Superman had a headache. It was growing with every passing moment and it wasn't helped by his allies.

After telling Green Lantern and Hawkgirl the importance of keeping a low profile, what did they do? Form a strike team to take down a few of the Legion of Doom members. That they were successful should have been applauded. Heck, John's attempt at ending one of the threats they were going up against was something he was fully behind.

But they had made a miscalculation. One tiny, seemingly insignificant detail, which was threatening to unravel everything.

They had included Flash.

Seeing the speedster alive and well was something that nearly choked up the Kryptonian the first time he saw him. It was obvious how John and Shayera constantly glanced at Flash, soaking up his presence, that they too were affected. That had proven to be a weakness none of them had expected.

Because Flash had stumbled onto John about to kill the Shade. He had seen and rescued the man before John could finally end his threat. Clearly it shouldn't have been surprising that Flash would be against the killing of villains since in this timeline, he hadn't experienced their heartbreak, their pain, and then forged their resolve. He was still the innocent, naive guy he had always been.

And that had been like an atom bomb dropping on the Watchtower. Flash had personally seen to the incarceration of the men calling themselves the Pantheon. Then he had returned to the Watchtower and informed everyone what he had seen, what he had experienced before vanishing all together. Superman couldn't find a trace of the Fastest Man Alive, leading him to the conclusion that Flash was no longer aboard the orbiting satellite.

The gasps heard upon Flash's announcement had been the start of the Man of Steel's headache. Learning from John that what the speedster said was true had only increased it. And now he could hear the near-constant murmuring from the rest of the League.

Something needed to be done. Something was going to be done.

So he called an emergency meeting of the Justice League into the training room. It was held in one of the larger rooms on the Watchtower and one certain to fit everyone available. John was purposefully excluded from the meeting so that he couldn't make things worse than they already were. Flash wasn't there for obvious reasons. Batman wasn't there either, which was perhaps a blessing in disguise as he was chasing down a lead on the Legion of Doom Case. That left him with Shayera, Diana, and J'onn as a united front for the new League members.

And the newer members were still talking, gathered in a couple smaller groups, whispering, gossiping. Superman put a stop to that as he raised both of his hands up, causing them all to fall silent. "I know there has been some...shocking news dropped onto us today," the Kryptonian began.

"That's an understatement," he heard Green Arrow mutter to himself. Superman resisted the urge to narrow his eyes at that, especially since the archer had been a member of the Insurgency in the correct time. He had forgotten the man's sharp tongue due to their absence from each other's lives.

"It has been brought to all of our attention from Flash about Green Lantern's actions. Unfortunately, I was unable to follow up with Flash about his account, but once he returns, I will personally be conducting a thorough investigation into his allegations. Currently, Green Lantern is on reserve duty until we learn the full account."

"Care to tell us what Lantern is saying about this?" Green Arrow called out then, clearly not one to keep to himself for long.

While Superman wanted to keep that part on the down low, if he were to do that, it would only give the appearance of a cover-up, and that was the last thing he needed right now. Damn John for putting him into this position.

So he decided to answer. "Lantern is saying that it was a misunderstanding, that Flash walked in at an inopportune moment that made him look like he was about to strike down the Shade."

"Flash said Lantern was defending his actions," Black Canary pointed out. "That doesn't sound like an inopportune moment to me."

Another former, possibly future Insurgent, though this one didn't last as long as Arrow. Superman did a quick scan of the rest of the League, trying to see if he could get a bead on how everyone was viewing this. The words of Arrow and Canary were clearly being taken into consideration, along with his own. He really needed to nip their increasing resistance in the bud.

"Considering all of this occurred on a college campus, we are obtaining the security footage to see if we can get an unbiased look at things," Superman assured the blonde woman, as well as the rest of the League.

"Do you think this is what happened?" Vixen suddenly asked, drawing the dark-haired man's attention away from his main opposition.

"I believe that we have two versions of the same event and that the truth lies somewhere in-between," he answered. "While I am inclined to believe Green Lantern, Flash's allegations are serious and they require—no, they demand our full attention and deserve as much. I will inform everyone what the truth is when I have it and not a moment before. On this, I promise."

He could see that some of his audience seemed to relax upon hearing his words. That was a start, something he could work with going forward. For now, he needed to wrap this up and make certain there wouldn't be any more mistakes made by John. He had been unbelievably sloppy lately and steps would need to be taken to make certain another incident like this wouldn't happen.

Then he would approach each of the members for some one-on-one time. Now, more than ever, he needed to know who was on his team and who needed...convincing.

This...this was something.

Ollie wasn't sure what to make of this. Something smelled bad, that much he knew. The impromptu meeting Superman and the founders had called was still fresh in his mind.

Not for the first time had he wondered what he was doing up on this satellite and now he was wondering what possessed him to want to join the Justice League. It was insane what was going on up here. He knew he didn't have that much interaction with every member here, but there were a couple things he was certain of.

