I was just zipping up my new leather jacket when I heard a knock on the door.
"Dinah?" I called, leaning over the railing to look down into the living room below.
"Yeah, its me," came her muffled response through the door.
"Its open," I told her, and returned to the bedroom to pull on the gloves and boots. Next came the utility belt full of the smoke bombs, grappling gun and metal weapons Dinah had dubbed my Wingstars. I put the jo staff sheath across my back, and retracted the metal ends to the center before securing it.
"Get down here!" Dinah called up to me, "I have a surprise for you." I quickly secured the necklace Tim had given me around my neck and tucked the pendant under the jacket, grabbed my mask and descended the stairs. Dinah was leaning against the couch's armrest in her Black Canary outfit.
"What's up?" I asked as I approached her. Dinah inclined her head to the shadows underneath my stairs. I glanced over as a familiar form came into the light of the living room.
"Surprise," Barbara said, smiling. Unable to stop my cry of delight I raced over and threw my arms around her.
"Missed you too, Cass, but you're choking me, honey," Barbara gasped. I let her go, grinning.
"Sorry," I breathed. Stepping back, Barbara wheeled around me to rest next to Dinah. They both appraised my outfit.
"Nice," Dinah said, giving me a thumbs up. Barbara nodded approvingly.
"Come here," Barbara said, digging a small round tin out of her bag. I approached her and knelt at her side. She opened the tin and rubbed her finger in the black goo before she began brushing it across my eyelids and around the eyes.
"Grease paint," she explained as she worked, "It'll help the mask blend and and keep the glare of the lights at night from hampering your vision." After she was done I secured the mask and stood, stepping back.
"Perfect," Barbara said, "So what do you think, Dinah? Think its time to reform the Birds of Prey?"
"Definitely," Dinah responded, grinning.
"Birds of Prey?" I asked.
"I spent some time in Gotham a couple years ago," Dinah answered, "Barb and I used to kick some major ass together."
"We had a couple other women come and go but nothing ever really stuck," Barbara added, "I think its high time the birds make their return. What do you say, Cass?"
"I'm in," I told her. It was odd to be this excited about facing down hardened criminals, but for the first time since I'd left Gotham I felt like I belonged. Barbara made her way over to my desk and pulled a laptop out of her bag and began setting up. She held out her hand to us which held four small black earbuds.
"Put these in," she instructed. Dinah and I complied, "I'll be able to reach you almost anywhere in the city. Just press in on one of them if you want to activate the microphone. They'll also protect you from Dinah's Canary Cry, Cass."
"So what's the plan?" I asked.
"Cupid is on the loose, and leaving quite a body trail," Barbara said as she pulled up several windows on her laptop, "Oliver and Roy are going to patrol and try to draw her out. You two need to stay back and try and catch her unawares. In the end it'll be four against one. Nice odds for the good guys."
"Yeah, and I wouldn't mind going a round with that crazy bitch," Dinah growled, cracking her knuckles menacingly. I watched as Barbara pulled up a map of the city. Two green circles and two red showed up.
"Looks like Ollie and Roy are in the warehouse district. Remember, stay close enough so you can get to them in a hurry, but far enough away so that Cupid won't catch sight of you too early."
"Got it," I said. I glanced at Dinah before I inclined my head to the door, "Meet you in the alley." Dinah nodded and left the apartment. I headed for the doors leading out to my balcony.
"Cass?" Barbara's voice halted me in the doorway, "We need to only use our secret identities on the communicators in case the signal is intercepted. What do you want me to call you?" I pressed my hand against the pendant beneath my jacket, and thought of the beautiful engravings on the staff Bruce had sent me. There was really only one option.
"Raven," I told her. Stepping out onto the balcony I closed the door before jumping up onto the stone wall surrounding it. Seeing no one on the street I held out my arms slightly and stepped off the wall, plummeting down to the sidewalk below. As I neared the bottom I used my powers to slow my descent down enough to where I could land in a graceful crouch.
"Show off," Dinah called from the entrance of the alley where she leaned against the brick. I made my way over to her and stepped into the alley to see two sleek black motorcycles.
"Told you those classes would pay off," she said, smirking, as she mounted the one on the left. I followed suit on the other cycle as she fastened on her helmet.
