Injustice for All
Shayera and Flash sat in the Monitor room, hearing the confrontation through the hidden speakers Bruce and J'onn were wearing. At the slightest mention of trouble, Flash and Shayera were to teleport J'onn away from danger while he was disguised as Superman. There was an increase of devastation in the country of Slokia where terrorists were now sporting advanced weapons that were high above their paygrade. Superman immediately suspected Luthor, recognizing several weapons, but was held back by Batman when he wanted to make a charge for LexCorp. Batman convinced Superman to make a plan and here they were now, J'onn masquerading as Superman and pretending to be affected by the Kryptonite.
"I've carried this around for years, waiting for just the right moment." said Luthor as he taunted J'onn, thinking he was Superman, "I feel almost a little… let down."
"Luthor," said J'onn in Superman's voice, "I have to know… those weapons you sold to the terrorists. How did-"
"How did I get them through customs?" asked Luthor. Shayera could practically hear the victory in his voice as he stupidly confessed, "A lift here, a bribe there. When money talks, people listen. Like Stavros at the shipping company or Schnieder the Interpol agent who looked the other way." J'onn let loose another groan to keep up the appearance that he was being weakened by the kryptonite.
"Got to hand it to him," said Flash as they listened further into the conversation, "Guy deserves an Oscar." Shayera nodded her head in agreement. for all his gloom and grim appearance J'onn was definitely putting on a show. One could almost say that he was having fun with it. Shayera heard Batman give J'onn his lines while he and Lantern waited outside the building. Shayera had to smile whenever she heard the deep baritones of Bruce's voice. She almost wanted to record his voice sometimes and show him that he often sounded like Kendra's favorite actor, Kevin Conroy, but she knew it would only irritate him.
Shayera sat back and heard Lantern say, "Alright, get ready." Flash quickly typed in the clearance to teleport J'onn and Shayera was ready to press the button that would teleport her down to Earth in case things got haywired.
"Sounds like you're going to have company in prison." said J'onn, finally letting his voice come back. Shayera wished she could see Luthor's reaction when he realizes that it wasn't Superman who he had confessed to.
"It can't be!" he exclaimed,"NO!"
"You're usually more careful Lex. You slipped up." said Batman. Shayera knew that Batman and Lantern had entered the building as soon as they got the confession taped.
"And you're going down hard." said Lantern. Knowing that in the plan John was to secure the kryptonite, Shayera heard Batman say, "Mission accomplished."
"Alright! Well now that we finished taking care of business, how about you and me raid the fridge? I think John brought in some Chinese takeout." said Flash. At the mention of Chinese, Shayera's stomach grumbled but she knew she had to stay in case of anything and she said, "Go see if he has any fried rice."
As the Flash sped off she heard J'onn say, "So much for your appearance as a benevolent businessman. This is the end of an era."
"The end of your era maybe," she heard Lex say and soon gunfire and energy blasts was heard on the other side. Shayera, alarmed, pressed on the comm-link and cried out,"Batman! J'onn! Lantern!"
Silence was heard on the other end and just when Shayera was getting ready to teleport to their location, she heard Lantern say, "Why do they always run?"
She breathed out a sigh of relief as she heard Batman say, "We're alright Hawkgirl, Superman is already giving chase. Teleport us up so we can give Lex a proper send off to his cell in Stryker's Island." Shayera teleported the trio and watched as they materialized on the telepad. J'onn and Lantern made their way to the kitchen as Batman sat down on the Flash's empty seat. The quietness of the Monitor Room was only interrupted when they heard Lantern cry out, "FLASH! THAT'S MY TAKEOUT!"
Shayera gave a quiet laugh of amusement when Flash entered the Monitor Room and quickly teleported himself away from the possible danger the Lantern might throw at him. The quiet returned and Shayera turned to Bruce and said, "Don't ever do that again please."
