Standard Disclaimer:I do not own any of the characters from Martin Mystery; they are the propriety of Marathon Media Group. This story has been created merely for entertainment proposes. English isn't my first language and I currently don't have a beta, so apologies for any grammar mistakes you might find in here.
Chapter 1: Regrets
Diana Lombard placed her pencil on her desk and sighed heavily.
It had only been a week and a half since Octavia Payne's attack to the Center's headquarters. If Diana carefully analyzed what had happened, it was clear that without her collaboration Octavia would never have managed to capture the monster she needed to carry out her experiments, to create that horrifying metamonster.
Octavia was smarter than you. She manipulated you without even trying.
Diana shook her head.
It's all your fault. You let that woman trick you. You're a fool, a fool.
She trembled and had to use all her self-control to not shout, to not rise from her seat and run out of the classroom like a maniac. She'd unconsciously begun to scratch the back of her hand, and now her skin —the stratum corneum which is part of the epidermis, Diana said to herself, remembering her biology lessons— was starting to peel off, stinging in an almost unbearable way.
She swallowed and refocused her gaze on the board.
After what seemed an eternity, the buzzer finally rang, and the young woman dashed from the classroom, shoving aside the unfortunate students that got in her way, barely muttering an apology.
She reached her dorm room and made sure to lock the door behind her. It was difficult to breathe, and nausea invaded her again, this time with more strength; she felt as if someone was hammering her head. She emptied the scarce contents of her stomach in the toilet, splashed her face with water and rinsed her mouth, but nothing of that helped to calm her growing anxiety.
She was back on Torrington, yes, but things weren't back to normal yet.
Diana wondered if they ever were going to be.
After the fight against Octavia and her metamonster, Diana had been forced to spent many days submerged in a healing tank at the Center, to get rid of the mutation she'd been subjected during her "stay" at the CIHL; she looked like herself again, with a small exception: a thin layer of reptile skin still covered her body, and it was shedding in an unpleasantly slowly way. At times, she couldn't help but turn her head around or stand in front a mirror to check the base of her spine, searching for any protuberance; she lived in perpetual fear of growing again a lizard tail or an extra pair of eyelids, not to mention the greenish hue her skin had acquired, and that it still could be seen sometimes, especially if one looked closely.
And what would happen if her mutation appeared again? How could she explain it to her classmates? She was certain she'd become a pariah.
"Diana, are you in there? Are you all right?" She heard Jenni's voice through the main door. "Diana?"
For the second time in the day, Diana felt a knot in her stomach and wished to disappear. She swallowed hard and carefully got closer to the door.
"I'm fine, Jenni. I think today's lunch didn't sit well with me," she answered through the door, trying to make her voice sound relaxed.
"Oh. I see," Jenni said, and after an uncomfortable pause asked, "Hey, can I come in?"
Diana sighed with resignation, opened the door and beckoned her friend to enter.
"Jenni…"
"Are you sure you're okay?"
"Of course, just no more spicy food for me, at least for a while," Diana explained quickly, waving her hand in a disparaging way. This conversation was nothing but a waste of time, she gained nothing talking about the matter at hand, and it wasn't like she could talk about it with anyone at the academy, much less with Jenni.
She was utterly alone.
"Diana, as your best friend, it's my responsibility to tell you when you're acting weird," recited the redhead half-jokingly, her hands resting on her hips.
"Weird? Come on, you're exaggerating, I just have a stomach-ache and a bit of nausea, but it's nothing serious. In fact, I think I'm going to take a nap. Yes, that'll make me feel better," babbled Diana, barely stopping to catch her breath between every sentence.
After I'm done with my homework, of course, she thought. There was no way she'd leave her homework half-done. She was Diana Lombard, and even when she was feeling as if her head was about to explode from sheer pain, even when all she wanted was to close her eyes and put all her worries aside, she would finish her school work.
She had lost enough time with The Center and its missions, sacrificing her grades and even her chance to be accepted into a good university; they had never thanked her for it and, evidently, they never would.
It was unfair.
Jenni confidently strode across the room and sat on the edge bed, beckoning for Diana to join her. Diana obeyed and sat beside her, still not convinced of the usefulness of this "friendly talk", and without fully understanding why Jenni acted as if she owned the room.