One, the Flash was a cool guy. A bit immature, but that guy clearly had a heart of gold. Ollie respected it and rather liked the guy's company. Two, he could respect Superman's desire to get the full story on this. With the accusations made, it made sense that the entire picture needed to be made and seen.

However, Flash didn't strike him as a guy to make something out for shits and giggles. He was honest, straight-forward, and perhaps had a tendency to embellish. There was nothing wrong with that last part, especially when a good story was being told. Yet, the Emerald Archer didn't think Flash would tell a story as incendiary as this just for shits and giggles.

Something was definitely rotten in space.

"What are you thinking?" Pretty Bird asked from his side. The two of them had left the training room together while the others eventually headed off in their own little groups.

"Something isn't right," he replied to her, never breaking stride. "Call it a gut instinct, but I just can't shake it."

"Me either," Black Canary agreed, and it made him feel better. If someone else had his same concerns, then he knew it wasn't just him. "I can't help but get the feeling we just watched a press conference with a politician trying to spin a bad story around."

"It did have that vibe, didn't it? All we were missing was the dead-looking face of a wronged wife and the whole picture would have been set." Ollie wasn't fond of such a situation, but the description of it was rather apropos for this.

"What do you think is going on?"

"Either we have some earnest heroes trying to make sense of a stressful time, or we just witnessed the first stages of a cover-up. I really, really hope it's the first one."

"When has anything ever been that simple?" Black Canary responded, a smirk on her face. The smirk was strained however, an attempt to bring humor into a rather humorless moment. Ollie could appreciate it, but he could also admit when it just didn't work.

"I think...we need to get off of this satellite," the archer said after a moment. "Things are getting complicated up here and it's getting hard to tell what's right and what's wrong."

There was a moment of silence before Canary said softly, "Do you think this is what Batman meant when we last talked to him? About losing perspective?"

Ollie definitely remembered that conversation, how the Bat had admitted to using their natural instincts to his advantage—even if he hadn't said that in so many words—and he was starting to see what the man meant. It was getting harder and harder to remain objective when surrounded by people with incredible powers. He hated to admit it, but he could see why Bats wanted others that could see what he saw and wouldn't try to purposefully overlook it.

It wasn't that people were bad to overlook misbehavior. A lot of the time it was people wanting to see the best in others, that a reasonable excuse could be made that explained a bad situation. In this case, Flash wandering in at a time that looked like Green Lantern was going to kill someone was such a reason.

In a vacuum, he could see how plausible that was. The problem was that there was a man lying in the Watchtower infirmary, one that had taken the brunt of the same man's brutality. How did the saying go? Once was happenstance, twice was coincidence…

...three times was a pattern…

"Ugh," he grunted. "I'm starting to think we owe Bats an apology."

"Most people do at some point or another," Canary agreed, but this time the amused look on her face was genuine, unlike that strained smirk from earlier. "I get reminded quite a bit that in the long run, he usually ends up being right."

Suddenly, the blonde vigilante perked up, a sign that she was hearing something in her comm link. This was confirmed by her hand suddenly moving to her ear, covering up the device with her fingers. "What was that?" she asked out loud. "You want...what?"

There was a confused look on her face, which was probably being reflected on Ollie's face. He waited until Pretty Bird dropped her hand from her ear, looking troubled and bewildered. "What was that about?" he asked.

"We've been invited somewhere," was all she said. "The both of us."

"Who did the inviting?"

For a moment, she looked like she was going to answer him straight, but then changed her mind at the last moment. "Guess."

"The President of the United States."

"Bzzzzz, wrong, try again."

"The Queen of England."

A knowing smirk was on her face now. "One last guess. Better make it a good one."

"It couldn't be Batman, could it?"

The look on her face confirmed what should have been obvious from the get-go. "Where does the old gargoyle want us?" he then questioned. At this point, if he said North Korea, he would have agreed, just so long as he got off of this damn satellite.

"He gave us a set of coordinates. I guess he wants us to figure it out."

Oh sure, make it difficult. Was it really all that hard to say "Let's meet at the Denny's down the street?" Apparently so.

"Could it be a mistake?" Firestorm was wondering aloud, obviously still taking in what was happening.

Everyone was shook up. Really, they all were even if most of them hadn't even been there. Steel was doing his best to remain as objective as possible. Hearing that action was already being taken was promising, and Superman saying nothing less than a full out investigation was what was going to happen, it kept the inventor calm, though collected could be something else entirely.

The thought of a member of the Justice League trying to kill one of the bad guys left a bad taste in the mouth. On the other hand, he had been one of the guys who went down there to fight those three men. These same men were trying to sacrifice who knows how many people's lives and for what? Some delusion of grandeur? It was insane, and a person could only deal with insanity for so long until he, or she, were influenced by it. So much stress from fighting the Legion of Doom was going to catch up with someone.

