One Year Later: Of Lions and Hawks
Shayera flew above Midway City and surveyed the horizon that made the National Park. A year had passed since she arrived on Earth. Shayera continued to be the hero of Midway City and has made it into one of the safest places of America. Her brute and heavy-hitting fighting techniques have made her infamous in the criminal underworld. Her armor gave her an intimidating appearance and the face behind the mask has been the subject between many conversations. Kendra had a fun time showing Shayera the many sketches people have made of her and several came close to figuring out her actual appearance. The hunt for the Unconfirmed Artifact #52 and the Hyper Bypass Blueprints continued to elude them for too long that Shayera and Kendra had focused most of their attentions away from their initial mission and began to serve as actual police officers full time. Shayera had once again earned the rank of Captain in the Police Force and continued to serve the city.
Her mace however earned a title as being one of the most dangerous weapons on the planet. The one time a thug got his hands on her mace, he was electrocuted to death on the spot. Many investigations were made on her mace and it was revealed that Thanagarians have a high tolerance for electricity and the mace was a conductor that went beyond the possible 200,000-mili amps. When Shayera was questioned, she explained that as long as the mace was in her hand then she was able to control the level of amps that was constantly flowing through the mace. If she was nowhere near it, then chances are the current will be too deadly for any one to try and get a grip on. The only reason Bruce was able to hold the mace was because when Shayera had the mace in her hand the first night on Earth, she had the setting low that allowed him to grip the mace. It didn't help that the United States Government wanted to grab hold of her mace, but Shayera had patiently explained that her mace was to be used to protect and serve, never to be used as a weapon of destruction.
Shayera remembered the time she met Lex Luthor, a 'benevolent' businessman who offered her millions of dollars in exchange for the chance to study the mace for a whole month. Shayera agreed only if the money was to be donated to the Midway City Police Department, the General Hospital, and the Museum. Once the deal had been made, Shayera relinquished her mace for the month. When it was returned, she could recall the sour look on Luthor's face when he returned it. As it turned out when Bruce informed her later, Luthor had attempted to use the mace on Superman. While the mace proved to successful against Superman, Luthor could do nothing else with it aside from conducting the electricity to Superman. He had tried to recreate the weapon but Shayera always kept the elements of Nth metal a secret from everybody. Trying to dismantle the weapon proved to be deadly even with the use of machines, so Luthor was forced to return it to Hawkgirl as part of the agreement.
Shayera had spent the past year on Earth trying to assimilate with the people, but her homesickness often caused her to become reclusive and silent to all except to her friends. She recalls the many invitations she had received from Tim to come over to the mansion and she spent her evenings with him watching movies and helping him train along with Barbara and Dick. Shayera would occasionally join Bruce on missions out of Midway and Gotham. She would often spend more time with Kendra and Emmett during her patrols and had even met Emmett's wife and Kendra's aunt, Alice. The kind woman was delighted when Shayera showed fluency in the Spanish language and Shayera always made sure to greet the woman with an 'Hola'.
Shayera would often think of her younger brother Hektar and often fantasized about his possible future. She recalled many memories and she would often sink into a deep level of depression as she thought of her parents, who no doubt had probably lit a funeral pyre for her as the year had passed. Shayera still dreams of the day when she will be able to return home. Would her family still be the same? Has she changed? It really was difficult to say about the amount of changes that might have happened to her. For the past year, Shayera learned more about law enforcement than Thanagar could hope to learn. Shayera dreams of the day where she would be able to help her home planet and make life at least a bit easier to live at home while the war goes on… or at least Shayera thinks it is still going on.
Shayera was still hovering over the city when she heard her walkie-talkie blare to life and heard Commissioner Emmett order, "Bank Robbery in progress. Be advised, Lion Mane is in the vicinity, proceed with caution. Possible hostages may be in play." Shayera flared her wings and dove down in the direction of the bank. Lion Mane was an adversary that Shayera had the misfortune of five months ago. One of the leading archeologists of the Midway City Museum, Edward Dawson, had come across a mystical meteor that had converted him into a lion-human hybrid. Shayera had a hell of a time taking him down and it took a couple of blows to the head that knocked Ed Dawson unconscious and taken to prison owned by a government branch called ARGUS. Shayera arrived at the scene to see gunned goons shooting at the parked police officers and she quickly dove down in the middle of the firefight facing the goons. She had her mace charged and slammed it into the ground, creating an electric current towards the goons. They fell unconscious after getting blasted off their feet and officers ran towards them, handcuffing them while paramedics surveyed the damage. Shayera was positive that the only damage done to them would be easily recoverable. Shayera turned to the bank and walked inside. "Hawkgirl! Wait!" she heard Commissioner Gordon yell out.
"What is it sir?" she asked.
"Lion Mane has about five hostages inside. Two Bank Tellers and three security guards." informed Emmett.
"What would you have me do?" she asked, worried that time might pass before Lion Mane decided that he had no use for hostages.
"We're sending you in with Detective Grubs. We need to proceed with caution on this. He's taken the hostages to the safe and we don't know more from what the security cameras could feed us." said Emmett as he gestured for Detective Grubs to move forward. Shayera greeted the detective with a nod and said, "Let's go."
They walked into the bank cautiously and heard whimpers coming from behind the teller's desks. "So, Hawkgirl," said Detective Grubs as they slowly walked in, careful not to make a sound, "You're often partnered up with Detective Saunders. Do you happen to know what restaurant she likes?" Shayera glanced at his nervous posture and could tell that he was trying to lighten up the tension. It was no secret to her that Detective Grubs and Kendra shared similar feelings of affection for each other and Shayera had promised not to say a word to Emmett until Kendra and Grubs were comfortable enough in their budding relationship. As far as Shayera could tell on Earth customs, they have yet to have an official courtship. Shayera was almost envious at the affection the two had for each other. She could recall her childhood friend Hro who she once believed would have made a suitable husband, but their career choices drifted them apart to friendly acquaintances until they were complete strangers the last time they met.
