Alive? (DCAU)
Batman flew through the doors of the Monitor Womb, his black cape snapping like a sail. "What happened?" he demanded, hands balling into fists.
"We're still trying to reach them," J'onn informed him.
"Javelin Two…come in," Superman hailed with an almost angry growl.
He could feel Batman pressing his body into the back of his chair as if trying to will a response from the away team. He was practically breathing down his neck with as much desperation as he himself was feeling if not more, needing some sort of an answer. Receiving nothing but silence was driving frosty spikes into the hearts of those who cared about them most.
"Javelin Two…do you read me?" Superman tried again; his voice nearly choked with barely restrained panic.
Ever since receiving that distress call from the away team over fifteen minutes ago, it had been nothing but steadily growing apprehension and hails going unanswered. The small away team was returning from a mission that had taken them from Earth for the last week. Now, an away operation of assistance was turning into a frantic rescue mission for members of the Justice League.
Unable to take another moment of not knowing, Batman's arm shot past Superman, slamming the call button again with his clenched fist. "Damn it, Diana, respond!" he barked with a ferocious edge that sent an icy chill through everyone in the room, understanding how the Dark Knight was teetering on the edge.
A long stretch of silence followed that felt like an eternity to everyone present in the Monitor Womb. Batman's heart had lodged in his throat from the moment he'd gotten word of the distress call from Diana's away team. He couldn't think about the possibilities right now. He needed to focus on finding a way to bring them home.
"What happened?" Shayera demanded to know as she flew into the Monitor Womb like a heat-seeking missile. "Have you been able to get a response? Where are they?"
Batman immediately turned to face Shayera, grabbing hold of her upper arms in an effort to calm her, but it was more than difficult when he was barely holding it together at that point. "No, we're still trying to reach them, but we haven't gotten a response."
Shayera stared into the white lenses of Batman's cowl. Despite the black Kevlar covering the majority of his face, she knew that he feared the worst. "I'm going out there to find them," she stated.
"We have their last known coordinates, but we don't even know for certain where they're at now," Superman interjected. "All we know is that they sent out a distress signal nineteen minutes ago. We haven't been able to track their position, lock onto their commlinks, or get any sort of response from them."
"Then we go after them!" Shayera yelled, wondering why everyone was standing around doing nothing useful.
A burst of static erupted in the Monitor Womb, capturing everyone's attention. Everyone turned their attention to the computer screen in hopes of catching a glimpse of the away team, anything that would tell them they were still alive. The gathered group of superheroes held a collective breath as they waited for someone on the team to tell them what was happening.
"…avelin Two…heavy amage…der attack…" Diana's broken voice came through, Bruce's breath catching in his chest with the sound of her voice. "Request…hel…"
Batman raced towards the computer, hitting the call button again. "Diana! Where are you?" he yelled. "Are you all right? Are there any injuries?"
"No!" Diana screamed with a loud explosion following that caused every to freeze in terror.
"Diana!" Batman cried in furious anguish. "Diana! Come in!"
Nothing but overwhelming silence permeated the air as a heavy weight blanketed the Monitor Womb. No one moved…no one spoke or dared to breathe at that moment for fear that the greatest nightmare that they could possibly devise had just become a shocking reality.
"NO!" Shayera suddenly screamed out in utter grief, dropping to her knees as wracking sobs overtook her body.
J'onn knelt before her, gently wrapping his arms around her as she wept uncontrollably. "We don't know anything for certain, Shayera," he pointed out.
Shayera lifted her head, gazing at the Martian Manhunter through her tears. "Can…can you locate them?" she choked out. "Can you lock onto John's mind? Please, J'onn. You have to try."
"I'm sorry…I cannot," J'onn softly replied, "but that doesn't mean that they're dead."
"It doesn't mean they're alive either," Batman hissed with a venomous tone.
