Story: Dragons, Demons, and Other Wonders of the Heart (chapter 25)

Authors: Allaine

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Chapter 25

Chapter 25

"I'm still confused, Raven," Flash whispered. "You say she came here to kill you, and then you tell me you're not pressing charges!"

"She's still here, isn't she?" Raven pointed out. And it was true. Volcana leaned sullenly against the wall, almost seething. Flash was surprised smoke wasn't coming from her ears. She did make fire, after all. "How else did you propose to keep her here while I took Killer Frost to the emergency room?"

"I could have taken her," he muttered.

"You didn't want to leave me alone with the woman who, as you say, came here to kill me."

"Yes! Getting back to that - "

"She acted under duress," Raven interrupted. "And she changed her mind. What do you expect me to do?"

"I don't know, let me take her into custody?"

"Just try it, motormouth," Volcana sneered.

"Hey, I can generate more than enough wind to put out any flame of your choosing!"

"Judging by your inability to shut up, I believe it."

"Flash, please!" Raven interjected firmly. "And Volcana, since I'm not planning on having the police add attempted murder to your record, the least you can do is continue to do as I ask. Stay there, and remain silent."

Volcana glared at her, but said nothing.

"Luthor hired her," Raven continued. "The ice woman as well. Perhaps we can use this against him, but only with her cooperation."

Flash frowned. "Luthor in jail is a good thing, definitely," he agreed. Luthor had almost gotten Koriand'r killed, after all. "But the League's not exactly idle right now. Everyone's searching for Ra's al-Ghul and Vandal Savage with every spare moment. I'm not even sure how long we'll have to wait until . . ."

Whoosh.

"Superman shows up," Flash added lamely.

"What's so urgent?" Superman asked as he joined them in the hospital courtyard. Then he stopped. "Volcana?"

Volcana didn't say anything at first. She slapped him instead. "Ow!" she yelped, clutching her hand. "Let me rephrase that." She pulled her other hand back, allowing it to glow with red flames.

Superman looked perplexed. "What was that for? Claire, what are you doing here?"

"Claire?" Flash asked.

"What am I doing here?" Volcana spat at him.

"Claire?"

"What are YOU doing here?" she continued angrily. "I figured you'd send Wonder Woman ahead of you. You seem awfully good at that!"

"Excuse me, Claire?" Flash stared at Superman. "Since when are we all on first-name basis with villains?"

"Later," Superman said curtly. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Claire."

"You screwed me, that's what I'm talking about!" she snarled. "How hard were my directions? Come alone. So why was the Wonder Bitch there first?" She scowled. "Oh wait, I take it back. First the wackjob who's been stalking me tries to kill me, THEN the Wonder Bitch shows up. And saves my stalker, by the way. For a few seconds I thought I was free."

"This is about the fire in Metropolis? You weren't there!"

"Uh, gee, ya think! You set me up! If Louise hadn't distracted Wonder Woman, I might not have been able to get away. I thought I could trust you!"

"No, not later," Flash interrupted. "Now. She could have killed Raven today. When the hell did she become a friend of yours?"

Superman and Volcana glared at him, but then Superman sighed. "Claire and I have - an understanding."

Volcana folded her arms, letting the flames in her palm die out, and muttered something under her breath.

"An understanding," Flash repeated.

"We make an effort not to come into conflict," Superman explained. "She stays out of Metropolis when she's not being held at Striker's, I let other members of the League face off with her."

"What about after your funeral?"

"Hello? Funeral. As in, Superman dead. I wasn't exactly expecting to cross paths with him," she grumbled.

"And that was, what, your way of paying your respects?" Flash shot back.

She actually looked bothered by that remark. "It was, I don't know, a party atmosphere," she finally said. "It would have looked funny if I didn't join in."

"That wouldn't matter, Claire, if you'd only quit stealing - " Superman replied.

"Oh, here we go again," she groaned.

