The more I thought about it, the more I enjoyed the idea of owning a suit. The first time I'd suggested it, Dinah thought I was joking. But I wasn't. After all, how cool would it be to have a super cool, weaponized body suit? Call me a five year old, but this might actually be a possibility for me! Well, that is, if I could convince Dinah. And she was about as stubborn as a cement truck. I asked a second time, and she said no. But I wasn't about to give up yet.
I rinsed the bowl under the faucet before placing it onto a rack in the dishwasher. I surveyed my target. Dinah sat on the couch, scrolling through her phone. Her hair was still damp from the shower she'd taken after training. She was probably reading the news, I predicted.
All day during training, I tried to come up with as many reasons as I could to sway her. I even came up with a whole speech about it in the shower. When I got dressed again, I decided to load the rest of the dishes from this morning to get on her good side. I watched her as I slowly put away another dish before wiping my hands on a towel. Okay. I needed to be cool. Collected. Smart.
"Can I get a suit?" I blurted.
Nice one, Jackie. Dinah looked up from her phone, a smile twitched at her lips.
"You're not going to give up on this, are you?"
You'd think she'd no longer be surprised after this was the third time I had asked about it. Holding my hands out, I picked my way across stray blankets and pillows scattered across the floor of the living room.
"Don't shoot me down. I've got more evidence this time." I grinned, standing in front of her.
Dinah exhaled and tossed her phone onto the cushion next to her. I had seen that expression on her before as she spread her hands to indicate I had the floor. Ignoring that, I cleared my throat, picturing myself with a presentation board and one of those skinny metal pointers.
In addition to collecting evidence and doing dishes, I tried to suck up to her for the past few days too, like keeping up on my training, less complaining, or keeping my room tidy. I had a feeling she had known exactly what I was doing the whole time, but never mind that. I pulled the mental note cards I'd made in the shower and stood taller to tried to make myself seem all serious and determined.
"As the League's current Intergang Weapons Specialist-"
"Oh, so that's what you're calling yourself now?" Dinah smirked.
I wish I had the pointer stick so I could whap her knuckles.
"It's very rude to speak out during a presentation, you know." I glared at her.
Dinah held her hands up in surrender. Almost satisfied, I continued.
"As I was saying, my area of expertise is needed, correct?" I flourished the words in an exaggerated manner, probably more than necessary.
Dinah gave me an exasperated look like she knew what was coming, but I refused to let her attitude ruin my flare.
"My part of our deal is to help recover the shipment of weapons the Intergang released, correct? If these guys I'm going to be living with are going to be running reconnaissance missions, wouldn't this be the perfect opportunity to do that?" I beamed at my logic.
"We've already gone through this. You will not be a field agent." Dinah glowered, daring me to refute her.
I rolled my eyes, unconcerned.
"I'm not suggesting I become a feild agent." I clarified. I wanted to add chill, but I wanted to keep her in a good mood. "On the other hand, you said it was up to me how much I wanted to reveal to the Team about myself, right?" I edged on, piling on as much reason as I could.
Dinah already looked tired with the conversation.
"Yes." She confirmed.
My eyes brightened.
"And you're letting me choose an alias for that purpose, right? After all, aren't I your protégé-in-training?" I wiggled my eyebrows.
That was the story we were going with when I met the other teenagers I was going to be living with. Because Dinah didn't want me going on field missions, and because I had elected to tell them nearly nothing about myself, we landed on reeling them all I was training to be her protégé. It would give me an excuse as to why I was in training and living at the Cave, and spending so much time with Dinah.
She combed a hand through her blonde hair. "Yes, but-"
"You know," I cut in. "One of these times I'm going to actually have to come with you to identify a shipment. We're bound to stumble on one sooner or later with all these Intergang sightings. And don't we want to protect my identity?" I grinned, enjoying the idea of having my own alias. "A suit would fit all of those needs just fine. What better way to accomplish all of that?"
I could sense a debate growing inside Dinah as I watched her expression. Yes, good job. Fan the flames! Fan the flames! My internal voice squealed at me. Dinah groaned and rubbed her temple.
