Flowing through the shadows
Silent as a wraith
seeing the world of light
while hiding in the dark
-KT
Blue Jay's POV
I didn't know how to deal with the feelings raging through me. Dick was distant. He didn't seem how to know how to deal with any of it himself. Barb was unavailable. She was trying to keep Bruce from killing himself or others. I didn't know how to deal with the pain, so I left.
I didn't actually put that much thought into it at the time. I was seven. I was already smart enough for my age. I didn't have time to psychoanalyze myself as I left Blüdhaven. I was stupid, as I often was at that age. I left the one good thing I had left in my life.
You'd be surprised how far a seven year old that can only be seen when she wants to can get before she runs into major trouble in the world. I started much like Bruce had, though I didn't learn about him until much later. I got on one of the boats heading to any foreign country. I was focused on getting away with what few supplies I had. I hadn't wanted to steal anything from Dick, but I knew I would need at least a week's worth of water and three days worth of food. I brought my costume and utility belt as well, just in case I needed them.
I managed to get all the way to Germany before I was met with any major trouble. It was winter there. I was cold, but I had gotten a warm coat from a very nice woman getting rid of old clothes a few days previous. I had my Kevlar on under it because it was surprisingly warm. It was heavy as well, but I figured I needed to build muscle.
I was in Berlin. Berlin is large, but not as corrupt as Gotham or Blüdhaven. I heard the explosion, but I figured it was a Justice League problem. That was the excuse I had used whenever I saw something major happening. I would stop the minor stuff, but anything that loud had to be major.
I was right. There was an attack on the American Consulate. I didn't know why, but what I saw let me know I had to do something. All of the kids were being taken hostage. If I happened to be among them I might be able to do something. I did what I was best at. I slid through the shadows into the group of children. There were enough of them there that I wasn't noticed. The coat was nice enough that I seemed to fit in.
One of the men pointing a gun at the children yelled, "Bring out the Ambassador or the kids get it." I moved forward carefully, blocking the path of as many bullets as I could.
I had been under the impression this sort of thing didn't happen much in Germany. I would have expected it in Iraq or Afghanistan, but Germany just didn't seem like the sort of place for this sort of thing.
I was already wearing sunglasses, but I grabbed out a mask, in case I needed to do something truly heroic.
A man that looked to be about Bruce's age came out. He asked, proving himself to be the ambassador, "What do you want?"
The man with the gun that had spoke before said, "I want you to watch your child die the way I did. It's because of you my son is dead."
The ambassador said, "Please, don't hurt my children. I don't know what you mean, but please don't hurt my children."
The man with the gun said, "My son was in project Platinum. A project you endorsed while you were in the military. It's your fault he's dead." He was shaking. He was going to shoot somebody. I had to stop that from happening. I pulled the hood of my coat up, letting the motion cover putting on a mask to replace my sunglasses. I hid those away in my utility belt and waited for the right moment.
The ambassador said, "Come inside and we can discuss this like civil people."
"No," the man with the gun said, "I'll start shooting children until I find which one is yours." He turned and cocked the gun while he went. He didn't have to look at the gun to do it. He was familiar with the weapon. The men with him weren't letting any children escape.
I threw my coat into his face, thankful he had forgotten to take the safety off. I was cold, but I ignored it as I dove forward to get the gun from his hand. I knocked him out with it and moved on to the next man. I leg swept him, leaving five left.
I used bird-a-rangs on two of the guys, which I retrieved before going after the three remaining. I pulled out a pair of metal sticks that Nightwing had been teaching me how to use before I left. I used them to take down the last three guys as quickly as possible. They were all down and none of the children were hurt.
One of the older boys stopped me before I could disappear and said, "Thank you. You saved my life. What is your name?"
"Blue Jay," I responded automatically before disappearing into the shadows. That was the first time one of the things I did actually made the news, but they didn't get my name right. They just called me 'Blau Held' Blue Hero, and left it at that.
Nightwing's POV
Three months. That was how long Blue Jay was missing before I got a single lead on her. She hadn't left much of a note. She just said good bye and thank you.
Wonder Woman had been in Germany for diplomatic reasons, but she had been in Frankfurter. She was going to get there only after several of the children got shot. Just before the lead gunman fired, a child within the group had thrown her coat in his face and attacked. She had won of course. She was trained to get hostages out of tougher situations than that with her feet tied together, despite the fact her training wasn't complete.
I could only hope that she showed up again. I wanted to bring her home. I wanted to tell her everything was going to be alright. I didn't want her to live off of the kindness of strangers. I wanted her to be safe. I wanted to be there for her, especially since I couldn't be there for my little brother. She was out there somewhere. She had to leave some sort of trail in her wake. I just had to find it and follow it.
Even Blue Jay couldn't disappear forever. She had proved that in Germany. She was still a hero. Heroes saved people wherever they went. She would too. Crimes would be solved wherever she went. That would leave a trail.
Harrier's POV
At least when she was with the Bats I knew she was still training. Now she had left this country all together. She was saving people still. I guess nature had beaten nurture for once. I would just have to beat both out of her again. She wouldn't remember her hero life at all if I could get my hands on her. All I had to do was the thing I was best at. No prison could hold me for long. Not even Blackgate.
Ra's al Ghul's POV
A waste of two young lives, but I had brought back one. I could get the other to do better. I could at least make sure she survived. She was good at hiding, but my people were better. They could follow her trail. They would insure no one else got to her. It would be my penance for being unable to control the monster I had unleashed. The girl would live.
I'm back. I wasn't even gone for that long, but here I am again. A few notes:
I'm pretty sure all the characters would act this way except for maybe Ra's, but then he might so there you go.
Thank you all of those who so graciously followed/reviewed/favorited(which doesn't have a good past tense, but I tried) Blue Jay. I might not have gotten this far without it.
I thank my good friend KT for letting me use some of her poetry for this and probably the following chapters. I'm pretty sure it fits well with the story, though maybe not at this point.
On a side note, I'm not making any promises this time for when I'll update because I'm not sure when more inspiration will come..
Reviews are enjoyed, and I do respond to most of them. Flames are accepted, and I try to fix or explain why I do something when I get flamed.
-Zaraizabell