Hello lovely people! Sorry that this chapter's a bit late, but at least you got some oneshots in the interim to tide you over. Despite this chapter technically being another episode, a majority of it is original content.

Without further ado, 'Terrors'. Or, at least, the tidbits of it that are relevant to Hawkgirl : )

Just before I was about to post this, I realized that with the addition of this chapter, Fight or Flight is officially over a hundred thousand words! I never would have gotten this far without all of your support.

And we're not even halfway through season one. What have I brought upon myself?

MOUNT JUSTICE
SEPTEMBER 14TH, 2010
12:32 CDT

Having a debriefing in the middle of the day was certainly strange occurrence. Up until this point, they'd mostly ranged from the earliest parts of the morning into the latest part of the night. Non-standard hours were an occupational hazard for superheroes, after all.

This was also the first time that Superman himself was present.

Naturally, he avoided eye contact with Conner and remained uncharacteristically silent, allowing Batman to take the lead.

Hovering behind the Dark Knight was the holoscreen, which was currently displaying the mugshots of five familiar cold-themed ne'er-do-wells.

Alongside Hawkgirl were Miss Martian, Superboy, Aqualad, Martian Manhunter, and Red Tornado.

Once all of their attention was guaranteed, Batman began to speak. "This past Fourth of July, five ice villains staged simultaneous attacks. Mister Freeze, Icicle Jr., Killer Frost, Captain Cold, and the Snowman were all easily apprehended. Perhaps too easily."

Hawkgirl remembered that fight fondly, mostly because the altercation with the Snowman heralded the start of their false induction into the Hall of Justice and the debacle that led them into the labyrinthine headquarters of Cadmus.

"Cold, Snowman and Frost were immediately sent to Belle Reve penitentiary, a federal prison designed to house supercriminals. The Snowman escaped on route to the facility and is currently unaccounted for, but we cannot rule out possible involvement. The 17-year-old Icicle Jr. was sent to a juvenile facility, Mister Freeze to his usual cell in Arkham Asylum. But Freeze petitioned the court to be declared legally sane, and Junior sued to be tried as an adult. As a result, both await transport to Belle Reve, which seems to have been the goal all along." Batman paused, his gaze focusing on Miss Martian and Superboy. I'm sending the two of you in to find out why."

Aqualad immediately spoke up. "Who inside the prison will know their true identities?"

"No one. We can't be certain the prison staff isn't compromised."

Well, that was a little surprising. Usually on an infiltration mission like this, they'd have some kind of inside man providing aid. But if the prison itself truly was compromised… well, that didn't bode well, considering the kinds of villains that were currently occupying it.

Batman outlined the rest of the plan (in turn revealing the reason for Superman's presence). Their teammates would be assuming the identities of two super powered siblings currently on a crime spree, and they'd be sent to Belle Reve in their place.

"But… And I don't want to sound pessimistic, but what if something goes wrong?" M'Gann asked cautiously, worrying her lip a little. "I mean, neither of us have really done anything like this before?"

"We are not going to leave you completely alone." Red Tornado answered, attempting to assuage the teen's reservations. "Aqualad and I will be stationed in the bio-ship concealed outside of the prison during the course of the operation. In the event that emergency backup is required, all of the Hawks will be on red alert."

"We can fly to Belle Reve from St. Roch in under half an hour." Ski'Lira offered nonchalantly. "Usually, we'd station ourselves closer just in case, but there's an arms deal going down dockside tonight. But I'm sure you'll both be fine."

Conner looked over at her. "You really think so?"

"Why wouldn't I?" She glanced out of the corner of her eye, a little happy to see the slight shift of Superman's posture that indicated his discomfort. "Anyways, just remember to be aware of your surroundings at all times. And if you get in a fight, win, and watch out for hidden weapons. If they get in close, they're probably trying to stab you."

"Thanks for the advice." M'Gann still sounded slightly sheepish. "How do you know that, though?"

"Standard Thanagarian social practices, why?"

She blinked a couple of times, thrown for a bit of a loop.

H

"Okay, okay, what if..." Wally flapped his hands around excitedly. "You held me by my ankles and then I create a vortex underneath us! And then we'd shoot into the air!"

