Date #287

Gotham River

Inside a private yacht

"Would you like a drink...?" Talia asked as she poured aged whisky into a fancy glass, bending her ever back slightly and subtly to give Bruce a full view of her curvy, lean figure. "Last time that didn't go well..." Bruce blankly said, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, you're right. If I remember correctly..." Talia said as she put down the whisky bottle and to Bruce with a smile. "I put a little something in your drink," She added as she approached him.

"Same way I remember it..." Bruce replied, unphased, even as Talia put one hand on his chest, the other on his shoulder. "It made you rather romantic," Talia suggestively said with a smile as she put both hands on Bruce's shoulders and leaned her head on his chest, putting her ear over his heart.

"It made me do what you wanted..." Bruce calmly replied, causing Talia to pause as she removed her head from his chest and raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"Was it all bad, beloved...?" Talia asked, raising her leg and leaning it over Bruce's shoulder as she leaned her entire body over him. "No... it wasn't all bad..." Bruce replied as he looked down at Talia's brown silky hair, its faint fragrance overwhelming his senses.

"Then you remember our shared moonlight...?" Talia asked, still leaning over Bruce as she raised her head, softly staring into Bruce's eyes. "Some of it..." Bruce replied as he met her gaze.

"The best parts...?" Talia asked, her tone going sofer and her smile sultrier as she spoke. "Talia, what do you want...?" Bruce asked with a sigh as he grasped her shoulders and gently pushed her away.

"My father... He's dead..." Talia said after a brief pause as she turned away from Bruce, crossing her arms over her chest, seemingly hesitating over something.

"Ras...?" Bruce asked, trailing off as he allowed a hint of surprise to appear on his face. "How many fathers do I have?" Talia said, suddenly snapping at Bruce's question for apparently no reason.

"Sorry... he always seemed..." Bruce said, trailing at the end as he tried to find the best word, only for Talia to interject. "Indestructible, like you...?" She jokingly asked, having gathered her bearings.

"Huh, you haven't seen my X-rays..." Bruce jokingly replied, shaking his head at the brunette's words. "Maybe you can show them to me one day..." Talia said with a smile as she approached Bruce again and pushed her cleavage against her chest.

"You don't seem all broken up about Ras's death..." Bruce said as he looked Talia straight in the eye, trying to get back on topic as he sensed something was off.

"There is no time for mourning..." Talia said with a heavy sigh and stopped leaning over Bruce as she gave him her back and returned to the bar. "My father had many enemies. They wished to destroy his legacy and lineage by hunting down any living members of the League..." She said as she gulped the whisky she had previously poured for Bruce.

"Now they want to kill us..." Talia said in a grave tone as she turned Bruce before walking towards a red curtain near the bar. "Us...?" Bruce asked, clearly confused at her choice of words.

"Not you... me, and..." Talia said with another heavy sigh, reaching for the curtain. "You son, Damian Wayne," She added as she opened, revealing a boy with black spikey hair wearing dark, baggy training clothes.

"Son...?" Bruce said, alternating his gaze between Talia and the boy. "You expect me to believe this...?" He blankly asked without bothering to hide the skepticism in his tone.

"I assure you, he's yours..." Talia said with a smile as she watched the boy slowly approach Bruce and stop before the latter, giving him a brief, appraising once over.

"Don't act so surprised, father..." The boy said once finished appraising Bruce. "I thought you'd be taller..." He added with a smirk, much to Bruce's bemusement, but her didn't get a chance to reply.

Suddenly, the yacht shook as the roof collapsed, and a man in a blue and red suit flew the inner deck, his eyes glowing red. "The jig is up, Metalo," He said as he scanned the room, his gaze settling on Bruce.

"I know about the artificial intelligence you stole from Maxwell," He added as he noticed Talia and her son reach for their concealed but ignored their presence. "What ever it is you're planning, it won't work. Return what you've stolen, or else," He concluded, crossing his arms.

