Guardian Angel
By Ultramatt17
Disclaimer: I do not own the Justice League or its members. I do however own Claudia and the Myers family.
Chapter 1 A Mother's Love
"Oh WOW!"
Rebecca Myers glanced from her magazine to her son. The boy had his face glued to the window. Smiling to herself, she went back to her reading.
"This is so COOL!"
Rebecca laughed quietly. She really shouldn't have been surprised at the child's enthusiasm. After all, it was only the second time that he had flown in a plane; an experience that was even more exiting for a boy as young as Daniel.
"Mom, you've gotta see this! The clouds look so cool!"
"They're wonderful dear," Rebecca didn't even look up, a fact that did not go unnoticed.
"MOM! You're not looking!"
Rebecca chuckled. She never could get anything past the little six-year-old. Placing the magazine back in the small pocket in front of her, she looked towards the window. She was greeted by a breathtaking view of the back of Daniel's head. Rebecca calmly cleared her throat.
"You know, Kiddo, it's kind of hard to see out the window with you sitting in front of it."
The boy turned to her, all smiles. His blue eyes seemed to sparkle in the sunlight pouring from the window. He's so much like his father, she thought. So curious, so smart, so full of life. She reached out and gave his short brown hair a little tussle.
This tender little moment was interrupted by the cabin's intercom.
"This is your Captain speaking. We're experiencing a few electronic difficulties. While it doesn't look like the problem is very serious, we're going to have to head back to make sure. We're very sorry for the inconvenience."
There was a collective groan in the cabin. Rebecca let out a sigh and put her hand to her now throbbing temple. Wonderful, she thought. Now she would have to find another flight back to America. She would have to call John and tell him of the delay. She was brought out of her thoughts by a tug on her sleeve.
"What's going on Mom?"
"The plane is having some problems, so the pilots are taking us back to the airport so that they can fix it."
"But how are we going to get home?"
"I guess that we'll just have to catch another flight..." The boy stared at his feet. "Don't worry Kiddo, we'll be getting home soon. Tell ya what; when we get back to the airport I'll buy you a hamburger! Sound good Kiddo?" The prospect of hamburgers lifted the child's spirit.
"Yeah!" he exclaimed before returning to his vigil at the window.
Rebecca sighed. John was definitely going to be disappointed. The family had been vacationing in Europe when John had been called back to the office to help with a "dire emergency". Not wanting to ruin the fun for everybody, John had decided to go home alone and let Rebecca and Daniel continue their holiday. That had been over a week ago. Now he would have to wait even longer to see his wife and son.
"Hey Mom, look at that!"
Somewhat annoyed at being pulled from her thoughts again, she turned to see what her son was pointing at. Below and slightly behind the plane was an island.
"That's very nice dear," she said nonchalantly, and returned to her thoughts.
"Mom! You didn't even look!"
With a slight sigh, Rebecca looked again. Daniel was still pointing at the island. She was about to turn away when something caught her eye. There were many buildings on the little island. Upon closer inspection, she realized that they weren't normal buildings. They looked like Greek ruins! Only...these ruins looked almost...new.
"Wow Daniel, that is pretty cool. We'll have to tell your dad about it when we get ba-" Rebecca's comment was cut short by a loud noise and a violent shaking throughout the aircraft. Seconds later, the captain's terrified voice came over the intercom.
"Ladies and gentlemen, remain calm! We've had a failure in engine number one! We're going to have to attempt an emergency landing! Everybody assume bracing positions!"
"MOMMY!"
Rebecca held her son close. The shaking in the cabin was getting worse. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see a sickening orange glow coming from the windows on the other side of the plane. While her right hand cradled her son's head, her left went to the small crucifix around her neck. Looking out the window, she could see the ocean rising up to meet them. Shielding Daniel with her own body, she said a quiet prayer:
"Oh Lord, may you and all your Angels keep us safe this day."
With that, the plane hit the water. The last thing Rebecca saw was the front of the cabin open and a torrent of water rushing towards her.
He felt cold. He felt cold and alone. So very alone.
He wondered, am I dead?
No, he wasn't dead. At least he didn't think that he was dead. When you were dead, you wouldn't feel so...wet.
