."
Batman turned in his seat and pulled back his cowl. "Diana, what if Ares were to rape you or kill your mother? Would you sit back and not want revenge?"
Diana lifted her head up and spoke honestly. "I would."
Bruce rubbed his temples and breathed out a few deep breaths. "I feel raped, Diana, not in body but in mind. If I do come back I know we will never be the same two again, for what I've done to your trust. You will never want me near you again." Bruce turned his head and wouldn't look at Diana. "If I die I die, but if I succeed... I die also because I've lost you in the process."
Diana pleaded with him. "Stop it now then. Be with me - you're an immortal now, we can be together forever!"
Bruce looked at Diana with reddened eyes. "I just can't, Diana." Bruce stood up and walked over to her. He leaned over and placed a final kiss on her forehead.
Diana spoke up angrily. "If you're going to throw your life away at least kiss me for real one last time!"
Bruce lifted her chin up and gave Diana the final kiss she and he wanted, and both had tears running down their faces as they kissed for possibly the last time.
Bruce stood back up and wheeled her chair into a large cage, moving the chair towards a table already inside it. There was food and water waiting on the table. Bruce released Diana from the chair but not her bound hands. Batman walked out of the cage and locked the door. Diana stood and watched as Batman walked towards the Bat plane.
Diana finally looked at the Bat plane and saw that Batman had added a few large bomb type objects under the wings. "What are those for Bruce?" Diana asked him nervously.
Batman was getting into the pilot seat as he said in his monotone voice. "They are for your sisters, Diana."
Diana's eyes grew large and as the jet fired up. Diana fell to her knees and screamed.
I'm so sorry, Diana, Bruce whispered as he took off.