They walked further into the bank and Grubs signaled to her to be ready for an attack as they approached the closed door. Shayera gripped her mace and they slowly opened the door. Lion Mane stood there glaring at the newcomers; his feline head and hands were the first physical attributes to notice. Ed Dawson was once a handsome man, but after his encounter with the meteor he was more animal than man. Dawson's first attempt to murder innocent people was also his last before Shayera intervened. People were injured but none had died, luckily. His eyes though were what unnerved Shayera. The first time she faced him, his eyes were animals. Right now, Shayera could see his eyes were now more human but… there was something else in there.
"Edward Dawson. This is the Midway City Police Department. I hereby place you under arrest for kidnapping and robbery." said Detective Grubs as he moved forward with his gun pointed at Lion Mane. Shayera noticed that Lion Mane was on the other side of the room while the hostages were huddled in a corner on the other side, away from Lion Mane. Shayera hid her confusion behind her mask and walked between the hostages and Lion Mane, wanting to be safe than sorry. Lion Mane's eyes had followed her as she walked between him and the hostages, unnerving Shayera on the inside but she remained cool on the outside. Detective Grubs continued to keep his gun on Lion Mane while he gestured to the hostages to the door. The frightened people ran out of the room and only Detective Grubs, Hawkgirl, and Lion Mane remained. Lion Mane remained standing, not ever moving except for his eyes that remained fixated on Shayera.
Detective Grubs noticed Lion Mane's fixation and could see from Hawkgirl's grip on her mace, she was unnerved. "Alright, Dawson. Place your hands above your head and we are going to walk out of here quietly and calmly." Lion Mane refused to move though, but Shayera noticed his eyes immediately slitting into a feral look. Shayera only had seconds to react and swiftly stood between Detective Grubs and Lion Mane, who had launched with surprising speed at Grubs. Shayera charged her mace and knocked Lion Mane back into the wall. Lion Mane quickly sprung back up with his feline reflexes and flipped over Shayera. He made a grab at Grubs, who opened fire at the Meta and signaling to all other officers outside to be prepared. Shayera grabbed Lion Mane's mane and threw him against the wall opposite of Grubs.
"GET OUT!" she screamed at Grubs, who ran out of the building intent to inform Emmett to get the forces ready. Shayera knocked Lion Mane again back as he attempted to charge at her. He had managed to grab onto her wing armor and he pulled her with him as they broke through the wall. They landed outside the building in an alley. Shayera unfortunately landed on her wings, causing pain to shoot up to her head and blinding her vision. Shayera could hear in the distant Emmett shouting orders and ordering his officers to keep bystanders back. She heard Lion Mane get up and quickly got up, only to be knocked against the wall.
"You bitch," snarled Lion Mane, "Five months in that hell hole. I had to put up with idiots who dare order me around. I am a god! I have been to more sites in this world than any other man in this world! I deserved more than the shoddy recognition that has been handed to me! And now I have the power to receive the right that has been mine!"
"You tried to kill innocent people for the sake of your blood lust," said Shayera as she dodged his swing, "You deserve nothing but the punishment that was handed to you." She backhanded him across the face and with her talon hands she managed to blind him in one eye. He cried out in pain and began to swing wildly, trying to hit Shayera. She managed to dodge most of his swings and tried to retaliate but her arm was suddenly in the mouth of Lion Mane. Shayera was thankful for the armor as his fangs only managed to dent the armor, but not pierce it. He tried to bite her again but Shayera sent her mace straight into his face, knocking him down. Shayera charged her mace and began to knock him back towards the police line, where she could see Grubs and Emmett getting the tranquilizers out. Shayera managed to knock Lion Mane in the middle of the police line where they immediately opened fire. Shayera could see at least a dozen tranquilizers attached to Lion Mane, who began to limp around in haze. Shayera kept her eyes on him, ready for anything but he fell to the ground with a snore and was out-cold.
Shayera relaxed from her battle stance as officers began to secure Lion Mane in special handcuffs and she heard the sound of a helicopter nearby. She looked up to see the words ARGUS painted on the side and when the helicopter landed, heavily armored soldiers stormed out and took Lion Mane away from police hands. They loaded him into the helicopter while an African American woman walked her way towards Commissioner Emmett. Shayera did her best to blend in to the background; she always felt uneasy wherever this woman was concerned. After all, Shayera heard many stories revolving around Amanda Waller from Bruce, who seemed to be on a sort of rivalry with the government woman.
"I would like to thank you for capturing Lion Mane for us. I was about to call in for more backup in the event that we arrived too late." said Waller as she shook hands with Emmett. "No problem ma'am, just wanting to minimize the damage." said Emmett. The two started to discuss future cooperation together when Shayera spotted the Kendra breaking through the police line and embracing Grubs, earning catcalls from nearby officers and bystanders. Shayera blinked in surprise at her open display of affection right in front of her uncle, who had turned to see the commotion. Shayera turned to see Emmett turning red in the face and had to detain her smile at the comical display. Shayera could see Amanda Waller leaving with the ARGUS agents and she decided to fly away now before she had to witness Emmett's meltdown. Tonight was far from a peaceful night, but it ended well and Shayera was ready to call it a good night.
Two Years since Crash-Landing: Electric vs. Flight and Words Beyond the Grave
Shayera honestly couldn't tell where to go. At the moment, the high-speed chase in the city ended up taking her to the National Park, where a woman with electrical abilities had just managed to rob the Midway City National Bank and had made an attempt on Emmett's life while escaping. This woman who goes by the name of Livewire, who was a native of Metropolis, had robbed the Midway Bank because she thought she could take on Hawkgirl instead of Superman. Shayera took offense that this woman thinks that Hawkgirl was a pushover and immediately went on the offensive once she had set her sights on her. Of course, that was before she experienced first hand Livewire's abilities. Shayera wasn't as a effected by Livewire's electrical bursts, but the power behind the energy was enough to slow Shayera down during their fight in the bank.
