Birds of Prey: Secrets revealed The beeping pierced the darkness of the Gotham city apartment, two figures on the bed moving irritably as it awakened them. "I think," Barbara Gordon-Lance said from beneath the covers, "it's your JLA beeper." "You've got to be kidding me," Dinah Gordon-Lance sighed as the blonde got up, rooting around on the dresser beside their bed for the device. "Yes?" she demanded crossly. "Sorry to call you," the familiar voice said as she quietly explained, "but things have gone straight to hell." "Allison?" Dinah straightened in surprise. Allison Queen, the daughter of Dinah and Oliver Queen's brief affair years ago, continued on apologeticly, "I'm being held by the Justice League, and there's no way Kestrel or the others will buy my story without you backing me up." "Right," Dinah nodded, "I'll be up to the Watchtower asap." "Thanks," and Allison signed off. "What do you mean, you'll be up there?" Barbara sighed, her red hair messy from sleep, "I'm going too." "You don't have to," Dinah squeezed her shoulder. "Oh yes I do," Barbara sat up, using her arms to shift her mostly immobile legs into position, "or had you forgotten that Kestrel is going to be a wee bit upset by our not telling her about it? You're going to need me there to help calm her down." Dinah winced, "Point." Reaching over she grabbed Barbara's leg braces and passed them to her, "Here." "Thanks," Barbara pulled her pants on, then locked the braces in place over her damaged legs. Levering herself up she headed to the closet to grab a fresh shirt and asked, "What do you want to wear?" "Just some street clothes," Dinah said wryly, "I've gotten a bit too out of shape for wearing the old costume." "You looked good in it the last time we played hero and villain," Barbara teased. Dinah blushed, "thanks, but don't mention that to Helena. I think she'd die knowing we have sex lives." "Actually, I'm pretty sure she knows," Barbara tossed a pair of slacks and a blouse to Dinah as she buttoned up her shirt. "Oh?" Dinah pulled her pants on. "I'm pretty sure I heard a door open that time we were on the couch," Babs said with a blush, "but then you did... well, let's say I got distracted from mentioning it at the time." "Oh boy," Dinah winced as she did up her shirt. "Exactly," Babs sighed. Dressed and as ready as they were ever going to be they stood in the living room and activated the transport sequences on their JLA communicators. There was a moment of vertigo as the teleport effect surrounded them, then they were gone. "Welcome aboard," Oracle said, the teenaged android smiling as she hurried over to where Babs was getting sick into a bucket. "Transporter tummy ache," Dinah explained as she gently rubbed Bab's back. "Ouch," Oracle made a face. Babs straightened up, visibly uncomfortable to be face to face with a woman who looked so much like a younger reflection of her. Their eyes, hair and bodies were all roughly the same, in addition to sharing most of the same memories and personality. Babs didn't regret allowing the JLA to copy her mind into the Watchtower to create a new Oracle, but uit did make for odd moments like this. "All right." Babs said firmly, "we need a conference room, Kestrel, and the captive super villain Vox, please." "Is that wise?" Oracle asked, faintly surprised. "I think it could be important," Babs answered firmly. The conference room was on a upper level of the Watchtower, with a long table and a window looking out on the moon's airless surface. With a happy sigh Babs sat down as Dinah gave her a worried look, "You all right?" "Just on my feet too long," Babs admitted, "the braces Bruce had his company make me are good, but not perfect." A few moments later Kestrel arrived, the purple and black garbed younger woman frowning, "This is a bad idea, Moms." "Good to see you too," Dinah smiled, "too busy to say hi?" Kestrel blushed faintly, "Sorry." "Isn't this sweet?" Vox sneered. "You..." Kestrel looked angry. "You can cut the act," Babs said, "we're going to have to tell Kestrel anyway." "Huh?' Kestrel looked honestly startled. Vox seemed to relax a bit, "You sure?" "We're bringing you in from the cold," Babs said firmly. Dinah turned to the now badly confused looking Kestrel, "You see Vox is a Bird of Prey, more or less." "What?!" Kestrel screeched. "Told you she wasn't going to take it well," Babs sighed. She looked over at their masked adopted daughter, "It's a long story..." After a very long explanation later Kestrel sat down with a sigh. "I can barely believe it," she finally said. She looked over at Vox, "What about those charges against you?" "The minor crimes are real," Vox said to her frankly, "the murder charge is something Babs cooked up her hacking skills." "So what would have happened if a order came in to execute you based on that?" Kestrel asked with a faintly shocked look, reaching up to pull back her costume's cowl. "We'd have revealed that the charge was a hoax to a reliable judge," Vox shrugged, "maybe Kate Spender, the previous Manhunter." "And you two decided to keep this a secret from be because...?" Kestrel turned to ask Babs and Dinah grimly, her black hair stuck to her head by sweat. "You were going to be in situations where you were fighting each other in the field," Dinah said, "and you're not a good actress, Helena. You had to be perfectly believable or the criminals would suspect that Allison was faking." "I am not that bad an actress," Helena said stiffly. "Then how come B-ko already knows you're interested in her?" Dinah countered. "Mom!" Helena blushed. "Which reminds me," Allison quickly jumped in, "why did you say you were bringing me in from the cold?" "I talked to Oracle," Babs said quietly, "according to her, the villain Cylene was in all of your minds." "Yes...?" Allison asked, clearly not getting it. "If she did read your mind she may know you're undercover," Babs clarified, "then decide to reveal it at the worst possible time." "Crap," Allison groaned. "So," Helena said after a moment, "what do we do with Allison now?" There was a long beat of silence, then Dinah smiled a little. "You know," she said, "I think I have a idea." A few moments later, a costume request to Oracle and a change of clothes and Allison emerged, the new uniform hugging her body. Designed in black it had gold accents on her boots and gloves and a gold bird emblem on the chest. She pulled the half mask in place over her eyes as she asked, "So who am I supposed to be?" Babs smiled in satisfaction, "The new Black Canary." Allison looked over the suit critically and said, "Well, at least you didn't go for the fishnet stockings." "I can't wait till I have to explain this to Supergirl," Helena shook her head. "Just tell her that two former JLA members vouch for her," Dinah grinned, "it's the absolute truth, after all."
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