We just realized we haven't been doing any disclaimers. We own nothing beyond the idea for this story.
'We Didn't Start the Fire' is performed by Billy Joel
Komand'r of Tamaran had been born into luxury. Admittedly, it was Tamaranean luxury, which meant that she had more lessons on war strategy and how to pulverize anybody that challenged her into a fine paste than she did on decorum or other flighty matters. Since she was young, she had astounded her parents and instructors with her skill in combat, surpassing everybody who dared to challenge her. When the Gordanians had attacked, her parents had told her she was too young to fight, to do what her blood sang for her to do. Only to watch her parents sell herself and her sister into the sadistic clutches of the Citadel to buy their planet peace. By Earth count, she had been not much older than thirteen years of age, Starfire only ten. The masters of the Gordanians, the cruel Psions, had conducted experiments upon them, amplifying their race's natural ability to absorb solar energy, affording them a means to project it. She never knew what their reasoning was, why they had provided them with that power. When she had managed to escape them, after her sister had abandoned her, she had put those powers to use ensuring that she returned all the suffering she'd experienced in receiving them.
Even with her years as a captive, she had never quite grasped the concept of humility, of bowing to others. Being bested by somebody that she had only ever known as a joke did not sit well with her and she was still venting her rage several hours later when the warmth of the sun had vanished. After running through the exercise several more times, each attempt making only marginal improvement that did not sit well with her. Changeling had called it quits when it was clear that if either of the girls were frustrated any further, he might be facing lethal force. At the moment, Blackfire was exerting that lethal force upon the rocky shoals and hills that shielded their base. Caught up in her rage, she didn't notice the presence behind her until he gave a cough and spoke.
"It's interesting, you know. When you're sister's upset, she usually heads out to this little garden and tends to it. Grows things. But you direct that rage into reducing stuff into rubble."
"My sister and I are two very different people, BB. She's weak-willed, too soft," she snapped, glancing back at him. He was perched atop the spine of a rocky outcrop behind her, trading his hero outfit for a pair of slacks and a light blue shirt that featured a circle with red and white hemispheres separated by a black stripe. At her comment, he clicked his tongue against his teeth and gave a slight shake.
"No. Nope. Not in the least. You and I both know that. I'm probably the only one of the two of us who'll admit it, but you know that your little sister is a warrior. I bet she'd take on Wonder Woman. Preferably with both of them in bikinis and mud pit, but that's a personal fantasy."
"You know, I was quite content to blast rocks to pieces. But if you really want to volunteer as a target, than far be it from me to stop you."
"Well, it's kind of you to offer me the workout and all, my midnight sun, but I think I'll pass. It's too soon after cutting ties with Rae. It feels like just yesterday she was jettisoning me out of a window, and I'm not sure I'm ready to turn my back on that," he said, his face completely stoic. She studied him for a second before giving a short bark of a laugh.
"I'll admit it; you've actually become marginally amusing. You might actually be able to make it as a jester on Tam- . . . on Tamaran . . ."
Her jeering tone faltered at the end and her eyes became downcast before she lifted them to the starry heavens, scanning them for the groupings that pointed towards her own distant solar system. Upon locating it, her gaze latched longingly onto it and Garfield easily recognized the homesickness that consumed her. As he studied her face, he noted more than just that. There was anger, which wasn't entirely unusual, sorrow, frustration, and contentment as, he suspected, she imagined happier times. Sitting back into a small niche on his rocky seating, he wrapped his legs about his knees and considered her for a moment, quirking his head to the side and pushing out his bottom lip. Finally, he quietly asked, "You wanna talk about it?"
"No," she answered definitively, turning her head away from the stars she had been staring at. Her face went flat, the moment of emotional vulnerability gone. Gar stared at her for a moment before giving a sigh and springing into the air, turning into a great-horned owl that slid through the air beside her.
"C'mon. We're going patrolling."
"We're doing what?" she demanded though she unfolded her arms and trailed after the silent bird.
"Patrolling. We're scoping out the city, make sure nothing's going down," he answered before he shot into the air. She boosted her speed to where she rode through the air alongside him and they flew over the rocky ridges towards the tall spires and blaring lights of the city that lay beyond them. When she had first arrived at the base, she had passed by the city but this would be her first foray into the urban sprawl. Garfield led the way, though Blackfire kept a distance so that it wasn't obvious that she was following. The cool night they sliced through created an interesting contrast against her naturally heated skin and she allowed herself an intake of calming breath. It was a small relief from the frustrations that had clouded her mind and she nearly lost herself to the bliss of it. A brush of soft feathers against her shoulder brought her out of the reverie and she glanced towards the emerald owl who had dipped towards her.