"Jackie, hypothetically speaking," she pointed a finger at me. I nodded furiously, a little sprout of hope blossoming. "if there was a time we stumbled across something we needed you to identify, and we allowed you to come along, you do realize it wouldn't be for a fight. You would be there for identification purposes and identification purposes only." Dinah made herself crystal clear that she didn't want me fighting. Well, yet anyways. I decided not to talk about that part just yet. "You don't need a suit."
"But Dinah, even if I wouldn't be using it to fight, it'd still be a helpful form of protection against anyone trying to kill me or find me, wouldn't it?" I feigned nonchalance and examined my nails. "Besides, it's only a matter of time before an assassination attempt-"
"And that is precisely why we are moving you. You don't need a suit." Dinah argued, crossing her arms.
I fought a smug smile. I had been saving this one for last, and I whipped it out with all the glory of a hidden ace or a winning lottery ticket. I internally stroked my smug chin for I knew this one would be Dinah's ultimate weakness. From what she was aware of, I was an isolated little antisocial caterpillar. Ha! As if...
I sighed a little bit for theatrical purposes.
"You did say it would be healthy to spend time with kids my own age. I'm moving in with a bunch of superpowered strangers, so what better way to make friends if I can fit in a little better?" I pointed out.
I tried to look innocent, like a little caterpillar who just wanted some friends. Dinah sighed, and I took that as a big fat golden sticker and mentally pumped a fist. This was it! Her resolve was crumbling!
"I'm really glad you're excited about moving to the Cave and all, but I think we're getting a little ahead of ourselves." she said almost apologetically.
My golden sticker fluttered to the floor and my excitement deflated. But I wasn't out of tricks just yet. Not the most dignified trick, but it was worth a shot.
"Oh come on, Dinah, please?" I begged and put my clasped hands under my chin.
Dinah massaged her neck for a painful moment. She decided to humor me, and looked as if she was considering the idea.
"I suppose." Dinah shrugged and leaned forwards on her knees. "If those were the only reasons you wanted it." She looked at me accusingly.
I gasped and laid a hand on my chest.
"Why Dinah, are you accusing me of having alternative reasons for wanting a super-cool awesome hot suit? I thought you knew me better."
Dinah snorted and threw her feet atop the coffee table.
"Let me get this straight, you want to frolic around in a costume." She raised an eyebrow.
I scoffed.
"Did you not hear me? Identity protection." I paused my phony melodramatic defense. "Wait, frolic? Why does that word only apply to me?" I asked incredulously.
Dinah laughed at me, but otherwise said nothing more. She seemed to be pondering my proposal. I bit the inside of my cheek and had all eight of my fingers crossed, and then hooked my thumbs together for emphasis. Dinah tapped her chin, in thought for about a whole thirty seconds. That's how I knew she was just being theatrical.
"Hmm. I suppose it wouldn't be too much of a hassle to get that arranged..." she said to herself.
I beamed, pumping a fist. Man, maybe I should be the car salesman.
"Thank you thank you! I'll be the best fake protégé ever!" I gave her a quick hug.
Dinah chuckled. As I did my mini victory dance, Dinah picked up her phone again from the couch.
"You know, Snickers, you still have to come up with an actual codename before we can do anything. Not to mention you'll have to work for it, got it?" She pointed a finger at me.
I was too enthusiastic to do more than hastily accept her terms.
................................................................................
"Dang this is a lot of pressure." I scratched the back of my head. "If I choose something stupid, I'll be teased about it for the rest of my career."
Dinah chuckled when I said career. Sighing, I lay back down on the couch and threw my arms over my face. I peeked out from under my sweatshirt sleeves.
"You'd tell me if it was stupid, right?" I asked for reassurance.
"For sure." Dinah nodded.
"There isn't a theme I have to stick to, right? I don't have to wear fishnets or anything?" I asked and twisted my lips.
Dinah snorted. "No. I'm not letting you wear fishnets."
"Okay, good."
I pulled the popcorn bowl off the coffee table, settling it on my stomach and tossing pieces into my mouth. I'd gotten Dinah to buy real popcorn last week after like an hour of begging. I'd had enough of her Skinny Pop she was trying to convince me of otherwise.
