Chapter 02: Misgivings

'This Canary's gonna need to eat some crow.' – Dinah Lance, Season 10, Episode 12: "Collateral".


February 16th 2013. 05:05 PM UTC-6. Adriatic Hotel, Star City, California, USA.

There was unrest on the twelfth floor of the Adriatic Hotel in Downtown Star City. Voices were rising at apartment 126, attracting the attention of the people staying in the neighboring suites. They didn't dare sticking their ears to the door but they kept their ears directed towards the incriminated suite and its occupants in hope to hear their quarrels.

Inside apartment 126, Dinah Lance was glaring daggers at Clark's form sitting on the side of the bed, facing her with a similarly angered expression.

"You got kicked out, it's not business!" she growled at him. "It might piss you off but I'll go and don't you dare trying to stop me, that's not gonna fly."

"Why do you so badly want to be there with them?" Clark replied, rising from the bed to put himself in her way. "You know they don't like you. They'll never understand you just like they'll never understand me."

Her eyes narrowed at him and she took a moment to regain her breath. "Out of my way."

"Dinah, come on." He rolled his eyes. "Oliver and Chloe, and even Victor – they never really made you part of the team and you know that. You were always the odd woman out."

His words were starting to get to her and she shook her head more so to keep her emotions in check before him than to express her disagreement. "Clark..." she warned.

"I touched a nerve, didn't I?" he looked almost happy with himself. "So why do you want to go?"

She sighed, exasperated and walked around him towards the door. Dinah's jaw tightened when he grabbed her wrist and spun her back towards him. "What do you think you're doing?" she seethed.

Clark looked down at her in suspicion. "I see. It's because of AC, right?"

She couldn't quite manage to hide her surprise when he mentioned the other man. Whatever Clark saw in her face at that instant had him chuckle.

"It is! It is AC!" he exclaimed, triumphant. "Oh Dinah, what have you become? Still pinning after the guy who dumped you even before he got brainwashed into believing you were with the enemy. Face the truth, honey, he's not gonna give you another chance."

A sentiment of hatred started rising in her, bubbling under her skin and demanding to be let out. She rose her hand high in the air and slapped him with all her strength. His head turned and he let her go.

Dinah held her painful hand against her chest and sent him one last look that meant everything she was feeling in that moment. "Asshole!" she spat.

"You know, when we started this thing, I never imagined you'd become so clingy." she said, walking backwards in the direction of the door. "I knew you'd changed but you being a heartless bastard is still a surprise."

Clark scoffed.

"Oh yeah," Dinah continued. "Go on and play your misunderstood guy act but you'll have to do it on your own because I'm leaving and I want you gone before I come back."

With that said, she opened the door violently and started walking out before catching herself, looking back at Clark.

"By the way," she said. "Next time you've got an itch to scratch. Find someone else."


February 16th 2013. 05:40 PM UTC-6. In the outskirts of Star City, California, USA.

By the time she stopped in front of the Queen home in the outskirts of Star City, Dinah still had not overcome the emotions Clark had arisen in her. She cursed him for making her mull over the words he had said before her departure an hour earlier.

There was some truth to his words. Her teammates had been reluctant to work together in the beginning, doubting their abilities to be part of a team. Nevertheless, after some time they had proven to themselves they could work as a group and were better off watching each other's backs. She had watched them transform from solitary vigilantes to compassionate heroes and a part of her had remained skeptical of it all.

This side of her personality had made Dinah willingly stay distant from her friends for a long time before AC started pursuing her. In retrospect, it had been him who had fully integrated her into the League.

His perseverance had beaten her natural pessimism and won her over, making her see a role for herself in the team, getting closer to her follow leaguers and especially the woman who led them all, Chloe.

A friend whom she had alienated ever since the recreation of the League.

Dinah realized that AC may have created that spark in her which allowed her to see a future for herself with the team but she hadn't made any effort to match AC's enthusiasm towards her as she did towards him and the league.

