Chapter 25
At the precise moment the energy builds up to release from within Tala, Dinah inhales deeply and prays to God her vocal chords have recovered enough. It feels like someone is polishing her throat with sandpaper but the distinctive distortion wave that indicates the unleashing of her Canary Cry emanates from her mouth.
It slams into Tala sending her flying and making her attack miss. Tala rolls across the ground. When she comes to a stop she glares with murderous intent at Black Canary and hisses. "You dare you sorry excuse for a Banshee!" she screeches.
Dinah coughs and replies, with a distinctively croaky voice, "If that's meant to be an insult it really isn't. I've met a Banshee. Trust me being called a poor one is kind of a compliment."
Tala cries out, a beam of energy strikes the boxes on which Dinah is lying and they begin to morph and transform.
'Nuts!' Dinah thinks to herself. This is never good...especially when what the wooden boxes transform into is quicksand that she starts to sink into.
Clark blurs over and grabs Dinah's hand to pull her out only to get a spell bolt in his side for his trouble and he once more finds himself being knocked away. 'This is getting tiresome,' he thinks to himself as he picks himself up, groaning slightly in pain.
Tala, now back to her feet, turns her glare onto Superman as the same distortion that made him lose his superspeed before spreads out from her. This way she keeps him to at least a human pace. "You do not learn lessons quickly," she states arrogantly. "I am your weakness made flesh."
Tala makes several crates rise and throws them at Superman. There is an elemental energy that glows around them.
Clark is going to go with that the glow is probably not good for him. He punches the first crate that comes near him and bruises his knuckles. Oh yeah. He definitely hates this magic stuff. He blocks, parries and otherwise avoids the other crates until one is left which he hits with a spinning kick that sends it hurtling at Tala who can't move out of the way before it hits her.
"Insolent peasant!" she hurls the insult his way.
"Language!" Clark chastises her. "By the way being vulnerable to something isn't the same as being helpless just so you know."
"Touché," Tala reluctantly has to concede the point. She then vanishes in a cloud of purple smoke.
"Ok it can't be that easy," Clark mutters to himself unable to believe she would just give up.
Chains fly at him and wrap around him that show that no. It's not going to be that easy.
Meanwhile Dinah is up to her waist in the quicksand by now and still sinking as she watches the chained up Clark get pelted by another spell bolt. They are really up against it here. They could do with some help...magical help. Dinah reaches into the pocket of her leather jacket and prays sand hasn't gotten in there yet.
She pulls out her cellphone, checks she is getting a signal and with the sorceress busy with Clark dials the number.
New York...
Zatanna Zatara is just finishing off her rehearsal for her next magic show standing on the currently empty stage. She is bowing, taking in the imagined applause, cheers and whoops. "Thank you! Thank you! 5 standing ovations!" she exclaims in delighted surprise. "You're too kind!"
Then her phone rings. Zee frowns as she tries to remember where she put it. Oh right. It's in her hat. She takes the top-hat off her head and reaches into it, past her elbow. "Come on where are you you stupid phone?" she mumbles to herself as she searches for it.
Zatanna's arm disappears all the way into her hat up to the shoulder. Her tongue dips out of her mouth as she searches. "Ah ha!" she exclaims in triumph and pulls the phone out only to be yanked suddenly back. "Thumper!" she yells. "Let go of that phone you stupid bunny!"
Zatanna yanks hard and her hand re-emerges with her phone. "Darn rabbit. You teach them a trick or two and they think they can get away with anything," she mutters in complaint. She flips her phone open. That's a new number. She wonders who it is that knows her number. She doesn't give it out to just anyone. "Hello," she answers.
"Zee?"
"Dinah?" Zee asks back with total surprise. Dinah and she use to be friends but after one ill-advised joke shortly after Dinah and Ollie's break-up their friendship turned positively frigid.
"I need your help. It's an emergency!"
"You need my help?" Zee queries, still a little taken aback by the sheer simple fact that Dinah called her.
"Yes I need your help!" Dinah yells, frustrated.
"Really?"
"Oh for the love of God!" Dinah complains. "Do I need to get Dr Fate? Or Madame Xanadu? Cause you know I just have lots of time. I'm only sunk up to my neck in quicksand courtesy of a sorceress!" she relays her situation in compete sarcasm.
"Right. Where are you?" Zee asks and Dinah describes where she is. "I'm on my way!" Zee promises before she rolls her hat up her arm and deposits it back on her head. "HANID OT EM TROPSNART!" she speaks her spell, backwards as she must, and she vanishes in a flash of light.
Metropolis...
Dinah still stuck and still sinking watches as Clark, who had managed to break free of the chains, bounces off a magical bubble that surrounds Tala and smashes into a forklift truck which crumples around his body. Tala advances on him. A flash of light to her right catches Dinah's eye as Zatanna appears. "What kept you?" she asks, in a harsh tone.
