It was morning time in Gotham City, the weather was just fine and there was not too much noise early on

Most people would love to spend the morning in bed, going out with a loved one or just rest from their usual activities

And then there is you, who were currently training with a punching bag, giving it everything you got

While your body was concentrated on the task at hand, your mind, was somewhere else

It had been a couple days since you got the news that there was a big threat coming, and Gotham would be unprotected against whatever might try to take advantage of this

Your group and you were really concerned about this, but not losing hope or anything like that, on the contrary, if a war is to take place in the city, you are what stands between the chaos and the people

But, what happens if you fail? Or what if the threat was too big for the heroes to handle?

Many different things could go wrong right now

So you could not hesitate for a single moment about what you're doing for the city

Strike after strike, you didn't even get tired of this. However, it was a familiar voice the one that made you snap out of it

Kate: Can't sleep?

You stopped training and looked at Kate, wearing the bathrobe she used mostly in the morning. You two did had a lot of trust in each other, and for a long time, so she was not very picky about her clothing when you two are alone

There were even times where she was drunk and tried to tease you, but the vast majority of those attempts ended in you guiding Kate to her bed so she can sleep and stop flirting with you

Your friend was leaning on the doorstep as she watched you train so recklessly

You: No...Yes- You sighed in defeat at this

She giggled due to your way to express it and walked closer to you, grabbing and tossing you a towel

You: Thanks, Kate. Did you sleep well?

Kate: Well, can't complain, I slept for long enough

You: That's good to hear...Wait, what time is it?

Kate: About 9:30. You have been training non-stop for hours, Y/N

You: It's not that bad

Kate: It's not? Just look at your knuckles!

You did so and found them very worn off, there was even a little blood

You: *Sigh* Damnit, I forgot the bandages

She put a hand on your shoulder while giving you a concerned look

Kate: What is the problem? You know you can share it with me

You really wanted to tell her, but this was a situation that had to be handled as quietly as possible, and if she becomes aware of it, she will also become a possible target of your enemies

You: *Sigh* It's... It's complicated, Kate

Kate: Y/N, nothing in our jobs is simple

You: Right... Wait, what is your job?- Her eyes widened because of this, you could already tell how nervous she was

Kate: Uh... Well, I-

Then, the doorbell rang, making her sigh in relief, but also get curious about it

Kate: Thank God...

You: Who could it be at this time?

Kate: I don't know, I'll go check out

You nodded and then you two proceeded to walk out of the room and towards the door. However, once Kate opened it, both of you were shocked to find none other than the warrior princess standing in front of her

Kate: Wow...

She looked back at you, finding you a little nervous about the situation

Kate: So this is the beautiful Amazon you told me about?

Your face got warmer as it got red as well, struggling to keep it together, and this was not unnoticed by Diana herself

Diana: Have you talked about me?- It was barely noticeable, yet you could have sworn to have seen a smile on her face

You: O-Once, yes- Slowly but surely, you were regaining your composure

And then you remembered, you didn't even introduce them yet

You: Right, sorry, Diana, this is Kate, my roommate. Kate, this is Diana, the woman who saved my life

Kate: A pleasure to finally meet you

Diana: Likewise- She stated with a smile before noticing your outfit

Diana: Y/N, were you training?

Kate: For hours, they are very tough

Diana: Is that true?- She looked at you with visible curiosity

You: Well, I wouldn't say I am that strong

Kate: Then what would you say you are?

You:...Above average, I guess

Kate stared at you with disbelief, while Diana just smiled, as if she had remembered something

Diana: I think I would like to see that for myself

You: Wait, what?

Diana: Yes, show me how you fight, without fire guns

You:...Are you sure?

Diana: Absolutely

Kate: This is going to be good, I'll go make some coffee

She walked towards the kitchen

You: Alright, then, over here

You guided her to the room that you use for training

Once there, she looked around inspecting the room and the equipment you had stored in it before looking back at you

Diana: This is interesting- She proceeded to lift a barbell with one hand

You: In a good way?

Diana: You could say so

You: Why thank you, so, do you really want to do this?

Diana: Why are you doubting my actions so much?

You: I'm not, I just find it...Weird

Diana: Why?

You: I mean, you just got here

Se realized that and you could see her shocked expression

You: Don't get me wrong, Diana, I appreciate your visit, but wouldn't you like to talk first or something?

