In the Batcave, Bruce stared at the monitoring screen. On the screen, Diana had successfully returned to the Amazon and awoke from her coma surrounded by a group of female warriors.
When Diana woke up, she was still a bit dazed, and she subconsciously looked behind her. There was a golden teleportation portal there, obviously not one opened by the Amazon Queen. This was a different, unknown power.
He leaned his body back, resting it on the back of the chair, spun the swivel chair, and said to Shiller beside him, "It's a success."
Shiller was holding some documents, studying them. Without looking up, he said, "That's good. With the Sonic Channel, efficiency will be higher. How is Diana?"
"She's fine," Bruce said, "We owe it to her this time."
"Do you plan to tell her the truth?"
"After it's all over."
Bruce saw on the monitoring screen that Diana slowly walked towards Steve. She half-knelt in front of him, seemingly wanting to touch his face, but at that moment, Steve's eyelids twitched.
Diana seemed startled, immediately retracting her hand. When those azure eyes opened, Diana stood there frozen for a while. Although the monitoring device was focused on him, Bruce could still tell that she cried, just like on Christmas Eve.
The day before Christmas Eve, everyone in the Justice League was preparing for Christmas, except Diana, who wasn't in high spirits. Bruce noticed, so when Diana sat alone at the bar drinking, he went over to her.
"You don't have a habit of celebrating Christmas, do you?" Bruce asked.
"We didn't during my time in the Amazon, but having been in Metropolis for so many years, I occasionally join in," Diana smiled faintly.
"I don't really like Christmas either," Bruce took a sip from his wine glass and said, "My beloved ones left during the winter, leaving not a single happy memory for this season."
"Do you miss them?" Diana looked at him and asked.
"Occasionally," Bruce placed his hands on the counter, showing a reminiscing expression, then said, "I usually don't go out around Christmas. At that time, the streets and malls are full of happy families. Seeing them, I wonder if my life hadn't turned out this way, would it be like theirs."
"I often wonder about that too," Diana said, "If a particular point of fate had changed, would everything be entirely different."
"Is that why you're melancholic?" Bruce looked at her, "Humans always beautify the paths they haven't taken."
"But that's a choice you make, rather than passively accepting. These things you accept passively are nothing but regrets. I'm not one to dwell on the past, but even lately, I find myself tossing and turning, unable to sleep."
"For whom? Yourself?"
"In a way, yes," Diana said, "Amazonians don't reunite for Christmas, but seeing humans gather makes me homesick, reminding me of my sisters."
"Why don't you go back to see them? Even if they don't celebrate Christmas, they'd be happy to see you, right?"
Diana took a sip of her drink, lowered her head, and said softly, "I just attended the funerals of a few sisters. They were heroes who sacrificed their lives in the battle against Atlantis. Though Amazonians see dying in battle as glory, if the war itself lacks meaning, I don't know what their sacrifices were meant to praise."
"You've been changed too much by human society," Bruce said bluntly, "You can't be like a true Amazonian, fearless for your beliefs. You start contemplating the meaning of everything, especially war. Such contradiction is always painful."
"You're right," Diana said, "I've been here too long, and I'm completely a modern person now. The existence of Amazons is to give those tortured and oppressed female souls a chance to avenge this world. However, the injury and death only bring them more pain, which I always empathize with and can't ignore."
"I know you feel regret for those sacrificed warriors. But after all, the dead cannot be revived. You can only mourn and move on."
At this point, Diana suddenly bit her lip. She rarely showed such an expression, less resolute, instead showing some hesitation and vulnerability. She kept rubbing the wine glass in her hand, saying, "Can the dead really not be revived?"
"What?"
"I watched the combat footage against the Savage Wolf," Diana said, "Hal was already dead at that time but was resurrected, wasn't he?"
Bruce didn't answer for a moment, but Diana kept staring at him intently. After a while, Bruce sighed and said, "Resurrection is not a good thing. Everything has a price, it's just a matter of when."
"But how would you know without trying?" Diana said, "Hal was a member of the Justice League. For the fight against the Savage Wolf, he sacrificed a lot, and so did my sisters. Whether against Atlantis or fighting the Demon-like Army, they never retreated, always moved forward bravely. Why not try it?"
Bruce was drinking silently, clearly showing his disapproval. Diana also turned her head away, as if she had nothing to say. Then Bruce advised, "I know, over the years, the Amazons have never suffered such heavy casualties, and those who died were your sisters who grew up with you, so it's difficult for you to accept it all at once. But resurrection is not that simple. Diana, don't do something foolish, okay?"