"And used your powers for good," he continued irregardless of her interruption.

"Heroes don't get paid," she snapped. "And me without a college degree, a criminal record, and a gap in my resume from the years I spent as a test subject, I don't see myself making an honest living."

"Any fire rescue team would love to have someone like you working for them," Superman said stubbornly.

"A civil servant's wage isn't what I had in mind," she retorted.

Flash looked back and forth between them. "This isn't just some kind of weird arrangement you two have," he said. "The way you talk to her, Supes, it's almost like you're friends with her."

Superman raised an eyebrow. "Would you have a problem with that?"

"I have a problem with your pals looking to hurt MY friends, yes!"

"Flash, please," Raven said softly.

"No, I want to hear more," Superman said. He turned to Volcana again. "Just what are you doing here anyway?"

"She was hired to kill Raven," Flash said before she could respond.

"I told her," Volcana said irritably. "I'm a thief, not a killer."

Superman looked disappointed. "But you considered it."

"Hey, NOBODY else was helping me with my psycho stalker problem, including you! I thought Luthor was my only - "

"Luthor!" Superman gasped. "Why did he want you to kill Raven?"

"Apparently she had something to do with ruining his campaign," she said darkly.

Flash and Superman looked at Raven. She returned the look, unruffled. "I may have convinced him to withdraw," Raven said. "But he hurt Koriand'r. He forced Ms. Graves to do as he wished. I had to stop him."

Superman folded his arms. "Gee," he answered, "I don't remember hearing all of this after the Luminus incident. Did you know about this?" he asked Flash.

"No," Flash said, surprised. "She told me about Luthor hiring Volcana, but this is the first time I heard the other stuff. Is this part of what you were hiding? Why did Mercy have to do what Luthor wanted? I thought the whole thing was Luminus' doing!"

Raven tightened her lips and said nothing. She'd promised Koriand'r she wouldn't tell.

Volcana stretched her arms and moved toward the door. "Beats me," she said. "But he hates her enough to want her dead."

Naturally Superman stopped her. "Look, Claire. First, I never told Wonder Woman about our meeting."

"But she - "

"She was coming to Metropolis on an unrelated matter. She saw the fire and went to investigate. You know heroes, we worry about that kind of thing," he said. "Besides, WHY would I want to set you up?"

Volcana frowned, but nodded grudgingly. "Okay, so maybe that doesn't make a lot of sense. I was pissed, okay? The stress from being pursued by a psychopath immune to my powers will do that to a girl."

"Second," he said, "you could turn evidence against Luthor."

She laughed. "Right. It feels strange, no longer being hunted down by government agencies or deranged ex-partners. I think I'll get Lex Luthor on my bad side. No, thanks."

"Claire - "

"Look, you can't save me," Volcana growled. "I am what I am. I want different things than you hero types do. Either accept it, or next time you want to chat, find somebody else. If I'm not under arrest, then I'm leaving."

Superman sighed. "You're not pressing charges?" he asked Raven.

She shook her head.

"All right, then. I'll see you around."

"Fine," she said. "Sorry that I . . ." Volcana appeared annoyed with her own near-apology, and she stormed out without another word.

"How the hell did you two become acquaintances?" Flash asked.

"Like she said, she's just a thief," Superman said absently. "Compared to most of my enemies, she's all right." He scratched his head. "We've got to keep looking for Savage," he reminded Flash.

"I know, I know," he replied. Flash looked at Raven. "You're okay from here?"

"The doctors said I could go home," she said.

"Good. But we need to talk later - about this Luthor thing. The press conference he gave - that was because of you?"

Raven nodded.

"We talk. Later," Flash told her. Then he and Superman vanished in a blur of color and a breeze.

"You think maybe we should thank her later?" Flash asked Superman as they raced alongside each other.

"Whatever she did, it's not what we do," Superman said, frowning.

"But she's not one of us."

"You're dating her. That makes her one of us."