"Not a fan of the theatrics are you?" teased Batman, knowing very well that he can sometimes overdo it. To be fair though, John and J'onn could also be considered theatrical as they were there too.
"I promise you that the next time you go for a dramatic pause, I'll knock you into next Tuesday." said Shayera, threatening lightly.
"... like what I did just now?" said Batman, offering her a rare smile. Bruce never smiled whenever he was outside the manor or not performing his civil duties as Bruce Wayne. He wanted people to see him as dark and mysterious and Shayera's heart would often increase in pace whenever she was given those smiles. She snorted at his statement though to cover up her slight hesitation and teased, "You're bad."
Whatever casual moment they had was interrupted when Superman comm-linked for a teleport. As soon as he was up in the Watchtower he gave them startling news.
"So carrying around kryptonite for years gave Luthor a blood cancer?" asked Shayera. Superman and Batman were both sitting down as Shayera leaned against the wall.
"Pretty much," said Superman, "he even tried to blame me for his poisoning. Kept insisting that it was all my fault."
Shayera snorted and said, "Then it is his problem, Superman. Whatever life he could have had is gone because of his bitterness to keep his rivalry with you."
"She's right," said Batman, "there's no use feeling guilty over another man's bitterness." Shayera, Superman, and Batman quietly discussed the next steps the League had to take. Now that they had the confessions from Luthor, they were determined to put him behind bars permanently. No amount of money should be able to help him now. The atrocities he helped commit overseas made Shayera sick to the stomach to think that such a man believes he is above the law because of the amount of money he has in his pocket. Shayera was glad though for people like Bruce who use their power and influence to help people instead of exploiting them.
"As far as Luthor is concerned, even with his cancer, he'll still be behind bars." said Batman.
"Not giving him the chance to escape from a hospital? Good call." said Shayera.
"He'll need to be put in a high security cell with honest guards. It's always a problem having to deal with either a genius or a rich man in jail if they can easily bribe or charm their way out." said Batman. Shayera and Superman both felt their mouths set in a grim line. Superman could count the many times Luthor proved to be an annoying problem every time he bought his way out of prison. For Shayera, she helped Bruce handle cases involving the Joker and Penguin to know when guards have been paid off or when they were simply driven insane. Shayera again thanked the Seven Heavens that the Midway City Police Department also had back-up in the form of ARGUS agents. It made for breaking out of prison even more difficult for the criminals. Much of the ARGUS agents in Midway were new recruits sent there for beginner's training.
Shayera and Kendra, after the successful Copperhead case, were given more cases and it helped prove to doubters that they were capable detectives. Shayera yawned and bid Superman and Batman a good night before teleporting from the Watchtower to the National Park, where she spread her wings and took off. She went deep in the woods and settled in her meadow. Often at times whenever Shayera was troubled with something she would retreat to her meadow and tonight's troubled rants involve a certain Dark Knight.
The horrible feelings she felt every time she thought is was the end of Bruce made her confront her feelings for said man. He was invading her thoughts at every possible second when she wasn't on mission. She wanted to stop the feelings from getting bigger but she could never really stay away from Wayne Manor. She absolutely adores Alfred and though Tim was away in California, Shayera would still visit in the event that he shows up for a visit. She has been spending a lot of time alone with Bruce though. Not Bruce as Batman, but Bruce as Bruce Wayne. She would often leave her armor and mace behind in the Batcave and spend nights talking with Bruce while Dick and Barbara patrolled Gotham.