"Okay, Diana, what's really going on with you? Lately, you've been very quiet, even distracted, and today you ran out the classroom, you didn't even stay to ask the teacher some questions!"
"I already told you, it's only a stomach-ache. Why do always have to make a mountain out of a molehill?" Diana snapped.
"I'm only worried about you…"
"I know, I know…" Diana answered, shifting her gaze to the floor.
Jenni was her best friend at the Academy and, even when her desire to speak with her about her feelings was almost overwhelming, she had to keep her mouth shut; her best friend hadn't the slightest idea regarding her "part-time job", or the double life she was currently living. What was she supposed to say to Jenni? It wasn't like she could tell her about The Center, or about the unfair evaluation that resulted in a public humiliation for her; she couldn't tell her that Martin, her immature and obnoxious stepbrother, wasn't as useless as he appeared.
She absolutely couldn't tell her that it was possible her step brother was simply better than her at something.
"Come on, besides the food thing, it's obvious there's something else bothering you." Jenni folded her arms over her chest. "I know lately you hadn't been on many dates, and it's not like there are interesting guys at Torrington, but we could always go to the town, huh?"
The casual and almost shamelessly way in which Jenni made that comment managed to snap Diana out of reverie. The girl couldn't help but look at her friend with utter disbelief. Was that the only thing she had on her mind? Did Jenni though that she, Diana Lombard, would act in such… pathetic way just because of a boy? Of course, she was also interested in boys, and there were times when she dreamt about the idea of dating a good-looking and well-mannered boy, but she had never given it much importance, nor she'd been depressed because of it. After all, there were much more important things that required her attention.
Perhaps she couldn't blame Jenni for her naiveté, perhaps she was being too harsh. While it was true that Jenni was somewhat superficial, even a bit selfish, she'd always been there when she needed a shoulder to cry on; even so, deep down, she doubted that her friend could understand the gravity of her current situation: Jenni was a mere high school student, not a secret agent that faced monsters and aliens, or that was forced to save the world every other week.
How could she explain that her, Diana, the girl with the best grades on the academy, left herself be manipulated so easily? How to explain to her that her lack of judgment resulted on a mistake that cost the lives of many people?
Diana clenched her fists. No, it was better not to think about that "detail".
"No. It's not about a boy," answered finally Diana.
"Oh. Then what's this about? Did you fail a test?" Jenni scratched her chin, deep in thought. "Don't tell me Martin played another of his childish pranks on you?"
"Yes, something like that. He practically humiliated me in public."
Diana wasn't entirely lying. The whole mess with Octavia Payne started because of Martin, his inability to keep his mouth shut and, above all, his lack of empathy. His endless teasing and his arrogance had compelled her to join the CIHL.
Yes. It was all Martin's fault.
"That boy never learns," Jenni said clicking her lounge. "I swear he's just like a little kid, and just as obnoxious. He's sometimes intolerable, but I don't think you should let that depress you, Di."
Diana cracked a smile. At least she could complain to someone about her stepbrother, to her heart's content. It was something that had always united them: both were tired of having to deal with Martin and his constant nonsense.
"It's just always the same thing, Jenni. He always has to do something… something stupid, and I have to clean up his mess, or put myself out there for him."
"Oh, Diana, forget about that already. I know you tend to bear grudges but this isn't worth it, trust me. We all know your brother is an idiot most of the time but, like I said, you shouldn't let that affect you. Martin's not worth it."
"I know, Jenni. Believe me, I know." Diana narrowed her eyes toward her friend and arched an eyebrow. Jenni's answer had taken her by surprise. "I don't bear grudges, do I?"
"Well, yes, but only sometimes, especially when it's about Martin. Although it's not like I blame you for it, he annoys everyone." The girl shrugged, then looked down at her watch with surprise in her eyes. "Look at the time! I'm sorry Diana but I need to go; my gymnastic practice starts in a few minutes, and I'm already running late, that said, if you need anything…"
"I'll call you," murmured Diana almost automatically.
"Promise me, okay?" said Jenni, concern palpable in her voice. She stood up and smoothed out the wrinkles of her black mini-skirt.
