Chapter Text
While some people would probably look at him strangely for saying it, Hal Jordan was actually a man who understood hierarchies. Sure, he was a hotshot, sure, he could argue with anyone, but he got hierarchies, as long as he respected the people above him, they could all be copacetic.
The problem with the Justice League, for him, was Batman. He didn’t like the man. He knew he was a hero. He knew that Batman used fear as a tool to control the worst city in the United States. That sent his Lantern senses on high alert.
Since he had gotten to know Jay, though, since he had sat out talking to the Star Sapphire kid, even through his anger and his ‘you’re not my dad’s,’ it was a lot harder for him to like Spooky, and the respect had been somewhat worn away. He had still worked with him as well as he could for the last few years, usually with Barry as a buffer or a sounding board, and keeping in mind that Wally was in love with the Bat’s first kid, but it wasn’t easy.
Especially when Batman started talking as if he was an authority on alien invasions. He took a breath, interrupting him. “Your plan’s not bad, Batman, but you’re missing a large part of this problem. The planned invasion violates the sector. This is a Lantern issue. I guarantee you that Guy and his Reds are already aware and planning on how best to approach this.”
The look that Batman gave him was one so full of contempt that the white lenses in the cowl couldn’t hide it. “No offense to the Lantern Corps,” Batman said, in a tone that belied his words. “But I don’t want to trust the safety of this planet to Guy Gardner and his gang of anger-driven malcontents.”
Hal took a breath, trying to be calm and fair. “I can understand that, Bats, but it will hurt us in the long run if the Lanterns are running one plan and we, as the Justice League, run another. We need to be aware of what our allies are going to do so we don’t compromise ourselves or anyone else in the field.”
“Hal has a point, Batman.” Superman said, calmly. “We will need to work together to defeat this threat with as few casualties and as little damage as possible.”
Batman frowned. “Can’t you run point with Gardner, tell him this is our operation?”
“I’m not a Red.” Hal said with a shake of his head. “I can contact one, loop them into our planning, if you like.”
“That seems wise.” Diana said, calmly. “It would behoove us to have such a conversation. Can you contact them from here?”
“Sure.” Hal said, considering his best route. He fished out his phone, and went through the contacts, hitting a button. Batman pressed buttons on his chair and suddenly his phone connected to the viewscreen, which made Hal glad he hadn’t gone for FaceTime.
“I promise we’ll refill the Speedster ice cream freezer!” The female voice said, immediately, as soon as it connected.
Barry laughed. “Don’t forget the Chunky Monkey or Dick’s weird plum ice cream!”
Hal covered his face with his free hand. “Ice cream aside, I’m actually calling you about something important.”
“More important than Jay and I emptying the ice cream freezer?” Kara’s voice went up in question.
“Yes.” Hal said, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. “There’s an incoming invasion. The Justice League needs a liaison between us and the Reds. Guess who drew the short straw, short stack?”
Kara groaned. “I’ll call Guy, and then head to the Watchtower. You’re just lucky I have his emergency comm.”
“Hey, say what you want about me, but I know how to skip a few links in the chain of command while necessary.”