3979/Not All Lanterns Are Evil

Not All Lanterns Are Evil
Date of Scene:	27 February 2018
Location:	Watchtower
Synopsis:	A consultation with Hal Jordan proves that Diana is right. Again. So there, Batman!
Cast of Characters:	Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern (Jordan)

---

Batman has posed:
    Usually the Watchtower's monitor room is sterile in all things. It is shiny and maintained, with carefully scrubbed oxygen mix and only the faint hint of ozone in the air from all the myriad of electronics and advanced computer equipment. The monitors and windows are crystal clear, and the data displays all seem to be gleaming icons of flickering lights unmarred by obscuring aspects.
    But tonight, at the far console of the monitoring room, away from the main console... there is a distinct scent of a robust Colombian blend, a fresh mug of coffee that is held very precisely and carefully in the hands of the man who is watching the world.
    The Dark Knight sips from the mug carefully, frowning to himself behind that cowl as he looks at several of the highlighted images on the map. Four distinct ares of activity that need watching. It is his time to do so, and he is not one to shirk his duty.
    And yet... his eyes do stray now and again to the clock in the corner of the monitoring system.

Wonder Woman has posed:
    Tonight, Diana will be his relief. She tends to arrive right on time or five minutes early. She is never late unless there is a major crisis happening, like an invasion of the planet. When that happens, they are generally all planet-side anyway so no one cares.
    Tonight, she arrives about twenty minutes early. She is dressed in her traditional costume as opposed to her armored version, the more 'casual' look for when she is in a private setting such as the Watchtower. In truth, she tends to go back and forth on her costume though they are both considered iconic for her at this point in time. As she enters, the smell of coffee makes her smile a bit. The door closes behind her.
    There is the soft click of her boots on the hard floor of the room as she approaches. She is walking normally but she has the feeling that the man in the cowl might be hearing it more loudly than normal. That amuses her even more. Reaching his side, she puts an old fashioned metal thermos on the counter in front of him. Then she sets down a bottle of aspirin right next to it.
    Without a word, she moves to sit in a chair a few feet to his left, that smile never fading from her lips.

Batman has posed:
    And even though the man is seated at one of the smaller side consoles, the amount of information before him is staggering. No less than fourteen monitors are lifted on various hydraulic arms to different points in his field of view as well as a holographic display that is used to adjust some of the infomation given. There are individual monitors set for each hot spot being observed, as well as a steady audio to text translation of six different police frequencies all within a bus ride of Gotham City. There's also a display of several surveillance cameras... or cameras in the cowls of some of the Batfamily.
    If the man wasn't feeling the effects from Vegas, it's likely he would still have a touch of information hangover. But as she strolls in he doesn't turn, doesn't acknowledge her at first. She sets the thermos and the bottle of aspirin, its jangling shake of pills causing him to look over towards her. In response he lifts another small unmarked orangish bottle of pills in his hand. He's apparently got the pharmaceuticals covered.
    "Counteracts the effects of alcohol. Does nothing against the hangover." He grimaces, then finally greets her with a single nod. "Diana."

Wonder Woman has posed:
    "Bruce," she responds in the same tone as she nods toward the Thermos. "Ancient Greek hangover remedy. I understand that it tastes like tar so it won't be pleasant but the effects will be gone in about 15 minutes after. Come to think of it, I believe tar is one of the ingredients." Since alcohol doesn't affect her, she has no idea what he is feeling. She's seen it quite often in others, particulary during the various wars when the soldiers would get some down time. She has heard the laments and whining from grown men who were positive they were going to die from their hangovers. Yet, she had no idea what it actually felt like. It was a mystery.
    She couldn't recall having seen Bruce in this state though. There had been pictures. Lots of pictures. The paparazzi had been all over Bruce Wayne and Tony Stark in particular during their time in Las Vegas. Just a few of those let her know he might be feeling under the weather tonight.
    "Did you have a good time despite the price you are paying now?"

Batman has posed:
    It's a simple question she asks of him. Did he have a good time? She can see his eyes distance as he looks at one of the monitors and for a moment she might actually see puzzlement there. It's a strange thing to see the Dark Knight befuddled albeit briefly. He shakes his head slightly, then turns his head to the side and tells her. "I don't know."
    Silence then follows, but only for a handful of moments before he elaborates. "Stark seems to be a good man when you get past... everything. In Gotham Bruce Wayne is considered a bit much. But Stark in Vegas is another animal entire." His eyes drift back to her and he gives a slight smirk.
    "Next time you can come along. At least then everyone's eyes will be off of me." He leans forwards then and takes up the thermos she proffered only moments ago. A twist takes the top off and he sniffs at it, reels very slightly, then eyes her again sidelong as if she were perhaps Joker in disguise and plotting to poison him.

