Author's Note: Sorry about the kind of strange cutoff point last time, but I'm ready to continue now... So... Yeah... Nothing new to say here.
Diana climbed down the drop-down ladder that fell from the hatch of the plane. She ran across the beach to greet her Hippolyta.
"Mother!" She exclaimed happily as she ran across the beach.
"Diana, I have waited for a long time to see you again, and I am glad to see that you are well. Although... You seem to have put on weight..."
Diana smiled at her mother, who was almost completely ignorant in the ways of man. "No mother... It's a bit difficult to explain." She leaned in to whisper in her mother's ear. Hippolyta's expression quickly shifted from confusion, to terror, and finally settled on joy.
"Diana, that is wonderful news... But why did you not use clay?"
"Um... That's not how they do things in man's world." Diana was beginning to wonder the same thing herself.
"So... where is the man?"
Diana looked back at the jet. Right on cue, Batman exited the jet. He ignored the ladder completely, instead opting to jump down. He landed neatly, his cape cloaking his entire body. Hippolyta leaned over to whisper in her daughter's ear.
"You are completely sure that he is actually a man, right?"
Diana rolled her eyes at Bruce's unnecessary theatrics. She walked over to him, and forcefully pulled back his cowl. He scowled for a moment before continuing to walk forward. Hippolyta approached him and shook his hand in greeting.
"Welcome, Bruce Wayne... Or as my daughter tells me, you prefer 'Batman?"
Batman nodded slowly, his face remaining as emotionless as ever. Hippolyta continued. "You have quite an interesting reputation, Batman. My daughter tells me that you are an impressive warrior?"
Batman nodded again, not one to speak his mind until he could be sure of what he was dealing with. The amazons watched him curiously. Most had never seen a man before, and wondered if they were all like this. Hippolyta observed his behavior for another moment.
"Hm... I sense great strength within you." She said carefully looking him over. Once again, he didn't respond.
"Is he mute?" Hippolyta asked, turning to Diana.
"No... He can speak. But you wouldn't know it."
"So you are a man of few words... Then perhaps I would be better off to judge you by your actions alone?"
Bruce finally spoke. "I'm not sure what you mean."
"We have prepared a festival tonight, welcoming you into our family... But in the meantime, I would like to request to see your skills firsthand."
"You want me to fight...?"
Hippolyta nodded. "Yes. As I'm sure that you've discovered by now," she said, gesturing towards Diana, "we Amazons are natural warriors. If you are to join us... Then you must show your mettle. What do you say?"
Batman knew that he couldn't turn down the challenge. He nodded once again to show his approval.
"Excellent... Follow me." The Queen began to leave the beach, followed by Batman and the rest of the Amazons. She led them through the streets of Themyscira; they soon reached the center of the island. The sight amazed Bruce; all of the architecture on Themyscira was amazing, but this was something else entirely. He stood before a huge colosseum; it wasn't quite as large as the one in Rome, but it was in excellent condition. It appeared to receive regular care and use.
Hippolyta signaled for the rest of the Amazons to take their seats in the arena. She led Bruce and Diana to the door at the end of the hallway. Bruce turned to face the Amazon queen.
"I'm assuming that there's some sort of a set of rules here, right?"
"Of course. You will battling in no holds barred melee combat. The only is no weaponry. You may, however, use these." She produced a set of bracelets similar to the ones that Diana and the rest of the Amazons wore. When Bruce took them, he nearly dropped them in surprise. They were heavier than lead. He uneasily slipped them on under his gauntlets; they seemed to pull his arms down to his sides. Hippolyta continued to speak; "You will fight until you can fight no more."
"Eloquent. But isn't that dangerous?"
Hippolyta laughed heartily. "I wouldn't worry about injuring your opponents if I were you; that will be the least of your concerns. I have trained these girls well. Diana should be a suitable example."
"Fair enough... But who do I fight?"
"Any who wish to battle you. I hope you're up for a challenge. These girls aren't used to defeat. So... Should you manage to somehow defeat one, then you may have to continue to battle them all until you fall."
Bruce raised an eye. "Are you doubting my abilities?"
"No, I am sure that you are competent. But as strong as you are... You are still just a man. It is unlikely that you will be able to measure up to my Amazons."