Then again, he had never been dead before. Maybe he was supposed to feel wet when he died. He definitely felt that he was floating, and that wasn't something that people that aren't dead usually feel.
Still, if he was dead, then he was supposed to be going down a tunnel towards a light. He was sure of it. He'd seen it on TV once.
But how did he know that he wasn't going down a tunnel. That was easy: all he could see was darkness. Wait...his eyes were closed. How could he be sure if his eyes were closed? He couldn't. So he'd just have to open them.
And so he did. The first thing that greeted his eyes was...a light, a bright sparkling light above him. But something was wrong. On TV, the people talked about heading towards the light. For some reason, the light seemed to be going away.
He was scared. The people on TV always said that the light was Heaven. If he was heading away from the light...then he was heading to Hell! Why was he going to Hell? He had been a good boy. He hadn't done anything that bad, had he?
Then he saw something else. It looked like a hand. A hand coming from the light. As the hand took hold of him, he closed his eyes again. He knew he had been a good boy.
"C'mon Danny! Stay with me!"
With great effort, Rebecca had managed to pull the unconscious boy from the wreckage-strewn water. Now all she had to do was get him to start breathing again.
She patted him on the back again, harder this time. The boy stirred slightly. She patted him again. Suddenly, Daniel began coughing, spraying out ocean water. After a few tense moments, he began breathing normally.
Rebecca let out a sigh of relief. The two of them were clinging to a small piece of metal from the plane. For the moment at least, they were safe.
Rebecca took this time to assess their condition. Daniel had some minor burns on his right side and a big gash above his right eye. While his wounds were not too grave, he would still need medical attention, and fast. She was not as lucky as her son was however.
When the plane hit the water, the fuel tanks exploded, sending a fireball through the cabin. Rebecca had been shielding Daniel, so she had taken the brunt of the fire. If water from the ocean had not flooded into the cabin, both would have died.
This slight good fortune did not change the fact that Rebecca had second-degree burns over much of her back and left side. To make matters worse, a piece of metal had been sent flying during the impact, striking her in the small of her back. While she had managed to use what was left of her shirt as a makeshift bandage, she was slowly bleeding to death.
She had to do something. They couldn't stay here. If they did, they would die. To make matters worse, she had not been able to find any of the plane's life rafts or floatation devices, save for a few seat cushions. Without them, she couldn't even hope of making it back to the mainland.
Rebecca was about to give up hope when she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. It was the island that Daniel had seen earlier! She guessed that the island was about four miles away. Four miles...it seemed an impossible distance, but what choice did she have?
Using cloth torn from her pants, she tied a seat cushion to Daniel, then tied another to herself. Gathering the remaining cushions, she took her son and began to swim towards the shore.
Hippolyta's brows furrowed with concern. She had watched as the aircraft had plummeted into the sea. It had certainly been a tragic loss of life, but such things mattered little to her. After all, the plane had gone down in the ocean, beyond the borders of Themyscira. What bothered her was the appearance of two small shapes making their way towards the island's shore.
While the Amazons would gladly help any woman that might find herself on the island, any male would be seen as an intruder and be killed on sight. And therein lied the problem. While the Queen was sure that one of the approaching figures was a woman, she had a strong feeling that the other was a man.
"Claudia,"
Behind the Amazonian Queen, a young warrior snapped to attention.
"Yes, your Highness,"
"Come with me. We are going to greet our new guests."
Her vision was beginning to go dark. She knew that that wasn't a very good sign. But she had to keep going.
"C'mon Rebecca, you can do this,"
The pain in her back was almost unbearable. She could tell that the wound had opened, and her makeshift bandage was doing nothing to stop the bleeding. If they didn't make it to shore soon, she was going to have to worry about sharks.
"Don't think like that Rebecca! Just keep swimming!"
Her arms and legs were on fire. They were being pushed harder than they ever had before. To make matters worse, they had been burned very badly, and the salt water was not helping matters.
"Stay focused, Rebecca! You've got to get Danny some help!"
Daniel. Even though the boy was breathing, he hadn't moved since she had pulled him from the water. She was beginning to wonder if he would ever wake up.