Ski'Lira considered it for a moment. "That is certainly a… idea. But you'd have to keep your body perfectly straight in order to prevent yourself from flipping yourself into me?"

The speedster deflated. "Oh, yeah, definitely don't want to do that. That's way too much work."

"Wait, I know you can carry Kaldur." Artemis interrupted. "But how many of us can you carry?"

Hawkgirl took a moment to run a rough mental estimate. "I could definitely fly with all three of you easily. The problem would be the logistics of how."

Despite the fact that they sounded like a bunch of fanboys fighting over what if scenarios, in truth, they were trying to come up with team maneuvers. With Aqualad, Miss Martian, and Superboy gone, Hawkgirl had proposed the training session with the remaining team members. She'd gotten a much more enthusiastic response than she'd been expecting.

Already they'd figured out that Hawkgirl could hold Artemis by her knees like a trapeze artist, so the archer could hang upside down and fire arrows as she was carried through the air. The archer's aim wasn't perfect, because she was working with two hindering factors, but she promised she'd work on it so they could use it in battle.

Kid Flash and Robin had shown off their 'piggyback ride and birdarang throwing' maneuver that they'd developed some months prior, the small bird cackling madly as training targets exploded behind them while they zipped around the room.

Robin had also insisted on testing out the 'Fastball Special'. Ideally, it would be Superboy acting as the pitcher, but Hawkgirl was a great stand in, picking up the smaller boy by an arm and a leg and throwing him like a discus. He'd flipped through the air and landed safely on his feet, Kid Flash throwing up his arms and shouting "GOAL!" at the top of his lungs.

Okay, so maybe the 'training session' had devolved a little from the strict regimen she'd been expecting. But at this point, Hawkgirl was having too much fun to call the shenanigans to an end.

"Robin's pretty small, he could ride on your back." Artemis suggested. "And you could hold Wally and me with either arm."

"That could work." Hawkgirl admitted. "One part at a time. Robin?" She waited patiently until the black haired boy leapt at her back, locking his arms around her neck. His skinny body slotted between her wings, and a quick stretch confirmed that she still retained most of her mobility. "I'd recommend increasing your grip."

He complied shortly before she gave a powerful flap of her wings. Her hover was wobbly for a moment as she adjusted for the unusual weight distribution, but quickly smoothed it out. Once she was confident, she dropped her hands down.

"All right!" Wally cheered before jumping up towards her outstretched hand. Her fingers locked around his wrist just as Artemis caught her other hand. Once again, she had to take a moment to adjust, but soon enough, she was steadily balancing all three of her teammates.

"How are you doing?" Artemis asked, looking up at her with an amused expression on her face.

"I've never carried more than two people before, but this is proving an easy task." The Thanagarian pondered for a moment. "Most likely it is because Robin has the equivalent weight of a duck."

"Hey, I'm not a witch!" Robin immediately defended. She didn't have to look at him to know he had a wide grin on his face.

"You are." Hawkgirl deadpanned. "You turned me into a newt." She waited a beat. "I got better."

Wally proceeded to inhale a lungful of air (presumably as a precursor to a loud guffaw), but ended up choking on his own spit, but he still continued to laugh. It was only Hawkgirl's grip on him that kept him from falling to the ground, else he surely would have lost his grip and tumbled onto the unforgiving floor of the training room.

Artemis' laugh was a little more subdued, while Robin didn't even try to restrain her cackling. Deciding the exercise was over, Hawkgirl dropped two of her charges safely on the ground, doing a quick loop around the room and a barrel roll purely for Robin's benefit before she rejoined the others. Once her feet were safely back on the ground, he used her back like a springboard, executing a neat backflip.

Hawkgirl looked over her friends, all of whom had yet to regain their composure. "I think it's safe to say that we've all reached the limit of our productivity today."

H

"Okay, okay, one boat I can understand. But two?" Artemis was just barely holding on, creeping on that edge between chuckling and full blown laughter. "Did he do it on purpose?"

"I think Twister was too focused on taking everyone else down." Robin mused. "There's no way he would have planned that… right?"

