Batman / Wonder Woman: Wealth of Power

[Batman]

#1 Batman / Wonder Woman: Wealth of Power


Story By: Batman and Wonder Woman
Heroes: Batman, Wonder Woman, Steve Trevor, Zatanna
Villains: Killer Moth, Serapis

Plot:

Never send a man...

Gateway city…Four cars remained in a circle surrounding a single table, eight men stood surrounding the area, four on each side. Four men dressed in business suits, the other four wore advanced carapace like armor, bug like in appearance. A man stepped out of the back seat revealing to be the 9th man in the entire ring. - “Place the cash down…” -One of the men in the business suit placed a briefcase onto the table and gently slid it towards the leader. Underneath a dark shadow, the sounds of car horns on the bridge overlooking the docks could be heard. The drug transaction was taking place between a large vessel with the title ‘Alan Wayne’ the cargo transport had brought these men from Gotham to initiate the trade. The leader opened the briefcase, his right hand holding a cocoon gun calmly aiming towards the men in business suits. Opening the case he began counting the money before closing it. Green opals fell towards the nearest man wearing a red tie.- “Take your purchase and leave.” <c>

-Another man stepped forward.- “How do we know this stuff will work? If its so good, why don’t we see this shit on Gotham streets?” -The green opals flared for a moment as the cocoon gun pointed directly into the man’s face.- “Would you like your money back?” -A bug men stood still holding their weapons at hip level, their own harpoon and cocoon like weapons locked on the business suited Venezuelan men.- “This stuff works?” -They muttered to the man wearing a dark purple suit with large green eyes on his helmet, the eyes moved up and down within the darkness .- “The tester is on the table, if you do not believe me…My employer assures that this stuff is VERY real. Cops will be the least of your worries.” -The men then smiled and said.- “Well, if we shoot this stuff, now….what’s to stop us from killing you?” -A smirk underneath the helmet gave a bit more light to the man.- “My employer didn’t just send any Gotham freak up here he sent…Killer Moth.” <c>

-Killer Moth’s jetpack wings lit up with small dots outlining the shape of mouth like wings.-“I have out smarted and evaded Batman…” -Killer Moth lowered his gun and began taking his money to his car.- “Besides…Shoot that stuff now…and you might last long enough to survive this city’s pain in the ass.” -The smart ass man would growl.- “You mean Wonder Woman? This shit will take care of her.” -Killer Moth nodded.- “For your sake, I hope you use it wisely.”

Wonder Woman: A series of strange murders, filled with Arcane symbols and rituals, had been occurring in Gotham as of late. She was tipped off to the occurrences by Batwoman, a woman named Katherine Kane who had come to the mantel of Batwoman when the original had gone missing. She had worked with Kane on occasion while working on a case regarding the Greek Gods and Titans. This case seemed different, Kane was left with little intelligence and all Diana had been able to establish to this point was that the murders were all connected, though tenuously, through pre-Hellenic rituals involving the worship of Serapis, a long thought dead God from the middle years when the Greeks were appropriating the Egyptian Gods. Serapis was the Hellenised version of Osiris, the God of the Dead. It concerned her that the Cult of Serapis had been revived; more dangerous than the Cult of Ares, Serapis wanted death on a massive scale to feed their Master. <c>

Wonder Woman: Even those who followed Hades understood the difference between a noble death and an ignoble one. Currently, Diana was combing through the Gotham PD files, having received the access information from Kane. She didn’t ask why or how Kane got a hold of this information; she didn’t need to know. The less she knew about that, the better. With her role as Ambassador to the US and her status as a Special UN Ambassador, Diana was technically graced with diplomatic immunity. It came in handy from time to time, when overzealous police officers and ADAs thought they could make a name for themselves arresting Wonder Woman over destroyed property or disturbing the peace. Even without her status, she assumed nothing would ever stick; the public opinion was still heavily slanted in her favour. <c>

Wonder Woman: Shaking her head, Diana brought her mind back to what she was working on. “Focus,” she muttered to herself. “This is useless...” she groaned, closing the lid to her laptop and leaning back in the uncomfortable utility chair provided by the hotel. She ran her fingers through her hair as she groaned. She wasn’t going to be able to find out any information on Serapis from the Gotham Police. Diana stood up, wearing her traditional Wonder Woman uniform, the ancient armour of the Amazons, she pried the window open. Not that she didn’t want to use the normal way out, but as far as she knew, Batman wasn’t on to her yet, or at least he hadn’t made contact with her. Of course, she wasn’t foolish enough to assume that no contact meant no surveillance, but why make tracking her easy for the detective? She smirked to herself as she took to the air. <c>

Wonder Woman: Her destination was the Gotham Museum; there was an expert on Egyptology there, and while Serapis wasn’t technically Egyptian, perhaps the woman would be able to answer some questions Diana had. It wasn’t late by Hero standards, but it was hardly the time for regular crowds at the museum. Diana slipped past security to Dr. Fatima Massri’s office. “Excuse me, Doctor?” she asked, knocking on the door. The light was on, Diana could see it seeping from beneath the door frame. She called a second time, knocking and speaking a little louder, wondering if she just wasn’t being heard. On the third attempt, Diana turned the knob, locked. Oh well, she thought, twisting a little harder until the internal components broke under the pressure, releasing the door lock and allowing her entrance. <c>

Wonder Woman: The office was a disaster. Books everywhere, pages and papers strewn over the desk and floor; it was the scene typical to a struggle or kidnapping. “By Hera,” Diana whispered, bringing a hand to her mouth. Had the cultists already gotten to Doctor Massri? But how...? Diana began slowly, methodically, going through the files on the floor when she heard footsteps. When she looked up, she saw a nijab clad woman holding a cup of tea. To say both women were surprised would be an understatement. “When the university said they were sending me a grad student to help with my paper work and filing, I had no idea they would be sending Wonder Woman,” the olive skinned woman said. Diana’s lips parted into a relieved smile; Doctor Massri was safe, just a chaotic office dweller. “I saw the mess and I thought something was wrong,” Diana admitted, standing up to offer a proper greeting to the professor. <c>

Wonder Woman: “The only thing that is wrong is that I have too much work and not enough hands or time, Wonder Woman,” the doctor said. “To what do I owe the visit of Hellenistic religions’ walking avatar?” “Diana is fine, Doctor Massri,” Diana smiled and explained herself, the worry that it might be a revived Cult of Serapis responsible for the recent killings. “I see why you would have been concerned, Diana,” the doctor spoke carefully. “Serapis was a most brutal God of the Dead, possessing none of the nobility of Hades or Osiris. But why haven’t the Gotham Police made this connection?” “I am afraid it might be because they are still under the assumption that it’s a serial killer. They are discounting the religious over tones entirely.” <c>

Wonder Woman: “I see,” Fatmina said, sitting down in her chair, offering Diana the only chair not covered in books and papers. “I hadn’t thought of it from a religious perspective either, I must admit,” she spoke with a delicate accent. “But now that you mention it, it does make sense.” <e>

A History Lesson


Gotham City…The Narrows, Apartment complex 403…”God damn it, why won’t you just tell me the truth?!” -He shouted, she would scream back at him- “Because I’ve made sacrifices for this god damn marriage to work!” “OH! And you think I didn’t?! My mother-…” -A huge ruckus of noise shot out from underneath their apartment room forcing them to silence. A squeal resembling a pig forced both of the couple to look around.- “What the hell was that?” -Outside the building a wall would break open and collapse a large man wearing a trench coat flew through the wall and crashed into the ground. The monstrosity stood at eight foot three inches weighing approximately 450 lbs of hulking muscle. His jaw rigged and deformed. His skin oily and green mixed with black.- His serpent like tongue would lead most to believe this was possibly Killer Croc.- <C>

‘A string of murders through the past nights, rampaging through Gotham, I’ve deduced that these rampages are drug induced as I’ve found traces of chemical mixtures from STAR labs and LexCorp. This creature isn’t just a monster, he’s a man - Walter Edgar Waylon, he was drawing upon welfare programs to help pay for his drugs, he served time in prison for killing his mother at 17. Last note; he was instituted at Arkham Asylum for Anger Management issues. With the drugs, it makes him as lethal as my strongest physical adversary to date; Killer Croc.’ -Batman’s thoughts studied the scene from a corner of Gotham’s freeway overpass and an apartment building, staring down at the area. Batman armed his tranquilizer gun and pulled back on the lever to load the chamber.- <c>

