"Okay, now ... why are these guys are here" I said, glancing over at the Justice League.
"Oh, right, give me a second." Hope set down her glass, pulled out her wallet, and took out a twenty. She handed it to me, and I grinned as I took it.
"Knew it. Batman tried to hack your system and got busted. Told you he'd try it faster than you thought."
Hope sighed, shaking her head with a small smirk. "I at least thought it'd take him a week… maybe a month. I mean, we did help him save the world."
"That doesn't matter to him," I said, turning to look directly at the League. "He's a man who never learned how to deal with his trauma, so now he hides behind paranoia and control. He doesn't trust anyone."
Then I added with a small shrug, "No offense."
Batman's glare could cut glass. "How do you know me?"
"I know plenty of things," I said casually, resting my hammer against my shoulder. "But honestly, I don't think it's wise to tell you any of them, knowing how you are."
His tone sharpened. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means," I said, stepping closer, "you're the kind of man who believes his way is the only way. You've got that no-kill rule carved into your soul like it's divine law, and you expect everyone else to live by it too. You're stubborn, obsessive… and just a little bit insane."
Batman didn't respond, but I could tell he was listening.
"I mean, instead of getting therapy like a normal person, you decided to travel the world, train with monks and assassins, learn every skill possible, just so you could come back home, dress like a bat, and beat up the mentally ill."
That made a few of the League members shift uncomfortably. Even Superman's lips twitched.
"But," I continued, my tone softening slightly, "even with all that madness… I can't deny what you've done. Without you, half the scum in Gotham, drug dealers, traffickers, killers, would still be running free. You've done more with sheer willpower than most people could do with superpowers. You've got my respect for that, Batman."
I paused, taking a slow breath. "But I can't deny it either, some of your methods? Questionable as hell."
"Everything I do is for the safety of the Earth," Batman said.
"Making century-long contingency plans for your friends, digging up everyone's secrets, refusing to take the shot that would end one monster, that's not safety, it's obsession," I shot back. "When you put on that mask it isn't about you. It's about the people you promised to protect. If you insist on moral rules, fine, but maybe take my advice and actually apply them. Eliminate the Joker. He's killed too many already."
"No." Batman's voice was calm, but it was absolute.
I expected that. I unclipped my hammer from my side; half the room tensed as I stepped forward. "Calm down," I said, raising a hand. "I'm not starting a fight. I just want Bruce to prove something for me."
I set the hammer on the floor. A faint glow pulsed across the metal. "This is mjolnir," I said. "There's a rune carved into it, ancient magic. It can only be lifted by the worthy."
"I want Batman to try to lift it, if he can then that prove my ways are wrong, and his are right but if not."
The Justice League watched, mouths tight. Batman's jaw tightened, but he didn't move, because this wasn't just about strength. This was the kind of test that got under the skin.
I continued "If any of you want to try, go ahead. Right now the only two I think who can lift this hammer are Superman, and definitely Wonder Woman. Bruce, if you can lift it, I'll answer three questions truthfully. Ask me anything: who I am, where I come from, whatever. But you have to lift the hammer first."
"And what if I can't?" Batman asked.
"Then you confirm my suspicions," I replied evenly. "You walk out of this office and never come back like this again."
Hawkman snorted. "And what are your suspicions, exactly?"
"That Batman is... unwell," I said bluntly. "And that the right move for Gotham is Another Hero, someone not afraid to get the job done. If you can lift the hammer, great. If you can't, then I'll send someone who won't hesitate to kill the worst of the worst."
"Gotham is my city!" Batman snapped.
"Not unless you own the mayor's office, Bruce," I said. "And even if you do, tearing out roots won't fix systemic corruption. Black noir, will hunt down every single person that is corrupt and expose them to Gotham, and he will break every super villain and make the regular criminals afraid to even think of committing a crime.
Batman's jaw tightened, fury simmering in his eyes.
"You can stop all this tension right now," I said calmly, motioning toward the hammer. "Just lift it."
He hesitated, for once, uncertain, then stepped forward and wrapped his gloved hands around the handle. A moment passed. He braced, muscles straining beneath the armor, but the hammer didn't move. Not even a tremor.
"And that," I said quietly, "proves it. My advice, Bruce? Get therapy. You've carried your parents' ghosts long enough."
Batman straightened, his glare sharp enough to cut glass. "This is a trick. Some kind of spell keeping it from moving."
"If that's what you think," I said, gesturing toward the hammer, "then let Wonder Woman try. She's the one most likely to be worthy."
Diana stepped forward without hesitation. Her hand closed around Mjolnir, and with effortless grace, she lifted it. A surge of golden lightning roared through the room. Her Amazonian armor shimmered, transforming into Asgardian plating etched with runes and a glowing thunderbolt across her chest. Sparks of divine lightning danced around her body, and her eyes blazed with raw celestial energy.
"This feels… incredible," Wonder Woman said, her voice resonating with thunder.
"That's because you're channeling the power of Thor himself," I explained, smiling faintly. "Lightning from the heart of the storm, flowing through your veins. It suits you, honestly."
