This chapter is one a lot of readers have been waiting for since the conclusion of Fallen Olympus. I hope it meets everyone's expectations as it has been a long time coming. Hope everyone enjoys!


The meeting hall in the Tower of Fate was loud, angry voices ricocheting off of the ancient walls.

And Batman weathered it as much of the anger and fury was directed at him. Flash and J'onn were on either side of them, the former shooting him worried glances, the latter stoic as ever. Zatanna was on the opposite side of the room from him, sad eyes watching the spectacle.

"No!" Green Arrow's voice carried over the cacophony of voices. It was so loud, everyone had stopped their talking, finally bringing silence to the room, albeit for only a moment. "We cannot operate as an effective unit if someone is keeping secrets from us. What the hell was that video? What were they talking about the Justice League basically taking over the world?" The domino mask covering his eyes directed itself to Batman, doing little to hide his anger and outrage. "We need answers; we deserve answers."

All eyes fell on him. Batman could feel his throat grow thick, making it difficult to swallow. He had been dreading this day for years now and it had finally come to roost. If he had it his way, it was something he would have taken to his grave; but now, that option was no longer viable.

A plethora of news stations were running the same story ad nauseam. Everyone wanted to know who that person was in the video; what it meant; why it was made. It was basically the same thing his gathering of allies wanted to know.

He couldn't close his eyes. Every time he did, he could see that fateful snapping of Cassandra's neck as fresh as it had been the moment he saw it.

"That video," he began, pausing for just a split second as he fought to get his voice under control. It was thick with emotion and that was just something he couldn't afford to show right now. "That video," he repeated, his voice calm and collected now, just the way he wanted it, "is everything we are fighting against."

Arrow was not accepting that as an answer. "That's a very generic answer for a what the fuck kind of situation. Everyone here knows you're keeping secrets, Bats. Now is not the time to die with them. We need to know everything."

The archer was right. Unfortunately, he was right. Batman's shoulders sagged as he sighed. He had done this not too long ago with Flash and now he was repeating himself. "I'm certain most of you are aware of my absence at the time of Vandal Savage's attack on the White House."

"Some more familiar than others," Huntress added.

He ignored the remark. "The reason I was gone was because I had been thrown twenty years into the future, where the Justice League had become despots and taken over the world, ruling it with an iron fist," he continued. "That video you saw is a culmination my time there, fighting the League to make my way back home."

He was greeted with stares upon this admission. For once, it was hard for the vigilante to tell if he was being believed, or they were being skeptical.

"The future," Manhunter repeated. "And why did the League go bad?"

"There were a number of deaths amongst the League's ranks, highlighted by Flash's." Batman didn't bother gesturing to the red-clad man, who seemed to shrink in on himself. "The League lost themselves in self-preservation, effectively overthrowing every world government to protect itself."

"That's where you've lost me," Green Arrow responded as he leaned back into his chair. "I don't think the League is that fragile."

"They're not as strong as we thought they were either," Black Canary pointed out.

"Point," the blond man admitted. "So if you were in the future, where were the rest of us? I didn't exactly see many of us there; in that video, I mean."

There was no point in sugarcoating it. "Save for myself and you, Green Arrow, every single person in this room was dead, murdered by the Justice League for opposing them."

There were gasps throughout the room. He pressed on. "Things weren't going so well for you either, Arrow. For all of your efforts, Superman exposed your secret identity to the world in an effort to undermine and destroy you."

That got the man's attention, his eyes widening. "Does that mean…" he trailed off.

Batman nodded. "I do. In fact, I know everyone's identity in this room."

"That's something we had assumed," Huntress said. "Still, this is all so hard to believe. What even makes you think the League is going down this alleged dark path of yours?"

Batman looked across the room at Zatanna. "Bring her up, the moment where she's telling me her story in the Cave."

Zatanna knew what he was talking about since she had seen the footage some time ago. She said no words as she raised her hand up, waving it. At the foot of the table, the very air began to swirl, hues of blue light shining and blending with itself.

Those colors changed until the Cave appeared, the very image of future Cassandra standing in front of them. She was frozen in place, mouth open as she had been stopped in mid-word. "I'm certain all of you are aware of some of the extreme actions the League has taken lately, particularly by Green Lantern," Batman said.

Upon seeing nods even as everyone viewed the magical image. Batman then directed their attention to one specific spot. "This woman is all that's left of the Network. I'm certain you have all noticed the dots on her forehead." Again, there were nods, though some were slower than others, mostly because he had brought those blemishes to their attention. "Those aren't there for show. Those are burn marks, made by Superman as he lobotomized her with his heat vision."

There were more gasps. "After some time, her mind was restored by that timeline's Martian Manhunter when he couldn't tolerate what the League was doing to the world. She...was the last person he restored; when Superman discovered what he was doing, he then executed him for it."

Nightwing perked up at this. "Is this whole room a gathering of people that were killed, or opposed the League?" he questioned.

"Yes," Batman answered him. "Though not completely. Even with this knowledge, I made certain that if this future was coming to pass, the people gathered in this room would fight against it. Time was changed, so new events could change how people would act later. Some of you could have very well have League sympathies."