-Sliding the gun onto his belt, it’s folded crossbow shape easily sliding into his pouch. He leaped down and landed into the parking lot as the monstrosity stomped onto the vehicles in his path. Batman charged at full speed, sliding a batarang off his belt he hurled it towards the creatures shoulder blade, the trench coat ripped but, the beasts skin absorbed the batarang like gel, the creature would turn to look at Batman racing after him and it was now the beast took to running at its own top speed. Batman could feel its footsteps trampling the ground sending small tremors and cracks through the cement and asphalt. Batman’s teeth began grinding against each other as Batman’s top running speed was no where a match for this monster, still Batman had to try. Tapping a button on his wrist caused his HUD to reveal the Batpod was on an intercept course. <c>

-Batman would turn a corner and watch as the monster grabbed onto Batman’s throat and chest with a single hand. A large scream of anger hissed from the monster’s mouth as green pus…or was it saliva? Spat from his mouth and onto Batman. Batman punched his fist into the creatures maw causing it to roar like an elephant stampeding. Batman felt his armor crushing him, leaving him with the option and pulled out his snap flash and slamming it into the face of the creature. The round hockey puck like device ignited throwing the creatures head backwards slamming it into the wall, but it didn’t release Batman. Until its tongue slithered out of its mouth and pulled the snap flash into its mouth in order to break it. <c>

‘I’m…losing consciousness…I…’ -Were Batman’s thoughts before the monster hurled Batman across the sky and onto the freeway, Batman slammed down and tumbled into traffic as taxi cabs and SUV’s swerved to dodge hitting him, Batman rolled into the emergency lane and pushed himself into a stand. Having no time, Batman watched as the creature broke through the ground of the freeway and punched Batman backwards another twenty feet causing him to smash into the ground once again. Batman stood up, his gaze falling upon the museum not far away. - ‘I pissed him off…I need to isolate him.’ -Batman forced himself to stand as the creature charged through traffic at speeds of 60 miles per hour. It would only be a moment before the shattering of the museums front windows could set off the buildings alarm and Batman rolled across the floor of the man lobby until he slammed into the security desk. <c>

-Batman growled.- “Everyone get OUT of here!” -The security paused to look at him as they armed their guns, but their attention switched to the large monster breaking into the room to let out a squeal sounding like a pig once more. Batman gripped onto the desk and pushed his legs off the floor to swing his body onto the top of the desk. The creature charged at Batman with full speed once more, but Batman leaped into the air and grabbed onto a hanging rope intended for some exhibit, Batman climbed towards the ceiling until he reached a catwalk where he was safe for a moment.-

Wonder Woman: “There was one thing I wanted to ask you specifically, Doctor Massri,” Diana said, their conversation beginning to wrap up. “The autopsy reports suggested that there were chemicals in the victims’ wounds; not necessarily injected into their bodies, but in the wounds. Do you have any thoughts?” “What about cannibalism? Serapis Cultists were not above devouring their kills,” she spoke clearly, though there was an obvious distaste for the idea in her mind. “The cultists would inject various mild altering plants and mushrooms, inhaling a mix of hallucinogenic fumes before devouring their “sacrifices” alive.” “I hadn’t thought of that,” Diana nodded, her eyes becoming distant as she thought about the prospect. “It would fit...” she mused, though her expression as distinctly distasteful. <c>

Wonder Woman: Diana thanked the Doctor for her time, and asked her if she would consider taking some time off. “I am afraid that I cannot; I am making a presentation at the University next week,” she said with a smile. “Ancient Egypt was a place where some women were able to wield incredible power, I should think you respect that.” Diana smiled gently, “Indeed I do. When you have finished your presentation, would you consider an invitation to Themyscria? I think I have some friends who you would very much like to meet.” Diana’s mind was on Artermis and the Amazons of Bana Mighdall; they worshiped the Egyptian Goddesses, and they would be an amazing resource for the professor, and she would be an incredible portal to the Patriarch’s World for the Amazons. <c>

Wonder Woman: Diana was just about to take her leave, to head back towards the lobby when she heard a crash of glass. “Stay here, Doctor Massri,” she said quietly, the woman nodded and looked utterly calm. “Diana, I am Egyptian, I am no stranger to glass shattering and gunshots in the middle of the night,” she responded sipping her tea. “I will be fine. You are the hero; go save the day.” Diana nodded, remembering that not all of the world was as peaceful as Themyscria, or even the United States. As she came down to the lobby she wasn’t entirely sure what she was looking at, but she did see a familiar object scurrying up a scaffold towards the ceiling. <c>

Wonder Woman: She loosed her lasso and without a second thought, she shot it towards the attacking beast, attempting to warp it around his shoulders and pull him to a stop. These kind of Gotham villains Diana had no problem handling; they were much the same as the monsters of myth she had been battling for centuries. It was the psychopath clowns and nymphomaniac botanists that she usually faltered on. She was still relatively hidden from Batman’s angle by shadows, though the glowing lasso should give her identity away with little trouble.<e>

-Batman’s attention would shift as the glow of Wonder Woman’s lasso wrapped around the creature. It would squeal before grabbing the lasso’s rope and yanked at her to attempt at bringing her towards him, its strength became apparent and likely signaled Wonder Woman to increase her strength against the creature otherwise she would be pulled across the room. Its maw opened as it preparing to devour her. Batman’s hand held onto his rib as his eyes shifted towards Wonder Woman directly, arming his tranquilizer crossbow and fired two shots into its shoulder, each bolt squashed into its gel like skin as Batman armed another shot but, waited to see what would happen with the two shots already injected into it.- ‘The tranquilizer is a heavy sedative mixed with neutralizing disinfectants, a guess that it would weaken the creatures immune system; if it has one, and allow for the sedative to take effect. ‘ <c>

-Batman’s thoughts raced while observing the scene.- ‘Thought, the Tranquilizer is effective, I’m not sure if a punch from Wonder Woman would knock him out…Should’ve considered that before shooting.’

Wonder Woman: She was caught off guard for a moment, a beginner mistake she’d admit that, and hauled forward a few steps, into the light. The creature’s breath was horrid, and Diana’s nose wrinkled in response to the odour, her blue eyes narrowing, but not closing entirely. She turned, wrapping the golden chord of her lasso around her arm, bracing it at her elbow before looping it through her hand once again; this tactic gave her a better grip almost guaranteeing that it wouldn’t slip through her fingers. It also allowed her to free her right arm. Just as Batman was wondering what a punch from the Amazon would do, he was getting the visual in front of him. Her balled fist would come towards the creature, but she had under estimated his reflexes. A cold, slimy hand gripped her fist, blocking it from hitting its target. <c>

Wonder Woman: What came next was pure instinct on Diana’s part. A trained warrior, a brawler with the skills of the Amazon, Diana had been fighting since she was old enough to walk. With her hands occupied, she was still not yet defeated. Her feet were no longer on the floor, allowing her to rise to the creature’s eyelevel. Her forehead, protected from gnashing teeth by her tiara, came down against the beast’s face. There was a loud, wet cracking pop sound, following by a rush of black blood. Diana pulled back, feeling the grip on her lasso and her wrist slackening. Her eyes opening and she saw the whites of the beast’s eyes as they rolled back into his head. Between the tranquilizers and the head trauma, he was out. She shook her head, wiping the blood from her face with her bicep, smearing it with red and black. Her tiara had cut into her own skin a little, just at the crest of her brow between her eyes. <c>

Wonder Woman: Holding the body off the ground, Diana stood amid the stunned silence of security personnel and patrons. And of course, the watchful eyes of the Batman. Her eyes peered up at him and she raised an eyebrow, almost as if it was a challenge as well. <e>

-Batman’s teeth were grinding against each other as he leaned against the railing and flung himself over the bar of the cat walk and down onto the ground almost twenty feet below, his wings opened and snared his fall allowing him to land safely. His cape quickly came to wrap and fold around him in a dark motion. He stood before the yellow and white lights of the museum’s main lobby standing as almost contrast to Wonder Woman’s vibrate and multi colored tone. He was dark and appeared to defy light as he was a shadow standing midst meridian lights. Batman’s lips were sealed as he stared at her, his own challenging expression as if daring her to take him on, despite a throbbing pain in his chest.- <c>

-It would be a moment before Batman spoke.- “He’s human….I’ve been tracking him for the past three days causing murders throughout Gotham. A new drug on the market has transformed him into this…*almost* superhuman aberration…” -Batman looked at the security guards and then spoke, notably his tone was dark, raspy, and possibly difficult to understand.- “We need to talk somewhere safe.” -Batman didn’t ask for her to follow, rather he turned away and began walking out of the museum. He saw the Batpod waiting for him outside, but he would disregard it and use his grappling hook to launch himself towards the rooftops where he tapped his wrist console and gave the commands to the batpod to follow, and it did follow from the ground levels below him. He turned to look at Wonder Woman to see if she was following.-

