The superhero world was in a tizzy.

Granted, it was always in something of a tizzy. Evil rested for no hero, and there was always something, somewhere, that required the attention of a superhero. Or multiple superheroes. Whichever handled the problem sufficiently with minimal casualties. The world was a strange place, to say the least.

However, this tizzy was a different kind of tizzy. A tension, building between heroes all across the globe. One of the quirks of being in a profession like superheroism is that the community was incredibly varied and incredibly tight-knit. Everyone knew each other. Or, they knew someone who knew someone. And while they didn't always get along, they still talked. So when word spread about a big upcoming JLA meeting, it spread fast. Especially when it was revealed that the Titans and Young Justice had been invited to the meeting as well. Once word got out that even JSA members had been invited, the rumor mill started running hard.

What was it about? Could it be about the recent run-in with the demon chick the Titans had? But no, apparently the meeting had been set even before that incident. Then what about that weird glow Superboy had at the end of the recent incident with Klarion…Bum, Bum, Bum…the Witch Boy? Could it be about that? So many questions, unanswered. And superheroes never liked unanswered questions.

It was for that reason the meeting was happening. The JLA and JSA would finally be getting answers. As to whether they would like those answers, well… no one ever said anything about that.

Something that everyone involved was painfully aware of.


"Time travel," Arthur stated bluntly, crossing his arms. Next to him, the rest of the JLA—Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, Plastic Man, Steel, and a slew of others—and the three chair members of the JSA, Alan Scott, Jay Garrick, and Ted Grant, were all looking equally as stunned as they were severe.

Slowly, Superman and Wonder Woman nodded. Batman just stared back, looking completely unapologetic.

"And he's been back for months?" Arthur further elaborated, narrowing his eyes further.

"Yes," Superman answered, speaking aloud.

"And you didn't bother to tell any of us." He didn't outright accuse them, but then again, he didn't have to.

"He was already uncomfortable enough to speaking to me about the situation. We did not want to push him, especially since his knowledge was incomplete and hardly fresh. For him, all of this happened over thirty years ago," Batman replied.

"Then why now?" Martian Manhunter piped up, eying all three with his red gaze. "What changed?"

Diana sighed. "Two weeks ago, Superboy traveled back as well. He died eight years before Gotham Knight, and further questioning from both Knight and myself under the Lasso of Truth confirmed his identity. Then, this past Friday, during the incident with Dark Angel…Troia also woke up with memories of that future. And she died ten years after Knight."

"Dear Lord…" Steel muttered, voicing everyone's thoughts.

"We went for months without a new time traveler after Knight, and then two new ones show up out of the blue within the last two weeks. It's possible that Troia will be the last, but if she isn't, then if this pattern continues we may have a new one as soon as tomorrow, a week later at the latest," Batman explained to illustrate the seriousness of the situation, "And there is no guarantee that the next one will be as…benevolent as the last three. According to Knight, there is a connection between Superboy, Troia, and himself that brings up four possible candidates already, but he also admits that anyone is still possible at this point."

Alan Scott raised an eyebrow. "And did they say what connection that was?"

"A council, of sorts, for the future Justice League. Apparently the League expanded the future, enough so that it was decided a central authority was necessary to delegate tasks and handle the day-to-day running of the Justice League," Batman tapped something on his gauntlet, and a picture appeared, showing all seven symbols of the members of the original Justice League. "A Superman, a Batman, a Wonder Woman, a Green Lantern, an Aquaman, a Martian, and a Flash. According to them, it's a bit more complicated than that, but that is the general makeup. Superboy, Gotham Knight, and Troia all served on the council as Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman respectively, during a period of time designated as Era 2. Specifically, on the first iteration of the council in Era 2."

Jay Garrick hummed. "You believe that the next time traveler, if there is one, will be a member of that iteration of the council then. Why?"

There was a pause as the Trinity exchanged reluctant looks. "Because of Superboy," Clark finally said, "he was the first member of that iteration to die."

A beat of silence. Looks of sympathy and horror.

"Superman, I'm sorry, I…" A hand silenced Jay.

