Only a Dream
It became apparent that something was wrong with Hawkgirl. The entire Midway City Police Department noticed the change in behavior to their alien detective. She was exhausted during the day and hyperactive during the night. Emmett swears that the woman has been awake for the last three days and knew that she will crash on them if she doesn't sleep now. Kendra also worried for her partner, knowing that when Shayera is tired she gets into two modes: cranky and irritable or quiet and sluggish. Right now, Shayera is cranky and pacing up and down the living room while visiting Kendra.
"There is absolutely no way I'm going to cover for you again." snarked Shayera into her communicator. Kendra felt sorry for the Flash on the other line but Shayera did cover for him three days in a row already.
"No! I am already past the point of caring! Flash, you're a grown adult now start taking responsibility… oh you only had four hours to sleep last night? How about you try having three days of no sleep and then tell me how exhausted you are!"
Kendra flinched at the acidity in Shayera's voice, her mask hiding her tired face but her body betraying her by how it's stiff and how Shayera often swayed on her feet as though she were going to fall.
Kendra rocked Junior in her arms, the one year old baby resisting sleep in order to be in the arms of his godmother. Junior absolutely loved it when his godmother was around. Kendra supposes it had to do with the wings that entertained him.
Speaking of wings, Kendra always did find it amusing that it poofs whenever she gets agitated. Right now, it looked like Shayera was almost encased with a large feathery blanket.
"No! Call Batman if you're that desperate for sleep but I can't guarantee that he will want to cover you."
With that, Shayera removed her mask to remove her earpiece and Kendra got a good look at how exhausted Shayera is. Her face was sunken in and pale, her eyes straining just to remain open, dark circles underneath her lids, and as Shayera placed the earpiece down, her movements were shaky.
"Girl, you're going to collapse in the middle of a case and I'm going to have to play hero for once to save your ass," said Kendra as Shayera tiredly rubbed her eyes, "go to sleep. Even my uncle will give you a free day if you can relax for a bit. You've not only completed all of the case lists given to you, you even covered for the Flash three days in a row up at your fancy satellite. Go to sleep."
"I have a shift at midnight-"
"-Bullshit! You are going to bed! Waller has deployed ARGUS agents around the city for training, the League has the Martian, and my uncle can do without one detective! Hurry up! I have a spare change of your pjs up in my room from the last time you slept over."
Shayera laughed at how mommy-like Kendra sounded but she supposes it came with the deal of having a baby.
"You're not going to let me leave are you?"
"No chance in hell. Andrew already knows I'm forcing you to stay."
"I guess I have no choice then." chuckled Shayera. Just as she was about to follow Kendra, the earpiece vibrated on the table.
"Don't you dare answer that." threatened Kendra.
"It's the League. It's probably an emergency."
"They can handle one mission without you can't they?"
"And if they can't? It's too risky to assume that they won't need me." said Shayera as she grabbed her earpiece.
"Hawkgirl here."
"Hawkgirl," came the voice of J'onn, "There has been a prison riot in Stryker's Island during a prisoner exchange and we have five dangerous prisoners on the loose. Diana is currently providing protection for the Kasnian Royal Family and we need you."
"Teleport me over at my go." said Shayera. She grabbed her mask and placed it on while reaching for her mace that was perched on top of the table.
"Shay." said Kendra, exasperated. She worried for her a lot. Shayera is her sister by bond who would often place herself in danger regardless of her own safety. Kendra would sometimes be held back by Andrew or her uncle when Shayera gets overwhelmed in battle. She manages to pull through in the end but not without bloody wounds. Kendra often wishes though that Shayera will eventually settle down for a bit, if only for her selfish wish to keep her sister alive a bit longer.
"Look, after this mission I'll sleep. I promise." said Shayera.
"Fine! Go be a hero! One of these days you need to settle down and actually enjoy life." said Kendra.
"Well until that day happens, I'll still be knocking down thugs and saving the world." smirked Shayera. The boost of adrenaline that was pumping in her system was enough to keep her awake. She was teleported away from Kendra's home and was placed on top of the roof of the prison.
Already, Shayera could hear the yells of prisoners as they rushed around the courtyard as they tried to find an escape route. With the prison guards and Flash quickly containing them, Shayera didn't worry about the normal prisoners and instead decided to focus on the five high-level prisoners who escaped. Spreading her wings, Shayera soared above into the sky to get a better vantage point of where she was at. Spotting Superman from a distance, Shayera flew over to him and asked for a breakdown of the situation.
"Follow me," ordered Superman, "Luminous was seen escaping around the building. He might be trying to get to the roof in order to reach the helicopter."
"Had any other problems?" asked Shayera as she followed Superman.
