A/N: I really appreciate all the favorites and follows for this story, and I'd like to give a very special thanks to all those who have taken the time to review because all your comments had really help out and light up my day.

Chapter 7 - Canamera

Bruce thought he knew every inch of Utopia, yet he couldn't muster why the third signal lead them to one of the warehouses were the food for sector 21 inhabitants were usually storage. The idea unsettle him, despite all the intel he had gather after all this years, the positron lords still had more layers on their plans, deeps he had just scratch, and he didn't like that at all. They had already lost Collins, he was good, but his skills were not match for either him or Diana, so far she was able to detect that Collins was following them and knew how to lost him after just a few blocks. Now they were hiding outside the warehouse from the omnipresent cameras that were panning the area. Bruce had press twice the button of his one-piece suit and his Kevlar armour appeared as well as his cowl, he was in total Batman regalia.

- That was fast –Said Diana with a smile.

- This is better suited for what we may face ahead – He said that to her in his deadpan voice, but Diana could tell that he was worry.

- I think I should change too then –She spined and in just seconds, she was in her armour. He arched an eyebrow under his cowl.

- The signal is clear and loud, what we are looking for is definitely here – Said Batman while looking at his PDA.

- Ok, let's go then – She said and was getting ready to take off and fly, but Batman stopped her by gently grabbing her by the shoulder.

- No. We need to wait.

- We don't have much time – Said Diana with a hit of desperation in her voice.

- Patience Princess. We will have more success this way.

- Your world, your rules - She said and sighed.

- Exactly – He said internally pleased that she agreed with him while looking at his PDA –Let's go now. We need to get to the basement in less than a minute before the next surveillance camera focus on this area – He said.

- I have a better idea – She said while wrapping her arms around his waist and took off flying – Just tell me where to go.

Batman hide his surprise behind the white lenses of his cowl, he couldn't help but smile. Her sweet scent and the touch of her gentle embrace were intoxicating,

- Over here is fine – He said with a dead pan voice, trying to appear detached.

She gracefully landed and left him standing; he immediately ducked and silently motioned her to do the same. She did that although it annoyed her. "This is complete unnecessary, with my speed I can easy destroy those cameras" she thought, but respected his decision, "His world, his rules".

- Now comes the hard part. We need to get rid of those robots in a subtle way - He started to reach for his batarang when she said:

- Not a problem at all. Hera give me strength!- and without further due Diana started to hit the robots hard on the base, in a matter of minutes there were smoke and metal pieces everywhere. The robots shred to pieces, and all the room was full with scraps of metal and circuits.

"So much for stealth", he thought and with a quick trow he hit the cameras with his batarang – You have a unique concept of subtly –Batman said with sarcasm.

She replied defiant with a cocky grin - I thought you said this was the hard part. That was too easy.

"Way too easy" - Diana, this is a trap! - The moment he said that, he knew it was too late.

The floor despaired under them block by block in a fast domino effect and a strong wind started to blow sucking them into a vortex. Swiftly Diana grab Bruce's hand and started to fly with him at her side. In the middle of the mini tornado of scrap pieces of metal and dust a large piece of the shred robots hit Diana in the head, hard enough to made her unconscious, as soon as they lost altitude, Batman managed to catch her by the waist while launching a grape to the ceiling.

They were going up thanks to the grape when he felt a painful stab in his foot. He looked down and saw a pair of cold red eyes staring at him, a robot with no legs and just the upper torso had manage to hold on to his foot and its metallic claws were piercing both his and Diana's legs, what was more, the robot was using all the force of its metallic arms to drag them down. Batman used all the strength of his left arm trying to pull them up, while the robot was doing the opposite, he felt how his arm was resenting the effort and his muscles were screaming in pain, and just to make matters worst the grape was sliding more by the second.

The sting of the piercing claw on her leg made Diana left her unconscious state, just to face the dead red eyes of the robot looking at her, its head were like a platinum human skull but its claws were as sharp as a knife and cut her flesh almost to the bone. Her wound was deep, and only her strength allowed her no to faint from the pain. She flown away from Batman's embrace and hit the robot in the jaw, but the metallic beast managed to scratch her other leg , furious she kick at it with all her forces, sending it at the end of the turmoil where it was suck by the vortex, and in an agile movement she embraced Batman again and flown with him towards the ceiling, punching a hole large enough to for them to pass trough.

Meanwhile outside the warehouse...

