Twilight
Shayera sighed as she watched the video of hawks flying taken in a documentary that was filmed at the Midway National Park. She recognizes one of the hawks as the same hawk she had befriended back in her first year on Earth. He and his mate were willing to show off their feathers and flying capabilities to the human naturalist so Shayera smiled as she watched the video change from them flying to them building a nest together. She gave another sigh, thinking back to her own partner.
Bruce and Shayera spent many nights together whenever they had the time to do so, most of it either in his bed or watching the sunset at the National Park. Shayera and Bruce will never say that they were in love with each other, but the feelings they did have surpassed average interest. There will be times during missions when Bruce will occasionally and discreetly keep an eye out for Shayera while she in turn helped him patrol Gotham. It wasn't known to the others about their budding relationship except for J'onn.
Shayera didn't hear him walk in until he spoke behind her, "Majestic aren't they?"
She turned in surprise but smiled nonetheless and said, "Yes, I'm so happy he found someone to settle down with."
"You know the hawk?"
"One of my first friends I made here on Earth. I didn't know what to do and how to be on my own in this strange world and of all the creatures to run into, it was Batman and the hawk."
"You and Batman have been getting more intimate with each other." stated J'onn. Shayera once again looked at him in surprise and asked, "How did you know? We were so careful."
"You all forget sometimes that I am capable of reading minds. Batman was exhibiting so much happiness that day we were returning from the civic case because he was thinking about you. Am I wrong to presume that you too feel the same way for him?"
"No," sighed Shayera, "I never actually thought we would even be interested in each other. Batman has often kept his secrets and heart locked away. I don't ever want to compromise him of his safety and comfort but when he made that first move, I became the happiest woman in the world."
"He feels so strongly for you," said J'onn as he sat next to her, "He wouldn't stop worrying for you when we were sent back in time."
"I have no idea what that must have been like," marveled Shayera, "Experiencing a different universe along with going back in time. They must have had quite the history lesson. Mavis would have been jealous."
"I'm sure she would until she realizes the horrors of war." Shayera nodded in agreement with his words and looked back at the monitor with a small feeling of longing. Six years have now passed since her landing on Earth and while she still misses her family, the feelings of homesickness were ebbing away as the days rolled by. There were even times where weeks will pass by and she wouldn't be thinking about her family at all. It was a small fear that eventually she will forget them but she still continues to hope that one day she will see them again.
"You know with me, Superman, and yourself being the only ones out here, perhaps we should be called the 'Just-Us League'."joked J'onn.
Shayera smirked at him and asked, "Has Flash been teaching you humor?"
"You know Shayera, if you ever wanted to talk to someone about your predicament, always know that I am here for you. Or at the very least, Diana." said J'onn.
"Please," snorted Shayera, "I'm the one that's been telling her to remain calm with her date with Steve Trevor."
"The Navy SEAL?"
"The very same. He asked her out last week when Diana left with him to go on a mission to hunt down Cheetah in the Amazonian Jungle. She's actually supposed to be back right now actually. I was supposed to be off an hour ago."
Just as Shayera finished her sentence, the doors slid open to reveal Diana with a smile on her face along with Batman. He went towards the computer in order to pull some files while Shayera interrogated Diana.
"I can assume that all went well in your first ever date in Man's World?" teased Shayera. Diana only smirked at her and said, "There was nothing he could have done to impress me."
"Oh? Then why are you smiling so big then?"
"Because throughout the entire time, it was never about him but of me."
"Hmm, chivalrous. You rarely see those these days."
The banter would have continued if the alarm hadn't rung throughout the tower. Vibrations rocked through the satellite and Shayera, Batman, Diana, and J'onn immediately went to work to find the problem. Superman came flying in to help with situation after being awoken from his nap in his room.
"Are we being invaded?" questioned Diana, "The sensors are picking up a powerful energy surge."
Shayera quickly began to scan the readings and said, "I've never seen an energy signature like this."
"I have," said Superman somberly, "It's a boom tube."
The air behind them cackled with electricity and Shayera turned along with the others to see a white light open up a portal. A silhouette emerged and Shayera watched as a large man with grey skin and blue armor take form. His glowing red and yellow eyes sent shivers down Shayera's spine. His stance screamed dominance and fear, causing Shayera to involuntary reach for her mace.
