The darkness was no void. There was something there with her in the space. And it was suffocating her.
Dinah could hardly breathe the air, so thick and stuffy and warm it was. Like fog in her throat, in her lungs. Somehow it felt even worse on her skin.
She was bare naked, no protection against the dark. The humid clouds ghosted over her skin, turning the sleek sheen of sweat into shivering chills. She couldn’t move, yet her frozen body was running hot with pumping blood. God, her heart was racing.
Dinah bit out a curse as another shiver rolled through her. She’d have been fuming if she had any idea of what was going on or where the hell she even was. Nothing around her but black. Like the whole world had gone away.
A flash of terror struck down her spine. Fear, with its long, frozen fingers, dug into her chest to close grip her by the heart. The thumping came to a dead stop.
What if… Dinah was back on the War World? Back in the hands of that mad man Mongul, sealed up in another of those fucking pods. The world was gone because she was already light years away and he was going to run those experiments on her again-
“No!” Dinah cried. “Fuck no! Fuck off!”
She shook her head wildly, sending her damp hair whipping side to side. It wasn’t War World, she knew. It was just fear. They beat Mongul, deposed him, and the War World was now in the hands of the Green Lantern Corps. She knew that. She was there when it happened.
So what did that make this dark, musty void?
A dream, Dinah thought to herself, glancing around the darkness.
Dinah took in another deep breath of the thick, warm air. There was a scent on it now. Familiar… and unwanted. It sent a different kind of shiver through her. Not over her naked skin, but through her insides. Right to her belly.
Just a fucked up dream-
Her gaze turned upwards and she saw it. A gasp ripped through her throat.
It hung there in the void. Not floating. Swaying. Looming over her. The size of a semi trailer.
A penis. A cock. A man’s fat rod hanging down, cast in clear, stark light against the surrounding black.
Blown up to colossal proportions, Dinah could see the details of its make as if she were right up close. The foreskin stretched back from the massive, swollen head, Dinah saw how it nestled along the edge of the crown. She saw how smooth the shaft was, how it curved slightly to one side. She saw how the length seemed to thicken towards the middle. And it was twitching, like it was being pumped with blood.
Dinah blinked, blinked again, waiting for the absurdity to vanish as clarity came to her. Yet it never did. She shook her head again, fast and frantic, yet the giant cock remained fixed in the black sky. Hanging there. Taunting her.
Her feet were stone, fused with the floor. Dinah could not run, could not walk, couldn’t even shuffle. She was stuck there. Stuck in the shadow of this monstrosity.
Before long there was a new presence in Dinah’s chest. Not cold fear, but heat. Blistering and noxious. Dinah found herself scowling up at the swollen spear.
“Fuck you.” She spat. Her chest burned hot. Her fingernails dug into her palms. “Fuck you! Bastard! Animal!”
The looming cock twitched again, rocking in the air. Like it could hear her. Like it was laughing at her.
Dinah wanted to scream. Her fury demanded a voice but it caught in her throat. Her Canary Cry was gone, she remembered then.
No power to fight. No power at all.
The cock overhead lurched once more. Now Dinah could see the wetness shimmering at the slit. A tiny, glittering speck right at the center of that smooth, swollen crown. Shining like a pearl.
Dinah took in a faint gasp. The shine was getting bigger. And bigger. Bigger and bigger…
A hundred of them now. A thousand. A thousand white stars raining down, down, raining down over her. A thousand-fold followed, a tidal rush flowing from that giant, spasming cock. The stars became an ocean, a blanket of thick white sweeping over Dinah and the whole black void. A flood of whiteness.
Drowning her. Drowning. Drowning. Drowning…
- - -
Dinah jolted up with a gasp.
Her eyes darted around. With the waking world came a rush of relief.
There was no dark void. No giant cock. No white rain.
Just her, the bedroom, and the sound of her breathing.
She was drenched, just like in the dream, though she wasn’t naked. Panties and a small top stuck to her skin, soaked through as they were. For a moment, Dinah thought the torrent from the dream might have been real after all. But it was only sweat.
No, she told herself. Just a dream.
Her heart was still thumping hard, so hard that Dinah was ringing between the ears. Slowly, the thumping waned, fading into a calmer beat.
Just a dream.
A flicker went through her head. Memories flashing like a broken slideshow.
Pulsing lights, pink and purple and red. Chatter over thumping club music. A smug grin plastered on a punchable face. Tattooed knuckles stroking her cheek. The odor of skin and sweat and… and… the lingering taste of salt on her tongue. Salt and something else. Deeper, muskier. Thick and sticky.
