Yo, here I am again. Sorry for the relatively long wait.

John Stewart, I think, is the most difficult of the JL members to tie emotionally to the batman, and so is the most difficult to write. The others I think, will be much more emotionally "rich" So I hope you can enjoy it for what its worth, until the next instalation.

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"Another mission accomplished!"

Wally's voice was cheerful, echoing through the Javelin, he, Superman, J'hon and I had taken for this little excursion into the Ruby eye nebula. Deep space transmissions and images had given us reason to believe that either Gordanian's, or Thanagarian's were in the area. So close to earth, we couldn't leave it unchecked, and given the dangers of the mission no less than four of the founding members were sent.

Diana had wanted to come as well, but regulations dictated that at all times, unless on an Omega level alert, at least one level five Meta was to be on call. And though Shayera had also wanted to come, she knew better than to demand such, knowing that we would never allow it, due to her emotional attachment to this mission.

And Batman...well...unless they came to this planet he could care less over what sector of space they were terrorizing.

Before anything could be said in response a glass with ice and whiskey was found in one of my hands, it having been jerked free of its place on the control console by a red blur, same as he did to the other two passengers in the javelin.

I switched on the auto-pilot, swiveling around in my chair to find Clark and J'hon with similar glasses, and though J'hon stared at the beverage as though it were some new kind of creature to dissect, Clark held a surprised, but nonetheless exuberant smile as he stared down at the alcohol.

Holding up the golden liquid to eye level I turned a scrupulous eye onto the scarlet speedster. "How the hell did you even get this in here? You know the regulations on alcohol on the job."

Wally shrugged with that familiar bright grin of his. "Bats needs to lighten up on the rules. Besides, after all the trouble it was to sneak this in, we are drinking at least once." He answered simply with a minor uplift of his shoulders before he set the bottle down in the compartment he'd commandeered for it. A compartment normally reserved for parachutes...

"You know he's gonna wring your neck if he finds out about this?" I said but couldn't help but smirk. Missions with the old group were few and far between since the league expanded, and it felt good to celebrate our impromptu "reunion" even if Bats would chew us out once he found out Wally had brought alcohol onto the ship, honestly that guy found out everything. I wouldn't be surprised if he knew what our shoe sizes are.

"Oh I think we can handle it." Clark said as he brought the glass close to his nose, sniffing the whiskey.

"Though I would like to partake in this...ritual." J'hon began uncertainly. "I am afraid I have never consumed this liquid. I am uncertain how it may affect my physiology."

"What!" Wally said, with abstract horror. "You've never had a drink while you've been on earth J'hon?"

In response, the Martian shook his head. "Forgive me...perhaps though if I could see the ingredient-"

Before he could say anything more Flash had opened the compartment, grabbed the bottle, zoomed across the limited space and held the nutritional facts section of the tag in front of him to read.

Jhon extended his hand and took the bottle. Pupiless eyes scanned over the letters, taking in the new knowledge with that similar compartmentalization he had done with so many of his medical texts.

There was a silence among us for several seconds, both Clark and I, waited patiently as J'hon gave his verdict, while Wally on the other hand seemed to be shaking in his boots with anticipation, obviously dismayed at the prospect of not having a full four man toast.

Finally J'hon spoke, looking up at Wally's features, which seemed to somehow manage a perfect blend between mimicking a sniffling child and one who was just told he'd be going to Disneyland.

"I do not believe any of the ingredients here will do me harm."

"Sweet!" Was Wally's somewhat disembodied voice as he zipped across the room again, bottle in hand and back in its compartment.

This was all in a fraction of a second though, and I barely caught the movement, only knowing it had happened by his blurred afterimages before he was seated once again in his chair, cup in hand.

Raising the glass he held it out to the other three. "To the team!"

Clark was next, clinking the glasses together. "To future missions together."

"To ratting your ass out when we get back." I said, smirking at Wally's cringing face. Obviously the prospect of having to face an angry Batman isn't something he relished.

J'hon was the last, clinking his glass against ours. "To the Justice League."

