It was nighttime, majestic stars decorated the sky and the wind was kind to you as you rested on a tree, all by yourself

Just a few minutes ago, you and Diana had a touching moment that ended with a declaration of love

Such a meaningful moment was calm after a storm, a raging, violent storm

The very same disaster that had not finished just yet, but the one that you now had the will to finish yourself

And as it was common from a not-solves conflict, it found you before you could find it

???: It's beautiful, isn't it? This place does have the best views

You looked behind you to find Circe herself emerging from the shadows, that one sorceress responsible for your survival

You: I was wondering when were you going to show up, I've been wanting to talk to you

While she was surprised that you were not reacting so aggressively to her presence, the woman smirked once she heard your comment

Circe: Did you miss me? I'm flattered~

You: From what I've heard, it was you who brought us here when we were practically dead

Circe: So I did

You: But why?

She giggled at this, seeing as you were still not used to her assistance, even if she had saved your life multiple times now

Circe: The same reason as before, darling, I want you to survive

You: But what do you gain from it? From me killing someone? Did they screwed you over or something?

She was caught off-guard by this, particularly surprised by how accurate this was

Circe: *Sigh* I guess you deserve to know the truth...

She left the tree she was leaning on, walking to your side and sitting on the same spot Diana was on moments ago

The sorceress just sat there, her knees were close to her face, but her gaze was up, facing the stars

Circe: Before I offered you power, I did it to someone else but she was...unstable, to say the least

You: Who is "she"? Is there a name you can give me?

Circe: None that I know of, this woman is practically a ghost, no past known

You: Right...So what's so bad about her?

Circe: She is full of grief and hatred for people like the so-called Justice League

For a brief moment, she looked at you, but her smile was nowhere to be found

Circe: Sounds familiar?

At first, you didn't answer this, your past self suddenly appeared in your mind. It might have been slightly insulting, you could tell her intentions were not bad

You: And? What did you do?...

Circe: I gave her power, enough to stand up to the likes of Superman as long as she didn't shed innocent blood

You: And she did it

You were fast to deduce this information, to which she nodded before returning her attention to the stars above

Circe: At first, she remained hidden, operating within the shadows and only using her powers when she deemed necessary, but when someone tried to convince her that fighting the Justice League was wrong, that was when blood was spilled.

This woman is certain that what she was doing was the right thing, even if others proved her wrong many times

You: And why are you so worried about her? Can't you just take away her power?

Circe: I tried to, but her will was too much for me to handle. She has me serving her by force

This got you confused, if she was working against her will, how could she be helping you survive at all?

You: Wait, then how are you here telling me this? Wouldn't "she" be aware of this conversation?

Circe: I can keep myself undetected for a brief period of time, as far as she is aware, I am meditating

You: Right...For how long can you do that?

Circe: Not long enough...

She ceased looking at the sky for a moment to look back at you, not denoting her usual mischievous attitude...but a genuine cry for salvation

Circe: She has grown insane...I do not want to help a maniac to destroy entire civilizations just because of their blind ideals.

Believe me, I have tried to reach even the heroes, but they just won't listen to me

It made sense, the Justice League were too proud sometimes just to allow themselves to listen to a villain

You: And out of all people, why did you choose me to do this?

Circe: I know your story, while you are another gun for hire, you are the most honorable out of all of them. When I saw someone willing to oppose her, I knew I had to help them no matter what

I know you believe in redemption, so I ask you now, Y/N L/N...

She stood up, not as sad anymore. Her eyes were pointed straight at you as she extended her hand

Circe: ...Will you help me undo my mistake?

You looked at her for a moment, thinking about what the woman told you. Circe was a wildcard, you never knew when could she switch sides even if she was "working against her will"

Not only that but the enemy she described as "her" was very aggressive and powerful by what Circe described.

If you were to survive that first and last encounter, you needed serious help

You: Fine...but just one condition

Circe: Name it

You: Diana comes with us, no more secrecy between us. There's been enough of that already

The sorceress did not take that request lightly, her mixed expression gave it away

Circe: What? We don't need her involved more than she already is!

You: Do you want my help?

She saw the stern look of determination you had, with no room for negotiation whatsoever, thus greatly reducing her options

Circe: *Sigh*...Fine

You smiled lightly once she agreed with you. Now if anything were to go wrong, now you had someone reliable to have your back

The discussion had ended, the Amazon returned a few minutes later, showing that warm smile of hers while she returned to her place next to you on that hill

Diana: Sorry I took so long, my sisters were eager to hear my stories. By the way, remember that girl you fought earlier, Alexa?

You: Hard to forget her, I'm sorry if I beat her too hard

Diana: It's fine, it seems that her sister Kalliope escaped the island and never returned

Recalling your encounter with that woman it came to memory who she was. That one Amazon that believed herself to be superior to you and your friends

But now it seems as if she were just hiding from her own problems by facing you. How great did it turn out

You: Huh, well now it makes slightly more sense why she was mad at me

Diana nodded, but she noticed that while you did pay attention to the conversation, your mind wasn't entirely there

Diana: Something is troubling you

You: As a matter of fact, yeah...

From behind the tree, Circe emerged yet again, taking the woman by surprise but seeing as she wasn't acting hostile, Diana didn't act

Instead, she looked back at you, expecting to find an explanation for this and judging by your expression, you had it

"Diana, we have to talk"

Gotham City, 5:30 a.m

An enigmatic figure was standing on a rooftop, overlooking the city. They were using a black suit as well as a white mask with no remarkable details whatsoever

Suddenly, the door leading to that place was opened, revealing Commissioner Gordon and Batwoman, both aiming at the person

Gordon: Give up already, we have you surrounded

The war for Gotham had been won, with the help of Batwoman, the GCPD was able to take back the city, but its streets remained empty, there was still one last threat to deal with:

That very same person they had in front of them

The figure turned around, unamused by their presence

Batwoman: Surrender now, we might consider being nice to you

???: Tempting, but no

Their enemy was using a voice distorter, similar to Batman, or anyone trying to hide their identity for that regard

Gordon tightened his grip on his gun while Batwoman raised a Batarang, ready to strike the villain down

???: Where are Y/N L/N and the Amazon?

