Watchtower — Council Chamber.
The Council Chamber feels different tonight.
Usually, it hums with quiet authority — the central table glowing softly beneath the League's emblems, the walls lined with consoles pulsing faint blue. But now, the space feels smaller. Heavier. Like a courtroom after the verdict has already been read.
The League gathers around the table, but for once, they look anything but untouchable.
Superman sits rigid, his cape torn and a heavy bandage slung across his shoulder, still faintly scorched where Phantom's Kryptonite strike had burned through. Wonder Woman leans back in her chair, her armor dented, a shallow but darkening bruise blooming across her cheek — a rare imperfection on an Amazon. Green Lantern keeps his arm in a glowing construct sling, jaw tight as if holding back more pain than he'd ever admit. Hawkgirl leans on her mace like a crutch, one wing dragging slightly, the metal bent unnaturally.
Even gods look mortal when they bleed.
Wonder Woman breaks the silence first, her voice sharp, cutting through the static in the room.
Wonder Woman: "He nearly killed you."
Her eyes lock on Superman.
Superman doesn't flinch. His reply is as flat as steel.
Superman: "He didn't."
Hawkgirl scoffs, leaning forward, her mace tapping against the floor with a dull, metallic ring.
Hawkgirl: "Not for lack of trying."
The words echo longer than they should.
The room falls quiet again, as if waiting for someone to take control of the narrative.
Batman stands at the far end of the table, arms crossed, cape draped like a shroud, cowl shadowing his expression. But his posture — the faint forward lean, the weight in his stance — makes it clear he's here to fight for his decision.
Aquaman breaks the silence next, his deep voice filling the chamber.
Aquaman: "Your contingency nearly destroyed us."
Batman's reply is instant, clipped, and unflinching.
Batman: "My contingency saved you."
Green Lantern slams his good fist onto the table, the construct slings around his arm, flickering with the motion.
Green Lantern: "You call that saving? He tore through us like we were Cadmus grunts. That wasn't restraint — that was an executioner doing his job."
Batman doesn't move. Doesn't blink.
Batman: "He fought you with weapons. Not people. Because that's what I trained him to do."
The words hang like lead in the air.
A rare thing happens: no one argues.
Not Superman. Not Wonder Woman. Not even Lantern.
Because deep down, none of them can deny it.
For one brutal, terrible hour, Phantom fought them exactly as Batman would.
And worse — he almost won.
The door hisses open, cutting through the suffocating silence.
Phantom walks in.
Not the weapon they saw hours ago — but not a boy either. His cloak hangs loose, the jagged shroud of shadows pulled tight to his frame like a living restraint. His armor is stripped back to its base layer, scuffed and cracked from the fight. His face is pale, eyes ringed dark — but his posture? Unbroken.
The temperature in the room seems to drop.
Every eye in the chamber locks onto him.
Superman's jaw tightens. The last son of Krypton still carries the memory of Phantom's gauntlet pressed against his chest — the moment a boy who shouldn't have been able to touch him made him feel mortal.
Wonder Woman's hand drifts to her lasso, her knuckles whitening against the hilt.
Even Shazam, so often unshaken, shifts in his seat like a kid watching a loaded gun walk into the room.
Batman doesn't move. Doesn't even blink.
Kade walks until he's standing in the center of the room.
No bow. No deference. No apology.
Phantom: "You wanted me awake. I did what you asked."
Wonder Woman leans forward, her voice like a drawn blade.
Wonder Woman: "You nearly killed us."
Kade doesn't flinch.
Phantom: "You're alive. Get over it."
The audacity stuns the room into silence.
Green Lantern lets out a sharp, incredulous laugh.
Green Lantern: "Unbelievable. You nearly take the heads off the strongest people on Earth, and you stand there acting like—"
Phantom (cutting in): "Like I did my job? Like I did exactly what I was made for? What was I supposed to do? Ask you guys to be nice?
The words land like punches.
Superman rises slowly, towering over him.
Superman: "You think you're proud of this? Beating down people who were compromised? That makes you strong?"
Phantom meets his gaze, unfazed.