"I promise. See you later, Jenni, and thanks for listening," Diana answered wearily, as she accompanied her friend to the door.
"It's no big deal, and I mean it, if you need to talk to someone let me know. If you want, after my practice, we can go for a coffee," Jenni said, winking at her.
"Of course, Jenni. Thank you very much, really," mumbled Diana.
I'm fine, I must be, Diana said to herself, once again. Jenni crossed her arms and looked at her with scepticism; nevertheless, in the end she seemed to accept her friend's words, because she left for her gymnastics practice muttering a "see you later".
Diana was restless until she saw the shadow of Jenni disappear under the door and the sound of her footsteps got lost in the halls. She lay face down on her bed while trying to forget, at least for a couple of hours, the events that led her to this point.
Diana woke up until late at night. She had no idea how long she'd been sleeping, but noticed the moon peeking outside her window. Realising she hadn't yet finished her homework due for the next day, she jumped out of bed and hastily settled her books and school supplies on her desk.
She began her work, and would have continued with her homework, even if it took her all night, if not for the growling of her stomach that reminded her she hadn't eaten a single thing since lunch. The school cafeteria was already closed, so she decided to fill her stomach with junk food from the vending machine that was in the first floor. If she was honest, she'd always found the Torrington Academy somewhat creepy at this hour of the night, when most of the lights were turned off; considering all the supernatural events that had took place in the school's grounds this seemed something completely rational and logical to her.
The girl moved silently through Torrington's halls, until she found the vending machine. While she was trying to decide on a treat, she felt a heavy hand on her shoulder. She jerked up, dropping the coins she carried with her to the floor.
"Martin Mystery! That isn't funny!" she shouted turning to face her brother, whose boisterous laughter had betrayed immediately. "What are you doing here?"
"Same as you, sis," he answered, pointing at the vending machine. "Can't sleep?"
Diana limited herself to collect her coins and put them into the machine, without uttering a single answer; she'd picked a chocolate bar that, although not nutritious in the slightest, contained enough sugar to keep her awake for the rest of the night.
"Well, it seems you're back to normal, Di. As 'normal' as someone like you can be. Are you sure there isn't anything you'll like to confess? Perhaps some 'extra parts' you'd like to talk about?" inquired Martin with his hands inside his pockets, laughing at his own joke. It seemed that Diana wasn't the only one that hadn't bothered to put on her pajamas.
"Leave me alone, Martin." Diana crossed her arms and looked at him with disdain. "I can't believe that you are still making jokes about it."
"Oh, come on Di, you know I can't help it. It's just too funny."
"I never joke about the times you've been transformed into something, and let me remind you that they've been plenty."
Martin nervously scratched the back of his neck. Diana hadn't lied at all; if someone asked her, her favorite occasion was when he turned into a big baby, diaper and soother included.
"But at least I didn't try to destroy The Centre. Or let a monster loose inside the headquarters," he replied triumphal.
That was the straw that broke the camel's back.
She'd enough with that guilt that consumed her from the inside, only for him to continue rubbing his supposed moral superiority on her face. Why he couldn't leave her alone? Wasn't enough for him to humiliate her by getting a higher score, not only on the school's test, but also on The Center's evaluation? Wasn't enough for him to be considered the better agent of the two?
"Shut up, just shut up."
Martin backed up a few of steps, visibly surprised by those simple words. An apoplectic rage had seized Diana.
"Eh, calm down sis, it was only a joke," he said raising both hands, apparently in sing of defeat.
Diana turned around, ready to go back to her dorm room; the last thing she wanted now was to have argument with her stepbrother, however, it seemed he wasn't going to let her leave him in mid-sentence: he caught her by the sleeve of her shirt, making her lose her balance and slip on the slap of the halls. Diana barely had time to steady herself on the wall.
"Oops! Sorry, Di, b- "
Martin's apology was interrupted by the girl's palm impinging on his right cheek.
He stood there, his eyes widening in surprise, unable of uttering a single word as he touched his now flushed face. This time it was she who backed away, unsure of how to react to what she'd done.
