Bluejay: The Protégé of Black Canary

Threats and Pretty Dresses

I had never gotten changed so fast in my life. I didn't done my Bluejay costume- there was still a chance Linh hadn't told anyone else about my identity, so there was no need to confirm it. Throwing on a dark sweatshirt, I used it to conceal the dart gun, daggers, and bow staff that I was bringing with me to defend myself. Tell the Team, my mind urged. I gritted my teeth as I debated it.

But I couldn't. Not while my father's life was on the line.

I quietly stepped out of my room, my ears straining. Faintly down the hallway, I could still hear my friends cheering and talking with each other. I locked my bedroom door behind me to prevent anyone from checking up on me. Hopefully they would assume I was asleep. With my heart already pounding, I took off towards the Zeta Tubes and used it to teleport to Gotham.

I hardly felt the sting of the cold air as I raced towards the harbor, the city sludge of dirt and snow seeping into my shoes. I knew the route like the back of my hand. I slipped over corners and slid behind street lights, all while keeping myself enveloped in shadow. My training with Black Canary had only heightened my senses and my capabilities, making me feel as quick and silent as a fox, while my rage made me as deadly as a cobra.

I wanted to wrap my hands around the doctor's neck until his face turned purple, or snap off every one of his precious surgical fingers. My hatred for this man ran deeper than my blood, his betrayal filling my system with venom every time I thought about him.

I pulled something small from my pocket as I neared the electric fence, the same one that had nearly turned me into fried chicken a dozen times. Pressing a button on the small handheld EMP, the nearby street lamp went out, as well as the humming of the electric fence. I scaled it quicker then I ever had before and smoothly dropped to the ground on the other side.

The blizzard from this morning seemed to have delayed the activity of the harbor all together, leaving it as empty as a graveyard. But I knew better then to believe I was alone. I picked my way through the maze of freight crates and trucks, making a beeline for the warehouse.

I had no idea what was in store for me. Were they going to kidnap me? Torture me for information? I knew it was stupid of me to waltz in there without so much as a backup plan or reinforcements, but I had no other options. Linh's instructions were very clear: cooperate, and your father will remain alive. If I tried to cross him, he could kill my dad with the snap of his fingers. All I could do at the moment was comply. 

Warehouse 58 eventually came into view, covered in a blanket of white snow, and surrounded by a barbed wire fence and police tape. The GCPD had likely assumed control of the warehouse for evidence purposes, as well as to prevent any other villains from commandeering it. But when you had a Motherbox who could make Boom Tubes, you had no need for doors.

I approached the fence, my shoes crunching through ice and snow. The tall building loomed overhead in the moonlight, harboring weapons and men far scarier then monsters. But unlike the last time I set foot inside, I didn't tremble. But that didn't mean I wasn't afraid.

Unsurprisingly, the gates guarding the warehouse were unlocked, like an invitation. I walked through them slowly, watching for any signs of flashing light or indications of traps. There was nothing. As I neared the heavy steel doors of the warehouse, I saw that the penny-sized craters from their bullets were still indented. There was no chain through the handles.

My fingers gripped the cold metal, and with a yank, I pulled the door open. The hinges groaned, announcing my presence to whoever awaited me inside. Even though it had been months, the same feeling returned- I felt like a mouse walking into a lion's den when I stepped inside and closed the door behind me.