With our respective pieces said we all took one solid gulp, draining our glasses from their contents.

My eyes watered a bit from the searing burn that trailed down my throat, it was a good pain, and the warmth that rose from my stomach as the liquid finally made its way down my esophagus.

A muffled coughing brought my eyes to J'hon, no doubt being his first drink the Martian didn't expect something quite so strong.

"Ahh damn." I said, extending a bright green hand from my power ring and patting the Martian on the back. "Sorry for the lack of warning J'hon. Its got a bit of a kick."

The Martian cleared his throat, straightening in his seat. "Ahem...thank you." He said swallowing, orange eyes glowing all the more. I wondered if thats how martians teared up.

The churning sound of a bottle being held up brought everyone's eyes back to Wally, smiling as he held the bottle once again. " 'Nother round?" He questioned before I shook my head.

"No thanks." I said as I set the glass down and turned back to the control console. "We're already approaching the watchtower we'll be there in a few hours"

"And if Batman's on board he'll probably smell the whiskey before we've even docked." Clark finished with an amused upturn of his lips, swiveling around on his own chair.

I heard Wally moan in disappointment and the bottle clattered loudly as it was tossed back in its compartment.

Ignoring it, I switched the communications relay online "This is Green Lantern to Watchtower."

There was static on the other end, and for a moment I wondered if we were still out of signal range before the crackle of static alerted me to their reply. "John?"

It was Shayera's voice. It took me only a second to realize that, but it didnt even take me that long to also realize that something was wrong. Her voice, it was strained. Laced with pain and grief.

"Shayera?" I found myself asking before the others, whom had no doubt detected the same things I had. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"J-John...I...I..."

"Death."

Clark's, Wally's and my own eyes snapped back around at J'hon at the sound of his own voice, sitting on his chair, ramrod straight, eyes glowing bright orange. "Someone has died...their surface thoughts...it echoes with loss-"

There was this pause, it couldn't have been for more than a second or so, but in that pause I saw, for probably the first time a look on J'hon's face that could have held the physical manifestation of horrified realization.

The martian looked to Superman, and the Man of steel leaned forward in his chair with urgency. "J'hon? Who was it? Was it Kara!?" He questioned at last, eyes wide with anxiety and fear at the thought of his younger cousin dead.

Others came to my mind, increasing my own anxiety as J'hon shook his head. Green Arrow, Captain Atom, Black Canary, Plastic man, even for a single moment, Diana, none came even close to preparing me for the broken, pain filled answer answer that crackled through the com link as it came through Shayera's lips.

"It...Batman....Batman's dead."

My mouth fell open wide and only an incredulous disbelieving "Batman!" Escaped my lips.

There was no answer to my query, only the crackle of static.

My question repeated itself in my own mind, just as incredulous, just as disbelieving.

'Batman!?'

It couldn't be...this had to be some kind of mistake some...some kind of joke. I mean...Batman?

The man was...the man was...he was...

I paused, a dawning realization to end my thoughts.

The man...was just that...a man.

He was human, mortal, relying on nothing but his own skills and wits to overcome opponents that many of us with our gifts would easily have fallen to if we even had half his limitations.

A red hand blurred on the and for probably the first time since I had known him, I heard genuine anger in Wally's voice. As I looked to his face he seemed more than just shocked, or angry, he seemed genuinely...outraged; insulted even. "Hey Shay-if this is some kind of joke this ain't funny!"

Now Shayera's own distressed voice screeched over the transmitter, insulted and hurt over the insinuation. "I wouldn't joke about this you stupid fuck!"

Flash's features twisted beneath his mask, and his fist now shook as he clenched it tight. "Well you got somebody tellin' you some kind of bull-"

Before anymore could be said I switched off the communication relay, swiveling in my chair and standing up before I pressed my hand to Flash's chest pushing him back away from the com link. "You need to calm down!" I said in that familiar, stern tone that Wally always backed down with.

