Fear the Knight
"Master Bruce, perhaps you should contact Miss Shayera for this particular case. Miss Gordon is busy with Miss Kara in Metropolis and Masters Tim and Richard are out in their missions." said Alfred as he served Bruce tea. Bruce was looking at the screens with intensity as though he was hoping just glaring at it would solve the crime. Scarecrow had escaped from Arkham weeks ago and it was only just now that he had sprung up from the shadows, this time with the remnants of the Bertinelli Crime Family backing him up. Bruce had half a mind to bring in Helena Bertinelli into this case, but her fighting style and her attitude all together was enough to convince Bruce that she will not hold back and will not follow orders.
"Alright. Let's hope that she's available." said Bruce as he pressed on a button in the computer and waited for Shayera to reply. It was after the third try that Bruce began to feel worry. Shayera was never one to not answer and if she was busy then she would have said so. Bruce tried again but no answer. Bruce held the panic in and decided to contact Superman.
"Batman?" said Superman through the communicator.
"Superman. Where's Hawkgirl?"
"Having a brawl." chuckled Superman.
"What?"
"We just completed an investigation regarding the Green Lanterns and they invited us to a bar to celebrate. Long story short, Hawkgirl and Flash are now in bar brawl."
"Flash? Who else is there?" asked Bruce.
"It's me, Lantern, J'onn, Hawkgirl and Flash. Was there something you needed Batman?" asked Superman. "I need Hawkgirl to report to Gotham immediately. I have a unique case I need help with."
"We're a few hours away from Earth though. How immediate do you need her?"
"Now."
"…Alright, we're on our way."
Bruce was about to cut the connection when he heard the familiar war cry of Shayera in background, followed by a grunt of pain from whomever she had hit. Bruce cut the feed and smiled in amusement. He had a few hours to kill before Shayera arrived and he decided to take in a couple of hours of rest before getting the mission underway. Bruce walked down the hallways of Wayne Manor and out of everything that he could have thought of, his thoughts went to the winged heroine that had crash-landed into his life five years ago. He never would have thought that she would have made such an impact on his life and the others for that matter.
For one, Tim over the years had grown accustomed to seeing Shayera as perfect mother figure. Shayera had helped Bruce train Tim and had shown him several fighting techniques that proved beneficial when Tim was out on patrol with Bruce. Another impact was how content Alfred was when Shayera had made her visits to Gotham. Bruce figured it had to be because how attentive Shayera was with his stories. Bruce often tried to pay attention to Alfred's stories, but with his time as Bruce Wayne and as the Batman he had little to no time. Shayera was lucky to have no dual identity to live so she often had time to spare for Alfred. Bruce could think of her arrival as a positive boost in business. Even with her small knowledge regarding space travel and engineering, Shayera had given mankind a giant leap into the future. Not even Superman could say the same when he holds all his scientific knowledge of Krypton close to his chest. Humankind is now one step closer in opening up communications with the nearby life forms that inhabit their galaxy… but that remains to be certain if it will be a negative or positive situation.
Shayera had certainly proved to be a surprising individual. In one hand, you'd expect her to be rough as sandpaper but in another moment she shows softness he had only ever seen directed at himself and his family or her friends in Midway. Shayera was only showing a front to the League, not daring to show any of the vulnerability she is able to express from beneath the mask. His walk to his room was spent so much in thinking about Shayera, he realized that he had been standing outside his bedroom for a good five minutes.
Bruce shook his head in order to clear it, wanting to get some rest before going on mission. He changed into comfortable clothing and crept into the sheets. He welcomed the dark bliss that came with sleep.
