AFTERMATH: Knots on a Rope

AFTERMATH: KNOTS ON A ROPE by BillA1

Disclaimer: The characters Batman, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Superman & Flash and their respective secret identities are all owned by DC Comics. This story is intended for my own pleasure and is not for profit. It has been posted to this site for others to read. Places and characters not own by DC Comics are my own creation. This story is based on characters from the animated Justice League series episode: Destroyer written Dwayne McDuffie. The AFTERMATH stories are a collection of R 'Verse tales set after Destroyer and before the Batman Beyond time period. "The R 'Verse" is copyright 2006. A huge shout out of thanks to Merlin Missy for her beta on this story. Notes: Spoilers up through "Destroyer." Based upon "Solving For R" by Terry Winder and Nancy Brown. Not a direct sequel to any previous work, but references material that appeared in Tribes and Bookends. Set after "Destroyer," but before the Batman Beyond time period in "Epilogue."

Aftermath: Knots On A Rope

A Justice League Unlimited - R 'Verse Story

Rating: (PG)

Synopsis: Not all puppets are made of pine. A John /Shayera /Rex futurefic.

And so you see I have come to doubt,

All that I once held as true,

I stand alone without beliefs.

The only truth I know is you. (Kathy's Song -Paul Simon)

It had been weeks since the defeat of Darkseid and just days since Batman brought the lifeless body of Ace out of the park.

The alarm had sounded again and Mister Terrific dispatched Shayera, Green Lantern, Vixen and Rex Mason, also known as Metamorpho, on another Delta level call. These things had become practically routine ever since the League gave the remains of Lex Luthor's Secret Society a "five minute head start" after the defeat of Darkseid. Mason, to be blunt, was angry because the stupid suggestion for the five minute head start came from Batman and most of the villains had escaped.

I thought Bats was smarter than that.

This time it was Toyman, Atomic Skull, Killer Frost and Giganta who were wreaking havoc in the industrial park area of Metropolis. Mason watched as Shayera chased Killer Frost into an abandoned three story foundry complex. John rapidly took care of Toyman, putting the criminal in the cab of a derelict forklift and suspending it from a forty foot high crane outside the abandoned building. Vixen had no problem dealing with Atomic Skull, dispatching him quickly when she assumed the powers of a python and squeezed him into unconsciousness. Mason turned around in time to catch a glimpse of John going inside the building after Shayera just as Giganta picked up a light pole and swung wildly at him.

Mason dodged the pole and turned into sleeping gas, overwhelming the fifty foot Giganta. Then he looked on in horror as the large woman staggered backward and fell onto a portion of the building he'd seen John and Shayera enter. The building crumbled almost in slow-motion beneath her weight. Mason felt a little relief when he saw Killer Frost run out of the building. John and Shayera are probably right behind her.

"Green Lantern to Metamorpho," John said into Mason's communicator. "Mace, Killer Frost got away from us. Shayera and I are trapped in the building, but we're okay. Don't let Frost or the others get away."

"Right," Mason answered

He was about to give chase to Killer Frost when he looked up and saw Toyman pointing a large multi-barrel gun at the building. Dammit, John. You didn't search him for weapons? I'm gonna give you a piece of my mind when we get back.

Mason shouted to Vixen, "Go after Killer Frost!" He stretched up to the suspended forklift, changed into a lead-based alloy and was about to completely envelope the cab; when he said, "Okay, little man, give it your best shot."

Is Toyman smiling?

The darkness inside the old iron works was overwhelming and so was the cold.

Killer Frost had left a trail of ice everywhere in the building as she'd tried to escape from Shayera. Much of the ice had formed around exposed columns and overhead beams making them brittle.

Suddenly, a portion of the building rumbled and collapsed in on them. Frost got away just as ice, choking dust, and concrete rained down on top of Shayera and Stewart.

Stewart, who had been behind Shayera, quickly ringed a protection bubble around them both, but the falling building material had already pinned Shayera to the floor. Her right leg was trapped under half a ton of debris.

Stewart's bubble kept the tons of concrete, steel and ice off of them. But he was concerned because it seemed that the entire building was collapsing in on their singular location. Only the glow of his ring and the harsh light of her mace provided any illumination in the darkness.

