Intruding on Solitude

"—and that's when Trevor had us escorted out of the building," John finished. "So from the A.R.G.U.S. side of things, it's a dead end. They're as stumped as us."

Superman nodded at the Lantern's report. It wasn't too surprising either after J'onn briefed them on the report from their own computer's diagnostics. From a mechanical standpoint, it was a robot with a humanoid structure. The operating system, on the other hand, was far more advanced than could be deciphered.

That had been followed by John and Diana's encounter with the A.R.G.U.S. representative, someone that was surprisingly linked to Diana. Even more astonishing was that this Steve Trevor wasn't more cooperative with the Amazon. She was known for forming solid relationships with the people she encountered, so this was a new development.

"So that leaves us at square one," Flash surprised as he lounged in his chair. "You know, aside from everyone agreeing this robot thing is from outer space."

"Agreed," Superman replied. "I was able to question Luthor about the one that attacked Metropolis and he admitted as much. I had thought it was possibly one of his own creations he was testing, but everything he said leads me to believe he had nothing to do with it."

"Luthor was candid with you?" Hawkgirl questioned, giving him a penetrating look. "Since when?"

"That's what Lois and I thought too. He was volunteering way too much information, so we're certain he was telling us some of the truth, just not everything. This robot actually infiltrated most of the computer servers and mainframes throughout the city. I'm assuming all the other cities reported their electrical grids losing power and multiple firewalls being easily breached."

"That sounds about right," John said. "Though correct me if I'm wrong, LexCorp is one of the, if not the most pivotal, company in Metropolis. Everything there runs through it."

That was an excellent point too. "LexCorp is responsible for half of the city being built in one form or another." That was most likely by design too considering Luthor's ego. He didn't allow much competition in the city; in fact, he probably was well on his way to remodeling Metropolis into his image before the Kryptonian appeared on the scene.

Now that he thought about it, there weren't many other cities he could think of that were as monopolized as Metropolis. Lois had remarked on it earlier in her time at the Daily Planet, fresh from her stent in Gotham. Though Wayne Enterprises was easily the biggest company in Gotham, it had a lot more competition there to have the city in a stranglehold like LexCorp had.

"That might explain why Metropolis was so easily breached," Hawkgirl added. "But that's not really the issue. What is is who made these things and why. An assault on the world's infrastructure is one possibility except there wasn't anything really damaged. Just a lot of information stolen."

"Make that copies," Flash interjected, which earned him the attention of the room. "Every place that was hit still has the original data, right? Then these things just made copies and transmitted them somewhere."

"This is making for a very strange theft," John commented.

"Where did the signal go then?" Diana asked. "Do we have anything definitive?"

"Somewhere in space," J'onn answered her. "Which solidifies the theory that Luthor was not responsible. If he was, the data would have been picked up by a satellite and rerouted to a location on Earth. As far as we can detect, that wasn't the case. The signal was transmitted deep into space."

"So this is definitely something alien, right?" Flash suggested. "I know you said you looked into that robot's software, right, J'onn? What did you find?"

"The Watchtower was unable to decipher it," the Martian reported, something Superman didn't want to hear. "In addition, the operating system was running off a very short code."

"Short? Isn't that supposed to be easier?" the speedster said with confusion in his voice.

"The length of the code was half of the one used to run your average calculator. Less than that I would imagine. Something as sophisticated as this robot would require more computing power and instructions than that."

"So we made no progress with it?" Hawkgirl questioned.

For a moment, Superman swore J'onn looked uncomfortable. It was a brief moment, but it was quite telling if the Man of Steel could actually read the Martian's body language like that. "Not necessarily. I made the decision to consult with an outside party and we discovered the code is actually layered on top of itself. Once we were able to unravel the layers, we were able to make some progress, even so much as recognizing a few of the characters."

"Really? What characters were you able to recognize?" John asked, shifting himself in his seat as he leaned forward. Clearly he was interested in this discovery. So was Superman.