Bruce actually has a new addition in the Batfamily, a girl who goes by the name of Harper Row. Shayera was told by Barbara how Harper had saved Bruce's life by creating a defibrillator on the spot and reviving the fallen knight. Harper began to take on the mantle of Bluebird and helped out the Batfamily by patrolling the Narrows of Gotham. Shayera had only ever met the girl once outside of Gotham when Shayera had requested for Batman's help in Midway. Bane had attempted to distribute his steroids in Midway and the Midway City Police Department had their hands full trying to stop the angry over-powered addicts from creating mayhem in the streets. Batman had sent Harper to help and as Bluebird, she had created an electrical trap for Bane that Shayera helped lure him in by feigning injury and flying away at the last second. It was a good night all around and Harper left to report back to Batman. Shayera looked up at the night sky and decided to call it a night, Luthor's trial was in two days so Shayera had nothing planned for the League except Monitor Duty next week. Shayera flew up and away to Midway, irritated that she wished she could spend the night at Wayne Manor. After two days had passed and Luthor was convicted with treason against the United States Government and crimes against humanity, Shayera had just finished her patrol around Midway when she received a call from J'onn.
"Shayera," he said, "You are needed at Metropolis. Luthor and the Ultra-Humanite has just escaped Stryker's Prison. We need all hands to patrol the city."
"Beam me up, Scotty." said Shayera, quoting one of Emmett's favorite movies. Shayera watched as Midway disappeared below her and was replaced with the futuristic architecture that was Metropolis. Shayera looked around and decided to fly in the general direction of Bakerline. Shayera called in through her comm-link,"Who's here? I'm heading towards Bakerline."
"I'm on my way there, wait for me on Passage Street and we can coordinate a patrol." said Batman. Shayera felt her heart quicken at his voice and she berated herself. She just saw him yesterday and her traitorous heart decided that it is still too long. Shayera flew above the city, catching the updraft in order to glide faster to Bakerline. Shayera was almost enjoying the cool night air when she suddenly heard Batman call out in the comm-link, "I NEED BACK OVER HERE NOW!"
"Batman? Where?" asked Shayera, but the idiot had probably already run off into the danger by himself, "J'onn where is he?"
"He is about four miles from the west of your location." said J'onn. Shayera looked to see dark smoke rise above the buildings and she immediately flew in that direction. She flew to see a burning building and stayed up in the air. She heard one of the officers say, "That's almost everybody, Batman is still in there."
Shayera heard a shriek in the inferno and didn't think. She dove above the roof and saw Batman holding a little girl in his arms, trapped in a corner with a loose floor. It collapsed underneath him and the girl screamed as they fell. Shayera flapped her wings as hard as she could and managed to grasp onto Bruce's arm. She used the rising heat thermals to help her fly out of the blaze and she managed to pull them out safely. She landed in the street where Batman put the little girl down and she ran for her father. Shayera was gasping and looked Bruce who was as stoic as ever. She decided to break the silence by saying, "You know I'm used to being thanked when I save someone."
"I'm not used to be saved." said Bruce as he turned and walked back to his car. Shayera smiled at his typical response and followed him. Flash and Superman finally arrived and Batman asked, "Did you pick up a trail?"
"Not even one. Those two slipped by smoke through our fingers." said Superman.
"No biggie," said Flash, "It's just two guys. How much trouble can they be?"
As the inferno still blazed behind them, Shayera wanted to smack Wally upside the head for saying that. They decided to return to the Watchtower in order to establish a better search party and determine where Luthor might have hidden with the humanite. Flash had earlier taken care of the flames before getting teleported back to the Watchtower to rejoin the others. He looked around to see that only Batman and Hawkgirl were in the Monitor Room. Hawkgirl looked at him and asked, "How did it go?"
"Oh you know," said Flash, getting ready to brag, "I had those flames out before the firemen could step out of their trucks."
"That's fast," said Shayera, knowing Flash's game. He has yet to give up on his bragging when it came to her and he still flirted with Diana at every opportunity. Diana had once confided in Shayera that she didn't have the heart to stop Wally, finding his childlike demeanor endearing.
"Fastest Man Alive." bragged Flash and Shayera decided to take him down a notch by saying, "Which explains why you can't get a date."
"Yeah," said Flash, only realizing too late what he just agreed to, "Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"
Shayera gave him a teasing smirk and furled her wing around him, giving him a strange hug. Flash pretended to be annoyed but Shayera could see that he liked receiving those 'special' hugs as he called it. Batman's voice cut through as he said, "Both of you, get over here."