Everyone lapsed into a contemplative silence, which was only broken by the systematic crunching noise as Wally ate his way through a family size bag of Cool Ranch Doritos.

After the conclusion of their training session, they'd showered, dressed down, and regathered in the rec room to both relax and burn some time. Both Robin and Hawkgirl had hero obligations they had to tend to in a couple of hours, while Wally and Artemis had claimed homework. They decided to cherish the free time while they had it.

"Hey, Hawkgirl?" Artemis was the first to break the comfortable quiet that had settled over the group. "Will you tell us what Thanagar's like?"

The rapid shift in topic made Ski'Lira temporarily speechless. "… Why?"

"Because I don't know anything about it?" The blonde offered, as if it were obvious. "I mean, I'm sure I can speak for everyone when I say that we know practically nothing about where you came from."

"I… suppose I can accept curiosity as an appropriate answer." But did she really want to tell them about her home? She could see the genuineness of her friend's intentions, as well as the eagerness from the two boys about the prospect. Ski'Lira knew she'd been tight lipped, only dropping occasional hints.

Telling Superboy small details about her planet had gone well, though she knew that most of his interest laid in her limited knowledge of Krypton.

And Roy had… mixed feelings. He used to enjoy her stories, but he was… well, his feelings about Thanagar had soured recently.

Dragging her train of thought away from that minefield, she thought about the people sitting in front of her, the members of her kast. And she decided that she was willing to give them a chance.

But there's no way that she'd pass up the opportunity to mess with them.

"Ask your questions, then."

"Wait, really?" Wally did a double take. "You'll just… answer whatever questions we want to ask?"

"That is how questions tend to work, yes. Though I insist on the right to refuse answering any question I deem fit."

"That's reasonable." Artemis nodded. "Alright, uh… I honestly didn't think you'd actually be open to interrogation, so… What's Thanagar like? I mean, as a whole. A society."

Considering the ideal response, the brunette was quiet for a moment before finally speaking. "There is… a sharp contrast between the wealthy and the poor, a very large divide that's plagued Thanagar for decades. As a result of severe overpopulation, food shortage is a dire problem, and riots are commonplace. There's such a great number of rioters that they're regularly picked up by police, and they are in turn transported to facilities where they are killed and their corpses are turned into a highly popular food substitute."

For the rest of her life, she would cherish the looks of sheer horror on their faces. Artemis was nearly as green as her outfit, while Wally seemed to be reconsidering his decision to gorge himself on junk food. Even the usually unflappable Robin had a shocked expression on his face, and that was saying something, because he'd gone up against the Joker more than once.

"… Really?" Robin asked in a breathy voice.

Hawkgirl snorted. "Of course not. I just described the plot of Soylent Green, an invention of human fiction. How does that make you feel?"

"That was horrible." Artemis snapped, but she seemed to be fighting a smile, now that she'd realized that it was just a harmless joke.

"I apologize, but I could not resist." Settling back further into the couch, Hawkgirl pulled her legs up into a lotus position. "In truth, Thanagar is quite different from Earth, but not nearly as bad as you seem to assume. We are a warlike people, yes, but we are not savages. We still have laws which are followed strictly, we still have a reigning government body, and we still have mandatory education that is freely available."

"So, where did you grow up?" Wally asked. "I mean, not on Earth, obviously."

"It is called Hei'Thir." Ski'Lira began. "It is about the equivalent of what you'd refer to as a 'small town'."

Leaning forward with her elbows perched on her knees, Artemis' interest was thoroughly piqued. "What's it like?"

"Most cities and settlements on Thanagar are built atop and into floating islands that hover about the grey seas, and Hei'Thir is no exception. My parents were both born and raised in the great city of Thanaldar, the largest city on the planet, but since I was given to my Da'my, Maye and Tildi."

Wally interrupted before she could continue. "Wait, hold on, your parents didn't raise you?"

"Of course not, they were both in active service."

"So they just… left you?"

