"All quiet on the Western front," Red Hood spoke into his earpiece.

"I doubt you made it past the cover of that book," Red Robin responded in his ear.

"You don't know what I read in my free time!" Hood responded harshly. Red Robin muttered something in a language Red Hood did not know. "What was that, replacement?" Red Hood demanded.

"Enough you two," Batman silenced the two boys. "If you're done with patrol, go back to the cave."

Continuing his leap from roof to roof, Batman finally landed on top of the highest building in Gotham. He frequented it often. He liked it up here. It was peaceful and quiet. Shayera would love it, he thought to himself. Batman then mentally berated himself. Ever since she saved his life a few months ago, he felt like a lovesick teenage boy. He needed to get a grip. He needed to – he was not alone. Someone was trying to sneak up on him. Without warning, Bruce threw a batarang while turning to face his attacker. "Ow," a voice in the shadows said. "Geez." A hawk…man appeared from the shadows, rubbing his head with one hand and holding a batarang with the other.

"Who are you?" Batman demanded.

"Woah," the hawk held up his hands, dropping the batarang in the process. "I don't want to fight you."

"Why were you sneaking up on me?"

"Honestly, I didn't know how to approach you."

"What are you doing here on Earth?"

"I've actually been here since before the invasion. I defected from Thanagar a long time ago." Batman stared at him silently. The hawkman squirmed underneath Batman's intense glare. Maybe this wasn't the best idea. "May I put my hands down now?"

"No."

"Look, I don't know how else to say this. But there's another female hawk and an intergalactic bounty hunter here in Gotham looking for Hawkgirl." Batman's facial expression gave nothing away. "How do you know this?" Batman demanded.

"I've been following the female hawk for a few weeks now. Earlier this evening she met with a bounty hunter named Lobo. I don't know why – "

"Lobo?" Batman sounded slightly…worried.

"Yeah. You know him?" Batman didn't respond. "Anyway," the hawkman continued. "For some reason, he thinks that Hawkgirl is here in this city."

"So why should I care?"

"Wherever Lobo hunts, a path of destruction follows. If he believes Hawkgirl is in Gotham, he'll have no problem burning the city to the ground to find her." Batman stared at the hawk in front of him, trying to get a feel for him. He seemed to be telling the truth. But there was only one Thanagarian he trusted, and she was at his manor at the moment. "Why should I believe you?" Batman asked.

"You have no reason to believe me. And I'm sorry about what my kind did to your planet two years ago. But my loyalty is no longer with Thanagar. They're crazy and ruthless and scary. I hated living there." Batman stared blankly. Once again, the hawkman's body language said he was telling the truth; but if he had learned anything from Shayera, it was that Thanagarians were expert liars. And the stupid masks didn't make it any easier to spot a lie. "Take your mask off," Batman demanded.

"Seriously?"

"I won't tell you again."

"Fine." The hawkman pulled his mask off. Brown hair and blue eyes. "Hi," he said. "My name is Carter Hall. I work as a curator for the Gotham Museum of Ancient Artifacts."

"Hol?"

"Yeah. It's a very, very common surname on Thanagar. On Earth, I spell it H-A-L-L."

"You can put your mask back on."

"Thanks," Carter said pulling his mask back over his head. "So, what are we gonna do about-" He stopped mid-sentence. Batman was gone. He had simply vanished. "Huh," Carter said as he turned around. "That was rude." But he was sure Batman would be in touch soon. He knew Carter's identity after all.


Bruce ran up the stairs, still in his uniform minus the cowl. As soon as he made it back to the cave, he had hacked every street camera, every cellphone camera, and every black box and car camera. A camera found on the outside of a small café on the lower side of Gotham captured the image he was looking for. And as soon as he saw it, he ran. Jason and Tim stared at him in shock as he sprinted past them.

"What in the…" Jason was speechless.

"Maybe he has another concussion?" Tim guessed. He ignored their questioning stares and kept running. He didn't stop until he reached his room. He threw the door open. Shayera immediately sat up in bed, body alert, ready for a fight. "What's wrong?" she asked, her wide green eyes staring at him filled with worry.

"Lobo has been spotted in Gotham. Batcave. Five minutes," Bruce whirled around before Shayera could reply. She didn't know what to say. "Crap," was the only word that came from her mouth.


"Lobo is here?" Wonder Woman asked.

"Lobo?" Green Lantern thought aloud. "You mean that stupid Main Man guy? I haven't had the pleasure of meeting him."