"J'onn and I took care of Grundy when he tried to rampage his way out, "Lantern took care of Copperhead earlier and is currently dealing with Volcana and Firefly with Batman."
"Guys!" said Flash through the comm-link, "I'll cut off Luminous, you don't have to worry!"
"Flash wait!" ordered Shayera but he had his link disconnected and Shayera could only assume two things: 1) His comm-link is currently on the fritz for him not to respond or 2) Flash ran into trouble and couldn't respond. Sure enough, as she and Superman rounded around the building to access the situation they witnessed Flash receiving a beatdown from numerous Luminouses. Grunting at Flash's immaturity, Shayera gave a war cry and slammed her mace on the ground, creating an electric wave that dematerialized several of Luminous's clones while Superman quickly aided Flash in escaping Luminous's grasp.
"We only need to take out the real one!" ordered Superman.
"Which one?" asked Shayera as she heel-kicked a clone into another while using her wings as shield to cover her back. Superman used his infrared vision in order to determine where the Luminous is. As suspected, instead of escaping in the mayhem, Luminous allowed his ego to take control and stay to fight the League. The real Luminous was slowly making his way towards Shayera and Superman immediately flew towards the villain and grabbed him by the helm of his leotard. Reaching for his power cell, Superman easily crushed it in his hands. Afraid of his vulnerability, Luminous tried to make a run for it when he ran into Hawkgirl, who's mask made her glare seem deadly. Raising a closed fist, Hawkgirl knocked Luminous out with one swing and went to check on Flash.
"Guys," he replied groggily, "it's ok, I wore him down!"
Shayera and Superman gave each other a worried glance, before Superman bent down and said, "Flash, Luminous is taken care of."
"Sweet… teamwork! Uh… hey Shay." muttered Flash as soon as he noticed Shayera's angry glare.
"We are going to have a long talk about teamwork when we get back to the tower." It was all Shayera said as she flew back up into the air. Flash gave Superman a pleading look but the Man of Steel could only give him a pitying smile and flew after her, leaving a speedster to feel as though he is going to be sent to the Principal's office.
Shayera muttered to herself about having to always cover for Flash as she went towards where the flash of green was seen over the next building. Deciding to put Flash's immaturity behind her, Shayera watched from above as John took care of Volcana and Firefly simultaneously, cutting off their air supply by trapping them inside a conjured bubble. Batman was off to the side, tending to the injured security.
Shayera landed beside him and greeted him with a brush of her wing. To an outside observer, it would have looked like an innocent brush but between Bruce and Shayera it was a silent exchange of comfort. For Shayera, it is more primal than she realizes but nevertheless she sharpened her senses to focus on Bruce as he led her towards the team.
"Looks like that's it. The guards managed to round up the stragglers." said Superman, "I'll be heading towards Metropolis if any of you need me."
"I need to be back home," said John as he powered up, "I only have a few hours to sleep so I'll be seeing you tomorrow morning."
"I'll just… be going on my way!" said Flash, attempting to speed away when Shayera immediately said, "You're not going back to Central City. J'onn, teleport us up to the Watchtower. If I have to stay up all night, you are too. You think you're so cool in taking down a dangerous man by yourself without assessing the situation first? You're going to finish your shift and learn how to handle your responsibilities."
With that, J'onn clicked on his belt to summon the auto-teleport and he teleported away along with Shayera and Flash, who seemed miserable at the knowledge of receiving a lecture from Shayera and having to stay up all night. John only chuckled at seeing the Flash cower before Hawkgirl as he flew away. Superman only glanced at Batman and said, "She takes after you a lot doesn't she?"
Superman flew away while Batman could only be secretly pleased that he wasn't the only member in the group to have his priorities straight. Shayera has been slowly becoming a part of his life in a way that he had hoped Selina would have been. Her presence in the major brought peace and lightness, and whenever she stayed the night it definitely made him a happy man. Batman was about to leave when he was approached by the prison warden.
"We seem to have a missing convict."
"Who?"
"A man by the name of John Dee," explained the warden as he led Batman to the security office, "We haven't been able to locate him after we discovered that he had broken into the ESP testing."
"Why do you have an ESP testing facility inside inside a prison?" questioned Batman.
"Where else can we get volunteers to participate in an experimental machine?"
The Warden and Batman reached the security office where the warden played the tape. Batman watched as a plain man shoved his way into the scientist's office and knocked him out. Stealing the keys, John Dee made a run outside the room. The warden plaited another tape that showed Dee walking into the room and approaching the machine. Strapping himself into the machine, Dee turned the power to its fullest and a bright light engulfed the room until the force of the power sit the cameras down.
"We haven't found a body so we know that Dee survived."
