As always all characters are fictional. Wyvern, Deus, and Reaver are my characters. All other characters/locations are copyright of DC Comics and their respective creators.
Words That Cut The Deepest: The Wyvern Arrives Part XXII
He really didn't need this… neither did Kara. They were both trying to keep their tempers under control, but, Clark wasn't making this easy.
"So I have to find out from the teleport logs and security tapes that the League is watching and hoping to recruit someone we're not even sure is who he claims to be?" CJ was at his seventh language, Gaelic, counting to ten.
"My son's telling the truth, why can't you believe him Kal?" Diana didn't know why he'd turned so cold towards her family, but, it hurt.
"I just don't want my two best friends hurt when you find out he's not all he says he is." The venom in his voice was palpable. Kara had inhaled to launch another tirade at her thick skulled cousin, however, her boyfriend cut her off.
"Very well, you may accompany us to The Lair Superman. Make no mistake, however, the next time you trespass on my property, I will deal with you as I would any other criminal." As they made their way down to The Lair CJ noticed that Clark was serving as a buffer between himself and Kara.
As they descended the steps they saw CJ move ahead of them quickly and they moved to catch up.
"What are you trying to pull Wyvern?" Superman growled as he burst into The Lair. He was about to say something else when Diana elbowed him in the ribs, hard. She recognized the ritual that he was going through, a Themyscirian blessing for warriors fallen in battle. They were all silent as they read the names on the gravestones (he'd removed the memorial crystal for Kara the night before.) Clark looked like he wanted to say something, but, the glare he got from Diana cowed him.
Once CJ had completed the ritual he knelt down, crossed himself, and prayed over the graves of his parents, Alfred, Tim, Dick, and Barbara Gordon.
"Forgive me, I should've done that sooner." CJ apologized. Diana only smiled as she hugged her son, seeking to help comfort him. Once they moved apart CJ held an arm out towards the rest of his base of operations.
"Again, I apologize for the delay, welcome to The Lair." Diana smirked as she saw the cave that served as the base of operations for her son's alter ego.
"Wow, a cave… wonder where he got that idea from." Diana joked as she nudged Bruce with her shoulder. As Bruce turned to fire off his retort Clark spoke up.
"So where is this information you have, and, why is everything shielded from x-ray vision?" Kara rolled her eyes at her cousin's complaining.
"Could you at least act like an adult?" She couldn't believe he was acting like this!
"Why was my cousin here, for security?"
"No dickhead, I've been here before and CJ is my boyfriend!" Now Kara was counting to ten in her head.
"So, you can tell us everything that's in here. We need a plan in case Wyvern turns out to be lying-" he froze as Kara and Diana fixed him with glares that would wilt promethium.
"Given the biometric readings from Superman, I'm enacting security for The Lair." The voice was not familiar to Clark.
"Deus, I doubt that step is a necessity." CJ sighed.
"I dunno, sounds like a good idea to me." Kara quipped.
"Deus is the operating system for The Lair. He is able to interface with any computer system that is digitally based." Clark's confusion was evident.
"It means Deus can't hack a biocomputer, or, the human brain. Those have organic and semi-organic origins." Kara spoke like she was explaining how to pedal a bike to a three year old.
"Kara, please?" CJ was trying to avoid a conflict, which was proving difficult. He made his way over to the main computer station and quickly retrieved the files that he needed to give to the League.
"Deus is the second generation interface that CJ made." Kara chimed in.
"His name is an acronym for Digitized Evolving Universal Systems interface." she noticed CJ stiffen slightly as she spoke.
"Second generation… what happened to the first?" Kara saw the miscue as Clark asked the obvious question.
"Reaver reprogrammed MARK 1." CJ spoke through clenched teeth.
Kara wasn't surprised to find herself in the living room with an irate Clark.
"How could you not tell me that HE created MARK 1?!" Thankfully CJ had soundproofed the mansion.
"Because it doesn't matter." Kara half shouted.
"Of course it matters, if he hadn't built that machine then we wouldn't have to deal with this!" she was shocked that Clark's bellowing hadn't shattered a window yet.
"CJ didn't ask for this! Do you have any idea what he's been through? No, you're just here acting all high and mighty and trying to lord your opinions over everyone!" Rather than be abashed, Clark took offense to his cousin raising her voice.
"How can you defend him? If he was a hero he'd have stopped Reaver. People have died because he's not worthy-" that was the last straw and the impact of skin on skin echoed through the living room.
"I would appreciate it if we could refrain from any violence inside this mansion." They never even knew he was in the room until he'd caught Kara's punch. Kara's eyes flashed at the statement, how could this be her fault?
"Kent, I suggest you get back to work… your break is over." Bruce made his presence known. Clark seemed genuinely upset that his two best friends were against him.