"There were a few of them, but I was able to recognize Kryptonian symbols." Superman jolted in his seat at those words.

Krptonian? These things were powered by a computer code written from Krypton? Though J'onn was continuing to speak, and in spite his super-hearing, he did not hear a single word. He vaguely caught sight of the others glancing at him.

After all of these years, he had believed he was the last remnant of his home planet, kryptonite notwithstanding. He had been certain he was the last person in the universe that even understood Kryptonian. But now...now there was something else, possibly someone else.

He wasn't sure how to take it.

"J'onn, if you don't mind my asking, who helped you with this?" Hawkgirl asked, something that cut through the Man of Steel's daze. He wasn't sure why those words were able to wake him, but the Kryptonian found himself wanting to know the answer as well.

J'onn stayed silent for a moment, staring out at the rest of the League, dragging the silence on for several moments. "I conferred with Batman," he answered after awhile.

Diana perked up at that response, but did not say anything. An incredulous look appeared on John's face as he stared at the Martian. "Are you serious? He hasn't been receptive to any of our communications, but he chooses now to help out?"

"It makes some sense if you think about it," Hawkgirl pointed out. "One of those robots attacked Gotham and he most likely fought with it too. He'd probably want answers as to why like us. It's probably the only reason he was willing to assist J'onn too."

"What else were the two of you able to discover?" Superman quickly asked, hoping to avoid what was possibly going to be an argument over Gotham's Dark Knight. His abrupt resignation had left a sour taste in everyone's mouths, one that lingered under the surface. Now wasn't the time to dredge up those feelings.

"Batman is still trying to decipher the symbols with his own instruments while I have the Watchtower working on it as well," J'onn answered. "Though I do not believe we will make much progress. We've both come to the conclusion that most of the code is written in alien symbols. In order for our computers to read them, those symbols need to be in the computers' databases."

"Which means this may also be a dead end," Flash, once again, summed up.

"Most likely," the green man agreed.

"There may be a way then." Superman had murmured that to himself, but it seemed he had been loud enough for the rest of the room to look to him. Seeing the attention on him, he then raised the volume of his voice as he clarified. "I may know of a computer that has those symbols in its database."

"And where would that be?" John inquired.

Superman ignored him. "J'onn, if we took the code and had it interpreted, would you be able to read it?"

"I should be able to," he responded.

Finally, perhaps they were going to make some progress with this. Whatever hope that the dark-haired man was feeling was put on hold, however.

"Perhaps we should include Batman on this as well," Hawkgirl suggested. "After all, it was J'onn and him that cracked part of this code. Maybe his assistance will help further our progress."

"You're assuming he'd even want to help," John retorted.

The redhead shot him a scowl. "And how much progress have you made? Not nearly as much as he had and he's not officially on the case. I know I haven't made much either. We've got ourselves a mystery here and we're going to need a detective to figure it out. We already know who's the best in the world at that."

"J'onn, do you think you could persuade Batman to help out?" Superman asked the Martian, looking to the green man.

"I can ask, but I'm not sure that I can," he admitted.

"Then we need to convince him to," Diana declared. "If the person responsible for these robots is a threat, we need to figure out what their intent is and allow pettiness to interfere with that is going to cost us."

That was a good point. Not only did they need to find out the purpose of these attacks, they needed to ensure the Earth was not in any danger. For Superman, he had a chance to find out more of his heritage, something he never thought he'd have the chance. If he needed to grovel and beg, then so be it.

"J'onn, I'm sorry to ask you of this, but we're going to need you to arrange a meeting," he told the Martian. "The sooner, the better."

The voice was as sudden as it was unexpected.

I'm on my way to your cave. I have the others with me.

Batman had jolted in his seat upon hearing the voice. It took him a moment to realize it had been in his head rather than external. After that, it only made sense to him that J'onn had communicated telepathically with him.