"It's fine. You didn't know. It's…" Clark sighed again, closing his eyes for a moment. "It's been hard. They're good at hiding it, but only Knight has had time to really make peace with the situation. Superboy and Troia are still grieving."

Faces visibly softened at that. Arthur cleared his throat. "If you wish to delay the meeting, we understand."

Diana shook her head. "No. They insisted this happen as soon as possible. Whatever is coming, we need to be prepared for any and all possibilities. That means exchanging pertinent information."

Another series of uncomfortable looks were traded amongst the many heroes present. Finally, it was Wildcat that spoke. "Well then, where are they?" Ted asked in that gruff voice of his.

"In another room. They had some notes they wanted to prepare, and we still need to wait for the Titans and Young Justice to arrive. The three of them insisted they be present too."

"I assume those two teams already know of the situation?" Arthur questioned.

"Yes," Batman admitted. "They were present at their respective teammates' awakenings. We had no choice but to tell them."


"I can't believe you had an entire presentation typed up already," Kon deadpanned as he watched his friend work on his laptop and link it to the Watchtower's servers with his young brother's help. "What the hell. Why are you so hypercompetent. Why is your family so hypercompetent. Why the hell am I friends with all of you?"

"So I guess that part of him didn't change all that much over the years," Tim idly commented to his brother.

"Nope," Jason succinctly replied, before pressing one last button on the keyboard. "And… done! All linked up."

"I can't believe I'm inside the Watchtower," Cissie remarked off to the side, watching the stars in space with Secret beside her. "If my mother were here, she'd freak."

"Totally!" the ghost girl squealed. "It's so cool here!"

"SososoyoutimetraveledtoolikeKonwhatwasthatlikehewon'tsay…" Bart motor mouthed to Donna, who just smiled at him and patted his shoulder.

"I might be friends with Wally, Bart, but even I have my limits," she told him good-naturedly. Bart stared up at her for a moment before shrugging and continuing to speak, running his words together in a rapid pace.

And then the door slid open.

"Hi guys!" Cassie Sandsmark cheerfully stated. "Sorry I'm late, I had this thing with my mom…" she trailed off when she realized no one was greeting her back. All of her friends were staring at her awkwardly. She wondered why, until she spotted Donna standing towards the back, a hand to her mouth and her eyes glassy. Oh.

"C'mon, kids," Jason said, breaking the silence. "Let's give them the room."

Slowly, Jason and the members of Young Justice filed out of the room, leaving Cassie and Donna by themselves. The moment the door slid shut, allowing for privacy, Donna walked towards Cassie, her steps stilted, until they were barely even a foot away from each other. Then she crouched down and pulled the young girl into a hug.

"Oh, Cassie," Donna said tearfully, running her hand through the girl's black-colored wig.

Cassie, after a moment, tentatively hugged her back. "I'm sorry, Donna," she said, though she had really had no idea what she was apologizing for. For dying in the future? For Donna coming back in time against her will? Or for something else entirely?

Donna slowly let her go and cupped her face. "Don't be. You have nothing to be sorry for. If anything, it's me that should be apologizing."

"What for?"

Her predecessor sighed, before guiding Cassie to the table where Jason and Tim had been sitting before. Donna placed her arms on the table, folding her hands together, and swallowed as she watched Cassie do the same. "How much did Kon-El tell you about your death?"

Cassie flinched, causing Donna to frown. "Forgive me, Cassie. If you do not wish to talk about it now…"

"No," Cassie gulped, inhaling a deep breath. "It's fine. He said that I died in a war, waged between the Olympians and the Titans of Myth. And that I was cremated in the Ancient Greek custom, as per my will. That's it."

Donna tapped her fingers on the table. "While that is accurate, that is not the entire truth. Not all of it. I…I was there."

The younger girl frowned. "Why wouldn't you be? I mean, wouldn't Diana have asked us both to be there?"

A sigh. "Cassie, I was already there. By the time the war happened, I had been living on Themyscira for almost seven years."

Cassie blinked. "You mean you quit being a superhero?"

"Yes," Donna admitted, with a hint of shame. "You have to understand, Cassie, that you weren't the only hero to die during that time period. Many others died before you, many of my friends. The loss of them all, combined with the loss of my son before that—"

"Your son died?" Cassie interjected, surprised and horrified.