"No! He's going to be fine! Just keep going! You're almost there!"
But what would happen when they reached the island? While she had seen buildings from the plane, the structures looked like ancient Greek ruins. For all she knew, the island could be deserted.
"No! There has got to be someone there!"
One hundred yards to shore.
She just had to hold out for a hundred more yards. Then they would be safe. Then they would get help. Then she could finally go to sleep...
"No! You've got to keep your eyes open Rebecca!"
Fifty yards to go.
Now the surf was beginning to pick up. If she positioned herself right, she might be able to ride the waves all the way to shore. Looking behind her, she saw a wave about three feet high coming in fast. As the pair began to rise with the wave, she paddled with everything she had.
Thankfully, the wave took them, propelling them towards the shore at tremendous speed. After what seemed like an eternity, Rebecca felt the caress of sand beneath her feet. They had finally done it!
Taking her still unconscious son into her arms, Rebecca began walking up the beach. Or at least she tried to walk. She hadn't taken three steps before her legs gave out. Both mother and son hit the ground hard, though Rebecca managed to break some of Daniel's impact.
The boy began to whimper. Rebecca knew that she had to find someone to help her. There were people on the island. She was sure of it now: the Greek temples were in too good of shape for there not to be. Now all she had to do was find them.
But there was a problem. She couldn't even stand, let alone walk. How was she supposed to find help? It was beginning difficult to breathe, and her vision was getting even darker. She was dying. She knew that, but if she didn't find someone, then Daniel would also die. And so, she did the only thing she could: she prayed.
"Oh Lord, please...send your Angels to save my son..."
As if in answer to her prayer, a horse whinnied in the distance.
Rebecca looked to the sound. Two figures on horseback were riding her way at a gallop. The riders were clad all in white. Their robes seemed to shine with an almost holy light. She gave a weak smile.
The horses came to a stop but a few yards away, and the riders dismounted. The first came to Rebecca, while the other rushed to Daniel. Rebecca looked at the rider, who she now saw was a woman. The woman seemed to emanate a sense of confidence and power. To Rebecca's darkening eyes, she was nothing less than an angel. She smiled at the rider.
"Please...you must help my son..." It was hardly more than a whisper, but the rider seemed to hear and understand. Now she could finally be at peace. "Thank you..." She smiled once again, and let the darkness take her.
Hippolyta looked down at the woman whose head she now cradled. Sighing, she closed the lids of her lifeless eyes.
"She's gone."
Claudia looked to her Queen. The Lord of the Amazons held the woman's body close, as if give her comfort. A single tear ran down her cheek. Claudia had not seen her Queen display so much emotion since Diana had left. Sensing that her Queen would not approve of her staring, she turned her attention to the child.
The small form lay motionless on the sand. Though the child did not move, she could tell that it was still breathing. That in itself was a miracle, she thought, as there were burns on much of its small form.
As Claudia began turned the child over to check for more injuries, she abruptly stopped. The child was a...a man! Well, not a man really, just a boy. Still, he was a male, and he had intruded upon their sacred island. She knew what she had to do.
Reaching for her belt, she pulled a long knife from its sheath. Raising the blade high, she brought it down with all the force she could muster, right at the boy's heart.
"NO!"
Claudia's blade stopped just inches from the boy's heart. She looked to see her Queen standing, a look of both sadness and rage painted across her timeless face.
"My lord?"
"You will not harm that child, Claudia." The warrior stared back at her Queen, utterly confused.
"But...he is a male...we cannot let him set foot upon the island..."
"I am fully aware of our laws, Claudia, but now I have to fulfil a higher decree," Hippolyta sighed. "That boy's mother gave her life so that her child might live. Her last wish was for me to help the boy. By Hera's laws I must do as she wanted."
"But-"
"There will be no discussion, Claudia! Now take the boy back to the palace. He has wounds that must be tended." With that, the Queen of the Amazons took the mother's body and placed it upon the back of her horse. Claudia had already taken the boy onto her own mount, and was now riding to the palace with all speed. As she mounted her horse, Hippolyta cast one last glance towards the ocean.