Deep down, her skeptical side had been always there, waiting for the right moment to come back out. It had been her fault that she and AC parted ways despite convincing herself it was another reason. Ever since then, she had done her best to distance herself from her friends again and once Bart was gone and the league disbanded, she saw it as a confirmation of her fears.

How wrong had she been.

Years later, the League was here again and so was she. AC had returned and Lex wasn't a threat anymore. The future was bright once again. If only she could manage to stop herself from trying to step away from it all-

"Are you okay, Dinah?"

She blinked to see Emil Hamilton bending by the window of her car, tapping against the window in concern. She cleared her throat and opened the door.

"I saw you sitting here and looking at nothing for a good five minutes." he noted.

"Yeah sorry, I was just thinking things over." she replied easily, getting on her feet before looking around. "What about you? Are you waiting for someone?"

Emil looked to be hesitating, glancing away for a moment. "Hum, no." he finally said, almost embarrassed. "I parked my car on the other side and simply saw you on the way."

Dinah nodded, he looked somewhat contrite but she didn't say anything, her mind still buzzing with her thoughts. "Ready to get in there?" she asked, nodding towards the house. "Oliver and Chloe must be waiting for us."

"Of course." he smiled.

They crossed the gates and started walking down the alley leading to the home of the Queen couple in silence. They were mid-way there when Dinah mustered the courage to look over at her companion.

"Can I ask you a question?" she said suddenly. "A personal question, I mean."

Emil looked taken aback for a second but nodded. They both stopped in the middle of the pathway as she was looking for words.

"Have you ever felt like you blew all your chances of being part of a group? I mean..." Dinah winced when she realized she sounded like an angsty teenager. Emil didn't seem to mind her struggle and smiled to encourage her.

She let her shoulders fall and looked down. "There's a part of me that feels like I've burned too many bridges with the team because I let my cynical side take over the wheel for too long." she admitted. "And now, well... I'm afraid I'll end up alone, without anyone, friends or else, because of that. Have you ever felt that way?"

Emil breathed in and looked over the gardens for a moment. "Yes, yes I have." he replied. "I'm sure you know about my wife. After she passed away, I spent almost a decade living on my own with as little human interaction as I could." he paused. "It's difficult to find the reasons or admit them to yourself in the moment but long after the fact, I can now reflect on it and admit that I was doing my best to suppress my grief by refuging myself in my work and locking myself up in my home."

He sighed. "I was implicated in many programs as a surgeon and I regularly had offers to be doing this or that with my colleagues outside of work and every time, I refused. The reason is simple: I didn't want to show my vulnerable side to the people around me."

He smiled. "Sometimes you will find one or two people to bring you back, along with some efforts of course. Just like everything."

She nodded.

"Are you alright, Dinah?"

"Yeah, I just hope I can find the same thing myself."

"I'm not worried." he said. "And if you ever feel the need to talk again, I'm just a phone call away."

His offer warmed her heart. "Thanks."

"Shall we keep going?" he asked, motioning towards the house.

Dinah chuckled. "Sure, yeah. I'm not sure what Chloe and Oliver want to announce to us, it sounded important."

Emil made a noise as they continued down the path. "I have a vague idea, but let's hear it from the source itself!" his voice rose a little as the door was pulled open just as they reached it. "Hello, there!"

"Hey!" Oliver grinned. "Come on in, J'onn's already there."

"That house is impressive." Dinah expressed once they followed their host inside. She let her eyes wander over the large hallway and the stairs that led to another floor. "Though I wonder why you bought a new house instead of setting up your mansion. I hope you don't mind my question." She added, feeling almost sheepish.

Oliver nodded as he led them down the aisle. "Don't worry." he said. "Actually we sold the mansion to buy out Queen Industries. We were able to get a loan from the bank thanks to the dividends I got and Chloe's steady salary from the League. So we went and bought this old house."

"That's interesting." Emil chimed in, his gaze landing on the blanket-clad furniture in each room. "It looks like you've just got back in a place that's long been abandoned. Are you planning on settling here?"

Oliver stopped, sending a look full of mischief towards Emil. "You're not supposed to ask this kind of questions yet." he winked. "Come on now, we're there." he finished as they reached the largest room of the house and the only one with its furniture uncovered and its windows wide open.