"You!" yelled Superman as he immediately assaulted the man. Superman 's strength actually tipped the tower to the side, giving Shayera a glimpse to a side of Superman she has never seen. With every punch he throws at the man into the wall, the tower was moving along with the impact.
"Get a hold of him before he knocks us out of orbit!" ordered Bruce and Diana and J'onn moved to restrain Superman. Shayera watched in awe at the strength Superman was exhibiting. She had always known he is a formidable opponent to villains but this is the first time she has seen him close to unleashing his full power.
"It is good to see you too, Kal-El." said the man.
"Darkseid," sneered Superman, "What do you want?"
"I need your help. My skirmish with New Genesis has left my defenses weak against a new threat.
"Why should we help you?"
"Because my enemy is your enemy," said Brainiac as he produced a holographic image of a strange android, "I'm sure you know about the Kryptonian menace known as Brainiac."
Shayera blinked in surprise at Darkseid's words. This android is Kryptonian?
"That's impossible. I destroyed him." said Superman, immediately placing himself in front of the others to protect them in case Darkseid had different plans.
"You know what happens when Brainiac visits a new world after siphoning off their technology and information." said Darkseid.
"He destroys it." Shayera once again blinked in surprise and horror at this revelation.
"My planet is already on Brainiac's path and with millions of lives at stake, Brainiac will surely destroy Apokolips."
"Good." Shayera and the others glanced at Superman in surprise. Good-natured, fair, and heroic Superman is willing to let a world die?
"What?" asked Shayera. Superman ignored her however and continued to glare at Darkseid.
"You may not care what happens to my people Kal-El, but unless you join forces with me then billions of more lives will be lost. Think about it." said Darkseid as he left the tower in another boom tube. The Watchtower was silent. Everybody's eyes were on Superman as he stood there shaking with rage.
"So that's it then? You're going to let millions of innocents die all because you don't like him?" asked Diana.
"You don't know him like I do, Diana," said Superman, "You don't know about the things he's done."
"He used you," said Batman, "Brainwashed you and set you loose on Metropolis doing his bidding." He walked up to Superman until they were face to face and said, "Cry me a river."
The awkwardness of the whole situation made the others uncomfortable as the staring match between Bruce and Clark intensified.
"We know what he did to you, but at this point Clark there are millions of lives at risk. I suggest you get over it and actually think!" said Batman, not caring that the world's strongest man is right across from him.
Shayera was compelled to step in and break up their staring match when J'onn beat her to the punch.
"Do you really want Brainiac to be the last legacy your people left behind in this world if you pass up this opportunity to stop him?" The conflict in Superman's eyes were deep and complex as he was torn between letting one enemy die and allowing another enemy to escape.
"We are with you Superman." said Shayera, "If you believe that this is a trap then have us come with you to help you."
Clark looked at Shayera and nodded in consent before turning to Batman and said, "If I'm going to be helping Darkseid fight against Brainiac. I need you to go to New Genesis and get Orion to help us."
Clark quickly flew out of the room and came back in under a second, a white metal box in his hand with electric blue buttons on it.
"This is Mother Box," explained Superman, "This will take you to New Genesis. Take Wonder Woman with you while J'onn and Hawkgirl come with me."
"Any particular reason why you have us split into teams?" asked Diana much to Bruce's relief. He didn't want to be the one to ask the question despite wanting to know why Superman would want to bring Shayera with him to an active warzone.
"It'll be faster for us and easier for us this way. I need J'onn and Shayera with me since they are more familiar with warzones than I am and Bruce can go with you to New Genesis just in case things get dicey. Orion can be a little intense." explained Superman.
"Alright, we'll meet with you back at Apokolips." said Diana as she walked over to Batman. One quick glance at Shayera and her subtle nod helped alleviate his worries and he clicked on the button that transported himself and Diana away to New Genesis.
"Alright, let's get on the Javelin." said Superman, taking charge. Shayera and J'onn called up Flash to take over for Monitor Duty and left on the Javelin with Superman towards Apokolips.
If there was anything in the world Shayera would love to avoid was active warzones. As she thought about what to expect in Apokolips, the more her hearts accelerated in fear. Flashes of memories passed by her eyes as she recalled the air raids, the drills, the close encounter to a Gordanian Scout she had as a child before her father saved her. It was all coming back to her in full force, causing her muscles to tighten and tense up.
