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Laurel Lance ([info]i_crylikeabird) wrote in [info]we_coexist,
@ 2011-03-07 20:33:00

Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Entry tags:dinah lance, harry dresden

And a canary in a pear tree... (tag Harry)
Dinah crouched in the shadows on the rooftop of one of the warehouses down by the docks. She’d discovered them a few nights back while on patrol and there was too much activity going on at the warehouse she was currently watching for this late hour. Thinking of Gotham, Star City and even Seattle, she wondered briefly if there was ever a city where there wasn’t something illicit going on down by the docks.

Of course, given that the City seemed to mimic some of all of those cities, among others, she wasn’t entirely surprised that there was something suspicious going on down here.

From here, it was a waiting game. She couldn’t exactly bust into the warehouse and start beating people up without stronger proof that something illegal was going on. That wasn’t the type of crime fighter she’d ever been. No, she instead waited in the shadows and bided her time.

Finally, a little bit of movement caught her eye. A single figure exited the warehouse, a padded envelope in his hands. While it could very well be nothing, Dinah didn’t think so. She ran across the rooftop toward the parking lot. Before he got there, she was able to climb down. She concealed herself behind a row of dumpsters, though the delivery boy (at least that’s what she assumed he was) didn’t seem to be too focused on his surroundings.

Dinah’s lips curved into a small smile. His mistake.

As soon as he climbed into a car, she tossed a tiny bat-shaped magnetized tracker onto the back of the car. It connected, which was going to make things a lot easier. Computers might not be her forte, but even Dinah could work a GPS, and she was thankful that the Clock Tower in the City was almost as stocked with gadgets as the Clock Tower back in Gotham.

Once the delivery boy had pulled out of the parking lot, Dinah made her way back to where she’d stowed her motorcycle and hopped on.

Unfortunately, the City streets changed a few times as she attempted to follow the GPS tracker display that was attached to the bike. She took a few turns that instantaneously changed into wrong turns before she finally ended up at the location indicated on the device. She found the now-parked car and pulled her tracker off it. No need to leave evidence behind.

After stowing the tracker in her belt, Dinah climbed a nearby fire escape, her eyes sweeping the nearby buildings. It was after hours for most businesses, so the buildings themselves didn’t show much sign of life. Dinah exhaled in frustration. She was sure to keep the suspected delivery boy’s car in view. It looked like yet another chance to sit around and wait. Fantastic.



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[info]i_crylikeabird
2011-03-08 03:24 am UTC (link)
The man moved quickly. Dinah's own reflexes sprang to life, but before she had the chance to react or even see a blow coming, a single word was shouted and an invisible force slammed into her.

She barely stayed on her feet as the force shoved her backward.

Great. Yet another bizarre encounter in the City.

A nearly blinding light sprang to life then. Dinah blinked, attempting to clear her vision.

Back at home, she very rarely used her canary cry. It was sort of like bringing a bazooka to a boxing match when it came down to it. Considering that most fights could be handled without it, she generally avoided using it when possible.

Somehow, in the City, she found more and more need for it, even as it seemed to be less useful against all of the bizarre opponents the City had to offer. She still had to hope that it would work in this case, since she was fighting against a power that she didn't quite understand.

Dinah opened her mouth and released a scream.

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[info]i_wizard
2011-03-08 03:30 am UTC (link)
Thankfully, years of war with the Red Court had demanded Harry improve his shields to the point of being impenetrable. Completely impenetrable, blocking everything from kinetic force to light. And sound.

The echo of the cry rebounded off the walls in the alley, and Harry's focus slipped, extinguishing the tiny sun in his hand as he clapped that hand over one ear. "Agh!" he shouted. "What the--"

Then he remembered where he'd heard something like that before. The effect had been muffled the last time, when she told him to cover his ears. Hell's bells, Harry didn't want the full effect hitting him.

Shield still up, just in case he was wrong, Harry said, "Dinah?"