Wonder Woman: Human? She released her lasso and waited until the police had him secured; two officers watching him while two more held him tightly. He was hauled up from his stomach and dragged towards the police van. Before Batman turned and left, Diana mused to him “Do you think they will be able to hold him?” she asked him, turning to see that Batman had already left. She rolled her eyes as she dismissed herself from the authorities with a nod, rewinding her lasso to her hip. Her boots were almost soundless as she walked towards the exit, following the soft sound of Batman’s foot falls. Her eyes turned upwards and she flew up there easily. “You have some explaining to do,” she said, her arms crossed as she rose to the parapet. “There’s more to this than a new street drug turning thugs into monsters, and we both know it. What do you know that you aren’t telling me?” <c>

Wonder Woman: She played the role of tough in this game, coming off as hostile from the start. Batman was a tough nut to crack, but she was going to get her answers. <e>

“It is just that.” –Batman spoke without losing verbal ground.- “The drugs are from a complex compound I’ve never seen before. The dealers I’ve had trouble locating, however; tonight I think I have a lead. The dealers aren’t selling the drugs to typical street junkies…They are going to Young adults who are still experiencing hormonal evolution. I have Robin on a look out for anything suspicious while he’s in school, but he doesn’t typically hang around the wrong crowds, I expect that to be a dead end…The more flexible the DNA, the stronger and more powerful the mutation will become, and harder to fix…I haven’t found a cure, yet. But I believe there is a way to reverse the transformation…” –Batman’s tone was a soft whisper with a hoarse scratch in the back of his throat.- <c>

His cape hung over his shoulders as his eyes were kept to stare at her as she listened.- “These mutations seem relatively simple alone, but what happens when you’re confronted with ten of them? Kids and Drugs tend to operate within circles.” –He waited a moment for her to process the information and then spoke.- “Your turn.”

Wonder Woman: She didn’t nod as he spoke, but she did take in what he had to say. The drugs were an interesting development, but she wasn’t sure how, or even if, they fit in with what she and Batwoman were working on. Gotham was a big, dark place; it was entirely possible that there were two major plots afoot and neither had anything to do with the other. Of course, while the Amazon didn’t know much about Batman, she did know that he didn’t believe in coincidences, so just to indulge the poor man’s sense of morbid curiosity she would respond. “Batwoman contacted me a little over a week ago,” she started simply, watching him as he watched her. Her posture was neither aggressive nor passive; since developing professional relationships with some of Man’s World’s greatest heroes, Diana had learned that some men, even those brave enough to don masks and save lives, or men impenetrable to bullets, were intimidated by the strangest things, herself, for instance. <c>

Wonder Woman: “So far I’ve managed to unearth a link to the ancient Cult of Serapis; he was a God from the interim era between the Egyptians and Greek pantheons. He served not only as their God of Death, but also Chaos and War, but with none of the restraint possessed by Osiris, Ares or Hades.” <e>

“A link?” – Batman’s words were sharp and aimed to challenge her for more information. The name would be kept within his mind as something to research, even if they weren’t on the same case, Batman might’ve been able to throw something Wonder Woman’s direction that would help her solve her own case. Ultimately they were on the same side and despite Batman’s theatrics he felt it was very necessary to continue practicing even under awkward meetings like this with other heroes, offering him an opportunity to figure out what would be intimidating to a Superhuman and non-superhuman beings.

Wonder Woman: “From where I stand, I am not convinced there is a link, Batman,” she said calmly, her expression neutral. Unlike some of the others, she had nothing to hide behind. She had no mask, no secret identity, which made contact like this that much more important to the woman who had never in her life actually been “alone.” “But whatever chemicals they’re using, they are strong, do you really think you and Robin will be able to handle another round of junkies on that level?” Would he find her questioning his ability to handle the situation in his own city patronizing? Probably. Did she care? No. “Perhaps, even if the cases aren’t link, it might be best if we worked them together. You get the added bonus of some extra fire power, and I get an expert in the lay of the land.” Her suggestion sounded good in her head, but this was Batman, after all, and at over 2,000 years old, she was a little old to be donning a cape and calling herself “Robin,”

Wonder Woman: not that she had any intention of being a "side kick" of any sorts. <e>

“We can do that…” –Batman started out saying.- “What information do you have on this Cult of Serapis? How *committed* are his followers?” –Batman’s lips were sealed after he was done speaking, affording no opportunity for her to question if he had more to say or not. Batman tried to think of any possible links within Gotham city, his gaze falling upon the Museum, the large building had its ties and connections to The Penguin and Catwoman, often it’s rare artifacts were sold to the museum because they were one of few dealers that could afford priceless objects at almost full price. If Catwoman were involved, Drug’s wouldn’t be her connection; Batman ruled her out as a suspect, but the possibility of running into her while chasing down the Museums link to this was a probability that Batman couldn’t ignore.- <C>

“Oswald Cobblepot, runs the Iceberg Lounge in downtown Gotham, a “Gentleman’s” criminal…Selling military grade equipment is amongst his specialties along with many other illegally obtained and sold goods. If there is a connection, it’s most likely Cobblepot knows about it.” –Batman’s gaze finally moved from Wonder Woman over to the city skyline where Gotham’s Wayne Tower, Axis Chemicals, Shreck Corp, Daggett Industries, Sionis Industries, and other corporations stood in the form of large towers.-

Wonder Woman: “You don’t deal with ‘cults’ much, do you?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “By definition, they are committed. And to be committed to someone like Serapis, to bringing him back into a state of power, we’re dealing with some pretty lost souls,” she added. Truth be told, very rarely did Diana ever “give up” on someone. Humanity were the shining beacon of the Gods; the source of their power, and for that reason they were far more powerful than most mortals ever dared to dream. The idea that the old gods needed to be destroyed, violently, to make way for the new was as out dated as horse drawn carriages; when paradigm shifts occurred and new gods developed, taking the faith of the mortals, the old gods drew weak. <c>

Wonder Woman: She didn’t give the ever skeptical detective a lesson in practical theology because she was well aware of the wasted effort it would be; Batwoman had been pretty clear that Batman thought himself a man of science, not a man of faith, and as such took a very skeptical look on all things magical and divine. “A gentleman crime lord with access to a distribution centre like the Iceberg Lounge certainly seems like a viable suspect for your case,” she said, leaving her thoughts unexpressed. She had done a little digging on Gotham’s “finest,” and Cobblepot was not on her short list for possible suspects. Never the less, her doubt would be held silent; perhaps while aiding Batman two things could be accomplished. Diana might learn more about the city and as such more about her case, and the caped crusader might even learn a little humility in the face of the Gods. <e>

Cold Trail

-Batman picked up by her tone she was barren and almost indifferent.- “We start there.” –Batman began walking.- ‘The culture of Gotham’s criminals are unlike anything Wonder Woman is used to, she’ll need to learn and quickly that this pattern of criminal activity is not a simple carpet or rug pattern…it’s a bed filled with serpents coiled and tangled within each other wrestling for survival.’ –Batman leaped off the building and landed by the Batpod where he climbed onto it and revved its engine before driving off to intercept the Iceberg Lounge.- “Ace. Can you locate The Penguin for me?” Alfred spoke into Batman’s head piece with a casual tone.- “I can attempt to do so, sir…One moment please.” –Alfred would respond just as Batman arrived at the Iceberg lounge.- “Your sources report that he is most likely at the Iceberg Lounge, locked up and protected by a full security detail.” <c>

-Batman recalled a night prior Two-Face and Penguin’s gangs were exchanging gunfire over gang territory. Cobblepot was smart for choosing to remain protected and secured within his palace. Batman climbed to the rooftop opposing to the Iceberg Lounge, where he waited to see if Wonder Woman had followed. His gaze focused on the lounge and the possible methods of entry, his fingers sliding to his cowl to activate the detective vision which would allow him to observe scenery through the walls.-

Wonder Woman: What was it with Gothamites and their motorcycles? Diana thought to herself as she took to the air, following behind Batman as he cut a swath of chaos through Gotham’s streets. It was night time, but unlike some cities such as Gateway, Metropolis and Amnesty Bay, Gotham had a vibrant and lively nightlife, which was being interrupted by the arrival of two costume clad super heroes in some respects. She set down on the roof of the Iceberg Lounge, looking Batman in the eye with a raised eyebrow, a challenging gesture as if to say “And?” This was his city, and as agreed upon they were on his case right now, so while Diana might do things differently at home, or even on her own case, she knew she had to show him respect in his city. Otherwise, how could she ever propose to demand it should he ever visit Gateway, not that he ever seemed to stray far from home.