Donna closed her eyes and nodded slowly. "A car crash, caused by Dark Angel when he was three. One that never happened in this timeline, for whatever reason. Regardless, he did die, along with many others. Roy Harper, Wally West, Lilith Clay, Dick Grayson — all good friends of mine, all gone. The losses piled up, became too much and I…I couldn't take it anymore. So I left for Themyscira, and I stayed there, for what would turn out to be ten long years."

Cassie's mouth fell open, and she remained speechless. What could she ever say to that? "That's…that's a lot, Donna, I'm not going to lie, and I'm glad you trust me enough to tell me this. But…what does it have to do with me?"

"…five years into my stay at Themyscira, you decided that I had stayed long enough. I'll admit, I had not intended to stay for so long, and had begun to long for the remaining friends I had left behind in Man's World. However, I feared losing those friends like I had with the others, feared facing the overwhelming grief that had threatened to consume me time and again. So I stayed among my sisters, even as my loneliness and my desire to do good still raged within me." Donna gazed fondly Cassie. "You saw that during your visits, and you tried to convince me to return to Man's World."

Cassie brightened, slightly, upon hearing that, only to falter again. "But I didn't, did I? Seeing as you stayed there for ten years."

Donna chuckled mirthlessly. "Indeed. I was resistant to all your attempts, and our relationship began to fray. And then, one year later, we had a huge argument about it. Words were said, words that couldn't be taken back, and we wouldn't speak again until the war. We found ourselves working together, tense and hurt, until…" The tears began to fall. "You died. In my arms. And it was in that moment I realized that you were right. Staying on Themyscira didn't solve anything for me. It just left me alone." She buried her eyes into her hand again, wiping away the liquid embodiment of her pain.

The younger heroine fell silent again, at a loss. "Donna," Cassie finally said, reaching over to hug her predecessor once more, "I don't know what my other self was thinking when she died. But if she was anything like me, then nothing you could have ever done would've made her hate you. If anything, she would just be glad that you started living your life again."

The former Wonder Woman unburied her face, stunned. Then she pulled Cassie into an even tighter hug. "Oh, how I've missed you Cassie," Donna murmured in ear. "Do you truly believe so?"

Cassie pulled out of the face to give her a firm look. "I know so."

Donna smiled sadly. "Thank you, Cassie."

Cassie smiled back, and then look down. "What did you do after that?"

"I stayed on the island for three more years, this time for training. I wanted to be at my very best before I left for Man's World again. And then, towards the end of that three year period, war came for the Earth again. Queen Hippolyta, my mother, died," Donna let out a shuddering breath at that painful memory, "and with her death, the Amazons were bereft of their queen."

"Diana," Cassie realized immediately.

"Yes," Donna confirmed. "With our mother dead, the throne was meant for Diana. She did not try to fight it. Like me, she had already lost several close friends and loved ones by that point, including the first Superman two years prior. With the blessing of the rest of the council, she resigned from the Justice League and retired as Wonder Woman to take her place as our queen. But, she still desired a Wonder Woman in Man's World, to spread our ideals. So, upon her coronation, she held a tournament to determine our new champion."

"You entered, it didn't you?" Cassie said, completely sure of the answer. "You entered it and you won, and you became the new Wonder Woman."

Donna ruffled her hair playfully. "I did. I defeated Diana herself in a duel for the honor. She gifted me new armor, blessed by the gods, and traded my Lasso of Persuasion for her Lasso of Truth. I returned to the World of Man as the second Wonder Woman, and learned that my friends hadn't forgotten me at all. They recognized me on sight, and greeted me heartedly. Not a single one resented me for my time away, they were just glad I had come back." Her smile turned wistful. "It was humbling to realize."

The current Wonder Girl once again lit up, glad to hear something of a happy ending in this tragic tale, until she faltered once more. The tale hadn't ended there, after all. "You died, though."

Donna grimaced. "Yes. About twenty-four years later. An alien invasion, one that had been years in the making. I managed to cut down thousands of their soldiers before they aimed at a comrade of mine — the fourth Batman, Jason's son. I took the blow for him, and died."

