Well here we have it, the first true update since the rewrite. I know it's a little later than promised, but I'm trying to maintain a level of quality, and that required going back and editing. A lot. One entire section of conversation had to be cut and then completely rewritten because it just felt too forced and awkward.
This chapter's actually been finished for a couple of weeks and ready to post, but I was holding off. We're all fans of Young Justice, we've all seen this episode (Image, btw). And some of the events in this particular episode carry similarity, however slight, to a certain series of current events the world finds itself embroiled in. This story supposed to be about fun escapism, honestly as most fanfic is meant to be, and it just personally felt a little... uncomfortable. I don't want to cause any discourse, I'm just offering an explanation for the unexpected delay.
With that, remember to hydrate, maybe get yourself a hot beverage of choice and a snack, and enjoy.
(and more importantly now I can finally move onto the Superboy and Hawkgirl team up episode I have been dying to write *forever*)
MOUNT JUSTICE
NOVEMBER 22ND, 2010
10:12 EST
"I don't see the point of this." With a mighty huff, a stack of notecards were scattered across the coffee table. Ski'Lira resisted the urge to rub at the bridge of her nose, as if she could wipe away the repetitious information they bore, and was boring her. "You know every single answer word-perfect. You literally can't improve further."
"It's about the principle." Wally was insistent, scooping up the discarded cards, straightening them into a pile, and scooting them back across the table in her direction. "Again."
"... One more time," the brunette acquiesced. "But that's it. It's an Advanced Physics test, you're going to do fine."
"Was that a legitimate compliment I just heard? Never did I think I'd see the day!"
"Merely an acknowledgement of your capabilities," she corrected, stopping him before he could work himself up into theatrics. "The force acting in simple harmonic motion is proportional to displacement and is always directed-"
"Towards the center of motion."
"Are you still at it?" Popping open the tab of a soda with a loud hiss, Robin's interruption was well-timed. Careful not to spill his drink, he practically fell into the open armchair. "Dude, you've got the flashcards down. We talked about this. Why don't you have her help with something you actually need improvement on? Like History. You were complaining last night about your last paper, said you were 'one step away from committing a crime' to complete it."
Ski'Lira paused, the next card in the sequence forgotten entirely. "I'm almost afraid to ask."
"It's not a big deal!" Wally insisted, but the way his shoulders rose nearly to his ears betrayed that as a blatant lie. "I'm just... having trouble finding good sources?"
"... You can't find good sources."
"... No."
Incredulous, it took very real effort not to throw the flashcards straight into his timid face. "I work at a fucking history museum. There's one!"
"Wait, you do?"
All frustration abruptly turned harshly inward, as Ski'Lira realized what she'd just unintentionally let slip. Every single lesson from her parents and mentors about maintaining a secret identity flitted through her head in a whirl. She couldn't believe she'd done something so inane.
Before she could eke out of that line of questioning by her own power, she was saved by the bell, as the Cave's intercom system blared into life. "Robin, Kid Flash, Superboy, Hawkgirl, Miss Martian, report for mission briefing."
Whooping in delight at the prospect of a new mission, Robin abandoned his soda and flipped backwards over the arm of the chair, landing with both feet flat on the ground. When Kid Flash stood to follow Batman's summons, Hawkgirl snagged his arm and pointed a clawed finger in his face.
"Forget you heard that." She demanded, allowing ice to seep in her tone.
"Or what?" His expression morphed into something unkind, mirroring her own change in behavior. "You'll hurt me too?"
Ski'Lira jerked back from him so quickly, one would think she'd literally been burned by his skin. "I... No!"
To his credit, Wally seemed just as surprised by his own words, rubbing at the back of his neck. "I... I don't know why I said that. Look, I won't... You work at a museum, okay, I won't pry any more than that. Let's just... Can we just leave it?"
"I... Yes. We can. We should."
If Robin noticed the abruptly tense air between the duo when they caught up to him, he was smart enough not to say anything about it.
She hadn't needed more evidence that there still existed unspoken issues between her and the Team, but she had it anyway. After all, understanding and forgiveness were two very different things. Further introspection was pushed to the backburner, as she didn't want to miss any important minutiae in the briefing just because she was feeling a little morose.
Only once the Team was gathered (with the exceptions of Artemis, Zatanna, and Aqualad), did Batman start to speak. He stood before a large holoscreen, currently displaying the image of a middle aged man, a prominent streak of grey running through the dark hair of his beard.
"Rumaan Harjavti is the democratically elected president of Qurac. Harjavti has been praised as a fair, wise leader a humanitarian." To back up his claims, a secondary screen blinked on, showing footage directly from GBS of Bruce Wayne shaking the leader's hand.
Angling his head, Kid Flash started a quiet aside with Robin. "Sure, any friends of Bruce Wayne's."
The teasing jab was met with stalwart silence.
Internally, Ski'Lira felt somewhat relieved, as she'd much rather have Wally West be his usual, jovial self than... whatever he'd turned into in the lounge. Whatever she'd forced him to turn into.
"But five days ago, Harjavti allied himself with the dictator of the neighboring nation of Bialya, Queen Bee."
At the reminder of the location of one of their more... disastrous missions, Ski'Lira felt the phantom sting of a weeping wound on her arm and an ache in her calves from trekking across dunes carting an Atlantean around.
"Tch, not a fan." Superboy grumbled, having more reason than the rest to hate the place, considering how much more he had lost to the psychic attack before M'Gann had patched their minds back together.
"Few are," Batman continued. "But Harjavti suddenly backs Queen Bee's baseless claim that Qurac and Bialya were one nation in ancient times, and has announced the country's will reunify in two days in a ceremony in Qurac."
That was... strange. From what Ski'Lira knew (or rather had learned from her parents and the impassioned rantings of one member of staff at Stonechat), there was a big scandal in the community about several archeologists submitting falsified papers bearing the same theory. It had been discovered they'd been entirely funded by an 'anonymous donor' that had insisted on the subject matter, had their credentials stripped, and were blacklisted from most countries.
More footage from GBS began to play, featuring a press conference being held by Harjavti. An incredibly ostentatious image of Queen Bee took up a significant portion of the background behind him. There was even a dove painted into her hand. Subtle.
"After the ceremony, I will step down as president, so that your rightful monarch, Queen Bee, may rule." The words were a red flag of their own volition, but there was just something inherently stilted about Harjavti's delivery. Almost as if he were reading off a teleprompter, but his eyes didn't waver, showing no sign of the flickering associated with reading words off a screen.
The camera cut to a different podium, another press conference held in Bialya, where the woman of the hour was visibly fighting back a curling grin. "I laud President Harjavti for unifying our peoples and I will gladly come to Qurac to become sole leader of our nation."
Kid Flash was the first of their number to voice his astonishment. "And the Quraci's are okay with this?"
"Hardly," Batman let the following footage speak for him.
The news cast cut again, this time to vastly populate public protests in Dhabar, Qurac. Citizens from all walks of life were unified in purpose, holding signs and candles and chanting, all to drive Queen Bee out. In the center of frame was a profoundly pregnant protestor, her hand clasped around that of her young son. He was staring about wide-eyed at the commotion, but still held a candle with pride.
"They're well aware of the brutality of Queen Bee's regime," Batman continued.