It was a spacious and luminous place in which Emil and Dinah were greeted by Oliver's protégé, Mia. A young girl Dinah had taken a liking to.

"Hey there," she greeted the teenager. "How's school doing for you?"

Mia shrugged. "Alright, I guess. It's a bit boring, though."

"We've already talked about it, Mia." Oliver rolled his eyes.

The young woman had just gotten reintegrated in the normal schooling curriculum after receiving special lessons to catch up for the years she missed.

"Whatever! I'm doing good enough, aren't I?" she protested.

"Yeah," he sighed. "For someone who dropped out at fourteen, you're doing great but that doesn't mean you should just sit back and lean on your natural abilities."

"I know, I know..."

Dinah smirked. "Sounds like you're gonna do just great, kid."

Oliver glared. "Don't tell her that..." he started to reprimand her but his gaze got caught by something else. "Hey! Sidekick, what are you doing?" he called, trotting towards the woman laid out on the couch. She seemed quite engrossed into a reddish device in her hands as J'onn gave her explanations.

Both of them got surprised when Oliver arrived at their level and snatched the device from her hands.

"Hey! I was using that!" Chloe complained.

"Sorry, Sidekick but I don't want to see you being atomized to the other side of the world today." He grimaced.

"Gee, way to trust a woman, Ollie." she glared at him. "I was just trying it out, besides J'onn was there and he knows how it works."

The martian looked uncomfortable and cleared his throat. "Maybe Oliver is right, shouldn't we wait for everyone before we show it to them by the way?" he asked, recovering the device from Oliver's hands.

Chloe made an exasperated noise. "Oh I see how it is, now."

Oliver chuckled and kissed her forehead. "Just lookin' out for ya."

She stuck out her tongue at him before catching sight of the new guests. "Oh, I didn't see you, guys, why don't you get over there?" she waved them by her side.

"Hi," Dinah smiled. "Doing alright, there?"

"More or less, but I can't really know because someone is not letting me do anything around here anyway." she glared at Oliver. "I'm barely even allowed to walk by myself!"

Oliver sighed. "You're eight and a half months pregnant, Chloe." he said.

"I'm not made of sugar!"

Emil chuckled. "At least we can see that." he said. "Chloe, I'd advise you to humor him just for a few more weeks, you'll have all the time in the world to make him pay once the baby's there."

"Oh, great!" Oliver groaned. "Don't give her any idea, please."

"Too late!" Chloe grinned.

The group laughed just as three more figures emerged from the corridor.

"Looks like the party started without us!" One of them called.

"Vic!" Oliver grinned, heading towards the new arrivals. "Nice to see you man, glad you could come!"

Victor returned the hug. "Nice to see you too," he said before turning to his two companions. "Look what I found on my way here!"

"Well if it isn't my new CEO!" Oliver laughed.

"I'm happy to see you too... boss!" Tess made a show of being exasperated even as a smirk pulled at her lips.

The third guest had Dinah's heart skip a beat. It had been months since she had seen him and he still had the same effect on her. Without even realizing it, she began walking closer to them.

"A.C." Oliver shook the man's hand, his voice had become a bit more cautious once he started addressing him. "How're you doing, buddy?"

Arthur nodded at him. "I'm fine."

He looked uncertain, even anxious about being in the same place as his old friends. Dinah's eyes never left his face and she froze on spot once he saw her. His newfound cold and distant persona melted during the moment their eyes met.

"Hi," she whispered, her breath evading her.

"Hi," he replied quietly before looking down.

"It's nice of you to be there, Arthur." Emil said behind her.

Dinah blinked, looking around her to see they'd all regrouped around the new guests.

"You called." A.C. said, "So I answered." he shrugged.

"You're always welcome here, A.C." Chloe told him in her unique way of sincerity as he leaned on Oliver for support.

Her words seemed to throw him off his feet and he looked even more uncomfortable. "Thanks." he mumbled as he kept staring at his feet.