Stewart pressed the earpiece of his communicator and opened a channel he knew all the Leaguers could hear. "Green Lantern to Metamorpho," he said. "Mace, Killer Frost got away from us. Shayera and I are trapped in the building, but we're okay. Don't let Frost or the others get away." Mason acknowledged. Stewart knew that with he and Shayera trapped in the building, it was four against two outside. He was confident that Mister Terrific would send help to even the odds.

"Get out of here!" Shayera yelled at John. He could tell she was in pain as she pounded the floor with her fist in frustration, cursing under her breath.

He ignored her and concentrated on trying to removing debris from around her leg without compromising the integrity of the protective bubble.

"You don't have time. John, you have to go now, before - "

He'd stopped listening to her. Focus, man. Focus. He'd formed a jack and tried to lift the wreckage off of her leg as a hand he'd formed tried to pull Shayera completely into his protective bubble.

"Please. I screwed up," she continued to protest. "I always screw up. Don't let me kill you, too. Go."

After a few moments of silence, as the hand pulled her completely into the bubble, she asked, "Why?" There was a catch in her voice.

When he answered with, "You know why," her brief smile in the naked light spoke volumes. He suddenly flashed back to that night in the old Watchtower after they'd saved each other's lives in Las Vegas. He didn't know what made him do it at that moment, but he kissed her. She kissed him back hard, holding on to him as if she never wanted to let him go.

And he didn't want to let go of her.

For a moment, he wondered why he'd wasted so much time trying to avoid telling her... no, reminding her how he really felt. He held her, placing a hand on her face and the other on her back, gently touching the area where her wing met flesh and squeezing her tightly.

Unexpectedly, the moment was gone from him as he sensed the bubble breaking down.

No, this can't be, but it is. Why won't this bubble stay?

Suddenly, there was pain as his energy bubble collapsed completely. Horrible, immense, pain and the sensation that he was being ripped apart; his flesh and bones were being separated and then crushed.

"John!" He heard her shriek. He tried to answer her, but his throat wouldn't respond.

Suddenly he couldn't feel her touch anymore. He couldn't feel anything.

His eyes were open, at least he thought they were, but it didn't matter, because the darkness had opened up and swallowed him completely, removing his sense of consciousness, removing his sense of being. There was no flashback, no 'whole life passing in front of your eyes' that his old platoon sergeant, Jack Phillips used to talk about when he related his near-death experiences to his troops. The moment was reduced to its singular essence: he existed and then he didn't. He was and then he wasn't.

His only companion now was silence, the loud noise of utter quiet.

Suddenly, there was the bright and the noise. He kept his eyes closed, but the bright seemed intent on coming through his shut eyelids. The noise was a constant, rhythmic beeping. Irritating and whiny. Make the noise stop. Make the bright go away

"He's coming around."

Now there were voices to go along with the beeping. He wondered if he could dive back into the quiet and the calm of the darkness that the bright was so intent on destroying.

He wanted to tell them to be quiet, to leave him alone and let him return to the pain-free silence. But first, he'd tell the elephant standing on his chest to move. It had to be an elephant because his chest and ribs hurt like hell. It hurt to breathe.

"Lantern."

This was another voice. He remembered hearing it before, but at the moment he couldn't recall where.

"John? Can you hear me?"

"Cha'nas," he mumbled.

Why won't that elephant get... off... my... chest? Cha'nas? Where the hell did that word come from?

"What did he just say? Did he say 'chassis'?" a voice asked. Another voice answered, "I don't know what he said."

Forget what I said. Just make the beeping stop. Sounds like a damn hospital heart monitor. Heart monitor? Hospital?

Stewart's eyes snapped open and the white light of the bright embraced and overwhelmed him. It was a hospital room. On his right were two people dressed in white lab coats, surveying the charts they held in their hands, occasionally looking up at him and then talking among themselves. Doctors? On his left were two familiar, and relieved, faces.

"Thank Hera," Diana said as J'onn smiled at him.

Stewart forced a tight-lipped smile. It hurt to move. "Hey," he whispered to Diana.

His throat was dry and so was his tongue. He could feel it scraping the roof of his mouth like it was made of sandpaper. He'd give three paychecks to be able to drink a sloe gin fizz right now. Sloe gin? Haven't drunk that since I left the Marine Corps.

