TITLE: Poison Her Mind

AUTHOR: LOTSlover

CHARACTERS: Batman / Wonder Woman

RATING: M

WARNINGS: Author Chooses Not to Use Warnings

DISCLAIMER: I love Justice League, but especially Batman and Wonder Woman. Unfortunately, I do not own the characters and, if I did, things would be much different for them.

SUMMARY: A visit from Amanda Waller and the unexpected return of an enemy creates chaos no one could have predicted. BMWW

Poison Her Mind

Batman stood shadowed in an alcove overlooking the roof of the headquarters of the Gotham City Police Department. The Bat signal shined brightly against the cloudy night sky, beckoning him to come, but his paranoia was on high alert at that moment, keeping his boots firmly planted.

Commissioner Gordon was out of town at a conference in Philadelphia. He was not the one who had lit the signal that requested his appearance. He had been watching for the presence of the person who had called for him, but they were keeping their presence concealed as well.

Deciding he needed to find out what was going on, Batman finally fired his grappling gun, swinging onto the GCPD rooftop. He quickly pulled out a Batarang, prepared for a fight if necessary. He made his way to the Bat-signal, reaching out to turn it off only to have the unknown trespasser make their presence known.

"What kept you?"

The all-too-familiar voice made the hair on the back of his neck prickle with suspicion and irritation. He turned to face her, tucking his Batarang away. "What do you want?" he demanded, muscular arms folding across his equally muscular chest.

"Nice to see you again too," Amanda Waller replied with a smirk as she emerged from the shadows.

"What do you want?" he repeated with unmistakable impatience.

"I would say that having a baby at home has caused some sleep deprivation, but you're already a night owl…or should I say bat?"

"I don't have time for this," he spat out, turning on his heel to leave.

"Wait!" she urgently called, reaching out a hand toward his direction only to retract it just as quickly. "We have a problem."

"You mean you have a problem, and you want the Justice League to clean up your mess," he corrected her with disdain in his voice as he turned to face her once more. "What did you do now, Amanda?"

She looked away, refusing to take any blame for this one. "It wasn't me," she softly admitted.

Batman's gut clenched with dread. Amanda Waller wouldn't be reaching out to him unless it was bad, and judging by the look on her face, this was very bad. "Who, then?"

"Dr. Hamilton."

"Emil Hamilton?" he questioned her, stunned by the revelation. "I thought he went off the grid after Cadmus was disbanded."

"He's back," she revealed. "He broke into a secret government facility where Galatea was being held. He kidnapped her…took her back underground or whatever hole he's been hiding in."

"What?" he rasped with a dangerous edge.

"I know…I don't know how he did it, but we're looking into that," she continued. "I believe that he's going to try to bring her back to life again."

"She was in a catatonic state…basically brain dead," he reminded her. "How could he…"

"I don't know, but he must have some sort of an idea after all this time," she cut him off. "She was like a daughter to him. He never really recovered after Supergirl pretty much ended her existence."

Batman's mind was reeling with the implications of a revived Galatea. Supergirl was barely able to handle her. Depending on what Dr. Hamilton had concocted, Galatea could prove to be next to impossible to stop. There was no telling what kind of monster he could recreate.

"How long ago did Dr. Hamilton kidnap her?"

"Five days ago," she hesitantly admitted.

"Five days?" Batman growled fiercely. "Why are you just now coming to me with this?"

"We were trying to contain the situation ourselves, but I'm afraid Dr. Hamilton is better at covering his tracks than I'd given him credit for," she replied with a sigh.

Batman clenched his jaw in disgust. "Looks like you do have a mess on your hands," he told her as he pulled his grappling gun out. "Good luck with that."

"You aren't going to help us find her?" she yelled in utter disbelief.

"This is your mess, Amanda," Batman accused her. "It's time you learned that your decisions have consequences."

"Is that what you're going to teach your daughter?" Amanda bit out, dark eyes narrowing as Batman froze at the mention of his baby girl. "Amari is about…five months old now? I imagine she's going to be a force to be reckoned with being the daughter of Batman and Wonder Woman."

Batman's fury erupted like an inferno inside of him. He was in her face in three long strides. "Don't you dare mention my daughter," he seethed.

Amanda managed to stand her ground despite the weakening she felt in her knees and the hot flames of his breath licking at her face. "I'm just saying that it's too bad she's not grown up now," she continued on with an innocent air, knowing she was taking her life in her hands. "I bet she could single-handedly take down Galatea without even breaking a sweat."

"You don't even know for certain that Dr. Hamilton is going to be able to heal Galatea's fried brain," he pointed out. "This could all be pointless."

"And what if he does?" she pressed. "Are you willing to sit back and let her destroy one city after another?"

Batman's chest heaved with the anger pumping through him. "We'll be there to stop her," he reluctantly ground out.

"Good," she replied with a smirk.

He fought the overwhelming urge to choke her. "You know, Amanda," he said with a sudden, eerie calm that caused her to grow pale. "You better watch yourself. I may not kill you for focusing your attention on my daughter, but I can't say the same for my wife. Have you ever seen a furious Amazon? It's not pretty."

