Chapter 28

Diana flew past the city's dimming skyline like a deadly heat-seeking missile. She resembled a dangerous Amazonian thunderhead high in the sky, riding upon the swell of darkening clouds that had rapidly descended upon Gotham with the storms that were rolling in.

Her fury was simmering hot lava deep within her core and flowing through her veins, her restraint fragile and in danger of shattering. Greek curses danced on her lips as she thought about the deadly situation that Bruce was now in. If Lex Luthor had done anything to hurt him, she would personally tear him to shreds and not think twice about it, Superman and his League policies be damned.

She was not so consumed by her anger that she couldn't recognize that she was flying directly into a trap, but she couldn't have cared less. Trap or no trap, all she wanted was to get Bruce back no matter the lengths it took her to do it. Right now, in the midst of her fury, there were very few rules that could not be broken, lines that couldn't be crossed.

She and Bruce had suffered through far too many trials over the last several months that had come so close to breaking not only them as individuals but also as a couple. She was not about to lose him now. She was an Amazon, Bruce her lover. Luthor had kidnapped Bruce Wayne, not Batman. In her mind, that made it an Amazonian matter, not a League issue and would be dealt with in the way of the Amazons.

She pushed herself harder…faster, her lips twisted into a sneer. Her heart was pumping with the adrenaline pumping through her, her hands balled up and more than prepared for battle. How dare that insolent little man take her lover and hold him hostage in an effort to get to her. The more she dwelt on it, the more it inflamed her fury, her fear of losing Bruce a bitter knot of dread swimming in the pit of her stomach.

Despite her worry, she had somehow managed to find the razor-sharp focus that she had somehow lost in the midst of the trials in the Underworld. That fierce warrior spirit that the Amazons prided themselves in possessing had been nearly broken by fears and foolish insecurities, but it was burning brightly once more. She just wished that it hadn't taken Bruce being captured in order for her to find it again.

Diana slowed as she drew closer, floating high in the thick stormy cloud cover above the bay as thunder rolled in the background. She was certain that Luthor already knew that she was there so sneaking in would be completely pointless. He had been quite ingenious by setting up a hideout on a large cargo ship out in the middle of Gotham Bay.

There was nothing else in sight for at least a mile or more and anyone approaching would be easily detected. She was glad that she had decided against notifying Nightwing and Robin or the Justice League for backup. Not only would Bruce have been furious with her, but he would've paid the price for her decision.

She wasn't about to take any chances when it came to Bruce's life. Lex Luthor had already proven to be very dangerous in the past. She had a horrible feeling that he would kill Bruce without a second thought if Luthor thought that it would help him to accomplish his end goal and she was more than determined to not let that happen.

The thought of Bruce getting hurt because of her caused a strangled sob to stick in her throat, but she swallowed it back. She lightly landed on the bow of the ship, the only sound that of the water gently lapping against the ship's hull.

The wind began to gust, lightning streaking across the sky as she cautiously moved across the deck. There was no one in sight, no sign of Luthor or Bruce, no henchmen to greet her or lead her to where Bruce was being held.

Her every sense was on high alert as she carefully made her way around equipment and crates, feeling as though she was being watched. She suddenly wished that she was wearing something a little less attention getting. She should've changed out of her uniform and into head-to-toe black. Even though they would still be able to see her, it would've been easier for her to blend in with the storm's darkness if needed.

Amazons, however, did not blend in. They came to a battle more than ready to fight with courage and valor, not lurk in the shadows.

She had to admit, however, that Bruce had certainly taught her the value of stealthy investigation and information gathering, taking time to go in through the back door rather than crashing in through the front with guns blazing as he had put it. She had learned that both forms of battle had their merit. At that moment, though, she was more interested in breaking down the front door and using the splintered pieces to nail Luthor's hide to the wall.

He wanted her and he was going to get her, but not in the way that he had anticipated and definitely wouldn't want any part of. She was not going to become his puppet again, allowing him to gain control over her and corrupt her mind like he had done to her in the past. It had taken days to learn to speak again after that brain chip had been removed, weeks to recover her memory, and months to even begin to regain her life.

