Superman deposited the chopper up on the lakeside, well away from the dam, staying only long enough to check that the occupants were safe before flying back to join his companions. Wonder Woman and I will go in behind the energy wall. His thoughts came through loud and clear to all of them. We'll use high-speed friction and my heat vision to fuse the dam face.
No! Batman's thought stabbed almost painfully into their minds. We can't save the dam. Use your speed and strength to gouge out a channel deep enough to take the water all the way to Gotham harbor.
Are you sure that's best? Superman queried.
Positive, Batman thought curtly. Whatever we do, that dam is coming down–and time is running out.
Batman blanked off his mind, shutting out any further protest Superman might make.
Of all the dozens of members of the Justice League, from the underwater monarch Aquaman to the mighty Steel, Batman was the least natural team player. His years of service as Gotham City's Dark Knight had turned him into the perfect lone hero. But often, in a team situation, he came across as arrogant and high-handed–especially when he insisted things be done exactly as he wanted, not caring if it rubbed his teammates the wrong way.
J'onn J'onzz glided down to join Batman on his crag, the red and green of the Martian's costume glinting in the fading sunlight. The whole dam had been cleared; Jim Gordon and the others now stood a good hundred yards back from any danger.
The two heroes watched in silence as Wonder Woman and Superman began their colossal task. Operating at superspeed, their movement so fast it was only a blur, they ripped into the valley bottom below the dam with their bare hands. Both possessed super-strength and invulnerability; their hands were superior to any tool.
Within seconds, the first fifty yards of a wide channel, thirty feet deep, had been scoured out, leaving massive piles of infill on the channel sides. It was like watching a videotape in fast-forward, the duo working at such a rate that only the constantly growing levees were evidence of their presence.
And all the while, Green Lantern fixed his willpower on the dam, vibrant green energy pouring from his ring to hold back the waters of the man-made lake.
At last, Manhunter spoke. "How do you know we cannot save the dam?"
"Trust me," Batman replied, glad that his colleague was using speech instead of telepathy. Though he would never admit it to the others, hearing their voices inside his head always unsettled him, made him feel as if his mind was being probed–despite knowing that Manhunter would never do such a thing. "I've done the research."
They had a lot in common, these two, not least the fact that both their backgrounds were shrouded in grief and pain. As an eight-year-old child, Bruce Wayne had watched his parents mercilessly gunned down before his horrified eyes. That traumatic event had changed his life forever, eventually leading him to don the costume and mask of Gotham's most feared crime fighter.
Similarly, J'onn J'onzz had watched helplessly as his entire society died. An ancient way of life that had lasted for millennia on the Red Planet had sunk into terminal decay and decline. Nothing–and no one– had survived except him. Like Batman, the pain of what he had lost would be locked in his heart forever.
Manhunter threw his companion a sidelong glance.
"We all know you are not in the habit of making mistakes," he acknowledged. "But sometimes, we would appreciate being taken more fully into your confidence. After all, the Justice League is a team."
Batman nodded slightly to signify he understood. Having worked alone for so long, it was easy to forget how sensitive teamwork could be.
Evacuation complete! They heard the thought an instant before they saw the red streak that told them the Flash was returning from his duties.
Wally West had been doused in a mysterious chemical formula that changed the entire molecular structure of his body, giving him the ability to move thousands of times faster than normal. Only he could have covered the dozens of square miles in the valley in little more than minutes.
I even had time to move all the livestock! The very air seemed to ripple as Flash slowed from superspeed to zero, drawing to a halt alongside the duo on the crag.
"Don't stop now," Batman told him, though his eyes never lifted from Green Lantern. "Check that the hydroelectric plant employees are all clear. There's a complex of tunnels and offices under the turbine rooms–might still be people in there."
Flash was gone as silently as he'd arrived.
Manhunter threw Batman a quizzical glance. "How do you know–"
"I memorized the plans when the dam was built. You never know when information will be useful."
The Martian nodded to himself. He should have known, really. Batman was a perfectionist. He never left anything to chance. In his business, with no superpowers to protect him, Batman was in constant danger in a way few of the other Leaguers ever were. Superman might have been vulnerable to the cosmic mineral kryptonite, and Manhunter was weakened by fire, but they didn't encounter those dangers very often. Batman walked with death at his shoulder every night of his life. For this reason alone, J'onn wouldn't have been surprised if Batman had committed to memory the ground plans for every building in Gotham.
"I will assist Flash," J'onn stated, and soared away from the crag.
Even across
