"It is done?" asked Bruce. He looked different today, what with the green eyes, blonde hair and common athletics clothing. He appeared to be finishing up a jog, his stubbed thick.

"It is done," said Diana, sitting across the booth from him. The coffee was indeed a wonder to her, and she sipped, enjoying the concoction of milk and sugar and how it swirled and intermingled.

Clark walked up. He looked like himself, which was to say he was dressed in a loose fitting suit and glasses and walked as a man who had never known a battle. Diana felt nice in her cotton pants and thin sweater.

"Any chance it will happen again?" he asked, as though he had been there the whole time.

"Of course there is a chance," said Diana. "That is kind of the point of this little meeting."

Clark sat beside Bruce, who managed to roll his eyes in a way that Clark didn't see, for his eyes were not pointed at the back of Bruce's head.

Clark gestured and the waitress came over.

"What'll it be?" she asked efficiently.

"Coffee, eggs, sunny side up, two pancakes, and a slice of pie, don't care which," he said, not even bothering to look at the menu.

She didn't need a pen. She returned in a moment and poured the coffee, and Clark reached for the honey. As soon as she was gone, they continued.

"Waller?" asked Bruce.

"Had a good idea," said Diana. "Who knows what we might face next. It might be something we cannot handle alone."

"You will always have my support," said Clark. "And if I need help…"

He smiled, "I just hope I am not too busy to ask this time."

Bruce barely hid a smile, "Lois had it under control. I barely did a thing."

Diana smiled, "I will have to hear about that one sometime. But for now, we still have a few ends to tie up."

"The Annihilator?" asked Bruce.

"Argus has it," said Diana. "Without Ares having a hand in it, it takes a lot to power."

Bruce nodded, "They won't use it, not for a while. They have no way of controlling it, and no one wants to take the flack for unleashing an uncontrollable killing machine."

Clark nodded, "I agree. But they will try to reverse engineer it. If even a fraction of that technology fell into the wrong hands..."

Diana straightened, "I am not entirely sure that Waller's is the wrong hands."

They both stared at her.

"She acts in her own best interests," she said, "but that also means big picture. I don't agree with her tendency to treat people as pieces on a chess board, that sacrifice is necessary, but she will function in the best interest of the people over all. I can respect that, at the very least."

Bruce looked at Clark, "I am sure there was a time when you would have said the same about me."

Clark smiled, "Still do, at times. But I know you. I know your heart is in the right place. I am not convinced hers is."

"That's okay," said Diana. "If she should take it too far, we will be there. Not before."

All three nodded.

"Not before," said Bruce.

"So what does that mean for us?" asked Clark.

"We stay in communication," said Diana. "If anything happens, we let the others know."

Clark looked over at Bruce, "And by that, I think you mean Bruce will let us know."

Bruce sipped his coffee. The others smirked.

"I will keep my eyes and ears open too," said Clark.

Diana leaned back, "And I apparently have an entire information gathering department at my disposal."

Bruce snorted quietly.

"There is something to be said for quantity over quality," said Clark with a smile.

Bruce looked sideways at him, "You're lucky I don't stoop to innuendo."

Clark went a little pink.

"Aren't you supposed to be under cover?" Diana asked.

"You're right," Bruce conceded, sipping his coffee, adding, "That's what she said."

Clark went pinker.

The waitress brought Clark his food. He thanked her as she refilled the coffees.

"How is Steve?" asked Clark as he put his napkin in his lap.

Diana winced, "Odd."

"How so?" asked Bruce.

"He does talk much," she said. "He doesn't do much. The other day, I came over to his apartment, and he was just sitting in the dark. I think the near death experience had more of an affect on him than I thought."

Clark nodded, "It happens. He will come around. But even if he doesn't, there are plenty of people out there who can help him."

She nodded, "Thank you."

Bruce resettled himself, "Anything on the horizon?"

Clark bobbed his head, "I am doing that mission with Nasa to bring back soil samples from Mars. That should be interesting."