But not this time apparently, a fury I had never before witnessed gripped the scarlet speedster, and he shook his head with an angry air. "Nah GL I mean; Did you hear her!?" He said glaring at the communications console before he began pacing back and fourth like a caged animal now that I blocked his way. "What the hell is she-I mean-Did you hear her!?" He questioned again, his voice now reaching a pitch, somewhere between anger and tears.

"Yea I heard her." I said before shoving him down onto a seat. "Sit down. Take a deep breath now." I said before reaching over to the small refrigerated compartment which held the rations and water for longterm missions.

Grabbing one of the water bottles I handed it to Flash, one of my hands resting on his shoulder as he took the offering before drinking, shaking his head.

"Nah I mean.." The scarlet speedster spoke, shaking his head. Unknowingly mimicking my own earlier thoughts. "Its...its Bats GL...he cant...there's...just no way man. He's supposed to be there when we get back ya know? He's supposed to be tearing my head off for the drinks!!!" He was openly yelling at this point I thought for a moment he would try to stand and reach the com console again, and different plans for subduing the younger male flashed before my mind.

But it was all for nothing though, before long all his energy, which had always appeared to be so abundant and endless, seemed to drain out of him.

I didn't say anything. Mainly because I couldn't. I didn't know what to say. His sentiments mimicked my own, his confusion a mirror image to what raced through my own mind.

"Maybe Grod's messing with the team again." Wally put forward. "Maybe-maybe...some of the magicians, Circe or something-"

The hope, however false I knew it to be, wormed its way within me, giving me a glimmer of faith that Batman was alive, that this was all some kind of deception, some trick.

However that hope was smothered, brutally, killed before it could take root by none other than our own teammate, who's voice seemed to echo across the small, cramped quarters of the Javelin.

"No...there is no falsity here...I...I can no longer sense Batman..." A pause, heavy and thick, as if sound and air had simply been sucked out of this enclosed space. "Anywhere."

That last word, was like a hammer stroke upon an anvil. It fell hard, and the impact it made rang in our ears, felt as though it had shattered through whatever protected us from its truth and nothing could replace it. Not the green energy from my Ring, not Kryptonian invulnerability, nothing.

It left us exposed, weakened, vulnerable...

Human...

And I suddenly felt the full weight of this event fall over me, and a crushing weight fell over my chest, knocking the wind out of me. I straightened.

Batman...

My eyes turned to Clark, whom was leaning heavily over his chair, face buried in his hands. Allowing me to only imagine the lost look that must haunt his gaze.

I swallowed, my legs carrying me back to the pilots chair before I flipped the com back on. The words left my lips, numb and automatic, as though I myself were on auto-pilot. "Green Lantern to Watchtower...please confirm landing bay readiness for our Arrival, ETA two-hundred and seven minutes."

Static was our answer, before, now, Green Arrow's voice answered us. "Confirmed Green Lantern. See you then."

I switched off the com, allowing a silence to descend on us.

I held the control yoke knowing I didn't have to since the auto-pilot was still on, but I could neither find something else to do, just as I couldn't trust myself enough at this point to switch the auto-pilot off and drive myself.

The silence between us was broken abruptly by the sound of the airlock compartment being opened and swiftly slammed shut. I turned my gaze, finding Flash about to press the Airlock to open up, and within the sealed chamber I saw that bottle of Whiskey he had gone to great lengths to procure for us.

He didn't look at any of us before pressing the button, letting the gold liquid escape into the vast nothingness of space.

He didn't say anything. Gave...no explanation. Truth is...he didn't need to. The words came to each of us

He wouldn't have wanted that bottle in here...

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As my proofreader said, John's chapter was meant to convey more the feeling someone has when they're sucker punched. Stewart, is a marine, and so by proxy he should know how to deal with the loss of a comrade, in a more detached manner. So by no means as much of a tear jerker as the last chapter with Shayera, I find it still is as "powerful" as the situation would allow.

Either way, I hope you enjoy it, and hope to have the next chapter up by Friday. I think the martian will be very very interesting to portray. Anyway read and review please.