Chapter 56: Shadow of the Hawk

It was an abnormally quiet evening in Gotham City. Batman was out on patrol in the Batmobile, Robin curled up in the passenger seat. The Boy Wonder yawned, leaning back slightly.

"Man, I am definitely feeling the aster tonight," he mused.

Batman raised an eyebrow.

"Aster?"

"Yeah, like, you know how dislike is the opposite of like? So disaster is the opposite of aster. Instead of things going wrong, they go right."

Batman was silent for a moment.

"You have been passing English, right?"

"No, no, think about it," Robin insisted, sitting up straight. "Like, people can be overwhelmed or underwhelmed, but they're never just whelmed. And- And back to the aster thing, if someone's distraught, they're upset, so if they're traught, they're okay. I mean, it makes sense if you think about it, right?"

"I… honestly couldn't say."

"I'm onto something," Robin insisted. "Just you watch."

The silence of the car ride returned, until a light flickered on in the sky. The two vigilantes looked out the window to see the Bat-Signal burning across the clouds.

"Might wanna hold off on the aster," Batman declared, steering the Batmobile towards GCPD.

Two grapnels locked onto the side of the GCPD building, allowing the two to make it to the room in a matter of seconds. They both handed gracefully, rising up as their wrapped their capes around them. They could see a lone figure standing in the shadow of the spotlight, and Batman instantly knew that this figure was not Commissioner Gordon.

"Who's there?!" Batman demanded. "Show yourself!"

The figure stepped into the light, holding up his hands as a sign of good will. He was a young man, late twenties at most, with black hair and tan skin. He was wearing a white button down shirt with a handkerchief tied around his neck, khaki cargo pants, and work boots.

"If it helps my case, I did ask for permission to come up here," the man spoke up.

"Who are you?" Batman pressed.

"My name is Carter Hall, and I need your help. Or more accurately, I need the Justice League's help."

"Then why come all the way out here to Gotham?" Robin questioned.

"Well, Batman was the only Leaguer I knew how to reach. You guys don't exactly have email."

Robin blinked, then glanced up at Batman.

"Actually, he's not wrong."

Batman just narrowed his eyes.

"What do you need our help with?"

Carter let out a breath, lowering his hands before rubbing his face. Batman took note of the thick bags under his eyes, as well as his slightly gaunt figure, as if he hadn't eaten or slept in awhile.

"I believe I just unleashed a terrible monster upon the world."

Up on the Watchtower, Batman took Carter to meet with the League, which at the moment consisted of J'onn, GL, and Flash. They all gathered around in the meeting room, sitting down as they all faced Carter.

"So… since when do we allow civilians up here?" GL questioned.

"He stated he unleashed some kind of monster on the world," Batman informed. "I'd say that's worth the exception."

"Indeed," J'onn nodded, gesturing to Carter. "You may proceed."

"Thank you," Carter replied. "To start off, I should tell you that I am an archeologist. My field of study is Egyptology, specifically, the period of the Winged Gods. My studies led me to this ancient tomb that was said to contain the bodies of the gods themselves."

"Hold on, hold on," Flash interjected, holding up a hand. "You found the bodies of gods?!"

"Not exactly. I didn't get very far when I stumbled across something. It looked like some sort of ancient technology. I touched it and there was a blinding flash. When I opened my eyes… it was standing over me."

"It?" J'onn pressed.

"It's… it's hard to describe. It was like a… living shadow."

"What, like Batman over there?" GL quipped, earning him one of the Dark Knight's patented glares.

"No… living shadow," Carter insisted. "It spoke to me, thanking me for freeing it before promising to 'wreak havoc upon this unsuspecting world'."

"Do you have any idea where it is now?" J'onn inquired.

"None. It just vanished. I immediately began trying to seek you out, so I hopped the first plane back to the states and made my way to Gotham."

"So we've got a living shadow loose in Egypt with possible aspirations for world domination," GL surmised. "That about cover things?"

"As much as I know, yes," Carter nodded, sighing heavily before burying his face in his hands. "I never should have touched that damn artifact."

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Flash insisted. "There's no way you could have known what would happen."

"What's important now is finding that creature before it can do too much damage," Batman insisted.

