![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
eldabeTitle: Don't Tell Me Not to Fly
Fandom(s): DC Comics
Character(s): Lian Harper.
Rating: PG-13 for some creepiness.
Summary: Lian Harper came back to life in a world where heroes and villains never seem to stay dead. Now old enough to hold her own as a hero, Lian searches out the undisputed master of non-powered heroes in an age of superpowers. But Lian might not be the only one that has come back to life...
Acknowledgments:draconic_voices was the most fantastic beta ever, putting up with my absolute writer insanity. All remaining mistakes are completely mine. And thanks to iceshade, who shoved me back on track when I plateaued.
Complement:bliumchik put together an amazing mix to go along with this fic. It can be found here.
Don't Tell Me Not to Fly Masterlist
Prologue: Can You Teach Me How to Fly?
Lian ran. She darted off the main street into an alleyway, avoiding the pools of light cast by street lamps.
Normally, she'd be running across rooftops, but she was only a few blocks from home and she didn't want to risk bumping into her dad. She ripped off her mask and stuffed it into her pocket without breaking stride. The bow and quiver were harder to hide so she held them close and prayed her dad wasn’t back early.
She slid past the blind spot in her building's security feed easily, then quickly ducked through the service entrance. As soon as she closed the door, the floor slid back and she headed down the revealed staircase.
Dad always wanted to call it the Arsenal-cave to tease Uncle Dick and Uncle Ollie simultaneously, but Aunt Dinah called it, "The Basement", with appropriate eyebrow-raising and melodramatic intonations, so that's what stuck.
Lian whistled as she unstrung her bow and hung it up on the wall with her quiver. She carefully mixed her arrows back in with all the other ones. Dad didn't keep a perfect record, so he probably wouldn't even miss the ones she’d used tonight. A quick look around the room showed everything in place, and Lian gave herself a moment to appreciate another successful patrol night.
A quick glance at her watch showed that she still had twenty minutes, at least, to get upstairs before Dad got home, but she only had an hour before Cerdian was due. Dammit. Lian raced for the elevator.
That, of course, was when Iris decided to show up.
“So, did you pick a dress yet?”
“Gyaaa!”
Lian threw her hands in the air and spun around. If she had been holding anything, it would already be flying at Iris’s head. Not that it would have hit her.
“Iris, jeez! What was that for?”
“I’ve been sent.” Iris said, following Lian into the elevator. “Jai wants you to know that we’re with you 100%. Even if you’re nuts.”
“And I’m sure those were his exact words.”
Lian stripped off her top as she walked from the elevator to her room. Iris screwed up her face in thought.
“His exact words were something like, ‘even though she’s completely gone overboard in postmortem internal inferiority complex.’ But honestly, it’s Jai, so who cares?”
Lian rolled her eyes as she stepped into the shower.
Forty-eight minutes later, Lian was dry, dressed, and almost ready. The evening dress would have been a perfect Little Black Dress à la Breakfast at Tiffany's if it hadn't been a deep red; her dad's colors. She wanted to be clear where exactly her allegiance lay tonight. Plus, it looked good on her.
The rest of her accessories reflected her slightly overprotective upbringing. The matching shoes that were comfortable enough to run in. The catch on her necklace that was weak enough to break if tugged too hard, and which had, disguised among the various little decorative rubies and gold flowers, a little transmitter that would send a brief emergency signal to the JLA watchtower if it was broken. Most of her bracelets, watches and necklaces had the same mechanism; a result of many, many birthday presents from Aunt Dinah and various grown-up Titans.
Lian gathered up the rest of her gear – cell phone and various emergency paraphernalia - and shoved it in her handbag while Iris picked up everything from her dresser to examine it. Lian snatched lipstick out of her hand and applied it carefully.
“A little heavy on the make-up there,” Iris commented, making faces in the mirror behind Lian.
Lian ignored the comment, continuing to carefully apply her makeup to emphasize her mother’s Asian features. “I have to make sure no one recognizes me, Iris.”
