Diana walked into the debriefing room and found the rest of the League members seated as usual. Arriving late to meetings like this had become almost routine. She cast a glance at Green Lantern and Shazam, who were whispering to each other, while Barry tried desperately to nudge Hal to stop.
Diana frowned. They were definitely gossiping about her. At this point, I'm probably more disciplined than any of them… maybe I should ask their waist sizes next and send them gifts from my wardrobe.
Her eyes shifted to Superman, seated with arms crossed, a frown etched across his face. Batman stood rigid at the center, his presence commanding, the main holographic display already active.
"Diana," Batman said without looking at her. "Sit."
She paused. That tone… it wasn't normal.
"What happened?" she asked, calm but alert.
Batman's gaze remained fixed on the display. "At exactly 20:19 yesterday, the White House was besieged by masked assailants. Casualties were total, with the exception of the President and General Lane. Everyone else was killed."
Superman leaned forward. "By the time we arrived, the intruders were already gone."
Diana frowned. "Why wasn't I alerted?"
"We did alert you," Batman replied evenly, "but there was no response."
Diana's eyes narrowed as a memory surfaced. Nina… she must have tampered with the com.
"Diana, this isn't like you," Batman said, voice firmer now. "Were you in danger? Did something happen?"
"I was busy at the moment," Diana answered carefully.
Batman's piercing gaze fixed on her. "Define 'busy.'"
"I am not obliged to answer that question," Diana said evenly.
Hal leaned forward, green ring catching the light. "Well, while you were 'busy,' the White House was attacked. Last I checked, you're neighbors with it. You should have assisted. I assume you weren't at your house at the time. That's why we're concerned,where were you?"
"I was at Max's house," Diana replied.
Hal leaned over to Shazam and whispered, "I told you,you owe me twenty bucks now."
Batman's gaze sharpened. "Was it Max who called you?"
Barry held up his hands. "I think that's too personal."
Batman turned sharply to glare at him.
"Forget what I said," Barry added immediately. "Flash is right. That question is Diana's private life. We have no business in it." Cyborg said.
Superman's expression remained serious. "Do you think it was Max who was behind the attack?"
Batman paused, eyes narrowing as he processed the scenario. "Could be. The timing was too convenient. It also fits him in a way."
"How so?" Cyborg asked.
Batman's gaze swept across the room, methodical. "Max has made it clear multiple times how he feels about villains and the people with the power to ensure they don't return. Given his relationship with the U.S. government, it leads to an interesting conclusion."
Cyborg frowned. "But that's contradictory to Max's personality,or rather, the person we know him as."
"Exactly," Barry added. "The Max we know would have just marched up to the White House in broad daylight and voiced his thoughts.".
"That seems to be the case, but we can't rule him out as a suspect," Superman said.
"Yes. Max only does things in the public eye when he's given a reason to,for example, when someone acts against him," Batman replied. "Tell me, Barry: besides fighting Darkseid and the whole fiasco on Rose Island and Belle Reve, what noticeable action has Max taken in the time we've known him?"
"Umm… he's been a vigilante?" Barry answered.
"Except it's more than that," Batman said. "It's possible he simply hasn't been given a reason to act while everyone is watching. However, this is still insufficient information to conclude that it was him."
"So who do you think was behind the attack?" Shazam asked.
"The most likely suspect is the new leader of the League of Assassins," Batman said.
"League of Assassins?" Diana asked.
"The League of Assassins, as the name suggests, is a group of highly trained killers led by a man called Ra's al Ghul," Batman explained, gesturing to the holographic display. "They have one goal,'world order,' as they call it,which and they wast to achieve it by controlling the world through selective assassination."
"World order? He sounds like a madman," Diana said.
"That's because he is. He believes humanity cannot be trusted with its own survival, so he trims what he considers 'decay' from the world."
"So someone has succeeded him as the new leader. Is that correct?" Cyborg asked.