"So you studied us until you were certain," Manhunter groused.

"It didn't take that long to study," Batman countered.

"Though it may not be following the original path," J'onn spoke up, "we are beginning to see the Justice League leaning in the direction of this twisted future. If we are to prevent it, we must be vigilant."

"This is a lot to take in," Green Arrow said. "Not to mention far-fetched."

There was doubt, something that this team could not afford. It seemed drastic measures would need to be taken.

"Zatanna," Batman called out. "Show everyone everything, from the moment I arrived in the future to when I left. Show it all."

"That's a lot to show," the dark-haired woman protested. "You're talking about days of footage. Do we even have the time for that?"

"We have to make it," he said. "Time works differently in the Tower of Fate, so that should help."

Zatanna slowly nodded. "Right. I guess I can do that."

"In the meantime, there are some things I can do," the dark-clad man continued. "I need to get in touch with Red Robin and keep him informed." Not to mention keeping the Teen Titans out of this mess. He didn't need Cyborg or Raven joining with the budding Regime again. "J'onn, I'll need you to return to the Watchtower. No doubt the League is trying to make heads or tails of this as well."

He didn't need to continue further as J'onn nodded his acceptance. "What about me?" Flash asked then.

"You should see this as well. J'onn and Zatanna have already seen it, but I think it'll do everyone some good to see this." Batman turned and began walking to an open doorway. At its center, a small symbol of the ankh appeared, growing larger until it filled the entire doorway. "I'll be back shortly," he said before he walked into the glowing ankh and the Tower of Fate was replaced with the Cave.

The moment the symbol vanished, taking with it its mystical light, Batman let out a sigh. That had gone as well as expected.

The sound of a boot clicking on the floor caused him to stiffen. It wasn't over, it seemed. Someone else was here.

Turning around, Batman soon found Diana standing a short distance away, her face stone cold and uninviting.

Oh, hell…


Of course it had been recorded.

A vein was threatening to throb on his forehead, a clear indication of just how irritated and infuriated Superman was. His world—the real world—had been played live for the whole world to see, naturally with the most damning scenes Batman could arrange.

Damn him. Damn that man.

To be certain, it was a corrupt version of the true future, narrated by that alleged daughter of his, the lies most certainly spun by Ra's al Ghul to ensure Batman was an enemy of his government, of peace.

Global news networks were reporting on the matter. The sudden beginning and end to the transmission had prevented anyone from recording it, so all any of the talking heads could do was just that—talk about the mysterious video. All of the accusations, the meaning behind them, the truth of them, it was all being played live over 24/7 news coverage.

Superman cared little about the media's attention. What he was more concerned about was the effect this had on the ranks of the Justice League. Those that had been slowly coming to see the light in the founders' actions were now questioning their sincerity. That simply couldn't be allowed to fester.

So again he had called a meeting for the League, another one to sooth the heated tempers and the demands for explanation.

This time, however, he wanted little influence from the others. John and Shayera were not present; neither was Diana, and J'onn, and Flash, though that was alright since he knew he needed one-on-one time with them; and Batman sure as hell wasn't here. He didn't need the man throwing a wrench into his carefully woven explanation.

"Everyone," Superman greeted them as he stood before them. The commissary was where the newer members had gathered and was just as good as any place to stage this meeting. "I understand your concerns in light of that transmission—"

"You're damn right we do," Vixen interrupted him, something the Kryptonian had to refrain from frowning at. He still wasn't used to others cutting him off, or challenging him. "What was that about? What even was that?"

"The accusations are troubling," Captain Atom agreed, his arms crossed over his broad chest. "Though more importantly, are they true?"

"I can assure you that the Justice League has not overthrown any government," Superman assured the captain. "Nor do we plan on doing so, now or in the future."

"That's encouraging," Fire responded, a hopeful tint in her voice.

"Then can you explain why the transmission claimed otherwise?" Vixen pressed. "Who even was that woman?"

In all honesty, Superman didn't know. He knew Batman claimed her as his own, much like Johnathon and Martha Kent claimed him. But who she was, where she came from, or even what her name was, he didn't know. With her face plastered over every television screen, there would be a search for her, though the Kryptonian doubted anyone would be successful. Batman would see to that.

Unfortunately, that took away his ability to use her as leverage, to reveal her identity to the whole world, much like he had done to Oliver Queen. Speaking of, he wasn't here either…

The Man of Steel refocused his attention on the heroes before him. Now wasn't the time to get lost in thought and conjecture. "I honestly don't know," he admitted, answering Vixen. "And her accusations are concerning.

"There's a lot you don't know," Black Lightning added.

"If any of you know who she is, it would be much appreciated for you to inform the rest of us," Superman responded. Upon seeing everyone glance at each other, with no one speaking up, he knew he had proven his point. "Ultimately, this is anti-Justice League propaganda," he then said. "Someone is clearly trying to put the League in a bad light and what better way than to make it seem that the League has ulterior motives?"

He could see a few of them considering his point, including Black Lightning. "Going forward, we need to identify the woman in the video and find out where the transmission came from. When we know those, we can act accordingly. At this point, I am more than willing to allow all of you to perform your own investigations however you see fit. I won't question your methods, so long as you get answers.