Cassie gasped, and began to tear up herself. "Oh, Donna…"

"It's fine, Cassie," Donna cut her off, smiling sadly at her. "If I had to die, then I could not have asked for a better way to go, dying for a man I loved as one of my own children. And while my life was full of tragedy, it was also full of happiness too. I had no regrets."

No regrets. Cassie wondered if she had died like that too. She hoped she did. Leaving anything unresolved felt wrong to her now. She could only assume her older self felt the same.

Donna cleared her throat, catching Cassie's attention once more. "Now that you know everything, there's something I need to tell you. I've spoken to Diana, and she agreed to come with me to visit your mother after the meeting today. It regards your future as Wonder Girl."

The teenager's eyes widened behind her goggles. "You aren't going to take the mantle away, are you?" she asked, her voice hitching in fear.

The former Wonder Woman shook her head. "No, Cassie. I couldn't stop you from being a hero even if I wanted to," she smiled lightly at that, though it quickly faded away into something foreboding, "But there are some things you need to know. Things that should have been told to you when you first decided to become a part of this life. Diana and I just need to convince your mother to tell you — and make no mistake, Cassie, this secret she's keeping wasn't kept out of malice, but out of concern. The situation has changed, however, and you're better off knowing it now than later. Just…do not hold it against her for keeping it from you."

Cassie swallowed upon hearing that and then nodded shortly. She didn't know what, exactly, what was going on but she trusted Donna and was sure that whatever her predecessor was planning, it was to protect her. The guilt and the love in Donna's eyes was all too obvious, even to someone as young as herself.

Donna brushed the hair of her wig back one last time before standing up. "Come. The Titans should have arrived by now, so the meeting should be starting soon. They're probably expecting us."


Donna and Cassie arrived to the designated venue of the meeting, the Hall of Justice (and for some reason the name had caused Donna to snort, much to Cassie's confusion) — the JLA's main chamber, where they held all their meetings. The circular table had been cleared out in favor of a smaller one with three seats facing against several rows of chairs, with another table and another three seats in front of that. It made the place resemble a conference room, which was an apt transformation — considering the number of people involved, it might as well be a conference anyway.

Already, several people were seated, including the members of the JLA and the JSA. The Titans and Young Justice were filing into their own seats, while the current Trinity were seated at the front row, behind a table of their own with some notes of their own. Bruce's doing, no doubt. Donna spotted Kon and Jason even farther away than that, standing at their own table and chairs, with Jason tapping away at his computer and setting up the presentation. Upon seeing them, she gestured Cassie to join her own team while she went to join her friends and former (current?) teammates.

She ignored the stares she was getting and instead seated herself to Kon's left. Jason, of course, was already on Kon's right. They were an almost perfect mirror from their predecessors across from them, which, of course, no one was lost on.

"How did the talk with Cassie go?" Kon whispered the moment she was seated.

"Well enough as it could have gone. Though I'm not sure she'll be so composed once she learns the secret her mother has been hiding from her," Donna admitted, careful not to hint at what that secret was. They had people with superhearing here, after all.

Eventually, everyone was seated, and the chamber settled down into an awkward silence. After a moment or two of that, Kon rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"This is worse than the annual Junior Grade meetings," Kon muttered beneath his breath. Jason and Donna, as one, subsequently elbowed him. It did nothing, of course, but it didn't stop him from glaring at them both.

Nor did it stop Batman or Superman from overhearing him. They pinned the three time-travelers with demanding stares. "What is Junior Grade?" Batman asked.

As one, all three sighed. "Of course he heard that," Jason grumbled. He then took out a remote and clicked on one of the buttons. A screen slid down from the ceiling of the chamber, the lights dimming so it could be better seen. His presentation was pulled up, and Jason quickly switched the slide that had the Justice League ranking system.

"Junior Grade is a rank assigned to new members of the Justice League upon entry. It has subranks of III, II, I, with III being the lowest and I being the highest. It is superseded by Senior Grade, which has the same subrankings. Those ranked Senior Grade I are regarded to be the most competent and trustworthy members of the Justice League and are charged with leadership positions throughout the subdivisions of the organization, along with various other privileges," Donna explained, gesturing to the information presented.

