Aquaman clashed with Black Manta, his trident blocking all of Manta's slashes. Then, Aquaman saw his chance. He noticed that the water was receding and heard it moving in a certain direction, making him smirk.
Aquaman then spun his trident and smacked Black Manta in the face, stabbing his trident into the ground. He then proceeded to punch Manta in the gut several times before grabbing him by the helmet, spinning him around, then throwing him toward his wife.
Mera then used the water she was gathering to slam Manta into the ground with enough force to shatter the pool. The sheer power of her magic knocked Black Manta out completely.
Aquaman walked up to his wife and kissed her. "And you said we shouldn't bring Junior."
"He's not even a month, Arthur," Mera said with a raised eyebrow.
Aquaman chuckled before looking into the chapel to see more Assassins being knocked out. "Shall we?"
"Of course." The couple then ran into the Chapel to help finish off the Assassins.
Slade grunted after he was sent sliding back, shaking his head before looking up. "You've gotten better, Grayson."
"Batman always improves. Why shouldn't I?"
"Hm. You know, your old man and his new wife are the only ones who have beaten me in a one-on-one fight."
"I've beaten you, too, Slade."
"With help. If it wasn't the Titans, it was one of your 'brothers'. Last time we fought, your pretty little wife saved you. The time before that, it was your father. Now, Batman is busy with that idiot, Orphan. Your wife is having problems with your sister-in-law. Your 'mom' is being murdered by Talia."
Meanwhile.
Shiva landed on Talia's face, kicking off of it and making her stumble back. Onyx dropkicked her in the chest, making her fall. Shiva and Onyx both grabbed one of Talia's legs and with perfect synchronization, slammed her onto the ground before spinning her around and throwing her into a wall. Talia growled as she looked up to see Shiva and Onyx take the exact same fighting stance, looking like mirrors, showing off how great their bond of Master and Student really was.
"Now one to save you this time, Grayson."
"Well, then, I guess I better join Bruce and Sandra on the list of people who kicked your ass on their own, Slade."
"Hmph. Cute."
Dick and Slade charged at each other.
Slade thrust his sword, Dick sidestepping and spinning out of the way, using his own momentum to slam his stick into Slade's face, cracking his mask. Slade tried to roundhouse Dick, but he bent back to avoid the attack before swinging his stick upward with enough speed to break Slade's mask off his face, kicking the mercenary away.
Slade shook his head before snarling at Dick.
"Age catching up to you, old man," Dick asked with a smile.
"You've learned how to piss people off more easily. Not bad." Slade took out his gun and shot at Dick.
Nightwing used his acrobatics to dodge the bullets, wincing when one of the bullets grazed his arm before throwing a Nightarang at him, the weapon lodging into the barrel of the gun.
Deathstroke looked at his gun. "Not bad. You might be at the Bat's level after all."
"Flattery doesn't suit you, Deathstroke."
"True." He threw the gun at Nightwing.
Nightwing used one stick to swat it away, using the other to block Slade's downward slash.
Slade then punched Nightwing in the stomach, winding him enough to trip him before slamming him onto the floor. Slade then tried to stab Nightwing in the face.
He rolled away, the blade taking a few hairs off the back of Nightwing's head before the hero jumped back to his feet and kicked Slade away from his sword. "Not bad, kid," he said before throwing a knife at Nightwing.
Nightwing easily caught it before throwing the blade to the ground. He then looked at Slade, the man having only a few knives, no sign of his staff, and no guns left. He then looked at his Escrima Sticks, dropped them, then took his favorite martial arts stance.
"You really wanna do this? Fight ME hand to hand?"
"That's how Batman and Shiva beat you."
"You know what?" Slade took out his hidden guns... and dropped them. He then took off all the knives he had and took out his hidden staff, throwing them away. He then took his favorite stance. "Let's do this."
Dick and Slade charged at each other, both throwing, blocking, and parrying a barrage of strikes, kicks, and blows. Eventually, Slade got Dick into a chokehold.