"In the meantime, I will see to the other founders and see what progress they've made on their own investigations. Make no mistake, the League is under attack from our personal villains and now under fire from the public. This is going to become more uncomfortable until we find the people responsible and bring them in to answer for their crimes."

Turning away, he left the commissary, leaving the heroes to determine their next move.

He didn't get too far as he ran right into John and Shayera. "You know who did this," the Green Lantern stated.

"I do," Superman acknowledged.

"What's the plan then?"

"What we should have done the moment we realized he was alive: we're going to the Batcave and putting an end to Bruce once and for all."


"Why didn't you tell me?"

It was a loaded question. His next words needed to be chosen carefully lest he offend the clearly angered Amazon.

After so many years of avoiding the subject, Batman found he couldn't speak, instead staring at Diana stoically. She was the last person he wanted to find out about the future, the role she played in it. Distance had been his ally, but there was no running now.

Diana did not take his silence well. "I demand answers, Bruce. No more hedging, no more hiding, no more privacy. I deserve to know."

It wasn't that long ago he had heard those same words. Yet, he couldn't help himself. "What makes you think that?"

Diana's eyes flared with anger. "I've seen your protege before. Do you think I wouldn't recognize an older version of her? Of me breaking her neck?"

With a sharp jerk, Diana twisted Cassandra's head to a side, her neck snapping loudly.

Instinctively, he clenched his hands into fists. Whatever goodwill that had been developing between them since the Pantheon case was quickly vanishing as the seminal event in his trip to the future roared in his ears. "No one was supposed to know of this," he said evenly, surprising himself that he wasn't growling with rage as well.

Diana took a step towards him and then another. He didn't resist the urge to shift into a defensive stance, using his cape to his advantage to hide his body from sight. No doubt the approaching Amazon noticed the subtle cues, but to her credit she didn't let that offend her. "Tell me what happened," she ordered.

He didn't respond.

The dark-haired woman came to a stop in front of him no more than a few inches away. She stood tall and proud. "Tell me what happened," she repeated just as forcefully.

"And if I don't?" he countered.

He was playing with fire, he knew. The fury that was on her face spoke as much. "One way or another, I am going to find out—even if that means asking J'onn."

The vigilante narrowed his eyes. "What does J'onn have to do with this?"

"Out of all of us, J'onn was the one you kept open communication with," she replied. "He was the only one you would even talk to at one point. J'onn is also someone that can be confided in and I am willing to bet that you did share this with him. I don't know when, but you did when it should have been me."

Sometimes he forgot that Diana was more than strength and beauty. It was hard to see because of her natural beauty, frozen in time if her immortality had its way. Her fighting style was also of one that knew she could overpower any opponent, overcome any obstacle with a well placed punch. But she was also a diplomat, one that used empathy to connect to others. Just to navigate the world of government and bureaucracy and come out the other end with something to show for your effort took cunning. She was not dumb. Upon seeing that mysterious broadcast, she had quickly put two and two together and had come here.

She had been slowly prying into his world again, taking great pains to not overstep lest he shut her out again. She wasn't being gentle anymore.

"You wouldn't be saying that after everything I saw," Batman finally responded.

"And what did you see?" she pressed.

He leaned forward, his face drawing closer to her. "The future—one I've done everything to prevent."

"Why is that?"

"Why wouldn't I? The world was under permanent lockdown. The Justice League ruled with an iron fist, becoming the very dictators and monsters it had sworn to stand against. It crossed the line it never should have crossed and each and every one of you went along willingly. You led the charge, Diana, right up to the moment you killed her."

Batman hadn't meant to say that last part, not in the way he had. His words dripped with repressed fury, pronounced low and guttural, nearly tearing his throat apart and leaving it raw.

"Then you should have told us," Diana proclaimed, not the least bit intimidated. "That way we all could have prevented it."

"Are you not paying attention?" he snapped. "Green Lantern tried to kill two men and if it weren't for Flash, he would have succeeded! He and Hawkgirl were pushing for a more aggressive stance by the League in regards to the Legion of Doom. We're at a crucial moment, Diana."

"One that has come in spite of your intent," she challenged.

"I can admit to that, but right now those two think I'm not wise to them. It's the only reason they haven't stormed into this cave and gotten rid of me."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"If you were a budding despot, would you allow the one person who can stop you to remain unmolested? The League knows of my countermeasures, so if it ever went rogue, I would have a target on my back. Because of that broadcast, it's only a matter of time before they come for me."

A disapproving look appeared on the Amazon's face. "Your paranoia is getting the best of you. The League isn't after you. No one is coming for you."

Those were disappointing words to hear, but the Dark Knight knew he was right. It was what he would do if he were in their shoes. When dictators assumed power, they got rid of any resistance, anyone that posed a threat to their power. Those people vanished from the public eye, either incarcerated, or more likely executed. Human history was ripe with such occurrences.

"Then you're a fool," Batman said bluntly.