“Ah, secret identity. Gotcha.” Iris tapped her nose and Lian regretted lending her that movie.
Lian hitched up her skirt and checked the belly band holster holding her loaded Glock. She let the skirt fall again and checked out her reflection critically, twirling and then sitting down.
“Can’t see it.” Iris reassured her. “But are you sure you want to bring a gun to meet-“
Then the elevator dinged.
"Lian?" Roy called out.
"Here!" she responded, and checked the time. She had four minutes to meet the car downstairs. She gave Iris a warning glance.
"Hey, any responses today?" Dad was asking about colleges. She'd amassed a small collection of response letters, carefully sorted in to three piles on her desk - the acceptances, the rejections, and the ones she hadn't cared enough to open after she got her first acceptance to a college she was willing to go to. She didn't really want to go to Harvard, even though she had the scores and Dad would love it. In terms of superheroing, Harvard was in the middle of nowhere; Boston was an absolute wasteland. In fact, most of the really expensive colleges were in equally useless locations.
Lian had the money to burn, with a long list of checks, bonds and savings accounts from her extended network of family and friends. So she’d spent a few of those Christmas presents from Uncle Dick on applying everywhere. Dad was not going to be happy to hear where she did want to go and the huge flood of letters worked to well camouflage those few coveted responses.
"Yep, it's mixed up with the rest." She didn't tell him that this was the one she'd been waiting for. Hopefully, after tonight she'd be able to fish out the important acceptances from the growing pile and explain everything; but not yet.
“Hey, Uncle Roy!” Iris hollered as they started to walk down the hall.
"Hey Iris," he yelled back, going through the junk mail. Then he looked up. "What the... Where are you going tonight, etai yazi?" he asked, eying the heavy makeup suspiciously.
"Out with Cerdian," She kissed him on the cheek, grabbing a coat before he had a conniption. "I'll be back by one, and I have my cell, ok?"
“Don’t worry, Uncle Roy,” Iris assured him. “We’re just hanging out in midtown. Celebrating Lian’s upcoming freedom from the bonds of the mandated national education system!”
He looked like he still wanted to object, but the elevator doors slid open. "See you later, Daddy!" she called brightly as she hit the close button.
“Pick that up from Jai?” Lian asked.
“Sounds good, no?” Iris said cheekily.
Cerdian was waiting in the embassy Rolls outside, fixing his tie while the driver stalled. Lian smiled as she slid neatly into her seat.
“So….think I can tag along?”
“NO!” Lian and Cerdian said together. Lian tugged the door shut.
“You know I can dress in minutes…”
“And ruin it on the run back?” Lian said.
Iris sighed. “Fine.” She leaned in the window. “And we want to hear all the details, Cerdian! Don’t let Lian bully you into hiding anything!”
Lian rolled her eyes, and Cerdian smiled enigmatically.
“Good luck!” Iris added, and pulled out so Lian could roll up the window. Lian watched in the rear-view mirror as Iris waved them goodbye, then disappeared in a cloud of dust. Lian turned to Cerdian.
"Nice suit," she said, smiling at the obnoxious blue/green Atlantian insignia on his lapel.
Cerdian made a face. "I'm doing this for you," he reminded her reproachfully. "You might as well be nice."
"Good point," Lian conceded. She smoothed her skirt down, and then planted her hands in her lap, forcing herself to stay still.
Cerdian watched her for a moment. "Are you sure about this?"
"I've already told you. This is the best way to get a chance to talk to him. A public place, no emergencies or family or-"
Cerdian cut her off before she started babbling. "Yeah, fine, great. I meant, are you sure about this whole plan? Your Dad is going to flip out. Green Arrow is going to flip out."
Lian twisted sideways to glare at him. "Dad has refused to give me a real challenge for years, and it's not like I'm going to get a set of meta powers anytime soon. This is my best chance to train on the next level." Lian paused, trying to find the words. It got hard sometimes, having best friends that could fly, or break the sound barrier, or bench-press cars. She knew she was good, but good wasn't enough. She had to be great.
