Justice League Nuptials 91
Dick Grayson, Tim Drake, Kara In-Ze, Billy Batson, Mary Batson, Clark Kent, and Diana gathered at Wayne Manor. Billy and Tim were off playing video games while Mary watched the 72" HDTV in the family room. The BOSE surround sound theater system that was attached to it, combined with having the lights off, made it seem as though she were in a movie theater. Alfred had even supplied a bucket of popcorn and chilled sodas.
Alfred'd bustled off to the Bat Cave to tidy up. The JLers, with the exception of the Batsons, had used the dressing rooms to dress down into civilian clothes. Now the adults were gathered around the kitchen table.
"Shayera should be out of the hospital tomorrow." Clark reported.
"And she is a model patient." Kara sarcastically quipped.
"What do you mean?" Dick wondered.
"If it weren't for John holding her down, she would've stormed out of there despite the fact that she's faint from loss of blood." Kara explained.
"Oh really?" Dick mused.
"If it hadn't been for Carter Hall flying down with the others for a transfusion, she would still be hovering between life and death." Diana added.
"How's that work?" Dick asked, "Isn't Carter human?"
"Thanagarians have three blood types. One type can be called K+, another K-. The third is a universal type we'll label O. It has no positive or negative. Shayera is type K+. Carter is type O." Diana continued explaining.
"It seems Carter's blood is a hybrid of Thanagarian and human blood." Kara picked up the thread, "So, just like Clark and I can transfuse blood despite being from different worlds, Carter can transfuse Shayera. Of course, his best bet for blood is human O-."
"So we have more evidence that Hawkman is really a reincarnated Katar Hol." Dick grinned.
"You're rooting for him, aren't you?" Clark realized.
"Carter's a good guy." Dick replied, "He's saved my life on more than once occasion."
"No one's denying that Hawkman is a great asset to the League but that doesn't mean he's a reborn Thanagarian. The man's an archeologist that discovered evidence of an ancient Thanagarian landing in ancient Egypt. He was zapped by a Thanagarian encyclopedia and he retrieved all of his equipment from that dig. All I'm saying is that the evidence weighs itself towards Carter being merely human." Clark surmised.
"Then why does he have wings?" Dick queried him.
Clark shrugged, "There's always some mysterious element that's hard to explain but there is an explanation."
"Spoken like a true reporter." Dick rebutted.
Changing the subject, Kara asked; "So who all came down besides Carter?"
"Penny flew down Plastic Man, Mr. Terrific, Starman, Fire, and Ice." Wonder Woman reported, "J'onn met them at Wayne AeroTech and took them to their hotel rooms."
"Penny, huh?" Dick scoffed, "I thought she was only supposed to get involved in cases involving the ISA."
"She's got you on two points." Clark chuckled, "She's part of any case that Plastic Man is involved in. Second, the ISA sent two hundred agents so the GPD could rotate out their officers. The FBI did the same and so did Homeland Security. FEMA will be here in the morning to assess Gotham's emergency needs."
"There are also two hundred National Guard troops that the Governor mobilized." Diana added.
"Sounds like Gotham will be secure." Dick surmised.
"That's the plan." Clark agreed, "We've dealt with the Legion. Now it's time for the authorities to deal with the citizens."
"They can have it as soon as we clear out Ivy." Dick opined.
"Bruce's plan is sound." Clark said, "Mr. Terrific will just make sure its execution is flawless."
"Here's hoping." Dick said.
Suddenly, Alfred rushed in, "Master Dick! They're gone!"
"Who's gone?" Dick tensed up.
"Master Bruce and Barbara's costumes." Alfred said in a rush.
Dick laughed, "Calm down, Alfred. They probably took them with them. Don't worry so much."
"But Master Dick, the costumes were here this afternoon." Alfred insisted, "And why would they take the costumes and leave the utility belts?"
Dick took immediate action, "Show me!"
Down in the cave, the display cases that normally held the costumes when they weren't being worn were empty but the utility belts were indeed present. Dick was aggravated but he tried to deescalate the situation, "Bruce and Barb will be here tomorrow morning. Everything will be fine."
