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It had been a full 24 hours, and still Batman had not woken up. The Justice League had been called in to neutralize a threat just like any other mission they’d ever taken on, but this time Bruce had been hit. He went down in the middle of the fight so suddenly and there had been so many hostiles that by the time Green Lantern had spotted him and called out “man down” he had already lost a lot of blood. He was unresponsive and after being rushed back to the Watchtower and tended to by the emergency medical staff the team had on call he still had yet to wake up. The team sat at the central table in a heavy, nervous silence.
“It’s been 24 hours.” Superman said, eyes staring through the table.
“I’m sure he’ll wake up,” said Flash with a hopefulness undermined by the shake in his voice, “I mean, he’s Batman. He has to, right?”
“That is not what Superman is referring to,” Wonder Woman said solemnly. Clark looked up and met her eyes while the Flash looked between them confused. Diana relayed her own feelings of worry and understanding to Clark in the shared look; they were the only two who knew not only each other but Bruce as well outside of uniform, and while the rest of the League’s feelings of friendship and concern were genuine, Clark and Diana were worried about both the Bat and Bruce. Wonder Woman returned her focus to Flash as well as the rest of the team. “At this point protocol states that Batman’s emergency contact is to be notified of his condition.”
Every member of the team had an emergency contact in their secret file. It had been Batman who had created the system actually, with no name or information save a phone number provided by the team member. It was up to the Leager to decide what phone the number would reach, be it a personal cell phone number, a burner phone the contact was instructed to keep on them at all times, a home phone, an office number, anything that rang was fair game. This enabled each member to assign an emergency contact with flexibility for things like whether or not the person knew their superhero identity or was someone who was particularly difficult to reach. The anonymity protected the contact and the League member from prying eyes or data hacks, and the system provided a sense of closure in an otherwise unpredictable line of work. That’s what the emergency contacts were; not a person to call for help, but a person to call to tell them what had happened, to make sure that loved ones were not left wondering why someone left one day and never came home. Each team member had provided a contact, but this was the first time any of them had ever been called. There was a pall over the room as Superman stood and approached the computer to pull up the file on Batman.
Clark focused on the keys in front of him to keep his composure. He didn’t need to pull up the file, but Bruce would want him to keep up appearances. The number was for a phone in the Batcave, and as Clark retrieved the phone he looked at the screen unseeing as he dialed the number from memory, the only question in his mind how would he tell them? The line rang four times before someone answered. Clark heard Dick’s voice and his heart stopped. He wished so desperately that it hadn’t been him to pick up, but he knew that he would have wished the same about any one of the family who could have answered the phone. He swallowed thickly and took a breath.
“Hello this is Superman.”
Dick and Jason were hanging out in the Cave not really doing much of anything. Dick had the day off and Jason was between cases at the moment so they had both ended up at the Manor, but Alfred was out shopping and the others were at school so they had the place to themselves. They had had a few silent competitions on the training equipment but pretty soon had both ditched the idea of self improvement in favor of lounging and talking about nothing important. After a few conversations about who had played the one girl in Hairspray and was Mr. Rochester actually an okay character or just a douche, the two were playing a rather lazy game of paper football when a phone rang.
They stopped playing and turned to where the noise was coming from. They looked at each other in confusion before Dick stood and walked towards the sound. It was an old rotary phone that he had seen Bruce use a few times before but had never really paid much attention to. Slowly he reached out and answered it.
“Hello?” he asked hesitantly.
“Hello this is Superman.”
Dick frowned immediately. That was clearly Clark’s voice on the other end but he sounded strained, and why was he introducing himself as Superman when anyone who would have been in the Cave to answer knew him as Clark? Something was very wrong about the whole situation. Dick didn’t bother to introduce himself, knowing Clark would have already recognized his voice, and cut straight to the point.
“Is everything alright Superman?”
