Chapter 33: Pretty Bird
John Lansen lived a simple life.
Get up, go to work, mug a few women for their things on the way home, sleep. A simple life, common in the Glades. People did what they had to survive, you know? People here knew what each other did, and they didn't begrudge them for it, because in the Glades, it was all about survival. You make the most of what you had, and Lansen didn't have much. A high school diploma from the worst district in the city didn't get you anywhere, not unless you were valedictorian, captain of the debate team, drum major, and a whole slew of other titles to go with it. It's what he told himself every day, as a reminder that this was the only way to get by.
As of right now, however, Lansen was starting to rethink his position.
"Who are you?" He wheezed out, clutching his bruised stomach, as he looked up at his attacker.
It was a woman, that much he could tell, but her visage was concealed by the shadows of the night. The only feature he could make out was her platinum blonde hair, reflecting the moonlight.
She tilted her head.
"I guess you can call me…Black Canary."
'Black Canary,' they called her, whispering it from corner to corner, in fear and awe.
The common folk of the Glades had little to say about Starling City's other two vigilantes. The Girl in Blue typically made her appearances at mass disasters and an occasional high-level crime; she had very little to do with the Glades otherwise. The Hood, however, was partly revered, partly hated. For those poor downtrodden souls who had their livelihoods abused by the criminal element that dominated Starling City's wealthy elite, he was a savior, a hero, a beacon. For others, however, particularly career criminals who had long since resigned themselves to their places in life, he was a self-righteous do-gooder that was putting them out of decent work.
Clearly, Black Canary, whoever she was, intended to model her own vigilante career after the latter, though on a smaller scale. While the Hood dealt with the big wigs who made good people resort to criminality, Black Canary dealt with the criminals themselves. She attacked those who did petty crimes: thieves, muggers, rapists, etc. Outlaws that slip through the cracks, thanks to SCPD's negligence.
In a way, that made her reputation even more extreme than the Hood. "Hero" was the first though in people's minds when they heard the name Black Canary. For criminals, however, she was even worse than the Hood. The Hood may have been downsizing the amount of work they could do, but Black Canary usually rendered them unable to do the work at all. Granted, she was more merciful than the Hood – after all, she didn't leave behind corpses for body bags – but to what extent was debatable.
Regardless, it was clear Black Canary, like the Girl in Blue and the Hood, was here to stay. And with that, Starling City had one more protector to add to the list.
Ted Grant flipped the light on, smirking. Across from him, the (in)famous Black Canary removed her mask.
"Had a good hunt?" He asked, already knowing the answer.
Laurel Lance smiled. "As always. Now, if you need me, I need to wash this dye out of my hair."
Barry sighed as he opened the door to the West House and blinked. Sitting on the couch, looking through some old photo albums, was Iris.
"Iris!" He called out, pleased. "What are you doing here?"
Iris had become more of a fixture at the West House after Barry had returned and she and Joe patched things up. Joe had even confessed to Barry at one point that Iris had been around more in the last couple of months than she had since she'd graduated high school. While the Allen was sad that things between the West had tattered so badly during his disappearance, he was happy to know that they were on the fast track to reconciliation. Things would never quite be the same, obviously, but it was something, at the very least.
Iris smiled back, though not as heartily. "Barry. How was Starling?"
Barry frowned at the obvious evasion, before smiling again. "Great. Oliver and I spent a lot of quality time together. Unfortunately, Kara and Kal couldn't join in – something came up." That something being Astra, whose appearance had him badgering Oliver for an update. Accordingly, Kara had captured her (unsurprisingly – their Kara was nigh unbeatable, even for a fellow Kryptonian) and interned her at A.R.G.U.S.'s Starling City base. A.R.G.U.S. already had cells especially commissioned for Fort Rozz's lost children in each of their bases, and even more were being built after it was determined that the escapees were holed up somewhere in Coast City. A date was already being set for the final strike to wipe them all out.
"A pity. You didn't get caught up in that mess from the other night, right?" Iris asked worriedly.
"Nah. I was long gone by the time that happened." Barry's smile dimmed. "What's wrong, Iris?"
Iris laughed unconvincingly, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. "Whatever do you mean, Bare?"
"Iris, I'm your best friend. I know when you're evading." Barry sighed. "What's wrong?"
Iris's face fell, and she exhaled deeply. "Eddie asked me to move in with him."
