Delicately, Wally placed the napkin in his lap. He'd tuck it in to his collar but the red and yellow costume didn't really have one, and whether they were on the same side or not, he didn't feel like exposing his secret identity. Especially now that the League had expanded.

The food tray was piled high, the tower of hamburgers threatening to topple over and spill on to the clean white cafeteria table. There was also a large side of salad, several sides of fries, a dozen chicken nuggets, some kind of wrap, six chicken spicy chicken wings, two large helpings of ice cream, and a 2 litre bottle of diet coke. Of course, when you're the world's fastest man with an accelerated metabolism, you can afford to pack it away. A stack of waffles completed the meal.

Wally could feel eyes on him, judging him, but it didn't bother him too much. He'd got used to it. Licking his lips, he cracked his fingers, then his neck, and took up his knife and fork, ready to dig in. He was all but drooling. This was made it all worthwhile.

In a flurry of crumbs, the king-sized feast quickly diminished as Wally worked his way through the meal like a beaver through lumber. This was exactly why he loved being part of the League; his food bill from before had threatened bankruptcy. Luckily, Batman had no solvency issues.

Even over the hubbub of the canteen, Wally's munching could be heard, and the usual set of irritated glances were thrown his way. One or two of the newer recruits pushed their food away, disgusted. Wally didn't see the problem. It wasn't like he took very long.

He was more than three quarters of the way through his meal, when the enjoyment started to fade. It wasn't the taste; he never got sick of food. It was the feeling of being watched, and not just because he had the table manners of a gorilla (if you've seen Grodd eat, you'll understand). No, this was different. This was the feeling that someone was plotting.

Eating at an almost normal pace now, Wally cast an eye around the Mess. As far as he could tell, nobody was paying him the slightest bit of attention. Everyone was acting normal, getting on with their lunch. And then he saw it, reflected in Shining Knight's armour.

Booster Gold and Guy Gardner, stood behind him and off to the right, peering around the cafeteria entrance. They seemed to be hiding. And, in the warped reflection in Shining Knight's chest plate, it looked as if they were staring. At Wally.

Wally frowned. They were up to something. He could tell by the hushed whispers, the hunched posture and the darting eyes. Concentrating hard, Wally managed to make out a few words and phrases here and there.

"…everybody knows," Booster was saying. "…we'll be legends."

"Why Flash?"

"You want to try it with Batman?"

The din in the room grew for a moment, and the sound obscured their conversation, but it was clear that Guy wasn't convinced. The hot-headed Green Lantern gurned, scratch his head and gurned some more. Booster was getting impatient.

"It has to be a core member…"

"…if we're caught?" Guy mumbled. "…throw us out…"

It seemed as if Booster's robot sidekick chimed in for a moment after that, but a squeal of chairs being pushed out nearby, obscured the sound. After that, Shining Knight left his table, and Wally was left without a visual.

"Fine."

The last word was Guy's, and it sounded as if he'd agreed to whatever it was. By the time Wally had turned around to look, all three had gone. He made a face and tapped his chin thoughtfully. What were they up to? And where did Wally fit in?

Suddenly, a sharp pain in his arm followed by a heavy blow to his shoulder shook him out of his reverie. He almost fell out of his chair.

"Pinch, punch, first of the month," Supergirl exclaimed cheerfully. "In some parts of the world, at least. I never know what time we're going on up here."

First of the month. Flash considered this for a moment. Whatever part of the world Kara was thinking of, it wasn't America. In the good ol' US of A it was still the 31st. Of March.

Flash was no Dark Knight, but he'd learned a thing or two from the World's Greatest Detective. Something about Booster Gold and Guy Gardner told him that tomorrow's date was the reason for their leering and whispering. He'd have to be on his toes tomorrow.

"Um, Flash?" Kara prompted.

"Oh, right," Wally stuttered. "Sorry. Thoughts were racing."

"Who won?"

Wally grinned. In the next instant he shot up from his chair, sped around the table, flicked Supergirl in the left ear, then swept her feet out from under her. Even as she began to fall, Wally pulled out a chair. She landed, comfortably seated, with a soft thud. He'd even gone through the trouble of putting her tray on the table so her food wouldn't spill.

Leaving a red streak in his wake, Wally returned to his seat.

"Flick, kick, for being so quick," he recited smugly.

Kara pouted playfully. Wally went back to his food, banishing the thought of Booster and Gardner. They were a problem for tomorrow. For now, he could relax and talk with Supergirl about the important things in life. Like, what time were they on?