"You're every bit as much a fool as Batman, boy! You both place limits on yourselves. Denying your own potential. That's why you can't beat me."
"If Batman limits himself, and he keeps beating you, what does that say about your skill, Slade?" Dick then showed off his flexibility by actually kicking Slade in the face, before shoulder throwing him.
When Slade landed on his feet, he looked up in time to see Dick's fist. It crashed into his face with such force that it actually broke Slade's nose, blood spewing out before Slade tried to kick him in the head.
Dick dodged and held up his arms to block each of Slade's angry punches. Dick then caught Slade's fists, headbutted him with enough force to stun him, then proceeded to beat down the mercenary, ending the combo with a dropkick to the face.
Slade glared at Dick before roaring in rage. "YOU'LL REGRET THAT, BOY!"
"Bring it."
Slade charged at Dick, the hero charging back.
When Slade threw the first punch, Dick redirected it and landed a blow to the solar plexus. Slade gagged in pain, leaving the opening Dick needed to land a powerful uppercut to the exposed jaw. Dick then chopped Slade's exposed neck, punched his face, kicked him in the side of his knee, then proceeded to beatdown Slade again.
Dick then finished his attack with a mighty battle cry as he punched Slade in the face with enough force to send him flying.
Slade landed on his back with a pained groan as he tried to get back up. He then saw Dick standing over him, tall and proud, looking down at his foe.
"Looks like Bruce and Sandra aren't the only ones you need to worry about beating you one-on-one, Slade."
Slade growled. "Damn... you." Slade's eye then rolled back before he fell to the floor, unconscious and defeated.
Nightwing had won.
Starfire and Blackfire were dueling in the air, star bolts, eye beams, and Tamaranean War Strikes echoed throughout the sky before the sisters grappled each other.
"Mar'i is to become Tamaran's greatest Grand Ruler," Starfire yelled. "How is that possible?!"
"It's because of this damned marriage! Somehow, the union of those mere humans causes a chain reaction! A domino effect that creates a world where people like me lose! I reject that fate! The throne of Tamaran belongs to me!"
Starfire was able to kick her sister in the face before throwing Blackfire away. "Sister, you truly have gone mad! The throne can never be yours ever again! Your banishment prevents you from doing such a thing!"
"THEN I'LL JUST CONQUER TAMARAN AS I DID ALL THOSE YEARS AGO!" Blackfire then sent a massive star bolt at Starfire, the blast sending Starfire flying before she regained her balance.
Starfire looked up and used her eye beams in time to counter Blackfire's. Starfire then flew toward the smoke and grappled with Blackfire again. "THIS IS MADNESS, SISTER! YOU LEARNED THAT MY DAUGHTER WILL BRING ABOUT TAMARAN'S GOLDEN AGE, AND THIS IS HOW YOU REACT! YOU CLAIMED MY CHILD AS YOUR BUMGORF! YOU SHOULD BE PROUD OF HER, NOT TRYING TO DENOUNCE HER!"
"I MADE THAT CHILD INTO WHAT SHE IS! I AM THE REASON SHE IS WHAT SHE IS! YET SHE REPAYS ME BY TAKING MY THRONE?!"
"WHAT KIND OF K'NORFKA REACTS IN SUCH A WAY?! YOUR HEART SHOULD BE FILLED WITH PRIDE AND LOVE FOR YOUR BUMGORF, NOT JEALOUSY AND HATRED! DAMMIT, SISTER, DON'T YOU REALIZE IT?! YOU HELPED CREATE THE GREATEST GRAND RULER TAMARAN WILL EVER KNOW!"
"THAT TITLE SHOULD BE MINE!" Blackfire then headbutted Starfire and kneed her in the gut, then hammer slammed her toward the ground.
Starfire quickly recovered, glaring at her sister with glowing eyes, Blackfire doing the same. The two then roared in rage as they both charged their star bolts to the limits, their fists looking more suns, before charging at each other, both prepared to finish their fight.
Both of their eyes widened as they both stopped, both causing sonic booms from the sudden halt, as they stared at Mar'i, the beautiful child floating between her aunt and mother, her arms outstretched as she stared at her aunt.