Cerdian just looked at her, a little nervously. Officially, she wasn't allowed to join the family business until she turned eighteen, and even then it was under the assumption that she was going to earn her bachelor’s after high school. Dad had made the deal with her when she had been thirteen and loudly complained that she wasn't allowed to do anything. Of course, that hadn't stopped her from teaming up with the Teen Titans and saving a small town on the Arizona border a few years ago. Or from doing a little unsanctioned patrolling. But most of that had been emergencies, so Dad hadn't been able to say much. And in two months he wouldn't be able to say anything at all.
She let out a frustrated huff. "It's important to me, Cerdian."
He blinked; then considered it, "Ok. If it's important to you, we'll make it work."
They sat in silence for the rest of the drive, Lian's grip on her handbag getting tighter and tighter while Cerdian looked idly out the window. The air in the car was artificially cool and moist, a weird combination, but it kept the driver comfortable until he could get back to the embassy; Arthur insisted that all staff be from somewhere in the ocean, or from Cerdia at least. Cerdian didn't have the one-hour time limit of his father (or the staff), but he kept a flask of salt water close by at all times for emergencies.
The car pulled up in front of the reception hall and Lian took a breath.
"You'll be fine," Cerdian assured her, before getting out. Lian waited for him to come around to her side, and let him help her out of the car. For the press, she was playing arm candy tonight, so she adopted her best vapid smile as they walked through the doors.
The event itself was made up mostly of politicians this early in the night. Ostensibly, it was a cultural festival at the Georgian embassy. In reality, it had somehow become one of the most important international business meet-and-greets of the year. Possibly, because Russia had decided to make a showing, which meant that China had to come, and that both of them had to bring a bunch of connections. Possibly because India had made it very clear that they would be bringing a large delegation of special guests. Either way, Wayne Enterprises had practically been sent a gilded invitation.
It also happened to be held on the same night a major prison transfer was going through from Gotham to the Metropolitan Correctional Center, about fifty blocks downtown from the embassy. The transfer was due to take place at about 3 in the morning, giving plenty of time for her to secure some connections, plan some deals and make a good show before the transfer happened. At least, Lian hoped that's how it would go.
Lian got a glass of something sparkling and mildly alcoholic to carry while she did her first circuit around the room. Cerdian grabbed something stronger, but he could selectively cleanse his blood in under 10 minutes if he felt like it, so she wasn't going to say anything. Although he was really only sixteen, so someone should probably stop him.
Not that Lian could really talk, two months before her eighteenth birthday.
After a couple of circuits around the room, Lian picked a corner with a good overall view of the main doors. Cerdian faced her, watching her back as they chatted. She kept an eye on the door.
"He's not due to show up for at least another half-hour." Cerdian commented casually, when they’d run out of inanities.
"Yeah, and?" Lian says. She knew that already, but they’d agreed that it was better to be early than late. Now, she was tense.
Cerdian handed his glass to a passing waiter. Lian had ditched hers a while ago.
"Come on," Cerdian said, and pulled her to the edge of the dance floor. Only a few couples were out there, and that woman from Keystone Steel was definitely making some sort of business deal with the German charge d'affaires while they waltzed to the wrong beat. Beside them, the Peruvian ambassador and his wife were gliding gracefully across the floor, unfazed by the fact that the Australian ambassador kept requesting faster songs, and her husband was having a hysterical time keeping up.
The last of the Australian ambassador’s requests came to an end and the musicians started to play a slower dance. Lian forced herself to calm down and play her part as they stepped out onto the dance floor. She lowered her eyes to half-mast, following Cerdian's lead while she watched the crowd through her eyelashes. She shifted closer to him so that she could look unobtrusively over his shoulder.
"So, which college are you thinking about now?" Cerdian muttered in her ear.
