The first area of the Watchtower that Wonder Woman checked once she got there was the cells but, to her surprise, she found them empty. Frowning she flew out of that room and towards the interrogation room, stopping abruptly in mid-air when she saw Flash surveying the room.
She let out a growl. "Let me pass, Barry."
Flash gulped at her anger, immediately recognizing how pissed off the Amazon was and finding her absolutely frightening, but to his credit he straightened his back and returned her glare with a determined, confident one. "You know I can't do that. I can't let you let him escape, Diana."
The demigoddess narrowed her eyes menacingly, staring him with a deathly glare and tilting her head slightly to the side. "It doesn't have to be that way."
"Even you know that if I stopped holding myself back in a fight, neither you nor Superman would have a chance of defeating me." Flash declared in a serious and gravely voice, a stark contrast to his usual light-hearted, joking personality. "And you're right. It doesn't have to end that way."
Diana remained silent for a few seconds, contemplating what to do as she continued to stare at her teammate with an unreadable gaze. Finally after what seemed like an eternity she sighed, her shoulders slumping in defeat. "Can I at least see him?"
The man hesitated before nodding slowly with a sigh. "I'll be on the other side of the glass, so don't do anything that gets you in trouble." he warned her, getting a nod. He moved aside, silently allowing her to enter, and when his friend stood in the doorway of the room he stopped her with a hand on her shoulder, waiting for her to turn her head to look at him before speaking. "For the record, I also believe that Renegade is not as evil as a lot of the team thinks."
"He is not evil at all." she said softly, her previous anger replaced by a sort of resignation. She continued before he could say anything more. "Why did you bring him to the interrogation room?"
"Batman ordered me when he pulled me aside before leaving on the mission."
I should have known.
Wonder Woman pursed her lips at the mention of the Caped Crusader's name and with a curt nod to the speedster she entered the interrogation room, closing the door behind her. Her gaze immediately fell on Renegade's figure and a growl automatically came out of her, feeling the previous anger return with the same ferocity and intensity as before.
To say that Renegade was heavily shackled would be an understatement.
Two metal belts tightly wrapped the mercenary's chest - one on the upper part and the other on the lower part - keeping him chained and forced to lean against the back of the chair. Other metal belts held each of his arms, two on each, as well as his legs, firm and immobile. An inhibitor collar was wrapped around his neck, stripping him of his meta-human abilities.
While it was obvious that Renegade was currently still unconscious, which was to be expected given all the pain he endured added to the fact that he was devoid of his superhuman abilities, he had been chained in such a way that his back was forced to rest against the back of the chair and that he was unable to move any limb: once he woke up, the only thing he could move would be his neck and head.
Diana's gaze fell to his ears and a small part of her fury subsided when she saw bundles of bandages wrapped around the young assassin's ears and a small smile formed between her lips.
I'm sure it was Barry's decision. Batman is too much of an asshole to even consider medicate Renegade.
Wonder Woman frowned in confusion as she then realized that, although most of his weapons were missing -swords, guns, escrima sticks and a few knives and she saw them stored in the corner of the room along with his gloves- Renegade was still wearing the armor and utility belt.
"Flash, why didn't you take off his armor and utility belt?"
There was a small noise that indicated the intercom was turned on before the speedster's voice rang through the room. "To remove his armor you must first remove his utility belt but when I tried to remove it I was hit by an intense electric shock. I strongly suspect that the electric shock has some sort of magic or something because no matter how fast I tried, I always got hit."
"This would explain why Superman couldn't take off his mask last time." she murmured nodding, staring at Renegade's unconscious figure with an amused and affectionate smile. "Smart and clever of you to apply the same very efficient safety system also on the utility belt."
A strange feeling of unease took hold in her insides as she continued to stare at the mercenary.
Seeing him so motionless, so still and in such a vulnerable state… it was just wrong.
Renegade shouldn't be like this.
Renegade was always on the move, always in the air with his brilliant acrobatic moves, always ready with a quip and joke between his lips, always ready for a fight.
Renegade was synonymous with strength, vigor, self-confidence, justice, vengeance, efficiency, danger, lethality and invincibility.
Seeing Renegade so vulnerable and defenseless was wrong in every way and her discomfort increased with the knowledge that it was her team that had put him in that state after causing him an amount of pain and suffering that he certainly didn't deserve.
"A penny for your thoughts, Princess?"
Diana snapped out of her thoughts and her gaze darted in front of her, her heart skipping a beat when she saw her friend's familiar mischievous smirk. "Renegade!" she exclaimed in surprise, flying up to stand beside him. "How is it possible that you woke up so quickly even without your superhuman abilities?"
The young assassin's smirk grew in size. "I'm full of surprises, I know."
The Amazon snorted in amusement and smiled at him. Her gaze softened and her eyes clouded with concern. "Are you okay, Renegade?"
