Fear

John panicked and attempted to calm her down. He grabbed her shoulders and shoved her back down on the bed, trying to stop her from jumping up and possibly hurting herself. He struggled though as she spread her wings and started to flap as though she wanted to fly away. John grunted at her resistance and climbed on the bed. Her screams continued to echo across the room. John laid down next to her and hugged her to his body. She stopped screaming at least but she squirmed and whimpered in his arms. John kept shushing her and whispering, "It's ok, you're ok, you're safe."
John had his arms encircled around her and her wings in order to stop her from trying to leave the bed. One hand made sure that her wings didn't extend too far and the other was behind her head and pushed it against his chest.

Shayera kept trying to escape, thoughts of a new form of torture in her mind. They had promised her that they will break her and it seemed that they will finally do it. They were trying to make her believe she was safe, that she was not undergoing another beating. Shayera couldn't bear to handle it though, as the Gordanians had probably created a simulator to make her believe she was back on Earth. She wasn't falling for it: as though the League would ever come back for her, anyways. Shayera felt fresh tears run down her face as she tried to fight against the illusion. She needed to break free from this illusion. She couldn't bear to see John in front of her.

John grunted as she began to fight harder against him. Her heart monitor was beating erratically and he worried if it was possible that she was going to give herself a heart attack. She was trying very hard to break free but John constructed restraints with his ring and managed to pin her to the bed. She began to scream again when Batman and J'onn had burst into the room with several doctors and nurses. John had never felt more helpless than he did right now. What could he do except keep Shayera pinned to the bed as the doctors and nurses prepared the sedatives while Batman and J'onn tried to talk with her.

J'onn was suddenly overwhelmed by screams coming from inside his head. He was horrified to hear the screams intensify and the cries echo in his head. Cries of horror and fear that were not his own were echoing in his head. J'onn had no idea where it was coming from until the cries became more coherent and he was able to hear words, "Please no. I need to get out. I need to get out… the airlock."

Shayera fought harder as she saw the needle. This was a very good simulator and Shayera would be damned if she allowed the Gordanians to use this to break her. She'd die before she gives them the satisfaction. Taking a deep breath in, Shayera unleashed a cry and broke free from her restraints and used her wings to push everybody back. John and Batman were knocked against the heart monitor and the doctors and nurses were thankfully not injured when they had been pushed into the wall. J'onn though was surprised to hear Shayera's mind when he couldn't before. He had been terrified of even attempting to try, knowing the horrible after-effects of breaking into someone's mind. It seemed that perhaps J'onn didn't have to do any breaking and he felt guilt swell up. The guilt however soon turned to horror as Shayera rushed passed him with the words repeating in her head, "Airport. Get to the airport. I need to wake up."

"STOP!" cried out J'onn as he tried to grab Shayera. She moved quickly though and managed to evade his grasp. J'onn tried again, only for Shayera to slam her elbow on his jaw. He fell to the ground, dazed, as Shayera ran out of the room.

"Shayera!" cried out John.

"Stop her! She's attempting to go out through the airport!" yelled J'onn.

If there was anything that John was expecting, it wasn't that. Fear gripped his heart like ice and he burst out of the medical room in a green burst. Shayera had managed to make her way to the elevators. John looked at the elevator tracker to see that the lift was rapidly ascending to the main landing floor. John went through the stairwell and flew down as quickly as possible all the while as Batman spoke through the public communicator, "Attention all members of the League. Hawkgirl must be detained! She must not reach the airport!"

John had never felt much relief that Bruce was on top of things. As John reached the main landing, he turned just in time to see Shayera burst through the open elevator and ran towards the airport, startling Flash and Diana. John flew after her as Flash and Diana also jumped into the fray, having heard Batman's warning. John quickly formed a wall between Shayera and the airport. He watched as Shayera attempted to break through his barrier by slamming herself against it while Flash zoomed ahead and quickly moved in front of her.

"Shay! Stop! Please!" pleaded Flash. Shayera though had a horrified look spread across her face. It hurt Flash to see her terrified of him. He had been relieved at first to see her awake and active but it had changed when he remembered Batman's message. Shayera backed away from him, her wings flapping around hazardously as though she was trying to fly away. She didn't see Diana move behind her and quickly grab her into a bear hug. Shayera began to scream again and flared her wings back in order to push Diana off. Diana was thrown back into the floor and Shayera flapped her wings again but she tried flapping her wings with no synchronization. John quickly formed a bubble shield around Shayera and lifted her off the ground. Shayera screamed harder and tried to break free. John grunted at the sheer amount of power Shayera was forcing on his shield, but he held on. Her attempt at suicide was not something he was going to take lightly. As John led the bubble in front of him, Shayera was in her own turmoil.

This is not an illusion, she thought, if this is not an illusion… then… I'm back… no, no it's… it can't be real.

Shayera shakily sat down in her bubble as she waited for this illusion to take her to the fake medical wing. She wrapped her wings around her, feeling a little relief that at least she was able to feel her wings again… even if she can't use them. Shayera tried to control her breathing as she deduced that this might be a new form of torture for the Gordanians: to heal her of all her injuries so they can recreate their 'art'. Shayera shivered as the elevator door closed and it was just her and the fake John, fake Flash, and the fake Diana. The worried looks they sent her way confirmed to Shayera that this truly is an illusion. There was no way Diana would even care about what happened to Shayera. After all, even Shayera agrees with Diana that she deserved all the horrors she faced. Unbeknownst to Shayera though, the years of abuse she suffered had allowed the protected part of her mind had long since been weakened which allowed for J'onn to be able to finally read her thoughts.

"She believes that she is still in the prison," informed J'onn as Batman got the restraints in place.

"Why would she believe that?" asked Batman.

"She believes that she is in a new form of torture, meant to break her mind. They had taken everything away from her in her time in prison except her mind and she believes that they have placed her in a simulation." explained J'onn.

"It makes sense," said Batman, "her healed wounds, a comfortable room, and a familiar face? We… I should have thought things through better. I should have realized that her mental state might not be as strong…. I should have thought things better."

J'onn could read the self-criticism Batman was giving himself and said, "Do not be too hard on yourself. We all have a share of the blame."

"I should have investigated better. I stopped halfway because I believed in the evidence." said Batman.

"We all believed in it. It was a mistake on our part; we all didn't believe her. We had decided to believe in the footage instead of looking for alternative methods." said J'onn, trying to curb Batman's guilt. The doors opened behind them and John came in with a frightened Shayera curled up in a feathered ball in his bubble. Diana and Flash followed in after them and Batman closed the doors. After he had dismissed the doctors and nurses, he decided that Shayera's reintegration to Earth should be with less people. He looked at Diana and Flash and said, "You need to go. Now."

Flash and Diana felt a little hurt pass through them, but after seeing Shayera in her position they left without a word. Batman and J'onn each looked at each other and J'onn phased out of the room. John could only look at Shayera in her frightened ball and felt the enormous emotions pass through him again. There had to be a way to help her. Batman looked at John and nodded his head, signalling to free Shayera.

Hey readers, a moment of silence for all college students who have finals this week. Amen.

Hope you liked :)