Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Rating: Nothing you kids can't read.
"Oh. My. Word."
Hawkgirl whirled around, nearly jumping out of her skin. "Flash! Sweet mother of Thangor…..don't
you ever knock?"
The aforementioned Flash was standing in the doorway of
the Watchtower powder room, jaw nearly scraping the floor. "And shut your
mouth," Shayera continued. "You look like a cow. And not a particularly attractive one, at that." She turned
back to the mirror and continued applying her lipstick.
Flash finally regained the use of his tongue. "Somebody
had better call God," he said in an awed tone.
"And why on earth would anyone want to do that?" Shayera said.
"'Cause I think he just lost an angel."
Hawkgirl rolled her eyes. "Down, boy! It's not
like you've never seen me in formal wear before….."
"I haven't." Flash looked her up and down, now giving his
trademark grin. "At least not formal wear like THAT. I
like what I see so far, though, and….."
"Choose your words carefully, kiddo." Hawkgirl
tried for a threatening tone, but she couldn't stop her eyes from twinkling.
Turning away form him once more, she surveyed herself carefully in the mirror.
She was dressed in a white, strappy, sequined top
that left little to the imagination- it was cut low in the back, a choice she
had made for her wings, but Calvin Klein had seen fit to cut it low in the
front as well- and who was she to argue with a world-class designer?
To complete the outfit, she was wearing a matching
floor-length skirt that clung to her slender frame, and strappy
stilettos she had stolen from Diana. With the addition of heavy, dusky makeup,
delicate jewelry, and a smaller mask, she thought she looked pretty good.
And if the puddle of drool slowly collecting at Flash's
feet was any indication, she was going to turn heads tonight.
She abruptly stood, snapped her lipstick case shut, and
looked Flash up and down. "Hate to admit it, but you look…..decent," she said
to him. He was wearing the "dressy" version of his costume- a sleek, black
aerodynamic outfit that was complemented with a floor-length leather trenchcoat. Very cool, very classy, very Matrix Reloaded.
"You clean up well. I like you in black."
Flash grinned. "Don't I know it!"
He stepped up to the mirror and threw an arm around her, staring at their
reflections. "Amazing. You in white, me in
black…..wouldn't we look great on the top of a wedding cake?"
"You're crazy, Wally." She shook him off. "Now move,
before I hit you with my mace."
"It's not even here."
"Yes, it is." She lifted her enormous black Birkin bag from the floor and held it up to his nose level.
"Think I'd actually leave my baby at home? C'mon, let's go and find the
others."
"You are a nut."
"And PROUD of it. Come on!" Hawkgirl
grabbed Flash's hand, dragging him down the hall. They reached the living area
in seconds, where the other members of the Justice League- minus Batman- were
assembled, talking and sipping drinks. Flash was the first to interrupt the
conversation. "J'onn? In a SUIT?"
The Martian Manhunter turned to
welcome him with a slight smile. "It's Superman's."
Superman himself was looking pretty dapper, in a
charcoal-grey getup that simply screamed, "Italian made!!" And his forehead
curl had never looked better. The Green Lantern was standing there as well,
dressed to the nines in a camel-colored suit with a skintight cashmere turtleneck
underneath. He sucked in an audible breath when he saw Shayera,
and she smiled as she went over to him. "Hey."
"I…..hey," he managed to get out. To his credit, he
wasn't staring at her chest OR her legs. Chalk one up over Flash. "Nice…..toe
polish."
Chuckling, Hawkgirl took his
arm. "C'mon, let's get the others and head out. We're going to be late."
John simply stared at her in astonishment. She had never
been this friendly with him before.
"Look, John……" she sighed. "A lot has gone on since the
team nearly broke up, okay? I just want to have some fun tonight." She looked
up at him and smiled mischievously. "You said we should all move on. That's
what I'm doing." She touched his shoulder lightly, then walked away form him
and over to Diana, who looked every inch like the princess she was, a vision in
a delicately draped Grecian-style dress. "Love the dress, Di."
"I…….thank you," she said distractedly. "Do you think….."
"Batman will show? I have no idea," Hawkgirl
said, then sat back to enjoy her friend's discomfort.
"No, it's not that…..I…..he….." Wonder Woman made a vague
gesture with her hand, then headed for Superman with a
speed worthy of the Flash. "Shouldn't we get going, Clark?"
"We should. Everyone out!"
Hawkgirl was laughing all the way out the door.
**************************************************
"Care to dance?"
Diana looked up at the request, startled. She placed down
her glass of champagne so quickly, it rattled on the table. "I…..Batman?" she
began to struggle to her feet.
"No, there's no hurry. Finish your drink." Batman took a
seat opposite her, and she took a long sip from her glass, seizing him up. He
was dressed in a black suit, much different from his usual superhero getup, but
the ever-present mask was on his face- and she would bet her lasso that his
utility belt was under the loose jacket. "You look….." he didn't finish his
sentence, but his tone said much.
"I didn't expect you to come," she said, low, slightly
embarrassed by his remark. When was the last time that Batman had noticed what
anyone wore?
"It was a good idea, Clark had. So, I
decided to come." He stared out at the dance floor.
Diana had to agree. It had been Superman's idea that the
Justice League have dinner and drinks together at L'Amour, an elegant Gotham city society club, as a sort of
celebration of his return from the dead- as well as a celebration of the team's
recent reconciliation. So far, most of the team seemed to be having a blast.
Clark and Lois were the perfect hosts, circling the room,
talking to strangers and friends alike, signing autographs. Hawkgirl
was having the time of her life- after a playful bump n' grind with Flash to a
steamy salsa song, she was now looking extremely content slow-dancing with John
Stewart, her wings encircling them both.
Flash was chatting up a table of college-age socialites,
and J'onn was actually dancing- with a punk-looking,
Courtney Love look-alike with purple hair!
The Justice league hadn't looked this happy in a long,
long time.
And now, Batman was asking her to dance.
She finished her drink and stood, tucking her clutch
under her arm. Batman stood as well, taking her hand and leading her out to the
dance floor, earning many surprised looks from his teammates (Shayera and John nearly overturned a potted plant in their
straining to look). He ignored them and stood on the floor, taking Diana into
his arms, then beginning to move slowly across the floor.
Diana trembled slightly. She could feel his body heat, so
close to hers, and great Hera-! Should a mere man
affect her so? She stiffened, then relaxed, in spite
of herself. The music was soft, soothing, and the warmth of his arms was so
pleasant. He had a nice, clean, sensual smell about him, too- so human.
He was looking down at her now, a slightly bemused frown
on his face. Great Hera, she must not make a fool of
herself. Never mind that every second, a new rush of warmth is shooting down
towards her lower belly……
"Diana? Are you all right?" she could hear him as if out
of a fog, and his low voice was so gentle and caressing……curse that champagne!
"Yes," she managed to croak. Oh, Artemis, don't let
him release me yet. Dear Hera……
Batman took her chin and tipped it up, looking down into
her face. Diana sagged against him, feeling an ache so powerful, she didn't
even have the willpower to fight it. Hippolyta had
warned her of such feelings, of how they could enslave her to a man……
But was that so terrible, if it felt this good?
Diana forced herself to look up steadily, marveling at
his height. Most human men were shorter than her- she even had Flash by a few
inches, and he was taller than Superman, even. But Batman……
…...was kissing her now. She could feel the breeze on her
bare arms. How on earth had they even gotten outside-? But she didn't care
about that- all she cared about now was the warm jolt of flesh on flesh…….
Hera, Artemis, Mother! forgive me…....
**********************************************
"So. where do you think they
disappeared to?"
"You gossip too much." John passed Shayera
a napkin full of cashews, one of her favorite finger foods. She took them from
him appreciatively, popping several into her mouth.
"I do not."
John rolled his eyes. "Whatever."