Everyone except Jason and Kon stared at her.

"That…is an oddly complicated and elaborate ranking system, for a team such as ours," Superman summed up calmly for them all. "Why was it necessary? Why did we need a ranking system?"

Jason sighed. "Because of the Expansion Initiative."

"The Expansion Initiative?" Wonder Woman echoed, her eyes sharpening at Jason.

He groaned again, began muttering under his breath, before switching back to another slide, this one titled 'The Expansion Initiative'. "The brainchild of Nightwing I, or Batman II as he was known by then." People glanced at the aforementioned Nightwing, who for once was not reveling in the attention and instead shrunk into himself in fear. Jason ignored his discomfort and continued with the exposition.

"The Expansion Intiative was an idea to connect all individual heroes and superheroes and induct them into the Justice League, pooling their resources and skills together into one, wide-spanning organization dedicated to protecting the world. Batman II wanted better cohesion and coordination among the superhero community on a consistent basis, opposed to only connecting with each other in such a fashion in large-scale emergencies, like had been the norm for the past several years. The Initiative was the result of that."

"The idea had traction," Kon admitted, "But it was also very ambitious and controversial. It took several years of undertaking to fully implement it. Even though it was Batman II spearheading it, many heroes and teams did not want to give up such a large portion of their agency, preferring to operate on their own in their own personal matters. It wasn't until Batman II's death that they fully consented to the idea, mostly in honor of his memory."

Many people flinched upon hearing that. It was hard hearing that someone they knew, someone that was here and now, breathing among them, dying in the future. Even worse was the idea of it being Nightwing. Many of the people present had known the man since he had been a boy trailing after his father in a traffic light costume. The idea of him dying, allegedly at a young age, was…disconcerting.

"But like any organization," Donna continued where Kon left off, "Expansion meant restructuring. A clearly defined chain of command, objectives, goals — not just for the standard missions and large-scale emergencies, but also for normal, everyday tasks. Hence, the ranking system. It was used to rank heroes in terms of experience and skill, so they could be assigned to appropriate posts. However, we still needed more than that. A central authority. And the most natural solution to this was a council."

Jason started switching through slides again, now settling on one titled 'The Council'. It had a list of each seat: the Super(man) seat, the Bat(man) seat, the Wonder (Woman) seat, the Lantern seat, the Aqua(man) seat, the Martian seat, and the Flash seat. "As many of you have been told already, the council was modeled after the Original Seven — the Founding Members of the original Justice League, and their successors. They were the most natural choices, in terms of diversity, experience, and legacy. Each council member would've been extensively trained by their respective hero families and with a greater amount of experience than the average superhero for the same reason, hence why few combated the idea of keeping the council within those families. There was a vetting process that each new member was required to go through, helmed by the rest of the organization, but for the most part, it was a formality."

"And all three of you served on this council for…Era 2?" Batman asked the last part, silently ordering elaboration.

The presentation flickered again to another slide. "Like we said, when the Justice League expanded, restructuring came with it. Part of that restructuring was the establishment of a historian, to document the many missions and exploits of the Justice League for posterity. Not for fame or anything of the sort, but in case any past threats or those similar and/or connected to them came to plague future members of the League. The first historian was the Mr. Terrific of this time, who continued with the role even after he retired from active duty. He passed it on to his successor upon his formal retirement from superheroism in its entirety."

"This is where the idea of Era 2 comes from," Donna added. "For better organization of our historical records. Each Era is defined by the seven members of the council at its beginning, and only ends when all seven of those members are no longer a part of the Justice League, either due to dying in the line of duty or retirement. Retroactively, we named the Original Seven the first Council of the Justice League, and thus the beginning of Era 1. Subsequently, Era 1 did not end until the very last member of that Council, you Diana, left the Justice League to succeed our mother as Queen of the Amazons. Whereupon I succeeded you, and officially began Era 2."

Kon rubbed his arm. "When Donna died, Era 2 was still ongoing, as there are two members of our council, the original iteration, still serving in the Justice League. Theoretically, that could mean anyone who served on the Era 2 council could come back. However, considering the relative youth of the new members, many of whom don't even exist yet in this time, along with the fact that I, the first member of the original council to die, was sent back, leads us to believe that the remaining four members will travel back as well, if anyone else will be traveling back at all."

