"Okay, he just stepped out of some funky light. What is he doing here?" Cyborg demanded, taking a defensive position.
"Don't," Red Robin ordered, putting himself between the man she knew as Dr. Fate and the team. What he hoped to accomplish was anyone's guess.
Raven didn't have to guess. The fact he was here told her everything she needed to know. Always in tune with the world around her, she could feel the power from the ankh-shaped portal, not to mention how it radiated from Fate's person. Everyone here was out of their depth.
Fate made a simple gesture with one of his hands. Reality itself obeyed, and a barrier of purest gold domed itself over an area that took up much of the space in the rec room. Though Raven had been closer to one side of the room, she found herself within the dome, and her teammates who were once scattered about were all on the other side.
They would be of no help here.
What were her options? She could lash out, but what good would that do against a man with the power that belonged to a God of Order? She had no illusions that her powers were of little use here. There was begging, but she was not the begging type. The one time she had…hadn't ended well. Could she talk her way out of this? Maybe. Maybe not. Too much was unknown and whether Fate could be reasoned with. Those on the side of Order tended to be very rigid.
Footsteps that were mere whispers against the carpeting brought Fate closer to her, and when he felt he was close enough did he finally speak. "Why are you here, Scion of Trigon?"
Raven closed her eyes. It was just as she feared. The joining of the Titans and the Justice League to fight the World Engine had been when she had first seen him, and him her. When he hadn't confronted her, there had been hope that he would do nothing. There had been no chance of him not recognizing her, and when he hadn't said as much as one word, hope was desperate to believe that there would be nothing further.
But Fate had only bided his time, it seemed. Time was up now, and here he was.
When she did not speak, Fate continued, "The Shield of Olympus is there for a reason. How did you get through?"
His voice did not boom, but the severity was heard all the same. He would not leave without any answers, so Raven gave him one.
Opening her eyes and staring right into the helmet's eyes, she answered, "The same way my mother passed through it."
The helmet was expressionless, but she had the feeling that he was narrowing his eyes at her. So much power he possessed, and there she was, a fraction of his height, and choosing to remain cross-legged on the floor, no move to even defend herself. What would be the point?
Glancing to the dome-shaped barrier, she could see that the others were trying to force their way through and having the same amount of success Garfield typically had while playing video games with Victor. So not great.
Turning back to Fate, she steeled herself.
Though gold in color, it was still transparent, so they could see through it.
"He's got Raven in there," Cyborg growled, his arm on the verge of transforming.
"Was this man not an ally before?" Starfire asked. It seemed she was able to put aside her melancholy for the moment, the need to protect a friend much greater.
"He's got us out here and her in there. What does he want?" Red Robin said, eyes darting to and fro, seeking out something, anything that could either be of help, or get them through. They heard nothing, no sounds at all, even as Dr. Fate approached Raven. Movement stopped momentarily, and only when Raven opened her mouth, speaking, did the masked teen figure out there the two were speaking with one another.
But what about?
Beast Boy ventured close to the shield, eyeing it. Raising one hand, index finger extended, the shapeshifter reached out and poked the shield. There was a flare of gold, and a yelp from the green teen, his hand jerking back and being grasped by his other hand. "It shocked me!" Beast Boy exclaimed.
"I'll handle this!" Kid Flash declared, taking point. He held out both of his hands, reaching out to the barrier, but not quite touching it. His hands hovered inches away, seemingly trembling, but in all reality just vibrating. "I think this is about right. I'm going in, guys!"
The speedster was going to try and vibrate through. Great idea. If he could get in, maybe he could snatch up Raven, or do something to distract Fate enough that the shield went down. There was really no telling what was going on, but what they all felt, he was sure, was that they needed to make sure their friend was not in any danger. Or trouble. But mostly danger.
Kid Flash's hands were blurs and the speedster lunged forward. Instantly, Kid Flash was repelled, bouncing back into the bar, ricocheting off of the bar and back into the shield, redirected to a wall, then another wall, through the kitchen, a wall, back into the shield, right into the bar once more, one more time at the shield, then into the bar and then over it, and vanishing from sight.
It was quiet for a moment and then they all heard, "Ow."