"I'm not - " Flash stopped running without Superman noticing. He stood still for a moment. "Okay, so maybe I am," he admitted to himself.

Then he started running again.


"Talia."

She turned with a sigh of relief. The man she spotted wore the face and body of an insignificant Tunisian airplane mechanic, but she'd know the voice anywhere. "J'onn," she breathed. "Thank goodness you've come."

"This is extremely irregular," he said as he came forward. Out in public like this, he could not assume his true shape. "Why didn't you just tell me of your father's plans sooner?"

"I tried!" she said. "I left you messages! I even tried the Kasnian embassy in some desperation, J'onn."

"I know," he replied. "I got them. But when I called back, there was no answer. Where were you?"

"Gotham," she said carefully.

"Batman," J'onn realized. "He never said anything to us."

Talia had considered not telling him about the involuntary commitment to Arkham. It sounded outlandish, and he might not believe her. But it was true, damn it! And besides, how else could she explain the three notorious Gotham criminals on her private jet? "He never gave me a chance to tell him," she finally admitted.

"How could he stop you?"

"Knockout drugs and padded walls were relatively successful."

"Excuse me?"

"J'onn, he had me anonymously committed to Arkham Asylum."

J'onn stared disbelievingly at her. "You cannot be serious."

She nodded. "I was sedated. By the time I woke up, it was too late." Talia stopped. "You don't believe me, do you?"

"Talia, no - "

"It's all right," she said heavily. "How different is this from my father giving the Batman photos of me from my alleged abductors all those years ago?" Talia raised her eyes. "But you can read my mind! J'onn, you must believe me! All you need to do is look!"

"No," he said. "I swore I would not."

"You have my permission!"

"No! I - I believe you," J'onn said.

She looked at him. "Are you afraid of what you might see?"

"Of course not," he replied. "Is it YOU who doubt ME?"

"Of course not!" she repeated. But she turned away.

"Talia," he said quietly. "Right now, the entire League thinks you had a hand in Vandal Savage's escape. If Batman doesn't confirm what you've told me - "

Talia laughed bitterly. She kept on digging herself deeper, didn't she? "Would the word of a few morally bankrupt souls help?"

"Excuse me?"

She began leading him back to the plane. "I needed their help to escape from Arkham," she explained. "I asked them to wait on the jet while I went to 'take care of things'."

"Who?" J'onn asked with a sense of foreboding.

As if waiting for Talia to reappear, Harley Quinn banged the airplane door open and staggered down the steps. The fact that she was carrying Poison Ivy in her arms made the process more difficult. "Hey, you're back!" she said brightly. "Can we go now? I think Red would like to wake up now."

J'onn just stared.

Talia smiled uncertainly. "Well, there's her," she said. She prayed Clayface would emerge in human form.

Thankfully, he did. Unfortunately, he looked exactly like Peter O'Toole, and J'onn's confusion grew. "Come, let us cross the deserts and march on Akaba," Clayface said as he strutted after Harley, dressed in white Arabic robes.

Talia put a hand over her face.

Meanwhile, Harley had made it to the bottom of the stairs, but she was losing her grip on her burden. "Uh, Matty, a hand here?" she pleaded as Ivy slowly slipped from her arms, coming to rest gently on her knees.

Clayface looked at them. "Har har, I guess the song's right. She really is a goddess on her knees!"

Harley got a murderous look in her eye. "Talia?" she asked, gesturing to Ivy. Then she leapt on Clayface and started pounding him in the head.

Talia groaned as she went to keep Ivy from falling on her face.

"You smug, stupid asshole!" Harley screeched as she beat his head the way a baker might mold a lump of dough. "She might never wake up again, but you're still alive! What have you got to be mean to her about! SO STOP SAYING BAD THINGS ABOUT MY RED!"

The Martian Manhunter froze as Clayface finally pushed Harley off. Distracted, he'd begun reverting to his true shape. "All right, all right!" Clayface grumbled. "I'll give it a rest until she's - "

"Clayface!" J'onn called out, showing his true colors.