They rushed over to where Batman was sitting down and he turned up the volume of the news alert.
"We are standing outside the Metropolis Federal Building and police officers are handling a dangerous hostage negotiation with the Ultra-Humanite. A freak of science: the Humanite is reported to be highly intelligent and highly dangerous."
"No biggie, right?" asked Batman as he looked at the Flash. Flash gave a sheepish smile and all three called in the rest of the League, determined to save the hostage and capture Humanite. The League met up a block away from the Federal Building and they quickly decided that Lantern could easily take the weapon away from Humanite without harming the hostage. Shayera, Superman, Diana, and Lantern flew high above the building, out of sight from Humanite while Batman and Flash remained on the ground to provide another front. Shayera watched as the Humanite aimed his weapon at the police blockade while holding an unconscious woman in his arms. It was a good tactic: show the victim to the law enforcers along with the weapon to show that you mean business and to keep the cops back.
Something was off though. If Humanite was regarded as highly intelligent, then he should have discovered a way to escape the police without needing any extra baggage. It seemed ridiculous that he would stick around at a crime scene and try to bait the police. Shayera nevertheless watched as Lantern used his ring to take the gun away from Humanite, allowing Superman to knock him back and dropping the hostage. Batman moved in to check on the hostage and Shayera decided to confide in Diana and said, "Something's off here."
Diana looked to Shayera and asked, "What do you mean?"
"I mean that I've already dealt with hostage situations before and this… I don't think this is a hostage situation." said Shayera.
"Then what do you think this is?" asked Diana. With her hawk vision, Shayera saw the claws retract out of the hostage's furry hand and she said, "It's an ambush!"
Using a tactic Bruce had taught her years ago, Shayera dove down and slammed her open palm against the cat lady's neck, prohibiting her from calling out and with a punch to the face, she was rendered unconscious. Shayera turned to Bruce and saw him give a slight nod of thanks. The League went inside to see Superman fighting the Humanite and the Lantern fighting against a large zombie-like monster.
"Grundy." growled Batman and Shayera charged her mace up and slammed it against Grundy's side. Grundy flew in the air and hit one of the support pillars, the stones toppling down on top of him. Shayera heard more fighting around her and she snarled when she recognized Copperhead. She was about to fly towards him but Flash gave him an easy knockout leaving Shayera to handle a villainess named Star Sapphire. Shayera had read news reports about her from Detroit. It seems like she holds a grudge against Green Lanterns. Shayera easily deflected her optic blasts with her armor and mace. Just when she thought though that she can easily knock out Sapphire when she exposed herself again, a shadow enveloped all around her. Shayera's air was cut off and she was being suppressed on all sides.
One minute Shayera was in the air and the next, she was on the ground as light entered her vision and she could breath again. Shayera looked around to see Batman knocking a black and white clad man to the wall, holding a walking stick in his hand as the black and white man fell to the floor with a groan. Shayera charged her mace up and began to attack the enraged Grundy. She dodged his messy punches with ease and with a straight hit to the face, Shayera managed to blind the zombie. Shayera turned to see Diana taking care of Star Sapphire and Flash was currently taunting the Humanite. Superman was dealing with a blind Grundy and Shayera looked up to see that Batman was fighting Luthor. So the coward hired killers to do his dirty work, no surprise.
Shayera flew towards Batman's direction, intent on helping him, when she spotted Copperhead slithering down the stairs. Shayera immediately changed her flight path and put herself between Batman and the striking snake. She lifted her arm brace like she did months ago in Midway and Copperhead had his mouth full of metal. Shayera felt the poison fly off her arm brace and with her mace, she knocked Copperhead upside his head. Copperhead flew against the wall and he remained on the floor. Batman struggled against Luthor, who was proving to be a formidable opponent in hand to hand combat. Just when Batman was getting the upperhand, Star Sapphire missed her shot in her attempt to take down Wonder Woman and the blast hit the ground balcony where Batman and Luthor had been fighting. Shayera quickly grabbed Batman's hand and pulled him away from the collapsing debris as Luthor was saved by Humanite.
