Here's a DC note, Amazon's used to r@pe men to have kids and the females one would be kept and the males thrown into the ocean and the fathers are killed. Now? Same thing but the males are given to Hepheatus, so instead of a quick drowning, they work in a sweatshop for the rest of their lives...HOW IS THAT BETTER?!?! -Arsene
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As they were led deeper into the Amazons' palace, Jorno couldn't help but notice the stares—sharp, judgmental glares from the women surrounding them. The contempt was almost palpable, each glance dripping with disdain. It was the same look Jorno had seen countless times before, back when he was a nobody on the streets. Poor people, beggars... He knew that look all too well—the look the wealthy gave to those they deemed beneath them.
Ironic, he thought bitterly, considering where he stood now.
The women suddenly came to a halt in front of a young girl, shorter than the fierce warriors who towered around her, but her presence was no less commanding. Her black hair framed her face with a sharpness that matched the authority in her eyes. The Amazons bowed their heads slightly.
"Lady Prince," they said, their voices filled with respect as they acknowledged her.
The girl's eyes swept over Bruce and Jorno, and while she made no outward sign of disgust, it was clear that she, too, shared the Amazonian distrust of men. "All right, men," she said, her tone hard. "I am Donna Troy, and I will either be your savior... or your executioner. Follow me."
Jorno shot Bruce a look, but the older man's expression was unreadable, his poker face flawless. Still, Jorno could tell—everything was going according to plan.
As they marched toward the grand palace, its towering architecture looming over them, Bruce silently surveyed their surroundings. The palace was massive, and its defenses were likely formidable. Yet so far, no part of his plan had failed.
They were brought into the main hall, where they were forced to kneel. At the far end of the room, sitting upon a regal throne, was the imposing figure of Queen Hippolyta. Her dark hair framed her face like a lioness surveying her territory. She did not rise, but her presence dominated the room.
"Rise, men," she commanded, her voice steady and powerful. Her gaze fell upon Bruce, studying him with the eyes of someone who had seen much of mankind's treachery. "Speak your purpose."
Bruce stood, his movements deliberate, respectful but unafraid. "We come in peace," he began, his voice calm, "and seek cooperation—"
"LIES!" a voice cut him off. One of the Amazonian guards stepped forward, fury in her eyes. "You come armed! You dare speak of peace when you bring weapons to our land?"
Bruce remained unshaken. "That was our ship," he explained coolly. "It's a tool, nothing more."
The guard sneered, but Queen Hippolyta raised a hand to silence her. "And I am to simply accept that?" The Queen's tone was quiet but laced with suspicion. "Mankind is ever cunning, twisting words to fit their truths. I see you are no different."
Her decision was swift and final. "Take them away," she said coldly, motioning for the guards. "Let them sit with their lies."
As the guards approached to seize them, Jorno, though outwardly calm, felt a simmering frustration begin to boil beneath the surface. Why does everyone always make this harder than it needs to be? But Bruce, true to form, remained stone-faced. His plan was moving exactly as he had anticipated.
The guards roughly chained Bruce and Jorno, binding their hands and legs with iron cuffs before dragging them toward the dungeons. Bruce allowed it, showing no resistance, though his mind was already racing ahead. This was all part of the preparation.
Once they were thrown into separate cells, Bruce's calm voice cut through the stillness. "You can get out now," he said, his voice just loud enough for Jorno to hear from the adjacent cell. "I've gathered all the information I need."
Jorno's lips curved into a small smile. He had been waiting for this. Standing in the center of his cell, he said softly, "King of the Clouds."
In an instant, the crystal figure appeared from thin air, its form shimmering with an ethereal glow. With a swift movement, it sliced through the iron chains as if they were made of paper. The shackles fell from Jorno's wrists, clattering to the floor as the boy casually stepped forward, watching with mild amusement as the crystal being worked.
Bruce, meanwhile, had already undone his own chains, though he had kept them on just long enough to maintain appearances. He glanced at Jorno through the bars, his tone neutral. "I needed to act like I was restrained. Now that we're in... we stay."
Jorno blinked in surprise. "Stay? We're not leaving?"
Bruce didn't answer immediately, his focus shifting to the tiny bat drone that had just flown into the cell and connected to his gauntlet. The drone had been at work ever since they had landed on the island, scanning the surroundings while Bruce was "captured." Now, its data was feeding directly into his gauntlet.
"No," Bruce said after a moment, still studying the incoming data. "We stay. For now."
He walked over to the corner of the cell, pulling up the latest scans of the island. The drone had already mapped a considerable portion of the Amazonian territory, identifying key locations, entry points, and, most importantly, their true objective: Diana Prince.
Satisfied with the information he was receiving, Bruce turned to Jorno, who had begun pacing impatiently. He disconnected one of his gauntlets and handed it to the boy.
"It has a satellite connection. You can play anything on it," Bruce said, his tone casual, as if they weren't locked up in a foreign land surrounded by warriors who could kill them both.
Jorno, like any other child in that moment, sat down and began flicking through the gauntlet's interface, exploring its various functions with a smile. While the boy distracted himself, Bruce returned to the footage captured by the drone.
The image of Diana Prince filled his gauntlet screen.
She was as he remembered from the few clues he'd uncovered—the photographs, the brief encounters, the distant observations. An immortal, an Amazon, and quite possibly, the key to surviving what was coming.
Bruce's eyes narrowed as he watched her movements. It was clear to him now. The coordinates she had left for him were a challenge, and she had been watching him from the moment he set foot on the island.
But the question that lingered in his mind was this: What would she do next?
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[Auther: By the way, not everything the characters think or say is right. Diana hasn't been watching them from the beginning, she's on the same side of the island, Steve Trevor crashed. Also, she did invite them here.]