I make no literary references to any work besides Young Justice, and any similarities are coincidental.
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"It's okay Mrs. Popolos. Dog bites are generally very treatable, and infections are limited in scope. We'll scan for rabies and do what we can about the wound, but she'll be here a few days."
A face composed of pleading green eyes, dark brown hair and olive tinted skin fell.
"I suppose- that's as good as it gets."
"Yes, you were lucky this dog ran away, most of them only bite people when they perceive a threat, and only leave when it's neutralized. A thousand and one things could have gone wrong.
"Just- thank you… I don't know what else to say." The woman walked out of the waiting room, presumably to drive off to work, and Andy could hear no more conversation for a few hours. She sifted through her books, hopefully she could catch up on some studying for the amount of time this would go on. I need a visitor. Damned TV remote just has to not work and I'm stuck here for days. All that was on was weather, and she could hardly stand people telling her to get outside. "In recent news, astronomers are currently researching how the moon seems to not be showing up as brightly. Can you tell us what's going on, Dr. Kolinsky?" A younger man with matching brown hair and eyes appeared already talking "-'ve said before, It's probably a simple partial eclipse, it's happened before and the moon will probably soon return to normal. I've spoken with oceanographers, and they have not noticed a change in the tides." The perspective returned to the blonde anchorwoman. "So the moon's in no danger of blowing up, whatever the public believes?" The astronomer's expression shifted. "Is the public ins-" The scene shifted to the weekly forecast, which of course was all sunny. A voice came over the intercom.
"Miss Popolos, you have a visitor. Shall I send him in?"
"Go ahead." It's probably dad or someone. A powerfully built man, over six feet tall, wearing a lab coat walked in. He was light skinned with black hair and cold eyes. He spoke in a deep, reverberating voice that commanded power.
"Your condition is a great deal worse than we anticipated."
"I thought they confirmed it was nothing serious and-"
"You've been infected."
"Rabies? That's still relatively treatable, from what I've-"
"The animal was carrying West Nile Virus. Do you know why the medical world calls it that?"
"It's probably the place of origin, I've heard of area specific contagions-"
"It's the Land of the Dead." There was a pause of dawning comprehension.
"It's that serious? "
"You're a small, fourteen year old girl. Unless you agree to experimental treatment, you're definitely going to die."
"Is that legally my decision to make?"
"No parent would agree to administering a couple grams of Selenium directly into the bloodstream. There is also insufficient time to drag your father here and make him sign some forms."
"But you think it will work."
"I'm certain. Selenium will attach itself to infected cells and kill them. Your body will fight off the disease in hours. It's also the only way to live." There was no more to consider.
"Do it." The laconic man in a lab coat took her arm and shoved a white circle the size of a quarter into the dog bite wound, holding his hand over her mouth to prevent from screaming. Why the hell- well, it's probably faster than making a new opening. The picture of her visitor distorted slowly as the edges of her vision blackened.
"You're going to sleep for a while." The darkness enclosed around her field of vision.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o- o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o- o- "If anything, you should be ashamed, or at least sorry. I would have picked dead, but it's not my decision." Andy looked around, her head moving too quickly to really take in anything. They say the fastest sense is hearing, and then feeling. She was tied down to a cot.
"Nothing? What angle are you trying? You said some interesting things on the way here." Andy was in an 8x10, and an older gentleman was interviewing her. Where the hell am I?
"Who are you? If this is a kidnapping, I don't have any money!"
"Special Agent Mudd." Special Agent Mudd did not change from his condescending expression.
"So it's the amnesia angle. There's a pretty solid idea. You might even get thrown into rehab for split personality disorder. Well, Miss Lethe, you're in a federal prison. You escaped from the hospital, ripped a metal pole out of the sidewalk and ran the length of Chicago dragging the damn thing behind you while killing people with your remaining hands and feet. I wouldn't try pleading insanity; crazy people don't sharpen spears that ingeniously. You killed six police officers with it, seems you really know how to use a spear, even to the extent of dodging bullets while fighting. When we finally dragged you away, you threw your weapon into the cockpit of a military helicopter through a small window with inch thick glass. It landed, exploding, on a school, one, we now know, where your mother was working."