"Something is wrong... he doesn't seem to be in control..." Bruce said as he quickly processed the situation. "Whatever you do, don't try to fight him. I don't know what he'll do," He warningly added as he turned to the mother and son duo upon noticing their slowly shifting stances.

"I don't know what is happening, but you're making a mistake, Superman," Bruce said, raising his hand as he turned to address the man of steel. "I'm not Metallo, and I haven't stolen anything," He added in a placating, patient tone.

"My name is Bruce Wayne. Look closely. You should be able to recognize my face..." He concluded, trying to undermine whatever was clouding Superman's mind, which seemed to work as the latter frowned briefly.

"The only way you could have found me here is by identifying my heartbeat. You know who I am," Bruce concluded.

"No. It's clearly a trick. You might look like Bruce, but I know you are Metalo..." Superman angrily said after a brief pause as he got over his hesitation. "This is your final warning! Return what you've stolen," He added, the red glow in his eyes intensifying.

"Fine. You can have it. It's in my jacket's inner pocket," Bruce said as he studied Superma's expression. "Come closer, and I'll give it to you," He added, only reaching into his pocket when the man of steel nodded and floated toward him.

"Here," Bruce said as he suddenly took his hand out of his pocket and punched Superman in the face, which sent him reeling back, much to Talia and Damian's surprise.

"Fragile Kryptonite-encrusted ring sealed in a lead container..." Bruce said with a smile as he watched the man of steel fall on the ground. "I never leave home without it," He added as he quickly removed the Kryptonite crystal and crushed it between his fingers, turning it into dust.

"It will buy us some time, but not much," Bruce said as he tossed the fine Kryptonite dust over Superman's face to ensure the latter inhaled it. "Let's hurry up and get out of here before he wakes up," He added as he gripped Damian's wrist and dragged him toward the exit.

Talia raised an eyebrow at Bruce's actions but said nothing as she smiled and followed behind him.

...

Costa Rica

Monteverde Cloud Forest

"So I've been wondering..." I said, picking up an apple and throwing it toward the howler monkey hiding, watching us intently from within the shrubbery on the other side of the waterfall pond. "Does Kal know about..." I added, trailing off with a sigh at the end of my sentence.

"About us seeing each other?" Kara asked, lowering her sunglasses as she gave me a playful smile. "I haven't told him, but knowing him, he probably knows..." She added with a shrug.

"He didn't say anything, but I imagine he will once I let the cat out of the bag..." Kara carelessly said, to which I could sigh. "Don't take it the wrong way. Kal tends to be overprotective when it comes to me..." She added as he put her hand over mine.

"So when is the cat coming out of the bag...?" I meaningfully asked, trying to change the subject as I flipped my hand and entwined my finger's with Kara's. "We've been seeing each other for a while now..." I asked with a chuckle.

"It will only come out when it's official..." Kara said, matching my smile as she gently tightened her grip on my hand.

"And how do we make it official...?" I asked, putting on a mock confused expression as I trailed off. "You know what, I think I know how..." I said as I leaned toward Kara and smiled as I found her doing the same, eyes closed.

I put my free hand on Kara's cheek and leaned further in for the kiss, which, unfortunately, didn't happen. Our lips were less than an inch apart when her phone rang, causing me to stop with a sigh.

"Sorry about that..." Kara said as she opened her eyes, the hotness of her breath caressing my lips and causing me no small amount of agony. "I'll put it on silent mod..." She added as she quickly reached into her purse.

"It's ok..." I said with a smile. "You should pick up. It might be important," I added with a shrug as I reached for another apple to throw toward the curious monkey still peeping at us from the shrubbery.

Kara apologetically nodded as she picked up the call. "What do you want, Coner...?" She angrily asked, only for her face to instantly turn ashen at the boy of steel's words.

My expression sank simultaneously with hers as I received an alert about the very previous topic of our conversation rampaging all over Gotham, looking for Bruce Wayne.

...

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