While Batman and Wonder Woman where battling the robots inside the warehouse, Collins managed to arrive outside just by chance, he had lost the Waynes for various blocks, and now, he was pondering his next move when his comm link started to buzz "not now" he internally swear and reluctantly answered it.

- Collins.

- Report your status - Said Amanda Waller

- Captain I'm outside of a warehouse from sector 21, I believe the suspects are inside - He said that as just to take Waller off his back, he wasn't even sure of that.

- You believe?...Why are you outside?! You lost them didn't you?

- No, well maybe for...

- Get inside and found out what they are doing there. I'll send a silent alarm and the reinforcements will be there in five minutes.

- No, Captain. I can handle them.

- You already lost them, I cannot trust you.

- Captain, please allow me to continue.

- Ok, I'll give you a head start before I'll send reinforcements, now go. I expect a full report in 15 minutes.

- Yes Captain.

He was deeply frustrated, the Waynes proved better than he thought and now all he could do was hoping they were still inside the warehouse. He walked straight to the door of the warehouse and put his hand on the scanner, as soon as the door opened he was engulf by darkness and the only thing he could see were two red eyes, he was trying to adjust his goggles night vision when he felt a sharp pain in his back, the pain made him faint and as he collapsed on the floor two mechanic arms grabbed him.

When he wake up, he found himself chain to the floor of a large lab, without weapons or comm link.

In the deeps of the warehouse

Diana flown pass the first floor, once she landed, she took a good look at Batman. He had his left boot covered in blood, more than a dozen of cuts on his Kevlar suit and she could see his left arm hanging slightly "Now is when Kal's x-ray vision comes in handy". However, when he walked to her he barely hobbled. Diana could see he was trying to control the pain, and had the stoic look she knew too well.

- Batman... - She started, but he didn't let her finish.

- You are hurt. I need to get you out of here. Hide outside while I'll look for the source and meet you outside once is all clear - His voice carried a hint of angst.

- This? It's just a scratch – She gave him a very warm smile, trying to comfort him. He didn't smile back, all he could see was that her beautiful forehead had a nasty cut and her legs had deep scratches and were cover in dry blood in the part where the metallic pawn had pierce her.

- Princess, don't be stubborn, go, now - He said in a mix of order and pledge.

- No! This is my mission. If anything you are the one who should go outside and hide, you are in bad shape, and are not fit for battle - She said with determination in her voice, daring him to contradict her. Batman didn't say a word, but he looked at her under a new light, she was the fiercest warrior he will ever meet and he couldn't help but respect her even more. So he retracted a PDA from his utility belt and look at its small screen.

- The signal is getting stronger in that direction - He said pointing at the end of a dark narrow hall, after consulting his PDA.

- Perfect, I'll go there – Said Diana, but again she found Batman's hand in her shoulder, holding her back.

- This is my mission as well as yours, we will go together - Batman said with cold determination.

- Fine, then let me fix your arm is dislocate... -

- There is no need. I'm fine - Batman, said trying to stand up straight.

- No, you are not. Besides you said yourself that we need to move fast because the surveillance is omnipresent, we cannot linger here, and I'll not move unless you let me fix your arm or you leave this building. Choose - She said in a regal voice.

"Stubborn woman" – Ok - He reluctantly let her fix his shoulder and didn't make a sound despite the terrible pain. Knowing that he was weak Diana scooped him and flown with him in her arms trough the corridor, he hated been carried like a baby, although her proximity was exhilarating. He was on edge, she provoked in him a desire and posessiveness that he never felt before, at the same time he had a deep admiration for her intelligence and was definitely in awe by her powers and beauty, but what was more freighting for him was how at ease he was with her, even now despite the wounds and the fact they were in the dark halls of a wicked warehouse there was not other place he rather be.

Diana was trying to appear calm but inside, her heart was pounding faster, Bruce always had that effect on her and his proximity was not helping, however she was worry about him, he was injure and she knew that now they were an easy target, with almost no protection whatsoever if more robots or human troopers decided to attack them and they were running out of time to find the source of the signal.

After hovering for the halls, they reached the door A30, where the signal seem stronger, she left Batman on the floor and opened the door. They found a fully equipped and complex genetic lab, with at least a dozen of cryogenic tubes, perfectly aligned in two rows and beaming with an iridescent light, in an almost spectral way.