It wasn't the first time she'd hit or slapped him, but on those occasions, it had just been a game to them, something to be expected, siblings acting like siblings. Right now, Diana didn't even know how she felt, or why she reacted in that way.
"What the hell is wrong with you, Di?" Martin shouted, his hand still covering his reddened cheek. "I didn't do it on purpose! You don't have to act like… Like a lunatic!"
"I don't know! I don't know what's wrong with me, okay? I just… I'm sick of all this! I'm sick of you, and I'm sick of The Center, and of those stupid and pointless missions! I'm tired of wasting my life away and that no one appreciates it!
Neither of them spoke or moved after she pronounced those words. Luckily for them the u-watch started beeping, interrupting that awkward moment.
"We better find Java," Diana said gravely, and Martin could only nod.
Going back to The Center turned out to be more emotionally taxed than she'd hoped. Although the headquarters' appearance had improved considerably since her last visit, if she closed her eyes, she could still see the thick pieces of broken glass everywhere, the loose wires from the electrical installations, the dusty wall panels that had been overturned and set on fire during the fight against the metamoster. The blood stains, slime and other bodily fluids were now almost imperceptible, but she could still see them.
How many innocent lives were lost that day?
Diana couldn't help noticing the almost mechanical way the agents carried out their duties. The big metal desks as well as the advanced computers were back in their proper place. Stoic and solemn, many of the agents were wearing a black ribbon on their lapel, while some others opted to wear a black armband over their right arm.
Everything has consequences, I know that, but…
"What are you doing, Di? Admiring your 'little job'?"
Diana would have pounced toward her brother's necks if it weren't for Java's big and strong hands that kept her at bay.
"No fight," Java said, standing between the two teenagers with his arms extended.
"We're not fighting, Java. We're ju-"
"Please, Diana. Java isn't stupid."
"I never said that he-"
"Whatever. We better hurry before you start to slap people silly; plus, I'd like to see what Billy has done with his new office."
They walked over to the elevator, and the waiting seemed eternal to Diana. The mission hadn't even started yet and already she wanted to go back to Torrington.
What she saw when she entered MOM's office —Billy's, it was Billy's office now— took her by surprise: the place was a complete mess, with visible cracks on the walls, piles of books and thick folders stacked on the floor, and a considerable amount of debris; despite everything, the main computer and other electronics seemed to be operating again. Perhaps the cleaning crew was too busy with other sectors of the headquarters.
"Geez! And Diana complains about my room," exclaimed Martin.
For a moment, she contemplated the idea of replying to him with a sarcastic comment, but decided that it was better to ignore him. If Martin thought she was going to forgive him so easily he was sorely mistaken.
She refused to let a habit beat her.
"Hi guys!" Billy greeted them as he stepped out from under the new and shiny mahogany desk, carrying an armful of folders and thick manila envelopes. "Please excuse the mess. As you can see, there's still much to sort out; whole sectors to clean up, raids to organize, prisoners to interrogate... There's still so much work to do."
Prisoners? Raids? Diana thought; she decided not to read too much on that information at the time. There'd be time to discuss in detail the consequences of the attack with Billy… or with MOM. Preferably without Martin in the same room.
Diana had already become used to her friend's human form, so it was odd for her to see the little alien without his suit and standing in front of them, his flying saucer forgotten in some corner of the office. Giving him the same treatment as MOM's was even stranger since, if she was completely honest, Billy wasn't exactly a leader.
"Java help Billy."
"Don't worry Java, I have everything under control. I think so."
Martin plopped down on one of the purple velvet armchairs, crossed his legs and placed both hands behind his head, while Diana and Java helped Billy, despite the latter's protests.
"Where are we going today, Billy? Oh, I know! How about Miami? Hawaii? Really, any beach is fine, as long as we can find girls in bikinis."
"Oh! Java want visit Japan!"
"Japan? Why?" Martin asked.
"Want to try sushi."
"Good idea, big guy! And we could go to one of those temples, maybe meet a beautiful priestess, you know what people sa-"
"Can't you think of anything else, Martin?" questioned Diana, holding the bridge of her nose.
"It's not my fault women find me irresistible, Di."
