A/N: I don't own any members of the Justice League. They belong to Cartoon Network, Marvel, and DC Comics. I do, however, own Taipana.

Chapter 8: Unexpected Development

The two had gotten into the building easily enough. The skylight opened without a sound and they had dropped in just the same. They made it past the security cameras without trouble. They ran through the halls, going up and down and through doors until they reached what looked like the bank of the company. Shayera thought for sure that Taipana would go there for some cash, saying that the files they needed to bring down the company would be in there. Shockingly enough, she didn't. She kept going until they reached the door that they needed with a security lock.

"Looks like the alarm cord was eaten through with acid like the locks on the skylight," Shayera said as she looked underneath the security panel. She turned to Taipana with a quirked eyebrow.

"That's also not my style, no finesse."

"Did you try to get in here before," Shayera asked knowing full well that she had, making Taipana groan.

"Okay, fine! I did this! Can we just go," she urged impatiently.

"I'm seriously starting to question whether or not I can trust your word," she replied as she began to work on the panel to open the do.

"You can trust me, Shayera. I just didn't want you know I tried once and failed."

"You didn't want me knowing you failed at getting in this building so you lied to cover your ass," she asked incredulously, and Taipana nodded. "You're getting stranger by the minute. I thought for sure you wouldn't care what I thought about you," she commented casually as the door opened and they went in, Shayera wearing a proud smirk.

"Well, I do," she said and they walked across the office to the bookshelf.

Predictably, Shayera noted that Taipana pulled a book out and the shelf lifted up into the ceiling to reveal a large safe, like the one at the bank, with another security panel. Taipana reached into the top of her right glove and pulled out and folded piece of paper. Shayera watched silently as she walked over to the security panel and began to type in a code from the paper. The panel suddenly slid in and Taipana smiled in success, but an alarm went off and the bookshelf came back down. The two ran out of the room with a groan and into the hall. They ran back towards the skylight until guards suddenly surrounded them.

"I thought you said there would be no one else in the building," she said lowly as the stood back to back, her mace held tightly in her hands.

"Well, I did try this once before. They must've thought I would come back," she commented off handedly.

"Good thinking," she muttered angrily. After a quick glance, Shayera let out a war cry and knocked back a few and the two made a made dash to round a corner. They heard the guns fire and the two just stood with their backs against the wall. A moment after the firing stopped, Shayera looked around the corner only to nearly be hit in the head. "Merry Christmas," she muttered to herself and looked around. "Never a blasted good cop when you need one!"

"That's it! I'm tired of hiding," Taipana stated in anger. She clenched her fists and all Shayera could do was watch as her fingernails and canines grew longer, almost making her look like a vampire. Her transformation was complete, she made to go around the corner, but Shayera stopped her.

"We just can't go around killing innocent people," she insisted with a firm grip on Taipana's arm.

"That's what I hear," she retorted, ripping herself away from Shayera and running around the corner to fight.

Throwing caution to the wind, Shayera soon joined her and the two fought against the swarming guards. The two were winning against the guards, and they both knew it. Shayera was throwing them against the walls, trying desperately not to hurt the men. She wasn't sure if Taipana was poisoning the guards, but she couldn't worry about that.

Looking behind her, she saw Taipana caught from behind and injected with something. Taipana struggled against the man, ramming her claws into the arm that held the needle to her neck. The man cried out and let go, and she pulled the needle from her body. Shayera finished the last of the guards, grabbed Taipana and the two ran back towards the roof.

"J'ohn! J'ohn! Anyone in the Tower! I need help, now," she called into her earpiece as soon as the two were on the roof again. Shayera looked to Taipana, who was leaning against the roof with a hand on her neck. Shayera walked over and took the needle from her, breaking off the needle itself and placing the rest in her pocket. Maybe J'ohn could tell them what was in the needle?

"Shayera," a male voice was heard coming through her ear and Shayera froze mid panic.

"J-John? What are you doing at J'ohn's station," she managed to get out, wondering what the Green Lantern was doing.

"I told to him to take a break, get something to eat. I just got off a mission, so…" he trailed off and silence fell between the two. "What did you need? It sounded important."

"It's Taipana. She's injured. Teleport us up," she demanded urgently, and there was a silence on the other end and she'd begun to wonder if he'd heard her.

"You got it," he said hesitantly, and the two were soon teleported to the Tower. Shayera knew as soon as they reappeared on the platform why John hesitated. Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, and J'ohn stood at the bottom, waiting for them, John soon joining them with an apologetic look towards her.

"Well, don't you just look like a regular damsel in distress," Flash commented with a smirk to Taipana as she made her way down the steps with Shayera's help. "You look so helpless. Need a hand?" He went over to help her, but she blew him off and moved away from Shayera to stand on her own.

"I don't do helpless," she said shakily, a hand still on her neck and her eyes closed in pain.

"Get back on the teleporter," Batman ordered Taipana, making her open her eyes to stare at him as if he had two heads. "I told you, you're going back to Arkham, and you're going right now."

"Batman, maybe we should let J'ohn look over her," Green Lantern suggested. "She doesn't look too good."

"Got that right," Flash admitted, crossing his arms and smiling. "She looks like she's a bird about ready to drop out of the sky onto unsuspecting people. How dangerous!" John scowled at him, hitting his shoulder. "What!"

"As of this moment, the most dangerous bird in the sky is the her," Diana stated firmly, pointing to Shayera.

"Hey! Standing right here! You have something to say to me, say it to my face, Princess," Shayera retorted angrily.

"Fine. You've got a hard head. How about using it for something other than a blunt object," she replied. Shayera moved to lunge at Diana, but John and Taipana ran up and held her back. Shayera calmed down a but and Taipana, still a woozy, stepped up to face the Amazonian princess.

"She saved my life! And, as far as I'm concerned, the only blunt object here is…y-you…" Taipana suddenly passed out, falling back into Shayera and John's arms.

"Let's get her to Medical," Superman ordered, ready to pick Taipana up and carry her to Medical, but Batman beat him to and the group ran off.

"Quick question," Diana said as the group filed into a room and Taipana was set down on a bed. "Why are we helping her? She's a criminal."

"Criminal or not, she needs our help, and we're going to give it to her," Superman stated.

"You're just one big forgiving doormat, aren't you," Flash questioned with a cool smile.

"I am not a doormat," he insisted, making Flash suppress his laughter. Superman's brow furrowed as he turned to the others. "Am I?"

"If you had a middle name, it would be "welcome,"" Batman retorted dryly as they watched J'ohn work on Taipana.

P.S.: Four pages total.