...And that is what happened

A female voice admitted the situation to the woman in front of her, with that woman being Diana herself. They were on the rooftop, where nobody could hear them

Batwoman was just now reporting recent events, the mission back in the warehouse, that fateful night in which a life was lost on your side

Diana: I see... So Y/N hit you because of what you did?

Batwoman: Y/N was under the influence of pure emotion, they were not thinking rationally. I did save them, but I can't say the same for Frank.

Diana: *Sigh* Thank you for telling me, Kate, I'll see what I can do.

Batwoman: I hope so, it appears that you are Y/N's voice of reason nowadays

Then, the door opened to reveal Daniele herself, holding a clipboard.

Danielle: Sorry for interrupting, ladies, but I need to talk to Wonder Woman.

Diana then looked at Batwoman, sternly

Diana: This conversation is not over

Batwoman: *Sigh* I know...

The Amazon nodded and the redheaded woman simply walked away, leaving them to talk freely

As Danielle approached her, Diana saw that the information on the clipboard was about you, but she waited for Danielle to talk about it

Diana: What can I do for you?

Danielle: I have a question for you, Diana

She stopped looking at her files to look at her for a moment, with her normal serious attitude

Diana: Go on

It took some time for her to regain her thoughts, but eventually, she gave in

Danielle: Look, I'll go straight to the point on this one, I know what is going on out there. I know that the League is fighting off those... things and that is a growing threat

The warrior grew suspicious of her words right away, even though she was not wrong

Diana: Where are you going with this?

Danielle: Knowing what they are doing out there, what are you doing here in Gotham? I think it was about time I asked you that

Perhaps it was an invitation to their privacy, but how well-informed Danielle was, it was worth admiration, even from her

Diana: I have a reason to believe that one of my rogues, Circe, is taking advantage of the war in this city and will use it to make herself more powerful

I cannot allow that to happen, even if the League is fighting bigger threats as we speak, Circe is not to be given an opportunity to become more dangerous than she already is

Danielle:...Huh, fair enough, then.

It was not the answer she was looking for, but if someone like her chose to stay in Gotham for a reason like that, no doubt it had to be important

And besides, who would contradict an Amazon?

Diana: ...Those are Y/N's vital signs, right?

Her voice forced the mercenary back into reality as she pointed at the clipboard she was holding

Danielle: Huh? Oh, yes, they are.

Diana: And how are they?

Danielle: I'd say 50/50

This answer disconcerted her right away, Danielle noticed this and kept talking

Danielle: Physically speaking, Y/N is alright, emotionally... not so much

Diana: How so?

Danielle: See it for yourself, Y/N is in the gym

Diana: I see... thank you, Danielle

She just nodded in reply before walking back inside, the warrior following shortly after as she walked through the base and into the gym

About three days have passed since Frank had died, an event like this was enough to lower the moral of the people Diana was working with

And to make things worse, almost nobody has seen you ever since, with Danielle being the only exception at your request

The criminals in Gotham had taken this into account, the streets are slowly being taken over again.

It is indeed time for action, but if there is someone who can inspire people, even grieving ones, then it is the Amazon princess herself

After a couple minutes of walking, she found the room she was looking for, almost empty in its entirety

Except for one person

Diana: ...Y/N?

In front of her, was a lone fighter, hitting a punching bag recklessly, but something was not right.

Your knuckles were bloody, you were sweating, barely able to see. You certainly had not the best appearance

Diana: How long have you been here?

She obtained no response aside from grunting and heavy breathing. She immediately got concerned about this

Diana: Y/N, stop. You will only hurt yourself even more.

As she approached you, she got again, no response from you.

Diana: If you will not stop willingly

She sighed and proceeded to stop the moving punching bag with one hand

Diana: ...Then I will force you to

This did earn a reaction from you, stopping your seemingly reckless behavior to look at her in confusion

You: What?