Batwoman: You're dealing with us now

???: I'll speak to them, not to you

Before the vigilante could answer, the commissioner stepped up, who clearly had enough of this conflict

Gordon: We have been going at this for way too long, give back city to its people right now!

???: This was not your war to fight, commissioner, you can still walk away from this

Gordon: It became mine when you got the entire city and its people involved

???: But isn't the job of the Bat to keep you all safe? Oh right, he's not here, only the...

They stopped to look at Batwoman

???: ...Lesser ones are

This comment sent Batwoman over the edge. She was never one to be part of the Batfamily completely, but now she was perceived as one of the many "shadows" of the Batman? That she could not tolerate

And so, she threw a Batarang at the foe, who dodged effortlessly

???: ...If they aren't here now

The adversary cracked their knuckles before glaring at them through the mask

" You will have to do"

Themyscira, 2:35 a.m

...So you want me to come with you?

Diana asked you. You were still on the hills explaining the situation to her, needless to say, she was not happy with Circe because of what she did, going as far as offering you so much power behind her back

However, as angry as she was, she couldn't bring herself to be mad at you, she understood your decisions fairly good, but you still felt the need to explain yourself to her

You: Pretty much

Circe: I wouldn't be doing this if I had a choice, you know that

A slight hint of anger was hidden in her voice as she said that

You: So, what do you think?

Wonder Woman remained silent for a brief moment before glaring at Circe yet again

Diana: Let me speak to them, alone

Circe reluctantly complied, muttering and disappearing through a cloud of smoke

And now, you were truly alone. As soon as she looked at you, her gaze softened

You: Diana, I...I'm sorry I kept this from you. I never wanted that power, but as things got rougher...

You sighed, unable to finish that sentence, Diana gave you a sympathetic smile as a result

Diana: Don't apologize, I know you made those decisions under very harsh circumstances, it happens

You: *Sigh* You took that better than I thought

Diana: I'm a warrior too, remember?

You: Right...sorry

Exhausted, you sat on a rock nearby, hands on the sides of your head and your eyes looking down in defeat

You: I've been at it for too long, I just want this to end already but I need your help to do it, I... I need someone I can trust

Shortly after you said that you felt a hand placed on your shoulder, you found the woman looking at you

Diana: Y/N, I was with you when this began, I would be honored to be there when it ends

You couldn't help but smile at this, relieved to count with Diana's help even now

You: Thank you, Diana

She nodded slowly, smiling at you before taking a step back

Diana: We'll leave by sunrise

You: Fair enough

With that said, Circe returned, informed that you counted now with the help of the Amazon. Her reaction was a mixed one: She showed anger, but you could tell she felt relieved as well

You told Danielle as well about this. Needless to say, she was happy to know you were still up to the task of saving the city

Hours passed and the celebration continued for a couple hours, while you chose to rest. Tomorrow would be an eventful day after all

So when the night finally ended and the day was just starting, you woke up in better shape than yesterday, determined to complete your mission

You put your gear back on, the last time you would use that mercenary suit of yours, it would be worth it

Once you were done, you met the others on the shore. Turns out the queen herself was also there, maybe she wanted to say goodbye to her daughter

Hyppolita: Are you sure you have everything you need?

She asked the group you were in, her gaze finally resting on Diana

Diana: Yes mother, we are ready. Thank you for receiving us

Danielle: It was an honor to be part of your community, queen Hippolyta

The queen smiled at Danielle's words, showing that rare Amazon hospitality

Hippolyta: You are always welcomed here, Danielle

She placed her hands on her daughter's shoulders, with pride in her eyes

Hippolyta: Seeing you again was perfect, Diana, even if it was for such a short time, I am proud of you

With that said, they shared a hug, you could tell the queen was holding back strong emotions but was genuinely happy for her

Wonder how that felt like

Then, the queen turned her attention to you, showing a hint of a smile

Hippolyta: The best of luck to you in your mission, Y/N L/N

You: Thank you for everything, queen

With the goodbyes said, you asked Circe to act and she opened a portal using her magic. The other side of it showed the place where the war had started and thus, would house the end: Gotham City

You took a deep breath and without further do, you crossed the portal, with the others following your example shortly after

Once all of you stepped in, the portal closed, leaving you on your destination

Now, you were finally back in the streets of Gotham but this time, the place itself was different

It was completely empty, the wind blew cold breezes over you and even the fire from all the explosions had been put out

Not to mention, the sun hadn't even risen yet

The Amazon stepped up, letting her guard down briefly to look around

Diana: What happened here?

Danielle: It's like a ghost town in here...

It was then that you remembered the other person traveling with you

You: Alright, Circe, where's-

As you turned around to face the sorceress, she was nowhere to be found

You: ...So that's how it's going to be

Danielle: What do we do now?