Diana narrowed her eyes at the insult. "Look around! The League hasn't invaded! It's just me and you. All we have determined here is that you've had a lack of faith in the League. If you had only come to us, we could have assured that future never happened."

They were starting to argue in circles here and he had little tolerance for that. "I stand by my decision."

"How can you? All you have done is sown distrust in the League! No doubt that is what is happening on the Watchtower as we speak." Diana abruptly stopped herself. "And that is not all. You're threatening to split the League in two."

"I am doing no such thing," he retorted. "I left, remember? It was the rest of you that kept trying to drag me back in."

"Which created a situation in which the Pantheon almost succeeded in their plans," she countered.

She seriously wanted to put that on him? Fine, so be it. He turned to walk away from her, only for the Amazon to clamp a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. "You don't get to walk away from this," she told him sternly.

"I have other things that require my attention," he responded. "Namely finding out where that transmission came from. As far as I'm concerned, this conversation is over."

"No, it isn't." She roughly spun him back around, her other hand coming up and grabbing onto his other shoulder. "We still haven't talked about us."

"There's nothing to talk about."

"Oh yes there is. Why did you push me away? I won't leave this cave until you tell me."

She really wanted to know? "I made a choice," Batman said after a moment.

Diana's eyes narrowed. "What choice?"

"It was you, or her. I chose her."

A stunned look appeared on Diana's face, her hands loosening on his shoulders. Batman took that opportunity to take a step back, pulling out of her grasp. She didn't speak, staying frozen in the daze she was in. Seeing as she wasn't in any state to continue, the vigilante began to turn away again.

"So that's it?"

He stopped, his profile to the dark-haired woman. "You just...toss aside relationships when they suit you? No matter what we feel?" she questioned.

Batman didn't respond.

Diana slowly nodded. "Then so be it. Do as you wish. Just be careful you don't push everyone away. Before too long, you'll find yourself all alone and with no one to blame but yourself."

Abruptly, she lifted up into the air before flying off, heading for one of the tunnels that led out of the Cave. Batman watched her go until she disappeared into the darkness.

Several moments passed before he finally began moving himself, heading for the supercomputer. He made to stand in front of the chair, readying to sit down, but stopped. Diana's last words before leaving were ringing in his head.

He turned his head to the left and then the right. All alone...just as she had said. The solitude was deafening.

And like the obsessive compulsive that he was, his mind began dredging up everything over the last few days. Diana's hurt and anger; Green Arrow's accusation of manipulation;0 the Network's response to the transmission; they hit him all at once.

Batman placed his hands on the computer console, leaning over it as his shoulders slumped, his head hanging low. His arms were the only things keeping him up, preventing him from falling forward. Diana's last words had hit a little closer to home than he had expected.

Was this what he was doing? Was he tossing relationships around like playing cards? Was he manipulating those around him for his own benefit as Arrow had indicated? The outrage being directed at him in the last hour seemed to indicate as much.

And what did he have to show for it? Anyone that had ever gotten close to him had ended up worse for wear. His parents—dead. Alfred—dead. Zatanna—driven off. Andrea—lost in anger that she could never be rid of. His fellow vigilantes—scorned and outraged. That wasn't including the people in Bruce Wayne's life either, the socialites and businessmen he dealt with daily.

In the beginning, he knew he would have to sacrifice much. Ending up alone was always a possibility. Living it was something else entirely though.

Was this moment what he was destined for? Was it worth everything he could give up? Had given up? Normalcy? Happiness?

That was when a hand lightly touched his arm. Slowly, he turned his head, finding Batgirl...Cassandra...his daughter, standing there, looking up at him. Her mask hid her face, but she looked at him almost innocently. Beneath it though, was concern.

And he drank in the sight of her. All of this, every action he had taken since returning from the future had been for her. To protect her; to raise her the best that he could; he had given up a lot.

Could he sacrifice a normal life for this girl? He found that yes, he could and would willingly do so. Could he sacrifice happiness for her? He had just ran off an Amazon without peer in kindness and beauty. He had been willing to fight her biological mother for her, in spite of the blood that dripped—make that flowed—from her hands.

He had done too much and had come so far. It was too late for him—and that was alright. He would willingly trade his life for this girl.

Batman reached out with one hand, pressing it up against the dark-clad girl's check. Unconsciously, he rubbed his thumb up and down the side of her face; Cassandra, bless her, allowed him to. He found himself beginning to straighten out his posture until he stood tall. Sacrifice was worthless without having something worth sacrificing for. This girl was worth it.

He dropped his hand from her face and turned his attention to the supercomputer. He had work to do. First, he needed to get in touch with Red Robin and get him caught up to speed. The sooner he removed the Teen Titans from the impending conflict within the League, the better, particularly Cyborg and Raven.

Next, he needed to look into the transmission and figure out where it had come from. Someone had waited until that moment, creating a montage of the most inflammatory footage from the…

Wait, how had that footage gotten out? The only record of it was on a flash drive he kept in the Cave. There was no way it could have gotten out.

Unless…

"Computer: check video file downloads," he commanded.

The supercomputer was quick with its result. He saw a download, one dated for the approximate time of Bane's siege of Gotham. It was right about the time…

...when Cassandra and Zatanna had accessed the file.

