(An hour later, neomage is in the office of Harvey Birdman)

NEOMAGE: ...and that's the whole story, Mr. Birdman. So, can you help me?

BIRDMAN: (fingering his beak thoughtfully) Do you understand what you're up against? I mean, Seto Kaiba's the head of a globally powerful corporation; you challenge his power, the odds of you winning are, at best, a thousand to one. Furthermore, in the courtroom your authoring powers will mean jack to the jury.

NEOMAGE: I don't care. I've got to win this case, no matter what I need to do!

BIRDMAN: Very well, then. The case will be going to court this afternoon at 2:00. Can you have a select list of favorable witnesses to back you up by then?

NEOMAGE: Sure! I'll call up anybody I need to.

BIRDMAN: All right. For starters, call people who you know can credit your authoring work; then, call people who can act as character witnesses on your behalf.

NEOMAGE: I'm all over it! 

BIRDMAN: Oh, and before you do any of that, you'd better do the disclaimer.

NEOMAGE: "neomage is not – repeat – IS NOT the owner of Justice League, Yu-Gi-Oh, or any of the other shows or characters therein!" You hear me, Seto Kaiba?!

BIRDMAN: This is gonna be a LOOONG case...

CHAPTER 14

TIME: 7:55 p.m.

PLACE: Wayne Manor, Gotham City

The woman's eyes slowly fluttered open. As her senses came back to her, she found herself on a table in some sort of cave. Then a familiar voice reached her ears: "Glad to see you're finally back with us."

"Batman...?"

"I'm happy you remember me...Shayera Hol."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "Wait a minute – I think you have the wrong person. I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Drop the act," Flash's voice reached her. "We know that you're not really who you say you are. We've got lots of proof."

"So, prove it, then," she said defiantly.

"For example," J'onn's voice came in, "we know that your hair isn't naturally blond. Superman checked with his X-ray vision. You dyed your hair." As he spoke, several bottles of hair dye rolled into the light – blond hair dye.

"Lots of people dye their hair. You'll have to do better than that," she replied scornfully.

"And we figured out about your eyes, too," said Wonder Woman. "Again, thank Superman's X-ray vision for that. You were wearing blue contact lenses to further hide your identity, because we know that Shayera's eyes are green – and you're still wearing those contact lenses, by the way."

"So I like wearing blue contact lenses. That still doesn't prove a thing."

"But you know what really tipped us off?" Batman spoke again. "I did a thorough check of blood you gave to the Midway City museum when they were screening you during the time you applied to work there. Aside from it being Type AB, which is rare on Earth, I found that it had a consistently high level of adrenaline, something that doesn't exist in normal people – a level way above normal. While you were unconscious, I took the liberty of taking a second sample directly from you. The two matched perfectly. Furthermore, your blood matches that of only one person in my entire database. I don't need to say who."

"And after Batman told me what he'd found," Superman's voice now spoke up, "I decided to do a little detective work – and it didn't take me very long, either. It turns out that Kendra Saunders – the real Kendra Saunders, that is – is now living in Australia under a married name. She does have natural blond hair and natural blue eyes, which served to fool a lot of people when you appeared assuming her identity. And, like you, she does have Type AB blood. The one difference is that she's got a sickle cell trait in her blood – but when Batman tested yours, he found no such thing. Sickle cell disease is a non-infectious disease that people afflicted with it can live with for life, so don't bother saying you found a miracle cure for it."

"And we spoke to the police commissioner in Midway City, too," Flash spoke up again. "He told us about the winged person residing in that city – how she was female, and how her wings were made out of metal. It seemed to throw us off track for a bit, until we had J'onn and Diana examine you – and we saw the scars on your back. They were pretty deep, too. You went to great lengths to have your wings removed, it would appear. And that same winged person appeared in Midway City around the same time you did. Maybe it's coincidence, but then again, maybe not." He then came into view, holding a pair of metal wings fixed to a harness that could be fitted on the shoulders and around the waist.