-Batman looked at Wonder Woman across, on the actual building, security personnel were patrolling that rooftop, which caused Batman to wave for Wonder Woman to come to him on an opposing rooftop.- “We’ll ask Cobblepot what he knows about the drug, if he goes into a hard defense…We’ll ask him about the cult.” –Batman spoke while his eyes never left the building’s mid-tier level. He armed his line launcher and finally determined how they were going to sneak inside. Fired the launcher and slung along between buildings and sliding into the back of the building. Batman’s eyes fell onto a tractor trailer that was being unloaded. Quickly recalling the line launcher Batman fell towards the roof of the large truck while his cape opened and expanded his wings length. <c>

Landing he looked towards the loading dock where four men were carrying crates of supplies. He jumped off the trailer and dashed towards the entrance of the loading dock, looking to clear the left and right, there was no one watching, but Batman’s vision detected a security camera, he simply tapped his wrist console and forced the camera to freeze frame and waved for Wonder Woman to follow him as he walked inside slowly, moving to a position behind the door where the men walked through. He waited for the men to return to the truck before Batman slipped through the door and came to a hallway, a basement door could be seen at the end of the hallway where two more men were unloading boxes. Wonder Woman’s super hearing would be able to hear a slow tapping sound at the rhythm of a water droplet from a faucet. She would hear metal gears ratcheting <c>

As her earing struggled to detect where it was coming from as a barrier of deep water (opposed to shallow) absorbed and dampened the sound to be barely noticeable, let alone to a human’s ears it wasn’t something anyone would notice. Batman opened another door titled ‘B2’ which definitely caught Batman’s attention, he turned off his detective vision and began to proceed down into cellar where he could feel the temperatures dropping into an ice cold atmosphere and environment. The flight of stairs was easily the depth of two stair cases; it was as deep underground as Batman’s Bat Bunker located underneath Wayne Penthouse.-

Wonder Woman: She was half tempted to tell him about the properties of her Lasso, but she opted not to; better to keep that one a secret as she never knew when she might need to force a confession out of a certain secretive pseudo sociopath. She followed, not blending into the shadows as much as Batman did, but her speed made up for that. Where he could appear to disappear, Diana’s reflexes worked much at the same pace her mind did, which was to save over amped compared to a human’s. The ticking of water dropping and the grinding of gears caused her to stop, reaching a hand out to Batman’s wrist to call him to halt as well. She brought a hand to her mouth in a “sh” gesture but remained silent herself, eyes taking on a far off look to them as she tried to focus. <c>

Wonder Woman: Naturally, the Dark Knight continued on and Diana had to force herself from rolling her eyes. As they went deeper, her eyes adjusted to the dimming light, not needing any lenses to increase her ability to see in the dark. She could feel the cold air, but it didn’t register as a “change” for her, her Amazon body showing no outward signs of being “cold.” It had been a long time since she had been forced to deal with this sneaking around nonsense, and to be quite honest, Diana preferred the other way better. Hiding from confrontation was not her way. <e>

-The ticking at a slow speed was the result of her rapid reaction, in real time the speed would appear about once every ten seconds. The gears within the device rotated once per second. As they went deeper into the basement she could hear the sound becoming level with her for a moment before the sound was above her, not directly above her but, somewhere within the main chamber of the Iceberg Lounge, socializing guests seemed to occupy the space, singing, dancing, conversing. Batman didn’t notice her shushing sound as he focused on locating the Penguin, the underground chamber was most likely where the bird would hide; underneath the iceberg. The cavern underneath the building was carved and etched like an underground snow cavern. <c>

Batman stopped to see snow on the ground, footsteps; at least five pairs were walking through the Basement. A pair of tuxedo shoes in a small size drew Batman’s attention. He gestured with his head and began walking, they would come to a larger tunnel when a gate closed behind them and a speaker phone spoke.- “Ha! Looks like I caught some mice in the basement! Try and sneak into my establishment will you? This will teach you to keep your spandex clad paws OFF my things!” –Batman’s expression was blank and didn’t seem to care about what the Penguin was saying as he was looking around for what was about to happen. Batman’s utility belt had explosives that could’ve destroyed the gate behind him, let alone Wonder Woman’s strength.- <c>

A ferocious growl would force Batman to crouch and shrink his size, his knees bending as three large shadows approached. Wonder Woman would be able to hear thick heart beating behind 800 pounds of weight. Three polar bears would begin walking through the tunnel towards Batman and Wonder Woman.-

Wonder Woman: She noticed the foul stench and the sounds, distracting sounds off in the distance of song and dance and gay times being had, but it was muted by a more forceful tone. She continued after Batman, her eyes snapping to the Penguin as he called out his warning to her ad hoc partner. The heart beats were what she noticed first, then the smell of their fur and their stomachs on their breaths; the animals hadn’t been fed in some time. Of course, she thought to herself, how else would he get them to attack humans. Polar bears, like most species who do not have regular contact with humans, were fearful of the two legged apex predator, and with good reason, things like this happen to them. With the advance of the polar bears Diana couldn’t help but feel just a little more at ease; animals she could deal with. She stepped in front of Batman, extending her left arm to keep him behind her should some outdated, foolish notion of him being the hero fall into his little bat brain. <c>

Wonder Woman: Gifted by her name sake, Goddess of the Hunt, Diana had the ability to communicate with animals without language. Ignoring the threat of the squat little man for the time being, Diana turned her attention to the three animals approaching them. She refused to move, but did not adopt an aggressive posture. These animals were pawns in the Penguin’s poorly put together defense strategy, and Diana knew that, and that innocence should never suffer. Her hands turned, palms facing out, fingers pointing down, as the woman tracked them with her ears. It was important to keep from making eye contact, a symbol of dominance in the animal kingdom. “Don’t look them in the eye,” she whispered lowly to Batman, hoping that a) he heard her words, b) he heeded them. <e>

The Penguin’s voice spoke over the loud speakers, clearly having some kind of video camera to watch. “Ha ha! So the lady wishes to be gobble first! “ –Batman heard Wonder Woman, his crouched posture gave him a stance of maneuverability when he would have to do it, his gaze lowered to stare at the most dangerous part of the 800 pound creatures; their large paws that could mangle his body with ease. The Penguin’s harsh voice screamed over the microphone.- “EAT EM UP WILL YA ALREADY!” –Underneath Batman’s cape, he prepared a gas grenade in the event Wonder Woman’s approach to dealing with the largest land carnivore didn’t work. Batman’s glove was also charged and prepared to shock the creatures with 10,000 volts of electricity before he would even attempt to drop the gas.-

Wonder Woman: She whispered a soft, soothing sound and the largest of the bears dropped its head to Diana. A serene expression on her face, she gently scratched the beast’s sensitive spot behind its ear before turning her eyes to the Penguin. With the alpha bear showing signs of submission to Diana, the others followed suit. “You are a most despicable man,” she clicked her tongue. “And yet, we do not come under hostile pretenses.” Her stance was that of a commander, her shoulders squared and her head held high. Clear, cold, blue eyes narrowed as she let the final word slip. “Yet.” While she was furious at the subjection and abuse the polar bears had suffered, and all lives are precious... even Cobblepot’s. “We have some questions for you, and we should like if you answer."

“God blasted thing! What’s wrong with those damned animals? All that money and not so much as a bite!” -The Penguin didn’t seem to care what Wonder Woman was saying as he was speaking to someone else or perhaps even himself. Batman would place his right hand on Wonder Woman’s shoulder and then raise his left index finger to his lips in a sign of silence. The Dark Knight began walking towards the polar bears attempting to move around them towards the passage the bears approached from. They would arrive in an office warm and soothing in temperature. Various stolen objects with bird like themes were about the room, the Penguin sat behind the desk talking to a television.- “Batman?! Where are you! You can’t hide from me! I’ll find you!” -It was then Batman spoke.- “Don’t bother. I’m already here.” <c>

-Batman began walking to the edge of the room steering clear of the center; as if allowing Wonder Woman to decide her approach to things. The memory weave cloth fluently drifted through the air concealing his obsidian armor with a gentle shine from the room lights beaming down onto it. - “We have some questions for you.”

Wonder Woman: She followed his lead down the tunnel, taking the extra stealth step of floating, flying, rather than walking so she made no sound at all. The embodiment of grace, it was no surprise Diana was able to move through the passage way, manoeuvring her body around and behind Batman’s, without so much as a disturbing rustle. While Batman spoke out and drew the Penguin’s attention, Diana went the opposite direction, taking to the other side of the room. While Batman kept the attention of those they were wishing to interrogate, Diana took higher into the air, her body rising among the rafters before letting go completely, dropping down like a predator, landing behind Cobblepot. “Just questions,” she said, holding her golden lasso spread between her two hands. The material seemed to eminate a light of its own, much like the handler.

