Trapped : The Island of Torment

Chapter 15 : Reunited

The Batwing soared across the night skies of the Pacific Ocean, the aircraft drifting between cloud formations. Batman sat on the pilot's seat as he controlled the aircraft. In contrast, Nightwing sat in silence at his right. Bruce knew that Isabella's family had accepted him albeit reluctantly when they began a romance. Still, he did not imagine that he had unknowingly redeemed himself in their eyes due to the long romance and marriage he and Isabella had entered into. Uriah's treatment towards Dick however, shows how angry the family can be when one of them was hurt. Bruce can promise to the family patriarch that he truly loved and cherished his granddaughter as their relationship developed throughout the years since they began their romance. At that time Isabella remained the only child of his daughter who died young in a car crash and even though her adoptive father was willing to permit him to marry her Uriah was far harder to persuade due to Bruce's relationship with Selina, which caused his granddaughter many miseries. 

The miseries ranged from trying to kill her in a deliberate crash that she crashed her car into her bike to stealing the set of jewellery the late Duke of Malborough had ordered as a gift for Isabella to be worn on her wedding day from Blenheim Palace. Even though Isabella had survived the crash she was unable to play the violin anymore due to the shoulder injury, which angered her uncle by marriage Lucas Do, a famous conductor who also taught Isabella how to play the instrument. When Isabella walked down the aisle on their wedding day in Scotland her family had already crafted a new set of jewellery for her to wear on the big day. 

Bruce himself was angry when he found out what Selina had done to hurt Isabella, which caused the relationship to fracture beyond repair and Bruce never looked back at the relationship. He still remembered the day of the crash, watching helplessly as the Secret Service agents tried to both stop the bleeding and keep her alive before help could arrive. He wanted to help but the agents refused to allow him near Isabella as she awaited help from the authorities.

Philip did not say a word as he sat behind Batman in silence, looking out the window as he did so. He was shocked to hear that almost all members of Batman's family had believed in Selina Kyle's lies which turned them against Isabella almost immediately, which is one of her ways to manipulate and sow distrust in Isabella. It seems to Philip and Isabella's family, that Isabella's hard work within the family had gone to waste. 

Batman was disappointed when Isabella told him of her decision to quit the Batfamily and leave the family to concentrate on her work as a consultant. "You don't have to do this Isa." Bruce pleaded with her when she told him that she would leave. "I trusted you, Alfred trusted you, Kate, Damian, and even Lucius."

"Bruce, I know that." Isabella said. "But I can't be a part of a team that most members don't trust me." Batman let out a long sigh as he looked at the map, which they were close to the island. He pressed the autopilot button, which also gave Alfred the keys to control the aircraft remotely from the Batcave. 

"Time to go." Batman said. Philip puts on the parachute bag he prepared as the rear of the aircraft opens. The four men approached, while Philip studied the wind trajectory which would play a role in how they may land. 

"You know how to use a parachute?" Oliver asked Philip.

"Conscripted into the army." Philip replied with a slight smile. "And parachuting skills is a must." When the aircraft reached the required altitude and right above the island they jumped, and Philip went into an initial free-fall. He had spent his conscription in the army, which is correct, but what the public didn't know is that he followed in his father's footsteps through his membership in the Special Warfare Command. Like his brother-in-law Jun-myeon he served with distinction and when he left the service he was recruited to serve in the Presidential Security Service. Philip had a strong work ethic as a result of his military training but was also capable of displaying love and affection, as displayed through his love for his wife and their children. 

Pulling the rig the parachute deployed, a white canopy and he floated down, landing on a cushion of leaves. He packed his parachute in under ten minutes just as how his superiors taught him. Batman and Nightwing used the gliding mechanism installed in their suit to guide their landing. "You're quick." Batman noted, as Philip had packed his parachute when they landed. 

"Used to serve in the special forces in South Korea." Philip said. "Had to perform a lot of dangerous missions." Green Arrow took out the map of Lian Yu and studied it in full view. 

"We'll need time to travel here." he said, pointing at a location on the map. "That's a holding cell long abandoned by A.R.G.U.S."

"There's a high possibility that my wife is being held there?" Philip asked. 

"One of the places to hold someone like your wife and Isabella." Green Arrow replied. 

"We don't have time to lose." Batman said. "Let's go." 

Hours later

The skies grew dark as the four men trekked along the jungle, and instead of Batman and Nightwing taking the lead Philip and Green Arrow had taken over the lead. Philip stopped to a halt almost at once, discovering a glowing light and motioned for them to hide. The light source soon spoke and the men, unsure if it was their loved ones they were rescuing, listened. "We'll have to kill it." it was Isabella. "The boar is shot." 

"Do you know how to kill a boar?" another voice asked. 

"Nyssa?" Batman whispered. A branch snapped, prompting the four men to look for the presence of the one who did it. An arrow flew through their hiding place, grazing past his arm. Pulling his bow Green Arrow fired a return shot, but his arrow was pierced by the second arrow fired by one of the women and clattered to the ground. 

"Show yourself." Isabella demanded. Green Arrow emerged, showing his presence to Isabella and Batman followed suit. Bruce didn't know what to say when he saw his wife, alive and well, albeit tired. The suit jacket she wore to work before she was kidnapped was tattered, but she remained focused on her target, indicated by her aiming an arrow in their direction. Isabella had a longbow as her weapon, which he rarely see her use at all. The two women soon lowered their bows and Sara, Oliver's sister-in-law, led the four men back to the campsite that they stumbled upon.