Diana rolled her eyes. How could anyone deceive himself to such a degree? Martin was far from being a Ladies' man, which was obvious to anyone.
"Sorry to disappoint you, Martin, but today your team will go to Greece," Billy said with a playful tone to his voice.
"Greece?" Diana asked.
"To the Vikos–Aoös National Park to be precise," answered Billy, giving Diana a thick manila folder, "We have received reports of the disappearance of several workers, as well as some hunters in the area."
"Construction workers and hunters at a National Park? Aren't hunting, fishing, deforestation and the building of human settlements, prohibited?" questioned Diana, her tone like that of someone reciting a well memorised list, while she flipped through the mission's report.
"They are, though such activities are only prohibited at the park's core. Of course, that doesn't stop the poachers and some inhabitants of the outlying towns. Although, well, that's not the problem, you see..."
"Greece? Bo-ring," interrupted Martin, apparently making sure to use the most childish tone he could find. Was he really incapable of keeping his mouth shut, even for just a second?
"Martin! Greece isn't boring," Diana admonished him. "For your information, there are many places in Greece that are considered a World Heritage Site, besi-"
"And? I don't care about that. It's not like we're going there as tourists, we're going there to solve a paranormal case, remember?"
The girl held on tight to the paperwork that was still in her hands and was about to say something when Billy politely cleared his throat.
"Do you want us to search for these construction workers and… for the poachers? Isn't that a job for the police?" asked Diana, putting aside her wish to punch her stepbrother in the face and wrinkling her nose a bit: she didn't like the idea of helping those men, disrespectful of laws and regulations. Of course, in the end she'd do it, because it was her duty, but that didn't mean she'd to like the idea.
"Diana, that's our job. If you don't like it, you can leave The Center and join a rival organization," Martin teased. "Oh, I forgot, you already tried that and it ended blowing up in your face."
Diana took a deep breath.
"You were saying, Billy?" she asked, trying to ignore her brother once again. Why did he have to keep trying to provoke her?
"Oh, yes. We have not only received reports of missing workers and hunters, but loggers, tourists and even some scientists have disappeared as well. As you can imagine, the inhabitants of the nearby villages are very concerned."
"The construction workers were building something inside the park? But that's illegal, isn't it?" questioned Diana.
"No, no. They were working on the nearby roads and on the towns situated on the park's periphery when they disappeared without a trace. At first we thought that these were isolated cases, but reports of missing persons have been increasing in the last month."
"But, how do you know it's something paranormal? This seems more like a case for the local police."
"Please, Diana, it's obviously something paranormal, The Center wouldn't call us otherwise," interrupted Martin, rolling his eyes.
"Yes, our sensors did detect paranormal activity in the area, however, you are the first group of agents we sent to conduct a thorough investigation, because…"
"Oh, can we leave for Greece in the morning, Billy? It's way past midnight, and I haven't finished 'studying'," Martin said slyly, sinking further into his seat.
"Studying? Don't make me laugh. You only want to go back and stay awake all night watching those ridiculous horror movies," Diana said.
"They aren't ridiculous," he retorted.
"Actually, it's past seven o'clock in Greece right now," Billy said. "I know it's a little late for you, but I needed to consider the time difference and, as you can imagine, we are currently a little short on personal because…"
Because many agents are either dead or missing, Diana finished the phrase in her mind, and a shiver ran down her spine.
"Don't worry about it, Billy, we understand," she said smiling, and then shifted her gaze toward her partners. "Don't we, boys?"
"Java understand. Rescue people now, sleep later."
Martin rose from his seat and nonchalantly stuck his hands into his pockets. "All right, then let's stop wasting more time."
Diana crossed her arms and nodded weakly. This mission was definitely going to test her patience.
Author's notes:
Hello! If anyone is still in this fandom, I want to thank them for reading this far.
To be honest, the third season always seemed to me to be a regression of the characters: Martin is unsympathetic most of the time; Diana is much more competent in the field but, at the same time, she has become somewhat insensitive and aggressive. Not even Jenni or Marvin escape a personality change. I'll try to address this during the story, but it's important that you watch the last two episodes of the series (It's Alive Part 1 and 2), otherwise the behaviour of the characters is going to be lacking in context.