The two were seated on a window seat, laps full of food,
behind a lace curtain, hiding from Flash, who was currently scanning the room
for participants in a conga line he was organizing. "I mean, Batman dances with
Diana out of nowhere, and then- wham, bam, they disappear off to somewhere."
She looked at John. "Do you think they-?"
John actually considered it. "I always thought they'd be
a good couple," he said.
Hawkgirl shrugged. "They do suit each other, I guess. The Princess and the Dark Knight." She peered out of the
curtain. "Well, I wonder whether Flash and his victims have-"
"Hawkgirl…..Shayera."
John's voice was serious, now.
"Yeah?"
"I just want you to know…..while we're being friendly
right now and all……I don't consider you just a soldier. You're very….special to
me, and I would give my life for you."
"I know." Shayera's voice had
dropped several octaves, and she stared down at her lap.
"Then why-?
"I don't know. Maybe I was just scared."
"Of what?"
Shayera sighed and tucked her feet underneath her. "I don't know. Of my emotions. Of you. Of-"
"Yourself?"
"Yeah."
"I'm sorry."
Shayera didn't know when John moved closer, wrapping his arms around
her, but all she knew was that she didn't mind at all. She lowered her wings,
covering them as she had done when they were dancing, and leaned into his
chest, listening to his strong, rapid heartbeat. God, she felt so comfortable.
Maybe it was the champagne……..or maybe not.
His lips were full, the warmest she'd ever kissed, and God,
could he kiss……and this place was so nice and secluded……..
Flash was going to be looking for them for a while.
*************************************************
"Hey everybody! Everybody!!!!"
Flash stood on the stage, his voice resounding through the
club. "Are you all having a good time?"
As the crowd hollered acknowledgement, Flash looked
around for the rest of the Justice league. Batman and Diana were seated at a
table, and she was positively…..glowing. To the left of the club, he could see Shayera and John emerge from behind a bay window curtain,
looking positively…..mussed. He raised an eyebrow. Interesting.
Clark and Lois were seated at a table, and J'onn and his biker chick were with them.
"Anyway," he continued. "It's nearing three in the
morning, and the Man says we'd better call it a night."
The crowd groaned.
"I know, I know," he said, flashing one of his most
charming smiles. "But for the last song, I asked the DJ to play a favorite of
mine…..so we'll leave this place rockin.' Are you
with me?"
"YEAH!"
"Then get out on the dance floor!"
Hey, ya……hey ya!!!!!
As the strains of the funky, American-Bandstand style OutKast song filled the small club, most people laughed and
hit the dance floor. John and Shayera were getting
down, much to the detriment of their "military" images. J'onn?
Bopping gravely to the beat, with the Courtney-lookalike breaking it down in front of him.
Lois and Clark were on the top of the dance floor, making
fools of themselves, and Batman, who would not dance,
of course, was actually smirking in amusement as Flash taught Diana the Harlem Shake…..
Shake it like a Polaroid picture…..shake it, shake
it……
Batman had to leave the room before he disgraced himself
by laughing in front of his teammates.
The Justice League had never been closer.
He hoped they could stay that way.
***************************************************
"John…..get off my wing."
John Stewart muttered something unintelligible and rolled
over- slightly.
"Okay, fine……don't say I didn't warn you!" Hawkgirl braced her feet against his back, then shoved with all her might. John rolled clean off her
bed, and landed on the floor with a thump that resounded throughout the room.
Then, there was total silence.
Worried, Shayera leaned over
the side of the bed, surveying John, who was laying on
the floor, spread-eagle. Had she hurt him? "GL….."
He lay, looking up at the ceiling, unblinking. "Shy?"
"Yes?" she swallowed.
"What am I doing on the floor?"
"You, um, rolled out of bed."
"You pushed me."
"Well, sort of…"
"Mm hmm……" he was already nodding off again.
Hawkgirl laughed aloud, then climbed out of
bed, joining him on the floor, nestling in the crook of his arm. He needed
sleep, she supposed. Heck, they both needed sleep. They'd come back from Clark's party at
nearly four in the morning. John had walked her to her room, she'd invited him
to stay, and as could be guessed…….neither of them had gotten much sleep.
Until now. And this was after eight.
Shayera stretched with the contentment of a cat, replaying the night's
events in her head. She'd had more fun than she'd had in ages, was now
officially with the man she….loved……and-
She definitely had answers to questions she'd always had
about certain parts of the human anatomy…..and flexibility, for that matter.
Man, WHAT a night. Who the hell said Marines were
boring? She actually went scarlet for a moment, even in the privacy of her
bedroom. GL was definetely not a....conventional
soldier. And she had to admit, she'd been VERY enthusiastically following his
lead.
Just as she was drifting off to sleep, she heard a voice,
and a knocking at her door. Damn!
"Hawkgirl? It's me, Diana. Can I come in?"
"Um….."Hawkgirl leapt up,
grabbing a sheet off the bed and wrapping it around herself. She kicked the
back behind her, like a train, and opened the door, slightly. Diana was
standing there, hair mussed, dressed in one of her ceremonial robes. "Can I
talk to you?"
"Sure, Diana, but, um……." Diana then glanced over her
shoulder, taking in the sight of a very naked and very sleeping John Stewart on
her rug. "Now's not exactly a good time…."
"Oh, good Hera, I'm sorry…"
face flaming, Diana turned and hurried away.
Shayera shut the door, sat down on the rug, and laughed till tears ran
down her face.
****************************************************
"This….is SO stupid."
"Shut up, Flash."
"I mean it! Who goes out on a full-team mission the day
after a freaking party?"
"We do," said John grimly. "And I agree with Hawkgirl when she said you should shut up. If you don't
I'll drop you."
Flash sucked his teeth. "You WOULD agree with her." So
they were an "item" now. Who cared? It's not like they were doing a good job
keeping it a secret. And if he had to endure one more moony look between the
two……
He rolled his eyes and readjusted himself in the green
canopy that Lantern had made for him with his ring, carrying him over Gotham city along with Wonder Woman, Hawkgirl,
J'onn and Superman, who were flying alongside him.
Apparently this place could only be spotted from the sky. Irritated, Flash
glared up at the four forms flying above him.
Sometimes it sucked, being the only non-flying leaguer.
Even Batman could use those glider things when needed.
AND they were all cranky and hungover.
NOT the best position to be in while saving the world.
They had received a message about a possible
intergalactic attack that might possibly affect earth, something like….an
out-of-space terrorist attack. Their job? To monitor
what was causing space disturbance, and if necessary, subdue it.
"Batman to J'onn."
"I hear you loud and clear, Batman."
"You are approximately three kilometers from your dropoff point. You will see the Batmobile."
"Roger that."
The JL drifted down, after seeing the Batmobile,
then scattered and took their positions, Batman giving directions from the
inside of the vehicle. "Now what?" asked Hawkgirl.
"Now, we wait."
**********************************************8
"A
meteor shower."
It was dusk, and seven very tired, doubly cranky members
of the Justice League were headed back to the Watchtower.
And as usual, Flash was the
first one to break the silence.
"So," he continued, "we waste an entire day that could
have been spent sleeping in, catching up on Looney Tunes, playing cards…..." he
paused for dramatic effect. "……on a meteor shower."
"Flash, no one knew it was a meteor shower at the time," J'onn said patiently. "It could have been any type of
attack."
"Oh, I'm not blaming it on anybody, J'onn,"
Flash said quickly. "I'm just saying." He sat back in his seat, sulking.
Everybody ignored him. Everyone else except of course, Hawkgirl.
"If I had any energy left to lift this thing," Shayera said, gesturing to her mace, "I'd bash your head in
with it." He'd been complaining all day, and Batman had seen fit to put him on
patrol with her during the Gotham city watch.
She was pretty much ready to kill him.
"Oh yeah? I'd like to see you try!"
"Well, I DO feel a sudden burst of energy coming on…..."