Shayera had managed to push the fight outside the bank where Livewire dropped the money and made her escape through the telephone wires that were spread out across the city. Livewire had discharged a large burst of electricity towards Emmett and Shayera only had time to use her body as a shield and absorbed the blast. The power was enough to make Shayera grunt in pain even through her armor.
"Are you all right?" she asked Emmett.
"Yes! Hawkgirl, get her before she breaks out of the city and we lose her!" said Emmett.
She quickly took to the skies to follow the energy light that was Livewire. Shayera used her mace as a conductor and had managed to protect many citizens who were minding their own business from Livewire's attacks. Shayera used her mace to slowly drain Livewire of her own energy and it got to the point where Livewire had to resort to stealing a car in order to make her escape out of the city. Shayera followed Livewire into the National Park, but found to her disadvantage that Livewire hid beneath the trees while Shayera flew over it.
Now here she was on the ground, attempting to track the runaway convict and take her to jail or at the very least the ARGUS agents who were often present during times of the meta-humans violence. Shayera studied the ground carefully and discovered footprints leading deeper into the park where Shayera found herself surrounded by a thicket of trees. She looked up to see the night sky had turned into pitch darkness as the tree branches and leaves were thick enough to blot out the moonlight and the stars. Shayera cautiously proceeded to follow the tracks and managed to make out the luminous blue glow that seemed to associate with Livewire. Shayera gripped her mace and made her way towards the light. She tried her best to make soft footsteps and slowly turned around the corner of the tree to find Livewire attempting to find direction.
"Livewire," called out Shayera, "Turn yourself in now peacefully and we can avoid further violence."
"You must be pretty stupid if you think I'm going to turn myself in peacefully," said Livewire as she faced Shayera and began to charge up, "I've heard stories about you and I don't think you're so tough."
"Clearly you must have believed the lies then because if I wasn't as tough as you perceived me to be, then you wouldn't have run away." said Shayera, gripping her mace. Livewire snarled and let out an energy burst that knocked Shayera off her feet but she quickly regained her footing and moved her mace to absorb the blast. With every electric blast Livewire made, she was slowly losing energy and she knew it. It got to the point where Livewire made one last desperate blast, that Shayera was blinded for a few seconds at the intensity of light and electricity that was thrown in the air. Shayera felt her mace vibrate at the amount of energy it was absorbing and even she had a hard time resisting the electricity.
When things calmed down and she regained her vision back, Shayera remained standing while Livewire was on the floor unconscious. Shayera quickly examined Livewire and was relieved to find her still breathing. She looked around the area and found that Livewire made serious damages to the trees and cliffs that surrounded them. She leveled the area about a good mile long and scorch marks were testimony that trees had once stood in the area. Shayera grimaced at the sight, hoping that her avian friends were nowhere near the mile-long blast. Shayera had quickly made allies with the avian species that lived in the National Park and they have often proved to be wonderful allies as they helped her spy and track on criminals whenever they were in the city.
Shayera gently grabbed Livewire's arm and slung it over her neck, carrying Livewire as though she were weightless. Shayera flapped her wings and took up into the sky and looked back on the ground briefly to spot a flash of metal underneath the dirt. Shayera nearly landed to investigate but remembered that she was carrying an unconscious criminal that needed to be returned to prison. She flew back to the direction of Midway City and decided to investigate later. The area wouldn't be too difficult to locate again as Shayera has often flew over it during her breaks and recognized it as one of the most isolated places in the park. Not even the park rangers ventured into that part of the park. Shayera was thankful when the city came into view and flew faster to greet Emmett, who was waiting for her along with another group of officers that were not of Midway or of ARGUS.
"Hawkgirl, these men are from Stryker's Island Penitentiary," said Emmett as he introduced Shayera to the group of armed men, "They are here to collect a certain escaped convict." Shayera gently Livewire over to the medical of the men and after deeming Livewire properly well, just exhausted, they made their leave back to Metropolis."
"They seemed to be in such a hurry." remarked Shayera, as she watched them speed away from Midway City. Emmett actually chuckled and said, "I made a bet with the gentlemen that you would return unharmed from your fight. They seemed to believe that no one else aside from Superman could escape unscathed from Livewire."
"Livewire made the same assumption earlier. I never really made further research into this Superman. Who is he?" asked Shayera. Emmett shrugged and said, "Can't really tell you much. Only thing the world knows is that he was brought here from Krypton and—"
"KRYPTON?" yelled Shayera as she felt her wings flare in agitation. She felt nervous and tense as she thought of a Kryptonian living in the same planet that she's stranded on.
"Yeah, what's the matter?"
"You let a Kryptonian in your planet?"
"Well it hardly seems like anyone can do anything-"
"Kick him out! Kryptonians are conquerors and enslavers! They almost conquered Thanagar during our times of peace had it not been for the Tamaranians."
"Listen, Shayera. I'm pretty sure he's not going to conquer the whole world. As far as I can remember, I think he admitted to being the last of his kind." explained Emmett, wanting her to calm down. She looked caged and terrified. Shayera listened to Emmett and said, "How long has he been on this Earth?"
"He claims to have been sent here as a baby and was raised to be an honest citizen."
"I don't believe him."
"Neither do I, but so long as he stays in Metropolis, then I'm fine."
"Do… do you still want me here even with your beliefs on unique individuals?"
"I hold my feelings when it comes to vigilantes and heroes who think they know better than the cops. You're all right in my books, Shayera, because you actually do things by the book and if you feel that a certain course is better, you actually acknowledge your superiors and wait until you're given the green light."
Shayera gave him a grateful smile and said, "Thank you."