Blackfire's eyes ceased glowing, but she glared down at her niece. "Bumgorf, move. This is between me and your mother." Mar'i didn't budge. "DID YOU NOT HEAR ME?! MOVE!"
"Mar'i, you must leave. As your aunt stated, this is between me and her," Starfire said.
"I won't move," Mar'i said definitely.
"How DARE you," Blackfire went angrily. "I taught you the ways of Tamaran! Showed you what it meant to be a true warrior! I MADE YOU MY BUMGORF! NOW HONOR YOUR K'NORFKA AND MOVE!"
"IT'S BECAUSE YOU'RE MY K'NORFKA THAT I WON'T!"
Blackfire was taken aback by Mar'i's yell. She then took a good look at her niece. Her gaze hardened. "You're afraid, girl. Tears in your eyes, shaking hands, trembling body; you FEAR me. Why not listen to your body and get out of my way?"
"It's not you I'm afraid of, Auntie. It's LOSING you."
"What?"
"I'm not going to sit back and watch my mother and aunt kill each other! I WILL NOT LOSE MY FAMILY!"
Blackfire's gaze softened for a split moment before she shook her head. "DON'T SPEAK NONSENSE TO ME, GIRL!"
"I'M NOT! I DON'T WANT TO LOSE YOU!"
"ARE YOU A FOOL?! I KNOW YOUR MOTHER TOLD YOU ABOUT ME! I KIDNAPPED YOU, FOR X'HAL'S SAKE!"
"AND YOU TRAINED ME FOR THE YEAR YOU HAD ME! YOU TAUGHT ME, TRAINED ME, KEPT ME SAFE! YOU LOVED ME!"
Blackfire twitched before she snarled. "I NEVER ONCE SHOWED YOU LOVE, GIRL!"
Mar'i then reached into her dress and pulled out a necklace, Blackfire's eyes widening. "Then why give me this on my birthday?"
Starfire's eyes widened. "T-That gem. It's... Charta Ruby."
"You could have used this to remake the Jewel of Charta, yet you gave it to me on my birthday."
Blackfire looked away. "It was the safest place I could think to keep it."
"Don't lie! Even just a shard is enough to strengthen a Tamaranean's power to incredible heights! Not two days after my birthday, we were attacked by bounty hunters after your head, yet you still didn't take the jewel from me! You fought to keep me safe!"
"Enough."
"And when that green slime alien you were married off to as punishment tried to touch me, you all but tortured it to keep me safe!"
"Enough!"
"YOU EVEN PROTECTED ME FROM LOBO, NEARLY DYING IN THE PROCESS!"
"I SAID ENOUGH! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS, GIRL!? I KIDNAPPED YOU, PUT YOU THROUGH HELLISH TRAINING, AND DRAGGED YOU AWAY FROM YOUR PRECIOUS PARENTS FOR AN ENTIRE YEAR! THINK, MAR'I! I'M TRYING TO TAKE BACK TAMARAN, HUMILIATE YOUR MOTHER, AND TURN YOU INTO MY GREATEST WEAPON! WHAT DO YOU SEE WHEN YOU LOOK AT ME, GIRL?! WHAT?!"
". . . My Aunt Komand'r. My K'Norfka. . . My family."
Blackfire's eyes widened.
Mar'i then held her arms out toward Blackfire... for a hug. "You don't need to do this. . . . We can still be a family. Please," Mar'i said as a single tear went down her cheek.
Blackfire flew back a bit, staring at her niece.
"K'Norfka?"
"I..." Starfire then saw something shocking. Something she hadn't seen in years: her sister's tears. "I'm sorry." Blackfire then flew so fast, she caused a sonic boom.
Mar'i looked up toward the sky where her aunt flew. "K'NORFKA!"
Blackfire had already left the Earth's orbit, flying among the stars... her tears floating in space.
"K'NORFKA," Mar'i cried, tears flowing down her cheeks. She then began to cry, her face in her hands.
Starfire hugged her sobbing daughter.