"ENOUGH!" Superman's voice cut through the air like a
knife, as the GL caught Shayera and her brandished
mace with a beam from his ring. "Are you both children?" Superman continued
sternly. "You miss one night of sleep and act his way?"
Flash looked ashamed. So did Hawkgirl.
"He's right. Sorry, Shy."
"Yeah, yeah……" Shayera tucked
her mace back into her belt and sat down with a sigh.
Superman rolled his eyes and began to prepare the Javelin
for landing. Honestly! Sometimes he felt like a father with a brood of six very
unruly kids…..well, maybe not six. Two, definitely.
"How's it look, Bats?"
"All clear for landing."
"Then let's do it. Brace for impact, people!"
************************************************************
The Javelin landed without incident and all seven members
of the Justice League unloaded, preparing to settle down for a quiet night.
Every now and then, Diana stole a look at Batman, but he was working
meticulously, cleaning his weapons, restoring them to their designated spots in
the plane. He didn't look at her; he didn't speak unless it was totally
necessary-
"Di, could you pass me those
pliers?"
"Hunh?" said Diana, still not
quite out of her reverie.
"The. Pliers." Green Lantern
repeated slowly. "Like. I've. Been.
Asking. For. The. Past. Five.
Minutes."
Diana shook the cobwebs from her brain and handed him the
requested tool. "I'm sorry, John. Guess I'm…"
"Worn out?" John offered her a grin.
"Well……yes," Diana said. She wasn't even thinking about
her physical state, but she WAS tired. Praise be to
the gods for John's offering her an excuse. She smiled. "I guess I do need some
sleep."
"You're telling me." John smiled back at her. "Hold this
screw for me while I tighten it, willya? Bats won't
release us till the Javelin's in tip-top shape." he added with an eye roll.
"Reminds me of a drill sergeant I had back in the Marines."
Diana laughed, but her attention was dragged away again-
this time by Batman, who surveyed the plane in grim satisfaction, then left
without a word to her. She sighed inwardly. Had he really kissed….her last
night, or was that a figment of her imagination….or a crazy wish?
"…….can leave now." Diana turned
her attention back to the Green Lantern just in time to catch his last phrase.
"I'm sorry John, what did you say?"
"Boy, you're really out of it, aren't you?" he chuckled.
"I was just saying that I think we're pretty much done- we can leave now."
"Oh." Wonder Woman picked up her lasso, then turned back
to John, determined to make SOME intelligent conversation so the man wouldn't
think her a total fool. "I guess you're going to Shayera's
room?"
John's mouth fell open, and she felt her face turn red.
Great Hera, what was WRONG with her tonight? "Oops. I
wasn't supposed to know that, was I? Oh…..I'm so sorry. Just forget that I-"
"No, no, don't worry about it," said GL, rubbing a hand
over his head, a slightly embarrassed smile on his face. "You would have found
out eventually. I guess we weren't as sneaky as we thought we were."
Diana opened her mouth, about to inform him that she'd
found out by seeing him in a…..compromising position on Shayera's
rug that morning, but decided to keep THAT information to herself. "I'll see
you later, John."
"Bye, rookie."
Wonder Woman rolled her eyes as she watched him go.
"Rookie, my foot," she muttered. She knew that he only called her that jokingly
now, but….it still grated. She exited the plane, shut the door and headed out
of the garage, walking down the hall towards her room.
She passed the security room, and saw a dark shape
occupying one of the chairs.
Batman.
After a moment's hesitation, she entered the room,
tapping on the door, lightly. "Hello, stranger." She
said, lightly.
Batman didn't seem surprised. "Princess."
Diana flinched slightly, more from his cool tone than
from his use of her formal title. "Batman, we need to talk."
"What about?"
"You know."
Batman was silent for a minute; when he finally spoke, his voice was hard and final. "Not now."
********************************************************************
Blinking back tears, Diana stood and fled the room.
He didn't even want to….talk about it.
And the worst part of it was…..she actually CARED.
Unable to even fathom returning to her rooms to sleep,
Diana wandered into the den, where Flash was sitting on the sofa, playing with
the X-Box he'd cajoled Superman into letting him bring from his apartment.
"What are you doing up, Flash?" she walked in and sat beside him on the couch,
tucking her feet under her.
He shot her a grin. "Couldn't sleep.
I guess I was too tired." He was dressed in fire-engine red long john bottoms,
an Elvis is Dead t-shirt, and red socks. His mask was gone (making it
about only the third time that Diana has seen him unmasked) and his
reddish-blonde hair was tousled. "Wanna play?"
Diana returned his smile, and suddenly saw a picture in
her mind of what he must have looked like as a kid- too cute. She took the
controller from him. "Loser cleans the bathroom after Clark's done his
hair….. for a week."
"You're on!" he popped in the game, and the two began
playing. It was about an hour before Diana was declared winner. She smirked at
Flash. "Good luck scraping that mousse off the sides of the basin."
"Don't remind me," Flash groaned. He kicked back,
propping his feet up onto the side of the couch, dropping his head in Diana's
lap. "I'm bored now. Tell me a story."
"What are you, five?" Diana was amused. "I-"
"He has the mentality of five earth years," a voice said,
teasingly. J'onn walked into the room, dressed in one
of his formal Martian robes, stretching.
Flash made a face at him. "Very funny, J'onn. Real cute." He sat
up. "You done with the phone yet?"
"Yes."
"J'onn was on the phone?" Diana
asked in surprise. The telephone had been installed a few months back, mainly
so the human members of the Justice League could reach family members on earth
in case of an emergency, but so far, she'd never seen J'onn
touch it.
"Yup." Flash looked very pleased to be passing along the information.
"With that chick he picked up at Clark's party."
"Chick….oh, Hera!" Diana
finally processed what Flash was getting out. "You mean, that girl with the
purple hair?"
"She wanted to ask me some questions about intergalactic
relations. It is for a graduate thesis she's writing." J'onn
looked slightly embarrassed.
"Intergalactic relations, my foot!" Flash was whooping now, slapping his leg. "She was totally digging
you, J'onn!"
"You exaggerate, as usual."
Flash was too into his tirade to stop. "And…..and,"
he said, wiping a tear of laughter from his eye, "after they danced, all this
guy can say, was…" he squeezed his face into a comically good representation of
J'onn's poker face, and took on a staccato baritone.
"I find your customs here on earth most fascinating." He finished his imitation
and doubled over laughing.
"Indeed," J'onn replied,
nettled. "YOU were turned down by the named "chick" three times, if I recall
correctly."
Flash chose to ignore that. Besides, he was rolling on
the rug, now, howling. "Intergalactic relations!
Let me translate that for you! It means-"
J'onn came the closest he'd ever been to the Martian equivalent of
rolling his eyes and headed for the door. "Good night, Diana."
"Good night," Diana answered, but she was slightly
peeved. A Martian widower of a certain age currently had more of a love life
than she did.
It just wasn't fair.
Diana rose from her place on the couch and gave her
teammate a Look- he was still on the rug, weak from his laughing jag. "Do you
need someone to tuck you in, Flash?" she asked sarcastically, not sounding
unlike Hawkgirl. "Since you insist
on acting like a child."
Flash tried for a seductive look. "Oh, would you? 'Cause
I would love….."
"Not on your life." Wonder Woman turned and headed for
her door. Really. Flash was just too much sometimes…..
All of a sudden, a crash filled the room that resounded
throughout the entire Watchtower, making it shudder with the impact. Wonder
Woman let out an involuntary scream, then clutched the
doorknob in an attempt to keep herself from being sucked out into space. On the
edges of her vision, she could see Flash doing the same thing, hanging on to a
table that was bolted to the floor.
A large, plane-like structure had crashed directly
through the window, and it was headed straight for her…..
**************************************************************
Batman heard Diana's scream and leapt to his feet,
putting the security system on auto and racing for the den. He arrived just in
time to see her duck a small shuttle, then leap to her
feet as the emergency hatch closed the gape in the window. Flash was also
struggling to his feet.
