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It took a full week for the effects of Ra's pathogen to wear off. During that time Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and Alucard worked tirelessly at keeping the world together. Hawkgirl recovered a few hours after Batman and Alucard had defeated Ra's Al Gul and Shaft. During that time the two monitored Earth. Thanks to Wonder Woman and Green Lantern taking down all of Ra's satellites the world quickly gained the ability to perceive written language again and thanks to Flash's speed, every world leader and military mind was informed of Ra's plan.
The UN called a worldwide truce until the pathogen that scrambled verbal communication had passed. In the meantime, everyone was forced to communicate via email or text. That was not too far from the normal, to begin with. With the written communication restored, hospitals and other emergency services were able to resume operation. They were not quite back to normal and many citizens volunteered to help out as did Green Lantern.
Batman also developed a low-level EMP that would neutralise the Nano-bots so the League could go down to Earth and assist with any emergencies that came up as well as quell riots and reduce panic.
Superman awoke three days later but Batman ordered him on bed rest, the man of Steel assured the dark knight he was fine and only needed an hour in the sun. This argument went back and forth for a few minutes and the two eventually compromised. Superman was to go home for a few days and recover there and was banned from hero work unless there was a major emergency.
J'onn didn't wake up till the following week, everyone in the League had been worried about him. His Martien physiology was unknown to the League and none knew how to help speed up his recovery. Thankfully the medical pods were up to the task and Batman was sure that had Alucard even been a few more moments from going to J'onns location when he was burning or taken longer to get him to a medical pod; the Martian race would have been wiped out completely.
During the week when he had a spare hour, Alucard visited Julius and Richter. Checking in on them and making sure they were all okay. He also called on Michael Holt and thankfully they were all unharmed. Confused and their speech was jumbled up from Ra's pathogen, but unharmed. Alucard was wary of what Shaft meant when he said that he'd already got what he wanted before Alucard and Batman confronted the priest. Alucard tried to think of anything Ras could have had that Shaft wanted or what damage he could have done while the Leauge was incapacitated, but all evidence pointed to Shaft doing nothing but supporting Ras's scheme.
Batman assisted Alucard's investigation but the Dark Knight couldn't see any patterns or ulterior motives other than to get a position in the world that Ras had planned to create. He tried to assure Alucard that there was nothing more to it, but Batman didn't know Shaft the way Alucard did. The fact that neither Batman nor Alucard could find anything to indicate Shaft's cooperation with Ras was what worried him; it meant that Alucard had missed something critical and dangerous.
At the end of the week, as planned. Alucard attended his test. Sadly, J'onn had yet to wake up so Batman altered the plan. Dracula helped Alucard craft an illusion spell so he could attend the test himself with an Illusion over him to make him look and sound like a child with Zatara still acting as his guardian.
However, the illusion would not last long and took a considerable amount of power to maintain. Alucard drained all of the Watchtower's supply of blood and quite a bit of his supplies to have enough magical power to maintain the spell for the required time. It was hard to focus on the test questions but he managed, and as soon as he was done, he and the disguised Zatara left. Once they were out of sight of the school Alucard headed straight to the castle to rest and start to replenish his blood supply.
Eventually, J'onn did wake up, though he didn't fully remember what had happened and was very weak for the following days; Batman kept him on bed rest. The League was just happy to have their resident Martian back with them. Once the pathogen was fully out of the population of Earth's systems and everything had calmed down, the governments of the world all agreed that the Justice League were to be honoured in a special ceremony for their actions in foiling Ra's Al Ghul's plan the following week.
The League was, of course, happy to accept…most of them anyway. They still had to hold a meeting to discuss how Batman's plans had been turned against them. So, the day before the ceremony the entire League met up in the conference room. Alucard was invited to the meeting too since he was also a victim of Batman's plans and was told his opinions would be taken into consideration as much as any other member of the League.
"Before we address our biggest issue, let's discuss the situation on Earth," Superman started "How are we looking in terms of riots and crime rates in the aftermath?"
"Pretty good, a lot of people are still concerned and there is some backlash and a bunch of conspiracy theories going around," Green Lantern answered.
"Not much we can do about it, stupid will be stupid," Flash said.
"And you know all about that," Hawk Girl teased. Flash grinned in response.
"What about the hospitals and the emergency services?" Superman asked.
"They're coping. It was touch and go for a while but now everyone can talk and read correctly again they're getting back on their feet and getting things under control," Wonder Woman advised.
Superman nodded. It was good to hear.
"We'll need to keep monitoring the situation but it seems everything is calming down at the moment," Superman agreed "Now onto our main focus of the meeting," He turned and looked directly at Batman "Batman's plans. Batman, do you have anything to say in your defence?"
"My plans were made to contain and to neutralise, not kill. I don't know how Ra's got his hands on them but he altered them," Batman said.
"I do not see why we need to have this discussion at all," Alucard spoke up.