Zee flinches at Dinah's tone. She had forgotten how vicious Dinah could be when angered. "ESIR YRANAC KCALB!"
Dinah starts to rise out of the quicksand and when her feet are clear Zatanna levitates her onto solid ground. Dinah now has sand in places she doesn't even want to think about. "Thank you," she says gratefully to Zatanna. "Now can you do something about her?" she asks Zee, as she points at Tala.
"I can give it a go. DLEIHS RETTAHS!" Zatanna casts the spell and the energy impacts Tala's protective bubble shattering it.
Tala's head snaps round in complete shock at the fact her magic was just bested. "Who dares!"
Dinah acts first. "Superman! Superbreath!" she shouts.
Clark shakes his head to clear his dazed mind, inhales and blows out his breath at Tala who goes tumbling head over heels before she can raise a barrier to protect herself.
Black Canary and Zatanna rush over to Superman's side as he, with more effort than it should take, extricates himself from the side of the forklift. Zatanna raises a shield to protect them.
"You think you can best me little witch?" Tala scoffs at the brunette in the top-hat.
"You think you can fight all 3 of us now we can fight on your terms?" Dinah asks back.
That makes Tala pause. Fighting Superman had already been a drain on her energies. She has no doubt at her peak she could defeat this little upstart in the fishnets but perhaps the wise choice for now would be to retreat. Bare minimum she has found a weakness in Superman for Lex. She points at Zatanna. "There will be another day," she avows.
"Bring it!" Zee challenges her.
Tala raises her hands above her head and casts her spell. She vanishes in a cloud of purple smoke and she takes the other 5 villains with her so they don't be given an opportunity to betray Lex.
"She's gone," Zee announces.
"You sure?" Dinah asks.
Zee nods. "Definitely. I could sense her presence if she wasn't." Zee turns to look at Dinah and quirks her brow slightly at the sight of Dinah's half-blond half-brunette hair. "What happened to your hair?"
"I was undercover and I had to dye it," Dinah explains. She turns to Clark who is obviously hurt. Dinah's expression turns to concern. "I'm not even going to bother asking if you're ok because I can see you're not. Lets get you patched up," she decides before remembering to introduce Zee. "Oh by the way this is Zatanna Zatara. Zatanna this is Superman."
Zee's eyes roam over the muscled physique and her lips curl up into a warm appreciative smile.
"He was hurt. Really hurt," Roulette has to remark with a large smile. It made her feel good to see the man who ruined her in pain.
Lex muses on this fact in silence. Magic. It seems the esoteric nature of magic could indeed greatly effect Superman. Not only hurt him but greatly weaken him. The footage Lex got clearly showed him struggling with the simple task of freeing himself from the forklift. Perhaps a powerful enough exposure could at least temporarily completely neutralise Superman's superhuman powers. That would put Superman in a position Lex could exploit him.
Lex would need to consult with Tala when she decides to show up. Only once he has done that will he make his next move.
So for now Superman will get a short reprieve. He should enjoy it while he can.
"Stop being a baby!" Dinah chastises Clark as she works on cleaning up his injured chest before she dresses it properly. By now they had returned to her apartment where they sat opposite each other as she worked. Zee had stuck around and was sitting next to Dinah.
Clark flinches at her touch. "It hurts," he whines. "I'm not use to pain."
Dinah sighs with a roll of her eyes. Men. There were all the same. Even alien ones it seems. A little pain and they turn into whining babies.
Next to Dinah Zee couldn't stop staring, her mouth agape. Treating Superman had inevitably meant the removal of his coat and shirt and despite his injuries...gee there was just so much of his chest. Her eyes drift down and oh dear god did he have some abs. An image flashes up in Zee's head of licking champagne off of those washboards.
"There," Dinah says as she finishes cleaning up the wound. "Zee could you hand over the bandages?" No response. "Zee?" Dinah asks again as she looks at the magician. Dinah rolls her eyes. "Excuse us for one moment," Dinah says as she grabs Zatanna by the arm and drags her to her feet and into the bedroom.
"What did you do that for?" Zee complains as soon as Dinah shuts the bedroom door.
"First off, you're drooling," Dinah says in a sharp tone as she wipes literal drool from the corner of Zee's mouth. "Second off, you're drooling over my boyfriend," she reprimands the magician.
Zee's eyes widen in surprise. "You're dating him?" she says in a disbelieving whisper.
"And this is a surprise how?"
"Uh...surprise isn't the right word," Zee starts to say, trying to not dig herself into another hole. "Well ok it is the right word but not in the sense it is unbelievable. I just didn't know that you knew Superman."
Ok. Dinah can accept that. "Well I do...and we're dating. Two dates so far. It's going...it's good."
"How far have you gotten?" Zee has to know. "Have you two...you know," she says suggestively, her blue eyes full of keen interest in knowing.
"Not that far Zee."
"What are you waiting for?"