"We will keep an eye out for him." promised Batman and he left for Gotham to begin his search or the missing convict.
As Batman made his way home, Flash was on the receiving end of Shayera's ire at the Watchtower.
"You are the fastest man alive," said Shayera, pacing up and down in front of Flash as he sat like a small child in his chair. J'onn stood the side with an amused expression on his face as Shayera continued her lecture, "You need to assess the situation first before you head on in. Being fast isn't enough to guarantee a victory."
"It works for Superman." muttered Flash to his mistake. When Shayera sharply turned her head to glare at him, he shrank into his seat.
"It works for him because he has enhanced senses and invulnerability! Superman's already assessed the situation thirty miles away! Don't you think how we'd feel if we were to lose you?"
Shayera's voice cracked at the end, causing Flash to feel horrible. Speeding up to his best friend, he hugged her and promised, "I won't do it again. I swear."
Shayera hugged Flash back and muttered, "You're a lucky knucklehead."
"I know," laughed Flash, "it's part of my charm."
Shayera only shook her head as Flash sped off to get more coffee, and sat down on the Monitor Chair to rub her weary eyes. She heard J'onn chuckle beside her and said, "You know you could've added your own input right?"
"You handled it very well," said J'onn, "I sense that you are going through several emotions but your thoughts still elude me."
"I don't know what's wrong with me J'onn," said Shayera, "it's been three nights since I've last had a good night's rest."
"Perhaps Batman may be of assistance?"
"No, I don't want to bother him with this. It's not the first time I've had several nights of no sleep… where's Flash? He's never this late with coffee."
Shayera and J'onn left the Monitor Womb to investigate. Entering the cafeteria, Shayera could only shake her head at seeing the spilled coffee cup and a sleeping hero on top the counter.
"I'm leaving him there. If I have to cover for him another night then he can wake up uncomfortable for all I care."
J'onn chuckled and followed Shayera outside to the Monitor Womb.
Bruce was asleep in his chair, a blanket around him after Alfred had discovered him hours after searching for Dee. Superman in his Clark Kent personal was happily reading the article he wrote for the Daily Planet about the prison break before retiring to bed. John was staring outside his apartment at his old neighborhood, nostalgic memories of himself and his grandmother before he went to sleep, getting himself ready to wake up early for Monitor Duty in the morning. Flash continued sleeping on the kitchen counter while Shayera and J'onn remained on Monitor Duty. All unaware of the invading power of John Dee.
Hours passed by and Shayera could feel her body rebel against her mind. She is exhausted but her mind remained hyperactive. Shayera sighed and tried to figure out what is wrong with her. Her sickness passed after two days so it can't be that, she is now an emotional train where she is quick to angrily start fights or break down in regret. Her diet also changed, where she doesn't like eating cooked food anymore and instead eats her fish raw.
Shayera struggled to try and figure out when J'onn spoke, "Flash is experiencing trouble."
Quickly following him to the cafeteria, Shayera and J'onn witnessed Flash fidgeting on the counter, whimpers escaping his lips as he suddenly convulsed and also other fell if J'onn hadn't caught him.
"Call the others, I'll take Flash to the medical wing." said J'onn. Shayera quickly flew down to the Monitor Womb and quickly called Bruce. No answer. She tried several times but no answer. Calling John, she got the same response: nothing. When Superman didn't answer, Shayera knew that something is wrong.
"J'onn! I need you to teleport me to John, Superman, and Batman's location!"
"What is wrong?"
"Nobody is responding! I need to check on them!"
J'onn phased down from the medical wing to the Monitor Womb. Shayera stepped on the teleportation pad as J'onn locked the coordinates to Superman's home. Shayera felt the familiar whirl around her before she stood in Superman's living room.
"Superman?" whispered Shayera, "Clark?"
Cautiously walking around the clean apartment, Shayera focused her hearing and managed to make out grunts of fear and pain coming from upstairs. Flying up, Shayera landed outside the door and opened it to reveal Clark sweating and tossing and turning in his bed.
"Clark!" yelled Shayera. Taking care of staying out of his reach, Shayera analyzed him from afar.
"J'onn, I need you to teleport me and Clark up to the tower."
Quickly gripping his shoulder, Shayera was teleported up with Superman who began to thrash about. One of his flailing arms knocked Shayera on her arm, causing her to cry out in pain as he dislodged her shoulder.
Gritting her teeth, Shayera avoided his flailing limbs and cried out into her comm-link, "J'onn! I need help!"
J'onn phased through the walls and using his quickly helped Shayera restrain Superman.