Penguin examined the Lasso for a moment and then his attention was caught by a growl from Batman.- “Oh…Right…Yes…Questions…What are they?” “There is a new drug circulating at schools, children and young adults are dying.” “What do you care?” -The Penguin grumbled before he realized the stupid nature of his inquiry.- “Oh…right…Well if you must know, I have been kept out of the loop on this just as much as you two are…However; I am not without a sense of business. I would be willing to lend you anything I hear on this matter in exchange for that golden rope. Hmm…It’s most intriguing…” -The Penguin began to rub his hands together while grinning, before his eyes came to settle upon Wonder Woman’s chest. “Mmm…I would be willing to take a pair in exchange…” -The Penguin was now mumble and fantasizing, at which point Batman grabbed Penguin by the collar and lifted the fat man onto the desk.-“You’re lying!” -The midget of a man wiggled on the desk attempting to loosen Batman’s grip. <C>

“I don’t know anything! You got the wrong bird!” The Penguin began to squawk like a helpless avian creature. His elbows flapping frantically as his tuxedo matching white gloves gripped against Batman’s wrists attempting to peel Batman away. Batman held Penguin in place allowing for Wonder Woman to wrap the lasso around the criminal’s ankle. However, it was at this point Wonder Woman would be able to hear footsteps approaching from behind a bookcase in the room as well, the corridor Batman and her arrived from. There were at least sixteen men a few were cocking submachine guns.-

Wonder Woman: As she saw his eyes focussing on her chest, Diana let out a low, soft growl; a deep sound that came from her throat, her eyes narrowing just a little to show her displeasure at his ogling. She was about to say something as she saw his hands twitch, unsure what he was reaching for, whether it was the lasso or her body, either way, she was unsatisfied with the gesture. Her reaction was cut short by Bruce’s manhandling of the subject, pinning the squat, round figure against the wall. She was able to, discretely of course, loop the lasso around his ankle. “Tell us again,” she urged, her voice holding a bit of compassion for the man who, clearly, had no physical comparison to the two standing in front of him. The footsteps, however, were of a concern. She knew she had at least long enough for him to answer.

-Batman held his body to the best of his ability over the Penguin pinning the midgets back against the top surface of his own desk. The clammy skin of the crime lords face began to sweat when he was surprised to speak.- “This man came to me a few weeks ago, offering to sell me the drug, I refused at first but, then he offered me an army…” -The Penguin suddenly calmed as he thought about it.- “An Army that could take over the world…All of Gotham would be mine!” -Batman would respond.- “The Justice League would stop you. What makes you so confident?” “HE said that the drug would make them strong, too strong to be stopped. You superfreaks would be too busy saving the world, it would be in circulation. He said I would-…” -Batman growled.- “Who is he? What’s his name?” -The Penguin began to choke and gag as Batman clutched harder.- “Her-…Her…Allrgghhh!” <c>

-The doors would open and men ducked around the corner to begin shooting at Batman, Penguin, and Wonder Woman. The Dark Knight applied all of his strength to pull Penguin off the desk and down onto the floor behind the desk, as bullets sparked and beat against his batsuit.-

Wonder Woman: While Bruce took Penguin and ducked behind the desk for cover, Diana simply turned around, a smirk on her lips. Up until now Bruce hadn’t been witnessed the full extent of Diana’s physical prowess. Her hands and wrists moved with a practiced ease, so fast that they were a veritable blur; flashes of flesh and silver as the metal slugs bounced off her bracers, embedding themselves into the hard wood walls of his office and the ice sculptures that were decorating the office. Things shattered, but for Diana, time seemed to stand still; bullets and bracelets were a long time hobby of the Amazons. As their guns, one by one, began to run out of ammunition, Diana’s red lips pulled into a smirk. Sure, okay, fine; so the Amazon got a little cocky every now and then. Even heroes were allowed their moments of pride, weren’t they? <c>

Wonder Woman: When the last gun fired empty, Diana tilted her head to the side. “And just what, exactly, was that supposed to do?” <e>

-The few men standing in the open stared blankly at Wonder Woman before men behind them tossed four grenades into the room, the men quickly began attempting to reload. Batman growled at Penguin as if nothing had changed.- “A name!” “Ack ack! He said…It was Hermes!” -The Penguin growled out before coughing violently, at which point Batman released the criminal and kneeled behind the desk to remain covered when he heard the sound of the grenades rolling into the room he maneuvered his body behind Wonder Woman while wrapping his body inside the cloth of his cape expecting her to be able to endure the blast should they be given the chance to explode.-

Wonder Woman: She could hear the name, but she would have a hard time believing that Hermes... The Messenger God? She was a little distracted by the thought, and as such, her reaction time to the grenades wasn’t as on the ball as it should have been. Her body was pitched to the side, but able to withstand the concussive force, though the ringing in her ears was going to be bothersome, and troublesome, for some time. What was a bigger concern was that Diana still had a tight grip on the lasso. As she was shot to the side, Oswald’s foot would be pulled as well, with enough strength to move the desk, Batman and the portly criminal. She sunk to the ground, her knees impacting with the floor of the office first. Her free hand came to rest on her temple, her eyes snapping to look at the henchmen who were now just a little perturbed at the seemingly preternatural ability of Diana to withstand their attacks. "Are we finished?" she asked, looking over her shoulder to the desk where Batman had been hiding.

-Batman smirked at Wonder Woman.- “They’ve had their fun. Let have ours.” -Batman slipped two snap flashes from his belt and dropped them towards the corridor entrance where it released five tazer prongs each stabbing into multiple men to stun them in place. Batman wasted now time in leaping forward barreling across the room by means of tumbling to the ground. His black body leapt from the ground towards the group leading with a powerful kick as his wings span flashed open much like a predator reaching to grasp its prey with its talons. The first man was hit and thrown backwards with incredible force. This placed Batman in the middle of the group already stunned by the tazers. The Bookcase entrance had the remaining men reloaded their guns to begin spraying Wonder Woman with their guns.- <c>

Batman slammed his knuckles into one man’s chest throwing them backwards and away from the tazer. Using the posture to withdraw his hands and transfer momentum to his elbows to jab another man over his shoulder with his right elbow causing the man to lean closer. The crime fighter vigilante grasps the man by the neck and back of the head to lift him over Batman’s shoulder and into another thug. It would not take too long before Batman had finished his group of eight men leaving them settled and on the ground.-

Wonder Woman: She shook her head, rolling her eyes, but there was a smile pulling on her lips. As the bullets began to fire again, Diana’s body reacted a little less defensively and instead acting more proactive. She worked her way towards the gangsters. She was able to take the first gangster easily enough, knocking his hand down, bringing her fist up and impacting with his jaw. She held back, using less than half her strength; she wanted to knock them out, not kill them. There were three more, one taken out when a third was thrown into him, leaving one more the woman of wonder. She smirked and raised an eyebrow, watching him disappear down the tunnel.

-Batman shifted to see what Wonder Woman’s progress was when his cowl began to beep, he turned around again to look down the icy passage where the Polar bears settled down. A large body of water housing multiple penguins swimming throughout it would have something going on.- ‘BEEP…BEEP…BEEP’ the timer only had 7 seconds left now, the device was hidden inside the platform that the Penguins took residence on. The cowl detected a signal transmitting from an outside source into the Iceberg lounge. Batman pointed towards the block of ice.- “There’s a bomb in there!” -He reached to the ground to grip two men and pull them away from the blast radius as it was likely the water tank would explode flooding the area. <c>

Above in the restaurant section, no one was aware of what was going on, no one had even heard the gunshots or grenade blast through the sound proof walls or thick layers of support. Batman guessed that the Penguin’s secret office would be safe from the blast, but everyone else was at risk of being injured or killed.-

Wonder Woman: Diana was unaware of the innocent people upstairs; she was not familiar enough with Gotham’s lay out, or their criminal element, to know that the Penguin ran the Iceberg lounge and that everything was located beneath the club. She, did, however see the bomb and the eminent danger that came with the blast. “We should get out of here,” she said to him. “We have what we came for; we have to find Hermes.” She turned to him, knowing that Batman wasn’t the type to follow directions, nor would he implicitly trust that indeed Diana’s lasso had worked as he’d have no idea what kind of powers she wielded.

“There are people upstairs who will die if we don’t help them.” -Batman came to glare at her, but it was now too late as the blast blew up water rushed into the office room as the building began to shudder, the ceiling would seem as if it were ready to collapse from the ignition of what seemed to be a very powerful bomb. The Dark Knight stood his ground to analyze the rush of water attempting to break door way to flood the passage his gaze searching for the men he had incapacitated. The Penguin began to scream before he waddled down the bookcase entrance to his office to make an escape.-

Wonder Woman: With the words "people" and "die" Diana's eyes went a little wider. She surely did not want that to happen. "We need to help them," she said simply, as if the whole process would just as simple as saying the words were. She looked up at the ceiling as chunks began to fall down atop of her and the Batman. She pulled her companion closer to her, though not for any emotional reason, but to protect him from the falling concrete. She put her arm up, braced at a 90 degree angle at the elbow. The block hit her, and as it impacted with her forearm she straightened her elbow, throwing it off to the side. "How do I get upstairs?" she said, turning to Bruce as she released his shoulders from her grip. Wonder Woman was fast enough, and with the Lasso at her disposal she was confident she would be able to save most, if not all, of the patrons above them.

