* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Author's Note (contined): Well, anyhow, at some point the powers that be at the comic book company decided to have Katma Tui's character killed off. I don't know why. But it happened very abruptly in just one issue without any warning. She gets brutally whacked by Star Sapphire who is really (I forget her name) John's boss from his non-Green Lantern job.
Soar on Forever
by Centuri Eagle
Chapter III - Coming Home
Hawkgirl stood on the patio deck and looked at the sky through her fingers. On her right was John, on her left J'onn, and behind her was Jason Blood. John sat on the deck railing. Hawkgirl seemed to be counting her fingers. She looked at them far away and then close up. She tried grouping them in different combinations, twos, threes, fours, fives and all spread out individually. She ran both hands across the opposing shoulders, and shivered just a little. She then looked at John, stood very close, and extended her head towards him.
"It's cold isn't it?" she said. Her eyes blinking through her mask.
John remained silent, but reached out to caress her left shoulder. His large brown hand covered much of her right hand and most of her shoulder. Her shivering stopped. She then moved her right hand to his left arm, inched it under the sleeve of the T-shirt he was wearing and reached his bare skin from there. She looked at the motion of the black T-shirt fabric as her hand tried to squeeze his biceps.
"Strong as ever," Hawkgirl observed
John had closed his eyes and was listening to her voice. She withdrew her hand from the tight confines between the stretched cotton and his warm skin. When he opened his eyes she was leaning into him again unblinking.
"Your eyes," she stared and smiled
John finally decided to say something. "Hawkgirl," he began. "Hawkgirl. You are her as well, right. Right?"
A slightly sly smile spreads across Hawkgirl's face "Of course I am her too. Who do I look like, Lantern? Betty Crocker? Black Siren? You want me to go and bake you some cookies?"
Hearing this John laughed. It was definitely Hawkgirl.
"I would for you, John," she said. With that he heard that voice again. Definitely Katma. His heart expanded in his chest. He shook his head.
"I can't believe it.I can not believe its you, Kat." he stammered in wonder.
"You brought me back."she said smiling angelically.
"But how can you both be." John started to say.
"But, we are. We are. It's okay. It's all right, John."
John heard the repeated message and wondered if two souls were trying to give him the same message simultaneously.
Hawkgirl stretched and spread her wings to full span. She raised them both, individually, alternately as if displaying them to a new audience aside from herself for the first time.
"And how about these? Can we fly?" she asked.
"Umm.maybe you shouldn't." John thought she was talking to him
"Yes. Of course," Hawkgirl said to herself. She looked at Green Lantern. "Watch me, John"
Without effort she flew up and gradually spreads her wings as she climbed.
"I never realized how graceful..." John said with awe to J'onn standing next to him also staring at Hawkgirl. "...How.how streamlined, how beautiful Hawkgirl is when she flies. I've never looked at her soar before. That's really.magnificent. It's breathtaking."
And soar she did, on golden sun showered wings. Hawkgirl/Katma enjoyed the wind rushing through her hair; her arms stretched back with her hands planing off the air.
Hawkgirl spiraled down to the house skimming the tops of evergreen and oak trees. She looked up and could see that she was approaching a bit fast. She arched her body up and fell into John's arms. He caught her and her full momentum, but his strength embraced her without hurting himself or her. A safe harbor. With him still holding her off the ground Hawkgirl wrapped her wings all the way around John and herself, totally covering both of them, so that all anyone could see is the top of their heads and their feet.
"You watched me!"she exclaimed and kissed him.
* * *
On the control deck of the Watchtower Superman, Batman, and Flash surrounded J'onn. They were getting the full story.
".So what you're saying is...that the terms of their marriage contract extended beyond even death?" Batman was asking.
"That it is not what I am saying. It is what is in the contract. I saw the parchment from the wedding ceremony."
"Man,"said Flash "Alllllways get them to sign a pre-nup. Always."
J'onn ignored Flash. "It is a detail about separation upon dying. It is part of the Korugar tradition. I suspect Green Lantern was not aware of this clause because they did not expect her demise so young."
"Or so soon," Superman added. "That was the real tragedy. When they married I thought it would mean the end of any real threat to earth. I mean a whole bunch of Green Lanterns gravitated around them and their charismatic partnership. I mean Katma Tui and John led the Green Lantern Corps of Earth like a crime stopping family. It was great. Even I wanted to join. They radiated friendship and happiness like the sun radiates heat. They were like we were now except all Green Lanterns. Lois was nominated for the Pulitzer for a series of artcles on them. Those were good times. Happier times."