She raised her fists as she adopted a fighting stance, looking at you as serious as possible

Diana: What you heard. Don't hold back

Under normal circumstances, you would have never dared, but you were consumed by your own emotions, so you instinctively swung at her

She side-stepped effortlessly. You swung again, she blocked, as you continued your assault, you noticed that not only was she blocking or dodging all of your attacks

But she refused to hit you every single time

At some point, she caught your fist and pulled you closer to her and before you knew it, she hugged you

Shocked, you remained still for a moment, but gave up to her in the end, accepting her embrace with tears making it harder to see

You felt her breathing change into a more calmed one as if she was relieved that the trick she just did had worked

Then, she broke the hug to look at you directly in the eyes with a hint of a smile

Diana: Come on, let's get you some bandages

It was astonishing, even now she showed an attitude of help, ignorant of the fact that you did lash out at her.

She walked you to the medical bay, made you sit on a bed and grabbed the things she needed right away

Diana was attending your wounds with ease, it made sense that a warrior like her knew how to take care of the body's pain after a long battle, or in this case, self-destruction

You: I know what you're thinking, Diana. You're here to tell me to get the hell up and actually do something, right?

Your attitude did not amuse her at all

Diana: No, Y/N.

You: Then?

Diana: I'm here to listen

You were taken back by this, but you saw that she was not joking at all, in fact, she even dragged a chair in front of you and sat on it

Diana: So?

It took you a couple minutes to get a hold of the current situation, but you gave in eventually

You: *Sigh* Where do I even begin? Frank was... Frank was like a brother, he was there for me even when things got rough

You put your hands on your face, covering it as memories crawled back to you, but this did not last long as Diana's voice made you regain your composure slowly

Diana: How did you meet him?

You: Shortly after moving to Gotham, I was mugged, kinda. I overpowered the guy right away, but Frank was there, he was impressed

In the end, he offered me a job as mercenary. At first, I liked to freelance, but I got used to it in no time, we were the first

Then Vincent came along, then Danielle, and then Ophelia.

For a moment, a smile was visible on your face, such a rare sight in a moment of grief

You: We got used to each other's presence as a team, but we went beyond that, we eventually saw each other as more than a soldier to look after... But as a friend, as a family.

Ophe hasn't been around for long, but even she understands it

*Sigh* It's not the nicest line of work, betrayal is to be expected every damn day, but soldiers, no, partners like these are rare as hell, you know?

You then looked up at the woman in front of you, carefully listening to your every word, until something popped up in her mind

Diana: I can imagine... You know? You remind me of a story that my people used to cherish

You: Used to?

Diana: They still do

You: Oh, go on...

She nodded and as soon as those bandages were applied and your wounds were treated, she began her story

Diana: Long ago, arose a group of warriors, not only were they highly skilled in combat and strategy, but their bond was as powerful as the gods themselves

But in the end, they were only mortals, so they got wounded as such

They were fighting a war, protecting their home from the overwhelming darkness to wanted the fire that Prometheus himself had given to humanity.

Those beasts of evil wanted to corrupt said fire, thus killing every chance of opposition

The battle was everlasting, but one by one, the warriors fell in combat, not a single sacrifice was forgotten. They fell until only their leader was left

She would merge her armor with the ones from her fallen sisters so that they would always accompany her in battle

This last sister was victorious in killing the last monster that wanted the fire but at the cost of her very own life

When the time came and the warrior arrived at the Underworld, she was reunited with her sisters.

However, Hades and Persephone were humbled by her acts and loyalty to her kind, so they granted the group of warriors to continue their war against darkness, as immortal guardians of life

... When I look at you, I see those same warriors. I see the same brotherhood in battle, that fierce determination to protect the city from its destruction

And because of that, there is no need for me to say anything because I know that you will get back up again and again until you know you're done

I know that you are perseverant, but above all else, I trust you.

She finished talking shortly after, noticing your silence right away, but it was not because you didn't want to talk

Her analogies might be a little exaggerated, you were no heroes, certainly not villains either but what you did had, was that alliance that no paycheck could break

You: I... I don't really know, Diana, I...

She walked a couple steps closer to you before putting a hand on your left shoulder, a sympathetic smile as she did so

Diana: I'm here, Y/N. Together we will return light to this place, alright?

She was not wrong, you have fallen before, but never quite stayed down, you had the stubbornness to thank for, but in this case, if you decided to just not do anything... Then evil would have already won

The Amazon then extended a hand to you. Her attitude made you put a smile of your own before taking her hand and helping you stand up again

You: Fair enough

It made Diana happy to see that her words had made a positive effect on you. You put on a black shirt as she turned back to open the door

You: Diana?- She looked back upon hearing your voice

Diana: Yes?