"The lapse in judgment is not something anyone can overlook," Captain Atom pointed out. The big man was in a chair that looked very small when compared to him and gave a very odd look to the mighty hero. Not that Steel could argue; the chairs in the Watchtower's cafeteria did not seem to be put up here to be appropriate to everyone's size.

"There's nothing we can do about this. Not now," the man covered in steel spoke up. "We need to trust in Superman and the rest of the League to make sure this doesn't happen again. I hope this is just a case of Flash walking in at the wrong moment and from the wrong angle. I don't think anyone can trust what Shade and his buddies would say; they have all the reason in the world to lie."

"Agreed." Vixen nodded her head as she straddled her chair, the furniture turned around so that she sat on it backwards. "I don't know about the rest of you, but this is the first time I have ever had to deal with any kind of coordination from a bunch of criminals, especially ones with powers of their own. It doesn't matter how many fights we've had with them, it feels like we've made little to no progress. How many have been taken down? A grand total of four? And it's not like they don't have a huge community of these people to recruit if numbers get too low. How many are wanting to join since the Legion is making us look like idiots?"

"I don't even want to think about that," Firestorm moaned as he exaggeratedly slumped back in his seat. For a brief instant, his fiery head flared, but no one here backed away. It was too small and too quick to really react to.

"All the more reason to think about it," Atom stated. "We need to think about the worst case scenario, then figure out what we're going to do about it. The one thing we shouldn't do is to go rogue and take a small team without telling anyone. What were those two thinking?" Steel didn't need to ask which two the captain was referring to. "They may be founding members, but that was a rookie mistake."

Ice was biting her lip, and when she spoke next, her tone gave away that she was just offering an idea of a reason, and not the reason. "Maybe the stress is getting to them. I mean, even though they do great things, and they made the Justice League, they're human, right? They're gonna make mistakes, right?"

"You can't afford that kind of mistake, not when you're in their position," Atom argued.

"So we're going to have to trust Superman to make sure it doesn't happen again," Steel stated. "If anyone can get to the bottom of this, it will be him."

"Yes, we can trust Superman, but it's not him we're talking about," Vixen pointed out. "This is about Green Lantern and Hawkgirl. They're the ones who messed up. What were they possibly thinking about not telling the rest of the League? We're part of this too." Her eyes landed on him. "You were part of their team." Then her eyes flashed over to Firestorm. "You too. You were there when this all went down. What did you see? Did either of them tell you anything?"

Steel only took a few seconds to reflect on his memories before he answered, "I remember the two of us just happened to be there when the alert came up. Green Lantern tapped us, and then Flash showed up and volunteered. Then we're there and we split up. I fought Faust with Hawkgirl."

"Flash was with me and Alchemy," Firestorm added. "Once we got that stone away from him, Flash took off."

"By himself?" Vixen asked.

"Yeah. I had to make sure Alchemy wasn't going anywhere. Then, you know, Flash comes back and starts telling everybody what Green Lantern tried to do," the young hero finished.

"And no attempt to let anybody else know? Just grab the nearest person and head out?" Atom sounded very critical there. "That's a huge error in judgment. You can't get around that. These people are high priorities for the League; why not inform the rest so at the very least we could get a perimeter. For all anyone knows, it could have been another trap by the Legion."

In hindsight, Steel had to agree. Every time those three criminals showed up, the Legion was always waiting to strike. Except...this time. What was up with that? Had they gotten that lucky? A team of five versus whatever the Legion decided to throw this time could have been bad for anyone who got caught up with it.

"Whatever Lantern was thinking, Superman should be able to find out and make sure it doesn't happen again," he remarked.

"So Superman is in charge of discipline now?"

The table of League recruits looked up and found another recruit standing nearby. It was Black Lightning, the man frowning.

"What do you mean by discipline?" Fire asked, curious.

"Exactly that. Someone stands out of line, punish them. So far, Green Lantern is on the reserves, or something to that effect. What does that mean exactly?" Black Lightning asked. "Does that mean he is suspended from the League? Or can he not stop a crime in progress? Is he suspended from the planet? What does it mean?"

"I don't think Superman meant that Lantern couldn't keep fighting the bad guys," Steel felt the need to say.

"Maybe, but was it the other League members who decided that, or was it Superman alone?" Black Lightning pressed. "He was the only one talking, the only one who took questions. Where was Flash? Why didn't Hawkgirl say anything? She was there too, right? Martian Manhunter was quiet too. And Wonder Woman didn't say a peep.

"I don't know where you come from Steel, or the rest of you, and I'm not going to ask. Me? I come from the streets. That's where I've done all my fighting. I have seen people who, when they get the smallest amount of power, suddenly become little Hitlers. That's on the streets. This is the Justice League. Everything I've been led to believe was that there no one sole person with all the power. Everyone works together for the greater good, and yet, Superman sounded like he was at some damn press conference."

