[26th August 2010]
[Curragh Camp, County Kildare]
The voices on the screens were rather exhausted sound she noted, with a little bit of amusement she admitted to herself, as they reached her ears from their location several miles away. Nearby the smoking magician was chuckling at them, one of the locals in uniform jotted down something on his note pad, and Dinah shook her head faintly in seeming commiseration with those currently undergoing their own trails.
Glancing at what Black Canary was looking at she saw the small group trudge into the, body language indicating bone deep weariness and a desire for sleep even as they complained, weakly, about their treatment. She hummed in thought as Kid Flash collapsed onto the ground in a sitting position and loudly proclaimed that they were finished and it was over at last, then glanced to her side as the smoking magician chuckled in a tone she'd heard from one or two villains in the past "Heh, heh, heh, cute. He thinks it's over..."
It was Dinah though who voiced Diana's thoughts before she could open her own mouth "Haven't we put them through enough today? They have reached the objective, unnoticed and disarmed all the traps set after all"
On the screen one or two exhausted chorus muttered loudly enough to be heard "Don't say that you idiot!"
The trenchcoat clad magician grinned from ear to ear as he took the cigarette out of his mouth with one hand, then brought up speaker to near his mouth with the other. Before he activated it he smirked back at Dinah "Phhhhftttt...Noooo. Ah love where'd be the fun in doin a thing liuk that now..." then glanced at the stoic seeming Irish Army officer who she could tell was very much hiding amusement of his own "...and its fer trainin' purposes too! That right Captain? Trainin' and whatnot?"
Diana resisted the urge to either sigh, or laugh maybe, at the straight faced response from the Captain of the Special Forces "Oh yes indeed, it's very important that they be taught to avoid letting their guards down as their doing currently. Just because a mission objective is secured, and the danger seemingly past doesn't mean that it actual has past. Or that the mission itself was a trap set an enemy in of itself"
'Oh Hera, Zatara I see what you warned of from this fellow. No wonder his apprentice seems so paranoid, and rather aggressive in combat situation' she noted to herself as the magician waved his hand with the half-smoked cigarette around in a 'see? It's trainin' by tough love!' gesture...when in truth it was clearly being done this for some combination of amusement in some measure. Still there was a benefit, a small one perhaps but still some measure, in such preparedness considering the youngsters hotheadedness, and need to temper it before one of them came to serious harm.
She watched as the man leaned back into the swivel chair he sat in, bringing feet up to rest them on the desk counter before him as he thumbed the transmitter on the speaker held in his hand "Hey there Kiddos! Bet yer all mighty glad you beat the bad guys and snuck in their base eh? Off ta get a nice shower and bit a bed rest an' all dat jolly good stuff..." he began in a friendly, cheerful tone that got more cheerful, but almost perhaps darkly amused as those on the screens glanced around as one frowned deeply, as he continued.
"...but got a bit of bad news and all that. Seems our wicked supervillian played tricks on our intel folks an ye poor, poor, poor, wee bast...kiddos got sent into his/her...its...wicked trap. Heh...goddamned shame that innit? Never can trust them bad guys now can ye? Terrible sort they are, terrible...so get ready for a small, teeny-tiny, little...artillery strike, heh, heh, heh...ehhhhh...best get the Shield spell up mite quick mate! Fire in the hole!"
"You misbegotten English prick..." Echoed back across screens as evil laughter filled the 'room tent' and the Englishman thumbed the transmitter again.
"Less talkin' and more castin' there mate! You too Waterboy! Listen them guns...Hehehehehehe" he finished holding up the transmitter away from him as she hear commands being issued to do just that...followed by the sounds of mortars and artillery pieces coming to life moments later. Black Canary was shaking her head and glaring at the magician Diana noted as he cut the com-line and screens became full of rapidly moving teens. With a sigh at the end of his laughter the Englishman glanced at the angry seeming Black Canary.
"Wut? Ah they'll be grand don't worry! Just a bit of high explosive to keep'em awake and...build team unity and wot-not!"
"I'm not sure how to explain to the rest of the Justice League how, or why, we allowed you to shoot artillery at their sidekick, your own included"
"Ah they'll be fine don't ya worry, not like we haven't done it John before...and he came through just fine and dandy didn't he now!"
In truth Diana wasn't particularly worried about harm coming to any of the youngsters, the recent bunker structure they were in was hardened enough to her inspection to resist such an attack even without the teenagers input in protecting it. The Justice League and those youngsters inside that small cramped structure had, and would, face far worse dangers than this as superheroes and danger could easily lie at the end of a mission thought finished and safe as she had seen so many times in life.
Training, or lack thereof, had been her single greatest fear for these youngsters and recent missions given to them had showed how that had needed to be remedied. Which, thank Hera, was being addressed in some small measure the past four days since their arrival in Fortune's home country. While she doubted the exhausted teenagers, who'd gotten little sleep in those past few days, were enjoying much as they suffered yet another torment.