"Canary and Raven, there's a security alarm going off about five miles south of your location," Barbara's voice said in my ear. I pressed the communicator before putting on my own helmet.
"We're on it," I said, glancing over to Dinah who gave me a thumbs up. We both kickstarted our bikes before Dinah took off. I followed close behind.
This is it, I thought, The rest of my life starts now.
"I am going to feel this in the morning," I muttered as I arched my back, stretching out the muscles.
"You love it," Dinah teased, poking her head over the edge of the roof where we stood. I joined her to see Star City's finest putting the handcuffed jewel thieves we'd beaten down into the back of their squad cars. I smiled in satisfaction.
"Yeah, I do." I pressed my earpiece, turning on the tiny microphone.
"Oracle," I said, "Anything from Green Arrow or Speedy yet?"
"Not yet-" she started then stopped suddenly, "Wait. This is weird." I looked over at Dinah who shrugged. We waited a moment for Oracle to get back to us.
"The police have been dispatched to the warehouse district. Seems someone called in about a body. A security guard at one of the warehouses seems to have been killed with an arrow."
"Cupid?" I asked.
"Has to be," Dinah said heading to the fire escape at the back of the building. I followed close behind, "Warn the boys that she's making her move."
"On it," Oracle said before clicking off. Dinah climbed down the iron steps as I jumped off the edge of the roof to land neatly beside the bikes we had stashed in the back alley.
"Something's wrong," Oracle's voice was worried as she came back in through the earpieces, "I can't reach them."
"Maybe they found her," I said, trying to be optimistic, "They can't exactly pick up their phones if they're fighting." Dinah and I pulled on our helmets and started our bikes, peeling out of the alley before the police located us.
"I don't think they found her. I think she found them. Their phones have been disconnected. More than that I heard over the police scanner that it was a woman who called in the murder. I think-"
"Its a trap," Dinah said, her voice rising in panic. She gunned it towards the warehouse district. I could see her worry in the tension that tightened every muscle in her body.
"Something's happening," Oracle told us as we neared the district. "One of the tracers is in the warehouse where the guard was killed, but the other is headed away- fast."
"Where?" Dinah asked.
"The warehouse is down on River Street near the bridge. The other tracer is heading back towards downtown on High Street."
"I'll head for High Street," Dinah said, "I'll bet anything its Green Arrow's tracer that's gone mobile. Cupid must have him. He wouldn't leave Speedy behind."
"I'll get him," I said as Dinah broke off and headed north away from me.
"Stay safe," Dinah said, "Batman will kill me if anything happens to you."
"Ditto," Oracle said. I sped off, heading towards the bridge in the distance. Red and blue flashing lights met me as I approached the warehouse. Squad cars were lined up in front of the warehouse, and police were hiding behind them, guns pointed at the front doors.
"What the hell?" I said, "All this for a dead body?"
"No. A bomb," Oracle said in my ear, "Seems Cupid rigged the building to blow if anyone tampered with it. She's trying to keep the cops busy while she gets away with Green Arrow. I just can't figure out how the police didn't notice a strange vehicle peeling out." I drove around the back of the building, keeping well outside the police's range of vision. I parked the bike and dismounted. I peered around the edge of the building and frowned. It dawned on me what had happened.
"There's no ambulance," I told her, approaching the back of the building to look for a way in that wouldn't set it off.
"What?"
"When the police first responded it was for a dead body in the warehouse. There would have been an ambulance. There isn't. Canary, she's in an ambulance."
"Got it," Dinah's voice joined in before she grumbled under her breath, "Got you now, you crazy bitch." Looking up I saw one of the large warehouse windows was broken. Using my powers I launched myself up, and pulled myself inside. I perched on the sill as I surveyed the room. I spotted Speedy immediately. He was strung up in the center of the room, his feet dangling over the ground. Other than that it appeared empty.
"Speedy!" I called out. He looked up in surprise, "Where's the bomb?" It was then I noticed his mouth was gagged. Well, so much for that. He shook his head violently as I went to step off the edge to drop into the room.
"Okay, charades is so not my strong suit," I said, "Just hold on a sec." I closed my eyes and gripped the edge of the window. I saw myself jumping down into the building. As soon as my feet touched the building exploded. I tried a few other outcomes, but the building exploded as soon as I touched the ground every time.