"Nothing. It is just...I'm not the impulsive 'wild child' any more Zee," Dinah argues against something she use to be. She was quite wild and impulsive when she was younger. "I want to take this...not overly slowly but you know seriously. I want to give it time to see what's there between us. You know to see if it has a chance of working long term."
"Ah. I get it," Zee says with new understanding. She's been there. "No letting him near the goodies until the 3rd date."
Dinah shoots Zee a look of total disbelief. "Goodies? Who the hell talks like that?"
Zee shrugs, playing it off although if the circumstances were different she would let him handle her goodies without any hesitation.
Dinah is starting to remember why she and Zee haven't talked much lately. It's not that Zee is a bad person. Far from it. It is just Zee speaks sometimes without thinking...and she isn't just meaning that tasteless joke Zee told shortly after her break-up with Ollie. Yeah Dinah was angry about it at the time but she's a forgiving person.
Dinah takes a breath and heads back out to finish patching up Clark.
"Ow," he complains as she applies the dressing. "I hate magic," he says with noticeable loathing.
"Hey!" Zee protests, with a frown on her brow. "I'm a magical being you know."
"I'm sorry," Clark instantly apologises. "It's not personal. It is just...I've almost never been this vulnerable to anything before. It's disconcerting."
"It might explain what you said about not healing as fast after your bout with Grundy," Dinah has come to think.
"Hmm?" Clark queries.
"Grundy is...essentially he's a zombie. A walking corpse reanimated by chaos magic."
"And because his power is fuelled by magic when he hit me it must have had a similar if weaker effect to what Tala did to me tonight," Clark follows Dinah's argument.
"It's a theory that fits."
"It is." Clark raises his hand to Dinah's cheek and gently cups it. "You're very smart...and thank you for taking care of me."
Dinah savours his warm touch and smiles at him. "You're welcome."
Zee watches them gaze at each other with affection and can see she is currently a 3rd wheel. She coughs to interrupt. "Well for now I think my work is done. If you need my help again don't hesitate to call," she says. She then raises her right hand and wiggles her fingers and two tickets appear in her hand. "Here's 2 tickets to my show," she offers them to Superman and Dinah.
Clark plucks them from Zatanna's hand. "Thanks," he says, thinking over the idea. It might be a fun night out. If Dinah is willing they could make it their next date.
Zee stands up and says her goodbyes. "EMOH EM TROPELET!" she utter her spell as she teleports herself home.
Clark looks at the now empty space a little perturbed. "Do you get use to that?"
"The magic thing or Zatanna because those are two very different answers," Dinah says partially in jest.
Clark chuckles. "We'll go with magic since I only just met Zatanna."
"You learn to live with it...which is kind of true for Zee too. Huh," Dinah pauses as she reconsiders her previous answer. "I guess the answers aren't really different after all."
Clark reaches for his charred shirt and pulls it back over his head, wincing a little in discomfort.
"Will you be alright?" Dinah asks with concern.
"I assume so but I know next to nothing about magic and just about the same regarding my biology so I'm guessing really."
Dinah looks at him with a curious expression. It seems so odd for someone to know so little about what they are.
"So what are we going to do next?" Clark asks.
"Next with?" Dinah seeks him to clarify.
"Finding out who is testing me."
Dinah takes a moment to think before answering. "Well the warehouse was obviously a set-up so that lead is dead. We'll have to start again from scratch looking over the evidence. I'll also talk to Babs about the villains who attacked you. See if she can see what they have been up to lately. I don't know them personally...although I do know the guy in the parka is one of Flash's. I could give him a call." Although knowing Wally as she does Dinah isn't sure how much help that will be beyond giving him the chance to try out his tasteless jokes on her.
Dinah is caught by surprise when in the next instant she finds Clark kissing her. He's a really good kisser her mind absently provides the thought for her. "What was that for?" she asks.
"I'm thanking you," he says with that adorable goofy smile of his. "You've put your life on hold and come here to help me," he explains why he feels almost overwhelmed by what she is doing for him.
"Wouldn't be much of a girlfriend if I didn't," Dinah argues.
Clark smiles all the wider. "You're a great girlfriend," he compliments her.
"Naturally," she quips.
Clark chuckles before saying seriously, "I know it's early days but I really like this. I really like you."
"I like you too," she says softly. The last few days working together had afforded them time to talk, get to know each other a little better and the more she got to know him the more attracted to Clark she was finding herself becoming.
"By the way you can really fight," Clark has to compliment her after seeing the display she put in at the warehouse.
"Oh that was nothing. You should see me when I'm mildly annoyed," Dinah jokes.
"As long as I'm not on the receiving end."
"Clark I saw you fight Titan. You weren't that bad."
"I wasn't that good either. I know my fighting skills are lacking."
"Well we can do something about that," Dinah supposes. Although she isn't sure if she herself should teach him. Her style is designed for her. Her size, her build, her strength. Take away Clark's powers and her style really isn't suited for someone of his build and bulk. She'll have to think on it.