"What the hell is going on?" yelled Superman, rushing
into the room. John Stewart and Shayera were right
behind him, along with J'onn- all in various states
of undress. It was obvious that they were coming from bed.
"I don't know!" Diana leaped nimbly out of the way, just
as a fiery laser beam came from the ship, directly at her. She flew upward,
wrested the entire gun from the side of the ship, and threw it on the floor,
stomping it into the ground. "Maybe that fool Lobo's back!"
Superman immeadiatly dove into
the shuttle, pushing out everything in his way with his fists, Wonder Woman
right behind him. When they reached the pilot's chair, they both gasped in
disbelief.
"Care to join me for a cup of tea?" the battle-armor clad
man said, with a cool grin.
"Savage?" to say that Superman was shocked would be the
understatement of the century. "Well, here we go again," he muttered. He lifted
his fist, about to drive it home, but Savage lifted his hand, catching
Superman's fist in an iron grip. "I have no desire to fight with you," he said,
coolly. "Now let me get out of this hideous shuttle and make my proposition."
"We want to have no words with you," Superman said,
coldly. "Now get out- before we make you leave."
Savage rolled his eyes and walked past Superman, moving
quickly towards his exit. Caught by surprise, Superman and Diana followed him
with undignified little hops, trying to catch up with him. He stepped out, and
was instantly hit by a series of attacks. John was aiming beams at him, Hawkgirl was swinging her mace with impunity and Batman
was……
"WAIT!" Superman raised his
hands and landed on the ground. "He claims he wants to talk to us, not fight."
Savage looked bored by all the commotion. He was flicking
dust off his suit.
Hawkgirl stopped flying towards him, but she didn't lower her mace.
John hovered behind her. "What do you want, Savage?"
"Lovely place you have, here," Vandal said in reply,
walking around the den. "X-box, hmm? You might be
surprised to know that I'm quite proficient at video games."
Even Batman looked shocked at his nonchalant tone. "What
do you want?" John said, sounding frustrated.
Savage sighed and sat down on the sofa. "I suppose it
would be considered in bad taste to ask for a brandy."
"That is possibly the only sane thing you've said so
far," Batman said, icily. "State your mission, or be thrown out."
"Such impatience," Vandal sighed again. He stood and
walked over to Superman, who was shaking with barely-contained rage. "I see
you're back from the dead," he said, amused. "And came running helter-skelter
to stop me, right afterward. You must have met quite a humdinger of my future
self."
Superman's mouth fell open in shock.
"Don't look so surprised, darling. You look quite foolish
with your mouth open." Savage smirked, taking Clark's chin
between long, slender fingers. "So tell me, Clark. DID I
achieve world domination? I would hate to be going through all this trouble
now, and have it come to nothing."
"I….you…." as Clark stuttered,
Batman's eyes narrowed in sudden comprehension. "How did you know?"
Savage continued as if he hadn't even heard Batman. "That
Toyman," he said, softly. "Stupid,
stupid fellow. He thought he was in it to KILL you, Clark." He smirked
again. "The entire group. Foolish,
foolish people. It's amazing how well villains can work together, when
it's for revenge- or what they THINK is revenge."
He looked at Superman again, that little smile never
leaving his face. "However, he did manage to do one thing correctly." He turned
to Diana. "Look under your arm, my dear."
She did so. On her bustier was a tiny metallic object, no
bigger than half a pea. She plucked it off, holding it between finger and
thumb.
A tracking device. So this was how he'd found them.
Savage moved close to her, so close that she could feel
his warm breath on her skin. "You threatened to punch a hole in his head," he
said, softly. "Too bad you didn't notice what he left sticking to you."
"You sick…." Diana swung out, smashing his jaw with a
fist, sending him flying across the room. "They were workinng
for YOU?"
It took considerable time for him to get to his feet and
when he did, the entire league was standing above him. "For the last time," J'onn said, "what do you WANT?"
Savage stood to his feet, raised an eyebrow, then pointed. "I want her."
"DIANA?" the entire Justice League spoke as one voice.
"Did I stutter?" Savage asked politely.
"You must be out of your mind!" This was Flash.
"As Howard Stern would say, 'certi-f*ckin-fiably!" Vandal laughed at his own joke, without humor. "So, my dear,
are you going with me or not?"
Diana's reply was to lift her lasso, and aim it for his
head.
"I thought not." Vandal sighed. "I did hope that this
could be done easily, but….." he shrugged and then turned suddenly, ducking
Diana and ripping a large pillar from the floor with his suit's robotic arm,
hurling it at Flash, who was dashing for him, full speed. Flash fell to the
ground, unconscious.
Vandal then ran for his shuttle, activating something on
his wrist as he did so. Though damaged, the shuttle shuddered, unfolded, and
began transforming into a large machine- from which floating, demon-like
creatures seemed to appear.
"What the hell are these?" screamed Hawkgirl,
swinging at one with her mace. It passed harmlessly through his boneless body
and began to wrap itself around her, holding her tightly.
"Oh, just a little something I had Ms. Le Fey whip up for
me," Savage said airily. They should cut off your air, my dear- you'll be dead
in about two minutes."
"You work with Morgaine, too?"
John shot a beam at the one now encircling Shayera's
throat, desperately trying to dislodge it, but it was of no use. The creatures
were all over, now. Savage laughed at his question. "Let's just say that I
recently developed a youth serum that she was….very interested in having."
He turned to Superman. Mid-flight, he had also been
caught- by three! "Don't bother struggling, Clark," he said,
softly. "They are shape shifters- they'll move with you. It'll be an easier
death that way."
J'onn was also having trouble. He'd attempted to take the shape of
the creatures, but apparently they knew their own, and were now strangling J'onn as well. Only Batman remained, hiding behind the TV entertainment
center.
He watched at Savage walked over to Diana, who was also
entangled with the creatures. However, she was struggling desperately, and
unlike the others- could breathe. He reached for a Batdart
and tossed it up at one of the creatures that was
still flying. When it connected with its target and exploded, the creature
disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Savage grinned coldly. "Good work, my pretties," he said,
softly, ignoring the explosion behind him. He picked up a still-entangled Diana
and headed for his ship.
"Batman," he said, low, "I see that you have discovered
the secret of my….babies." he paused for effect. "Fire will destroy them. But
do you have enough time to save your friends- AND Wonder Woman?"
Batman looked around, almost frantic. Hawkgirl
had already passed out from lack of air, and if the look on Superman's face was
any indication, he'd be soon to follow. A drop of blood was running down John' s chin, and both Flash and J'onn
were unconscious.
Savage tossed Diana in his ship, jumped in himself, and
charged it up.
Batman gritted his teeth and let a batdart
fly…….
*******************************
"Am I hurting you?"
"I…..no……OUCH!" John Stewart hissed through his teeth as
a Betadine-soaked towel was slapped on his bruised
shoulder. "Not so hard!"
"Thought it didn't hurt." This was with a smirk, from Shayera.
J'onn looked up from where he was bandaging Flash's wrist and nodded
approval. "As you humans say, suck it up, John. You don't want an infection."
"There is nothing to suck up. In the Marines, we
continually suffer much more pain than this- in fact, we- OUCH! Shy! She's
doing that on purpose," he said accusingly.
"Can't take it, big boy?" Shayera
teased. "Di, how's that foot-metal extraction going?"
"Just….fine….." Wonder Woman was examining the bottom of
John's foot with a magnifying glass, where he had taken in some shrapnel in the
scuffle with Savage.
"Why do I always have to get the worst of it in a fight?"
grumbled John. "If my ring hadn't shorted out the last minute…"
"Who cares about whether or not you got the worst
of it?" Flash was grumbling as well. "What I want to know is, why do you get
all of the pretty nurses, and I just get J'onn?"