I'd been thinking about it for over a few hours now, and I was still coming up empty handed regarding the prefect name for my alias. My... AlterEgo. A dramatic dun dun dun went off in my head. Meanwhile, Dinah for the last hour had taken the occupation as my amused audience, and hadn't been super helpful. But that was probably because I couldn't come up with anything realistically decent.
"Ooh, what about Mockingjay!" I wiggled my fingers around for effect.
"Sorry, Snickers. I think someone already has copyright on that. Ever read The Hunger Games?"
I groaned.
"This is hard. I've got no powers to work with, so it's not like I can get ideas from that or anything." I sat up and blew a strand of my hair away from my face. "The Ninja of The Night." I tried to make my voice sound husky, but it didn't work.
Dinah pressed her lips together and scrunched her eyebrows together. I couldn't tell if she was holding in a laugh, or if that was her being sympathetic.
"Maybe not that one?" I suggested.
"Yeah, not that one." Dinah sucked in a breath through her teeth.
I whipped out my phone.
"I'm sure there's some sort of BuzzFeed quiz that will tell me my superhero name or something."
She chuckled. "Yeah, if you're good with Mystic Fang or something like that."
The corner of my lips twitched.
"Hey, maybe that'll do me some good. Maybe they'll think I'm a vampire or a werewolf. It'll strike fear into the hearts of my enemies. Intimidation and stuff." I said through a mouthful of popcorn.
"Inspired. Truly." Dinah remarked. I threw a pillow at her.
"You can take ideas from my alias if you want." Dinah offered. "You are supposed to me my pretend protégé after all."
"Like what? Kid Canary?" I laughed, and she joined in. I picked at the threads of a blanket. "I'm just not sure if I'd be able to pull off a bird themed codename, you know?"
"Why not?" Dinah shrugged.
I gave her a look of disbelief. Even in shorts and a t-shirt, Dinah still looked about as beautiful as a supermodel. I bet she could even bring back the trend of macaroni wigs if she wanted to because she could make anything look fabulous. I wrapped a blanket close around my shoulders.
"Yours sounds sexy. But what about the other ones? Flamingo?" I cleared my throat and exclaimed dramatically, "Mallard, get down! Cuckoos, He's heading towards the stairwell! Penguin- oh, never mind, that one's taken."
Dinah threw her head back and laughed at my horrible theatrics.
"There are literally hundreds of other names and you had to choose weird ones." She quirked and eyebrow in disbelief.
Dinah took the popcorn bowl from me and shook a handful into her mouth.
"Well, all of the sexy bird names have already been taken!" I said pitifully and sank backwards into the couch. "Looks like I'll just have to be Mystic Fang..." I muttered.
"Robin. Ooh, what a codename." Dinah said sarcastically, a hint of her mocking smile in her eyes.
"You don't have to decide tonight. I'm sure we'll find something you'll like." She turned on the TV. "We'll think about it for a while. See if anything comes to us."
It'd been about forty minutes into our movie before Dinah suggested my codename.
"Hey." Dinah began. "What about Bluejay? It's your favorite color, isn't it?"
Bluejay.
I looked at her, a bit surprised she remembered something like that. I stroked my chin theatrically, but she could already tell I liked it. Dinah nudged me in the shoulder.
"Sensational enough for you?" She asked.
"Does this mean I get a suit?" I crossed my fingers and smiled hopefully.
"You're in charge of dishes this week." Dinah chomped on more popcorn.
....................................................................................
It was another week and a half or so until my suit finally came. It was delivered via Zeta-Tube, and was without a doubt more expensive then all of the belongings I had ever owned combined. When I asked about who had designed the suit, she refused to tell me the name, only they were a friend of the League's.
"Come on, Snickers! Five more!" Dinah encouraged and clapped her hands.
I hated aerobic days. Loathed was probably the more accurate term. I'd complain my body wasn't built for gaining vast amounts of muscle. I was meant to be small and light on my feet! But no matter how many speeches I did, I would never budge Dinah a single inch. Metabolic rate... blah blah blah.... muscle hypertrophy.... Her meaningless words turned to mush in my brain as my arms quaked underneath the weight.
"Two more!"
I think I screamed on that last couple, but no matter. It was over, and I could die in peace now. When the bar was safely back in place, I dropped my arms and gasped for air. Dinah's praise was lost to me, drowned out in the sound of my own breathing.
