DISCLAIMERS: DC OWNS ALL CHARACTERS. BATMAN CREATED BY BOB KANE.
THIS HAPPENS AFTER "OFFICER DOWN" AND ROBIN #87
BATMAN & JLA: TIME TO TALK.
The door opened. The meeting had started without him.
Superman was talking about some kind of menace as always and the rest of them
were listening with interest.
Batman sat in his chair and said nothing.
What was he doing there? JLA was not is place. All these guys were great
super powered beings. He was so tired of them. The Ra´s Al Ghul affaire
made the entire league mad at him. He was the only one of the group who
did not have powers. He was human. Still he demonstered that he had the will
to take every one last of them down if it was necessary.
Maybe the JLA was upset because a single human being discovered how to stop them.
A powerless human being who trained himself for his whole life only to bring
justice to his beloved city.
"Batman?"
"Yes"
"Were you... Were you listening to what I said?" -asked Superman
Those white orbits looked straight into the man of steel´s blue eyes.
"I think your concept of teamwork is right, Superman" -said Batman with calm.
"Well, you should learn about teamwork a little more, Batman. We are indeed a team."
"I know, Arthur." - answered Batman.
Green Lantern looked at Wally and raised and eyebrow.
Bats was so soft at the moment.
Was he allright? Where were his remarks, his hostility?
The meeting was soon over. Superman was with Diana and Arthur talking about training together,
J´onn was eating some Oreos, Plastic Man was taking a nap and Kyle and Wally were playing
darts.
Batman was looking at the window. Earth. Earth was a job for people like J´onn.
Champions. Batman was not a champion. He was just a man. And he wanted justice.
He was tired. He did not sleep for five days and the Jim Gordon problem let him exhausted.
Suddenly, he heard this voice.
"Bats?"
"What do you want, Kyle?"
"Umm.. Are you allright?"
Batman did not answer. He just looked a Kyle for five seconds.
It was an eternity for the young GL.
"I am allright, Kyle."
Kyle, smiled and went to the door.
"Kyle."
"Yes, Bats?"
"It was not my intention to make you suffer with that fail safe."
The young GL smiled again. It was the first time the bat was actually kind with him.
"We´re cool, Bats. Good to have you back."
Batman walked to the door. He came across J´onn.
"Batman. You´re not well..."
"So... you read my mind..."
The martian allowed himself a wicked smile and sat down in front of him.
"Actually I did not scanned your mind. I know you better than you know."
The bat was silent but alert.
"You had some problems, didn´t you? With some friends...
Your only friends..."
Batman moved towards the Manhunter. It was an image that would terrorize any person.
But not the martian.
"Stop it, J´onn." said Batman with a menacing growl.
"I won´t. You´re in pain. I know you think of me as one of your few friends.
As you said some days ago, we need to trust each other.
You´re tired as hell. And guilty, you´re feeling guilty about something...
Why don´t you tell me about it?"
Batman stared at the martian for near ten seconds. But J´onn was not nervous.
He was trying to help his friend. And he was worried about him.
He had seen Batman suffer since the day they met.
They never actually talked about it, but when one of J´onn best friends
was murdered, it was Batman who was there to help him. J´onn was grateful to
the Dark Knight.
"There´s nothing wrong with me, just need a little rest. That´s all."
"Sure, whatever you say, Batman... Whatever you say..."
But Batman didn´t hear J´onn´s last words. He had already left the room.
He walked around and tried to relax. Strange thing in him.
He was never relaxed, but he actually never exteriorized his feelings.
Diana saw this, and came to him.
"Bruce..."
"Princess..."
"You´re acting strange... Bad day?"
Batman didn´t answer inmediatly.
Then he spoke:
"I didn´t know you cared."
"I don´t, but I have obligations with the League.
And you never cared about us... your fr... your teammates."
Batman, who was not looking at the princess turned and looked her straight into her eyes.
"You really think that?"
"I just know I would gladly give my life for any of my teammates..."
"It´s my fault."
Now Diana was perplex... The mighty Batman said it was his fault???
She needed a tape recorder.
"But... how..."
"You don´t know me princess. You don´t know a damn thing about me.
For you I´m only a lunatic who is not better than the vermin he preys on...
But that´s how I need to be perceived. That´s what you know about me.
That´s all I can give you... I understand you believe I would not give my
life for my teammates."
Batman started to walk away from her. Diana was surprised.
He never talked that much.
Superman was right... something was wrong with him.
And Diana felt this Dark Knight was suddenly the only one in the League
that could give his life without hesitation not only for them.
For any person in the world.
Kal could do it of course, but then Superman revived once.
Batman was just human...
"I´m sorry, Batman" - she said - "Whatever´s hurting you I hope it ends soon."