One of the white lab coats offered him a cup with a straw attached. Before he could reach for the cup, Diana took it from the white coat. She smiled at Stewart as she said, "Here. Take a sip of this." She lowered the cup and placed the straw to his lips. She held it steady as he took a small sip. It was water and it tasted better right now than the gin ever could. He swished the water around in his mouth for a few moments to rewet his tongue and throat, then swallowed the welcome fluid. He took another sip and then Diana removed the cup from his lips and gave it back to the white lab coat. He watched the white coat set the cup on a tray. That's when he noticed the IV in his arm. He stared blankly at the drip tube for a moment before hearing a voice in his head say, "Lantern, You're okay."

Stewart turned his attention to the voice.

"Didn't think we'd make it there for a minute," he whispered. Diana leaned forward and held his hand.

"But you did make it," she said softly as she nodded, "Thank Hera, you did make it." She looked like she wanted to cry.

Yeah, thank Hera...Oh, God! Shayera!

He cleared his throat, swallowing hard. "Where's Shayera?"

Diana held his hand tighter and starting patting it. Oh, God. No! Please!

"Still in surgery. The doctors say she should be fine," Diana said as she signaled for the lab coat to give her Stewart's drinking cup. She steadied the cup as Stewart took another sip of water and returned the cup to her. "Good," he whispered. Thank you, God. Thank you.

Stewart wondered how Diana could know he was thirsty at that moment. Then he looked up into J'onn's glowing red eyes and knew the answer. J'onn had been reading his mind and must have told Diana telepathically of his thirst. What else is he doing in my head?

J'onn, find anything in my head you want to buy?

There was a split second of silence before the voice answered:

Not even anything I'd like to rent.

Stewart smiled tightly.

He looked around the room. Definitely a hospital and Stewart hated hospitals. That's where you go to die. And Stewart wasn't ready to die yet. He pushed his head back into his pillow and looked up into Diana's gentle face. Something was different about her, but he couldn't place exactly what it was. Then again, hospitals were not good places for thinking anyway, especially for him. He remembered going to the hospital as a child when his mother died and later when his grandmother passed away. He would forever associate hospitals with death.

Haircut! When did Diana get a haircut?

"You're not in a hospital," the Martian said. "This is the Metropolis Watchtower."

Stewart glared at him for moment. Get out of my head. It's too crowded with both of us in here.

J'onn nodded and Diana suddenly smiled. Tattletale.

"Lantern, we have to talk," Diana said.

Stewart gently shook his head and settled back in the bed. When a woman says 'we have to talk', odds are fairly high that a man is not going to like what she has to say.

(4 hours later)

He'd been sitting in the chair next to Shayera's bed in the recovery room for about an hour waiting for her to wake up. He was still coming to grips with the news that Diana had told him. He'd listened, but didn't completely grasp the enormity of Diana's explanation of what had happened.

"We were in suspended animation?" he'd asked.

"No, you were gone," Diana answered.

"Mace... Metamorpho's dead?"

"He died apparently absorbing enough of the tachyon energy beam to keep you and Shayera from being thrown thirty thousand years into the future like Superman was before. At least, that's our best guess."

Stewart closed his eyes and thought about one of the last times he'd seen Mason alive. To John, only a few weeks had gone by. But to the rest of the world, it was more than thirty years ago.

(Watchtower Recreation room -three days before the "disappearance" of Kara In-Ze)

The wonderful thing about the rec room on the Watchtower was that it was large enough for the sixty plus heroes to gather in small or large groups and do whatever they wanted. At any one time there were ten to fifteen people in the room playing chess, video games, watching movies or engaged in a friendly poker game.

Stewart knew poker was not one of Rex Mason's strong suits and, in fact, his favorite game was hearts. But as he had often commented, hearts didn't seem to be heroic enough up here with all of the spandex wearers. So Mason learned to play poker and talk the talk during the game that he thought everyone expected a former Marine to speak.

Stewart had to admit Mason could be entertaining.

Mason played an average game of poker, but his skills improved dramatically once he and Shayera started playing a weekly game with anyone else who wanted to play.