Damn it, he had messed up. He hadn't cleared the computer banks of that file like he had done every time he had viewed it. While that shouldn't have been a problem, the Cave had been hacked by Brainiac, forcing him to cut off power to the computer. It must have been caught up in the hack and downloaded into Brainiac's ship.

And someone had found the file while shifting through the tech on Brainiac's ship.


An emergency meeting had been declared and Koriand'r found herself with her friends who were exhibiting many different degrees of stress. She had not been present when multiple viewing devices, such as the television, began to play a broadcast.

Much of what she had heard about the broadcast cast their benefactors in the Justice League in a negative light. However, just hearing about it was not her fate.

Her friend, Cyborg, had seen the broadcast, and one aspect of his programming was that he could record what he witnessed. Much of his time at night was deleting the recording files his programming created so that it would not clutter up his data servers. Due to the emergency nature of this meeting Red Robin called, she knew this was one file that would not be deleted.

She was able to watch when Cyborg played it again and she heard the voice of the unknown human female as she narrated. The imagery of various members of the Justice League were edited into the narration, along with individuals she believed were humans engaging in various policing actions that were brutal in nature.

It reminded her much of her Gordanian masters and life in the Citadel.

There were demands, especially from Wonder Girl about "what the hell is this" and these demands grew louder in volume at the broadcast's end where the Justice League member Wonder Woman was violently breaking the narrating human's neck. Beast Boy, Kid Flash, and Terra were shocked into silence, though the males of that trio were desperate to say anything and tended only to give exclamations here and there while Terra appeared to not know what to do or say. Raven was silent, her cognitions kept ever close to her chest.

Cyborg was the one the Tamaranean felt the most concern for. He was able to replay the recorded broadcast at will and currently held it paused on an image. There was an individual frozen on the screen, blue in color with a mechanical insect on his back. This individual was evading a blast of energy, one whose source was a cannon, one which was melded into an arm and connected to a large mechanical body. The human features gave away the nature of the machine, a cyborg, and while the machine aspects were bulkier and less colorful than her friend, the flesh parts were nearly identical.

The section of the face, the color of the eyes and skin, the expression of exertion. which she had seen on his face previously, the stance, the design of the arm cannon, it was all reminiscent of her friend. Cyborg was staring at it with the intensity of the sun, silent himself.

What must he be feeling, she pondered. Was it something that words could help him with?

Red Robin had stepped out some time ago, leaving the remainder of them to try and cope and come to task with this broadcast. Koriand'r did not know what to do, what she could do, or if there was anything she could verbalize.

"It's gotta be some kind of prank," Kid Flash declared, "even if it does have some production value, but it's all first person through the eyes so someone was cheap making this. I never heard about any kind of takeover because that would have been in history class!"

"Didn't you sleep through your history classes?" Raven inquired.

"What's your point? I would think the Justice League taking over would have been in the history books in the twenty-fifth century and it's not. I know because I'm from the twenty-fifth century!" Kid Flash replied.

"Didn't you mention before that you didn't pay much attention unless the Flash was involved?" was Raven's second inquiry.

"Flash was part of Justice League history so I would have quasi-paid attention." There was a note of pride in her fast friend's voice.

"Who cares about Flash? Who're the black stormtroopers? And who was that woman? What the hell was she talking about?" Wonder Girl interrupted.

"Um, some kind of pitch for a movie?" Beast Boy guessed, raising a hand up with a single finger extended.

"That's what I was thinking!" Kid Flash agreed.

A work of visual fiction? Was there a chance that's what this was? The Tamaranean exile had no experience with this and kept her counsel to herself as a result.

Then Cyborg spoke. "Then why am I in it?"

Her large, cybernetic friend's tone of voice was powerful enough to cause silence, if not hesitation. Neither of his eyes had left the image of the familiar cyborg in the midst of battle.

After some small units of time measurement, "Coincidence?" Beast Boy suggested.

Cyborg shook his head, almost violently. "No, that's me. I'd recognize my reflection anywhere. That's me. Why am I there? Who am I fighting? Why do I look so different?"

The differences were in the body. Compared to the image, Cyborg was much smaller, blue-colored panels alongside his arms, legs, and head. There was no blue in the image, none at all. What was the explanation for this?

"I don't think we will be getting any answers about this. Not now." Koriand'r nearly found herself reacting, noticing that Red Robin had returned. When he had, she did not know, but then he asked a question. "Instead of trying to figure out the mystery, we need to decide what we are going to do. What's our response?"

No individual spoke, not immediately. It was clear that none of them had an answer. Of ill fortune was it that they needed to have one.

"Maybe we need to call up the League. Get some straight answers." There was an answer from Beast Boy and it sounded reasonable. The accusations in the broadcast were directed at the Justice League, so making inquiries with them would be logical.

"I can see about getting Flash to talk," Kid Flash offered, his movements beginning to pick up speed. "He has to know something about this."

"What about you?" Wonder Girl cut in, her eyes on Red Robin. "Do you have any ideas? You were gone for quite a bit."