"What?! Is she okay?!"
"Did I say she was working there any longer? She won't be; it's now her job to be fertilizer for weeds. When we dragged you in, we expected more resistance; after all you'd been stabbing and slashing like you'd been using a spear for a few thousand years. But the strangest thing was you said it was your goal to become public enemy number one and nothing more. We tracked down your father going to his office and shot him when it looked like he was going to get away. Let me tell you something Andromeda Popolos." Andy had stopped asking questions, having been reduced to tears.
"We don't consider incarcerated criminals public enemies, unless, that is, you escape, which is unlikely, considering you execution is scheduled for thirty minutes from now. Because of the Patriot Act, however, you are an enemy combatant and we have the right to kill or coerce anyone we believe associated with you. Fortunately Illinois has no current capital punishment status, and in fact no other prisoners on death row." Andy looked around at other cells. He was right, she was all alone here.
"I'll leave you and assume you're declining a last meal." How does Selenium or whatever that was land me here? I guess I just believed the guy because he looked and sounded like a figure of authority. I guess that's something I should teach people if I get last words. Seriously, how did I even do that? A cold, distant voice came from somewhere within her own mind. I think I can answer your question. The elder, from before, led you from the police car and tied you down in here. It was only a few hours from when we escaped the hospital that you resumed control. What? Who are- are you a demon?! No, child, I'm much worse than those lesser entities. My name is Khonsu. I am god and sole owner and proprietor of the moon and its light. Do you have any other stupid questions or can we get to what's important? Yes, I do have more stupid questions, how did you get into my head, what are you doing here, why did I have to be your test subject-Stupid girl, your head's going to explode. I arrived through Black Adam's addition of the moon disk into your bloodstream. I'm working for my own nefarious purposes, mostly the destruction of inconvenient individuals. I'm in you specifically simply because you might already know who I am and you just moved here. You don't know anyone to testify for your character, the people at the hospital were our first victims and your parents are dead. Andy's arms and legs slowly began to glow with white energy, searing through the large leather belts holding her down. I'll be loosening your bonds, should you not mind. Oh, and another thing. Sooner or later, you'll rebel against my designs, but you'll notice I took some precautions. I was thinking sooner. Enlighten me. First, you are a felon. We've killed children, police officers, and taxpayers. I used no actual magic to make sure no one suspected possession. From now on, you'll have to fight the law with the rest of the wicked and should you attempt to turn from my ways and present yourself to law enforcement, you'll be punished for crimes you never committed. The leather bonds fell to the floor and Andy stood, looking around. This place has got to be crawling with guards. Yes, considering you told them you were trying to become a public enemy, they assume you're going to attempt an escape. I should warn you, as I'm still adjusting my way into your body and mind, you don't have control over all of my powers immediately. You also don't know how to use them. Well since you are such an expert and you burnt through the belts without even being in control, then why don't you just get us out of here? I can't. I'm far from completely having taken you over; I don't even understand why or when one of us takes control. It's probably completely random. At any rate, to use lunar light as a weapon, you must increase your heart rate and summon light from your blood. What. Just- what. Just-do whatever you felt happen before. Gotcha. Andy felt her arms begin to glow with white light and flicker out. She grabbed the bars and tried once more. It seems to be working, Khonsu. But let me tell you something. I have no problem being killed for these crimes if it kills you too. You are a cruel, manipulative, arrogant bastard and you murdered children without even thinking about it, and my life is over anyway. But I don't think it would kill you, and that is not the half of it. You had help getting into my body, you'd have help into another. I'm going to see how high up this goes. Of course. Now we have ten to twenty minutes to figure this out.