"I regret that my appearance is not sufficiently pleasing
to your majesty," J'onn said, dryly. "How does the
wrist feel?"
Flash flexed it. "Better. Thanks." He reached up and
touched his head. "This bump on my head is growing bumps, though. It sucks,
being hit on the head."
"From the quality of your conversation, I think it's safe
to assume that you don't have a concussion." J'onn
stood to his feet.
"From the quality of his conversation, I would suspect
that he HAD a concussion," said Shayera, and both
women laughed.
Flash scowled at them. "I'm going to go and hunt up some
grub." He stood and left the room with an air of bruised dignity.
"Diana, go and rest," J'onn
said quietly. "I think you've been through enough this evening."
"Yes, go," John chimed in. "You did one helluva job tonight."
Diana smiled modestly and got to her feet. While Batman
had been occupied in freeing their suffocating teammates, she had been
struggling violently with Vandal, who was flying away from the Watchtower at
high speed- with her as his captive.
He had obviously underestimated her power and her
strength- and the resulting battle had ended up with her flying back the
Watchtower in HIS ship, leaving his unsuited body tumbling about in space
somewhere.
Moron.
The shuttle was now in the lab, being analyzed by Batman
and Superman, while she, Hawkgirl, J'onn and Flash tended to their wounds in Sickbay.
Amazingly, she had only escaped with a few welts. "I hope we never have to deal
with him again." She turned to John. "And I have to thank you, John. If you
hadn't sent that trail after me with your ring……I might have never found my way
back. I hope we never see him again."
"We will," J'onn said, flatly.
"The man is immortal, a genius- and mad. He will be back."
"I wonder what he wanted me for, though….." Diana waved a
good-night to her teammates, then headed for her room.
She briefly considered stopping by the lab to see if Superman and Batman had
discovered anything, but she quickly decided against it. "Wonder Woman" or not,
her limbs were aching, and she wanted nothing more than to strip off her filthy
costume and go to sleep.
Walking in through her doorway, she didn't even bother to
switch on a light. In two fluid motions, she yanked off her belt, boots and
top, then threw them on the floor. Normally she was a
neat freak, not unlike John in his military presicion,
but today? She just wanted sleep.
"Diana?"
A man's deep voice came from the darkness of her room.
Gasping in shock, Diana covered herself with her hands.
"Who are you?" She looked for her top, but it was over by the door. Reaching
out quickly, she grabbed one of the oversized t-shirts she routinely slept in
from on top of the dresser, pulling it over her head. "Flash, I swear to God,
if it's you…."
"It's Batman."
Diana felt her heart give what she was sure was an
audible skip. Peering into the room, as her eyes
adjusted to the lack of light, she saw a dark, vague shape on her bed. She
snapped on her light, but the bulb was blown. Cursing in a true Shayera-like form, she lit a small incense-filled lamp she
normally kept on her dresser, flooding the room with a soft, yellow glow.
Sure enough, it was Batman, sitting on top of her
comforter, feet on the floor. And he looked……troubled.
"Batman," Diana said, still trying to recover from the
shock. "I……"
"Please forgive my intrusion," he said, low. "I have
something to say to you….." his voice trailed off, and he looked down, that
troubled expression still clouding his face.
"Batman….." Diana sat on the bed. "Bruce," she said,
softly. "What's the matter?"
He gave her a sharp glance at the mention of his alter
ego, but looked down again, plucking at her blanket. It was a full minute
before he spoke. "Today….." she had to strain to catch his words. "Today I….. I
had to make a choice."
"What are you talking abou-"
"The fight with Vandal," Batman said, voice low. "He gave
me a choice…"
Diana was confused. "Batman, I don't know what you're
talking about."
Batman continuted to speak
without making any sign he'd heard her. "He had you, and was about to take off.
The team…." He shook his head. "They never would have been able to make it."
Diana was still confused. "Batman, I still don't
understand……"
"I sacrificed you," his voice had grown husky with
emotion. "So I could save the others. I knew Vandal wouldn't kill you, so I let
you go…….and I saved the others. Sacrificed the one to save the team…."
Touched, Diana took his hand. "Batman…..you did the most
sensible thing you could have done…..and I'm fine now. I escaped and I'm back.
That's all that matters. I would have done the same thing, in that situation."
He looked up. "Diana, it's not that……it's just that…….I
used you." His eyes, blurry through the mask, met hers and locked. "You."
And in his pained, guilt-ridden expression, she read
exactly what he couldn't find the words to say.
"Oh," she breathed, low, and before she could consider
her actions, before she could even THINK, she threw her arms around him,
squeezing gently, offering what comfort she could.
"I'm…..sorry," he said, low. His cheek was warm, and wet.
Or was that hers? "I should have been able to do both, somehow...."
And then he kissed her.
It was nothing like the long, languid kiss he'd given her
at the party- this one was hot, forceful, and full of barely contained
emotion……she clung to him tightly, feeling slightly dizzy….. Shades of
Athena, if Mother could see me now……and kissed him back with equal feeling.
When she finally pulled away, they were both breathing
hard. Batman pulled out of her arms and stood to his feet. "I……I'll be going
now." His voice sounded ragged, disjointed.
"Why?" Diana almost cried out, but contained herself in
time. To her surprise, her voice sounded just as strange, and had actually
dropped several octaves.
"Diana….if I don't leave now, I'm not going to be able
to."
"Oh." As Diana caught his meaning, she plunked back down,
flushing. He smiled ruefully and headed for the door. "See you, tomorrow,
Princess."
As she watched him go, her mind went back to a
conversation she'd had with Shayera as they'd worked together
to clean up John's scrapes. He had still been unconscious.
"Shy?"
"Yes?"
"What made you do it? I mean, with John, that is…….."
Her friend had sighed and looked out the window. "So you
know about us. Why do you ask?"
"Just wondering…."
At that, Shayera smiled gently.
"Well," she said, quietly, "I looked at our occupation. It sounds brutal, but
we could be killed anywhere, at any time, in any battle."
She rested a gentle hand on John's forehead, then continued. "I don't want any regrets about anything….I
don't want to die without truly loving….or truly being loved." She looked her
fellow teammate in the eye, serious for once.
"Di….if you see an
opportunity…to love, or be loved….don't push it away. In our business….it may
never come around twice."
"Thank you," Diana had said, touched at Hawkgirl's openness.
"Don't mention it. And if anyone asks…I NEVER said
anything THAT mushy! Especially not about John!"
The women laughed, and began to revive John……
Wonder Woman shook her head abruptly, but the words
stayed with her. No regrets……
She wanted this. Now. Not for
Batman, not for merely the physical aspect, but for herself. He had finally
become human to her….she could see the pain, the guilt in his eyes……as
well as something that ran so much deeper.
Leaping out of her bed, she cleared the floor in a couple
of steps and grabbed Batman's shoulder. "Wait!" he froze, then turned slowly.
She leaned in to kiss him, bracing both hands on his
chest, running them over the hard ridge of muscles underneath the suit. "Stay.
Please." She could sense his arousal, though he barely flinched. He took her
chin in his fingers. "Are you sure?"
She nodded, and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying
her face into his neck. Hera, let this be
the right decision…..
Even as she said the prayer, she felt an overwhelming
feeling of peace wash over her at Batman's touch.
This was the right decision.
She closed her eyes, gave in to her sensations…..and knew
no more.
***********************************************************
"BATMAN!"
Batman heard the shrill scream even BEFORE he awoke, and
was jolted out of a sound sleep. He rolled over. He was in Diana's bed, but she
wasn't there. Damn. Were people up already? He'd planned to slip out of
Diana's room and to his own before daybreak….but apparently, she'd worn him out
a little more than he intended.
Rolling out of the bed, he pulled on his clothing, which
was scattered around the room, grimacing at the
tattered condition of his uniform- Diana's nails were longer than they looked.
Oh, well. At least his cape would cover everything till he could….