Talia looked at him, aghast. No, no, no!

Clayface's eyes grew wider. Then his body actually turned brick red. "You," he sneered. "Well, if isn't Marvin the Martian."

"You and your Secret Society friends tried to destroy the entire League," J'onn retorted. "I cannot allow you to run free."

"I knew this was a set-up!" Clayface spat. His left hand took the shape of a giant axe-head. "There never was a Lazarus Pit! The Bat just wanted me to reveal where the rest of my body was!"

"Now wait," Talia said.

Harley swiveled to look at Talia. "There's no cure!" she squeaked.

"I defeated you once," J'onn said.

"Yeah, I bet you want to rub that in!" Clayface snarled.

"All right, just HOLD IT!" Talia screamed, and the others stopped. They were starting to draw the attention of others, but that was the least of her increasingly long list of problems. "Yes, there is a cure," she said to Harley, "and your friend will waken once more. No, this was not a set-up," she went on, turning to Clayface. "I can't promise you a cure, because we have never encountered someone with your unique properties. But it IS possible that the Lazarus Pit can effect a cure of your condition."

Then she looked at J'onn. "I care about you very much, and I desperately need your help," she said, "but I cannot allow you to take them into custody. AND," she added when he tried to reply, "you shouldn't allow yourself either. You have much more important problems. My father thinks he can use the Lazarus Pits to steal Vandal Savage's immortality. As dangerous as Savage is, you must admit that my father would be even more so, should he become immortal."

J'onn didn't move. "This is troubling news," he admitted. "But I do not see why they must be involved. All you needed to do was tell me where Savage is being held, and the League - "

"The League would never accept me if I did that," she said. "I would be accused of manipulating events in order to improve my standing. Batman would say that, and I've done it before, so he would be justified in believing that. J'onn, if I can take active steps to stop my father from accomplishing what he has ALWAYS sought - "

"The others could still accuse you of exploiting this," J'onn said.

She sighed and nodded. "But this time I won't be letting Batman or the League do my dirty work. And the betrayal I am about to commit - not even my father will accept me after this. I cannot conceive of a more obvious break from my father, then to deny him immortality with my very own hands."

"Uh, hello? We're still here," Clayface grunted.

Talia shot him a look. "You want to be included? Fine. I need the three of you to work with me. I can't stop my father on my own. If we succeed, I promise that I will do everything I can to cure you and Poison Ivy. AND J'onn won't try to capture you. Right?"

"I can't - " J'onn began to say.

"J'onn, this is too important!" Talia begged. "I can get us into the Pit itself, but even your powers alone might not be enough. The four of us might be able to succeed, however."

"The League would succeed without question."

"And then they'll never accept me. Without question, as you say."

J'onn hesitated. "If it looks like we won't succeed, I reserve the right to contact the League."

"Yes, of course," she instantly agreed.

" . . . all right, then." J'onn looked at the others. "I am willing to call a truce between us for now."

Talia snapped a look at Clayface. "If you want my help - " she warned him.

Clayface gnashed his "teeth" and looked down. "Fine," he said. "If this'll make me human again, I'll do it."

"But if there's no cure," Harley said, taking Ivy in her arms again and giving her to Clayface to hold, "I might get angry. And that's no joke," she threatened.

Talia went over to J'onn. "Thank you," she said, putting a hand on his arm. "But perhaps we should go. We're making a scene."

J'onn changed back into human form. "Time IS of the essence," he agreed. “But I expect you will help me understand how the four of you came to be together.”

"What the hell's with those two?" Clayface muttered to Harley as he assumed a less frightening shape.

"I think they're sweet on each other," Harley said.

"Huh. Guess once you go green, you really can't go back," he said.

Talia closed her eyes. "Believe me," she said to J'onn. "I want this over with as quickly as you do."

To be continued . . .

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