Emmett gave her a genuine smile and said, "Anytime, Shayera. By the way, Alice wants me to invite you over to dinner. Please come over, I don't want to be sitting there in the silence if Grubs comes over."
"You certainly proved to be quite rational over Kendra's new courtship with Grubs." remarked Shayera.
"It's not a courtship. They are just seeing each other." grumbled Emmett. Shayera gave him a small pitying smile at his reaction to his niece dating one of his detectives, but she nodded her agreement. It was on their way to the police station that Shayera was reminded of the flash of metal in the National Park.
"Emmett, is there anything unique about the National Park?" she asked.
"Nothing much. That park is actually a pretty recent national landmark. I think it's been declared a landmark after the Doom Patrol went out of commission." said Emmett, not noticing Shayera still as the Absorbascon filled her head of information about the Doom Patrol: a superhero team that met their demise in 1968.
"The Doom Patrol took shelter in Midway?" asked Shayera. Emmett scoffed and said, "From the stories my father told me, they never once stepped foot in Midway. They were often more concerned with villainous affairs outside the city. We just knew they were here by the apparent fights they took outside the city." Shayera could feel her eyebrows raise at this new information. A Superhero team? One that consisted of more than two unique humans working together?
"What happened to them?" she asked.
"My father never really told me what happened. It's just… one day people realized that the Doom Patrol was no longer around Midway and that's that. Life moved on." said Emmett. Shayera took his words in consideration and decided to investigate the park tomorrow after her shift with Kendra. She followed Emmett to his home where she recounted her fight with Livewire in Spanish to Alice, who listened with extreme interest while Emmett glowered at the cowering Grubs throughout dinner.
By the time it was evening the next day, Shayera investigated the site of the battle from yesterday. She touched the metal ground and lightly tapped it. The hollow echo signaled to Shayera that the ground beneath her might hold a secret tunnel… great. Shayera raised her mace high above her head and with a cry, smashed the ground below her. To her great surprise, she landed in a spacious hallway. Shayera looked around to see electrical units damaged over time and upon closer inspection, she recognized battle scars all along the hallways, signaling that a massive battle had taken place within these hallways. Shayera turned the mace on its lowest setting so the electric current could light the hallway up and not interfere with the damage circuitry. Shayera walked down the hallway where the battle scars became more violent and she stopped in front of a door. Shayera could see that whatever battle had taken place in this secret hideout it was quite possibly the final battle.
Shayera took a deep breath and smashed the door down. She felt her wings shudder and the blood drain from her face as she stood in the remains of the final battle. Skeletons decorated the floor and Shayera spotted several of them missing heads or other limbs. She carefully walked around the skeletons and observed the room. There were only four skeletons with purple and black uniforms and the rest were wearing battle armor. Shayera looked around again to spot a robotic humanoid with a gaping hole in its chest. She looked inside it to see melted wires and circuitry, ensuring that this robot never booted back up. Shayera looked to see a computer panel that wasn't damaged and walked over to it. She hit the keypad a couple of times until the computer blared to life. Shayera looked at the screen to see that only a voice recording was left on the desktop and she moved the small mouse to open it.
"Hello? Testing… testing. All right. This is The Chief of the Doom Patrol and I'll be logging in behalf of the team one last final time. Our mission to prevent the Brotherhood of Evil from creating a black hole above Midway City has been fulfilled, but unfortunately we have brought their wrath upon us for what might possibly be the final time. I am with Mento, Robotman 2.0, Elasti-Girl, and Negative Man and we are barricaded in our lounge, awaiting the final assault from the last living member of the Brotherhood, General Immortus. The evil genius has managed to escape our trans-dimensional dislocator and is currently hacking into our system. We managed to lose them in our maze, but for how long we cannot say. We don't regret our decision in interfering with the Brotherhood of Evil. We knew what we were getting ourselves into and we face our fate with heads held high and a determination to end this once and for all. This is the Doom Patrol signing out one final time... Good-Bye."
Shayera felt tears run down her face as she heard the last brave words of the leader of the team. Shayera looked around again to see that the purple-black uniformed skeletons were the doomed members. She spotted two skeletons holding hands with each other and silently mourned for them. A skeleton wrapped in bandages caught her vision and she gently grabbed it and laid it down next to the other skeletons. The skeleton in the wheelchair, the Chief, was wheeled next to his fallen comrades. Shayera moved the remains of Robotman 2.0 and made sure he was near his team members. Shayera looked at the fallen heroes and mourned for them but felt a sense of wonderment for them as well. These five unique individuals faced their final hours together without falling apart and Shayera felt humbled to be in their presence. An idea formed in Shayera's head and she quickly left the underground fortress and flew up into the night sky towards Midway City.
Mavis was beyond thrilled when Shayera had recounted her discovery to her. Mavis immediately grabbed all available archeologists, volunteers, and curators to help her and Hawkgirl. It took many weeks and generous donations by one Bruce Wayne to successfully build and create a new exhibition at the Midway City Museum: The Doom Patrol, Midway's First and Finest Heroes. It was the biggest opening to any exhibit that ever happened to Midway City. Not only did it bring tourists from all around, but it also attracted the attention of many current heroes. Shayera made sure to avoid the crowds, not feeling comfortable at being surrounded by many people. She hid up in the attic and waited until the Museum closed for the night and crept down to get her own private tour.
The exhibit was large and spacious, exhibiting many of the retro technology that the Doom Patrol used during their days of heroism. Shayera looked at the display case that exhibited the Doom Patrols uniforms, restored in their former glory. Shayera remembered asking Mavis to place the uniforms of Elasti-Girl and Mento together, not wanting to separate the couple even after death. Robotman 2.0's exterior shell was put on display next to the uniforms of the human members of the Doom Patrol. The Doom Patrol's skeletons were laid to rest in a large mausoleum in the Midway City Cemetery, where many visitors often laid flowers in respect to the fallen heroes. Shayera looked at the photo of the Doom Patrol that she had found in one of the offices of the Underground fortress. They were a youthful bunch and looked like they easily got along. She smiled sadly at the picture and walked back to her home, hoping within her that she can protect this city with the same ferocity they did.