“Fuck.” Dinah buried her face in her hands.
The cock she’d seen in the dream… as freakishly huge as it was, Dinah realized only then just how familiar it had been.
More flashes through her head. Sensations now.
Hand in her hair, gripping tight. Spittle dribbling down her chin. A solid presence in her mouth. Gliding over her tongue. Pushing into the back of her throat.
Dinah remembered how she gagged. A shudder ran down her back.
Beside her came a low groan, one that had Dinah’s heart skipping a beat… until she remembered where she was. The Queen master bedroom. Home.
Ollie was stirring awake. And that brought Dinah no comfort.
Her boyfriend grunted again, propping himself up on his elbows. He peered at her through lidded eyes.
“Hey.” His tone was concerned if a bit tired. “You doing alright?”
“I’m fine.” She answered quickly. Perhaps too quickly. Dinah didn’t need to look Ollie’s way to know he didn’t buy it.
After a stretch of quiet, he spoke again. “Are you sure? We haven’t talked much these last couple days.”
More silence. He tried his luck again.
“If this is about the whole deal at the Watchtower, I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to make you feel-”
“I told you, I’m fine.” Dinah was firmer this time.
Normally, she admired Ollie’s bullheadedness. The stubborn nature he shared with her. Right now, it was just annoying. Hearing the worry in his voice made Dinah want to hit something.
She felt his hand settle on the small of her back. It crept upwards. What was supposed to be soothing circles instead became an unwanted jolt as his fingers touched her cool, sweatslick skin.
“Stop.” Dinah snapped, slapping his hand away. She didn’t look at him as she hopped out of bed. “Just… stop.”
Dinah buried her face in her hands again, rubbing into her forehead. Behind her, she heard Ollie’s long, defeated sigh.
“Alright. I’m just worried about you, pretty bird.”
“I know, Ollie.” Dinah breathed out, running her hands through her dampened hair. Her whole body felt slick and gross. “And you don’t need to.”
Did she want to moan? To scoff? To weep? Dinah didn’t know. Her body was as confused as she was. There was a twisting deep, deep in her gut… and a clench around her heart.
Dinah went on without looking back. The bathroom was waiting for her… and she needed a fucking shower.
- - -
The shower was quick. In and out. Dinah didn’t want to chance Ollie joining her.
Toweling off was even quicker. Then she was suited and booted and out the door.
Just about sunrise in Star City. A motorcycle ride took her to one of the zeta points downtown. From there it was a quick jump to Gotham.
Dinah would have laughed if she was in the mood for laughing. What had her world become if she was willing to chance Bruce and the bird boys but not Ollie getting frisky in the shower?
Not to mention the lovely Gotham weather. A thick morning fog accompanied by a cool, light drizzle. The Black Canary wasn’t dressed for rain. At least she had her jacket.
All zipped-up, Dinah stuck to the narrow alleys - the high walls and stone ledges offered some protection from the light downpour. And the alleys themselves kept her out of sight. The last thing she wanted was a mob of Canary fans. She had a lot of those in Gotham.
Cast in shadow, Dinah felt like a voyeur peering down towards the street. She watched people pass by, cars, trucks, bike messengers. The city was coming alive in the early hours of the morning.
How could they go on, Dinah wondered, like things were normal? How could these people go about like they didn’t live in one of the most fucked-up, crime-ridden hellholes in the USA? For all those Gothamites passing by, it was just business as usual.
Dinah envied them.
For reasons she couldn’t discern, Dinah inched closer to the mouth of the alley. Closer to the busy street. Closer to those people. Soon she was close enough to see their faces, yet none of them noticed her in the shadows. She could see across the street and through the window of the cafe there.
One customer stood out. A young woman seated right by the window, nursing a cup of coffee. A pretty thing, blonde like Dinah, but softer, rosier face. Unlike everyone else, she didn’t seem to be in a rush. In fact, she looked calm. Happy. Glowing.
Dinah’s belly twisted, tight and sharp. What the hell did this girl have to smile about? A promotion at work? Just got hired? Date went well?
Yeah. Yeah, that had to be it. Dinah knew that sort of smile. She knew that glow.
Blondie got fucked good. She wasn’t in a rush because she was still riding that high. Not a care in the world after getting some good dick. Probably got sweettalked by a handsome face and the big dick stud put her through the fucking bed-
Dinah backed away from the street, retreating into the alley until her back hit a brick wall. She remembered how to breathe then, sucking in air. Her chest was pounding under her jacket.