It was the setting sun that woke him and he glanced out the window to take in the view. He was happy to see her outside with her emerald eyes that beckoned to him. She wore a beautiful golden dress and her hair was lightly dancing in the breeze as she stood outside the Manor on the edge of the cliffs, back facing the waters as she waited for him to come outside. Bruce walked out of his room and the manor and walked towards her, not wanting to reveal just how seeing her made him feel. Her hand reached out to him and he took it, taking note of the warmth and the softness that was inside his rough and calloused hands. She gave him a warm smile and gently pressed a kiss to his cheek while he cupped her face with his hands properly kissed her. Her red hair tickled his face and he grinned as he teasingly blew on it. She gave him a half-hearted glare but it immediately melted away to one of pure content as he wrapped his arms around her, careful not to crush her wings… wait… Shayera?
He shot up from the bed, realizing that a few hours had passed since closing his eyes. He stayed sitting on his bed wondering why of all things to dream about, it was Shayera. He thought nothing of it however and decided it was because he was expecting her to arrive. He walked to the Batcave where he changed into the Batsuit and waited for Shayera to arrive. Night was setting in and he wanted to begin investigations immediately. He was typing into the computer his log notes when the familiar sound of wings sweeping into the cave caught his attention. He turned to see Shayera ready for the mission, one of the many qualities he had always admired her for… wait, admired? He watched as she approached him and asked, "What's going on?"
"I don't believe you ever had the misfortune of fighting against Scarecrow?" asked Bruce. Images of Scarecrow flashed through Shayera's mind as the Absorbascon fed her news information and medical information about him. Jonathan Crane was one sick man that Shayera would rather not deal with, but if Bruce needed her help then she would help him.
"No, what seems to be the problem?" asked Shayera. Bruce clicked on a closed file and it opened up to reveal people clawing at their skins. Shayera nearly turned green when a particular photo caught her attention: a boy no less than ten years was trying to claw his eyes out.
"What is this?" whispered Shayera, feeling distraught at the images. What type of monster would force people to try and scrape their own skin off?
"This is a new fear toxin that Scarecrow has released in the Gotham Park two days ago. It was a neutral toxin that was triggered when people that were present in the park that day had consumed a certain amount of water." explained Bruce as he closed the files.
"Where do we begin looking?" asked Shayera. Bruce and Shayera left the cave and began their detective work in Gotham. Shayera soared above the lights and buildings while Bruce patrolled the streets, each using their own unique skills and talents in order to find Scarecrow. Bruce knew that with Shayera's keen eye, she would be able to spot things even if they were hidden in cracks on the walls. They weren't exactly Superman's X-Ray vision, but Bruce honestly felt more comfortable having Shayera in Gotham than Superman. At least with Shayera, he knew that she will follow orders and rarely act on instinct.
Four hours into the night passed, and with Shayera's help, they had managed to stop three different jewelry heists and an attempted grand theft auto on Fifth Avenue. Bruce would have considered it a good night done but with Scarecrow still on the loose and no antidote for the poor victims, he needed to find the insane chemist and find the solution. He turned the scanner on a different frequency and heard the computer inform him, "Suspect Scarecrow reported to be seen at abandoned Axe's Chemicals Depository Grounds. SWAT Teams are advised to be on guard as suspect is said the be armed."
"Shayera," said Bruce in the comm-link.
"Yes?" responded Shayera.
"Fly on over to the Depository grounds and wait for me there. Scarecrow is attempting barricade himself there as SWAT is surrounding the area."
"Is it safe for them to be near the chemicals?"
"They know what kind of criminal Scarecrow is and will take extra precautions." assured Bruce. He did a complete 180 turn and sped on towards the grounds, intending to take Scarecrow down and help his victims. It was a long drive and Bruce was happy to have thought of sending Shayera up ahead when he heard her comm-link him, "I see the SWAT teams grouping near the entrances and exits of the building. I can see movement through the windows, seven armed and one large man carrying a blunt weapon. I can hear Commissioner Gordon relaying orders to wait for your arrival."
"Good, the last time they sent in a team without waiting for me we had a whole division of officers screaming at ghosts."
"Why does Gordon rely on you so much? I would have thought that he might have funded for proper equipment for his force in order to deal with criminals such as Scarecrow or even the Joker."
