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.
Qui spectavit mundi adolebit: The Wyvern Arrives Part XXV
The notification tone was quiet by most standards, but, to Wyvern it sounded like an alarm claxon. The results were somewhat expected.
"So, it would appear that Reaver has found an alternate means to return to the playing field."
That's not a guarantee. We did a pretty good job of working him over with the missiles up the ass. While he couldn't discount the damage done to Reaver's mobile fortress, he didn't think that Reaver would place his obsession on hold for something as frivolous as repairs.
"I do not believe that he has relinquished his desire to see me erased from the Multiverse." He looked at the screen, expecting some response in a text message, but none came.
"I will be returning to The Lair to update the Batcave main computer regarding possibilities of forthcoming scenarios." As he maneuvered for the return trip his mind wandered to Kara, something that was happening more often.
'Perhaps it is no surprise that I miss her.' If he was completely honest with himself he'd admit that wanted her back more than he wanted Reaver dead.
Perhaps it was expected on some level, but, Deus still was taken aback. CJ had showered before trying to get some rest in The Lair's small sleeping area. What was surprising was that the hot water levels hadn't changed… he'd taken a cold shower. In the secluded and darkened room CJ was tossing and turning on what should have been a comfortable bed, the images flashing in his mind causing sounds of pain to issue forth from him.
He'd failed, miserably and spectacularly he'd failed. Reaver had taken the lives of his family and had succeeded in decimating the entirety of the Earth, collecting the life energies of the remaining surviving humans with a nanite virus that MARK 1 had released into the atmosphere. Wyvern and Supergirl were safe only because of the Wonderdrome that he'd inherited from his mother.
"Deus, are there any signs of life?" he couldn't believe that his enemy had managed to wipe out all life on Earth so thoroughly.
"There's no signs of life other that Reaver and what's on the Moon Dragon." The impact of CJ's fist through the table top was almost deafening in the confined space.
"Where is he?" Wyvern growled as he rose to his feet.
"I think we should take a minute to maybe plan a-" his growl drowned out the OS.
"WHERE THE FUCK IS HE?!" His voice had brought the only other living soul that was on the aircraft out of her stunned silence.
"CJ, Deus is right. We need a plan before we go rushing after him. Are we even sure that that bastard's still here?" Kara wanted Reaver brought to justice, but not if it caused CJ to sacrifice the last of his humanity in the process. (He'd already lost far too much in her opinion.)
"I will not allow the criminal that destroyed all we hold dear to simply escape." Without any preamble he pushed past Kara and exited the Moon Dragon.
"We have to do something Deus, he's falling right into Reaver's plot." even as Kara spoke the image of the bodies of Martha and Lyta flashed before her mind's eye.
"After all that's happened I'll be damned if he takes CJ away from me." Kara grabbed her cape as she followed CJ, partly to help bring Reaver to Justice, partly to make sure CJ didn't fall into darkness because of the depraved little shit.
Wyvern stood in the lobby of Wayne Tower, something in the back of his mind telling him that this was a setup.
"I have arrived Reaver, face justice if you have any courage in you!" as he heard something behind him he turned and let fly a handful of VT explosive Fangs at the source of the sound.
"If you're hearing this Wyvern, I'm not here. Thanks for falling into my trap, oh, don't worry, I'll see to Kara." Uttering a Themyscirian curse for his stupidity Wyvern broke into a full speed sprint toward the exit, but, he knew that it was too late.
The explosion blew him off his feet and sent his flying back further into the lobby as sequential charges touched off via a leapfrog circuit. Just before darkness closed in on Wyvern he realized two things: that Kara and Deus were thinking far more clearly than he was and that it was ironic that Reaver had picked the most noticeable Gotham City landmark to be the tombstone of Wyvern's unknown alter ego: CJ Wayne.
Kara arrived at Wayne Tower just in time to watch the explosions collapse the building.
"CJ!" her heart seemed to have stopped as it leapt into her throat. Willing her shocked body to move she started tearing into the rubble even as the dust cloud billowed out around the remains of the once proud skyscraper.
"Rao please let that armor protect him." Kara half pled as she tossed debris aside searching for the only person she cared abut on Earth, the only thing left to her now. The roar of engines had her eyes darting towards the sky, a sigh of relief escaped her lips as she saw that Deus had brought the Moon Dragon into the ruins of downtown Gotham.
