Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Black Bird shifts her weight backwards, pressing her back into the metal shelf that circles the walls, as she observes the scene projected before her.

It is destruction and chaos in its most pure form as citizens run screaming through the streets between burning building.

Above them floats a woman in black, carrying a shield on her chest that once meant protection but now just means power.
Her dark hair floats lightly in the breeze, and her eyes are tensed ever so slightly, as if she is searching for something.

She, is a known factor.

They call her the Queen, though she rules no kingdom, and has no followers or subjects.

Black Bird knows it's because they say that she has absolute power.

That she has no weaknesses, and cannot be bested in anything, by anyone.

She knows that statement to be false of course, because Black Bird has beaten her in battle before.

She has seen this so-called Woman-of-Steel shed tears, and she has no doubt that she will do it again.

She looks away from the screen to Nightwing.

"Do we know what provoked her?" She asks, because the Queen never acts without provocation.

Nightwing exhales harshly through his nose.
"The Falsh sent Teekl out of this dimension and Klarion went with her. Apparently the Queen objected to what she saw as undue interference in her personal life."

Black Bird tenses her jaw. Because of course she would cause this kind of destruction over something as petty as her boyfriend going away for a couple of weeks.

"And the Flash requested reinforcements?"

Nightwing meets her gaze with his own white lenses.

"He's doing what he can but he's trying to keep the kid out of it, and that's a full time job, since she really wants the kid involved."

"You know he's my age, right?"

Nightwing grins, large and slightly wild and disconcerting with his eyes covered.

"I know. You're a kid too, I just don't call you it as often"

Black Bird rolls her eyes, and straightens up. Back to business.

"Who else are you sending to Central?"

"I was thinking I'd send as many of you as were willing. Might keep her distracted from the ones who aren't."

Black Bird nods.

It will probably work, because the Queen is generally easily distracted when one of them are put in her path.

"Kid Hood is on his way, and Siren said she'd zeta in as soon as you gave the go-ahead."
Nightwing pauses to consider something for a moment before speaking again.
"You know, for someone else's sidekick and the heiress to a sovereign nation, they're both still extremely loyal to you. "

Black Bird shrugs a shoulder.

"And I to them."

Two hours later she is crouched on a half destroyed building with a teenage boy on one side of her and a teenage-princess on her other.

"Kira," she says calmly into the empty air, "let's act our ages, and have a chat."

In an instant the Queen is floating in front of them, eyes that strange violet that promises fire, and lips pursed.

"Could you kill the heat vision?" Kid Hood grumbles, from Black Bird's right.

And she does, the purple dying out. And then floating in front of them, sharp blue eyes, clear and bright, is Kira Kal-El, Kryptonian-human hybrid, minor league villain, and over-dramatic older sister.

"You know I hate it when you act condescending, Sting-Ray"

"And you know I hate it when you violently destroy cities, and yet, here we are"

The alien girl smiles innocently. Black Bird can't help but think that she had never really perfected the art of human expressions. It looks wrong, and slightly unhinged.

"It's not destroyed. No ones dead, and all the government buildings are standing. I just had to give Flash a message."

Kid Hood snorts.
"And it had to be delivered by means of fire?"

"Yes, well, I was rather unhappy."

Siren raises a delicate, pale eyebrow.

"In the future do avoid such destruction or we shall eventually have to dispose of such courteous meetings, and move to strictly engaging in battle."

"Aw, Maggie, why would we have to do that?"

"Because eventually the Leagues gonna get fed up with your bullshit and move you from anti-hero and minor annoyance to super villain, stop-at-all-costs status."

The Queens eyes flash dangerously at Kid Hoods words.

"And you'll just let them tell you what to do." She shakes her head in disgust. "I'll never understand how you can let anyone control you like that." She spits, "it's sickening. I dont see why you won't just embrace freedom."

"I command an army and am line to inherent millions of subjects," says Siren, matter of factly, "I have no shortage of freedom."

Black Bird rolls her eyes at Sirens thinly veiled defensiveness. The little ones had always been eager for Kira's approval, and it hadn't faded as much as it should have with Kira's transition into a less benevolent role.

"Regardless, we don't exactly approve of these actions either, Kira. So we're asking nicely- clean up after yourself and get out of Central."

