"Hey, Claire, I found Matilda."
Claire turned towards Bette, who was tangled in one of the ropes, in such a way that she wouldn't fall. In her hands, a small furry brown creature rested. Matilda, one of the many of bats that lived in the cave systems, was held in her hands, big brown eyes blinking down at her.
Stephanie shuffled over, looking up as Bette guided the trained animal to her shoulders, and scrambled down the ropes, down to the ground.
The animal was small, small enough to be held comfortably between the girls hands, with big doe-like eyes and wings. Together, there were exactly forty-seven trained bats that lived in the cave. Matilda was one of the younger ones, who hung around only sometimes, but seemed to be linked to Claire, much to their amusement. But everyone had at least one bat they liked, from Cherry, the creature that clung to Cass, to Techie, the bat that Tim had trained to be able to find certain tools based on different patterns he tapped out.,
Gently, Bette handed Matilda over, and Claire held the bat up. They went through regular tests to make sure their health was up to date. "Hey."
The bat made a small squeaking noise, and squirmed slightly in Claire's grasp. Her little fangs gleamed in the light, and her big brown eyes were adorable. Claire grinned, and held the bat up to her shoulder, like one might with a bird. With a couple noises, Matilda crawled onto Claire's shoulder, fur soft and warm. Her claws pinched the girls skin, poking holes in the beat up purple Quebec City shirt she had on, and her breath was hot on Claire's neck.
The moment was ruined by the computer going haywire. An alarm went off, a thrumming, chiming noise. Everyone was used to it, even the bats, so Matilda didn't even flinch at the noise.
"Um… guys?"
It was Duke who spoke, sounding uncertain, from the other end of the line. Bette and Claire gravitated towards the computer, along with Barbara and Tim, who'd been working on some project. Bette pressed a few keys, and spoke aloud, into the mike.
"We hear you. What's up?"
"Giant plant… thingy. I think Ivy has something to do with it - look out!"
There was a pause from the other end, and the members in the cave exchanged looks. Then, Duke's voice came back. "I need help. Pronto, this ain't going well!"
"10-4." Bette confirmed. "Sending alert to the others. ETA eleven minutes, Cass is closer, ETA four minutes. Be there ASAP."
"Awesome." Duke grunted. "Thanks."
"Computer, national news."
Batwoman, following her brother (the team had been told they were siblings, not married, they'd been specific) didn't speak, her bright, bloody-red hair barely moving as she walked after him. The Team rarely saw the elusive Gotham vigilante, nor their niece, Hawkfire, despite the girl being a member of the Team. (1)
"Whoa." Wally said, as the news paused. "Should we get out there?"
"No."
"What? Why?"
The two Bats exchanged looks. Batman continued to speak. "The League and its allies will handle the plants. You have another mission."
Right then, the computer announced a new arrival, the Zeta Tubes whirring to life. Everyone but the Bats turned to look at the orange light, as a new figure materialized into place.
"Recognized. Hawkfire. K-02."
The girl who came through the Zeta Tubes wore black. Jet black, and gold. Gold shoes, like strapless ballet slippers, and a sort of feathered shawl around her shoulders with a small, stiff cape hanging from the back. A thick looking pair of heavy wrist protectors, and gloves, her face plate just as gold as the rest. Her blond hair was hanging around her shoulders for once, something that never happened.
"It's under control." she assured her aunt, who silently stepped to be beside her. "Gotham is secure."
With that, she continued on, heading for the hanger, glancing over her shoulder. "Unless you have a hair tie, I'll be finding one, so see you in a few." (2)
Batwoman didn't speak, giving a single glance at her brother, and vanished through the Zeta Tube, with the single message of; "Recognised. Batwoman. K-01."
"Who are you?" Zatanna asked, the moment Hawkfire joined them on the bioship, taking a seat, not blinking when the seatbelt wrapped across her chest. The blond turned to face her, a quiet smile on her lips. Her blond hair was held back in a ponytail once more, and the grime that had been on her uniform was gone. An impressive achievement, considering she'd only been gone for ten minutes, while the Team had been briefed on the mission.
"Hawkfire. Thought the announcement made that pretty clear."
"That's not what I meant, and you know it."
"Hawkfire's Batwoman's niece." Wally offered. "She's from Gotham."
"No duh." Hawkfire muttered, crossing her arms over her chest. "My job here is to blow up the facility, drag Joker and Ivy back to Gotham to throw them in jail again, and keep all of you guys alive. And considering normally I'm the one being kept alive, that should tell you how scared you should be."