"Batman's plans nearly killed four of us and put the rest of us in a very vulnerable position," Wonder Woman argued.
"Agreed, it's a betrayal of trust," Hawkgirl agreed.
"Is it?" Alucard asked tilting his head "I don't see how…after all we all knew he had them and it was not him who turned them against us,"
"I've gotta agree with Al on this one," Flash said "we've seen an out-of-control Justice League before and only barely survived it,"
"While I am hesitant to agree due to the severity of my injuries…I cannot help but agree," J'onn said "Having these plans does give us incentive not to stray from our current path,"
"So what? We either play nice or Batman takes us out?" Green Lantern scoffed "
"Sorry, J'onn but that's a threat, no other way about it,"
"Come on GL, you don't believe that do you?" Flash asked.
"I do, which is why I agree with Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl on this,"
"I've been threatened many times in my life, but what came of Batman's plans? That was too far," Hawkgirl stated.
"You two do remember we are talking about Bats right? He threatens everyone," Flash pointed out.
"He threatens you multiple times a day," Green Lantern shot back "And now we know he can go through with them,"
"And that's how I know he cares," Flash shrugged with a smile.
Batman sent Flash one of his Bat-Glares. "Do you want me to put that device back on your wrist?"
"See? He loves me," Flash said, ignoring the threat.
"Clearly," Green Lantern let out a sigh.
"What about you Superman? You have yet to speak on this matter," Alucard spoke up, looking at the man of steel.
"I've known Batman for a long time and I've known pretty well since we first met that he's had kryptonite on hand," Superman said and looked at Batman with a smile "But I've always trusted him not to use it against me. He's always said it was a last resort only and I still believe that,"
"And I keep telling you you're too trusting," Batman shot back.
"Yeah well, I'm a good judge of character,"
"Not that good," Batman muttered under his breath.
"So, what are we going to do about this?" Hawkgirl asked.
"What can we do? What's done is done," Wonder Woman "I think Batman should tell us how to counter those plans so if something like this happens again, we won't be taken out quite so quickly,"
"That would defeat the purpose," Batman pointed out.
Wonder Woman sent him a glare. She knew he was right and that Batman would not tell them to counter his countermeasures.
"Either way, Batman should be punished in some way for this whole situation," Wonder Woman insisted.
"Agreed, if we punish Alucard for unintentionally causing earthquakes then Batman should be punished for unintentionally nearly killing us all," Green Lantern stated.
"But what would be appropriate? He doesn't complain about monitor duty and if we ban him from the tower, he'll just focus more on Gotham,"
"We need to think of something, after all," Wonder Woman said.
"Too bad we can't just kick him out of the Justice League," Hawkgirl commented.
The room went quiet as the idea set in. Flash looked around in concern that no one, not even Batman, was speaking against this.
"That's a bit far, isn't it?" Flash protested "I mean Ra's did steal and alter those plans, so it's not entirely Bat's fault,"
"But this wouldn't have happened if he didn't have those plans in the first place," Green Lantern shot back.
"But Batman's been a key player in the Justice League since we came together, he's helped and saved us multiple times and if it weren't for him, Earth would have fallen to the Imperium," Flash argued "One mistake that wasn't his fault should not warrant him being kicked out,"
This argument continued with each member of the Justice League getting involved. Each one had something to say about the idea. Superman and J'onn agreed with Flash that removing Batman from the league was unfair and too harsh of a penalty. Hawkgirl, Green Lantern and Wonder Woman however didn't seem fully opposed to the idea.
Batman tuned out the argument, his eyes trailing across the room watching the rest of the League, however they lingered on Alucard. The vampire had his eyes closed and was leaned back in his chair; he didn't have anything to add to this argument as he had made his position on the matter clear. He didn't view Ra's or Shaft's attack on the League as Batman's fault at all.
Instead, he was lightly tapping his finger on the table at set intervals impatiently. Batman narrowed his eyes. The tapping stopped after a few moments and Alucard opened his eyes, they met Batman's for a brief moment and then he looked towards the window out at the Earth. Batman didn't bother to follow Alucard's gaze, it was clear to him the vampire was bored with the discussion, though he was not speaking out about it, instead Batman believed that the vampire was just waiting for the rest of the League to get their arguments out of their systems.
"I say we put it to a vote," Green Lantern declared, drawing Alucard's attention "Whether Batman gets to stay or not,"
"No need," Batman said and stood up "I quit,"
"Wait, what?" Superman asked as he shot up from his chair. He was not expecting that.
"Batman, are you serious?" J'onn asked.
"Yes," Batman responded and walked out.
Superman let out a groan.
"Well, that solves that problem," Hawkgirl commented.
"No, it doesn't. He doesn't deserve this," Flash argued.
"I'll go and try to talk him out of it," Superman sighed and followed Batman.
"Is it even possible to get Batman to change his mind?" J'onn asked.
Flash shrugged in response.