"I want to crawl into a hole and die." I groaned, my chest heaving for air.
Ignoring my dramatic cries, Dinah handed me a drink.
"Nice one. You got ten more reps in this time. I'm proud of you." She clapped me on the back.
I downed gulps of my drink in between breaths of air.
"Access requested from Zeta Tube 37." The automatic voice chimed above head. My fuzzy brain barely registered the words.
"Access granted, Black Canary 13." Dinah called.
Interest peaked, I wiped my sweaty forehead and slowly stood up from the bench in time to see the Zeta Tube begin to glow, and then a white flash. I blinked back the spots from my eyes and looked to Dinah, who seemed unconcerned at the black box that sat in the tube. I felt a rush of excitement go through my chest.
"What's that?" I asked my previous mood forgotten.
Dinah shooed a hand at me. "You can go crawl into your hole. We can check this out later."
A firework lit up inside my stomach and I tried to keep the edges of my mouth down.
"I mean, it's not going anywhere. I'm sure I can afford maybe a ten minute delay?" I asked, trying to smother my grin.
I really did try to cover up my excitement with a casual pose. I tried putting my forearm against the bench press and a hand on my hip. I deserve an Emmy so bad right now. Dinah struck an unconvinced look, and raised her eyebrows in a smirk.
"What?" My voice squeaked and my face broke into a smile.
She rolled her eyes, shaking her head. I was practically twitching in place by the time she jabbed a thumb at the box. I tried to restrain myself from squealing to maintain some of my dignity. I scampered over to the Zeta Tube, the soles of my sneakers squeaking as I ran across the platform. I snatched the box off the floor of the tube, surprised to find it lighter then I had originally imagined.
Dinah seemed to gain a sort of satisfaction from my reaction, smiling at my enthusiasm fondly. A fuzzy feeling blossomed through my chest. She gestured for me to open the box. Grinning, I removed the lid and peered inside. Nestled between the folds of tissue paper was a dark swath of cloth.
"Allow me." Dinah gently pulled the costume from the box and spread it out on the table for me to see.
The costume was black, cut with midnight blue accents. It looked slim fitting, an assortment of nearly invisible zippers and pockets running down the body. Dinah held up a jacket, which I noticed was strikingly similar to her own. Although for one, it featured a hood.
"The hood and is more of Ollie's thing, but I thought it'd give it some character, you know? Plus, I thought they'd make us both feel a little safer about your identity." Dinah said.
I ran my hands over the fabric, still in awe of the gift she'd given me. Her small personal touches struck me hard. It meant she'd noticed my preference of hiding underneath baggier clothing, and it said she was worried about me. Dinah pulled a pair of gloves and black combat boots from the box and sat them adjacent to the suit.
"The fabric is made of a specialized material- polyester steel cotton. Same as mine. It's waterproof, as well as insulated. We have another suit for you that is classified as Polar Stealth, but we don't really need to get into that right now. It doesn't rip or tear very easily, and is somewhat bullet proof."
"Sweet." I breathed, running my fingers over the material. I was just glad it wasn't spandex. I paused my inspection. "Wait, what do you mean by somewhat bulletproof?" I asked hesitantly. "How about all the way?"
"Well you want to be able to move, right?" She chuckled. "Some areas of your suit have more flexibility or armor than others. For instance, your abdomen, lower back, shoulders, and chest will have the most protection against bullets and knives. But don't press your luck in tight quarters. Your knees and elbow pads have additional armor too, as well as your gloves for when it comes to physical fights."
"So like punching people." I summed up.
"Yes, punching people."
I fingered the edges of my glove's knuckles while Dinah picked up a domino mask.
"I don't wear one, although I think it would make both of us feel a little better if you did." Dinah smiled.
I nodded in agreement.
"Your mask is also equipped with night vision, heat sensors, and surveillance feed." Dinah picked up my jacket next, turning it over in her hands.
"Your suit is made to protect you, as well as disguise your identity. It's never good when that becomes compromised." Dinah promised me. "The material is designed to absorb blows, and minimize the damage you take; but that doesn't mean you won't get hurt."
I pointed towards Dinah's suit on display.