"That's because the DA's office is filled with corrupted individuals that are paid off by the mob bosses of Gotham. I can't expose them without any physical evidence and my donations as Bruce Wayne is only ever enough to keep up the playboy façade I need to maintain as Bruce Wayne." explained Bruce.
"Surely even a thousand of your dollars is enough to supply the police force with proper gas masks and armor."
"You only ever fought against Joker and Quinn. You have yet to fight against Ivy, Bane, or even Mr. Freeze. Their style of weaponry can demolish even a bulletproof shield or riot gear."
"Your Rogues Gallery? Surely they can't be any more difficult that the types of criminals I face in Midway."
"The Rogues of Gotham are more insane than villainous. They can be unpredictable when they want to be and have no limits to their timetable. It's why Arkham is the best place to put them in, in order for them to try and break free from their mental state."
"What if they can't be redeemed?"
"It's a thought that continues to haunt me." said Bruce as he arrived at the depository grounds. He could spot Shayera hiding up in one of many surrounding buildings, waiting for his instructions. Batman got out of the Batmobile and approached Gordon.
"Batman! We managed to corner Scarecrow in the office, our SWAT guys tried to smoke him out, but he retaliated. His new toxin… I don't know how Batman but it's able to get passed through our gas masks. We have about five guys right now on their way to the hospital." said Gordon, giving Batman the run down.
"I'll handle it. Just make sure your men stay far from the office and windows." said Batman as he took out his grappling gun and aimed it at the roof of the building. When he reached the roof, he could sense rather than see Shayera follow him in the air. He pressed a finger to the comm-link and said, "Shayera, fly in through the windows and create a distraction for Scarecrow's guards. I'll come in through the vents and take care of Scarecrow myself."
"I'm on it." confirmed Shayera. Bruce quickly made his way to the open ventilation and crawled through in time to hear glass shattering from outside and gunfire blasting. Bruce quickly made his way to the ventilation and looked out of the grate to see Shayera successfully dodging the bullets as she took care of the guards one by one. Bruce opened the grate and with his grappling hook, he lowered himself cautiously and avoided being seen by the guards. If any guards caught sight off Bruce, Shayera was quick for the takedown and resumed playing the distraction. He was close to the office door when the burly guard Shayera had mentioned earlier smacked him in the chest with a sledgehammer.
Bruce felt himself fly in the air and landed on his back as he tried to stop his esophagus from reflexing and emptying out his lungs of air. The man walked towards Bruce with the hammer raised up high before a blur of gold and red smashed into the man and they both went tumbling into the office. Bruce managed to get his breathing back under control and had managed to get up to see the hole in the office and the prone figure of the burly guard lying on the floor.
Bruce stealthily made his way through the hole and peeked inside. His insides leapt when he saw Shayera kneeling on the ground and wheezing as the sickly green color of Scarecrow's fear toxin lingered around her head.
"Hawkgirl!" he cried out and took out his grappler and launched it towards her. It wrapped around Shayera tightly and he pulled her back out of the toxic cloud. He forced her head up in order to see her face, but her mask and the lens covered anything that could give him a clue as to how far deep she was in. He heard a slight movement behind him and he threw a batarang towards the assailant. The assailant dodged into the light, giving Batman a clear view of Scarecrow.
"Hello Batman," sneered Scarecrow and he began to taunt Batman, "Like what I've done to your friend? I've seen the videos of her fighting and I just had to see what makes her fear. An interesting specimen really, I didn't think my toxins would have such a violent response from her. Then again, she isn't of this Earth right?"
"Give me the antidote." growled Bruce. Never had he felt this much hate towards his enemy than the time he had discovered Joker had kidnapped Robin, and it was confusing to be feeling like this.
"Ha! You dare threaten me!? The Master of Fear! The Bringer of Terr-AH!"
Scarecrow's tirade was cut short when Batman had grabbed him by his shirt with speed like lightning and hefted him in the air with one hand.
