Wonder Woman didn't know exactly how much time had passed since Renegade and Amanda Waller left the Watchtower. For her it was as if time had stopped, as if the Earth had stopped spinning while her brain continued to show her the last moments of the young assassin, as if to tease and mock her about the fact that Renegade sacrificed himself for the Justice League and that the heroes could do nothing to help him or stop Waller.
What kind of heroes are we? What kind of superhero am I if I failed to help Renegade when he needed me most after he helped me and the JL so many times? What's the point of being Wonder Woman if I couldn't save my friend, one of the best people I've ever met?
The demigoddess took a long, deep breath in an attempt to compose herself.
Come on, Diana. Get a move on and stop whining like a little girl. You're fucking Wonder Woman, demigoddess, daughter of Zeus, Princess of Themyscira and the best of the fierce Amazon warriors. Pull yourself together and help Renegade!
With another deep sigh she wiped away the trail of the lone tear left on her face and rose to her full, imposing, legendary height. She turned, frowning when she encountered the rest of the team looking at her with looks that resembled pity. She clapped her hands together, meanly pleased at how most of them flinched at the sudden loud noise.
"What the hell are you standing there like idiots? We need to get moving and come up with a plan!"
"A-A plan?" Green Lantern repeated, surprised by the Amazon's sudden and rapid change in attitude.
She stared at him as if he were an idiot and Hal shrunk under her gaze, feeling tiny compared to her. "Yes, a plan. To help Renegade escape the clutches of that bitch Waller, A.R.G.U.S. and the US government." she couldn't hold back her growl as she noticed the looks some of her teammates exchanged, fed up with all the bullshit that had just happened. "What?"
"Do you really want to help Renegade?" Aquaman asked hesitantly.
She gave him a hard look that made the King of Atlantis flinch. "It seems like the least after Renegade's sacrifice." she stated coldly. "Perhaps you still haven't realized the magnitude of his actions. He traded his life for the well-being of us and our loved ones."
"You are right." Zatanna quickly agreed with her and turned, facing the other heroes. "Renegade will go through hell at the A.R.G.U.S. maximum security facility. He, without his superhuman abilities, his armor and his weapons and gadgets, will have to face literally all the inmates who will not hesitate to team up to make him pay dearly for having eliminated almost a thousand of their similar human rubbish. In those conditions not even Renegade can do it alone against many hundreds of prisoners."
"They will enjoy every single moment of beating, torturing, breaking and raping Renegade." Diana continued, clearly wavering on the words she had just spoken. She swallowed the bile she felt rising and quickly suppressed the terror, shock, worry and nausea that pooled in her stomach at the mere thought that these could happen to her friend. "And they will enjoy it even more for the knowledge that they can break the world's second best assassin and mercenary, one of the strongest and most resilient people on Earth."
"Does it seem fair to you that something like this should happen to a person my own age who is only seventeen?" Zatanna concluded, staring at the others with determined and resolute blue eyes.
Diana noticed the guilt, horror and awareness spreading through her friends and waited with bated breath for their reaction. Seconds passed filled with tense, heavy silence before Hawkgirl let out a growl. "I didn't like how Waller threatened us! We have to make them pay, dammit! How dare she threaten Earth's heroes?" she growled, swinging her club wildly. "That's and for sure Renegade doesn't deserve that."
"I'm not sure. I mean, Waller has us all." Superman said reluctantly.
"We just need to neutralize Waller and the director of A.R.G.U.S."
"It won't be enough, Diana." Flash shook his head sadly. "Do you think they haven't thought of some backup plan? This is the best federal agency in the entire world that we're talking about."
"Certainly one of those is that the A.R.G.U.S. agents are ordered to make our identities online the moment there is even the slightest suspicion that Waller and the director are in danger." Green Arrow pointed out crossing his arms.
"By the way, who is the director?"
"Sasha Bordeaux." Batman answered Martian Manhunter's question impassively.
"I'm not surprised Spooky knew that." Hal snorted. "Anyway, Barry and Ollie are right."
"We just need to find a way to undo the hold they have on them."
"Easier said than done." the archer murmured, flinching at the Amazon's glare.
"It's too risky even for us."
