Martian Manhunter nodded at Batman's words, and with a subtle glow of his eyes, he proceeded to set up a telepathic connection with all the members present.
John Stewart, in particular, shifted uncomfortably in his seat as he heard J'onn's voice resonating in his mind, communicating to everyone, *"Connection established."*
Sensing his discomfort, Black Canary looked his way and said, *"You get used to it."* John Stewart just frowned and crossed his arms, replying, *"I'd rather not."*
Batman didn't comment on this and simply pressed a button on the virtual keyboard hovering in front of him, which caused the projector embedded into the table to flash to life.
At first, it appeared as a circular white orb before expanding into several screens, each hovering in front of a League member. The screens displayed what one would normally see during a conference call with multiple participants.
Several tabs were present, each with a flag representing a major world power: the United States, China, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Saudi Arabia, India, and so on.
Each of these tabs flickered with a green outline as the representatives of each country spoke out.
"United States delegation present. Connected and secure."
"Russian delegation. We can hear you and are secure."
"Chinese delegation…."
One by one, each representative confirmed that the connection was secure and that they were ready to begin.
After each of them gave confirmation, Batman gave a nod. "Alright, then. This marks the beginning of this emergency gathering. First on the agenda is the supposed weaponry Markovia used to attack the United States—"
Before Batman could continue, the consequences of having so many political powers in one room already began to show. The interruption came from none other than the U.S. delegation.
"Supposed?" a stern male voice asked. Judging from the ruggedness of the tone and the lack of formality, Batman could already tell this was someone from the Department of Defense.
The man continued, "Markovia already admitted to being the ones behind the attacks. There's no 'supposed' about it—that's a fact. I thought we were here to discuss a way to deal with it, not to confirm whether it's true or not."
Some of the other League members, like Hawkgirl, Black Canary, Flash, and Green Lantern, showed subtle changes in expression in reaction to this, as if saying, *"Oh, here we go."*
Batman, however, remained composed and answered quickly.
"I say 'supposedly' because the same type of explosion is what took out the island where the kidnapped children were held. During our brief time there, we confirmed signs of Apokoliptian technology."
Batman's logical point seemed to go over the man's head as he only became angrier.
"And what does that change? All it does is confirm that Markovia and Arias Markovich are threats to global peace. I wouldn't be surprised if he's working with those Apokoliptians or whatever it is you call them."
If the man truly was from the Department of Defense, his anger was understandable, considering that Arias had specifically attacked major military infrastructure and taken the lives of countless soldiers.
But now wasn't the time for sympathy; if Batman's words were true, the threat was much bigger than anticipated.
China, now considered the biggest economic power following the attacks on the United States, wanted to know more. Their delegation spoke up next, in the formal voice of a woman.
"So, what is it you're trying to say, Batman? Is Arias Markovich and Markovia working with Apokoliptians or just using their technology?"
This time Superman answered, "We don't have enough information to confirm either, so for now, it's safe to assume that either is possible. At the same time, it's also very possible that Markovia is lying about being behind the attack."
Batman joined in to support Superman's words by adding, "Given the position they're in, with enemies on all fronts, it's a possibility we're strongly considering."
Now, the delegation from the United Kingdom, represented by a man, spoke up.
"Well, that doesn't make much sense, does it? Markovia clearly threatened that they would launch attacks, and then those attacks happened. Surely that wasn't just a coincidence. We can't just blame these… Apokoliptians, as you say."
"I understand your line of thinking," Batman agreed. He paused briefly before continuing, "However, you're overlooking the fact that Arias Markovich knows far more about the threats to the world than anyone in this meeting. If Markovia truly possessed such a weapon and could use it at will, why not target all the nations waging war on them, systematically taking each one out? As it stands, the League has yet to decipher how these attacks even work, let alone how to stop them."
"So, the reason this is the first agenda is that regardless of whether the weapon is held by Markovia or the Apokoliptians, it is imperative we work together to find a countermeasure."
The Chinese delegation conceded with a comment.
"The People's Republic of China has no problem with this suggestion. However, what guarantee can you give us that each nation will be fully transparent with any information they have on this matter?"
Batman responded quickly, "I have outlined a fair process by which this can be carried out, and I'll forward it to each of your heads of state for review. Now, if we're done with that, let's move on to the second agenda: the hosting of a peace summit and Arias Markovich's presence in the United States."