"WHERE. IS. THE. ANTIDOTE!" he snarled. Scarecrow sneered at Batman and said, "You don't scare me."
Bruce sneered at Scarecrow and threw him around the office. Everytime Scarecrow hit a wall, Batman was quick to grab him again and threw him around again. Whether it was on the desk, or to the file case, or the ground, or even up at the ceiling Scarecrow was experiencing a new type of interrogation not seen from the Dark Knight. It was only when Batman had Scarecrow's arm twisted behind him that Scarecrow began to fear the Dark Knight as he twisted his arm to the brink of fully breaking it.
"Ok! Ok! Stop! Please! I'll give you the antidote! Stop!" cried out Scarecrow. Batman stopped his assault and watched as Scarecrow reached into his pocket and shakily took out the purple vial. Batman snatched it immediately before Scarecrow got any funny ideas and smashed his head against the wall, knocking him unconscious. Batman turned to see Shayera still wheezing and quickly made his way towards her. He laid her down on her side, being mindful of her wings and gently removed her mask. Her face was blotchy and sweaty as her pupils were diluted and darting left and right.
"Shayera." said Bruce softly and gently, not wanting to startle her. Scarecrow was right in saying that the toxin had a different effect on her. Instead of clawing at herself like Scarecrow's previous victims, she was shaking as though she was suffering from a fever and was searching the room for something.
"Bruce?" she asked shakily. Bruce knew that she must be suffering in whatever effects she is feeling for her to forget calling him Batman while outside the cave and manor. He hushed her and gently wiped her sweaty hair from her face.
"Bruce," she said fearfully, "Behind you!" Bruce turned and prepared for a fight but saw nothing there, just Scarecrow's unconscious body. Bruce turned to see Shayera getting up shakily and placed her mask back on.
"Shayera, stand down." said Bruce.
"N-No! Bruce! Behind you! Please! Run!" she cried out. She made to reach for Bruce but he dodged out of the way to see her struggle remain standing before she continued to scream, "BRUCE! RUN! THEY'RE COMING! THEY'RE COMING!"
Bruce watched as she moved behind him and flared her wings up, as though to protect him from an incoming attack. Bruce gently placed a hand on her shoulder and said, "Shayera, you inhaled some of Scarecrow's fear toxin. What you're seeing is not real."
"No, they're coming! They're… here! THEY'RE HERE!" screamed Shayera as she charged her mace up and threw it at the ceiling at the invisible assailant. The mace discharged a high level of electricity that Bruce barely had time to move the unconscious body of Scarecrow out of harm's way. Shayera grabbed her mace and charged it again, intent on hitting her attacker. Shayera flared her wings and flew up and smashed her way out of the building.
"SHAYERA!" cried out Bruce. He watched helplessly as Shayera turned to give him a desperate and horrified look before flying in the sky, crying out, "I MUST STOP THEM!"
Bruce quickly handcuffed Scarecrow and dragged him outside to the police. Gordon met with him and Batman said, "There are seven hired thugs inside the building. Have your men detain them." Gordon nodded and began shouting orders. Gordon though quickly looked at Batman and said, "Was that Hawkgirl I just saw flying up in the air?"
"Yes, she accompanied me to handle the situation. You might want to check for injuries on the thugs, I had Hawkgirl deal with them while I dealt with Scarecrow." said Bruce.
"Where'd she go though? I heard her scream but I had no idea what."
"She inhaled some of Scarecrow's fear toxin, but it's having a different effect on her. She's hallucinating a threat that doesn't exist."
"She needs to be detained then. Is there an antidote?"
"Yes, I'll work on providing enough for all the victims of Scarecrow's toxin, but I need you to keep your eyes out for Hawkgirl."
"Is it safe though? She's hallucinating, wouldn't she mistake us for the enemy?"