"Clark! Wake up!" screamed Shayera, terrified of how close Superman was to decapitating her with one swipe of his hand. J'onn was able to Superman restrained long enough to quickly guide him to the Medical Wing where Flash was already inside an incubator, sedated. Superman calmed down after being placed inside the incubator and Shayera stayed still long enough for J'onn to reset her shoulder.
"Teleport me to Detroit, and send me back up as soon as I call. Hopefully John doesn't wear his ring to bed." said Shayera. A teleportation later, Shayera stood inside John's small apartment and heard him in his bedroom groaning. Quickly making her way towards him, she witnessed him convulsing in bed as well and quickly lifted him up and called J'onn. After securing John in his own incubator, Shayera asked to be sent directly at Wayne Manor, knowing J'onn already knew Batman's secret identity.
Teleported outside his home, Shayera quickly made her way inside and startled Alfred.
"Oh my!" he exclaimed, "Miss Shayera? It's the late hour!"
Ignoring him, Shayera quickly ran down to the batcave, Alfred keeping up with her to see what the emergency was. Shayera felt her heart pound in anxiety and fear as she descended deeper into the batcave. It was the prone figure of Bruce sitting in his chair that made Shayera feel her heart stop. Landing in front of him, kneeling to get a better look of his face, Shayera removed his cowl to see his peaceful face asleep.
"Bruce," she whispered as she shook him gently, "Bruce wake up."
Nothing. Shayera shook harder and said a little louder, "Bruce!"
Her hearts were speeding up and Shayera had to step away from Bruce to stop herself from shaking him in near hysterics. Her primal instincts were taking over again, a need to avenge her mate. Bruce is still breathing which is good, but she needs to get him to J'onn.
"Miss? What's wrong with Master Bruce?" asked Alfred shakily. Shayera turned to him and removed her helmet. She is not speaking to the kind man as an officer but as a friend.
"I don't know Alfred but I will help Bruce with every ounce of my being." promised Shayera.
"Does this have to do with the escaped convict from Stryker's Island?"
"What prisoner?"
"Master Bruce has been doing extensive research in the man earlier tonight. Here."
Alfred pulled up the files on the computer and Shayera glanced at them quickly and said, "I'll be back Alfred. I need to let Bruce be checked by J'onn J'onzz."
"Please Miss," said Alfred quietly, "Bring him back."
"I will."
Shayera carefully wrapped Bruce's arm around her shoulders and carried him away from the computer and spoke in her comm-link, "J'onn, teleport now."
Back at the Watchtower, Shayera watched as J'onn place Bruce in his own incubation bed alongside Lantern, Flash, and Superman. J'onn stood still as his eyes glowed and Shayera waited patiently to the side. Noticing the tv on, Shayera turned the volume a little up to hear what the reporter is saying.
"Escaped convict John Dee is still at large. Dee's ex-wife has died after several hours of being in a catatonic state in the hospital, leading many to believe that Dee may have been involved."
Shayera turned the tv off to see J'onn move after mentally examining all four heroes.
"He's managed to have fix himself in all their minds, trying to get revenge on the Justice League." said J'onn as he exited his friends' minds.
"Who?" asked Shayera.
"John Dee. Except from what I've managed to grasp from his mind, he's calling himself Doctor Destiny." said J'onn.
"Revenge?"
"I need to pull them out of their sleep before Dee manages to completely break their minds."
"Ok, I'll go on the search for Dee then. If he needs to focus in order to pull his mental attacks, then he needs to go somewhere safe for his body." said Shayera. She wobbled a little as she took a step towards the door, leading J'onn to ask, "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, just a little tired. Nothing to worry about."
"I will teleport you then to Earth."
"Teleport me to the Batcave. Bruce made research already into where Dee might be hiding."
A quick teleport later, Shayera was sitting where Bruce sat and was going through his files of John Dee. A lackluster man who never achieved anything in his life without swindling others. Opening up a file of his arrest, Shayera read how Diana and J'onn were the ones to have apprehended Dee in his attempt to launder money using LexCorps as a cover. His criminal activity landed him a life-time in jail and his ex-wife signing the divorce papers a week later.
Shayera could only sigh in relief that Diana was currently serving as a guard for the royal family of Kasnia and that J'onn had a prolific mind guard. Shayera wondered if she would have been taken over too, but if J'onn couldn't penetrate her mind then neither can Dee.
Shayera stood and experienced another dizzy spell. Gripping the chair for support, Shayera fought to stay up. Her vision blurred in and out. Taking deep breaths, Shayera recomposed herself and glanced up to see Alfred giving her a worried look.
"Miss? Are you feeling alright?"
"I'm fine, Alfred. I'll rest after we catch Dee."
"If I may, Miss Shayera. Would you be comfortable in allowing me to run an examination of your blood?"
"Why? I'm not sick." insisted Shayera.