Cyborg's arm transformed, a cannon that glowed at one end while the teen bellowed, "You're going down!"
A blast of energy impacted the shield and didn't even cause a ripple. Growling, Cyborg reconfigured his arm, and then emitted a long, rapid pulse of sonic energy. Fate's shield took it all, showing no signs that it even knew it was being hit. Snarling now, the cybernetic teen raised up his other arm, hand balled into a fist, and swung a punch. The result was predictable, though Cyborg's arm bouncing back with enough force that he spun around and lost his footing was interesting and maybe a little funny.
Wonder Girl was predictably next and with predictable results. She straight out punched it and was nearly thrown out the window for her effort. Starfire gave an experimental Starbolt a try, and then they had to dodge the ricochet. The resulting scorch mark was going to take a while to scrub out, though.
Beast Boy volunteered their next attempt. "Hey, Terra, you want a go?"
The blonde, who had been watching everything, shook her head. "Do you want me to tear the tower apart?"
"But you could hit it! With rocks! Big ones!"
"And how do you think those rocks are going to get in here? I'm gonna have to break some windows, and if I get one big enough, I could take out a wall."
"But…rocks…hit shield thing…you can do it!"
"You want to clean up the mess?"
"...no."
Someone was showing restraint and that made two of them. Red Robin stared at the golden barrier, doing his best to study it, but coming up with nothing. He highly doubted anything he could do could get through, and this was after watching the others, who were physically stronger and with stronger weapons or powers, fail to get through. What was he going to do, throw a birdarang at it? A small explosion was going to work where energy and sonic blasts and Starbolts had failed? It repelled everything that touched it, so trying to stick some C4 on it might backfired horribly.
There had to be a way through. If only Raven were on the other side with them, they'd have another option.
Many questions had been asked, and every single one did Raven answer. Of course, she gave answers that didn't really explain much, or if anything because quite frankly, she did not appreciate the interrogation and would be passive aggressive as all hell about it.
To his credit, Fate did not express any frustration, but she could sense that she was getting on his nerves. You'd have thought he had never dealt with a teenage girl before.
"Why should I not banish you back to your plain of existence?" Ah, and here was a question that might have been the big clue as to how close she was to angering this man who wielded the power of the Lords of Order. Unfortunately, this was a question that required a more straightforward answer than any of the others he had asked.
"Because it is no more."
There was a pause, as if that was an answer he had not expected. "Azerath is no more? How?"
Curious how he didn't know… "Guess. It's gone. Only what he deemed to leave behind remains."
Several seconds passed, Fate mulling over her answer. He stood there, power incarnate, but outside of the barrier did not use it. "You know that if you remain here, the fate of Azerath will be Earth's fate."
"So long as he does not find me at the prophesied time, it won't."
The next question was asked so much quicker than the last. "Does he know where you are?"
A long exhale of air. She could try to lie, but… "He knows I'm on Earth. Not where on Earth."
"You know he will task his agents and minions to find you."
"I have covered my tracks. They will not find me outside of some cosmic coincidence."
"There is much being left to chance."
"You could always defy fate itself."
Ah, the proverbial rock and a hard place, and she had inadvertently placed him there. For those in the know, Fate rarely intervened unless necessary. That he had deemed the World Engine a great enough threat to participate underscored how severe the situation actually had been. There was so much more to that mechanical monstrosity than anyone knew.
"Stop being glib, Raven. So long as you remain on Earth, you are its greatest threat. You will doom this world "
"Unless I choose to be selfless here and now and leave, I know the trope," Raven cut in. She did not need to be reminded of so much right now.
"Do your friends understand the danger?" Fate returned the favor.
No, they did not, and she did not need to speak the answer for Fate to know what it was. Even now, they continued their futile efforts to break through. Ignorance was such bliss right there.
"You need to tell them."
"No." She could feel a reaction within her, one that desired to lash out, and do so at Fate. To compensate, she allowed some of anger out into the one-word answer.
"They deserve to know."
"They deserve to be ignorant of all the cosmic horrors just waiting to tear this planet apart. They deserve happiness, sunshine and rainbows, and not the knowledge of the terrible things that wish to do horrible things to them. They have done nothing to deserve the nightmares that knowledge will gift them."