-Batman felt Wonder Woman’s grip and immediately narrowed his gaze at her as if repulsed by her actions, debris and ceiling would crumble down with portion sized rocks to harm an unarmored person and Batman could feel the debris clicking against his plating. He left arm wrapped and tucked his cape close to himself for additional protection from the tile. Water at washed underneath them wetting Batman’s cape and making it more of a weight than utility. Once he was set down Batman pointed towards the destroyed water tank that was flooding into the Penguin’s office.- “Through the water tank would be the quickest. You take care of everyone above…I will handle down here.” –Batman gripped his collar and removed his cape, twisting the saturated fabric around his body to bear it before him. He held his breath and dived into the water to rescue the gangsters previously rendered unconscious. <c>

Batman gripped two of them and immediately began kicking his legs to pull them towards the surface and towards the floating pieces of Ice like material used as an island for Penguins. Batman dived again and pressed his facial mask allowing two metal doors to slide in front of his lips that would close off his chin. An internal filtration and breathing system would activate forcing oxygen bubbles to release from Batman’s nostrils and mouth section as he continued to breathe underwater.-

Wonder Woman: She shot toward the tank and made her way to the main dance floor. While her entrance wasn't the most calm thing the crowd had ever seen, but her demeanour set out quickly, resting in on her feet as she stood. The people closest to the exits were making their way there without any issue, but there were always those in the middle who were having the problems getting through. She began whisking couples and the elderly, regardless of why they were in a gangster's lounge, towards the edges of the room, closer to the street where the floor was not collapsing from beneath them. Even while she was working hard to clear the floor before everything collapsed into the frigid water beneath them, she didn't look as if she was working hard at all. Her blue eyes were cold, rather focussed on the task at hand, but there was no flush on her cheeks from effort, nor was there any elevated heart rate or respatory rate. With the floor clear, Diana looked down into the rushing water coming up towards the

Wonder Woman: the gaping maw. She was hovering, her eyes scanning for Batman amid the rush of water.

-The water was chilling; a blue screen and heads up display indicated an estimation of 2 minutes until hypothermia within his body.- ‘The titanium in this suit can with stand heating up till 3,000 degrees, that kind of heat is powerful enough to endure atmospheric temperatures upon entry or exit. The tradeoff is that while in Subzero temperatures, the suit absorbs cold like a sponge. Someone wanted a bomb to go off here…can’t think about that now. I have less than two minutes before my body goes into shock and I’m at the miracle mercy of Wonder Woman, my partner.’ –Batman swam towards the revealing six men all unconscious and drowning.- ‘I can’t save them all, it’s impossible to swim with that much weight. Only one thing I can do…’ <c>

-Batman wrapped his cape around the heads of one gangster and tied it securely.- ‘The capes fabric is wet already, however; this will prevent any more water sinking into the victim.’ –Batman pulled off his belt two rebreathing devices that he placed onto two more gangsters very quickly. His arms pushed him towards the remaining three men immediately the detective discovered one of them was killed upon the explosion, leaving only two remaining. Pulling off his belt his grappling hook he fired the grappling line towards the surface allowing the hook to shoot past Wonder Woman and latch onto the ceiling, as he let go of the device and gripped the belts of the remaining two men and immediately retracted the line.- ‘These cables are capable of supporting up to 500 lbs of weight…These two men weight approximately 160-180 lbs each, not factoring clothing and wet appliances on their person. Bottom line, I need to catch my own ride.’ <c>

‘I have less than a minute left until I reach hypothermia…Wonder Woman and I were investigating a drug placed onto the black market, a drug being dealt to teenaged children in Gotham that transformed them into some kind of mutant with meta human strength. When our investigation led us to The Penguin a saboteur blew up the water tank within the center of the club flooding a secret underground layer with water.’ –The caped crusader gripped two men, one with his cape as a make-shift breathing apparatus. Batman tugged and pulled the men towards the surface where he immediately began throwing them men onto the crumbing ground. A robotic tone holding urgency would relay to Wonder Woman.- “Get all of these men out of here. There is one more left.” <c>

–Batman didn’t leave time for Wonder Woman to guess he dived again using his legs to propel him forward and deep under water. - ‘Estimated time until Hypothermia: 20 seconds.’ His gaze locked onto the gangster, gripping their sleeve and tugging them with him, Batman tapped his wrist console while swimming backwards towards the surface.- ‘Prototype emergency grappling hook engaged.’ –Batman aimed his wrist towards the surface of the water but, suddenly the hook didn’t launch.- ‘ERROR!’ Small bubbles would drift out of his wrist compartment indicating there was too much pressure from the body of water for the grappling hook to launch.- ‘Damn.’ –His blue eyes watched the timer while he did the only thing he could, kick with both legs as fast as he could to reach the surface.-

Wonder Woman: With the speed of Hermes and gifted with flight, Diana had no trouble handling the four bodies, though holding onto their dead weight was awkward. Not difficult, merely awkward to juggle all four men without dropping any of them. They were left outside to the care of emergency personelle already lining up outside, ready to follow Diana back in. "There are only two more bodies, the water is far too cold," she said, her tone careful. Of course, far too cold for Batman or a normal human was not too cold for Diana. There were only a handful of people known to the US media that could do what Diana could do in terms of her under water abilities, and one was wanted for murder, the other remained untested as far as Diana was concerned. She returned to the opening, expecting to find Batman clinging to the edge, and to life itself. While her body hadn't shown any outward signs of being bothered by the cold, it did not mean that she couldn't recognize how bitter the temprature of the water was.

Wonder Woman: Instead she saw nothing, a flat, dark and dingey surface in front of her. And bubbles. She was reminded of the first time she had fallen into the water, before Philipus had taught her how to swim. She had been tangled in the weeds, and the only way that any of the Amazons had known where to look for the toddler Diana were the bubbles that were coming to the surface as she tried to breath. Blue eyes widened before resuming their normal cold state. She took a deep breath and dove without hesitation into the frigid pool, propelling herself downwards in much the same way she flew through the air. Her body cut through the water with minimal resistance. er eyes, gifted by her name sake, Hthe Goddess also known as Artemis, who was patron of all Hunters, were keen as they looked through the murkiness. Her ears were perked for any sound or disturbance that might alert her to the struggle. She caught something to her left, the waving of Batman's cape as it was tied around a gangster's head.

Wonder Woman: Next to it was the thrashing body of the man himself. She let a small smirk play on her lips as she watched. There would not be enough time for him to make it to the surface. Shooting through the water, her arms wrapped around the waist of either man, pulling them upwards and out of the water with a quick burst of speed. She left them on the side of the floor, their bodies out of the water, but she did not belabour the touching. She was certain the other man had succumbed to the cold water already, as there was no movement of his chest. Batman didn't seem immoble, and as such her attentions went to the other mortal, tearing the cape from his face and initiating CPR, careful regarding her strength which could, without even intending, crush the man's chest. <e>

‘Wonder Woman…’ ‘3…2...1…Hypothermia levels have been breached.’ –Batman felt himself lifted out of the water and soon placed onto the surface where his body was frigid, shivering, underneath his cowl were a set of purple lips. He placed the palms of his hands against the floor as his shoulders and back shivered endlessly in an attempt to heat his body up. Batman’s white eyes fell onto Wonder Woman and the unconscious, un-breathing gangster. Guilt washed over him, a sense of failure to save the man came to him as a body count for this case was tallying up. As it stood right now he was helpless but, he would be damned if he didn’t try. Batman came to the man’s side and placed his index and middle finger at the base of the man’s wrist, highlighting on his heads up display the main’s vitals. <c>

The man was exposed to hypothermia much quicker than Batman as his body was submerged to the water a minute longer than Batman was and the man had less protection.- ‘Just another body to this case. Not counting the people killed in the massive explosion itself. Someone has to answer for these crimes.’

