Trinity Continued
By superninja
All characters belong to Warner
Bros./DC Comics.
***
"I thought I told you to stay out of my
city."
"Hello, Princess."
He remained hidden in the shadows, but
stepped forward enough so that she could see the cold flickering of his eyes in
the light of the full moon. He didn't need to hide from her, but the others
might see. He quickly glanced at the flashing police lights past the edge of the
alley.
"Funny," he started. "I remember me telling you the very same
thing (*see current issues of Wonder Woman)...It seems neither one of us likes
to play by the rules."
Her red-clad feet lighted on the ground, the
merest whisper against the pavement.
"Why are you here?"
"Bruce
Wayne attended a gala tonight," he answered. "I was just heading back to the
airport when the APB came across on the police scanner. I was in the
neighborhood, so..."
"I can take care of my city," she snapped, a little
more coldly than necessary.
"Who watches over yours
tonight?"
"Oh, a Robin here, a Huntress there."
Diana's head
suddenly jerked towards the northeast. She returned to the air, hovering above
him.
"Go home, Batman."
Then she flew up and away into the
night.
***
It was just a simple bank robbery, and everything had
gone fine until *he* got in the way. Batman had been naturally unnerving before,
but as of late, his presence did nothing but put her on edge. If Wonder Woman
were off her game, it could mean little danger to her, but not to innocent
bystanders and hostages.
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught his
movement, ducking in and out of the shadows like a ghost...or a
demon.
When she had finally breached the bank vault, it had been annoying
to find Batman inside with a gas mask and a cadre of criminals passed out on the
floor. There were empty rounds everywhere.
The anger was apparent on her
face as she stared him down, determined to win in this battle of wills between
them, but just as the SWAT team entered, she turned and then he was
gone.
After making her statement to the police, she walked straight into
the alleyway behind the bank her gut telling him he would be waiting there for
her. He knew the robbery would take little effort on her part to thwart, but
then he had shown up again.
"Almost deliberately," she
mused.
Crossing her arms, she leaned against the brick and mortar and
frowned.
" I can handle it, with no help from you."
"I didn't
ask," he said, appearing out of the shadows.
"I told you to go home. I
meant it."
"Still angry over the protocols? Still fuming that I thought
up a way to defeat you?" (*see current issues of JLA)
Grinding her teeth,
she refused to look back at him, and instead looked up at the full moon
overhead.
"Great Hera, should I not be?"
"If you were to ever
endanger mankind. Don't be so arrogant to think I took pleasure in the idea of
humbling any of you."
"Arrogance?!" She raised her voice and turned to
him then, her eyes flashing.
"You, above all else should know the
meaning of that word."
"Yes," he smiled into the night. "The poor mortal
Batman, so far beneath his peers. One night, in the darkness of his Batcave, he
devised a plan to destroy them all..."
He practically
snickered.
"You are loathsome. You profess to be a protector, yet you
hide in the darkness and trade in deceits."
"I'm not the one deceiving
myself...Princess.."
"Stop calling me that! You make a mockery of
me."
He casually pulled the grapple from his belt, reading to take his
leave.
"No. You are in danger of making a mockery of
yourself."
The tensile spring activated, shooting to the rooftop, and he
was gone.
And Diana was left with the chill of the Batman's
smile.
***
The car waited a few feet away, with Alfred at the
wheel.
Maybe he shouldn't have said those things to her. He was just
fueling the fire between them...the anger and misunderstanding. But there was
something so inviting about her anger. Deep down, he really took no pleasure in
what he had done. The JLA protocols he had devised were simply to keep them in
check, should there be no one left to stand in their way. But like Clark, Diana
could be so self-righteous sometimes -- it really was a test of his mettle to
keep his mouth shut. Besides, she didn't know what she was talking about -- he
DID. If the light bulb did ever come on it her head, it might be too little too
late.
Landing on the floor of the alley, the scent of decay filled his
nostrils. But no crime had been committed, other than the city being lax on its
trash duties.
The car was just a few feet away, and then...home. A short
flight first, but at least he could settle down on board his private jet
and...
"What did you mean by that? A...mockery?"
Glancing towards
the stars, he sighed, seeing Wonder Woman hovering above him, lit from behind by
the moonlight. She was beautiful, maybe one of the most beautiful on the
planet...but so na�ve. Not just innocent like Clark, but na�ve...and that could
be dangerous.
"Do you really want to get into this
now?"
"Yes."
He flicked his communicator on, opening a channel to
the waiting car.
"Go on without me Alfred. No...everything's
fine."
***
Barely with enough time to close his wrist
communicator, she had kidnapped him and whisked him away to the highest point of
Gateway City.
Even her usual gentility was ebbing away, and she dropped
him with little care onto the outcropping below the spire.
