Bluejay: The Protégé of Black Canary

I'm a Lobster

I stirred, groaning as a headache pounded against my temple. My whole body from head to toe felt like it had been shishkabobed and held over a grill. I felt something touch my arm, and my lungs constricted. I inhaled sharply, reaching for a small knife in my jacket. Something caught my wrist before I could grab it, and I leapt into panic. I screamed, trying in vain to twist out of the stranger's grip.

"Jackie! Its okay! It's me! You're safe now!"

I opened my eyes, and Dinah was standing in front of me. Green Arrow and Aquaman flanked her, ready to help if nessisary. I stopped flailing, breathing heavily.

"That's it. Breathe." She said soothingly.

I looked around. Everyone seemed to be conscious at this point, either sitting or kneeling on the ground. Flash and Captain Atom were busy trying to cut Wally and Connor free. But Red Tornado and his devil siblings were nowhere to be seen.

"What- they're not here?!" I sputtered.

"What happened?" Superman asked us.

Artemis was quick to angrily respond. "What happened? The Reds happened! Tornado and his- wait! Where are they?"

"Gone." Robin said somberly. "All three of them. Gone."

His words sent a chill through my bones. We were all unconscious. Anything could have happened. They could have contacted someone or alerted someone to our presence or-

With an angry cry, Connor ripped free from his metal cage. Bits of melted motorcycle pieces exploded from all around us. Connor stormed past Captain Atom, heading straight for me. I climbed to my feet as he stopped about four feet away from me. The rage on his face was eminent.

"If you'd just gotten out of here sooner like I told you to and contacted help, then M'gann's life wouldn't have been in jeopardy!" He yelled to me.

His booming voice shook my bones, and his piercing blue eyes burned through me. Yes, he was scaring me big time, but instead of shriveling away, I grew defensive.

"Oh, so it's my fault some stupid phyco robots broke into the Cave?" I shouted right back. I jabbed a finger at his chest. "You're the oh so powerful kryptonian! Why couldn't you break free from a bit of tin foil? Huh?!"

Connor fumed, but before any more words could be exchanged, Superman butted in, stepping beside us. I felt momentarily stunned to see him so closely.

"That's enough. We'll talk about what happened after a medical examination." He said sternly.

Connor didn't say another word. As mad as he was at me, his disgust towards Superman's presence seemed to bother him even more. His face was a flat as stone as he turned around, walking silently back towards the hallway.

"Come on," Dinah said. "Let's get you to the med lab." She gently began guiding me away from the wreckage. I let her.

Under different circumstances, I might have felt bad for Connor when I saw Superman leave quickly, but I was still too mad at him.

My eyes lingered on Robin and Batman, who were discussing something in low tones. While my eyes raked him again for injuries, I noticed so was Batman. I studied his close posture, and the way Robin shook his head for reassurance. Although there was no physical contact between them, I could see the proximity that Batman kept between him and his sidekick.

Even though Batman's face was as emotionless as a brick wall, I could tell he cared very deeply for Robin. I didn't know what kind of relationship they had outside of the whole hero gig, but they had to have trusted each other a great deal. Perhaps Batman was very involved in his private life, similar to the way that Dinah was in mine.