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[info]i_crylikeabird
2011-03-08 03:36 am UTC (link)
That... she hadn't been expecting. Though there might have been something a little familiar in the voice that had first rung through the alley, it had been louder, stronger, nothing like the softspoken tones Harry had used. But when he called out her name, Dinah hesitated, her fists unclenching.

She blinked when the light disappeared, trying to clear the spots that were currently blocking her from focusing on the man in front of her.

"Harry?" she answered back. "What are you doing here?"

The shock of finding out the the person she'd tried to get the jump on was Harry was still wearing off a bit as Dinah's eyes still attempted to compensate for the sudden darkness.

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[info]i_wizard
2011-03-08 03:42 am UTC (link)
Harry tilted his head a bit, just as surprised as she was to learn who his opponent had been. "I'm working on a case," he said, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "After dinner, I told you I had to follow up on a lead." He held up the crystal, still dangling from his hand. "My lead led me here."

He lowered the hand again, after noting that it was still directing him towards the back of the restaurant. "What are you doing here?"

It was starting to dawn on Harry, in the form of buckets of icewater hitting his veins, that he could very easily had hurt Dinah. He very easily could have killed Dinah. The realization was not improving his temper. "Stars and freaking stones, what if I'd had my gun out?!"

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[info]i_crylikeabird
2011-03-08 03:47 am UTC (link)
Dinah caught the temper behind the voice and bristled slightly.

"I'm following a lead myself. And Harry, I've dealt with thugs in alleys with guns before. I was watching for any sign of drawing a gun, and I would have reacted accordingly. Of course, I wasn't expecting magic," annoyance crept into her town, though it was just as much at herself for yet again being caught unprepared as at him.

"I'm just glad I didn't knock you out. How are you still standing by the way?"

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[info]i_wizard
2011-03-08 04:00 am UTC (link)
"Following a lead. A lead." Harry growled a bit, kicking at a bit of trash. "Three years of schooling. Criminal justice. Another year of interning. Ten different background checks, three permits, and four certification tests. All that, so I can be a licensed investigator. Who knew all I needed was a damn costume and a flashy name, and I could have just been a superhero!"

The brief fight had built up too much adrenaline. Harry could feel power flowing through him as his will kept drawing it in. It was making his head throb. "Hells fucking bells!"

He dropped to his knees, laying his hand against the ground, and let the excess energy flow out of him. A few streetlights expired in a shower of sparks, and two car alarms started to sound before they warbled off and died themselves. Harry let out his breath and glanced back at Dinah. "Sorry. I just... shit, Dinah, I could have killed you." He rubbed his hand over his face, memories of Susan trying to invade his brain. Susan had crept in on one of his investigations before. It hadn't ended well.

"Shit, shit, shit."

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[info]i_crylikeabird
2011-03-08 04:06 am UTC (link)
Dinah had been about to fire off a snippy retort to his rant about the time he'd spent getting licensed when he knelt to the ground and... did something. She felt a strange energy surge through the ground and jumped when the streetlights died and the car alarms began.

She took a tentative step towards him, her hand coming to rest on top of his.

"But you didn't. And I'm pretty sure you don't go around killing random people who jump out at you in alleys. I've seen you in action and I know you're not that trigger-happy."

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[info]i_wizard
2011-03-08 04:27 am UTC (link)
"No, but..." Harry let out a breath and looked up at Dinah. Into her eyes. "I'm not used to running across people I care for... that I truly care for... on the job. The last time that happened..." He thought he might be able to talk about Susan, but now wasn't the place. And, if the lump forming in his throat was any judge, it really wasn't the time. "It didn't go well. For anyone."

With a grunt, Harry got back on his feet. He checked the crystal, and gave a sigh. "Well, you better come with me. According to my spell, the woman I'm looking for is in the back of this alley. And hasn't moved, even with all the noise we've been making." That didn't bode well for whatever state the woman was in.

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[info]i_crylikeabird
2011-03-08 04:34 am UTC (link)
Dinah nodded slowly, the mention of people he truly cared for not quite lost on her.

"For what it's worth, I wasn't trying to horn in on your case. This lead was something... separate." She frowned, thinking. "Possibly something to do with drugs, though it's an awful big coincidence."