Clark's response to Dinah's words is to lean in and give her another kiss. "Thank you," he murmurs.
"Are you going to kiss me every time you want to thank me?"
"Thinking about it," he says in a husky tone, before he takes her lips with his once more.
Dinah can't help the pleasured moan that escapes her. Her arms entwine themselves around the back of his neck and she kisses him back. In her mind she can't help but hope that he does thank her this way every single time.
Gotham City...
"So?"
"So?"
"When are we going to talk about it?"
"There's nothing to talk about."
"Really?"
At this point Dinah groans audibly. It had been a week since the incident in the warehouse and she was touching base with Barbara to see where they were with that and the search for Roulette. This inevitably meant meeting up with Helena who by now had heard she was dating Clark. "Helena if you were upset with me you would have already said so...or punched me in the jaw so it is obviously not that."
"Ok. I'll give you that," Helena accepts. "And you're right I'm not upset with you. Slightly envious perhaps."
"Really?" Dinah says with surprise that Helena would admit that.
Helena's lips curl up into a satisfied grin. "Oh yeah. When I call him a big boy I'm referring to...well..."
"Stop right there," Dinah begs.
"You haven't done it yet," Helena realises or Dinah would know what she means.
"I'm not rushing into that...and seriously why is that all every friend I have seems interested in?" Dinah complains.
"Who else has been asking?"
"Well...Zinda was offering to give me 'advice' and then there's Zee."
"Didn't you say you went to see her show last night?"
"I did...with Clark. We made it a date...and remind me to kill Zee."
"Well normally I'm not slow to agree to a little murder," Helena jokes with a little dark humour. "But what has the kid's party act done to offend you?"
"She 'volunteered' Clark and myself into one of her tricks," Dinah mutters angrily as she remembers back on Zatanna using the fact they were obviously there as a couple to throw in many teasing remarks.
"Ok I can't believe I'm saying this but you do know what she is like. You can't really be surprised by what she does."
Dinah lets out a breath she wasn't aware she was holding. "I do know what she is like. You're right. I'm just...god I really do like him."
"Huh?" Helena asks at the sudden change of subject.
"Zee...she was flirting with him on stage like...well you've seen her when she drags any guy up on the stage."
"Uh huh."
"And I was jealous. I just realised it. I was actually jealous. I wanted to punch Zee's face in for a moment," Dinah admits.
"Ah good times. Go with that feeling. I do."
"Really?" Dinah questions with a sardonic smile. "Would never have guessed."
"So what's the problem?" Helena asks, unable to see one. "I'm not stopping you. You just admitted you like him. Throw him down and get on with it."
"Wow it sounds so romantic when you phrase it that way," Dinah sarcastically says.
Helena looks at Dinah strangely. "Romantic? What are you? A girl?"
"Yes. That is exactly what I am. I want romance. Sue me."
"Is he romantic?"
"He can be."
"So what are you wanting? Bed covered in rose petals? Chocolates? Scented candles? That kind of thing?"
"That would be nice yes."
"I would skip the rose petals," Helena advises from personal experience. "They get into places you don't even know you have."
Dinah looks to the heavens. "Why am I having this conversation with you?"
"Who else is there? Babs? She's my friend and all that but she's as dull as dishwater."
Dinah throws her hands up in exasperation. She turns round and walks off the outer walkway of the clock tower she and Helena were standing upon. Barbara had turned this old clock tower into the headquarters for the Birds of Prey. She walks inside to find Barbara, in her Batgirl costume, sans the cowl which has been pulled back, working at the sophisticated computer system she set up.
As Dinah draws near Barbara glimpse at her friend out of the corner of her eyes and notes how Dinah's hair is almost back to being totally blond. She chuckles at Dinah's expression. "Another Helena pep talk?" she queries, with an amused grin.
"I don't know why I ask her of all people for advice."
"What was it about?"
Dinah hesitates for a moment before answering. "Clark."
"Ah. Going well is it?"
"So far yes."
"I'm glad."
"Really?" Dinah inquires.
Barbara spins round in her chair to look at Dinah directly. "Yes really. Clark's...he's a good guy. If I wasn't in love with Dick I think we could have given it a good go."
"I'm not sure how to feel about that," Dinah comments about Barbara thinking she could make a relationship work with Dinah's boyfriend.
Barbara smiles gently. "Take it as a compliment about Clark and that you've got yourself a winner there."
Dinah smiles in response. "Thank you Barbara."
"You're welcome."
"So any luck with tracking down Roulette?" Dinah asks, shifting the focus back to business.
Barbara frowns unhappily. "No. It's like she vanished...or someone made her vanish."
"This Cadmus Clark mentioned?"
"Possibly," Barbara considers. "They would have reason to if they felt she had become a liability."
"You got any leads on them...or even know what they are?"