Camera panning to the side, more protestors were shown, packed tightly behind hastily placed police barriers. At the forefront was a woman in a hijab caught mid-yell, candle brandishing in her grip as if it were a gleaming sword.
"But Harjavti has censored the press, silenced all legitimate protest, and invited the Bialyan military into his country to enforce martial law."
The view of the protests changed, citizens scattered and the street emptied as military started to swarm with batons and riot shields. Smoke from canisters and a vehicle that had been set alight curled into the air, threatening to obscure and choke anyone who dared remain.
Robin voiced the thought circling everyone's mind, the obvious conclusion to reach with all the evidence they'd seen so far. "Queen Bee has to be controlling Harjavti. Doesn't she have the power to enthrall most men?"
"And some women," the broadcast was clicked off, and Batman returned to the debriefing. "But not long distance. And we have confirmation she hasn't left Bialya. Something else is at work here. Find out what. Since Aqualad is currently busy helping Aquaman, Hawkgirl, you're team leader. It's your choice who will act as your second in command."
Technically, she did retain precedence in the hierarchy. Despite the temporary suspension, no vote had been instigated to demote her from Aqualad's second. But that didn't stop her from doubting the validity of Batman's current choice. Would he really risk putting someone still on rocky grounds with the Team as its acting leader? If it were up to her, she would have superseded herself in favor of someone else...
In fact...
"Robin," Hawkgirl made her choice in second without hesitating, earning an approving nod from The Dark Knight.
"Promotion? Sweet!" Kid Flash, proud on the behalf of his BFF, held up his hand for a high five. He was tragically left bereft as Robin's focus was entirely elsewhere.
"Me?" There was something akin to accusation in his eyes as he started the Thanagarian down. "Why?"
Hawkgirl had a long list she could recite, but opted for the far more straightforward, "You're the next logical choice. Are you refusing?"
"I... No." He looked away, and Hawkgirl was at a loss for his unusual demeanor.
"Dude," Kid Flash gestured to his other hand. "You totally left me hanging."
H
QURAC
NOVEMBER 22ND, 2010
23:56 UTC+2
"We're right above the Quraci-Bialyan border." As they had been for a majority of the journey, Robin's eyes were glued to the console before him. He had been acting off ever since the mission debriefing, and she had yet to pinpoint exactly why. With how ready he'd been in the past to take on a leadership position (case in point, Santa Prisca), she thought he'd be thrilled to act as second in command.
"A border the Bialyans are in the process of ignoring." Kid Flash couldn't help but quip.
Below them, chaos started to erupt. A previously peaceful herd of grazing wildebeest were disturbed, their wire-enclosed lands trampled by an onslaught of tanks and soldiers. The animals were whipped up into a frenzy, a full stampede, as the invading soldiers shouted and brandished their weapons.
"No opposition," Superboy's eyes had narrowed, both from the scrutiny of his enhanced vision and distaste. "Guess Harjavti really is in bed with Bialya."
"Wouldn't expect opposition here, it's an animal sanctuary." Robin corrected, reading the information off his console, and Ski'Lira felt a pang in her stomach at the thought of all those innocent animals being potentially harmed.
"The Logan Animal Sanctuary?!"
At M'Gann's sudden exclamation, Ski'Lira's head whipped back so fast there was an audible crack.
"You've heard of it?" Robin asked.
"You haven't?" Instead of the Martian, it was Hawkgirl who answered instead. Her own interruption earned a startled glance from M'Gann, almost as if she didn't expect Hawkgirl to know what it was.
But that brought up the question of why M'Gann would.
Dr. Marie Logan was a bit of a celebrity in environmental conservation circles, taking on one-woman crusades that would put every poacher, smuggler, corporate executive, and politician on alert. Hawkgirl likened her to the preservation equivalent of Lois Lane. No one wanted to get in Dr. Logan's sights.
But from the Thanagarian's experience, M'Gann had shown no interest in the subject apart from cursory support of such efforts.
Hell, once Ski'Lira had ranted for a solid fifteen efforts about several projects being thwarted by two-faced government institutions, and M'Gann had been so lost that Artemis had taken pity on her, and forcibly changed the subject.
Meanwhile, Kid Flash had been making use of the tech in his goggles in order to get a clear view of the commotion below. "Guys, the tanks have caused a stampede. With civilians in harm's way!"
The first part wasn't new information to her, but the second made her brain entirely switch tracks. She'd been so focused on the initial incursion (trusting the others to handle the rest of the recon), that she hadn't even considered that there might be innocent humans down there too.
"I see them," Superboy confirmed. "Woman and a small boy."
Hawkgirl was already standing up from her own seat, already switching her mindset from infiltration to rescue. "Prepare to deploy, we're going in."
"That's way off mission," Robin protested, his abrupt argument catching her off guard. "If the Bialyans know we hit them, it becomes an international incident... We should use stealth gear."
That earned a lackluster frown, "Obviously. I didn't think I'd have to say it. Who do you take me for?"
"Someone who wants to fight a tank with their bare hands?"
... She had nothing to refute Wally's observation with, it rang with far too much truth.
H
Still cloaked, the bioship fired beams of energy at tanks below, all at Miss Martian's will. The first vehicle struck careened into another, resulting in a devastating crash that incapacitated both tanks. Soldiers started to scramble into defensive positions, scattering to locate their unseen attackers like a disturbed hornet's nest. Small fires sprung up around the brush from the errant laser fire, pocking the ground with craters.
Through a hole in the bottom of the bioship, Robin started to drop smoke grenades, disorienting the armed men long enough for Kid Flash to run through their ranks and take them out before they could even get fingers on triggers.
Hawkgirl and Superboy physically dropped in from above the two civilians, as protecting them was the priority. Just as the woman locked her arms around the boy (whom Ski'Lira recognized on sight as Dr. Marie Logan and likely her son based on the clear resemblance), dragging his much smaller body into her chest.
When Hawkgirl's boots touched grass, she flared her wings out as far as they could go, creating a feathery barrier between them and the oncoming wildebeest. Superboy's approach was far more direct, snagging the lead wildebeest by the horns and driving it into the ground. The sheer amount of force formed a divot in the ground, diverting the path of the still-frenzied herd.
Startled by the commotion, the oryx the two civilians had been watching over jerked to its feet, leaping into the teeming mass of wildebeest. It was fortunate that Miss Martian was already present, catching the oryx with her telekinesis and dangling it above assured injury (or demise).
Seeing that the herd had fully dispersed, the immediate danger passed, Hawkgirl snapped her wings back into place and started a cursory scan for injuries. "Are you unharmed?"
"Whoa..." The young boy breathed, eyes wide with reverence. She took that as affirmation that he at least was fine.
Finished with their own tasks, Robin and Kid Flash appeared. The latter bore an armful of assault rifles that he tossed off to the side, brushing off his hands.
"Mom, mom, mom!" Nearly vibrating from overwhelming emotion, the young boy's eyes darted from hero to hero. "We were just saved by Hawkgirl and Robin! And Kid Flash!"
Beaming at the acknowledgement, Kid Flash jerked a thumb at the other members of the Team. "And Superboy and Miss Martian helped too."