Bruce turned to the door. "We'll see." He had some doubts of his own; if each of these girls were truly as strong as Diana, even without her armor, then he could be in for quite a challenge. Especially if he had to fight them all. But he knew that he had no choice; his honor was on the line. Not that it mattered much to him, but he knew how important honor and pride were to Diana and the rest of the Amazons.
Diana gave him a kiss on the cheek for good luck before turning to follow her mother to the arena's seating area. Bruce waited for a moment, readying himself for battle. He took a deep breath, and pushed the doors open.
He was almost blown off his feet by the explosive wave of cheering that met his ears; although the population of the island was relatively small, it seemed that the all of it's inhabitants had arrived to view the spectacle. Being a warrior race, they were quite riled, and eager to watch the fight. As Batman stepped out into the light of the arena, the crowd quieted. He felt their curious stares drilling into him once again; it made him more than a little bit uncomfortable. He wasn't accustomed to fighting for an audience.
He stripped off his cape, belt, and the upper part of his uniform to ensure that he wasn't hiding any weapons (he was in fact, hiding several gadgets in his pants and boots, but he had no intentions of using them- or of removing his pants in front of such a large crowd of female warriors). The crowd gasped in shock upon seeing his numerous battle scars; Bruce managed to pick Diana out of the crowd; when she saw him looking, she gave him a reassuring wink.
His first opponent was already waiting for him in the center of the arena. She was a huge brunette with an athletic build. Bruce couldn't help but notice that she was much taller than Diana, who was an impressive six feet at the least. She shot him a cocky smile, and cracked her knuckles. Bruce instantly realized that she was trying to intimidate him, and refused to be beaten at his own game. He simply stared at her coldly; he saw her confidence crumble a little under his stone-faced glare.
Hippolyta gave the gesture for them to begin. Before Batman could react, the Amazon had launched herself at him with incredible force. He had no time to brace himself- he was forcefully knocked to the ground. He recovered quickly, and stood up feeling a bit dazed. 'Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all...' He thought to himself. He had no time to idle; out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Amazon preparing another attack. He shook his head and jumped just in the nick of time. As she passed underneath him, be threw his legs out, kicking her shoulders, and throwing her off balance. She stumbled, and fell to the ground. She righted herself quickly.
'Holy shit! She's built like a tank!' Batman couldn't help but be impressed at the ease with which she shook off the blow. But he was far from out of tricks. He grinned at her and waved his hand, baiting for her to make the next move. She took the bait; she sprinted towards him with a fist pulled behind her back. He made a motion as if he was preparing to roll sideways, but changed his course of action at the las second. He quickly ducked, launching himself at her ankles. He managed to latch one arms around her thighs, and wrapped the other around the small of her back. With a bit of effort, he managed to lift her, flipping her and dropping her on her back. She groaned a bit and tried to rise again, but quickly fell unconscious. The crowd fell silent for a moment before erupting into chaos.
Every Amazon in the arena stood to her feet; some were cheering wildly, while others appeared furious. Bruce managed to pick Diana and Hippolyta from the crowd again; Diana was glowing with pride, while Hippolyta looked intrigued. Meanwhile, the rest of the Amazons clamored forth to challenge him. The chaos continued for several moments until-
"SILENCE." Hippolyta's calm but authoritative voice cut through the noise. The Amazons settled down instantly. Hippolyta stood, and began to make her way down the stairs, and into the center of the arena. Diana followed her cautiously. They stopped in front of Bruce.
"I think that that is enough. You have proved your merit... But I have a request to ask of you."
Diana's eyes widened. "You don't mean..." Hippolyta nodded. "Mother, no!"
Batman gave the two of them a confused look. "What's going on?"
Hippolyta turned to face him. "I would like to test you... Firsthand."
Diana pulled Bruce aside and looked at him pleadingly. "You don't have to, Bruce. You've proven yourself."
"I don't see any reason to back down now."
"You don't know what she's capable of. She's had thousands of years to perfect her skills. And you've just fought. I doubt that you would last long against her at your best."
"Thanks for the support... Thousands of years...?"
"Yes. You mustn't fight her. I fear that even she doesn't know the boundaries of her own strength."