"This way. We've got the police station that way and they handle most things within several blocks. If it's something too big for them to handle, we'll respond. But it's better to patrol the further out areas, places where they can't respond fast enough."
"Fair enough," she nodded, veering after him. They left the glass towers and heavily trafficked streets for cluttered neighborhoods where low, blocky structures were most predominant, the brick apartment buildings interspaced. As they traveled over it, Blackfire glanced towards her companion curiously, "Exactly how is it that you can talk in that form?"
The bird gave something that was the closest thing it could manage to a shrug, "A better question is where the Hell do my clothes go when I change? Do they float in some interdimensional limbo? Is there some 5-D critter out there trying on my Bart Simpson boxers while I'm kicking ass? That is the real mystery. Course, now I feel like I have to burn my undies when I get them back."
"I don't grasp your thought process at all," she admitted.
"By the way, my raven-haired queen of calamity, did you know a group of owls is called a parliament, a wisdom, or a study?"
"You aren't helping your case."
"If I claim insanity, do I get to see you in a nurse's outfit?"
She scrunched up her face at him, "What is that supposed to mean?"
"Ah, aliens," he sighed, "You know, I've been petitioning the government for years to simply put together a music video for We Didn't Start the Fire by Bill Joel, and simply show it to any outer space visitors and we'd be set."
"You're not making yourself any clearer and this conversation is growing irksome."
"Hey, so I was there when your sis laid one on Nightwing to learn the language, but who did you play tonsil hockey with? Please tell me it was a chick and you have photographic evidence."
Turning her head to look at him again, she frowned, "I acquired the language while I was on another planet from an asexual species and there aren't any pictures of it."
"You're breaking my heart, beautiful."
"I'm sure someday I'll feel bad about that. Someday. Maybe."
"Oh, so cold, ice queen," he moaned. Her eyes narrowed upon him and she snapped at him.
"Stop calling me 'queen.'"
Before he could assuage her temper, he twitched his head to the side as though he were listening to something before turning back towards her. He wheeled away and called, "Save the burning of my oh-so-delectable buns for later. We've got some business to take care of."
As he spiraled down through the air towards one of the low buildings, she zoomed after him. There was a storefront that's window had been knocked out, lights dancing inside of it and harsh voice that thought they were whispers being thrown about. Garfield slipped in through the bashed out window without a noise and Blackfire soon joined him within. He was perched on the shared backseats of a pair of booths, still as an owl, while a quintet of scruffy looking youths were gathered around the cash register. Two of them had glanced the entrance of the heroes and were gaping when Garfield interjected, "A donut shop? Really? Isn't that some sort of crime against humanity?"
"Donuts are that precious?" Blackfire asked with some confusion.
"They're that delicious," he answered with some indignation, glaring at the hoodlums. They whirled upon the pair, two of them drawing handguns that seemed too large for them to handle while each of the others readied a knife, a chain, and an aluminum baseball bat. As the two armed with the firearms opened up on them, the owl was replaced with a dark serpent that streaked across the floor and hissed over the shots, "I'll take out Trigger and Happy there, you got the rest."
"I could take all of them," she scoffed. She dodged aside as several of the bullets streaked towards her, and leveled a series of bolts at the weapons of the oncoming assailants. Although she managed to strike the bat and the knife, her other bolt missed the chain and its wielder lashed out at her with the lengthy weapon. Raising up her hand, she allowed it to wrap about her armored wrist and then seized the length extending between her and the man. Yanking him forward, she caught him in the stomach as he sailed through the air with a sharp kick, launching him into the racks behind the counter.
"Watch the donuts!" grumbled the squid that was grappling with two of the thugs.
"I am beginning to suspect that you're unique in how you value these morsels," she noted as she punched one of the young men in the chest, grinning at the satisfying crack while the mollusk seemed to wince.
"Careful with the kids, too. Just put them down, not into traction."
"Would you quit complaining?" she snapped. Seizing the man she had just punched by his shirt, she tossed him at his comrade, knocking the both of them to the floor. As one of them started to rise, she grabbed his face and smashed his head into the floor, ushering him into unconsciousness. She turned towards Garfield who was human again and holding his pair of crooks, both of them out cold. He tossed their limp bodies atop the others and gave a contented nod.