If it were possible, the kid's eyes went even wider when he spotted the animal being lowered safely to the ground. "Oryx!" Leaping to his feet, he lunged for the creature, wrapping his stick-scrawny arms around its neck.
By now, Dr. Logan also clambered upright, giving the oryx's back a fond stroke, though she looked far less amused by the situation than her son.
"We diverted the Bialyans around the sanctuary." Robin reported. "You should be safe now."
"Uh, yeah... Coast is clear." Kid Flash added, far more informal. "Miss M, you can de-camo now."
Said Martian finally shimmered into view, yanking her hood from her head with a sheepish, "H-Hi."
Dr. Logan looked far from thrilled. "You may have made things worse. Bialyan border crossings are a way of life here. Usually they wreck a few fences and move on. Engaging them might have made us a target." Folding her arms, she made sure to make her disapproval known.
"Moooom," the young boy's cheeks glowed with embarrassment. "Uncool."
With a loud bray, the oryx apparently had enough of standing around, shuffling off with no mind to its caretakers.
Sighing, the tension in Marie's spine uncoiled ever so slightly. "I'm sorry, I should thank you."
Hawkgirl opted to shut that down swiftly. "No need to apologize. Your point was valid, as are your concerns. We knew the risks of interfering, but weighed the safety of you and yours above potential repercussions."
Visibly taken aback by the Thanagarian's blunt transparency, Dr. Logan's mouth opened and closed as she fought for a response. "I..." Clearing her throat, she tried again. "This is my son, Garfield. And I'm-"
"Marie Logan!" Like a switch had been flipped, M'Gann had returned to her usual, vibrantly exuberant self. "I can't believe I'm actually meeting you in person!" She broke into a series of unintelligible stammers before managing to rein in her rebellious tongue. "I've uh, I've admired your stance on animal rights for years!" Eyes wide and frantic, she turned away, lest anyone see the flustered state of her face.
Okay, hold on, that was clearly a lie.
Years?
M'Gann had only been on Earth for six months.
This was getting more confusing by the minute, but they did not have the time to unpack this bundle of weirdness right now.
As if sensing the tension, the wildebeest that Superboy had bodyslammed wobbled up to Marie, nudging its velvety snout into her chest. "The oryx is sick and I think you injured this wildebeest." The older woman sent an accusatory glare towards the one responsible for the harm caused to the animal.
"Uh... Sorry?" Conner was clearly not sorry, but the apology was accepted anyway.
"I suppose it was unavoidable, but both need to go to the clinic."
Lurching forward back to the front of the group, M'Gann's grin was wide. "The boys can do that! Hawkgirl and I can, um, fix your fences!"
Robin's brow knitted together at the unusual suggestion, "That's not exactly-"
Going to the top of the Team hierarchy, Miss Martian clasped her hands together and begged Hawkgirl to acquiesce, eyes beseeching. "Please?"
"Pleeeease, mom!" Garfield tossed his own support into the ring, grabbing at his mother's hands and tugging them gently.
With a unified sigh, and a lackluster, "Fine," Dr. Logan and Hawkgirl gave in to the request. Reluctantly.
Ski'Lira could feel the incredulity leeching off of Dick as he stared her down, but she ignored him, instead taking heart in the enthusiasm her decision resulted in.
"Yes!" M'Gann and Garfield practically shouted, the latter doing a fist pump before excitedly running off, leading the way towards the clinic.
H
Dawn was peeking on the horizon by the time Hawkgirl made it out to the swath of destroyed fences. Wary of any lingering soldiers or munitions, she had flown ahead to scout. Sure, she trusted Robin's earlier judgment that they'd evicted the soldiers, but she wasn't willing to take any chances.
Carefully picking through the vegetation, she located several discarded firearms. After dismantling them into pieces, she tore them into mangled chunks, and started to create a pile of refuse to be disposed of properly later. Every large piece of errant shrapnel she found made its way into the same pile. During the process, she also stamped out every still-gleaming ember she spotted from lingering fires, as the last thing the Logan Sanctuary needed was a brush fire on top of everything else.
Once those important tasks were completed, she started the prep work for fence repair. Most of the posts were still usable, having merely been yanked out of the ground, but those few that had fallen under the treads of tanks were splintered messes. Into the refuse pile they went. The wire was a little trickier, as she systematically bundled the wire up into neat loops. In a few spots, the barbs were marked with fresh scarlet liquid, and chunks of animal fur and hair. Based on the freshness, like a few wildebeest had scraped by since the initial incursion.
If time wasn't precious, she definitely would have followed the trail herself and tracked the injured beast. But she was playing with fire as it was, wasting precious minutes here at the sanctuary.
Oh, she knew she'd be in for it during debrief, as Batman had made their mission parameters abundantly clear.
If Aqualad were here, would he have done the same? Fallen to M'Gann's puppy eyes so easily, without so much as a single protest?
She knew it was out of character, that Batman had trusted her in charge simply because she never tolerated nonsense and brought personal matters on mission.
... But was it so wrong to give M'Gann something she wanted, after what Ski'Lira had done to her?
That train of thought was thankfully interrupted by the trundling noise of an old red pickup being driven by Dr. Logan, bed loaded with replacement posts and a brand new spool of barbed wire.
Once the doctor had hopped out of the truck, Hawkgirl jogged up to relay a situation update. "I've cleared most of the debris away, but I'll have to leave the disposal to you. There were also a few spots of blood, I think from your herd based on the fur I found with it."
"I'll keep an eye out, thank you." Offering a grateful nod, the doctor unhooked the tailgate of the truck, and it dropped with a harsh squeal and clang.
Hawkgirl geared up to start lugging wooden posts into place, but instead, M'Gann took the initiative. With a flare of her telekinetic prowess, the shaped logs shot off into the sky and into their housings with the span of a few heartbeats. Wire unspooled itself from its cylinder, wrapping around the posts as with deft, unseen hands.
"Well, you're certainly a time saver." Dr. Logan deadpanned, heading towards the end post with a pair of sharp shears at the ready, sawing away at the excess wire.
"How was it, being Megan?" The question seemed to come out of nowhere, tumbling from M'Gann's lips as if she'd been holding it back for hours and finally lost ground.
"Being Megan? I don't know, I was young... It was fun?" Clearly the older woman knew exactly what was being asked, and her answer seemed sincere.
Imaginary sirens were going off in Ski'Lira's head, as she was entirely lost with the rapid turn this interaction had taken. She channeled that confusion into the strength of her swings, using a sledgehammer from the back of the truck to pound the replaced fence posts firmly into the ground.
"Remember that time you were supposed to make cookies for the bake sale, only you thought it would be faster to make one giant cookie and-!"
The impassioned ranting was interrupted by the long-suffering sigh of a middle aged woman, "Listen. Hello Megan was a job. The person you saw on TV, wasn't who I am."
Wait.
Hold on.
THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT A TV SHOW?!
The sheer shock from that particular revelation resulted in Hawkgirl missing her next swing of the hammer entirely, the metal head biting deep into the dirt.
In Ski'Lira's memory, she could only recall one instance of Dr. Marie Logan appearing on television, wherein a clip of her had gone viral after she'd kicked a poacher so hard he had to be taken to the hospital. It was such a sensation, it had made its way through the news circuit.
At the response she'd been given, Miss Martian's features were warped with her disappointment, eyes dropping to the ground at her feet.
