Greatness

Some are born in it, some never reach it, others achieve it through their victories over the many obstacles they face.

However, no action is without sin. Few people think about what their victories cost to others: Frequently, innocents get hurt or even perish during said conflicts, dying because of a belief or battle that isn't even theirs most of the time

People that became "superheroes" gained many followers, but also some people that are against them, people who want revenge for their loved ones. Heroes can't save everybody, but people are blind to that truth, no matter how many times they are exposed to world-ending crises

Everybody loses someone they love eventually, and sometimes, they rise up and do something about it

This, this is no different

Unknown African Jungle, 2:15 pm

The sounds of various animals and insects filled the green jungle with life in a really unique way. The beasts roamed peacefully, the clouds adorned the sky perfectly and the rivers reflected the sunlight just right.

Truly a sight to behold

However, among all of this, another sound could be heard clearly: It was a small boat, wandering its way through the wilderness. In it, a person was not interested in the view, as they were currently talking to someone in their phone

You: Are you sure it's here, Lawton? It's not even on the map!

Lawton: Yeah, that's what my sources told me. I don't know why she would remain here so long, though

You: She must have found something incredibly good.

Then, a small part of land could be seen, and your tracking device lead there

You: Alright, gotta go

Lawton: Be careful, people say there's some kind of monster nearby

You: I'll be fine, Floyd

The mercenary chuckled by your confidence

Lawton: Happy hunting, then

 And with that, he finished the call.

Once the land was at the hand's reach, you docked the boat, grabbed your equipment and stepped out of the vehicle carefully, looking at the scene in front of you

You: *Sigh* Well, here we go...

With a gun and combat knife ready for anything, you walked into the jungle

You were a mercenary, one of the best out there. Never turning down a contract but never harming innocents in the process either.

You have earned your life through a lot of danger and action, but it was worth it, but that changed when you met Barbara Ann Minerva, an archeologist that hired you for a mission.

After it, you decided to stick around for longer, and so, the two of you began a hunt for any kind of ancient treasures and gaining money for them, being Minerva the brains and you the one that constantly saved her from getting herself killed.

Life was good for you back then

Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever, and this wasn't an exception. Recently, you had lost contact with her. You two were close friends, but it changed when she suddenly disappeared with no trace.

Fearing that she got herself in trouble again, you went to search your dearest friend

You stopped walking when you saw a small temple in ruins, isolated from most of the jungle. Upon looking at your tracker, the archeologist was there

Fear was slowly creeping its way to your heart as you began walking forward but  stopped when Minerva was in supposedly right in front of you

You: That's weird, the tracker says she' right...Oh God

Shocked by your discovery. you fell to your knees when you saw Minerva's phone before you, heavily damaged, but barely

You picked it up and thankfully it was still working, but barely. You stored it on your side bag and looked up to see a trap

In front of you was a hole, one that was filled with spikes. Hoping to see no one in it, you peeked and felt relief when it was indeed, empty

You: This means she is alive, but where?

 You turned around, remembering the temple in front of you and with a smirk, you entered. However, it was not only empty, but small as well and so damaged you could see the sunlight made its way through specific parts of the ceiling

Upon further investigation, you came to the conclusion that Minerva was not there. Frustrated by this, you punched one of the walls

You: Goddamn it!!

It made no sense, you two had always worked together, why would she go and risk her life for treasure without telling you? What could possibly be worth so much trouble and secrecy?

All those doubts piling up in your mind were forced to be put aside when you walked back outside. Upon exiting the temple,  something felt...Different

You heard an animal nearby and the leaves of the trees moving as well. Instantly focussing your anger into that, you took out your gun and your knife as well

Then, every sound stopped suddenly, as if whatever was hiding was studying you, ready to deliver a deadly strike at any second. On the corner of your eye, you spotted claw marks on the trees, strong enough, but also rare enough not to be left by any known animal

You began advancing until a figure dropped in behind you. You were about to turn when you saw claws rest on your shoulders gently

???: I'll give you seven minutes to run

Fighting was not going to be enough to get out of this and you knew it, so you took the figure's advice and rushed out of there. You reached the boat in no time and started the engine, thinking about how you were going to avoid that thing

You were going halfway through the river when you spotted something running at you by the sides, too fast to be recognizable

You: Shit...