"What are you trying to say?" Atom asked, sitting straighter in his seat. Steel was doing the same, though he was resisting the urge to clench his fist. Why though? Black Lightning was only bringing up some good points. Yet, his pride as a son of Metropolis meant that he felt the need to defend another son.

"We might be new recruits, but the longer we're here, does that not mean we will all get a bigger say? Have more responsibilities? Be equal? I don't know about you, but from where I'm from, people look up to the Justice League. They see hope, justice. Wrongs will be right. Most of all, we don't have to fear the things bigger than us. Those are some pretty big shoes to fill, don't you think? I'm here now, not because I think I can fill those shoes, but the League itself thinks I can. I'm not about to back out of that, but that also means I need to be responsible for the League does."

"So what should the League do about what Lantern did? What the Flash said he tried to do?" Firestorm asked softly. For most of Black Lightning's speech, the young hero had lowered his head. Now he had raised it to look back up at the only hero standing.

Black Lightning returned the look. "Hold him accountable. Just like Superman put it, investigate and then hold him to his actions. If nothing else, the League needs to make sure no one here is above any law, including us." From the corner of his eye, Steel noted how Atom nodded his head. "If I tried to pull something, I would expect every single one of you to come down on me. I would expect nothing less. Don't treat me with kid gloves, because if I get out of line, people can and will get hurt. We're here to protect people, aren't we? Not just from aliens, or supervillians, but from ourselves as well.

"You might not want to think about it, but do so now. It took one decision for all of us to fight for what's right, even if it is the hard thing to do. If you change that one decision, then we're on the side of the Legion of Doom. One decision is the only difference between us and them. They made the choice to hurt people; we chose to protect them. That's the difference. What Flash said, that means Lantern tried to hurt someone. Even if it a bad guy, we fight to stop them, not kill them."

"What if there's no other choice?" Atom was the one asking that question.

For a moment, Black Lightning looked uncomfortable. He even looked away. When he returned his gaze, it was to say, "I'll let you know if that ever happens to me. But for now, I don't know about any of you, but I'm going to stay. I'm going to make sure the League is about justice."

Around the table, the rest of them returned looks. Yes, they were still coming to grips with what the Flash had told them all, but Black Lightning made a good point. They were in the League, and were responsible for now, weren't they?

At least, that was how Steel felt. In his heart, he knew that Superman would always strive to do the right thing. However this turned out, if his friend from Metropolis felt that everything they could do about it was done, he'd accept whatever it was.

The League might be bigger than all of them, but now they were part of it, every single one of them. They were the ones to keep it in check.

Still, Green Lantern trying to kill Shade. Where do you go from that?

How do you fix what hadn't been broken yet, but almost had?

How do you make sure the Justice League was about justice?

All these questions and more had no answers. Neither did they.

The Grand Canyon was just one of those places that no person could ever replicate. One simply did not cut a large, long hole in the ground over millions of years. It would take too long.

There were mountains too, spreading as far as the eyes could see. It was sundown, so the sky was colored with reds and oranges and purples. It was practically a painting that no artist could stand a chance at doing it justice.

Sitting at the edge of the canyon, legs dangling over the long, long drop, was Flash. This was one of the few places that could put things into perspective for him, or so he felt. There was just something about seeing something larger than yourself that made you realize your place in the world. He hadn't been one of those guys that stopped to smell the roses, but this place made him want to.

Unfortunately, this wasn't one of those times where he could just drink in the sights. No, he was a troubled speedster and whatever majesty was before him was completely masked by—

Flash was careful to avoid knocking over the various artworks. College kids had put in their blood, sweat, and tears just to be seen here and he didn't want to be the guy that ruined their dreams.

There was a loud BANG! and he knew he was too late. Someone was here smashing the place up and hopefully it wasn't one of his friends. He glided through the room he was in, heading right for a doorless doorway.

And found John crouching over Shade, a sword growing out of his ring. He had the man by the throat, his sword arm drawn back, ready to—

Flash shut his eyes before he shook his head, trying to rid himself of the scene. What the hell had happened back there? He knew what he saw and it looked bad. He had even seen the determined look on GL's face as he passed by him, snatching Shade out of his grasp. It wasn't the battle-frenzy look of desperation, of things just getting out of hand. It was the same look the Lantern had whenever he made a construct, focused and determined.

It had looked as if GL wanted to kill the man.

That was perhaps what was freaking him out the most. He had never seen John like that before. The guy was the definition of a cool customer. He had to be with the power ring. His imagination could literally destroy a city if he put his mind to it.

The shocked looks on the rest of the League came next into his head. He saw startlement, bewilderment, shock and awe, you name it, it was there. There was perhaps a loss of innocence too if he really thought about it. Superman, though surprised, didn't seem too concerned though…

Flash shook his head. Now he was just seeing things. His mind was trying to put everything into some kind of order and just about anything was on the table. There hadn't been some evil mastermind controlling GL hiding out in the new recruits, watching as their evil plan took root. Superman was the face of the League and any more emotion than that would have sent a bad vibe to the new members. He had to be firm, in control, so that everyone thought it was alright.