"If you wish to protect them, you will depart."
"And like everything on this planet, I am selfish and reluctant to leave the life I have built here. We both know that you have the power to remove me, but answer me this, honestly. If you were to banish me, where would you send me? Would you send me to him?" Raven openly glared, refusing to budge or break eye contact. The tension in her muscles alone caused her body to tremble, and her legs were starting to cramp from how long she had remained sitting, legs crossed. Not once had she stood up, only keeping her head tilted back and nothing else. Oh, and her neck was starting to feel the strain now. Great.
Everything that was Fate should have said yes. Should have said that he had to do what was best for this world, even if it meant she would have to leave her team…friends behind. That his answer had not been automatic was…promising. Not hopefully because she had given up hope a long time ago.
"No, I will not trap you with that beast." Some semblance of conscience, at least. "But I cannot allow you to remain here unsupervised." Naturally.
"Which means…you want me to move into your tower with you?" Raven raised an eyebrow, her sarcasm laid on thick.
Again, not an immediate answer, which meant the true answer was hell no. The Tower of Fate had to have a lot of powerful and forbidden artifacts within it, and what would happen if someone like her came into contact with any of them? If he thought her being in the Titans Tower was bad enough, being in his tower could be infinitely worse.
That there was no immediate response meant he also recognized this. There was nothing she could hide from him, so pointing out the obvious was how to verbally spar here.
"There are other places—"
"That can stop him?"
Silence.
"The one place we know you trust and I'm too much of a threat there. Nowhere else guarantees the safety you want. So we're at a stalemate. Or you could leave me here and check up every once in a while. My friends may not know the danger, but it also means that if it comes, they will fight it."
"That is what I am afraid of." Fate finally looked away from her to look at her friends. They hadn't given up yet. Stubbornness or stupidity, it didn't matter. "I can put up wards that will at least secure this tower. I hope you recognize the risk I take."
A wry smile formed on Raven's lips. The sight would have shocked the teenagers here into a stupor if they weren't so distracted. "We both know everything has risks. However, if there is one thing we can count on, it's man's defiance to the whims of fate. A prophecy is just another word for a mind game, one we choose to play. I refuse to."
"Your compliance may not be as necessary as you think." Without warning, the barrier dispelled, fading away and causing more than one of her friends—ahem, teammates—to fall forward, fighting to keep balance. Fate turned away from her and began walking calmly to his portal.
"Hey. Hey! What's this all about!" Cyborg demanded as he attempted to go after the sorcerer. He only took a few steps when he came to a stop, though his placement was between her and Fate. He was acting defensive while the others either came to the cyborg's side, or went to hers.
"Are you harmed?" Starfire asked, placing a hand on the back of her shoulder. For a second, she could feel the grief hiding within the Tamaranean and had to push it away from her mind with an effort of will.
"I'm fine. He's leaving," is all she said, just as their intruding guest stepped into the glowing ankh, disappearing into the symbol, which then began to shrink back down into the floor until there was nothing left to indicate any kind of disturbance.
Silence returned once more, and not for the last time, but for now it was the kind where everyone waited for one last surprise. They shouldn't have bothered; this man was not the type for that.
"What did he talk to you about?" Red Robin broke the silence, his question going straight to the heart of the matter.
Raven released a sigh. How to answer this? Well… "He wanted to know about my adult supervision." So many blank stares were now directed towards her, a lot of incredulity and doubt, skepticism certainly, and let's not ignore the disbelief. All of this for that? There were some things that were to stay private and everything about herself was covered in that.
"No, seriously, why did Dr. Fate want to talk with you?" Red Robin pressed.
Finally standing up, and slightly grimacing at the cramps in her legs, Raven gave only one answer. "Like I told you, adult supervision."
They could be as unsatisfied as they wanted, but none of them needed to know the truth. Not when it could expose them to forces they were woefully not prepared for.
Not that they could be prepared in the first place.
Hro didn't look pleased.
Normally he stood at the center of his command center, ever watchful, ever present. A chair was stationed behind his favorite spot, a place for the ship's captain to sit on long voyages. Shayera had rarely seen the man use it.
