Dreaming

Shayera shivered as she was placed on the bed again, the bubble still surrounding her. She has no idea what to believe as the fake Batman and fake John looked at her. She doesn't know how to break free from her delusions. She whimpered when the bubble disappeared and she was quickly engulfed by the fake John's arms. She began to fight against him, trying to break free when she felt restraints on her legs.

"NO!" she cried out, trying to break free when she was forcibly laid down and restraints were placed on her wrists. Shayera felt tears run down her eyes as she realized what was coming next. The Gordanian's experiments with psycho-chemicals were one of the most horrendous forms of torture that Shayera will ever endure. Horrible hallucinations and forms of insanity have always consumed her. Perhaps this will explain why she is deluding herself that the League was with her. Shayera fought back with much intensity and almost successfully freed herself by using her wings as propulsion to lift herself off the bed. She was heavily restrained though by

Shayera tried to break free but like always her attempts were fruitless. Perhaps her delusions were masking the real forms of the Gordanians by replacing them with the faces of people she once loved. She fearfully watched as the fake-John held her head in place as the fake-Batman placed a gas mask on her. Shayera tried to hold her breath when she first smelled the gas. She would rather suffocate and Omar help her, this time she might actually successfully kill herself.

John had to watch with a heavy heart as Bruce turned the sleeping gas on. Shayera just woke up and now she was being put back to sleep. He turned to look at Shayera and saw that her breathing stopped and that she was turning almost purple in the face. Realizing what she was attempting to do, John cried out, "Shayera!"

He sped to her side and removed the mask as Bruce turned it off. She still held her breath in and worried that she might injure herself further, John gathered her face into his hands. Her terrified look jerked his heart, but John wiped her tears away and said, "Please, breathe. Shayera, please. This is to help you heal."

Shayera was going to continue holding her breathe when a sting on her arm made her gasp. She looked to see the fake-Batman inject her with a syringe. The mixture of the gas and whatever was in the syringe was quickly making her feel drowsy. She felt her muscles involuntarily relax and her eyes droop shut. The last she heard was the fake-John ask, "What do you mean she believes she's back in that hellhole?"

When Shayera opened her eyes again, she was strapped down in the medical table. The familiar overhead lights were above her and she felt her heart sink low in her stomach. She knew it! She had been dreaming the whole time. She was feeling happy for the first time in five years that she didn't allow herself to believe in the illusion. She heard the doors slide open and cringed as she heard the heave footsteps of the Gordanian Torturer. She looked with weary eyes to see him walk up to her side and grunt in displeasure as she always did. Shayera flinched as the Gordanian knocked her head to the side with a backhand before she spoke, "Thanagarian scum. Tonight is the night you die."

Shayera felt the table underneath her rise as the Gordanian wheeled her away into another room.

Shayera felt at peace. Perhaps not in the way that that the Peaceful Man had given peace but she was actually at peace with the knowledge that she was going to die soon. Shayera was placed in a room that had one single laser cannon on the ceiling.

"This will take care of your filthy remains," sneered the Gordanian as she wheeled Shayera in the middle of the room so she was right in the middle of the laser cannon, "you are of no use to us."

Just as the laser cannon powered up, Shayera closed her eyes in what she was sure was going to be her final moments living. Just as the cannon fired, Shayera heard the sounds of a deflected beam hit the ceiling. She opened her eyes in shock as the familiar light of the Green Lantern protected her. She fearfully looked to see John and J'onn J'onnz fight back against the Gordanian. She struggled against her restraints. It couldn't be another illusion. She can't stand to have to see John protecting her like she had dreamed so many times years ago. She can't stand to know that she was just going through another hallucination. She wants to die.

"Shayera," spoke J'onn. Shayera looked at him with fearful eyes until she realized that the whole world around her had stood still. She looked around shocked as the frozen forms of John and the Gordanian were on opposite ends of the room with the petrified John in midflight and his power ring had fired a blast that remained frozen in midair. The frozen Gordanian was suspended in the air as she had attempted to reach for one of the water pipes above in the ceiling.