"Are you alright Shayera?" asked J'onn, sensing her distress.
"I'm good, it's been years since I was in an active warfield, that's all."
"You two can go to New Genesis if you'd like and I can have Batman and Diana with me." said Superman, worried if he might be forcing Shayera and J'onn to relive nightmares that they might not want to visit.
"I'm good, Clark," said Shayera, steeling her nerves, "Nothing but a walk in the park."
"Are you sure?" asked Superman, "I don't want you two to relive nightmares. "
"To be honest Clark," said Shayera, "you're going to need us with you anyways. We are the only two in the League to take part in a war so you need us."
Superman looked like he wanted to argue more, feeling horrible for forgetting about the past lives his two teammates had, when J'onn immediately called and used the intercom to connect with Apokolips.
"This is the Justice League requesting teleportation to Apokolips for back up."
It was silent for a brief minute until they heard someone say, "This is Lord Steppenwolf. Be ready."
The space in front of them opened up to a boom tube and J'onn flew them in. They emerged to instant bombardment, Shayera's instincts taking over and grabbing onto the controls when J'onn and Superman flinched.
Deftly flying low to avoid the bombardment, Shayera managed to distance themselves from the battle, giving them a good look at a safe distance.
There were tanks with dragon heads firing cannons at a sleek and sophisticated ship that had a force field around it. Seeing Darkseid at a distance, Shayera piloted them towards him.
"It looks as though Darkseid was telling the truth." said J'onn.
"For now," said Superman and he opened up the latch and flew outside.
"J'onn take the reigns," ordered Shayera, "give us cover from above."
Shayera gave control back to J'onn and followed Superman outside the safety of the ship. They flew close to the ground to avoid detection and managed to reach where Darkseid was overlooking the battle."
"What are you doing?" snarled Darkseid, "get back out there and fight!"
"Sure," said Superman dryly, "why not? Just clean up your mess and leave right?"
Superman's attitude is the first time Shayera ever witnessed it. It shocked her to see the normally friendly and open Superman be so cynical and closed off. His anger radiated off of him in waves and Shayera, for the first time since letting go of her irrational fear of Krypton, felt very nervous to be around him. While she doubted Superman will do anything to harm her or J'onn, it still meant that he could be making irrational decisions and might ignore them if it came down to it. Shayera covered his back, however, deflecting the blasts from Brainiac's air machines while Superman took care of the infantry forces.
With almost half dispatched with one blast of Superman's heat vision, Darkseid's army advanced and were quickly dispatching the tanks. Shayera maneuvered skillfully in the sky, many of the blasts avoiding her and hitting each other instead. Shayera felt her muscles fall back into the rehearse pattern she learned in the Thanagarian Police Academy. Her superiors would drill the new cadets to learn these tactics in the event a Gordanian Invasion happened and while a full scale invasion almost happened at one point and Shayera was grateful that the drills were what saved her life in the end. It was her division that had to help evacuate the city of Thalrassa while also attack the infantry that had managed to get past the first line of defense. In the end, Shayera and her squad managed to successfully protect the Education district, her little brother being one of the few to have attempted to join the battle until she forcefully placed him behind the shield line. After eliminating the Invasion, a memorial was held for the military and the police who had protected the city. Shayera's mother wanted her to quit the Police and instead become an archeologist like herself but Shayera refused. It would only be a month later that Shayera would chase down Byth and be transported to Earth.
Shayera brought her mace out and slammed it against the wing of one of Brainiac's air machines, the plane flew down and exploded against the shield generator that protected Brainiac. Shayera only took a glance at the AI to see that it had its attention on Superman and quickly looked to see a squadron of airships make their way towards him. Shayera charged her mace to the fullest and flew high above until she was surrounded by the electricity. She flew down like a comet and with one hit managed to wipe out the fleet, protecting Superman and allowing Darkseid's forces to advance further. Superman got blasted by one of Brainiac's beams and she watched as he fell next to Darkseid, who didn't even flinch.
Shayera, distracted, didn't see the incoming ship until she felt it hit her with one of the beams and she went down hard. Groaning, Shayera looked up to see it coming down straight for her when it blasted in the air, Looking around for her savior, Shayera smiled and flew up in the air to join J'onn who was still piloting the Javelin. Superman entered the fight again, this time going straight for Brainiac.
