Angela Ziegler seemed to have come here by chance. After proving her identity, she borrowed a white coat from a doctor at Metropolis Hospital and put on a thin turtleneck sweater underneath. Dr. Ziegler opened the suitcase beside her and assembled its parts into a long staff.
Baia had just used Frost Heart to save a patient with cardiac arrest. Feeling dizzy, she could only lean against the wall behind her and take a temporary rest, while still ensuring that the injured citizens were marked with the Golden Oriole.
"What is that?" Baia asked.
She saw Dr. Ziegler pat the blue and white staff handle, and the device at the top unfolded like petals, with faint golden particles swirling around it, somewhat resembling the glow of the Golden Oriole, but upon closer inspection, they were different.
"There's a confidentiality agreement in place, so I can't tell you much," the blonde field medic smiled at her. "This is the result of the United Nations' 'Project Valkyrie,' capable of generating healing particles. Although it's still a prototype, it can be put into use."
Angela, meaning angel.
Dr. Ziegler, wielding the Staff of the Angel, immediately got to work. The effects of the healing particles were immediate. Although some emergency work still required Baia's assistance, the workload had been significantly reduced.
Hundreds of people went missing in this disaster, and tens of thousands were injured to varying degrees, with some critically injured to the point of having no hope of recovery. A total of 874 people were brought before Baia.
Of those rescued, 536 survived.
It seemed like a good outcome, but even amidst severe headaches and Baia's consciousness fading, she still vividly remembered the gaze of each person. They weren't just cold, floating numbers.
338 lives she couldn't save.
"Miss, are you an angel?" A girl who had just escaped from danger grabbed a piece of Baia's cloak from behind.
Baia took a deep breath, the lingering melancholy on her face finally fading, and a soft smile graced her lips. "I'm not. Do you see that lady over there? She is."
She slowly sat down beside the makeshift bed of the girl — a cardboard box filled with odds and ends, covered with a layer of dust — and pointed to Ziegler beside her.
"I guess you're not one either," the little girl pondered.
"Why not?" Baia asked.
"Because you're dressed so dark! And your wings are black too!"
Baia: "..."
Well, the Bat Family's aesthetic does tend to lean that way.
By the time all the patients were settled, it was already bright daylight.
Baia's figure swayed, and everything in front of her seemed blurry, with the possibility of collapsing at any moment. Jenny gently supported her, preventing Baia from bumping into the wall. Squinting her pretty green eyes, the girl carefully tried to recognize who the nurse in front of her was, but couldn't figure it out, so she just awkwardly pulled her to sit aside.
Her back remained straight because the task was not yet completed, and the assembly of the Justice League had not yet been disbanded, so she had to persevere a little longer.
It was extremely noisy around them. Were they speaking English? Baia couldn't distinguish a single word, as if a teaspoon was stirring her thoughts into a pot of steaming, sticky cream of mushroom soup.
"Add some pepper," Baia muttered to herself.
"What pepper?" Jenny asked, puzzled.
Baia tilted her head. "There's a pepper shaker behind you."
Suddenly, a manic voice became clear: "Annihilate—annihilate—!"
Baia felt nauseous and distressed. She felt so wronged and sad. Sometimes she heard the pepper shaker shouting to annihilate, sometimes there were bursts of laser beams, sometimes she heard the whirring of engines, and sometimes she heard Tim calling for the Sparrow.
A force knocked her over from the side, and Baia was enveloped in the shadow of a cloak, blocking out the sand and flying metal shards, as well as the dangerous laser beams. Baia twitched her nose. That warm and pleasant smell could only come from Tim. She couldn't help but snuggle against him.
Timothy braced his arms beside Baia, and her world darkened for a moment. The girl just stared at him with big eyes, looking foolish. Oh, it's Red Robin here to protect her. Now she could finally sleep!
How delightful!
Baia summoned all her strength, lifted her arms to wrap around Red Robin's neck, pecked him on the cheek with a "mwah," then peacefully closed her eyes, her consciousness plunging into darkness.
Timothy was completely stunned.
The patch of skin kissed by Baia seemed to quickly grow hot, and every sensation became vivid. The girl's lips were incredibly soft, slightly dry from the night's work but carrying a temperature that threw off one's heartbeat.
Now wasn't the time to think about such things.
Tim placed the unconscious Baia in a safe corner, alongside Jenny, before turning back to the Doctor's side.
The creature, encased in metal armor, was shaped like a cone, wider at the top and narrow at the bottom, with a laser emitter and an... unspecified leather flap attached to it. Its head consisted of only a protruding metal eyestalk. In other words, if they could find a way to impair its vision, they could defeat it.
"Wait!" the Doctor shouted, then aimed his sonic screwdriver at the creature.
"You are Dalek," the Doctor said each word deliberately. "I am the Doctor. You recognize me!"