Three years since Crash-landing: Mobsters and Marriage
Shayera flew down below to the docks and folded her wings back in order to try and appear small. Of course when you have grey wings covered in gold armor, then chances of appearing small are almost nonexistent. Shayera quietly began to investigate the crates and carriers, hoping to find a break in the case that had been handed to her, Kendra, and Grubs. Mob Boss Harrison had been acquitted of his crimes two years ago by 'new found' evidence that pointed to a poor frightened man who admitted to the crimes of murder and robbery. Emmett didn't believe him and neither did Shayera, but with the evidence proving otherwise Mob Boss Harrison was let go scot-free.
When recent activities in the docks began to surface pointing at Mob Boss Harrison, Emmett had given the case to Shayera, Kendra, and Grubs in the hopes that they might find evidence where they can once and for all put Harrison away forever. An increase of cocaine and heroine had been hitting the streets of Midway City and Emmett believes Harrison is behind it. They just need the evidence. Shayera read the names on the crates hoping to find the shipment from Harrison's delivery. Shayera had used the Absorbascon to search for any suspicious shipment made in the harbor and it provided with information about a delivery made to Harrison's warehouse. Shayera had immediately presented her findings to Emmett, who had given the orders to investigate on the spot.
"Hawkgirl. Come in." she heard the walkie-talkie say. Shayera lifted the radio to her ear and said, "I'm here."
"We need to be real careful here. We don't have a warrant for this and everything can fall apart if you get caught." she heard Grubs say over the radio.
"This is stupid. Let me go in, Hawkgirl can cover me from above and you can cover me from below. Or how about you go in? It's honestly easier since both of us don't have wings." she heard Kendra say on the other end.
"Absolutely not." said Hawkgirl immediately.
"Why not?" Kendra said.
"You and Grubs are getting married in two months. This is dangerous and potentially deadly. I promised to attend a ceremony of happiness not of mourning." said Shayera. It was silent on the other end and Shayera hoped that Grubs and Kendra could understand. Shayera is still struggling with her homesickness and the announcement of the marriage between Kendra Saunders and Andrew Grubs had actually lifted Shayera's spirits. It also gave her cause to worry when she began to realize the dangers of having them with her. After the Lion Mane and Livewire episode, Shayera realized that the more criminals she put away the more likely it was that they would target her upon breaking out of prison or getting released. She had already fought against villains who go by the codenames of Luminous, Killer Frost, and many more. Shayera began to take the risky jobs while insuring that Grubs and Kendra stayed out of danger.
"I appreciate the protection Hawkgirl, but we're adults! We can make our own choices and decisions about our lives." said Grubs.
"I don't doubt it. But I have seen you two together and I don't want anything to separate you two from happiness," said Shayera while thinking "Like how I was ripped from mine."
Kendra and Grubs gave each other loving eyes as they thought over Hawkgirl's words. In two months, they can finally be together officially. It took a lot of courage from Grubs to ask his own boss for his blessings, but even Emmett could see the obvious devotion they had for each other. Kendra and Grubs got themselves comfortable and waited with knots in their stomachs as they waited for Hawkgirl to report in. Shayera meanwhile was having a difficult time locating the crates. Harrison's ship The Beautiful Day was visible in the docks, but the crates were difficult to track. Movement from a warehouse light caught her eye and she noticed a group of men waiting in the shadows.
They have yet to see her, so Shayera quickly flew high above into the clouds and silently dove down on top of the warehouse. Shayera thanked the seven heavens that the moon was not out and that it was a particularly cloudy night. The marine layer added an extra cover for her armor and she folded her wings over as a form of blanket so she can observe more quietly. Shayera heard them talking and immediately took out the tape recorder that Emmett had given to her.
"When is Harrison getting here?"
"I don't know. He said to be here tonight and I'm not one to go against his orders."
"I don't like this. Why are we even doing this?"
"We need the money, Johnson. Harrison has promised us that tonight will be the night."
"Hello boys."
Shayera looked to see Harrison arriving at the scene with two heavily armed men. Shayera hoped that whatever was to be discussed tonight would finally implicate Harrison for a lifetime in jail.
"Where's the shipment?"
"It's already on The Beautiful Day. We're ready for shipment to Gotham and Central City."
"Good work gentlemen. The Triad was most displeased the last time I was… kept busy. We can finally get back to business."
"Aren't you worried about Hawkgirl or the Commissioner?"
"With the latest hackers, I doubt they even know we have around $500,000 worth of heroin in these crates. I made sure to have our technicians bounce the shipment around until they are confused to even try and implement us."
Shayera could feel her heart quicken in excitement. This was all the evidence she needed to put Harrison away behind bars. Shayera quickly flew up in the air and hid above the clouds. She made her way towards where Grubs and Kendra were parked and placed the tape recorder safely in the armor pocket. Shayera swooped down to where she last saw Grubs and Kendra and panicked when she saw that they were in the middle of a gunfight with Harrison's men. Shayera grabbed her mace and swooped down and slammed her mace on the ground in the direction of Harrison's goons. The electric current disabled Harrison's men and Shayera only had time to pass the recorder to Kendra's hand when a car screeched around the corner.
"GET THIS TO EMMETT!" yelled Shayera as she flew towards the speeding car with her mace in hand. Kendra and Grubs dove back into the car and drove away to safety as they made their way towards the Police Department. Shayera had slammed her mace on the speeding car and crushed its engines. It didn't stop the men in the car though from shooting her. Shayera flew up in the air and cried out in pain as a bullet managed to pierce through her left wing. Shayera fell to the ground and hid behind a dumpster as the men on the ground continued to open fire at her. Shayera folded her wings back carefully and looked around to spot a sniper taking refuge on top of the building across from her. Shayera quickly ran around the building and avoided the bullets that were being shot in her direction. Shayera thanked the seven heavens that they were nowhere near the city.
