Lawrence woke up early the next morning to check on the crops. The sun was beginning to rise, and there was enough light to investigate the disturbance from last night. Jim was downstairs, sleeping by the fireplace. Lawrence put on his jacket and stepped outside.
There was smoke coming from the other side of the hill. But no sign of a fire. Lawrence quickened his pace and made his way up the hill. Nothing could prepare him for what he saw.
The Thanagarian prototype ship was in shambles. The nose had slammed into the ground at an awkward angle, warping the shape of the hull. Both wings were hanging on to the rest of the ship by slivers of metal and strands of wires. The front half was covered in burnt paint. The smoke was coming from the engines in the rear, which were completely destroyed. Lawrence continued to walk forward, as if in a dream. "What in the name of—"
His foot hit something soft and—furry? Lawrence looked down and saw Jim's body lying limp in the grass. Ants were crawling in and out of his mouth. The neck was pulled back in an awkward position. Lawrence's knees failed him and his sank to the ground, cradling his dead dog in his hands. But I just saw you inside! What happened?
Lawrence looked back up at the ship, looking for some kind of explanation as to why his dog had been killed so savagely. He could see his reflection in a portion in the hull. And there was something dark moving behind him…
The old farmer spun around. Jim—no, it wasn't Jim—the other dog was rushing towards him. Lawrence was too surprised to scream. He raised him arms, but the dog knocked him back and lunged at his neck. For five minutes Byth tore at the old man until both master and servant lay in the grass, and the ants crawled on them both.
* * *
Meanwhile, Emmett was calling Lawrence's residence. "Look, Mr. Lawrence, you must be outside. Just to let you know, we're sending an officer to…retrieve a few items from the crash site. I would advise staying away from the area until we arrive. I'll try to call you later. Bye."
Emmett hung up the phone. "What did you just do?" asked Shayera.
"Lawrence is the farmer that owns the land where your thief crashed. He reported it to me last night, along with a few of his neighbors. I want the area contained before anyone else finds out about this."
"What good will that do? Byth's bound to have scurried off somewhere already. Seven Heavens—he's probably caused a lot of trouble already."
Emmett looked at Shayera. "You know this Byth that well?"
"He's what we call…a repeated offender. It's an understatement. My…my captain had his wings removed. Byth didn't take it very well."
Jordan nodded. "Neither would I. But we'll get some answers when Jake comes back from the site. You don't mind if he takes anything found there to the safe?"
"Not at all. I've already given him the Absorbascon—I don't have a need for it anymore. But I will take everything back to Thanagar when I leave."
Jordan cocked an eyebrow. "When you leave?"
Shayera sneered. "I will leave. I will go home."
* * *
Byth—back in his mutilated Thanagarian body—was pacing around the two bodies. He had never killed before. Sure, he had sold drugs, beat up cops, and stolen government property, but murder? It felt so weird. Disgusted at the torn up bodies in front of him, Byth crawled back into his ship. He felt safe in there.
There was still no rest for him. He could hear something mechanical heading towards the ship. Byth swore out loud. "Seven Devils and Seven Hells, another alien!" He grabbed a broken pipe from the floor and sunk into the shadows.
Something about the alien…the way he walked? The uniform? The gun hoisted in the air? Something triggered a memory. Byth knew whom he was dealing with. Billions of miles away from anything familiar, but Byth knew a cop when he saw one.
Murder does something strange to a criminal's mind. It certainly affected Byth. He becomes less afraid. There was this thrill, underneath the horror, that gave Byth a bravado he normally did not have. He knew he couldn't allow himself to be caught. He would be dead. That's why he killed the old alien, wasn't it? It would be easy to kill this one too. Byth squeezed the pipe and took a step forward.
Byth made short work of the cop. A few blows to the head were enough. He then pulled a blood sample and injected himself with it. It took him a few minutes to remove the uniform and place it on his new body. The aliens weren't that much like Thanagarians after all. The hearing was sad, and the vision was even worse. Seven Hells, these are the dominant species? I could take over this place if I wanted to. Byth dragged the old man's body and the dog's body inside and crammed all three into a compartment where no one would find them.