"I think this should do it." Shaking the tension from her hands, Dr. Logan stood up from her crouch and tucked away the tool she was using. "Thanks for the help, but I'd like to get back to my son."
"You two go on ahead." Hawkgirl suggested, focus already drifting to the sky above. "I'm going to do a perimeter sweep."
She didn't take off just yet, no, she waited with both feet on the ground until she was absolutely certain the vehicle was well out of auditory range. Only then did she finally break down into deep, guffawing laughter. Every bit of M'Gann's unusual behavior suddenly clicked into understanding, her insistence on staying despite the vital importance of their mission, her wild fluctuation between joyful fervor and flustered stammering. She was fangirling over her favorite actress.
Laughter devolved into chuckles, and she cleared her throat as she recomposed herself. Oh, she was never going to hear the end of this one from the Bat.
H
Her patrol had been so far, uneventful. Boring was preferable, honestly, as boring meant safety. So she'd angled her wings and changed her path, ready to head in the direction of the clinic. Her eyes scanned the scenery below, looking out for the barn that she'd been given as a landmark.
Almost as if her observation had willed it into occurrence, the distinct whine of jet engines caught in her sensitive ears, just as she spotted the clinic. Her boots scarcely touched ground before Superboy, Robin, and Kid Flash burst through the front door of a wooden farmhouse.
Timing on point, Miss Martian and Dr. Logan were just climbing out of the truck, and the whole Team was gathered together again.
"What is it?" The Martian was staring at a tense Superboy, trying to follow his line of sight, even as it was laser focused on seemingly nothing.
Now, the high-pitched whirr of the engines was reaching human-levels of audibility. Three jets dropped from cloud cover, swooping low in order to make a strafing run. Ammunition started to pepper the surrounding area, and immediately the Team started to scramble.
Initially targeted were M'Gann and Marie, who could only sprint away as bullets planted in the ground at their feet. Miss Martian tackled the other woman to the ground, bodily shielding her from the projectiles. A mere moment later, Superboy darted in, covering them both and ushering them out of the line of fire, his bulletproof skin proving to be a far superior shield.
Hawkgirl had not remained idle, launching herself up into the air. Carefully, she tracked the trajectory of one jet so she could get in close, and as it zipped past her, she latched onto the tip of a wing with her talons. Piercing the points into the metal, she allowed herself to be yanked along at dizzying speeds. Her wings were tucked in tight against her back, lest they be ripped asunder. Meter by meter, she dug her fingers in and crawled her way along the wing, making her way towards the central cockpit.
The sheer amount of noise this thing was generating sent her senses into a tizzy, leaving her unable to track whatever was going on outside her small bubble of awareness. Now at her target, she found the miniscule crack under the blacked out, bulbous window protruding from the rest of the streamlined jet. With some wiggling, she managed to get her claws underneath it, and with a hearty tear she removed the covering... Revealing it to be a fully automated drone.
Good, it meant she didn't have to be so careful.
Plunging a hand in, she started to excavate the fragile electronics within, removing wires by the handfuls, scoring circuit boards with long gouges, and smashing every blinking light.
WHOOM!
Her destruction proved to be a little too rampant, as the entire aircraft exploded without warning. The concussive force of the detonation sent her careening back to terra firma.
With a snap outwards and a twist, she managed to flare her wings just enough to keep her from fully lawn darting into the ground, but she still ended up tumbling uncontrollably a good distance before coming to a stop. Spitting out a few blades of grass and chunks of dirt that had gotten into her mouth, she leveraged herself upright just in time to see one of the drones strike true. The gas tank next to the barn erupted into a ball of flame, obliterating the building next to it. A resulting shockwave ruffled her feathers and filled her nostrils with acrid smoke.
"GARFIELD!"Marie's distressed scream rang louder in her ears than the explosion had.
M'Gann dove in, catching the limp body of the young boy in mid-air. Debris from the barn began to fall, the fire raging and putting out concerning amounts of heat. There was a blur of yellow and red as Wally rushed to control the flames, thankfully bringing the blaze to a smolder before more could catch.
When she saw Superboy and Miss Martian focused on the remaining drones, Hawkgirl dashed towards the civilians. Dr. Logan cradled her son, face rapidly draining of color. As the drones were eradicated above them, Marie stared down Hawkgirl and Robin, "I told you there would be consequences."
"Always," Robin said in a small voice. "Let's get him inside."
H
Even if it would have been safer for Hawkgirl to carry the injured child inside, she didn't dare to even suggest taking him away from his mother as they shuffled inside. Fortunate it was, this happening at a ramshackle medical facility. Sure, it was meant for animals, but a number of things were universal when it came to treating beings of flesh and bone. And the addition of Dr. Logan's professional grade first aid kit certainly helped.
After assuring the woman that both herself and Robin possessed Level Three First Aid certifications, they had been allowed to assist with the procedures.
Kid Flash remained on call, looming in the doorway, ready to rush off at a moment's notice when he was needed. Every so often, he'd been handed off blood-soaked sheets and gauze to dispose of or asked to retrieve additional supplies from elsewhere in the house, but every time he returned to his previous position, happy to remain until he was needed next.
This was probably on the more severe end of patient conditions that Hawkgirl had personally helped with. Shrapnel had been removed, lacerations had been disinfected, stitched, and wrapped, his insides had been carefully monitored for signs of internal bleeding (of which there was none, thankfully), and broken and sprained bones had been shifted into place and stabilized.
By now, blood coated the latex gloves they'd all snapped on for sterility's sake, the rusty tang hanging in the air, an ever-present miasma.
But there was only so much they could do, and eventually, Dr. Logan uttered the words that Ski'Lira had been silently dreading to hear.
"He's in shock. He needs a blood transfusion now." Leaning back from where she'd been double checking his heart rate via stethoscope, she looked to the rest of the room's occupants. "Are any of you O-Negative?"
"No," Robin answered.
"Sorry," Kid Flash could only offer an apology.
A gusty sigh left Marie's mouth, "Neither am I. It's the hardest to match. I kept a supply in the clinic." The words 'the clinic that was just destroyed' went unspoken, but understood anyway.
Taking a step into the room, Kid Flash put forth an idea. "I can run to the nearest hospital."
Already analyzing his holomap of the surrounding area, Robin gave a terse shake of his head. "Nearest hospital with a guaranteed blood supply is half an hour away even at your top speed. Longer by bioship."
"He doesn't have that much time!" Dr. Logan snapped. "Hawkgirl, are you?"
"Incompatible," Hawkgirl cut off the doctor's plea before she could fully voice it. Putting her blood in that kid's veins would be a surefire death sentence. If the different balance of proteins and hormones didn't take his already tanking vitals lower, the trace amounts of Nth metal that flowed through every Thanagarian's veins would poison him.
"What's Superboy's blood type?"
"Also incompatible," Hawkgirl repeated. "He's Kryptonian."
Robin took over now, "And Miss Martian-"
"Might be able to help," at the sound of the girl in question's voice, they turned to see her walking into the room with a grim set to her mouth. "My shapeshifting occurs at the cellular level. I... I think I can morph my blood to match his."
Newfound hope blossoming, Maria clutched at M'Gann's shoulders with desperation. "Please. Try."