"How can you both believe him? There is absolutely no proof that he's who he says he is!" To their surprise, it was CJ who spoke up.
"Was their any evidence to support your acceptance of Kara Zor-El as your cousin upon her arrival?" Clark's anger doubled at that question.
"That is entirely different, Kara didn't drag along some homicidal maniac with her when she got here. You're a danger to Earth and all her inhabitants!" With out thinking CJ responded with the attitude that seemed to get him in the most trouble, his sarcastic streak.
"Wow, you have to love that Kryptonian double standard. So, I should be like you?" The whole room fell silent at CJ's words and Kara looked like she'd just gotten slapped.
Bruce and Diana had departed, leaving CJ and Kara alone to handle the elephant in the room.
"The 'Kryptonian Double Standard', you actually think my cousin should've been a dick to me when I first arrived, maybe act like your father?" the temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees.
"One: that did not come out as intended." the fact that he was slipping into his Wyvern speech pattern only added to Kara's ire.
"No shit." her glare hadn't relented.
"Two: I apologize and ask for a bit of lenience, it is not that easy coming to a world in which-"
"Let me stop you right there." Kara cut him off as her patience, already taxed by Superman, fled her outright.
"We're not here to serve as replacements for your frayed psyche Wyvern." she spat out his costumed name with the same malice as another he knew. His look had changed as her statement.
"How DARE you!" his eyes began to glow brightly as he took a few steps forward. Kara was so shocked that she backed up an equal number of paces. As he saw the look of shock on her face something changed as quickly as if he'd flipped a switch.
"No… Kara… I" he stared at his hands, he could almost see her blood there again. "I'm sorry Kara, I need to be alone for a little while." the dismissal was all that registered for the moment with Kara and now she spoke without thinking.
"You really sure you want to dig your grave any deeper?" He stiffened at those words as Kara realized she'd crossed a line.
"Get out, now!" CJ growled, he was too angry to try to explain how much that one statement had hurt.
"CJ, bro… she left right after the grave jab." CJ quickly closed the door and made his way down to The Lair.
"I really think spending time in meditation would be better that this." Deus was trying to talk CJ out of taking the Batmobile that he'd been given by his father out for a patrol. He'd customized the older model vehicle to suit his purposes, but, hadn't included an interface with Deus in it.
"I do not expect to encounter Reaver while I am out, watch The Lair Deus." Wyvern said, as he started to car and drove out into the Gotham night. It wasn't long until he got a flash from the Batcomputer that there was a deal with Bane going down that Batman couldn't get to, he was chasing down the Riddler at the moment.
"This is The Wyvern, I am near the warehouse district and will handle dealing with Bane." He closed the channel before anyone could respond.
Kara had made it back to her apartment fairly quickly, she couldn't believe this had happened. As her anger simmered she couldn't help but think back to the look of horror on CJ's face as she retreated from him.
"I can help you understand what caused it Kara." the voice had shocked her out of her recollections.
"J'onn, what are you doing here?"
The warehouse was lit by a few hanging bulbs, providing plenty of shadows for anyone that knew how to take advantage of them. The two guards outside were unconscious, having been lifted in the air and their heads slammed together violently.
Wyvern had gripped the thugs by pressure points near their brainstems, causing them to be almost paralyzed in a silent scream. Now a thug patrolling the back of the warehouse was nearing him, his 9mm submachine gun was of little concern to Wyvern. He caught the gunman in a sleeper hold and squeezed, a few seconds later and said gunman joined the guards outside in the black void of unconsciousness.
"I look forward to working with you then." the meeting was winding down, he needed to make his move. As he got to a better vantage point he found that Bane was talking on a cell phone.
'So, the meeting was not a face to face meeting… no matter.' As Bane put the phone away Wyvern sprang from the shadows, quickly knocking out half a dozen hired guns. Bane turned at the sound, the Venom already flowing into him as he prepared to fight The Dark Knight.
"Just who are you supposed to be?" He was surprised to see the seven foot tall armored dragon standing in front of him. Rather than answer the quickly growing villain, Wyvern threw several projectiles that looked like half boomerangs.
These were Fangs, his own custom made projectile weapons derived from his father's Batarangs. They exploded into a noxious yellow gas that caused the remaining henchmen to drop like flies.
"I am The Wyvern. You will be spending time in the maximum security wing of Blackgate Penitentiary. How long you stay in the medical wing preceding your transfer there is entirely up to you." his words caused Bane to become enraged at this new upstart, how dare he talk down to Bane!
"I broke the Bat once child, breaking you wont be any more difficult." he roared as the threw a punch at the new hero, only to have Wyvern catch the blow in his open hand.
"Thank you for making this an easy choice." Wyvern's vicious grin, along with his glowing eyes, caused Bane's blood to run cold.
This night The Dark Dragon of Gotham was hunting and Bane had the misfortune of being his first prey…