Batman entered the meeting room in the Watchtower, and briefly met the gaze of everyone gathered. "Is everyone here?" He asked gruffly, and received a noises of confirmation. He nodded in return and reached down to pull Joker's gun out of his belt, and tossed it onto the table. It landed on the surface with a CLANK, and several eyes narrowed at the sight of it.

"What is this?" Superman was the first to ask, stretching his arm out to pick it up. His stared at it for a moment, and then set it down with a frown. "It's inner workings are not like any other gun I've seen. Not on Earth, at least."

Flash took it next. "I'm guessing by it's structure that it doesn't shoot any projectiles like bullets, right? Looks like this baby fires laser beams or something." Several Leaguers looked impressed by his deduction; Wally was turning out to be an excellent replacement for the original Flash.

"Correct." Batman circled around the table to take his seat. "This weapon doesn't use bullets, it fires a high energy beam that has the capability of disintegrating its targets, including human flesh." His gaze hardened as he said this, but it was unseen by the others due to his cowl.

"And I'm guessing you know this from experience?" Green Arrow asked with a raised eyebrow.

"..." Batman did not answer that, choosing to move on with his explanation. "I came across this weapon in Gotham, it was in the hands of the Joker." His words immediately brought tension to the air, for everyone was more than aware of the danger the clown was with such a powerful weapon. "As far as I know, Joker only murdered two people with the gun, and did not use it for any other purpose."

"It was just another one of his games, then?" Wonder Woman said in disgust. "That man needs a leash, or at least a more secure cell than what you have in Gotham."

Red Arrow snorted. "Right, like any other prison will be able to keep him under control. The best place for Joker is right where he is." He leaned back in his chair, looking unconcerned with the news. "Besides, everyone knows Joker throws a fit anytime someone but Batman intervenes with his schemes. If we transfer him to another city, he'll have a tantrum. And we don't need to see what he'll do when he's upset."

"That would also be completely unnecessary, considering that he's in a full body cast in the hospital," Batman said gruffly, looking down at the subtle blood splatters on his chest. Instead of his bloodlust dying down after he sent the clown to the emergency room, it only grew. He never felt this before- a desperate need to rip out someone's throat. And for some reason, he wasn't wary of this new feeling. He was all on board with his murderous feelings.

Which was a sign he either needed a psychiatrist or a good night's sleep. Or both.

Superman tensed. "A full body cast? The last time you put him in one of those was when he killed Jason." He stared at Batman, and winced when he picked up on his quickened heartbeat that was caused by his last sentence. "Okay, who died?"

There was a pregnant pause- Batman held everyone's full attention now, if their wide eyed stares were anything to go by. He sighed, and for the first time in forever he hated how he had to be the emotionless one. He wished that he could lower his head, cry, something other than keeping up his stoic expression... But he was the Batman. He wasn't allowed to show emotions while in costume. "Nightwing came into town, we went on patrol. They were to take down a couple of thugs while I located the Joker. They ended up finishing early, and I told them they could help me find Joker. To make this story short, we ended up at two different locations: I at an irrelevant building that Joker lured me to, and Nightwing and Robin at the place where Joker really was." He paused, struggling to come up with the right words. "When I finally made it to the right location, both Nightwing and Robin were long gone." There was a sharp intake of breath from Flash. "...They were struck by the disintegration beam."

In a split second, Flash was on his feet and glaring at the Dark Knight. "No, you're wrong. Nightwing would have been able to get out of the way in time! Dick is alive, he has to be."

Superman stood as well. "Wally, calm dow-"

"Don't tell me to calm down!" The speedster exclaimed. "That's my best friend you're trying to say is dead!"

"Do you think I'm saying this for my own amusement?" Batman snapped, returning the glare. "Do you think I nearly broke my no kill rule for the hell of it? Do any of you know me to declare someone to be dead without checking the facts?!" Everyone fell silent, and he finally got up to his feet as well. "Dick and Damian are dead, and this is what killed them. I understand you're grieving but instead of being ignorant, let's investigate where this weapon came from so that we won't have to see lose anyone else like this."

Zatanna finally cleared her throat, and she wiped the tears away from the corners of her eyes while everyone turned to face her. "I agree, the threat of the weapon has to be our priority. But, I must ask... Who have you told so far?"

"Agent A, and the GCPD," Batman replied smoothly. "How is that relevant to the task at hand?"

"It's not." She bit her lip and stood. "But I'm sure Oracle would like to hear about this from one of us personally, instead of from the news."

Oh, Barbara. Bruce had forgotten all about her. He now felt a small amount of guilt; Dick and Barbara were engaged. Barbara would be a sobbing mess when she found out that her boyfriend was... gone.

But still, that wasn't a strong enough excuse for Zatanna to leave the meeting early. "Oracle can wait to hear the news until after we discuss what to do about this weapon. For all we know, there could be someone creating more of these things and selling them to criminals."

"...No. You don't understand." Zatanna slowly stood, eyelids half closed in sadness. "Oracle didn't want to tell anyone yet, not until she told Nightwing herself..." She bit her lip. "I have to be the one to tell her. If she doesn't hear it from a friend, she'll be absolutely broken."

Batman stood straighter, eyes widening slightly. Was she implying...?

Superman seemed to pick up on her not so subtle hints as well. "Is Oracle... Pregnant?"

Zatanna sighed, and nodded. "She is, and Nightwing is the father."

"...!" The news shocked everyone into silence. A mixture of grief and pity was shared through the occupants of the room, each of them saddened by the unborn child's loss. Oh, and Barbara's too. Everyone in the League had been ecstatic when the couple announced their engagement; they all adored the pairing. But now Dick was gone. Barbara lost her future husband, and their child lost his father. The baby would grow up without ever seeing him.

Bruce fell back into his chair and let his shoulders slump. This was too much.