But the bat was already gone.
The End
THIS HAPPENS AFTER "OFFICER DOWN" AND ROBIN #87
BATMAN & JLA: TIME TO TALK.
The door opened. The meeting had started without him.
Superman was talking about some kind of menace as always and the rest of them
were listening with interest.
Batman sat in his chair and said nothing.
What was he doing there? JLA was not is place. All these guys were great
super powered beings. He was so tired of them. The Ra´s Al Ghul affaire
made the entire league mad at him. He was the only one of the group who
did not have powers. He was human. Still he demonstered that he had the will
to take every one last of them down if it was necessary.
Maybe the JLA was upset because a single human being discovered how to stop them.
A powerless human being who trained himself for his whole life only to bring
justice to his beloved city.
"Batman?"
"Yes"
"Were you... Were you listening to what I said?" -asked Superman
Those white orbits looked straight into the man of steel´s blue eyes.
"I think your concept of teamwork is right, Superman" -said Batman with calm.
"Well, you should learn about teamwork a little more, Batman. We are indeed a team."
"I know, Arthur." - answered Batman.
Green Lantern looked at Wally and raised and eyebrow.
Bats was so soft at the moment.
Was he allright? Where were his remarks, his hostility?
The meeting was soon over. Superman was with Diana and Arthur talking about training together,
J´onn was eating some Oreos, Plastic Man was taking a nap and Kyle and Wally were playing
darts.
Batman was looking at the window. Earth. Earth was a job for people like J´onn.
Champions. Batman was not a champion. He was just a man. And he wanted justice.
He was tired. He did not sleep for five days and the Jim Gordon problem let him exhausted.
Suddenly, he heard this voice.
"Bats?"
"What do you want, Kyle?"
"Umm.. Are you allright?"
Batman did not answer. He just looked a Kyle for five seconds.
It was an eternity for the young GL.
"I am allright, Kyle."
Kyle, smiled and went to the door.
"Kyle."
"Yes, Bats?"
"It was not my intention to make you suffer with that fail safe."
The young GL smiled again. It was the first time the bat was actually kind with him.
"We´re cool, Bats. Good to have you back."
Batman walked to the door. He came across J´onn.
"Batman. You´re not well..."
"So... you read my mind..."
The martian allowed himself a wicked smile and sat down in front of him.
"Actually I did not scanned your mind. I know you better than you know."
The bat was silent but alert.
"You had some problems, didn´t you? With some friends...
Your only friends..."
Batman moved towards the Manhunter. It was an image that would terrorize any person.
But not the martian.
"Stop it, J´onn." said Batman with a menacing growl.
"I won´t. You´re in pain. I know you think of me as one of your few friends.
As you said some days ago, we need to trust each other.
You´re tired as hell. And guilty, you´re feeling guilty about something...
Why don´t you tell me about it?"
Batman stared at the martian for near ten seconds. But J´onn was not nervous.
He was trying to help his friend. And he was worried about him.
He had seen Batman suffer since the day they met.
They never actually talked about it, but when one of J´onn best friends
was murdered, it was Batman who was there to help him. J´onn was grateful to
the Dark Knight.
"There´s nothing wrong with me, just need a little rest. That´s all."
"Sure, whatever you say, Batman... Whatever you say..."
But Batman didn´t hear J´onn´s last words. He had already left the room.
He walked around and tried to relax. Strange thing in him.
He was never relaxed, but he actually never exteriorized his feelings.
Diana saw this, and came to him.
"Bruce..."
"Princess..."
"You´re acting strange... Bad day?"
Batman didn´t answer inmediatly.
Then he spoke:
"I didn´t know you cared."
"I don´t, but I have obligations with the League.
And you never cared about us... your fr... your teammates."
Batman, who was not looking at the princess turned and looked her straight into her eyes.
"You really think that?"
"I just know I would gladly give my life for any of my teammates..."
"It´s my fault."
Now Diana was perplex... The mighty Batman said it was his fault???
She needed a tape recorder.
"But... how..."
"You don´t know me princess. You don´t know a damn thing about me.
For you I´m only a lunatic who is not better than the vermin he preys on...
But that´s how I need to be perceived. That´s what you know about me.
That´s all I can give you... I understand you believe I would not give my
life for my teammates."
Batman started to walk away from her. Diana was surprised.
He never talked that much.
Superman was right... something was wrong with him.
And Diana felt this Dark Knight was suddenly the only one in the League
that could give his life without hesitation not only for them.
For any person in the world.
Kal could do it of course, but then Superman revived once.
Batman was just human...
"I´m sorry, Batman" - she said - "Whatever´s hurting you I hope it ends soon."
But the bat was already gone.
The End