She fell into step with Harry, trying not to think about the last time she'd been involved with something that included both drugs and kidnapping. If this was anything like that, well she didn't care if it was Harry's case-she was going to have to get involved.

It wasn't. It couldn't be, she tried to reassure herself. He was dead, and she refused to believe that the City would somehow find a way around that.

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[info]i_wizard
2011-03-08 05:17 am UTC (link)
Harry raised an eyebrow at the mention of drugs. That could certainly provide a clue. Especially since Calvin so adamantly believed he hadn't cheated, and still couldn't remember getting to the hotel. All the paperwork Harry had found contained Calvin's handwriting. Yet he believed Calvin.

Either I'm a pansy, or something's wrong here.

As if responding to his thought, the crystal in Harry's hand went dark, falling back to the standard pull of gravity. Harry frowned at it, and gathered his will, pushing it back towards the crystal. It remained dark.

With a look of near-panic, he scanned the back walls of the restaurant. There were two garbage bins, and three large industrial refrigerators, the doors heavily padlocked. "Dinah," he said, voice rising slightly, some of it's deeper baritone audible. "Check the bins. There's a woman back here, and... well, damnit, she might have just died."

Harry ran towards the first fridge, calling upon his magic to help him sever the locks and get it open.

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[info]i_crylikeabird
2011-03-08 12:54 pm UTC (link)
Dinah's veins turned to ice at that possibility. She rushed over to the garbage bins, opening the lid of the first and finding nothing but garbage.

The second bin she opened was more successful, if you could use that word. Frankly, Dinah wouldn't. Successful was getting there in time to save the woman, not too late.

"Harry, she's here," she called.

She reached for the woman's wrist, feeling for a pulse, hoping that his spell was wrong somehow.

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[info]i_wizard
2011-03-08 08:39 pm UTC (link)
Harry rushed to Dinah's side and gently took hold of the woman, pulling her out of the garbage bin and laying her on the ground. His jaw tensed, anger growing when he saw the bruises on the woman's face, the blood drying on the side of her neck.

No pulse. But the spell wouldn't have worked at all if she'd been dead the whole time. Harry started chest compressions immediately. "Do you know CPR?" he asked Dinah. "She hasn't been gone long. We have to try!"

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[info]i_crylikeabird
2011-03-08 10:48 pm UTC (link)
"Yes," Dinah said, and leaned over to begin mouth to mouth, still angry with herself for interrupting Harry before he could find this woman in time.

Superheroes weren't supposed to show up too late. While Dinah knew full well that the statement was overly hopeful, it was still the standard she held herself to.

She continued with the rescue breathing hoping, praying, that something would work.

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[info]i_wizard
2011-03-09 12:05 am UTC (link)
Harry counted off compressions, then paused to take the woman's pulse again. Nothing. He continued compressions, hoping against hope that there was enough time.

Three, four, five, six, sev--

Suddenly, the woman gasped. Harry felt the heartbeat under his hands and leaned back, jaw dropping open in shock. "Holy shit," he uttered. "I've never seen that work before!"

Now that it had, though, he wasn't sure what to do.

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[info]i_crylikeabird
2011-03-09 12:10 am UTC (link)
Dinah looked at the woman in surprise for a moment too as she gasped and her chest began to settle into a jerky rise and fall motion.

"She's not out of the woods yet," Dinah said darkly. "I need to get to my bike and my phone and call an ambulance." If Harry's release of energy hadn't shorted her phone, but she decided against mentioning or even worrying about that possibility at the moment. "Stay with her, and start the CPR again if she stops breathing. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Dinah was used to leading in the field, so taking charge came naturally. When someone's life was on the line, she wasn't about to worry about bruising an ego or ruffling feathers.

She stood and waited a beat for some confirmation that Harry understood and accepted.

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[info]i_wizard
2011-03-12 04:54 pm UTC (link)
Harry gave Dinah a nod, and leaned over to keep an eye on the woman. She was bruised in multiple places, bloodied in a few more, but there wasn't a lot of blood to be seen. She was definitely weak, and Harry kept watching, taking one of her hands in both of his. If he needed to start CPR again, he'd be ready.