"Well, I got accepted by TCNJ, Berkley and Rutgers," she replied slowly.
"And?"
"And my GSU acceptance came in today."
Ceridan turned his head, eyes lit up, "Wow, that's great! Congratulations!."
Lian grinned, getting excited despite herself. "Yeah, but Dad might weigh in against a city campus."
"Well, Uncle Dick went there."
"And never graduated. Dad's not going to like that."
"Your dad isn't giving you that as an option, Lian."
"Huh, Dad doesn't exactly know I go on patrol these days eith-"
Cerdian tensed. Lian’s mouth snapped shut, her hand creeping toward her bag.
"He's here." Ceridan breathed.
Lian froze, for a moment forgetting to inhale. She met Cerdian's eyes, knowing her own were growing wide with panic. She felt like an idiot, all of a sudden. Why did she bring a gun? Why did she wear heels? This was all wrong.
She had spent months trying to figure out what she was going to say. She had a detailed argument explaining how she needed the training in today's intense super environment as a third-generation non-powered hero. She wanted to explain how all the people she had grown up with weren't capable of giving her the necessary harsh regiment she needed to survive on the streets. She badly wanted to tell how she had basically been counting down the days since she was thirteen to her next birthday, because that was the day she was finally going to be allowed to save the world without her dad's restrictions.
Cerdian pulled her off the dance floor. Lian didn't take her eyes off the small crowd by the door, gathered around one of the most powerful men on the eastern seaboard.
Never mind. This was it.
The man around whom Lian had planned this whole crazy night walked into the room with the crowd, casually flirting with a woman three times Lian’s age as the group slowly dispersed. Lian sucked a breath in through her nose and out through her mouth and mentally told her adrenal glands to shut up.
She grabbed Cerdian's other hand, and pulled him close. "I'm not taking no for an answer," she swore fiercely.
He nodded a quick assent before she let go of his hand and started to stride determinedly across the floor toward the one man who had perfected the art of competing in a world of super-powers, Bruce Wayne.
Chapter One
Fandom(s): DC Comics
Character(s): Lian Harper.
Rating: PG-13 for some creepiness.
Summary: Lian Harper came back to life in a world where heroes and villains never seem to stay dead. Now old enough to hold her own as a hero, Lian searches out the undisputed master of non-powered heroes in an age of superpowers. But Lian might not be the only one that has come back to life...
Acknowledgments:
draconic_voices was the most fantastic beta ever, putting up with my absolute writer insanity. All remaining mistakes are completely mine. And thanks to iceshade, who shoved me back on track when I plateaued.Complement:
bliumchik put together an amazing mix to go along with this fic. It can be found here. Don't Tell Me Not to Fly Masterlist
Prologue: Can You Teach Me How to Fly?
Lian ran. She darted off the main street into an alleyway, avoiding the pools of light cast by street lamps.
Normally, she'd be running across rooftops, but she was only a few blocks from home and she didn't want to risk bumping into her dad. She ripped off her mask and stuffed it into her pocket without breaking stride. The bow and quiver were harder to hide so she held them close and prayed her dad wasn’t back early.
She slid past the blind spot in her building's security feed easily, then quickly ducked through the service entrance. As soon as she closed the door, the floor slid back and she headed down the revealed staircase.
Dad always wanted to call it the Arsenal-cave to tease Uncle Dick and Uncle Ollie simultaneously, but Aunt Dinah called it, "The Basement", with appropriate eyebrow-raising and melodramatic intonations, so that's what stuck.
Lian whistled as she unstrung her bow and hung it up on the wall with her quiver. She carefully mixed her arrows back in with all the other ones. Dad didn't keep a perfect record, so he probably wouldn't even miss the ones she’d used tonight. A quick look around the room showed everything in place, and Lian gave herself a moment to appreciate another successful patrol night.
A quick glance at her watch showed that she still had twenty minutes, at least, to get upstairs before Dad got home, but she only had an hour before Cerdian was due. Dammit. Lian raced for the elevator.
