The silence in the Watchtower's main conference chamber was starting to feel oppressive, like the weight of the planet below was pressing up through the orbital station's hull. The heroes of the League were used to facing alien invaders and world-ending weapons, but this debate — about a single man — left them unsettled.
Captain Marvel shifted in his seat. The boy behind the adult body fidgeted for a moment, then sheepishly raised his hand like he was in a classroom. "Uh… can I say something?"
Hal Jordan slouched back in his chair, eyebrows raised. "Please tell me it's not another pep talk about believing in the good in people."
Cap shot him a dry look but didn't bite back. His voice was steady, thoughtful. "Look, I get why everyone's on edge. We all heard what Attano said. We all know what he's capable of. But the way we're talking about this… it's like we think there are only two doors. Either we let him keep doing what he's doing — sanctioned killing — or we boot him and wait for the blowback. I think there's a third door."
The room shifted slightly at that. Even Batman turned his head, the movement slight but noticeable — interest hidden under the usual mask of calculation.
"Go on," Diana said, her tone calm but edged with curiosity.
Cap continued, leaning forward, hands resting on the table. "Attano isn't a monster. He's not killing for kicks. It's his way of keeping the threat down before it grows. Twisted, sure. But it's still 'for the greater good' in his own logic. And…" He hesitated a moment, then glanced at Batman. "…We've seen he knows when to stop."
Batman's voice, low and clipped, cut in. "Explain."
Cap gestured." Sportsmaster. If Dante was just a cold-blooded killer, Sportsmaster would already be in a grave. But he didn't kill him. He crippled him. Took him out of the game — but left him alive."
Hal's brows furrowed. "You call leaving a guy legless and eaten by bugs 'mercy'?"
Cap didn't flinch. "It's not mercy. It's containment. Sportsmaster's still breathing. Still has a chance — if he wants it — to live as more than a weapon. That's a line Attano didn't cross. And maybe that's our third option."
All eyes turned toward Batman. He didn't shift, didn't blink. Finally, he spoke, voice as sharp as a blade. "Sportsmaster is in critical care. Both legs amputated due to blade damage. Body is covered in insect bite scars. Attano could have ended his life at any point. He chose not to."
Diana folded her hands, thoughtful. Dinah gave a small, wry shrug. "That tells me he's not just a blunt instrument. He knows how to draw the line when it suits the mission."
Hal raised a hand. "Yeah, that's great. So we let him run around mutilating people instead of killing them? What's the moral win here?"
Diana shot him a look that could have dented steel. "The win is that there's a way to neutralize certain threats without adding more bodies to the ground. And maybe that's what we need to focus on."
Before Hal could reply, Dinah took out her communicator. The move caught the room by surprise.
"You're calling him now?" Hal blurted. "In the middle of the meeting?"
Dinah shot him a look sharp enough to cut steel. "Yes. Before we waste more time."
Without further debate, she took out her communicator and dialed. The other members exchanged glances. J'onn inclined his head, intrigued. Even Batman tilted his head slightly in silent curiosity.
Diana leaned in as Dinah waited for the line to connect.
A few seconds later, a burst of sound came through the comm — not static, but a soft, breathy chorus of voices followed by unmistakably lewd moans and tinny synth music.
"YAMETE!!"
Every head in the chamber turned.
Hal's eyes widened. Barry's jaw literally dropped. Superman blinked slowly in disbelief. Diana's brow climbed so high it nearly touched her tiara. Captain Marvel blush red face.
Dinah's expression went flat as stone."…Seriously?"
Dante's voice came through, relaxed and almost amused. "Oh. Hey, D. Don't mind the background noise. I'm, uh… watching hentai on the Cave's computer. Helps pass the time while I wait for your verdict. So — what's up?"
The collective expression from the League was priceless — a perfect blend of disbelief, awkward horror, and mild secondhand embarrassment. Even J'onn tilted his head in faint, telepathic confusion.
Diana sighed through her nose. "Dante. This is a formal session. We're discussing you. Kindly pause your… entertainment."
There was a pause on the line, followed by a sheepish chuckle. "Fine, fine. Paused. What's the pitch?"
Dinah pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed." Dante, focus. We're in the middle of a meeting about you. Captain Marvel proposed a third option. The League wants to know what you think."
"Third option?" Dante sounded genuinely curious, and entirely unembarrassed. "Lay it on me. But make it quick — this episode has a plot twist coming up."
Dinah pressed on. "Captain Marvel proposed a third option. Instead of full sanction for lethal force or expelling you outright, we consider a restricted engagement. You're only authorized to neutralize threats — permanently disable them, not necessarily kill. That means situations like Sportsmaster: crippled, no longer a threat."