Superman sighed heavily, but then continued.
"It was catostrophic when it ended,"he continued. "When she was killed.things happened to the group. They all fell apart and broke off, and went away. John became."
".John." Flash injected.
"Those things happen to people in our line of work." stated Batman. "Some might say they are inevitable. But that is in the past. What those Green Lantern's were to Earth is over now. They ended their coverage here, so let it go, Superman. The question is: what about Hawkgirl? J'onn?"
J'onn thought for a moment. "I would describe her as a willing host. Hawkgirl has attained a brand new vista of knowledge and perspective that it is quite exhilarating to her soul. She seems to have access to Katma Tui's innate intellect, her integral and forthright character, her very biorhythmic aura."
"Yes, but who is in control?" Batman asked.
"Jason Blood interprets the situation like this, Batman: Neither one has the power of override, but if either consciousness wished to end the meld.it would terminate."
"Don't be so suspicious, Batman." Superman advised. "Katma Tui left her own planet.her own living planet and protected the Earth like she was born here. She died here. `Til the moment of her deathe she was a one hundred ten percent hero. You don't."
"Don't be na‹ve." Batman warned. "Her husband lived here."
J'onn said, "Do not think so drastically, Batman. Katma Tui is not hijacking Hawkgirl's body."
"She doesn't have to hijack the body...if she has the soul. They are now going to Korugar, right?" Batman asked.
"Yes." J'onn confirmed. "They go to put her spirit to rest on her home planet."
"You are going with them?" Batman inquired.
J'onn, turning to walk away, said, "Only because I was asked."
* * * * *
In the Watchtower hangar bay John and Hawkgirl were on top of the Javelin 7 charging the hydraulic system. When Hawkgirl finished with her side she uncoupled the hose and trailed back to jump off the wing, but before she did a squirt of the fluid from her hose hit John on his coveralled leg.
"Whoops." said Hawkgirl in an apologetic voice. "Oh my gosh. How did that happen? Oh no! How did I spray you all over there."
"What the-"John notices his leg is getting soaked by Hawkgirl's hose. "Hey, you're doing that on purpose. Oh wait `til I finish. Augh. It's all over my.Oh. Okay. Now its onnnn." John unhooked his hose and begans spraying Hawkgirl back. She screamed delightedly.
Flash arrived in the hangar bay just in time to see that the top of the Javelin 7 is becoming deluged in hydraulic fluid. He jumped up to see Hawkgirl and John grappling and rolling on top of the Javelin 7, both seeking to thouroughly wet down the other. Flash watched the them roll right off the edge of the wing. He ran to the rescue.
"Got ya!" he shouted, but his foot hit a patch of the hydraulic fluid. He did an impressive slide into some test equipment. The crash was embarrassingly noticeable. Flash continued his slide across the bay floor.
To add insult to injury, the engrappled couple floated easily to the floor. They flew over to the supine flash whose legs were resting vertically above the rest of his body against a bulkhead wall. Flash recovered before they could reach him and he ran over to meet them half way.
"Oh my. Flash are you alright?" Hawkgirl asked concernedly.
"Yeah, of course." Flash said dusting off himself. "That almost never happens. I can't believe you're not bawling me out for running in the tower and ooooooo..." Flash surveilled the mess he made. ".smashing up the equipment."
"Oh, no. You are right Flash." Hawkgirl said like a scolding but loving mother. "You should not run around here, but it is all my fault too. I am so sorry. I apologize."
John and Hawkgirl looked at each other and the mess in partial shame, but they also found it hard to conceal amusement at the situation and how it came to be.
John tried to explain: "We got a little carried away spraying each other with hydraulic fluid and what not. That was really bad. I'll find some way to pay for the Wayne Corp. equipment, but I am glad you are okay. It could have been worse, right? I hope you can understand and forgive." John smiles and punches Flash congenially on the shoulder.