"Eh, I've been better." he admitted, shrugging as much as the chains would allow. He grimaced slightly. "I'd rather take off that damn inhibitor collar to at least cure the ringing in my ears because it's a painful and annoying sensation."
The woman felt her heart clench painfully for him. "I really want to help you escape or make things a little more pleasant for you but I can't. I am sorry."
Dick was briefly stunned by her genuine concern and guilt at not being able to help him and never would have imagined that, if she could, Wonder Woman herself would not hesitate to make him escape from her own team. He felt his heart beat faster -and it was a very strange sensation- as heat built up in his chest.
It was a familiar sensation but he would hardly ever get used to it.
He cleared his throat and sent her a bright, genuine smile. "You don't have to worry about anything. It's not your fault that I'm in this situation."
"It's not just that." she shook her head frantically. "They hurt you, Renegade. My friends not only excluded me from the mission but they hurt you who are another friend of mine." she clenched her fists furiously. "And I couldn't stop them." she admitted with shame and guilt that they were consuming her.
That feeling from before increased further when Diana called him her friend. "Still it's not your fault. I mean it seriously. I know you tried to escape Green Lantern's bubble as quickly as possible so you could help me and just the thought is enough for me. I know you wanted to help me and I thank you for that. But none of what happened is your fault, Princess. Neither my capture nor my physical pain. Besides, I was already used to physical pain, so it's nothing new."
Damn, not again.
Diana felt her heart pound in her chest at Renegade's casual mention that he was already used to physical pain that most likely meant torture. She felt her throat close as her chest was consumed by negative emotions. "Renegade-"
"I am fine. I'm serious, Diana."
Although Wonder Woman genuinely appreciated his nickname Princess for her so full of affection, care and respect, she equally appreciated every time Renegade called her by her real name and mentally treasured it every time it happened. She couldn't help but return the bright smile he gave her.
"Besides, do you really think this is enough to hold me?" Renegade asked dismissively in an arrogant and confident voice, nodding his head at the restraints that kept him chained to the chair.
The Amazon raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Then why didn't you free yourself?" she challenged him with a small, playful smile.
"What's the fun if the other heroes aren't there?"
"How-"
"I seriously doubt they would have left you alone with me." Renegade interrupted her so he could continue with his logic. "I bet that on the other side of the glass there is only Flash who had the task of taking me to the Watchtower and chaining me with his speed."
The stunned silence was broken by Flash's voice ringing over the intercom. "Nothing personal, man."
"Don't worry, dude."
"Now I'll add detective to the practically endless list of everything you can do, Renegade." Wonder Woman half-joked.
The mercenary chuckled and gave her a bright, brilliant smile that made her heart beat faster.
"So…" she began after a silence that was becoming awkward. "sensory weaknesses, huh?"
Renegade snorted. "Especially just hearing. Most of the time I'm able to grit my teeth and carry on but this time between the ultrasound devices and the stun grenade… even I couldn't resist a combination like that." he admitted. He then frowned. "I wonder how the hell Batman discovered this weakness of mine. He must have only realized it recently but how?"
The woman had no answer to give him and was as confused and perplexed as he was on this matter. She was about to speak -to tell him what, even she didn't know- but was interrupted when the door behind her was abruptly opened. Their gazes fell on the figure of Batman who advanced menacingly, some heroes following him from behind while the others were probably enjoying the show from the other side of the glass.
"Hey, Bats. You know it's a matter of time before I free myself from these restrictions, right?"
Batman ignored the young assassin as he turned to the Amazon, his white eyes narrowing menacingly. "What are you doing here, Wonder Woman?" he growled.
She returned the deadly gaze before a smirk appeared between her lips. "A visit to my friend. It's not illegal." she stated casually, enjoying the surprised and shocked gasps of the heroes in the room and probably those on the other side of the glass as well.
Her heart burst with happiness seeing Renegade give her a bright smile.
"You just confirmed that you are emotionally compromised when it comes to Renegade." Batman stated coldly, a note of warning in his voice. "You have sunk low if you admit to befriending Earth's greatest threat, Wonder Woman."
The princess of Themyscira clenched her fists and ignored the dig and the strong urge to throw him out into space. "Keep this up and I'll punch you again and break more ribs." she threatened him in a low, dangerous voice, her blue eyes burning with anger.
The Caped Crusader remained silent and glared at her.
Renegade laughed his creepy giggle, breaking the silence. "Man, I can't wait to get out of this mess, hack the recordings of Batman's mask and enjoy the spectacle of Wonder Woman punching him."
Wonder Woman stared at him in shock and swallowed the question she wanted to ask him.
He is definitely the best hacker in the world without a shadow of a doubt.
The Dark Knight's white eyes shifted from the Amazon to her side, snarling at the young mercenary. "You'll never get the chance to do that. There is no way for you to escape from here this time and pretty soon you will find yourself in Belle Reve rotting for the rest of your life."