"What now?"
Disclaimer: I do not own the Justice League or its members. I do however own Claudia and the Myers family.
Chapter 1 A Mother's Love
"Oh WOW!"
Rebecca Myers glanced from her magazine to her son. The boy had his face glued to the window. Smiling to herself, she went back to her reading.
"This is so COOL!"
Rebecca laughed quietly. She really shouldn't have been surprised at the child's enthusiasm. After all, it was only the second time that he had flown in a plane; an experience that was even more exiting for a boy as young as Daniel.
"Mom, you've gotta see this! The clouds look so cool!"
"They're wonderful dear," Rebecca didn't even look up, a fact that did not go unnoticed.
"MOM! You're not looking!"
Rebecca chuckled. She never could get anything past the little six-year-old. Placing the magazine back in the small pocket in front of her, she looked towards the window. She was greeted by a breathtaking view of the back of Daniel's head. Rebecca calmly cleared her throat.
"You know, Kiddo, it's kind of hard to see out the window with you sitting in front of it."
The boy turned to her, all smiles. His blue eyes seemed to sparkle in the sunlight pouring from the window. He's so much like his father, she thought. So curious, so smart, so full of life. She reached out and gave his short brown hair a little tussle.
This tender little moment was interrupted by the cabin's intercom.
"This is your Captain speaking. We're experiencing a few electronic difficulties. While it doesn't look like the problem is very serious, we're going to have to head back to make sure. We're very sorry for the inconvenience."
There was a collective groan in the cabin. Rebecca let out a sigh and put her hand to her now throbbing temple. Wonderful, she thought. Now she would have to find another flight back to America. She would have to call John and tell him of the delay. She was brought out of her thoughts by a tug on her sleeve.
"What's going on Mom?"
"The plane is having some problems, so the pilots are taking us back to the airport so that they can fix it."
"But how are we going to get home?"
"I guess that we'll just have to catch another flight..." The boy stared at his feet. "Don't worry Kiddo, we'll be getting home soon. Tell ya what; when we get back to the airport I'll buy you a hamburger! Sound good Kiddo?" The prospect of hamburgers lifted the child's spirit.
"Yeah!" he exclaimed before returning to his vigil at the window.
Rebecca sighed. John was definitely going to be disappointed. The family had been vacationing in Europe when John had been called back to the office to help with a "dire emergency". Not wanting to ruin the fun for everybody, John had decided to go home alone and let Rebecca and Daniel continue their holiday. That had been over a week ago. Now he would have to wait even longer to see his wife and son.
"Hey Mom, look at that!"
Somewhat annoyed at being pulled from her thoughts again, she turned to see what her son was pointing at. Below and slightly behind the plane was an island.
"That's very nice dear," she said nonchalantly, and returned to her thoughts.
"Mom! You didn't even look!"
With a slight sigh, Rebecca looked again. Daniel was still pointing at the island. She was about to turn away when something caught her eye. There were many buildings on the little island. Upon closer inspection, she realized that they weren't normal buildings. They looked like Greek ruins! Only...these ruins looked almost...new.
"Wow Daniel, that is pretty cool. We'll have to tell your dad about it when we get ba-" Rebecca's comment was cut short by a loud noise and a violent shaking throughout the aircraft. Seconds later, the captain's terrified voice came over the intercom.
"Ladies and gentlemen, remain calm! We've had a failure in engine number one! We're going to have to attempt an emergency landing! Everybody assume bracing positions!"
"MOMMY!"
Rebecca held her son close. The shaking in the cabin was getting worse. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see a sickening orange glow coming from the windows on the other side of the plane. While her right hand cradled her son's head, her left went to the small crucifix around her neck. Looking out the window, she could see the ocean rising up to meet them. Shielding Daniel with her own body, she said a quiet prayer:
"Oh Lord, may you and all your Angels keep us safe this day."
With that, the plane hit the water. The last thing Rebecca saw was the front of the cabin open and a torrent of water rushing towards her.
He felt cold. He felt cold and alone. So very alone.
He wondered, am I dead?
No, he wasn't dead. At least he didn't think that he was dead. When you were dead, you wouldn't feel so...wet.