That, of course, was when Iris decided to show up.
“So, did you pick a dress yet?”
“Gyaaa!”
Lian threw her hands in the air and spun around. If she had been holding anything, it would already be flying at Iris’s head. Not that it would have hit her.
“Iris, jeez! What was that for?”
“I’ve been sent.” Iris said, following Lian into the elevator. “Jai wants you to know that we’re with you 100%. Even if you’re nuts.”
“And I’m sure those were his exact words.”
Lian stripped off her top as she walked from the elevator to her room. Iris screwed up her face in thought.
“His exact words were something like, ‘even though she’s completely gone overboard in postmortem internal inferiority complex.’ But honestly, it’s Jai, so who cares?”
Lian rolled her eyes as she stepped into the shower.
Forty-eight minutes later, Lian was dry, dressed, and almost ready. The evening dress would have been a perfect Little Black Dress à la Breakfast at Tiffany's if it hadn't been a deep red; her dad's colors. She wanted to be clear where exactly her allegiance lay tonight. Plus, it looked good on her.
The rest of her accessories reflected her slightly overprotective upbringing. The matching shoes that were comfortable enough to run in. The catch on her necklace that was weak enough to break if tugged too hard, and which had, disguised among the various little decorative rubies and gold flowers, a little transmitter that would send a brief emergency signal to the JLA watchtower if it was broken. Most of her bracelets, watches and necklaces had the same mechanism; a result of many, many birthday presents from Aunt Dinah and various grown-up Titans.
Lian gathered up the rest of her gear – cell phone and various emergency paraphernalia - and shoved it in her handbag while Iris picked up everything from her dresser to examine it. Lian snatched lipstick out of her hand and applied it carefully.
“A little heavy on the make-up there,” Iris commented, making faces in the mirror behind Lian.
Lian ignored the comment, continuing to carefully apply her makeup to emphasize her mother’s Asian features. “I have to make sure no one recognizes me, Iris.”
“Ah, secret identity. Gotcha.” Iris tapped her nose and Lian regretted lending her that movie.
Lian hitched up her skirt and checked the belly band holster holding her loaded Glock. She let the skirt fall again and checked out her reflection critically, twirling and then sitting down.
“Can’t see it.” Iris reassured her. “But are you sure you want to bring a gun to meet-“
Then the elevator dinged.
"Lian?" Roy called out.
"Here!" she responded, and checked the time. She had four minutes to meet the car downstairs. She gave Iris a warning glance.
"Hey, any responses today?" Dad was asking about colleges. She'd amassed a small collection of response letters, carefully sorted in to three piles on her desk - the acceptances, the rejections, and the ones she hadn't cared enough to open after she got her first acceptance to a college she was willing to go to. She didn't really want to go to Harvard, even though she had the scores and Dad would love it. In terms of superheroing, Harvard was in the middle of nowhere; Boston was an absolute wasteland. In fact, most of the really expensive colleges were in equally useless locations.
Lian had the money to burn, with a long list of checks, bonds and savings accounts from her extended network of family and friends. So she’d spent a few of those Christmas presents from Uncle Dick on applying everywhere. Dad was not going to be happy to hear where she did want to go and the huge flood of letters worked to well camouflage those few coveted responses.
"Yep, it's mixed up with the rest." She didn't tell him that this was the one she'd been waiting for. Hopefully, after tonight she'd be able to fish out the important acceptances from the growing pile and explain everything; but not yet.
“Hey, Uncle Roy!” Iris hollered as they started to walk down the hall.
"Hey Iris," he yelled back, going through the junk mail. Then he looked up. "What the... Where are you going tonight, etai yazi?" he asked, eying the heavy makeup suspiciously.
"Out with Cerdian," She kissed him on the cheek, grabbing a coat before he had a conniption. "I'll be back by one, and I have my cell, ok?"
