Diana entered the house she took in the tense energy of the room immediately—Barbara pacing slightly, M'gann rubbing her arm and still glancing toward the kitchen, and me… standing still, hands clenched, anger simmering just beneath the surface.
"Tell me what happened," Diana said firmly. I took a breath. "Batman was here. He confronted me. About the Bell Tower." Her face tensed, but she didn't interrupt. "He accused me. Asked what I did. Told me I was raised better—used my parents like leverage," I said, voice cold. "Then he tried to intimidate me."
Diana's lips pressed into a thin line. "Of course he did. I'm not surprised. But that doesn't excuse what you did, Cain. You should have come to us. First. Trusted us." I narrowed my eyes and stepped toward her.
"No," I snapped. "You don't get to guilt me." I reached into my pocket, pulled out the black flash drive, and held it up like it was a loaded weapon. "I have proof." Diana's eyes tracked the drive. "Proof something happened to my parents," I said. "And the League covered it up. Or worse, helped make it happen."
I tossed the drive gently onto the coffee table. "So here's what I want, Diana. If you're telling me I should've trusted you—then prove I can." Her brow furrowed. I pointed at the lasso at her side. "Use it. On yourself. Prove you're not hiding anything."
The room went silent. Barbara and M'gann looked between us, their faces pale with tension. Diana's expression didn't change much. But something softened in her eyes. A flicker of sadness. Maybe regret. She looked at me and said nothing for a long moment.
Then Barbara spoke. "Wait—what's going on? What's on that drive?" I stepped back and folded my arms. "You want to know? Fine." I walked to the kitchen counter, pulled my laptop from its lockbox, and connected the drive.
Click on the file. The same corrupted video I'd seen before. It played on the screen.
The Watch Tower.
My parents.
Omni-Man.
The fight.
Then… the flash. Batman. The strange device.
And then they were gone. Only Omni-Man remained.
The screen went black.
I faced them again.
"I don't think Batman killed them," I said. "That's not his way. But he did something. That flash… I've seen it before. I've read about it." Barbara and M'gann blinked. "Read about it where?" Barbara asked.
"Doesn't matter," I said. "What matters is I recognized the tech. It wasn't an energy weapon. It wasn't a bomb. It was either a Motherbox or the Phantom Zone projector." Diana's eyes locked on mine, tight with scrutiny. "How do you know about those things, Cain?"
Barbara and M'gann both looked at me, clearly confused. "I'll explain," I said. "A Motherbox is a living computer. New Genesis tech. It can open Boom Tubes, heal, manipulate matter, and even access different planes of existence. It can teleport people across the universe instantly."
"The Phantom Zone projector," I continued, "is Kryptonian tech. It opens a portal to a pocket dimension—the Phantom Zone. It's used to imprison Krypton's worst criminals. No time, no physicality. Just existence. It's a prison you never escape from unless someone opens the door."
Barbara's mouth parted slightly. "And you think…?" "I think," I said, voice slow and deliberate, "Batman used one of those to remove my parents. To hide them. Maybe to protect them. Maybe to silence them. I don't know. But that's what I saw."
M'gann placed her hand over her chest. "That would explain why we can't find any trace. No bodies. No reports. Just… missing." Diana said nothing.
So I looked at her again. "Lasso. Now." Diana's eyes didn't waver as she stared into mine. Her voice was steady, but softer than before. "It won't be needed," she said quietly. My brow furrowed. "Why not?"
She took a step closer. "Because you're right." The room froze. Barbara blinked, stunned. M'gann's lips parted in shock.
Diana continued, her tone filled with restrained emotion. "I don't know all the details. Only Batman and Superman do. They've kept this secret between themselves, and the rest of us… we've been kept in the dark."
I opened my mouth, anger rising in my chest—but before I could speak, Diana stepped forward and wrapped her arms around me in a tight, maternal embrace. Her strength was immense, but her touch was gentle. Calming. Protective.
"I promise you," she whispered, voice heavy with conviction, "tonight, your questions will be answered. The truth will be revealed." I stiffened in her arms, surprised by the sudden vulnerability of the moment. "What do you mean?" I asked, my voice quieter now. "Why is now different?"
She pulled back, one hand caressing my cheek. Her eyes shimmered not with tears, but with unspoken resolve. "Because I've been stagnant for too long," she said. "And now that you have proof, I can do right by you—and by your mother."
Her words landed with weight. She reached into the golden band on her waist and withdrew a small, League-issue communicator. The device unfolded in her palm, and her fingers moved with precision as she input a sequence of numbers.
The screen lit with green.
"This is Wonder Woman to all senior Justice League members and all former Titan members," she said, voice echoing through the channel. "We are calling an all-hands emergency meeting at the Hall of Justice. Immediate attendance required. You have thirty minutes. We have something serious to discuss. No delays."
She clicked the communicator off and turned to M'gann. "Contact the senior Titans members," she said. "Tell them to meet us there. This affects us all."
M'gann nodded, her form shimmering slightly as she activated her communicator and sent the call out. Diana looked back at me, expression gentle but firm.
"I want you to go with Barbara and M'gann," she said. "Go to the Hall. I'll meet you there after I ensure the League is fully prepared." I nodded slowly, overwhelmed by the shift but trusting her. I stepped forward and hugged her tightly. "I will," I said quietly. "I trust you."
She smiled, placing a hand over my heart. "Then hold fast to that. No matter what you hear." The Hall of Justice loomed ahead—tall, proud, and ancient in its own way.
As I, Barbara, and M'gann stepped out the Zeta tube, I could feel the tension in the air. Like something big was about to happen. We passed under the tall statues that lined the outer chamber—symbolic figures of the League's legacy—and entered the meeting hall.
The chairs were beginning to fill. Aquaman strode in from the ocean-facing corridor, his trident resting on his shoulder. Hawkwoman and Green Lantern, (John Stewart) walked in together. The Flash(Barry Allen) walked in eating a burger and was drinking what looked like coffee. More arrived, one by one. Some I knew. Some I'd only read about.
The Titans came, too—older and younger. Nightwing, Superboy, Donna Troy, even Wally West. They looked surprised to see me but said nothing. Everyone took their place. I stood in the center of it all. Waiting for the truth.