Dinah swallowed back her emotions. Seeing him so distraught was a painful reminder of what he had endured at Location X and the aftereffects that might shape his personality for the rest of his life. It was even more difficult to handle the situation that she still felt guilty for not seeing him before that day since their return.

She had wanted to but eventually her fears were stronger and Dinah stayed away. A mistake she never wanted to repeat.

"Well," Oliver clasped his hands, making her jump in surprise. "Since everybody's here, why don't we start? We've got food and alcohol to go with it."

His words were followed by a collective cheer.


The night had fallen outside and there were even a few drops of rain that started to fall on the garden at the back of the house. The League was still sat in the living room which had been lit up for the occasion.

They were sat at a makeshift table, discussing before a hot meal of the news dropped on them by Chloe and Oliver.

"That's going to be weird." Victor admitted.

"Weirder than it already is?" Tess asked.

"It's a simple change of place, guys." Chloe said. "Ollie and I are simply gonna live here-"

"Me too!" Mia chimed in.

"Yes, I haven't forgotten." Chloe laughed. "What I mean is, the change is not that big since J'onn brought us his time warping device."

"Well I'm still going to need your and Victor's help replicating it." J'onn explained.

"Details!" Chloe grinned.

"You're being pretty optimistic about Martian technology, Tower." Vic said.

"We've got our hands on a Martian haven't we?"

"Right," Vic smirked. "That much is true."

"We'll be able to teleport ourselves wherever we want, distance won't matter anymore." J'onn said.

"If we zap over the timezone differences then yes, nothing much is going to change." Emil argued. "But I think I might ask for a position at Star City General again since Tess is going to be there."

The group looked over at him in confusion. Emil seemed to realize what he'd just said and coughed. "I mean-"

"He means it might be better for cooperation with Queen Industries since I'm head of the company now and I won't be in Metropolis anymore." Tess explained quickly.

Dinah saw the two of them exchange an uncomfortable glance before blushing. She watched them in confusion for a moment before Arthur started to move in his seat at her side.

"You're okay?" she whispered, putting a hand on his arm.

"Yeah..." he breathed, looking down at her hand before she pulled it back, embarrassed.

"Sorry."

A.C. said nothing, preferring to nod. His leg started jumping intermittently.

"What's going to happen to the Watchtower in Metropolis?"

Dinah looked over at Victor.

"It's still the main base of operation for us but we're going to set up secondary places – just in case." Oliver confided. "We never know what might happen."

"Hope for the best..." Victor said.

"But prepare for the worst." Chloe finished for him.

At this point, A.C. stood from his chair, an undecipherable expression on his face. "I'm going to use the bathroom," he said making sure not to make eye-contact with anyone. "I'll be quick." He added before disappearing down the aisle and closing the doors behind him.

"Is he okay?" Chloe asked in concern.

Dinah drew in a breath. "I don't know..." she admitted.

"Well, we..." Oliver paused as the lights went off, plunging the room in the dark. "Oh what now?"

They all stood up and remained around the table, unsure of what to do.

"It must be the circuit breaker," Oliver said. "That thing hasn't been touched for years after all. Anyone got a light? I'll go down to the cave and see what's up."

J'onn produced a small electric torch from his pocket. "A detective always has to come prepared." he said. "I'll go with you."

Oliver nodded and started towards the doors A.C. had closed moments earlier. "You guys just wait, we'll be back in a minute. Uh, wait..." He pulled at the handles again. "Are they jammed or what?" he asked as he tried to force the doors open.

"Can I try?" J'onn asked.

"Sure, be my guest." Oliver replied, a note of annoyance in his voice.

Despite J'onn's efforts, the doors remained closed. "They must be locked. I don't want to try harder and break anything so-"

At that moment on the opposite side of the room, the french doors which led to the outside burst open, pieces of glass shattering again the walls.

"What the hell?" Mia shouted.

They all watched as a tall silhouette emerged from the batting winds of rain and walked into the room before pausing in front of them. They gasped in horror when they recognized the familiar bald head hiding in the shadows.

"Do not fear." His voice sounded more sinister than ever. "Your deaths will be quick."