It had also started the process of having the question of young Superboy's citizenship addressed with paperwork and discussions of the boy picking an actual name for him to live by in his life outside the team. Something she still would have preferred that Clark would show more decisiveness on; either show some affection for the boy, or at least make his position clear on what relationship at all he wished with the future superhero. People were going to ask questions once the boy became better known, let alone thanks to that great red S on the black t-shirts the boy favoured.
'Still other matters to attend' she reminded herself as she watched the youngsters organise themselves before her eyes to cast spells, or settle in for the bombardment. All were doing well in her eyes; the ad-hoc training 'programme' thrown together in a mere twenty four hours had been a rather gruelling mixture of individual training, followed by 'team building', for them was adequate for addressing severest faults in The Team in her view.
Targeting their individual weaknesses for starters, and forcing them to cooperate, had necessitated her own presence...well one of the 'heavy hitters' of the Justice League at the least. It was easiest to send her; own 'cover identity' was public as Ambassador for Themscyira, as was Black Canary mostly to the US Government, and it had given her a few hours to conduct some actual official business in that role as well during her brief stay here. Something that was somehow both more pleasant, and less so, than walking through muddy fields, getting punched by as well as punching a young Kryptonian, and...having artillery shoot at his teammates.
That, and it was clear that Superboy needed to train with someone in his 'weight class' as Batman, and two of the boy's teammates, had recommended...despite Black Canary's faint objections. A difference of opinion in warriors that was she believed, and no slight upon Dinah views upon fighting meta-human level enemies, but it was clear to her the boy would benefit from some of the training she had been given as a youth. Rather than trying to imitate what he thought was the way Clark fought like...then falling into rage or despair when that approach did not succeed.
"While he is being...himself...John is correct. We have done everything possible to ensure the safety of the group while giving as close to actual combat conditions as possible. And, overall, I believe that these past few days have been rather productive for their development. Not that they'll thank us for it I expect, very few recruits do I find. But I would frame this session as merely a start to future training, separate from ourselves even, in regards what we have seen so far?" Captain McKenna stated after a few moments of them studying the youngsters' response to the start of the bombardment. Diana nodded at that, accepting the coffee offered to her as an aide entered with several mugs.
"Yes, I can agree with that assessment Captain. Black Canary you agree?"
"In some measure I would, it was something they needed in differing ways" the other woman agreed sitting back into her chair, one leg over another and looking thoughtful "...Kid Flash seems to be thinking things through before acting...or at least listening to others more, and I think Superboy's confidence has improved thanks to spars with yourself Diana..." the blonde woman smiled "...so I you can tell me you told me so whenever you wish"
Diana smiled "Hera, I shan't be doing any such my friend. But yes I think it's helped with the others as well, Green Arrow I'm sure will glad to see that Artemis has bonded with her teammates rather well"
"Yes I'm sure he will, though I think something is bothering Aqualad from my observations..." Dinah asked and Diana nodded along with the locals, other than the magician currently chuckling at the screens and shaking images thereon "...you can see it when he has to think on a matter. He hesitates, or gets distracted, as if something else is on his mind. His training is apparent, and where it's trained...its automatic even, he's not thinking on it, but he made a few unforced mistakes. Which is unusual for him, and we'll mention it to his mentor later"
She paused and glanced at the Irish officer, and the English magician, with a curious expression "I'm curious why you opted for such a...noisy, and physical, assault to finish the day's events for them. You and your colleague Mr. Finn have been rather sparse in your usage of magic?"
The magician looked away from the screens "Hmm?...ah right, well we laid lots of traps, and gave stuff to the soldier boys an' girls as ya saw ladies, but well...John boy probably woulda saw any magical end trap comin', or at least it'd be easy fer him to deal with...probably. Won't do him and the others much good, so we just focused on frustratin' him and his mate Aqualad's magical use rather than throwing around too many spells..." he laughed lightly "...though the speedy one likely didn't like those illusions that gott'em stuck did he? Or the Martian girl and that mind magic compulsion? Funny out it was watchin' her start dancing liuk that it was!"
Black Canary sighed "She was rather upset about that Mr. Constantine"
He paused and gave her a somewhat serious look "Which is sorta the point love, better she cries a wee bit than her pretty little brain gets fried lookin' before thinkin' first like she did with that bloomin' elemental Klarion a week ago. And I've come up against worst out there than the like of him let me tell you. She's a good kid but too innocent at times, or just naive with her powers mayhap, and she'll either get hurt or fry some poor fuckers brains in a panic if she don't get it under control. Ya can see with her an' young John even – she can't read his mind and talks to him least from it. She ain't comfortable without her telepathy"
Diana nodded, though she could relate to the green skinned alien girl "Mars is a very different world, not just physically but in culture as well. Though Martian Manhunter will see to adjusting his niece's training with the feedback, and overall I think she has adjusted well considering the differences in our worlds. I'd like to mention Robin did well I feel, despite my reservations, and his training should..."
--