As if this could be alright.

A breeze blew by and Flash closed his eyes, enjoying it. He could hear the wind as it brushed up against him, pulling at the nearby brush.

"Good Lord, how you frustrate me, Leonard Hofsteader!"

What the...? Flash jolted where he sat. Who the heck was Leonard Hofsteader and why was he so...oh wait, now he remembered. Some TV show had someone dress up in a knock-off version of his suit and run all the way here to shout that line. Now every fan had to do the same thing.

Really ruined the atmosphere, ya know?

"That was an odd thing to say."

"Yeah, no kidding," Flash agreed before he realized someone was actually speaking to him. Turning around quickly, he saw J'onn standing a short distance away, looking at him as his cape wrapped around his body. "Oh, it's just you, J'onn," he sighed in relief.

"I wanted to see how you were doing," the Martian said in explanation. "I hope I'm not intruding."

"No, it's fine," the speedster assured the jolly green alien before returning his attention back to the canyon.

"Do you wish to speak about it?"

"No, not really. I honestly wished I hadn't seen it." Flash paused. "You're not here to try and convince me I was just seeing things, are you?"

"No, I respect you enough that I would not belittle you in such a manner," J'onn responded, his turn to reassure. "While you have embellished things from time to time, I know you would not make up such a story without reason."

"It's not a story, it really happened." Flash sounded a touch defensive, he had to admit, but he couldn't help himself at that moment. Again, he could see GL ready to stab Shade, an image that just wouldn't go away. " He looked like he was about to kill him. If I hadn't snatched Shade away. I don't even want to think what would have happened if I hadn't gotten there when I did."

"Neither do I." J'onn approached him, coming to stand at his side, a couple feet between them. He seemed to be drinking in the scenery. "Do you mind if I ask you a question?"

Flash didn't see any harm in such a request. "Shoot."

"Has Green Lantern been acting differently to you?"

That caused him to frown. "Define differently."

"Some of his recent actions have been noticeably out of the ordinary for him," J'onn replied. "His attack on Girder, now the Shade. His calls for more aggressive tactics. I had originally factored them to the stress of Superman and Hawkgirl being held hostage, but I am beginning to have my doubts."

Now that J'onn mentioned it, GL had been acting differently. He was still the stiff military man he always was, but there were little things, along with the bigger things that were just different. He had caught the man look at him as if he hadn't seen him in a long time. Then his near antagonism towards Batman was palpable. To be fair, Bats had a way of irritating the most patient of them, so he didn't look too closely at that.

But then Supes and Wings had been taken and John had been advocating for all-out war. Again, that could be explained by the stress they were all under, not to mention the speedster knew GL and Wings were going steady. He probably would have been acting the same way if it was someone he cared about in that position. He could even see why he did what he had done to Girder because of the emotional and mental stress.

Except...GL was a marine. He had been in high-stressed situations before, with and without his power ring. Surely he had to go rescue hostages in a warzone before. Or maybe liberate some POWs, a couple of which were platoon mates. If there was anyone that had experience in battle, it was GL.

So why did it seem like he was he losing his damn mind?

No matter how he looked at it, there was no way GL should have been ready to kill Shade. He had been on top of the other, a much better position. There were an infinite number of ways for him to defeat Shade at that point thanks to his ring, many of which were nonlethal.

"Something's...not right, is there?" Flash said after awhile, finally voicing his conclusion.

J'onn nodded, not once looking down at him. "I have been feeling the same way as of late."

Then it wasn't just him! Hearing that made Flash better about himself. There was just something to be said about camaraderie. "So what do we do?" he asked.

"That is difficult to say," the Martian admitted, not exactly what the red-clad man wanted to hear. "But I do believe there is someone we should go see."

"I'm game," he said before he stood up, brushing off the dirt on his suit. "Just lead the way, J'onn."

"So the gist of it is that Green Lantern is on reserve duty, the rest of the League is on the verge of turmoil, and who knows what will be next," Red Robin finished as he stood before the rest of his team and friends.

Many eyes stared back at him, wide with shock and surprise and who knew what else. This was definitely something no one here expected and only what the teen vigilante had learned recently.

"I don't understand," Kori, no, Starfire said, perhaps the one who looked the most lost. "Why would a Green Lantern attempt to take a life of his own volition?"

"I don't know much about the Green Lanterns as I should, and everyone else here for this matter. What I have been told is that they're like an intergalactic police force," Red Robin explained to the Tamaranean.

"So wouldn't that mean they're more likely to kill someone than others?" Wonder Girl asked, standing up from her spot on the couch. "If they're the cops, that means they're going to be in situations where someone gets hurt, or dead, right?"