Shayera powered up her mace again and managed to send a wave of electricity in the direction of the shooters. She could hear them cry out in pain but didn't stop running until she was safely behind a barricade. Shayera was sure that she had enough distance between herself and the sniper and slowly peeked out. Sure enough, there were too many blockades for the sniper to take a shot at her and she watched him move from his position. Shayera knew that the shooters from the ground were incapacitated so she barreled through the wall of the building she was hiding behind. It was an empty fish cannery and Shayera climbed up the stairs to where the main offices were. She could hear the doors down below slamming open and heard Harrison's voice, "FIND THAT BITCH! I WANT HER DEAD!"
Shayera struggled to move quietly with her armor but she knocked aside empty crates, the noise echoing throughout the building. "SHE'S UPSTAIRS!" Shayera heard Harrison yell. Shayera gasped in pain as more blood flowed out of her wing. Shayera figured that she could easily escape if she used the mace to actually kill the killers, but that would bring too much problems for the Midway City Police Department and to her own psych. Shayera always prided herself in using heavy force to incapacitate but never to kill. Shayera heard footsteps coming in her direction and gripped the mace with force. As soon as she was sure they were around the corner, Shayera absorbed all the electricity that her mace had and sent it on the ground, hoping that the electricity might incapacitate the would-be killers.
It worked, but Shayera soon discovered that the fish cannery was possibly the oldest building in Midway City, where mold and rot was eating away at the building's structure. Shayera felt the building beginning to collapse and looked at the prone forms of Harrison and his sniper. She quickly got up and grabbed each other by the collar of their shirts. She sprinted down the stairs, avoiding debris as she barreled through the wall of the collapsing building. She ran until she was a good safe distant away from the cannery and panted heavily as she felt her vision blur. She had lost too much blood. Shayera could hear sirens in the distance but collapsed. She looked up to see Kendra, Grubs, Emmett and paramedics show up. She weakly got up but collapsed to her knees. Kendra and Grubs ran to her side while Emmett and the paramedics surveyed the other two unconscious killers.
"Hawkgirl? Are you all right? Shit! You're bleeding!" cried out Kendra. Grubs ran over to the paramedics and they quickly patched up her bleeding wound. Shayera gasped out, "Water." Kendra ran over to her car and came back with bottled water. Shayera drank from it as she watched them take Harrison and his sniper away. Shayera gasped in relief that her night is over. By the time everything was done, Emmett and Kendra took Shayera to their home where they could keep a better eye on the recovering Thanagarian. A week has passed and Shayera felt restored to her former glory. Emmett had informed her that with her evidence, they were able to put Harrison away in Iron Heights Prison for life. As Shayera soared above the air, she was content to know that her involvement had helped out a dangerous man behind bars.
Two Months Later
Shayera stood in the back of the church, watching happily as Kendra and Grubs kissed in celebration of their union. She watched as the happy couple walked down the church, accepting congratulations and blessings from their friends and family. She had already gifted Kendra and Grubs their wedding present, the weapons attached to their body, shining brightly. Shayera had handcrafted a combat knife for Kendra and a small battle-axe for Grubs using chromium metal. Bruce assured Shayera that the chromium is a durable metal and she was content to know that they appreciated her present. She watched as the reception took place outside the church and was content at eating her pie and conversing with Emmett and Alice until it was time for the happy couple to leave for their honeymoon. Shayera had no doubt that they will be happy in their life and flew up into the night sky, content at flying in the stars.
Four Years since Crash-Landing: Frenemy?
Shayera soared above the clouds with Tim on her back as the sun was setting on the ocean horizon, shouting in exuberance as they flew above the clouds. Shayera made it a priority to often visit Batman and his family during the past four years as a show of her friendship for them. Tim always looked forward to her visits; often asking for flight rides much to Bruce's disapproval. Shayera never could say no to Tim though. He reminded her so much of her brother Hektar, who she always thought of along with her parents. Four years wasn't enough to quell the homesickness that Shayera felt for her home world and family, but between spending time with Emmett and his family and spending time with Bruce and his family Shayera was at least happy to be a part of either flock.
Shayera dove down and pulled up last minute as the ocean waves beneath them crashed down. Tim was having the time of his life. He was secretly working on a project that will eventually give him his own ability to fly alongside Shayera. He knew that as the years passed, he was growing too big for Shayera to carry on her back so he hoped that he can have his own set of wings ready so he can fly beside Shayera, who he was quickly looking up to as an older sibling much like Dick and Barbara. They flew down to one of the many secret entrances to the Batcave and settled down as night rolled in. Tim began to recount his day before Shayera had arrived and Shayera smiled and listened to his days in school and training as she removed her mask. The Batcave and Emmett's house were the only places Shayera felt comfortable enough to remove her mask. After explaining the reasons as to why she has a mask to Emmett and Alice, Alice had always made sure to give Shayera a hug and comfort. Shayera and Tim waited for Bruce to arrive when red alarms began to bleep in the computer screen.
Bruce Wayne drove into his driveway and greeted Alfred before going back to business. Bruce sighed deeply, troubled over the latest theft in Wayne Enterprises. The Deep Space Communicator was stolen last night and it was the last piece of technology that was going to be installed in the Deep Space Monitoring Program. With it, humans of Earth would be able to communicate with life forms outside of the solar system. Something that can be beneficial for a certain winged individual who is looking for a way back home. The only working model was stolen and the scientists and engineers behind the construction of the machine were gunned down while the blueprints and servers were destroyed. Whoever stole it, wanted to be the only one with the working model. Bruce and Alfred made their way to the Batcave where a red alarm was sounding. Bruce quickly changed into his suit and met with Tim and Shayera, who were both looking at the monitor.