Shayera set Bruce down on the ground and the pair prepared to chase after Luthor when darkness enveloped around them. Shayera, feeling her claustrophobia coming in, took her mace and charged it up. The small light provided by her mace at least helped her a little claustrophobia a little, but she still felt the anxiety and the panic within her. She felt a hand hold her own hands in a comforting hold. She looked at Bruce and even if he wore the cowl, his comforting hands told her that he will help her through her own fear. A green light lit up through the darkness and Bruce and Shayera moved towards it. The shadows were gone and they were back in the brightly lit Federal Building.
"They've escaped." said Superman, annoyed that Luthor had managed to slip by again.
"Hey, at least we managed to capture one." said Flash, pointing outside. They looked out to see the cat lady in handcuffs with multiple firearms pointed at her.
"Have her ready for interrogation," ordered Batman, "We're going to need to change our game plan if Luthor has hired help."
The League retreated up to the Watchtower where they relaxed for a bit before they had to continue their hunt for Luthor and now five other criminals. Shayera retreated to the training room, where she began to box against the sandbag. She was feeling a little frustrated with herself. She shouldn't be so claustrophobic after all these years. Shayera began to beat against the bag with more ferocity as she recalled the moment of weakness she had back at the Metropolis Federal Building. Shayera was so busy berating herself that she didn't hear the training room door open and the steps walking behind her. It was when a hand that grabbed her shoulder did she startle back to reality and flipped the owner of the hand over her shoulder.
It was when she saw Bruce on the floor did Shayera sheepishly offered an apology. Bruce brushed her apologies aside and asked, "You seemed to be very distracted. Care to talk about it?"
Shayera sighed and confessed,"I shouldn't be so afraid anymore of it."
"To beat fear you have to go through it, not around it." said Bruce.
"How do I do that then?" asked Shayera, watching as Bruce went to the simulator. Bruce looked at her and asked, "Do you trust me?"
"With my life." said Shayera, no hesitation in her response. Bruce nodded and said, "Then get ready."
One minute Shayera was standing in an open room, the next she was in a cave and the walls were caving in. Shayera immediately felt panic and called out, her voice cracking, "Bruce?"
"I want you to go down the cave, Shayera. Face it." encouraged Bruce. Shayera took a tentative step forward and the walls moved in a little closer. Shayera took a step back and tried to calm her racing heart. Just the thought of the walls moving in on her was enough to put her through a hysteria. She heard Bruce call out to her though, "Keep going Shayera. You have to face it. You can't allow it to overcome you."
Shayera took several deep breaths and closed her eyes. She walked forward and heard the walls closing in on her. Shayera bit her lower lip, trying to think of anything else other than the walls. She kept walking forward and it was only until she felt herself getting into a tight squeeze did she try to back out. She felt a wall behind her and Shayera opened her eyes to find herself in a tight box. Shayera began to hyperventilate and attempted to lift her arms in order to hit her way out. The walls were strong though, keeping her in place as they continued to collapse in. Shayera attempted to control her breathing but as the ceiling began to go down Shayera screamed, "STOP!"
She was suddenly free from her confinement and she gasped as she glanced around to see Bruce standing behind her. He just stared at her and Shayera glared at him.
"What the hell?" she demanded.
"I was testing your limits," explained Bruce as he helped her stand, "Now that I know it will be easier to determine how to best help you."
"And you didn't think to tell me?" asked Shayera, annoyed at his logic.
"If I had told you, then you would have tried to mask your fear. It was necessary for me to see where your limits lay." explained Bruce. Shayera only sighed and said, "I really should have seen that coming."