"Death is only used as a last resort. It happens because there is no other choice," Starfire informed them all, her voice soft. "It is something the Citadel despised of the Green Lantern Corp. They felt that an army with that power should be dominating all life, not policing it. That the Corp is fully capable of restricting their access beyond the Vega system is a plant needle in their abdominal region."

Not going to touch that one. "The League is full of talk about how Green Lantern tried to kill the Shade. The Flash caught him in the act. Now no one knows where he ran off to," the dark-haired teen added.

"I can find him," Kid Flash offered, already at the vigilante's side. "I know just about every place he could, or would go, and it won't take me long. I'll be, like, back in a—"

"No." To emphasize this, Red Robin put his hand on the speedster's shoulder as if to hold him there. Both of them knew he was unable to do that, but the action spoke so much louder than any words could.

"But Flash is like buddy-buddy with Green Lantern!" Kid Flash protested, though he did not remove the vigilante's hand from his shoulder. "This has to be killing him and I need to—"

"Trust that Flash can handle it." From behind his domino mask, Red Robin stared intently into Kid Flash's. "If he needs us, he knows where to find us. If he needs help, we'll give it to him. Right now, there's something big at work we need to talk about first."

"That would be?" Raven was also standing, though she was levitating more and drifting over to be closer.

This is where things were going to get tricky. He knew his friends, had learned enough about their personalities that he could guess how they were going to respond to this. There were a couple outliers, sure, but that didn't change anything. This was too important as he had been told.

Moving his gaze to look over everyone in the room, Red Robin removed his hand from Kid Flash's shoulder and said, "What's our involvement in this whole thing is going to be."

Because everything here was being funded by the Justice League. If cracks started forming up there, they were going to end up here. There was no way the Titans were not going to be affected by whatever happened.

"But...we're not Justice League," Beast Boy pointed out, shifting back into his human form beside Terra. "This is one of those adult things, right?"

"But those adults control whether this tower stays open, or not," Raven interrupted. "We're going to need a stance, and soon, because it's only a matter of time until we have visitors wanting to know what it is."

Cyborg slumped back in his seat, putting a hand to his head as if the whole thing was giving him a headache. "This is just great, isn't it? We just now figured out what we were going to be doing and now this."

Red Robin cleared his throat, deliberately drawing all attention back to him. "Before we get into a pity party, I'd like to take time to explain what I think we should do. How we should respond. When I'm done and if you don't like it, you can tell me all about it. I'll listen. Just let me speak first."

Several looks were traded around the room, minus Starfire who still looked troubled at the news. Wonder Girl gave a snort as she crossed her arms and replied, "You usually get to talk first anyway, so why not now? Speak, O Fearless Leader."

Glancing at the blonde, the vigilante could only muster up a wry smirk. Well, when she put it that way, there was kind of a pattern and all…

"Alright, I think what we need to do is stay out of it," he stated, squaring his shoulders as he spoke. "Like Beast Boy pointed out, it is an adult thing. Who tries to pull kids into it? This is no place for us, and the second any of us picks a side, it's going to cause problems. Not only that, right now we are entertaining Starfire's sister. Whatever her reasons for coming to Earth are, we have every reason to keep her out of it. We don't need to drag the rest of Tamaran into whatever mess is happening."

The part about Starfire's sister was on the spot. He hadn't actually thought of it until it had randomly popped into his mind. Regardless, it was also a good reason for them to keep their distance.

"Yeah." That was Terra, and it seemed like his arguments were winning her over. "Isn't she like the Queen of Tamaran?"

"Grand Ruler," Starfire corrected.

"Yeah, Grand Ruler of Tamaran. Wouldn't that mean whatever Tamaraneans she brought with her would also get involved? I mean, they're just like you, right, Kori? They can fly, are strong, and can shoot those bolts that you can. Wouldn't that make a mess bigger?"

Starfire looked to the thin, blonde girl. "If the conversion of strength-to-mass ratio is the same, then my people will have greater strength on this planet. Flight, with the exception of a small minority, Tamaraneans are capable of it." She was quiet, though her hand was suddenly engulfed in green light, a Starbolt that was not fired. Starfire stared at it, allowing the energy to fluctuate around her hand before a clenched fist ended it. "Not all Tamaraneans can summon their life energy, not like I can. I know of only one and that is myself."

Still, a small force capable of flying and superstrength was not a recipe for a good time.

"But shouldn't we have a say?" Cyborg had lowered his hand and was looking right at the vigilante. "So the League is shaken up. Green Lantern is going off the deep end. Why should we stay out? Maybe, I don't know, we can help, or do something about it."

It was hard not to clench his fists, but Red Robin's jaw did. That was not something he wanted to hear even though he felt Cyborg would be the one to speak up first. In fact, he had been told to keep a close eye on his cybernetic friend. Maybe this was the reason.