Just then, something began playing "she blinded me with science" at a surprisingly high volume. From the staticy tinge to the song, it was clearly some sort of ringtone. J'onn blinked slightly, then reached into his suit to pull out the black cellphone Batman had given him a while back. GL and Flash both shared a high five, the culprits behind the loud ringtone, as J'onn answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey, J'onn..." Kari said, sounding like she was in the middle of a warzone. "Listen, I have a bit of a problem..."

"What is it?"

There was a distant boom on the call.

"Well, a couple hours ago, I detected high traces of Zeta Beam radiation, the same type of energy that brought you here. We mobilized to try and figure out the source, and found a-" there was another explosion, several screams, and a yelp from Kari. "A VERY ticked off alien woman. She's on a warpath, destroying everything, and my men are getting decimated. Our General's seconds away from calling in some rather heavy armaments, and the only thing stopping him is that we're in the middle of Cairo."

"Cairo? The Zeta Beam touched down in Cairo?"

"Yeah, hours ago."

"Carter, how long ago did the shadow get unleashed?" J'onn asked, turning to Carter.

"I… I'm not sure. I mean… several hours at least. Less than a day. Like I said, I hopped the first plane I found."

"Kari, we will be there soon," J'onn reassured.

"Please hurry," Kari begged before another explosion went off and the line went dead.

"You think there's a connection?" Batman assumed.

"I'm thinking that I've watched enough Ancient Aliens to know that there's a lot of speculation about aliens helping the Egyptians," GL remarked. "That artifact Carter messed with, maybe it ended up summoning some more of those 'Winged Gods'."

"Only one way to know for sure," Flash declared. "We'd better get going."

Before long, the Javelin touched down on the outskirts of Cairo. There, they could see an entire legion of DEO agents working to evacuate citizens from the city while also setting up a barrier. The League quickly located the nerve center of everything, a hastily set up tent where Kari was situated, along with General Hardcastle, and Director Faraday.

"Thank you all for coming," Faraday greeted.

"What's the damage so far?" Batman asked.

"Our mystery alien has torn her way through five city blocks," Kari explained, pointing to the area on a map of the city. "We've hacked into CCTV cameras in the area, but the footage is spotty at best, and she tends to destroy any tech she finds. No fatalities yet, but far too many injuries and close calls."

"We'd have had her by now if we'd get those special ordinates authorized," General Hardcastle sneered.

"Forget it Hardcastle," Faraday shot down. "We're not waging war until we know who and what we're dealing with."

"Do you have a description of the alien?" Batman questioned.

"Humanoid female," Kari listed off. "Approximately mid to late twenties, possessing a pair of large hawk wings on her back."

"Wings?" Carter repeated. "You said she had wings?"

Kari nodded, flipping open an image on her laptop to show the alien. It was grainy, but the League could see a woman wearing fierce looking armor, a bird-like helmet, wielding a mace, and possessing massive wings on her back. As Carter looked at the photo, a brief glimpse of an image flashed in his mind of another woman with wings. He blinked and rubbed his face, banishing the image.

"You ok?" Flash asked.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine."

"Who is this?" Hardcastle pressed. "Civilians shouldn't be here. Hell, if I had my way, none of you freaks would-"

"Enough, General," Faraday cut off. "I assume the League had a reason for bringing him in."

"He is part of a case that might be connected to our new visitor," J'onn elaborated.

"You can tell Dr. Miller about it once we've brought our winged visitor in. I want to hear her story, so try not to hurt her too much." Faraday looked up a J'onn for a moment. "I'd rather make sure of her intentions before jumping to the wrong conclusions."

"Understood," J'onn replied, smiling a little.

"We got this," GL reassured, activating his ring. "Back in five."

With that, the League took off, hoping to deal with their alien visitor.

She didn't know where she was. The Zeta Beam had ripped her from everything, sending her who knows how far across space, into a world full of so many loud creatures. She couldn't recognize their language, her translator struggling to try and work out the various voices talking over one another. Then one of the creatures reached for her, and she'd lashed out.

It had gotten much louder from there, but it was noise she was used to. Battle, war, fighting for her life. It helped with the anxiety a bit, but she still needed to figure out where she was, and how to get back.

As she rounded the next corner, she came to a sudden stop when a green wall suddenly erected in front of her.