"Shayera," said J'onn again, "You are dreaming. You must wake up. You cannot allow your fear to have hold over you."

"What fear?" spoke Shayera, her voice thick with tears.

"The fear that you have imagined your rescue. Shayera, this right here is a dream. You are no longer at the Gordanian Prison. The League and I have rescued you." explained J'onn as he gently approached the shivering form of Shayera.

"It's… you're not real." she said.

"In your dream, perhaps. Wake up Shayera, you must wake up." pushed J'onn. Shayera whimpered and shook her head, convincing herself that this was another delusion.

J'onn sighed sadly as he watched Shayera refuse to wake up. She had been placed in another coma due to her trauma, this time remaining in it for almost six weeks. John was beyond consolation and had to be medicated by Bruce in order to get a proper night's rest. He looked around Shayera's dream and knew he needed a better environment. With difficulty, he managed to shift Shayera's dreamscape into the Midway National Park. Shayera was no longer strapped in a medical table and was instead laying on her back as she looked around in wonder. J'onn was having difficulty keeping himself in Shayera's mind. Despite her low mental defense, Shayera still had some defenses that weren't completely gone. J'onn could feel her mind trying to push him out but he remained firm and needed to help her. Shayera had been in a coma enough and she needed to wake up. Not just for her sake but for John who was medicated, for Wally who was slowly losing himself in his guilt, for Diana who was punishing herself by taking on more dangerous missions, for Bruce who is doing everything in his power to fix things, and for Clark who is terrified of making a single mistake in his actions.

J'onn helped Shayera sit up and watched as she knelt down on the grass and cautiously rubbed her hands on top of it. Tears sprang from her eyes as she said, "I haven't felt grass since… since…"

J'onn knew when and said, "I'm sorry, Shayera."

"Why? I deserved it anyways." she said, surprising J'onn, "I've betrayed so many people: the League, Earth, my own home planet and people. I deserved it… I deserved everything that I got."

"Stop it." said J'onn so sharply that Shayera looked at him confused at his command, "You were placed in a position that you could never win. I have been blinded by lies and mirrors but I want you to know Shayera that we were wrong to ever think you deserved to have been punished. You have done so much for us, choosing us over your own people and we had been blinded by our own rage and feelings to even consider the fallout you've been going through."

Shayera had been silent, staring at the trees and skies properly. She looked at J'onn and asked, "You promise? You promise that when I wake up… it's all real?"

"I promise with my life, Shayera." said J'onn. Shayera nodded her head in acceptance and watched as J'onn held his hand out to her. Shayera hesitated for one second before she took his offered hand. Peacefulness engulfed her and Shayera closed her eyes in order to relish it. J'onn carefully pulled Shayera out of her sleep and watched as the dreamscape faded away until he pulled himself out of Shayera's mind, pushing her awake.

Bruce watched over the still form of J'onn as he attempted to wake Shayera up from her coma. He hoped that he can because Shayera's brain activity was slowly deadlining, showing that she was slowly giving up on living. The slow readings of Shayera's brain activity suddenly spiked and J'onn finally moved, his eyes no longer flowing orange. Bruce watched as Shayera slowly opened her eyes and quickly moved to her side. Her eyes widened when she saw him and she shrank in fear. Bruce merely looked at her and assessed that she was alright physically, and waited for J'onn to know more about her mental state.

"B… Bruce?" asked Shayera in such a small voice. Bruce nodded his head and removed his cowl to show her that he was there. Shayera looked over at J'onn who said, "I promise, Shayera. This is real. You are not dreaming. You are safe."

Shayera felt tears prick her eyes. Safe. Safe, warm, no longer in pain, and away from the Gordanians. Shayera sobbed and said, "Thank you."

Bruce approached her and carefully patted her shoulder, giving her a weak smile and said, "Welcome home."

Hey readers. Like? I cried a little, I admit. I don't necessarily like writing sad stuff because I'm an easily emotional type of person. Hope you liked and more on the way soon.