Phantom: "I think it makes you weak that I could."
The silence after that is deafening.
Kade's expression is cold. Not gloating. Not apologizing. Just brutally, unapologetically honest.
Phantom: "You wanted a contingency. This is what it looks like. Don't act surprised because you don't like the reflection."
The Team watches from the upper gallery, perched behind the League's council circle.
Robin leans against the railing, arms crossed, expression unreadable. Artemis sits with her feet kicked up, bow across her lap like she's ready for this to go bad. Zatanna is leaning forward, chin on her hands, wide-eyed — not in fear, but that strange mix of awe and exasperation that only Phantom can inspire. Kid Flash mutters something under his breath about "barely awake and already causing problems," and no one disagrees.
They've seen this before.
Down below, Phantom hasn't moved. Still in the center of the League like a blade that hasn't been sheathed.
Phantom: "You're angry. At me. Fine. But let's be honest about what you're angry at."
His eyes sweep the table, settling on Superman first, then Wonder Woman, then the rest.
Phantom: "You're the strongest people on the planet. The first and last line of defense. And yet — you were compromised. Controlled. Missing for sixteen hours, and you don't even know what happened to you."
The words hit like a hammer.
Wonder Woman's knuckles tighten on her lasso. Superman's jaw flexes, but he doesn't speak.
Phantom: "And you're mad at me? Because I almost killed you?"
His voice sharpens, low and dangerous.
Phantom: "I tried not to kill you. Do you know what that cost me? Do you know what it took to pull punches when it's Superman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, and Martian Manhunter all coming at me at once?!"
His voice rises now, echoing off the steel walls.
Phantom: "What was I supposed to do? Lay down and let your puppeteer keep you? Or fight like hell and try to survive?"
The silence after his words is almost suffocating.
Team reaction (gallery):
Robin doesn't flinch. He's seen Kade like this before.
Robin (quietly, to Artemis): "He's not wrong."
Artemis smirks faintly.
Artemis: "Nope. But he's making friends."
Zatanna, still staring at him, whispers to herself.
Zatanna: "...why is it kind of hot when he yells at them?"
Artemis: "Not the time."
League reaction:
Green Lantern leans forward.
Green Lantern: "You think just because you were doing what Batman told you to, you get a free pass for what you did to us?"
Phantom's gaze snaps to him.
Phantom: "I don't want a free pass. I want you to admit the truth: I did what you couldn't."
--
The Verdict
Setting: Watchtower — Council Chamber.
Black Canary breaks the silence first, her voice clipped but steady.
Black Canary: "What you did… You crossed a line."
Phantom doesn't blink.
Phantom: "I kept you alive."
Superman leans forward, eyes burning.
Superman: "By almost killing us?"
Phantom's tone drops to ice.
Phantom: "Better almost than actually."
The tension spikes like a live wire. Green Lantern shifts as if ready to speak, but Phantom cuts in — his voice louder, sharper, cutting through the room like a blade.
Phantom: "You want to talk about lines? Fine."
He steps forward, the shadows at his feet flickering restlessly.
Phantom: "You sit here on your high ground — gods among men — lecturing me about morality. But let's be honest: If I hadn't done what I did, you'd still be puppets. Controlled. Used. Weapons for someone else's war."
He scans their faces, eyes locking on Superman.
Phantom: "You call me dangerous? You disappeared for sixteen hours, and none of you even know what you did."
The words detonate in the room.
Silence.
Even the Team above freezes.
Close-up: Zatanna leans forward, eyes wide. Robin exhales slowly, knowing this just shifted the conversation.
Phantom's voice softens, but only slightly — the edge is still there.
Phantom: "So don't lecture me about crossing lines. I fought like hell to bring you back. And I didn't kill you. But if you want to hate me for surviving? Go ahead."
The silence is suffocating. No one speaks. Even Superman doesn't reply.
Aqualad steps forward from the sidelines, the Team at his back.
Aqualad: "Phantom was not wrong. The League would not be free if not for his actions."
Artemis folds her arms.
Artemis: "He went too far."
Robin shakes his head.