Hand in her hair, gripping tight. Solid meat sinking into her gullet. Punching into her throat.
Dinah couldn't even ask herself why. She knew why. The answer had been branded into her brain. It was there. Always there. Waiting.
Dinah swallowed, sucking in another deep breath.
Gotham. Of all places, she picked Gotham. His city. He was out there, somewhere. No, not somewhere. In her bones, she knew he would be right where she left him.
The thought brought forth a shiver - or it would have, if the beeping of her communicator didn’t make her jump out of her skin. God, she almost yelped.
Dinah fished the device out of her jacket. Flipped it open.
A message from Oracle.
Been a few days. Meet me?
- - -
The Clocktower was as dusty and foreboding as it ever was. Maybe that’s what made it so appealing to a former Bat.
Dinah wasn’t there to reminisce on the past. In fact, that was the last thing she wanted to do.
Yet there was Barbara - Oracle as she now preferred - leaning against her desk with that expectant look under the shine of her glasses.
“So…” The redhead let the word hang.
“So.”
“It’s been three days.” Barbara tapped her foot against the wooden floor. The glow of the dozen computer screens surrounding them cast her face in pale green. “I have to ask, Dinah.”
Dinah’s face twitched. She didn’t want to scowl. Barbara didn’t deserve that from her.
“I’m not stopping you.”
“Okay.” Barbara exhaled. “How did the mission go?”
Hand in her hair, gripping tight. Guiding her head up and down. Up and down. Hard to breathe. But she couldn’t stop-
“Got some pings from the network. Some of my eyes spotted Jackson Stone at his usual hangouts last night. He didn’t look any worse for wear.”
The silence was thick. Barbara waited. Dinah didn’t answer. Didn’t meet her eyes, either. Her arms were crossed, fingers digging into the sleeves of her jacket.
“I thought the Black Canary was going to put the fear of God into him.” Barbara pressed - though not harshly.
Dinah still bristled. She turned her focus to the bright clockface that took up the north wall. All those gears working together, still chugging along despite the age and the grime and rust.
“That clearly didn’t happen.” Barbara kept pressing. “Did you even make contact? Dinah?”
“I got close.” Dinah answered sharply, tearing her focus from the opal glass. She met Barbara’s eyes, breathing in slowly.
Her friend still wanted more. Behind the glasses, those green eyes were keen and focused and craving for information.
“And?”
“And the mission went to shit. What else?”
“How? Did he have too many guys-?”
Dinah pushed her butt off the desk, sweeping into a stride. Pacing, pacing back and forth through the chamber. Boots thumping against the wooden floor.
“I tried to play it safe.” Dinah forced the words out, looking to the rafters and cobwebs above. In her head, that night played out all over again. “I wanted to sneak in, get him alone, send a message. I snuck in. But he knew who I was. Right from the start.”
Across the room, Dinah heard shuffling as Barbara stood up. She didn’t need to look to know the redhead was worried. Everyone was worried.
“He lured you into a trap?” There was apprehension in Barbara’s voice. Dinah hated it.
“No.” Dinah said quickly. “There was no trap. He was just… He was screwing with me the whole time.”
Another silence stretched between them. Barbara said nothing. Dinah appreciated that. The blonde kept pacing, pacing, pacing. Until finally Barbara spoke up again.
“You didn’t call for three days. Had me worried.” Her tone was calm. Gentle. But not in the way Dinah loathed. There was sympathy there… but not pity. Dinah was grateful for that, too.
“Sorry. I was rattled.”
“Rattled.” Barbara repeated. A bit of disbelief in her voice now.
“Yeah. Rattled.”
Dinah ceased her pacing. Boots scuffed the wood as she turned on her heels to face Barbara again. Oracle. The one woman who was truly in the Canary’s corner.
The redhead held her gaze for a long moment. Scrutinizing. Dinah watched her chew her lower lip.
“And now you want to take another shot at Stone?” One brow raised. Curious, Dinah saw… but not opposed. That was good.
“He thinks he’s untouchable now. Can’t have that.”
The glint behind the glasses told Dinah that Barbara agreed.
“I assume you’re running a different plan this time?”
Dinah tried not to let the relief show on her face. She offered a small grin.
“Depends. Can I borrow some toys?”
“Such as?” Oracle now looked truly curious.
“Knockout gas. Transportation. A safehouse. Off the grid.”
The redhead snorted. Both brows lifted high.
“Guy must have really rattled you.”
“Yeah.” Dinah admitted. Down in her belly, her guts were snapped tight. “And now I’m gonna rattle him back.”