Chapter 13

Diana walked down the long hallway with Lyla right next to her. The Amazon knew that the head of ARGUS wasn't thrilled with this idea but she wasn't about to refuse Wonder Woman. Still, Diana hoped this plan would work.

"He's in there," Lyla pointed to the doorway on their left.

"Cameras off?" The black-haired woman wanted to know.

"Yes, but…" Lyla started.

"You're not comfortable. I know. This is all on me," Diana reassured her. Lyla nodded and the Amazon opened the door. Pike was chained to the table and his eyebrows went up upon seeing this woman enter the room.

"What's going on?" He asked.

"You're going to answer a few questions for me. If I don't like the answers, you're going to find out what happens to people who disappoint me," Diana was hoping that she was channeling her inner Batman. She had learned a few things from watching Bruce play bad cop.

"We're recorded in here," Pike gave her a look.

"You see that light on the camera blinking?" Diana gave him a look right back. Pike's eyes diverted to the camera in the corner of the room and noted that the camera's little light was not on.

"So, you going to water board me or something?" Pike raised an eyebrow. He clearly wasn't taking this seriously. His mistake.

"Nothing nearly so juvenile. Answer me, truthfully, and you won't have to find out," Diana's expression did not change and Pike looked at her, trying to read her face.

"What do I get for answering you truthfully? Pretty sure that I'm never getting out of here," the former Many Arms of Death member said.

"Honestly, I don't tell Safiyah Sohail where you are. She likes to play with her food. While ARGUS wouldn't let her in here, I have no doubt, she'd find a way to reach you," Diana was completely calm and did not bother to veil her threat.

"You wouldn't. None of these goody-two shoes would," Pike challenged her. Still, she could see that he was starting to sweat.

"I have been alive for longer than everyone in this building combined. There are few things I regret. That certainly won't be one of them," it was a lie. She stewed over everything. It just hit differently as it could be a hundred years down the line. Pike narrowed his eyes and nodded.

"All right. Ask away," he said.

"You tricked Mary Hamilton into a relationship. You tricked her into helping you. Now she has committed more than just the crimes you were captured in Gotham for. She's now got Supergirl on her tail after she played a role in kidnapping an engineer from Obsidian North. But I'm guessing you knew that," Diana told him.

"Mary didn't need much of a push. If you want me to feel bad for everything, I think you know that I don't have much of a conscience," Pike admitted.

"Oh, I know. I've seen many like you. Why kidnap the engineer? What is the grand master plan?" The Amazon asked. She'd change the course of the conversation, hoping to take Pike by surprise.

"I suppose it doesn't matter now. We were told that the engineer was messing up the plan and had to go," he said.

"So, you decided that she didn't just need a bullet to the head?" Diana raised an eyebrow. It almost killed her to say it that way. She was talking about Marie, the woman who not only saved her mother, Hippolyta, but had also become her sister.

"Above my pay grade on that one. The engineer was smart and not just a pretty face. Natasha wanted her for something. Though I've been told that Natasha is no longer running the show," Pike admitted.

"She was arrested and is remaining in custody for as long as you are," the Amazon confirmed.

"So, the plan has got to be out the window. Your engineer should have been freed or… well you know. Unless Enigma has found another purpose for her. That woman was full of ambition and crazy just like Natasha," the criminal explained.

"What was the original plan?" Diana pressed.

"Tatiana had her plan for Kate Kane. Mary became a casualty of that plan. Well, she joined our team, which I don't think she would have done on her own. Natasha wanted Tatiana free so they could head to National City. They had this plan that they could use some sort of experimental weapon to their advantage. The engineer got in the way because the man on the inside couldn't or more likely wouldn't take her out. Though I have no idea if Enigma would stick to that. For all I know, she snagged the engineer for some other crazy plan," Pike admitted. Diana nodded before saying,

"Just two more things. Was any of it real between you and Mary? Can Enigma's spell be removed?" Pike seemed surprised by the question. After all, most like him, would have just said that she was a pawn, a toy, and nothing more.

"Why do you care?" He asked, obviously speaking of the first question.

"Why do you care that I do?" She raised an eyebrow. Pike heaved a sigh.

"Just don't hurt her. I know my score. I know what I did and I did it because I wanted to. Mary… she didn't have a choice. Once Enigma got her claws into her… you've got no shot when that woman messes with your mind," Pike said.

"Nothing can be done to reverse it, other than her reversing it?" The Amazon wanted to know.

"I've never seen her do it. Most end up joining us for the rest of their lives – however short they are," he told her. That did not sound good to Diana – especially if Marie was now subject to the same powers.

To Be Continued…