"No, she recognized me and tried to protect me from whatever she saw. So long as you approach her as a friend then she can recognize you, but remain cautious." advised Batman. He quickly ran to the Batmobile and raced towards the Batcave. His mind was clouded by thoughts of where Shayera might have flown. The Batcave was going to be the first places he'd check before sweeping over the Manor. He'll have Alfred check every room while he fixes up the cure for the fear toxins. Shayera's frightened and horrified face flashed before his mind and he quickly stepped on the accelerator, intent on replicating the antidote and distributing it to the victims and Shayera.
Batman arrived at the Batcave and almost flew out of the car and straight to his labs. Alfred greeted him with surprise and watched as Bruce ran straight to his lab and began to work.
"Eh-Master Bruce? Is there a problem?" asked Alfred, watching as his ward began to examine the contents in a purple vial and began to work furiously in recreating it.
"Shayera had inhaled the fear toxin and is now currently flying around battling enemies that don't exist." explained Bruce briefly as he concentrated on getting the proper mixture.
"Oh my!" exclaimed Alfred, "Is there anything I can do?"
"Keep your ear on the police scanners, Shayera might reveal herself in her hallucinated state."
Bruce worked furiously and diligently while Alfred listened in on the police scanner. Bruce was berating himself while working on the antidote, telling himself that he should have seen the burly man and avoided his attack. Perhaps then Shayera wouldn't have had to intervene and smashed her way to the office. Bruce was almost finished with the replication of the antidote when a surprise appearance of Tim startled him.
"Bruce! Alfred told me what happened, where's Shayera?" said Tim, tucking the 'feathers' of his wing suit. Tim originally designed the suit in order to have similar flight capabilities that Shayera possessed. It wasn't as graceful as her wings, but Tim's flight suit had given him the ability to briefly fly across the skies before needing to land. Tim had originally wanted to use the suit in order to spend time with Shayera, but a call to join Dick's old team had him packing his bags to go to California.
"Scarecrow had managed to take advantage of her when she was vulnerable. She's currently fighting invisible enemies that only she can see." explained Bruce as he finished up the process. Once he had a full set of antidotes, he gestured to Tim to grab the set while he took two of the antidotes and placed them safely in his utility belt.
"Where are we going? Aren't we going to look for Shayera?" questioned Tim as he hopped in the passenger seat and kept the set of antidotes safely on his lap.
"We need to give these out to the victims in the hospital first, Alfred or Gordon will inform us if they catch news on Shayera." said Bruce. They sped out of the Batcave and made their first stop at the Gotham Memorial Hospital. Bruce and Tim jumped out of the car and delivered the antidotes to the gracious staff at the hospital before beginning their search for their hallucinated friend.
"Where could she have gone? I looked into the Midway City news and nothing drastic has happened." said Tim.
"We need to think like her. Imagine yourself in her mindset and you see a threat coming. She tried to protect me when I wouldn't run like she asked, so where would she go in order to protect us?" mused Bruce. Tim only thought of it for about a minute before he jumped up and said, "If she can't protect us here in Gotham, then she'd go look for help."
Bruce immediately pressed on the communicator link and waited until the Flash's voice responded, "What's up Bats?"
"Flash, I need you to monitor three cities."
"Three? At the same time? What's going on? I just got back yesterday from an intergalactic bar fight and you want me to be in three places at once?"
"Hawkgirl is in danger. She's in a state of hallucinating an is currently flying around three key cities she's familiar with." explained Batman.
"Ok, where do you want me to go?"
"I need you to monitor Gotham, Midway City, and your city." said Batman.
"Why would she go to Central City?"
"Hawkgirl is already accepting you and the others as friends, it would make sense that she will try and protect you from whatever it is she is hallucinating about."
"Ok, I'm on it."
Batman cut the feed and he and Tim began to monitor around the city, keeping an eye out for any flying individual attacking the skies or grounds. A red streak of lightning caught Tim's eyes and he quickly turned his head to see the streak disappear around the corner.
"He's fast." remarked Tim.