She wasn't going to let that happen again. She and Bruce had a wedding to plan again, a honeymoon and a future that she wanted to spend with him. There was also the child that she longed to have with him, the family she would love to build with his sons.

Diana forced the unexpected fleeting thought that she could be pregnant to the back of her mind after the amazing night she had spent with Bruce a couple of days ago. They had made love several times that night and well into the morning in hopes of making a baby, but she couldn't dwell on that now as she navigated around a cargo winch. She needed to find Bruce.

Moving around some steel containers, she couldn't help wondering what was in there that Luthor had managed to procure, but that would have to wait until later. Right now, she just wanted to get to the lower deck.

She had a feeling that was where Bruce was being held. It was the most logical place and the most difficult to get into and out of. Luthor would no doubt hold him in the least accessible place where she would have to work the hardest to get to him, increasing her frustration and possibly causing her to make a mistake or be captured.

She wryly shook her head, smiling to herself with the thought. "Hera, I'm starting to think just like Bruce now," she silently mused.

"Ah, so my fair princess has arrived at last."

Diana came to a standstill, her entire body rigid with tension as she scanned the area for the source of the voice so familiar to her. "You better start praying to whatever it is you believe in, Luthor, because when I get my hands on you—"

Luthor's derisive laughter interrupted her, ringing in her ears and sending an icy shiver through her. She pushed back the sudden memory of Lex shooting Bruce that continually forced its way to the surface of her mind when she least expected it. She wasn't about to let it deter her from saving her lover now or allow it to cripple her like it had in the past.

"I have always loved that feisty spirit of yours, Diana," Luthor said, his voice like thunder reverberating all around her thanks to the ship's sound system. "It was one of the many things that first drew me to you."

"I'm flattered," she spat out with a frown, an Amazonian war cry echoing through her mind in anticipation of the battle ahead. "Where is Bruce?"

"You shall be reunited soon enough, my dear Princess," Luthor calmly replied. "Before I let you see him, though, I think you and I need to come to an understanding of sorts."

"What kind of understanding?"

"I want you, Diana," Luthor flatly informed her without preamble. "I want you as my partner…in every way. That means you must submit to me without a fight."

The way he emphasized his words made her skin crawl. "We don't always get what we want," she snapped with a scowl. "Now, I'll ask you again. Where is Bruce?"

"Patience, Princess," Luthor said.

"Stop calling me that," she ground out, her cobalt eyes smoldering with rage.

"I seem to have struck a nerve," he mockingly responded. "Is that a pet name between you and Bruce? It doesn't matter because you will be mine soon or I will kill your precious Bruce Wayne."

"You hurt him and you will have to answer to me," she threatened him. "I guarantee it will be a confrontation that you won't like."

Luthor practically purred with pleasure with her threat, his excitement blatant. "Is that a promise, my Princess?"

"Enough of your flirtatious games," she yelled. "Tell me where Bruce is and I just might let you walk out of here instead of being taken out on a stretcher."

"I'll let you see your beloved Bruce, but you will obey my every instruction or your fiancé is as good as fish food. Before I do that, though, I have a few conditions."

Diana grew edgy with his ominous stipulations. She could only imagine what sort of conditions he had in mind. She could already feel her stomach already churning just thinking about it. "Like what?"

"First, remove your League communicator," he ordered her with a dangerous edge to his voice, waiting until she obeyed. "Now, I want you to crush it in your hand and let the pieces fall."

Diana crushed the small device she had taken from her ear, holding her arm straight out to her side before opening her hand. Tiny bits of metal fell from her outstretched hand as she glared up into the wheelhouse, the debris from her commlink blowing away in the wind as rain begin to fall from the sky above her.

She had no idea if Luthor was really up in the wheelhouse, but she wasn't about to cower or show any sort of backing down. She wanted him to feel every bit of her heated rage even from where she stood, to second guess himself and what he was planning on doing to her or Bruce.