"We're not scared." Artemis said firmly, and Hawkfire spun her chair around to look at the archer. Only her lower face was visible from under her mask, but she gave the impression of being unimpressed.
"Of course not." she said, eyes burning into the green-clad girl. "We've met, you know. It was a while ago, but we've met."
Artemis bristled, but Hawkfire simply waved a hand through the air, as if shooing smoke away. "Don't worry. My entire gig is setting fire to things, kicking asses, and keeping secrets. Besides. Who knows, I might give myself away, hmm?"
With that, Hawkfire turned back to face the front. "Also, plan B is a horrible plan, Aqualad. It shouldn't come to that, not if we do it right."
Everyone else turned to their leader, who glanced down at a duffel bag at his feet. Nobody said anything, dead silent, until M'gann spoke up. "Approaching destination. Entering camouflage mode."
Hawkfire said nothing, but lifted her knee up to her chest, slipping her hand onto her shoe. She withdrew a small, stamp-shaped thing, and took a breath, tucking it into the feathers around her shoulders, by her heart. Then, she put her foot back down on the floor, and set her arms on the armrests of her seat, perfectly still. She let out a breath, and nobody who didn't know her like her family would notice just how terrified she was. How tense she was.
Deception was an art form, after all.
M'gann grunted. Wally turned in his seat, to look at her. "You okay?"
She lifted a hand to her temple. "Dizzy."
"You're airsick?" Artemis asked, curious.
"Not me, her."
Zatanna shook her head at the looks she got. "I'm fine. Hawkfire?"
"I haven't been airsick since I was ten." the Gotham vigilante replied, eyes narrowing behind her mask. "This is something else."
"The bioship." M'gann murmured. "She's trying to protect us."
Hawkfire stood up abruptly, her harness melting away. She gripped the back of her chair. "Vertigo, it's got to be -"
The bioship shook, wavering in the air, and Hawkfire stumbled away from her seat, struggling to keep her balance as they dipped through the air. She managed to do something though, planting her feet and managing to stay in one place as they plummeted.
Something slammed into the bottom of the bioship, and Hawkfire grunted as she was sent into the ceiling, before landing on the floor in a deep crouch. They crashed into murky water, and vines wrapped around the ship, visible through the ship's front. Something landed on them, and Hawkfire's head snapped up, as Black Atom started to pry the ceiling apart.
M'gann screamed, and Hawkfire whipped out some kind of taser. She fired, and it clipped around the front of their attackers neck, like a sort of choker. She jammed a button, and the collar exploded, sending Black Atom flying backwards.
The device useless, Hawkfire discarded it, as water started to pour in, filling the bioship with swampy fluid. Artemis growled furious. "Oh, no way. Not drowning, again."
She pulled out a rebreather, and stuck it between her teeth, like it was a scuba regulator. Then, she offered Wally her spare. He stared at her for a moment, before taking it. "Thanks."
"Open a hatch on the floor!" Hawkfire shouted, pulling out her own rebreather. "We have to swim out, do it now!"
"Got it!" M'gann cried, and gills formed around her neck, as they all ducked underwater. Hawkfire shoved a rebreather into Zatanna's mouth, holding it in place and flushing it for the magician, who lifted a hand to it in surprise. Her eyes squinted through the muck, unable to see, so Hawkfire grabbed her around the shoulders, and towed her, her mask protecting her own eyes.
They all swam through the hatch M'gann created, ducking under the ship, and surfacing on the far end of the water, many of them panting. Zatanna rubbed her eyes, gasping for air, until Hawkfire pulled her hands away from her face. Instead, she gently tapped each of the magician's eyelids with a finger, then allowed her to open them. (3)
"Whoa." Zatanna muttered. "Cool trick."
Hawkfire shrugged, taking her rebreather out, and looking to M'gann, who was staring at the bioship as it sank, pulled down by thick vines. "She'll need time to recover."
"It's Vertigo, Ivy, and Black Adam." Hawkfire said, squeezing her ponytail out onto the ground. "We need to -"
She paused, and then suddenly threw herself at Zatanna, knocking the girl to the ground. Just in time as well, for the shrill whistling humm of Count Vertigo's ability rocked through the woods, causing a sort of mirage in the air. The rest of the team grunted as they fought back against the headache inducing skill, but only the two girls had escaped.