“Batman has been seriously injured. This number is listed as his emergency contact.” Dick’s world spun. He knew about Bruce’s emergency contact policy for the League and what it meant if he was getting this call. He opened his mouth to speak but he couldn’t. He whipped around to Jason who was staring at him in concern and his heart broke. All he could think of was Bruce unconscious somewhere on the verge of the end and of Jason staring at him, who didn’t know, who right this second didn’t know that Bruce was in danger and that he was about to shatter that, to end this moment where for Jason everything was fine. He could feel tears prick at the bottom of his eyes and he turned back around.
“Thank you,” he managed. He took a deep breath trying to plan what to say next but instead just slammed the phone down back onto the receiver. He turned back around to Jason, wide eyed and expectant, and had no idea how to say what he needed to. Tears threatening to form fully and breath coming to him very sparingly, he opened his mouth. All that came out was “Emergency contact.”
It was enough. Jason’s eyes got even bigger and he shot up out of his seat and fumbled over the chairs and table. He grabbed his jacket, pulled out his domino mask, and made for the case with the other masks.
“Let’s go!” he said looking at Dick, “Come on!” Normally Dick would have argued with him and said that they weren’t supposed to go to the Watchtower under any circumstances and that this was a breach of so many protocols, but right then he didn’t care. He grabbed the domino mask Jason tossed him and ran with him to the zeta tube.
The League was still sitting pensively at the table when the silence was suddenly broken by two young men in domino masks bursting into the room.
‘Where is he?” one of them demanded, or rather, panted. Green Lantern and Flash gaped at the intruders while Aquaman assumed a defensive position from his seat and Green Arrow instantly stood and drew. Wonder Woman and Superman had also stood immediately but their confusion seemed to be entirely surprise instead of concern.
“What are you doing here?” Superman asked. “That call was not meant for you to come here.”
“Like hell we’re gonna just sit and wait,” shot the one in the red mask. The other nodded. Superman sighed and softened slightly while Wonder Woman signaled the others members of the team to stand down.
“You shouldn’t be here.” Superman reiterated, a little softer this time.
“Yeah and he shouldn’t be in critical condition.” answered the shorter of the two.
“And yet here we are!” added the one who had spoken first, the one with a white streak in his hair. “Now tell us where he is.” His voice was lower now and it sounded very much like a threat. To the shock of everyone but apparently Superman, Wonder Woman nodded.
“He is through here, follow me.” She led the boys towards the medbay and the three disappeared inside.
“Okay, what just happened?” asked Flash.
“Yeah,” Green Arrow agreed, looking at Superman. “How did they even get in here?”
“And why did Wonder Woman actually take them back to see him?” added Green Lantern. Aquaman, who was a little bit faster on the uptake shook his head.
“Are we really supposed to believe Batsy ‘Security Freak Extraordinaire’ gave his emergency contacts access to a zeta tube?” Three sets of eyes threw themselves on him as they realized that that was exactly what had evidently happened.
“There’s no way,” gasped Green Lantern.
“I don’t believe it, not for a second.” Arrow shook his head.
Clark sighed. He knew Bruce wanted to keep as little information that could lead back to him or his family exposed as possible, but he was pretty confident that Dick and Jason throwing themselves into the Watchtower conference room had pretty much given away at least a few things. “Guys,” he started, “let’s not pry into it. If Batman trusts them we can too. I mean come on he barely trusts us, those two must have passed some serious vetting.” The others couldn’t argue with that. They settled down again into another uncomfortable and worried silence while Clark went to lay down on one of the couches.
In the medical bay Dick and Jason sat staring at Bruce’s bed. Diana had stayed with them for a moment, explaining what had happened and answering any questions that they had as well as offering her condolences.
“We are all very anxious,” she had said, “though I know none of us more so than you. I will handle the League and any of their questions about who you are, do not worry about them. If you need anything do not hesitate to ask, even if you for some reason cannot find me or Clark.” She put a comforting hand on both of their shoulders and smiled sadly.
