Hawkgirl woke up in the medical wing of the watchtower, IV poles piercing her skin, with the beeping of a heart rate monitor all she could hear. Her mouth was covered with an oxygen mask, and the pain across her body was now a silent hum, not completely gone yet but still lingering.
Her eyes, barely open, were blinded by the bright white light, but she could notice a small table next to her bed with flowers and bundles of gifts in wrapping paper with cards saying 'Get Better Soon' in fancy writing.
She tried to move, but all she could manage was to push herself upwards on the bed, her head now against the frame. Her armour was replaced with a medical gown.
Even breathing hurt, but she didn't care; at least she was alive. The door hissed open, and a doctor walked in with a datapad wedged between his arm and waist. He tapped his ear. "She's awake..."
"Civilians. How many injured?" Hawkgirl interrupted, her voice rough.
"I...Let me get..."
"How many?"
He hesitated before checking his datapad. "Only seventeen injured. No-one in serious condition. No casualties."
Hawkgirl closed her eyes, relieved but not surprised. "The city?" she asked.
"There's significant damage where the fight took place; the estimated time to rebuild is only one month, though. Mainly from where the explosions took place," he answered.
Hawkgirl slightly nodded. "Satanna?"
"Escaped. I'm sorry. The villain named Sophist intervened and..."
"I know, I was there." Hawkgirl looked at the ceiling. She thought that she would be in a rage or have a burning need for revenge, but instead, she was just tired.
Six hours later, Hawkgirl was now sitting in the briefing chamber, her body still wrapped in bandages. She should have stayed in the medical wing, but she refused; she was sick of just sitting in her bed.
Batman was at the head of the table, his expression unreadable just like always. Wonder Woman stood nearby, her arms crossed, giving Hawkgirl concerned looks periodically. Flash leaned heavily against his seat while Hal Jordan occupied the seat across from Hawkgirl. Martian Manhunter stayed apart from the group, observing from the corner.
"Walk us through it. Every detail," Batman said.
Hawkgirl recounted everything that happened that day in Midway City, every detail. When she eventually finished, the room went silent.
"He could have killed so many people with every attack with ease if he wanted to, but he didn't," Hawkgirl said, and then she looked around the room.
"So what? He's still a psycho who..." Flash said.
"He designs scenarios or tests. He pushes me to my limit and never forces me to do the impossible. Those were his own words. Hawkgirl interrupted.
"That doesn't make him any less dangerous. All it takes is a change of mind before he could commit a genocide or kill you or one of us." Wonder Woman said gently.
"No, he won't. He doesn't fit that profile," Hawkgirl argued.
"You're defending him," Batman said, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"I understand him; there's a difference. I'm the only one here to actually meet him and talk to him." Hawkgirl met Batman's gaze.
"He organised a total of five terrorist attacks, Shayera. It doesn't matter if he has a 'good purpose' behind them all." Hal leaned forward and interjected.
"I know. I'm not saying he's not a threat; I'm saying we've been thinking about it wrongly. He's not a psycho; he's not doing this for fun. He has a different intention that makes him unique compared to every other villain. He's..." Hawkgirl trailed off, not sure how to finish.
"He's training you, as the Flash said at the last meeting, even though it was meant as a joke," J'onn said, everyone turning around to look at him. He stepped forward. "I reviewed the past scenarios; everyone requires Hawkgirl to better herself. Every scenario had a solution; while difficult, they were all achievable and ended with Hawkgirl becoming better after each one. He's not trying to kill Shayera; he wants to elevate her. Why else would he have sat down with her and talked to her? He could have let her die, but he didn't."
The room went quiet before the Flash broke it with a sharp laugh. "That's actually insane; for the record, I was joking last meeting. Never in my wildest dreams would I think a supervillain's main motive would be to help the heroes stop him by making them stronger."
"It is, but it's also accurate," Batman said.
Later, Wonder Woman found Hawkgirl alone on the observation deck. "How are you? And I mean, really, how are you?" she asked, standing beside her.
"I don't know anymore," Hawkgirl replied, turning away from the window that showed the Earth. "I hate him less; that's the scary thing."
Wonder Woman waited.
"For months, ever since I met him at that bridge, he has made me his target for his fucked-up games, and I have had this burning hatred. But now...it's different."
"Hatred can evolve. Change into something more complex," Diana said.
"Respect. I've actually started to respect him. As a person and as an adversary. Someone who pushes me harder than anyone else to be better. Like a rival, and I hate it. Hate. That a small part of me that is grateful." The words tasted strange in her mouth. Her head leaned back, and she closed her eyes.
Diana placed a hand on her shoulder. "Growth often comes from unexpected places."
"I'm not going to forgive him."
"I didn't say you should."
"I'm going to stop him."
"I know."
Hawkgirl finally turned to face Diana. "But I'm not the same as I was two and a half months ago. He's made me better. Stronger. I didn't ask for all of this."
"No, you didn't. But you still get to choose what you do with it." Diana agreed.
The next briefing was smaller, just Batman, her and Wonder Woman. Batman pulled up holographic displays playing videos of her latest fight.
"Your reaction time has improved by 18%. Your flight speed has increased by 22%. Durability is up by 15%." Your overall combat ability has increased by 20%. "He turned to face Hawkgirl. "He's training you."
"I know," Hawkgirl said quietly, staring at the displays.
"The question is why. What does he gain from making you stronger?" Batman continued.
"A better opponent?" Wonder Woman suggested.
"Perhaps. Or something more complicated," Batman replied, bringing up another file, his expression remaining neutral. "As of this morning, Sophist has officially been considered as an international threat-level entity. He has five successful large-scale terror attacks. He has advanced teleportation abilities, making it close to impossible to catch him, and it's unclear whether it's mutant or technology. There is no digital footprint regarding the equipment used during these attacks, eluding every intelligence agency, including myself. Interpol has issued a standing warrant. ARGUS has allocated a dedicated task force, and six national governments are coordinating to track him. He's no longer just a 'local villain'."
"What does he actually want, though?" Hawkgirl asked.
Batman's jaw tightened slightly, the closest thing to uncertainty Sheyera had seen from him. "To prove something," he said finally.
They all understood. Sophist wasn't motivated by money, power or revenge. What made him so dangerous was that they had no idea what his motivation was.
That night, Hawkgirl stood at the watchtower window again, the earth rotating below. Peaceful and beautiful. Millions of lives are going about their business, unaware of what they were doing so they could stay safe.
Her body ached beneath the bandages, her ribs throbbing with every breath.
She was stronger. She could feel it. Sophist was the reason behind all of it, but she didn't thank him for it. But she recognised him as an adversary, not just a monster anymore.
Someone who taught her the importance of living again, when she wasn't sure she wanted to anymore. She vowed that next time she would catch him. That she wouldn't fall like last time.
That was her next choice.