Hawkgirl suddenly understood. "Ah, I see the problem. It is a cultural difference. Since such a high number of the population of our people are military, it isn't uncommon for those unwilling or unable to leave active service to leave their offspring with family or friends until they reach a more manageable age. Thus, I was left with my maternal aunt Maye and her wife Tildi." As if suddenly gifted with a second's worth of psychic ability, she answered the next question before it came. "Yes, on Thanagar there are no limitations to which gender can marry which. Any other inquiries you'd like to make?"

"So many…" Wally flopped back. "So, you said most Thanagarians are military, and that there's mandatory education. Does that mean you guys are basically brought up like soldiers?"

Waggling a hand in a so-so gesture, Ski'Lira tipped her head slightly to the side. "Yes and no. Combat training is mandatory, mostly because battle is in our blood, and having a slew of untrained weapons running around as they please is… dangerous for all involved. But training does not start until after the first molt."

"Molt? Like… like actual birds?" Stifling his laughter with a hand, Wally averted his eyes from her heated glare. "I'm not laughing at you, I promise. It's just… it's just the mental image of a bunch of featherless Thanagarians…"

She supposed she could see the humor in it, at least from the perspective of someone who'd never experienced a molt before. Instead of causing him bodily harm, she merely hummed in agreement.

"Anyway, as I was saying." She brought the topic of conversation back to the initial query. "Education begins at age five, where we learn the basics just as you do here. However, since I was always destined to come here, I had a supplementary education. During the day I would attend class at the pavilion with my peers, and in the evenings I would learn about Earth. As for Thanagarian education, you partake up until you reach adulthood, and then you are admitted into the Academy, and that is where military training begins."

"And how long does that last?" Robin asked.

"It depends on which branch you enter. The average is around a year."

"Huh" Artemis had a pensive expression on her face. "I mean, I knew you were all… well…"

"Bloodthirsty? Driven by the prospect of the glory of combat? Superior to humans in every conceivable way?"

That earned her a good-natured shove from the archer. "The first two, yes. I just meant, I never knew Thanagar was so… structured."

"I will take that as a compliment. I… must admit, I did not expect you all to be so… eager to learn about my home. Perhaps from now on I will be more open to answering your questions. And… maybe next time I can show you some pictures?"

"Asterous." Robin sent a bright grin her way that she couldn't help but return.

H

Taking down the arms dealers had been easy, but it was a long process. They had to lie in wait for hours waiting for the ship to come into the harbor, dock, and then for the perpetrators to make an appearance and start moving their cargo. There had been significantly more of them than intel had suggested, and all of them were heavily armed, which meant the three Hawks had to resort to stealth, which meant the operation took even longer.

After noticing her stifling a yawn, her mother had sent her off, claiming that she and Katar could oversee cleanup and help the police with transport just as easily by themselves. Taking the reprieve, Hawkgirl took to the air and flew towards home.

Sticking to the coastline of St. Roch, Hawkgirl cherished the moment of respite while she had it, knowing that she was still on deck for her teammates' undercover op. As she swooped down lower to catch onto an air current, her eyes locked onto a bright spot of light on the beach below. Bringing herself to a hover, she focused her gaze on the source. There was a small fire burning on the beach, with a handful of drunk humans surrounding it. Judging by the demeanor and appearance, they were all college students.

Usually, she would have merely let them be, allowing the cops to take care of it when they were inevitably called due to their disorderly conduct. However, a couple of the young men were having some sort of makeshift contest to see who could throw empty beer bottles furthest into the ocean, while their male and female companions loudly cheered them on.

As silently as she could manage, she dropped into a dive, snapping out her wings just before she hit the ground, landing directly in front of them. She snapped up an arm just in time to block a beer bottle that would have hit her straight in the face. As it was, the bottle shattered against her gauntlet, and the errant pieces of glass bounced harmlessly off her helmet.

"Stop that." She growled.

"You can't tell us what to-!" One of the boys tried to swagger forward, only to trip and land face first into the shallow water. Rolling her eyes, Ski'Lira picked him up by the scruff and dragged his face out of the water, tossing him onto the sand near his friends.

"We'll stop Hawkgirl." The other boy was bobbing his head so hard she wouldn't be surprised if it flew off. "We promise."