"Sorry lady," GL announced, causing the woman to turn towards him. "But I'm gonna need you to put it in park."
The woman looked him over, her translator not working yet, but already beginning the process. She didn't bother with words though, using her mace to shatter the green wall. The look on GL's face made her smirk.

"Ok… that's new."

The woman just took off, forcing GL to pursue her.

"Alright, now come the warning shots."

GL then started blasting at the woman, forcing her to take evasive measures. She quickly spun around and deflected a few blasts with her mace before continuing forward.

"Alright, this isn't working," GL realized before activating his JL communicator. "Flash, she's heading down the street. Cut her off, and let's finish this."

"On it."

As the woman continued flying, Flash sped in front of her and started spinning his arms in a circular motion. This created a wind funnel that she got caught in. it sent her flying backwards right into a bird cage GL had made.

"Fancy flying you got there, hawk girl," Flash remarked. "But now it's time for some answers."

"Hawkgirl?" GL questioned. "You've been hanging around Cisco a bit too much."

"Well we gotta call her something until we-"

Before Flash could finish, the newly dubbed Hawkgirl smashed her mace into the bars of the cage construct. GL tried to hold it together, but the constant attacks were proving to be too much, and it shattered. She darted towards them, smacking Flash away while GL conjured an energy shield to defend himself from Hawkgirl's attacks. As she kept swinging away at him, a batarang flew in and knocked the mace out of her hands, prompting her to look up and see Batman swinging towards her. He kicked her back, causing her to flip around and dart towards Batman. She tackled him off the line and down to the ground. He quickly kicked her off before rolling backwards onto his feet. Hawkgirl skidded across the ground before starring down Batman.

"Stand down," Batman demanded.

She looks up at him, and says her first words in English.

"Never."

As she and Batman faced off, J'onn slowly phased up from the ground behind her. He then wrapped his arms around her, stretching them so they'd wrap around multiple times.

"We mean you no harm," J'onn insisted. "Surrender peacefully before we are forced to escalate our stance."

Rather than answer, Hawkgirl headbutted J'onn before spreading her wings and flying upwards, dragging him with her. She then twisted around and kicked J'onn hard in the gut, finally getting him to let her go. She then swooped down, determined to reclaim her weapon. Before she could grab it though, Flash sped by and snatched it up, much to her irritation.

"Looking for something?" Flash remarked.

"Hand that over!" she demanded, launching at him like a true hawk.

"So, you can speak english," Flash remarked, speeding away from her.

"Translator finally worked. Now stop your useless prattling and return my mace!"

"What, so you can smash my skull in with it? Not a chance."

She dove at him again, Flash quickly speeding out of the way as she touched down. This time, she scooped up some sand before turning around and chucking it in his face. Flash stumbled back as he tried to rub the sand out of his eyes, allowing Hawkgirl to dart forward and reclaim her mace. She used the butt of it to knock flash to the ground, then kicked him in the face.

"Stay down," she warned.

At the base camp, Kari, Faraday, Hardcastle, and Carter all watched the battle take place. While the first three were horrified and scared, Carter was the opposite. He was fascinated, and more than that, he knew what he had to do. Before anyone could stop him, he jumped over the barricade, rushing into the city.

"Wait!" Kari called out futily. "Stop him, stop him!"

"That idiot's gonna get himself killed!" Hardcastle exclaimed, quickly giving chase..

Back at the fight, Hawkgirl knocked Flash backwards before turning to block a sword conjured by Green Lantern. The two struggled against each other, not willing to give the other even the slightest edge.

"Stop!" Carter's voice called out.

Hawkgirl suddenly froze up, disengaging from Green Lantern and turning towards where Carter was standing. What shocked her was that he was speaking Thanagarian, but her translator wasn't doing the work. He knew her language. To make sure it wasn't a fluke, she turned it off.

"What did you say?"

"I asked you to stop. You don't have to attack anyone."

"How do you know the dialect of my planet? Your form is ancient, from the early days."

"I studied it. In a tomb I was researching."

By now, Hawkgirl had abandoned the fight. GL watched them, confused, but under the impression that this was not something to interrupt. When the other Leaguers began approaching, he formed a wall, stopping them from getting closer.