"Has to be government. The way they kept the authorities at bay there has to be an element of government involvement," Barbara draws the conclusion.
"They have been looking for years for ways to control metahumans," Dinah knows about the government.
"And what better way than to have them beat each other to sometimes death in stage managed fights."
Dinah nods her head to one side to concede that however cruel and pitiless it sounds. "Did you have any luck finding something out about this Tala?" she inquires as she had asked Barbara about it.
"Not much," Barbara has to regretfully say. "All I found out on the grapevine so far is some vague background that she is a extremely powerful sorceress and possibly rules her own little domain in hell."
"Oh that's encouraging," Dinah says with total sarcasm.
"She really hurt Clark?" Barbara asks Dinah to repeat because considering Clark's invulnerable nature it was a surprise.
"Quite badly. He said he didn't really feel back to normal until well into the next morning and that was basically how long it took for his injuries to completely heal," Dinah says and you can feel the worry and frustration pour off of her that shows how much she cares for Clark.
Barbara's brow furrows.
"We're not any closer to determining who is behind these tests," Dinah mentions, annoyed and frustrated by that. "It could still be either Luthor or Intergang."
"Have there been more?"
"No. Not this last week. It's like they've taken a pause to consider their next move."
"Could be that they have."
Dinah supposes that's true. "How are things with you and Dick?" Dinah asks, changing the subject to a more personal one.
"Great actually," Barbara says with a happy smile.
Dinah's glad for her friend. "So where is Dick tonight?" she asks curiously.
"Helping Bruce."
"Serious?"
"Ra's al Ghul."
That is serious.
New York...
After leaving Barbara and phoning Clark(Dinah knows she really has it bad when she feels the need to check up on him) Dinah makes the not inconsiderable trip to New York to a certain gym to meet a certain middle-aged boxer with greying hair and she finds him, no surprise at all here, working the bag all alone.
Ted Grant takes one brief moment to pause and see who has intruded. "So how deep trouble are you in this time?"
Dinah's expression sours. "Nice Ted. I could just be coming to pay you a visit. Did that ever occur to you?
"Nope!"
Dinah rolls her eyes and tries to remind herself she loves this man who is as close to a father as can be. "Well I'm not in trouble," she assures him. "I actually need some advice."
"I thought I gave you that talk when you were 14," he says with a grin.
"What talk...Ted!" she yells. "Geez. Give me horror flashbacks why don't you," she complains because Ted had been the one to give her the 'birds and bees' talk. Dinah shivers in horror at the memory. "God why would you even ask that?"
Ted shrugs. "I watch the news kid. I've seen you hanging out with that superpowered punk in the red and blue."
"And this leads to you thinking I'm sleeping with him?" Dinah asks, unable to see the logic.
"You're not getting any younger. I figured you were at the age where you stop wasting time."
"I'm 26!" Dinah shouts in disbelief. She then rubs her brow. "Ted I came here for your advice on fighting."
That gets Ted to stop and look at her. "Kid I may be a grizzly old goat with an overinflated ego but even I know you don't need a lesson from me."
"Not for me. I wanted to ask about him. I mean he's 6'4 and well you've seen him on the news. You know what he is built like. I was wondering what technique might be best for him to learn and since you're a large guy I thought you might have some insight."
Ted takes one moments before answering, "Boxing." He then resumes working the bag.
"That's your solution to everything!" Dinah grumbles because essentially Ted is a boxer although he does know a few other fighting styles.
"That's because my two fists are the solution to everything."
"Ted," she groans in exasperation.
"Honestly kid I don't think you need me to tell you what you already know. You know enough to figure it out what suits him best. You're just using me as a verbal punching bag." In other words she came just to use him to bounce her thoughts off.
"Do you have to equate everything with boxing?"
"Did you really need to come here to ask me this?"
"Maybe I just wanted to see you."
Ted snorts and dismisses that notion out of hand. "No-one just wants to see me. I'm a grumpy old man."
"That's not true. I do...and you're not old Ted."
"Sure. Over 50 is not old," he mutters with sarcasm.
Dinah sighs and struggles to think what to say as words of comfort. "I know younger people who look worse."
"That no good archer who cheated on ya?"
Anger flares up in Dinah's eyes followed by melancholy sadness. "Well Huntress did offer to remove certain parts of him for me."
"Now that's a true friend."
"Right. So your advice, I think, is to have faith in myself."
"Just like I always have had and just like I know your mother would have had if she were still here, God rest her soul."
Sadness flutters across Dinah's features at the mention of her mother. "Alright then. I'll talk with him."
Ted finishes his session on the bag with a series of punches and then a hard kick. The chain holding the bag up snaps and the bag flies across the room. He grabs a bottle of water and takes a long drink. "So you never denied that there was anything going on with that punk in the red and blue," he noticed.
"No."
"What?"
"I'm not introducing him to you."
"Why not?"