"What can we do? Do you think they'll listen to us? Yes, they really helped us out, got us out of the boat, put us in this tower, pay the bills, everything. I am glad about that. Everyone here has a place where they can be safe, hell, even call it home. I'll even be the first to admit we do owe them because the League didn't have to go all out for us; yet, they did. There's a problem in the League now, but should we, a group of kids that are half their ages, be the ones to fix it? Where would we even start? Would anyone listen to us and not dismiss us because we're kids?

"Everyone here has been through a lot. You've been through a lot, Victor. Do I have to list everything? Because we'd be here for a while. Why dredge up those memories anyway? What purpose would that serve? The League might be having a crisis, but that's what the League does. It faces crises, including the ones from inside itself."

Cyborg didn't meet his gaze, his human eye trained downward. For second, that human eye flickered over to Raven, and the flesh portions of his face looked thoughtful. "How about Raven? She knows a lot about emotions. Maybe she could mediate, or something?"

The larger teen was still looking for a way to help. Was this someway to help pay back what he felt was a debt?

"I would like to avoid that mess if I could," Raven said dryly. "Even though teenagers can barely control their emotions, I can safely say adults have the same problem. Maybe I could help them keep calmer heads, and then what? I highly doubt they would love my tough love approach because even adults can act more like children than children do."

At least he could count on Raven's natural reluctance to help out. Though, why he needed to keep an eye on her when she was doing most of the work for him, the teen vigilante did not know.

"So we chill until the League figures its own problems out? Okay, I'm fine with that." Beast Boy slumped back in his seat, and had there been a table, or anything in front of the couch, there was no doubt he'd put his feet right up on it.

Cyborg gave the green-colored teen a hard look. "You're okay with all this?" he asked, a hard edge in his voice.

"Cyborg, Red's right about how we'd be treated. I mean, we could tell them to get over themselves, but would they listen to us? We don't even listen to ourselves sometimes. Think about all our mess ups! All the stuff we keep from each other. I know everybody here hasn't talked about every little thing about themselves, and that's okay. Because I don't need to know everything about anyone here to know we're good people." Beast Boy seemed to lean even further back into the couch, arms propped up on the backrest. "The biggest problems I've ever had was because adults made them my problems. I got a whole list of them too. When adults start having problems, it's real easy for them to drag you into them."

"All the more reason to help them out," Cyborg argued.

"Yeah," Kid Flash agreed. While the speedster's agreement wasn't surprising, the teen suddenly speaking up at that point was. "Flash has to really need someone to talk to. This was his best bud and everything, and he was there when I needed to talk with someone, even though I thought I didn't need the help and ran away from him, but really, who can outrun the Flash, 'cause he kept up with me for every second and wouldn't stop and then we had a heart to heart and it was awesome and everything and then I realized I needed to get serious and start growing up and all and I have to pay that back, you know?"

Long winded and no sign of stopping. At least the words weren't running together because he was speaking too fast.

"Isn't it the adults' job to take care of kids?" Wonder Girl was putting her two cents in. "I appreciate the digs, I do, but we have our own problems too. We can't just set them aside, especially not now." The headstrong girl turned her sights onto the very quiet Tamaranean who had not said anything in quite some time. "Kori needs us now more than ever. She's been here for us for everything, and she could have left after everything a long time ago, but she stuck around. She's helped us with all of our problems. She didn't have to either."

"You are my friends," Starfire said simply.

"And friends help each other, even when dumb adults can't get their shit together," the blonde retorted, giving the alien a wry smile.

Red Robin did another look at everyone, taking his time as he took in each and everyone. From how Cyborg was looking less and less happy, to how nervous Kid Flash looked, to Beast Boy sprawling out, Terra beside him keeping quiet and looking slightly lost, and Raven being right there and looking unaffected. They were so much more than a team, the vigilante felt. Through thick and thin, even when he considered letting everyone go their separate ways, they kept together, facing whatever came their way.

When he needed their help, they all came when they didn't have to. When someone else needed help, he returned it in kind, stood by whoever needed it. Of course there were mistakes. There were times when he made some questionable choices. As time passed, they became more and more a group that they either moved together, or not at all.

It was because in their greatest times of need, they were all they had. No one had come to rescue them...mostly. No, they buckled down together, and fought off everything and came out all the stronger for it. This...this would be no different.

"So what's it going to be?" he asked aloud. "What are we, the Teen Titans, going to do? Get involved, or take care of things here? I don't know about everyone here, but I know that right now, I have a friend who needs all the support she can get. I think we should make sure that Kori gets all the help she needs to handle this latest change. It's the least I can do, especially," here he favored the Tamaranean with a supportive smile, "since she has done nothing else but help."

"It is no more than returning the help you gave me when we first met," Starfire protested. "You do not need to involve yourselves in these recent of changes."

He shook his head. "Help comes in a lot of forms. Sometimes, just being there, standing beside someone, lending your support without saying a word is a way of helping. I won't speak for anyone here, but I will be standing by you, offering what support or help you need."

