A/N: Apologies for the late chapter, had a bit of a mental block when it came to putting what was in my head into cohesive prose! Enjoy Chapter 4!
Washington DC. The Capitol Building. Newly sworn-in President Alexander Luthor Jr. gives an address broadcasted to the entire globe.
"My fellow Americans, people of the world, today is a day that should embody the concept of security. With the recent tragic events on American soil, we were given an all too bitter reminder that no-one is above the law, not even the Justice League. Their members have been left unchecked for so long and now we finally see the results of such a poor judgement call."
Luthor cracked a small smile. "However, I am pleased to announce that these much needed regulations are here. Effective immediately, all 'heroes' are to report to the Office of Meta-Human Regulation for briefing on the new laws. We will not let those with extra-ordinary abilities run rampant in our cities, endangering civilians with their recklessness. Now, I'd like to invite someone who will be the first to join this new Executive Office, Batman." Luthor stood aside, smiling triumphantly as Batman, with his ever-present stern expression, stepped in front of the camera.
"For too long the Justice League hasn't had any failsafe. We've just been trusted to do our job. Not only does the Office of Meta-Human Regulation have rules we must follow, but has contingency plans to bring them down in the event that they start endangering innocent lives. We will not allow the people of the world to suffer as collateral damage. You need to be safe, you need to be protected, but you also need to know who's protecting you, which is why I'm standing before you today."
Many of the heroes who were willing to register were gathered in attendance behind them. Green Lantern and Green Arrow stood there.
"You know, I've never actually heard Batman talk for a long period of time before" Green Arrow said, "He's usually barking orders or not saying anything at all…" Lantern chuckled, but stopped himself, realising how loud he was. Batman turned around and scowled at him before turning to continue his speech.
"I understand that in the previous organisation of the Justice League, I was never in the spotlight. Many of you doubted that I actually existed. You need to be willing to trust me." He exhaled loudly and stood mulling over something. He then pressed a button on his belt and the buckle of his mask unlocked. There was a murmuring in the crowd as his hands came up and clasped his temples. Arrow and Lantern were astounded, looking at each other in exasperation. The mask finally came off and the flash of cameras created a wall of light in front of him. The noise from the crowd erupted into exclamations of surprise.
"My name is Bruce Wayne. When I was 8 years old, my parents were murdered in front of my eyes. From that day I swore I would make sure no-one in Gotham would have to suffer the way I did. I became Batman to make Gotham safe. Joining the Justice League helped me extend that to the world. Although the system wasn't the best the message was clear: we were there to protect the people of Earth. The Office of Meta-Human Registration is something that I believe is the logical next step in making sure you're in safe hands. I urge all Justice League members to register, as I have, so that we may continue the good work we have always aimed to do. Thank you." He picked his mask up and walked away, back inside the building, followed by Lantern, Arrow and Luthor as the White House Press Secretary took to the podium to answer questions.
"I have to say, Bruce, I did not expect you to do that" Lantern said, patting him on the back.
"It needed to be done. Hopefully it'll galvanize those who were on the fence."
"What about the ones on the other side of it?" Green Arrow said, doing his best to keep up with Batman, who was power-walking ahead of them.
"I need to speak to Clark."
The following night. Metropolis. The Shuster Building. Apartment 52.
Lois was struggling to settle down to sleep. She was thinking about Batman's unmasking and how much it troubled her. Worse still, she'd had a long day covering the aftermath of it all; camping outside WayneTech hoping to catch him on his way in, whilst trying to elbow the reporters who had the same idea out of the way. Clark however, was completely dead to the world. Sound asleep and blissfully unaware of Lois' current mood. The click of the lock on the balcony window made Lois shoot upright.
"Clark." She grabbed his shoulder and shook it. He didn't wake up. "CLARK" she said louder and punched him square in the temple.
"Wh… what?" he said, slowly regaining consciousness. As his super-hearing started to kick in, he realise he could hear three heartbeats in the room. Turning around to face the window, he saw Lois, sat upright and looking towards a large shadow, 6 foot tall, with a cape and pointed ears. "Hello Bruce."
"We need to talk, Clark." Clark nodded and got out of bed, grabbing the nearest t-shirt and pulling it over his head.
"Let's go outside." He said, ushering Bruce towards the balcony door.
"Don't be too long, Perry wants us on the Luthor story tomorrow." Lois said, laying back down in bed.
Bruce walked out onto the balcony, followed by Clark. It wasn't a very spacious balcony, but on a reporter's salary, that wasn't a huge surprise.
"Quite a day you had yesterday" Clark said jovially. Bruce ignored the comment completely.
"You need to register, Clark. Lantern told me how the Omega meeting went."
"Bruce, come on. Snap out of it. This isn't like you, you never work with the gover…"
"I'm doing what I can to help protect innocent people," Bruce interrupted him. "And if that means sacrificing my right to make ultimate decisions then so be it."His voice was calm, yet the seriousness of the conversation was evident. "The OMHR is a gateway to making our work even more efficient. We need to be a lot more careful about how we do what we do. The Justice League needs to work like a scalpel, not a sledgehammer."
"That's a little bit of an exagger…"
"No, it isn't. The damage cause to Washington was directly down to reckless tactics on our account. And it wasn't the first time, it wasn't even the second and if we'd kept going as we were it damn well wouldn't have been the last. This is only happening now because this time we inadvertently killed the goddamn president." His voice started to elevate.
"Look Bruce, you can go down whatever path you want with this, but as long as it's alongside Lex Luthor, I won't follow you" Clark folded his arms.
"If you don't register, Clark. Then I will have to put aside everything we've done together in the past, everything our partnership has achieved."
"I understand," Clark replied, "Sooner or later, someone is going to ask you to bring me in. Someone with authority."
"I won't be doing it for them, Clark" his lips tightened, "If you can't see what this act stands for as something that transcends all of us, something that embodies the very concept of safety, then you're just as bad as the criminals I've been bringing in for the last 15 years, and I'll do exactly the same to you and anyone who follows you." Unfolding his arms, Clark took a step back and started to turn back towards the door.
"Well Bruce, may the best man win." He opened the door and walked through it. Batman scowled.
"I will."