"Why doesn't she want us?"
". . . I think she does, Bumgorf. She... just doesn't feel worthy of us."
"That isn't for her to decide," Mar'i sobbed.
"I know, my little Zorkaberry. Still, that doesn't change the fact that you did what I thought impossible."
Mar'i looked up at her mother in confusion as the beautiful alien knelt down and caressed her daughter's cheek while giving a beautiful and proud smile.
"You saved my sister's soul."
Robin was dodging all of Metallo's attacks, from his wild swings to his random laser blasts.
'Not yet. Need to be in a better position,' Robin thought.
"QUIT MOVING AND LET ME ROAST YA!"
"Oh, sure. Whatever you say," Robin said before throwing a robinrang at Metallo, aimed at his heart.
Metallo blocked it with his busted arm, letting the weapon explode. "YOU MUST THINK I'M A REAL MORON IF YOU THOUGHT I'D LET YOU HIT ME WITH THAT!"
"I kinda did," Robin chuckled.
Metallo roared as he lunged at Robin, the hero avoiding all of the villain's attacks, even backflipping to avoid his beam from his hand.
When Robin landed, he noticed he was in the perfect spot. 'Only one shot, Drake,' he thought as he grabbed the grenade.
Robin threw the grenade, the weapon rushing toward Metallo, specifically toward his Kryptonite heart. It looked like it was about to hit.
Then, Metallo caught it and threw the bomb behind him, letting it detonate. He didn't care. His body is practically indestructible. The bomb might have been able to destroy his heart, but the rest of his body didn't feel it at all.
Metallo then chuckled evilly as he walked menacingly toward Robin. "Was that your ace in the hole, boy?"
"Yup," Robin said.
Metallo chuckled again. "Then it looks like you're dead. Your little bomb was completely useless."
Robin then smirked. "Doesn't look that way to me."
"Huh?"
"Besides... it's not like the bomb was for you."
Metallo looked confused before he realized what the boy was getting at. He quickly turned around to see Superman standing up, the hero opening his eyes. His glowing eyes were filled to the brim with power.
"W-WHAT DID YOU THROW?!"
"Bat-Tech Solar Bomb. A grapefruit-sized grenade solar-charged to hold a day's worth of solar radiation. Designed specifically to supercharge, well, Superman in occasions just like this."
Metallo snarled before turning toward Robin, palm glowing with Kryptonite Radiation, laser almost fully charged. "DAMN YOU," Metallo roared.
Superman then appeared next to Metallo, lifting his arm to save Robin, the beam shooting to the sky. Superman then reeled back his arm, and with a battle cry, threw his fist with all his might into Metallo's chest, completely shattering the Kryptonite heart before sending the screaming Metallo flying into the sky.
But before Superman sent him flying, Metallo glared at Robin with absolute fury and hatred in his eyes. "I'LL KILL YOU FOR THIS, BOY!"
"Good luck with that," Robin said with a salute before Metallo was sent flying.
Superman then fell to one knee. Robin ran up to him. He looked to see Kryptonite shards on Superman's fist.
"Sheesh. Even supercharged, you still get hit pretty badly by Kryptonite, huh," Robin asked as he took out a pair of tweezers and a lead container and began yanking the Kryptonite out of the hero's fist.
Superman chuckled. "I can't believe Bruce developed something like that."
"What, did you think he only makes plans to take everyone down? Bruce knows that there are some situations where we need a pick me up, like if Darkseid showed up or right now. He has plans on upgrading everyone for a short while if the need calls for it."
Clark chuckled. "That man thinks of everything, doesn't he?"
"That's Batman for ya," Tim said as he worked on Superman.
Orphan grunted after he was sent skidding back, slumping over, panting heavily.
"You're getting slow, Cain," Batman said. "You're running low on energy."
"Be quiet. I have enough power to rip you in half."
"That power isn't any use if you can't touch me."
"I said shut up!" Cain lunged at Batman and began to wildly swing his sword.