Superman raced up to Batman, it was easy to catch up with him with his super speed. "Batman, hold on," he stated "You can't just quit the Justice League!"
"I can, and I just did," Batman said without stopping.
"Batman please reconsider this, if it's about the plans I truly don't blame you for what happened," Superman tried "I still trust you with the kryptonite,"
"It's not about the plans," Batman responded "I've been thinking of quitting for a while,"
"What? Why? Forget what Hawkgirl, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern said back there, we need you on the team,"
"Do you?"
"Yes, you see things that others don't,"
"Then you and the others should open your eyes,"
Suddenly, Superman reached out and grabbed Batman's arm. Batman stopped and narrowed his eyes, glaring at Superman.
"Let go," he ordered in a terrifying tone. Superman didn't, he narrowed his own eyes in response and the man of steel's eyes glowed blue.
"Your lying Bruce, I can hear your heartbeat and see your pulse. You don't want to leave. In fact, you're terrified. What is going on?" Superman demanded "You wanted the League to work just as much as I do. So why are you leaving?"
Batman gave Superman another glare and yanked his arm out of the man of steel's grip. Superman didn't fight it as he didn't want to hurt Batman. He took a breath.
"While you and the others were recovering, I fought Alucard," Batman stated.
"What?"
"It was nothing serious, just a sparring session," Batman assured.
"Batman, your sparring sessions are you breaking all the equipment or beating your opponents in a single hit while terrifying them so much that you need a new partner each time," Superman pointed out.
"Not true. Robin stayed," Batman argued.
"Robin is as stubborn as you are. But that is not the point, why on Earth would Alucard challenge you to a fight?"
"He didn't, I did,"
"Again, why would you do that?"
"I wanted to know something. Alucard despite being told to remain in orbit was still removed from the tower and taken out of the fight like the rest of us in a way that completely and utterly trapped him with the only chance to escape being if one of us came to get him,"
"Right, because Ra's got a hold of your contingency plans,"
"Superman, my contingency file for Alucard is empty," Batman said seriously.
"What are you saying? That Alucard isn't in your files?"
"No, he has a file, but most of the contingency plans I have come up with involve exploiting vampire weaknesses…which his human side makes him immune to. And his vampire side and magic make him next to impossible to neutralise, "Batman admitted "The truth is Superman while Alucard has a file, I hadn't figured out how to effectively take him down yet,"
"But he was still taken out of the fight," Superman realised.
"Exactly, what happened to him was not my plan. It had to be Shaft's,"
"Are you saying Alucard can't be contained? Is that why you're leaving? Because you don't have a plan for him?" Superman asked "I know you've never really warmed up to him, but I thought you were past your constant suspicion on him,"
"I'm suspicious of everyone," Batman pointed out. "I could tell you about my concerns that Alucard can go anywhere in the universe now or at how quickly he's regaining his powers. But my worries about him have nothing to do with my reason for leaving,"
"Then what is the reason you're quitting?" Superman asked "In all the years I've known you, you've never quit at anything. So why now? Tell me Batman, you owe me the truth at least,"
Batman looked at Superman with an unreadable expression, and for a moment Superman was sure he was just going to walk away without a word like he usually did. But much to the man of steel's surprise, Batman relented.
"Someone I care about and deeply respect is in danger and I fear for them. I can't save him if I remain on the Justice League," Batman answered.
"What? When did this happen? Is it Alfred or Dick?" Superman asked with worry.
"No, it's neither of them. As for when…I don't know. I only learned this recently, but I am sure that they have been a target for a while now,"
"Who is it? Please tell me, the League… We can help," Superman urged.
Batman shook his head. "It's better if no one knows. I'll save them myself,"
"I see…will you come back to the League once you have?" Superman asked.
Batman turned his back to Superman. "I will consider it," Batman said, and started walking again.
"Good, I'd hate to lose you," Superman smiled as he walked with him "What should I tell the others?"
"Is there anything to tell? I already quit," Batman pointed out.
Superman frowned. The two continued to walk in silence until they reached the hangar. Batman got into the Batwing and started his preflight checks. The small plane had been modified for short-range space travel. Nothing too fancy, just enough to get Batman too and from the watchtower safely. Superman watched him, sad that his best friend was leaving, but he also knew that nothing would change Batman's mind.
"Good luck with your friend and if you need anything don't hesitate to call," Superman offered "I'll be there if you need help,"
Batman didn't respond, but Superman expected that. The man of steel turned away and headed out of the hangar.
"Superman," Batman called after him. Superman stopped by the door and looked back at Batman.
"If something big comes up, call me," Batman said. Superman smiled and Batman closed the cockpit, a hiss emanating from it as it sealed. Superman closed the hangar door and waited until the Batwing was out of the Watchtower and headed back to Earth before he started to make his way back to the conference room. The others looked at him when he came in.
"So what's the verdict?" Wonder woman asked.
"Did you change his mind?" Flash asked hopefully.
