Flash regarded the trio seriously……..a more somber distinguished group he had rarely seen. The original Green Lantern, leader of what was the greatest team of all time, the Justice Society, and original protector of Gotham. J'onn, stately as ever, standing patiently, regally behind his compatriots, blue cape hanging behind him. And Superman, his presence calming and dominating at the same time.
"Before you do anything you'll regret," said Superman palms open towards the assembled heroes, "I think it is best that we have a conversation."
Green Arrow, a little flustered and a lot pissed and asked "what is there to talk about? The guy is a menace. He attacked us. We reached out to help him and he threatened us. We all know his reputation. He hurts people…….granted they are criminals, but he is vicious and cruel. It is only a matter of time before he crosses the line. We have to put him down."
"He is none of those things," said Superman, stepping forward to meet the Emerald Archer. "I know him……..and I know his methods. I would be lying if I said I agree with him all the time. But Batman is the best at what he does. Period. And he is a good man."
"What do you mean best at what he does," asked Green Arrow. "What does he do? He scares people. He beats them up. What does he do?"
"He is the best detective I have ever seen," replied the Martian from the corner where he sat. "A true student of human nature. He is intuitive in a way that I have yet to see from any other human being."
"And I am sure it was admiration that almost caused you to pass out then," asked Green Arrow.
"You don't know what you are talking about GA," Alan Scott, the original Lantern, said
"Why are you here Unc……….Green Lantern," Black Canary asked. "This is your city this guy is taking over. Your city. Why are you letting him do this? This is not how you would do things."
Alan Scott stared at his "niece" for a while. "Maybe how I would have done things doesn't matter anymore. Maybe my way isn't the best way to do things anymore."
"How can you say that," exclaimed Black Canary, standing up and facing her adopted uncle. "You are one of the greatest heroes of all time. He is just some hopped up masochistic son of a ………"
"YOU WILL NOT INSULT HIM AROUND ME DINAH" yelled Scott. "You don't get it do you? None of you do. The reason he exists, the reason he does what he does is because of me. Its my fault. I let Gotham slip. I decided to have a life, and Gotham suffered because of it. And now this Dark Knight exists. Because I LET GOTHAM GO TO HELL."
Alan Scott moved across the room passed the stunned Justice League to the other wall. "Do you know what I have done? You don't know what Batman is, what it takes to be him. He has no magic ring, no special powers. All he has is nerve, intellect, and a few devices. For him to be as good as he is, he must have all of those things in abundance. If it weren't for me, Batman could have used his skills for something more than just fighting crimes. With the resources he must be able to command, he could have literally done anything. Cured diseases. Taken up politics. Been a captain of industry. But instead, because of my failures, he has become this……..this thing.
"I tracked him down………early in his career. I was still retired, but I wanted to know the man that took up my city. I found him taking out a gang of toughs who wanted to gang rape a woman. I was going to come down and help him, when Batman threw a wooden version of one of his boomerangs. Broke through my shield and wrapped me up. It took me a few seconds to get out of it, and by then he was gone. The gang was tied up for the police and the woman was running down the street, and I couldn't find him.
"I headed south, hoping to catch him. Instead, he caught me. Next thing I knew I was down, taking a left hook that would have made Wildcat proud. He wrapped me up and I have rarely been more terrified for my life. And then he spoke. And I'll never forget what he said.
" 'You think you could just come back to the city because some guy in a cape is making a name for himself in Metroplis. You had your chance to protect this city, to stem the tide. Instead you retired after your war, comfortable in your triumph. You let homegrown evil sweep through your city and you deserted it. A few well meaning men stood against the tide. And they were destroyed by it. And now this city is a cesspool of graft, corruption and crime. You allowed this to happen. You don't have the right to come back here and fight for Gotham. It is your fault it fell. Due to your incompetence and naivete, people like me have to step up and take control.
" 'Never let me catch you in my town again. You are not welcome.'"
There was a long silence after this admission by the senior hero. Dinah moved to place her arm on one of the heroes she had admired since childhood.
Superman started, "Gotham is the most brutal city in America. Leads the country in murder, rape, and every violent crime you can imagine. Batman is the response to this. We all have our cities and they all have their problems. But none compare to Gotham.
"Soon after I went public, legends of the Batman began to circulate. It was only a matter of time until I met him. When I did I found a man that had been preparing for this his entire life. I may have appeared first, but he committed himself to the life long before any of us even thought of it.
"J'onn and I had been talking about bring Batman into the fold. He has many MANY attributes that we need on this team. His intellect is second to none. His knowledge of crime and the criminal mind, with all due respect, outstrips any of ours. He has an incredible strategic mind. He has mastered almost every martial art known to man.
"But the Justice League could give him so much more. He needs a tether to life. He lives to avenge. And if he continues to throw himself into this quest, he will die. He has no friends, no acquaintances, save two or three people. Everytime I have offered my friendship he has he has denied me. But he has saved my life. I owe him, and this is how I am going to pay him back."
"But how do we know if we can trust him," asked the Flash. "The Justice League is built on trust. How do we know if we can trust him?"
"I can't tell you to trust him," Superman responded. "But I do. Unconditionally. In fact, I trust him with more than my life, but with my name. If I ever do get out of control, if I am ever compelled to do something that I would not want to do, I have given Batman kryptonite to take me out. I trust him more than almost anyone on earth."
There was a pause, and Green Arrow, not one to let a somber moment go by replied in a typical Green Arrow fashion. "Alright, so he is a saint and we won't kick his butt. What do you want us to do?"
J'onn J'onzz straightened and cleared his throat. "Before we continue, you should know why I fainted. Due to humanity's lack of extra sensory abilities, your emotions are more raw and powerful than most other life forms. Its due to your lack of need to protect yourself from other people probing your thoughts.
"Batman is even more raw. I have seen his non masked form and I was able to pick up these emotions. But when he has his cowl on those emotions, which act as his fuel, are even more powerful. There is anger there. And yes there is a desire for vengeance. But more than that, there is hope. If he didn't feel hope, he would cross the line. And it is because of this that Clark and I were able to come up with this plan. It was our faith in him, and his recent acquisition of a partner that allows us to think that he is read for this.
"This is the most dangerous mission that we have ever undertaken. I hope that we are up to it. Operation Gotham is underway. And its going to take all of us to achieve it."