Diana seemed to be drunk. She put down her glass with a clink and said somewhat incoherently, "Victor resurrected Hal because they were comrades in arms. But my sisters are not just my comrades, they are my kin. If there's hope, why can't I try?"
"I disagree," Bruce made his final judgment, "and don't think about using other methods to manipulate Victor, he won't listen to you."
After saying this, he turned and left the bar. Diana leaned on the bar, pouring drink after drink. Finally, she couldn't even stand steadily, wobbling back to her room and collapsing on the bed.
The next day, Diana felt some regret. She shouldn't have spoken to Bruce like that; her tone sounded too much like an accusation. But on the other hand, she could not control herself.
As Bruce said, it was the most severe loss the Amazons had experienced in years. On the day of the funeral, although everyone was full of glory and blessings, they were all very sad.
Amazonians have long lifespans, and many of Diana's sisters had been with her since the day she was born. They taught her knowledge and martial arts, grew up with her, and had been inseparable since childhood. She never thought she would be separated from them.
But everything happened too suddenly. Those familiar faces turned into cold corpses. Regarding their deaths, there was nothing Diana could do. After regaining some composure from the breakdown, Diana was eager to do something for them.
However, comforting the souls at the funeral could not soothe Diana's grief. She wanted more powerful means to make up for the regret, and she involuntarily thought of the resurrection of Hal.
Diana intended to discuss it with Bruce after the Christmas Eve banquet, but Bruce noticed something was wrong with her and learned about her plan in advance.
Diana did not expect Bruce's resistance to be so strong, and by now he had probably informed Victor. Diana closed her eyes, full of annoyance, and sat on the edge of the bed pondering for a long time before finally picking up her phone to call Shiller.
"Hello? Shiller, are you in Metropolis? Yes, I'd like to meet you. Okay, I'll wait for you."
Diana sat at the café table, watching Shiller push the door open and wave at him. Shiller walked to her seat, gently adjusted his scarf, and then sat down.
"What's the matter, ma'am? Why aren't you on Mars preparing for the Christmas Eve banquet with them?"
"I can't focus on that," Diana said, "Besides, the Amazonians don't celebrate Christmas, it's a heretic holiday."
"What's bothering you?" Shiller ordered coffee, handed the menu to the waiter, and asked as he looked at Diana.
Diana opened her mouth but found it hard to speak. She knew Shiller and Bruce were of one mind, and he would definitely side with Batman, worrying he might tell Bruce about this.
But then again, Bruce already knew about it. Coming to Shiller and not getting any advice would be fine. If he could provide some, Shiller might not tell Batman anyway, because if anything really happened, the person who gave the advice would also be held responsible. Shiller would presumably want to distance himself from this.
Steadying her thoughts, Diana spoke, "It's like this, many of my sisters died in the war..."
Diana sipped her coffee and calmly recounted the situation. Worried that Shiller might not understand her, she added, "Since the day I was born, the Amazons haven't suffered such great casualties. I have never parted with so many sisters at once, and I truly cannot accept it. So, I just want to do something more for them..."
"I completely understand, ma'am." Shiller took a sip of the hot coffee, sighed lightly, and then said, "But for this matter, Batman could never agree to it. On one hand, it's because this is a troublesome time, with everyone already overwhelmed by personnel and plan arrangements, and any mistake could affect everything. To ensure the overall strategy is intact, Batman definitely wouldn't want to complicate things further.
"Moreover, as you know, Batman has also lost a son. How do you know he hasn't researched resurrection technology over the years? If it were that easy, with his capabilities, he wouldn't be so opposed. There is likely some critical aspect we don't know, and he can't speak directly of it, so he's stopping you."
Hearing this, Diana frowned. She was indeed anxious, but in the end, her sorrow outweighed her uncertainty. She said, "But previously there was no Victor. Victor was revived, Hal was revived, this matter isn't as difficult as imagined. And I just want to try, even if it doesn't work, at least I'll have tried my best."
Shiller nodded again and said, "Then I suppose you came to invite me to persuade Batman?"
"Not exactly," Diana said, "It would be best if you could persuade him, but I also know that it's hard to change something he's decided on. So if there's another way..."
Shiller took another sip of coffee and said, "Ma'am, you're making me a bit confused, what method could I possibly have?"
"Aren't you the best at creating cards from nothing?" Diana said, "I'm still under the Curse of the Pharaoh. If Bruce doesn't agree, then we'll bypass him. You must have a way."
"This makes it even stranger," Shiller said, looking at her, "If you're going to bypass Bruce, coming to me is really going out of your way."
"What do you mean?" Diana asked, puzzled.