"BATMAN!!" This was Superman yelling, now. "Get OUT
here!"
Batman cautiously opened the door, only to see Superman
flying down the hall in the direction of his room. "Clark, I'm here,"
he called.
Superman turned, abruptly, not even looking shocked at
the sight of Batman emerging from Diana's bedroom. "It must
really be serious, then," Batman muttered, face creased in worry. "What
happened?"
"Green Lantern disappeared."
"What do you mean, disappeared?"
"Just what I said. Shayera said
he went to the kitchen to get a bite to eat in the middle of the night, and he
never came back."
"Security cameras?"
"Flash is trying to get a feed." Both men raced for the
security room, where Flash and J'onn were going over
the tapes for the night before. Hawkgirl was standing
behind them, looking as if she was going to cry. They were staring at the
screen in shock. "Batman," Flash said, awed, "You're not going to believe this,
but……."
"What?" barked Batman.
"Look for yourself."
Batman watched in amazement as the Green Lantern walked
into the kitchen, yawned, flipped the light switch on, and walked in, dressed
in a Marines t-shirt and boxer shorts. He opened the fridge, took out a soda,
and……disappeared in flash of light. Just like that.
"Holy…." Superman said.
Batman was undeterred. "Play it again."
Flash did so.
"Again."
Flash did so.
"Again."
"Batman, shouldn't we……"
"AGAIN, dammit."
Flash obeyed.
Batman reached into the drawer and pulled out another
tape- this one of Superman's "death." He popped it into the adjoining VCR and
pressed play, playing both tapes at the same time.
"The same thing that happened to you happened to him,
Clark," Batman said, finally.
"How can you be so sure? I mean…."
"Just look at it. The radiation patterns look the same,"
Batman said, grimly. "He hasn't been killed; he was transferred somewhere."
"How the hell did that happen?" Hawkgirl
said, hoarsely.
"I don't know. But I have an idea that it had to do with
the visitor we had this last night- especially since he admitted that Toyman was working for him." Batman sat back, pressing the
back of his hand to his forehead.
Then, all of a sudden, he sat bold upright and bolted
from his chair. "Oh, GOD! NO!" he took off, running
down the hall. He remembered seeing something that morning…..and Diana hadn't
woke up beside him….oh, God, he was a freaking DETECTIVE. How could he have missed
it?
The team dashed after him, and found him in Diana's room,
standing over her bed. He was holding something in his hand, something that
glinted gold under the lights.
Diana's tiara.
"She never takes it off," Batman said in a voice that
none of them had ever heard before. "Never."
It was official.
Another member of the Justice League was now missing.
***********************************************
"Ungmhhhhh………"
Pain.
Hot, searing pain.
That was the first sensation that the Green Lantern felt
when he opened his eyes. He groaned again.
"John?"
A woman's voice was calling his name- but why did it seem
so loud? His ears were buzzing.
"John?"
"Could you not yell?"
John said, the raspy tone of his voice surprising even him. "Please?"
"John, it's Diana," she said,
more quietly this time, although she still seemed to be talking right into his
ear.
"I….Diana?" John struggled to focus, and as he did, he realized that he
was shackled to some type of cold, metal wall, naked except for a pair of loose
sweatpants and pair of combat boots.
His legs dangled free, but his wrists were attached to
the wall. The burning sensation he felt was apparently because of the weight of
his body that his arms had to hold up.
With pure soldier instinct, John pushed his feet flat
against the wall and straightened up, relieving the pressure on his arms. He
blinked, struggling to focus.
Diana was shackled in the same way, right beside him- and
her clothing was gone as well. Instead of her standard Watchtower-issue
nightshirt, she was wearing a thin cotton shift of some sort. It almost
resembled a hospital gown.
"Diana, where the hell are we?"
"I don't know. It appears to be some sort of lab."
Green Lantern ignored the steady pounding in his head and
glanced around, taking in every detail. The room was large, a sterile white
color, and was furnished with every gadget and gizmo that one could imagine
would be in a mad scientist's lair. Two cots stood in the center of the room,
made up with hospital precision.
John gritted his teeth against the pain in his arms, and
then strained against his restraints.
"Don't!" Diana's voice cut through his attempts. "The
bands will electrocute you if you come close to breaking them. I tried before."
"I don't care…….auugghhh!"
John cried out, this time, and fell back, his restraints smoking slightly.
"I told you," Diana said, shaking her head. Men! "We'll
just have to wait until our captor decides to show his face."
John winced slightly before making a response. "Maybe not. Do I still have my ring on?"
Diana glanced over. "Yes. And it's still glowing."
John nodded, and closed his eyes, concentrating with all
his strength. A thin laser beam came from the ring, heading in the direction of
Diana's restraints. "You have to tell me where the lock is," he said. "I don't
want to risk electrocuting you."
Diana nodded, and following his careful instructions, was
soon out of her restraints. She walked over to the computer, trying to find a
way to unlock his restraints. As she did so, she activated her Justice League
homing device, which miraculously was still behind her ear. Whoever had frisked
her must have done quite a sloppy job.
"What's the last thing you remember before you got here?"
she said, to keep up conversation while she looked for how to free him. If the
sweat that was beginning to coat his body was any indication, he was going into
shock.
John understood what she was trying to do and forced
himself to stay awake. "I…..was getting a soda, from the fridge," he said,
slowly. "Then all of a sudden, my feet were burning up. The sensation traveled
up through my body, I couldn't breathe…..and then I woke up here."
"The same thing happened to me, except I was in bed,"
Diana explained. "I tried to wake Batman, but….."
"Batman?" Even in his weakened state, John was able to
pick up on THAT little detail.
"I….." Diana wondered how she was going to explain
herself, but it turned out that she didn't have to.
A man had walked into the room.
"Well, look at who's up!" he
said, cheerfully.
Diana's mouth dropped open, and John had the exact same
reaction.
Standing there, in a clean, white lab coat, was none
other than…..
"Vandal?" Diana hissed the name.
He nodded, pleased. "So you remember me."
Furious, Diana took to the air and lunged for him "You
good-for-nothing…….I'll break every bone in your……."
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Princess," Savage said
sorrowfully, shaking his head. "Take a look at your left thigh."
She did.
"Notice anything different, love?"
Diana gasped. There was a long, thin scar on her leg,
obviously seared closed. "What-"
"It's an implant," Savage explained. "In it is a serum
that will paralyze you instantly, should I choose to activate it." He gestured
to a tiny detonator, strapped to his wrist. "Your teammate has one as well." He
watched in obvious amusement as Diana examined the scar, then flew over to
John, who had a similar one on his left arm.
"You have some very interesting tan lines, by the way,"
remarked Savage.
Diana glanced down, and for the first time, realized that
her uniform was gone. It took supreme effort not to cover herself
and cry out- in spite of the cotton shift, she had never felt so naked in her
life. Her face burned with anger- and shame.
Vandal saw the look of distress on her face and smiled
sardonically. "If it's of any relief to you, I didn't touch you. I had more
important things to do." He snapped his fingers, and an android instantly
walked into the room. It picked Diana up, shackling her back to the wall.
"Now," Vandal said with the calm that only
characterizes the truly insane, "How did you get off my wall?"
Diana's response was to spit on the floor at his feet.
"Fiery. I like that." Savage clapped gravely, then slapped her across the face with all his might. "I want
an answer."
She didn't say a word.
Surprisingly, he didn't push the issue. "It is of no
relevance to me, Princess," he said, grinning coldly. "I still have you here."
What he didn't know was that the Green Lantern had freed
himself from HIS restraints, using his ring, and now leapt off the wall and
onto Savage, taking him by surprise, and struggling for the detonator.
"You fool! I will….." those were the last words that
Savage managed to get out, before his face was stomped in by a size-thirteen
combat boot.
"Diana- the android!" yelled John. It had begun to
advance.