"Hopefully its enough to keep an eye on the cities." said Bruce as he jumped from rooftop to rooftop. He didn't want to bring in more of the Justice League on this particular case, feeling that having the Flash run around in his city was enough. Midnight stroke and there wasn't any sign of Shayera. Bruce refused to feel worried as Tim expressed his concerns and said, "She's a fighter. Even in her state, she knows how to identify friend from foe. Whatever she thinks she sees is putting her on a state of panic and fear. We need to show her that she is not seeing it."
Two hours passed and before he decided to call in reinforcement, Bruce finally received a call from Flash who said with an edge to his voice, "Batman! She's in Central City! She found me stopping Boomerang from robbing a bank and she is currently carrying me to the National Park! She keeps saying 'They're here'."
"Keep the comm-link open. I'll track you down, try to keep her there with you." said Batman, as he cut the feed off for a moment to inform Tim to meet him back at the Batmobile. Once they had regrouped, Bruce was greeted with the sight of Barbara in her Batgirl suit waiting for him.
"My dad's missing," explained Barbara as she jumped in the passenger's seat and Tim sat in the back seat, "He told me he was following a lead hours ago but he hasn't responded to any of my messages."
"Shayera must have found him."
"Shayera? Why—what's going on?" demanded Barbara as Bruce sped his way towards the National Park. He gave the brief summary of the events that had passed by earlier and Barbara was quick in helping Batman track the Flash's signal down. In any regular car, the trip would have been over six hours or three hours by flight but with the Batmobile dodging and weaving through traffic and Barbara using her tech-savvy skills to direct them in better routes, they managed to reach the park in less than two hours. The three jumped out of the vehicle and Barbara took out a small GPS tracker from her belt. The radar on the screen showed a distant yellow dot from the west and they began their trek to reach the Flash.
"Do you think she made off with Alfred?" asked Barbara as they a couple of minutes passed. Bruce felt his eyes widen under his cowl and he pressed on the comm-link to connect with Alfred… nothing. Damn. Shayera was truly an efficient hunter if she had managed to sneak into the manor and make off with Alfred without raising any alarms or the sensors.
"Nothing. She must have made off with him when we weren't looking. Where's Dick?" asked Batman.
"He's currently in Star City, something about meeting a friend." said Barbara. Batman nodded and knew that Shayera has never visited Star City before so Dick was safe for the moment. They walked down the trail and it was when the flash began to beep that the three reached for their bolas, nets, and grapplers in the event that Shayera might be there. They quietly hid above the trees and made their way towards a cave, where Bruce can hear Alfred trying to calm Shayera.
"Miss, please. Listen to us, you have been exposed to—"
"NO! YOU DON'T SEE THEM! THEY'RE HERE!"
"Stand down Officer," Bruce heard an unknown voice command Shayera, "You are not right in the head-"
"George please! They're here! They're waiting!" pleaded Shayera.
"Hawkgirl, listen. I've been up against Scarecrow many times and what you are experiencing is a very powerful toxin." explained Gordon. Bruce can see Barbara relax a little at hearing her father's voice before he motioned for them to breach the cave. The three heroes landed outside the cave to see Shayera gripping the wall for stability as Flash stood in front of the a few people. Bruce can identify Alfred and Gordon but the others must be residents of Midway City. Bruce quietly approached the preoccupied hero and took out a glue grenade. Setting the level at explosive, he threw the grenade and watched as the fluorescent blue glue trapped Shayera to the ground. She began to scream and yell at her 'prisoners' to run when Tim threw his net over her while Barbara secured it with the bola. Bruce quickly used a syringe to prepare the antidote and took Tim to the side and quickly said, "I'll distract her. Her vulnerable areas is just below the chin, so you need to act swiftly and safely."
"Batman!" cried out Gordon, "Do you have the antidote?"
Batman calmly approached the struggling hero and said in a clear voice, "You need to calm down."
"They're Here! They're here!"