He was using it now.
The moment Shayera entered the bridge, she saw Hro sitting in the chair, facing in her direction. Lieutenant Kragger was standing next to him akin to a butler standing by their master. There was almost a smirk on his face as he glanced at her.
She didn't have long to wait to know what was on Hro's mind. "Why was I not informed of the Martian?" he demanded, his tone low, clearly displaying his displeasure.
Shayera just raised an eyebrow, even though it was hidden by her mask. "He's in my logs, Hro," she replied.
"That isn't what I meant." He stood up and strode over towards her, stopping mere feet away, forcing the redhead to tilt her head back to look him in the face. "Why was I not informed of his role in the defeat of Despero?"
"Again, it's in the log." Shayera took a step back, but not in retreat. She rested her weight on that leg as she bent the other at the knee, crossing her arms over her chest. "Mind telling me what's going on?"
"The Commander was just informed that the Martian ally of yours defeated Despero," Kragger spoke up, having slinked up to the two, but keeping his distance. "That was a rather important fact none of us knew. As the intelligence gatherer, that was a detail you failed to inform us."
"And when was I supposed to do that?" Shayera countered. "I've been on this planet with damn near no contact with the fleet. That's an operational standard on worlds with minimal contact to the rest of the universe so that we don't reveal our undercover agents. You only arrived days ago."
"It was still an oversight," Hro argued. "One that needs to be corrected immediately."
"If you have a problem, then I highly suggest you take it up with the High Council," Shayera shot back heatedly. "They were the ones that gave me this assignment. They were the ones that dropped me off on this backwater planet with orders for intermittent updates. The protocol is for the fleet to not establish contact, only retrieve the rare transmission I can send. I was just supposed to bide my time, record everything that they would need to know about the planet, and wait for extraction. That you didn't ask me directly about Despero's invasion is not on me."
"I hardly think omission due to a lack of request is a justifiable defense," Kragger countered.
"But it is for you?" she countered. "Again, no contact, remember? I don't know what Despero's reputation was before his invasion of Earth, or what happened until his sudden return. So if this was such an important matter, you needed to tell me."
Before Kragger could respond, Hro held up a hand. "You are right," he said, effectively silencing Lieutenant Kiss-Ass. "You would not know the importance of this matter. What can you tell me about the Martian's encounter with Despero?"
Shayera continued to give Kragger a glare, but eventually relented. "J'onn took Despero head-to-head in a telepathic battle. Physically, the two looked as if they were grappling with each other, but frozen in place. J'onn managed to win and Despero collapsed. He didn't go into specifics as to how, or what he did, but the end result was the Kalanorians losing the will to fight and they retreated, taking Despero with them."
"That seems rather underwhelming," Kragger remarked.
"Says the man that wasn't there," the redhead growled.
"In light of the fallout, Kragger has a point," Hro said. "Allow me to inform you of what happened following Despero's defeat."
"Yeah, go ahead. Since I'm the one in the dark now."
To Hro's credit, he allowed her acerbic barb to go unpunished. "The Kalanorian Empire crumbled following Despero's defeat. Without his leadership, his forces were pushed back, reduced to hiding their fallen leader lest the Citadel or Thanagar capture him. Meanwhile, Earth developed a rather…mythical reputation. As the defeater of Despero, many believed there was some sort of power, or entity that retaliated against him, leaving many to avoid the planet."
Something about that was familiar. Shayera could have sworn John had told her about that at one point. In fact, when the Tamaraneans arrived on Earth, they seemed to be quite skittish according to the others when they arrived. Unfortunately, she had been brainwashed to care at that moment.
"That probably explains the limited contact Earth has had with other planets, Brainiac notwithstanding," she relented. "So now you know it was J'onn that did it. What now?"
"Nothing."
Shayera just stared at Hro while Kragger frowned as he glanced at his leader. "The Martian has volunteered to handle the Despero matter, which I am more than willing to let him attempt. It actually helps our cause with the Earthlings as they are more accepting of our help with the shield generator. Hearing them argue over placement is rather tedious, but much of the protests were quieted down. We will proceed as planned."