"There had better not be any other tracking devices on you or I will personally remove them from you," Luthor warned her. "I have set up a jamming system throughout the ship, but I'm not taking any chances with you."

"I give you my word that I am not wearing any other devices," she evenly stated, growing more impatient with this little game of his. She wanted to see Bruce.

"Yes, I do suppose it would be next to impossible to hide anything else with that skimpy little uniform of yours wouldn't it?"

His voice was thick and dark with lust. She could practically feel his lecherous gaze raking over her skin and making her internally shudder. It made her that much more determined to teach him some manners that he soon wouldn't forget. It was men like Luthor that had made the Amazons loathe the male race so much.

"Why don't you come out here then and take a look for yourself?" she challenged him, holding her arms out and away from her body in open invitation for him to examine her first hand.

A slight smile curled the corners of her red lips as she imagined dropping Lex Luthor off in the middle of Themyscira to fend for himself against her sisters. They would enjoy the hunt and Luthor…well, they wouldn't have to worry about him interfering in their lives ever again.

Luthor's obnoxious laughter roiled from the sound system once more, further grating on her nerves. "Don't tempt me just yet, Princess. Let's save that particular kind of fun for later. Right now, I want a guarantee that you won't do anything foolish that might endanger your boyfriend here."

"I will do whatever you want." Diana's voice was hard as the blue steel of her eyes, her face set with determination like finally sculpted marble. Her hands were resting defiantly on her hips, creating a very dangerous, imposing figure. "I'm here to take Bruce's place. Let him go and I will stay."

"Oh, you can rest assured that you will be doing absolutely everything I want, but there is no way that I'm going to give up my pawn just yet," Luthor informed her. "I need more than just your word that you will not put up a fight or destroy everything in sight in order to get what you want."

Diana was quickly losing what little patience she had left, her every muscle coiled and ready to strike. This was taking far too long for her liking. "I do not lie, Luthor. I gave you my word. Now, release Bruce and I'll do whatever it is you want. I'm exchanging my life for his."

"That's very sweet, but I need far more from you."

A gun suddenly fired from somewhere behind her, Diana whirling around with bracers raised as a tranquilizer dart embedded itself into her left shoulder. She hit the ground in an unconscious heap as Hush approached her. He used the toe of his black boot to kick her in the side none too gently before crouching down and rolling her over to make sure that she was truly out.

Satisfied that he wasn't going to get his teeth knocked down his throat, he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. "Come on, sweetheart," he muttered. "There's someone who is dying to see you."

XXX

Bruce lay on the medical table in a somewhat groggy state, pretending to be completely helpless when his every Bat instinct was screaming at him to escape his prison and end this now. Unfortunately, whatever drugs Tommy had given him had added another degree of difficulty to it. He felt lightheaded, his muscles heavy like lead. He'd been in far worse situations than this, though, always managing to find his way out of it. He swore now would be no different.

He knew his time was up, however.

Luthor had informed him that Diana had just arrived, letting him know in no uncertain terms that she would soon be all his to do with as he pleased once he was finished reprogramming her. The thought of Luthor touching Diana or forcing himself on her nearly caused his fury to explode inside of him. He was not about to let that happen.

Being forced to watch her kiss Lex when he and Joker had first captured her had nearly driven him insane with jealous rage. If Superman hadn't been there to hold him back, there was no telling what Bruce would've done to Luthor.

Scanning the area once more, Bruce knew that he would most likely give away his secret if he escaped his current situation. On top of that, he wouldn't put it past Tommy to have done something extra to the metal cuffs that kept him strapped to the table. Tommy knew what Bruce was capable of as Batman and wouldn't underestimate him.

He was going to have to make a choice — expose his secret to Luthor or save Diana.

To Bruce, in this moment, there was no choice between the two, no decision that had to be made. There was only saving Diana. He would just have to deal with the fallout of the rest later.