Kira seems to mull over this suggestion for a moment.

"I suppose that I have sent my message fairly clearly...," she trails off, head cocked to the side. "And it got us this lovely little reunion. I do wish the others had come as well though."

Black Bird meets the Queens gaze, level and firm.

"You know perfectly well why they want nothing to do with you. "

"Yes, well, it's not just me that they want nothing to do with."

And then, like the ridiculous, dramatic being the she is, the Queen goes up into the air, and exhales frost over the city, leaving its inhabitants chilled and the flames extinguished.

Black Bird watches with Kid Hood and Siren as the woman who was meant to be standing by their sides disappears into the afternoon sky.

Chapter Text

Isaac steps into the safe house, tugging off his helmet and dropping it carelessly on to the kitchen table.

Fucking Kira.

He never knows her to feel when she shows up.

She does terrible things, causes destruction for no reason, and regularly kidnaps people in an attempt to get them to finally join her, as if it would work even though it hasn't the last fifty times.

He knows that technically, as far as hard and fast rules go, Kira Kal-El is bad.

She is a no good villain, out for nothing but selfishness.

But Kira had taken care of him. She had held him when he was sick as a child, and gone to his parent teacher conferences, and taught him how to read.

Kira had been his only parent until he had met his father.

And that made things complicated. Because how do you put a bullet in a girl who kept you safe in your earliest memories.

He has the same issues fighting Klarion, albeit, not to the same extent, but ever since he had found out Clay's true identity, he hasn't been able to give his all in a fight with the witch boy.

He sighs and opens up the fridge.

It's empty except for a Tupperware container of pasta labeled "Jasons-do not eat" on a yellow sticky note, a half gone bottle of ketchup, a jar of pickles, and a six pack of beer.

He hums in discontent. Looks like Jason hasn't gone shopping lately.

He pulls out the pasta and grabs a fork from the silverware drawer.

If Jason can't be bothered to pick up food then Isaac won't be bothered to listen to his dumb sticky notes.

He toes off his boots and sits down cross-legged on the worn-out couch, turning on the nightly news.

Of course it's covering their little showdown with Kira, who they're calling "The Queen". Some times Isaac wonders how actual monarchs feel about the moniker.

They don't have a lot of footage, and what they do have is poor quality, probably shot on cell phones, only showing three blobs, red, black, and blue, lined up on the side of a building, opposite a floating figure.

He switches the channel to Family Guy re-runs, and tucks into the pasta, something with obviously homemade sauce that would probably taste better heated up.

He tells himself that he's fine ignoring his conflicted feelings about his siblings and focuses on the cartoon.

When Jason comes home, dropping a grocery bag on the table and leaning against the counter, he knows that he's not gonna get to do that.

"How was that, kid?"

Isaac doesn't look away from where he's scaping a fork through the remnants of his dinner.

"Fine. Whatever. It was Kira, and she's batshit, so whatever."

Jason snorts, and Isaac holds the fork tighter.

"And the others?"

Isaac bites the inside of his cheek, careful not to draw blood. He shrugs one shoulder.

"Same as usual. Colin didn't answer, and Danny was laying low. Rayanna seemed tired. I dunno."

Jason nodded once.

"And the princess?"

"Maggie was fine, she's always been fine."

"And you?"

Isaac looks up at the more gentle than normal tone and meets Jason's eyes.

"I will be. You and Red'll make sure."

He offers the man a half smile.

"Yeah, kid, we will."

And he turns and starts unloading the groceries.

"I ate your pasta," Isaac says matter-of-factly, leaning back into the couch, letting himself relax a bit more in the man's presence.

"You little basterd. What's the point of notes if you don't frickin' listen to 'em?"

"To make you feel like you tried."

Jason hums.

"Your dad's not gonna make it back tonight. He's crashing at a motel, so it'll just be us," Jason shuts the refrigerator, and balls up the plastic bag. He meets Isaac's eyes, and he knows that at least a little of his concern had shown on his face when Jason adds, "he says he's good, injury-wise, and Reds not usually one to downplay injuries. He'll be fine. Scoot over, we're watching my telenovela."

Isaac nods and complies, and even if the kids he grew up with are all fucking nuts, at least he has a decent set of parents to come home to.