"Because it's always the same. You spent my entire teenage years chasing boys away from me," she accuses him.
"I was just looking out for you," he defends his actions.
"Two of them had nervous breakdowns after meeting you," Dinah reminds him.
"Underlying issues. Completely unrelated."
"Uh huh," Dinah says in a tone that shows that she doesn't buy that. "Well I wouldn't try that this time Ted," she cautions him. "This one can knock you a city block with a flick of his finger."
"I don't see it then."
"See what?"
"What you have in common. All you can do is make people deaf."
Dinah's eye begins to twitch. "I can do other stuff too!"
"Is that so?" Ted asks with a sceptical tone.
"Yes. It can shatter skulls...even hard headed ones of grizzly old boxers," she says with a sadistic little grin. "Want a demonstration?"
Ted chuckles. "Another day perhaps."
"You're impossible. I come all this way to see you and you insult my Canary Cry!"
"What can I say? I'm one of a kind."
"That I'll give you."
Metropolis...
Another week goes by with no new tests of Superman. It was suspicious but tonight had really not been the night to think on it. What started as what appeared to be a simple low-level arms deal had spiralled completely out of hand.
It was no low-level deal. It was extremely high-tech weaponry. The kind Intergang had been selling lately and it had escalated into a full scale war that left innocent people hurt, a couple of city blocks wrecked, had ended up with Green Lantern getting involved and it all had really pissed Clark off which is what the leader of the gang involved was now learning as he dangles off the ground courtesy of Superman's hand around his throat.
Superman's eyes burn intensely red. "Where are they made?" he demands to know where these weapons came from so he can wreck it.
"Fuck you!" the guy in Superman's hand says in response.
"Oh boy is that the wrong thing to say," Black Canary remarks. "You want to anger him?" she asks in disbelief as she points at Superman. "They really don't hire you for your brains do they."
Hal chortles a little. "I doubt he even knows where his brains are."
"I...ain't...talkin!" the man manages to gasp out from Superman's ever increasing stranglehold.
Hal gives Dinah a look to say this won't work. She nods reluctantly before placing her hand gently on Clark's tensed bicep. "Superman," she says in a gentle tone. "Let him go. The police will take him."
Clark looks at her and his expression softens. The glow in his eyes fades until the blue of his eyes return and he drops the man unceremoniously on his backside where the police cuff him and take him away.
Hal notes that moment with interest the way Dinah's touch seemed to sooth Superman's temper. He had heard they had been seen together these last few weeks. He wonders how 'together' they are.
"Superman!" a voice shouts out from the assembled media.
"Oh for the love of god," Dinah curses. "Doesn't that woman ever give up," she says sounding totally exasperated.
Hal turns to see his ex...whatever they were to each other, Lois Lane, trying to break through the police cordon. "Something wrong?" Hal asks Dinah.
"Only that woman trying to get a story from Superman everywhere we turn up...and I do mean everywhere...and the stunts she pulls are just unbelievable. I had to save her when she actually ran into a burning building that Superman was holding up to give the fire crews time to evacuate people."
Hal can't help a smile that comes to his lips. He did always like Lois' gumption and spirit. "I'll take care of her...but I need to have a word with you two later."
Dinah points at a tall building in the distance. "On the roof."
Hal nods and turns before walking over to where Lois is being physically restrained by a police officer. "I'll handle this officer. Thank you," Hal relieves the man who looks mightily relieved that he is being relieved. "Hello Lois," Hal says.
Lois blinks. "I'm sorry? Are you talking to me?" she asks, sounding a little angry over the fact they haven't talked at all in a year.
Hal sighs. "You're the one who stopped talking to me Lois," he reminds her.
Lois snorts derisively. That's not her recollection.
Hal runs his hand through his hair. He really doesn't want to get into an argument with her. He takes a moment for his eye to give her an appreciative once over. "You look good," he compliments her and she does. Looking at her in the flesh again he has to stamp down the old physical reaction he use to get around her.
Lois arches an eyebrow. "You're slipping. Your pick-up lines use to be better," she puts him down.
"Just giving an honest opinion."
"Can I quote you on that?" Lois asks, sounding a little snide.
Hal sighs, closes his eyes briefly and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Look Lois can we please be civilised here?" he pleads.
Lois checks her watch. "60 seconds," she tells him precisely how long she is prepared to be civilised.
"What are you wanting here?"
"An interview with Superman."
"Why?"
"Because what does the public know about him? Nothing and it is my job to inform the public. I know he was the Blur and that he essentially vanished for 6 months. Then there are the basics. Who is he? Where did he get his powers from? You know the usual."
"Look if I talk to him about an interview will you stop with the stunts," Hal makes her the offer.
"I'll think on it but why do you care what I do?"
"I care Lois. Just because we broke-up doesn't mean I don't."
"We didn't break-up," she says in a tight voice. "We were never together in the 1st place. You Mr Tight Pants Test Pilot were just a means to scratch an itch!" she dismisses what they were in a sharp tone.