"Yes,but it's more like a hostile takeover by an outsider," Batman answered.
"Who?" Superman asked.
"That is still unknown."
"The new leader has come with a new regime, I presume," Green Lantern said.
"Most likely," Batman said.
"Where did you get this info?" Superman asked.
"That's not important," Batman replied. "What is important is that this new leader has an ability to prevent those who work for him from passing along crucial information about him. He can also create barriers that isolate intruders. From this, we can assume he possesses magical abilities,or abilities closely related to magic."
"So what do we do?" Superman asked.
"We wait," Batman said. "I have reason to believe he'll show up soon enough."
Based on what Damian had said about finding someone who could help him reclaim the League, the new leader of the Assassins would eventually be forced to act. And when he did… they would be ready.
------
"I guess you're right," Nina said, letting out a long breath. "Honestly, I wasn't expecting such a coherent answer from you two, but… I'm glad I asked."
Thena straightened, ready to boast, a small triumphant smile forming on her lips. But before she could open her mouth, Terra shot her a sharp look.
"Don't push it," Terra said.
Thena's smile deflated instantly, and she muttered something under her breath, sulking slightly.
Terra turned back to Nina, curiosity written clearly on her face. "Why did you want Dad and… Thena's mom together, Aunt Nina?"
Nina's pace slowed. She let out a long sigh, her expression softening. Then, without another word, she reached out and placed a firm hand on both of their shoulders.
"Listen to me, both of you," Nina said, her voice steady but gentle. "Max has been through a lot already… and he's going to go through even more. He'll need all the support he can get, and that means he'll need you to be strong for him. He believes he can do everything alone, but he can't. He needs people he can rely on. And… besides, it's my duty to make sure my brother doesn't die alone. So I want you to promise me—you'll be there for him. No matter what."
"We promise," Thena said quickly, her eyes wide and earnest.
"We'll give it our all," Terra added, nodding firmly.
Nina let a small, approving smile cross her face, though her gaze softened with a hint of sadness.
"But… wait," Thena said, tilting her head. "You said that Dad will need us, but… you didn't include yourself. Where will you be?"
Nina's eyes drifted toward the horizon, a distant look in her gaze. "Honestly… I don't know. Wherever the wind takes me." She glanced back at them, her expression warm yet tinged with melancholy. "I really want to stay with you guys, I do. But… circumstances don't allow me and i can'tell you why. Soon, I'll have to leave. But… I promise you this,I'll make our moments together memorable before then."
Thena and Terra exchanged glances, the weight of Nina's words settling over them. They knew she wasn't just speaking about the presentthere was more to
Terra broke the silence first, her voice quiet but firm. "We'll make sure your moments with us count, Aunt Nina."
Thena nodded, squeezing Nina's hand briefly. "Yeah… we'll make it worth it."
Nina slowed her pace again, letting Thena and Terra fall in step beside her.
"There's… something else you two should know," she began with a mischievous grin.
Thena and Terra exchanged quick glances, curiosity sparking in their eyes. "What is it?" Terra asked, leaning in slightly.
Nina took a deep breath, as if steeling herself to share something rare. "Max… has never had a girlfriend before."
Both girls froze, blinking in surprise.
"What?" Thena whispered.
"Never?" Terra repeated, incredulous.
Nina nodded slowly, a small, wry smile tugging at her lips. "Never. And it shows a little,though he's… really good at hiding it. Max knows next to nothing about romance. He's awkward with women, more than anyone realizes. But he's smart and careful, so he manages to cover it well."
Thena's eyes widened, a thoughtful frown forming. "Wow… I didn't know that. I mean… he acts so confident around everyone ".
Terra let out a low whistle. " yeah,so all that swagger is just a mask?"
"No,he is confident, probably the most confident person you'll ever know but that is not the case with women,especially beautiful ones,don't tell him i told you though, it was hard getting this out of him,so you'dbetter not ask or tell him what i told you,got it"
End of Chapter.