Diana nodded, "I am about to return to Themyscira to reforge my bracers and my weapons. I am looking forward to spending some time at home."

They both nodded.

"We will be sure to keep an eye on things while you are away," said Bruce.

There was a moment of pause.

"What about recruiting?" asked Clark.

"Recruiting?" asked Diana.

Clark nodded, "We are three, but we could be more."

Bruce frowned, "I don't play well with others."

Clark smiled, "You get along well enough with us."

"I trust you," said Bruce. "I know you. The greater that number becomes, the better the chance we will get stabbed in the back."

Diana nodded, "Well, then, you will just have to vet them properly, now won't you?"

Clark nearly laughed. Bruce frowned, if only to hide a smile.

"You really are a diplomat," he said, finally grinning.

Diana smiled, "A team would be good. Good for morale, for support. I am sure that there are some people out there who would be only too happy to help us."

Bruce frowned, "That is what I am afraid of."

Amanda Waller looked over her file on The Annihilator.

"What is the status?" she asked.

"Offline," said the teleconferenced General Lane. "We were able to find the seams and opened it, but we can't make sense of the insides."

She considered, "Who is in the field of nano-robotics that we can acquire for the project?"

"There's Ray Palmer," said Megala's hologram. "But I don't think he has the right temperament for the project."

Waller thought about it, then said, "Pilfer the pool of Luthor employees that were let go or quit after he went to jail."

There was a moment as Megala looked at a side screen and typed.

"Ah," he said finally, "Arthur Ivo. He is perfect."

"Get him in," said Waller. "The usually N.D.A. and pressures."

"Got it," said Captain Flag from a speaker, casting no image. "Requisitioning a team now."

Waller pushed a button and Flag was removed from the call.

"How are things coming with Project Checkmate?" asked Lane.

"Captain Adam is perfect for the atomic project," she said, "but he is squeaky clean."

"That is the way we like them," said Lane.

"But he has no reason to volunteer for a potentially life threatening project," said Megala.

"We will just have to give him a reason," said Waller. "Project Galatea is in its trial stages. We will know if we have any viable samples in a few weeks."

Lane frowned, "And what about your little pet project?"

"Task Force X has come a long way," said Waller. "The injectors and their package are working correctly now. All we need now are… recruits."

Lane nodded, "I still don't like it."

"You don't have to, General," she said. "But your reluctance is noted. Again."

He's frown deepened.

"What about Luthor?" asked Waller. "Is he still moving ahead?"

General Lane looked disgusted.

"Yes," he said. "He is calling for a full acquittal. Testimonials begin next week."

"Are the rumors true?" asked Megala. "Is he really seeking to enter politics?"

"One step at a time," said Waller.

Hera stood in a realm of darkness, all that was left of the realm Her son had created. As She stood and waited, Fate arrived.

"Doctor," She said.

"Lady Hera," he said, bowing respectfully. "What news?"

Hera felt tired. She bowed Her head.

"Hephaestus is in seclusion," She said. "He will be ready to return as soon as he understands how to escape his bonds, as Ares did."

"As I understand, that didn't work out too well," said Fate, resting his fist under the chin of his golden helm. "Aresia may yet be a force of evil in this world."

"Or an avenue of redemption for more than just herself," said Hera.

"What of the power Hephaestus amassed?" asked Fate. "It has shifted the balance of power greatly. Any more so and the Barriers wouldn't have fallen and The Old Ones would have returned."

Hera sighed, "As it is, this place was created with the power my Son possessed. It was done so to the best of his knowledge and abilities, which is to say not well."

Fate knelt and put his hand to the darkness one might call a floor. He reached out with his feelings and knew of what she spoke.

"By all the Gods," he whispered. "He shoved it into being, displacing Spacetime. There is an instability here. It goes…"

"All the way to The Source Wall," said Hera, sadly.

"What will this mean?" he asked.

She closed her eyes, "Evil, long held at bay may some day soon return."