The speedster raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you two break up?" He remembered when Iris came to the West Home with the news. Even though she was the one who made the move, it didn't make her any less heartbroken, and Barry spent the night comforting her, baking brownies and binging on bad sci-fi movies.
"We did. He wants to get back together." Iris moaned. "What am I supposed to do, Barry?"
"You know you're asking a guy who literally has a non-existent love life, right? My experience with romance is limited to bad romcoms and soaps on TV." Barry pointed out, moving to sit down next to his best friend. And my crush on you, is the one thing he didn't say, purposefully. Iris didn't need to know, and hopefully, she'd never find out.
"I know, but Barry, I don't have a lot of close friends. I'd rather not bring this to Mom and Dad or Wally – they'd be too biased to make an accurate judgement on what I should do."
Barry was tempted to say that he was biased too but thought better of it. While yes, he did get jealous of Eddie and Iris occasionally, it was easy to squash out – he knew that it was very likely Iris would be spoken for when he returned, and he had long since made peace with that. Besides, he was too busy for a relationship right now. "If you say so. Now, tell me: do you love him?"
Iris paused slightly, then gave a sharp nod.
"Do you think you're ready for that next step?"
The cop stopped a little longer at this one, but nodded again, albeit slower.
"Do you think you can spend the rest of your life with him?"
"Isn't that the point of moving in with him? To figure that out?"
"Yes, but it doesn't hurt to see if you feel that way now." Barry noted. "…Do you think he might be the one?"
Iris sighed, flopping onto their back. "I just don't know, Barry."
"Well, I can't tell you what to do, just that you do what you feel is best." Barry threw his arms into the air, then flopped back himself.
"But I don't know what feels best, Barry! I love Eddie, I know that much, but he can just be so frustrating at times! His obsession with the Streak is only getting worse with each passing day they fail to catch him." Iris groaned. "When he came to me with this, he promised me he wouldn't let the Streak dominate his life anymore, but I just don't know if I can trust him."
"And yet, you're still considering his offer." Barry observed.
"He's my first serious boyfriend, Barry. He made me happier than I had been a long time. I don't want to let him go, but…"
"Iris." Said woman looked up, biting her lip. "If there is anything I do know about committed relationships, particularly romantic relationships, it's that they aren't obligations. They have obligations, certainly, but entering one should be your choice and your choice alone. Now, if you want to get back with Eddie because you think you should be with him, I will take that key and smelt it for one of my experiments at S.T.A.R. Labs. But if you want to get back with him because you love him, and you want to be with him, then I say go for it."
Iris gazed at Barry thoughtfully, then gratefully. "Thank you, Barry."
The speedster smirked. "Anytime. Now that you're finally done with your angsting, I think a night out on the town would be good for us both. I found a new Mexican restaurant we could try."
"Lead the way." Iris gestured to the door. Barry laughed and got up, jogging to the car in the driveway. Iris followed him at a more sedate pace, her previous troubles forgotten, at least for now.
Kara frowned as the guard looked her over. "You know, I'm the one who brought her here."
Amanda, who was standing off to the side getting her own check over, smiled. "Just a precaution, Miss Danvers. You of all people should know that it never hurts to be too careful, especially in today's world."
Kara sighed. She certainly did understand that. "Why is it that she wants to talk to me? I thought we said everything we needed to say to each other that night."
"Apparently, she wants some clarifications, and refuses to speak or eat otherwise. Now normally, I would just let her do what she wants and die on her own, but something tells me that having a second combat-capable Kryptonian will be handy one day."
Kara clicked her teeth. "Covering all your bases, Amanda?"
"Your dear cousin won't be fully grown for quite a long time, my dear, and even then, I doubt you'd ever release him into my service, at least willingly. As I said, it never hurts to be prepared." The A.R.G.U.S. Director placed her hand on the scanner, then leaned forward so her retina could be analyzed as well. The computer confirmed her identity, and the door locks snapped open, sliding away.
Kara moved to enter, only to pause when she realized Amanda wasn't following her. She looked back.
"Your Aunt will not be…appreciative of my presence." Amanda explained. "I'll review the footage later, don't worry."
Kara scoffed. "I wasn't worried." She muttered as she entered the prison.