"Good."

Satisfied that she'd instilled enough fear into them that they'd reconsider littering from this point onward, but at the very least, they'd stopped their stupid game for the night.

Just as she was about to take off again, her eyes alit on something further down the beach from the group of teens. Flying the short distance over, recognized the familiar shape of a sewer drainage pipe, about four feet across. Judging by its condition and location, it was probably part of the disused sewer pipes that had been merely cut off from the newer system and left alone once the city had upgraded to non-lead lined piping. In an attempt to keep out interlopers, inch thick metal bars had been fastened over the front.

But apparently they hadn't been strong enough to keep out whatever had torn them apart like they were putty. Inspecting the twisted metal, Hawkgirl noticed streaks of dark brown that seemed out of place. A quick sniff confirmed her initial hunch. Dried blood.

From where she was standing, she could see a few more streaks further into the pipe.

Hawkgirl blew out a long breath as she realized that her downtime had been cut short when it had barely begun. Bringing a hand to her ear, she activated her comm unit to contact her parents. "I got waylaid on my way back home. I think I've got a possible lead on a new case."

"Already? That was fast." Katar grumbled. "Be careful, and keep us updated. Good hunting."

"You too." Shutting off the channel, she cracked her neck from side to side. She just knew she was going to regret this.

Ten minutes of being confined in the sewer later, and she had proven herself completely right. The pipes were spacious enough, but not nearly as much as she wanted them to be. They were big enough that she could stretch out her arms and lay her hands flat on either side, but her wings were confined in close to her body. Her neck was probably going to be killing her tomorrow from all the craning she was doing, not to mention the instinctual terror she was near constantly beating into the back of her conscious with a large theoretical stick.

On the bright side, the close quarters meant that whatever she was tracking had left ample evidence to follow, rusty stains marring the brick and concrete and giving her a crystal clear trail. Eventually, the tunnels expanded so she could stand up straight, but the water level had also risen to her knees.

Just as she was considering turning back, she heard a foreign noise up ahead. Her resolve was bolstered at the prospect of locating the mysterious entity bleeding out in the sewers. Mace in hand, she slowed her pace until she came to a corner, plastering herself to one edge and cautiously peeking around it.

At first, all she could make out was a light colored mass half-submerged in the water. On closer inspection, the mass was far from smooth, covered in soaking wet fur marred by weeping holes, blood trickling down into the water. Hawkgirl suddenly realized exactly what, or rather who, it was that she was looking at.

Drawing her head back, Hawkgirl retreated a good forty feet back down the tunnel, dropping her voice down to a whisper and switching over to Thanagarian (just in case). "Da'mi, Ta'me" She began, comm unit activated. "Good news, I've successfully located the Snowman. Bad news, I think someone else got to him first." She waited a moment, but there was no reply.

"Da'mi, Ta'me, come in."

Nothing, just static.

Growling under her breath, she silently cursed the people who constructed the lead-lined pipes. It looked like she was on her own for this one. The last time she had fought Snowman, both of her parents were with her, and even then it had been a tough fight. But since he was heavily injured, she hoped that would offer enough of an edge that she could take him down single-handedly.

Sliding her mace into her hand, she straightened her spine and walked confidently around the corner, stalking up to the unmoving form of the Snowman without fear. Maneuvering around his body (as the width of the dead end tunnel he'd crawled into only left a couple of feet of space all around him between himself and the wall), she stopped at his head. The twisted, sasquatch-esque visage was propped out of the water by a small pile of debris, his inhuman eyes closed. The only indications of his survival from whatever had attacked him was the shallow movement of his chest and his weak heartbeat, only perceived thanks to her sensitive hearing.

Hawkgirl reached down towards him, wrapping a hand around his upper arm, preparing to drag him out of the sewer. But the moment her fingers made contact with the coarse and grimy fur, the Snowman's eyes snapped open.

She only had time for her eyes to widen in surprise before a meaty fist slammed into her chest, rocketing her backwards into the stonework behind her.