He carefully began to twist his wrist against the thick metal shackle that held him captive. Even though he didn't have his utility belt, he wasn't exactly helpless. He still had a couple of tricks up his sleeve at his disposal. It was a good thing that they hadn't checked him more thoroughly, especially since Tommy knew who he was dealing with.

That was what had led him to believe that Hush had done something extra to the steel itself that held him down or to the room itself, making him overly confident that Bruce wouldn't be able to get free. There was definitely more going on here than what he could see at first glance, traps hidden here and there to keep him where they wanted him.

Jerking hard with his wrist, Bruce hissed in pain as an electric jolt suddenly shot up his arm. Cursing under his breath, he began to carefully bend his fingers towards the cuff of his dress shirt in an effort to work free the small lock pick he always kept hidden in the hem. The sound of voices, however, forced him to abandon the attempt.

"You didn't have to kick her so hard," Luthor angrily grumbled.

"I had to make sure she was out," Hush countered. "I wasn't going to risk having my face rearranged by an enraged Amazon. Besides, she's a Meta. She can take it."

"There are other ways of checking without kicking her," Luthor spat out. "I can think of at least ten ways off the top of my head."

"Your prize will be fine," Hush told him with growing irritation. "Just cool your jets, Luthor. You have your Amazon now so relax already."

Entering the room where Bruce was being held, both men glanced at him to make sure that he was behaving himself. "Looky what I've got, Bruce," Luthor taunted him as Hush carried Diana to a medical table several feet away from their other prisoner.

"What did you do to her?" Bruce demanded, his anger burning at the sight of her lifeless form as Hush began to secure her to the table.

"Relax, lover boy," Tommy replied as he fastened metal straps over her neck, arms, legs, and torso. Turning, he began to push some buttons on a nearby computer that caused the metal to glow an eerie shade of blue. It set Bruce even more on edge than he already was. "I just knocked her out so we can get started with her treatments."

Bruce's entire body instantly grew taut, his heart beginning to pound with fear of what they were going to do to her this time. "What treatments? What are you going to do to her?"

"I think you should be more concerned about what Hush is planning to do to you," Lex told him as he came to stand beside Diana's bed, turning his back to Bruce as he studied his prize.

Bruce gritted his teeth as Luthor slowly ran his fingers through Diana's hair before his hand came to rest against her cheek. "Get your hands off her!" he growled, her fury punctuating his every word.

"You can't stop me, Bruce," Luthor evenly said as he turned to look at him. "And don't expect anyone to come to your rescue. I told her to come alone or I would kill you. Of course, Diana, being the virtuous woman that she is, obeyed me explicitly in order to protect you. I had her destroy her Justice League communicator so she can't be tracked. I also installed a blocking system that is keeping any signals from escaping this room. You two aren't going anywhere."

"You think you've thought of everything haven't you, Luthor?" Bruce bit out with a scalding retort as Hush started an IV on Diana, hooking her up to some sort of drug.

"If you think her Bat boyfriend or Kryptonian boy toy is going to come to your rescue, you're sadly mistaken, my friend," Lex smugly informed him. "They have no idea we've been hiding right here in Gotham Bay this whole time."

Bruce was growing near frantic as the drug began to invade her body, desperate to stop this. He was anxious for Diana to wake up, but she wasn't going to if they kept drugging her with only God knows what Hush created. He was afraid of what they were giving her. He had no idea what it was, how it would affect her Amazonian physiology or if he would be able to reverse its effect on her.

"We need to let this drug work for a while and then we can begin the reconditioning process," Hush informed Luthor. "It shouldn't take too long after that before she'll be kneeling at your feet waiting for your orders."

"And you're certain you have taken her Meta healing factor into consideration?" Lex asked, his focus on the Amazon lying before him. "I don't want her Meta powers to counteract what we're about to do. At the same time, I want them left intact so we can replicate them."

"Yes, Luthor," Tommy snapped in exasperation. "This will work. Trust me."