Diana: I...I'm sorry, Y/N, I didn't mean to act like this, but there is just not enough time

You: Hey, whatever happens, we will deal with it as best we can, we might not have superpowers, but we sure as hell are not weak

Diana:...Then prove it to me

She got herself into a fighting stance, any objection would be futile from that point

You: So be it, then

You rushed at her with a punch merely to start the fight, which of course she dodged and grabbed you quickly before throwing you to the ground

You rolled back to avoid another hit from her, so you got back up by pushing yourself forwards and managed to tackle her briefly before she moved aside and kicked you back

Diana: Good, but not can be better

She jumped towards you with another strike, you barely dodged this but took advantage of this and swept her legs, making her fall down for a moment

You: Better?

You smirked, but she got back up by kicking forward with both legs and resuming the duel between you two

You two held each other's hands with force, both of you standing your ground for a couple seconds before she threw you to the ground yet again and she was going to do the next move, but it was then, that a stomach growled, certainly interrupting the fight

You: Someone's hungry- You stated jokingly, earning a small laugh from your friend

Kate: Would you like some breakfast, Diana?- The expression on her face suggested that she liked the idea, but then got a little troubled by it

Diana: I don't know...Would that be okay with you two?

Kate: Hey, don't worry, any friend of Y/N's is a friend of mine

You: So, would you like to stay for breakfast?

Diana: That does sound like a good idea, Y/N

You: Great, then let me go prepare it

Diana: Wait, do you know how to cook?

Kate: You'd be surprised!

With that said, you got up and proceeded to make breakfast for everybody. Going as fast as your body allowed you to.

You had just fought against an Amazon, after all

Kate gave you coffee and you were the one that cooked the breakfast, as you had already stated. Interestingly enough, even Diana was delighted by your abilities to do so

Diana: By Hera, you are indeed very skilled in this, Y/N

Kate: I told you so!

You: Well, coming from an Amazon, that does mean a lot

You shared a laugh, then, your phone vibrated, revealing a message saying:

"The rest of the team is here, need you back in the base to coordinate the defense"

You got up from the table as soon as you read this, accidentally startling the ladies

Diana: Is there something wrong?

You: No, but my team needs me ASAP. Please excuse me, girls

Kate: Hey, work is work, be careful

You nodded and left the room. Went to a shower to clean all the sweat from the fight and then got ready. Due to how frequently these situations took place, you had enough practice to do that rather quickly

In no time, you appeared back in the kitchen and drank something quickly before putting a jacket and grabbing the keys to your car

You: Well, I have to go, the team says they need to discuss something with me

Kate: Good luck out there

Diana: Good hunting, Y/N

You: Heh, thank you, I'll try to be back soon

You waved goodbye before closing the door and leaving the place

They were left alone, drinking the coffee Kate had prepared for them while sitting in the chairs that were around the table

Diana: So, Ms. Kane, does Y/N know?...

Kate: They don't, I don't intend to tell them anytime soon

Diana: Good.

Silence slowly filled the conversation, but Kate's curiosity kicked in yet again

Kate:...Diana?

Diana: Yes?

Kate: May I ask you why did you do that? Challenge Y/N to a duel?

Diana: I...

I wanted to make sure they are strong enough...

Last night, Watchtower

...And that is how we will proceed to eliminate this threat but remember to maintain it as far from Earth as possible, or it would cause destruction unlike anything

You are dismissed

After those words, the various members of the Justice League stood up from their respective seats and began to walk away, preparing for the upcoming battle

But Diana didn't, she took advantage of this and went to Batman, a.k.a Bruce Wayne, to discuss an idea that she has come up with recently

Diana: Bruce, I need to speak with you- The man turned around to face the Amazon

Bruce: What do you need?

Diana: Do you remember the wounded person I brought back a few days ago?

Bruce: Yes, Y/N L/N

Diana: Well, Y/N happens to reside in Gotham City, and they believe that once we go out to face this threat, the villains in the city will unleash hell upon it

Bruce: What do you want with my city or L/N?

Diana: I want to help them...- Batman got intrigued by this

Bruce: Why?

Diana: Y/N is a formidable warrior, and they won't let the place go down without a battle, I believe they have a chance to win, but they need help too

Bruce: But what about this threat? This is no simple task, Diana

Diana: I am sure the league has enough potential to stop them, and besides, you got that boy with you, he has a lot of potential

But as soon as I hear your call for assistance, I will attend it. I promise

He remained silent for a moment, with his hand on his chin but then looked back at her

Bruce: I will put them to test, then we'll talk about it

Diana: Fair enough, I am positive about the results

The man nodded without making any different expression whatsoever

"I'll be the judge of that"

Back to you

You were driving on the streets, caught in the middle of a traffic going very slowly. You took advantage of this and answered a call you had

Frank: Hey, boss, where are you?