"In the floor?" I called out. Speedy nodded. I stuck my head back out of the window to see a SWAT team approaching the warehouse.
"Oracle! Get the cops to back off. The floor is rigged. I'm going to get Speedy, just get the cops out of here."
"I'm on it," she said. Taking a deep breath, hoping this would work, I used my powers to jump across the warehouse and grab onto the rope holding Speedy up. He looked up at me like I was insane as I dangled above him. I felt my powers waning as I shimmied down to him. I ripped the tape from his mouth.
"You are nuts," he said. I rolled my eyes and grabbed my grapple gun, and aimed it for the open window. Shooting it off I breathed a sigh of relief as it hooked easily.
"If I put this in your hands can you get a good grip?"
"Yeah," he said, and I pressed the gun into his hands. I climbed up a few feet and grabbed a Wingstar from my belt.
"I'm going to cut you loose on the count of three. On two start pushing that button on the right side and it'll start pulling you towards the window. Ready?" Speedy nodded.
"One... Two..." The rope started rising as Speedy pushed the button. I held the Wingstar to the rope as it grew taught, "Three!" Slicing through the rope Speedy lurched towards the window. I held my breath as he held on not releasing it until he was safely draped over the sil. He used the edge of the broken glass to cut his bindings.
"What about you?" he asked.
"Yeah, I didn't think this through..." I muttered as I looked down at the ground. My arms were burning in protest at holding my weight this long. My powers were all but depleted. If I tried to launch myself at the window I knew I wouldn't make it, and then-
Boom.
"Get out of here," I told him as an idea struck me. I'd use my powers to make sure it would work but I feared it would sap the last of them. I needed them to get out of here.
"I can't leave you," he said.
"Go!" I said again, "I only have one shot and there's no point in making you toast if I fail. Get out of here and help Black Canary and Green Arrow." Speedy hesitated for a moment before swinging both his legs over to the outside.
"Be careful," he said, and disappeared. Shocked that he'd actually listened to me I took a deep breath and began swinging. Pumping my legs I aimed myself towards a window at the back of the building. I'd probably cut myself pretty badly but it was a hell of a lot closer than the broken window at the side. I hissed in a breath as I heard the beam splintering above me. It was now or never. Launching myself towards the windows I used the last of my powers to make sure I made it. Crashing through the window I tumbled to the ground. I saw a vision of the building exploding as the broken beam hit the floor seconds before it happened. Running for the bay I threw myself over the edge into the water just as it exploded.
Gasping as I surfaced I pulled myself weakly onto the dock next to my bike which had been knocked over from the impact.
"Raven?" I heard Oracle cry, "Are you all right? Raven!" Coughing, I rolled over onto my back and lay there not wanting to move. I pressed the earpiece lightly.
"I'm fine," I said, my voice scratchy, "Canary?"
"We're fine," I heard Dinah chime in. Relief coursed through me, "I've got Green Arrow, and Cupid is down for the count. Oracle, can you call in an anonymous tip?"
"Happily," Oracle said, "Looks like Speedy will reach you guys soon. Keep an eye on her. I'll let you know when the cops are close so you can split. Raven, get back to the apartment. I think nearly getting blown up is quite enough for one night."
"Agreed," I said, dragging myself up off the dock before the police found me. I barely managed to pick my motorcycle up before mounting it. I fastened my helmet before taking off. I had to work hard to stave off exhaustion as I made my way home. Luckily Dinah had given me plenty of practice at maintaining consciousness when I was weak. Otherwise I'd be a skid mark by now.
"Leave the bike in the alley," Dinah said as I neared the building, "Speedy and I will get them back into hiding."
"You sure?" I asked, relieved.
"Definitely. You saved his ass. It's the least he can do," she laughed. I thought about that as I parked the bike and headed into the back entrance of the apartment building. I had saved someone. Didn't just defend myself, but actually saved the life of someone else. A warm feeling filtered through me, and I couldn't help but smile. For the first time I felt like maybe I wasn't a curse. Maybe all the heartache my powers had caused me throughout my life had been worth it, because now I could use them for good. To save others.
And maybe someday soon I would be strong enough to go home.