"What is this place?" Hawkgirl questioned. "This isn't Frontier Space, nor is it Karna."

"You are on Earth."

"I have never heard of this planet. How long has it been under the rule of the Gordanians?"

"Gordanians? What are-"

Before the conversation could continue, there was the sound of a weapon being fired. Suddenly, a large net collided with Hawkgirl, sending her colliding with the ground. Hardcastle stepped out from behind an overturned cart, a cruel smirk on his face.

"Got ya," he sneered.

He pulled a Meta Collar off his belt, approaching her just as she got the net off her. He snapped the collar around her neck with a loud click, then jammed his finger on a small remote in his hand. Hawkgirl screamed as she was cruelly tased, electricity forcing her to the ground..

"No!" Carter called out. "Dammit, I was getting through to her!"

"You had no business getting involved in DEO affairs," Hardcastle berated. "You're lucky I don't bring you in for-"

"Hardcastle!" Kari's voice bellowed across the street.

Congrats, Dr. Miller," Hardcastle replied as she wheeled up. "You now have a new alien friend to talk to."

She rolled right up to him until her face was eye level with his stomach. She then reeled back and punched him as hard in the crotch as she could muster. He gasped and choked, bending over so she could deliver a similar punch to his face. He fell gracelessly to the ground, high pitch groans emanating from him as she bent down and scooped up the remote.

"We'll discuss this blatant disregard for the chain of command later," she snarled. "Right now, we need to deal with the shitstorm you've just caused."

"What is that guy's problem?" Flash asked, turning to J'onn.

"Hardcastle was one of many members of the DEO who did not appreciate Director Faraday's decision to show leniency to extra-terrestrial life. He is also resentful of Kari's position in the organization rising in importance over his own."

"Well, opinions of General Hardcase aside," GL interjected, I think we should worry more about our friend here."

"She mentioned something called… frontier space," Carter shared. "Does that mean anything to you?"

"Frontier space is the very edge of the known universe," GL shared. "Beyond the reach of the Guardians. That could be where she's from."

"She also mentioned brings called the Gordanians."

"That mean anything to you?" Batman asked of GL.

"It sounds familiar," GL admitted before holding up his ring. "Ring, search references to 'Gordanians'."

"The Gordanians are a race of beings known for enslavement and galactic conquest. They have spread across multiple planets and are currently in conflict with the Tamaranians, the Raanians, and the Thanagarians.

"Thanagarians?" Carter questioned.

"What?" GL inquired.

"In the digsite where I found that shadow creature. There were these hieroglyphics. The word 'Thanagar' appeared multiple times."

"So Hawkgirl hails from Thanagar. But how'd she end up here?"

"That's something Mr. Hall is going to have to find out," Batman decided.

"Me?" Carter questioned.

"Clearly you know more about this than any of us do," Kari chimed in. "And since I doubt Hawkgirl is going to be in a sharing mood when she comes to, you're our only lead."

"I'll… do what I can. But what about the shadow creature?"

"We'll follow up on that," Flash reassured. "You just focus on getting answers from Hawkgirl."

"Alright then. You can start with my digsite. "It's about fifty miles outside of town."

"We should be able to find it," J'onn reassured.

The League then took off, allowing Kari and Carter to head off themselves.

After a few minutes, the League arrived at Carter's digsite, GL using his ring to light the way as they descended.

"Venturing into an Egyptian tomb to fight some kind of shadow demon," Flash listed off. "Ever thought our lives would be an Indiana Jones movie?"

"I thought you'd be all for this kind of thing, Barry," GL remarked. "All this mystery and unexplained craziness, it's right up your alley.."

"Oh I'm loving it, believe me. It's still a little unreal at times."

"Stay focused," Batman instructed. "Whatever that thing is, it could still be down here. J'onn?"

"I cannot sense anything. Whatever this Shadow creature is, it is beyond me."

"That's a little disconcerting," GL admitted.

As the group continued forward, Flash stepped on a tile that lowered down slightly into the ground.

"Uh, guys," he let out.

The group instantly stopped, turning back to Flash.

"I just stepped on a pressure plate."