Using his heat vision to grab the AI's attention, Superman cried out, "Brainiac! Fight me!"
"Kal-El," said the AI, its voice calm and neutral, "Surprised to see me?"
"Hardly," sneered Superman and Shayera was chilled at his cold tone, "How about you lower your shields and fight me?"
"I believe a taste of your medicine is at hand." said Brainiac as he opened a small hole in the shield in order to blast at Superman with his own energy beam. Superman met the beam with his own heat vision and a test of strength began. Shayera quickly flew up to deflect any beams that were heading towards Superman, redirecting them back to the attackers. Brainiac's army is decimated and all that left was the shield in order destroy Brainiac's Invasion ship. Superman pushed through Brainiac's energy beam, pushing closer to the point where Superman was able to grab onto the shield and hold it open with enough space for Darkseid to use his own Omega beams to blast through Brainiac and into his ship. The generators exploded, allowing for the shields to go down and for Darkseid's army to push through and fire all their artillery into the ship.
"Until next time." said Brainiac, a beam from his ship attempted to pull him up but Superman quickly got to the AI and began to punch the daylights out of it. Its body began to demolish but a quick surprise blast from its energy beams allowed for it to escape Superman's wrath.
"No!" cried out Superman and he watched in anger as the AI made its escape. Superman attempted to follow but the ship immediately took off, the energy from its turbine engines knocking Superman back. Shayera quickly flew up to him and grabbed him from behind, righting himself back to normal.
"Thanks." said Superman as he glared up at the sky as Brainiac flew away. They heard an engine behind them and saw Darkseid make his way over to them.
"What are you doing?" he demanded, "You're letting him get away!"
"No, no," sneered Superman, "please, don't rush to help."
Superman flew towards the Javelin and Shayera made to follow him when a strange feeling chilled her. Turning around, she noticed Darkseid's stare at her and only gave a stiff nod in acknowledgement before quickly joining Superman and J'onn, not seeing the calculating look that began to spread on Darkseid's face.
"So what now?" asked Shayera as she and Superman strapped themselves in.
"We follow him. Keep him in the radar." ordered Superman. They followed Brainiac's ship deeper into space and were met with an asteroid belt.
"Where did he go?" asked Shayera, surprised that a ship as large as Brainiac's managed to evade them behind the asteroids.
"I don't know, but keep an eye on the radar. It says we're close." said Superman. J'onn navigated them deeper into the belt, avoiding the asteroids in order to properly follow Brainiac.
"The radar says he's right below us." said Shayera, nervous of an ambush. Just as she said it however, the ship stopped in its tracks.
"We're being pulled by a tractor beam." informed J'onn. The began to lower into a crater of a large asteroid, unsure where they were being pulled.
"Be ready." said Superman. Shayera, Superman, and J'onn got up from their seats and waited until the ship stopped and they were well deep inside the crater that the only light source came from their ship and from above. Shayera looked outside to see the crater entrance close and realized that they might have just entered the lion's den.
Lights surrounded them as soon as the entrance closed, revealing that they have entered into a hangar. Brainiac's shattered ship was off to the side and they walked outside the Javelin, cautious and wary.
"There's oxygen in here. As though he wants us to be here." said J'onn.
"Be careful," warned Superman, "He's unpredictable in situations like this and I'd rather be ready for the offensive."
They walked down the hanger, entering another section of the hideout to see many layers of platforms that held computer screens.
"Where is he?" questioned J'onn. They were unsure where to go, too many hallways were presented to them and they didn't want to split up in the event Brainiac might pick them off.
"Welcome Kal-El." came the voice of Brainiac from above them. They looked up to see him in a new body as he floated down to them.
"Brainiac," snarled Superman, "How did you survive?"
"That's a secret for you to never know." taunted Brainiac, "I offer you one more chance, Kal-El to join me."
"If my first rejection didn't tip you off then how about this: no." said Superman, his entire body positioned at the ready to fight.
"Not even if it meant to know more about your home planet, Krypton? Think about it Kal-El, you could be the one to restore Krypton's legacy in this universe." said Brainiac as the computer screens around them began to show images of the planet Krypton. In front of them stood a massive photo of a man who looks like Superman along with a beautiful woman with Superman's eyes, "This is your chance to keep the legacy of your family alive."