"It's just a precaution, Miss Shayera. Master Bruce has emergency files on all members of the League in the event a dangerous virus might overtake you. Do you recall your first brush with an earth-born virus? You were fighting the common fever and it almost killed you."
Shayera could remember and was forever thankful of Bruce's quick thinking. She sighed and relented in allowing Alfred to draw some blood for her and she went on her way to track down Dee.
Flying above the clouds, Shayera thought through every possible scenario and concluded that she is going to need help. Smirking at the thought of waking up Kendra, Shayera also decided that it doesn't hurt to involve ARGUS for this mission since most of the League was incapacitated.
J'onn
After Shayera had left, J'onn took a deep breath and focused his mind as he entered into Superman's dream. J'onn worried for him the most, knowing how vulnerable the Man of Steel feels about his place on Earth. It is with certainty that Dee will try to break him first.
J'onn was taken from the Watchtower Hospital to a burning building. Unnerved, J'onn flew up and out of the building to see that it is the Daily Planet. Looking around, the entire city of Metropolis was burned to the ground but J'onn ignored the bodies on the ground and flew towards where Superman's signature was emitting. J'onn focused his mind and managed to make the entire city of Metropolis disappear beneath him and the city of Smallville appeared. J'onn flew towards a barn near a small home, deducing that this must be Superman's childhood home. He walked into the open barn to see a spaceship resting against the far side of the wall. He walked over to see a large and deformed Superman cowering in the ship.
"Superman, none of this is real." said J'onn, placing a hand on Superman's shoulder for comfort.
"No!" cried out Superman, "You'll get hurt! Stay back!"
Recognizing that Superman is experiencing his worst-case scenario, J'onn explained, "What you are experiencing is just a nightmare. None of this is real."
Placing his hands on Superman's head, J'onn continued, "Allow me to show you."
It took all his energy to get Superman out of his fear, it was strong and J'onn hoped he didn't experience this much resistance with the others. He could feel Dee attempt to keep J'onn away from a distance, not wanting to reveal himself to Superman in order to make the Man of Steel believe that he is experiencing reality. J'onn pushed through though until a breakthrough: J'onn managed to push enough information into Superman's mind about John Dee that Superman released a large heat ray in anger. The force of the blast was enough to force J'onn to pull back as the barn exploded. Looking up in shock, J'onn smiled as Superman flew down to him, no longer deformed.
"Thanks J'onn." said Superman gratefully. He would have surely fallen into despair if not for his good friend.
J'onn nodded with a smile when a large shadow fell upon them. Looking up, they both saw a large figure with a skeleton face wearing a purple hood and matching robe stand above them.
"None of you are escaping this nightmare." he threatened.
"You're inside my head," said Superman, "You don't run things here."
J'onn and Superman flew up to his level and began to fight. With Superman using his strength and heat vision to fight and J'onn using his own strength and mental powers, Dee didn't stand a chance. Knocking him down on top of the cornfield, Superman pinned Dee down with his heat vision, using his own dreamscape to change the yellow sun into a blue sun. With more energy now radiating onto him, Superman's heat vision doubled in power. Dee tried to swat him out of the sky but it was like trying to spike a sharp nail down. Instead of falling, Superman remained in the air.
J'onn had to give it to Clark for knowing about how to control his dreamscape. It made the battle much easier for them. Using their combined strengths, J'onn and Superman punched Dee in the jaw and effectively forced him out of Superman's head.
"Thanks a bunch, J'onn," said Superman as he slowly repaired his mindscape, "I don't know where I'd be in the real world if I had let Dee take over."
"It was a good thing, then, that Shayera was able to deduce the attacks quickly." said J'onn, "After Flash, Shayera quickly went for the rest of you."
"Dee is after the League? What about Diana? Does she know what's going on?"
"I messaged her to remain with the Royal Family while Shayera and I work to locate and stop Dee."
"He knows my identity." said Superman, realizing that Dee would have read his mind to torture him the way he did.
"We'll cross that bridge when we get there." said J'onn, "First we need to help Lantern, Flash, and Batman."
"Alright," said Superman, "Lead the way."
J'onn made a doorway of light appear so they could easily cross into John's mind.
As they flew through, they were instantly transported from Smallville to Detroit. Looking around, the entire street was empty. The dark street was only illuminated by a distant green light. Flying towards that direction, Superman and J'onn were overhead as they watched Dee talk with a fading John Stewart. In front of them was a large Green Lantern.
"John!" cried out Superman, interrupting whatever lies Dee was telling John, "It's just a dream He's trying to delude you!"