Superman shook his head. "No, he's gone. But I did get his reason for leaving out of him,"
"What is it?" J'onn asked.
"A friend of his is in trouble and he wants to save them,"
"Why can he not do that with us?" J'onn asked.
"You know Batman, never asking or needing help from anyone," Superman said.
"Who is this person?" Alucard asked.
"No clue, but I can think of four, maybe five people it could be, all of them are in Gotham," Superman commented "But he did say he would consider rejoining once he's saved his friend,"
"Well, that is something at least," Green Lantern stated.
"I don't know, I've got a real bad feeling about this," Flash said "You never split the party,"
Alucard looked at Flash confused "I do not understand…we are not having a party,"
"It means you shouldn't split the team up," Green Lantern supplied "And we're not splitting up. Batman quit,"
"No, we're not," Superman agreed.
"Good riddance I say," Hawkgirl huffed.
"But what will we tell the people…surely they will notice something is off when Batman does not attend the ceremony with you all tomorrow," Alucard pointed out.
"Would it be that unusual?" J'onn asked "He did not want to go to begin with,"
"If it comes up we'll tell them that Batman is taking a leave of absence from the League due to some personal issues," Superman offered "It's not too far from the truth and we all know he won't leave Gotham,"
"That'll work," Hawkgirl agreed.
"I still don't like this, seems wrong to have the Justice League without him," Flash said "Besides, now we're down a member,"
"About that... If no one objects I think this is a good opportunity to make Alucard a permanent member of the team," Superman announced.
"Seconded," Flash instantly responded.
"I have no objections," J'onn stated.
"Fine by me," Hawkgirl responded, though her tone indicated great annoyance.
"If I agree…will I still be watched?" Alucard asked.
"What do you mean?" J'onn asked. Flash suddenly covered his mouth as he let out a snicker, but failed to disguise it as a cough or sneeze.
"Are my actions not being monitored by the Justice League?" Alucard asked "if I join will that still be the case?"
Superman suddenly looked very guilty and Flash started to shake.
"Alucard, we have not been monitoring you for a while," J'onn informed.
Alucard glanced at J'onn with a calm look and slightly suspicious look.
"Superman was supposed to tell you," Wonder Woman claimed. Alucard's eyes flickered to wonder woman with interest. She then shifted her gaze towards the man of steel "you did tell him he wasn't being watched anymore, didn't you?'
"Um…well…" Superman responded sheepishly "the thing is…"
"Unbelievable," Hawkgirl sighed "I would expect this from Flash but not you,"
"Superman…is there something you wish to say to me?" Alucard asked.
Superman let out a sigh.
"They're right. It was supposed to end a while ago and I was supposed to tell you. Do you remember when I approached you and spoke to you about trying out different food after our encoder with Dr. Desteny?" Superman asked. Alucard nodded "I was supposed to tell you that Batman had agreed to no longer monitor you. We had a meeting a whole meeting about it" Superman admitted.
"I see…so that was why you were acting so strange that day," Alucard stated. He glanced at J'onn and the Martin nodded in confirmation. Alucard returned his attention to Superman "may I know the reason you purposely withheld my freedom from me?"
"I didn't mean to and I swear I was going to tell you but…"
"But…"
"I thought you'd go back to sleep if I did and I and the League had gotten used to you and liked having you around," Superman claimed "I know it was wrong and I'm really sorry about it,"
"And you think reviling this to me now and apologising will keep me from declining your offer now that I know the truth?" Alucard asked with a raised eyebrow "especially given the conversation the League just had in regards to Batman,"
Superman's shoulders slumped. Alucard had a point; he should have come out and spoken to the vampire about it when he was supposed to. After all, they had that conversation over a month ago and Superman could defiantly see how Alucard would be angry or even feel betrayed by this. The League's original agreement with him was to monitor Alucard until he was deemed to be not a threat. The entire league minus Batman had decided he could be trusted very early on. Superman knew that Batman wouldn't agree with the others due to his distrusting nature so there was no danger in losing Alucard as an ally.
But then, Batman had deemed him trustworthy. Something Superman didn't think would happen, and just like that Alucard would be free of the Leauge. Yet superman had been afraid to tell him, afraid that Alucard would choose to return to his self-imposed exile once more and if that happened none of the League would see him again.
"No, I don't. I think you'll go back to your castle and we won't ever see you again," Superman said sincerely "You'll sleep eternity away and we won't stop you. I think that's the real reason I didn't tell you. I can't speak for the others but I truly do like having you on the team. I know that's no excuse for not telling you but I really do hope you consider the offer to join the team permanently,"
Alucard stared at superman, trying to gauge the truth of his words. He could tell that superman meant every word. The whole room was tense as every single member of the Justice League held their breath, waiting for Alucard's answer and response to Superman's confession. Flash was shaking a bit from anticipation.