Wonder Woman has posed:
    The amused smile remains, broadening when that suspicious look is thrown her way. "I think my presence would have been a cramp in your festivities. I might have scared away some of your admirers," she muses as she thinks of the pictures of all the women surrounding the two men in quite a few of the shots. "I mean, what would you have both done if you had only thirty or forty instead of fifty of them?"
    There is no doubting that she is teasing, enjoying the fact that Bruce for once is out of sorts. It makes him more human. Which is nice.
    She nods to the thermos. "I assure you my mother says it works perfectly." Considering Hippolyta still isn't a huge fan of 'man'kind, he might want to think long and hard before drinking it.

Green Lantern (Jordan) has posed:
    Wandering around the Satellite, Hal Jordan can hear voices coming from the Monitor Room. With a smile, a nod, and a glance, Hal turns the corner and spots Diana and Bruce having a conversation. Moving into the room, Hal spies them both, and announces himself with a wave and a simple, "Hey guys! Busy night up here. Usually pretty lonely, but I see you guys are already here. What's the chat all about?"

    Hal hadn't overheard anything the others had said up to this point, but finds himself grabbing a cup of coffee...and with a quick glance, Hal smiles, and notes it was probably one of Bruce's blends. Bruce always had the best coffee. Grabbing a cup, and turning around, Hal says, "So...what's new?"

Batman has posed:
    A small snort comes from him as he puts the top back onto that thermos, then sets it back down upon the console. He smirks and reaches forwards, triggering a flow of data from the monitor. "I'll take it back to the batcave and have it examined. I wouldn't put it past Themyscira to begin hostilities with chemical warfare." The smirk is still there, amused. But then his brow furrows at a flashing red light upon one of the troublespots.
    Of course, that's the time Hal chooses to enter and Bruce spins around in the chair to face the Green Lantern. He gestures to the side, "Do you have any read on the remnants of that weapon ring in the Congo? They'd gone underground I thought but I'm getting more hits on it than I expected."
    Of course business is the first in his thoughts, and of course his first conversational gambit is almost an accusatory inquiry since they all had been together during that battle against these particular gun runners.

Wonder Woman has posed:
    "If we wanted to start a war, we would be more straight forward about it," Diana says with a soft laugh. "You know we have a love for battle. Subtle would be our last choice." Not that it wouldn't be possible, if it was the best course. It just wasn't really in the Amazon play book. Or perhaps that was Diana's playbook. Either way.
    As Hal enters, she gives him a bright smile in greeting. "It is good to see you. I'm on monitor duty tonight so thought I would arrive early with gifts for the one who is...under the weather."
    As Batman becomes all business and that tone comes out, her smile fades slightly and she watches the cowled figure closely.

Green Lantern (Jordan) has posed:
    Hal Jordan blinks as Batman interrogates him as soon as he arrives. Shaking his head with a smile, Hal says, "No, not really. I haven't got caught up with that situation yet. Have you sent me all of that intel? I can take a look, see what I can come up with. I heard about it, but that was about it." Hal takes a sip of his coffee and regards the man with an interested expression. Anything to do with remnants of a ring would be important to Hal and the GLC.

    Looking over at Diana, Hal nods his head, and stands a bit straighter. "AH right! Forgot it was your turn." Hal smiles. "Under the weather..." Hal looks at Bruce, then at Diana, and nods. "Ah. Very thoughtful! That must be why he is grumpier than normal." Hal chuckles and leans against the nearest table.

Batman has posed:
    At Hal's answer, Batman's brow beetles for a moment. He gives a small nod, "Was hoping it might be as a result of something one of us might be working." At a glance, one can almost imagine the wheels turning behind the man's dark gaze, but then he dismisses it with a small wave of one gauntleted hand to the side. "I'll dig into it and send you what I have."
    As quick as that, the matter is settled for now. He is brought back from the brief reflection on matters far below. At Hal and Diana's mild ribbing the smirk returns slightly. "I'm fine." He offers in answer, some measure of challenge to his words as he looks between the two of them as if to see if they'd disagree.
    Then he adds after a glance at the thermos, as if trying to figure out exactly what is required here, "But thanks."

Wonder Woman has posed:
    She's pretty sure that had to hurt but Diana doesn't press things. In fact, her smile returns as she lets the ribbing die away. She won't pick on him when he's being more open like that. It is something that has taken a long time for him to feel at ease doing. She won't tease and make it uncomfortable. "I hadn't seen or heard anything either," she adds, knowing that Batman will give them anything he can find for them to follow up.
    Although, now that they are all in a room together, this might be a good time to bring something up. She glances over at Hal. "I've been doing some research on the various other Lanterns out there in the universe. I don't think any of us realized how many varieties there are, and all with rings that give abilities like the Green. We know that the Yellow Corps are your enemies but what about some of the others? Should we be concerned about them and a possible agenda?"

Green Lantern (Jordan) has posed:
    "Thanks. I am sure you will have a lot more intel than what I can come up with. But I'll check into it as well, just in case." Nodding to Batman, Hal Jordan adds, "I am sure it will be solved pretty quick with the both of us on it." Hal takes another sip of his coffee, and then looks over at Diana.

    "I am sure he's fine." Hal thumbs towards Bruce. "He's in better shape than all of us. Well, all of us mortals." Hal grins and chuckles lightly. "He's fine." Hal stops chuckling, and his smile disappears, when DIana brings up the other Lanterns.