Not that it
mattered. He landed like a feather on the rooftop all his own.
"Tell me
then, Batman."
Standing at the far corner (although it was only a few
feet away) she resumed her angry stance, arms crossed, and looked away from him.
Perhaps she was steeling herself for his words.
"What have you learned
from Man's World?" he asked pointedly.
"A great many things, Batman. None
of which I care to discuss with you. Now please get to the point."
"Then
let's start with the protocols," he said, crouching and then leaning out over
the edge to observe the bustling city below. His long cape swayed mightily in
the updraft, swirling about him like a living thing.
"You had no right to
keep it from us. We would never have thought to do the same to you," she
began.
"Isn't that what I do best, Princess? Think of the things you
would never dare think of? You think it makes me dangerous, and yet...if it
weren't for me, the one who knows you best of all, then who would stop
you?"
"What about trust?" she pleaded with him, trying to break through
his stubborn veneer. "What of friendship?"
A short smile drew on his
face, and he looked again down into the city. Trust. So fragile and so
fleeting...it could be easily broken. But to the Batman, what he had done was
the ultimate act of trust between them. As their friend and fellow, he was
entrusted with all they held dear...all the lay below them now.
"Look at
them down below, Diana," he words took on a sudden softness, and she glanced
over at him gazing on her city. "What would they do if a Superman turned against
them. What *could* they do?"
"Kal would never turn against them. Do you
still not know that?" She was standing next to him now, and put a hand on his
shoulder, turning him towards her. "None of us could ever..."
"Kal!" he
spat, turning away from her. "Your pet name for Superman."
Wonder Woman
recoiled in shock, stepping away from him in both surprise and in an attempt to
control her own rising anger.
"His name is CLARK, Diana. Clark Kent. He
has a wife named Lois and a mother named Martha."
"What are you trying to
say?"
Batman took a deep breath, and pulled his cape down tightly around
himself, as though to prepare for what was to come next.
"You are a
danger to him, Diana. And to us all."
Wonder Woman felt a lump rise in
her throat. His words had filled her mind with images and confusion.
"I-I
do not understand..." she stuttered.
"His humanity. You threaten it,
bottom line."
"You DARE?"
"YES I dare!" he yelled back at her over
the wind. "A thousand times, yes...Lord, Diana, this is not a game. He's one of
the most powerful creatures on the planet, maybe even in creation, and yet you
seek to bring out everything in him that is alien!"
"I do not!" she
cried.
His words were torment to her and Diana turned away at that moment
and fled.
***
Diana stood alone in the viewpoint of the JLA
Watchtower and looked down on the blue spinning orb below her.
Merely
minutes ago, the Batman had managed to inflict a wound on her deeper than any
mortal had ever done.
She was a goddess, and yet tears fought to fall
from her eyes. How could he? How could he think that she would be so weak as to
endanger them all, to view her relationship with Kal as a game? She cared too
much about him for that. She cared too much about Man's World for that
matter.
But why couldn't she get his terrible words out of her
head?
"Diana?"
She felt herself go rigid at the sound of his
voice. He was the last person she wanted to see right now. She wished to the
Gods that he would just go away, but he knew her too well.
Superman's
handsome face ducked into her vision for a moment as she focused her gaze on the
Earth below.
"You're upset," he said with assurance. "What's
wrong?"
Superman, Kal...Clark was her best friend. It would be nearly
impossible to keep anything from him. But how could she tell him? There was a
fine line.
"Please, Kal. Leave me be."
"Are you
serious?"
She looked up at him through glazed eyes and saw the familiar
smile play across his face. It was gone in a flash when he saw she was truly on
the brink of tears.
"My God, Diana...what's happened?"
He wrapped
his arms around her and pulled her into his embrace. Diana fought hard, but then
she felt a tear escape her eye, and whisper down her cheek, dropping onto his
chest. A man with the power to hear distress a thousand miles away...it probably
sounded like a waterfall to him.
"Who did this to you?" he said, his
voice full of anger.
***
Batman was left without the benefit of
convenient air transportation. He sighed as he sat alone on the spire above her
city and wondered how long it would take him to arrive home.
Just then,
his communicator beeped. It was Alfred.
"Sir, I dispatched the jet, just
in case an...uncomfortable situation occurred."
Good 'ol
Alfred.
"It should be there," he continued, "well...NOW..."
Batman
smiled as the Batjet arrived within a few feet of him, hovering in the air
awaiting his command.
"I know you and the Princess have had a rather hard
time of it as of late..."
"Thanks," he answered, cutting him off, and
jumped into the cockpit. A few buttons were pressed, and a course was set for
home.
Maybe he shouldn't have said that to her. No doubt she was angry,
and hated him more than ever before. But she needed time, and he needed time, to
think about what was said, and more importantly, how to heal the chasm between
them.