Your friend's question made you stop to think the next course of action, but that's when you remembered the events and the people of the city who played an important role in its defense

You: We're back in Gotham, let's go to the GCPD and meet with the others

They agreed, you didn't waste any time and headed straight for the GCPD, wanting to see the state of your allies and any news since you left the town

Since there was nobody roaming the streets, it was surprisingly easy to find the place you were looking for

After ten minutes, you managed to find the building, but it was barricaded, even more than before

You: Woah, they don't waste any time

Danielle: Since our base was destroyed, it was logical they went back to theirs

Your Amazon companion approached the entrance, reaching our for a device on her ear

Diana: Commissioner, it's me, Wonder Woman. We are at the entrance of your building and request to get inside

Shortly after she started her conversation, the doors slowly opened to reveal a squad of SWAT soldiers with their weapons up and protecting their leader, one of Gordon's lieutenants

They aimed their weapons at you, their position firm as the man inspected you for a brief moment before finally speaking

???: Come inside

All but two soldiers guarding the entrance lowered their weapons, stepping aside to let you inside

Once you were there, you saw the officers rushing off to make different tasks, this place was everything but quiet

The lieutenant led you to the main office, where the man you were looking for had just finished giving orders to another policeman

It was commissioner Gordon himself. He found himself relieved when he spotted you

Gordon: About time you showed up

However, you then noticed the man had multiple bruises, some barely treated

You: Gordon, what the hell happened to you?

He sighed upon recalling the incident, leaning on the desk as he answered

Gordon: We tried to end it, we found the man responsible for this and surrounded him, but we got beaten, badly

Diana: Then let us deal with it

Wonder Woman stepped up, her attitude eager to confront the situation, but you stopped to ask something

You: Wait, "we"?

???: Yes, we

Then, you were approached by an injured Batwoman, or as you now knew her, Kate. She had an arguably worse treatment than the commissioner

She gave you a slight smile. One could tell it was somewhat awkward for her to see you again after she had her identity revealed to you

Kate: Y/N, I wanted to say th-

She was cut by a sudden action of yours, an embrace. Needless to say, she was shocked by this, believing you to remain angry at her

Truth to be told, the recent events in both Gotham and Themyscira had left you with a lot to think about.

This harsh time of war was taking away most of your dear friends, they chose to give their lives to something greater.

But since you were losing so many people, you might as well start again and fix things with the ones you have left

Even if they were costumed vigilantes

The redheaded superhero understood this as well, she finally gave in and decided to hug back

Shortly after this happened, you let go to look at her, smirking

You: Hell of a beating you took

She answered this with a smile of her own

Kate: Just another day in the job

Diana put a hand on her shoulder, gaining her attention

Diana: Thank you for taking charge while we left

Kate: Of course

Once things were stable, you chose to focus entirely on the task at hand

You: Alright, we'll continue where we left off, what do we have?

You looked at the map of the city decorating the wall, with markings, scratches, and photographs. They clearly had been busy

Gordon: Since most of the gang leaders are taken care of, their groups disbanded, others fought each other in vain and some others just surrendered

Kate: That leaves just one target: The same person who broadcasted the message that caused this

You: Do we have any known location?

Gordon: That Janus building on the east

No wonder why it was chosen, that building was the exact same where you got ambushed

Gordon: They said they would be waiting for you two alone, otherwise they would destroy everything

The man motioned to Diana and you. Seems like it was personal for the enemy too

Kate: We can't risk this, so we have to play along with it

You: Then Diana and I will go, you keep your guard up for anything that might happen while we deal with this

After that, you turned around to face Danielle

You: Dani, I want you to keep a sharp eye on the city, not a single thing must happen without us knowing it. Who knows if they set off a bomb mid-conflict

Gordon: I know you're pretty damn strong but, you sure you can handle it?

She stopped to look at you briefly, a smile formed on her face as she did. She returned her gaze to the commissioner, confident

Diana: Yes, I am

Gordon: If you say so, the armory is over there, grab anything you need, good luck

He walked away, leaving you to prepare yourselves for the battle to come. You turned back to face Diana

You: Be right back

She nodded and so you rushed off to the armory, grabbing a couple grenades, a combat knife, a pistol, and a shotgun just in case things get rougher than expected

It made sense that the police station for the country's most dangerous city had one outstanding armory to defend it. Once you got the equipment you needed, you returned to Diana, only to be stopped by Danielle herself

She gave you an earpiece, communication would be vital for this operation to work, then she gave you a quick hug, talking without looking at you

Danielle: Give them hell, for your friends

Hearing this was particularly motivating, as it reminded you of your personal reason for doing this

You: You can count on it

You gave her a pat on the back as the hug came to an end, she gave you a slight smirk

Danielle: Don't die out there

You just chuckled at this. Her sense of humor remained the same after all

Finally, you reached your Amazon companion and without further do, you walked out of the GCPD again, this time with a direction in mind

As you made your way down the streets, now you had the time to take a look around to see what this war had cost o the people of the city: Businesses gone, homes destroyed, entire buildings erased from the map...

You could say it was a fortune to have someone like that Bruce Wayne guy to help deal with the aftermath of things, but it was still something to worry about

It didn't take you long to get to the building, the gates of it were open, there were no signs of an army expecting you on the other side

Diana: Shall we?

She motioned towards the inside of the place, you nodded and carefully looked around for any signs of enemies, but found none

You: *Sigh* This again...

Diana: What are you talking about?

You: This whole "ghost town" thing, it really doesn't suit a place like Gotham

She stopped investigating the scene to give you a sympathetic look

Diana: Then consider this the calm before the storm, Y/N

You: ...Yeah, I can work with that

Seeing as there was nothing there, you reached out to your communicator

You: Hey Dani, found anything

Danielle: I found a single person in the building besides you two

You: Where?