With that, Batman flew off into the night, leaving her standing there all alone to contemplate his advice. After several moments, she sagged against the Bat-signal, trying not to vomit with the encounter that had left her more than a little shaken, though she was loathed to admit it.

At least she had gotten what she had come for. That was what was most important right now.

XXX

"She actually brought up Amari?" Diana questioned him, arms tucked across her chest as she paced back and forth.

"Yes, but I'm pretty sure she'll never do it again," Bruce reassured her with a grim expression. "I threatened her with a visit from you."

Diana chuckled at his response. "Good," she said. "I'm more than happy to make sure she never lays a finger on our daughter."

"She has bigger worries right now anyway," he replied. "If Dr. Hamilton is able to revive Galatea, things could get very ugly, very quickly."

"I'm not worried," she assured him. "Kal and I can handle her."

"I'm sure you can, but the problem is we don't know what Dr. Hamilton's cure could do to her," he pointed out.

"Like what the Lazarus Pit did to Jason?"

"Exactly," he told her. "He could be bringing back Frankenstein's monster for all we know."

"He could poison her mind," Diana murmured thoughtfully to herself.

"Yes, and then we could really be in trouble," he continued. "There's no telling what other powers he might try to give her."

"We'll be ready for her," Diana confidently stated, her fist finding the palm of her other hand.

Bruce sat down on the edge of his work desk in the cave. "I just fear what it's going to take to stop her this time."

Diana frowned as she closed the distance between them. "You mean to end her life permanently this time?"

"It can't come to that."

"I know," she softly admitted. "It's sad. She never really had a chance at a real life. She was created and brainwashed by Cadmus. It's all she's ever known."

"We'll just have to make sure that we end this without any loss of life."

"It may not be that easy…or simple."

Bruce gazed at his wife, noticing the concern that was reflected in her eyes. He didn't believe in taking a life, but he knew that her belief was different from hers. She had been raised by a warrior race that had fought for survival and freedom for thousands of years.

He knew Diana would never take a life unless there was no other option. He couldn't help but wonder…would he be able to stay with her if she were forced to take Galatea's life?

Diana could see the conflict playing out across her husband's face, knowing how he struggled with the loss of life. It wasn't something that she would take pleasure in, but if that was what had to be done in order to save the lives of others, she knew she would have to do the unthinkable.

Would he still love her or look at her the same way?

The tension building between them was undeniable, both struggling with their beliefs and knowing they were not shared with the other. Right now, it didn't change the fact that he would give his life for this woman, but would their love be enough to survive murder if it came down to it no matter how justified it might seem?

Diana finally broke the extended silence, forcing a weak smile. "We'll have to notify the Founders tomorrow morning."

"Yes…definitely," he muttered, his hands stiffly sliding into his pants pockets. "I may try to contact Clark now."

She gave him a half-smile. "Lois will love you waking them in the middle of the night."

"I think it's best he knew as soon as possible," he replied. "There's no predicting if or when Galatea is going to make an appearance."

"I'm going to check on Amari before going to bed," she told him, reaching out a tentative hand to caress his cheek. "See you upstairs."

"Good night," he murmured as she kissed him before leaving him alone.

Life had just become so very complicated.

XXX

Flash stood with his hands on his hips and his head on a swivel as he kept an eye out for trouble. "You know maybe Bats was wrong."

"About what?" Green Lantern asked with a wrinkled nose, wondering what his buddy was talking about now.

"The whole Galatea coming back from the almost dead thing," he clarified, looking up at the bright blue sky above and seeing no sign of the elusive clone. "I mean he told us about his surprise meeting with Waller and Dr. Hamilton stealing Galatea over a week ago and nothing has happened yet. Maybe he can't do it. Maybe she's too far gone to zap back to life."

"I wouldn't rule it out completely," John told him as they watched the procession of dignitaries arriving for the peace summit meeting. "By the time you blow it off, she'll show up like a torpedo."

"I'm always ready, GL," he promised him. "They don't call me the Flash for nothing."

"Well, this could be the time she shows up," John reminded him. "Batman thinks that Hamilton might try to showcase her return during the peace summit to demonstrate to the world how she can handle the Justice League."

"She'll be in for a rude awakening," Flash replied. "We're more than she can handle."

John chuckled as he surveyed the area. "You say that now, but if she shows up with enhanced powers, we could be in real trouble."

"Too bad we can't try to turn her to our side."

"I don't think she'll give us the chance."

"Probably not, but with Supergirl gone, it'd be nice to have a replacement," Flash said.

"Zone C, come in," Batman hailed them over their comms.

"Zone C here," John responded.

"Update."

"All quiet in our sector," he told the Dark Knight. "Nothing but a line of black cars proceeding to the meeting site."

"Stay alert. Batman out."

Superman glanced at Batman, noticing the tension that consumed him. "What aren't you telling us?"

Batman didn't bother looking at his friend, keeping his focus on the tablet in his gauntleted hands instead. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"We've known each other for years," Clark reminded him with a frown. "I can tell when something is eating away at you, and something is definitely gnawing at you."