"I got his signal four meters north of you, but, his vitals are fluctuating." Deus sounded as worried as Kara was, his words giving Kara new determination to get Wyvern free of the makeshift tomb. Thankfully her efforts were rewarded with success as his tarnished armor soon emerged from the rubble. The images shifted abruptly to Kara's death at Reaver's hand, his maniacal laughter echoing through CJ's mind as another sound started to rise in the background.
The scream came from CJ as he shot upright, the nightmare was one that had not occurred too often, yet always remained in the back of his mind as a warning. It had taken two months for him to recover from the injuries he'd sustained from having a building blown up around, then collapsed on top of him.
In that timeframe CJ was forced to play catch up to Reaver as he destroyed worlds in order to harvest the energies needed for MARK 1 to breach the Multiversal barriers. Despite everything he'd learned growing up, he failed to take the one lesson his father had tried to teach him to heart: don't let your emotions control you and your actions.
"Deus, sitrep." he knew his waking from the nightmare hadn't gone unnoticed.
"Nothing new to report bro, you okay?" Deus was expecting any number of deflecting excuses from his creator and friend.
"No, and I doubt I will be until I've gotten Kara back." Anything, but that… CJ admitting he was wrong was promising. Freaky as hell, but promising.
"Kara, is everything alright?" the voice actually shocked her to her feet.
"Cassie, what're you doing here?" she hoped that her best friend wouldn't notice.
"Have you been crying?" Well… shit…
"I really don't want to talk about it." Kara quickly turned and made straight for her kitchen.
"I heard from Tim that your cousin managed to get back on Batman's bad side. You think he'd learn not to piss off the guy that can take down the League." the attempt at levity had failed.
"Kara, did you have a fight with CJ?" Thankfully, Kara was saved from having to answer as her phone went off: she'd gotten a message from The Lair.
The lingering effects from the lack of sleep he'd gotten of the past couple of days since his fight with Kara had prompted him to use more meditation that he had in the past. Those meditations reopened memories into another time in his past where he trained harder than ever before to make up for another failure.-
Another unconscious flesh peddler hit the floor, his jaw dislocated and his shoulder all but destroyed.
"Please, continue to resist, the fact that you are trading in kidnapped women has exhausted my supply of empathy." The rumors that the League had lost two thirds of it's Trinity had given criminals a bold streak.
"Fuck that batboy, it's open season and you're going down!" with a mighty roar the leader of the thugs charged at the young hero. Wyvern's arm flashed and a sickening crackle was followed by a gurgling noise as the fallen thug held his throat and tried to communicate with his lackeys. The lights and sounds of the approaching G.C.P.D caused Wyvern to vacate the warehouse and the broken remains of the gang.
After taking the statements of the kidnapped women Det. Montoya was the first to make the iconic joke that Gotham's Dragon was the one rescuing the damsels.
Outside the warehouse a figure watched the armored hero, seeing how his skills were being slowly destroyed by a lack of focus. As they were about to approach him another made her presence known.
"Hey Wyvern, was this the emergency that called you away?" He could hear the concern in her voice clearly as his gaze slowly turn towards her.
"The League does not need one as damaged as I am Kara, trust me when I tell you that they are better off without me." His exit was abrupt, leaving no room for any counterarguments from her. Supergirl could only watch as one of her closest friends seemed to flee from the ones that could help him through his pain. Unseen by Supergirl, Lady Shiva, perhaps the deadliest martial artist now living, made her way to shadow the troubled young hero. If all went well she could help him regain his focus and she would gain a gifted student.
The alert of the incoming communication broke CJ out of his meditations. As he approached the console he secretly was hoping for her to call, his hidden wish was not granted.
"Son, I need your help on a case. Can you get to the Batcave within the hour?" He'd examined the data from the transcripts of Bane's operation and had doubtlessly come to the same conclusion as Batman.
"Are you entirely certain that this cannot wait?" Hoping the call was not what he thought it would be might give him something resembling better news. The look that his father gave him told him exactly how dire the situation was before Batman even started speaking again.
"I'm afraid not son, the data led us to the main holding area for the smugglers. What's worse is we found out the shipment they are trying to move tonight. CJ… son… they're trafficking in kidnapped children…"