Diana understood immediately what he was trying to tell
her. When the android passed her, she lashed out with a series of fierce kicks
that threw it off balance, making it crash to the ground. John had encircled
Vandal's head with a pod that was cutting off his air, and he was at the
computer. "As soon as he passes out, Di, I'll….."
That's when John's ring fizzed and shorted out.
Gasping for air, Vandal got to his feet, punching John
with all the force in his hand, knocking him to the floor. John retaliated with
a painful kick to Vandal's groin, but even as the man doubled over, he placed his
finger on the detonator.
"One…false….move," he wheezed, glaring over in
Diana's direction. John understood the threat and slowly put his hands up.
The injured android, who had since then collected itself
and gotten up, grabbed John, picked him up as if he weighed no more than a bag
of peas, and re-shackled him to the wall.
"A…..brave…….attempt……" Savage struggled to his feet,
still reeling from the force of John's kick. He must be seeing stars, the GL
thought with some satisfaction. Vandal began to speak again, regaining his
strength and poise with every word.
"You…are perfect," he said, looking at Wonder Woman with
something akin to reverence. "A brilliant strategist, a fierce warrior, gifted
with intelligence and beauty. A true asset to both your race
and the justice league. You are perfect for my purposes."
"What purposes?" frustrated, Diana could do little more
than cry out. "And how do you know so much about me?"
Savage chuckled. "I have been watching you for months, my
dear," he said. "It was during that felicitous time when we
fought together during the War that I realized that you….you were perfect."
"Perfect for what??"
Savage ignored her question and continued. "I attempted
to abduct you from your headquarters, but even then you proved too strong for
me, and managed to get back." He grinned wolfishly at her. "Thought you'd seen
the last of me, yes?"
"You're mad." Diana could think of nothing else to say.
"Yes, I am," he said. "Have you really only realized
that, love?"
"Don't call me that."
"I look forward to our partnership, my dear." Vandal
chuckled and turned to John. "So…..you are the reason she was able to get back
to the Watchtower."
John didn't reply. His cold, steely glare was unwavering.
"For a human, your abilities astound me," Vandal said. He
glanced at John's hand. "I am assuming the ring is the source of your power?"
When John didn't answer, Vandal raised a thick black brow
and lifted his wrist, indicating the detonator. "Pardon me, but I must ask you
to repeat yourself. I couldn't hear you."
"Yes." This came reply after a full minute,
from between tightly gritted teeth.
"Astounding." Savage paced back and forth in front of the GL, taking his
chin into his hands, looking deep into his eyes. "Your eyes glow an unearthly
green, and yet you are human." He pushed his face in even closer to John's, so
that their noses were almost touching. "I don't believe that this eye color is
normal for people of your nationality?"
The glare that the GL shot him said plenty.
"I didn't think so," Savage said, smugly. "Which means
you must have absorbed some of the powers from this ring. Astounding!"
Savage then backed up, tucking his hands behind him. "You
should feel fortunate to have company," he remarked to Wonder Woman. "Your
teammate is actually not supposed to be here right now. He was linked
molecularly to you because of that trail he sent after you, to lead you back to
the Watchtower."
The Watchtower. Diana suddenly struggled to keep the smile off her face,
remembering the homing device she'd activated earlier- by all appearances, it
was working perfectly. Batman was probably leading the search party to them
right now, and the ensuing battle that would occur- oh, she was going to flay
the skin off Vandal's back herself.
Vandal glanced at her, and smiled, as if he was able to
read her thoughts. "The homing device won't work, sweetheart," he drawled.
"We're in…..how do I say this? An entirely different
dimension. The Justice league no longer
exists."
"You sick f*ck….." Green Lantern finally broke his
self-imposed silence. "Where the hell are we, Savage?"
"Over the hills and far away……"Vandal sang his reply, and
then laughed- a low, maniacal chuckle. His tone immediately switched to one of
dead seriousness, and he approached the Green Lantern once more.
"Amazing," Vandal said, tilting his head and surveying
the GL carefully from head to toe, eyes raking over his bare, muscular chest,
stomach, and upper abdomen. "Mr. Stewart- or may I call you John?- you have a wonderful body."
John was too shocked to speak. His mouth fell open.
"Yes….quite beautiful indeed…..I don't think I've ever
seen such a physique on a human before…..simply lovely. Very male."
He stepped forward, running his cool, slender fingers over John's chest and
torso, tracing every muscle, pausing just below his navel. "It's almost like
touching marble."
"Get your filthy hands off me," John spat.
Savage ignored him and continued to skim his fingers over
the younger man's skin. "Your eyes glow green from the ring, which mean the
radiation- and subsequently, some of the power- has been absorbed into your
bloodstream…..and your DNA." He let his hands slide
slowly down John's sides, and removed them, apparently finished with his
examination. A thoughtful look crossed his face.
"Maybe, John Stewart," he said softly, "it wasn't a
mistake bringing you here after all." He gave him a look that made the hair
stand up on his neck.
"You may be of some use to me."
Diana and John exchanged quick, fearful glances.
Savage smiled benevolently. "Now…..now we begin."
*********************************
"Anything yet?"
This was Flash, stealing into Batman's lab, where he and Hawkgirl were poring over some documents.
"No, Flash," Batman replied. "But if you can, persuade Hawkgirl to go and get some sleep. She's been working
nonstop for two days."
"If you don't need sleep, then neither do
I," Hawkgirl said stubbornly, though her pale face
and red eyes belied her remark. She and Batman had been pursuing the case of
their missing teammates night and day, pursuing every lead they could find.
Batman sat back in his chair and rubbed his eyes. "It was
obviously Savage's work," he said. "That's for certain. Now we know he hired Toyman and the others who attacked Superman, and also with
his past history- he's the only one who has the ability to pull off such a
stunt."
"But what would he want with Diana? And
John?" Hawkgirl's voice rose.
"I wish I knew." Batman sighed again, then
turned to Flash. "Any news from the others?"
"I found nothing new on Savage, except that he's been
exceptionally quiet for the past few weeks, and could not be reached." Flash
shook his head. "That usually means bad news."
"What about J'onn? Was he able
to establish a mental link?"
"Yes…..but it's too faint for communication, he says.
Apparently they're somewhere pretty far away- but they're alive, at any rate."
As if he had heard his name mentioned,
J'onn walked into the room as well, looking tired.
Keeping up a constant mental link for the past two days was beginning to tell
on his health. "Do we have any leads?"
"No." Annoyed, Batman snapped his laptop shut. "There's
nothing." He stood and looked at his teammates, face grim. "I think we need to
pay the Toyman a visit."
***************************************************
"So what makes you think that I know anything?"
Batman shot one of his famous glares at Toyman. The Justice League- minus Superman, who had been
left behind on monitor duty, and J'onn, who was still
trying to maintain the mental link- had gone to the Gotham
Holding Center for Criminal Activity, where Toyman
was being held, awaiting his trial.
"You little….." Shayera began,
but Batman cut her off. "We know that you purchased your equipment from Savage,
Toyman. We need to know what he was planning to do
with his other machines."
Toyman sighed, then giggled. "You know, it
really is funny," he said, pressing his round face against the Plexiglas wall,
"that I'm stuck in here, and the real mastermind is picking off you guys like
ducks on a pond."
Shayera lunged forward, mace-less because of the no-weapons policy of
the prison, but she looked ready to kill, anyway. It took both Flash and a
warden to hold her back. Batman ignored her outburst and turned to Toyman.
"We might as well get down to business, Toyman. What'll it take for you to tell me what you know?"
Batman said, coolly.
"We don't have to negotiate with him!" Shayera hissed. "Just give me five minutes with the little turd, and……"
Batman grabbed her arm and dragged her to a corner, away
from Toyman's huge, unblinking eyes, then took her
chin in his fingers and jerked it upward sharply. "Shayera,"
he said firmly, "Listen to me. You love him, don't you?"