Batman was able to dodge all of his slashes easily. He then activated his shock gloves and landed an uppercut to Orphan's jaw, making him stumble back and hold his electrified head, glaring at the hero.
"You're done, Cain. You're not used to regular Venom, let alone this ungodly mix between it and Lazarus waters. I can tell by just looking that you and the League of Assassins haven't done nearly enough research in order to use it. Bane himself wouldn't rely on the batch you're using."
"BE SILENT! HOW DARE YOU LECTURE ME! I WILL CARVE YOU IN HALF BEFORE-" Cain then vomited.
Orphan then fell to his knees, his muscles convulsing grotesquely and violently. He then vomited even more, far more violently this time, as if his body was trying to purge itself of the Lazarus Venom, given the sickly green hue of the vomit.
Orphan then began to shrink, returning to his original size before falling to his side, Batman looking down at him with pity.
Just as Black Canary got ready to fight the ninja charging at her, the ninja fell to his face, his muscles convulsing.
Dinah and the other heroes looked around to see the remaining conscious ninja having the same reaction. Then, they began to vomit. One ninja desperately ripped off his mask so he could more easily puke.
Everyone watched as the ninjas vomited, all of them shrinking back to their original bodies.
"Well, that's one... really disgusting way to win," Plastic Man said.
Shiva and Onyx had Talia in a pincer position, the Daughter of the Demon glaring at the enemies at her sides before her eyes widened. She then covered her mouth, trying to prevent her vomiting, but some of it slipped through her fingers. Then, she began to uncontrollably and violently vomit, her muscles vanishing as she shrunk back down to normal.
"Lady Shiva, what's happening to her," Onyx asked.
"She's paying the price for borrowed power," Shiva said as she looked down at Talia with her hands behind her back. "She was so desperate to kill me that she neglected to properly study and test the mix between Venom and Lazarus. She didn't take into account the unknown side effects of relying on such a concoction. In short..."
Talia then fainted, falling into the puddle of her own bile.
"She lost."
Kiiro's club was blocked by Hal's arm, the oni using his free hand to block Carol's rockets. As they were fighting, Kiiro's ring beeped.
WARNING: DETECTING SLOWING VITALS OF USER'S CONFIRMED ALLIES.
Kiiro growled before deconstruction his creation and flying away from the Lanterns, confusing them. "Hal and Carol Jordon, do not see this as a retreat of weakness. I can still fight you, but a strategic retreat is necessary. Do not fret. Our duel is far from over. Next time, I WILL kill you." Kiiro then flew into the church.
When he did, he created a carriage, but one with the face of a demon on the side. The demon screamed, actually scaring Plastic Man and Green Arrow as it rolled by. The carriage then opened, long, ghostly yellow arms shooting out and grabbing as many of the unconscious ninjas as it could, including Orphan away from Batman, with Kiiro riding atop the carriage.
"What's the matter, heroes?! Never seen an Oboroguruma before?!"
"No, but I've never did this to one either," Black Canary began before she screeched at it. However, Kiiro put up a wall to block the cry as he rode into the next room where Talia was.
As it rushed into the room, Shiva and Onyx instinctively jumped out of its path, seeing it collect the unconscious Talia, the Yellow Lantern looking at Shiva and Onyx for a moment. "Jikai wa uragirimono (Next time, traitors)."
Shiva smirked. "Wǒmen huì zuò hǎo zhǔnbèi bìng děngdài. (We'll be ready and waiting)."
"Tch." Kiiro then had the carriage fly off, not caring about saving the villains who decided to help the League of Assassins on this day. All he cared about were his brothers and Lady Talia. Since most of the other villains were nowhere to be seen, they were not his problem.
Thanks to the Yellow Lantern, Kiiro, Talia and her Assassins are free to fight another day.
Meanwhile, Reverse Flash grunted after he slammed against the wall. When he opened his eyes, Barry was right there to give him a barrage of punches to the chest before finally knocking him out with a mean right hook. "Sorry, Thawne. Looks like that future you were trying to prevent might happen after all."
Ares yelled out in pain as he fell to his knees. "No. It cannot be. How?! The war they were waging was DELICIOUS! How did they lose?!"