    "Yeah. There are seven unique forms of energy, which all translates in a part of the emotional spectrum." Hal points his ring at the Justice League database, and says, "Ring, download all the intelligence we have on the Lantern Corps, including their strengths and weaknesses."

    Hal waits for the ring to finish, and turns back to Diana. "There. That should help. And we should be concerned about all of them. They all have their own agendas."
]

Batman has posed:
    No hint of surprise is shown in the Batman's manner as he nods first at Diana's inquiry, and then at Hal's response. Still seated in the chair at that console, he's still facing the two of them now, his cloak thrown over the back of the chair. "I'll compare the data to what we've been able to gather. Will be good to see where there are discrepancies, if any." That said he turns slightly and types in a small string of a command to the system, then rounds back to them.
    "I don't see a threat from them in the immediate future, but it's possible down the line." He looks towards Diana and then says, "Satisfied, Diana?" Since this has perhaps been a point of contention between them for a small bit of time.

Wonder Woman has posed:
    That earns an arched brow from Diana since really, Batman started all this mess. She wouldn't have even gotten into it. On one hand, he was apparently right. They do have agendas. Ones that may not agree with the desires of a free planet like Earth. She will be reading through the information as well to see how real the threat might be.
    On the other hand, he was wrong because obviously not all Lanterns have agendas. Since Hal just shared everything with them. Hopefully that will get the Green Lanterns off Batman's naughty list.
    "Thank you, Hal. We appreciate the information."

Green Lantern (Jordan) has posed:
    "No problem Diana. I'm here to answer any questions, and feel free to drop me a message if you need my help dealing with any other Lanterns. I'll be there as fast as I can." Hal finishes off his coffee, and places the mug on the table. "As it is, there is a lot of chatter happening Galactically. We have the Guardians of the Galaxy, the return of Adam Warlock, the Kree casusing issues, the other Lantern Corps, which, strangely enough, have been quiet...which scares me." Hal inhales, taking a big breath, and letting it out.

    "Plus all the stuff happening here on Earth. It's enough to drive a man to drink." Hal chuckles once more and shakes his head. "Anyway. You are right to be paranoid about them Diana. Bruce. It's a crap shoot as to what is going to happen. With Sinestro in charge of the Yellows, and the Reds causing major issues, who knows whats going to happen next?"

Batman has posed:
    At least Batman has the presence of mind not to look smug in front of Diana, though on some level she might be looking for it. Instead he just gives a short nod as if the results matter more than who was right or wrong. Since for him... s'truth. He gives a nod to them as he brings a monitor around and is already running a stream of the downloaded data, considering it at a glance with his eyes skimming over it. Just a handful of seconds, then he pushes the display to the side and turns back to them. "I'll get back to you with my conclusions once I've had time to go over it."
    Gaining his feet he looks between the two of them. "You're up, Wonder Woman." He says with some formality as he adjusts the hang of his cape with the sweep of one hand. "I'll be in Gotham." He starts to move away, footsteps clicking upon that metal floor.
    Then he pauses and looks over his shoulder. He turns around and walks back, then leans past them to take up the thermos that had been given. Holding it like some small trophy gained he lifts it slightly in Diana's direction, a nod of thanks given. Perhaps something that even comes close to a smile. Then he turns back.

Wonder Woman has posed:
    At the rundown of problems in the universe, Diana tilts her head ever so slightly in question. Some of that made sense. Some of it did not. She's at a loss on what the Guardians are although shes heard of the Kree before. Adam Warlock is another one she doesn't know personally. She's going to have some reading to do tonight while she's on watch duty.
    Speaking of, it's her time. She laughs softly as Batman returns for the thermos and offers the words in response to his not-quite-but-almost thank you. "You're welcome. It will help when you are traversing the rooftops to not have a throbbing headache." She glances at Hal and pushes a few buttons on the console in front of her, pulling up a picture of a seeimgly plastered Bruce Wayne surrounded by what could be swimsuit models. The headline reads 'Billionaire Playboys Loose on Vegas'. Tony Stark is in the picture with him. She keeps the picture small and down in a corner so hopefully Batman won't see it as he's leaving.

Green Lantern (Jordan) has posed:
    Following in Bruce's footsteps, Hal moves towards the exit. As Hal turns to leave, he looks back and says, "Anyway, I'll leave the two of you to it. Remember, if you need me, I can be here asap." Hal pauses, and nods, "Sounds good Bruce. I am sure you have a few suggestions as to how to deal with the issues. You were always good at that strategy and tactics play."

    Nodding respectfully to Diana, Hal looks over, laughs at the display, winks at her in slight surprise, and nods vigorously. "Classic! Ha! Have a great Monitor Duty! Here's hoping nothing happens!" Hal uses his willpower, which elicits a response from the ring. A green nimbus of energy surrounds him, and causes him to float above the ground. WIth a nod, a wave, and a flash of willpower, Hal streaks down the Hall to the exit, and away from the Watchtower.