"You're the greatest disease that could ever come out of Krypton," sneered Superman, "and I'm going to make sure that you will be forever gone from this universe."
"I'm disappointed that it has to be this way." said Brainiac, as it began to attack them. Superman, Shayera and J'onn quickly flew away from the blast and each split off into three directions to force Brainiac into choosing one target. Brainiac kept its focus on Superman, shooting his red radiation blasts at him. J'onn phased into the floor while Shayera flew high above and began to attack from behind. Brainiac was forced to stop shooting after Superman and began to defend himself, not sensing J'onn come up at him from behind until it was too late. J'onn phased through the floor and into Brainiac's body, becoming solid inside the AI and ripping it to shreds on the inside.
"This was too easy." remarked J'onn when Shayera and Superman landed next to him. True enough, hidden panels slid open to reveal more Brainiac bodies begin to attack them. They were surrounded.
"I'll take the ten to the left and you two take the 10 on the right." ordered Shayera as she leapt into battle. Instincts overrode her body and Shayera could feel the feral nature come back again. This time, instead of fighting it, she allowed it to take over.
It was strange to allow an instinct to take over. It is thrilling to feel such a rush and Shayera was almost playful even. Counting score inside her head, Shayera gleefully removed the heads off the Brainiac, feeling liberated to deal damage. She could feel a surge of power course through her and her vision went red. She blanked out for a minute, only to have her vision return with all of Brainiac's bodies on the ground.
Panting, Shayera turned to smile at her teammates when she saw them looking at her with wide eyes.
"What?" asked Shayera, "We did a good job right?"
"You don't… remember?" asked Superman.
"Remember what?" asked Shayera, "we beat Brainiac right?"
"No… you beat Brainiac." corrected J'onn.
"What?" asked Shayera.
"Shayera, did you go into your frenzy mode again?" asked Superman.
"Yes but… I always remember what happens. How did I beat this many on my own?" asked Shayera.
"An excellent question. First we must leave this place." said J'onn. They turned to leave when an unsuspecting blast hit Superman right on his back. Superman screamed in pain as he fell, shocking both Shayera and J'onn. They moved to help when a boom tube opened up behind them and showed Darkseid emerging. A blast of his omega beam headed straight for J'onn and Shayera didn't think. She threw herself between J'onn and the beam, mace out front in an effort to deflect it. The beam hit her mace, its power pushing Shayera and J'onn back. The force was so powerful that it actually buried them underground. Shayera could feel J'onn get knocked out by the pressure and she was thankful that her armor is helping her remain conscious. When the beam finally stopped, Shayera remained still, hoping that Darkseid will move on. She worried about Superman, hearing his cries of pain intensify but Shayera didn't want to give up the element of surprise yet. Praying that Superman remains ok, Shayera quickly turned to see J'onn and try to determine if he was suffering.
J'onn remained unconscious as Shayera quickly carried him on her back, using her wings as an extra set of limbs. Crawling out of the hole, Shayera fought back against her claustrophobia and took breaks in between in order to quell her panic. As she reached the entrance of the hole, she cautiously looked around to see that the room was empty. Dragging J'onn out, Shayera tried to determine what her next move was going to be when another boom tube opened up in front of her. Grabbing J'onn, Shayera dragged him behind a platform, not wanting to deal with another Apokolips citizen.
Peeking up, Shayera rejoiced in seeing Bruce and Diana with someone else. Hoisting J'onn, Shayera carried him towards her friend and mate who turned in surprise to see her.
"Where's Superman?" asked Diana.
"Darkseid and Brainiac were working together. They managed to catch J'onn and I but took Superman somewhere else." informed Shayera.
"Are you hurt?" asked Bruce, his face and voice never changing but the slight tense on his shoulders showed his worry.
"Armor and mace protected me," informed Shayera as she gently placed J'onn down, "He's only out cold for awhile, not sure when he's going to wake up."
"Take him back to the Javelin and meet up with us again. If Darkseid and Brainiac are working together it's better to have all of us together." said Batman. Shayera nodded and quickly hoisted J'onn on top of her back again, quickly but cautiously making her way to the Javelin.
Bruce watched as Shayera left to drop J'onn at the Javelin. He didn't want her to come back and instead stand guard at the ship. He knew though that by telling her so would only make her feel like she has nothing to contribute when she does. Being in this new relationship opened many possible dangers that could harm himself and Shayera. For one, if word got out that the two were seeing together it will lead many of his rogues, especially the Joker, to go into Midway just to use her to get to him. Bruce has also been known over the years as a heartbreaker but he too has had his heart broken. Case in point, Selina Kyle.