"I did a thorough X-ray scan of your body, too," Batman took up the pace. "Here's a little first-grader biology for you. Birds' wings are really made of bone on the inside. When J'onn and Diana found the scars on your back, we found something else: close to your shoulder blades we found an extra mass of bone and some scar tissue – the same type that would exist if a bird had its wings cut off at the root altogether." He paused. "Need we continue?"

There was a very long pause. Then, hidden in the shadows, the other Leaguers heard a low, sad sigh. "It's true," she said. "It's all true. I am Shayera Hol. And I can explain everything."

"I hope so," Superman said, stepping into view for the first time. "Because last I heard, identity theft was a criminal offence. You'd better have a pretty good excuse for yourself."

Shayera nodded. "If I'm to tell you everything, I'll have to tell you exactly what happened after I resigned from the League and left."

The others came out of the shadows. "We've got lots of time," said Wonder Woman. "Now, begin."

Shayera nodded again. Sitting up, she began.

"You see, when the Thanagarians...sent me here to Earth, I decided to make my base of operations in Midway City and act as a superhero under the code-name Hawkgirl. But, as with everybody else, I had to have a place to live, so I did a little searching. Finally I found Kendra Saunders – she was living in Midway at the time, working at STAR Labs. I befriended her, and after some time had passed, I took her into my confidence and told her everything. She was, of course, willing to give me a place to stay when I wasn't out patrolling the city, so I stayed there for several months. Then, after J'onn first sent out his mental call for help to repel the invading aliens, I took up residence in the Watchtower, but I still went to see Kendra from time to time.

"Then, after the whole affair with the Thanagarians, I felt so alone and friendless...I felt like an outcast. I went to the mountains to take some time to think; then, under cover of darkness, I went to see Kendra. Contrary to what I'd expected, she was still warm toward me...still willing to call me her friend, even after how I'd betrayed her. She gave me a place stay, and told me that I could remain with her for as long as I needed until I was ready to move on.

"Then, one day she came to me and revealed that she was planning to elope to Australia. I cried a lot about it, but then she told me why: she had been living in fear for her life for some weeks, as her ex-boyfriend had found out about her illicit romance and had threatened to kill her if she didn't return to him. I had to help her somehow, after all she'd done for me, so I suggested that perhaps I could borrow her identity while she changed her name and disappeared for a while. She was all for the plan, but to carry it out we had to do some things..."

"Such as cutting off your wings?" Wonder Woman asked bluntly.

Shayera cringed, but she nodded. "Kendra had a friend at STAR Labs who'd been a trained surgeon at one time, and after she persuaded him he agreed to do the operation on me to remove my wings. It was a painful process, of course, but in the end I could pass for a regular human being."

She paused and took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. The other heroes waited.

"The next step was for us to change our respective names. Kendra and I had a friend who worked at the FBI who specialized in information control, and when we told him the story he was willing to aid us. So, Kendra changed her name and then fled with her lover to Australia, and I in turn took her identity. We haven't been in contact since then."

"And then you took a job at the Midway City museum as the new co-director," said Flash.

"That's right. Since I'd been on Earth long enough to get accustomed to its ways, it wasn't much trouble getting accustomed to life as a normal human being. However, there were still some people who were wondering what had happened to Hawkgirl, their hero, their protector. So I decided to take the next step. I went back to the same friend at STAR Labs and asked him if he could help. He was quite reluctant at first, naturally, but in the end he conceded and said he would build me a set of wings to replace the ones I'd removed, complete with an anti-gravity belt that would aid me in flight." She pointed to the waist harness. "With these, I was able to continue my activities as Hawkgirl, although for a long time I had to keep undercover, for I knew that there were some who were still xenophobic after the Thanagarian invasion."

"So...then it was you who saved our lives when the Secret Society defeated us," said J'onn.

"That's right," said Shayera. "And I was also the one who rescued you from Volcana's murder attempt in the hospital. And in case you were wondering, yes, I'm the mystery caller who was giving you information on the Society's movements."

"But why?" asked Batman. "For what reason would you be after the Secret Society?"