Just then, several large spikes shot out from the walls. Batman quickly moved his body to avoid the spikes before leaping over and onto them Flash meanwhile dashed past and under the spikes as he made his way down the hallway. GL quickly formed an energy shield, causing the spikes to bend out of shape as they made contact. J'onn meanwhile simply went intangible, allowing the spikes to pass through him as he flew forward. Flash and Batman made their way to the end of the hallway, barely avoiding being skewered.

"Just like the movies," Batman remarked, still keeping a neutral face.

"Uh… my bad," Flash replied.

"I suggest we all watch our step," J'onn warned, conspicuously remaining intangible,

Flash nodded as the group continued forward.

Back at the DEO base camp, Hawkgirl was slowly starting to come to. She carefully kept herself still, not wanting to let anyone know she was awake. She was lying on a gurney, leather straps pinning her to it. The collar was still tight around her neck, a stark reminder of her captivity. Her helmet was off to the side, as was her mace. She looked around and saw Kari and Carter entering the tent.

"How is she?" Carter asked, which alerted Hawkgirl to the fact that her translator was back on.

"Stable, thankfully," Kari replied. "Minor electrical burns from excessive use of the button, but nothing she won't heal from. Hardcastle shouldn't have done that."

"I can agree with that. Hopefully when she wakes up, I'll have the chance to talk to her."

Hawkgirl's eyes narrowed as she tested the straps. They were tight, but nowhere near strong enough to hold her. Barely wasting a second, she snapped off the straps and launched herself off the gurney. Kari and Carter barely had time to react before she dove at Kari, yanking the girl from her chair.

"The remote for this infernal collar!" Hawkgirl insisted. "Where is it?"

Kari remained silent, terror in her eyes as she dangled uselessly in Hawkgirl's grip.

"Let her go," Carter pleaded.

Hawkgirl turned to Carter, then turned back to Kari. She took note that the woman wasn't kicking her, or even struggling. It dawned on her in that moment that her captor was broken, and unable to stop her. A small laugh escaped the Thanagarian as she pulled Kari closer.

"Hand it over, before I break what's left of your decrepit body."

"I… won't..." Kari choked out.

Enraged, Hawkgirl tossed her through the tent, causing her to crash onto a table hard enough to break it. Several soldiers were quickly rushing to her aid, which prompted Hawkgirl to act. She snagged her helmet, slamming it back onto her head before grabbing her mace and taking off. However, just before she left the tent, she grabbed Carter by both his arms.

"You're coming with me!"

Before Carter could react, he was swooped up into the air by Hawkgirl, forcing him to cling to her arms as the ground got farther and farther away.

Back with the League, they continued making their way through the tomb. As they continued on, they were being watched by a shadowy figure, one that smirked quite maliciously at the League's progress. It slithered across the ground, diving from shadow to shadow completely unseen. Eying something of use, it darted across the room, almost catching the eye of Batman. The Dark Knight shined his flashlight around, searching for any sign of it.

"What is it?" J'onn asked.

"Thought I saw something," Batman replied.

"Our shadow fiend?" GL inquired.

"I'm not sure, but keep an eye out."

The group barely had a chance to continue before the shadowy figure activated another one of the tomb's traps.

"Okay, that wasn't me," Flash insisted.

"No, it's-" J'onn began.

Before he could finish, streams of fire shot out of the walls, creating large flaming walls around them. Almost immediately, J'onn was stumbling back, his eyes wide as he stared at the flames. He was almost unaware of a flame blast heading towards him, forcing Batman to leap forward and tackle him out of the way. GL used his ring to blast at the wall, but it caused the tomb around them to shake.

"Lantern, don't!" Batman told him. "This place is unstable. You take those walls down, and we could have a collapse."

"Then what are we supposed to do?" GL questioned.

"Allow me," Flash offered, stepping forward.

He then held his arms out and started spinning them in a circle. His arms kept moving faster and faster until they became cyclones, quickly blowing onto the flames and extinguishing them. Once the flames were out, Flash stopped spinning his arms and Batman got up, allowing J'onn to regain his senses.

"Still an impressive trick," GL noted.

"Thanks," Flash replied. "Took a week training with Dr. Wells to get it right."

"This confirms that someone's down here," Batman deduced. "And has no qualms taking us out."

"So how do we find this guy?" Flash wondered.

"I believe he found us," J'onn remarked, still a bit shaken by the fire, "and it would seem he wants to kill us."