"I got her," he said. "Go get help." Needless to say, Harry didn't have a phone on him. He assumed Dinah would.

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[info]i_crylikeabird
2011-03-12 05:05 pm UTC (link)
Dinah nodded and sprinted off in the direction of her motorcycle. She didn't waste her time finding the phone in the locked case attached to the bike. It blinked to life when she retrieved it. Dinah breathed a small sigh of relief at that small mercy that it hadn't been frazzled by being in the vicinity when Harry released that wave of energy. She dialed 911 and briefly told them about the woman they'd found, leaving out the details about how she and Harry had happened upon her in the first place. While she wasn't going to directly break the law, she had a feeling that it was better to establish contact and cooperation with the police over something other than a potential crime scene.

She stowed the phone again, not wanting to risk it getting fried, and hurried back to Harry. As soon as she reached the two, sirens filled the air.

Well, Dinah reflected, it did seem to be a more upscale neighborhood. Of course the response time would be better here.

She knelt beside Harry and gave the woman a once over. She was still unconscious but breathing. Up close, the damage inflicted turned Dinah's stomach. She unconsciously clenched a fist.

"We probably shouldn't be here when they arrive," Dinah said in an undertone to Harry. "Too many questions."

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[info]i_wizard
2011-03-12 05:19 pm UTC (link)
Harry frowned, but nodded. He didn't want to be wrapped up in any criminal investigations, and he had enough bad experiences with the CPD to know that saying "I found her with magic" wasn't going to help out his cause.

Giving the woman's hand one more squeeze, hoping like hell that the sirens were close enough to help her if she lapsed again, Harry got to his feet and stepped back. If they shouldn't be seen, then he could toss a veil over them and stay out of the way. Harry's veils weren't nearly as good as Molly's on the fly, but in training the young grasshopper, he'd had to put some serious effort into making his better. Still, it took some effort. Harry shut his eyes halfway, drawing in his will and quietly murmuring "Impervius, imperviattum" to give shape to the spell.

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[info]i_crylikeabird
2011-03-12 05:22 pm UTC (link)
Dinah looked over at Harry as he started muttering to himself. She heard the sirens get closer.

"Hurry. They're coming," she hissed, and grabbed his arm. She pulled him over to the nearby building and up the fire escape. Once they were safely on that, she released him and began to scramble to the top, wishing briefly that she had thought to bring along one of Barbara's old grappling hooks. While she had never used one, she had seen them come in handy more than once.

Nevertheless, Dinah made it to the rooftop quickly and easily. Years of practice in climbing fire escapes, at least, came in handy. She straightened up as she pulled herself up over the rooftop, and looked down over the scene, waiting for Harry to catch up.

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[info]i_wizard
2011-03-12 05:29 pm UTC (link)
When Dinah grabbed him, Harry nearly lost the spell. The results could have been disastrous, even lethal, so he clenched his jaw and squeezed his eyes shut until she let him go, then opened his eyes and followed her slowly, concentrating fiercely on maintaining his will.

Once they were on the roof, no longer in retreat, Harry was able to release the spell. The only noticeable effect was in how the air around them darkened slightly. It was like putting on a pair of dark sunglasses. Molly's veils barely even gave that much indication, but the grasshopper had a gift.

"We're gonna have to work out some kind of signals," Harry said, voice soft. If they kept their voices low, it wouldn't penetrate the veil. "It's hard to keep my concentration on a spell when someone starts grabbing at me."

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[info]i_crylikeabird
2011-03-12 05:38 pm UTC (link)
Dinah's eyes widened.

"Oh, that's why you were muttering." She looked away, her attention focused on the heads of the EMTs as they scrambled to get the girl on a stretcher. "Sorry, I didn't realize."

She watched the scene below them for a moment in silence, chewing on her lip. When she'd gathered up the words to say what she had to say, she turned her attention back to Harry, meeting his eyes.