Astra's cell was located at the end of the hallway, in its own room. When Kara made her entrance, she found it to be much more spacious than she thought it would be. Soft, green light emitted from the walls. In the center was a glass structure, furnished with a single bed and a small table. And sitting on the bed was –
"Astra."
The Kryptonian General stared at her niece with a blank look. Kara stared back, taking note of her aunt's visible injuries, covered up in gauze and bandages. Normally, they would've healed by now (like Kara's), but the presence of the Kryptonite emitters suppressed the accelerated healing factor that a yellow sun blessed Kryptonians with. Astra would just have to heal at a human's pace.
"Kara. I didn't think you would come."
"Believe me, I didn't want to, but as I said before, I've been in a merciful mood lately. I figured it wouldn't hurt to hear you out." The vigilante shrugged.
Astra narrowed her eyes. "You didn't give me that courtesy the other night."
"You were trying to kill people."
Astra was tempted to remark on the hypocrisy of that statement, or perhaps share with her niece what exactly she thought of the species Kara had been trying to protect but thought better of it. "The other night, you called me a fool, for believing that Myriad could have saved this planet. Saved Krypton. Why?"
Kara searched her aunt's face for any deception and found none. She sighed. "Your plan would've robbed free will from this planet, making its objective pointless."
Astra jumped to her feet, fists clenched. "No, it wouldn't have! While I understand why you thought of and labored under this misconception, that was not my goal, Kara!"
"But it's what you would've gotten in the end." Kara stated firmly. "Don't be so ignorant, Astra. Tell me, how did you manage to cow all those escapees into following you?"
Astra froze, no words coming to her mouth.
"Those that are imprisoned on Fort Rozz are considered to be the worst of the worst, and their crimes are never light. In order for you, the sister of the judge that imprisoned so many of them, to have somehow enticed them into your service – it isn't hard to figure out. You promised them power, didn't you? You promised them the chance to rule this planet. Do you think they would be content letting Myriad run like that? Just letting it divert its near limitless power into only convincing a few billion souls to stop abusing this planet's resources? No, they would have never been content with that, and you know it."
Knowing her niece was speaking the truth, Astra shifted her eyes downward.
"The same thing would have happened on Krypton. Perhaps even sooner, with no yellow sun to bestow the populace powers. Someone would get it into their head to use the program for more than just saving the planet and kill you to take control of it. Myriad's potential for abuse is too great, Astra, and quite honestly, I would've rather had our planet die then condemn future generations to such a fate."
Astra had nothing to say to that, and Kara, content that she had said her piece, turned to leave.
"What happened to you, Kara?"
Kara stopped walking, her back still facing her aunt.
Astra fell her eyes starting to brim with tears, but here and now, she didn't care. "Everything I did, I did for that little girl on Krypton. So vibrant, so full of life, so innocent. Who gazed upon me with love and adoration, who spent hours and hours telling me about how she was going to care for her baby cousin, teach him all the best hiding places, how to walk, run, draw – everything she could think of. That little girl who still had her whole life ahead of her and was going to have it cut short by circumstances out of her control."
Kara continued to be still, refusing to show even the slightest reaction.
"And for years, I thought that was the case, and then I saw you, and I hoped, ever so fleetingly, that we could regain what we'd lost. I would've given you the world, Kara. And as I see you now, and I wonder if it would've been better if you had died with the rest of our people."
Kara clenched her fist, gritting her teeth. Astra failed to notice, so absorbed in her grief. She went to the glass that separated her from her once-dear one, placing her hand against the cool pane.
"What did this planet do to you, Kara?"
"THIS PLANET DID NOTHING TO ME!" Kara whirled around and screamed, stomping to the glass cell. "YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO ME?! I WENT TO HELL! AND EVERYTHING I DID THERE, I DID SO I COULD SURVIVE! SO KAL-EL COULD SURVIVE!"
Astra, stunned, could do nothing but watch as her niece raged.
"That innocent little girl you mourn for? She did die on Krypton. I won't deny that I've done things I'm not proud of. That there's probably some place in hell reserved especially for me. But I don't regret any of it, because I did what I had to do. Nothing more, nothing less." Kara seethed out, slamming her fists against the glass.
"So, it was necessary to kill my men? To kill Non, your uncle? You are a kin-slayer, Kara!" Astra shouted back, breaking out her stupor.