Still, as he watched Shayera walk away, he is for once happy that there was someone he could rely on and for once trust without a doubt. Taking a deep breath, Bruce led Diana and Orion deeper into the hallway ahead where they began to hear Superman scream in pain. They ran, intending to save him when they witnessed Darkseid in a red room with Brainiac seeming to sap the life force out of Superman. Batman quickly used his batarangs to free Superman from his bonds, Diana flying forward and catching the Man of Steel before he hit the ground.
"Brainiac!" ordered Darkseid, "Destroy them!"
"I do not want to obey your commands, but I am compelled to." came the voice of Brainiac and panels slid open to reveal Brainiac androids coming at them. Diana flew down to avoid the blasts and Orion engaged in combat with Darkseid. Bruce looked over at the computer monitors and quickly made his way up, intending to stop the Brainiac androids from functioning. The strange language was difficult to decipher so Bruce did the only thing that was possible. Raising his fists high above his head he brought it down and smashed the console. Electricity surrounded the machine before it exploded. The entire room began to blare out alarms, warning everybody of impending doom and destruction.
Bruce almost didn't notice the Brainiac droid behind him until Shayera's mace flew through the air and decapitated it. Shayera gave him a quick nod and grabbed hand, flying them over to the entrance where Diana and Superman were waiting for them.
"Where's Orion?" asked Diana.
"Who?" asked Shayera.
"The man who was with us earlier! He was fighting Darkseid earlier." said Diana.
"I'll find him," said Superman and he quickly flew away from them.
"Wait!"
"Head to the Javelin, I'm sure he'll meet us there!" ordered Bruce, hoping that Clark won't let his feelings get in the way of saving Orion. The trio made it back to the Javelin where J'onn was awake and already at the wheel.
"Superman?" questioned Shayera. Bruce looked around and when he couldn't spot his friend, cursed low and shouted, "Get out of here! I'll find him!"
Bruce sprinted down the hallway, ignoring Shayera's cries for him to wait for her before the Javelin closed and took off, cursing Clark for his stupidity and need for revenge. Bruce could feel his muscles scream to rest but with the whole base self destructing and with an intelligent AI and a homicidal dark god in that area, it was best to leave. He heard Clark's voice in one corridor and ran in, coming to the sight of Clark standing over Darkseid who was trapped under rubble.
"I'm not leaving until you're just a greasy stain in my hands." threatened Clark and he made to move towards Darkseid but as the building began to tremor more violently, Bruce grabbed onto the Motherbox Clark had given to him earlier in order to reach New Genesis and opened the portal directly behind Clark.
"NO!" cried out Clark as he was sucked inside the portal. Bruce quickly spotted Orion and used his grappling hook to drag the unconscious fighter to him and jumped into the portal, leaving Darkseid behind.
Grunting as he fell out, he was greeted with the sight of Highfather and a furious Clark.
"What was that for?" yelled Clark but Bruce coldy met his glare.
"You're vendetta against Darkseid almost got Orion killed." It was all Bruce had to say to see the guilt creep up into Superman's eyes and for him to calm down. A whooshing sound was heard above them and they turned to see the Javelin land behind them. Shayera was the first to jump out, looking around until she spotted him. She flew to them before she quickly restrained herself and casually greeted them. Bruce almost had to smile at her downplay but he knew that she must be pissed at him for pulling his stunt.
"Superman! Batman! Are you all alright?" asked J'onn, slowly limping towards them with Diana supporting him.
"Bring him here." ordered Highfather, who had finished healing Orion and Diana brought over J'onn where HIghfather began to heal him. Bruce watched Shayera glance around curiously and said, "This is New Genesis."
"The place with the floating city?" asked Shayera, having heard Diana retell the adventures she and Bruce faced while in New Genesis.
"There is no more city." came the grieving voice of Highfather and the League was shocked to hear it. Batman looked up around the sky but was distracted to hear someone fly in from behind. Lightray lands beside Highfather with only a grieving look in his eyes.
"There's no sign of anyone, Highfather."