"... I'll need to concentrate. No distractions."
With a nod, Marie snapped at the others with a ters, "Out! All of you, out!" Door practically slammed shut between them, the two were left to their work. Hawkgirl thought there should be at least one other person in there in case something went wrong, but if things turned out poorly, a flimsy piece of wood wouldn't prove much of a barrier.
Banished into the living room, Robin collapsed into an armchair, spine bowed forward and hands clasped together. "And on top of all this, Harjavti steps down tomorrow. Subjecting all of Qurac to his danger."
Following Robin's lead, Hawkgirl sat down on the couch. She pulled one of her wings forward into her lap, preening the feathers and removing the stray bits of grass that had been stuck between them since her poor landing. Usually she'd be wary about doing this indoors, not wanting to dirty the floors, but any apprehension faded when she saw very clear, muddy animal tracks criss-crossing the hardwood. A little grass wasn't going to make much difference.
Robin threw his head back, hands pressed tightly over his eyes. "KF, can you find a news station?"
Already heading towards the TV, Wally asked, "Sure, what remote is it?" He gave a testing button press of a remote he scooped up, and the device blared into life.
So startled by the bright colors and peppy tune was she, that Ski'Lira nearly yanked out the feather she'd been straightening. To preserve her plumage, she tabled her efforts for later, instead focusing on the television.
What she saw was one of the most sickly-sweet sitcom sequences Ski'Lira had ever seen in her life. And that was saying something, considering she was often exposed to daytime programming as a homeschool kid.
When the title for the show, Hello, Megan! popped onscreen, Superboy did a doubt take from where he'd been loitering outside the door of the makeshift medical room.
As the title sequence played out, certain details caught in Ski'Lira's brain. One of the outfits the protagonist was wearing matched thread for thread with M'Gann's preferred casual attire. Said protagonist was not only a proud cheerleader, but her boyfriend was reminiscent of a scrawnier, longer haired version of Conner.
"... Maybe it's a coincidence." No one believed Superboy, not even himself based on the lackluster delivery.
Opening theme (thankfully) finished, the episode truly began.
"Mom, I'm going to the library to study!" Sitcom Megan was practically skipping down the steps of the living room set.
Blonde Sitcom Mom stopped her daughter, with an overexaggerated, "But didn't you invite a certain someone to study here?"
Doorbell sound cue ringing out, Sitcom Megan smacked her palm against her forehead. "Hello, Megan!" Now cue the laughter from an unseen live studio audience. Making her way through the set, the redhead yanked open the door, revealing the scrawny love interest from the intro. "Conner!" Running forward, the two embraced as if they hadn't seen each other in months. "I thought you'd never get here."
Meanwhile, the mood in the living room was tense, confused, and shocked. Understandable, since their perception of one of their friends was rapidly changing by the second. Conner's frown was steadily deepening, fingers twitching as if resisting the urge to ball them into fists.
And Hawkgirl felt bad, she really, truly did. But it was becoming increasingly difficult for her to tamp down her laughter. She was forced to resort to resuming her preening, just so she could hide her grin behind the span of her wing.
An outsider might think her cruel. But Ski'Lira had the privilege of once being M'Gann's confidante.
"Do you think I fit in? At the school? I just feel like I'm trying too hard, you know? But I have to try because I'm so different from all of them! And not just because I'm from Mars, they're all... normal teenagers."
The memory of M'Gann's confession was circling through her thoughts. If her suspicions were correct, and this low-budget sitcom had been her introduction to life on Earth, no wonder she was struggling under the weight of expectation.
"Oh yeah, pure coincidence." Kid Flash snarked.
The frankly, enlightening session of screen watching was interrupted as a weary M'Gann emerged from the depths of the house. "It's done. All we can do now is wait."
Kid Flash was far from subtle in his panic, remote flipping out of his hands in his rush to pause, freezing the screen on the image of Sitcom Megan and Sitcom Conner. Jabbing at buttons at complete random, it finally flicked over to a live news report.
"Is that Harjavti?" M'Gann asked, somehow oblivious to the chaos that had just occurred... It was probably the blood loss.
"My fellow Quracis. Queen Bee's rule is a gift to Qurac."
"Hey, that guy in back!" Superboy took a step forward, pointing at the screen. "I know him!"
Using his hologlove, Robin zoomed and enhanced the broadcast, blowing up the face of the pale, hooded figure lurking behind President Harjavti.
"It's Psimon!" M'Gann recognized him too, now that she had a clearer view. "The psychic we fought last time we were in Bialya. He was working for Queen Bee then, he must be controlling Harjavti for her now!"
Hands cradling his own face, Kid Flash let out a low groan. "Ugh, I still remember the headache from when he brain blasted us."
"We have to get Harjavti away from him." Robin's mouth was set into a stern line.
Just as Hawkgirl opened her mouth, fully ready to start formulating a proper plan, the moment was interrupted as Dr. Logan reappeared.
"I... think it worked. Garfield's stable." The report brought a wave of immediate relief. One worry amongst many was assuaged with the news.
"That is good to hear." Hawkgirl stood up from her seat, swiping errant blades of grass from her pants. "And well timed. We need to resume our mission."
Dr. Logan tilted her head to the side, examining her face. "... You risked a great deal by helping us, didn't you?"
"A risk well worth taking," she answered, knowing full well that she alone would shoulder any and all blame from Batman for this deviation. Just as Aqualad would do, if he were in her place.
H
DEMOCRATIC PALACE, DHABAR
NOVEMBER 23RD, 2010
22:11 UTC+2
On the list of things that Ski'Lira abhorred, being forced to traipse through ventilation shafts ranked close to the top. This time, it was truly unavoidable, as the entire building was crawling with personnel and high-end security tech. Finding a clear path to their quarry, President Harjavti, had proved a challenge even for an infiltration expert like Robin.
After some very precise maneuvering and a bit of hacking, they managed to clear a path (albeit a twisting, convoluted one) straight to Harjavti's office.
Robin fished a wire camera from his utility belt to check the area before they descended, primarily for traps or cameras rather than people. If there was more than one heartbeat thumping in that room (Harjavti), both Hawkgirl and Superboy would know.
Unless they were an android, which knowing their luck, was entirely possible.
"Harjavti's alone," Robin reported via the mental link. All clear given, Hawkgirl popped open the grate and slid through the opening, dropping into the office. She did a secondary scan as the others followed suit, neither seeing nor hearing anything out of the ordinary.
Apart from the fact the office was entirely unlit, and the sole occupant was staring out the window.
Robin and Hawkgirl flanked the president, who was visibly dazed, a glazed sheen over his eyes that was... unsettling. "Where's my daughter? Where's Psimon?"
They truly didn't need the confirmation of the villainous telepath's presence, but the verbal affirmation from his primary thrall was certainly appreciated.
"Forget him," Robin reached for the president's arm. "Let's get you out of here."
A sharp hiss rang through the empty room, putting everyone on high alert as previously unseen doors (ones most assuredly not on the blueprints) slid open. Soldiers poured into the room, bodies wrapped with non-Terran weaponry and body armor, blasters glowing with a vibrant red hue. One man led the pack, bearded, clad in the decorated uniform of a high-ranking military official.
"Well, well," the Bialyan general's face was impassive. "American heroes. Here to assassinate the president. Such a shame we arrived too late to stop them."
Conner's voice chimed in, "Those are Apokalypton weapons."
Hawkgirl nearly choked in surprise. How the hell had they gotten their hands on Apokolips tech?! Mentally, she re-evaluted the severity of the situation and adjusted accordingly. The weapons and armor were leagues above even the best Terran arms had to offer.
But it also meant that if things went badly, she wouldn't have to restrain the strength of her blows.
"Which they'll use to kill Harjavti, we get blamed, and Queen Bee gets to rule Qurac!" It was truly impressive how quickly Robin put the pieces together.
Hawkgirl's hand started to drift towards her mace, a subtle movement to avoid alerting their enemies. "Harjavti's the priority here. Form up, no one gets within five feet of him."
Having found focus elsewhere, Miss Martian announced, "I found Psimon!"
"Wait!" Robin tried valiantly to draw her back with a sharp, barking command, but she would not be deterred.
"I'll get her!" Superboy volunteered, but was immediately shot down by the Team's temporary second.
"No! The mission is Harjavti!"
"We stay where we're needed and trust M'Gann can handle it herself." Clawed fingers fully curled around the handle of her mace. "On my signal."
With a sharp flick of her hand, the head of her weapon dropped into its meteor hammer form, landing just before her foot. Reeling back her leg, she punted the spiked ball so it slammed into the chest of the nearest soldier, quite literally kicking things off.
Crimson sparks erupted from the machinery she'd hit, forcing a cry out of the soldier as he fought the urge to flee. The construction proved sturdier than she hoped, as it wasn't immediately set into overdrive, instead remaining disappointingly functional.
Everyone else sprung into action, maintaining a loose semi-circle around the vulnerable Harjavti. High-pitched whines filled the air as laser blasts were shot by experienced soldiers working with unfamiliar tools. Their aim proved true about half the time, the percentage of success growing as they learned and adjusted with each fired shot. Members of the Team were constantly on the move to avoid debilitating burns, apart from Superboy, who merely tanked each hit as it came.
Feeling a shot graze scarily close to one wing, Hawkgirl isolated the culprit and forewent her meteor hammer, instead physically picking him up and hurling him at a wall. A crack shot up from nearly floor to ceiling, and for a moment she worried about the integrity of the man's spine. But the crack was far too uniform to be a normal break.
Somehow, she'd found one of the hidden doorways by sheer accident. Fully prepared to ignore it and head back into the fray, she stopped when she heard a muffled noise from within, something distinctly distressed. Whatever soundproofing the extra chambers had, at least this one's had been broken.
Not wanting to risk leaving herself vulnerable, she called out to her nearest teammate. "Robin, cover me, I think I hear someone else."
Receiving a wave of igotyouigotyouigotyou, more in feeling than in coherent words, Hawkgirl dug her fingers into the crack and ripped the door asunder.
In the span of her one step forward, she registered the distraught woman, bound and gagged on the floor, and then felt the barrel of a gun press into the soft flesh of her cheek.
"Ah ah, it is no use," it was the general, who had likely slipped away during the commotion as his men fought (and lost) on his behalf. "You are not one of the speedsters, you are not faster than a bullet."
That was true, she couldn't. Even with the age of this revolver, clearly more sentimental based on the intricate gold filigree and engravings, but still functional enough to punch a hole through her head.
But she did have her own quirks that she could use. One of the fun things about a Thanagarian's wings was that they were very strong, they had to be in order to launch a full humanoid into the air and keep it there.
Inching her wing back just enough to gain more momentum, the feathery appendage snapped forward, sending the general stumbling forwards. The gun fired, bullet just barely missing, but the heat from the combustion gases seared her face. Snarling in a mix of pain and anger, she snatched the gun as he fired again, this shot punching into the wooden flooring between her feet. She crumpled the barrel of the gun into a useless hunk of metal, and the next time he fired, the bullet had nowhere to go.
The firearm exploded in his hand.
Screaming, the Bialyan reeled, clutching at his mangled and bleeding hand. He gritted his teeth, steeling himself and grasping for a long knife sheathed at his belt. Swiping wildly, she lazily ducked his swings, ducking to the side and clocking him in the side of the head with a closed fist.
He dropped bonelessly to the ground.
"HG, you good?!" Robin called out, likely having heard the gunfire.
"No harm done." She said, then registered the pull on her face from what was likely a second degree burn. "No lasting harm done. I think I found Harjavti's daughter."
Hawkgirl knelt down before the woman, scanning her for injuries and finding only minor bruising and chafing from her bindings. Somehow, her hair and makeup were impeccable, despite clearly having gone through an ordeal of her own.
"We're here to help." Hawkgirl assured the woman, repeating the message again in Arabic, just in case, keeping her voice low.
Eyes darting to the unconscious general, the woman allowed the winged teen to help her to her feet. With a few quick tears, Hawkgirl removed the cloth covering her mouth and lashing her wrists together. The woman spoke, also in Arabic, "Thank you, I-." She silenced herself when Hawkgirl pressed a finger to her lips.
"I'm going to escort her to her father, watch my back." Hawkgirl snapped off the order, then spoke in a hushed tone to the former captive, continuing to speak in the woman's preferred language. "Keep quiet, keep low. I'm taking you to your father."
Without protest, she nodded again, ducking her head down low to make herself a smaller target. Likely she had a plethora of experience with various security personnel, seeing as she was the daughter of a prominent political figure, and knew when to comply without complaint or delay.
By the time they exited the small antechamber, most of their opponents were down, only a few troublesome stragglers remaining. One saw spotted them, aiming the barrel of his laser gun towards them. Before he could fire, the end of Robin's grappling hook caught in the machinery and the wire was yanked backwards by Superboy. Kid Flash sped in, dismantling the weaponry's firing system with a practiced hand.
Hawkgirl kept her wings wide, obscuring Harjavti's daughter from sight (and potential laser fire). When she was close enough, she darted out from the feathery shield and threw herself over her father's shoulders, part embrace, part protection.
The final two soldiers were taken out by Superboy, who merely knocked their heads together and tossed them onto the floor alongside the unconscious bodies of their brethren.
"Thank you for saving my father," arms twining tighter around Harjavti's shoulders, the older woman had nothing but sincere gratitude in her eyes. "We will take care of him now."
Most immediate threat handled and Harjavti safely in the hands of his actual guards and staff, the Team was safe to rendezvous with Miss Martian.
"M'Gann, we're coming." Superboy gave their wayward member a heads up as they sprinted down the hallways of the Democratic Palace.
Just as they burst into a large theater, catching sight of Psimon and Miss Martian facing off, they were all struck with a simultaneous headache, the worst Hawkgirl had ever experienced in her life. There was only a heartbeat between the time her body registered painpainpain and her vision went black.
H
Ski'Lira jerked into awareness, hand already scrabbling for her mace, only to see the theater had been decimated. She couldn't see Psimon, but M'Gann was visibly unharmed, checking over Conner with careful eyes.
There was a tight pinch between her brows, and a dull ache in her skull, as if she'd gone four nights without sleep in a row, and then been hit upside the head with a rock.
"And there's the headache." Kid Flash desperately rubbed his temple, as if the mere pressure could cure their mutual ailment.
"Psimon?" Robin inquired, eyes squinting oddly, likely suffering from blurred vision.
M'Gann was frowning, troubled by something. "He brain blasted you. I stopped him." Following her line of sight, they finally saw Psimon. His body was draped over a pile of debris, eyes eerily vacant, drool dripping from the corner of his mouth in a steady stream.
A shiver went up Ski'Lira's spine, her feathers ruffling before she reined them in.
Hawkgirl swayed a bit before staggering upright, ignoring how the sudden movement made the headache worse. "This isn't over yet. Queen Bee's plans are still in motion."
"Actually..." A tired, yet confident smirk stretched across Robin's face. "I have an idea about that."
H
On the sprawling grounds of the Democratic Palace, photographers, protestors, armed guards, and tactical vehicles surrounded the building. Without care to her hostile audience, 'Queen Bee' strode through the masses, head held high, up until the point she was stopped by a perimeter guard.
"What do you mean the president won't see me?" 'Queen Bee' raised her voice, allowing herself to be heard clearly above the din. "He invited me!"
From the open balcony at the front of the palace, Harjavti shouted down at her with all the enthusiasm of a Shakespeare in the Park performer. At his side, his daughter (Noor Harjavti, as they had learned) stood in a silent sign of solidarity. "Not of my free will, no! But now that I am free of your minion's thrall, the Quraci people will never suffer your tyrannical rule!"
Cheers broke out amongst the masses, the rate of camera flashes ramping up tenfold as photographers fought to document this historic moment.
"Mark me, Harjavti!" 'Queen Bee' gestured her fist at him, face warped into a nearly comical scowl. "You will suffer for this! Qurac will be mine!" Soldiers moved to grab her, and promptly escorted her off the premises.
Or rather, usher her hastily out of sight of the civilians and media.
Roughly ten minutes later, the door of Harjavti's office opened, revealing 'Queen Bee' in the flesh. Said flesh promptly shrunk and changed back into the form of M'Gann M'orrzz.
"Sorry you had to lie to everyone like that." Robin said in greeting. "But I couldn't think of any other way to convince the public Queen Bee was behind this."
Putting a hand on the younger teen's shoulder, Ski'Lira offered him a grin. "It was a solid plan, far better than my own ideas. This was the best way to minimize potential damages. Something for which I believe President Harjavti is very thankful for."
"Dude!" Kid Flash struck his friend's arm with a soft, good-natured punch. "Saving a country! Pretty big win for your first stint as second in command."
The Boy Wonder rubbed at the sore spot left behind, "Yeah, thanks."
"I think it's about time we left matters to the President. The less time we linger, the better I think." Hawkgirl reminded them.
Perking up, M'Gann made one more request. "Do you think we can make a stop first?"
H
Honestly, it wasn't that hard of a sell to return to the Logan Sanctuary. M'Gann was far from the only one that wanted first hand confirmation of Garfield Logan's status. When they'd filed out of the bioship, Dr. Logan met them on the porch.
The first words from here were, "He's okay."
M'Gann was visibly tearing up at the good news, but composed herself before she could fall into a blubbering mess.
Marie had very kindly ushered them inside, offering food and water as they got the chance to watch the live news broadcast she had been monitoring in their absence.
It seemed Bruce Wayne was back in Qurac, meeting with Harjavti in person. "And I assure you, the Wayne Foundation is here to do whatever it can to help you and your people rebuild Qurac."
Having had her fill of local news, Dr. Logan turned off the TV.
"Gee, Bruce Wayne sure got here fast. Almost like he knew-" a sharp elbow from Robin silenced Kid Flash, the former covering up the movement by putting his hands behind his head in a casual slouch. The latter let out a low wheeze.
"Don't you have a souvenir to collect or something?" Robin reminded.
Smacking his head, "Hello, Megan!" Kid Flash sped over to the cabinet, brandishing the eye-opening VHS as if it were a holy artifact. M'Gann's face was carefully blank, even as the evidence was waved in front of her teasingly. "Something you'd like to tell us."
Glancing between them all with unease, M'Gann let out a gusty sigh. "Growing up on Mars was... not a happy time for me. But I started watching the broadcasts my uncle sent from Earth to teach us about our sister planet, and when I saw Hello, Megan, something just... clicked. Maybe it was the similarities in our names, maybe it was the way all Megan's problems could be solved in twenty two minutes... All I know for sure is that Megan helped me smile through a lonely childhood. So, when I came to Earth, and had to adopt a human form..." M'Gann turned her gaze directly to Marie. "I chose you. Well, Megan."
Her heartfelt speech concluded, Robin shared a look with Kid Flash before gingerly asking. "Which begs the question... What do you really look like?"
Rising to her feet, M'Gann stood stock still, mustering up the courage before allowing her form to shift. Red hair vanished into a now-bald head, delicate features expanding until she sported a heavier browline more reminiscent of her uncle's. Her lips altered to an untinted green, and even the little sprinkle of freckles dotting her cheeks and nose were completely gone.
"Bald M'Gann. Still hot." The ill-timed comment earned Kid Flash a whap from one of Ski'Lira's wings.
Acting quickly to assure her, Conner grasped his girlfriend's hands in a show of support, making her look at him as he made his declaration. "You know you don't have to put on a mask for me."
Sweet as the words may have been, they weren't what M'Gann had been wanting to hear. Taken aback, she practically flinched, returning to her red-haired, Megan inspired form.
"I do it for me." M'Gann snapped. "This is who I am. Inside. Please don't be mad." Her attention didn't waver from Marie, desperately seeking some kind of approval.
"Mad? I'm honored. You saved my son." Tears gathered in the corners of the older woman's eyes. "He says he's your blood brother now. And I agree. You're family."
Miss Martian dove across the room, embracing the newly declared member of her inner circle. "Thank you. You can't know what that means to me."
The hug lasted for at least half a minute, but M'Gann pulled away first, insisting she'd like to check on Garfield herself.
"Just keep quiet," Marie requested, gently prodding the sodden-eyed teen towards the hallway. "He needs the rest."
Marie quietly excused herself from the living room too, citing something about the kitchen, leaving the rest of the Team alone.
"So... A lot of things make a whole lot more sense now." Kid Flash mused, toying with the VHS tape in his hands. "But good for her."
"Yeah," Robin agreed. "I'm proud of her. Especially for telling us all that. It... can't have been easy."
Conner, meanwhile, was looking slightly perplexed. Picking up on it first, Robin tossed a question his way. "You good?"
"Yeah, yeah," the Kryptonian shook his head. "Just sort of regretting making her upset. Saying the right thing is... challenging. And I can't get over... Well... The TV show. Why didn't she tell me earlier?"
"Probably because she didn't want to admit she'd been modeling her life after a sitcom? She could have picked worse, though." Kid Flash shrugged. "Though, she's been on Earth long enough to learn life isn't like that, so she's held onto the parts of it she can still take comfort in." Seeing the looks he was receiving, he scowled. "What? I can be emotionally competent sometimes."
"He's right." Hawkgirl's chin was perched on her hand, staring out the window, where she could see a few wildebeest grazing close by. "It's easy for otherworlders to be swayed by what one sees on TV, or hears from other Terrans."