"Yes, to stop you from subjugating this planet. Those men were criminals that had committed high-order crimes anyway – I read their files as I was crossing them off the list. And Non? Non was never kin, Astra, you and I both know that. Even as a child, I could sense the darkness in him. He hated me, hated my family, and he would've threatened everyone I cared about had he lived. I don't regret his death in the least."
"Yet you still condemn me for killing these humans?" Astra demanded.
Kara let out a hollow laugh. "Of course I do. As I told you, I've done things that I'm not proud of. But if there is any comfort to be found in them, it is that I never deliberately tried to kill innocents. That every kill I've made was either in defense of myself and Kal-El and the makeshift family we've made for ourselves, or to protect those who cannot protect themselves. Not for revenge or wanton destruction, like you did that night."
"They are not innocent." Astra hissed angrily.
"They are." Kara shot back. "I can see it in your eyes. You blame them, don't you? You blame all of them for how I turned out. I won't deny that humans have done me wrong, Astra, but it was humans who saved me, cared for me, loved me. Me and Kal-El."
Astra pursed her lips as Kara narrowed her eyes.
"Humans didn't make me this way, Astra. Life made me this way. Whether you accept me as I am or not is irrelevant – it's just something you're going to have to live with."
"And sparing me? What of that? I was a threat to this new family of yours as well. You should've killed me that night."
"Because, while Non may have not been kin, you are." The vigilante announced, thoroughly shocking her relative. "Make no mistake, I was tempted. But I guess some part of me is still sentimental enough to spare an enemy that once meant so much to me. That some part of me…still loves you." Kara stated quietly, though Astra still heard, shocking her even more. Kara payed her no heed and continued. "But I won't let that blind me from your crimes, from what you were trying to do."
With that, Kara turned and walked away.
"Better get comfortable, dear aunt. You won't be leaving here for a very, very long time."
Black Canary stealthily jumped from rooftop to rooftop, keeping track of the fleeing perp in front of her. Just another night of vigilantism.
At least until an arrow pierced her quarry's shoulder, leaving him writhing on the ground in pain.
Black Canary stopped her pursuit, slightly stunned, and watched as the Hood appeared from behind an installation on another rooftop on a taller building across from her position. He shot another arrow, this time a zipline, and used his bow as a makeshift pulley, using gravity to slide his way down to her. Upon arrival, he idly kicked the head of the thug, knocking him out, and looked at Black Canary expectantly.
"…So, I guess you're here to tell me to stop infringing on your territory?" Black Canary asked drily, her nonchalant look hiding her nervousness. Black Canary was skilled, but the Hood was on a completely different level.
"Depends. What are your intentions for doing this?"
Black Canary sighed. "I want to help the people here. I know I can't do as much as you can as I currently am, no matter how badly I want to – but at the very least, I want to make it so the people here can sleep a little easier." She tilted her head, smiling lightly. "The Girl in Blue can't be everywhere, you know."
The Hood said nothing, but she could see his eyes narrowing slightly. "And what makes think you need to be outside the law to do that?"
"You did." She admitted, surprising him. "I don't condone the lengths you're willing to go, that much I admit, but I understand the necessity of going outside the law to clean this city up. For a long time, I held the law sacred, but the more I try to use it to help these people, the more it becomes obvious how ineffective it is against those who don't hold it as sacred as I did."
The Hood stared at her for a long time, searching her face, before giving a short, approving nod. "Very well, then." He turned to leave.
Black Canary blinked. "You aren't going to stop me?"
"As long as you don't punch out of your weight class, I see no reason to stop you." The Hood called back, turning slightly. "And besides, I think nothing short of jail would be able to stop you, and something tells me that's the last place you belong…pretty bird." With that, he jumped down. Black Canary ran to his previous spot, looking down, and found no sign of him.
Despite the anxiety coursing through her, she could stop the smile spreading across her face.
If you haven't figured it out, the 'surprise' was Laurel's debut as Black Canary in this story. As for identities: Oliver does not know Laurel is Black Canary. He could've easily found out, obviously, but he had a gut feeling it was better to let this one go for now.
Kara and Astra's storyline is tied up…for now. We will revisit their relationship in a later arc, that much I will say.
Next chapter, we start the climax of Barry's storyline, and boy, it is a doozy. The arc will finish with the climax of Oliver's storyline, which won't be for quite a few chapters.