Thankfully, the majority of the impact was absorbed by her armor, which meant no broken ribs for her. The Snowman's injuries played into her favor at that moment, as while he took the time to shamble up into a standing position, she darted around him and out of the dead end, retreating back into the tunnel. The last thing she wanted was to get trapped where she couldn't maneuver.

She gave a second thought to the confines of the tunnel. Okay, more trapped than she already was. Her current situation was less than ideal, that was for sure.

Shoulders hunched over to fit, The Snowman locked his eyes on her before dropping his jaw and letting out a bellowing shout. Clamping her hands over her ears in an effort to block out the thundering noise, Ski'Lira gritted her teeth before answering with a war cry of her own, getting in close and swinging her mace straight for his knee before lurching backwards.

Ears still ringing, Ski'Lira opted for a strategic retreat, spinning around and sprinting away from the Snowman. Her movement was slowed thanks to the water sloshing around her legs, and keeping balance on the slippery bricks below her feet was a challenge. Following far to close behind her was the Snowman, who had seemingly no concern for his wellbeing anymore, as he paid no mind to the reopening of his wounds as he tore after her. His shoulders and biceps periodically scraped against the brick on either side of him, tearing off fur and exposing the sickly skin beneath as he went, but there was no hesitation in his eyes.

The Snowman had always been less than… cognizant, whenever he went into his rages. But this was something else. This was a wounded predator chasing down a perceived threat.

Hawkgirl didn't realize she'd turned down the wrong tunnel in her panic until she noticed the lack of bloodstains marring the walls, and shortly after emerged into a large cistern. Mentally cursing herself for making such a foolish mistake, she quickly took in her surroundings. The other end of the large cavern was half caved in, presumably where there had formerly been another exit. That meant that the only way out was back the way she came, which meant she had to get past the Snowman.

Letting out another echoing roar, Hawkgirl pulled her wings in tight and dodged off to the side. But her booted foot caught on a small pile of loose stones beneath her feet, and her dodge turned more into a lurch. She ended up sprawled halfway on her side, partly submerged.

The Snowman's large hand shot out towards her, grabbing her around the torso and flinging her up and out of the water. Hawkgirl ended up hitting the opposite wall, the back of her helmet punching through the crumbling brick and surely leaving on imprint. Letting herself go limp, she rolled forward (careful to hold her breath for the brief moment her head was underwater), springing back up to her feet.

Gritting her teeth, Hawkgirl realized that dexterity and agility weren't going to be her friends here. The Snowman was too unpredictable right now, and she knew that even Robin would have difficulty keeping balanced in this watery terrain.

That just left brute strength.

Shifting her mace so that it was in both hands, she dug her heels down into the ground beneath her feet.

His hands curling into fists, the Snowman took up her challenge, charging straight towards her.

She waited for one heartbeat.

Then two.

Then three, her opponent's massive form barreling towards her showing no sign of slowing.

Just before the fourth heartbeat, a screech left Hawkgirl's mouth as she swung her mace full force up into his face. She distinctly felt a muscle in her shoulder tear, and one of her ankles was very nearly twisted as it slipped further into the stone below her, but any pain she experienced was short lived in the face of her success.

The Snowman was definitely knocked out cold the moment that her mace made contact, but her hit sent him flying back diagonally, his head striking the ceiling and raining down debris that dropped straight onto him. Unconscious, the man beast dropped back into the water.

Blowing out a breath, she quickly made her way over to him, snagging the longer hair on top of his head and pulling up, so as to keep him from drowning. He was still very much alive, but he'd definitely need medical attention soon if she wanted him to stay that way.

Hawkgirl had two options here. Go for backup, or take him out of here herself.

The former was problematic, as he was still bleeding out, and his condition would definitely worsen the longer he was left untreated.

That just left the latter. Not to mention, that plan also meant she didn't have to stay in these infuriating confines any longer than was necessary.

Activating the secondary mode of her mace, she used the long Nth metal chain as makeshift restraints, tying his hands together behind his back before looping the thin chain back around his shoulders and torso. Keeping hold of the handle, she added a few extra loops around her waist, and she started to walk. A quick glance behind her confirmed that Snowman's head was still safely out of the water, and she started the long trek dragging the previously missing supervillain out of the sewers.