"The 60 seconds is up right," Hal assumes from that tirade and ouch by the way. She's cutting him to ribbons.
"Yep," Lois confirms.
"I'll talk to Superman," Hal promises her. "Just no more crazy stunts until I get back to you...please?"
Lois doesn't quite meet his gaze, not sure she could resist that adorable face of his. "Ok fine," she reluctantly relents. "But I expect to hear from you quick smart mister!" she warns him jabbing a finger into his chest.
Up on the roof she pointed at Dinah watches Clark pace back and forth as they wait for Hal, his body rigid with tension...ooh rigid was a bad word considering.
Considering that even wound up as he is Clark looks amazing. It has been slipping into Dinah's mind more and more lately that sheer physical desire. They hadn't taken that final step in their relationship yet but Dinah was seriously considering it. To be blunt she wanted him on a very basic level.
Clark had not been pushing her on that front at all. He was always the gentleman. He was funny, adorable, self-deprecating, a little awkward and unsure of himself at times but there was a quiet confidence there as well and it was very attractive in the way it was the opposite of the showy boastfulness Dinah got from most of the other guys she has dated. On top of that he has a sharp, quick-witted mind. He is very smart...and if Dinah is being honest that just makes him sexier.
Anyway those are thoughts for another time. "Clark," she says his name in a soft tone.
Clark stops and looks at her.
"Want to talk about it?" she asks him, as in what is bothering him that still has him so wound up.
"Talk about what? That people are so callous that they don't care about who they hurt," he says in a short clipped acerbic tone. He thinks he would be use to it by now, man's inhumanity to man, but he's not. It still royally pisses him off.
If anything this voice is almost scarier than if he was angry...not that Dinah can ever recall him ever being angry. She isn't sure she has seen Clark ever lose his temper. "Clark...I don't have words of advice to say this won't happen again because it will. Not one of us...not even you can be everywhere at once."
"Who says I can't? I've never tried."
Right. Dinah can see he is still too worked up to talk about this in a calm, rational manner. "Try not to let it get to you Clark. We've caught this lot and Intergang is pretty high up the Justice League's priorities from what I know."
Clark mildly scoffs. The League was only borderline acceptable to him these days. "Yeah well forgive me if I don't wait around for them to come down from their Ivory Tower," he says with not much respect fuelled by his anger. He begins his pacing all over again.
"I know this is not easy Clark but you have to try to not let it affect you. As much as you might want to strangle the idiots you have to learn to stay calm."
"They damaged your bike," Clark mentions.
"I'm going to rip their goddam balls off!" Dinah roars in a violent flash of temper at the fact they damaged that bike.
"Geez Dinah. Please don't say stuff like that," Hal pleads as he comes into land with an uncomfortable look on his face. For a guy that is not a pleasant image to say the least.
Dinah shoots Hal a glare before she forces herself to calm down. "So what is it you wanted to say Hal?"
"First off you're looking lovelier than ever," he compliments her with the easy manner of the ladies' man that he is.
Dinah snorts. "Hal try your lines on someone else," she instantly brushes him off.
"Always straight to business with you isn't it," Hal laments Dinah's overly serious attitude.
Dinah folds her arms across her chest and waits.
"Right," he accepts he moves on. He turns to Clark. "Superman. Love the name by the way," Hal says.
Clark stops his pacing and just gives Hal a look.
"Ok one of those nights I see," Hal concludes. "I talked to Lois. She'll lay off the stunts for now but unless you give her something she'll start them up. She never quits," Hal says as a smile of admiration crosses his lips. He always loved that quality about Lois.
Clark frowns. "I don't know what she thinks she wants. I don't really have much to say."
"I'm asking you think about it," Hal says trying to be diplomatic. "I mean you must know people are curious about you and they have questions."
Clark did know that. "I'll think on it," he agrees.
Hal accepts that as all he can probably get at the minute. After all he doesn't know Superman well enough to know what buttons to push. He turns to Dinah and moves onto something he has been dealing with a lot lately, which is why he asked for this talk, and that is Intergang. He tells her his and the League's suspicions that Intergang have somehow been reverse engineering alien tech into weapons and how he has been trying to find out the source without much luck.
Clark listens carefully. The League are not the only ones who can do some investigating. After all he is an investigative reporter these days...and Superman can crack down on Intergang's operations within Metropolis. Heck for all Clark knows they were the ones testing him.
"We should compare notes," Dinah suggests as in they have a meeting and discuss what Hal knows especially if she is staying in Metropolis...which she just realises she has already made that choice to be near Clark.
Dinah, Hal and Clark compare schedules so to speak and work out a place and time to meet up and talk. After that Dinah asks Clark to pick up her bike and take it back to where she stores it and that'll she catch up because Dinah wants to have a word with Hal alone.