"Dinah, you wear fishnets. How is your suit practical for protection?"
"You train for seventeen years, obtain black belts in six different martial art styles, and then we'll talk about getting you some fishnets, okay?" She winked.
I flushed red and stuck out my tongue, but Dinah continued on unaffected.
"Your suit is designed specially for your unique physical character; protecting or enhancing your strengths and weaknesses. The weapons you carry can be determined by your physique, for example-"
Dinah picked up one of the silver staffs we were sparring with earlier, about the length of my forearm. Dinah pressed a button on the side, and it lengthened to about six feet.
"The bow-staff gives you length and leverage. It's an extension of your body, and requires grace and speed to handle properly." Dinah thumped the end into the ground, and the metal rang out. "You're fairly petite. Most wouldn't think you to be too threatening. But you can think under pressure," Dinah tapped a finger to her temple. "And for what you lack in size, bulk, and muscle, you're quick and agile. That's your advantage. Don't let them use it against you. You normally will not have the upper hand in the strength category-"
"We're all for compliments." I mumbled sarcastically. Dinah ignored me.
"-But your senses and instincts are sharp. The average reaction time is 1.5 seconds. But that one and a half seconds could be the difference between your survival," Dinah said. "Or death."
I cupped my chin in my palms as I leaned against the table.
"Are all your pep talks this dark?" I inquired.
Dinah gave me an exasperated look before using a poor imitation of my voice. "Its rude to interupt a presentation, you know."
I tried to frown as best as I could. "I do not sound like that!"
"Okay, fine." She cleared her throat and tried again in an even higher octave. "Just let me die in a hole. That one was more accurate, I believe." I tried to elbow her ribs, but she was too fast and danced around the edge of the table. "Do we want to continue, or are you going to keep trying to injure me today?"
I wanted to flourish a hand towards all the bruises she'd given me from yesterday's sparring match, but I decided to keep my mouth shut and let her continue. Dinah picked up one of the combat boots and tossed it into the air before catching it.
"Durable and silent," she informed me. "Now Jackie," Dinah began, more seriously this time. Her blue eyes hardened slightly. That caught my attention. "There are certain responsibilities with owning something like this."
I nodded. Dinah's slender blonde eyebrows narrowed as she continued.
"By taking an alias, choosing to wear this, and standing by my side, you are now representing me as my protégé, even if you're actually just pretending. The choices you make when wearing this will not only reflect on who you choose to be as Bluejay, but also Black Canary." She leaned forwards on the table, locking eyes with me.
I nodded again. I was very carefully to notice the tone of voice she was using. Dinah wasn't being harsh or mean. She was just being stern, but even so, she still scared me a little. Dinah's eyes flickered to my new suit.
"This isn't just some costume. Your weapons aren't toys. I'm giving you these because I want you safe, and I understand that you will be wise with my trust?" Dinah asked.
There was a touch of concern in her eyes. This was a big deal for her to let me have this. I wondered why.
"I understand." I said.
Tension was lifted from the atmosphere, and with that conversation out of the way, she seemed to relax a bit.
"Good." Dinah smiled. "Now for the fun part." Dinah led me over to the wall of weapons before telling me which ones she was going to allow me to carry. Best. Day. Ever.
She brought to the table a wide variety of weapons and gadgets, some as large as a grapple gun, to as small as disks the size of crackers. Instead of carrying a bulky utility belt, all my weapons or tools were hidden in pockets, either on the inside of my jacket, or along my suit hidden in little zippers, or tucked in my boots. I even got to carry a holster strapped to my leg that would hold my grapple gun and bow staff.
Dinah showed me all the works of the gadgets, including the smoke pellets, grappling hook, lock picks, throwing knives, and my personal favorite, the internet jammers. Dinah held up a blue ball the size of a marble.
"These can block all cellular signals within fifty feet for up to thirty minutes. These are what takes out your cameras, and stops anyone from calling backup." Dinah said and tossed me a couple.
I rolled them around in my hand. They felt almost like the weigh my dad would use when he took me fishing once.
"Now these-" Dinah held up a metallic disk. "Are your explosives. They're very dangerous. They carry about as much TNT as three hand grenades. You'll need training before you get to carry these."