"All right. That's good work. A bit overeager. Remember, we're not trying to kill the baddies, just trying to make sure they can't hurt anybody," he said.
"Wouldn't killing them ensure that they never got the chance to hurt somebody again?" she suggested.
"It would," he nodded, "But, it's not our right to decide who gets to live and who gets to die."
"Why isn't it? We are in the right. These are criminals who were completely willing to end us if given the chance, yet they receive another chance at life? Where does that make sense?"
"Oh, boy," he sighed, glancing down to the ground, "All right. Blackfire, why did you come to us to reform?"
"I believe your people have a saying. Better the Devil you know, than the Devil you don't. I figured you were better than the Justice Lords."
"First off, it's Justice League. Lords does not give a good connotation, at all. And what I was asking was, why are you trying to reform?"
Defensively crossing her arms over her chest, she glanced away and it didn't seem as though she was going to answer before she sighed, "They rejected me."
"Who?"
She halted before saying, "The first time I returned to Tamaran, I was hailed as a hero. I had survived the tortures of our enemies and returned to my people. They readily named me as the queen since my parents had passed, and I was eager to accept. However, I knew enemies would come. They always do. So I made that bargain with that slug Glgrdsklechhh to protect my people."
"First off, that thing gives slugs a bad name. And you sold your sister to it while leaving your people to believe that they were under attack just so you could gain such a marginal increase in power."
"Didn't matter anyway. After I escaped incarceration, I tried to return to Tamaran. They opened fire upon me, no questions, no warnings. After all I had suffered for my planet and my people, after all the indignity I went through as a captive of the Gordanians and Psions, they dare to attack me?!" she roared the last words, energy bolts flaring around her fists and prompting Garfield to move forward with placating hands, hoping to assuage her fury.
"Hey, settle, beautiful. You're amongst friends here. Well, friend and small band of troublemakers, but you get it. Just, you know, keep talking and letting these feelings out without, you know, roasting me or the place."
Giving a scoff, she absorbed the bolts of energy back into her body and let her arms drop to her side. She turned her gaze to the ceiling and gave another scoff, "My own people exiled me. I cannot step foot upon my home without coming under fire. I am to be executed on sight. Yet they are endlessly pleading for my baby sister. So . . ."
"You figured you'd give the whole heroism thing a shot. Not the most pure of intentions, but Hell of a lot better than Charlie Parker. You know, he keeps trying to hand out business cards? Long as you stick with me and refrain from any profiteering, and I swear that you're gonna be a hero."
She gave no response, seemingly fascinated by the ground, and Gar glanced about before striding over to the counter and hopping over it with ease. He clicked his fingers and gave dull, short whistles as he looked over the racks before plucking several of the pastries from the trays. Digging into his pocket with his free hand, he placed a crumpled bill upon the counter before hopping over it and striding back over to the alien. With a smile, he presented her with a solid round pastry covered in glittery sugar and she looked at it with some confusion before gingerly taking it between her fingertips. Garfield dipped into a bow as she glanced over to him.
"While not as fresh as advertised and undoubtedly nowhere near as sweet as you, I present you with one of the greatest morsels this world has to offer, my midnight star."
"You've used that one before," she mused as she studied the treat.
He shrugged, "So sue me. I can only come up with so many titles before I start running dry. Though, if you want the cute answer, your beauty robs me of the necessary cognitive function to pay true tribute to your glory."
A laugh rang from her mouth and she gave an honest and somewhat teasing smile to the shape shifter as she brought the donut closer to her mouth, "I will be honest, BB-"
"Gar."
"Gar. You surprised me. Who would've imagined that that scrawny brat from years ago would become such a charmer?"
"What can I say? Chicks dig the ears."
She merely laughed before taking a bite into the donut, her dark eyes shining as the finally came into range of their position.
All right, so we changed Blackfire's history a little bit (also decided that she never married that slime alien thing), and we hope that doesn't upset people too much. We also hope this is fairly true to her character. We had a little bit of action in this chapter, and they should be facing actual super villains in the next one. Still debating who's going to be their debut baddie.
By the way, does anybody actually know who Charlie Parker is within the comics? First person to figure it out gets to suggest a character to make an appearance/be featured.