The room was completely quiet and still for several moments, and the tense Atmosphere was suddenly broken by Flash who burst into a laughing fit.
The entire room looked at him and Green Lantern let out a moan "Way to ruin it Hot Shot,"
"Sorry…sorry I couldn't hold it in…" Flash laughed as he reeled back with laughter "It just…everyone is so serious and tense,"
Hawkgirl Smirked "I knew he'd be the first one to break, pay up," and held out a hand to Green Lantern. Green Lantern let out a sigh and his costume faded away revealing his regular clothes. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a $10 note and handed it to Hawkgirl before resuming his costume.
"Looks like I am owed some Oreos," J'onn commented. Wonder Woman smiled.
"Flash…do remember to breathe," Alucard stated calmly. Completely ignoring his outburst and unfazed by any of the comments. Superman looked confused at this entire exchange. He thought Alucard would be mad at him, but the vampire didn't seem to be anything other than calm. And why was flash laughing, also Green Lantern had a bet with Hawkgirl.
"Uh…What's going on?" Superman asked.
"Superman…I have been aware for some time that you did not release me when you should have,"
"Wait…You KNEW! HOW?" Superman asked in shock.
"Batman informed me that same afternoon the true purpose of our conversation was supposed to be," Alucard stated calmly.
"He…but then…why did you not say something?"
"Did it matter?"
"Yes, it mattered,"
"I see, then I will ask you the same thing I asked Batman at the time," Alucard said "If I said I did not want to go back to sleep…would that be alright too?"
"You don't?" Superman asked in surprise "But I thought…"
"No, I do not. I have missed much since my father's death and I do not wish to miss more," Alucard claimed "Nor do I wish to sever ties with the Justice League,"
"So does that mean…you'll join permanently?" Superman asked, a hopeful look on his face.
"I cannot think of any reason to deny this request," Alucard answered "I would be honoured to pledge my blade to your ranks,"
"In that case, I'll get in touch with Aquaman and tell him that you're no longer being monitored," Superman claimed. He meant it this time and he was relieved that Alucard was not mad and still willing to join the League.
"No need…Aquaman and I have already worked out terms for my castle remaining in his territory," Alucard stated.
"You…have?" Superman asked in surprise "But how did…I mean I never sent him the message,"
"When Batman found out you had not told him the truth he sent Atlantis the message," J'onn explained "Alucard had a meeting with Aquaman to finalise the terms of his stay the following day,"
"Really? Batman was there?" Superman exclaimed in shock.
"No…Flash was," Alucard answered.
"Him and Green Lantern," J'onn corrected "Batman was busy,"
"I was really just giving Flash a lift. He wouldn't stop pestering me and practically begged to be part of the discussion," Green Lantern shrugged.
"Nonsense, your input into my living conditions were most welcome and greatly appreciated," Alucard smiled.
"Well, I wasn't going to let Al face Aquaman and possibly all of Atlantis without backup," Flash claimed.
"I would've gone too if I wasn't on monitor duty that day," Wonder Woman stated.
"Wait, did everyone in the league know about this meeting?" Superman asked.
"Yes," Wonder woman answered.
"Of course," J'onn spoke up.
"I'm surprised you didn't," Hawkgirl scoffed "Can't you hear everything that happens on the planet?"
"Hold on, if you all knew, why has Alucard still been sticking to the schedule and original terms of our agreement when he didn't have to?" Superman asked.
"I enjoy coming up here," Alucard answered like it was obvious.
"Batman also advised that we keep everything the same until you got off your ass and confessed about him no longer being monitored," Hawkgirl claimed.
"And you agreed to that?" Superman asked.
"I did," Alucard answered "I saw no reason not to, and I did not wish to ruin the joke,"
Superman now understood why Alucard had not been angry about the situation and why Flash busted out laughing and why there were a few bets involved. He'd been free of the League's observation and yet he still chose to go along with the original terms and act like he wasn't free until superman confessed. Superman was genuinely impressed at Alucard's patience and that the entire League had fooled him for this long as none of their interactions or any of Alucard's actions in the past month had indicated any change or that he knew about Superman's decision to withhold telling him he no longer needed to be monitored.
Though Superman was not surprised that Batman had known. However, he was surprised that withholding this information and acting like none of the League knew as a joke or payback had come from the Dark Knight.
"Oh, well I am sorry for holding it back for so long," Superman apologised again.
"Apology accepted," Alucard stated "Now that you have confessed to withholding my freedom I do believe I will need a revised schedule,"
"You know as a permanent Justice League member you don't need a schedule anymore," Green Lantern stated.
"Yes, he does, we still have movies to watch," Flash argued.
"Flash is correct, I will still need a schedule…but not for movies,"
"Then what for?" Superman asked.
"I will soon be attending something called…High School," Alucard said "I have applied to do so online,"
"Wait, you're doing what now?" Superman asked.
