Chapter Eight

AN: I really like both Green Lantern and J'onn (and Hawkgirl – but the timeline of this story don't allow for her) but I don't write either of them well, for a variety of reasons that not even I find interesting. That is why they are not here. Believe me, if I didn't like them, I would have them all over the place and they would both sound (sadly) like pompous jerks. I tip my hat to those of you who can write them well. Ah well, on with the show.

Superman's eyes glowed with anger.

"Could you repeat that, please?" he said slowly as if he was carefully choosing his words.

Batman had been explaining the arrangement with Amanda Waller during the Founders' Meeting, which had only consisted of Flash, Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman due to various mission obligations. Flash had made several choking noises during the presentation which Diana had wanted to address but Batman had ignored. Superman had managed, and received much credit from Diana for it, to wait until Batman was done before any reaction.

However, the reaction was like the rumbling of an active volcano. It wasn't if he would explode, it was how much damage he would do when he did.

The conference table had been built to withstand a meta's pounding. Diana wondered briefly if it would sustain a laser blast.

"Which part?" she asked simply. He didn't scare her.

Superman looked at her and the glow diminished. "Actually, Diana, I understood every word he said. What I don't understand is why you let him sign us up for this deal. Cadmus imploding is a good for us."

Diana smiled faintly. Superman was one of the strongest, smartest people he knew but sometimes, since he was one of the best people she knew as well, he didn't always follow thinking that got a little underhanded.

She may have spent too much time with Batman.

"Kal-El, why do you think we are preventing it from imploding?" she asked. "We are just controlling the explosion. When Lex and Amanda discover who is taking matters into their own hands, what do you think they are going to do?"

Flash cocked his head in acknowledgement. "Won't be a parade."

Superman looked at Flash. "True, but this isn't how we should deal with Cadmus. It is one thing to let them destroy themselves. It is another to help them do it."

"I don't know," Flash said. "I like the way Diana put it. It sounds like we just continue to figure out who grabbed Bats. We just know that neither Waller nor Luthor is responsible. I think all we did was knock two of the usual suspects off our list. That's good, right?"

"That I have no problem with," Superman said. "What I don't like is that we find out who is behind all of this and then we hand that person over to Amanda Waller? That isn't justice."

Diana turned to look at Batman. She knew he wouldn't let that stand. That was never the deal.

But he did wait several beats before replying.

"I agreed," he said simply and slowly, "to alerting Amanda Waller as to what we found. I never agreed to giving anyone to anyone."

Superman looked at Diana for confirmation. She nodded in affirmation. "Cadmus justice is no justice at all."

"Ah," Superman said, his eyes slowly returning to Batman. "Yeah, I know better. There is no way you would let anyone else even look at whoever is behind this once you figure out who it is."

"However, if it isn't Waller or Luthor, do we actually have any idea who it might be?" Flash asked. Diana admired his ability to break up the bickering between Superman and Batman.

"Yes," Batman said. Diana looked at him and realized that he was done talking on the subject.

"Several members of Cadmus have been being paid for two different sources," Diana explained. "Amanda acknowledges that she paid all of them. The other checks have the name Lex Luthor on the pay line but it is not Lex Luthor's handwriting which means that Lex didn't sign it."

Batman cleared his throat. "It means that Luthor didn't authorize payment. Luthor doesn't sign the paychecks of his people but no one gets access to the checks with the image of his signature on it without his blessing, albeit not directly."

"So," Diana said, "is that it is someone in Cadmus. If it was someone in Luthor Corp. getting involved, they would probably have gotten the checks, right?"

"That is an assumption based on almost no facts, so, no, that probably is not right," Batman said.

Diana considered for a moment. "But I think it is right. I think it is someone in Cadmus."

"Of course you do," Batman said.

"What does that mean?" she asked.

"It means that you think Cadmus is involved because you always think Cadmus is involved," Batman said. "And Superman thinks Luthor is involved because he always thinks Luthor is involved. Which is why neither of you is in charge of this investigation, no matter what either of you might think."

Diana was considering multiple responses to that when Flash leaned over the table.

"You are personally involved too," Flash said. "I think I need to be in charge. I am a neutral observer."

Diana could have sworn the temperature of the room dropped several degrees with Batman's glare. She considered that for a moment. Batman's glares didn't scare her but the intensity of this one was indicative of a bigger problem. The one Flash pointed out.

"Or, you know, not," Flash said with a gulp.

"No," Diana said, "he makes a good point."

"I do?" Flash asked. "I mean, yeah, I do!"

Diana smiled at the Speedster. "Well, with the exception of the neutral party part. In very recent memory, someone has tried to unmask Flash, unmask Batman and harmed both Superman and me, although not as directly. I believe all the Founders need to partner up, or at least stay in constant contact until we find who is behind this. As a safety precaution."