"Look, in my world there's a large gap between the professionals-the police and the private investigators and everyone else-can do and what the criminals can do. Most of us just try to fill that gap. I know it's different where you're from, and I know it's..." she glanced away, eyes traveling back to the scene below. "It's different here too," she whispered. "But," she focused on Harry again. "This is a part of who I am. I can't just stop being the Black Canary. So if what I do, or how I do it is a problem, I understand. But..." she shifted her gaze downward again, and chewed on her lower lip nervously. "if it is a problem, I don't think we should see each other anymore," she said in a voice that was barely audible.

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[info]i_wizard
2011-03-12 05:48 pm UTC (link)
Harry blinked at that, surprised by her words. He wrapped one of his hands around hers and used the other to turn her face back to his. "Dinah," he said, his voice soft. "I wouldn't ask you or even consider asking you to change. We've never worked together before. I might have read some comic books, but that doesn't mean I know everything about you. And you've never dealt with working with someone like me. That's why I said we need some signals. So we can learn what each other will do."

He released her cheek, drawing his fingers along the line of her jaw before letting his fingers drop away. "It takes time. Practice. But it's time I'm willing to give."

He looked down at the rescue workers. "There's a pretty big gap between what they can do and what I can do in my world, too. Murphy, my best friend, was a cop. Before she got busted for helping me out one too many times. It took years for us to figure out how to work together, to get to know each other's strengths." He glanced back at her, trying to catch her eyes. "I'm not willing to give up just yet."

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[info]i_crylikeabird
2011-03-12 09:30 pm UTC (link)
Dinah met his eyes, a wave of relief washing through her. She reached out for his hand and gave it a little squeeze.

"Sorry. It's just... what you said earlier... Anyway, I think learning how to work together is a good thing. And one thing I can promise is that I'm not going to purposely interfere with one of your investigations, unless I think you're hurt or in trouble. But the whole showing up uninvited thing? Not my style."

She glanced back towards the scene below.

"So, was that your client's fiancee?"

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[info]i_wizard
2011-03-12 09:37 pm UTC (link)
Harry frowned in a moment's confusion, then sighed and shook his head slightly. "That was... just a response to me being scared that I'd hurt you. I get a lot of flak from the police where I'm from, even being an investigator. But since I'm also a wizard, they just write me off as a hack or a con man. Strangely, the only ones who actually gave me credit for it were the other wizards."

He shook his head at the question, looking at the events going on in the alley. "Thankfully, no. But she was a lead. He found himself in bed with this one, and no idea how he'd gotten there." Harry let a sigh. "No one should treat a woman like that," he half-growled under his breath.

Then he glanced at her, the rooftop, and snickered. "Wow. This is... just a little cliché."

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[info]i_crylikeabird
2011-03-12 09:43 pm UTC (link)
Dinah's eyebrows shot up, processing the information.

"So your client cheated on his fiancee, and she disappeared the next day? Isn't it possible that she just left him?" She frowned. "Then again, the girl turning up like that..." Her expression hardened. "And you're right. It's not okay. Ever."

As Harry mentioned the cliche, Dinah looked up and glanced around.

"What's cliche?" she asked.

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(no subject) - [info]i_wizard, 2011-03-12 10:05 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]i_crylikeabird, 2011-03-12 10:12 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]i_wizard, 2011-03-12 10:26 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]i_crylikeabird, 2011-03-12 10:32 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]i_wizard, 2011-03-12 10:39 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]i_crylikeabird, 2011-03-12 10:46 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]i_wizard, 2011-03-12 11:06 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]i_crylikeabird, 2011-03-12 11:15 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]i_wizard, 2011-03-13 12:49 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]i_crylikeabird, 2011-03-13 02:33 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]i_wizard, 2011-03-13 03:14 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]i_crylikeabird, 2011-03-13 03:21 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]i_wizard, 2011-03-13 03:57 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]i_crylikeabird, 2011-03-13 05:54 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]i_wizard, 2011-03-13 07:52 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]i_crylikeabird, 2011-03-13 08:37 pm UTC

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