At least he had been honest...
He barely had enough time to
pull up as the sensors picked up what only his eyes saw as the flicker of red
and blue directly in his path.
Batman yanked the controls down, heading
for lower altitudes to avoid a collision. God, they were both so
predictable.
Once he reached a safe height, he let the compartment swish
backwards, exposing him to the thin air, and looked into the face of
Superman.
"What did you say to her?" he asked.
Batman watched the
still form above him, rigid and angry, just as Diana had been. God, they were so
predictable.
"It's between her and I," Batman replied.
Superman
sighed, shutting his eyes.
"He's controlling his anger," Batman thought.
"Good."
Then he opened them again and began.
"I forgave you for
the protocols, Bruce. I even understand the necessity of them. But why do you
keep tormenting her? You know she's angry with you, and you're
pushing."
"Then, she didn't tell you?" he asked plainly.
A
startled look came over Superman's face.
"No, but..."
"Then maybe
you weren't meant to interfere..." he replied. And closing the hatch, he
continued on to Gotham, leaving Superman behind.
***
It was a
clear morning, and the sky stretched overhead in an endless blue.
She was
standing in a graveyard.
A small one, but markers dotted the earth as she
tentatively began to walk among the dead.
None of the names meant
anything to her. She searched for some hope of recognition, and then...she saw
him.
*Him*.
Standing near one of the graves, he bent low, placing
a single rose on top of the newly turned earth.
"Kal?"
The tall,
broad-shouldered man turned towards her and smiled. Such a beautiful smile, it
was even brighter than the perfect day that surrounded them.
She felt a
smile on her own face and rushed to meet him. She was so glad to see him. He was
the only thing she knew here.
"Diana!" he sighed, hugging her in a warm
embrace. He clutched her tightly, holding to her as her gaze fell down on the
grave marker below.
It said Lois Lane.
She jerked in horror and
turned back towards him, a strange sadness filling her heart.
But there
was none of his own.
His smile was brilliant, flooding her gaze. He
pulled her even closer.
"Diana...I've waited for this moment for so
long..."
A feeling of dread clutched at her heart, but she had no time to
think as the heavens opened to them, and the Gods were revealed before her very
eyes.
Zeus looked down upon them, his wizened gaze falling first on
Diana, and then on Kal.
"Kal-El, Last Son of Krypton," he said. "Stand
forth."
Kal approached and the Pantheon appeared behind Zeus, beaming
down upon them all. The clouds sang in golden tribute to the
occasion.
"You have served mankind well. You alone are worthy to be named
a God."
Diana looked upon it all in confusion, an inner voice telling her
this was all wrong.
"Now you are both gods among men," his voice boomed.
"Rule them wisely."
Kal pulled Diana into his embrace, his soft hands
drawing her face up towards him, and kissed her passionately.
It was a
moment she had always dreamed of...she lost herself in it, every fiber of her
being drawn into his touch. She loved Kal...she had always loved him. Now they
could be together...forever...
Both opened their eyes and met one
another's.
"We will rule them well," Kal smiled.
Her heart leapt
as she looked up into his eyes.
They were not
Kal's.
***
Diana awoke in a sweat, and pulled the sheets off of
her.
Glancing out of the window, another bout of thunder broke across the
horizon, and she brought her knees to her chest, resting her head on
them.
The rain poured outside in torrents, almost a mirror at the moment
of her very soul.
Was this what the Batman had meant?
Jumping out
of bed, she adorned herself in her costume and headed out into the
storm.
***
Alfred answered the door, despite the fact that it was
3:00 a.m. A small annoyance, but he had been reading anyway. It was the fifth
time he'd read A Tale Of Two Cities, and besides, he knew how it
ended.
He was shocked to find a drenched princess at his
door.
***
"Master Bruce?"
The single lit candle shone
across the floor of the opulent master bedroom, and Bruce Wayne stirred for only
a moment, then was awake. His long-time friend was always considerate enough to
wake him gently.
"What is it, Alfred?"
"We have a...guest,
sir."
Knowing Alfred wasn't one for a joke, he rose and put on his
dressing robe, thinking of either a menace waiting for him below, or an
uninvited guest.
Neither one set him at ease. It had been a slow night
in Gotham, and Batman was always one to expect the worst.
"I'll be down
in a moment," he said.
He went to his wardrobe and added a few gadgets,
just to be sure.
***
Diana was sitting in front of the fire, with
a towel around her, sipping a cup of hot tea.
"Hmmm...," he thought to
himself, "She's immune to the cold." But knowing Alfred, he had
insisted.
He ducked into the shadows, wondering if he should put on his
costume to face her. She was here, alone, in the wee hours of the morning. That
couldn't be a good thing.