"Hawkgirl, you need to calm down. You're not speaking clearly which makes me think that you are not seeing anything." said Bruce. Shayera stopped struggling and looked at Batman and asked, "You believe me?"
"Yes, but you need to tell me what's going on. Who are they?"
"The Gordanians…. they found Earth! They've sent spies! I tried to stop them, please! Believe me! I tried!" cried out Shayera. Her whimpers echoed in the cave and Bruce tried not to let it bother him, but her fear was all the more natural than most other fears the Scarecrow had brought to life. With her home planet at war with another, she must have feared that they were here to conquer the Earth as well.
"Listen to me, we will contact the league and—"
"Whoa! Wait a minute Bats! You're actually buying this?" asked Flash. Bruce gave him what people have called the Bat glare at him and watched as he shrunk away from him. Bruce returned his attention to Shayera and said, "You must remain calm. Take a deep breath and close your eyes." Shayera followed his instructions and Tim took the opportunity to quickly inject the antidote in Shayera. She grunted at first in pain and fear before she began to thrash around her bindings screaming. Bruce was happy that the glue grenade had glued her talon hand to the floor while her other hand was to the wall, that way she will have no way to reach for her mace. Her screams died down and she was left kneeling on the floor and gasping for air. Bruce thought that perhaps the antidote wouldn't work until she began to ask, "Wh-Where am I? Where's Scarecrow?"
It was a full two hours that got everybody situated, with Barbara taking Alfred, Tim, and Gordon back to Gotham while George and his family accepted the Flash's offer to return them home. After a promise to Commissioner Emmett that he would inform him of when Shayera gets better, Bruce took the feverish Shayera in his arms, feeling that she was reacting very violently. Shayera was experiencing her first Earth disease and was too weak to do anything, let alone stand up. Bruce had the feverish Shayera in his arms while he contacted J'onn to teleport them to the Watchtower. When he felt the familiar feeling of teleportation, he held Shayera closer to him and they were at the Watchtower.
"What happened?" he heard J'onn ask.
"A mission that took a different route. Hawkgirl is experiencing a fever and she needs to be properly insulated. This is her first Earth disease and she's reacting to it harshly." explained Batman, proud of himself of keeping his voice even. J'onn followed Batman to the infirmary where he helped Batman place Shayera in a healing pod. They managed to keep her temperature stable and Bruce typed in several antibiotic formulas he was sure would help Shayera.
"She must be in terrible pain." said J'onn as he watched Shayera shiver in the pod.
"Can't you read her mind and see if she's alright?"
"I cannot." said J'onn.
"Respectful of privacy?"
"No, I mean I cannot. Shayera possesses a natural mental shield that I cannot break through without attempting to harm her." explained J'onn. Bruce looked at him in surprise. This was definitely news to him and it proved that Shayera would be a valuable asset against any alien invasion with mind-reading abilities. Bruce returned to Gotham once J'onn had promised to keep an eye on Shayera and he sluggishly returned to his bed. He briefly acknowledged Alfred who brought in a tray of tea and went to sleep. He woke up in mid-morning to Alfred shaking his shoulders and saying, "A call for the Batman is needed. Someone calling himself John Jones is requesting an audience."
Bruce groaned a bit before getting back into action mode. He put the Batsuit on once more and made his way to the cave. He sat down on the computer and pressed on the comm-link.
"Batman here."
"Batman, the antibiotics are working wonders on Hawkgirl however she is asking for you."
"Alright. Teleport me up." said Batman. He stood up and waited until he was no longer in the cave but in the Watchtower. He followed J'onn to the infirmary where Shayera was sitting up in her pod, no longer needing the insulation to keep her temperature stable. She was staring out the window and in the stars when she heard Batman and J'onn walk in.
"I'll leave you two to it." said J'onn walking out. Shayera looked Bruce and asked in a scratchy voice, "What happened? One minute I'm fighting thugs and the next I wake up in a cave."