Danielle: Tenth floor, conference room

You glanced at Diana, waiting for her confirmation

You: You heard that

She nodded, storing her sword and shield to move faster

Diana: Let's go

And so, you made your way to the stairs and with some assistance from your superhero "friend" you made it to the tenth floor in no time

The conference room was across the hall, you took out your handgun, Diana grabbed her weapons as well so by the time you reached the doors, you were ready

You stopped right on the other side, nodding at Diana who in a swift movement brought the door down, allowing both of you to get inside, but what you saw wasn't what you expected

The room was almost empty, no bodyguards, no weapons, the room even looked clean. Behind the boss's seat, were some giant windows that offered a perfect view of the now wounded Gotham

On the other side of the room, sitting in that chair, was a person wearing a dark suit as well as a white mask with no remarkable details whatsoever. You two immediately recognized them as the one Circe was talking about

???: The door was open

Without hesitating, you raised your gun at the person sitting there

You: Alright, what's the trick here?- You chose to go straight to the point this time

???: None, have a seat if you may

You: Yeah, I don't think so. What's all of this for?

Without looking away from the person nor loosening your grip on your gun, you took a couple steps closer

???: I wanted to see it for myself, to finally meet the person that made it so incredibly hard to save this city

Wonder Woman then stored her weapons to wrap her lasso around the villain, with them nothing about it

Diana: The lasso of Hestia compels you to say the truth, what is it that you hide?

They just stared at her, not even flinched but replied calmly

???: I just told you

Her eyes widened in surprise at this, while the masked individual just got the lasso off them

Diana: But how?

???: There is no effect in using it if there is nothing to hide, Diana

Instinctively, she threw the foe into the wall, holding them with her clenched hands

Diana: Don't you ever call me like that

???: And why not? If you were the one that told me to do it

She pushed them harder against the wall, but once again, they didn't react on the slightest

Diana: Who are you?

Worried that she might lose control even more than she had, you rushed to her side, grabbing her arm in an attempt to hold her back

You: Diana, calm down already!!

Diana: Don't tell me what to do, Y/N

She coldly stated without looking back at you, her grip tightening slowly

???: If you're so curious, why don't you take off my mask yourself?

No foe is ever so open for that, so they clearly were planning something ahead

You: Wait, Diana don't-

Unfortunately, her curiosity was faster than you. She took off the mask from the villain, but she was beyond shocked by what she found:

It was a blonde woman, with only one blue eye, while her face was gravely scarred

When the Amazon saw her, she instantly let go of her, going as far as to take a couple steps back

Diana: ...Harper?- Was all her breath allowed her to say

Harper: I know, I should be dead

Without her mask, her voice sounded normal, even weak as if she was not able to speak so well

Of course, you were not sure of what was going on. This woman had never been mentioned before, but she must have had an impact on Diana's life if she had such reaction

Whoever this was, she was still the one responsible for all this mess

You: Who is she, Diana?

This Harper woman directed her attention to you

Harper: If you are to know, Diana and I used to be friends, I worked for the heroes, admired and even befriended them...until they failed me

Diana: What? You disappeared!- She gave quite the response

Harper: And you gave up the search!

She answered with the same force, almost denoting pure emotion, but she was fast in returning her attention to you

Harper: I worked at one of their stations, they called it the Watchtower, it suffered an attack and they just let me for dead! Me, who worked so closely with them!

I trusted them and they failed me, do you think you are different than me?

This comment got an unexpected response from you. You were going o remain silent during the argument and listen to reason, but she compared herself to you

The same woman who single-handedly led the city to the ruin

You: Sure, because I also like to screw entire cities

Harper: I did it to protect them!

Every word that came from her mouth only served to enrage you even more, it was so easy to become distracted in what she said

You: And what a fucking perfect job you did!!

This change in attitude gained Diana's attention, the roles you had got inverted in a surprisingly short time

Diana: Y/N, calm down!

She held you down by placing her hands on your shoulders, yet your glare remained on her

You: No, the people I cared about DIED because of her bullshit and she says it was to protect us!?

Harper: Perhaps they would have lived if their leader wasn't so lacking

And this was indeed, the comment to make you lose control

You: ALRIGHT THAT'S IT

You got your handgun aimed at Harper and without hesitation, you shot her, only to be blocked by Diana's bracelets. This act made you look at her in both rage and confusion

Diana: Can't you see it? Y/N, this is exactly what she wants! For you to just lose control!

She moved her hands from your shoulders to your cheeks, softly making your eyes encounter hers

Diana: Look at me, you are better than this, alright?

As she continued talking to calm you down (which was working) you spotted that Harper was preparing something behind her back, soon enough drawing a weapon on her

Without hesitation, you moved Diana away from the bullet and took the shot for her, being blasted away by it but not injured badly enough to stop fighting

Diana: Y/N!!

She rushed to your side when suddenly, a purple beam of energy was fired her way. Diana managed to block it with her shield, but just as the attack stopped, she was thrown out of the room by another person

This person was Circe herself

Harper: Circe, take care of her

Angry at the fact that she was still being used, Circe tried to say something, but only a pained groan left her lips a Harper punisher her for disobeying thus leaving her no other choice

Circe: A-As you wish...

She walked out of the room, preparing another incantation and leaving you alone with Harper

Harper: You could've walked away at any time, no one would have blamed you by leaving this hell

Then, you managed to stand back up, using the table to help you but still having that hostile attitude towards her. She had just given you more reasons to have it

You: It takes more than that to get me out of the city...

Harper: Is there any reason why are you so stubborn to save it?