"I'll trust you when I've seen some results," Luthor shot back, leaning down and kissing Diana on the forehead before glancing back at Bruce. "Have you even started anything with him yet?"

"I've given him some drugs as well in preparation for the experiments that I want to try on him," Hush replied. "It'll be a little while longer before I can begin on him. I want to take my time with him."

"Let's go then," Lex responded. "I have some things I want to go over before we start with Diana's reconditioning. Besides, I'm sure Bruce would like to be alone with his love one last time before she's no longer the Diana he once knew."

Bruce glowered darkly at Luthor and Hush, fighting against the restraints that held him in place only to feel the electrical current tear through him all over again. "I will…stop…you!" he shouted between gasping pants for air.

Luthor grunted in amusement as they walked away, completely unaffected by his threat. "Right, I'm sure you will."

The disbelieving sarcasm in Lex's voice was difficult to miss but Bruce couldn't have cared less about what Luthor thought of him. He quickly turned his attention to Diana lying motionless several feet away from him. She looked pale, but her breathing was regular and even which gave him some measure of comfort.

"Diana," he called to her, hoping he could somehow reach her. "Diana, please…you need to wake up."

His own drug addled mind fought against the effects that were slowing him down and making it difficult for him to think clearly. He was going to have to stay awake and focus on finding a way to get her out of here. Despite her Meta powers, he was terrified that she might not make it this time. She'd barely recovered from what Luthor had done to her before. She might not be so fortunate this time around.

"Princess!" he nearly shouted, his desperation to see those bright blue eyes he loved growing with every second that passed by without a response from her. "Diana, you have to fight whatever he gave you. You need to wake up now."

His worry had managed to seep into his voice, his chest tight with fear making it difficult to draw a deep breath. Getting through to Diana and getting her away from Luthor and Hush was his main concern right now. A soft groan of response from Diana was like music to his ears, causing him to release a relieved breath.

"That's it, Princess," he encouraged her. "Wake up for me…open your eyes."

"Bruce?" she murmured, her head lolling to the side as she squeezed her eyes tightly against the hammering pain in her head as well as the thick fog of confusion that clouded her mind. "Are…are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he reassured her as she finally focused her attention on him. "Can you get free?"

"I…I don't know," she groggily replied. She tried to lift her head from the medical table only to find that she couldn't. "What did they do to me?"

Her voice was hoarse; her eyelids too heavy to hold open. She felt so weak, her mind so muddled she could barely connect her thoughts. It was difficult to speak, her body not wanting to cooperate with what she wanted it to do.

"I don't know, but we have to get out of here," he told her. "Luthor is going to try to gain control over you again."

"No…no, he can't," she weakly protested, the panic she felt permeating her voice. Her head rolled from side to side in protest as tears formed behind her closed eyes. "Please…not again…"

"Diana, listen to me," Bruce heatedly stated, doing his best to get her to focus on him and the sound of his voice. "I won't let him hurt you again, but you need to try to get free."

Diana swallowed hard as she tried to fight the drugs pumping through her system. Bruce's voice was growing distant as unconsciousness threatened to drag her back under and away from him once more. She knew she needed to get free so she could get Bruce out of here, before Luthor could regain control of her again.

She gritted her teeth, trying to make the muscles in her arms obey as she struggled to lift them. She cried out in pain as an electric current unlike anything she'd ever felt before tore through her, setting her entire body on fire and stealing her breath. Her whole body seized in pain, her back arching as tears leaked from her eyes.

"Diana!" Bruce screamed, struggling against his restraints in an effort to get to her.

Electric shocks spiked through him as well, but not nearly as powerful as what Diana had just experienced or he knew he'd be dead right now. He quickly turned to look at her to find her barely breathing, her body trembling uncontrollably.

"Diana, please…open your eyes," he begged her, breathing hard with the lingering pain that roiled through him as panic welled in his chest. "Talk to me, Princess."

He received no response from her, the only sound that of the IV pump beeping with every steady drip of Hush's mind-altering drugs into her system. Luthor and Hush had thought of everything this time, things looking more and more hopeless by the moment, but he wouldn't give up.