"Stay out of this!" cried out Dee as he grew back into a giant and began to beat J'onn and Superman back and away from the Lantern. Being in the Lantern's mind gave Dee the opportunity to take down Superman and hopefully the Martian. He already began to push the Lantern into the giant Green Lantern, his fear of losing his humanity an easy to manipulate fear. After all, he almost got Superman with it had it not been for the damn Martian.
This time though, Dee could feel a better control over his powers now that he doesn't have to split himself into another form. Easily capturing Superman in one fist, he cackled as the 'oh-so-mighty' Man of Steel struggled to break free. Dee gleefully mocked, "We're not in your head anymore thickhead. You hold no power here."
"But I do." said J'onn as he shifted into a dragon and bit into Dee's hand. Dee cried out in pain as he shook his hand, trying to get rid of him. J'onn knew though he had a bit more power than Dee, but it still wasn't enough to overpower him since he needs to hold Superman's and his own mental signature inside John's mind.
John's fear is very akin to Superman's fear of not belonging but it was more personal as John Stewart was raised knowing he is human and therefore is afraid to lose that connection.
"John! You must seek within yourself!" yelled J'onn as he continued his battle with Dee, "You have friends here who care about you and don't ask for anything more from you. The ring doesn't make John Stewart: YOU DO!"
The fading John seemed to flicker into existence and ran into the giant Green Lantern. Dee caught attention of this and began to laugh maniacally.
His laughter was short lived when the giant lantern exploded. John flew out from the explosion, invigorated and more sure in himself than ever. Dee could only gawk in disbelief when he was hit from behind by J'onn and Superman broke free from his hold. The Green Lantern blasted at Dee with more power than was typically normal, obviously the Lantern already regaining control of his mind. Dee tried for one last effort and materialized the model Mari in the street.
"John!" cried out the manifestation, "Leave! You don't belong here!"
"Nice try," growled John as he created a large wrecking ball construct and whacked Dee down to the ground,"As if my baby girl will ever tell me that."
Dee growled in frustration as he lost his hold on the Lantern's mind, allowing him to form a bubble shield around the villain and hold him down.
"Can we wake up now?" asked John as Superman and J'onn landed next to him.
"This is far from over." warned Dee as he faded out of John's mind.
"We need to get Flash and Batman." said J'onn.
"Then let's go." said Superman as J'onn opened up another doorway towards Flash's mind. As they entered into his dream, they were in Central City… but nothing was moving. As they floated down to where an agonized Flash was zooming around. When he spotted them, his grin was short-lived. J'onn could see him vibrate out of existence and quickly read through his mind. Flash's fear of moving so fast that the world will stop moving would make things more difficult for J'onn, as Dee now only has to focus on Flash and Batman.
Quickly realizing that this is a battle Flash has to win by himself, J'onn called out, "You must look inside yourself!"
"What do you mean?" asked Flash as he was quickly fading away.
"Look inside yourself!" cried out J'onn again before Flash completely vanished. The three heroes landed on the sidewalk and watched as the world began to move for them.
"Do you think the kid got the message?" asked John.
"I can sense him," said J'onn, his eyes glowing as he felt for Flash but noticed Dee's invisible presence, "Dee is attempting to discourage him."
"Come on kid." muttered John. It is no secret that as the youngest member of the group, Flash was like the little brother to everyone. Superman had his arms crossed and his jaw set as he watched J'onn continue to link himself up with Flash. It was difficult trying to get them into Flash's bubble but with Dee stronger, he couldn't do it. Five minutes passed and they were starting to get worries when out of nowhere, Flash materialized in front of them. He was sitting down and smiled as a kid skated by and a couple waved at him.
"I did it!" he pronounced proudly, quickly getting up on his feet.
"See what happens when you use your head?" teased John, relieved that Flash didn't succumb to Dee's power.
"IDIOTS!" cried out Dee as he returned as another rampaging giant, "NONE OF YOU ARE EVER LEAVING!"
"Big toe." called out Flash.
"Gut." said John.
"Face." said Superman.
J'onn turned himself into a giant to match Dee's size and started to combat him hand-to-hand. Dee was frustrated, everything was working well for him. He had the Flash, Lantern, and the great Man of Steel in his grasp when the damn Martian intervened.
His frustrations were his undoing however, distracted by his rage, as Dee was knocked down by the combined strength of the four heroes. He faded into the cracks of the street however, intent on fully breaking the Bat.
"Alright! Teamwork! What a concept!" cheered Flash.
"Let's get to Batman quickly." said J'onn.
"I'm surprised Batman has succumbed to Dee." said John.
"From what I have gathered from Dee's mind the few times he was vulnerable… he's actually having a difficult time locating Batman." said J'onn.