You: I'm not even sure it is correct to say this... but you're the most human superhero I've ever met

She chuckled after hearing that, from you, nonetheless

Diana: I'll take that as a compliment

With that said, she left the room. It didn't take long for you to do the same but were stopped by Gordon, who was talking to members of your squad. It was something important, judging by their expressions

Vincent: Well well, Y/N's back!

He announced cheerfully, while Ophelia showed a smile and Gordon was still worried for some reason

Ophelia: Good to have you back, boss- She nodded at Diana, who returned the gesture

You: What seems to be the problem, Gordon?

Gordon: About three hours ago, we lost contact with a group of our people patrolling the city. The tracker one of them had led us to somewhere in the Industrial district

Vincent: A building with access to water, near the sewers, so...

You: It was Croc

Ophelia: And Zsasz, bad combo, I know

You pondered about the situation for a moment. Of course, you would be called to action, war does not wait for people to mourn their dead

Diana then surprised you by putting an arm on your shoulder. This act made you look at her to find a determined look, no wonder what she wanted to say

You looked back at Gordon with the same expression

You: I think it's about time I do something.

While surprised, they were glad you offered yourself

Gordon: Very well, so, here are the details we have so far...

Unknown Building, 6:45 pm

A door was opened to reveal yourself entering a strange, decaying building. In front of you were just stairs heading down and on the other side of the room were the other doors

You walked up to the door, but it was locked. Instead, you found a ventilation shaft on your right. Not your first choice, but it was still useful

You: Well... I ain't no Batman, but I do have my own tricks

You took out a handgun with a silencer before shooting some strategic places and within seconds, the grate fell to the ground to be caught by you and then entering the shaft yourself. Thankfully, you encountered no problems by doing so

However, when you came out, you were met with quite an unusual sight: Water could be seen in some parts of it, rising so high it would make it harder to go to the other side. In the center, was what appeared to be a giant cage. You could see the psychopath Victor Zsasz and Killer Croc as well as the hostages

You (In mind): ...The hell is this place?

Croc: No, I want to EAT them!

The criminal's monstrous voice forced you back into reality, so you quickly hid as best you could while trying to approach the room they were in. If you were seen before, then the hostages would be compromised, but if you appeared to them in the same room, then the next part of the plan should not be a problem at all

Zsasz: And you'll get your feast! But we need to purify them first, you get me, right?

Croc: Fair enough, but don't keep me waiting, Zsasz!

Zsasz: Oh don't you worry my friend, by the end of the night we will both be satisfied

Then, a chuckle was heard from the man. Such a disturbing sound sometimes, not as unsettling as Joker's laugh, but not pleasant either

It took you a while, but in the end, you managed to make your way into a side of the bridge that led to the main room, or the "cage" as some would say. You climbed up and casually walked inside, thus allowing the plan to continue

You: Ummm... Don't mean to be rude, but those are kinda my people, you know?

Zsasz immediately turned around to aim his knife at you, while the giant crocodile-like man stood up, towering over you, growling

Croc: Do I look like I care?

Zsasz: What are you even doing here?

You: I just told you, those are my people you're planning to kill

After saying that, you started to casually walk towards them, only alarming them even more. You immediately raised up your hands in surrender

You: Woah, calm down, I'm not hostile (Yet)

To prove your point, you took out your handgun and simply put it on the ground. You didn't need it anyway

Zsasz: So ummm...- He waited for you to complete the sentence by adding your name

You: Y/N

Zsasz: Y/N, you say these are your people?- He pointed at the hostages, while some of them were relieved you were there, others were still terrified of their captors

You: Yup, mine

Zsasz: ...And you want them back?- The way he said it made it seem like something popped up to his mind, bad idea

You: If that's not a problem, yeah

Croc: That's it, I'm gonna eat them- He proceeded to move but was stopped by his partner

Zsasz: Stop right there, Croc. Y/N here seems to be a rational person, devoted to saving this bunch of souls. I'm sure we can come up with an "agreement"

That was it, Zsasz was creepier than the clown... At least in that moment

You: What's on your mind?

Zsasz: What about a match? You against Croc.- You saw the mutant grin, you gulped right away

You: Come again?