There was a sort of duller, lower-pitched ringing in Hawkfire's head, and she ignored it, on her feet instantly and drawing two throwing stars. She yelled as she threw them, an instinct ingrained in her from martial arts, where the yell gave more power to the hit, and almost hit Vertigo. Would have, if Black Adam hadn't landed between the two. (4)
[Miss Martian!] Kaldur's voice shouted in everyone's minds. [Hawkfire! Disappear!]
Without a second thought, Hawkfire charged directly at Black Adam, as M'gann shifted into camouflage mode, nearly invisible. Hawkfire kicked off a nearby rock, like it was a springboard, pushing off with her hands and flying over Black Adam, landing on Vertigo feet first. Before Black Adam could hit her, she dove to the side, rolling up to her feet, and slid into the shadows, gone.
[Whoa.] Artemis whispered in the link, just before it vanished. [She's good.]
[I cut the others out of the link.] M'gann worried, as Hawkfire led her through the jungle. Despite not having any powers, M'gann continuously lost sight of the human girl, only knowing she was around through the link. [Should we go back for them?]
[No, they're fine. They won't be killed, that's not this group's gig. Joker only kills when he thinks it'll do something to me and - my uncle and aunt. Ivy rarely goes that far, she's one of the more laid-back villains. Black Adam's kills are mostly accidents. Wotan rarely does anything.]
[What about the Skull?]
[Atomic Skull? Eh, he's the one I'd be worried about.]
[So we should go back?]
[Not the mission, Miss Martian. This is the mission.]
She brushed aside fauna, parting leaves to reveal the building ahead. [The plant must be controlling the plants - it's an antenna!]
She suddenly tensed, then cried out, in time with M'gann, as vines wrapped around them both, lifting them up, and turning them around. Poison Ivy smirked at the pair, fingers tensed, holding the vines in place. "My darling Hawkfire. Good-bye."
[Forgot about the gorilla.] Hawkfire muttered sheepishly. [Whoops.]
The large creature aimed his weapon at the girl, who glared right back at him. A moment passed, as he steadied his aim, and then she broke free, arms tearing through the vines.
Spikes had come out of the sides of her gauntlets, and she ripped through the plants, falling to a crouch on the muddy ground. M'gann broke free in her own way, using telekinesis to snap the base of the vines, and entered camouflage mode.
Ivy growled, turning to see the human vigilante sprinting away through the woods, short cape trailing her, stiff as ever. "Sorry, girlie. But I can't let you leave."
She summoned vines, and with a yell, sent them towards Hawkfire, who, hearing the shout, jumped forwards. She kicked off a tree trunk, and twisted in the air, flying at the vines.
Hawkfire skidded across the top of the plants, like a snowboarder, drawing a pair of throwing stars from her pouches. Executing a handless cartwheel over another vine, she flipped backwards in a layout, releasing both stars with a flick of her wrists, launching them at Ivy.
The Gotham villain brought both hands up, and both stars sunk into another vine. With a shout, Ivy sent that vine at Hawkfire, who sprinted forwards at it without hesitation, mind blank, the thrill of battle everything.
It was the perfect mindset to be in during a fight. It happened in sports as well, sometimes called a white spot, when you just acted, and often didn't recall what happened. Everything just worked.
Hawkfire was in that mode, as she jumped again, kicking off a tree and hand springing over the vine, kicking off another tree. She flipped backwards in a tuck, and drew another pair of pure black shurikens in midair. Landing, she bent backwards, flinging her weapons.
She spun around, in a crouch, and released another set of projectiles, aiming at Ivy's feet instead of her face. Continuing her motion as she rose, still turning, she launched a fifth and final projectile, that sliced off a lock of Ivy's hair.
Ivy screamed in fury, and started to slash her hands through the air, the vines responding to her movements. And Hawkfire moved.
She slid on her knees under the first, grabbed onto the edge of the second, letting it pull her along, and rolled onto it, in a crouch. The vine slammed into a tree, and the two women stared at each other, in a tiny microsecond of a lull, before a half dozen more vines shot at Hawkfire.
Hawkfire threw herself upwards, activating her jetpack. It was something barely anyone actually knew about her. It was part of her gig as well, fire coming from the edges of her 'cape' propelling her up. It couldn't keep her airborne for more than a few minutes at a time, but she used it often, to get a boost in height, speed, distance, and to soften landings, activating it at the last second.