While Shayera wasn't surprised that J'onn would volunteer to fight Despero again, she couldn't help but wonder what that all entailed. For some reason, she felt uneasy about this whole situation.
"Then I'll return to the Watchtower," she said. "I'll keep you informed of what happens."
"Please do." A smile appeared on Hro's face. "I know you will not disappoint me."
You could sum up the initial reports on the World Engine as "we've never seen anything like this before."
Neither had the rest of them, nor did they have the balls to put such a statement in a report. After the twentieth report on "this is very exciting," Director Bordeaux had put out a memorandum to their research team with the instructions that if there wasn't something that they did understand or could be relevant, then don't bother her with the insignificant details.
But there were still so many reports.
For instance—
"We've been testing our sensors and other detection systems, radar and everything, and this sounds impossible, but that Engine doesn't show up on any of it. It's like stealth technology was built into it."
—they were starting to get answers as to how they failed to pick this thing up when it entered the atmosphere. Something as big as this Engine should have been picked up, but hadn't. So much diagnostics done on their systems, and no errors or bugs found. The truth may indeed lie with this terraformer.
"So a revolution in stealth technology, the Pentagon's about to have the wet dream of the century," Bordeaux said. "Have you identified yet what specifically it does to avoid detection? Can we come up with a new system so we can detect other…things like this?"
"It'll take some time—a lot of time. We're just only scratching the surface of this machine," the rep from their R&D department explained. "You have no idea what—"
"What I have no idea about is how I'm going to explain this to the State and Defense Departments," the director interrupted. "We have a terraformer that got through everything, no one knew it was here until it was turned on, and I want to know how and better yet, give something to the vultures to get off my back. I've got secretaries from the President's Cabinet blowing up my phone and wanting answers. I want answers, so find me some. Do you understand?"
"Of course, Director." She waved the man away, before he could start babbling, and he was already getting some words out when she made the gesture. The rep was slow to leave the conference room, and only when the door shut behind him did she finally address everyone else. "Alright, the Thanagarians. What do we know?"
"Same race as Hawkgirl; they've stationed their ships all over the world and over major population centers," an agent reported. "They've picked the largest, most densely populated cities, so not all are capitals. They've brought the UN together and they're pitching a new defense system—"
"Like how we do with the rest of the world, but theirs deal with space. Tell me something else," Bordeaux interrupted. The craziness of the last few days was getting to her, and it seemed like they had multiple incidents cram into one another.
First, there was the very public fragmenting of the Justice League. Then there was the takedown of the Legion of Doom that leveled much of Metropolis' Suicide Slums. Lex Luthor advertising his latest product, a weapon to replace the League as a whole. A new alien race tried to terraform the planet. And now the Thanagarians arrive for what? A pitch?
She had some Herbalife to sell to you if you believed that.
"This makes four. Or five if you're being technical," Bordeaux stated for the rest of the room. "Our track record is not a good one. Every single time we've had an alien ship, or ships, show up, it's usually an invasion of some kind. We have a new fleet over our heads, literally, and we can't say for certain they don't have plans to conquer us."
"Would it matter?" Bordeaux zeroed in on Gunn who had, surprisingly, been the one to say that. The man stared down at the conference table, but as if sensing her attention on him, he looked up and made eye contact. "These ships are all over the world, all over very important places. What if they do attack? How would we stop them?"
It was a question she could not answer, and after looking at everyone else, none of them did either.
"We lack intelligence," Waller remarked. "I believe our first course of action should be to find some."
Turning to the dark-skinned woman, the Director asked, "Do you have any thoughts on how to do that?"
Waller was quick to answer. "We send out Task Force X. Even if they get caught, no one will tie them to us. Not the Thanagarians, not the Justice League, not even the Green Lanterns. Ensuring none of them will talk is as simple as pressing a button."
Task Force X had been seeing quite a bit of action lately, but so far they had been bringing in results. Intelligence, "new recruits," and generally pulling their weight. Sure, it left a sour taste in her mouth having to resort to using killers and career criminals to get something of substance done, but that was why Waller was there. She could stomach it better and allow the rest of them to pretend to have clean hands, for whatever that was worth.