"Your fear overruled all of your logic and common sense," reasoned Bruce.
"Can you really help me get rid of my fear?" asked Shayera.
"No one can really get rid of their fears, Shayera," said Bruce, "One can only overcome them and not allow it to consume you."
"Ok," said Shayera, "Are you going to go interrogate the Cheetah woman then?"
"No, I left that up to Superman and Flash. I'm going to follow a lead and I'll contact you all later." said Batman, leaving the training room.
"Do you need backup?" asked Shayera.
"Not right now," said Bruce, "If I run into any danger though I'll be sure to call you in." With a pat on her shoulder, he left the training room. Shayera smiled gently as the door closed and returned to practicing her boxing. The minutes would tick by into hours and Shayera stopped her training and glanced at the clock. It has been over four hours since Bruce had left to follow his lead. Shayera decided to quickly shower and check in with Bruce later. One of the downsides to having wings is the smell of sweat clinging to her feathers.
Shayera emerged fresh and walked to the Monitor Room where she sat down on the chair and opened up the feed to Bruce's comm-link.
"Batman, come in… Batman do you read me?" said Shayera. Silence was heard on the other side. Shayera tried again after five minutes and tried again and again until she called in the rest of the League.
"What's going on Hawkgirl?" asked Flash.
"Batman isn't responding to his comm-link." said Shayera, "I've tried almost ten times already and he won't answer."
"Maybe the guy is just being his old Bat-self." said Flash.
"No," insisted Shayera, "even if he is busy, he would have said so. J'onn can you find him." J'onn's eyes glowed orange in his attempt to find Batman, when he couldn't find the man's familiar brain signature he said, "I can't locate him."
Everybody was stunned that J'onn couldn't find Batman. Shayera held in her worry and asked, "Does anyone know where he went for his lead."
No one knew and Shayera was grateful that her mask was able to hide her emotions from everybody else. Shayera and J'onn immediately began to type into the computers, attempting to find Batman's tracker. Superman, Flash, Lantern, and Diana were teleported back on Earth in order to search the cities. Shayera had already contacted Barbara and explained to her the situation, making sure that the other heroes stayed away from Gotham. Batman may be missing, but he will not be happy if things got out of control in Gotham.
Shayera and J'onn spent many hours in the night trying to jumpstart Batman's tracker. Whatever or whoever had turned it off probably didn't know about the backup power the tracker can hold. Shayera had made a quick trip to Midway to retrieve her Absorbascon. She had made J'onn promise to keep the existence of the Absorbascon a secret. In the beginning, Shayera had asked Batman whether they could incorporate the Absorbascon into the monitoring system of the Watchtower, but he immediately told her that she needed to keep it a secret. Shayera had no idea why but she decided to heed Batman's request at the time, but for now she needed to use it to find a certain bat and possibly some certain villains.
Just as she was about to put the helmet on though, J'onn said, "Someone is here."
"Lantern?" asked Shayera, knowing that the Javelin is still in the hangar.
"No," said J'onn, phasing down into the hangar. Shayera hid the Absorbascon in a cabinet and quickly followed J'onn to the hangar. As she neared the hangar, she heard the familiar voice of the zombie, Grundy. Shayera quickly gripped her mace looked over the doorway to see Star Sapphire, the black and white clad man Batman said was named Shade, and Grundy. Shayera almost made herself known when she heard Sapphire order Grundy, "Put it over next to those boxes. The fools will be too busy trying to help the martian for an extra box."
Grundy placed a briefcase next to the spare-parts boxes and the trio was then surrounded by Star Sapphire's energy and they left. Shayera went into the hangar the minute she knew they were gone and called out, "J'onn?"