She flipped over the vines, twisting in the air, upside down for a moment, the jetpack clicking off. She aimed both her gauntlets, now spike-less, at the vines, and twin beams of fire blasted, setting them on fire. The gauntlets clicked off, and she landed in a crouch on a still vine. Instantly, she threw herself into a back handspring, before she whirled, and launched a different shuriken.
This one sunk into yet another vine, and just before Ivy could throw the vine at Hawkfire, the device blew up, the concussive wave knocking Ivy off balance. Hawkfire took her opportunity, throwing a handful of small objects at the woman's feet, and they splashed in the water, before Hawkfire vanished.
Ivy was up in moments, and started to step forwards, only to crash to the ground, the objects Hawkfire had left behind doing their job. Makibishi, small spikes that were thrown on the ground in feudal Japan to discourage and slow down pursuers.
Hawkfire, like people hundreds of years before, lost her attacker with a simple trick, preying on the weak soles of Ivy's shoes.
[Lost Ivy. You?]
[I'm okay.] M'gann replied, sounding strained. [Where are you?]
[At the building. Meet you by the plants!]
M'gann rose higher into the air, searching the horizon for the building. It wasn't too hard to notice the building, and she started towards it in camouflage mode, skimming the tops of the trees. Mud splattered her clothing, and she wasn't in the mood to get rid of it just yet, focused on the mission. She lifted her hood over her face, more of a comfort then for any practical reasons, and sped up.
She found Hawkfire on the edge of the woods. [What's the plan?]
Hawkfire grinned up at her - although how she knew where M'gann was, the martian didn't know. [Meet me on the roof.]
M'gann frowned, not understanding how the Gotham native would get up there on her own, but Hawkfire left her hiding spot, sprinting quietly across the clearing, throwing a small object halfway there. It hit something on the wall. M'gann, who'd been following Hawkfire, spotted the small crackle of electricity, but didn't think much of it. Hawkfire stopped beside the panel she'd nearly hit, and worked the weapon out of the concrete, sliding it away.
She took a few steps backwards, and then charged forwards. She kicked off the wall with her hands and feet, boosting herself higher, then kicked off, throwing herself almost halfway up. Then, just before she started to fall, she activated her jetpack.
It was only on for a moment, before turning off, but it was enough to give her a boost, letting her grab the edge of the roof, and roll onto it. Hawkfire turned, in a crouch, and grinned a M'gann. [Never bet against me. Trust me, you will lose.]
M'gann nodded, and followed the vigilante across the roof. Hawkfire stopped at the base of the plant, and hummed to herself. Then, she reached to her pouches, and pulled one off, handing it to M'gann. [These all blow up. Place them like this.]
A mental image of the plant, with little glowing dots all over the top half, entered M'ganns mind, and the martian grinned, getting the plan. She rose up higher, and started to plant the explosives. Meanwhile, Hawkfire drew her own shurikens from hidden compartments all over her uniform, and started to launch them upwards, sinking them into the plant.
[Done?]
Hawkfire nodded, expression blank, and flicked her hand over her shoulder, throwing a final explosive, without so much as a glance. It sunk into the final blank slot, and she grinned, stepping up to the edge of the roof, beside M'gann, who shimmered into view.
Below them, she saw Poison Ivy turn, seeing the explosives. She couldn't hear the woman, but she could imagine what she'd said. Without any emotion, she brought a single finger down on her opposing gauntlet, triggering the specially made bombs.
"Boom." she deadpanned, putting her hand on her hip. Ivy screamed, and summoned a wave of vines, the tips razor sharp. She sent them streaking towards the two girls. M'gann rose into the air, moving between Hawkfire and the plants, and slammed her hands forwards, creating a wall of telekinetic energy, that the plants shattered against.
Hawkfire turned, hearing something, and ducked the first swipe that Joker took at her head, standing back up instantly, and blocking him by the wrist, fingers wrapping around his wrist. His face was a sneer.
"Children." he snarled, and she narrowed her eyes at him. "Children foiled our plan! Not even your children!"
He brought up his foot, trying to knee Hawkfire in the gut, but she grabbed onto his wrist with both hands, and ducked under it, avoiding the kick and coming up on the other side, kicking out herself. She landed the hit on his hip, and dropped his hand, taking several steps back. He wasn't focused on M'gann at all, who was dealing with Ivy. He was zeroed in on Hawkfire, which was fine with her. She'd survive the encounter; the others wouldn't, not one on one. Joker was unpredictable, the only reason she could hold herself against him was practice. Fight someone enough, and you learned their tells.
And she was one of the best martial artists in the world.
That definitely helped.