Red Robin did not answer, not immediately. He expressed no emotions; was he thinking? The mask that shielded his eyes made the task of reading his optic organs all the more difficult. Blank white hid away what might reveal the cognitions in her younger friend's mind.

"I received a call. Had a conversation—"

"With who?" Wonder Girl interrupted, blue eyes glowing with anger. "Now's not the time to keep secrets. We're all in this together, remember? Who were you talking to?"

Red Robin's face was similar to stone as he faced the aggressive human female. "It was the same person who contacted me earlier: Batman."

The silence stretched itself for small increments of time, many eyes turned to the human whom they tended to follow as a leader.

"Batman called you. Earlier. And now," Raven said, her hood creating a darkness that hid most of her face while allowing her eyes to peer through.

"It was while Kori was with her sister. I received a call. He wants us to keep out of whatever is happening with the League. At the time, he gave no details, and since we have Tamaranean royalty here, I thought it wouldn't be an issue." Red Robin's voice was steady as he gave his explanation. The references to Komand'r had to be put aside, though the guilt that her older sister was causing the rest of her friends to be on guard was not as easy to ignore.

"Well, that just changes everything," Cyborg grumbled. His tone of voice was different from the last time he had said those words. Sarcasm, that was what he was using, correct? She was improving in her detection of it.

"So what did he say this time?" Beast Boy asked, standing up and learning towards Red Robin.

Again, no immediate answer, and Koriand'r could see that it was aggravating Wonder Girl. Cyborg was of a similar mindset because he was...glowering. Yes, that was the correct word. She understood; if there was any truth to this broadcast and that was indeed Cyborg, there were so many more questions that needed to be asked and answered.

The exhalation of air through nostril orifices was loud and heralded the first of many answers. "He said that the video is real. All of it. He said that right now, staying away from the League was the best thing we can choose to do and he singled out both Cyborg and Raven. Yes, I asked about why Raven, but all he said was that it was a name that had come up. What this video is, all that footage, Batman told me it's of a future he's been working to prevent."

Abruptly, Kid Flash was at Red Robin's side, hands on his shoulders. "You mean that happened? All of it? But how?! I don't remember any of it!"

"Because he somehow stopped that future from happening, at least until now," Red Robin had to interrupt.

"And you're not the least bit skeptical about that reasoning?" Raven questioned, her voice tense.

"This is coming from the one man I know who claimed to have died and been brought back to life," Red Robin retorted, and now the rest of the room was silent for a different reason. The young human would be the first to break it. "Cliff note version, the Joker killed him during the Great Gotham Fire, a man named Ra's al Ghul brought him back to life somehow, and I have learned not to ask too many questions, except this time because you all deserve answers. This affects us as much as it does the League. You have no idea what it's like dragging answers out of him and maybe I'm lucky it wasn't face-to-face because he would have totally glared me into silence. I know I brought up a lot of questions now, but right now, let's focus on this." A hand gestured to the frozen image of an altered Cyborg from a future that had yet to come to pass.

Koriand'r looked from friend to friend, face to face, and felt overwhelmed. This new development had come at a time when everything was so sensitive. Komand'r, Red Robin's subservience to Batman, the League becoming tyrannical.

The last one, that...that struck her home dwelling hard. She had lived through such a scenario when Komand'r led her bloody coup and seized the throne. Her sister had become absolute and did not tolerate opposition from the rest of their race. Before she could see anymore, she had been taken from Tamaran by the Gordanians, and then…

Life in the Citadel was not kind to slaves and science experiments. The royal family was most keen to retaining their power. No one opposed them and lived to tell about it.

There was only one recourse, was there not?

"Then how shall we oppose this future?" she asked to her friends, bringing their attention to her. "How do we protect our friend, Cyborg? How do we defend ourselves should the League seek us out as allies? Do we side with Batman? My friends, this is the time we must decide our course of action, before others decide it for us."

This was what was true to all. You choose the path in which you wanted to walk. or someone else made the decision for you. No matter what, you were always making choices.

"We can use your sister's presence to defer League interference," Red Robin proposed, and he gave her a look that she found hard to read and not only because of the mask he wore. "The ruler of a whole planet paying a visit to Earth should be enough to buy us some time. I know this might be asking a lot, but Kori, will you let us use that?"

Koriand'r understood, even if she did not like the ill feeling she felt. "I understand. Even under the best of circumstances, that my sister is on Earth should have the League's attention. I grant my permission, so long as no one mentions this in my sister's company."

Is this the feeling of betrayal, when you were the one committing the act? She did not like it, not at all. However, this act was one she was granting to her friends, the ones who helped her when they did not need to. This was so confusing.

"And if they ask for me by name?" Cyborg asked dryly.

"We need you more than the League does. Come up with some technobabble and how sensitive the whole thing is. If nothing else, we buy time," Red Robin answered. Next, he turned to Kid Flash, "See if you can't find Flash and ask him some questions. We definitely need more details, details that Batman is unwilling to give."

"Aye, aye," Kid Flash agreed, saluting with a bent arm and a gloved hand close to his forehead and then vanishing in a display of superspeed.