"Simple, Ares." He looked up as Diana pointed her sword at his neck. "Just like you, they overestimated themselves and underestimated us."
Ares growled before he stood up, looking down at Diana as he towered over her. "This. Is. Not. Over. This is only the beginning of a war, Diana. You and your pet mortals may have won this battle, but all I need to do to win this war is kill those mortal babes that woman produces."
Diana, undaunted, sheathed her sword as she glared up at her half-brother. "You will fail, Ares."
"Why? Because you will protect them," he asked with a smirk.
"Yes. I will. However, I'm not the worst of your worries. Bruce and Sandra are."
"Heh. Those two mortals? Surely you je-"
"I have lost a contest of wits against Batman. He has also bested me in single combat. What's more, he has my utmost respect as both a warrior... and as a man." Ares's eyes widened in shock and rage. "Yes, that's right, Ares. A mortal was given something you could never even dream of having: my respect."
Ares's gaze hardened. "Then the woman will die."
Diana chuckled. "You don't know Lady Shiva. We crossed paths once, and on that day, she was imbued with mystic powers that made her might rival my own. However, when we fought, she thoroughly bested me. I was no match for that woman. In short, if she were to ever regain the powers of the gods, you have no chance of beating her. Face it Ares. The moment you lost this battle, you lost the entire war."
Ares continued to glare at Diana, gripping his fist tightly. "We shall see." An explosion then occurred where Ares stood.
It didn't even make Wonder Woman blink. She just stood there, watching the smoke vanish, her brother nowhere to be seen.
"Indeed. We shall."
After the battle had ended, Gordon had made the call for GCPD, but the commotion of the fight already brought most of the police force to the area. Fortunately, all of the heroes were fast enough to change out of their uniforms, all of them showing off their acting chops by acting scared or concerned.
Though there were not many Assassins arrested, the police were more than happy to haul in the infamous villains captured. Deathstroke had just regained consciousness when he saw he was strapped to a dolly. He then glared at Gordon. "Not bad, Commissioner."
"Did you really think we would put someone like you in handcuffs, Wilson? You'd probably use them to strangle one of my men before escaping."
"Someone's been doing their homework."
"HANDS OFF THE HELMET!"
Slade looked back to see a handcuffed Black Manta being dragged away, his helmet in an officer's arms. "Having trouble, Hyde?"
"Fuck you, Slade!" He then glared at Aquaman. "Next time, Curry!"
Mera hugged her husband. "Arthur, why does he hate you? You're just a lighthouse keeper."
"That's WHY he hates me, honey. Blames me for his shipwreck years ago."
"God, that's petty," a cop said as he rolled his eyes.
David growled as he was being escorted to the transport vehicle. When he saw into it, he sucked his teeth. "What's got you glued to your seat, Thawne?"
"Apparently, special glue that Batman made for Flash. I really, really hate that guy," Thawne said as Hyde was sat across from him just as Deathstroke was wheeled in. Meryle was the last to be brought into the vehicle, along with a few nameless Assassins.
"Remind me to kill Talia next time I see her," Slade said, ignoring the glares he got from the League of Assassin members.
"Where is the bitch, anyway," Hyde asked.
"The Assassin with the Yellow Ring saved her and Orphan, along with a few other Assassins," Thawne answered.
"Left us for the law, huh? Heh, I thought I would get to do that."
"Didn't we all," Slade and Thawne asked as the doors were slammed shut, the van driving away.
Bruce was standing next to Sandra as the police went about their investigation, Gordon walking up to the couple.
"I'm sorry about this, you two. Pretty scummy to attack someone during their wedding."
"It's alright, Commissioner. I'm just glad no one is hurt," Bruce said.
"I'm surprised you weren't attacked, Mr. Wayne," Jim said.
"Yeah. Ya got some kinda bunker in this church or somethin'," Bullock asked as he walked up to the Commissioner and couple.
"Batman saved me. He threw me into his batmobile and told me to stay put. I'm more interested to know where Sandra was the entire time," he said as he looked at his wife.