"Shayera." greeted Bruce.
"Bruce. Alfred." greeted Shayera when she turned to see Batman and Alfred.
"What's going on?" asked Bruce as Tim typed into the computer to check the trouble.
"Joker." said Tim simply. Shayera watched as Bruce tensed up and Tim remained grim. The Absorbascon fed her news articles and even medical records of the Joker.
"Where is he?" asked Bruce.
"He seems to be sneaking into the Gotham University Observatory." said Tim.
"He must have stolen the Deep Space Communicator then." said Bruce as he walked towards the Batmobile. Tim followed as Alfred took a seat on the computer chair.
"Hey, Shayera! You coming?" yelled Tim from the passenger seat. Shayera looked at Bruce for permission and at his nod, she put her mask back on and flew after them. Shayera had participated in enough missions with Bruce to know the basic layout of Gotham City. The Gotham University was at the center of the city and Shayera could see the Space Program Building from a mile out. Based on the articles and records of the Joker, he would often commit crime in order to have a laugh. Shayera cannot see the fun in harming other people to have fun, so she decided to stick close to Bruce and Tim in order to properly handle the villain.
Batman and Robin stopped outside the building and quietly sneaked in the building, Robin holding the window open for Hawkgirl to sweep in quietly. Batman quietly signaled for her to go down one hallway while he and Robin went down the other. So many different posters hung on the walls of the hallway that the Absorbascon began to feed her useless information. Shayera grunted in frustration and removed the Absorbascon and clipped it to her side.
Shayera was glad that the hallways were spacious enough for her wings. Her nervousness was already at a high since having to fly in through the small window. Shayera then heard a light-hearted giggle from behind her. She turned to see a woman of her age just staring at her with a wide smile on her face. She had bleached skin that made her skin ivory. One half of her hair was red while the other was black, making her already bright skin brighter. She had a domino mask on and was wearing a black and red corset with diamonds decorating it. She wore fishnet stockings and small black shorts with knee high boots. Her eyes though were a baby blue that seemed to electrify in the light. Shayera honestly felt more nervous having her stare at her with those intense eyes than being in a claustrophobic room.
"May I help you?" asked Shayera, nervous about the woman's stare.
"Sure. Mind telling me why you're here?" said the woman.
"Why are you here?" retorted Shayera.
"Noooooo, I asked first." said the woman in a childish tone.
"I'm here for an investigation. And you?"
"I'm here to… clean up some stuff for myself."
"Who are you?"
"My name is Harleen Quinzel, but you can call me Harley Quinn."
"Harlequin? Like the clown?"
"Well you know, I do like to laugh every now and then. And I know who you are. You're the Hawkgirl from Midway."
Shayera looked at the woman curiously. It looked as though she posed no threat but Shayera was still nervous. "You're here with the bats aren't you?" said Harley bluntly. Shayera balked in surprise and the woman cackled at her reaction. "Oh wow! I didn't think he'd accept help from your kind!"
"My kind?"
"You know! Superhuman or alien! I've seen Batman's reactions to having super powered heroes in Gotham. He hates sharing his city."
"You seem to have encountered Batman up close. Are you his ally?"
"Jeez no! He hates me! And I… kinda hate him I guess. I've just moved to New York actually and I came by to get some last minute things… but don't tell anyone that you saw me here."
"If you are no ally, then I assume you are an enemy?"
"No! Well… I guess, but that's only if you want to tango with my mallet. Otherwise, I think we can be friends." Shayera was honestly floored by Harley: a friend or enemy? Shayera still hasn't determined anything when a loud explosion rocked the whole building.
"Looks like my pud—Mr. J has found Batman and his little bird. Word of advice, I'd wait until the fight dies down a little and watch the show. Mr. J always liked to perform. And I'd kill the thing before we have another… unwelcome visitor." With that, Harley turned away into a room, ignoring Shayera. Shayera watched her with narrowed eyes until she quickly ran down the hallway to where the explosion came from. She quietly walked into an open room and saw Batman and Robin trapped in a cage. Shayera noticed that every single thug in the room was focused on her trapped friends, not even bothering to guard the door. Shayera slipped into the room quietly and noticed that a strange man was talking to Batman. A large machine was behind the man—who Shayera believes to be the Joker—and to Shayera's shock she recognized several of the languages that was being displayed on the monitor. For a brief second, she recognized that Tamaranian language.
The Joker wore a purple suit and his skin was bleached much like Harley's was. His hair was green and he wore a large red smile no his face as he sneered at Batman through the bars. "Come now Batsy! Where's the fun in not inviting a few party guests to our humble planet? Join the party!" he yelled. Shayera watched as he flipped the switch and turned the machine on. Lights began to flash in the screen and the flashing languages stopped to one that Shayera feared the most: Gordanian. Shayera charged the mace and threw it at the machine, destroying it and ensuring that this madman doesn't come into contact with the Gordanians. The machine exploded into pieces and debris was thrown everywhere. "WHAT THE—" yelled the Joker. Shayera flew from her cover and grabbed the bars of the cage and let Batman and Robin free. "KILL HER!" yelled the Joker. Shayera flew up and began to dodge the bullets that were being aimed at her, proving to be a nice distraction to the thugs while Robin took advantage of their distraction. Batman was fighting the Joker and Shayera grabbed her thrown mace and began to help Robin fight back against the thugs. By the time Batman delivered the final blow, everything was calm and all the criminals were rounded up and ready for the GCPD to show up.
"You showed up just in time. I thought for sure the Joker was going to call in an invasion." said Tim when they had returned to the Batcave.
"I was glad I did too. He was calling in the Gordanians and I'd prefer that those monsters stayed away from Earth." said Shayera.
"Where did you go?" asked Bruce as he accepted a cup of tea from Alfred.