"Who are they?" Batman immediately asked, mind already preparing itself to memorize the information.

The Neo-Trinity exchanged looks again. "Well, the first is Wallace R. West — your cousin, Wally," Jason started, "he succeeded you and Bart, first as Kid Flash, then as the Flash."

Wally blinked. "Wallace? But he isn't even a speedster!"

Kon cringed. "Wallace is…special. He's technically not even supposed to exist in this timeline yet."

There was a beat of silence as everyone, once again, stared at them in horror.

"What?" Wally said quietly, face a deathly pale.

Jason slapped Kon on the arm. "Seriously, Kon?"

"Well we can't hide it from them forever!"

"Knock it off you two!" Donna ordered, immediately causing the boys to calm down. She then gave a gentle, comforting look to the current Flash. "That's a long story, Wally. And something that should probably be kept private with your family. If Wallace doesn't come back to tell you himself, then I will tell you. I promise."

Wally clearly was not going to accept that, but a look from Batman quelled him. Bruce then glanced at the three up front and silently urged them to continue.

"The next is Megan Morse, or better known by her real name, M'gann M'orzz — Miss Martian," Jason revealed.

J'onn, startled, snapped his head up. "Martian?" His voice was tinged with hope. He had heard the implicit suggestion with the reveal of a Martian seat on the council, but hadn't dared to voice the question in his mind. Now, however…

"Yes. When the civil war started, she and her family managed to escape, and eventually settled here on Earth upon hearing of your survival. Unfortunately, they were captured by the government, and while M'gann managed to escape, her parents were executed."

Martian Manhunter looked saddened at the loss of more of his people, though he soon perked up upon learning of M'gann's survival. "So she should still be out there, right?"

"Provided the timeline hasn't changed too drastically, yes," Jason confirmed. "Whether she comes back or not, we need to find her. The government may still be hunting her down."

J'onn seemed satisfied hearing that, and sat back down. The whispers began starting again, until Kon cleared his throat. "Moving on, the next candidate is an Atlantean. A boy named Kaldur'ahm, who lives in Atlantis. He was the second Aqualad, and then the third Aquaman, succeeding you Garth, and you, King Arthur."

Arthur frowned upon hearing that. "So I assume you wish for us to seek him out?"

Kon stilled, as did Jason and Donna. "Not…necessarily," Kon finally said, voice hesitant. This was not lost on anyone.

"Superboy," Clark said warningly.

"You already know someone who knows where Kaldur'ahm is, King Arthur."

"Who?" The King of Atlantis demanded.

Hesitation. And then… "Queen Mera," Kon finally admitted.

Arthur froze. "Mera? Mera knows who this boy is?"

"Yes. It's a long story, and you're better off hearing it from her. Just know…just know that she did what she had to."

The Atlantean looked ready to demand more, by force if necessary, but glares from Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman all stayed his hand. He sat back down with a dark glower on his face.

"Right," Jason said after another awkward silence. "Last candidate. He's already here."

Everyone blinked. "He is? Who?" Diana asked.

As one, all three turned towards one direction. Following their line of sight, every eye turned towards one hero in particular. Some were shocked, some not, a fair few dismayed.

Kyle Rayner meanwhile, looked completely stunned and more than a little afraid. "Me?"

"Yes. You were the first holder of the Lantern Seat for Era 2."

"But…why?"

Donna rubbed her arm. "The Lantern Seat is…special. Technically, any Lantern can serve on the Council, usually because there are normally multiple active Lanterns on Earth at the same time. However, the official holder of the seat is the most senior active Lantern. For Era 1, that was Hal Jordan. And for Era 2," she locked eyes with Kyle, "that was you, Kyle Rayner."

"So then…what does that mean?"

"It means someone is going have to watch you for signs of possible time travel," Jason bluntly told him. "Any volunteers?"

There weren't many. Kyle hadn't made many friends yet, not in this timeline. Eventually, his mentor Alan Scott had been chosen, since he was already interacting with Kyle on a regular basis. The young Lantern looked relieved to have someone familiar watching him, especially one of the few people he got along with here.