However, before he could even contemplate what the Martian had meant, the supercomputer alerted him to a few of his sensors going off. Three bogies were on their way to one of the Cave's entrances. Taking into account the speed in which they moved and J'onn's cryptic message…

One of those bogies was J'onn. The other two were keeping up with him, traveling at a significant rate. They were flying. That further limited who "the others" could be.

Batman clenched his hands into tight fists. It seemed his self-imposed exile was being intruded upon.

Quickly, he stood up from his chair and he made his way to the armory. Though he had no need to prepare himself to go up against the Martian Manhunter, he had a number of people he needed to be ready for. Flash would be here now if he was part of this incoming group, so there was no need for prep for him either.

That left the other four. Entering the armory, the vigilante ignored most of the weapons, heading for a back corner. Hitting a small button at the corner of a shelf, the case slide forward then to a side, revealing a small room behind it. There wasn't much there, but there was enough for the possible people approaching the Cave.

Though he had come up with a number of protocols to take on the League, he kept most of those in the secret chamber far below Cave, the very one he had accessed in the future. That ensured that no one that wasn't supposed to be in here would get their hands on them. However, he needed some he could get to at a moment's notice and thus was this small stash. Grabbing a number of weapons and placing them in the pouches of his belt, he paused for a moment as he looked at a small display case, a chunk of kryptonite sitting within it.

Just in case was his only thought as he removed the glowing rock and placed it in a lead-line pouch on his belt. There, he was ready to see just what the League wanted and was able to defend himself if need be.

Leaving the small room, the case slid back into place and the dark-clad man exited the armory. He came to a stop, however, once he re-entered the main cavern.

There, standing between him and the supercomputer was J'onn and two dark-haired people in red, yellow, and blue. Of all the people that had to show here, it had to be those two. Already Batman felt his teeth set on edge.

You couldn't have told me who was with you? he demanded over the telepathic link. Much to J'onn's credit, he didn't so much as flinch at the anger sent his way.

I couldn't make it too easy on you, the Martian returned, a note of humor in his tone. For a moment, Batman had to frown. If this matter was of extreme importance, J'onn would not have responded in such a fashion. That meant this meeting was of a different nature entirely.

Mind telling me what this is about? he ventured.

"So where is he?" Diana spoke then, unknowingly interrupting their mental exchange. She was looking from left to right, searching for him no doubt.

Silently, Batman glided across the Cave floor, putting himself between the three Leaguers and the staircase that led up to the manor. He stood there, waiting, watching as they continued their casual search.

"Is he even here, J'onn?" Superman asked, also doing his own survey. "He's not in Gotham on a case, is he?"

"He is not," the Martian answered, not sharing in his comrades' search. He just stood there, waiting expectantly. It was entirely possible he knew the Dark Knight was behind them and wasn't showing it.

It was time to put this ruse to bed.

"What are you doing here?" Batman growled.

Immediately, Superman and Diana whipped around, their blue eyes finding him instantly. J'onn mere turned his body around to regard him coolly.

"Batman," the Kryptonian was quick to acknowledge him, moving to place himself in front of the small group, the closest to the vigilante. "I'm sorry to intrude on you, but we need to talk."

The dark-clad man stared at his blue-and-red counterpart, then glanced to the others. J'onn was still staring impassively, so he was comforted slightly. If J'onn were serious, then a fight was imminent.

As for Diana, Batman had to admit she was just as lovely as ever. She seemed to be staring him down hard, as if she were drinking in the sight of him, a thirsty man having crossed a desert in search of water-or in this case, a thirsty woman.

"And what do we need to talk about?" he responded after a moment, returning his sights to Superman. "I thought I made it clear I wasn't apart of the Justice League any longer."

The Man of Steel seemed to strengthen his resolve as he straightened out his posture. "As I'm sure you're aware, there was a world wide attack on every major city, ones that resulted in the infiltration of infrastructure and theft of data. Then a government agency swept all evidence of the attack away under the guise of national security."