Zsasz: If you happen to win (Which I doubt) Then we'll let them go. If you lose, on the other hand...

Croc: More for us

They were so focused on you at the moment, that they didn't see another two figures sneaking in, pretending to be a hostage. After thinking about it, mainly on how well the plan was going, you simply nodded

You: Bring it

Zsasz clapped and pulled a lever that made the water levels to go down again. This was an odd action considering that the room was big enough for the fight to take place without any problems

Croc roared at you before charging. You rolled out of the way and began to hit what you considered were the pressure points. It was hard to do for obvious reasons, but your actions appeared to be slowing him down

He swung his fists back at you, only for you to duck and with both legs, kick him in the stomach, sending him back a couple steps

He growled before charging yet again. This time, however, he did tackle you through the thin walls and nearly fell to the now empty spaces between the parts of the room. Crock was holding you. He then prepared his jaws, but you proceeded to hit both sides of his neck at the same time and as hard as possible

Fortunately for you, this worked and he let go of you. you nearly fell yet again, but you climbed back up and rolled away from the monster, establishing some distance between you two

Zsasz (In mind): This is not going to end well, they are fighting Croc so easily, what a letdown!

Instinctively, Zsasz took the advantage and rushed towards you, knife in hand and already raised in the air. You turned around but what you saw left everybody in the room speechless

One of the hostages grabbed Zsasz'swrist. I was Diana herself, glaring at the man

Diana: I don't think so

She pushed him back and then looked at you, asking for permission, perhaps the first and only time she would do so

You motioned her to go ahead and without further do, she glared back at the mutant who was already on his way to attack. His resulted badly for him, as he was thrown to the other side of the place, through the wall. Diana just continued her attack on Croc while you continued with Zsasz

Zsasz: This is not fair!

You: You tried to stab me in the back, you started it

Ophelia: And now we finish it

He turned around to see that Ophelia herself was behind him, already preparing a punch that knocked him out

You: Huh. that's new. Have you been practicing?

Ophelia: Yeah, thanks for noticing

You couldn't help but chuckle at the girl's attitude. Without wasting any more time, you rushed back to the hostages and proceeded to set them free, one of them actually hugged you

Hostage: t-thank you...

You went along and patted her on the back

You: You're safe now. Don't worry

You (In mind): So that's how it feels like

You two finished freeing the rest of your forces. You put one of the hostage's arms over your shoulder and helped him walk as you ordered:

You: Everyone follow us, we're getting the hell out of here

Needless to say, in a matter of minutes, you reached the door. It was great how easy was for you to coordinate them, sometimes you didn't even have to talk, they just knew what to do

You then looked at Ophe and motioned the door

You: Would you kindly?

She kicked the door open, allowing you all to leave the place just as planned. You didn't notice until now, but that place was actually underground, that ventilation shaft you used sure helped to hide it

Once you were all on the surface, you stopped walking

Ophe: Everyone's here?

You: Not yet

Shortly after you said that something emerged from the ground close to you. It was Croc

Both of you took out your weapons, but it was then revealed that Diana herself was carrying the mutant, but threw him back down once she could

You: As planned?

The Amazon looked back at you and a smile appeared on her face

Diana: As planned

Now that you were all ready, you were picked up by some trucks that were waiting for you to help in the whole escaping process.

The Lair, 8:32 pm

Your people were treated right away, seeing them recovering so quickly and they thanking you three for rescuing them in the first place made you consider in doing something you should do right away in order for the morale of the group to remain in a good level

It was time for dinner, which meant they were all in one place, good. You were outside the "cafeteria", conflicted as to how to proceed, when you heard Diana's voice yet again

Diana: is something troubling you, Y/N?

You: I'm trying to figure out what to say. They deserve an explanation

Hearing this brought a smile to her face right away, only making you more nervous. You have given pep talks to your team before, but never under these circumstances (And to so many people at once)

Diana: That is very noble of you.- She then put a hand on your shoulder- Just be yourself, tell them whatever you want, but do not fake a single word. It's simple, I know you can do it

She then walked in as she kept talking

Diana: I'll be waiting

And of course she left you alone. She had a way to force you into doing things, always for the greater good, of course, so you let her

But in this case, you had to look after the people under your command, you owed Frank that.