 You forced the boat to go as fast as it could, but the figure jumped to the ship, providing also a better look at it. In front of you was a woman that looked like some kind of hybrid between human and cheetah with tribal clothes as well

Out of instinct, you opened fire on her only for the woman to either dodge or cut the bullets with her own claws

Once she was close enough to you, she used her claws to attack you. You tried your best to avoid it but she was too fast and managed to get a few cuts here and there.

At some point in the fight, the sounds of the river started to get louder and stronger. You turned around briefly to see a waterfall not too far away

Changing priorities, you tried to get to the boat's controls and change the course but the woman clung on to your back and began to attack you once again, making you step away from the buttons

You managed to get her off your back and used one of her attacks against her by catching her fist and managed to stab her on the shoulder, to which she groaned in pain

Taking advantage of this, you kicked her back and shoot at the ground, creating distance from you two. Desperately, you ran back to change the course but it was too late, the entire thing was going to fall down

Accepting the inevitable, you grabbed as much equipment as you could and stored in a bag you had and jumped out of the boat to land safely on the water, or as safe as you could in such a hurry

You (In mind): Thank God this is waterproof

You emerged and swam away to the nearest piece of land you could find and once you reached it, you stopped to rest, regaining some breath from everything that just took place

You turned your gaze to the now destroyed boat and sighed in annoyance not only because the boat was a rental, but because your attacker was nowhere to be seen. You put your bag on your back and took out a revolver since the rifle was lost in the fall, hopefully, it was still useful

That part of the forest was actually calm but you had no access to communications, so this situation was not getting better anytime soon. It took only minutes before you spotted something moving among the trees once again

It was getting faster along with you and following this logic, you were basically running about six minutes in. While doing so, you managed to pinpoint where your pursuer would jump next and shoot a tree branch with your gun, making it fall down as soon as she climbed it

Taking advantage of this, you kept running and managed to move for a good part of the jungle only to be stopped by nature itself, as you had reached a cliff

You: Great, a dead end

Out of the bushes, the woman lashed onto you and stabbed you in the leg, making you fall down as she backed away slightly, lowering her guard in an act of arrogance...or at least it would have been if she hadn't jumped straight at you

Using her momentum against her, you kicked her away just before she managed to lay her claws on you again. This decisive strike almost made her fall off the cliff

You got up ignoring the pain and emptied the gun, hitting her a couple of times, then you took out your knife, irritated by her constant annoyance during this whole mission

You: ALRIGHT, I'VE HAD IT UP TO HERE WITH YOU!!

In a swift motion, the woman jumped back up and by the looks of it, had already healed from her own wounds. With this same pride, she began to walk towards you

You (In mind): If I'm going down, It won't be without a fight

The woman smiled t your sudden outburst, a grotesque smirk plagued her face

???: Is that a way to talk to your dear friend, Y/N?

Your eyes widened in surprise by these specific words, but you kept your guard up. Still, your mind was triggered to make connections between this humanoid and the friend you came here for

It could very well be a hoax, but it had a similar figure to hers, the exact same voice and even the same collar, three resemblances like that were hard to deny

You: M-Minerva?...- She made a grin a little too sinister by hearing her name

Minerva: Hello, Y/N- You stored your knife and immediately began to yell at her

You: What the fuck is wrong with you!? You tried to kill me!!

Minerva: I did, and yet I failed, for now

You:...What- She got into a fighting stance as she kept staring at you

Minerva: I was going to spare you and kill you quickly but you did stab me, so that's off the table

You: What even happened to you?

Minerva: I was blessed with the goddess's powers, now she demands blood

She launched her attack at you yet again, but you refused to fight her now knowing her alleged identity. You couldn't just harm her

Minerva: What's wrong, Y/N? Can't kill your friend? Pathetic!