Then again, he had never been dead before. Maybe he was supposed to feel wet when he died. He definitely felt that he was floating, and that wasn't something that people that aren't dead usually feel.
Still, if he was dead, then he was supposed to be going down a tunnel towards a light. He was sure of it. He'd seen it on TV once.
But how did he know that he wasn't going down a tunnel. That was easy: all he could see was darkness. Wait...his eyes were closed. How could he be sure if his eyes were closed? He couldn't. So he'd just have to open them.
And so he did. The first thing that greeted his eyes was...a light, a bright sparkling light above him. But something was wrong. On TV, the people talked about heading towards the light. For some reason, the light seemed to be going away.
He was scared. The people on TV always said that the light was Heaven. If he was heading away from the light...then he was heading to Hell! Why was he going to Hell? He had been a good boy. He hadn't done anything that bad, had he?
Then he saw something else. It looked like a hand. A hand coming from the light. As the hand took hold of him, he closed his eyes again. He knew he had been a good boy.
"C'mon Danny! Stay with me!"
With great effort, Rebecca had managed to pull the unconscious boy from the wreckage-strewn water. Now all she had to do was get him to start breathing again.
She patted him on the back again, harder this time. The boy stirred slightly. She patted him again. Suddenly, Daniel began coughing, spraying out ocean water. After a few tense moments, he began breathing normally.
Rebecca let out a sigh of relief. The two of them were clinging to a small piece of metal from the plane. For the moment at least, they were safe.
Rebecca took this time to assess their condition. Daniel had some minor burns on his right side and a big gash above his right eye. While his wounds were not too grave, he would still need medical attention, and fast. She was not as lucky as her son was however.
When the plane hit the water, the fuel tanks exploded, sending a fireball through the cabin. Rebecca had been shielding Daniel, so she had taken the brunt of the fire. If water from the ocean had not flooded into the cabin, both would have died.
This slight good fortune did not change the fact that Rebecca had second-degree burns over much of her back and left side. To make matters worse, a piece of metal had been sent flying during the impact, striking her in the small of her back. While she had managed to use what was left of her shirt as a makeshift bandage, she was slowly bleeding to death.
She had to do something. They couldn't stay here. If they did, they would die. To make matters worse, she had not been able to find any of the plane's life rafts or floatation devices, save for a few seat cushions. Without them, she couldn't even hope of making it back to the mainland.
Rebecca was about to give up hope when she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. It was the island that Daniel had seen earlier! She guessed that the island was about four miles away. Four miles...it seemed an impossible distance, but what choice did she have?
Using cloth torn from her pants, she tied a seat cushion to Daniel, then tied another to herself. Gathering the remaining cushions, she took her son and began to swim towards the shore.
Hippolyta's brows furrowed with concern. She had watched as the aircraft had plummeted into the sea. It had certainly been a tragic loss of life, but such things mattered little to her. After all, the plane had gone down in the ocean, beyond the borders of Themyscira. What bothered her was the appearance of two small shapes making their way towards the island's shore.
While the Amazons would gladly help any woman that might find herself on the island, any male would be seen as an intruder and be killed on sight. And therein lied the problem. While the Queen was sure that one of the approaching figures was a woman, she had a strong feeling that the other was a man.
"Claudia,"
Behind the Amazonian Queen, a young warrior snapped to attention.
"Yes, your Highness,"
"Come with me. We are going to greet our new guests."
Her vision was beginning to go dark. She knew that that wasn't a very good sign. But she had to keep going.
"C'mon Rebecca, you can do this,"
The pain in her back was almost unbearable. She could tell that the wound had opened, and her makeshift bandage was doing nothing to stop the bleeding. If they didn't make it to shore soon, she was going to have to worry about sharks.
"Don't think like that Rebecca! Just keep swimming!"
Her arms and legs were on fire. They were being pushed harder than they ever had before. To make matters worse, they had been burned very badly, and the salt water was not helping matters.
"Stay focused, Rebecca! You've got to get Danny some help!"
Daniel. Even though the boy was breathing, he hadn't moved since she had pulled him from the water. She was beginning to wonder if he would ever wake up.