So the League had come into contact with A.R.G.U.S. When he didn't respond, the dark-haired man continued, "I also understand you helped J'onn crack the code within one of the attacking robots."

At this, he acknowledged the man with a nod. "I did."

"If it is possible, I'd like for you to continue assisting us on this case. It's proving to be a tougher nut to crack than we thought."

Already, Batman had his answer well in hand. He had no inclination to go further with this case while saddling himself with the League. What better way to be dragged back into their world?

"I thought you had enough resources to handle this on your own," Batman then replied. "What possible use could you have with me?"

"Because it wasn't one of us that unraveled the code," Diana spoke up, taking a step around J'onn, which firmly put her in his sights. "It was you, so you have an outlook we don't."

Looking between the Amazon and the Kryptonian, he couldn't help the exasperation he felt. This had to be a thinly-veiled attempt at getting him back with the League, it just had to be. "Didn't J'onn tell you that we hit a dead end?" he retorted. "My computer doesn't have any of those alien characters, so I can translate it into something we can understand."

"He did," Superman acknowledged. "But I know of a computer that does."

Batman felt himself raising an eyebrow at that. "And you came to me first why? Why aren't you getting the code translated already?"

"Because we want your assistance, perhaps even need it," Diana answered. 'Surely, you can't leave this case alone until it is solved."

She was appealing to his curiosity. It wasn't a bad tactic to be sure. However, appeals to his pride weren't going to move him.

"We're in need of a detective's mindset," Superman continued, a note of desperation in his voice. "And you're the best we know of. Please, help us."

"It would be in everyone's best interest if you were," J'onn was quick to add.

Seriously, J'onn, what is this about? Batman demanded once more. These two are too desperate for my help on this.

The lack of answers in comparison to the number of questions is too far askew, the Martian answered him. There is also a fear that something may be plotting an attack. I share these same fears. It is why I even allowed this meeting to occur. If we can prepare ourselves for a possible hostile takeover, then you are sorely needed.

Were those the conclusions the League had come to? While he couldn't fault them for such reasoning, he was interested to know how they came to them. And apparently Superman already had a computer system that could help further the investigation, though he had purposefully made a detour to see him. What was going on here?

"Fine," he grunted out, looks of relief appearing on the dark-haired members of the Justice League. "Where's this computer of yours?"

"It's located in a sanctuary I built in the Arctic some time ago. I call it the Fortress of Solitude."

The Arctic? "Why that far north?"

"What better place to hide technology the world has yet to see from the hands of people who would use it for evil means?"

Superman had him there. "Let me prepare my plane," Batman said before he began to make his way to said jet. "I think this trip will take some time."

While their comrades had returned to Earth, the rest of the League had remained in the Watchtower. Not content to sit idly by, waiting for whatever news would reach them, they were currently trying to see if there were other options, or perhaps there was a key detail they were missing or had overlooked.

At least, that's what Green Lantern was trying to do. John Stewart was not a man who liked uncertainty. Maybe it was a strength, or it was a weakness, but he had a view of the world that was black and white, right and wrong, and gray was unwelcome even though he had to tolerate it. That was why he had taken so well to military life; others would have to deal with those gray areas he disliked. All he needed to do was follow orders and take down the bad guys.

This time, no one knew who the bad guy was, or even if it was a bad guy. Based on the behavior of these robots, the dark-skinned man had his doubts that this was a benevolent visit to their planet.

"GL, you gotta relax," Flash told him, matching his own actions to words. The speedster, for once, was keeping still, though that meant leaning back in his seat with his feet propped up on the table, his hands pillowing the back of his head. "There's no sense still being so tensed up. Once the others get back, Supes is going to take us to that computer he mentioned. We're going to get some answers."

"And what if we don't like the answers?" John retorted, his arms crossed over his chest. "I'm tired of nasty surprises."

"Life's full of them, Lantern. Get used to it," advised Hawkgirl. While not as relaxed as Flash was, she wasn't stressing as much as he was.