"Right. That's it for now, at least regards to the time travelers. Now for the other order of business: the training camp."

"Training camp?" Jay Garrick asked, cocking an eyebrow under his helmet.

"Honestly, this really only concerns the members of Young Justice and their mentors of the Justice League — and you members of the JSA as well," Jason explained, once again rifling through his slides until he settled onto the one titled 'The Education Initiative'. "The Expansion Initiative was what defined Era 1. This initiative, the Education Initiative, is what defined Era 2. It was our brainchild, based off the training system I created for my family. The idea was to create a full system offering training and mentoring to all JLA members and JLA-affiliated teams, both to increase the quality of heroes and to create a feeder system for the JLA's growing membership, along with further increasing the camaraderie in the superhero community."

While most of the people present didn't really know what to make of that, Jason could spot his father and brothers giving him approving nods, and hid his smile behind his mask as he continued to speak. "Like the Expansion Initiative, the idea was controversial, but the idea had enough merit and support for most to agree to a trial run. Upon its success, the system was gradually implemented over the course of the next six years. By the time I died, it was an accepted part of the Justice League's membership process and of the superhero community."

"So you wish to implement the initiative in this time, then?" J'onn asked, non-existent brows furrowing.

Donna held up her hands in a calming gesture. "Not right off the bat, of course. The system took years to implement and had an already-existing infrastructure to build off of, one that does not exist in this time yet. We, would however, liked do a miniaturized version of it — a training camp, as you would call it. And we'd like Young Justice and Stargirl to be our first students."

The attention finally turned away from the time travelers since the meeting had first started, and towards the youngest people present: the members of Young Justice. All of them looked a bit unsettled being shunted in the spotlight so suddenly. "Us?" Cissie squeaked.

"Yes, you. You're already involved with us thanks to Superboy, so naturally you are our first choices for students. Batgirl will be joining you as well if she agrees to the proposal."

Young Justice looked lost upon hearing that, and almost unconsciously veered their eyes toward the one member of their team that wasn't sitting with them. Kon smiled at them all sadly.

"You don't have to, of course," he told them. "It's your choice, along as your mentors and guardians agree with you. But…I think it's a great opportunity. We have a lot to teach you, and while we won't be going on missions very often, there's still a lot we can do that will just as much action."

The teenagers started to silently confer with each other. As they did that, attention then turned to the JSA members present. "We'll pass on ya offer to Stargirl," Wildcat told the three. "Don't know if she'll accept, though."

"That's fine," Jason replied. "Whatever her decision, just pass it on to us. If she accepts, we'll send you further instructions. If not, then we'll wish her all the best."

The senior heroes softened visibly upon hearing that. A few more minutes passed, until finally, Young Justice made their decision.

"We'll do it," Robin said, the team's unofficial spokesman. Smiles immediately burst on the face of the Neo-Trinity.

"Great. We'll have to discuss it further with your guardians and mentors, so please stay behind for now." Jason glanced at his father. "If it's alright, we'd like to adjourn the meeting. There's nothing else we'd like to talk about — nothing pressing, at least."

"Oh, wait!" Donna straightened, standing up slightly. "Before we do that, I want the Titans to know I need to meet them all in private before they leave. There's something I need to discuss with them." Judging by the grim look Dick adopted, it was obvious he had already figured out what that meeting was about.

"Is that it?" Jason asked her. Upon Donna's nod, he glanced back at the Trinity. "Very well then. Wonder Woman, Batman, Superman — do you have anymore questions?"

"None for now," Batman stated after a moment of silent conversation with his teammates. "Meeting adjourned."


I had to rewrite this chapter to flow better, and of course, that meant more exposition. I'm not entirely sure I'm satisfied with it, but I don't know any other way to improve it. At least you all finally know how the Justice League worked in the future. I hope you appreciate that — I've got an entire file of world building based on all this, mostly fleshed out months ago, and I finally get to use it.

If you have anymore questions on the system, they'll probably be answered in-story eventually. I'll probably do a full index of all of my notes at the end of the story in another part of this series on AO3 if there needs to be anymore clarification.

Next chapter: Teachers visit homes.