Walls are hard. It was something that after the first time most people decide. Since this was the second wall today I'd been crushed against, I decided it now. Green Lantern grunted.
"You're not focused. What's the problem?" He asked. It wasn't a kind tone of voice. I sighed.
"I'm getting premonitions again. I've mentioned how distracting those are." I replied. "This time, it's a betrayal."
"Again?" He asked. I nodded.
"Yes, but this time, there's something different. It's tinged, by an aura." I shook my head, trying to clear out the images. A fresh one almost instantly replaced them. I buckled under the emotions of it, dropping to my knees. But this time, I was able to associate a name to the visions. "Hawkgirl."
"What did you just say?" Green Lantern asked. I blinked, not remembering.
"I said something?" I asked. He nodded.
"You said Hawkgirl. It was very clear." There was pain in his voice as he spoke, and that spoke volumes to me. Supergirl, who was watching, what was supposed to be a combat demonstration, gasped. She rose and crossed the floor, offering a hand I took gratefully.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you." I apologized to John, as Supergirl put my arm over her shoulders. Of all people, we knew what each others powers did to the other better than almost anyone. We'd been hit with a ray that swapped our powers for a time, so we were well familiar with what the other could do. "I'll have to continue this another day." Supergirl half-drug me from the room. Lantern simply stared.
"Excuse me, might I be of service?" John spared a glance a J'onn.
"Yes, you're close enough." He replied, and smashed J'onn with a massive green energy mace.
Scene Shift
"Tell me, why me?" Hawkgirl asked. The man laying on the rock next to her shrugged.
"I have no idea my lady. Perhaps because you look so much like those that tried to destroy Earth?" The tribesman responded in his navtive language. "Is it possible Shayera, that you do this to yourself?" He looked over at her, seeing her blush at the use of her name.
"What do you mean?" She asked challengingly.
"Could it be that you look for these fights, as a way of punishing yourself for walking away from them? From him?" He asked directly. He knew she wouldn't kill him. When she'd arrived, she'd attacked him, to prove to the elders that she was worthy of being allowed to stay an become a member of the clan. They knew of what she'd done, and did not care, as long as she fought. When she did, and was defeated, they accepted her. They revealed a number of archers in the trees. Had she won, she would have been killed. She asked why. The answer, was that they knew how powerful a warrior she was, but by losing, which they had seen her do on purpose, she proved that she was human. Ignoring the wings, the elder had said with a small smile.
"I suppose, but..." She trailed off, not sure what she meant. He laid a hand on her arm, as if brother to sister. Unlike usual, she didn't brush it off.
"Sister of my blood, ask yourself, is there a reason, that you left, or is it simply because you felt they would never trust you again?" He asked this with the seriousness he felt it deserved. She stopped.
"I see." She patted his hand absently, and rose, then leapt into the air, sweeping the ground slightly as she floated up to the tree tops.
"Chi'ambi?" Another tribesman called softly. It was his name, and it meant windstalker. Apt, he thought wryly, considering what he could do. Chi, as Hawkgirl called him, identified the speaker as Nrusa, his younger brother.
"Yes Nrusa." He called back. "I'm alone." He added, knowing his brother was nervous to the point of near disability around Shayera. The young man appeared around the corner of the pathway.
"I wanted to speak with you, on an urgent matter. Some of the militants are pushing the council, to throw out the lady." He never used her name, no matter how she tried to persuade him.
"I know, and I've told her. She doesn't seem to care." Chi replied.
"No, I mean they are in the process of doing it right now." Nrusa replied, a sense of fear, and urgency in his voice. Chi turned, and vanished. Nrusa stared a moment. He'd never witnessed his brothers powers personally, though knew of what he could do. Nrusa spun on his heel, and charged back down the path. He reached the council circle, just as his brother reformed on the spot.
"Just what is the meaning of this." Chi snarled, and it was, everyone knew, a rhetorical question. Chi didn't ask questions, unless he already knew the answers. "Hawkgirl came to us for sanctuary. As was our custom, she fought for it, and lost. As victor, it is my right to decide her fate. I decided she should live, and be free to leave or stay as she saw fit. What right have you to attempt to throw her out?"
"We are the elder council, and we make all decisions that effect this tribes future. Whether the one known as Shayera Hol may stay, is one of these decisions. Chi, you granted her freedom to come and go. Once she was freed, she came under our power. She will obey." The oldest, and leader of the council replied.
"I will challenge the council then, and fight on her behalf." Chi snarled. The elder lifted his hand.
"Why would you fight for this outsider?" The elder asked.
"Because I was in her position once. I was exiled from this tribe when I learned of my powers, and cast out. I returned, and one stood on my behalf. She is not of our people, but I will stand for her to become one." He snapped. Nrusa gasped. He'd never heard his brother this vehement in anything except defending the village.
"That is not your problem." Hawkgirl said, as she landed softly. "I will leave. I do not wish to cause dissension." She turned to Chi. "I thank you for your offer, but as with the others, I cannot break free of my past. I am seen as a traitor once, and will always be seen as one. I'll gather my things, and leave." She turned, and leapt into the air, winging up to her home.
"You are damned." Chi snapped as he pointed at the nine members of the elder council. "I damn this council, and all who sit upon it. When she leaves, so shall I, and when this tribe is destroyed, it shall be upon you. I bid you good-bye." Fire had lanced around his arm as he spoke, and died when he lowered arm. He turned, and vanished again. Nrusa felt a wind blow past him.
Scene Shift
"I hate planes." Harley Quinn muttered. "Especially turbulent ones." She walked to the railing of the airport, and leaned over it. There came the sound of vomiting to Ivy's ears. They had been sent, along with Vandal Savage, and Bane to hunt down, and bring in Hawkgirl. Savage had found her, after tracing a picture sent over the internet, back to it's photographer, one James T. Olsen, on assignment for the Daily Planet. He was supposed to be covering an agricultural expo, but had seen the former-heroine flying by. He knew that Clark Kent, was a big fan and had sent him the picture, out of friendship. Vandal had made sure it never got there. There was a bang from inside the plane.
"Careful with those bags Bane dear, we need that stuff." Ivy called sweetly.
"Sorry." Came the muttered reply.
"I have lived since the dawn of time, and I'm still working with Neanderthals." Vandal moaned.
"May I call you Vandal?" Ivy asked. He nodded. "Vandal dear, how exactly are we going to catch her? I've battled her only once, but my jaw is still sore from it."
"That is why I brought along those bags. I trust you can manage orchids my dear?" She nodded. "Excellent. I will plant in the orchids, a smell, that is designed specifically to knock out her species. When she smells them, it will put her down, and we can extract the information at our leisure. We will destroy the Justice league, from the inside out." He smiled. Ivy shuddered at that smile. Harley was shuddering, though that was from nausea.
"Then one last question my dear, what is Bane for?" She pointed at the hulking villian. Vandal smiled.
"To carry things." He replied with a smug smile. The four villians crossed the tarmac, as the entire strip retracted into the jungle, and the pilot parked the plane in a hangar concealed to one-side. Savage explained that this was one his privately owned airstrips, that he maintained for high profile clients who didn't want to be seen flying in.
"Villians?" Harley asked with a flat expression.
"Exactly." Savage replied.