She heard a groan and looked around to find J'onn knocked against some of the storage boxes. She quickly made her way towards him and examined him. While not seriously injured, he still needed to be put in one of the healing pods in the Medical Bay. Shayera glanced at the briefcase and decided to take care of J'onn first. She carried J'onn to the Medical Wing, using her wings as an extra pair of hands, and kept him comfortable in the pods while she investigated the briefcase. Shayera couldn't see a latch or a way to open the briefcase. Shayera took a deep breath to clear her head of her frustrations when she heard beeping. Shayera looked around the room to find the source when she noticed that the beeping was coming from the briefcase. She pressed her ear closer to it and heard the beeping coming from inside. Shayera's eyes widen when she realized that it was a bomb. She quickly called in the others and said, "Everybody, there's been a breach in the Watchtower. I'm going to take the bomb with me in the Javelin."
"Wait, what?" said Flash, but Shayera didn't have time to respond. She closed the link off and proceeded to get the plan in motion. The beeping was increasing, meaning that she had less than minute probably to get rid of the bomb. Shayera grabbed the briefcase and used her key to open the hangar. She piloted the Javelin and using the autopilot, gave herself time to quickly exit the Javelin as it jetted into space. Shayera had punched a hole through the ground to fight against the vacuum of space and watched as the Javelin flew away. She closed the hangar and quickly flew to one of the upper windows to see the Javelin exploding. Shayera took a deep breath and opened her communication back on to hear multiple voices.
"Hawkgirl? Answer me." Superman.
"Please answer! Where's J'onn?" Diana.
"Damnit Hawkgirl! Open the line!" Lantern.
"Hawkgirl! Come on! You promised to see the movie with me and GL!" Flash.
"I'm here. I'm here," reassured Shayera, "I got rid of the bomb. J'onn was knocked unconscious by Luthor's hired guns."
"How did they get into the Watchtower?" asked Lantern, "They need a key to open the shields."
"My best guess," said Shayera, "is that they have Batman."
"Hawkgirl, get us back up in the Watchtower. We're going to need to think of a better plan if Luthor is behind this." said Superman. Shayera quickly flew up to the Monitor Room and used the teleporter to beam everybody back up. Once everybody assembled, they met together in the Medical Bay, keeping J'onn company as he recovered.
"We need to find Luthor and fast," said Lantern, "So long as we are exposed to this then it's not safe up here."
"Don't worry," said Shayera, "I disconnected Batman's keypass from the Watchtower's signal, the next time they try to use it the Watchtower will go on lockdown."
"Where do we start looking for Batman though?" asked Flash.
"It would have to be somewhere Luthor is familiar with. Metropolis is the obvious place to look for him." said Superman.
"Where though? HOw many abandoned buildings are in Metropolis?" asked Shayera, "It's really obvious that Luthor will not be able to use any of his own buildings as he's a wanted criminal now."
About an hour passed by with Superman trying to list off all the buildings that are either being constructed or abandoned in Metropolis. For a city meant to represent the future, there were many building complexes that were left abandoned. Shayera was having a difficult time trying to 'keep her cool' as Flash would put it. Thoughts of what Luthor might have put Bruce under ran in her mind. If anything, Shayera could feel her impatience rise within. She almost very nearly left the Watchtower and begin her search for Bruce.
J'onn suddenly snapped forward and said, "I know where he is!"
Shayera's heart fluttered in anxiety and it took all her restraint to not seem over eager to get them going. For J'onn's health, he was chosen to stay behind in the Watchtower in order to man the teleporter and provide as backup just in case. Everyone else was teleported outside across the abandoned Metropolis Toy Emporium. Superman used his X-Ray vision to spot Luthor and his Injustice gang along with a surprise addition.
"The Joker is with them." he said. Shayera almost balked at that new information. She surprised herself when she suddenly began to pray to Omar in her head to keep Bruce safe and away from that maniacal clown.
"Where's Batman?" asked Flash, and Shayera was happy that he was the one who asked. She wasn't sure she could keep her voice steady if she had asked.
"He's down below in the basement, the Ultra Humanite is guarding him." said Superman.