My gut sank. But I tried to ignore it. Tentativley, I picked one up. The metallic black disks were the size of my palm.
"Hmm. These kinda look like the ones Robin carried when I met him at the warehouse..." I murmered.
"Yes, you're correct. I do beleive he prefers to call them... birdarangs." She snickered.
"I don't have to call them that, do I?" I cringed.
"Well, you do, in your terms, have a sexy bird name now." Dinah shrugged harmlessly.
I laughed with her, but it was mostly to try and shake off my nerves. I wasn't too excited about carrying explosives. I knew how useful they were, but they still made me nervous. They were so small, but even carrying them in my hands made me queasy. A vision of a car going up in flames flashed across my mind, and I set the disk back on the table and wiped my palms on my legs.
If Dinah noticed anything, she didn't mention it. I twisted my lips together, before my eyes flickered up to Dinah.
"Can I try it on?"
"What happened to your hole? Oh, come on, Snickers. Go take a shower!" She snapped her fingers, pointing to the elevator.
I giggled, still giddy about my new gift. And yes, I really did need a shower. I lingered on my new jacket one last time before grabbing my drink.
"Thanks, Dinah! You're the best!" I called.
Dinah smiled, but gave the tiniest roll of her eyes, "I'm aware."
..................................................
It was like elastic- my mind instantly snapping awake at the presence of someone in my room. I kept my eyes closed and breaths even as to not alert the intruder I was conscious. My hand slid under my pillow and closed around the handle of the knife. My brain seemed to fly into autopilot. I'd go for the thigh. No doubt they already had the window cornered, so I'd try and make it to the kitchen where Dinah kept a tranquilizer gun between the cushions of the couch.
Before I could leap from the bed and lunge for whoever had gotten into my room, Dinah's voice made my muscles go stiff.
"It's only me, Jackie. You can put the knife away." Dinah spoke gently.
My body slumped with relief at the sound of her voice. My head dropped back on to my pillow, and exhaustion crept back into my system.
"I didn't mean to scare you." She apologized. I felt the edge of my bed dip a little under her weight.
"S'okay." I yawned and dragged a hand down my face.
"Jackie, something's happened-" She began.
"Yeah, yeah. I know the drill." I muttered sleepily.
Some criminal had probably decided to cause mayhem tonight, causing Star City to call upon it's protectors. I began to blindly try and scoop up my purple comforter and pillow into my arms. I was too tired to set up the air mattress downstairs in the Nest. I'd just crash on the floor.
"No Jackie. That's not why I woke you up."
My half-awake mind was slow to connect her words.
"It... itsn't?" I rubbed my eyes, Dinah's picture coming into focus.
She was dressed in her Black Canary costume, but it wasn't unlike her to show up like this in the middle of the night.
"One of our satellites picked up a signal." Dinah explained.
A chill went over my skin. "Oh."
"It's fresh. Three hours old. Batman is sending the Team out."
I swallowed.
"And he'd like you to come. The briefing is in fifteen minutes."
As my eyes began to adjust to the darkness, I tried to absorb everything I could from her body language, only I couldn't quite dissect her guarded expression. It was like a wall had been slammed up behind her face. But what was she hiding? Was she nervous?
My stomach flip flopped. Dinah was being perfectly neutral at the moment, which wasn't unlike her in conversations we'd had before. Maybe it had something to do with her job as a therapist. But right now, I think I could detect a certain uneasiness behind her eyes. Oh. Dinah was remaining neutral because she wanted it to be my decision, and mine only.
"The mission will be strictly reconnaissance. Your only job will be to identify any of the shipments or the henchmen." Dinah informed me. "Whatever you choose, I'm behind you."
This was it. This was how I could permanently seal my deal with Dinah. I'd been trying to convince her to let me do this for a week, but now that the opportunity had finally arrived, why did I feel so queasy about it? No. I needed to do this. My resolute hardened in my gut.
"I'll do it." I nodded.
Above is a drawing by Otto Schmidt that I really liked, so I colored it in to what I thought would look like Jackie's suit.
(It's funny because Mockingjay was originally Jackie's codename when I first came up with this idea in like eighth grade. I thought it was the best name ever for her, even though I was fully aware that name was already taken)