Batman thought for a moment. "I'll take the risk."
The two returned to where Hippolyta waited. Batman stepped forward. "I'll accept your challenge."
"Wonderful... I see now how you managed to catch my daughter's attention. Now... Choose your method of combat... Armed, or unarmed?"
Bruce weighed his odds carefully. On one hand, if he remained unarmed, then so did she. Keeping her unarmed mitigated his chances of severe injury, but on the other hand, he had great faith in his ability with weaponry.
"Armed."
He went to retrieve his shirt, cape, and belt. He pulled the cowl over his face, and returned to the center of the arena. Hippolyta gestured to one of the Amazons, who scurried away, returning with a sword and shield. Hippolyta took them, and the Amazon quickly returned to the stands, reluctantly followed by Diana. Once they were clear, Hippolyta returned her attention to the Batman.
"It's your move, Batman."
"I don't like to make the first move."
"A very wise policy." She rushed toward him, extending the blade of the sword in front of her. He barely managed to dodge, beginning to question his decision to engage in armed combat with her. He countered with a one-handed backflip; he used his free hand to hurl a Batarang. She expertly blocked with her shield, harmlessly deflecting the Batarang. She quickly closed the distance between them, and used her shield to bash him upside the head, sending him reeling backwards. He staggered for a moment, but quickly regained his footing. She charged forward with her sword, attempting to lay it against the side of his throat, but he managed to pull out his bat-lasso and wrapped it around the blade. Although he was unable to pull it from her grip, he managed to prevent it from scraping his neck.
Batman panted lightly. The bracelets that he'd been given were beginning to hold him down. As he did not possess the strength of the Amazons, they proved to be quite heavy for him. He realized that he'd best make use of them, or else he'd be wasting his energy by carrying the extra weight. Hippolyta launched another assault with her sword; however, Batman managed to catch her off guard this time. Rather than dodge, he opted to parry, using the combination of his spiked gauntlet and the indestructible bracelet underneath. He used the solid spikes to pull the sword out of her loosened grip, and took it for his own. He slid a leg outwards, tripping her and causing her to fall onto her back. He placed the tip off the sword against her throat.
"Yield."
Hippolyta's reaction was rather unexpected; she laughed, and threw up her arms in defeat. Bruce dropped the sword and helped her to her feet. The audience was completely stunned; they remained silent for a full minute before a somewhat subdued applause began to echo around the arena. None could believe that they'd just seen their mighty queen defeated by this newcomer. Hippolyta waved for them to leave the arena, and go about preparing for the night's festivities. As they left, they muttered amongst themselves, discussing the awesome spectacle that they had just witnessed.
Diana ran to her husband and mother. "That was amazing, Bruce!"
"It was most impressive." Hippolyta agreed. "You have earned some rest. Diana will show you to your quarters. Enjoy the remainder of your time here; I have arranged for a festival to be held tonight in your honor. But for now, just enjoy yourself. I'm sure that Diana would be delighted to show you around the island, if you wish.
Batman nodded gratefully. He'd been tired before he reached the island, but his confrontations with the Amazons had pushed him over the edge. Diana gently took his hand, and began to lead him away.
Author's Note: I HATED writing this chapter. Especially the beginning. It's my fault, I rushed things along too much, and I got to this point a little bit too soon. So I had to deal with some writer's block, but I think that I have things sorted out. I had a very hard time getting this chapter out, and I think that it shows in the writing. It seems sloppy, and doesn't flow very well in my opinion, but it's there. It was actually supposed to be a bit longer, but I figured that there was enough left here so that I could lop it off and have that act as the next chapter.
This chapter didn't hold my attention at all, but I hope you'll have a better time with it. It really lacks flow, mostly because my routine for today was essentially: write for ten minutes, play bass for forty minutes, eat something, repeat. There was a midmorning/aternoon nap in there somewhere, but let the records show that I worked on this intermittently from 6AM to 2AM. And the result is this mess. Sort of a cross between Meet the Parents and 300. Like I've said before, you win some and you lose some. I just might take the day off from writing tomorrow; I have to work, and I'm going through a bit of writer's block. But check back anyway, I hope that I'll have something to show you guys really soon. I think that the next chapter should turn out a bit better.