Robin: "But he stopped when it mattered."
Wonder Woman finally speaks, her voice heavy.
Wonder Woman: "And when he doesn't?"
The question lingers like smoke.
All eyes turn to Batman.
Batman steps forward, arms crossed, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Batman: "Then I stop him. Until then… he stays."
The chamber remains silent for a long, heavy beat.
Up in the gallery, Robin leans over the railing, breaking it with a hushed whisper to Artemis.
Robin: "He silenced them."
Artemis glances at Phantom, then back to Robin.
Artemis: "That's a first."
At the table, Aquaman clears his throat, bringing the focus back to order.
Aquaman: "Then it falls to a vote."
One by one, the hands rise. Wonder Woman. Aquaman. Black Canary. Lantern. Superman, after a pause.
Unanimous.
Aquaman: "The motion passes. Phantom is reinstated to the Team."
Phantom doesn't move for a moment. Then he lets out a quiet, humorless laugh.
Phantom: "Reinstated? Like it matters."
He turns his back on them, heading for the exit without waiting for dismissal.
Close-up: Zatanna watches him go, biting her lip.
Zatanna (softly): "He doesn't care, does he?"
Robin: "Not about their approval. That's the difference."
--
The Council Chamber empties slowly.
Green Lantern is the first out, muttering something under his breath that no one bothers to catch. Wonder Woman leaves in silence, her boots heavy against the steel deck. Hawkgirl shoots Phantom one last glare before taking off down the hall.
Superman lingers.
He doesn't speak — just trades Phantom a long, unreadable look. The kind that isn't judgment, or even anger, but weighing. Measuring.
Then he turns and walks out, cape brushing the doorframe as it hisses shut.
The room feels cavernous now.
Just Batman and Phantom, standing before the observation window.
Below them, Earth turns slowly, clouds drifting over the curve of continents — so achingly alive compared to the cold metal of the Watchtower.
Phantom speaks first, his reflection staring back at him in the glass.
Phantom: "They hate me."
Batman doesn't look at him.
Batman: "They fear you."
Phantom: "And you don't?"
Batman turns his head slightly, enough for their gazes to meet — dark eyes on darker.
Batman: "I know what you are. And I know what you're trying to be."
Kade exhales sharply through his nose. His jaw works, like the words are caught there, refusing to come out.
Phantom: "I don't know if I can be anything else."
Batman's tone softens. Just slightly.
Batman: "You're not defined by what Cadmus made you. Or by what I trained you to do. You get to decide who you are now. Every day. One choice at a time."
Phantom doesn't reply. He doesn't look away either.
For a moment, that's enough.
The door hisses open.
Footsteps.
Zatanna.
She pauses in the doorway, brushing a strand of dark hair behind her ear, suddenly aware of how heavy the room feels.
Zatanna: "Um… Phantom?"
He turns, expression unreadable.
She fidgets with her sleeves, the practiced showgirl confidence gone — replaced by something smaller, realer.
Zatanna: "I… just wanted to say… You were incredible in there. Terrifying, yeah, but… incredible. And, um…"
Her cheeks flush. She forces a small, nervous smile.
Zatanna: "I don't think we've officially met. I'm Zatanna. It's… nice to meet you."
Phantom studies her for a moment. His shadows twitch faintly, like they're trying to decide if she's a threat.
He doesn't smile. But the stiffness in his shoulders loosens.
Phantom: "You're braver than you look. Most of them can't even look me in the eye right now."
Zatanna's blush deepens, though she tries to play it off with a shrug.
Zatanna: "Yeah, well… I'm not 'most of them.'"
Batman watches quietly from the side, saying nothing.
Author's Note
Alrighttt, reckon that'll cover season 1, I didn't realize the time, it's now 7:05 am in the morning, and I cranked out a ton of chapters for multiple stories as I decided to pop an Adderall, and here is am. Gonna take a break from writing this story, maybe a week or two. Got other stuff I need to focus on and do in life. Anyway, if you wanna be a legend, subscribe to the Patreon, if not, that's ok. Alright, bye bye xx
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