"Are you sure?" Clark asked.
Back at Gotham General, John smirked as a nurse ran out of Shayera's room followed by a flying tray. The Thanagarian's outraged voice could be heard shouting, "You call this food?"
He waltzed in carrying a brown bag and a tray holding two sodas, "Are we done terrorizing the staff?"
"I will be once I get fed real food." She grumped. She started sniffing the air, "What is that smell?"
"You don't like it?" John grinned, "I can leave."
"I will get out of this bed and beat you to death if you move a muscle." Shayera growled, "What is that?"
"Burritos." John answered, "There's a hole in the wall across the street. Most of the staff eats there as well as a bevy of cops. Smells like the best food in Gotham."
"What did you get me?" Shayera was salivating now.
"A carne asada and a bean and cheese. Which do you want?" he asked.
"Both!" she exclaimed, "I almost bled to death. I'm hungry."
"All right then." John dug into the bag and pulled out two monster burritos, "Both."
He plucked a cup off of the tray and handed it and a straw to her, "Here's what they had."
She crinkled up her nose, "Orange?"
John sighed, "Just try it."
Shayera slurped a shot of orange soda and gave it a dubious look after she'd tried it, "You're sure that's all they had?"
"Well, I have root beer. Want to trade?" he asked.
"Of course I'll take a beer." She enthused.
"Listen, it's not what you think." He warned.
"Whatever." She said dismissively, "Just hand it over."
She took a shot of root beer and made a face, "They call this beer?"
"Want to trade again?" John wondered.
Shayera shook her head, "This may taste weird but it's better than that mockery of a decent fruit juice."
"Okay." He chuckled, "We'll stand pat."
As promised, Shayera devoured both burritos and then she eyeballed John's. He ate the last morsel and she yelped, "Hey! What happened to giving your last bite to the woman you love?"
"You've had enough." John rebutted, "In five minutes, you're going to burst."
"We'll see." Shayera defiantly declared.
Five minutes of conversation passed by and Shayera held her gut, "I think I'm going to be sick."
"I warned you." John gently chided her.
"I blame the root beer." She groaned and leaned back into the bed.
A few more minutes passed by and she looked far more settled. A coy expression settled on her face, "Y'know, I have all sorts of ideas on how we could occupy ourselves while I'm stuck in bed."
"Oh really?" John asked as he leaned in close. He kissed her. After a minute, he pulled back, "I'd love to hear them when you're better."
He kissed her on the forehead and then moved out of arm's reach. At first she was too stunned to react. Then she got angry and tried to rise to swat him. Pain flashed in her side as she flopped back down into the mattress.
"Great." She groused, "I can't even hit you and make no mistake about it, you deserve to be hit."
"Shayera," John softly said as he sat on the edge next to her, "I love the original sentiment but if you can't even hit me what makes you think you'll manage something requiring more…exercise?"
"Sure," Shayera conceded, "spoil my fantasies with reality."
John wore a sly grin, "Oh, I'm sure we can accommodate a few of your fantasies."
"It's about time you had a good idea." Shayera laughed.
"What about the burritos?" he asked with a chuckle.
"That was brilliance." Shayera argued, "We'll see how you rate now."
"I always strive to rise to any and all challenges." John confessed.
"Oh, shut up and kiss me!" Shayera demanded. So he did.
The next morning, J'onn led the JL reinforcements to Hyde Park. Superman, Wonder Woman, and Nightwing could be found there. J'onn approached them.
"Where are the Marvels and Supergirl?"
"Captain Marvel and Mary returned to Fawcett City. Apparently he uses his signal device as a pager with the police. They contacted him because a number of the local super villains have united and then disappeared." Superman explained, "Supergirl returned to New York. With her ribs taped and wearing a walking cast, she'd be more of a hindrance than a help."
"Where's Batman?" J'onn asked, "I thought he was supposed to get in last night?"
"Something's wrong." Nightwing was restless, "He said he was going to be here, which means it took an act of God to delay him. I'm going to find out what happened."
