"Security reasons such as?"

"Ms. Nelson, one of the first things any villain does when a new hero comes on the scene is try to figure out their civilian identity. If they succeed, that villain now has leverage over the hero, in the form of friends and family they can target as hostages." His tone has a slight lecturing air. 

"As chairman of the Justice League, it is my responsibility to protect Leaguers and their associates against such attempts. The most efficient way to do so is by attempting to track down civilian identities myself, and ensuring that no-one else can succeed in the same manner." 

She raises her eyebrows slightly. "And is there a reason why this isn't officially acknowledged League policy?"

"The previous holders of my position disagreed with me about the necessity of such measures."

"See," she says, meeting his eyes, "my complaint here isn't necessarily that you do this at all. It's that you do it unacknowledged, unadvertised, under the table, in a way that presents it to your teammates not as a security measure but as a personal quirk, so that instead of being given official notice before associating themselves with the League, my sons get to hear 'oh, it's Batman, he just does that' when it's already well past the time when they might have factored that information into their decision to become the Flash's sidekicks. I don't think you gain any worthwhile security benefits from doing it this way. It's unethical, unprofessional, and borderline threatening, and I expect better from someone who's supposed to be in the business of making the world a safer place."

"While there may be ethical concerns with my methods," Batman grits out, "I differ from many of my associates by prioritizing security over all else.

"If it were official League policy to keep records of every member's civilian identity, the many enemies of the League might eventually learn of it. The more people that know, the higher the chance that it could get out," he explains. 

"From there, it would only be a few steps to them attempting to hack into the League's computer system and gaining the information themselves. All databases can be cracked if someone knows they're there. It's better if they don't know to look."

Carita listens thoughtfully to all of this.

When he finishes speaking, she waits a moment to be sure he's done, then responds:

"As I said, I don't think you gain any worthwhile security benefits from doing it this way. Regardless of your feelings on the matter, it is an open secret among League members that you do this; and, frankly, I don't have much faith in any plan that relies on no one guessing that a man whose tagline is 'world's greatest detective' might list invasion of privacy among his hobbies."

She pauses again, making sure she has his full attention before she continues.

"When the coin you're paying in is the trust of your allies, you had better make damn sure you're getting your money's worth. And you manifestly are not."

"..."

Flash is very quietly vibrating in place. There may or may not be a hole forming underneath him.

She waits.

"You...have a point," Batman concedes eventually, forcing the sentence out through gritted teeth. 

"I take it you have an alternative to propose, since my methods have so obviously failed."

Is he glaring at Flash again? It's hard to tell under the cowl, every emotion looks like a glare. 

"The way I see it, you have several options that improve on what you're currently doing," she says. "You could stop doing it entirely, but I suspect you won't, and the practice does have some value. You could make it official League policy and have new League associates informed of that policy before they join. You could make it official League policy and also make it official League policy not to tell anyone about it - if you think you can convince your colleagues to abide by that, and if you think that the extent to which it's already somewhat common knowledge doesn't make future secrecy into a case of locking the barn door after the horses have gone. Or you could continue doing it unofficially, but tell people about it before you spy on them. I can't comment on the relative viability of these options, because I don't know the first thing about internal League politics."

"I think you overestimate the extent to which this is 'common knowledge' among the League," is Batman's first response. "A few individual League members have guessed that I investigated them in particular. The Flash is the only one who knows for certain that I make it a habit, because I told him.

"Regardless, I think the best course at this stage is to make it official League policy - and hope that my fellow members can be trusted to keep it from their...junior associates."

He doesn't sound wildly optimistic. 

"Good luck."

"Thank you."

He waits a moment. "Was that all?"

"Seems so."

"Then I look forward to seeing you again, Ms. Nelson," he says in a tone that somehow manages to convey the exact opposite.

"Flash," he adds, nodding at the other hero. 

Flash returns the nod, a little jerkily, and zips over to open the door for Carita. 

He looks like he can't wait to get out of that room. 

"Thank you for hearing me out," she says, and leaves.

Flash visibly relaxes once they're outside. 

"Want a ride back home?"

"Yes, please."

It's the same wild, disorienting ride as last time. Possibly a little more so - he's shaken enough to be slightly less careful. 

And here they are back in Toronto. 

"Well, that didn't go terribly." 

"I think it went pretty well, actually! I'm glad you said something to Impulse, this would've been a much more awkward conversation to have six months from now."

"I can imagine."

...yes, he can, and it would have been terrifying. He'd probably have been caught in the crossfire as well, for helping keep it a secret. 

"I don't know how much it will help, but I'll back Batman up when he takes it to the League. Tell them this really is the best option." 

She nods. "Thank you. I think it's better for everyone if there's a widely agreed-on policy for this sort of thing."

"Agreed."

Flash seems to be relaxing now the tense situation is past. 

"So, uh, I'll see the boys for training at the weekend as usual?"