Stewart thought that Mason was good for Shayera in the sense that she seemed to relax more around him. They were both loners who seemed to enjoy each other's company. There wasn't romance between them, at least none that was obvious. Mason was deeply in love with Sapphire Stagg and was finally going to make an honest woman out of her. He'd asked Stewart to be his best man and Stewart had enthusiastically said yes.

Stewart had decided to sit in on this week's poker game. The game had been going on for about three hours. Kara and Steel had joined the game about two hours ago. And Kara had been winning. Big.

Mason was the dealer. Stewart thought the hand he'd been dealt looked good, a pair of fives and a pair of sevens. It wasn't a great hand, but it might be winnable in this crowd. His fifth card was a two of diamonds. I can do better.

Mason grinned as he looked at Stewart, "Bud?"

"One," Stewart said as he discarded the two of diamonds. He picked up his card. Be a five. Be a seven. It was a ten of diamonds. Better, but not much. He frowned trying to keep his poker face on.

Mason turned to Steel, "How many?"

"One," Steel answered. Stewart was amazed at the flexibility of the suit Steel wore. He could pick up a dime off a hardwood floor in that thing. Pretty impressive engineering.

"One card to the other man of steel," Mason said as he slid a card to Steel. He turned to Shayera. "And for you?"

Shayera inhaled sharply. Her eyes narrowed. "Two cards." No poker face here.

Mason grinned. "Still trying to get that inside straight, huh?"

Shayera frowned. "Shut up and deal."

Mason's grin broadened. So did Stewart's. He could tell Shayera enjoyed Mason's company because she let him get away with stuff that John was sure she would have destroyed others on the spot for. Nothing obscene or crude. Mason wasn't like that. Mason treated her like he'd treat a fellow Marine and she treated him the same. And oddly enough, Stewart thought on some level it made her happy. Maybe it reminds her of home.

Mason dealt two cards to Shayera and chuckled. "Two to the very mean lady." He looked at Kara. "And for the lady of steel."

Kara smiled and glanced at Steel. She blushed.

Did Mace's comment 'lady of steel' make her blush? Why? Oh, I get it. That's why she's blushing. Maybe she's lady of STEEL. Were they an item? Hmm.

"I'm good," she added.

As if on cue, everyone at the table except Kara chorused, "Hmmmm."

Kara was flustered. She shook head. "Really. I'll play these."

Shayera rolled her eyes. Mason shook his head and said, "Oh, yeah. I bet you will. After all, none of us know if the next card will help or hurt you, do we?"

"I'm not using x-ray vision. Really, I'm not," Kara griped. She lowered her head and said softly, "I knew this was a bad idea."

Steel chortled, "The lady doth protest too much, methinks."

Kara whipped her head around in Steel's direction and glared at him. Stewart hoped that she wasn't going to cook Steel in that metal suit of his. Her tone was sharp, "I did expect a little more support from you. You know?"

Steel refused to be intimidated. He replied flatly, "Hard to be too supportive when you've been winning all evening. You know?!"

Kara's eyes widened. "But I'm not cheating. Honest."

Stewart tried to reassure her. "No one thinks you're cheating, rookie. Mace is just having some fun at the winner's expense."

Mason looked around the table and laughed, "Well, I know if I had x-ray vision I damn sure would use it." He tapped the table. "You're a better person than I am. Dealer takes two."

Shayera grinned, "And what are you trying to draw to?"

Mason put the deck down and picked up his cards. His facial expression was unchanged. He picked up a five-dollar chip and tossed it on the table. He whispered, "Will cost you five dollars to find out."

Shayera looked at her cards and shot back, "See your five and raise you ten." She tossed chips on the table.

"Excuse me," Steel interrupted. "Do you mind if Supergirl and I play too or is this a personal game?"

Mason grinned and shook his head. "Sorry, didn't mean to shut you out. The bet is down. You in or out?"

Steel looked at his cards. "Too rich for me. I'm out."

"Out?" Mason said. "So why did you complain?" He pursed his lips together and turned to Kara.

She didn't wait for Mason to ask her before she announced, "Fold." Her voice was sad.

Steel turned toward her. His mask didn't show any change of expression, but the concerned tone of his voice gave it all away when he said, "Kara?"

