Bluejay: The Protégé of Black Canary

Bird's eye view

I couldn't feel any of my limbs. It was like all the blood had been sucked from my body. Because while I was safe inside a Manta suit, but Dick was about to die. We treaded the freezing water until our heads brushed the ceiling.

Right before the water had filled the room, Dick had pressed his lips to the helmet glass. He took a great deep breath, then the water enveloped his body entirely. I couldn't see anything because we'd dropped the glow stick, but I could imagine what he looked like. Blue lips. Shivering limbs. Goose bumped flesh.

"You can't die! You stupid, selfish, heroic Dickhead!" I screamed, my voice ringing inside of the helmet.

Dinah once told me that with training, a person could hold their breath for up to eleven minutes. But cold water immersion also greatly reduced that amount of time, and who knew how much training Dick had.

The Boy Wonder only had minutes to live.

And still, his suffocating body held mine, a layer of metal and oxygen he couldn't have separating us. Tears and mucus streamed down my face as I hysterically yelled his name. My lungs spasmed painfully. Grief does funny things to you. Even weeks after the car accident, I would think I saw my father's profile in the hospital hallway. Even though he was still comatose in his bed.

I wondered if I would see Dick everywhere I went. Would his ghost haunt every step I took? Would I catch a glimpse of him in the hallways of the Cave or in the doorways of the academy classrooms.

If only I was like my teammates, I mourned.

Aqualad would have controlled the tides to get him out. Miss Martian and Zatana could have forced the water away with telekinesis or a spell. Kid Flash could have him sped to safety in time, Rocket would have made him a waterproof force field, and I'm sure Artemis could have made an air pocket with one of her foam arrows or something.

But me? I was useless. My first love had sacrificed himself to save me, and was now dying in my arms.

You're wrong, Dinah's voice seemed to tell me. Kinetic energy is everywhere.

There's too much. It's overwhelming, I argued.

Her voice was like a knife, cutting to my core.

Then make it bend to your will.

Resolute hardened in my gut. I choked down my sobs and the building panic in my chest. I wouldn't give up. I refused to. Come on, think Jackie! Think! I racked my brain, trying to look for a solution. The Team was probably looking for us right now; I didn't need to get us out of the building, I just needed to keep Dick from drowning.

An idea sprung to mind.

Not all of the Manta-men were Atlantean. In addition, there was probably vital technology, riches, information, food, or prisoners that weren't exactly water-proof. There had to be at least one space in this entire fortress that was built to be protected from the element of the sea.

My only question: where was is?!

Sensing kinetic energy had always been apart of my ability- but discerning a certain type of energy from another? It had been exhausting- locating Dick in the flooding hallway had been difficult enough, and I had only stretched my powers a few feet. Not to mention, I didn't know if I could pick out the difference between the molecules of H2O and O2. I mean... was I even capable of that? Finding air amongst water?

Dick twitched in my arms- he was running out of oxygen; fighting his body's natural response to breathe. That gave me all the mental determination I needed. I didn't know if I could locate a room with air, but I was going to die trying.