You spat out some blood before looking at her again

You: Like Hell I'll tell you

Harper: Fair enough

She picked up a chair and threw it at you, she was surprisingly strong, which meant she could take a bullet as well. You dodged the chair and used your shotgun on her, forcing her to take a couple steps back as a result

But things got worse once you were forced to reload. Harper was quick to grab the weapon and destroy it with her bare hands before she threw a punch at you which you barely blocked and even if you did, it still hurt a lot

She took advantage of your stunned state and hit you yet again, this time making you hit the window, but not breaking it completely

To take this particular enemy down you would need something else, no doubt about it

Harper: I'm disappointed, I was told you were a skilled fighter, but you're not giving much of a fight

You recuperated from her previous attack, but she lifted you up and hit you against the glass yet again, but this time it broke

Harper: So much for the person to "foil my plans" I guess

With that said, she threw you off the window, seemingly forcing you out of the building and into a certain death, but you refused

Instead of falling, you held on to the edge and impulsed yourself back up, kicking Harper away in the process

You: To be honest with you... You talk too much

You rolled out of the way of her next attack and decided to use your first grenade to beat her and so you threw it at her while using her to kick yourself back, thus getting away of the impact zone while throwing her out of the building

This time, your tactic worked. Harper would, of course, survive this, but you needed to find a way to get her off you so you could think of an actual way to defeat her

Not far from there, a certain wicked sorceress was confronting the Amazon you knew as Diana, who was currently blocking another blast from her but still, she decided to talk

Diana: I knew it would come to this

She sidestepped and threw her shield at her, but it failed

Circe: It's not something I'd plan on happening

She charged yet another attack to bombard her opponent with

Diana: Then why are you still fighting me?

She asked while avoiding Circe's fireballs as she made her way back to her shield

Circe: This might have not been my choice, but I won't pass an opportunity to defeat you, Diana

This comment angered her, remembering fully why Circe was an enemy to her

Diana: And that is why no word from you can be trusted

Circe avoided a slash from Diana's sword only to be struck by the hit of the weapon and kicked away by her, however, before she could come any closer, Circe summoned a "wall" of fire

Circe: And you're any better? Do I have to remind you Y/N's friend who you swore to save is still cursed?

The Amazon stopped her fight as soon as this was brought up, so many memories and the worst part of it was that Circe was not wrong, Cheetah was the reason ou to kept in touch at first, and she was still under the effects of her curse

Diana: Minerva...

However, Diana was then blasted into a wall by a magical attack, courtesy of her opponent. Seeing as she had the advantage, Circe threw one last, powerful attack on Diana, but it was deflected by her bracelets, hitting her with her own move and stunning her for a moment

This distraction, as shot as it was, helped Diana greatly, as she stood back up and jumped at Circe, using her shield to knock her out, thus finally ending the battle

Diana: Thank you for the reminder...

She rushed back at the conference room, finding it not so clean now

Diana: Are you alright?

She only got a thumbs up from you as you regained your breath

Diana: Where is Harper?

You: On the street, she's alive

The Amazon nodded, both of you rushed your way out of the room but crossed a portal the moment you did so, this led to the middle of the street, where Harper was waiting for you, even angrier than before

Harper: You don't seem to have any problem with beating people from our "world" but from yours?

She raised her fist, suddenly the ground began to shake and even worse: bodies of the dead were starting to rise, but not just any dead, these were Amazons just like Diana

Harper was gifted with many powers thanks to Circe, but she sure knew how to send Diana over the edge

It was so painful for her to see her sisters like that, and it was certainly not good for you to see her so hurt either, but one of you had to keep the other going, that was how your relationship worked, and it still did

So you put a hand on her shoulder, breaking her from her trance to look at you, trying to get her to calm down

You: Hey, it's alright, we can do this

It took her a little to answer, but she was slowly getting back into the "game"

Diana: not with your guns, no

You: Oh...

Diana: But there is another way...

Realizing what she meant, you felt rather uneasy to comply, but there were not many options either

You: No, what if I lose control and go all crazy on you too?

She saw your genuine concern and couldn't help but smile at you, kindly remembering who was she fighting with

Diana: You won't

You: How do you know?

She then used her lasso and tied your forearm with hers so you two would be bound together. While risking, you felt lightly safer by this

Diana: Trust me, you won't

You sighed, finally opening up to the course of action that you would take to get past the undead crowds of Amazons

You: Alright, here goes nothing...

And so, you took a deep breath and repeated the words that Circe had taught you in secret to summon the dreaded armor that she had offered you so many times before

You hated the idea, but when it came to metahumans and literal gods, having something like this would have to be used anyway, but when and how was what defined the result of it

An armored glove appeared on your hand, you finally put it on and shortly after, an entire armor covered your body, even a helmet was there now. You could feel the boost driving you over the edge, but Diana's lasso was the one that helped you to maintain a certain balance in order to keep going

Diana: Are you alright?

She asked you while helping you stand up, but the armies of the undead were approaching you rather quickly

You finally stood back up, getting used to this new armor

You: Yeah, let's get this done

Diana nodded and without further do, you two charged into battle, taking down Amazons left and right in order to get to Harper.

You didn't get any weapon to go with the armor, but your knowledge about combat without any weapons proved itself more than useful against them

While wearing this armor, you felt your wounds heal up and you no longer felt tired, but in peak condition to keep fighting

Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for Diana

She might be a superhero and a powerful warrior, but these people, they were her family, no wonder why she found it so hard to do what she did

In fact, there came a moment in which you stopped moving because something was slowing you down significantly

When you turned around, you found to Diana herself on her knees, using her sword to keep herself from falling, looking down and even her breathing was heavy

Diana: I can't...

You had never seen her so defeated before, not even when you were at your lowest, and even then she helped you get back up

It was time for you to do the same

You even stopped fighting the Amazons and served as a shield for Diana as she slowly directed her saddened, defeated gaze to you

Diana: I-I'm sorry, I...