Y/N: What the hell is wrong with you?- You asked as you grabbed her wrists in mid-attack again, to which she responded by kicking you away

The force she used made you stumble back, and even trip, only managing to hang onto dear life as she slowly walked towards you

Minerva: I am the avatar of the hunter goddess now, I live to kill, and am no longer the woman you once befriended

Hearing this shocked you since Minerva didn't sound like this. She was ambitious, but whatever happened to her affected her psyche as well

You tried to climb back on with your knife but failed. The blood loss was not helping you keep your energy

Minerva: However, I'm sure she would've appreciated you coming back for her. Now, die- She kicked your head, making you fall from the cliff, screaming her name

You saw her turn around and walk away, leaving you to your own destiny.

As you fell down, you saw the jungle one last time, wondering how something so beautiful can house something so violent. And most of all, why did she betray you? There wasn't too much room to think since it was harder to stay awake by the minute

You closed your eyes as you felt the cold air on your face, ready to meet your maker when suddenly you stopped falling

But didn't die

You opened your eyes and saw that you were being carried, by another woman with black hair, it was getting blurry, so not many details about her could be seen

???: Are you okay?

Before you could even answer, everything was getting darker and darker until there was nothing but darkness itself. You passed out from all those wounds

...

Slowly, you opened your eyes, your breathing is not the only sound in the area. The place itself seemed to be different from the typical white room, so you definitely weren't in a hospital

You looked around and saw you were on a bed, with medical equipment surrounding you. Minerva did quite the number on you

Not remembering anything after falling, you began to question how did you end up in there, naturally. Your thoughts were interrupted by an electronic door opening to reveal a stunningly beautiful woman with black hair and blue eyes

She was wearing a tiara and bracelets as well as red and gold armor covering mainly her torso and legs, an odd choice of clothing, but if anything, it highlighted her beauty. Truly, you were in presence of the Amazon princess herself

Wonder Woman: I see you are awake, good

You: What...Happened?- You asked her while she walked towards you and sat on a chair next to your bed

Wonder Woman: I should be the one asking that. I found you falling from a cliff, covered in cuts and bruises

You: What were you doing there?- You avoided the question right away

Wonder Woman: I was on a mission when I heard gunfire and when I went to see what was going on, I see someone falling off of a cliff

You:...It is all your fault

Wonder Woman: Excuse me?

You managed to sit down, leaving your angered expression clearly visible. You had quite the hatred for the metahumans and everything related to becoming one since it always ended up resulting in the death of your loved ones, and frankly, you were tired of it

It didn't matter if she had just saved you, while didn't she confronted Minerva or bring her in so she could be helped? Why focus on you?

You: Because of you, meta-humans, I just fucking lost Minerva!

You covered your face with your hands in grief. She was shocked to hear this, especially from someone she just saved.

However, the name you said rang a bell for her

Wonder Woman (In mind): Cuts, a jungle, Minerva...Oh great Hera, no

Concern began to flood her thoughts as she looked at you again

Wonder Woman: So you know her, you know "Cheetah"

You: What? Do you know anything about it?

Wonder Woman: She was a woman whose ambition led to her downfall by a curse.

You: Can it be undone?- Immediately forgetting your anger, you looked at the Amazon, trying to get an answer that didn't sound like bad news, but only got a sad expression from her in return

Wonder Woman: ...I don't know

You sighed loudly and stood up, much to her surprise

Wonder Woman: Where are you going?

You: I'm going to free her from this curse

You were about to leave until she blocked your way

Wonder Woman: But you are wounded

You: It's just a flesh wound

You stared at each other briefly before she sighed, knowing she wouldn't convince you to rest

Wonder Woman: Fine, go get yourself killed

She sidestepped and you walked away, however, you stopped in your tracks when you saw the window on the corridor. You were in space

You: What the hell!?