Wonder Woman: Either she didn't notice, or she didn't care, that Batman came to the opposite side of the body, checking the man's vitals as she tilted his head back, delivering a breath to the unconcious individual. She knew that the purple in his lips, in both men, was not a good sign. They both needed warmth, but this man also needed breath. 'Oh Gaea,' she thought to herself, delivering another breath to the man and counting out the compresses to his chest as she worked, sensing the EMS workers entering the site. She continued, even as they began to try and tend to Batman, as fearful of approaching him as many of them were. After several minutes, Diana stopped, blinking down at the body in front of her. His heart had begun to beat again, faintly, desperately, but it was beating. She smiled, blue eyes lifting up to Batman as she finally relinquished the man's care to the "trained professionals." "You should go with them," she gestured to him, standing as a male and female paramedic carefully rolled

Wonder Woman: the victim onto a backboard, strapping him in, while a third crew member continued to feed the man oxygen through a face mask. "Your body is not far from shock." That she could tell from this far away, without touching him or him saying a word, should have been testiment to how obvious his current state was. <e>

-Batman stood up pushing the paramedics away, not allowing them near him. The detective appeared out of his usual attire, cape less and appearing more like a man in obsidian designed armor clinging to his body. Tapping his wrist he released a second cape within his backpack allowing it to wrap around him as he reached down to pick up his previous cape torn by Wonder Woman. He looked to her as she made a suggestion, his lips were concealed behind the metal doors shielding his mouth.- “I’ll be fine.” –That robotic voice spoke once again while the dark knight began walking out the back of the building. Grasping a small device he attached it onto the back of his neck between the plates that permitted his neck to turn. The device would immediately begin heating and warming the back of his body designed particularly to counter act the effects of Hypothermia or extreme cold.-

Wonder Woman: She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Her mother had warned her about machismo and the need for men to feel "macho" in the Patriarch's World, and even let her know that Diana's skills, her strength, speed, ability to fly, would go against what many men felt was proper. She hadn't really anticipated that she would encounter these prejudices within the hero circle, and as of yet she hadn't. She had, however, come across men who had a desire to "keep up" with the more powered heroes. At the same time their bravity earned respect, it also caused Diana some concern; knowing where one's limits, physically, emotionally and psychologically, was something one needed not only to realize, but respect. Pushing beyond the confines of comfort was one thing, but asking one's body to do things it simply was never designed to do was dangerous. To everyone. "Perhaps we should reconvine tonight," she said, following Batman out of the club, where the sun was beginning to rise above the horizon.<c>

Wonder Woman: She turned to him, with just the hint of a playful smirk on her lips. "The sun is rising; isn't that how you tell it's your bed time?" <e>

-He anticipated her following, after all the case wasn’t solved, there was still someone producing a drug that was transforming teenagers and destroying their lives. Batman turned to look at her as she spoke, he would nod to her suggestion, though he had no intentions of going to sleep. There was too much work that needed to be done and sleep would only slow him down while risking more danger to others. Dismissive of her humor he would say.- “I’ll take what evidence and information we have and do some research. I’ll contact you when I have something.” –He turned and walked away as he recalled the information in his head, Penguin said Hermes was the name of his contact. Diana didn’t seem convinced of that, but Batman felt that he knew better. The ancient gods were notorious for betrayal and pulling strings to the mortal realm, manipulating things in their favor. <c>

But lest the days of Achilles and Hercules, never has there been champions capable of putting both godlike figures in their place. With the likes of the Justice League as the new heroes, the Gods may feel it’s time to play their games once more with humanity, it was a long shot full of assumptions, but Hermes was such a specific name that it’s very unlikely someone is named Hermes and not carrying out the will of the gods. Then again, Batman did consider the final possibility…Penguin couldn’t have lied, the lasso of truth insured that, but Penguin’s contact could’ve given a false name designed and meant to mislead and distract while a more sinister plot took place.-

Wonder Woman: "I have a few of my own leads, and other responsibilities, I need to look after," she said, her tone neither cold nor overly friendly. She had respect for Batman, he was a mortal who put himself in the line of fire with immortals and super humans without the benefit of powers, but that did not mean she trusted him or liked his methods. Her head and shoulders turned to him as she nodded. "I am still not convinced that Hermes would have anything to do with Serapis; even in my patheon, the Messenger and War were at odds more often than not," she spoke as if she had to explain religious basics to him. "If you need me before sunset, I'm sure you can find me," she said, a rather egotistical way of dismissing herself from his company, but truth was, one of the other responsibilities included luncheon with the Mayor and the opening of an exhibit at the Gotham Museum of Human History. Unlike other members of the Justice League, Diana had no alter ego to hide behind. -c-

Wonder Woman: In every event, she was Wonder Woman, and she was Diana of Themyscira, with no "mask" to put on or take off at the end of a fight. In some ways, she envied the others their second lives and the peace that came with it. -e-


Special Ties




Growing Problem


The Batcave, a few days after the explosion at the Iceberg Lounge…A large blue screen scanned through information and data revealing the bomb blast, scans revealed extreme scorch marks with unknown properties and tied to the damage, white digital text scrolled offering the full bomb squad and police report on the explosion. Batman furrowed his brows in a curious manner, intrigued and yet concerned about the missing links within the information provided, a soft sigh of fatigue rushed past his lips while he leaned back against his cape and chair. ‘I’ve analyzed the results of that explosion, when the police and my investigation of the device came up inconclusive regarding the material or the device used; I took a gambit on the only logical conclusion. I turned to an inside source on the unknown.’<c>

Gateway city, 8:20am…A machine gun roared as bullets rang out from a small town house. A large beast smashed through the side of the house gripping three black men wearing gang colors and holding machine guns. The monster had gray-oily skin, a serpent like tongue, tentacles formed at his forearms allowing the creature to grip all three of the men with a single arm. Their bullets would reflect and bounce off the creature while it roared. Immediately the creature wrapped its opposing hand onto the gangsters heads and torso and ripped them apart, a soft whale came from the monster when a loud speaker came over head.- “Stand down! This is Major Trevor of ARGUS; I’m commanding you to STAND DOWN! You will not be harmed!” <c>

The creature whined looking at Trevor and a battalion of sixty government soldiers aiming assault rifles at the monster. The creature leapt into the air with unreal speed and immediately tackled six men bowling them into a white picket fence and into a lawn gym set, Steve Trevor would snarl and say. “Shit! Super Speed, engage Counter F1-ASH…” The Soldiers would be flung around as the creature leapt from one man to the next. Those who could would pull out oil grenades and caused the area surrounding them to become slimy and sticky. The Creature would leapt towards Steve Trevor, its teeth opening wide to chomp down onto Trevor’s face when he raised his gun in front of himself for it to snap into pieces as he was tackled into the ground.-

Wonder Woman: She had finished up her official business in Gotham and waited a day for any word from the Batman, but true to form, he was solitary and even after three days she hadn't heard word one from the Dark Knight of Gotham. Diana had just arrived back in Gateway and she could already hear the sounds of gun fire, which for while that maybe par for the course in rougher cities like Gotham and Buldhaven, for Gateway it was rather strange. Gateway was situated close to a US Air Force base, much like Star City, which generally meant they had a lower than average crime rate due to the fact that most families were part of the military and as such, held to a) a higher standard and b) were able to easily cover up the smaller, less serious infractions. Diana followed her ears to the source of the bullet fire, her eyes taking in the scene as she had been taught to, surveying it as if it were an ancient battle field. -c-

Wonder Woman: All of that went out the window when she recognized the faces of some of the men, including the Commanding Officer, Major Steve Trevor. She didn't know him well, but she had met him before and was convinced that, while perhaps he wasn't perfect, he was redeemable, and that was worth saving. Like Batman, he put himself in the line of danger, but like herself, he had no second face, no mask, to hide behind at the end of the day. The monster lunging towards Trevor was some sort of hideous beast, something that would have been at home in the tales of the Heroes of Legend, not on the streets of Gateway City. She loosed her lasso from her hip and with a flick of her wrist, attempted to ensnare the beast, lowing herself to the ground in the midst of the fire fight. The creature had hostages, three males and even while they were armed, Diana would not wish for the beast to drop them should she hoist the creature into the air. -c-

Wonder Woman: All of this was done without a word of introduction, comment nor request by the military personel. Unaware of the way things were set up in the USAF, Diana was naive to the consequences of her interference. -e-

-The creature would’ve left the gangsters bleeding corpses prior to the ARGUS agents engaging it. When Wonder Woman wrapped her mystical lasso around the beast it whined more, but Major Trevor underneath it wouldn’t hesitate it punching the creature in its purple eyes, an elbow strike to its throat and then prying his knees to push the creature away, it would come to Trevors amazement when the creature was no longer on top of him, rather Wonder Woman would watch the creature barrel towards her at speeds equal to hers, the creature would attempt to smash into Wonder Woman, the creature itself wasn’t very strong on a metahuman scale, however; it’s speed enhanced its ability to unleash destructive force, If Wonder Woman were struck by the beasts lightning speed she would be flung backwards and knocked into the air.-


Wonder Woman: Diana would, in all honesty, feel relieved when the creature turned to her. She knew she could defend herself against mythical forces, there was no doubt in that as fas as she was concerned, it was the other agents, humans who had never before been exposed to something like that, that she worried about. As the beast turned on her, she twisted the Lasso in her hands, letting the knot slip from the back of the beast to the front, and with a strong pull she was able to knock the creature off balance. In its sprinting state, it was not agile enough to correct its stumble and came crashing down before her. Subliminally, through the lasso, she gave the command that the creature remain down, lest she have to hurt it. With the creature subdued, or at least believed to be by Diana, her eyes lifted to Major Trevor. "Are you alright?" she asked, still holding the golden chord tight in her grip.