"That seems like a better use of my time than trying to get the adults up there to figure their shit out," Wonder Girl agreed, nodding her head. Then to the rest, she added, "Anyone else like to say anything? This is the time."

Lazily, Beast Boy raised a hand. "You know I've got your back, Kori."

"Mine too," Terra chimed in.

"You are causing much embarrassment to me," Starfire said, hunching her shoulders and looking down. There was a reddening of her orange skin, especially around her cheeks.

"I have to agree with Wonder Girl, offering you support would be a better use of time," Raven said, normally blank eyes softening at the sight of the Tamaranean. "There is still a lot about the situation with Komand'r that needs resolution. The League will not act for this matter, so it stands to reason that we will do so if necessary."

By now, Cyborg has slumped back in his seat, already seeing how this would be playing out. "Yeah, okay." He seemed sullen, but then it seemed like he was starting to warm up to the way the group was moving. "You were there when my dad showed up, stayed with me even though you didn't have to. How could I look at myself if I ditched now when you have so much going on?"

Yep, moving as one, or not at all. That was the group they were. Now, there was one more.

Kid Flash gave a sigh. "I could still look for Flash. Won't take more than a few minutes. Unless...you want me here. I can stay."

"I know people who can look out for him. They send me word, I get it back to you. Maybe not as fast as the Flash, but quickly," Red Robin told him. "If I even think he needs a shoulder to lean on, you bet I'll tell you."

"You better." The speedster was starting to stand up straight. "Alright, so what are we going to do now, unless standing right next to Kori is what we're going to do, which, not gonna lie, isn't the worst place to be."

Mission accomplished, it seemed. Red Robin could report back in, but later. Right now, he was right where he needed to be, with his team figuring what to do next about Komand'r. He still had his suspicions about her, but so far Starfire's sister hadn't so much as left any clue, or sign to something bigger. Anything really.

Was there a chance that this was just a side trip for a much bigger expedition? Maybe, but still. There was so much family drama involving Starfire's family that there had to be something else. Family drama was always messy. Trouble was all but guaranteed.

Until then, the only thing any of them could do was be there for the friend that was always there for them. It was no less than she deserved.

There was a lot of talk in that room. Not all the words were ones that she could understand, but that was acceptable. Blackfire had noticed the human, the one she had been told was called Red Robin, and noted how tense he was. It was just a matter of following after him and listening in.

She had received information about this Justice League, about how they were the first line of defense for this planet, not counting the mysterious force hiding on it that was capable of defeating the ruler of Kalanor. That this force of defenders was beginning to experience, shall we say, instability was especially important.

And absolutely perfect.

It didn't take long for the Grand Ruler of Tamaran to figure out that the core of this discussion in there was over, and so she took her own leave. Floating into the air and holding onto her cape, she flew away without a sound, determined not to let her presence be detected.

It didn't take long to find Galfore. "Ah, my k'norfka, we have much to do."

"Grand Ruler," the towering Tamaranean greeted her, bowing slightly to show his respect to her. Well, more like it was him adhering to tradition and not genuine respect, but that did not matter. She knew his heart, knew his feelings, how they conflicted, but also knew his resolve and loyalty.

She was going to need all of them to get this finished.

"It seems like there is conflict brewing in that immigration service of theirs. We'll need to contact the fleet and have them prepare to infiltrate. If we do this right, no one, nothing, and especially not that little unknown power of theirs, will be the wiser of it until it's too late. Keep them on standby until I send the word," she instructed.

"And what will we be waiting for?" Galfore asked.

Curling her lips, Blackfire glanced in the direction she knew her sister to be, surrounded by all her little human friends. "The problems of the League, if they get worse, will give them a blind spot. Once we know all attention is on itself, then we move. By the time they figure out what's happening, it'll be too late."

Blackfire was prepared to leave, but she knew Galfore's body language too well to know that there was something on his mind, something he wanted to ask, but felt decorum was too important.

"Yes? Something you want to ask?" she prompted.

It was predictable how he did not look her in the eyes. "Are you sure this is necessary? These aliens, this is their planet, is it not?"

"This is for Tamaran. You know this, I know this. Our loyalty is to our home, our people, and not these weak lifeforms that have yet to master space travel." There was an urge to reach out and take the massive hand that belonged to her k'norfka, to try and reassure him, but she was the Grand Ruler now. She could not express anything other than strength. "Do not get attached to them."

"Your...Koriand'r has," the warrior uttered softly.

Turning her back to perhaps the only Tamaranean she still felt any kindness for, Blackfire replied, "She gets attached to many things and has lost before. She will find something else to attach herself to."

I couldn't help myself with the Big Bang Theory reference. It was just too good of a set-up not to do it. I imagine there are fans that do recreate the scene, maybe without the Flash costume though. It's kinda like those people that throw pizza on the roof of the house in Breaking Bad.