“Don’t worry, Uncle Roy,” Iris assured him. “We’re just hanging out in midtown. Celebrating Lian’s upcoming freedom from the bonds of the mandated national education system!”
He looked like he still wanted to object, but the elevator doors slid open. "See you later, Daddy!" she called brightly as she hit the close button.
“Pick that up from Jai?” Lian asked.
“Sounds good, no?” Iris said cheekily.
Cerdian was waiting in the embassy Rolls outside, fixing his tie while the driver stalled. Lian smiled as she slid neatly into her seat.
“So….think I can tag along?”
“NO!” Lian and Cerdian said together. Lian tugged the door shut.
“You know I can dress in minutes…”
“And ruin it on the run back?” Lian said.
Iris sighed. “Fine.” She leaned in the window. “And we want to hear all the details, Cerdian! Don’t let Lian bully you into hiding anything!”
Lian rolled her eyes, and Cerdian smiled enigmatically.
“Good luck!” Iris added, and pulled out so Lian could roll up the window. Lian watched in the rear-view mirror as Iris waved them goodbye, then disappeared in a cloud of dust. Lian turned to Cerdian.
"Nice suit," she said, smiling at the obnoxious blue/green Atlantian insignia on his lapel.
Cerdian made a face. "I'm doing this for you," he reminded her reproachfully. "You might as well be nice."
"Good point," Lian conceded. She smoothed her skirt down, and then planted her hands in her lap, forcing herself to stay still.
Cerdian watched her for a moment. "Are you sure about this?"
"I've already told you. This is the best way to get a chance to talk to him. A public place, no emergencies or family or-"
Cerdian cut her off before she started babbling. "Yeah, fine, great. I meant, are you sure about this whole plan? Your Dad is going to flip out. Green Arrow is going to flip out."
Lian twisted sideways to glare at him. "Dad has refused to give me a real challenge for years, and it's not like I'm going to get a set of meta powers anytime soon. This is my best chance to train on the next level." Lian paused, trying to find the words. It got hard sometimes, having best friends that could fly, or break the sound barrier, or bench-press cars. She knew she was good, but good wasn't enough. She had to be great.
Cerdian just looked at her, a little nervously. Officially, she wasn't allowed to join the family business until she turned eighteen, and even then it was under the assumption that she was going to earn her bachelor’s after high school. Dad had made the deal with her when she had been thirteen and loudly complained that she wasn't allowed to do anything. Of course, that hadn't stopped her from teaming up with the Teen Titans and saving a small town on the Arizona border a few years ago. Or from doing a little unsanctioned patrolling. But most of that had been emergencies, so Dad hadn't been able to say much. And in two months he wouldn't be able to say anything at all.
She let out a frustrated huff. "It's important to me, Cerdian."
He blinked; then considered it, "Ok. If it's important to you, we'll make it work."
They sat in silence for the rest of the drive, Lian's grip on her handbag getting tighter and tighter while Cerdian looked idly out the window. The air in the car was artificially cool and moist, a weird combination, but it kept the driver comfortable until he could get back to the embassy; Arthur insisted that all staff be from somewhere in the ocean, or from Cerdia at least. Cerdian didn't have the one-hour time limit of his father (or the staff), but he kept a flask of salt water close by at all times for emergencies.
The car pulled up in front of the reception hall and Lian took a breath.
"You'll be fine," Cerdian assured her, before getting out. Lian waited for him to come around to her side, and let him help her out of the car. For the press, she was playing arm candy tonight, so she adopted her best vapid smile as they walked through the doors.
The event itself was made up mostly of politicians this early in the night. Ostensibly, it was a cultural festival at the Georgian embassy. In reality, it had somehow become one of the most important international business meet-and-greets of the year. Possibly, because Russia had decided to make a showing, which meant that China had to come, and that both of them had to bring a bunch of connections. Possibly because India had made it very clear that they would be bringing a large delegation of special guests. Either way, Wayne Enterprises had practically been sent a gilded invitation.