What luck! The Absorbascon was lying in the cop's vehicle! Then everything clicked inside Byth's head. "How could they have accessed the compartments? Only a Thanagarian—oh bulwar. The cop's still alive."
Byth placed the helmet on after crawling into the vehicle. He listened to the dispatch on the radio until the Absorbascon translated everything. Byth pulled out the dead man's gun. "So 'Jake' needs to bring anything of value found on the ship to his headquarters. Hmmm…"
* * *
"Joe Tracy from the Midway Report. My card."
Jordan, standing outside Emmett's office, stuffed the business card in his pocket. He hated reporters with almost every inch of his being. "You can beg all you want, you're not conducting an interview with her!"
"So you admit Hawkgirl exist then?"
Jordan curled his hand into a fist. "No comment."
* * *
Shayera peeked out of Emmett's office. Jordan had been yelling at some lanky human for five minutes. "Who is that and why is he making the Lieutenant angry?"
Emmett smiled. "You attracted a lot of attention last night. The Press is pressing an interview."
Shayera looked confused. "The Press?"
Emmett sighed and looked up the ceiling. "Um…the Press…our reporters. They saw you last night. Now everyone's talking like Superman's visiting."
"Who is Superman?"
* * *
"Even if she was real!" shouted Jordan. "She would never put up with an interview—"
"Sorry for the delay." Jordan spun around. Shayera was standing outside the officer door. Her mask was still on her face, and she was carrying her mace. But she was smiling faintly. " You must be Sr'i Tracy. Commissioner Emmett said you had a few questions for me…"
* * *
New Superhero in Midway!
Joseph Tracy, Midway Report writer
MIDWAY CITY, YESTERDAY—After an hour-long chase, two robbers of the Midway Museum of History were arrested. What's incredible is who did the apprehending.
The Midway City Police Force and several TV news reports witness a winged woman turning the two delinquents to the police. Rumors began circulating quickly about 'Hawkgirl,' named for her avian mask and raptor-like shriek. The Midway Report has an exclusive interview with the Winged Avenger herself.
'Hawkgirl' is really Shayera Hol, a police officer from the planet Thanagar (location unknown). Shr'i Hol (a feminine title, I was informed) crashed onto Earth two nights ago. She stresses that she did not intentionally crash onto our planet. "I was chasing a criminal and the ship he stole had inter-dimensional traveling capabilities. Things went downhill after that."
Thanagar, Hol explains, is a planet population by individuals like herself, human-like aliens with massive wings on their backs. She had been a member of the police force on her home planet for about five years, "and I spent a three years training at the military academy." Like all other officers, Hol wears a bird-like mask and carries both a crossbow and a mace that releases a strong charge, electrocuting any opponent.
Hol warns that the criminal she was chasing is at large here in Midway City and the surrounding areas. Byth Rok has charges including larceny, arson, narcotics, stealing, assaulting officers, resisting arrest, and breaking parole. He is about six-six, with dark features, and massive scars all along his back from a 'Clipping' (Hol explains it was part of his sentencing, but would not go into details). Anyone with information is asked to contact the MCPD as soon as possible.
Now, readers—and reporters like myself—are all asking the same question: What does Shr'i Hol plan to do while she is here on Earth? "Let me just say I have no intention on staying here long-term. The humidity is irritating my feathers. As soon as I apprehend Byth, I plan to contact my home world and they will come to get the two of us. The ship he stole is likely to have some sort of long distance communicator I can use to contact Thanagar." Hol explains that she is eager to go home and the sooner she catches Byth, the sooner this becomes possible.
But don't worry, citizens of Midway! This doesn't mean we won't be denied a superherione. "Commissioner Emmett was kind enough to tell me about Superman of Metropolis. He's an alien, just like me. And he uses his abilities to fight crime in ways humans can't.
"I must say his story is very inspiring. And the Commissioner and I reached an agreement while I am here on your planet." The Midway Museum of History's curator, Mavis Trent, has offered Shr'i Hol the attic rooms in the Museum to reside in. In return, "I have been asked to defend this city—not just from Byth, which I was prepared to do anyways—but from all the criminals.
"Part of the oath I took as an officer was to protect the innocent, 'No matter where the Winds take me'. Well, by the Seven Heavens and the Seven Hells, I swear by the oath to protect Midway, my new aerie."