Batman scowled as he tapped his commlink. "Zone F," he hailed. "Give an update."

"Just took care of an overly jubilant rioter," Green Arrow informed him. "Otherwise, all good."

"Notify me at once if there's any more trouble. Batman out."

"Tell me what's going on," Clark pressed, unwilling to back down.

It was quiet between them for several moments before Batman ultimately responded. "I'm concerned that someone could lose their life before this all over—either Galatea or a League member."

"There's always that risk with every mission we face," Clark replied.

Batman shook his head, frustration brimming inside of him. "I know, but this could be different."

"How so?"

"Waller is afraid of what Galatea is capable of," he told him. "She knows something more than what she's told me so far."

"Whatever it is, we'll deal with it," he assured him. "We always do."

"Right," Batman muttered under his breath, completely unconvinced. Clark's reassurance did little to settle his apprehension. This could turn into a battle to the death.

"Batman," Wonder Woman hailed. "There's a suspicious, unmarked van that just parked in a restricted area. I'm going down to check it out."

"Be careful," he warned her. "It could be a trap."

"Got it," she patiently replied, already more than aware of that fact.

Diana had no doubt it was probably a trap, but knew she needed to placate her husband. "Keep a look out up here," she instructed Fire before flying below to check out the van.

Landing on the ground several feet from the van, Diana studied the van for a long moment before ultimately approaching. There was no one sitting in the driver's seat, no passenger either. She had a bad feeling about it as she made her way to the back of the vehicle.

She listened carefully, not hearing any noises coming from inside. She grabbed hold of the handles on the back doors, pulling them open. An enormous wooden mallet painted bright red and blue sprung out of the van, crashing down on top of her.

With remarkable reflexes, Diana raised her arms at super speed to block the toy mallet, keeping it from slamming into her head. The sound of cackling from inside the van filled her ears and made her blood run cold. Three more vans sped straight at Diana, screeching to a halt right behind her.

"Well, well, well," Joker said as he exited one of the vans. "Look what we have here. Wonder Wayne!"

Diana drew her fist back, striking the mallet and causing it to splinter into a thousand pieces before turning to face the Joker and his henchmen who were all dressed like clowns. "You decided to make an appearance here with half the League present?" she questioned him. "Not very smart."

"Shouldn't you be at home playing the little housewife to Bruce Wayne?" Joker asked her.

"What are you up to, Joker?" Diana demanded to know, refusing to play his games.

"I came to be a part of the peace talks," he told her with a cackle. "Don't I look dressed for the part?"

Joker did a little dance as he slowly turned in a circle to show off his suit. He looked more like the ringmaster for a circus than a diplomate. "You look great, puddin'," Harley Quinn said as she approached from behind him, her baseball bat resting on her shoulder. "Let's have some fun!"

At that moment, a boxing glove arrow appeared out of nowhere, nailing Harley Quinn directly in the face. Diana took that moment of distraction to fly straight at Joker, pinning him to the ground as Green Arrow unleashed a furry of arrows at the dozens of clowns going for their weapons. Flash appeared next, knocking clown heads together and keeping Arrow and Diana from being shot at.

Joker laughed hysterically as he gazed up at Wonder Woman on top of him. "Don't let your hubby Wayne see us like this," he told her with that annoying laugh. "He might get jealous."

Diana reached for her lasso, wrapping it around his wrist. "What are you doing here?" she demanded to know, refusing to be baited by him.

"Just here to be part of the fun," he told her.

"Did you plant any bombs?"

"Maybe a few here and there along Main Street," he found himself admitting.

Diana tapped her commlink. "Superman," she called. "Joker has planted bombs along Main Street."

"I'm on it," he confirmed.

"Is there anything else?" she questioned him.

The Joker pretended like he was thinking about the answer only to yelp loudly when Diana tightened the lasso around his wrist. "Okay, okay…" he groused. "You really like that lasso. Use it in your bedroom with Wayne?"

Diana gritted her teeth in fury, leaning in close. "The lasso compels you to tell the truth," she ground out. "What else have you done?"

"There may be a couple of surprises in the vans," he confessed against his will, cursing at himself for giving up the information.

"Flash!" she yelled. "Check the vans."

"Got it!" he yelled.

Flash raced toward the first van, checking the back to find it filled with various fireworks waiting to be set off. Moving on to the second, he opened the back doors to discover boxes full of exploding cigars that he was no doubt going to pass out to anyone dumb enough to take one.

Racing to the third van, Flash reached for the doors only to be knocked several yards back by someone shooting out of the back. Wonder Woman and Green Arrow both looked back with the loud bang to find Flash thrown into the side of a building, lying face down on the ground.

Diana gasped at the sight of Galatea floating in the air, glaring down at them with red glowing eyes. Her blond hair whipped in the wind, appearing just the same as she had before. "Miss me?" Galatea asked, unleashing her heat vision on the scene before her.

"Surprise!" Joker cried with glee, a prolonged cackle of glee continually filling the air…

TO BE CONTINUED...