"Indeed," an eerie voice responded, seemingly echoing all around them.

The group readied themselves as they looked around for their mysterious opponent. Batman and Green Lantern aim their lights around for any sign of it, but found nothing. Unbeknownst to the League, the shadows on the ground started moving towards them, passing by their feet until they were right behind them. Finally, the shadows came together, shooting upwards to form a solid shape. The shape was that of a silhouetted man, with no facial features and sharpened fingers. The shadow then swatted its arms out, striking the four heroes and knocking them back. They all collided against the walls of the tomb, hitting the ground hard before looking up to see the shadowy creature.

"Think we found Carter's living shadow," GL noted.

GL blasted at the shadow, but its body split apart, creating a hole in its body for the laser shot to pass through him before he turned back to normal.

"You will find I am not that easy to deal with," the shadow promised.

"What do you want," Batman demanded.

"From you, just a little entertainment." the shadow answered, brandishing his razor fingers. "At least until the true players in my game arrive."

Meanwhile, Hawkgirl flew Carter out into the egyptian deserts, not stopping until Cairo, and all the trouble it caused her, was left in their wake. Only then did she drop Carter onto one of the sand dunes, landing herself.

"Now that we're out of there," she spoke, her voice dripping with venom, "you will remove this damn thing that you helped put on me!"

"I never wanted them to take you prisoner like that," Carter insisted, getting to his feet. "I swear, I was just as caught off guard as you were."

Hawkgirl just snarled in rage, clawing at the collar as she tried to rip it off. When that failed, she held up her mace, as if contemplating how to use it. When no valid idea came to her, she snarled and threw it into the sand at her feet.

"I am sorry," Carter tried to console.

"You're sorry?!" Hawkgirl bellowed, turning to face him. "I am trapped on a planet I have never even heard of, with no way to get back, and now I am collared like a Gordanian slave! Sorry doesn't even begin to cut it!"

"We're not with these Gordanians. I've never even heard of them until today."

"You lied before, and you're lying now."

"If you were a prisoner of these beings, would you be able to escape so easily?"

That actually made Hawkgirl pause. She seemed to think for a moment, then shook her head.

"No. I've led many raids on Gordanian prison camps. We were always lucky to escape with our lives. This… this was far too easy."

"The only reason the military got involved was because we've had… history with extraterrestrial life. That, and apparently you trashed an entire city. They wanted to bring you in peacefully, hear your story. That woman, the one in the wheelchair? She immediately attacked the General who collared you."

"Really? Makes me regret hurting her. What about you? What's your stake in this? You're clearly not a soldier."

"I'm a historian, an archeologist. I study ancient history. I was working a digsite not far from here when I uncovered some strange technology. Not long after I activated it, you arrived."

By now, both of them were just sitting in the sand, conversing with one another.

"Unless the device you activated was some sort of Zeta retrieval system, I highly doubt my arrival here has anything to do with your 'strange technology'."

"I'm not even sure what it was. It looked like an Ankh, with a bright blue gem in the center of the hoop."

Hawkgirl gave him a confused look, so Carter traced an image in the sand. It was almost a cross, but there was a loop in place of the top piece, a line cutting said loop in half where the gem was anchored. Looking at the crude image, Hawkgirl's eyes widened.

"This device, when you touched it, did you see anything?"

"I… I think so… but they all hit me so fast, I could barely make sense of them."

"That device is an Absorbacron, but that shouldn't be possible. The last of the Absorbacrons were launched from Thanagar millenia ago, during the first days of the Gordanian War."

"The tomb I found it in was untouched for over four thousand years. It's possible Thanagarians could have ended up on this planet and left some of their technology behind. In fact, I'm almost certain of it. Legend speaks of two Winged Gods who descended from the heavens to bring prosperity to Egypt."

The implications of this were not lost on Hawkgirl.

"My people were here… and that means there might be some record of how they came here. I-... I can go home."

"My digsite isn't far from here," Carter offered. "We can head there now."

"You… you're willing to help me?"

"Consider it repayment for my unwitting help in your capture."

Hawkgirl smiled at the offer.

"Very well then. Lead the way."

The two then went off, unaware of the mysteries and dangers that laid in way for them.