A low whistle came from the line. "Huh. So you're suggesting I just break the bad guys instead of bury them."
"That's one way to phrase it," Cap said dryly.
Dante hummed, as if genuinely considering it. "Interesting. I could live with that. But—" His tone shifted, losing the teasing edge, turning firm. "I have a condition."
The room stilled. Batman's eyes narrowed a fraction.
Dante continued. "I'm not changing my stance on certain categories. Anyone with high-level telepathy or mimicry-based abilities — the kind that can duplicate powers or hijack minds — they don't get to walk away. Those guys are too dangerous to leave alive. I won't hesitate with them. Everyone else, fine. I can aim for permanent crippling."
Dinah nodded slightly, as if expecting that caveat. Diana's gaze softened just enough to suggest understanding.
Hal muttered, "So his moral compass is basically 'if you can copy or brain-hack me, you die.' Great."
Diana cut him a look that shut him up. Then she leaned slightly toward the comm, her voice steady but carrying the steel of a warrior. "Dante. We will hold you to that condition. Telepaths and mimics aside, you will not take a life without necessity. And you will answer to me and Dinah directly."
Dante chuckled softly. "You're the only ones I'd listen to anyway. No offense to the Boy Scout and the Bat."
Clark's mouth twitched, but he said nothing. Batman's expression didn't change — though the angle of his head suggested calculation.
Dinah allowed herself a small, dry smile. "Good to know. We'll hold you to your word."
On the comm, Dante's voice chimed in with a trace of humor. "Glad we could reach an understanding. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to find out how this anime subplot ends. You'd be surprised how dramatic it gets."
Dinah closed the line before anyone could respond.
The comm clicked off, leaving only the faint hum of the Watchtower's engines. The room felt oddly lighter without Dante's voice, yet heavier with the weight of the choice in front of them.
For a long moment no one spoke. Then Batman shifted slightly in his chair, the cape brushing the armrest with a whisper. His voice cut through the quiet like a scalpel.
"Let's review."
All eyes turned to him.
"Attano has offered to work under restricted parameters. He will neutralize — not kill — hostile targets, unless they fall under two specific categories: high-level telepaths or mimic-class threats. In those cases, he retains full lethal discretion."
His eyes swept the table, stopping briefly on Diana and then Dinah.
"He has also agreed to answer directly to Black Canary and Wonder Woman. No one else."
Hal frowned. "You say that like it's a good thing."
Batman didn't look at him. "It's the only thing. We have proof he'll respect certain boundaries — Sportsmaster is living evidence. But we also know his limits. This arrangement keeps him on a leash without trying to chain him completely. If we push too far, he walks, and we'll have a rogue factor with global reach and no oversight."
Diana folded her hands together on the table, her face a mix of thought and quiet disapproval. "I still oppose endorsing a killer, even under these conditions. But I recognize the value of preventing unnecessary deaths. That is the line I will enforce."
Dinah gave a slight nod, her voice even. "Same here. I'm not thrilled about this, but better to have a seat at his table than be shut out entirely."
Hal leaned back in his chair with a sigh. "So the choice is basically: keep the assassin but on a leash, or let him run free and hope for the best."
"Not hope," Batman corrected, the single word carrying steel. "Preparation. If we keep him close, we can monitor and intervene if he crosses the line. If we let him go, we lose that advantage."
J'onn inclined his head, voice calm and measured. "His insistence on eliminating certain psychic and adaptive threats is… not without merit. Such individuals are uniquely dangerous and difficult to contain."
Clark's jaw tightened, his voice low but steady. "I don't like it. But I can't argue the logic. We've seen what happens when telepaths or mimics go unchecked."
For a few seconds, the chamber was filled only by the quiet shuffle of chairs as the League members shifted in thought.
Batman finally spoke again, his tone shifting from analysis to command. "We have the facts. Tomorrow at 0900, we convene again and cast our decision. That gives everyone time to think it through, weigh the risks against the benefits."
His eyes swept the room again, sharp and cold. "We can't afford to let sentiment cloud this. Not for or against him. We decide on what serves the League's mission best."
Diana's lips pressed into a thin line but she nodded. Dinah crossed her arms and leaned back slightly, her expression grim but resolved. Hal looked like he wanted to argue but thought better of it.
Captain Marvel, sitting a little straighter now, let out a quiet breath. "Guess that's fair. One night to figure out which door we're opening."
Batman stood, the chair's legs scraping lightly against the polished floor. "Meeting adjourned."
As the heroes began to file out of the chamber, the tension didn't ease. It lingered like a storm cloud — heavy, silent, waiting for tomorrow's lightning strike.
In the end, it wasn't a fight they were bracing for.
It was a choice.
And for the Justice League, that was somehow harder.