You: I'm stuck in the traffic...

Frank: That sounds terrible

You: It is

Frank: Oh...Anyway, I got some info that might come in handy the sooner you received it

You: I think I have some spare time while I get to the base so...Go ahead

Frank: Ophelia managed to sneak in a reunion and turns out, the many job offers we got from Gotham's rogue gallery was because they all got a message

You: Huh? What message?

Frank: They got a letter with "War is nigh, embrace it" written on it

You: Who send it?

Frank: That's the interesting part, no one knows who did it, but they are ready to claim this city at any moment now, we have to be careful

You: Damn, we got an anonymous person pulling the strings, then.

Frank: Yes, and the sooner we discover who is it, the better

You: Good job, keep me informed

You ended the call and saw that the traffic hadn't moved since the call started

You: *Sigh* What the hell is wrong with the town today?

But then you realized, there was nobody in the vehicles, to begin with. Curious by this, you stepped out of the vehicle and inspected what could have caused this

You saw that a crowd was forming around a giant screen, the Gotham Square one, to be precise.

This was typically used by the GCN or even the Gotham Gazette to broadcast news to the people

You made your way through the crowd and spotted the giant screen, with the message "For the people" in it

You: What the-

???: Ladies and gentlemen of Gotham, I know you are busy people, so I'll be brief with this

The screen turned into a silhouette of a person talking with multiple voices at the same time

Immediately, you reached out to the earpiece you had all the time with you

You: Guys, are you watching this?

Ophelia: Yeah, it's on every single screen in the place!

Vincent: Who is this guy?- He asked through your communicator

You: I don't know, but if it is being broadcasted, it's obviously nothing good. Dani, can you pinpoint the signal's origin?

Danielle: Sure thing

Back home, Kate and Diana were also looking the transmission on the T.V, surprised by what was going on

???: The world is filled with corruption, no doubt in that, and the people that had sworn to protect us is gone in a grandiose battle, so we are left alone and I wonder

...Who is going to do the first move?

Now, I am not here to wage war against you, not at all, but I am here with an offer to the city, an offer for the true ruler of Gotham

We all know that it isn't the mayor who runs the place

You have different factions that believe themselves to be the authentic kings, so I will be benevolent and give you one month.

Only one faction will be left standing by the end of it. What the price is for this, you may ask? That is quite simple:

The identity of every metahuman that has made the mistake of existing

Kate: Oh my God...

Diana wasted no time and began to walk away from the TV

Kate: Where are you going?

Diana: To help Y/N

Kate: Then you'll need this-She handed her one of your communicators and put it on

Diana: Thank you, Kate

Kate: Just...Please, bring Y/N safe

Diana: I'll do my best

She turned around and left the place and once she did so, she started to jump as high and far as she could, focused on only he objective

Diana: Hang on, Y/N

"I'm almost there"

Back to you

You reached for your earpiece again, getting worried by this announcement that was being broadcasted live

You: How's the analysis going, Dani?

Danielle: On it!

???: Just think about it, since they arrived, everything has gotten worse than before

Do I have to remind you how close the humanity is to the edge of extinction on a regular basis? And not only metahumans but those allied to them

Think about it, Gotham, are you really save under the Bat's wing? Or is he just imposing a new government on you?

You have your champions, and I will allow them to clash against each other, but you, I will give you time to get out alive

I'll be waiting...

The transmission came to an end, leaving just static once again for a brief moment before it showed a countdown with the title "Run from the storm".

The people started to panic and you immediately rushed to your car before anyone else

Danielle: Y/N, I got it, it's being broadcasted in one of the city's news studios, sending you the location

You: On my way

The traffic was still terrible, but you managed to sneak your way down the streets to arrive as soon as you could

You stopped when you arrived at the building's parking lot.

You: *Sigh* I knew this was going to happen...

You got out a handgun and loaded it before stepping out of the vehicle

Danielle: Y/N, where are you?

You: Just arrived at the location, and you?

Danielle: I am sending Vincent to help you, but he reports that the streets are paralyzed

You: The effect of fear, Dani *Sigh* the effect of fear...

You entered the place and found just corpses of employees everywhere, not a single soul to be found.