Without saying a word, you offered her your hand, much to her surprise

You: Yes, we can

When she looked into your eyes, she found sympathy, will, hope. Emotions that she couldn't help but find comforting

Diana was a woman of actions, so you didn't need to sweet-talk her back into the fight, you just needed to show her that she wasn't alone

Diana: ...Together?

You heard her ask tiredly but with a hint of hope this time as she took your hand

This earned a nod from you, Diana couldn't tell, but under that helmet, you were smiling at her

You: Together

She finally took your hand, a smile slowly making its way to her face as she did

And now, both of you were giving your best against the hordes, quickly proving to be too much for them

Harper noticed this and desperate to stop you, she entered the area to confront you two

The woman appeared in front of you, starting by throwing a punch which both of you dodged, but while doing so, she had separated you from Diana, with her lasso no longer tied around your forearm

With that accomplished, she grabbed you and threw you into a near building

Diana reacted quickly by attacking Harper with her sword on her back, taking her by surprise

Harper tried to hit the Amazon princess but she ducked and hit her opponent's stomach before hitting her in the jaw with the shield

However, before anything else could be done, Diana was forced to stop once she felt a piercing pain on the back of her leg, right in the gaps of the armor on her legs

The pain made Wonder Woman fall to her knees as a result, only to be hit across the face by her former friend

Harper: You are not done with them just yet

Right when she said that, the remaining Amazons caught up to her, overwhelming her and covering Harper at the same time

With that taken care of, Harper went to the building you landed in, leaving her alone

Diana took the arrow out of her skin and managed to stand up again, barely dodging an incoming attack and punched away the aggressor

Once she gained enough distance, Diana took out both her sword and shield, looking straight at the undead army in front of her

Diana: Forgive me, sisters...

She let out a war cry before running at the enemy, starting another great battle

As for Harper, she looked around for you, searching to end the fight but she was still not able to find you

Instead, she was attacked from above, receiving multiple punches from you

As you kept fighting, you noticed that she emanated the exact same energy to that of your armor. This was going to be the key to her defeat

You: You know? I found out something special about our "powers"

She threw her fist at you, you caught her forearm as a result

You: That they are linked somehow, so if one gets destroyed...

Harper's eyes widened at the meaning of your words made even clearer by a grenade on your other hand

You used it to deliver a final blow to her with all your might, one so strong it broke your armor and caused an explosion from Harper

Both of you were still standing, but now the magic was gone

Harper stood back up, her crazed gaze turning into a glare when she saw you again

Harper: That will cost you EVERYTHING

She took out a detonator and pressed the button on it. Nothing happened yet, but that only made it worse

You: What did you just do!?

Instead of getting an answer you were tackled through a weakened wall by the now-desperate Harper

Not far from there, the battle between Amazons continued

Diana sidestepped, allowing the enemy's blade to hit another one before she tossed them away. Then she used her shield to stun another one and sweep her legs

Her lasso was wrapped around her arm, allowing her to keep herself focused as she fought them

The Amazons managed to land a couple hits on Wonder Woman, and even if it hurt she couldn't allow herself to stop, she was needed now more than ever

And talking about it...

???: Diana, are you there?

She parried another attack, using her knee to knock an enemy out

Diana: Yes, what happened?

Danielle: We just located bombs around the city, four of them

This forced her to stop for a moment, completely changing her priorities now

Diana: Where

Danielle: We're taking care of one over at Wayne tower, take care of the one at Robinson Park

Diana: On my way

She pushed another Amazon away, but seeing as they wouldn't leave her be, she hit her bracelets together with force, blasting them away

Diana used this advantage to quickly leave the field, jumping from one building to the other to find the first bomb

Diana: I thought they had taken care of it!

Danielle: These bombs appeared out of nowhere, it's like-

Diana: Magic

She landed on the grass, reaching Robinson Park, one of Gotham's more iconic places, remodeled after a quake took place in the city years ago

Diana: Any advice?

She looked around the place for the bomb, her ear allowing her to locate the ticking device shortly after

Danielle: I wish I had one, I don't even-

The communication was cut, leaving the Amazon to figure out a way to get rid of it. The bomb itself was adhered to a statue, but no signs of the statue being part of the bomb

And so, Diana chose to lift up the statue, but due to her previous wound on her leg, she found this more difficult to the point that she almost dropped it

Taking a deep breath and ignoring the pain, she lifted up the statue and threw it up at the sky just in time for it to explode, minimizing the damage done

Diana: I got one, what now?

Danielle: Mercy Bridge. Now

The way she said it made it seem more urgent than how it was and this made her move faster than before just to get there in time, getting there was no easy task, especially after the intense combat she had just gone through but then again, she had enough motivation to keep herself going

After five minutes of traveling across the city, she reached the edge, but something was wrong, the bridge was falling apart. Danielle herself was in it trying her best to defuse the device

In fact, a piece of the bridge was about to fall on her, if not for the Amazon destroying it before it could touch her friend

Danielle: Thanks for that- She said without looking at her

Diana: Why is this happening?

Danielle: I wish I had an explanation, but nor now our best guess is that stopping the bomb stops the bridge from shaking so damn much

Diana: Alright, tell me what to do

Danielle: I'm going to extract the bomb, I need you to hold the bridge in place while I do it, I'll try not to take long

And so it began, Danielle was using her skills to try and defuse the bomb while the bridge was losing integrity with each second passed

However, this task proved to be a challenge in itself, as more and more pieces threatened to harm Danielle. Wonder Woman stood behind her and used the different weapons at her disposal to either destroy or parry every obstacle

This method worked at first, but when bigger pieces started to fall on them, Diana started to run out of options. It was until a considerably large part of concrete fell on them, with Diana using both of her hands to hold it

Danielle: Almost there!