But the Batman was never one to back down from
a challenge. He gathered his robe around himself, and secured it
tightly.
"Diana?"
She looked up at him, her eyes red with upset.
He caught the momentary glance of surprise at seeing him out of costume, but she
managed to hide it well.
"Did you mean..." she began, but looked up to
see Alfred standing in the doorway.
Bruce sent him away with a glance,
and turned back to her, seating himself at the couch across from
her.
"Did you mean," she started again, "That I had ambitions of
replacing Lois?"
Bruce sighed and leaned against the couch, putting his
hand to his chin and looking towards the new fire in the
hearth.
"Yes."
"I could never...replace her...she means more to
him than anything."
"Diana. I know your heart. You could never replace
her while she lived. But when she dies...when every tie Clark has to Earth
dies..."
"What will stop him from losing his humanity?"
"Yes,"
Bruce answered solemnly.
Diana felt the sadness and anger welling within
her. How could he be so cold, so callous? Superman had saved his life many times
over, had proven his friendship again and again.
"Then this is not about
me then," she said in a rage. "Superman, and how you can never trust him,
control him!"
"It's all about trust, Diana. The ultimate trust. He
understands it, why don't you?"
Diana came to her feet, her arms thrust
out along her sides, clenched in fists. The towel had thrown itself to the
floor.
"I made a mistake coming here. I was a fool to expect compassion
from you!"
She began to stride for the door, when Bruce grabbed her arm
to stop her. He knew he could never best her strength, but his hope was that she
would stop at least long enough for him to rationalize with her.
Diana
spun on him, catching his body bathed in the light of the fire, but his face was
hidden entirely in shadows.
"You torment me worse than the fires of
Hades. Why?"
"You love him, Diana."
The emotions that came to her
in that moment were nearly overwhelming. Feeling powerless before him was agony
enough, but somehow he had managed to drain her strength from her as
well.
"You love him too!" she cried back at him. "It is true! I know how
you try to hide in the darkness, to shelter yourself with it, but you can't hide
it from me!"
"I do love him, Diana. More than you probably will ever
know."
"Then how could you do it?" she asked, the confirmation gave her
the strength to break from his grasp. "How could you try to destroy
him?"
"The heart that makes me love him, is the same heart that protects
him from you."
"You have no heart."
"I asked you earlier," he
said, walking away from her towards the fire, "what you had learned from Man's
World. What I fear, Diana, my Princess, is that you have learned too
well."
"Speak plainly, Batman!"
He turned on her then, knowing
that she would never see him as Bruce Wayne, knowing that she saw him for what
he truly was.
"You have learned man's selfishness. To covet what does not
belong to you, and you plant the seeds of fruition knowing it goes against the
greater good."
Watching him against the fire, the flames distorting the
contours of his face, a thought came to her. But instead, she said it
aloud.
"You *are* a demon!"
"Am I?" he asked her, looking into the
hearth. "And yet I am prepared for the greatest sacrifice, while you still have
delusions of grandeur. You and Clark, together...forever. But would it really be
Clark, Diana?" he asked turning to her. "Are you sure? After all he would've
lost..."
"I would never do anything to hurt Superman. It is not within
me."
He walked towards her shaking form, framed by the large paned
windows of his manor.
"You see, Diana, I love you both. My only desire
was always to save you from yourselves."
Diana struggled against him,
trying to push him away but weakened by her emotions.
"Why do you not
have faith in us?" she asked him. "How could you believe the in worst in us
knowing our love for mankind? It is a part of our being. Can you not
understand?"
"God, Diana...I want to believe it. But deep down, no matter
how much you strip away Clark's humanity, he's still left with that human
emotion. You've seen it time and again. Take away his humanity, what's left to
him...Would he be any better than Lutho..."
He didn't have time to finish
his thought. Diana had slapped his face. Granted, she'd held back, but it still
hurt.
"Ow," he cried out loud. "Not becoming of a Princes..."
She
slapped him again.
"You liken Clark to Luthor, and you still stand before
me and try to speak. You are a demon, or at the very least
insane."
"That's the first time you've called him Clark in a long time,"
he said regaining his stance. He walked to her and grasped her wrists, very
gently.
"I meant it when I said I love you both. First I lost Lois to
Clark, and then you to Clark, and then I realized...it wasn't about me and
Clark...it was about something bigger. It was about a Superman."
She
watched him speak, his eyes glowing in the firelight, entranced by his
words.
"It's bigger than all of us, Diana. Brighter and beautiful and
greater than even your Gods can imagine."
"What is to become of us then,
Batman?" she asked him.
Batman paused, trying to find the right words.
Words that would build a bridge between the two of them for years to
come.
"My name is...Bruce Wayne," he replied.
***
The
End
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