"Questioning"

By: The Angelic Temptress

Disclaimer: DC Comics, Bruce Timm, Warner Bros. and others own all the characters, save one. No infringement is intended. The story idea is mine, and the characters are only being borrowed for practice. I'm not making any money.

Rating: PG-13 for language

Spoilers: "Starcrosssed" and parts of "The Return"

XX

Chapter 6: Jaded Recollections

It was about three in the afternoon, an hour after Zorica's plane landed in Detroit. She now stood before one of the many apartment buildings, surveying the scene.

She knew his apartment sat on the first level, close to the elevators. Before even coming to the strange city, she researched his building and learned the location of every exit and every staircase.

A black woman walked out of the building, and the detective quickly grabbed the door to walk in, passing the female without a second glance. With no need for thought, Alexia walked to his door and knocked on it.

"Yeah? Who's there?"

"Special Agent Zorica. I was scheduled to meet someone here."

Suddenly, the door opened. He, now sporting a bald head and beard, stepped to the side as she made her way in.

The uniform he wore seemed to radiate and was made of a material that she had never come across before. It was black and green in color and had been fitted to his body flawlessly.

His apartment was surprisingly neat, despite the fact that he was a bachelor. Nothing was disorganized; no papers were out of place, and no movies were out of their cases. The furniture had even been dusted recently; Alexia figured it had to do with his military background.

"So, I'm the last one on your list?" John Stewart, The Green Lantern, looked as if he hadn't slept in ages. Dark circles sat beneath his bright green eyes, and his shoulders were sagging. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen a man look so… defeated.

"You are."

"Can I get you something to drink?" he offered, but when she declined, he asked her to take a seat.

She did. "Mr. Stewart, I don't mean to be hasty, but when was the last time you spoke to your former teammate?"

"The day the Thanagarians ended their occupation of Earth." The Lantern took a seat in a chair stationed across from the sofa.

"Did the two of you discuss anything? Did she tell you where she would be headed?"

His radiant eyes lowered to the floor as he recalled their last exchange; she could tell that he was hurting a great deal, as he should for loving a traitor.

"I'm sorry for making you relive this pain. You two must have been close."

Stewart nodded. "I asked her where she was going, and she said she didn't know. Shay— Hawkgirl said she wanted to go somewhere where there weren't any lies." Suddenly, he raised his tired gaze and stated, "I don't know where that could be. She would have to hide herself on Earth…"

"Your belief is that she may have fled the planet?"

"Most likely."

Agent Zorica bit her lower lip and began fiddling with her necklace as she dared to trespass his comfort zone. "Did she have a lover here on Earth?"

Lantern stood and turned to face the window that provided a view of one of Detroit's bleak streets. She heard him swallow the lump in his throat before continuing.

"Yes. She and I had a relationship for a short while."

"Since The Joker's stunt in Vegas?"

He nodded. "That was when it began. I died saving her that night; thankfully, she revived me."

"And told you that she cared for you?"

John sighed. "We both admitted our feelings."

"I see. What went wrong?"

Both his fists clenched. "The invasion, Talak, the League… It all played a part in the matter."

"Did the woman use you, John?"

He shook his head. "No. She claimed that she loved me, and that she never lied about that."

There was no "bad blood" between the star-crossed lovers. He didn't despise her; he didn't have the strength to be angry with her. She had done something to him, perhaps ruined him.

"Are you hiding her, Stewart?" Zorica stood from her seat and quietly moved around the coffee table, finding a position directly behind the Lantern. She was only a few feet from him, but he didn't even glance at her.

"No, but even if I were or knew who was, I probably wouldn't tell you. I know how the government works. It would be an unfair trial, poisoned with a biased judge and slanted jury. She wouldn't get justice. America would only get revenge."

Alexia quietly pulled her gun from its cradle and aimed it at the Lantern's black head. "It's funny that you should say revenge, Green Lantern. To ease your nerves, this is nothing personal. I'm just following orders."

A moment before she could pull the trigger, something black in color knocked the weapon from her hand, sending it crashing to the floor. She turned to see who had been hiding in the shadows but was answered with a sharp blow to the stomach. That same entity then shoved her up against the apartment wall.

It was the Martian, and the Batman stood behind him.

"Nice necklace," John Stewart said as he ripped the device from her neck, using his powerful ring as a claw.

A moment later, the trait that would give her secret away appeared.

"Conceals the wings real well," Lantern snorted as he handed the mechanism to Batman. "I swear, you Thanagarians get smarter and sloppier every day."

The Martian kept his grip on her arms firm as she attempted struggling. He was too strong.

John continued with his questioning. "So, who sent you?"

"No one sent me."

Batman narrowed the eyes of his cowl before labeling the caramel-haired woman as a bounty hunger. His guess was correct.

"What should we do with her?" John asked after leaning against the wall.

The shape shifter answered, "I believe there is room in Gotham's Arkham Asylum."

"You can't arrest me," she claimed, trying to free herself from the Martian. "I'm not human."

"I don't think Gordon would deny taking you in. You impersonated a federal officer, we've got you on two counts of attempted murder, and I'm sure there are a few others we could conjure." The Dark Knight pulled what looked to be a small tranquilizer gun from his utility belt. "Now, we could do this the easy way or the hard way."