This caused a frown to deepen on the Green Lantern's face. However, instead of rising to the barb, the wielder of the ring instead chose a different tact. When you needed information, you go out to find it, not wait for it to fall into your lap.

"Does Thanagar know anything about these things?," he asked pointedly. "I would imagine robots that do a global wide hack to copy information would stand out and that others would have heard of it. Since Thanagar controls a lot of territory, I'm thinking that it might have heard something about this. How many people do you know who operate like this?"

Hawkgirl didn't answer immediately, though like always her headgear hid her facial features. Since she hadn't responded yet, the Green Lantern hazarded that she was legitimately thinking this through.

Eventually, she answered, "Sorry, but I don't think even Thanagar has ever documented such a thing. None of the worlds we've visited have ever mentioned or recorded something like this."

"Is that saying a lot?" Flash wondered.

"Thanagar is an empire," John stated, not even sending a look to the speedster. "They control a large part of the galaxy, which means they control a lot of planets. That's a lot of people, and none who have any knowledge of what we have just experienced."

"And the galaxy is a very big place," Hawkgirl retorted. "There's much of it we haven't explored."

"So Hawkgirl's people don't know anything about this. Who else would," Flash cut in, like he was trying to head off a potential argument. "I mean, I would think that an M.O. like this would stand out, you know? I mean, who sends a bunch of robots to make copies of every file on the planet, right? You can't tell me no one has ever heard of anything like this. I mean, like you said, the galaxy's a very big place."

John wasn't sure why but he winced at that. When even the Flash could point something as obvious as that out, that meant you were either overthinking it or missing something that was right in your face. That didn't change the fact that the loudmouth was right. If Thanagar didn't know of anything, that meant he had to look elsewhere, perhaps in another sector?

Of all the members of the League, it was between him and Hawkgirl who had the most knowledge of the inner workings of galactic offworld matters. Sure, Superman, and occasionally Wonder Woman and the Flash would go out into space, and who knew where J'onn stood in the matter, but it was the two of them who were the go to members.

With as much reach as Thanagar had, there was another side that had an even greater reach. And it was obvious, much to John's chagrin. Why hadn't he thought of them before? He wore one of their rings, for crying out loud!

"Maybe I should see if the Guardians know anything," he said out loud, his eyes looking up towards the ceiling.

"Guardians?" Flash repeated, lost on where the Lantern was going.

"You think those old farts would know something?" Hawkgirl asked skeptically.

"It's because they're old that they might have heard of anything that might resemble this," he retorted. Then to Flash, "The Guardians are the ones who lead and maintain the power of the Green Lantern Corps. Yes, they are old, yes, they know a lot of things, and maybe they might be able to point us in the right direction. If nothing else, worst case, they narrow down what this isn't."

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea. Is there a catch or something?" the speedster asked, sitting up straighter though he kept his feet on the table.

"They're all on Oa, and rarely leave it." After receiving a blank look from speedy Leaguer, John elaborated, "Oa is very far away from here. There's no telling if this whole thing goes south, and I'm on the other side of the galaxy. It's a reason I didn't report to them until after the Kalanorians attacked. For the most part, a matter like that is entrusted to a single Lantern, two if they think it's serious. Right now, with what we're dealing with, we're working in the dark. I could leave now, but tomorrow there could be an attack. That's the catch."

Before anyone could say anything else, there was a sharp beep, meaning they were being contacted. Hawkgirl was the one who picked up, reaching for a nearby console that was set in the table. "What's the word?" she asked, knowing it was one of the three that had gone back down to Earth. Had it been someone else, there would have been a different alert.

"I'm sending you coordinates. Make sure to bring the robot, and meet us there. Then we can get this under way," Superman's voice sounded throughout the room.

"Oh, so road trip?" Flash was already on his feet, ready to move like always.

John grunted, taking a look at the coordinates as the Watchtower's computers received them. Reading them, it took the Lantern a moment to recall Earth's system of geographic measurement; when you dealt more with galactic matters, you tended to use the system you used more often.