Batman was not surprised. Obsessed with the human DNA, the positron lords often performed genetic experiments. However, he had never see these particular cryogenic tubes with malformed creatures inside them preserved in a suspension state. He was not sure if they were human or animal, some had a humanoid form but most of them were just a mass of amorphous flesh. Diana perceived the agony of those beings; she could sense they were in an excruciating pain and she pity them "What kind of vile beings can inflict so much pain to this creatures?".

- The source is here - Said Batman while watching the screen of his PDA and he walked directly to an apparently empty area within the large lab where the signal was strong.

Diana was a few steps behind him, still moved by the being's agony, she had touched one of the cryogenic tubes and silently made a prayer to her goods to take mercy on the creatures. Batman was so focused on his PDA that he didn't notice a faint depression on the floor, as soon as he step on it glass panels drop from the ceiling dividing the lab.

- Diana! - He said turning around, she was on the other side of the glass wall. He couldn't hear her, but he could see she was shouting his name and was about to charge the glass panels when to his horror a large creature lurked behind her. He shout at her to look out but she didn't hear him, and as she tried to smash the glass something like a tentacle snarled her fist and her arm, tossing her violently into the next wall. Batman tried to hit the glass panels with a bomb batarang, but that only changed the color of the glass panels that now were black, he couldn't see her anymore. Helpless and furious he was pondering his possibilities when he heard a faint sound and as a reflex send a batarang in that direction.

- Argh! YOU! I should have known this was some of your rebellious gang tricks... Batman...or should I call you Bruce Wayne? - Said Collins, who had been hurt by the batarang but was still standing and very much angry. Batman didn't answer that, he was circling at Collins preparing himself for an attack when he realised Collins was chain to the floor, as that strake him as odd he heard a mechanic sound and saw at least 20 machine guns descending from the ceiling pointing at the them. Soon a burst of darts came over them like a heavy rain, he could deflect some but there were too many, and despite his Kevlar armour he felt how a couple of them hit him in the flesh. Then a robotic voice said:

INITIATING TEST 233 FOR PHOBOS VIRUS...TWO HUMAN SUBJECTS...MALE...

Outside the glass panels...

Diana was fighting the deformed creature and although she was hitting it hard with a solid round of kicks and upper cuts, the beast was still standing, blocking her way to the glass wall. Angry and desperate, Diana flown charging directly at it but the monster snarled her by the waist with one of its large tentacles and tossed her around like a raged doll but then she managed to reach her lasso and using it as whip, she hurt the beast on the face distracting it enough so she could tied a loop around its neck, and when the beast was leash, she tossed it hard against to the glass panels, leaving the monster pulped on the floor. However, despite the hit the panels didn't crack, frustrated Diana took her tiara and tossed it against the wall as a boomerang, as soon as her tiara hit the glass wall it crack, pleased she went ahead and hit it straight in the crack as hard as she could.

Inside the glass wall...

Batman was trying to pull out the darts from his skin "Too late. If indeed this is the Phobos virus, I've only got 12 seconds before my mind melts and I either kill myself or kill others in my delirium" He had read about the decease, it was lethal and had no cure, the virus was the responsable for the pandemic that destroyed the Earth and caused the survivors to move to Utopia. His eyes went to Collins that was already showing the symptoms: he was convulsing violently and pustules began to appear in his face, his screams were horrible, soon he will be in a psychotic stage. Batman steeled for what will come, however, time passed and none of the dreadful reactions took place on him "What is this, can I be immune?" he thought.

Collins was now completely transformed, his eyes so injected in blood they looked almost red, his face full of pustules but the worst was his predatory smile, he was looking straight at Batman when the glass wall collapsed. As soon as Collins saw Diana he lauch himself against her like a wild animal to its prey, but before he could reach her the cryogenic beast that was laying on the floor, used one of its tentacles and snatched her from the waist, taking her away from Collins deadly path and sending her to the far end of the lab, that attracted Collin's attention who attacked the monster, however he was no match for its superhuman force and in a fast move the beast brook his neck, collapsing afterwards on the floor as if the effort was too much for it.

Diana recovered and was running to Batman when he said:

- No Diana, stop! Don't come close. I've been injected with the Phobos virus.

She started to walk slowly to him, taking a similar approach as if they were sparring.

- Bruce. I will not leave you.

- Diana I don't have any symptoms yet but I may as well be infected. I need to run some test. You need to get out of here - He said while gingerly standing up, and walking away from her.