Flash grabbed Diana's hand and raised both their arms in the air. "Dibs!" he called merrily.

"Impossible," Batman said.

"No, it's okay, we get along wonderfully," Flash said, obviously faking his lack of understanding.

There was a moment of silence. Only Batman's wasn't an amused quiet.

"I think she's right," Superman said. "Just recent, regular check-ins. Say, hourly."

The image of Batman hanging from the building flashed unwelcomed in her mind.

"A lot can happen in an hour," Diana said.

"I may agree to hourly," Batman said. "But I know I am not agreeing to more often than that."

"Well, if Bats is being agreeable, I say we make this official before he comes to his senses."

"I have conditions," the Dark Knight said.

"Of course you do," Superman said with a faint smile.

"First, both Flash and Superman must be on planet until this is over. Anyone misses a check in, we need Superman's hearing or Flash's speed to get to the last location. The newbies can cover your monitor shifts. Second, we have check-ins on a separate channel on the communicators. It can't be general knowledge that we are doing this. Third, the other Founders stay off world until this is solved. Three of you to worry about is enough."

Flash leaned over the table with his arms flat, hands palm down in and stretched out in front of him. "Oh, I knew you cared," he teased.

"I wasn't the one hanging from a building," Superman pointed out flatly.

"No, the one with the most well-known weakness in the universe hasn't been targeted recently," Batman said darkly. "Can't imagine why you crossed my mind at all."

Diana turned towards Superman. It was one of the few times she was worried for her nearly indestructible friend. "That's a good point."

"No one has targeted you directly either," the Man of Steel told her.

"Okay, so everyone needs to be careful, right?" Flash said. "That's what we've learned today? And Batman's conditions are reasonable so we are going with those. So, let's sync watches and tell J'onn and GL to stay put."

There was no formal agreement but with Flash's words, the Founders found themselves on lockdown.

"What I want to know," Amanda Waller said, "is if there is some way to get a steel sheet put in instead of a window. I don't know that it will stop her, but at least I wouldn't be regularly showered in glass. Or bullet-proof glass?"

The facilities worker looked at the shattered remains of the window. A team had completed boarded the empty space. She was looking at the boards with disgust. Her life had gotten a little too strange recently. She liked control. She liked knowing what was going on. Wondering if an angry Amazon was about to charge through her window was not something she should be forced to do. And now….

Well, she wasn't going to think about what she'd agreed to, in this space, hours before.

"I'll have a list of options for you by the end of the day," the head of the repair team told her, breaking her from her thoughts.

"Excellent," she said.

"I don't know," a highly-educated male voice said from behind her. "Perhaps you should wait to make sure Wonder Woman is done with you."

Waller knew the smooth voice, which sounded the same as dozens of Ivy Leaguers she had met. Bryan Tranter was, well, she had no idea what his actual title was, but he served as a liaison between herself and Lex Luthor on the occasions when Luthor wanted something but also wanted to maintain some distance. He was definitely Luthor's man, or at least, he never came running when she wanted something.

She turned slowly to face him. He was dressed very well but everything about him was forgettable. She suspected that was his greatest asset. He was tall, but not enough to comment on. He was well built with the slim strength of a regular jogger. His sandy blond hair was cut in a classic businessman's style. His clothes were of good quality but there was no feature in the clothing or the man that would stay with her long after he left. In fact, it occurred to her that she had no idea when she had seen him last, or where.

That bothered her. She didn't know why, but she made a mental note to keep better track of Bryan Tranter.

"Mr. Luthor asked me to make sure you were all right," Tranter said.

"Lex's concern is flattering," she said in a tone that made it quite clear that it wasn't. "I wasn't aware that Wonder Woman's visit was common knowledge."

"Oh, Ms Waller, there is nothing about Mr. Luthor's knowledge that is common," Tranter replied smoothly. "But he is concerned that Cadmus perhaps should abandon this location if the Justice League is regularly visiting."

"Wonder Woman still hasn't gotten over finding Batman strung up in Metropolis," Waller replied.

Tranter's brow wrinkled for a split second in confusion. "I didn't realize she had moved on after Flash."

Waller had forgotten about that. The highly publicized relationship between Wonder Woman and Flash had been so obviously a farce to her.

"Well, she has."

Tranter looked uncomfortable for a moment. "Does Mr. Luthor know?"

Waller smiled at him like a hungry cat facing a mouse. "Mr. Tranter, I do not know what Mr. Luthor knows. I certainly have put it into recent reports," she lied convincingly. "If he actually reads them, I do not know."

Tranter turned to leave, all the lightness gone from his posture. "I'll make sure he is aware," he said and hurried out.

"Interesting," Waller muttered under her breath.

She turned to say something to the facilities head but he had slipped out while she was talking to Tranter.

A ping altered him of a new email message. It was hours late, but the first decent plan on ridding the world of Batman had finally arrived.