Superman watched as Batman stormed out of the Monitor Womb, knowing that they were going to have to form a search and rescue team. Getting up, the Man of Steel quickly exited the room, following after Batman despite knowing he was taking his own life in his hands at that moment.
"Batman!" he called after him, his best friend refusing to slow his pace.
Superman ran until he'd caught up with him, forcing him to a stop with a hand on his arm. Batman glanced down at the Kryptonian's hand, his chest heaving with the raw emotion hammering through him. "Let go of me," he growled something deep and sinister and completely frightening.
"Bruce, we don't know anything for sure yet," Clark told him. "Diana might still be alive. We need to—"
"You heard her scream, Clark," Batman snarled as he yanked his arm free. "You heard the explosion. They couldn't have survived something like that."
"You don't know that…in fact, we don't know anything for sure," Clark calmly reminded him, doing his best to keep his own emotions in check. He knew someone had to be around here or they'd never find them. "We only know part of what happened, but we don't have the whole story yet. We have to go out there and look for them."
"For what?" Bruce yelled. "So, we can bring back what's left of their bodies home for burial?"
"What if they're alive?" Superman asked. "What if they managed to survive and they're waiting for us to come rescue them? What if Lantern was able to get them to a nearby planet and they need us to find them or they were taken captive?"
"You know as well as I do that the chances of them surviving is next to impossible," Bruce ground out.
Clark's eyes momentarily fell closed as he tried to rein in his grief. He swallowed hard before continuing. "We can't give up on them so easily."
Batman was in his face in less than a heartbeat, his breath hot blasts against the Kryptonian's face. "I'm not giving up on her," he seethed. "I'm just trying to figure out how…how am I going…"
Bruce was unable to finish his sentence as he glowered darkly at his best friend. The overwhelming anguish of losing Diana was driving him to the point of near insanity, teetering this way and that with only a gentle shove needed to push him into the arms of madness. There was only one thing holding him together right now.
Clark knew exactly what he was trying to say but couldn't at that moment. He reached out, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You're not alone, Bruce," he softly reassured him. "We don't know anything for sure so until we do, you can't lose hope. Diana wouldn't want you to. She'd want you to be strong right now."
Bruce could barely swallow past the tightening of his throat as he averted his eyes. "I told her not to go on that mission," he angrily ground out. "She's just so damn stubborn."
"Bruce, why don't you go home," Superman suggested. "You don't need to be here. I can let you know what we find."
"I need to go with you," Bruce insisted with a definitive shake of his head.
"No, you need to go home," Clark just as stubbornly responded.
Bruce sighed heavily, knowing he was right. "Bring her back to me, Clark," he whispered, unable to test his voice any further.
"You know I'll do whatever it takes to find them and bring them home," he reassured him.
Bruce could only nod his head, unwanted tears beginning to clog his throat. He wanted to go home but he knew that he needed to pull himself together first. He quickly made his way to her quarters on the Watchtower, needing some time alone.
Punching in the code, he entered her quarters, a dim light illuminating the room. He ripped his cowl off his head, finding it more than difficult to breathe at that moment. He ran his fingers back through his jet-black hair as he sat down on the edge of her neatly made bed…the bed they sometimes shared.
He attempted to calm himself by drawing a deep breath, but the tightness in his chest wouldn't allow it. He had come to the Watchtower to welcome his wife and bring her home. Now, he had no idea if she was dead or alive, returning home alone.
How would he tell the others?
Memories began to flood his mind—the first time he had ever laid eyes on her, a dance in Paris, a chance encounter with Circe that turned her into a pig, when he finally admitted that he was in love with her, their wedding, making love in her quarters. So many moments shared, so many more that would never happen now.
He laid down on the bed, glancing over at the empty spot next to him and wishing she was there. She was supposed to be here with him. Why had she insisted on going on that mission? Deep down, he knew the reasons, but it didn't seem to make her disappearance any easier.
Disappearance…or death?