"Oh, that's right, you start at Princeton Academy soon," Flash remembered "You breezed through those early online courses,"
"My father was a polymorph and my mother a doctor…both had access to knowledge forbidden by the church and knowledge that was ahead of its time. As I have said previously, I was taught by the greatest minds at the time,"
"Have the results of the entry test come in already?" J'onn asked.
"Not yet…however, I am confident I have achieved the required mark to be accepted," Alucard stated.
"Isn't Princeton Academy an extremely prestigious high school in Europe? Why would you want to attend high school?" Superman asked "You're already extremely intelligent,"
"I have decided to become a doctor," Alucard answered "Michael informed me that I need to complete high school to do so,"
"But why Princeton Academy?"
"It's got an open independent study program that allows for online study," Flash claimed.
"He can't attend in person," Green Lantern pointed out "I doubt any high school on Earth would accept a five-hundred twenty-four-year-old vampire as a student,"
"Okay, but what other online courses was Flash talking about?"
"That was online middle school, he went through that in under a week," Hawkgirl said with pride.
"You're kidding,"
"She is not," J'onn stated "Batman and I spent many hours hacking and altering his early school records. Once he was finished with one year worth of work, Alucard had already completed the next,"
"Batman advised he start from the bottom," Green Lantern explained "While I had no doubt Alucard would have any trouble with the early school years work, it will be easier for him to transition into the harder work later since formulas and working out equations are different from five-hundred years ago,"
"Plus, he needed to complete at least middle school to get into the high school courses," Flash added "Princeton Academy was just the best option as its independent study program took in students mid-year. It's about the only high school Bats found that Alucard could join mid-year and attend without drawing suspicion,"
"It has the added benefit of when he does get to the college level, he can claim he was home-schooled and we have some transcripts for his grade point average. After all, he doesn't need to complete every class to get into med-school," Green Lantern explained "Just most of the math and science ones,"
"You have this all planned out, don't you?" Superman sighed "I suppose there is no point in asking this, but when do you plan on enrolling in med-school?"
"By the end of the year," Alucard answered seriously.
Superman blinked. Alucard planned on getting into med school…next year. That means he had less than six months to complete at least four if not five years of education and complete not only the SATS, but applications to at least five different medical schools, and sit the entrance exams. While not entirely necessary, Alucard would benefit from attending the practice exams or short bridging courses that would be on offer to improve his chances of passing; and all this had to be done before Christmas to meet the deadline.
Factoring in holidays, Superman worked out that Alucard would have to complete all courses from Princeton Academy before the end of September in order to apply for the November intake of college applications. That was just under four months away and only left a single month for additional preparations.
"Becoming a doctor is a noble goal, but are you sure you want to go to med school next year? Whether or not you get into med school is another matter entirely. But depending on how quickly you complete the courses the college admissions may think you lied or cheated," Superman warned.
"Batman had a plan to hack into Princeton system to change the dates of his course and grade completion," J'onn said "I can attempt to do the same and if not it will be a simple matter for me to assume the form of member of staff and alter the schools records on site,"
"Isn't that still cheating? I mean if Alucard completes his studies and has the grades for med-school by the end of one year, what about others who have worked hard for many years?" Superman asked "How is that fair?"
"I will be accepted into med-school based on my own academic achievements…if I happen to push someone else off the list because I was more studious than they were, it is not a problem," Alucard explained "That is how I have been told your education system works,"
"But other students will have studied for years," Superman argued.
"I do not see the issue. I will have done the same work correct? Does that not entitle me to attend a school of my choosing?"
"Well, yes but…surely you can see how it would be a little unfair?"
"Not really…Since humans have had five-hundred-years head start,"
"We may not even need to change the dates. Colleges really only look at the grades and what year applicants finished high school," Flash pointed out.
"What about you joining the Justice League?" Superman asked, "Won't that take away from your studies?"
"I will still be ready to assist the League and uphold my responsibility and duties to it," Alucard assured.
"Maybe we can put him on a part-time basis?" Wonder Woman offered "Since he only has a limited time to complete his studies at Princeton Academy,"
"Can we afford that though? We just lost Batman," J'onn pointed out.
"I do not believe that will be a problem. I do not require as much sleep as normal humans and Michael has agreed to tutor me if I need it for some of the more difficult assignments," Alucard claimed "I do not believe the time frame will impact my studies or role in the Justice League,"
"What about your name?" Superman asked "Surely you not going to enrol under Alucard,"
"I am using my birth name," Alucard claimed "I have been told Adrian is a fairly common name,"
"It's a good thing your mother had the foresight to give you a common name," Flash added.
"It was common five-hundred years ago as well. My father wanted something more befitting a vampire prince…but my mother had final say,"
"I wonder what kind of names he came up with," Superman pondered "I should ask next time I'm at the castle,"
"By the way, how have you told Drac about this? What does he think of you wanting to go to college?" Flash asked.