Diana narrowed her eyes at Black Canary. "We are the Justice League. We have faced threats far worse and more dangerous than Amanda Waller and the federal government."
Dinah took a deep breath, trying to keep the guilt out of her expression. "That's because the risk concerned us, not our loved ones." she gently pointed out. "We were always the ones risking our lives and not the people closest to us. In this case, however, the risk concerns more the people we love rather than ourselves."
"Dinah is right." Ollie nodded in agreement with his girlfriend. "I can't risk Roy's life. If our identities ever become public knowledge, he will be the first person my enemies will want to hurt and kill to make me suffer." he shook his head with a sigh. "It's too risky. I am sorry."
"If Luthor found out my true identity and that Conner lives with me…" Superman shuddered at the thought. "Who knows what he would do."
Wonder Woman stared hard at the Man of Steel. "You too, Kal-El?" she snarled, so pissed that she didn't even feel a bit of petty satisfaction at seeing his slight grimace at her use of his Kryptonian name. "I would never have taken you for a coward!"
"I'm not but you have to understand that-"
"Does it seem right to you that an innocent person threw his safety into hell to save our butts?" the demigoddess interrupted him abruptly, her blue eyes shining coldly. "I wouldn't have blamed Renegade if he had rejected Waller's offer because he doesn't deserve the hell he's going to go through at all! Yet he didn't hesitate at all and chose to prioritize the safety of us and our loved ones over his own well-being because he is one of the kindest, most caring, selfless, loyal, sweetest and best people in the world!"
"Diana-" Flash tried to reason with her but he too was cut off.
"We are the heroes! The fucking Justice League! The protectors of the Earth and the universe! We should have been the ones to save Renegade and make sure he was safe, not the other way around, dammit!" Diana spat angrily with a ferocious snarl between her lips.
"You're making Renegade look like he's a saint." Batman spoke coldly.
"And you were so obsessed with Renegade that you let Waller trick you and use you like an idiot without even realizing it until it was too late." Wonder Woman replied coldly without flinching, an emotionless smile when she saw him clench his fists. "The best detective in the world, my ass."
The heroes gasped and Superman took an uncertain step forward. "Let's all calm down, okay? Let's all take a breath-"
"Now is not the time, Kal-El." the demigoddess turned towards him, glaring at him with a disappointed and irritated look. "If Lois had been in Renegade's shoes you wouldn't have hesitated even for a second to save her, even if it meant flaunting your identity to the whole world." she pointed out, her anger rising when Superman looked away, implicitly agreeing with her.
"Look Diana, we would all like to help Renegade. I'm serious." Hal started slowly, choosing his words extremely carefully to avoid the very real threat of being killed by the very angry Amazon. "But the risk to the people we love is too great and real. If Waller or Bordeaux found out we wanted to help Renegade, do you think they would hesitate to make our identities online?"
"We all know that Waller, even though he promised Renegade, wouldn't hesitate to break that promise." Dinah continued. Her gaze softened slightly. "Your dedication, determination and loyalty in wanting to help Renegade is truly admirable and I know he is a very good friend of yours but for us… I know it's bad to say it, but Renegade doesn't matter to us as much as the people closest to us. I wouldn't risk Roy's well-being for a second to try to save Renegade."
Batman growled. "You have to learn to do without Renegade."
The other heroes flinched, fearing the demigoddess's reaction, and Zatanna shook her head furiously, glaring at him. "You have to stop-"
"No." the Caped Crusader abruptly interrupted the sorceress and he took a step forward, raising his head slightly to meet Wonder Woman's indecipherable gaze. "If you don't have the courage to say it, I will say it."
The centenarian woman narrowed her eyes. "Tell me what?" she asked slowly, tilting her head to the side menacingly.
"You need to put aside your romantic feelings towards Renegade."
Wonder Woman opened her eyes wide and unconsciously took a step back, her heart skipping a beat. "W-What?"
"Batman don't-"
The Dark Knight continued coldly, ignoring Black Canary's plea. "You heard me right. Your romantic feelings towards Renegade are very unprofessional and immoral. You have to get rid of them, otherwise you will always be emotionally compromised."
Diana felt her limbs grow heavy, rooting her to the spot. Batman's next words were a dull, muffled noise to her ears that she couldn't pick up. A huge boulder settled on her chest and for a brief moment it was as if she had even forgotten how to breathe. She swore she heard someone call her name but it was as if they were all far away, the words blurring into each other.