You turned around to face her demanding an explanation but put it aside when you saw the remorse she had on her face. She was a warrior, she wasn't usually that expressive, but she knew the feeling of brotherhood, friendship in battle, so she couldn't help but feel sad for you

You (In mind): I can't believe I'm about to say this but...

You turned around facing her and admitted:

You: *Sigh* Look, Wonder Woman, I appreciate you saving me from certain death but I...I have a bit of a problem getting used to this

Wonder Woman: Why?

You: I mean first my best friend turned into the avatar of a homicidal deity, an amazon of a woman just caught in mid-air and now I'm in a goddamn super space station! This is not the usual stuff for me!

You leaned on a wall, trying to clear your thoughts when you felt a hand on your shoulder

Wonder Woman: I understand it, let me take you back to your home

You: How?

Wonder Woman: Here, come with me

You followed her to a room that had a platform at the end and some controls as well. That seemed to be a working teleporter

Wonder Woman: Stand there- She pointed at the platform and you did as she asked

The woman began to type some things on the control when she heard your voice

You: W-Wonder Woman?

Wonder Woman: Yes?

You: I'm sorry- Hearing the sincerity in your voice surprised her, as she turned her gaze towards you

Wonder Woman: For what?

You: For acting like a jerk. I'm grateful that you saved me but...I just don't know If I'll be able to save Minerva, you know? Your change of attitude earned a smile from her

Wonder Woman: Don't worry, I will aid you- Your eyes widened in surprise

You: Really?

Wonder Woman: You have my word, if anything comes up I will let you know

You: And how will you find me?

Wonder Woman: Don't worry, I have my ways- You nodded and smiled at her, trying to trust her word

You: Thank you...Oh, by the way, my name is Y/N- She smiled at you, welcoming that gesture of non-hostility

Wonder Woman: You can call me Diana, Y/N- Her smile was something you had never seen before, not even in the news, and you liked it

Diana: Very well, Y/N. May the goddess take you home safely

She finished typing coordinates on the pad and the platform began to rotate. At first, you were reluctant, but you soon found yourself waving goodbye and then lightning began to surround you until everything turned white

Gotham City, 10:40 pm

The next thing you knew, you were back in Gotham City, your hometown. Amazed by this, many questions began to flood your thoughts

How did she know you were from Gotham? How did you teleported on the exact part of Gotham you live in? How are you not even still alive from that thing?

You decided to put aside the questions for the sake of not getting a headache and headed towards your apartment, wishing to get through with the day

When you entered the place, you were surprised to see your friend Katherine Kane, a pale young woman with red hair and green eyes. You two share an apartment, however, she has a girlfriend with who she spends most of her time, but she drops by every now and then

Kate: Hi Y/- Oh my God

When she saw you, she was at first happy and surprised, but it took only seconds for her jaw to drop at the wounds you came home with

You: Hey Kate...

Kate: What the hell happened to you?

She rushed to your side and got you a chair to sit on, helping you rest just enough to get an answer

You: It's... It's hard to explain

She frowned at this answer and you gave up on the secret, she was someone that had never hidden anything from you before, and now wouldn't be a good time to begin...or ever

You: *sigh* Alright then, get the coffee, this is gonna be a long one...

20 minutes later

Kate: So you got here by a teleporter?

You: Technically, yeah

Kate: ...Well, someone had a busy day

You chuckled at her calm attitude. She was a very calm person herself but something told you that she was more used to the action than you think

Either that or she doesn't care. Regardless, it made things easier

You: Well, you could say that

Kate: But, are you sure you're ok?

You: Yeah, just need to sleep a little

She nodded at this, standing up from her chair to help you get up and walk you to your room

Kate: Okay then, rest a little, Y/N

You sat down on your bed slowly, you were still wounded after all

You: Thanks, Kate, see you tomorrow?

You got a nod from her and she left the room right away, leaving you alone with your thoughts. As you rested your body, you gazed upon the window, and saw the nocturnal sky, relaxing as always

With a sigh of relief, you finally embraced your home. It didn't take long for you to close your eyes and let yourself be carried away by dreams, thus finally ending the crazy day you just had