He didn't know what to believe anymore. He wanted to cling to hope that she was still alive, but it was more than difficult with the evidence they had so far. He reached over to run his fingers over her pillow, swearing that he could smell her Jasmine scent on the sheets.
After a couple of hours, Bruce finally forced himself to get up and put his cowl back on. He steeled himself as he made his way toward the transporters. His mind was reeling, and his heart fracturing. This was not at all how this evening was supposed to go. He'd come to the Watchtower to welcome her and the team home and now she was never coming home.
He ignored everyone he passed, civilian staff and teammates alike with a sole destination in mind. He felt dead inside. The sorrow and sense of loss were so overwhelming that he could feel himself shutting down as he stepped onto the transporter pad.
Appearing in the Batcave, Bruce quickly removed his uniform, slipping into shorts and a t-shirt before heading upstairs. With a trembling hand, he pushed the grandfather clock aside, finding his home quiet. The boys would be out on patrol, Alfred in bed.
Heading upstairs, he went directly to the bedroom on the right, silently pushing the door open to find his daughter sound asleep. He could feel the tears attempting to creep into his eyes, but he willed them away as he made his way to her bed.
Her blonde curls were mussed from sleep, and her arm wrapped tightly around her favorite stuffed kitchen. He slowly made his way to the bed, carefully sitting down on the edge of the bed. Isabella had been so excited that her mother was returning tonight. How was he going to tell his two-and-a-half-year-old daughter that mommy wasn't coming home?
Bruce reached out to gently run his fingers through her hair, his heart unable to handle this. He knew what it was like to lose a parent. He had never wanted his own child to be forced to go through something as traumatizing as that.
Isabella began to stir, her eyes opening to find her father sitting there. She quickly scampered out from under the covers to climb into his lap. "Mama home?"
He smiled weakly as his throat clenched, nearly cutting off his air. "No…not yet," he managed to answer her, holding her close.
"I want mama," she began to cry, her little arms wrapping around his neck.
"I know, Izzy," he softly replied, cradling her against his chest. "I want her too."
He held her for several moments until she finally fell asleep again. He laid her back down in her bed, pulling the covers over her. He carefully laid down on top of the covers next to her, rubbing her back. He hoped that he'd have better news to tell her come morning, but he was having a tough time holding onto any hope.
He didn't know how long he had laid there next to the sleeping toddler. All he knew was the overwhelming sorrow that consumed him and the agonizing wait that only grew more arduous with every passing moment.
Deciding to go down to the cave to try to contact Clark, Bruce got up, closing Izzy's bedroom door behind him. Turning down the hall, he froze at the sight that greeted him.
"Diana?" he whispered, afraid that what was seeing was just a dream.
She gave him a tearful smile as she flew to him, closing the distance between them and nearly knocking him over. They embraced each other, clinging to one another. "I'm so sorry," she murmured as tears fell from her eyes and onto his shoulder.
"Are you all right?" he asked, finally pulling away to look at her as he took her face in his hands.
She had a nasty gash across the right side of her forehead along with various cuts on her neck, arms, and legs. "I'm okay," she assured him.
Tears shined in his eyes as he struggled with the myriad of emotions warring inside him. "You look terrible," he muttered with worry only to pull her back into his arms. "I was so terrified I had lost you."
"I know…I'm sorry," she softly said. "We were attacked by an alien race. They destroyed the Javelin, but John was able to create a shield to protect us. We had to hide on a nearby moon."
"I'm so relieved that you're alive," he replied, his forehead pressing against her cheekbone. "I love you, Diana."
"I love you too," she confirmed, tilting her head, and kissing him hard. "How's Izzy? Is she okay?"
"She's anxious to see you but I think you might want to clean up a little first," he suggested. "You look pretty rough."
She smiled warmly, kissing him again. "Care to help me?"
Bruce suddenly swept her up into his arms, carrying her to their bedroom. "I'd love nothing more."