Bruce took a deep breath and recounted the whole night to Shayera, who listened with a mixture of embarrassment, horror, and nervousness. By the time Bruce finished the tale, Shayera had her mask off and her head in her hands in an act of shame. She was shaking her head as though she couldn't believe she had initially kidnapped most of the people she knew in her life and hid them in a cave. Bruce would also believe that it was probably the first time Shayera had been in a state of vulnerability since crash landing on Earth. She was normally a levelheaded individual and Bruce could relate to how being exposed so publicly can be a bit embarrassing.
"What will they think? They'll think I'm no longer trust-worthy." moaned Shayera. Bruce figured she must be talking about her friends on Midway City. He placed a hand on her shoulder for comfort and said, "They wanted me to inform them when you were alright. They were worried about you."
Shayera took his hand in hers and he felt his heart skip a beat. Without her talon hand on, her hand was actually small in his gloved one. He gave a gentle squeeze and said, "Go meet with them. They're worried and would like to hear from you." Shayera gave him a small smile and got ready for to be teleported. Batman and J'onn watched her leave and Bruce decided to begin his monitor duties for the time being. When he went back to Gotham, he was pleased to note that Tim had decided to stay for a little longer and help defend Gotham while he was gone. Although Tim was still considered underage by society, Bruce knew that Tim could take care of himself in California. Bruce was typing away his notes in the computer when Tim came back and ran to Bruce.
"Hey! How's Shayera?" asked Tim.
"She's fine. She's at Midway City right now." said Bruce, "If you want to talk with her, I'd suggest waiting until she settles things down."
"Oh, alright. I just… you know… want to say good-bye properly. Last time I left I didn't even think to say good-bye." said Tim. Bruce can see him glance down to the floor guiltily. He knew that Tim loves Shayera as though she were his sister and said, "Go now then before you leave." Tim smiled at Bruce and left the cave in his motorbike. Bruce knew that it would take him the whole night to get to Midway, but Bruce was satisfied in knowing that Tim was at least taking initiative. The last time he left he had promised to be the one to tell Shayera, only for Bruce to be the bringer of bad news. Shayera—for the first time—had actually moped in the cave.
Morning came and Bruce was feeling a little bedraggled. He felt as though the entire past three days had been on put on fast forward and he barely had any time. When he went to eat breakfast, he was surprised to feel a feeling of peace spread through him when he saw that Shayera and Tim were already at the breakfast table.
"How did things go in Midway?" asked Bruce.
"Pretty well, all things considering," said Shayera, "Commissioner Emmett was kind enough to give me the rest of the day off before coming back to the force tomorrow."
The whole morning was spent in pleasantry and by the time Tim had said his good-byes, Shayera accepted Bruce's offer to stay in the mansion the whole day while he performed his duties as Bruce Wayne. When he got back, night had set in and Bruce waved Shayera good-bye who needed to return to Midway if she were to resume her police duties. He was getting ready as Batman when he heard Alfred pipe up from behind him, "You know there's a certain type of cheer she brings in this manor, Master Bruce. I wish she didn't have to leave."
"She's already made it her home in Midway, Alfred. She views it as her Aviary whenever she is gone for too long." said Bruce.
"I know. I often wish however that she had a reason to stay permanently. I'd rather say that she brings something unique to our strange little family." said Alfred. Bruce looked behind him to see Alfred leaving the cave and decided not to humor his friend. As far as Bruce can tell, his history with women never ended well and he'd rather hold onto his friendship with Shayera rather than make something more of it. Or at least, that's what he tells himself.
Hey readers, sorry for the late update. School is back in business and I am once again pushing the "I must read this or I will fail" stress button. How do you guys like it so far? What did you think about my Bruce chapter? In regards to some PM I've been receiving, I decided to make an alternate story to this with the Green Lantern but that will only be after I finish this story. So this story will be Batman/Hawkgirl and the alternate story will be Green Lantern/Hawkgirl. Thanks again and please review. I'd like to know what you guys want to see later on.