"No! He's going to be fine! Just keep going! You're almost there!"
But what would happen when they reached the island? While she had seen buildings from the plane, the structures looked like ancient Greek ruins. For all she knew, the island could be deserted.
"No! There has got to be someone there!"
One hundred yards to shore.
She just had to hold out for a hundred more yards. Then they would be safe. Then they would get help. Then she could finally go to sleep...
"No! You've got to keep your eyes open Rebecca!"
Fifty yards to go.
Now the surf was beginning to pick up. If she positioned herself right, she might be able to ride the waves all the way to shore. Looking behind her, she saw a wave about three feet high coming in fast. As the pair began to rise with the wave, she paddled with everything she had.
Thankfully, the wave took them, propelling them towards the shore at tremendous speed. After what seemed like an eternity, Rebecca felt the caress of sand beneath her feet. They had finally done it!
Taking her still unconscious son into her arms, Rebecca began walking up the beach. Or at least she tried to walk. She hadn't taken three steps before her legs gave out. Both mother and son hit the ground hard, though Rebecca managed to break some of Daniel's impact.
The boy began to whimper. Rebecca knew that she had to find someone to help her. There were people on the island. She was sure of it now: the Greek temples were in too good of shape for there not to be. Now all she had to do was find them.
But there was a problem. She couldn't even stand, let alone walk. How was she supposed to find help? It was beginning difficult to breathe, and her vision was getting even darker. She was dying. She knew that, but if she didn't find someone, then Daniel would also die. And so, she did the only thing she could: she prayed.
"Oh Lord, please...send your Angels to save my son..."
As if in answer to her prayer, a horse whinnied in the distance.
Rebecca looked to the sound. Two figures on horseback were riding her way at a gallop. The riders were clad all in white. Their robes seemed to shine with an almost holy light. She gave a weak smile.
The horses came to a stop but a few yards away, and the riders dismounted. The first came to Rebecca, while the other rushed to Daniel. Rebecca looked at the rider, who she now saw was a woman. The woman seemed to emanate a sense of confidence and power. To Rebecca's darkening eyes, she was nothing less than an angel. She smiled at the rider.
"Please...you must help my son..." It was hardly more than a whisper, but the rider seemed to hear and understand. Now she could finally be at peace. "Thank you..." She smiled once again, and let the darkness take her.
Hippolyta looked down at the woman whose head she now cradled. Sighing, she closed the lids of her lifeless eyes.
"She's gone."
Claudia looked to her Queen. The Lord of the Amazons held the woman's body close, as if give her comfort. A single tear ran down her cheek. Claudia had not seen her Queen display so much emotion since Diana had left. Sensing that her Queen would not approve of her staring, she turned her attention to the child.
The small form lay motionless on the sand. Though the child did not move, she could tell that it was still breathing. That in itself was a miracle, she thought, as there were burns on much of its small form.
As Claudia began turned the child over to check for more injuries, she abruptly stopped. The child was a...a man! Well, not a man really, just a boy. Still, he was a male, and he had intruded upon their sacred island. She knew what she had to do.
Reaching for her belt, she pulled a long knife from its sheath. Raising the blade high, she brought it down with all the force she could muster, right at the boy's heart.
"NO!"
Claudia's blade stopped just inches from the boy's heart. She looked to see her Queen standing, a look of both sadness and rage painted across her timeless face.
"My lord?"
"You will not harm that child, Claudia." The warrior stared back at her Queen, utterly confused.
"But...he is a male...we cannot let him set foot upon the island..."
"I am fully aware of our laws, Claudia, but now I have to fulfil a higher decree," Hippolyta sighed. "That boy's mother gave her life so that her child might live. Her last wish was for me to help the boy. By Hera's laws I must do as she wanted."
"But-"
"There will be no discussion, Claudia! Now take the boy back to the palace. He has wounds that must be tended." With that, the Queen of the Amazons took the mother's body and placed it upon the back of her horse. Claudia had already taken the boy onto her own mount, and was now riding to the palace with all speed. As she mounted her horse, Hippolyta cast one last glance towards the ocean.
"What now?"