Now they had yet another extraordinary event on their hands and they needed to take some extraordinary actions if they wanted to keep on top of this. Despite all the talent and the skills of the individuals here, that they still needed to rely on the Justice League to save the day. Sometimes it felt like A.R.G.U.S. was a group of overly glamourized bureaucrats, only a few of whom had combat skills.
Yet, they were all recruited and brought here for a reason, and it was time to show everyone it was a good reason. Far past time too.
"Waller, I'm putting you in charge. Handle the situation as needed, and give me something I can work with," Bordeaux ordered, making up her mind.
While Waller kept her face similar to gray rock, her eyes flashed with vindication. "And Task Force X?" she asked mildly.
Bordeaux gave a dismissive wave of her hand. "Do with them as you like, just make sure none of it gets back to us. Black op standards as usual. I know you know how to cover your tracks; just make sure none of those tracks leads here. Everything will be left to your discretion."
A sharp nod was all the Director needed for affirmation. Turning back to the rest and ignoring more than a few looks, Bordeaux said, "As for the rest, we will keep up the public face, and if you find any chance to give us an edge, take it, but don't let it blow up in your faces. I want to know just how benevolent these Thanagarians are, but be ready for a heel turn folks. Now get out there."
Initially slow, but they all started getting out of their seats and leaving the conference room. Soon enough, Bordeaux was left there, all by herself and alone with her thoughts.
It was feeling like a juggling act now, but now that needed to be done. In one hand, there was everything everyone else got to see, and in the other… This job was going to be the death of her someday.
But until then, it was back to work cleaning up other people's messes.
The blinding white light faded away and Hawkgirl let out a short sigh. She was back on the Watchtower and for whatever reason, she just felt tired.
It probably didn't help with the repeated encounters on the Soaring Raptor. While she was using the excuse of needing to speak with her people, something the rest of the League could understand, eventually her absence wouldn't go unnoticed.
That said, it had been a very long time since she had seen another Thanagarian that it was a relief. So why was she feeling so drained by it? For whatever reason, she was on her guard more with her own people than the Justice League. It probably had something to do with the re-emergence of old, bitter relationships. No, that wasn't intended for Hro and had everything to do with Lieutenant Kiss-Ass.
That was perhaps one thing she could have lived without until the end of her days.
Leaving the teleportation pad, Hawkgirl didn't even bother greeting whoever was at the controls. She grunted some response as she walked by, which thankfully was enough for them. However, once she left the room…
There he was, John, a smile on his face. "Hey, you," he greeted her.
For a split second, Shayera was actually happy to see him. That was quickly followed up by guilt with what had resumed on the Soaring Raptor—namely with Hro. "Hey," she responded softly.
The Green Lantern stepped to one side as she joined him, turning around so that he could walk side-by-side with her. "I hope your time with your people was good," he offered as a reminder of where she had been. It was just another stab of guilt in her heart. "It must be nice to see them after so long."
Another stab—stop it already! "It was," she said cautiously. "Why the interest?"
"Just friendly conversation. I remember what it was like seeing another human after being with the Corp for so long. You don't know what you miss until it's gone."
Shayera sincerely hoped this was just John trying to make conversation, because it was killing her and she would kill him for it. "John—"
"I listened to the Thanagarian meetings with the U.N.," he continued. "They had a pretty good understanding of Earth's capabilities. While the leader, that Hro Talak, didn't flat out say it, I got the impression someone had fed him the information."
Shayera raised an eyebrow. "Uhh, a simple scan of the planet for large defensive structures could have shown him that."
"Which they would do upon arriving," the Lantern acknowledged. "And Earth only really has any defenses against neighboring nations, nothing space-oriented. But Talak made a specific comment about finding Earth's technology inadequate. That was without even examining it."
Alright, John was beating around the bush and Shayera wasn't in the mood to play the game. "If you're trying to say something, say it."
"Someone already told them and there's only one person I can think of that would." At this, John looked right at her, indicating just who he had in mind.
"Of course I told them," the winged woman grunted. "I was in their military, remember? I have to report in and did so when the Thanagarian fleet arrived. I'm certain you can understand that."
"For how long?" he pressed.
"Just now." Shayera stopped and turned to face her lover. "I haven't had any contact with my people since I arrived here. This is literally the first contact I've had with them."