You: *Sigh* Let's get this done

You walked into the room, the people were surprised by your sudden presence, some of them even cheered, but you walked up to the center of the room, standing on a table in the middle of it

You: Listen up everybody, I have something to say

Shortly after, they all stopped what they were doing to pay attention to your next movement. Silence was in effect until you spoke

You: First, I... I want to apologize to all of you for not being there. Yeah, Frank's death hit me like a goddamn truck, but that's just a reminder, one hell of a reminder

That people die in wars, they always do. We cannot avoid that but how much people is lost depends on our ability to cooperate

And I have to admit it, I'm proud of you. While I was "gone" you managed to stay organized, focused on the mission at all times, thank you for that

You saw the groups were having positive responses to your speech. even Diana who was leaning against a wall on the other side of the room was impressed, a little

You: All of you chose to stay here for a reason, and I admire your courage, being here when it was so easy to leave the city with everyone else! But you, you all decided to stick together and say "No more"

To the people that worked with me in the past- you motioned at your squad

To the GCPD- Now to the many officers

...To even the citizens that chose to stay and say "Fuck that, they aren't taking my city!"

We might have had our differences in the past for whatever reason, but now the fact that we are all fighting for one cause is what matters. We might not have super strength or shoot lasers from our eyes, but that does not mean we can't take them down for ourselves

So let's keep "Taking over the city" the hardest thing they've made the mistake of ever consider

After that was said, you were received with cheers and claps from your allies. If they had any doubts about your leadership before, they were no more.

You stepped down and were approached by both your friends and GCPD officers. All that time spent with Diana had really paid off in inspiring people

Needless to say, that was vital since your campaign was far from over

After a while, you decided to walk away and let the people continue their own business while you did yours.

You opened the door to your office, a room that you haven't really seen in a while, but was always comfortable to be in. A room in which you could give yourself some space and relax

...But not just yet

???: That was quite the speech you gave, I see why the Amazon chooses to stand by your side~

You immediately turned around while aiming your gun to where the voice came from, only for your chair to be turned around to reveal a pale woman with red, braided hair as well as an intriguing, yet ancient-looking outfit

You: Wha-

???: My name is Circe, dear and I want to aid you in this war of yours

Hearing that made you lower the gun a little

You: ...Why?

The redhead giggled at how confused you were about it, especially how unexpected it was

Circe: Because, Y/N, I believe in retribution.

You were getting an idea of where she was going with this, so you let her continue

Circe: You have been put against enemies that would not hesitate to tear you apart, and even worse, have the power to do it. Such an unjust fight...

She then stood up and started to walk towards you

It was hard to admit, but she had some... Charm, just with her presence alone

You: Yeah, but that's life, not always as "just" as one would like it

You were able to regain your composure, much to her delight

Circe: True, but it is never bad to be able to even the odds, wouldn't you agree?

Then, out of the black fog, she made appear a black armored glove, glowing a faint red from the inside

You: What... What does it do?

Circe: This will give you enough power to bring even the worst of foes to your knees without a doubt

She looked at your surprised expression and couldn't help but grin

Circe: Now, this will not work if Wonder Woman discovers it, she would only make things worse

If she hadn't said that, you would have been more convinced about it. You took a step back, away from the woman and back into reality

You: I'm sorry but... no

Circe: Pardon me?

You: Such thing would pretty much drive me insane, I know it, it always happens

Circe: I get it, you are exhausted from your constant battle, but do know that I am a kind woman

She then put the glove on your desk gently and then looked back at you

Circe: I shall leave it here, for the time that you consider my offer.

Take care, dear Y/N

And with that, she was covered by a purple cloud of smoke until she disappeared from your room, leaving you staring at the window in front of you

And on it, the city was visible, the moonlight was sneaking through it and into your room, making quite the contrast.

Whoever this Circe woman was, she was not to be trifled with. While she did offer you an advantage over the criminals of Gotham, nobody would trust a person that just "appeared" in your room

And of course, something told you, she would be visiting you again, perhaps to make you fall for her trick once and for all

She had an obvious connection to magic, so would she be connected to Minerva in any way?

... Great, another deep thought to keep you busy

Problems were just piling up, and fast. However you were to proceed with this war, you would have to be very careful