Kara stared at Steel and Stewart wondered if she was using her x-ray vision to see his face. "It's okay," she sighed, nodding her head slightly. "Really, it's okay."

Stewart took a deep breath. If you're going to gamble, leave nothing on the table. He tossed in his chips. "I'm in."

Mason chuckled and turned to Shayera. "Call."

Shayera grinned and she displayed her cards. "Read 'em and weep. Full House, Aces high." She reached for the pot and Stewart tossed in his cards. That beats my two pair.

Mason returned the smile and put his hand on top of Shayera's to stop her from scooping the pot her way. "Ah, not so fast, winged one. I do believe I hear the sound of running water in a toilet. You know, like in flush, a straight flush." He turned his cards up for Shayera to see.

Shayera growled and took her hands away from Mason's money.

Mason laughed. "I do so love taking your money in poker. Kinda makes us even for the way you hustled me in chess a month ago." Shayera grinned tightly.

Kara stood. "I'm out. Thanks for the game."

Shayera reached across the table, turned over Kara's cards and then looked at her and frowned.

Mason stood. "Aren't you going to give us a chance to win our money back?"

Suddenly, Mason grimaced as everyone heard the thud of Nth metal striking bone. His shin? Welcome to my world, bud. Mason glared at Shayera as she said, "She's been giving you a chance all night. Goodnight, Kara."

"Goodnight," Kara nodded and turned to leave.

Steel stood. "Hold on. I'll go with you."

Mason watched as Steel and Kara left before he turned and snapped at Shayera, "Do I look like John to you? What the hell was the shin action about? You could hurt someone with that damn thing."

Shayera's expression didn't change. "Kara had a royal flush and could have beat us both, but she didn't play it. She didn't take the kidding about cheating well at all."

Stewart growled at Mason, "And what the hell does 'Do I look like John to you?' mean?"

Mason rubbed his shin and looked at Shayera. "Okay. No more x-ray vision jokes around the girl of steel. I got it, but the next time you whack me with that thing...."

He stopped and shook his head as Shayera smirked at him. He turned to Stewart and said, "Rumor has it, she only whacks the ones she likes."

Shayera's eyes widened, then narrowed sharply as Stewart said to her, "Whack him in the other shin."

Suddenly, all three heard Mister Terrific call over the comm system for an Omega level response to trouble in Metropolis. Money and cards were left on the table as the three scrambled down the corridor.

"When we get back," Mason said as they ran down the hall. "I'm going to teach you to play hearts."

(Shayera's recovery room - Now)

Diana had told him how Mari moved on with her life after he and Shayera were thought lost. He shook his head. He wasn't going to show up in Mari's life and disrupt her world again, particularly after Diana told him that everyone heard his final transmission.

Now as he watched Shayera stir, he thought about Mace and how he could never repay him for the sacrifice he made.

No greater love than ... isn't that the Bible verse? Stewart wanted to think he'd do the same for Mason or for any of them, but a man never knew, truly knew, what he would do until it was his turn to act.

Mason did what he thought he had to do, and there was nothing Stewart could say or do to change what happened thirty-three years ago.

Bad news doesn't get better with time. That's what Grandma used to always say. Part of Stewart said: "She can wait to hear this." But another part, a louder and bigger part said, "She should know what you know when you know it."

"Hi, Sunshine," Stewart said as she opened her eyes. He hadn't called her 'Sunshine' in years. And he suddenly wondered why he chose to now.

The only sound in the room was that of a heart monitor beeping persistently. Damn monitor. She looked at him with a vacant stare for a moment, then tried to smile. She's in pain.

There was a small pitcher of water on her bed tray and in a little plastic bag, a drinking cup with a straw. He opened the plastic bag, filled the cup with water and put the top on it. He put the straw to her lips and held the cup as she sipped. She closed her eyes and weakly put her hand up to signal him to remove the cup from her.

Stewart set the cup back on the tray.

"Hi," she said weakly. She swallowed hard and Stewart offered her more water, but she refused.

"We need to talk," Stewart said softly. He stood. She focused on his IV stand next to him and his hospital gown.

"I see you got broken, too," she whispered. Her voice was raspy.