"Going under Batman's nose, hmm?" Wonder Girl was slowly approaching the human male, her approach close to being described as stalking.

"Too many unknowns, and right now, we're the best ones to protect ourselves. We need information, not secrets. That part you were right about," their leader said. "There's a lot of work to be done, but the most important part of it is that we have each other's back. If we have to...we'll fight who we need to."

"Fight?" Beast Boy's voice was cracking. "But won't that mean…?"

"I know what it means." Red Robin nodded his head at the green shapeshifter. "If we have to fight members of the Justice League...fight to escape. We still have the yacht. We can leave Jump if we have to."

Leave? Ah, strategic withdrawal until it was safe. This tower, though it was home, was also built by the Justice League. The argument of owing them shelter and food would be leveraged against them. It was best to remove any and all openings before they could be exploited. The mindset to think this way would be necessary, if not regrettable because the stance being taken was in opposition to the people who had built this place and provided so much resources.

Homes, however, could change at any given moment.

Let her hope that the others were not too attached.


Batman had to give Red Robin credit, he was developing into a responsible man. His call to the teenage hero hadn't been so much him reinforcing the Teen Titans stay out of this League matter, but the young man demanding answers for what was going on.

Considering everything that happened, the vigilante for once didn't have it in him to refuse the request. Perhaps it was the emotional roller coaster he had been on since the Metropolis riots; the necessity to inform his growing faction of what was going on publicly and behind the scenes could have been a factor; then there was the emotional turmoil of his encounter with Diana still weighing on him. It could have been one of them, or all of them, but he told Red Robin everything pertinent. The future, Cyborg and Raven's known roles in it, the deaths of most of the Titans—as much as he could fit in that brief call.

He hoped it was the right thing; with everything going on, he just wasn't sure.

Naturally, that was when the computer sounded an alarm, a proximity sensor being triggered.

The moment he viewed the alert, he knew what was happening. Whipping around to Batgirl, he ordered, "Get to the safe storage, now. You know the one. Stay there until I come get you."

The safe storage, in this case, was the off-grid armory far beneath the Cave. Because of super-hearing, he couldn't be more descriptive than that. Unfortunately, Batgirl saw the alert, saw the report, and it didn't take her long to put two and two together.

"But what about—" she began to protest.

"NOW!" he barked. "I won't say it again. Go!"

For once, someone obeyed him and his daughter took off in the direction of the narrow tunnel that led to the hidden storage. Whipping back around, he knew time was of the essence. Opening up a drawer on the computer desk, he pulled out a small device, turning it on. Next, he pulled out a small, thin pad, one he pulled a transparent film off of, and then stuck it onto his chest, off-center to the left. Picking up the device, he pulled a similar film off of its back and then placed it on the sticky pad on his chest.

His fingers then danced on the computer keyboard, opening up a program and initiating it. Three levels of security protocols kicked in and he inputted all of the passwords.

The moment the screen on the square device on his chest lit up green and a textbook heart wave appeared on it, flashing over and over at a steady rhythm, he knew everything was set to go.

It was only then that he paused. Glancing up to the alert on the computer monitor, he had a minute tops before he had some unwanted guests.

The Dark Knight was known for having a plan for every scenario, always being prepared for whatever was thrown at him. It would be a shame if he didn't have a backup contingency in place if this first one didn't work.

So he typed in another command. A short distance away, a thin platform rose up from the floor. On top of it was a transparent box, a small capsule within it.

Batman snatched the box up, opened it, and dry swallowed the capsule. Placing the box on top of it, he pressed a small, unseen button on the side of the platform and it descended back into the floor.

The moment it vanished, there was a strong breeze, which pulled at the vigilante's cape. Batman closed his eyes as he took a deep breath.

It was time.

Turning around, he was greeted with the sight of Superman, Green Lantern, and Hawkgirl standing a short distance away. The looks on their faces promised that this wasn't going to be a pleasant meeting. "What are you doing here?" he demanded.

"We need to talk, Bruce," Superman answered him, not the least bit taken back by his harsh greeting. "One that's been a long time in the making."

"As far as I'm concerned, we have nothing to talk about." He began walking around them, giving them a wide berth. "You can see yourselves out."

Predictably, it wasn't going to be that easy. He felt his cape pull on his back, stopping him. Turning, he saw Lantern had taken a few steps to close the distance between them and grabbed his cape. "You're not going anywhere," the former marine spoke.

Superman and Hawkgirl began circling around him, surrounding him and cutting off any exit he could use. "What's this about?" he demanded.

"Oh, I think you know what this is," Lantern replied, tossing his cape down like trash. "We have a score to settle with you—all of us."

He raised an eyebrow. "And that score is?"

"You know," Hawkgirl shot back. "You destroyed our world for this crime-ridden hellhole."

"A utopia on the verge of being free of violence and corruption," Lantern added.

"Our perfect world," Superman finished for them.

Batman felt as if he had misjudged this entire scenario. This wasn't some shift for more aggressive tactics within the League. This wasn't the result of stress getting to them. These were the words of people used to doing what they wanted and when. People who had deluded themselves into thinking they were in the right, doing whatever it took for their righteous cause.