As long as there was breath in his body, he would do everything in his power to stop them.

XXX

"Where could she be?"

"I'm sure she's just out searching for Bruce and must have lost track of time," Dick tried to reassure Tim despite his own mounting worry. "You know how beside herself she was after discovering he was missing. She's just as stubborn as he is. You know that she's not going to give up until she finds him."

"But she's not responding to any of our calls," Tim grumbled in frustration. "Have you tried tracking her through her Justice League commlink?"

"I'm pulling it up now," Dick informed him from his position at Bruce's computer in the Batcave.

"And?" Tim impatiently questioned him, his worry escalating. Now Bruce wasn't just missing, but Diana was as well. It felt like the Batclan was falling apart at the seams.

"Nothing," Dick muttered with a frown, his brow furrowing.

"What do you mean 'nothing'?" Tim demanded to know as he came to stand behind Dick, his hand coming to rest on the back of the chair was he peered at the enormous computer screen.

"I mean there is nothing," Dick clarified. "There's no sign of her or her commlink. It's like she's disappeared off the face of the earth."

"Oh, great!" Tim cried, throwing his hands up in the air as he whirled away from his brother. "Now they're both gone and we have no idea where they are. How are we going to find them?"

"Something or someone must be jamming their signals," Dick surmised as he continued to type on the computer in an effort to locate them. "It's the only thing I can think of to explain why we can't find their location."

"It's Luthor. I just know it," Tim heatedly stated. "You know he's got to be the one behind this."

"We don't know anything yet, Tim," Dick cautioned him, refusing to give in to conjecture. They needed proof before jumping to conclusions. "You're just guessing now. Until we have proof that Luthor has them, we need to keep our minds open to all possibilities."

"It's the most likely conclusion and you know it, Dick," Tim snapped. "He wants Diana and the best way to get to her is through Bruce."

Dick stood from the chair to face his little brother. "I know that, Tim, but Luthor doesn't know that he has captured not only Bruce but Batman himself. Bruce will figure a way out of this no matter who has him. You know he won't just give up especially if Diana is involved."

"And what if he can't find a way out of there?" Tim asked. "What if he's injured…or worse?"

"We don't know anything yet, Tim, so don't keep jumping to conclusions when we have no proof."

"I think we need to call Superman and Green Lantern."

"Do you have a death wish? Bruce would be livid if we called in the League," Dick growled with a ferociousness that would've made his mentor proud. "He would kill us, Tim. He doesn't want anyone interfering in Gotham and especially not the League. We're on our own for the time being."

"Two founding members of the Justice League are in trouble now, Dick," Tim continued. "That makes this League business. Besides, the more people we have helping search for them, the sooner we can rescue them."

"We need to give Bruce and Diana some more time to find a way out," Dick stated as he glared at his little brother. His voice broke no room for argument. "We do this our way for now. If we don't find them or they don't return by tomorrow night, then we'll call in the League."

Tim huffed under his breath as he turned away, marching back towards his bike. "Fine," he growled. "I'm going back out to search for them again. Call me if you hear from them."

Dick watched as Tim sped off down the hidden tunnel that would lead him out into the growing darkness of night. He understood Tim's frustration and anger, shared it fully with him. He wanted to call in the League too, but he knew Bruce and he knew that it was the last thing he'd want them to do right now.

Running his fingers back through his black hair, he turned to grab his domino mask and gloves before heading to his motorcycle to help with the search. He just hoped that Bruce and Diana were alright and that he wasn't making the biggest mistake of his life by letting them try to fight for their freedom instead of calling in the cavalry.

"Nightwing to Oracle," Dick called as he tapped his commlink. "We could really use some good news right now."

A/N: I know things are looking bleak again, but I promise things will be resolved soon. We have a wedding and a honeymoon to get to, right? Don't forget to vote on my account page for the next BMWW fic you want written. You can vote up to five times.

Thanks for reading! :)