Stewart nodded and pointed at her. "Yeah, looks like we both got broken." He paused for a moment as she tried to smile. Then he repeated, "I need to talk to you."

She wet her lips with her tongue. She looked into his face for a moment and then looked down. "No, you don't. I understand what happened out there. We thought we were going to die and neither of us wanted to die alone." She flashed a brief smile that Stewart knew was forced. "The lie became the comfort ... and I thank you for it. But now that it's over, I know the kiss didn't mean anything. I won't hold you to it and I won't tell Mari. Like you said after we fought the Shadow guy, you're staying with Mari. I know that and I accept that."

Stewart inhaled sharply, then said in a low voice, "I said I wasn't going to be destiny's puppet, but the kiss wasn't a lie to me." His eyes narrowed, "And I know it wasn't a lie to you." He paused and then looked into her eyes. "We do need to talk, but right now, I need to talk to you about our situation."

"Situation? Is that what you call it?" she said sharply, closing her eyes and shaking her head. "Do you have any idea what you're doing to me? Do you even care?"

"What do you mean, do I care? About you? You know the answer to that!"

She opened her eyes and glared at Stewart. "Do you know how hard it is for me to look at you every day, work with you every day, knowing that in some future you saw our child, and to realize it's never going to happen... to realize that you don't want that to happen?"

"Shayera. I..."

"I'm not finished, John. I got trapped in that building today because I allowed you and what I feel for you to distract me. I thought I could handle this...loving you and knowing you belong to someone else. But I was wrong and I almost got us both killed." She paused and sighed loudly. "As soon as I'm able, I'm leaving the League. I'm leaving this planet and I'll take my chances elsewhere." She hesitated and then said softly, "For my own sanity, I have to put you behind me. I hope you and Mari will be very happy together."

Stewart inhaled sharply. "I doubt it. I don't think her husband would approve of me coming back into her life after thirty-three years."

Shayera looked up with a stunned expression. "What?" she exclaimed. "What do you mean thirty-three years and Mari has a husband?" Her eyes narrowed. "Just how hard did you get hit?"

He flashed a quick grin, then frowned and sat down in the chair. He cupped his hands in his lap. "We were thrown forward in time thirty-three years by Toyman's weapon. The world we knew has changed." He paused and looked up at her, "And some of our friends are gone."

She leaned forward toward him. "Who?"

He swallowed hard and then softly said, "I don't know everyone for sure. Mace is gone." He steepled his fingers and brought his hands to his lips and sighed. "He died saving us. They think he absorbed enough of the weapon's energy radiation so that we only went thirty- three years as opposed to possibly thirty thousand years into the future like Superman did."

He looked up to see tears run down Shayera's cheeks. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

Stewart nodded, slumped in his chair and looked down into his lap. "So am I. It's so strange. I did all this talking about not being Pinocchio and yet, here I am. I tried so hard to be the driver of my own fate and I ended up a passenger anyway."

They both were silent, lost in thought, not looking at each other. Abruptly, Shayera sighed, then shook her head and said, "John, this changes nothing. I'm still leaving."

Stewart looked up and slowly nodded. "I understand," he said standing. "Mace cut this puppet's strings, but there never were strings on you." He glanced away and then looked back at her. "I guess we both have some decisions to make about where we go from here." He turned and headed for the door, pushing his IV stand ahead of him. He stopped at the doorway and looked back at Shayera. "You do what you have to do... do what you need to do. But I hope you'll change your mind and stay."

She was silent for a long moment and then answered flatly, "I promise you that I'll think about it. That's all."

"Good," he replied. "That's all I want you to do."

"John?" she called out. "I'm really sorry about Rex. I know you two went back a long way."

"Yes, we did," he answered over his shoulder as he walked into the hallway back to his room.

Mace was gone.

Mari was gone.

Shayera was probably going to go.

Stewart's world had changed and suddenly he wondered if he'd selfishly made others pay too high a price in his quest not to be destiny's puppet.

Would Mace still be alive if Stewart had readily accepted the future he saw with Shayera; a future with a son named Rex? There was no way for him to know for sure, but he silently vowed that Mace's payment on his behalf would not be in vain.

He'd earn back the price others had paid to cut his strings.

He'd see to that starting today.

END