"What?" asked Flash, surprised. J'onn opened up the portal into Batman's mind and they walked in hesitantly. It is no surprise that Batman is quite possibly the most intimidating member of the League, where even Superman doesn't want to know what Batman's mind is like.
As they entered into Batman's mind. They were instantly transported into a Gotham alleyway. The night sky was cloudy and the streetlights offered little to no light. Looking around, Superman spotted the street sign that named their location as Crime Alley. Eyes widening at the mention of the name, Superman immediately focused his senses to hear around the city. Having had to portray as Bruce when he went missing one time, Superman knew already how dangerous the criminals of Gotham are. The Joker himself came close to killing Superman at one point along with Scarecrow and Poison Ivy.
"WHERE ARE YOU!? SHOW YOURSELF!" came the voice of Dee. Running and flying down the alley towards where Dee is, they passed more alley ways and more until they realized that they entered a maze inside the city.
"I have to admit, this is a bit too elaborate," said J'onn as they passed by Wayne Tower for the fifth time, "Normally I stay out of all your minds out of respect, but the few times Batman has allowed me to enter his mind for missions… even I don't want to stay there too long."
"Any idea on how to cut through this maze?" asked Flash.
"Follow me." came a voice. Turning around, they found Nightwing casually leaning against the building.
"Uhhhh. You can take us to Batman?" asked John.
"He's waiting for you." said Nightwing as he scaled the building with his acrobatic skills. Flash ran up the side of the building while the others flew behind them. As they moved between the buildings, they noticed how the structures began to tower them, even when flying it seemed like the skyline was close to the atmosphere.
"So how much longer?" asked Flash.
"Had to take the long route," explained Nightwing, "Hostile Invader in the mind has everything on lockdown. He knows that the Martian was going to help though."
"Oh.. neat." said Flash as they continued to follow the young hero. With many turns around the city, they finally made it to their location: Wayne Manor.
"Uhhh, Batman is hiding here?" asked Flash.
"Follow me." was all Nightwing said as he led them towards the cliffs. They entered through a secret tunnel where they were left at the foot of the stairs. Nightwing motioned for them to stay as he walked up the stairs. They waited in silence and just when Flash was about to crack a joke about bats and caves, Batman entered from above the stairs.
"About time you all showed up." he said.
"Nice to see you too." smiled Superman, relieved that his best friend had everything under control.
"Dee underestimated my self-control." said Batman.
"Well now that the gang's all here, any plans?" asked Flash.
"Do you know where Dee is?" asked John.
"I have him running around in circles near Arkham Asylum. I was waiting for backup to show up so we can finally take him down."
"Nightwing, is he-"
"-A fragmentation based on the real life one," explained Batman, "When it became clear that Dee had invaded my mind, I had to quickly form my own backup until J'onn knew what was going on."
"Thank Shayera for it," said J'onn, "She was able to quickly deduce what was happening and rounded all of you up at the Watchtower."
"I owe her a drink then." smiled Flash.
"Same here." agreed John.
"How is she?" asked Batman. Being inside his mind gave J'onn a better feeling to just how much Batman loves Shayera.
"She is hunting Dee's body down. She believes that while he makes his mental attacks, he needs to keep his body somewhere safe."
"Good. Then how about you say we hunt down a psychic psycho?" asked Superman.
"What do we do when we have him though?" asked Flash,"He knows our identities."
"We'll figure it out." reassured Batman.
The trip to Arkham was short, this time Batman leading the way and instead of taking the long way had taken them through the shortcuts. As they neared the asylum, Dee was back as a giant but had taken the grotesque appearance of most of Batman's Rogues.
"There you are!" jeered Dee. He snarled when he spotted the other League members behind the Bat. Batman was truly a formidable foe, right up there with the Martian. Spending so much time hunting him down and now that he appears it has to be with the League. Dee was getting a large headache. First fighting the League within his own head and physically having to hold off the damn Hawkgirl and her squad. It is frustrating.
The combined efforts of the League was getting to him. Within Batman's own mind, he was suddenly assaulted with not just the League but Batman's own fragments that take the form of his own little Bat Family. As he mentally fought on, he could feel the burning sensation of Hawkgirl's mace scrape against his back and he realizes now that he can only focus on one thing. Deciding that he may as well take on the weaker group, Dee gave his final word to the Justice League.
"I'll make sure that I can take one of you down with me at least." snarled Dee before he left Batman's mind. Feeling that he had left all of their minds, J'onn quickly pulled them out of their sleep. As he returned to his body, J'onn watched as his friends woke up from their sleep.
"Ok. I'll never again complain about night shift again." promised Flash.
"We need to find and capture Dee. Do you know where Hawkgirl is?" asked Superman.