-Steve approached Diana and smiled.- “Fancy seeing you here. Did you drop out of the sky to save me or to take out the trash? You know…That’s usually the man’s job…” –He adjusted his white helmet and then removed it to remove its uncomfortable nature. His short hair trimmed close to the scalp would flare with blonde hair. He frowned towards the creature.- “This is the second case we’ve found…The police want to issue a report that this new drug on the streets is causing these things…” He furrowed his gaze at Wonder Woman indicating his concern for the issue. “DC wants them to, but the head of my department suggested against it, we don’t want kids thinking they can become Wonder Woman overnight with some miracle drug…However; DC wants this plastered over everything as a reason for contingency plans.”

Wonder Woman: "Back home, we don't have men to take out the trash, or to save," she said, a sly smirk on her lips as she turned to look at Steve, who had righted himself and come to her side. In taking off his helmet, Diana mimicked the gesture, tucking her dark hair, which had been screening her view of the Major on one side, behind her ear. "The drug is in Gotham as well," she said, a worried tone in her voice. "I'm just coming back from there. I have a friend who is trying to figure out its origin, but as of yet we have nothing. Any idea where it's coming from?" she asked, giving a cursory yank to the lasso as the creature tried to get up. Knowing now that it was a mortal, a human who had made a bad choice about how to spend their night, Diana had more sympathy for the creature and moving forward, would no longer use lethal force against them.

-Steve watched as soldiers approached and he gestured to his men.- “Mind if they take him?” –Steve looked at the house and then to the dead gangsters.- “We don’t have much, I’ve personally read the police reports. It wouldn’t surprise me if the drug is coming from Gotham…They have all sorts of masks characters down there. Perhaps I should go down there and try getting a few answers for myself…Anyway, what we do know is that someone is eliminating drug dealers within the city who choose not to sell this drug, the local Mob family is suggested to be tied in but, like hell will I be able to get a warrant to move in on someone like that. I’m a Federal Agent, not a spy.”

Wonder Woman: "Can they change him back? When the drugs wear off?" she asked, her eyes showing genuine concern for the creature's well being as he was brought up to his feet. Now that Diana knew the origin of the transformation when she looked into its eyes, she recognized what she once thought was anger and hatred was really fear. "It will be okay," she said softly, bringing a hand to rest on the oily grey forearm of the creature before turning to Steve. "If they cannot be changed back, I do not think it will be safe for them here. Let's face it, there isn't exactly a great track record for dealing with this kind of thing here. But I know a place where they can be safe, and they can be normal," she said. She was thinking of Lord Hades' realm. They would be welcomed, not as prisoners of the pit nor warriors in the fields, but as creatures not long for this world, like the Gorgons and Minotaurs. -c-

Wonder Woman: "My friend is on the Gotham case, he is supposed to get in touch when he's found something," she said, emphasising the word "supposed;" Diana doubted she would ever get confirmation from that particular man.

-Trevor wouldn’t say anything to Diana’s first question, he simply gave a hopeless frown with a flick of his eyes towards the transformed person between them. It didn’t take much for someone to realize he wasn’t trying to offer false hope nor doom the soul that was inside the creature in front of them.- “Well, I’ll pass that on to my superiors, maybe we can work something out.” –Steve watched his men cuff the creature’s tentacle arms and place all three tentacles into a safety sack as if it were a safety jacket. Trevor smirked and glanced at Diana.- “Doesn’t sound like much of a friend if he’s not punctual. Care to introduce us? I think I could persuade him to treat you with more respect…” –Trevor watched his men start loading up into their vehicles, almost sixteen vehicles and two helicopters swarmed the area that was ARGUS. News helicopters began to swarm the area kept at bay by Police helicopters.-

Wonder Woman: His lack of an answer was more than enough for her, and she shook her head looking down with a rather... sad... expression on her face. She tried not to let the once normal looking youth feel her pain through the lasso as she released him from it, offering a final consilatory smile to the transformed child. He reached for her hand and she let him have it until the guards finally said it was enough, that it was time for them to take him away. "He was only a child, Steve," she said, her voice saddened by the fate that, admittably, the youth had chosen of his own free will. There was a momentary wateriness to her eyes as she spoke, before she looked away and let out a soft sigh. Humanity was supposed to be the shining acheivement of the Gods, but sometimes she had to wonder about the way the Gods treated them. "I do not think that you, of all people, could intimidate my friend into being more... punctual, as you put it," she offered him a smile. -c-

Wonder Woman: The crews had for the most part cleared out, only those who had travelled with the Major, one humvee worth of agents, remained, and they kept thier distance from Diana and Trevor, allowing the Major to speak "privately" with Wonder Woman. "When he has more information, he will let me know," she said, as if she had to convince herself as much as Trevor. "In the mean time, aside from the obvious Olympian connection, does the name Hermes ring any bells for you?" Diana figured it was worth asking. She still couldn't believe that the Messenger God had anything to do with the horrible drug that was turning youths into mythic beasts. -e-

-Steve took the opportunity of Diana’s emotional state to take her bare hand into his white glove, his thumb brushed against the back of her hand before squeezing her to the best of his strength to allow her to feel he was trying to support her.- “He’s a child, but a criminal under the law, and kids aren’t exactly innocent as we would like to believe…” –Steve gave her a firm gaze filled with conviction of doing ‘The right thing’ and then he smiled.- “I’ll suggest that the attorney bargain, perhaps the research from their transformation can help cure others and they can get away with a lighter sentence, maybe just community service…Don’t worry, you have bigger fish to fry.” <c>

-When he posed her next question he shook his head.- “Doesn’t ring a bell. Should it?” –Steve tilted his head and dipped his head some before adjusting his eyes to be level with hers to the best of his ability. He was no longer holding her hand and merely placing both of his hands on his belt buckle.-

Wonder Woman: "Someone in Gotham mentioned him as the source for the drugs," she said plainly, noticing Steve holding her hand. His reputation wasn't hard to hear around the UN buildings. He had worked in peace keeping missions abroad, as well as local securty for several high profile ambassadors. Trevor had the inexplicable skill of getting on details for the adult daughters of high profile individuals, as well as attractive, single female ambassadors. When he was finished "consoling" her, his hands returned to himself, which did not go unnoticed either. "I was just curious," she said. "Perhaps you might have known something different." She was not entirely comfortable with the idea of turning these transformed children over to the care of the United States Military, especially for them to be turned into lab rats and testing grounds, but there was little she could do from this point. First step would be to find out where the drugs are actually coming from and to stop the flow and trafficking. -c-

Wonder Woman: With that done, then she could use her position with the UN to lobby the United States Military to release the transformed individuals into the care of the Amazons. She was already formulating that plan in her head while she sood next to Trevor, an alternate part of her thinking about the immediate task at hand. -e-

“Hmm…I’ll look into our files and police records…maybe we got something on the Federal level. I better be on my way. Thanks for the save, Angel.” –He stepped away and began walking towards the vehicle he came in, sliding his helmet on as the police began sectioning off the area. Batman would wait until later that night to contact Wonder Woman with her communicator.- “Batman to Wonder Woman. We need to talk. Meet me at the top of Wayne Penthouse, in Gotham.” –When / if Wonder Woman would arrive she would see no sign of Batman rather an Old man wearing a well-tailored black dress suit with white gloves. White hair and a dignified posture of standing upright and straight shoulders.- “Wonder Woman. The man spoke her name calmly with a British accent to his slang. I’m Alfred, follow me right this way please.” <c>

-Alfred would open the door to the penthouse for her and then lead her to the elevator where he would press a hidden switch that would lower them down into the bat bunker. Meanwhile in the Batcave, Batman stood leaning over a table that had a silver piece of metal on the table that he was staring at, the table itself had chemical beakers, a microscopic telescope, and a strange pair of white gloves too feminine and small for the hand of Batman or Alfred. Batman waited for Wonder Woman to arrive before he pulled out from under the desk a computer keyboard that he began typing into allowing a digital map of the metal fragment to appear floating above the table in a digital appearance.-