JLA Watchtower (Archive)

It's a wonder this oaf remembers to let them replenish their oxygen supply. There have been times, though, that Katar has had to wonder whether or not it would be preferable to suffocate in open space.

Their weapons are gone, stashed in the small cargo hold with their wings. They still get to wear their helmets, though, thanks to their necessity with keeping them alive, and thus honoring Lobo's deal.

'Bird' means either him or Shayera. He uses it interchangeably. Their responses are usually negligible, as he prefers to hear himself talk rather than actually converse.

Strapped and chained to the back of the bike, his arms chained together around Shayera's waist in front of him, Katar doesn't bother with a comment this time.

He just offers Shayera the same words he's been using repeatedly during this whole ordeal.

"I'm sorry."

From:

"Not your fault," is the response.

She's quiet for a moment. She's been quiet for most of the trip. She's either fuming or brooding, or some equally dangerous combination of the two.

It's a minute or two before she speaks again.

"The first thing I'm going to do when we get back to Thanagar is kill the son of a bitch who hired this moron with my bare hands."

If she's joking, she has an incredibly convincing deadpan.

From:

"Hey, Red!" the bounty hunter barks as he jams the fuel nozzle into his tank. "Hustle your sweet ass into that market and bring me back a case o' brew, will ya?"

He even unlatches Shayera's shackles to let her hop to it.

From:

Part of the plan. Part of the plan. Part of the plan...

Katar's fist clench tightly as he pushes himself past the anger.

From:

If looks could kill, Lobo would be dead more times over than all the Hawks combined. Including previous incarnations.

"Slowly," she adds, still speaking to Katar. "and painfully."

She's never been very good at biding time, but at the moment, there really isn't any other option. She's certainly not going to 'hustle' for Lobo's benefit, though. She takes her time.

And spits at Lobo as she leaves.

From:

He catches her spit in his mouth, then licks his lips as she leaves.

"I do like spitfire chicks. They can really bring the thunder when it's time for a poke, right, Bird?"

From:

Katar doesn't bother responding.

"You can't be killed. Is that right?"

From:

Not caring about any possible combustibility, he lights up a cigar.

"That's right, Clyde. I kicked the afterlife's ass until it spit me back out here. Regenerate in seconds if ya blow me all to hell, then I come back and put a fist through your gut for puttin' my nose outta joint."

From:

"And no pain, either, right?"

From:

"Not hardly, no. That's why you two pukes are my bitches. You can't do frag-all to me without yer stupid little clubs, and even then, I'll kick yer bastich asses across the galaxy, you gimme reason to."

From:

Obviously, not much into secrecy, either.

"What's your policy on getting stiffed by your employer?"

From:

"Watch yer mouth, Eugene! The Main Man ain't inta MEN! Tits and ass all the way!"

From:

I hate you.

"If your employer doesn't pay up," he rephrases, pedantically.

From:

"All the fraggin' pain and fraggin' death you can't even dream about puttin' on me, Bird."

Yes, smug as all hell, to boot.

From:

"I can dream a lot."

From:

"Keep dreamin'. Here's a bird for the bird."

From:

Shayera's return is announced by the case of foul-tasting thrown at Lobo's head.

Uncharacteristically, she hasn't been making a lot of trouble so far - ultimately, it wouldn't be worth it - but that doesn't mean she can't still show her contempt.

From:

As might be expected, Lobo has a lot of experience with stuff being hurled at his head. He catches it with his teeth.

"Damn, Eugene!" he barks to Katar. "How'd a boring sack of gizz like you ever land a spitfire broad like this?"

From:

"By not being a disgusting waste of life like you," comes the clipped response.

From:

Shayera's lips quirk up at that.

"Really," she says. "If we were to go over every reason why Lobo is completely repulsive, we'd never get to Thanagar."

She has yet to actually speak directly to Lobo himself.

From:

"It would certainly kill time on the trip, though. And seeing as how he has to deliver us intact, there's not much of anything he could do about it."

From:

Lobo grits his teeth.

"Do your worst, Birds. The Main Man ain't worried about nothin'."

Yet he's already downed half of the case Shayera brought him.

From:

Satisfied for the moment with this reaction, Shayera climbs back onto Lobo's bike.

"I bet we could get from here to the next system and not even fully cover the subject of how he smells," she says.

If she has to suffer, so does Lobo.

From:

"I've been trying to identify that particular pungency, actually," Katar adds, joining her.

"It's something akin to opening a humid crypt covered in mule droppings and some kind of chemical I haven't quite placed yet."

From:

Lobo's bike suddenly roars to life, to try and drown them out as they take off.

"FRAG OFF!"

From: