Thanagar

Captain Hol and his men were outside of his villa.  “I’m sorry Katar,” said one of his junior officers.  “But they said they can’t find Shayera.”

“She’s out there.”

The officer snorted.  “So…we’re going to waste our time chasing this little nightingale?  To what end?  For what gain?”

“Till she’s safe back home in my arms.”  This made the officer regret his aggressive attitude.  Katar went on.  “I hate to sound like a madman, but I think the government lied to me.  They can bring her back.  They built that ship that took her away, didn’t they?”  Katar sat down on a short wall and looked up.  “At first they said she was missing.  Now…they say she’s dead.  The ship didn’t survive the travel.  Why would they lie to us?”  He cleared his throat.  “She can’t be dead.  I know she can’t be.  We’re both looking at the stars tonight.  Wherever she is…she’s looking at those stars.”

“So Captain…we continue to investigate your Magpie’s…disappearance?”

Katar nodded.  “Yes.  And we need to hurry.”  He leaned closer to his officers, as though worried that he would be overheard.  “Because the longer she’s gone, and the longer they tell me she’s dead…the sooner I begin to lose faith…and believe in them…”

 

*              *              *

 

Earth

“I wonder, maybe one day I’ll find which star Thanagar circles around.”

“I hope you do, Hawkgirl.  But until then, you are Hawkgirl, the Winged Avenger, defender of Midway City.”

Shayera stopped looking at the evening sky and turned towards Emmett.  They were both on the museum roof, directly above the small doorway that lead to Hawkgirl’s Aviary.  The door was left open so the evening hunters could leave and the daytime predators could come in and rest.  “Not that bad of a title.  But it seems so strange…only yesterday I was fighting Byth on this rooftop…and then…he went and killed himself like that.”

Emmett nodded.  “Was he always like that?”

Shayera shook her head.  “Years ago, my…a fellow officer decided that he was tired of Byth getting free all the time.  That’s what Byth meant by ‘Human Justice’ failing on Thanagar.  He was always getting out of his jail sentences.  Byth…he was being a smart mouth, as usual…the officer got mad, and tore out his wings so he could never fly away.”

“How horrid!”

Shayera nodded.  “I thought it was at first…but Byth—and that officer that took away his flight—were right about one thing.  No one knew what to do about him.  He was…a problem case.  You can’t reform a man like him…but until he landed here, he was just a harmless thief.  I guess once he was on Earth, he realized he was more powerful than anyone of you.  Like how I am more powerful than any human.”  Shayera paused for a moment to think.  “I guess that’s why I’m needed here, isn’t it?  So big-guns like Byth can’t hurt anyone.”

“Part of it.”  Emmett looked down at downtown Midway.  “And the other part…you did that yesterday too.”

“What?”

“You gave hope…you gave us wings.”

 

The End

 

Preview to Hawkgirl: Flight over Gotham:

 

“Gotham?  What is in Gotham that I would find so fascinating?”

Jordan rolled his eyes.  “Only Batman, Shayera.  That’ll be interesting.  Your mace versus his utility belt.  Emmett, I place fifteen toward The Bat.”

Emmett looked at Shayera.  “If she carries the cross-bow with the mace, I’ll bet fifty in her favor.”

“Will someone explain what’s so scary about this big black bat to me?”

 

Now that Hawkgirl has proven herself in Midway, she must head to Gotham, in an investigation to find several stolen pieces of jewelry loaned to Midway from Wayne Enterprises.  Not only does Shayera has to deal with entire Bat-family—Batman, Nightwing, Batgirl, and Robin—but she also has to deal with their avian villain, the Penguin!  Feathers will fly.

 

Thanks for the great review guys!  I loved reading all of them.  Hope you enjoy the upcoming story and the stories that follow!

~Artemis Hawk