"I'd like to help out." Superman said.
"So would I." Wonder Woman spoke up.
"It'd be appreciated." Nightwing confessed.
"Is it all right with you?" Superman asked the Martian Manhunter, "We could stay?"
J'onn smiled, "We have six JLers and fifty ISA agents to arrest one woman. I think we can handle it."
Superman grinned and Wonder Woman shared J'onn's smile. Superman spoke, "Wish us luck."
"Always." J'onn intoned.
Superman and Wonder Woman flew off and headed for the entrance to the Bat Cave. Nightwing roared there on his motorcycle.
Back at the park, Mr. Terrific assumed tactical command. The JLers used ISA radios and headsets in order to coordinate with the international police. Terrific got the ball rolling.
"Starman, you're on." He instructed.
Starman flew high above the park. He began emitting concentrated solar rays. Between his presence and that of the mid-morning sun, it was like being hammered by two stars. The plants swiftly started to sunburn and shrivel up.
"Fire, you're next." Mr. Terrific launched phase II. Fire's body became a green flaming plasma. She flew into the air. Travelling at tree top level, she began to ignite the dehydrated plants. She cut a swath through the center of the park and then banked left and came back around for another pass.
"C'mon Ivy." Terrific muttered to himself, "Take the bait."
Inside of the park, the sun beat down between the tree's branches. The temperatures, while subdued by the shade, were steadily rising. The captive police officers shed their armored vests and stripped out of their uniform shirts.
Ivy emerged from her tree house. She examined the effects of the solar bath upon her "children." She frowned. She peered into the sky and she made out Starman's form. Knowing that this was only the first salvo, she tried brace her babies for the onslaught.
Fire's attack panicked her. The plants were too dehydrated to withstand flames. The park would be incinerated within minutes if she didn't intervene right now.
Ivy ran through the park and reached the sprinkler controls. She switched the system over to manual control and sprinkler heads across the breadth and width of the arboreal preserve activated. The flames were being combated as was the sun damage.
The sprinklers erupted near the street. Terrific smiled, "Perfect. Ice, now!"
Ice stretched forth her hand and mystical energy poured forth. Whatever it touched froze. She radiated it through the flowing water. The plants and trees froze. Water froze in place. Sprinkler heads and pipes cracked.
Knowing that her plants had faced too many extremes and that her rapid growth hybrids needed a year to stabilize, it was highly unlikely that any of her plants would survive this freeze. Ivy sank to her knees and wailed. She held her sides to control her sobbing and keep her body temperature up.
Fifty ISA agents converged on her position. With them came Plastic Man, Starman, Ice, J'onn, and Fire. Ivy was a broken woman and easily subdued. After a search, she was handcuffed and placed in the back of a GPD Police cruiser and returned to Arkham.
"Nuts, I didn't have anything to do." Plas whined.
"You can lift the captive officers out from their razor grass prison." J'onn ordered.
"All right!" Plastic Man rubbed his hands together, "Action!"
"Good work people." J'onn congratulated the JLers, "It was a perfectly executed apprehension. No one was hurt and there were no violent confrontations."
"But Ivy seemed really upset." Ice pointed out, "Will she be okay?"
J'onn knew that Ivy's already demented mind had cracked a little more under today's pressures. But Ice was a gentle soul. Knowing that she's helped irreversibly scar the villainess would torture her.
"Only time will tell." J'onn diplomatically replied, "That's why they're taking her to Arkham Asylum. So they can help her."
Starman held her hand and he gave it a reassuring squeeze as he smiled at her. She returned his smile and seemed content. Fire, on the other hand, plainly knew the hidden truth.
"Thank you for that." She said to J'onn, "Sometimes the biggest job is protecting Thora from herself."
"So it seems." J'onn replied as Montoya pushed her way through the crowd of agents.
"J'onn," she said as she met him, "Commissioner Gordon is awake and the doctors were wondering if you still intended to probe his memory?"
"Tell them I'm on my way." That said, he lifted into the air and flew off to St. Mark's.