The eyestalk twitched slightly, and the Dalek immediately aimed its laser emitter at the Doctor's chest. "Target identified. Name: the Doctor. Threat level: maximum! Exterminate!"
Timothy temporarily shelved the adhesive bomb in his hand. This creature, Dalek, had once appeared alongside the Doctor, the Time Lord who had saved Sparrow's life earlier. Timothy intended to observe their conversation, hoping to glean more clues.
"Why have you come here?" the Doctor asked.
"The great Dalek creator Davros is dying," the Dalek seemed to gradually regain some sanity with the Doctor and Sparrow's appearance — if it had sanity at all. "For the creator! Exterminate the Council!"
"Her?" The Doctor frowned, pointing at the sleeping Sparrow. This action undoubtedly increased Sparrow's chances of danger, much to Tim's frustration. "What does she have to do with Davros?"
"Target identified: Sparrow, Time-■■. Threat level: maximum," the Dalek said. "This hybrid can save the great Dalek creator Davros. The organic shell is not essential and can be exterminated!"
Tim furrowed his brow. It identified two identities on Baia, and when it came to the latter, for some reason, the voice was distorted.
Hybrid...
"I understand," the Doctor slapped his forehead, his eyebrows relaxing, then looked at Tim. "I'm done asking questions. Next—"
"Next?" Tim tapped his earpiece. "Red Robin calling Superman." The red and blue blur immediately appeared in front of Tim.
"Hello, Superman, can you help remove this thing's casing?" The extremely dangerous laser beam from the Dalek hit Superman, but nothing happened. The slightly shorter pepper shaker looked up at the Kryptonian. "Exterminate!"
"No problem," Superman shrugged.
With a metallic twist and deformation sound, Superman lifted out from the Dalek's armor something soft and octopus-like, still weakly waving eight tentacles. It was sticky and unpleasant, causing Clark to furrow his brows.
"Forget to mention," the Doctor muttered, "the Dalek can't survive outside its casing."
"I'm not the least bit regretful," Red Robin said, then turned to the Doctor, his tone slightly sour. "What is Sparrow, and what is she carrying?"
The Doctor's expression became subtly nuanced, a hint of sympathy appearing in his bright, mad, yet wise eyes, unsettling Tim. The Doctor patted his shoulder. "I'll tell you later. For now—"
"Now, we must deal with Doomsday," Batman strode over from a distance, his worried gaze lingering on the sleeping Baia for a moment, but his voice remained serious. "Even the Sword of Hephaestus cannot truly kill it. Whenever it has the chance, it will resurrect. And after this resurrection, perhaps not even Superman supported by Sparrow can defeat it."
Superman exchanged a glance with him, then soared into the sky to gather the remnants of Doomsday in space.
"This can be helpful," Tim raised the "Glorious Ancient Laws of Gallifrey" in his hand and explained, "This thing is highly likely to have the same origin as Sparrow, from an extremely advanced civilization, offering a way to permanently contain Doomsday."
"What nonsense is this?" the Doctor snatched the book from Tim's hand, "The 'Chameleon Arch'?! How could this be in your possession? This is a relic of the Time Lords!"
Tim remained calm. "Oh, but I've already taken an oath."
Even in the Phantom Zone, there had been incidents where Doomsday escaped, so it could be said that the Justice League currently had no way to completely solve the Doomsday problem. Therefore, after a brief consideration, Batman didn't mind giving it a try, as long as he witnessed how the book worked.
"Wake up, Baia."
Baia heard someone calling her name from a distant place, her body gently shaking. Her head was throbbing terribly, feeling like being forcibly awakened after a hangover. The girl, who hadn't slept for a day and night and was severely mentally exhausted, was simply furious. When she realized the voice was Tim's, she felt even more aggrieved.
Opening her eyes, she saw Tim's concerned eyes.
Baia blinked a few times, sniffed, and tears fell.
I already kissed him, why won't he let me sleep? Why!
"You have to swear too, my little witch," Tim saw Baia suddenly crying, feeling somewhat panicked. He helped her wipe away her tears and reluctantly placed her hand on the cover of the red book.
Baia looked at him blankly. "...Swear what?"
Tim was about to repeat the oath about the Chameleon Arch when the system, for once, chimed in: Oh, that's the Bible.
Baia was deadly serious, desperately wracking her brain. "Don't lie to me, the Bible is red and thicker, right?"
System: Caught red-handed. Actually, you're in the Civil Affairs Bureau, and this little booklet is—
"I got it!" Baia cheered, earnestly beginning to recite, "Whether in sickness or in health, in poverty or in wealth, I will—"
Then she was abruptly silenced by Tim's panicked hand covering her mouth.
Tim Drake, Red Robin, felt the intense disapproval from Batman behind him.