H

Blinking a few times, Hawkgirl readjusted her vision to compensate as she emerged from the pitch black tunnel system to the clear, starry night that awaited her. She also took in a few deep lungfuls of air, feeling the lingering dregs of panic finally leaving her mind space.

Mere moments after she dropped the Snowman onto the beach and began the process of reclaiming her mace, her vision was suddenly plagued by a flurry of golden Nth metal, feathers, and glowing green light.

"Ski'Lira Hol, you'd better have a damn good explanation for this!" Hawkwoman demanded in their native language, mouth set in a scowl (or rather, a more severe scowl than was normal).

Hawkgirl looked past her mother, where Hal Jordan and her father were hovering over the Snowman. "… I can explain."

H

"You were only away for what, four hours? And you already got yourself in trouble with the League." Dick's bared face was smug, blue eyes glittering with amusement, purely at her expense of course.

"Technically I'm not in trouble." Skylar corrected, leaning back in her chair. She was already starting to regret answering her friend's Skype call, and it had started a mere fifteen seconds ago. "Since I was in a communication dead zone, the blame mostly fell to circumstance, and when I pointed out that Snowman needed medical attention…"

Dick snorted. "You should count yourself lucky. Seriously. When your parents sent out the all clear, Bats was practically at the Zeta Tube to St. Roch. Which means you're probably going to have to make that up to him in training."

Sighing, Skylar realized he was probably right about that. It's not like she intended to send her parents into a panic when her comm went dark, thus prompting them to send out an SOS to the entire League.

She'd already gotten three separate lectures, one from each parent, and one from Hal, and there was no doubt she'd probably receive at least two more before the matter was dropped.

"But hey, look on the bright side, you managed to track down the Snowman." Dick pointed out.

"It was a fortuitous coincidence." Skylar immediately agreed. "But I must admit, I find myself wondering who exactly put him in that state."

"Do… do you think that whoever did that to him were the same ones organizing all the cold villains?"

"At this juncture, I wouldn't rule it out, but at this point speculating is useless."

"I wouldn't say useless."

"I just meant-" She cut herself off as her phone buzzed harshly on the desktop. Grabbing it, she couldn't help her slight wince, as she had mistakenly used her still-injured shoulder. Seeing a notification from Conner, her brow furrowed.

Conner: I think M'Gann and I are dating?

Conner: We kissed.

Conner: Yeah, I'm pretty sure we're dating.

"Okay, whatever you just read must be intense if it broke your legendary poker face." Dick interrupted, bringing her attention back to him. "Spill it, Sky."

"It's from Conner." She began. "It seems like he and M'Gann finally admitted their feelings for each other."

"FINALLY! It took them long enough!"

Skylar let out a hum of agreement as she tapped out a message of congratulations to the half-Kryptonian. Once it had been sent off, she set her phone back down. "I believe this means that Operation Shovel Talk is now active."

"I'm still not sure if we should…"

"Dick." Skylar interrupted before he could spiral any further into doubt. "Conner's is most definitely going to be receiving a shovel talk from J'onn. And who else would act in our place on Conner's behalf?"

"… Okay, two very good points. But I think we should come up with the speech beforehand, you know, as a team. Mostly because I'm afraid you'll go overboard. Scratch that, I know you'll go overboard."

"Threats are an art, Dick. And such an occasion only deserves the finest of verbal warnings."

"Okay, okay. Let's just start brainstorming, and we'll move on from there."

Remember the Snowman from chapter one? Because I barely didn't! Originally, I was just gonna casually shove him in a corner, but then I had the idea of adding in Hawkgirl's little adventure in the sewers.

Also, I couldn't resist poking fun at Superboy for the boat incident again. It just never ceases to amuse me.

Also (also), did you like the tidbits of Thanagar?

Also Cubed, Hawkgirl, champion of the environment. Not only does she have to fly in those skies that keep getting polluted, she just really likes the ocean. (And it's definitely not just because of the sharks, what are you talking about, definitely not *shifty eyes*.)

Next time on Fight or Flight… Homefront

Hope you're all doing well!