"Oh, this is too weird." said Flash.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
In Sector 1417 10,000 light years away from Earth on the planet Korugar
Outside the major capital of Korugar the Javelin 7 sat on the side of a road on the verdant planetary surface. Thousand of other worldly vehicles rested on either side of the road. A green path extending off the road lead through a sparsely wooded area to a vast open field. Tens of thousands of red skinned residents of the planet were in these woods and were pressed side by side along the edge of the field. The field was filled with large flowers on long stems. The flower petals were a yellow-white on top but a deep red beneath. When a strong enough gust of wind came along and forced a bend in the flowers, the field seemed to change color in a dramatic wave.
Almost alone in the middle of the field, kneeling next to a flower, was Hawkgirl. Standing behind her with her hands on the shoulders of Hawkgirl was a middle aged woman with a cane. She is Prefectess Tui, mother of Katma. She had ruby red skinned and had short gray hair that was once jet-black like her daughter's once was. Though a little shrunken by age she was tall by human female standards at a little under the height of John. She was dressed in the dark green robes of the High Council of Korugar. Hawkgirl was crying.
".the arrival of your energy twin with such disheartening news," Prefectess Tui said to her. "I guess was too much for your father to take. He died even before your image faded. I am sorry to tell you this now. When your likeness had finally vanished your sister and I planted your flower of course. The appearance of your energy image, I thought indicated, that you were coming to the final rest then... here on Korugar. I should have known better."
Prefectess Tui maintained a dignity and solemnity despite talking about things very burdeoning to her heart. She looked out, over the flowers.
"I know it must have been cold and dark not being at peace." she continued. "We know you can not control what you did. Your love for John separated us, and his love for you brought you back to see me. Your final rest will be soon, when his task is completed. You could not have made a wiser choice for a husband, but such a girl you always were."
Prefectess Tui paused and looked down at the winged girl kneeling on the ground in front of her.
"But who is this beautiful little girl with wings whose body brings the spirit of my daughter home to me one last time."
Hawkgirl stood up and faced Prefectess Tui
With her voice cracking considerably, Hawkgirl managed to say, "Shayera.Hol of.of Thanagar. A close, close friend now, Mother."
Hawkgirl/Katma could restrain herself no more and tightly hugged Prefectess Tui, her face buried in the taller woman's shoulder.
"A beautiful, and precious girl. And like John Stewart of Earth, she is an irrevocable member of the family now. I am so grateful to her...to you, Shayera." Prefectess Tui paused, but then spoke lovingly. "But now daughter."
Prefectess Tui pulled the sobbing Hawkgirl off of her. She knelt down painfully with Hawkgirl's help.
"It grieves me now as it grieved me before to say goodbye to you," Katma's mother began. "but I am grateful for the chance. I can speak now as before, but you could not hear. Your energy twin was in the agony of your fate. I think you can understand why it is best for me not to go with you.well, first you should know that you are a the greatest hero of your planet." She gestured to the throngs of Korugarans who had surrrounded the field to pay their respects. "Your are name is a legend throughout the sector and far beyond it."
The hands of Prefectess Tui were gently excavating a flower as she spoke.
"You saved your world from an oppression that was a waking nightmare when you were not ye teven a grown woman. Later becoming the youngest Green Lantern this world or any other world will know. Yet before that you were my eldest child, a beautiful jewel in my life. There are words not enough to tell you how much I love you Katma. How much I love you."
Prefectess Tui's hands were now full of soil and one big beautiful flower. With graceful ceremony she placed the plant into the hands of Hawkgirl, whose face was streaming with tears. Prefectess Tui struggled to her feet waving off help from Hawkgirl.
"Oh my God, Mother." Sadness caked the voice of Hawkgirl.
"You will replant this flower, good daughter, and several others on Earth. The best and hardiest flowers donated from nursery gardens all over our planet. I can say no more, child."
They turned to an opening in the woods. John, J'onn and Kilowog stood there in front of the surrounding crowds. They stood almost at attention. Hawkgirl cradled the flower close to her like a delicate new born baby.
".the rest, the final rest, that is, is up to John. For such is the duty of all husbands.to their wives."
They walked back to the green path. As they did a small gasp murmured from the crowd. Prefectess Tui and Hawkgirl turned to see a burst of wind cause a ripple of red to sweep across the field. The field became a sea of brilliant waving red in the shining white sun. Separate waves of yellow rolled across the field and the red lake became a sheet of yellow again with periodic ripples of red across the top. Prefectess Tui and Hawkgirl began again a two-person procession through the crowd.