"Better pack a coat," he advised. "We're going someplace cold."

"Oh, like Wisconsin?" the speedster asked.

Pausing, Green Lantern replied, "Try further."

"Minnesota?"

"Further."

"Canada?"

"Further."

"What could be further north than Canada?" Flash wondered.

"How do you not know basic geography?" John demanded, shooting a glare at his teammate.

"In my defense, I learned from public school. I think it's a miracle I know where Canada is," Flash answered with a very serious tone.

Unfortunately, John couldn't argue with that point. "Come on. Before they beat us there."

"Oh, so we're racing them?"

"It's not a race," Hawkgirl growled, even as she took the lead to head to the docking bay.

"But why are we trying to beat them there?"

"Just get into the Javelin and shut up." It sounded like Hawkgirl was reaching her limit already.

"Fine. But you guys are so slow," Flash whined.

The Javelin was a small, jet-like aircraft with space travel capabilities. So far, there were only three in existence, and all were in the possession of the Justice League. It was big enough to carry the whole league if necessary, and small enough that it was easily maneuverable and not slowed down by its size.

Currently, one of them was zooming over a large, white expanse that was the Arctic. Thanks to the tinted windshield, none inside the craft needed to worry about snowblindness. However, the large ice shelf was still very large, and even for the Javelin's speed, it would take some time to reach its destination.

That time amounted to minutes, but for the Flash, it was an eternity.

"Are we there yet?" the speedster moaned, slumping in his seat with his arms crossed.

"Are you seriously doing that?" Green Lantern grumbled as he sat in the Javelin's pilot seat. "How old are you?"

"Just saying, I could have been there already," Flash huffed.

"Carrying that robot with you?" the Lantern asked skeptically.

"I'll have you know that's exactly what I did to get it to the Watchtower," the hero from Central City defended. "Yeah, it was heavy, but it wasn't like I had time to get a tow truck or something. Those A.R.G.U.S. guys were like five seconds away."

"How about we all shut up before someone gets a mace in their skulls," Hawkgirl snapped. It had been a testament to her patience that she had lasted this long tolerating the younger Leaguer's antics.

"Like you'd be able to hit me in the first place," Flash scoffed, tempting fate.

"Last I checked, a guy with no powers was able to not only to stop you cold, but nearly kill you. I think I'd be able to figure something out," the Thanagarian retorted, turning in her seat just enough to give the speedster a look, one amplified by the severity of her mask.

Pausing, it seemed their fast friend was actually thinking over her words instead of saying the first thing that came to his head. "Of course you would have to bring that up," he grumbled, slumping further in his seat.

At least he didn't say anything after that. Blissful silence fell over them for the time being, or until someone got impatient with how long the flight was going to last.

Fortunately, before that could happen, John was able to spot something jutting out of the ice below. While the icecap was virtually flat with areas that occasionally elevated here and there, this was something that stood out like a sore thumb. While attempting to look like a natural geological feature in this bleak landscape, it failed spectacularly.

Like a bunch of crystals that seemed to criss-cross, stabbing upwards at approximately seventy degrees, the crystalline formation formed a structure was definitely not natural to this region. Surprise, surprise, this was where the coordinates Superman had given them led them.

"Okay, I may have been to many places on this planet, but not here. Is that normal?" Hawkgirl asked calmly. Perhaps, too calmly.

"Can't say that it is," Green Lantern grunted as he guided the Javelin towards the structure. Keeping his eyes peeled, the dark-skinned man searched for an area to land, not that that was particularly hard, but he preferred to find a spot that was close to a door or an entrance, or something along those lines.

Circling around the area, and getting a full view of this strange structure sitting in the middle of nowhere, the Javelin's search came to an end when an object blue and red in color caught the passengers' attention.

"Looks like he's already here," Hawkgirl commented. Reducing speed, Green Lantern attempted to pull up close to the Kryptonian and hopefully get some idea of where they needed to go. Before getting too close, the Man of Steel began to descend.