Her eyes were still flashing with rage, but she nodded.
Hot, angry tears began to pour down her cheeks.
"This may be our only hope. Don't you understand?" in a
moment of compassion totally unlike him, Batman wiped her face with a corner of
his cape. "I'm sorry, Hawkgirl. But I don't know
where else to turn."
Shayera took a deep, shuddering breath and nodded. "You do what you
have to do," she said. "It's for Diana, too." She reached up and touched his
face with a look of gentle understanding.
Batman swallowed, then turned and headed for Toyman's cell, a lump forming in his throat. He couldn't
break down, now…..if he wanted to find her, he had to be strong.
Still, it was a moment before he could speak.
"What are your demands, Toyman?"
Toyman's voice immediately lost its childish inflection, and his voice
grew as cool and businesslike as Batman's. "Don't look so worried, Batsy; I'm not going to have you break me out or anything,"
he said, voice ringing with contempt for the whole affair. "Eight million
dollars, transferred to my bank account by morning, so that my people can post
bail for me."
Hawkgirl and Flash gasped at the exorbitant amount, but Batman didn't
even blink. "You have my word," he said, each syllable dripping with ice.
Toyman leaned back in his chair and shot them a decidedly amused
look. "I knew I could depend on you, Bats," he said dryly. "Anyway, what I know
isn't much, but what I know I'll share with you.
"Savage approached me months ago. He knew of
my…..problems with Superman, and knew that a league was being organized against
him. He agreed that Superman needed to be destroyed, and offered me a way to do
it, although he refused to formally join us.
"Apparently he had developed a new weapon that was
quite…..unconventional, and he offered to make me a sample to test on Superman,
since he's so resistant to anything but Krypton. He showed me another machine,
too- a kind of transporter sled that you could use to time travel or
timeline-hop and then return, but I had no interest in that. I wanted to
be rid of him permanently."
Toyman paused to take a breath, then
continued. "The energy balls were what I used. Frankly, I had no idea that they
would transfer Superman without killing him- I never would have paid the amount
I did for it otherwise. Anyway, all Vandal wanted to find out was if he could
safely transfer human beings on the timeline from one dimension and alternate
universe to the other. Or at least, that's what I assume he was after.
He just used us as his guinea pigs."
"Where is he now?" Batman asked.
Toyman shrugged. "Who knows? He told me that if my plan against
Superman succeeded, I might not see him for a while." He grinned ruefully at
Batman. "Should've just stuck to good old-fashioned Kryptonite bullets, eh?"
Batman didn't even dignify him with an answer. Standing
abruptly, he said, "I'll have your money transferred tonight," and left with
speed, leaving his teammates (except for Flash, of course) almost running in
their efforts to keep up.
They were aboard the Javelin before anyone dared to
speak.
"Batman," Hawkgirl broke the
silence, "you don't think?-"
Batman looked grim. He did think. They all thought.
Savage had somehow transferred the two to some kind of
alternate dimension, and they had no way to find them- unless, like Superman,
they found their way back.
As Savage's captives, that wasn't likely.
All they could do now was hope- and pray.
***************************************************
It had been seven days since the Green Lantern and
Diana's disappearance, and though the Justice League was doubly vigilant in
their search, they were beginning to move on towards SOME semblance of
normalcy.
Aquaman and Supergirl were called in as
temps, and the Teen Titans, eager to get their feet wet on some "real" cases,
helped out as well. The Watchtower watched, the Justice League fought, and bad
guys were put away.
Still, a dark sense of foreboding hung over the team.
It had begun with J'onn, over
the breakfast table, six days after their disappearance. He was in the kitchen
with Flash, eating Oreo O's, chatting quietly. All of a sudden, he groaned,
dropped his spoon in the now-chocolaty milk, and grabbed his head.
"J'onn! Dude, what's the
matter?" Flash leaped up and grabbed his teammate's hand.
"I feel….pain…." And the Martian Manhunter
had bowled over. Just like that.
When he awoke about two minutes later to the concerned
stares of his teammates, he looked excited. "They are close!" he said. "I can't
talk to them yet but I can feel them….."
"Why cant you speak to them?"
Batman said, urgently.
"I don't know." J'onn frowned,
slightly. "It's strange. It is as if I haven't been in contact with them for
months- and it's only been a few days. But, they are close to us. I know."
That had been yesterday.
Also, another unusual occurrence- Diana's tracking
device, which originally had been giving up only static, was now giving off a
weak signal. It sounded fragmented, as if it had been disjointed by some great
magnetic or electric disturbance, and because of that, they couldn't pinpoint a
location, but it was signaling nevertheless.
So they were alive……..somewhere………
"Batman?"
Still working in his lab, with the ever-present Hawkgirl by his side, (the others were on a mission with
the Titans) he heard the sound of the soft, feminine voice behind him, and
froze. It was a voice that he'd replayed over and over in his mind for the last
week….but no, it couldn't be…..could it?
"Batman." This voice was deeper, a rich bass. Hawkgirl
stiffened at the sound of it, her head jerking up.
They both turned around slowly. Together.
Diana and John were standing in the doorway.
Their uniforms were gone, but it was unmistakably them.
John was dressed in loose, brown monk-like vestments, heavily embroidered, and
Diana was wearing a loose, draped robe, a bundle tucked under her arm. They
looked drawn, tired, and travel-weary.
But very much alive.
Shayera leaped out of her chair, knocking it over, flapping her wings
to get to the doorway faster. When she reached John, she threw her arms around
him, squeezing with all the strength she had. "Thangor
be praised…..John….."
To her surprise, he stood rigid in her arms for a second,
before allowing his body to relax. "Shy…..is it really you?" he pulled back
slightly, looking down into her face, which was now wet. "You're not an
illusion?" hesitantly, he reached out and touched her face with a fingertip.
His face was wet as well.
She smiled tremulously, then
pressed herself tightly against him, once more. "Yes. God, John, I thought I'd
lost you……"
The Green Lantern pulled away from her once more, looking
her up and down. "I……I've pictured this moment for so long……you still look the
same……everything is still the same……" his eyes looked hollow, and sad.
Shayera pulled back as well, troubled by his expression. Behind her,
Batman was still frozen, staring at something behind them with an expression of
pure shock.
"John, what do you mean?" she laughed half-heartedly,
forcing lightness into her tone. "You've only been gone for a few days……were
you keeping track?" she reached up and touched his face. "Were you unconscious?
What did that monster do to-"
John took her hand abruptly, pulling it away from his
cheek. "Shayera," he said, and his voice was urgent.
"How many days have we been missing, exactly?"
"About seven," she said, stung by his reception of her,
and shocked at his manner. What was wrong with him?
"Only SEVEN days? Are you sure?" his tone had
grown in urgency.
"Yes, I……what's wrong?" seeing the stricken look on
Diana's face, she immediately felt bad for not giving her friend an equal
welcome. And why was Batman still stuck to his chair? What was wrong
with the man? "Oh, Diana, I'm sorry, I was so happy to see John, I didn't even think……"
"Seven days? That's it?" John's voice had lowered to a
whisper. "Oh, God….." He dropped down on the nearest chair, burying his face in
his hands. His shoulders began to shake.
"John…what's wrong?" Hawkgirl
knelt beside him, and looked up at Diana. Is he sick, or……"
Diana's face had gone white to the lips. "Great Hera….." she looked like she needed a chair, was well.
"What is going ON?" cried Hawkgirl,
frustrated.
Though she was now shaking as much as John, Diana managed
to formulate a reply. "Hawkgirl," she said, in a low,
shaky tone, "We've been gone for over a year. Eighteen months, to be exact."
Shayera fell back, astounded beyond belief. She stared at Diana in
shock. "A year?"
That's when she heard a thin, faint cry.
And saw the baby in Diana's arms.
Will update soon- if you tell me what you think! Post post post!!!