As Clark leaves Dinah swears she sees a flash of the green eye monster in his expression. He's cute when he's jealous. The sonic boom indicates Clark's departure.
"You're sleeping with him aren't you."
Dinah growls. "Why does everyone keep asking me that...or something like that?" she exclaims, totally annoyed.
Hal shrugs. "Just an observation," he explains with that grin of his that melts most women's hearts.
"What? That I'm a cheap floozy that sleeps with someone the 1st chance I get?"
"No," Hal says with simple sincerity. "You're not that and I'm sorry if that was what I was implying," he says, because he respects Dinah too much to every think of her like that.
Dinah blows out a breath and places her hands on her hips. "We're dating yes and that is all I am prepared to say about it."
Hal raises his hands in surrender. "Got it...although when Batman hears of it expect him to say something."
"No doubt along the lines of using the bond Superman and I have formed to keep him under control. I am all too well aware of Bruce's paranoid control freakery." She looks at Hal. "Honestly Hal what is going on with the League lately?" she asks.
Hal sighs, his face falls a little. He walks over to the ledge of the roof and sits down. "Awhile back Flash made a comment he thought we were becoming like them."
"Them?" Dinah queries.
"The Justice Lords."
Dinah's eyes widen. She remembers them...including her own counterpart who was like Dinah's more hard-set side taken to the extreme. She moves to sit next to Hal. "Are we?" she asks bluntly.
"We're not there...yet but we could be. Flash almost quit a few months back. I got him to stay by pointing out without him round the table who keeps Diana, Bruce and Arthur restrained."
"The same applies to you doesn't it. You're staying to make sure that doesn't happen."
Hal nods. "It's not...Diana, Bruce, Arthur...they're not as extreme as our counterparts. They're not completely lost yet."
"They've just forgotten what it was suppose to be about," Dinah repeats an opinion she expressed to Clark.
Hal nods once more in agreement with Dinah. "Luthor doesn't help. If I didn't know better I swear his strategy lately is to try and push Diana over the edge like her counterpart went off the deep end."
"How do you know that's not Luthor's strategy?"
"It could well be," Hal concedes. Lex Luthor's plans were always convoluted and his true agenda hidden.
"Intergang?" Dinah inquires about.
"That's weird. We know they have some mystery leader who remains hidden from view and he or she seems determined to build them into a global criminal organisation with power enough to topple governments on a whim."
"Superman and I will look into it," she promises Hal.
Hal smiles. "You really do like him," he assesses.
"I do...and don't even think of offering advice," she warns Hal off. "If I hear that one more time I'll scream...and you know what my scream is capable of doing."
Lois steps into her apartment after filing her story about tonight. She kicks her heels off and grabs the packet of cigarettes and lighter off the small table by the door. She places one in her mouth and lights it up.
"I thought you quit."
Lois turns to her window to see Hal has let himself in. She deliberately puffs on her cigarette and then huffs at him. "You sound like Olsen," she complains as Jimmy is constantly nagging at her to quit. "So since we don't have any sort of social relationship I'm guessing this is a business call," she says in a cold tone.
"I talked to Superman. He said he would think about it."
Lois is not impressed. "That's it?"
"He was in a bad mood. Better to let him calm down."
"Like you're suddenly an expert on people's feelings," Lois berates Hal's social skills...or lack of.
Hal is getting tired of this. "Seriously Lois I'm trying to be magnanimous here but you're pushing it. You stopped talking to me!"
Lois marches up to the emerald clad space cop, ignoring the fact she still finds him gorgeous in that uniform. "Yeah because you kept vital information from me!" she protests.
"That was League business Lois!" he defends himself. "You can't expect me to divulge everything we do so it ends up in that dirt rag you work for!" he says insulting the Planet because Lois, as is her skill, is pushing his buttons.
"Dirt rag!" Lois shouts in disbelief, really annoyed now. That's her profession he's insulting. She jabs him in the chest. "Listen to me Jordan you ain't that special!"
Hal's eyes narrow and he rips the cigarette from between her lips. "Neither are you Lane!"
Lois' eyes narrow as anger flares up within them. "I'm the best you ever had and you know it!
"Keep telling yourself that. I'm sure it helps you sleep at night all alone in a big empty bed!"
They stare at each other for a moment before one instant later their lips are fused together in an angry kiss. It is like a contest as they try to outdo the other. Hal pushes Lois back up against the wall and lifts her up as her legs wrap around his waist.
Lois' lips leave his mouth and start sucking aggressively on his earlobe. "Just so you know I hate you right about now."
"I hate you too," he says with a groan at what Lois is doing to his ear. He then rips open her shirt, sending buttons flying.
"That's my favourite shirt," she hisses.
"Like you it wasn't that special," he retorts, in a husky breathless tone.
"Screw you!"
"Oh I certainly hope so," Hal groans as he reclaims her lips with his.
Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up; Clark's birthday is nearing and Dinah has a surprise present for him.
