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- - -
Dinah woke up to an empty bed. An all too common occurrence for the last several weeks. So many times that she'd long stopped getting burned up over it. There were other things that more deserved her ire.
In fact… something in her gut told her Ollie was still in the building.
The blonde rolled out of bed and quickly threw on some sweats. She checked the bedside clock, seeing 12:07 AM glaring back in digital red.
Huh. He's up early.
Grabbing her phone - seeing no missed messages - Dinah left the master bedroom behind, moving into the halls of the Queen mansion. Bare feet padded against the polished hardwood floor, taking her under beautifully carved archways. Taking her past classic paintings and busts of marble and bronze.
All that money… calls himself "Man of the People"... perceptive as a rock…
Down the main staircase she went, down into the foyer, and then on into the study. If he hadn't left yet, he'd be in there.
She slid the study doors open, revealing shelves lined with old books, a massive desk carved from dark oak, and Oliver Queen garbing himself in green. Just as her gut had told her.
The man whirled around, eyes going wide under his domino mask. He was midway through shrugging on his coat, the newer hooded one lined with kevlar. Like a deer in the headlights, he stood there frozen.
"You're suiting up?" The answer was of course obvious, but she wanted it to sting. Ollie's wince was only marginally satisfying.
Caught red-handed. Jerk.
"Yeah." Ollie answered lamely. He pulled his coat the rest of the way, zipping it up tight from the front. Even in her rapidly souring mood, she couldn't deny that he looked halfway like a superhero.
Dinah moved ahead into the study, putting less and less space between her and her boyfriend. The guy who called himself Green Arrow.
"Is there an emergency? Something going down in the city?" She pressed him, her interest genuine despite the frustration.
"League message." Ollie looked reluctant to continue, but Dinah was close now. He never could ignore her. "They need some extra hands up in the Watchtower. I didn't want to wake you."
Dinah frowned. She brought out her phone again, clicking the screen on. Just the same as last time, there was nothing.
"I didn't get any message-" Dinah caught a glimpse of something just behind Arrow. A familiar flash of yellow sitting on the desk. For a moment, she just stared at it. "Is that my League communicator?"
Dinah pointed at it. Arrow turned slowly, following her finger. His expression remained neutral, flat.
"Yeah. You left it in here."
He was full of shit. He knew it. Dinah knew it. Yet his face remained still, offering nothing. No regret, no apology, not even the normal boyfriend guilt.
Dinah hadn't left shit behind. She'd never be so careless, especially not with League tech. Ollie had taken it while she was sleeping. He didn't want her to get the call.
But Dinah couldn't prove it. That and she didn't have the energy to get into it with him. So for the short silence between them, Dinah fumed in silence.
"I'll get my suit. We'll go together." She finally said to him. He opened his mouth but she turned towards the door. She was getting tired of his stupid face, his stupid mask, his stupid goatee.
"Dinah- It's an urgent message." He complained.
"I'll be fast." She called back to him. She stopped at the doors, sparing him a last look. "Besides, you said they needed some extra hands."
Ollie's lips parted and closed, little sounds dying in his throat. No excuse. Just like she thought.
"...Fine." He relented, shoulders sagging.
For some reason, that only burned up Dinah even more. She gave the man one last hard look and left the study behind.
The blonde brawler made a break for the equipment room, where she knew a spare Canary outfit would be. Much closer than the threads she'd left back in the bedroom. She wouldn't give him a reason to leave without her.
Heat burned at her cheeks. Ollie's bullshit stung more than it stank. But being treated like a cripple?
The embarrassment stung even worse.
- - -
Ollie didn't say a word to her when she came back in her Black Canary threads. Not even the usual compliment on her legs. That was fine. Dinah wasn't in the mood to hear his voice anyway.
The silence remained between them the whole way to the zeta sender point. They stood in that grassy clearing just outside his mansion and they waited. Ollie hardly even acknowledged her. Nothing but a quick sidelong glance.
Then there was a flash of golden light. An instant later, the two of them were standing in the middle of the zeta teleporter deck. The bustle of the busy League headquarters filled Dinah's ears. Her eyes adjusted to the lights, blurry figures coming into focus around them. Watchtower staff rushed about, the mortal men and women who kept the station running.
Then she heard Ollie's voice, mumbling into her ear as he leaned in close.
"You shouldn't have come, babe."
A flare of anger rose in her chest. She struck quickly, punching the Emerald Archer's upper arm and hoped none of the folks around them noticed.
"Don't fucking 'babe', me. Asshole." Dinah hissed. She tried to keep her voice down. Her body was tense with effort to keep still. "Trying to leave me behind.."
She glared up at her boyfriend, desperately looking for anything behind that domino mask, anything that would show her some regret, anything like those cute, sheepish looks he'd get when he did or said something dopey and ticked her off. She found nothing.
Dinah made to storm away but Ollie took her by the arm. The grab alone would have had her blowing a fuse but the next words out of his mouth made Dinah's jaw drop.
"I was just trying to protect you."