"I have informed him and he is… excited and is eager to assist in any way possible," Alucard claimed "He is also encouraging me to study other subjects,"
"Won't his knowledge be as outdated as yours?" J'onn asked.
"True, but he is keen for me to bring home modern-day educational books so he can look at them," Alucard stated "I would not be surprised if by the time I have finished with them, he may have already mastered and memorized everything in them and even made modification to any formulas or methods that vastly improve them and will be eager to teach them to me,"
"Is Dracula really that smart?" Hawkgirl asked.
"He is…at least my version of my father was. I do not see why it would not be the same for the one that now resides in my castle," Alucard stated.
"Sounds like you've got this all sorted out," Superman said "Well, if you need extra time to study don't hesitate to tell us and we'll work it out. In the meantime, I think we will announce that Alucard is joining our ranks at the ceremony tomorrow,"
"Is that a good idea? It will put Al in the spotlight. We could just make a statement or tell that reporter friend of yours," Flash said "No need to announce it to the whole world,"
"I do not mind…in fact, I believe the ceremony is the perfect opportunity to make such an announcement," Alucard agreed.
"Then it's settled, we'll make the announcement and tomorrow the whole world will know that Alucard has joined the Justice League," Superman agreed.
Batcave, under Wayne Manor
Batman was watching the ceremony the following day on the Bat computer, Alfred was nearby and watching as well. Metropolis had turned its main street into a parade ground with a large stage in the central park. While the ceremony had started around midday, a lot of other events had happened in the lead up to it. Marching bands, dances, speeches from diplomats from other countries, gun salutes and an air show of jets, along with flybys and other entertainment had been planned. The actual part where the League were awarded their medals didn't happen till late afternoon.
Batman watched carefully as the Mayor of Metropolis stood up and had the honour of thanking the Justice League for their active roles in averting war and the end of the world. As he was giving them out there was an empty seat and space at the end but Batman knew that was where Alucard was as the mayor shook hands with air and a medal was just hovering in place on the screen.
Superman made a speech as was expected and spoke about how the League would always be there for the people and that they could overcome any threat as long as they worked together. Batman rolled his eyes at this. Superman needed new material.
The man of steel went on to announce that Batman was taking a leave of absence from the League to focus his efforts on ridding Gotham of crime and pursuing a more personal case. Though Superman did assure the people that he was still a member of the Justice League and would answer the call to arms if the world was ever in danger again. Superman went on to introduce Alucard and declare that he had officially joined the Justice League.
This led to several questions from the people, press and others. Superman let Alucard take the stage and he wondered if the tv networks would receive emails and complaints that the vampire was not showing up on the screen. Batman smirked at the thought of the camera crews at the scene going nuts trying to figure out what was wrong with their cameras and why Alucard was not showing up.
The questions only lasted a few minutes and Alucard answered what he could. Once he was done, the mayor made one more congratulatory speech before he and the League left the stage to go mingle with diplomats and some of the press.
Batman turned off the computer once they left the stage.
"Well, that was certainly something," Alfred said "Are you sure you did not wish to attend?"
"No,"
"Did you know about Alucard officially joining the League?"
"No, but it is to be expected. I left a vacancy and they filled it," Batman claimed.
"I see…and now that you are no longer part of the Justice League and have a bit more time on your hands will you finally put a little more effort into deciding to court either Miss Kyle or Wonder Woman?"
"I'm going out," Batman said and stood up abruptly and walked over to the Batmobile. Once he was inside the car came to life and it sped out into Gotham.
"I take that as a no. Pity," Alfred said.
Batman drove the Batmobile through Gotham, it was unusual for it to be out in the middle of the day. Batman didn't care though, he needed to update the others and it would not wait till night. Mainly because he was busy and he didn't want to deal with a certain someone. He drove the Batmobile to the outer suburbs of Gotham and parked it in an alley not far from an average-sized house. Batman made sure no one was around before he got out and headed to the door.
He knocked on the door and when it opened a tall broad-shouldered man with greying hair stood in the doorway. Despite his hair, the man looked to be in his late twenties. He was wearing a tank top with a vest on top and loose pants made out of animal furs. His broad and muscular arms were fully exposed and his brown eyes held a wild ferocity.
"Hello Batman, we were not expecting you," the man said.
"Where's Shaft?" Batman demanded.
"In the living room," Cornell answered as Batman pushed past the man, entering the house. Cornell shut the door behind him.
Batman walked into an open sitting room where Shaft was resting, he looked exhausted and weakened but Batman noted that any injury he had sustained had been cured; likely by magic.
"Ah Batman, so nice to see you again," Shaft greeted in a tone that hinted otherwise.
"You broke our agreement," Batman stated angrily.
"Did I? I do not see how," Shaft said with a non-caring tone.
"You nearly killed Superman, J'onn, Hawkgirl and Wonder Woman. The deal was that no one would die," Batman replied angrily.
"But no one died and it was not me who altered the plans, it was Ra's Al Gul," Shaft defended.