"I ran into somebody in the building. A woman who goes by the name of Harley Quinn." said Shayera. At this, Alfred dropped his teapot in surprise while Bruce choked on his drink. Tim looked at Shayera in surprise while Shayera looked at them confused.
"Harley Quinn? She's back in Gotham?" asked Tim.
"Yes, but for how long I do not know. She said she needed something from the University before she left."
Bruce turned to the computer immediately and began to hack into the Gotham University servers. Shayera felt nervous and was almost afraid that she had failed her friends. Perhaps this Harley Quinn was dangerous and needed to be restrained immediately.
"She erased her history in the university." said Bruce, as he looked at the screens thoughtfully. Shayera was confused and asked, "Who is she?"
"Harley Quinn used to be the Joker's sidekick and girlfriend," explained Tim, "She stopped though when she helped Bruce locate a warehouse where… a friend of ours was being held. She left Gotham though soon after helping us and we haven't seen her since."
Shayera was surprised at his new information. Harley Quinn reformed from her villainous ways to help Batman? "Why did she help you?" asked Shayera, now truly curious. "We don't know for sure. We know though that she and the Joker had a falling out after we found evidence that he made her kill her own pets. He even had her shackled in a room where other skeletons were. I think she finally snapped out of her crazy obsession with Joker and decided to leave Gotham behind." said Tim. Bruce was still looking at the screen curiously and turned when Shayera asked, "Do you believe her to be a threat? Why would she erase her own history?"
"She's trying to restart her life. She's only 23 and she's had to give up so much in the name of the Joker, that she needs to start from scratch. I don't think she's a threat to us, but I'll be keeping an eye on her the next time she shows up." said Bruce. Shayera nodded in understanding while Tim asked him, "What was that machine Bruce? There were so many languages that I didn't understand."
"That was the Deep Space Communicator. It was to be given to the Deep Space Monitoring Program in order to communicate with life outside of Earth. Unfortunately, it was the only working model that Wayne Enterprises had." said Bruce, giving Shayera a pity look while she held her head in her hands. She was that close to finally finding a way home… that close. Shayera took a deep breath and said, "Oh well." She felt Tim hug her from the side and she returned the gesture by wrapping her wings around him. Bruce and Alfred gave her encouraging smiles and she returned them. By the time morning came, Shayera was content to spend her day off hanging out with her first friends and it wasn't until mid-morning that Tim pointed out, "What's that on your back?"
Shayera turned to see a very small folded piece of paper tucked halfway inside her armor. Tim reached for it and gave it to Shayera, who read it out loud,
"Hey Wings,
It was fun meeting you and all. I hope we can hang out again soon. XOXO, Harley."
Shayera blinked in surprise at the message. How did she manage to slip it into her armor? She gave Tim and Bruce surprised looks while they gave her an amused look.
Five Years since Crash-landing: Invasion
Shayera figured that perhaps maybe she should celebrate her anniversary since crash-landing in some way. Kendra and Grubs welcomed their first child today this morning, George Grubs. The small infant was passed around the room for all to see and Shayera had to remove her talon hand in order to properly hold him. She smiled at the little one who gave her a gummy smile. Shayera had left the hospital and returned to her line of duty and patrolled the city. Mavis and David had invited her to eat lunch with them so Shayera cut her patrol short in order to meet them at the Chinese Restaurant. The noon was spent conversing about their days and watching with amused smiles as David tried his first eel head.
By the time early evening came, Shayera decided to call it a night and returned to her attic home. For the last five years, her attic was decorated with memorabilia and ancient weapons hung on the walls. The TV was always turned on to the local news in case Shayera needed to make a quick intervene. She removed her armor and mask before laying down on her hammock as she watched the news. Nothing much was happening, the United Nation's agreement to dismantle all their nuclear warheads and use Superman as an enforcer for peace, a new election for the mayor's office and… the Deep Space Monitoring Program was shut down? Shayera was suddenly wide-awake as she heard the news about the explosion that destroyed the program. Shayera didn't have time though to think over her thoughts when a Breaking News report was suddenly on the TV.
"This is Snapper Carr reporting to you live in Metropolis. Superman is attempting to stop the alien menace from wreaking havoc in downtown Metropolis."
Sure enough, Shayera watched as the footage showed the Kryptonian attempting to stop the white and red alien from destroying the city. Shayera quickly geared up again and made her way to the police station where everyone was watching the news. "Hawkgirl!" she heard Emmett call out. Shayera quickly made towards him and followed him into his office.
"Shit. This is big. If Superman himself can't stop it, then we need to prepare ourselves." said Emmett as he paced anxiously in his office. This was the second time she had seen him this anxious, the first time was when he was pacing with Grubs outside the delivery room as Kendra gave birth to her son. Shayera looked at the news from his TV and noticed a peculiar trait. Every time an explosion happened, the giant creature would flinch back from the burst of light.
"Commissioner," said Shayera in excitement, "Rewind the TV." George looked confused but heeded her words. When the TV replayed the creature's flinch, Shayera cried out, "There! It doesn't like light!" George studied the footage and realized she was right. By that point, Emmett had run out of his office and made all available officers and detectives both on duty and off duty to study the footage and had every single one of them go out to collect all available light sources that were capable of emitting that same level of intensity. Shayera wanted to stay and help, but she realized that she needed to relay this same information to Commissioner Gordon in Gotham, which was the closest city to Metropolis. Emmett had tried to call in but only managed to receive a busy line. Whether it meant Gordon was busy or Gotham was a lost cause, neither Shayera nor George knew but George asked Shayera to head on to Gotham and relay her findings to Gordon immediately while Emmett tried to reach other Commissioners in nearby cities.
Shayera had never flown as hard as she did right now. She knew that she racing against time as she made her way to Gotham and hoped that she can reach Bruce in time as well. The sight of the destroyed Metropolis brought butterflies to her stomach as she thought of Midway in that same situation and Shayera began to push herself beyond her limit to reach Gotham in time.