Dinah stared at the man, at first unsure if she heard him correctly. When he didn't make an effort to correct himself, Dinah felt her outrage transcend to a new level. One that was almost serene, like the receding tide before the tsunami.
"Protection?" Dinah spat the word, indignant. She kept her voice low and threatening as she moved in close, poking a finger into Ollie's padded chest. "I don't need superpowers to put you on your ass, Queen."
Ollie made a face, like he was tasting something bitter. His eyes darted around, checking to see if anybody was watching them.
"It's not just about the powers, Dinah." He whispered, frustration creeping into his voice. That just angered Dinah even further. What the hell did he have to be frustrated about, she asked herself. "All that stuff with the abduction and Mongul and the War World… that kind of experience would get to anybody. There's no shame in it. We're all worried about you-"
Dinah waved him off. No. She was not hearing this. Not from Oliver Fucking Queen.
"I'm fine." She told him hotly. "Everything is fine. I don't need a shoulder to cry on, Ollie. I need to get back out there. What's driving me crazy is sitting around doing nothing."
"Alright. Alright." Ollie held his hands up as he backed away. He didn't quite meet her eyes.
Anger still stirred in Dinah's gut. Her cheeks, ears, the back of her neck, they burned hot.
"I'm not some delicate flower, Ollie."
"Of course not."
"Then stop treating me like one." That one sounded more like she was begging than ordering. She hoped - prayed - that he didn't notice.
Dinah was suddenly very aware of all the other people around them as she marched off the teleporter platform. Watchtower crew and fellow heroes alike made way for her as she did. Dinah could feel them looking, could feel their eyes following her. She could have brushed it off as the usual gawking and ogling - she was the Black Canary, famed for kicking ass in leather and fishnets and heeled boots. Though the energy of the room didn't line up with that. The War World incident was months in the past. Everyone in the cape business had to know by now. The Canary had wound up caged just like a slew of other heroes. But when the League finally broke them out, Dinah discovered to her horror that she'd lost more than just her pride.
They were watching her now. Pitying her. Her gut twisted at the thought of it.
Metal doors slid open before her, revealing the central atrium. The enormous chamber stretched out into a grand open space, the ceiling rising dozens of feet above Dinah's head. And through those ultra-thick clear panels Dinah could see an ocean of stars. Indeed, the central atrium was grand enough to make even the Justice League feel humble.
Up ahead was the computer nexus, a towering pillar of cutting edge hardware, set with dozens and dozens of bright, blinking screens. Hovering at the foot of it was a holo-display of the planet Earth, its glowing surface dotted with pulsing beacons. And gathered around were dozens and dozens of heroes. Masked champions pledged to defend the helpless. Dinah was proud to stand among them.
So many present in one place, the big names - Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash - and the obscure - Plastic Man, Dr. Light, even Booster Gold - all gathered to lend their strength to the cause of justice.
Dinah belonged here. The Black Canary had earned her place. Nothing and nobody could take that away from her.
But just like before, just like with the Watchtower crew back in the teleporter room, their eyes fell upon her. Some were fleeting glances. Others… lingered. Some looked curious, some looked appreciative, others appeared concerned. But the worst of them all were the looks of pity. To Dinah, they may as well have been looks of contempt.
Her gut twisted again. For all that big talk back with Ollie, Dinah couldn't stand the looks. She felt so exposed, like they all could see right through her. Like she was naked.
Then Martian Manhunter was floating up to the atrium's central platform, raised a few feet above the hologram of Earth. His looming form along with that billowing red cape caught everyone's attention. It struck as a relief for Dinah. She took the chance to put on a mask of confidence and strode further into the room, finding her spot amongst Earth's mightiest heroes.
She stood proud and ready. Indomitable. She belonged here.
Dinah repeated those thoughts, playing them again and again in her head. So focused on this was the blonde fighter that not even Ollie taking up the spot beside her soured her mood.
Until J'onn J'onzz started to speak, that is…
"Thank you everyone for attending." The tall, sturdy green sentinel announced. Solid red eyes scanned over the crowd from the elevated platform. "Though this is a slow day, I'm glad that most of us agreed that this afforded the League the perfect opportunity to conduct an organizational review, especially in the wake of the War World invasion…"
Dinah clicked her teeth, grinding them. She tuned out J'onn as the truth of the matter became crystal clear.
The blonde turned and gave her lying archer boyfriend an icy look.
"Urgent meeting, huh?"
Ollie, at the very least, had the decency to look properly shamed. He might well have been sweating bullets under his hood.
"Let's… Let's just hear what he has to say." He replied. Lamely.
Jackass.
- - -
For several minutes the whole assembly of heroes endured Martian Manhunter's droning presentation. It hit all the expected beats: they needed to be more proactive, more efficient, and more transparent with the civilian public if not the governments of the world. It would do well to allay the worries and concerns of the very people they were sworn to protect, he argued. After the War World incident, this was the Justice League's chance at a new beginning.
Though it might have been Dinah's poor mood, she was almost certain J'onn had been looking her way when he said that.
The blonde stewed in silence until the speech mercifully wound down. Then the martian started on mission assignments. That had Dinah's full attention.