Shayera sighed. "A few weeks ago," she explained, "a team of researchers were prodding around the old site where the Thanagarians had built their gravitational device, in the desert of the Middle East. They were trying to salvage as much of the Thanagarian Nth metal from the place as they could, and were somewhat successful in obtaining trace amounts of it – what little was left after the Watchtower was crashed into the site."

Superman and Batman nodded knowingly. Batman had had to crash the old Watchtower into the gravitational weapon in order to destroy it; only Superman's intervention had prevented the Dark Knight from perishing in the crash.

"The plan was to transport the Nth metal to STAR Labs in Washington, D.C., where they would study it and thus discover exactly how it could be used, for industrial and military purposes. But then, during the transportation of the metal, the trucks carrying it were hijacked by Vandal Savage's forces, and most of the metal was stolen."

"How much?" asked J'onn.

"Enough to make a giant plasma cannon and still have some to spare. The weapons that Savage has fought you with – they were made from Nth metal."

The Leaguers looked at each other. "And you know all this, how...?" asked Superman.

"There are a few people in Washington who know who I am," said Shayera. "A month after Kendra vanished, they called me to Washington and informed me that they knew of what I'd done – in taking her identity, I mean. However, they told me that they'd be willing to overlook that and my past actions with the Thanagarian forces if I agreed to investigate the disappearance of the Nth metal, under the guise of Hawkgirl. As I had already removed my wings, they gave me some of the remaining Nth metal and commissioned me to find someone who would be able to design some tools for me to do what they'd asked. So I decided to go ahead with it – not because they had asked me, but because I missed being Hawkgirl...I missed the feeling of being a hero. That's when I went to my friend at STAR Labs and had him make the wings and anti-gravity belt for me."

"And the meteorite stolen from the museum? Why would Savage be after that?" asked Flash.

"That, I couldn't tell you. Although, if I had to hazard a guess, I'd say it's to power his plasma cannon. As some of you already know, that meteorite is still giving off trace amounts of energy, even though it's 25,000 years or so old. Perhaps Savage wants to power it up somehow, then use it as an energy battery for his weapon. Of course, that's just my best guess."

"Do you know where this cannon is now?" asked Wonder Woman.

"No, I don't. I do know that Savage and the Secret Society recently made their base of operations inside an abandoned castle a few miles outside of Metropolis," Shayera informed the group.

"And, exactly how powerful would this cannon be, if it had that kind of power?" asked Batman.

"It would be powerful enough to take down an entire state with one shot."

The Leaguers' eyes opened wide as they tried to comprehend this level of power. "If this is true, then we can't just sit idly by while Savage continues with his plans!" exclaimed Superman. "We have to act!"

"Yes, but where would we go to find Savage?" Batman countered. "Even if we went to this castle near Metropolis, there's no guarantee that we'd find the cannon there."

Flash had a sudden inspiration. "What time is it now?"

The others turned to look at him. "Why?" asked Batman.

"Just a hunch. What time is it?"

"It's almost 8:00, but what the hell are you getting at?"

Without answering, Flash zipped over to the TV and switched it on. "Just in time for the news," he announced.

On the TV, the news anchor's face was very grave. "Our newsroom has just received a videotape with a very important message to the Justice League," she said quietly. "Just a moment..."

The Leaguers gathered around the TV while the video was started. To their surprise, Vandal Savage himself appeared on the screen!

"Are you watching, Justice League?" he was saying. "I hope so, for I have something very important to tell you." As he spoke, an image of a large cannon appeared in a box at the corner of the screen.

"What you're seeing on your screen right now," Savage continued, "is my latest invention: a weapon that has enough power to take out any one of the 50 states of America. Watch the simulation as it shows exactly what kind of power this weapon has."

A computer-generated simulation followed, showing the cannon firing off a giant blast. Next, a grid of the United States, with all 50 states outlined, emerged on the screen. As the shot fired from the cannon landed on Mississippi, the Leaguers were horrified to see the entire state blasted into oblivion!