The pressure increased with every minute, as the Amazon's remarkable strength slowly wore out

There was a beeping noise on the machine, indicating significant progress on the device when suddenly, Diana fell on one knee, trying her best not to give in to the

Time felt as if it were moving slower on purpose, things were not looking good at all, until a certain voice made Diana snap out of it and get back into action

Danielle: Now!!

As soon as she heard that, Wonder Woman grabbed her friend and jumped out of the way, barely escaping the scene

Finally safe, Diana took the chance to regain her breath, it was so surprising to see her tired

Danielle: Gordon, how are things on your side?

She asked through her communicator

Gordon: Not so good, there are other three bombs left, we are still defusing one

She groaned, annoyed by the progress they had

Danielle: There is no time left

Diana: Yes there is

She turned around o see the Amazon princess herself standing back up again, still recovering

Danielle: But-

Diana stopped her, reaching out for her communicator and breathing lighter than before, but much more determined

"Commissioner, tell us where the other bombs are"

Back with you

Currently, you were fighting a depowered, but desperate Harper in an empty room whose wall was nearly destroyed, allowing you to see the city

Harper: You were not supposed to participate in this, trying to save this place was your worst decision yet

She said as she regained her breath, leaning on the wall to look at you

Harper: I mean, look where it got you, you lost everything

You: Right, and erasing Gotham from the map won't affect anyone who lives there

Harper: I was going to get rid of the villains, the real scum that plagues this city

She chuckled at this, suddenly taking out a handgun and aimed it at you, only for you to disarm her using the knife you brought along with you

You: By ruining every single life in here? You might as well create a new wave of villains by doing this

Both of you were tired of the seemingly endless fight you had going on, now you were relying more on words than actions, but violence was not off the table at all

You: All it takes is one bad day, Harper, and by doing this you might have given it to someone else

She rushed at you, swinging her fist only for you to duck and hit her stomach before using your knee to hit her head

However, Harper recovered right away as you grabbed her by her shoulders but then discovered that she had a knife. That same knife was dug into your left arm, weakening your grip on her

Harper moved the knife while still inside you, earning a pained groan but also forcing you to let go of her

She took the advantage and tried to kick you, but you caught her leg and used the momentum to throw her not so far away

Harper: It's a small price to pay, humanity has relied too much on superheroes to save themselves

You took the knife out of your shoulder and tossed it away. She charged at you, throwing another kick for you to block and then landing a punch on her face before she returned it and pushed you away briefly before throwing you to the ground

Harper: This was going to be only the beginning, I would clean the world from evil!

You caught her fist and hit her with your elbow to stun her. Then you got the upper hand and now you were on top

You: By committing mass homicide. Haven't you thought some of these superheroes actually do something good for us?

Harper: Right, like claiming every victory for themselves, even if it wasn't theirs, just like it's going to happen to you if you get out of this alive

She pushed you off her, trying to attack you but instead got kicked away and tackled into the wall. She tried to hit you again, only getting her fist caught and due to your patience running out, you bent her hand harshly, earned a pained groan from her

This woman was about to fall down to the ground as she was no longer able to stand up due to her injuries, but she decided to use the momentum and throw you down with her

Harper: You think you're the hero in this? You think that even if you kill me, that things won't get worse? That you won't end up in jail or dead?... Do you truly believe that you can just redeem yourself?

These words echoed throughout your mind, recalling what you said back at Themyscira when you broke down, that same feeling of impotence, anger, desperation was something crawling along

But then, pain joined the mix suddenly when you then realized that Harper had stabbed you on the side with a piece of glass that was lying on the floor

Harper: No, Y/N, they are just too proud to accept that they got helped by a regular person like us...

The pain forced you to get off her and just lay on the ground, next to a Harper that was just as injured as you were.

Now, none of you had the strength left in your bodies to continue the fight, instead, you just lied there, panting, sweating and even bleeding on the ground, but your eyes were fixed on the damaged ceiling

You: That's why I am here... I wanted to show them that we don't rely on them, that we can save ourselves too

Your words made Harper look at you, curious but remained silent

You: You...you asked if there was a reason for what I did, there is one. Her name is Zoe, she's the child of a mercenary, a friend of mine. She hasn't had the best of lives, but I try to make it no so shitty

A smile appeared on your face as you remembered the daughter of Lawton, Zoe, that small child who always managed to turn a bad day into a nice one

You: I wanted to show her that she doesn't have to wait for someone to save her when there is a crisis, that when you need a hero, you become one...

The woman gave you a concerned look, earning a chuckle from you

You: I know, I was so stupid for doing this

Harper: No, no, I...I understand this perfectly

You found yourself surprised by this, the "villain" was actually agreeing with you?

Harper: I wanted to do something similar, but I... *Sigh* I went too far. It's just that...when you have the power, there is just so much you can do...

You: Well, guess that's a reason why we don't all have powers, someone has to keep them in check

The blonde nodded, but then she saddened upon realizing something

Harper: I messed up...When this is over, I'll go down as just another terrorist, no message worth giving but violence *Sigh*

She then looked at you, straight in the eyes

Harper: I need you to promise me something

This caught you off-guard, having lost her power really helped Harper to get her mind back, shame all of this had to happen

You:...Go on

Harper: We both know this isn't over, and I won't let myself be killed by the system, so I ask you...if one of them ever goes rogue and decide to kill us all, you'll keep them at bay

You sat up after hearing this, paying close attention to her words

Harper: I know it's too much of a task, but c'mon...look at what you have accomplished by yourself, I know you can, Y/N L/N. People need to look up to someone who isn't a superhero

These words, she left you thinking deeply about it. You had always thought about the present, the next course of action to win the war, but you had never thought about what to do after it

This experience had left you with so much, being a mercenary was not something you could just continue to do, not when this kind of situations emerge, if anything you needed to be there to show the people just how capable they were of self-salvation

With that in mind, you had just signed up for your next mission in life. It all started with the words you said next

You: Yes, I...I'll do it

She smiled after hearing this, standing up for herself and walking away from you

Harper: Then...then, I guess..I'm done here

She picked up the handgun on the floor and turned around to look at you

Harper: You better don't end up like me, Y/N

Then, she pointed the weapon at the side of her head

You: WAIT!!