She drew her own weapon, a kunai. Another Japanese weapon, her kunai had a three-dimensional diamond shaped blade, and a straight hilt, ending in a small circle, so that she could spin it around her finger.
She started to fight.
Fighting Joker took everything. You couldn't think of anything else, and you either were 150% focused on him, or in the zone, and she was in the first one, unfortunately. The battle was fast-paced, both combattants blurs, and Hawkfire slashed and stabbed, blocked and kicked and flipped and slid and spun, everything thrown into the moment. She punched at his face, and he blocked. She activated the fire on that hand, and he ducked out of the way, kicking at her shins.
Hawkfire flipped backwards, knees tucked in. She needed more space, so she did a back handspring the moment she landed, and then a backwards layout, boosting her distance with the jetpack, and landing in a fighting stance, kunai held defensively.
Joker wore an insane grin, and Hawkfire kept going.
She switched tactics, stepping in and kicking out sideways, directly at his chest. The move managed to catch him off guard, and started to use her arms more, letting her feet do the footwork on their own. She threw elbows, jabs, and didn't kick once, managing to grab in him a move from judo, and throw both of them off the roof.
There was a yell from someone, and she twisted in the air, letting go of the man, and firing a graphle. It jerked her arm, stopping her fall, and then she let go, landing feet first on Joker and slamming the hilt of her kunai into his temple, twice.
She coughed, sliding the kunai into her belt. Pulling out a set of handcuffs, she chained him up and stumbled off the man, managing to get several steps away before collapsing into the muck.
"Hawkfire!"
The shout came from Zatanna, who seemed - to Hawkfire's exhausted and slightly oxygen deprived brain - appear from nowhere.
"Hey." the magician said calmly, helping Hawkfire stand up. "You alright?'
The blond's ponytail had come loose, her hair tie gone again, and she sighed, holding one hand to her ribcage, near her waist. "Yeah. I'll be fine."
"Why don't I believe you?"
"Because my entire life is a lie." Hawkfire murmured, lowering her hand and standing up straight. "A lot like yours actually."
"My life isn't a lie."
Hawkfire scoffed, looking over at Zatanna. Then, she reached up, and ducked her head. Her fingers fiddled with the straps of her mask, and she removed it, shaking her hair loose of the strap that had held it on. She looked up at Zatanna, smiling faintly.
"You won't know me anyways." she said quietly, gesturing towards the black bruise flowering around her left eye. Her lip was split, and her nose slightly bloody. Her eyes were a dull green, almost grey. "I ain't nobody."
Zatanna had to admit, she didn't know who Hawkfire could be. With a sigh, the vigilante finger combed her hair back, and replaced her mask, fastening it around her hair, keeping it down, like the straps on swimming goggles did.
"The League." Artemis said, drawing everyone's attention to the sky, where indeed, the majority of the League was descending from. The Team members exchanged looks as the League landed, taking places around the clearing. Batwoman stepped forwards, surveying the damages.
"Report."
Hawkfire stood up straight, looking confident, and her hand slid out of Zatannas. "We encountered Vertigo, Black Adam and Poison Ivy upon arriving. Miss Martian and I, upon Aqualads orders, left the group, and were ordered to complete the mission. We encountered Ivy and Ultra-Humanite, managing to lose them, and set charges on the plant that was acting as an antenna. The rest of the team was captured by Wotan, Black Adam, and Count Vertigo, only to escape prior to the execution of the plant. We fought the Injustice League and managed to subdue them all."
The report was clean, efficient and to the point. Nothing more, nothing less.
Batwoman nodded. "Good."
(1) I'm aware of the fact that Kate and Bruce are cousins, but they told the JL that they're siblings, for extra identity protection. I'm sure that people would ask if they're married during interviews and such, and unless they were like, 'we're related' they'd be shipping them and such. (Not that that stops people, ew.) So they just tell the public they're siblings.
(2) This is referring to hours, not minutes.
(3) This is something I actually do, a friend showed me it. I'm not sure how it works, but it does, and it helps. I think it dislodges part of the water that gets trapped between your eyeball and eyelids, but I could definitely be wrong, so don't take my word for it. And it works better if you close your eyes, surface, tap, then open your eyes.
(4) Yep. The yell is from martial arts, and that is the reason, and it does work like that. Seriously, I'm not joking, it's not just films and TV. If someone is't making noise when they fight, either they're crazy, haven't been traditionally trained, or are mute. In my experience. That or scared to yell.