"I don't understand," Flash said as he paced angrily back and forth in the batcave. The founding leaguers stood in attendance.

Shayera sat in a swivel chair, looking down at her feet. The last time they were all here, Shayera had quit the team and flown away. Deciding it was better to remain invisible, she kept quiet and let Flash continue. "How the heck did Lobo enter Earth's atmosphere without detection? I thought you guys were on the lookout for hostile beings?" Flash directed his question at Green Lantern and Superman. Green Lantern responded by cracking his knuckles while simultaneously glaring at the young speedster.

"Come on, Flash," Superman interrupted, "that's not fair."

"I thought you were monitoring the stars, Superman. What happened?" Flash demanded to know.

"Even I need to take breaks, Flash. I'm not God," Superman answered.

"There are so many ways to respond to that statement," Batman muttered.

"Flash, now is not the time to point fingers," Wonder Woman stepped forward.

"We're the Justice League. We're better than this. And what's your excuse, J'ohnn?"

"I have none," the Martian Manhunter stated solemnly. "I can only offer my sincerest apologies for my lack of vigilance concerning Shayera's safety."

"Well," Flash paused not expecting that response from the Martian. "I forgive you."

"Are you guys done yet?" Batman asked in annoyance, "It no longer matters who's at fault. Lobo is in Gotham."

"Do you trust this…Carter?" Superman asked.

"He's not lying about this."

"We're taking the word of another hawk…again?" Wonder Woman spat as she glared at Shayera. Shayera barely glanced at Wonder Woman. She wasn't ready to face Diana's wrath.

"I have evidence," Batman said as he walked to his computer and, with a few commands, brought up a picture of excellent quality. It was Lobo meeting with a dark-skinned hawk-person.

"Where'd you get this photo?" Flash asked.

"A café across the street from that alley. After many successful robberies, the owner upgraded his security system to state-of-the-art Wayne Tech."

"An owner of a café was able to afford that?" Superman muttered.

"It'll surprise you what you can afford when you're not living off a reporter's salary," Batman quipped.

"Really? You're still upset about the computer? I told you I'd pay you back. And look," Superman motioned to the giant screen, "you've already replaced it." Batman scoffed.

"How does Lobo even have Shayera's scent?" Wonder Woman questioned, ignoring the two. "You don't think the Thanagarians hired him, do you?"

"Uh…the picture clearly shows him conversing with a Thanagarian. I think it's safe to say the Thanagarians hired Lobo," Flash said with an eye roll. Wonder Woman opened her mouth to respond to Flash but was interrupted by Shayera. "Can you zoom in on his waist?" Shayera asked softly. She really didn't want to be here. Batman gave a nod before zooming in. A sword was strapped to Lobo's waist. A silver sword with a golden handle. Incredible craftsmanship. Flash whistled, "Nice weapon."

"It's mine," Shayera frowned. Batman turned to look at her, along with the other leaguers. "It was given to me on my 10th birthday. My father forged it from a space rock. The handle is made of Nth metal. The blade itself has been forged from an asteroid. I hid it in my room before I was sent to Earth. Issi must have found it," she finished quietly. "She always wanted my things."

"That's how he obtained her scent," Green Lantern said. "What are we going to do? It's only a matter of time before he finds her," he said, looking at Shayera for the first time since this small meeting began. Shayera felt his eyes on her. She looked away. Clearly, she wasn't ready to face her mistakes.

"I can throw him off her scent," J'ohnn offered. "It won't hold him off for long, but long enough for us to come up with a better plan."

"Good idea," Superman said. "But we should probably move Shayera. Maybe we can smuggle her to Themyscira?" he asked Wonder Woman.

"If that's what is best," Wonder Woman growled through gritted teeth. Wonder Woman didn't want that traitor anywhere near Themyscira.

"Shayera stays here," Batman stated. "Moving her could make it easier for Lobo to track."

"I concur," Martian Manhunter said. "It is prudent for her to stay in one spot while I attempt to draw Lobo away."

"Then it's settled," Flash said. "Shayera stays here; Martian Manhunter does his…thing."

"Yes," Batman concluded. After a silent pause, Batman said, "You can all leave now."

Shayera sucked on her lower lip, holding in her laugh. Batman – Bruce – was…something. A warm feeling spread in her chest. "Polite as always," Superman mumbled as the leaguers filed out. Flash gave Shayera a swift hug before following his teammates out of the cave.