- I'm immortal and blessed by the Gods, viruses don't affect me.

- Perhaps princess, but I'm not willing to take the risk - His voice was menacing but she remain unfazed, getting dangerously closer to him, he saw out of the corner of his eye, a small door that was on the other side af the lab, next to the cryogenic tubes, and knew that was his escape route; with more agility that Diana could imagine for a non-powered human, he disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

- No!- She shout, but it was too late all she could hear was a door closing. She started to fly towards the door, but then the cryogenic creature that she thought defeated, snarled her leg.

- It's you again. Why don't you yield and stay down! - She said while kicking hard its deformed face. In that moment the monster did something that surprise Diana, it spoke.

- No...Phobos...Danger...for you - Said the beast in a growl.

Then she understood "All this time it was trying to prevent me from been exposed to the virus", recovering from the first shock, she lean down facing the creature, for the first time she took a good look at its deformed body, it had tentacles instead of arms, and patches of black hair around its head but its eyes were piercing blue, and were looking at her with immense sorrow.

- I'll be fine... Please...I need to go - She said looking directly at the beast. Reluctantly the monster released her, but then it stirred and started to shake uncontrollably, Diana looked down and saw the cause, there was a large mark of a teeth on its body, "The trooper must had bitten it when they fought" she tried to touch it, but the beast crawl fast away from her and with its tentacles took one of the largest pieces of the shared glass that laid on the floor and in a swift movement cut its own trough. Diana tried to stop the beast but it was too late, the monster was already dead.

– May the gods have mercy on your soul. I hope you find peace - She said while a tear ran trough her cheek.

Meanwhile Bruce had managed to find a small lab, and was using a high-tech apparatus to test his own blood, anxiously waiting for the machine to come out with the results, finally at what seem an eternity in the small screen of the machine appeared the words NEGATIVE FOR PHOBOS VIRUS. He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He had regained all his self-control,when he saw Diana standing outside the lab unwilling to enter, he opened the door and said to her :

- I'm not infected –

Diana hugged him with a warm embrace, but as he was holding her in his arms, he could feel she was suppressing a sob, worried he took a step back and saw a deep sorrow in her eyes, he wanted to comfort her but he knew they were still in danger, so controlling the rambling emotions of his heart, he brook their embrace and touched the screen of his PDA only to find out something or someone were moving fast in their direction.

- Quickly to the ventilation ducts, help me to open them...

- Wait...Have you detected what we are looking for, the source of the signal?- She asked.

- Yes.

- What is it?

- The Phobos virus, the same virus that is causing the pandemic in your era, it was produce here. The signal was stronger in that part of the lab, because that is where they had injected the guinea pigs with the virus over and over. Nevertheless, I believe I've may find a cure.

- What, how?!

- I'll explain to you later. Now we need to leave or soon we'll be surrounded, let's get in here - He pointed at the wall, where a barely visible frame was in a corner, Diana opened the small frame and both entered the small space, Batman tossed a couple of explosive marbles at the floor a "gift" for their trackers, he closed the frame behind him and both started to crawl as fast as they could trough the maze of ducts, soon they reach a dead-end.

- Where now?

- Now we make an exit - He extracted from his utility belt an object similar to a pen that produced a laser beam, with precision he cut thought the wall of the ventilation duct a hole big enough for them to pass, but then he saw they were several feet above the ground.

- It's too far for you to jump, it's better if we fly, hang on - Said Diana, again wrapping her arms around his waist and flying trough the hole. As soon as they were on the ground, they hide in the shadows again. He touched twice a button of his Kevlar armour, and his cowl retracted while the colour of his armour changed from black to the grey, and he appeared in the one-piece suit he was wearing earlier. Taking the hint, Diana spin an in a ray of light her armour was gone and she was now in the grey one-piece again.

Hidden in the dark, they saw how little by little troopers squads were deploy near the warehouse, slowly they started to walk away trying to stay calm, heading to the most obscure alleys of Utopia.

E/N: I hope this chapter was not too confusing. I'm a novice on this and action scenes were very difficult for me to write. Reviews, comments, questions and constructive critics are always welcome, I love to read your opinion.

As you can see this story revolves around Batman and Wonder Woman, so I apologise if I don't flesh enough other characters, i.e. Amanda Waller, I think she is a very complex and unique character, so I put her in here as a cameo with a physical appearance more in the lines of the new JLA 52 comics.