I have to regain control. Now.
The princess of Themyscira took a deep breath, bottled up and hid all her emotions in a corner of her mind to be able to study and analyze them later and finally stared at Batman who was continuing to scold her.
"Fuck you, Wayne."
The heroes froze in place, their comically wide eyes showing shock and fear, and the Gotham vigilante finally stopped, narrowing his white eyes at her. "What did you say?"
"You have no fucking right to tell me what to do and not to do." Diana growled, taking a menacing step forward. "You're just a deeply traumatized and mentally unstable man who dresses up as a bat as an attempt at coping when in reality the thing you need most is fucking therapy." she ignored the shocked gasps of the other heroes and took another step forward, finding herself facing the Caped Crusader and glaring at him with a deadly glare. "Anyone with any sense knows that you've been getting darker and more of an asshole to everyone around you for years. That you are passively attempting suicide in your crusade. You know what? Get killed. I don't care anymore. You've disappointed your parents so many times, what difference does it make one more time?"
"Diana!" Superman gasped in horror and shock as did all the other heroes. "This is too much! You've gone too far!"
"I don't care." Diana replied sharply. "Someone had to tell him face to face." her gaze remained fixed on Batman who was literally shaking and seething with anger but she ignored him, her gaze falling on her other teammates. "Most of you have disappointed me. You should fight Waller and the federal government. Don't give up like fucking cowards just because they threaten you and your loved ones. We're the fucking Justice League, dammit! The best superhero team ever! Not a bunch of hesitant cowards!" she concluded with a growl.
Silence.
She took a deep breath, keeping in check all the frustration and anger that filled every fiber of her being at that moment. "Who can I count on to save Renegade?"
Quickly Zatanna raised her hand first, followed immediately by Hawkgirl. After a few more seconds of hesitation they were followed by Martian Manhunter and finally Aquaman.
The demigoddess nodded, staring gratefully at her teammates who were with her. "Very good. I will keep you updated on how we proceed." she stated, smiling slightly when they nodded. She turned and walked towards the zeta tubes, pausing briefly before turning and staring at the rest of her team. "Oh, I almost forgot. If we seven founding members survived the battle against the Injustice League, it was thanks to Renegade. It was he who shot Wotan, saving our asses, and who shot down the Atomic Skull, making plants disappear from cities and saving the lives of many thousands, if not millions, of people." she revealed casually, watching with satisfaction at the looks of utter shock and surprise from the other heroes as the zeta tube lit up around her.
Recognized: Wonder Woman 03
Hold on, Renegade. I will save you as soon as possible. No matter what.
Slade Wilson was worried like never before.
It had been hours since Dick left on a contract and he hadn't returned since. The thing that worried him the most was that he couldn't even contact him through the communicator.
The only time his son was late on a contract was when he was momentarily captured by the Justice League but even the heroes couldn't keep him occupied for even half an hour, let alone full hours.
Slade knew something serious had happened to his son.
Every instinct and sense of his as a father was practically screaming at him.
The super soldier regretted the decision of not having implanted a tracker in the new Renegade armor like in the old one only because Dick wanted to have more independence and freedom.
When Slade found his son, he would put 3 damn trackers on his armor.
When.
Not if.
Slade wouldn't accept anything else.
He would find his son, no matter if he had to burn the whole world.
For Dick, Slade would have done literally anything.
For the briefest moment the former soldier was shaken by the horrible and frightening idea that the Court of Owls had kidnapped Dick again but his body screamed with immense relief when he remembered that his son's contract was completely far from Gotham.
Then the light bulb went on in his brain.
The most dangerous and experienced mercenary in the world knew that there was only one person in the entire world who would not stop under any circumstances to see Renegade behind bars, Waller excluded as she would not make another attempt so soon after her recent failure broadcast live worldwide.
Slade quickly donned his Deathstroke The Terminator armor and slammed the blades of his swords together, enjoying the streaking metallic noise that played. The assassin made sure every gun he owned was loaded and he polished every knife he owned.
Destination: Gotham City.
Deathstroke The Terminator had a Bat to make sing like a canary.