RoS: 'A Better World'

Chapter 01. The Morning Breaks

“Hera!”
“Well, it had to be done.”

He remembered the look on her face. Even now, after all this time, he still remembered it…every second of the day. The look that said one simple thing.

‘Everything that she knew, everything she had come to believe in, nothing would be the same…ever again.’

She had been the naïve princess. A newcomer to their world, she had automatically looked towards those around her, to them for learning the ways and customs of this world. Realizing that the teachings of her mother and sisters, although noble were from a time that was far removed from her time…from their time. They were the ones who guided her, set the standard for her.

They had told her, showed her that they, mankind had changed from since the time that Amazons withdrew from man’s world, to the time she, the youngest and only Amazon born on the island nation of Themiscyra, ventured out of the safe borders of her home. They had showed her that, given her hope….

…only to take it all away in the blink of an eye.

At that moment, the woman that she had become in her time in patriarch's world, and the hero, both started to withdraw…the warrior coming out in their stead. And that warrior, as with any good soldier, followed one ideal.

‘Whatever the cost, no matter what the sacrifice….do what has to be done.’

--

Ingénue.

In many ways, that was what she was, and still had been…before that that day.

He remembered reading about and seeing on the news, in the entertainment section, her visit to a non-descript cosmetics and women’s apparel shop. The reporter, and the shop’s owner both gained mileage from her innocent efforts at trying to understand the odd customs that the females of this world adopted, coloring their lips, eyes and faces, wearing clothing and footwear that was clearly not for comfort. It had never been this way on Themiscyra. True, almost her sisters and her mother used to use bath oils, salves and coloring pastes and powders. True they too had clothing that was reserved for special occasions, for example during their celebrations of the changing seasons, after a sisterly competition or during their festivals of the gods. However, none of their activities were for trying to beautify themselves just to appear more attractive than the others around them, and catch the attention of someone of the opposite (or in some cases, same) sex.

‘Well, to attract someone of the opposite sex, there has to be someone of that sex,’ he had mused then. In the silence of the cave, in one of those unguarded moments of emotion that he allowed himself of experience, he had actually dared to think of her something else, something more, than a respected teammate.

Just as he allowed himself to think that, he also thought that if apart from learning about new things, she was herself trying to imitate…even if subconsciously, the ways of the women of this world, the mannerisms they used to attract a specific person that had caught their attention.

He thought that, about her and allowed himself to think how it would be if he would…if he could allow himself to accept her guileless, yet sensual advances, to allow himself to be with her.

And finally, once day, one fateful day, the day that was saddest of her life, the moment that she was at her weakest…he had done exactly what he had steeled himself to never do, what he shouldn’t have done.

He had taken her…made her his own, and in the process lost himself in her.

Only to lose her…forever.

-----

“And as long as you are down there, please try to get Batman out of that cave of his. Even I find it depressing.”

Even the crunch of his boots on the snow-ice mixture, lost in the howl of the winds, was not enough to drown out the words from his thoughts. How fitting for him that even the Martian, a being whose ability to be emotionally detached was more formidable than anyone he knew, even he could not match up against the Batman’s capacity and efforts to be a loner…to be alone.

Moving as a wraith, heading towards his destination, his eyes widened momentarily as he caught sight of a dark form trudging through the snow, a dead fresh kill trailing behind it.

The form garbed in patchy furs, most probably from the previous hunts, gave no sign of having detected his presence. It was to be expected, both given the tumultuous weather and because of who this person was…had been. For someone who had spent their whole life with enhanced senses, having to live without them would be akin to a normal ‘average’ person going completely blind, deaf and dumb.

‘All because of you.’ He chose to neglect the accusing whisper from within himself. Of all his demons, this was one that he had made his peace with, almost. He had done what was needed to done…to save the world…from them.

---

“You sure you don’t want to help us out.”
“To much to do.”

“Come on, for old time’s sake.”
“I hate old times.”

Hawkgirl and Green Lantern. Shayera and John. In the end, it was possibly the two of them who got the best deal. It wasn’t that the made out unscathed…with their powers intact or anything like that. In fact, in the days after parting company with their ‘League counterparts, it was Shayera who suffered the most….at least physically.

Her powers gone, her body affected at a genetic level, she had not only lost her power of flight but also her majestic wings. The first to go were the feathers, slowly at first, but soon shedding away in large clumps until finally all that was left there was the bright pink fleshy extensions that were her wind bones and muscles. And it was then that her pain began, for, not needing or being able to support the two extensions, her back muscles began to weaken…constrict with each minute change being accompanied by shards of unbearable pain lancing through her entire being, her cries echoing throughout the cave tunnels.

It was only John’s support, both during her suffering and the subsequent healing after the remaining bone and dying muscles had been removed by him. So strong and deep was his love for her that it easily overcame his anger and rising hatred towards the man who had betrayed them all.

For John, it had not been so much a case of physical change, but of a mental one. He, just like her (and the others) had had his ‘powers’ taken away from him, his link with the central battery at Oa severed, his ring leaving for destinations unknown…for someone more and still worthy of it, both the power it gave and the responsibility that came along with it.

In the days ensuing their return, he had been like a junkie…one that been made, forcibly, against his wishes, to go cold turkey.

And it was only her presence that not only gave him strength, gave him hope, but since then also allowed him to salvage the scattered remains of a life that he had allowed to fall by the way side ever since he went from being John Stewart, ex-marine and now Green Lantern, to just Green Lantern of the ‘Lords.

They were still together, that much he knew, after all, even though he had allowed all of his former teammates to leave…to go free, not finding himself worthy enough of passing judgment on them or being able to do to them what he wasn’t going to do to himself.

So, he let them go, even going as far as extending one last offer of help. He had told them that he would help them get to wherever they wanted…but nothing more. They were on their own, free…or depending on how one saw it, incarcerated forever to live out their penance.

---

Any future thoughts fell to the way side as he reached his destination. One press of a button on his belt and the white of his costume shimmered to a more familiar black, allowing him to slip into the shadows undetected….until…

A deliberate rustle announcing his presence and a set of blue eyes, the ones with the most deepest, most beautiful blue he had ever seen, widened in recognition, a soft gasp escaping those lips, lips that had burnt themselves on his soul.

“Bruce?!” Even now, a single word from her and his demons seemed to retreat into the shadows, a sense of peace washing over him.

“Hello Diana.”
 

Note: Hmm, too melodramatic? Too introspective? Well, worry no more. There are two of them now.

As for the conversation pieces, spoilers for ‘A Better World’ (Part 1).