"Think he wants us to follow him?" Flash asked, though the question was rhetorical in nature.

Of course he wanted them to follow. Why else would he be floating up in the air, no reason? Turning the steering mechanism, Green Lantern directed the Javelin after his superpowered teammate, beginning the air and spacecraft's descent to the snow and ice-covered surface below.

This was where the Javelin showed what it was made of; you could barely feel it shudder as it touched down on the ground. Up ahead was a sheer wall of ice that stretched high up into the air, towering over the Leaguers. If you squinted your eyes, though, you'd be able to make out a rectangular depression in the ice, more than likely the entrance to this place.

"Last one there's a rotten egg!" Flash exclaimed, already out of his seat and rushing for the ship's exit. John, though, moved at his own pace, taking his time to unbuckle his harness while Hawkgirl gave him an odd look. Wait for it, he told himself, and he was barely starting to put pressure on his knees when, "Hey, open the door!"

There we go. "Gotta unload first!" the Lantern called over his shoulder. They had not only brought themselves, but some cargo as per Superman's request. This cargo was none other than the robot that was nothing but the talk of the week, and was the reason why they were here in the first place.

If Flash thought he was going to rush through this, well, that meant he was fair game for a little teasing. Though normally serious, John Stewart could be a bit mischievous when he wanted to be. His idea of being that, though, was more opportunistic, taking advantage of an already existing situation rather than scheming up an over convoluted plan. Case in point, keeping the Javelin's door locked and preventing a certain speedster from moving at his own pace.

Consider it payback for being annoying during this trip.

Eventually, he did lower the ramp and allow them out. Behind himself, he carried the extraterrestrial robot out, holding it up with a construct that was green and transparent. Easier to do it this way than physically carry it out.

Superman was waiting for them. "Glad to see you got here," the Kryptonian welcomed them. "This way. I'll show you in."

"Why do you know of a computer in this place?" Hawkgirl asked, already going into investigative mode. Once again, she showed her undying passion for knowing everything she could.

"I'll explain along the way. It's a long story with no short version," the Man of Steel answered, leading them towards the small depression in the ice. As they drew closer, Green Lantern was able to make out a flat surface in the depression, rectangular of course, but of a different look and appearance to the ice. If anything, it resembled metal, but inscribed into it was a familiar S symbol, one he had seen on Superman's chest countless times, including now.

There was a lot more to this place than met the eye.

"So what is all this?" Flash asked. "Is it some top secret base or something? Why never tell any of us?"

"Well, that might be explained in the name," Superman admitted. "I call it the Fortress of Solitude, and I go here whenever I need to clear my mind or get away. It's...quieter here. Most human voices don't reach here, even with my hearing."

"Must have spent a lot of time building it," the Thanagarian in their midst commented. "I can't imagine how long it took to build this. Interesting choice of...architecture?"

"There's a story to that too," the dark-haired Kryptonian admitted.

"Let me guess, no short version either?"

"Actually, it does have a short version, but a lot of context is needed."

"Well, if this place is as big as it looks, we might have the time," Hawkgirl said wryly.

Due to being behind the Kryptonian, John was unable to see any expression on the taller man's face. However, knowing him, Superman would appear to take no offense or appear to be put upon. There would probably be some amusement, or perhaps some indulgence.

"Well, it started some time ago, years in fact. After we started the League, I found myself…"

Author's note: A last chapter for the year. ShadowMajin and myself wish you all a Happy New Year, and be careful out there. Until then, see you all next year!

FlackAttack: Yeah, we're really putting Diane through an emotional roller coaster. Is there relief on the horizon, or a greater storm? It'll be coming sooner than you think, or gets put off longer. I never said myself or my coauthor weren't sadists. You do bring up an interesting point concerning Luthor and Batman. Maybe ShadowMajin and myself can do something with that. Maybe. Thanks for reviewing.