The place itself was silent, very unusual for a place that is dedicated to spreading rumors. There were even claw marks on the walls and in some of the corpses, but also bullet holes

Your grip on your gun tightened by this, whoever did this, must be around

Danielle: Any luck?

You: No, just dead bodies everywhere, this guy really didn't care if someone found this

Your instincts led you to the room where the transmissions are made, the studio.

Unfortunately, what you found were again just corpses, this time, with a few bullet holes in the walls as well

But the screens, they had different words on them, forming a whole message for you

"STAY OUT OF THE FIRE"

You tried to ignore that while investigating the scene as best you could until you heard a beeping noise in the room and that, was the one thing you couldn't just ignore

Danielle: What is that?

You: I seriously hope it isn't what I think it is

Carefully, you looked around to find the source, but growing nervous each time that thing made a sound, it could very well be a bomb.

And you wouldn't like to die just yet

Vincent: Hang on, boss, I'm almost there!

After a few minutes of non-stop research, you finally found the device and it was indeed, a bomb with a timer nearly done

4

You: Uh... Dani?

3

Danielle: Yes?

2

You: I think I found out why the person was so careless about the evidence

...1

A deafening noise filled the room, with fire, imminent destruction following closely. The building had effectively collapsed entirely

Y/N!!!

Vincent had just arrived on her motorcycle but stood still in fear of what had just happened

There was just static could be heard between all of you. He kneeled in front of the building, seeing as it was now just a pile of rubble

Vincent: No...-He couldn't even move because of all the rush of emotions going through his body at the moment while he stared in shock at the scene

Smoke was coming out of the place of impact, like a beacon to horror

However, among the silence, the destruction and wreckage, emerged a figure, a female one

When Vincent looked at the figure, he recognized it as Diana herself, with a few scratches carrying your unconscious body in her arms

Amazed by this, he ran to your aid, helping the Amazon to put you gently on the ground to give you some space to breathe

Vincent: H-How in hell...?- He asked your savior, astonished by her actions

However, before she could answer, you began to cough and react roughly as you woke up.

You: I... I am alive?- Diana smiled tenderly when she saw you open your eyes

Diana: Yes, yes you are

You recognized your partner and he put his arm on your shoulder, with an actual smile on his face

Vincent: Hey partner, next time, wait for me, will ya?

You: I'll t-take note of that

He thanked Diana and sighed in relief by seeing that you were in fact, alive... Mostly

After coughing a little more, you chuckled at this and once you could speak normally again, you looked at the warrior

You:... Do you sense w-when I'm facing an impending doom or something?

Diana: What?

You: Nothing, you arrived just in time, Diana... T-Thank you

You groaned in pain right after and coughed again, as a result, alarming them both

Vincent: Boss!!

Diana picked you up again, trying not to hurt you in the process

Diana: We have to get them to the hospital

Vincent: I wouldn't trust society right now, they're panicked

Diana: Then what are we going to do?

Vincent: I'll come up with something, don't you worry...

...

Your eyes slowly opened to reveal yourself in a room with medical equipment installed all around you, with its sounds being the only noise in the room

Once you regained your consciousness completely, you recognized this room as the medical bay you had installed in your base

Shortly after you woke up, a noise was emitted by one of the machines and some people entered the room: Ophelia and Frank

Frank: Hey boss, how are you feeling?

You were handed a glass with water, and you drank a little from it before staring back at your allies

You: Well...I certainly feel better than a couple minutes ago

Ophelia: Good to know, you took one hell of a hit, you know?

You: And talking about it...How did I get here?

Ophelia: That superhero friend of yours brought you here with Dani's help

Frank: Boss, not to bother you, but we still have to plan this whole thing out

You: About that, do you have something to write on? I came up with a couple strategies along the way

He handed you a tablet and you began to type on it, putting your thoughts on a document that they could use later on

Ophelia: You really don't waste time, huh?

You: Not in situations like this, Ophe

Once you stopped typing, you handed back the device and drank some more water

Frank: I'll go tell Danielle you are awake, she said she found something she wants to share with you

You: Sure, thank you, guys

They left the room and your redheaded friend entered shortly after

Danielle: Thank God you are alive

You: I guess it takes more than that to kill me...And also, Diana kinda saved me so, yeah. I am alive

Danielle: I see your sense of humor is still intact

You: What can I say. Anyway, Frank said you found something

Danielle: I did. When you were investigating the place, I searched through the cameras and found who killed that people

You: wait, before than anything, Vicki Vale is still alive, right?