"The tracer in her comm-link should be operational." said John as he flew towards the Monitor Womb. The others trailed behind him and watched as the computer screen showed Hawkgirl's location at LexCorps.
"Let's go." said Superman. They entered the Zeta Tube and were teleported outside one of the warehouses of LexCorps. They were met with the sight of cops and paramedics and Batman quickly ran into the warehouse. Several ARGUS Agents were moaning on the floor, gripping their heads in pain. As he walked in deeper into the building, he saw Detective Kendra Grubbs and her husband off to the side, worried looks on their faces.
"What happened?" demanded Batman harshly.
"No worries, Bat," came the voice of Amanda Waller, "Dee managed to hit her with a powerful tranquilizer."
"Her armor should have protected her."
"Had she not been distracted in taking the hit for Flagg here, then maybe she could have avoided it. Her alien biology is what saved her in the end. A tranq like that would have knocked any grown man into a comatose state. She's only asleep."
"What about Dee?"
"Dead as a doornail," came her blunt reply, "After he was distracted, Flagg made the call and ended his telepathic attack on the team. We'll be taking his body back to base for research."
"I'm taking her to the Watchtower." said Batman as he lifted Shayera into his arms with ease and looked at J'onn. He used his comm-link to connect to the Zeta beam and teleported them away to the Watchtower.
"She's just sleeping right?" asked Flash anxiously.
"We'll find out out soon enough." said J'onn as he helped Batman set up the bed for Shayera. Removing her armor to better allow the medical equipment to evaluate her, Bruce took her mask off gently to show her peaceful but tired face.
"She has been up three days non stop with no sleep." said J'onn.
"Call it a saving grace then that the tranq managed to calm her down." said John.
"I'll need to bring some files from my lab to determine Sh-... Hawkgirl's possible illness." said Bruce, catching himself from appearing unprofessional. The others didn't notice thankfully and he waited for J'onn to teleport him to the cave.
When he rematerialized, an anxious butler was reading over some papers when he noticed the arrival.
"Master Bruce! How are you feeling?" asked Alfred.
"I'm fine Alfred," reassured Bruce, "Shayera is knocked down though, I'll need to grab some files."
"Oh my," said Alfred worriedly, "I hope the baby is alright."
Silence. Bruce could only stare at Alfred's worried face when he removed his cowl that showed his confusion.
"W-... Ba-... Alfred… Baby?"
"Yes, I asked Miss Shayera for a blood sample in order to determine what might be causing her insomnia and results are in… Miss Shayera is pregnant Master Bruce… congratulations." said Alfred, unsure what the response might be.
Bruce was silent and calm on the outside but on the inside… hope and fear. Quickly gathering the files, Bruce called J'onn for a teleportation and appeared at the Watchtower.
"Whoa, Bats… you're mask." said Flash, "Wait… you're Bruce Wayne!?"
"No shit Sherlock," teased John, "Was it that the Batcave was at Wayne Manor that tipped you off?"
"Fuck off Watson." grouched Flash.
Bruce ignored them and continued towards the medical wing. Each step felt heavy, a crushing weight was on his heart. What kind of a father will he be? Does Shayera even want the baby? That's actually a stupid question, knowing how much Shayera wanted to have children of her own. More questions clouded his mind as he entered the medical wing where Superman and J'onn were quietly discussing about the night's events.
"Have you found anything?" asked Superman.
"... she's pregnant." said Bruce, walking towards Shayera's sleeping form and sat down beside her. Superman's jaw was hung open while J'onn briefly scanned Bruce's mind to find out how he knew.
"I assume she doesn't know?" asked J'onn.
At Bruce's head shake, Superman asked, "Wait. If she doesn't know then how to do you know?"
"Alfred had asked her earlier for a blood sample to help figure out why she couldn't sleep."
"You let her go to the Batcave without you supervising? I'm your best friend and I'm not even allowed to do that unless one of your teammates is there to watch me!" pouted Superman.
"What kind of a man would I be Clark if I didn't allow the mother of my child to have access to information she might need?"
",,,,,,, your child?" asked Clark. This night went from nightmarish to straight up surprising.
"Yes, Clark. My child."
"C-Congratulations." he said weakly. Never in a million years would he have guessed that Shayera and Bruce were an item.
"We can only wait to tell her then." said J'onn as he went over Bruce's files to determine if Shayera might need medication.
"Things are about to get very interesting." mused Clark. Of course, the first thing that came to mind is that he is, for sure, the godfather.
Hey readers, so being an adult sucks and being a responsible adult sucks even more but it pays the bills :) I'm sorry for not updating sooner but I'm going to try to fix that pronto. Please leave reviews about the chapter :) I'm very excited to write about what I have planned next :) until the next chapter, thanks for reading :)