"It seems they were after me, so I had to defend myself."
"And defend herself she did, Mr. Wayne," Jim said. "You have one hell of a wife there."
Bruce chuckled as he wrapped his hand around Sandra's waist. "Don't I know it."
"Hm. A bit handsy already, aren't we, Bruce," Sandra asked as she looked at her husband.
"We are married, aren't we?"
"Technically, Talia interrupted us before we could finish the vows."
"Ah, that's right."
"What, ya gonna finish them now in this crumblin' mess? Can't exactly let ya get in the way of a police investigation, ya know," Bullock said.
"Don't worry, Detective. We'll just finish it at Wayne Manor. Has enough room in the backyard to hold the rest of the ceremony and the wedding's afterparty. Would you like to join?"
"Be surrounded by a buncha rich guys eatin' stuff too small to fill a chihuahua's belly? No thanks. YIN!"
A beautiful detective walked up to the group. "Yes?"
"You're one of the best we got. I'm gonna stay back and deal with this mess. Mind goin' with the Commiss to make sure no other crazies attack the loving couple today?"
"I'd be happy to." She then turned and saluted at Jim and the Waynes. "Detective Ellen Yin, at your service."
Sandra leaned in toward Bruce. "She has potential," she whispered.
"You see it, too," he whispered back. "With officers like her, saving Gotham seems that much more possible."
Sandra giggled. "I'm going to enjoy this marriage if I get to partner with talent like that."
Later, at Wayne Manor, the guests were seated, save for Yin, who was keeping her eyes peeled, until she saw the ceremony take place. She couldn't help but watch it, showing how beautiful it was.
Then, came the words:
"No matter death or life, near or far, we pledge our word," Sandra began.
"Hold your hand and grow old with you together," Bruce finished.
The couple then added their own twist to the ceremony by adding a Western twist and ending the ceremony with a kiss, the guests roaring in cheers and applause.
A mere few days have passed since Bruce and Sandra's wedding. On this day, the couple made headlines.
WAYNE INDUSTRIES MERGES WITH WU-SAN PHARMACEUTICALS TO CREATE THE WU-SAN-WAYNE CONGLOMERATE, FOLLOWING THE NOW-PUBLIC MARRIAGE OF BRUCE WAYNE AND SANDRA WU-SAN. THE INFAMOUS PLAYBOY OF GOTHAM CITY IS NOW A TAKEN MAN, HOOKED BY THE BEAUTIFUL LADY OF HONG KONG, SANDRA WU-SAN, NOW KNOWN AS SANDRA WU-SAN-WAYNE. THE CO-OWNERS OF THE CONGLOMERATE PROMISE AMAZING CHANGES WITH THE MERGING OF THEIR COMPANIES, AS STATED BY THE FAMOUS CEO OF WAYNE ENTERPRISE, LUCIUS FOX, NOW CEO OF WU-SAN WAYNE-CONGLOMERATE.
The couple was now walking through Wayne Tower, soon to be renamed Wu-San-Wayne Tower, the eyes of their employees glued on the handsome husband and wonderous wife. Sandra even glanced over at a young employee, who looked to be no older than his mid-twenties, and winked at him, making the boy's face turn bright red before entering the elevator, joined only by Lucius himself.
"This is quite the news, Bruce," Lucius said.
"You would have known if you weren't on that business trip to Germany, old friend," Bruce chuckled.
"You leave the country for one week and you miss all the fun. I would have loved to have seen the ceremony in person. It's not the same on Barbra's recording. Still, I hope you realize that if anything happens to Bruce, you'll have many people to answer to. Understand, Lady Shiva?"
Sandra giggled. "To say something so threatening in such a calm and cheerful tone. Not many are capable of that, Mr. Fox. I'm impressed."
"Please. Call me Lucius. If you are in need of anything, please don't hesitate to ask me. I'm quite the inventor. Just ask Bruce."
"He helped me make some of my most advanced equipment. He created most of the Batmobile's blueprints, and also created the Batwing Armor."