These were the words of the Regime and these were three of its chief creators.

The heartrate on his monitor increased by a few beats. How had this happened? How were they even here? Superman was dead, so there was no way he could be here. Green Lantern and Hawkgirl were in their present day garb instead of their future outfits. While it could be said they had gone undercover as their present day selves, the logistics weren't possible. While Hawkgirl could easily hid herself under that mask of hers, Lantern had been bald in the future. There was no way he could have grown hair so quickly.

Unless this had been going on for months under his nose…

A smirk appeared on Hawkgirl's face. "I think he's realized who we are."

"How did you get here?" he questioned, shifting around so that he could look at each of them.

"How else?" Lantern taunted him. "We did like you did and used time travel."

Of course it had to be time travel. They must have gotten their hands on Ra's time machine after a breakout. It was the only scenario he could think of at the moment.

"Now that you know, let's cut to the chase," Superman then said. "You know why we're here. You don't have your kryptonite armor on and I'm at full power. You don't stand a chance against the three of us."

Batman noticed an odd look shared between Lantern and Hawkgirl concerning the kryptonite armor, but that was of little concern at the moment. It seemed his words had been prophetic after all. The Regime was coming to remove him as an obstacle to their nefarious design. This was hardly a time for an "I told you so," but…

"Before you start, I do feel there is something you should know," Batman said calmly.

He happened to be facing Superman and thus saw him narrow his eyes. "And what would that be?"

Batman gestured to the heart monitor on his chest. "You've noticed the new addition to my armor." At this he turned around so that all three Regime members saw it. "This is a heart monitor."

"I think we've figured that part out," Hawkgirl said sarcastically.

"Then you've noticed that it's continuously reading my heart rate." By now, his rhythm had returned to its relaxed rate. "What you don't know is that it is currently broadcasting a frequency to a bomb within the Cave. If my heart rate drops to a certain level, like in the event that you kill me, it'll set the bomb off."

The Man of Steel snorted. "You think that will stop me? A bomb?"

"You, no," Batman admitted. "But the power of the bomb will destabilize the Cave. Again, I don't expect several tons of granite will slow you down, but I can't say the same about Lantern and Hawkgirl."

He saw realization flash into the Kryptonian's eyes. That was check. "You can try searching for the bomb to locate it and possibly deactivate it, but not even your X-ray Vision will help. Lead is naturally scattered throughout this cave, so you'll never find it. Lantern's ring could help, but there's so much heat being generated by my equipment, it won't be able to locate it's thermal generation." Glancing around, he could see Lantern trying to calculate in his head if his will could hold off so much weight, and Hawkgirl was staring right up at the ceiling.

The moment Batman returned his attention to Superman though, he found the dark-haired man right in front of him, an arm drawn across his chest. In an instant, he swung it out, delivering a backhand blow across the vigilante's face.

Batman's head snapped to one side, spit flying out of his mouth. He was launched through the air, flying through the Cave. For a moment, he blacked out, only coming back to his senses when his back slammed into the cave wall. Letting out a cry, he began to drop to the floor, only to be stopped when Superman appeared in front of him, catching him with one hand that clutched at his armor, right where his cape was attached to it. The Kryptonian shoved him back into the wall, pinning him there.

There was a copper taste in the dark-clad man's mouth, a tickling sensation running from the corner of his mouth down his chin. That had to be blood. And still, despite this recent development, his heart rate hadn't changed in the slightest.

That was when Superman began to reach for the monitor. "Let's do away with this, shall we."

"I wouldn't do that," Batman grunted. "The moment you destroy the monitor, it'll read that my heart rate is zero and detonate the bomb. Killing me does the same thing."

That gave the dark-haired man pause. However, he came to another solution as his eyes began to glow red. "Then how about we take away your greatest weapon."

"A lobotomy, not a bad choice," he admitted. "But if you honestly think I wouldn't have planned for that, then you're a bigger fool than I thought. If the monitor detects a sudden increase in my heart rate, from pain for example, it'll detonate the bomb. So go ahead with the lobotomy, my body will respond accordingly and then we all die."

It took a moment for the red in Superman's eyes to fade away. Batman couldn't help the cocky smirk that appeared on his face. "You can't kill me without killing yourself; you can't torture me without killing yourself. Your only course of action is to leave. I highly suggest that you do so."

That was when the corner of Superman's mouth twitched up. "You always did offer up a challenge. It seems the trick is to hurt you while keeping your heart rate the same." His eyes flickered down to the monitor, seeing the green glowing light coming from it. "I think I can use this as a guide."

Well, hell. He hadn't expected that. It was a good thing he—

Suddenly, he heard a large door open, hinges squealing from rust, or disuse. All heads turned towards it, finding a set of double doors opening, a red light pouring out between them. Batman's eyes widened as he realized those doors led to an armory and just which armory that was.

A heavy footstep rang out, followed by another. Then a mech suit appeared, the same one he had used against Hush and the 99 Fiends. It lumbered forward a few more steps, stopping as it stared down the four League members.

Then a distinctively female voice echoed out of the suit. "Get the hell out of my house."

Oh no...