Danielle: Don't worry, Y/N, your friend is still alive

You: *Sigh* Thank God

The woman handed you the device she was holding and you played the video that was on screen

Yet, what you found in it was somewhat hard to believe

It was Minerva herself, a.k.a Cheetah, and a small squad of mercenaries clearing the path by killing everyone on sight for somebody else. This figure was cloaked and wearing just black, so you could say it was trying very hard to remain anonymous

Danielle: I think I might know who the person on that cloak is

You: The very same person that appeared on the message

Danielle: What I don't really get is what is "Cheetah" doing there with them, what could she possibly gain from this?

You: I guess we'll find out sooner or later

Danielle: Given your history with her, I thought it would be fair to show you this...

You: So, training with an Amazon, almost dying from an explosion and now trying to find out what she wants with this city...*Sigh* What a day, Anyway, thank you for letting me know, Dani

Danielle: You sure are a busy man, but are you sure you can do this?

You: I wrote down some ideas and gave them to Frank about how to get ready, perhaps that could be of use

Danielle: We will check them out, try to rest now. You've done enough

You: You know I can't just stay here without doing anything

Danielle: I'll let you stay with one tablet while you recover yourself, but please don't push yourself too far

You: I'll do my best

She couldn't help but smile at your attitude and shook her head side to side before exiting the scene

You lied on your bed for hours, using a tablet to check on any important news over the last hours, most of them being reports of your actions back at the studio

None of them knew it was you the one in the place, and the recordings Danielle got were destroyed entirely (Except for the ones she got), so you were safe, but something was still not quite clear

Why would Minerva be interested in Gotham City? She was just fine in that jungle of hers

Your thoughts soon led you to drift away into the darkness, so comforting

So relaxing

2 Hours Later

Your eyes opened once again, you could already feel your body in a better state than how it was when you arrived, unfortunately for you, this day was not over just yet, ad this got clear the moment the lights went out and the doors of the room closed on their own, leaving you alone inside it.

You (In mind): Great, what now?

You grabbed your communicator and activated it right away

You: Hey, what happened to the doors?

Dani: Hold on, I'm trying to access them, looks like someone really wanted you trapped

You: *Sigh* Great

Frank: Just hold on, boss! We're getting you out one way or another

The call ended and the backup lights ignited, illuminating the place with red colors

You had your handguns with you while you investigated a way to leave the room

???: They say that a war is coming

Your eyes widened when you heard another voice from inside the room

You quickly turned around to find the source of the voice, but this one sounded almost robotic. Whoever this was, he was using a voice distorter

???: They say that you will stand up to save Gotham when this happens

You managed to spot the outline of the intruder, standing on a big pipe. You could have sworn that you saw it have pointy ears

You ignored this and proceeded to fight it right away, you took out one of your guns and pointed it at the silhouette

The man quickly got down and rushed at you, quickly cutting your time for action

You: What the hell do you want from me?

Then, he threw a smoke bomb, reducing the field of view even more

???: I am here to see if you can live up to the expectations

You were still, analyzing the room and searching for anything that moved among the fog

And your patience was rewarded, you managed to spot the figure.

By the time you did so, he was the one to come right at you with a kick that you barely managed to block and push back

When close enough, you two began to fight, sharing punches and kicks for a solid minute, not a single one of them landed on each other

Every time you tried to attack him from a different angle, he blocked

And so, every time he tried to force you to back off, you persisted

You were somewhat injured, yes, but you had way more physical resistance than what is believed

Despite not knowing who this man was, he clearly possessed an astonishing amount of skill to perform like that

But then again, you were trained by one of the world's best mercenaries, so you could stand your ground without any problem

He blocked a punch of yours by grabbing your fist, but you quickly hit the man with your elbow and kicked him back

You took out your gun and aimed it at the man, but he launched himself at you, disarming you in the process

Then, he grabbed your arm before throwing you in front of him, but you didn't waste any time and rolled forward to grab your gun and stood up to retaliate right away.

By the time you did this, the lights went back up and the doors opened, allowing your friends to come in

Danielle: Now!

Frank: Stand down!

Ophelia: Now you've done it!

Vincent: We got you covered, boss!...Woah

They entered with a very stern attitude, but it changed drastically, and now everyone had a shocked expression on their faces by what they had just witnessed

You had your gun pointed straight at the attacker's head while he had a Batarang near your neck

You had just battled the Batman and ended in a tie