It also happened to be held on the same night a major prison transfer was going through from Gotham to the Metropolitan Correctional Center, about fifty blocks downtown from the embassy. The transfer was due to take place at about 3 in the morning, giving plenty of time for her to secure some connections, plan some deals and make a good show before the transfer happened. At least, Lian hoped that's how it would go.
Lian got a glass of something sparkling and mildly alcoholic to carry while she did her first circuit around the room. Cerdian grabbed something stronger, but he could selectively cleanse his blood in under 10 minutes if he felt like it, so she wasn't going to say anything. Although he was really only sixteen, so someone should probably stop him.
Not that Lian could really talk, two months before her eighteenth birthday.
After a couple of circuits around the room, Lian picked a corner with a good overall view of the main doors. Cerdian faced her, watching her back as they chatted. She kept an eye on the door.
"He's not due to show up for at least another half-hour." Cerdian commented casually, when they’d run out of inanities.
"Yeah, and?" Lian says. She knew that already, but they’d agreed that it was better to be early than late. Now, she was tense.
Cerdian handed his glass to a passing waiter. Lian had ditched hers a while ago.
"Come on," Cerdian said, and pulled her to the edge of the dance floor. Only a few couples were out there, and that woman from Keystone Steel was definitely making some sort of business deal with the German charge d'affaires while they waltzed to the wrong beat. Beside them, the Peruvian ambassador and his wife were gliding gracefully across the floor, unfazed by the fact that the Australian ambassador kept requesting faster songs, and her husband was having a hysterical time keeping up.
The last of the Australian ambassador’s requests came to an end and the musicians started to play a slower dance. Lian forced herself to calm down and play her part as they stepped out onto the dance floor. She lowered her eyes to half-mast, following Cerdian's lead while she watched the crowd through her eyelashes. She shifted closer to him so that she could look unobtrusively over his shoulder.
"So, which college are you thinking about now?" Cerdian muttered in her ear.
"Well, I got accepted by TCNJ, Berkley and Rutgers," she replied slowly.
"And?"
"And my GSU acceptance came in today."
Ceridan turned his head, eyes lit up, "Wow, that's great! Congratulations!."
Lian grinned, getting excited despite herself. "Yeah, but Dad might weigh in against a city campus."
"Well, Uncle Dick went there."
"And never graduated. Dad's not going to like that."
"Your dad isn't giving you that as an option, Lian."
"Huh, Dad doesn't exactly know I go on patrol these days eith-"
Cerdian tensed. Lian’s mouth snapped shut, her hand creeping toward her bag.
"He's here." Ceridan breathed.
Lian froze, for a moment forgetting to inhale. She met Cerdian's eyes, knowing her own were growing wide with panic. She felt like an idiot, all of a sudden. Why did she bring a gun? Why did she wear heels? This was all wrong.
She had spent months trying to figure out what she was going to say. She had a detailed argument explaining how she needed the training in today's intense super environment as a third-generation non-powered hero. She wanted to explain how all the people she had grown up with weren't capable of giving her the necessary harsh regiment she needed to survive on the streets. She badly wanted to tell how she had basically been counting down the days since she was thirteen to her next birthday, because that was the day she was finally going to be allowed to save the world without her dad's restrictions.
Cerdian pulled her off the dance floor. Lian didn't take her eyes off the small crowd by the door, gathered around one of the most powerful men on the eastern seaboard.
Never mind. This was it.
The man around whom Lian had planned this whole crazy night walked into the room with the crowd, casually flirting with a woman three times Lian’s age as the group slowly dispersed. Lian sucked a breath in through her nose and out through her mouth and mentally told her adrenal glands to shut up.
She grabbed Cerdian's other hand, and pulled him close. "I'm not taking no for an answer," she swore fiercely.
He nodded a quick assent before she let go of his hand and started to stride determinedly across the floor toward the one man who had perfected the art of competing in a world of super-powers, Bruce Wayne.
Chapter One