"But you didn't stop him," Batman accused.
"It would look too suspicious if I had," Shaft claimed. He then stood up and gave Batman a sick smile "besides if you didn't want your little pets to get hurt you shouldn't have given us the way to do so in the first place,"
Batman growled at this and took a threatening step forward. Fortunately for Shaft Cornell stepped in between the two.
"Calm down you two. Shaft, Batman is right, an oath was made and you nearly broke it," Cornell stated.
"Ah, but I made no such oath, that was you. I never make promises I do not intend to keep," Shaft pointed out "I am not bound by such trivial promises. I have more important things to do than worry about the petty feelings of those less intelligent than myself and those who do not know they are being played,"
"If something like this happens again, I will make you regret it, Shaft," Batman said in a dark tone.
"You will forgive me if I do not take your threat seriously…for you are not even worth being considered a threat," Shaft said with a chuckle.
"And you're not as intelligent as you claim if you can't tell the difference between a threat and a promise," Batman responded coldly.
Shaft snarled at this.
"Enough you two. Batman, I apologise for the misstep, perhaps the gift of the wolf would be an appropriate compensation" Cornell offered.
"Keep your fangs to yourself," Batman warned "I have no interest in immortality no matter what form it takes,"
"Suit yourself, though if you ever change your mind I do recommend choosing the wolf over a vampire," Cornell advised "Now then, why are you here early?"
"Where is Carmilla?" Batman asked, noticing the vampires was missing.
"The sun is still up, she is resting in her coffin," Cornell pointed out and walked into the room, he sat down on another chair "Not all vampires are like Prince Adrian and Lord Dracula,"
"No vampire is like Lord Dracula," Shaft corrected "For good reason. Thankfully there are none like the prince. We cannot have pure-blooded vampire lines diluted and tainted as he has tainted Lord Dracula's line," he added with a sneer "and Cornell do not refer to such a disgusting creature by its name. If you do it might start thinking it has a right to rule,"
"Batman, why are you here. It is odd that since we were not expecting you till tonight if at all," Cornell stated "surly you didn't just come to threaten Shaft?"
"Not specifically, did you have any trouble dealing with Ras?" Batman asked.
"Not at all, I must say everything is came together nicely," Shaft said "It was truly ingenious to use Ra's Al Gul the way we did. He is such a gullible and self-absorbed man that he didn't see that he was being played from the start,"
"It's why I recommended him, you two have a lot in common," Batman responded.
"And what exactly do we have in common?" Shaft responded with a dangerous tone.
"Everything you just stated," Batman answered with a straight face. "Besides Ra's has always wanted to see humanity destroy itself, he's been sitting on that plan for months now. He just couldn't execute it because of the Justice League,"
"Well, it is a good thing you had a way to remove them isn't it?" Shaft stated.
"I'm surprised you didn't think of it. A vampire, werewolf and priest who've been here for a few months now," Batman pointed out "and in all that time not one of you came up with an effective way to deal with them. Clearly, supernatural gifts do not equal basic intelligence,"
"Watch your tone mortal," shaft warned.
Cornell let out a sigh. "Batman please do not antagonise Shaft further,"
"Fine, I came to tell you I quit the Justice League," Batman announced.
"Oh, and why would you do that?" Shaft asked "Surely even your tiny brain can understand we are only allowing you to live because of your connection to them. If you left, then what value is there in keeping you alive?"
"You're welcome to try killing me anytime," Batman countered.
"Shaft, I am sure Batman has a reason for doing what he did," Cornell stated.
"I do, I want to start to set things up for the next stage. Had I stayed in the League it would have been harder to move and get away with things as I would have been watched. That is unless you want Alucard to roam free, parading his father's power as his own and leave dear old daddy Dracula dead," Batman explained. The last part was directed at Shaft.
"Watch your tone mortal," Shaft warned "Your tongue is not worthy to speak the Lord's name,"
"Ex-Lord," Batman corrected. He ignored Shaft's sputtered outburst of angry threats at that and turned to face Cornell. "Besides with me gone the League offered Alucard my place and he accepted. This means he will be far too busy to keep an eye on what you lot are doing,"
"He may still do so," Cornell said.
"Then let him, he'll focus on tracking Shaft for now," Batman claimed and he glanced over at the old priest "At least he's useful as bait. Meanwhile, I'll start making arrangements to be in Paris within the week, the artifact you need will be yours by the end of the month,"
"Will you have trouble acquiring it?"
"This artifact you seek holds no historical value or real significance and is only being put up for sale at an antique shop for less than $100.00 because the shop owner has no clue what it is…no, no trouble at all,"
"Good, we look forward to having it back in our hands," Cornell said "Thank you once again for your help in this…sensitive matter,"
"Make sure to tell Carmilla what I told you," Batman said. He turned and walked towards the exit.
"You could tell her yourself tonight," Cornell offered.
"I'm busy," Batman shot back and walked out.