Highfather only closed his eyes and continued to heal J'onn. When he was finished, J'onn stood up with hardly a limp and stood beside Superman, who continued to look at the night sky.
"Not even Darkseid could have survived that blast." said Bruce. Superman turned to him and said, "You know what Bruce? Sometimes you're not always right."
Laughter was heard behind them and they turned to see children playing tag. They stopped to see the crowd of heroes but they immediately began to cry out, "Highfather! Highfather!"
"H-How? This is a miracle!" rejoiced Highfather as he hugged the children.
"Forager found us and hid us in his hive!" informed the blonde girl and the League turned to see more Genesis residents walk up to them unharmed. A red man stepped out and bowed down to Highfather and said, "Forgive me, Highfather for being so bold."
"Rise, Forager," said Highfather, "You are one of us, an equal."
As the residents of New Genesis celebrated being alive, the League boarded the Javelin and left to finally rest. Bruce and Shayera sat in the back where subtle glances were made and light touches were passed between them. Superman was too preoccupied with the events that had passed to notice while Diana was finally getting her sleep in. J'onn again is the only one to notice and happily played ignorant to their light flirting: the good mood that was passed between them helped lighten up the ride home.
When they reached the Watchtower, Superman immediately left for Metropolis while Diana left to get more sleep in her room. Shayera and Bruce left for Gotham, where J'onn gave them a knowing smirk and teleported them away.
Alfred hummed a merry tune as he walked down the hallway, carrying a breakfast tray. He had heard Master Bruce come in and settle down for the night but he also heard a second pair of footsteps follow him into his bedroom. With a good mood, Alfred made breakfast and walked inside Master Bruce's bedroom to see Bruce and Shayera snuggled under the covers of his bed with only their tracksuits on, armors discarded on the floor. Alfred smiled and quietly left the tray on the bedside table, opening up the curtains and the window to allow fresh air into the room. Master Bruce only opened one eyelid and gave a small smile of thanks to Alfred who left the room in high spirits. Perhaps another bet with Masters Tim and Richard about possible engagements is at hand.
Shayera kept her tight hold on Bruce as he slept past noon. It worried her in the beginning when J'onn had taken off without Bruce or Clark, but he told her of Bruce's plan to use the Motherbox to get them to New Genesis safely. Shayera had full right to be angry but since time was so short, she forgave Bruce of his impromptu plan and instead focused on hoping for his safe return.
Shayera caressed Bruce's sleeping face and sighed, wondering just how hard she had fallen for the Dark Knight. She wrapped her wings around him to keep the breeze from waking him up and sighed again in contentment that they had a rare day for themselves. With Bruce Wayne still on 'vacation' and Shayera not needed at Midway, her police radio reporting small reports of crime that can be easily handled by the Midway City Police Department, Shayera nuzzled into his chest.
Bruce's arms held her tighter and one hand snaked up her shirt. Shayera smirked and looked up at his smiling face. Kissing him on the lips, Shayera removed her shirt and helped Bruce remove his as well. The two wouldn't be seen until later that night, freshly showered and giving each other one last kiss before heading back into their respective routines.
Shayera couldn't help but smile at her luck in finding herself such a mate. She would have thought more amorous thoughts on Bruce had it not been for the unexpected need to upchoke her stomach contents. Quickly landing below her in the National Park, Shayera removed her mask and held her hair back as she heaved out her dinner. Shayera's stomach continued to convulse until it finally stopped. She remained on the ground, unsure if she would still vomit but eventually she needed to rinse her mouth so she quickly flew towards the river.
Landing beside it, Shayera swished her mouth and scooped up water to splash on her face. Shayera took a few calming breaths, clutching at her mask with one hand and holding her head with the other. Shayera did her best to recall if she might have been infected by an unknown alien disease when a splash in the river caught her attention. A school of fish swam by and with her talon hand, Shayera snatched a fish out of the water and bit into it. Devouring the fish whole, Shayera snatched up another and another until she had her fill. Feeling better, Shayera rinsed her mouth again and put her mask on. Flying back to Midway, Shayera remained unaware of just how much her actions were based on instinct and that the new life developing within her will bring a whole new round of surprises for her.
2017! Hey readers, sorry for not updating. I was forced to visit family and didn't come back home until this morning where I spent hours on this chapter. Hopefully you all like and I can't wait to hear if you did or did not. Until next time, thank you so much for reading :)