She looked at the weapon reverently, but before she could speak again, I raised my hand. "But unfortunately, that's my hammer. And my brother's already called dibs on the Power sword."
Mjolnir ripped free from her grasp, spinning back into my hand. The power faded from her instantly, her armor reverting, the lightning dying out until only Diana Prince remained, regal and steady.
The room fell into stunned silence. Even Batman didn't say a word.
"Brother?" Hawkwoman asked, raising a brow.
"Yes, I have a brother," I replied calmly. "But he's not on this planet right now. He's off on his own mission, so there's really no point in discussing him." I leaned back in my chair, my tone sharpening. "Now, I'll kindly ask all of you to leave hope office."
"Hawkman and Hawkwoman still have questions to answer," Batman said, his voice low and firm.
"Not anymore," Hope cut in before I could speak. "We're done answering questions. And unlike you, some of us have paperwork to finish, so like he said, leave."
It was obvious Batman didn't like that. He'd barely gotten anything useful from this meeting, and judging by his expression, I'd say his ego took a hit when he couldn't lift the hammer earlier.
"If I hear your so-called heroes dropping bodies, we'll be back," Batman warned.
I met his glare without flinching. "And I'll be right here, with my team. Don't threaten us, Batman. You might think you have a way to stop half of us, but trust me… you don't."
One by one, they turned to leave. Green Lantern created a glowing platform for Batman to step onto as they exited through the window. Hawkman and Hawkwoman lingered a moment longer, exchanging a glance before Hawkman finally said.
"We heard your teammate and yourself saved our daughter," he said sincerely. "You have our thanks."
"No need to thank me," I replied with a small nod. "It's part of being a hero."
They both nodded back before spreading their wings and flying out of the window, leaving just me and Hope in the office.
Hope let out a sigh. "Put enchantments all over this building. I don't want something like this happening again."
"I was planning on doing that anyway," I said, glancing toward the window where the last traces of golden feathers drifted in the air.
One hour later I was back at the house. The living room smelled faintly of takeout and coffee; the rest of the team was already sprawled on couches and the floor like a badly packed mission briefing.
"Okay, everyone," I said, standing in the center of the mess of legs and jackets. "I know it's late and you all want to sleep, but we need to have a meeting."
"Can't we wait until morning?" Ben whined, rubbing his eyes.
"You'd rather do this in the morning? Let's get it over with now," Black Noir said flatly.
"It won't take long," I promised. "I'm going to cover a few problems that happened out there and then assign which cities you'll be heading to next."
A chorus of groans and resigned sighs rolled around the room. Every pair of eyes landed on Ben.
I didn't sugarcoat it. "Okay, first, Ben. You crashed your hoverbike for no good reason, and you broadcast some personal info about Might Woman. Exposing her identity, even accidentally, is a huge problem. The less people know about us, the safer we all are. If you do something like that again, the punishment will be more severe."
"Yeah. I get it. I'm sorry."
"Good," I said, keeping my voice calm but serious. "Apologies don't fix consequences. like I said it will paycheck be dropped for an entire month,and when we start recruiting new members, and if they need training you will oversee them."
Ben nodded, immediate contrition written on his face. Around the room, people murmured approval, not happy, but relieved to see accountability.
"Alright, listen up," I started, glancing around the room. "Me and Hope had a little... altercation with the Justice League today. So they might not be too friendly toward all of you for a while. That doesn't mean you should be rude or try to pick a fight. You're not here to make enemies with other heroes, you're here to do your job."
I paused for a moment, letting that sink in before continuing. "On that note, we're splitting you all up and sending you to different cities."
"Hope will set you up with a place to stay, nice houses, fully furnished. And you don't need to worry about finding a job; you're already getting paid."
I looked toward each of them in turn. "Black Noir, you're heading to Gotham. They need a powerhouse over there. And yeah, I know a lot of those villains deserve to die, but for now… just hurt them real bad, don't kill 'em. Yet."
"Stormfront, you're going to Starling City. Soldier Boy, you're on Blüdhaven duty. Crimson Countess, you'll take Gateway City. Trini, you're stationed in Metropolis, Superman can't be everywhere at once."
I turned my attention to the Kryptonians. "As for the rest of you, since you can literally fly around the world in seconds, you'll be handling global threats. If you hear someone in danger, you go. Simple as that. I'll be doing the same."
I exhaled, finishing the briefing. "That's all for now. You can all head to bed."
They didn't hesitate, one by one, the group started heading to their rooms.All except Trini, who stayed behind.
"You going somewhere, are you?" Trini called, tilting her head like she'd already solved a puzzle.
I blinked. She'd figured it out.
"Yeah." I smirked. "How'd you?"
"Mainly your clothes," she said, nodding at my jacket and the way my boots were scuffed. "You don't look like you're going to bed. And you told everyone to go to bed except you. Makes sense you're heading out."
"Hope request" I said. "I need to recruit a scientist. Shouldn't take long."
"Want backup?" she asked.
"No. If he turns into a problem, he won't be one for long." I shrugged.
"Okay. We're here if you need us." Trini stood, gave me another appraising look, and went to her room.
I watched her go.