"I don't like him". It had been five minutes after Drago had left with the Young Justice team, and Batman had just come out of his stupor.
Superman, who was just leaving to return to his room, turned to Batman. "You don't like anyone. I am not even sure if you even like me." The man of steel chuckled.
"No, I don't like him, I don't trust him, I want him out of this place." Batman growled, growing more and more serious.
Superman laughed. "If you had your way, there wouldn't be anyone in this tower, and there would never be any new members. The kid will be good for the team, and you know it, even if you don't want to admit it."
"Superman is right." Wonder Woman replied, coming back up one of the halls to talk to the two men. "The boy will be a good addition to the team. Although, I must admit, I am worried. He just hacked into one of the most secure lines in the world! If he can do it, how many others can? The tower is at serious risk right now."
"That boy has got to go NOW!" Batman growled.
"Relax." Superman replied. "At least let the kid stay the night, we can question him in the morning. Now, I am going to bed. Gotta be up early in the morning to get to work."
"I should probably go to sleep as well. Goodnight." Wonder Woman agreed and turned to leave.
"He is one of Ra'as All Ghul's top men." Batman growled, causing the other two heroes to freeze.
"What? How do you know?" Came Superman's cautious reply.
"The nicknames. Especially mine. Ra'as All Ghul is the only man in the world who calls me 'Detective'. It was his little nickname for me. If this guy is close enough to Ra'as to know his nickname for me, then he has to be one of his best men. Likewise, he knows enough about my alter ego to know that my parents are dead, hence why he said that I should understand the gravity of his oath. This kid knows too much about me, the league and its members, and about the safety features of the tower to be any good to anyone." Just as Batman finished this last sentence, there was a rush of wind, and the scarlet speedster was suddenly pinning Batman to the wall.
"But he promised to bring back Wally! I would rather wait to see if he really can do as he promised than miss the chance to have Wally back." The Flash answered sharply. "We both know what it's like to lose family, so why not feel the joy of getting one back?"
"But at what cost? Is it really worth getting one man back, just to lose everyone else?" Batman questioned. "What about your family. You have Iris and the kids now, Barry. You have to think about them. Are you really willing to sacrifice everyone for the sake of one person? Think that through logically. And remember. Ever since I apprehended Ra'as All Ghul 3 months ago, he has been held prisoner here on the tower. If this guy is one of his top men, this could be an elaborate break out scheme."
A commanding voice cut through their reverie. "I too am not sure if keeping this man is safe to keep on the tower." All eyes turned towards The Martian Manhunter, and his niece, who walked into the zeta room as well.
"Thank you J'onn. I knew someone on this tower had to have some brains left…" Batman growled.
"May be so bold as to say something?" Miss Martian asked. After receiving a nod from Superman and a smile from Wonder Woman, she continued. "When he was talking with you, I gently searched his mind. Nothing deep, of course, but enough of his surface thoughts and emotions to know that he wasn't planning anything sinister, and held no ill will to the league or team. At least…" Here she trailed off, looking almost feeble.
"Go on, child. Don't be shy." Wonder Woman encouraged.
"Well, he seemed not to have any ill will towards MOST of the members." Miss M cringed, barely glancing up at Batman, although it was enough that the others caught it.
"Why would he hate Batman?" The Flash asked. "I mean, we all hate you, Bats, but why would he HATE you?"
"Me and the detective have a history that you do not know, nor need to know, about." The words seemed to emanate from every corner of the room, yet M'gann instantly locked her eyes onto his form, sitting on one of the narrow rock ledges inside the tower about 20 feet up. One by one, the others, beginning with Martian Manhunter, and ending with the Flash, followed Miss M's gaze up to the teen sitting on an impossibly small ledge.
"How did you even get up their?" Came the Flash's response, recovering the fastest at seeing the dark teen sitting on the rock face.
"One does not need to fly to get up here. One only needs to move with the shadows." Came the ever cryptic reply.
"That's exactly what we need to know, Drago. Are you attached to the League of Shadows?" Batman grunted out, as intimidating as ever.
"Your fear of betrayal and death surpasses even my own, detective. Truly impressive." The young man clapped, whilst jumping down from his 20 foot high perch. Batman only growled in annoyance. "If you so desperately do not trust me, how about I propose a deal? You trust the Martians here to a degree correct? Enough to tell you the truth?"
The silence coming from Batman spoke volumes.
"Good. Then its settled. The Martians may go into my head and observe my past, my story, and why I wish to be here. If they are not satisfied, they may do with me as they wish. Remember, detective, both you and I are mere mortals. Simple humans amongst aliens, gods, science experiments, and magicians. They could fry my mind if they wanted, and I wouldn't be able to do a thing about it." The whole time Drago was saying this, his eyes never left Batman's, nor did Batman's eyes leave Drago's.
"Fine. But, and it's a big but, they must have unrestricted access to everything in your mind."
"On one condition." Came the return offer. "They must not reveal any details to anyone unless I permit them to. Doctor-Patient confidentiality. The very same oath you swore the Martians to when you met them."
"Fine." Batman agreed, shocking the others around him. Before anyone else got a chance to talk, he turned to the telepaths. "If he so much as twitches the wrong way, fry his mind. I still don't trust him."
The two telepaths nodded, understanding that he doesn't want them to kill him, but more to scare him into telling the truth.
"Before you enter, I must warn you first. Most of what I have lived through, the anger I have felt, and the emotions that drive me, are far worse than anything either of you have ever seen before, even with your civil war on Mars. So, I warn you, do not be afraid about anything you have seen, for what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and since I am not dead, it merely made me stronger. So, with the warnings out of the way, let us begin."
The three people sat down on the floor, Miss Martian sitting cross-legged, Martian Manhunter crouching down, and Drago kneeling in what looked like a standard meditational position, hands in lap, eyes closed, and robes tucked underneath him.
With barely a nod passed between the two, the Martians dove into his mind, unsure of what lay ahead.