“Thank you Diana,” Dick said and Jason echoed. They both patted her hands with their own, recognizing the difficulty in the situation for her as well. She had left them to be alone with Bruce and now the two were left with the silence.
“What are we gonna do, Jay?” Dick asked, voice barely above a whisper.
“I don’t know,” Jason answered honestly. There were a thousand things running through his mind and yet he couldn’t pin down any of them. It was as though his thoughts were just using his brain as a highway, a means of passage with no control or input from him.
“He can’t die.” Dick breathed.
Everything was mostly quiet for a while, just the two of them and Bruce, until suddenly they heard a commotion on the other side of the wall. They both tensed and drew themselves up as the clamor and the shouts got closer to the room, Jason reaching for the gun on his hip and Dick for the vase on the end table beside him, before the chaos came to a crescendo and Tim burst through the door.
“Tim!” Dick shouted in shock, too surprised and exhausted to remember to use code names. Jason just sighed in relief and slumped back down into his chair.
“I got your note,” Tim explained breathlessly. He was still in his school clothes but he was wearing a domino mask like they were. It seemed civies and masks were the Bat Bros dress code for the day.
“What note?” Dick asked as TIm shut the door.
‘My note.” Jason supplied, causing Dick to look down at him in confusion. Jason sighed. “I scribbled a note out while I was grabbing your mask,” he explained. “I grabbed a pen as soon as you looked at me so weird from the phone and unwrapped the paper football. I wrote ‘emergency contact WT -J’ and tossed it in the middle of the floor where I figured it would get seen.”
“Jason!” Dick reprimanded.
“What?” Jason shot back “Would you rather I didn’t tell them? They deserve to know same as us!” Dick sighed and hung his head. He knew Jason was right, but some part of him had hoped that if the others didn’t know then it wasn’t real.
“I know I know,” he said before turning to Tim. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“Yeah,” TIm breathed, staring past Dick at Bruce. He looked so pale, so helpless. He’d never seen him like this before. He looked up at his brothers. “I put the note on the fridge so that the others will see it as soon as they get home.”
“Smart thinking,” Jason said. The fridge was the universal Bat go to upon entry into the Manor.
“I should probably text Babs,” Dick said, “since she probably won’t be by the Manor today.”
“Already did,” Jason answered. Dick smiled; Jason might act tough and aloof, but he was still Dick’s little brother who cared about everyone even when the others forgot to. He always would be.
The rest of the family was in the med bay within the hour, much to the increasing confusion of the Justice League. Damian had been next to show up, heralded to his brothers by the enraged screams and threats he spat as he tore his way through League members. It was Clark who delivered him kicking and screaming to the door. Damian had no actual idea where he was going and thus just started swinging in the blind rage that only a child in search of his ailing father can have, coupled with the skills of an assassin. Clark had grabbed him and hauled him away from the bewildered teammates, essentially opening the door to med bay and tossing him inside like an angry cat.
Even more confusing and unsettling to the team than the tiny angry child in a school uniform and green domino mask crashing through the compound was the silent teenage girl dressed from head to mask in black who came through the door and walked right into the med bay without any hesitation or directions. She was followed minutes later by a panicked set of teenagers in civilian clothes rapidly begging anyone to show them to where “the others” were. At this point it was unclear who was more flustered: the young pair who had evidently been in such a rush they didn’t remember to put masks on like the others, or the Justice League members who could not for the life of them imagine who all of these people were and why Batman of all people had given them access to the Tower. When an old man in white gloves and a suit and a young woman with red hair, both wearing domino masks arrived and concerned but politely asked to be shown to the med bay, the League finally could not take it anymore.
“Okay that is it!” Flash said as soon as the door closed behind the latest arrivals. “Who are all of these people?!”
“This has to be an invasion,” Lantern said.