The brawler shifted her weight from foot to foot as J'onn called out names and appointed objectives, persons of interest. Dinah hung on every word, eager to hear the Black Canary called back to action. She hadn't been exaggerating with Ollie before: she was itching for some action.
I sure as hell ain't getting any at home.
That might have been even worse than the pity. Especially to a woman like Dinah, hot-blooded and hard loving. At least getting laid might have helped her let off some steam. But Ollie had been pussy-footing around her ever since…
Dinah grimaced. J'onn was still calling out names. And every time he didn't call for her, Dinah only got antsier.
"And lastly, Green Arrow, Green Lantern." The martian announced. Beside Dinah, Ollie stood up straighter. Dinah went numb. "There's been reports of unusual activity in Midway City. We haven't been able to reach Hawkman and Hawkwoman. Satellite readings suggest the disturbance is alien in origin. It doesn't appear to be a major concern, but if you two could investigate…"
J'onn's voice faded into the background of Dinah's perception. The whole atrium seemed to turn into a fog. Running over the embarrassment, sweeping through her insides, was a sheen of cold dread.
They didn't call me.
"Those are all the areas of interest we wanted to cover." J'onn's deep voice broke again. Dinah looked up just in time to see the hologram of Earth shimmering away. "Thank you for all coming on short notice. If your name was not called, consider this a day off. Or perhaps take a shift on monitor duty. The crew could always use the help. Meeting adjourned."
The crowd broke into bustling and chatter as the martian floated down from the platform. Dinah remained still. She was rooted to the spot, her body frozen. That feeling of dread was solid and heavy in her gut.
It has to be a mistake.
Ollie was speaking to her but she drowned him out. Dinah's focus was on J'onn J'onzz. She marched forward, brushing through the crowd, pushing if she had to, closing the distance on the martian. She needed an answer from him. A real answer.
"Hey." She called at his back. When he didn't turn, she sped up and called louder. "Hey, J'onn."
The towering green figure turned, looking down at her with expressionless, solid red eyes.
"Black Canary." He greeted her in his usual flat tone. "I am pleased to see you have recovered."
Dinah frowned. "I was never out of commission."
Her reply perhaps came a bit too heated as J'onn's voice briefly softened. Dinah might have even called it placating.
"Of course not." He agreed.
Dinah crossed her arms., chewing on her tongue. Once more, she was very aware of how crowded the chamber was. That heat burning at her cheeks, Dinah forced it down.
"Are you sure you don't have anything else worth looking into? Not even some small time stuff? Hell, I'll take some recon work. I haven't been on a stakeout in a while."
"There's nothing that requires the League's immediate attention. Everything of note is already being handled. Or about to be."
Well, maybe one of the squads needs an extra pair of hands. You said there was something going down in Midway?" Dinah didn't want to come off as desperate. She really, truly didn't.
J'onn's voice became like stone again, cold and hard.
"I'm sorry, Dinah. Assignments were given based on specialties. You wouldn't offer much help in Midway. I have nothing for you."
Dinah had never felt so stupid. The crowd continued to bustle and chatter, but it was thinning out quickly. Those that remained, Dinah imagined their eyes on her, imagined them snickering behind her back, gossiping about the powerless girl getting left behind.
Her belly twisted into a tight knot.
"I'm… I'm just so sick of sitting on my ass." It wasn't a complaint, she realized. It was a plea.
There was a faint flicker across the martian's smooth face. A tiny hint of emotion - and the largest Dinah had ever seen from the man. One of understanding. Sympathy. Unlike the looks she'd get from Ollie, J'onn's offered comfort. But the look was fleeting. Gone in a flash.
"The Watchtower has plenty of sparring rooms, simulation chambers…" He offered flatly. "It's always good to keep your edge."
He turned from her, disappearing into the gathering of Leaguers and station crew.
Dinah stood alone. Unsatisfied. Unfulfilled.
An all too common situation these last few weeks.
Outrage and embarrassment entwined, feeding on each other, fueling each other. The blonde remained still for a time, letting those feelings eat through her insides, gnawing down to her core. She let it ache in her gut until she finally had enough.
Dinah made her way back through the thinned out crowd, heading for the zeta chamber… and on the way, she caught sight of Ollie chatting with Hal. She made straight for them, unsure if she was going to bite Ollie's head off when she reached him.
Ollie saw her coming. And she saw the way he tensed up as she got close. Part of her felt some dark satisfaction from that. For all his protective bullshit, the man knew that she could still take him apart, Canary Cry or not.
"Listen, babe-" He started… but then she stopped him.
"Save it." She snapped. Dinah looked towards Hal, her expression and voice softening a little. Hal was as much a dope as Ollie, but he never once put on the pity party. Dinah appreciated that. "Kick some ass for me, Hal?"
The Green Lantern gave a short nod, putting on a friendly grin.
"You bet, Dinah."
She didn't stay for small talk. She didn't want to see or hear Ollie for the rest of the day. Maybe even the rest of the week. She didn't spare him a glance as she turned away, ignoring when he called for her.
Dinah made for the sparring rooms. She needed to fucking hit something.