Smiling, she closed her eyes and in a swift motion, pulled the trigger before you could reach her

And with that, Harper was no more

Now, it was only you in the room, with the sun slowly rising to indicate daytime, the end of the war, but also... a new stage of your life

All you could do was to walk towards the destroyed wall, looking over the city with your mind too crowded to let you say a word. A woman had chosen to go out her way rather than by the hands of a questionable source

Not only that, but she also trusted you with the mission of her life, there were just so many thoughts, so many questions in your mind, but only one of them making its presence clear to you:

"What now?"

???: Y/N? How is everything going? Do you need assistance?

A voice asked through the communicator, it was Danielle

You: I'm fine- Was all you could say

Danielle: And what about our enemy?

You looked back at the body of Harper, taking a little to answer this time

You: She's...I took care of it

Danielle: really? Do you mean that...

You: Yeah

"It's over"

One week later, the Watchtower

"I trusted Gotham to them!"

"They saved your city!"

"By taking multiple lives, they are just another murderer!"

Two voices were arguing in a nearly empty room, these voices belonged to Diana herself and the Batman, who were arguing over the results of everything that took place

Batman was beyond furious that the lives of so many people were taken in this conflict, including people from his own rogues gallery

While Diana defended your course of action, being a warrior herself, she knew just what to say

But they were not the only ones in the room, there was another person with them who served as the neutral point of view in this situation, a person who had been silent since the debate began

A person whose silence they soon noticed

Diana: Kal?...

He was facing the giant window in the room, overlooking Earth while listening to the conversation (or argument) between Diana and the Batman

Superman: I'm watching them from here. They are still in prison, took your demands better than I thought, Bruce

Shortly after the Justice League returned to Earth, so did the Batman, and he immediately got you jailed for your actions, you didn't refuse because, well..he's Batman, but Diana had a plan, she was going to prove your innocence, meanwhile you chose to play along

As for your only ally left, Danielle, she was forced to move out of the city but found home in Seattle with her friend Dinah Lance, who swore to keep an eye out for her

Superman turned around to face his fellow heroes, lacking the altered emotions that both Batman and Wonder Woman showed at the topic

Superman: How is the voting going?

Diana: I voted innocent while Bruce, of course, voted guilty

Currently, they were deciding whether your actions were justified or not, like a jury, but a top-secret one

Superman: Right...You asked what my opinion was about this. It wasn't easy, but I think I finally got one

He hovered over to the table, carefully placing his hand on it without looking at his friends

Superman: The actions of Y/N L/N are questionable, yes, both of you know how I feel about casualties in any conflict

Superman: But I can see why did they do it. If they hadn't act all of Gotham would have been destroyed and who knows if the responsible would have stopped there

Batman: We would have stopped them by now

Superman: I don't think so, this person knew everything about us, including when to strike

Diana: Which means we probably would have failed

Superman: Exactly, but Y/N? They aren't affiliated with any of us, they weren't even metahuman and still, they chose to save us

Batman: By taking the lives of others

Superman: Y/N also suffered casualties, Bruce

Diana: They lost everyone but one person

Superman: And still they chose to continue when it was so easy to just leave. Like it or not that deserves respect

Superman: Taking this into consideration, I believe I know what to vote now

Superman: I vote...

"Innocent"

Two Months later

"Y/N L/N, get up, you're going out of here"

A guard told you, looking at you still in your cell, noticing your surprised expression

You: Already?

Guard: Yes, let's go

He opened the cell and let you walk away. you did this slowly, as you were still not sure about this

Guard: This way

The man began to walk away, motioning you to follow him as he did so. You did it without thinking it twice, better not to make him wait

You: But... who did it?

Guard: Diana Prince- Was all he said

And suddenly it hit you, the promise made by the Amazon princess

After following a strict procedure, you were given back your clothes and now escorted by another guard, you walked out of prison. The metallic doors opened, revealing the bright morning to you and a hall where freedom waited for you on the other side

Guard: Let's go

You walked said hall, soon discovering that a woman was waiting for you on the other side, she was Diana, wearing civilian clothes

Once you reached her, the officer left you alone, now in presence of the Amazon princes yet again

You: You weren't lying- You said to her, smiling with hope

She didn't say anything, instead, she welcomed you with a warm embrace, which left you shocked

Diana: Of course not, you of all people desserve peace

Almost out of instinct, she cupped your face, bringing your faces together for a warm, tender kiss that was filled with pure happiness

Diana: However... you won't be able to return to Gotham, that's the condition Batman gave

You: Well...I didn't have anything left in there, so I guess it's okay

Diana: You took it better than I thought, but where are you going to live now?

You: That...That is actually a really good question

Your mind wandered on its own, already making a list of options, but then Diana's voice answered for you with an even better option

Diana: Well, I live in France, if you wish, you could come live with me while you clear your mind, I can see you still have a lot to think about

Then, you felt your hand getting intertwined with hers, making you look at the Amazon, who was giving you one of the kindest smiles you have ever seen, not to mention her already astonishing beauty

And it was for you

This inevitably got a smile from you as you tightened the bond between your hand and hers gently, finally getting the courage to speak up again

Yeah, I would like that