"Armor that my son still uses. Sorry, Bruce."
"It's fine. It's best for Gotham to have more guardians."
"Speaking of Gotham, we have a lot of work to do, and I think you might be the cure for many of its issues, Lucius."
"Oh?"
"For example, do you think you can replicate Victor Fries's suit?"
"Hm? Rather easily. Why do you ask?"
"I'll make the announcement in today's meeting," Sandra said as the doors opened, the three leaders of the Wu-San-Wayne Conglomerate were greeted by various executive officers and secretaries, all bombarding the three with various questions involving the conglomerate, their new international divisions, and the future of their business.
The three were now in the boardroom, Bruce taking the CEO's chair at the end of the large table, Sandra sitting next to him, and Lucius sitting on the opposite end of Sandra.
"Bruce, when did you even BEGIN to make this deal," a female exec asked, silencing the other execs with her question. "This is HUGE. In just a day, we've merged with one of the world's most powerful companies. You've been preventing our merger with Powers Industries for years and prevented Lex Corp. from buying so much as our Local Business Division. It's true that we're now more powerful than both companies combined, but this is completely out of left field."
"I understand your concern and confusion. True, to the average outsider, it may seem that this merger, though extremely profitable, was completely out of the blue. However, that couldn't be further from the case. My wife, Sandra, and I have known each other for years, dating back to my early adult years. I was barely twenty when we first met."
"Well, she's practically your childhood friend," an older male exec said.
"So, you've been talking to Lady Wu-San behind the company's back this entire time," an Asian exec who looked about ten years older than Sandra asked.
"I wouldn't word it in such a negative way. Honestly, Sandra has helped out our company many times through donations to our charities. It could be argued that her fortune built the Martha's Hope Orphanage in Lower West Gotham. With her on our side, we could further improve Gotham. To explain this better, I give the stand to Sandra Wu-San-Wayne."
Sandra stood up as Bruce sat down, the beauty bowing at her husband. "Xièxiè nǐ wǒ qīn'ài de zhàngfū (Thank you, my dear husband)." She turned to her new executives. "Now then, first thing's first, I would like to state that one of the main reasons I married Bruce... is because I know for a fact that I'm the only woman worthy of him."
"Ooh," some of the men went, some chuckling, while others either nodded or shrugged in agreement. Some of the female executives looked agitated. Even within his own company, Bruce had many admirers hoping to have a shot with the former bachelor. Many were pretty attractive, too.
"The other reason... was Gotham itself," Sandra said as she turned and walked toward the window, overlooking the city. "I have heard time and time again that Gotham is a cesspool. One of the most evil cities in the world, filled with crime, corruption, and evil. Some believe that this city deserves to be burned to the ground. To be destroyed. Wiped off the face of the world." Sandra turned back to look at her nervous execs. "Like my husband, I reject that notion. In fact, I see it as a personal challenge."
"A-A personal challenge, Madame Sandra," an elderly exec went as he raised his frail hand.
"Indeed. I vow to use my position, power, and privilege within this company to perform what many would deem impossible: I will clean Gotham."
"Sorry to sound rude, Mrs. Wu-San," an attractive black female executive went as she raised her hand.
"Wu-San-WAYNE," Sandra corrected with a smile.
"Sorry," she said, trying to hide her eye roll by rubbing her eyes, but Bruce and Sandra still noticed. "But how do you plan on doing something that Batman has been trying to do for years? This city is a death trap where only people like us can really survive without worry. What, you plan on making our own Superman or something?"
"No," Sandra said with a smile. "I have many plans, but the first step is crucial. I plan on giving the people of Gotham hope... by curing an Arkham inmate."
That got the executives talking among themselves, many looking shocked while others looked skeptical.
"That's enough of that," Lucius said, regaining order in the room.
"Wait," a handsome yet burly black man said. "I have to know, Madame Sandra. Which inmate do you plan on 'curing'?"
Sandra asked. "I'm glad you asked. The inmate I wish to cure... is none other than Victor Fries, Mr. Freeze himself."