"Okay, let's get two things straight." Renegade began, losing his light smile and glaring at the Gotham vigilante with a death glare. "It is only a matter of time before I escape these restrictions and, even if I don't, I will escape Belle Reve in less than twenty-four hours. That's because there's no fucking way or place to keep me locked up, no matter how hard you try."
"I've already had your blood tested in my cave." Batman replied crossing his arms. "It's only a matter of time before we learn your and Deathstroke's civilian identities."
To the surprise of all the heroes Renegade laughed his eerie cackle that echoed throughout the room. "I had already predicted that this would happen sooner or later, which is why I made sure that every test on my blood and DNA would take longer than usual to show my true identity thanks to my computer skills. Time enough for me to escape Belle Reve and then delete every exam from your Batcomputer." he stated pleased with himself, smiling when he heard Diana snort in amusement at the name "Batcomputer".
Batman narrowed his eyes in annoyance and grunted. "Let's gather outside." he stated sharply. His gaze fell briefly on the one-way glass of the interrogation room. "Everyone."
As the heroes began to exit the room Wonder Woman squeezed Renegade's shoulder comfortingly, sending him a small smile. "I will do my best to resolve everything."
"I really appreciate your help, Princess."
With a final smile directed at the young assassin she left the room and, being the last, closed the door behind her. She walked over to the rest of the heroes who had gathered in a nearby hallway, smiling when she saw Zatanna pissed off and giving a piece of her mind to the other teammates.
She had sent a message to the sorceress on her journey back to the Watchtower, knowing that she would need all the help she could get to reason with their teammates and free Renegade.
"You can't keep Renegade prisoner here!"
"It's only temporary. Soon he will be transferred to Belle Reve."
Zatanna raised her arms in frustration at the Gotham vigilante's emotionless response. "Now I feel better." she drawled sarcastically. She growled at him. "You must free Renegade. Now. He doesn't deserve this treatment. He is one of the best people I have ever met."
"You too are emotionally compromised when dealing with Renegade. Step aside, Zatanna."
"I just can't understand what you two see in Renegade. We've captured plenty of supervillains, why is it different with him?" Green Arrow asked, genuinely confused.
"Because he is not a supervillain but an antihero." the Amazon retorted, crossing her arms sternly. "There is a clear difference."
"There are no anti-heroes. Renegade is as much a criminal as those he kills."
"You can't have such a limited view of the world!" Zatanna snapped angrily, her blue eyes flashing with cold fury. "The world is not just black and white: there is also a shade of gray that you stubbornly deny exists!"
Wonder Woman continued before the Caped Crusader could retort. "Following your logic, would Aquaman, Hawkgirl and I also be murderers who should be locked up? We have participated in real wars for our peoples and we have killed for our peoples!" she pointed out, nodding to herself and the other two teammates who simply nodded in agreement with her.
"Different cultures. I cannot and will not judge the Amazon, Thanagarian and Atlantean cultures. We represent Earth's heroes and as such cannot stoop to the same level as assassins, which is why you are forbidden to kill Earth's criminals."
Diana let out an exasperated growl at his stubbornness. "I'm not saying we should start killing criminals-"
Although I wouldn't be against the idea at all.
"-but I'm saying that Renegade poses no danger to us or to the innocent: he only eliminates the scum of the world! How can this be a bad thing?"
"I'm honestly not against Renegade's actions." Hawkgirl intervened. "The way he is reducing crime worldwide not only through killings but also through the fear he instills in the scum is something extraordinary. His ideology is in many ways similar to mine. Renegade has earned my respect and esteem for a long time." she stated solemnly, earning grateful glances from Zatanna and Wonder Woman.
"I agree." Aquaman nodded. "Renegade isn't afraid to get his hands dirty and do the dirty work so that others, including ourselves, don't have to. It's honorable of him. I'm not that upset about the idea of releasing him and allowing him to continue his work."
"I don't totally agree with the whole killing thing but I don't think Renegade is that evil." Flash admitted with a shrug.
The sorceress and the demigoddess exchanged smiles, both pleased that more and more heroes were taking their side.
"We also have to take his age into consideration. Despite everything, Renegade is only seventeen years old and it doesn't seem right to send him to a maximum security prison like Belle Reve." Black Canary pointed out.
Diana wasn't yet ready to forgive her friend for going along with Batman's plan and hurting Renegade so badly but that was a first step that she gladly accepted.
"Age matters nothing. Does it seem normal to you that a seventeen-year-old is capable of completely exterminating ISIS alone and in such a violent, brutal and inhumane way?" Batman replied coldly. "You've seen the pictures. It took whole days to clean up the massacre and bloodbath he committed. Nobody deserves to die like this."
"It's not like anyone would miss those bastards." Wonder Woman pointed out. "The world is definitely a better place without them."
Before Batman can answer her they all tensed up when they heard the zeta tube announcement.
Recognized: Unknown
The heroes ran and flew towards the zeta tube only to stop abruptly in their steps, all of them absolutely shocked and surprised by her presence on the Watchtower.
"Amanda Waller?"