"... I sense a story there."
She shot him a weak glare, but rolled her eyes and opted to explain. "When we were young, Red Arrow used to share stories with me about his days at school, and I... wanted that too. Or at least, I thought I did."
"Wait, did you actually attend school?" Robin leaned forward in his seat, invested now. "If you spent time in a public school for legitimate education and didn't tell me, I will be upset."
"No, nothing like that. I mean, I did attend school on Thanagar, but my family intervened, talked some sense into me."
Kid Flash snapped his fingers, "Wait, wait, I've just put another piece together. Thanagarians don't have fantasy stories, all your media is based on current and historical fact."
"For the most part, yes. There are exceptions, but as a whole that is true." She admitted.
"When you came to Earth, did you think sitcoms were real?!"
Hawkgirl opted not to comment on that, but her pointed silence was enough to earn the speedster's guffawing laughter. But the brevity at least had the side benefit of easing Superboy's mood.
Much, much later, when secrets were revealed in full, M'Gann would reveal this as the moment Queen Bee had first approached her. The light-hearted conversation had thoroughly occupied the only two present that could have heard the wayward infiltrator from the next room over.
H
MOUNT JUSTICE
LATER
Just as she had predicted, Batman was not happy with the serious deviation from his intricately planned mission. But fortunately, everyone else had been dismissed before the dressing down occurred. Or rather, most everyone, as Robin had insisted he stay, based on his position as her chosen second.
"You admit that despite knowing full well the risks involved, you still opted to remain at the Sanctuary?" Batman's eyes were narrowed, just as they had been since they'd met him here, back at the mountain.
"It was the best course of action at the time." Hawkgirl argued. "We required Miss Martian's presence to pilot the bioship."
"Yet, you have three members of your Team, including yourself, that could easily have traveled the distance to the Democratic Palace without the bioship."
Tamping down her frustrated impulses to yell, she kept her voice level. "Yes, but such an action would have left us potentially vulnerable to Psimon's influence, nor would we have known to expect him at all. That was information we gained at Dr. Logan's home because we delayed."
He tilted his head, considering. "You've thought this through."
"I had to."
"Good. But know that today, you were lucky." The brief moment of praise was overshadowed by the rest of his words. "I don't want you to get complacent, thinking that every mission will be so forgiving of... diversions."
"Rule Ten, complacency is the quickest route to a shameful death." One of the tenets of the Thanagarian Rules of Combat spilled from her lips, rote knowledge easily accessed. "I will not allow it. This was an anomaly."
"I expect a full analysis of the situation, as well as alternative paths you could have taken. Both of you are dismissed."
With full permission to leave the Hub, the duo did so. Robin leaned over as they walked, nudging her shoulder with his own. "I can't believe he gave you homework. Everything turned out fine."
"It's as he said, we can't risk complacency. This isn't the first time either I or Aqualad have had to submit additional paperwork."
"He makes you write essays about mistakes? Since when?"
She gave a considering hum, as she pondered. "Santa Prisca was the first I think. Tower of Fate, Clayface... there have been others."
"Okay, but..." Physically grabbing her by the arm, Robin brought them both to a stop well before they reached the lounge. The dim light of the hallway cast sharp shadows over both of them. "Look, I just don't get it. Usually you're so crazy about sticking to the mission, but today... Today you didn't even hesitate anytime M'Gann asked you for something. We could have... should have lost to Queen Bee today. Bats was right, we were lucky."
"A lucky victory is still a victory." She argued. "Do you regret saving the Logans?"
Spluttering at her blunt inquiry, his eyes went wide. "W-What? Of course not! That's not what I'm saying." He scrubbed his hands through his hair, making it stick up in odd angles. "You're deflecting. Why were you being so...?"
Pursing her lips, Ski'Lira didn't have the energy (or will) to spin an untruth. The strain of the day was starting to wear her down, and she displayed as such by pulling off her helmet. Sweaty strands of hair that had escaped her braid long ago stuck to her cheek, framing the nasty, and slowly healing burn marring a good portion of her cheek. "I... Robin. I have barely managed to regain some modicum of trust with this Team. I'd be a fool to break it so soon."
Whether he was more taken aback by her words or the action of removing her helmet so brazenly, she did not know. "I... Skylar, I get why you're worried. But you don't have to compromise who you are just because you're afraid of losing trust. We know who you are, what you're like, and how you only want us to perform our best when we're out there. But... It was a nice thing you did for M'Gann. I can tell she really appreciated it."
"... It was good to see her happy. It may not have been according to mission parameters, but I know that we did something good today, and I'm not talking about saving President Harjavti and Qurac from irreparable harm. Sometimes just doing one good thing... is enough." She offered him a wan smile. "And I couldn't, we couldn't have done it without my second in command."
"Yeah, yeah," his cheeks pinked a little. "I still feel like I owe you an apology, I was contributing to the whole leadership thing way more than you usually do for Kaldur. Sorry if I stepped on your toes too much."
"Dick, don't be a moron."
"Wha-?"
"Batman would have chosen you as lead for this mission if I didn't already precede you in the hierarchy. If I'd been off this mission, you would have led it entirely. And... I'm surprised he didn't just choose you from the start, considering. I certainly would have."
"No, no. Do not put that scenario in my head." He wagged an accusing finger at her. "I do not need that kind of stress in my life."
"Is the idea of leading this Team truly so abhorrent to you? I recall you being very enthusiastic about taking over the role, once upon a time."
"Duh, but that was before..." Trailing off, an expression slipped onto his face that Ski'Lira couldn't quite name, then he literally shook himself to clear it. "I am perfectly content in my position, thank you."
"If you're sure."
Not wanting to idle any longer, the two continued on their journey. By the time they made it to the lounge, the air was filled with the scent of buttered popcorn. Various bowls of the foodstuff had been scattered on the coffee table, some sprinkled with different candies.
"Oh good, you're both alive." Wally, freshly showered and in his civvies, pretended to wipe sweat from his brow. "Thought you were both goners."
"It was pretty close." Robin pressed a hand to his chest. "Hawkgirl has to write an essay on what she did wrong."
"Ouch. I will pray for you." Wally broke character with a cackle. "Now change out of your uniforms quick, the marathon is about to start."
"Marathon...?" Robin's question was answered as Wally turned on the TV, and the opening song for Hello, Megan! began to play.
"It was Wally's idea." M'Gann piped up from the kitchen, where she'd made tea for herself and Conner, who was following after her. "You don't have to stay."
"I wouldn't miss it for the world." Already sold, Robin practically ran in the direction of the room.
Hawkgirl sighed, loud and long. She really couldn't deny M'Gann anything today. "I'll stay."
Garfield Logan is a precious bean who must be protected at all costs. I feel like I've committed a crime in not allowing Hawkgirl to bond with a fellow, slightly feral animal enthusiast.
I'm sure that'll be amended in the future.
For those that enjoy voting for things, and also FoF: Side Stories: I just posted a new poll, wherein you (yes, you!) can vote for which oneshot is finished and published next. Please vote, I am desperate for direction and have far too many in-progress to choose on my own. Poll can be found on my profile here on good ol' . If it's not showing up (and I hope it is), is unhappy with me.
As ever, questions and comments are always welcome, and stay safe out there