“An invasion?” asked Superman incredulously, lifting his head from where it had been resting not at all restfully in his hands on the table. “Through Batman’s bedside?”
“Hey man we’ve seen weirder things!” Lantern defended.
“No,” Flash cut in, “I think Batman having a whole bunch of masked friends who aren't us show up in our Watchtower qualifies as the weirdest thing we’ve ever come up against.”
“I agree with Flash,” said Aquaman, “this is super strange.”
“All of you need to be quiet.” Wonder Woman said, snapping everyone at the table to attention. “What Batman does and who he trusts is his own business, and if these people are who he wants with him in crisis then we need to respect that.” The others grumbled but nodded. They all settled down once again and waited for what felt like hours. Then, finally, one of the two young men who had come in first, the one with solid black hair, opened the door and stuck his head out.
“He’s awake!” he cried with a grin, and the entire League stood up at once. They shuffled into the very crowded room. Batman lay on the bed, on death’s door yet still wearing the cowl which seemed somehow both absurd and exactly what they had been expecting. They couldn’t help but wonder if he’d had it on the whole time or if he just put it on for their benefit. They all stood around the small room just happy to see their friend alive and conscious, even if he did look a little worse for wear, exchanging sentiments and asking about his condition, until finally after the chatter had calmed down a bit and Batman seemed fully responsive Green Lantern caved.
“Okay man, I’m just gonna say it; what the hell is going on here? Who are all these people? How did they get to the Watchtower? How did they even know about the Watchtower?”
“Lantern,” Wonder Woman warned, “we should let our friend rest.”
“No, no,” interjected Batman, struggling to sit up, “it’s okay.” Nearly everyone moved to help him before he held up his hand to stop them and simply laid back down. “I imagine it was a bit nerve wracking having unknown agents in the Tower.”
“That’s one word for it,” snorted Aquaman. Superman shot him a look but Batman surprisingly didn’t seem to mind. Maybe it was the result of a concussion or whatever pain medicine they had him on, but he seemed almost...happy.
“Everyone,” he said, addressing the Justice League, “this is my family.”
“Your what?” shouted the Flash. More than a few of Batman’s alleged family members laughed at the response. The shorter dark haired boy who had been among the first two to come in grinned.
“It doesn’t surprise me he hasn’t mentioned us, B isn’t exactly the show baby pictures around the office kind of guy.”
“Baby pictures?” the Flash sputtered, “You’re his KIDS?”
“Well,” smirked the girl with no mask and blonde hair, “not Agent A,” she said patting the older gentleman, who himself wore a thinly veiled smile, on the shoulder.
The League was in shock. This was too much to process. First Batman had been a brooding lone wolf, and then he’d been dying, and now he was a father of eight? Not even Flash could catch up with the whiplash this was giving them all.
“Did you know about this?” Green Arrow directed at Superman and Wonder Woman, part accusation part bewilderment. Diana smiled and Clark shifted his weight awkwardly.
“We may have, um, gotten wind that-“ started Clark only to be cut off by Bruce.
“Yes.” Batman said flatly. Oliver’s face of incredulity only intensified while Aquamam didn’t seem at all surprised and Flash and Lantern gasped in offense.
“How could you tell them and not us?” they both shouted more or less in sync.
“It was pertinent at the time for both of them. That time hadn’t come yet with any of you. Until now of course,” came Batman’s level and logical answer. The boy with the darkest skin and no mask laughed when the second offended gasp came.
“Don’t take it too personally, I didn’t know about our aunt for three months after I joined the family.”
“Aunt?!” Flash shouted in shock. The family of Bats all laughed again.
“Alright,” said Superman, “I think that’s enough excitement for right now. Batman, we’re glad you’re okay. Kids, Agent A, it’s lovely to see you, stay as long as you like.”
“Thanks Uncle Supes,” Jason called after them as they left, his grin wide and bright as it earned him a squawk from Green Lantern and an elbow to the ribs from Dick.