"Uh huh." John had a knowing look in his eyes. "And I also know Thanagarian protocols for their undercover agents. Zero contact until Command arrives, with the occasional update if able. This is all textbook Thanagarian operating procedure."
Shayera didn't say a word, just stared at the Green Lantern. "Were you spying on us?" he finally asked.
Well, that was thrown out and really, how else could she answer that. "Yes."
John's face hardened. "What else have you told them?"
"An assessment on Earth's offensive and defensive capabilities," she answered truthfully. "Along with a status of geopolitics. Nothing a Green Lantern wouldn't want to know when going to a potential hostile world."
"Does that include the League?"
"I mentioned it," she acquiscented, something she could see John didn't like. "John, I had to. It's not like I could leave it out. Imagine leaving someone as powerful as Superman out of a report? No one is going to miss that."
John jerked his head away. "This entire time, you were a spy. I can't believe it."
Well, if John didn't like the sound of that, then he really wasn't going to like this next part. "John, there's something else."
He snapped his head back. "What?"
Before she could say what she really didn't want to, Steel came barreling around the corner. "Guys!" he shouted, causing the two founders to tear their eyes from each other and look at him. "Have you heard about J'onn?"
"No, what?" John answered, a frown on his face. Shayera just kept a cool look on her face, aided by her mask.
Steel rapidly approached them. "He's preparing to leave Earth. Said he was going to take on Despero head-on."
"He's what?!" John took off down the hall, pushing by Steel. Shayera shared a look with the metal-encased man before the two followed behind the Green Lantern. He led them right up to the Meeting Room, not even slowing his stride as he shoved the door open.
Inside was J'onn, who was surrounded by several members of the League, including Superman, Wonder Woman, and Flash. There were even a couple of the newbies, Black Lightning, Vixen, and Captain Atom to be exact. While most of them were standing, J'onn was the only one sitting at the table, calm and collected as usual.
"J'onn, you can't go on your own," Superman was protesting, which stopped whatever grandstand John was going to do. He was a marine, so he knew when to hold his tongue.
"For the protection of everyone, I will," the Martian replied, not the least bit affected by the Kryptonain's plea. "This is a matter only I can handle."
"But not alone," Diana was quick to point out. "It isn't just Despero—it's his entire fleet. Even you cannot expect to fend them off alone."
"If all goes well, I won't have to. If Despero falls, so will the rest of the Kalanorians."
"That may have worked the first time," John spoke up, earning himself the attention of the rest of the room, "but who's to say that'll happen again? If Despero has changed tactics like the Guardians and the Thanagarians say he has, why wouldn't he have left instructions for his forces to act should he be defeated again?"
That was a pretty good point, Shayera had to admit. J'onn actually looked thoughtful as he considered those words. "That is a good point," he admitted.
"And this is something we can't leave to chance," the Lantern continued. "So it only makes sense that we send a team in and not one person."
"Not that we would allow you to leave by yourself," Diana added. She spared a single glance to Superman. "Not like last time. There are plenty of us here to help you—even Batman would insist you not go alone."
"And what of the Kalanorian's telepathy?" J'onn countered. "They were able to bring at least half of the League under their sway the last time, not to mention the many humans that were convinced to help them."
"Then we send a team with the best chance of not falling for it," Superman said. "We already know you're going, so we just need to figure out who would stand the best chance with you."
"How would you be going?" Captain Atom then asked. "It's one thing to say you're going, but it's another to have the ability to do it."
"The Javelin 7 will be able to take me," J'onn replied. "It was developed with deep space travel in mind."
"Then it'll need to be supplied and fueled in order to make certain it gets you to the Kalanorians and back," the Captain pointed out. "That should be enough time to determine what sort of strike team will be sent."
The Martian slowly nodded. "It would seem I am taking a team with me," he relented. "I suppose I will not have any problem with volunteers."
"You're damn right," Shayera joined in. Even though she had her own loyalties, she also was still a member of the League. Like any military unit, they had been through hell and back, making them comrades-in-arms, no matter the species. Her time within the League may be coming to a swift close, but until that moment, she would give it everything she had.