"So, as you have just seen," Savage's face returned onscreen, "I have quite a lot of power at my disposal. I challenge you to come to my headquarters and stop me, if you dare – for at 9:00 tomorrow morning, I will be launching my first of many attacks, from the same place where the Caesars sat. Of course, if you can't defeat me, my Secret Society and my cannon...then NOTHING will!" And, with a laugh from Savage, the tape ended.

Flash switched off the TV, looking very grave. "No...way...he wouldn't..."

Superman turned to Shayera. "Well, looks like your story about him building a cannon checks out," he commented. "Only, where will he be?"

"The 'place where the Caesars sat'," J'onn said thoughtfully. "I wonder...could he be talking about Rome?"

"Of course! That's where he must have the cannon hidden!" Wonder Woman exclaimed, snapping her fingers. "Except, where exactly in Rome?"

"Probably in the old coliseum," Batman suggested. "That was the most favorite place for the Caesars to exact judgment on those who won or lost the duels fought there during the Dark Ages."

Superman nodded. "Well, at least Savage has given us some time to prepare ourselves. That just may work to our advantage, if we put the time to good use." He then turned to Shayera. "You know more about the weapon than any of us. Can we ask you for your assistance in this matter?"

She nodded. "It's the least I can do," she replied.

"Shayera...could I have a word with you?"

She slowly turned to face Lantern, who had remained in the shadows but had nevertheless heard every word that had just been spoken. The others had gone upstairs, so they were alone. "It's been ages, G.L.," she replied quietly.

"Well...you've certainly changed."

Shayera had already washed the dye out of her hair, and had removed the contact lenses to expose her natural green eyes, but she knew what he meant. "I did what I had to do," she remarked. "I had nowhere else to go...nobody else to call a friend...as long as I had that shameful reminder of what I did on my back. And yet – I knew I could never completely get rid of it at all."

"You weren't alone," Lantern countered. "You could've come to me. Why else did you fly by my apartment window the other night?"

"So, you saw me then," she remarked. "But how could I come to you...especially after the way I hurt you?"

Lantern looked at her out of eyes filled with sympathy. "You've suffered enough, as far as I'm concerned," he answered. "Do you want to know what our verdict would have been, that day?"

"Even if I say no, you'll want to tell me anyway."

Lantern turned away from her and sighed. "All of us...we would've taken you back."

"And endure censure?"

"I can't speak for the others on that one...but I know I would have." He turned to face her again. "Shayera...I still care about you. I mean it. Ever since you left, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you, in spite of everything that's happened. And I know you still love me, too."

She looked deep into his eyes. "I do."

He looked back into her eyes. "You know, after all these months...you still have the most beautiful eyes."

For the first time, she smiled. When she spoke again, her voice was soft. "I love you, John Stewart."

"And I love you, Shayera Hol. Nothing will ever change that."

Their faces got closer and closer, until finally, in one blissful moment, their lips were touching against each other. And this time their eyes were closed as they savored the moment.

(It is now 2:00 p.m., and neomage is in the defendant's docket. On the other side, Seto Kaiba is smirking. The bailiff emerges)

BAILIFF: All rise for the honorable Judge Man!

NEOMAGE: (under his breath) The Judge Man? Where the hell am I, Yu-Gi-Oh Courthouse? OO;

JUDGE MAN: So, what is the case before me today?

BAILIFF: The defendant, neomage, is here to answer to charges being laid against him by the complainant, Seto Kaiba.

JUDGE MAN: And the charges are?

BAILIFF: neomage is being charged with two counts each of abduction, unlawful possession and unlawful usage of Mr. Kaiba's Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

JUDGE MAN: These are very serious charges. Mr. Birdman, how does your client plead?

BIRDMAN: Not guilty, your Honor! And I can prove it!

JUDGE MAN: I hope so. Now, then, Mr. Kaiba, where is your attorney?

KAIBA: I will be representing myself in this case, your Honor.

JUDGE MAN: Very well, then, let's proceed. Mr. Kaiba, would you like to call your first witness?

KAIBA: I call Zoom the Reverse Flash to the stand!

NEOMAGE: Oh, wonderful...