"Alright, let's go." said Flash, about to run in when Shayera quickly grabbed onto his costume and said, "Wait! If the Joker is in on this, there might be traps, sensors, anything!"
"You fought him before?" asked Lantern.
"Fought? Been captured? Almost been given his Laugh Toxin? I'm not in the same experience level as Batman when it comes to that homicidal maniac, but I know enough that I should never underestimate him." said Shayera, "Don't just run in there."
"Hawkgirl is right," said Superman as he continued to X-ray the building, "I've already spotted several mines and traps he's set up in case we happen to come in through the doors or windows. The roof is already rigged to explode by the sensors."
"Then how do we get in? The walls?" asked Flash.
"Or the ground below." said Diana.
Batman easily felt the latch that can free him, but after contacting J'onn on his location he was able to free himself. Just when he was about to wonder when the others will show up, the ground beneath him trembled. He was almost shocked to see a red tornado form briefly in front of him as the ground was broken open, but as he watched the League come in and Shayera, he knew that they had probably seen Joker upstairs. Superman quickly dispatched Humanite, knocking him unconscious as Diana freed Batman from his restraints.
"Hey Bats, how's your evening been?" asked Flash. Batman ignored Flash and looked at Superman for answers. After briefing Batman in on the whole deal, the League quickly made their way upstairs where they were met head on with the Injustice Gang. Shayera quickly went for Shade, knowing with his skills to turn the League blind he had to be taken care of first. With flight like an owl, she was able to silently fly up behind him and take his staff away and hitting him on the head with it before breaking it into two. Shayera glanced around to see others faring well in their respective fights. She looked around to spot Luthor sporting a new high tech suit. She watched in horror as his blasts were enough to hurt Superman. Shayera quickly whirled her mace over her head and flung it at Luthor, fully charged. Lex cried out in pain as the electricity overrode his suit's drive and the electricity was enough to shock him into unconsciousness.
Shayera almost didn't see the blade that was coming for her head until the light glinted off the metal. Shayera flexed her wings apart with enough force to startle her assailant back. She turned to see Joker get pushed back into Batman who knocked him out instantly. It was quiet in the building as all the villains were knocked out. Shayera, Superman, and Diana quickly removed or disarmed all of the Joker's traps so the police can enter the building safely. Shayera never once took her eyes off of Bruce. She was secretly examining him for any injuries he could be concealing. Shayera knew Bruce was always the silent sufferer but if she had anything to say about it he would be sent straight back to the manor.
As everything was taken care of, everybody flew back to their respective homes or jobs, with Diana and Lantern taking over Monitor duty in the early morning. Shayera and Batman were soon the only ones left in the building. Shayera turned to Bruce and said, "What a night."
"You're spending too much time with Flash." said Bruce. Shayera laughed quietly at his words and said, "Why Batman, maybe you don't spend enough time with us."
Batman gave a small scoff and another smile for Shayera. Shayera grinned at him and said, "So, did they treat you ok or did they manage to institutionalized you beyond repair?"
Again, Bruce gave her a smile and said, "If I was, you wouldn't be standing here right now."
"Please," scoffed Shayera, "As if I'd let you get the drop on me. I'd see you coming from a mile away."
"Is that a challenge, Miss Hol?" teased Bruce. Shayera would later deny that she had blushed and ran away, but she would never deny the feelings she had felt that night. She looked at the teasing smile of Bruce and said, "Maybe it is, what are you going to do about it?"
She quickly leaned in, hugged him, and kissed him on his cheek: right near the corner of his mouth.
Bruce blushed as his surprise overrode all of his senses. Shayera had given him a cheeky smile before launching herself in the air and said, "Good night Bruce."
Bruce stood there with a hand on his cheek watching as Shayera flew away. A smile spread on his face before calling on the Batmobile and driving away back to Gotham. Not aware that a maniacal clown who recently escaped the Metropolis Police Department stood witness to the exchange.
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