Chapter eight (ya tired yet???)
"I......I......"
Katma could feel a distinct lack of oxygen in her system,
and it was beginning to make her feel slighlty lightheaded. Waving her arms in
a manner that she knew probably looked completely idiotic, she gulped and
stuggled to speaak.
"I....you...."
"Do you require assistance, Miss Tui?" Batman
asked politely.
"I.....no," Katma managed to sputter. She woud
bet her entire savings account that Batman's eyebrows were raised underneath
that mask of his. "Did......did you say what I just THOUGHT you
said?"
"If what I just mentioned was a prosposition to join
the Justice League, then you are correct in quoting me," Batman said
dryly.
"Are you crazy?" Katma's voice came out much
shriller than she'd intended. "I mean.......cripes!" she sputtered,
resorting to one of her childhood expressions.
"The idea is distasteful to you?" Batman asked.
"No. It's just that......." Katma took a deep
breath. "Why would you even CONSIDER me as a member? I mean, I......"
"You are a Green Lantern, and a highly recommended
one at that, which means that you are focused, dedicated, and a good fighter.
Your track record indicates nothing less."
And how did you get my track record? Katma wanted to ask,
then decided against it. Batman was a detective,
obviously. But he wasn't finished.
"You have worked with the Justice League, and are
familiar with both us and our fighting style," Batman continued. "You
also are.....familiar with John Stewart and Shayera's cases, I believe?"
"Yes."
Batman nodded sagely. "Given your familiarity with
the whole situation, your joining us would also be ideal because we'd be able
to....."
"Keep the matter private?" she supplied dryly.
"Yes." Despite the mask, Katma didn't miss the
gleam of approval in Batman's eyes. "You are very astute."
"Am I, now?" Though still shocked, Katma was
returning to some semblace of her old self.
"Yes," Batman still seemed amused. "J'onn
recommended you highly."
"J'onn?" Katma's mind fleetingly went to the
Martian Manhunter, and the couple of conversations she'd had with him. She
remembered nothing she had said that could have imcriminated her. "What is
he, some kind of mind reader?"
Batman only smiled.
"Look," Katma continued, "i'm flattered
and all, but as you know, i''m probably not the most popular person with your
teammates...."
"The only "teammates" I know you have
tension with are Hawkgirl, who is going on leave, and John, who is currently
not a member. You seem to get along fine with the others."
"True," Katma conceeded. "I'll give you that. "But what will they feel like, knowing that they've
been replaced by......."
"Feelings are irrelevent," Bamtman said,
crisply. "It is for the good of the team, and it should be accepted."
"Yeah, if only that were true," Katma said with
some irony.
The two sat in silence for a minute; then Batman stood to
his feet. Katma followed his lead. "I still think you should think about
it," he said, bluntly.
Katma nodded. He HAD just sprung the idea on her, after
all. "I'll be sure to," she said, and shook his hand before leaving,
head swirling with unvoiced thoughts.
*************************************************************
"You'll come back and see me today?"
"Yes, of course."
"Do you promise?"
"I......yes." The Green Lantern reached out a
large, warm hand, covered Hawkgirl's forehead with it for a moment, then traced his finger down her cheek.
She smiled and closed her eyes.
John exited her bedroom, frowning slightly. He was
troubled about Hawkgirl. What had happened to her was horrible- anyone could
fathom that- but it was how it affected her that was currently worrying him.
Ever since they had decided to try and work things out,
he had noticed many things about her that had changed- and not necessarily for
the better.
She was depressed- he could see it in her eyes, although
she tried to hide it from him as best she could, and over even the past couple
of days they'd been talking, he had already caught her crying twice. She wasn't
sleeping well- their joint nap on the rug the night before was probably the
first time she'd slept undisturbed for the past month- and she seemed very
needy, almost clingy.
Almost the total opposite of the fiery, independent
Thangerian warrior he'd first fallen for.
"She's probably still traumatized from Katar's abuse
of her. That is understandable," he muttered to himself. And her pregnancy
probably had to do something with it was well- women were always
extra-emotional when carrying a child.
Yes, that must be it.
Still he couldn't shake the feeling that there was
something darker- something more hidden- behind those green eyes.
"Hey, GL." In his present mode of thought, the cheerful greeting that now
rang through the hall seemed like a cow's bellow.
Startled, John nearly tripped, stumbling in the hall.
Superman reached out and grabbed his elbow. "Whoops. Watch yourself
there."
The Green Lantern managed to regain his footing. "Jeez, Superman. Why don't you yell my name a little
louder? Or maybe take out an ad in the paper?" He felt only a slight pang
of guilt at his sarcasm, choosing to squelch it. Superman DID have the tendency
to bellow out greetings Boy Scout-master style, but he just wasn't in the mood.
Superman seemed untouched by his testiness, even
chuckling a bit. "Sorry, man. I'd be nervous, too, if I was an expectant
father and all. Glad to know that you and Shayera are working things out-
better for the kid, you know? Congratulations, by the way."
"I.....what?" To say that the Green Lantern was
shocked would be like saying Vandal Savage would make the perfect nanny.
"I said, congrats. Y'know the sex
yet?"
Was Superman dileberatly messing with his emotions?
"Superman," he said, slowly, "you may not know the details of
the case, but Shayera's preganancy......it's not what you think."
"Wait......." Superman's voice became
concerned. "She didn't......lose the baby, did she? I didn't hear about
that- man, i'm sorry. Batman found no post-coital trauma that could result in
her losing it, but I guess there always can be the possiblity of-"
"Wait. WHAT are you talking about?"
"Shay's...... pregnancy," Superman said,
looking at him as if he'd gone mad. "She didn't know she was pregnant when
she did what she did with Katar, so Batman was concerned that-"
"Wait." What the hell......"So you're
saying that she was already......expecting when she-"
"Yeah, but she didn't know she was pregnant."
Superman looked bemused. "Batman confirmed that she was already a couple
weeks along before the invasion, on the day you guys got here."
"How......how was he sure?" John asked weakly.
Superman shrugged. "He's Batman. He has his ways.
Besides, genetic bioscans prove the little guy's only half-Thangerian." He
shook his head. "Poor Shayera. She
must feel....."
"Wait." John halted him once more. "So this
means.....that I........"
Superman looked him in the eye, and his normally tanned
skin paled noticably. "Sweet mother of........" he paused. "You
mean.....you didn't know that you were the biological.......you thought Katar
was......Lord. Hawkgirl didn't tell you?"
John broke away from him and headed back in the direction
in which he had come, running down the hall this time.
"I'm sorry man, I had no idea!" yelled Superman
after him. "Green- Green LANTERN!"
