Wow. after a long hiatus, this is the fourth fic I've updated since the 26th. Sorry for the long wait (you have every right to sick psycho Megan on me and control my mind).


Chapter 8: A World of Ruin All in Vain


Conner had never felt so boring…the kissing, touches, and awkward conjoined motions of their bodies was vile.

Megan was no longer just bored with Conner; the clone had become something to detest. His mind no longer was fun to manipulate. The clone's actions had always been predictable; he was a broken-doll that Megan hoped to get rid off.

Maybe I could just snap the little dolly's head off…

But she needed Conner; she needed his sheer strength if she wanted to ever do any real damage to the Justice League. Artemis had cunning and minor acrobatic and archery skills, but after several botched episodes of manipulating her mind, the blonde wasn't much of a force to be reckoned with. Artemis only posed a threat when Megan implanted specific instructions in the blonde's mind; otherwise, the archer could barely think for herself. She took to crying, or threw herself into a reserved silence when not being controlled by Megan.

But her emotional instability was what differentiated her from Conner and made her far more interesting to control. Even when commanded through telepathy, Artemis could still become unpredictable and not always protect Megan and Conner.

Artemis also became way to emotional around baby Wally...and he isn't her child.

Megan had drawn Wally's personality from within her own mind, which had formed because her mind couldn't handle killing him. Therefore, a second personality in the form of Wally emerged; Megan's mind became colder and crueler in contrast to Wally, who was emotional, upbeat, and nauseatingly hopeful. The unknown being that called itself 'desire' and had taken the form of Robin was still locked within her mind, unable to reach out and consume Wally like it had planned. Megan didn't want to think that that personality figment, probably something that had escaped J'onn's mind into her own, could try controlling her from within her mental depths. Megan's ignored that possibility, returning to baby Wally.

I wish Wally's body was real and not just an illusion. I would looooooove to force-feed him my undercooked food. Superheal that, bastard.

"Conner is on lookout now," Artemis said, without her typical sneer. Megan had reprogrammed her for simple lookout, not caring to deal with an emotionally unstable archer. Other times, like now when Artemis switched with Conner, Megan released the control on the archer's mind.

It should happen in three…two…one…

"How is Wally?" Artemis wiped back tears dribbling down the sides of her face. The drops were instant, dramatic, and sent Megan into a chuckling fit.

"Baby Wally's gonna die."

"I'm glad he had you to take care of him," Artemis closed her eyes, blinking away more tears. She lunged towards Megan and Wally on the couch, embracing Megan in a life-threatening hug.

Ugh.

Megan had regretted coming back to Happy Harbor. Their proximity to her former team forced Conner and Artemis to alternate guard duty more frequently than usual. Truth be told, Artemis had funny moments of becoming an emotional trainwreck, but was only really entertaining when Megan would flirt with the archer.

The old, almost dilapidated apartment they were currently in had been useful upon first coming back to Happy Harbor a month ago. When Artemis left to scout the town, Megan had Conner all to herself. She even forced Artemis to take the baby Wally illusion with her, but not before creating a telepathic glamour around Artemis that would make anyone who saw her see a 30-something year old mother and her child.

"Artemis, get off me…please?" Megan sighed, biting her lip.

"I just love you so much. I need to keep you safe." Artemis smiled, moving closer as if zoning in like nuclear warhead…but it was just a kiss.

"You're my lover, Artemis. Not my keeper. Stop hanging on me like a character from a '70s lesbian porno."

Before Artemis could become even sappier, Megan slapped the blonde's face a little too harshly.

"I…I needed that."

"Artemis, I need to tell you something. Conner's practically brain-dead, so that automatically makes you the better conversationalist."

"What's wrong, Megan?"

"Nothing. I'm finally pregnant." Megan stated matter-of-factly.

"What?"

"I'm preggers. I'm a teen mom…or pregnant menopausal alien if we get technical. I'm am actually middle-aged...but I don't look it."

"How?" Artemis stuttered, blinking rapidly. The archer hadn't been capable of this rational of a response in weeks; it fascinated the Martian to no end. Artemis was finally not crying or silent.

"Conner. I know I could have done better."

"You love him."

"I loved him."

"You loved him. You were devoted."

Something was off about Artemis. Megan had never known her to act so normally despite how strange that sounded. The blonde was speaking to Megan as if she had never had her mind controlled, like they were just two normal teenage superheroes back at Mount Justice. Maybe something in the air of Happy Harbor had brought these dormant actions out of Artemis; Megan could or hardly wanted to conceive of another excuse.

She controlled the archer; creating everything about her from the way she walked to acted. Artemis could not be slipping from her control.

"Again, I was."

"You killed for him."

Now, that was weird. Sure, Artemis had to have known Megan was a killer. The Dashers' bodies hadn't exactly been hidden from Artemis before Red Tornado and his robot goons burnt the place down. Miss Martian thought she had wiped Artemis' memory of her killing Wally; the archer was supposed to believe that she had done the deed. Megan wasn't quite sure if Artemis could even be referring to her killing Wally or perhaps, after countless mind-swipes and intervention by J'onn, Artemis had regained her memory of Megan being the true killer.

Time to find out…

"Who would sweet, little M'gann kill?" the Martian pouted, cooing her question.

"Hello? Wally? Conner's mind. Pretty much everyone."

"Wait, you care now? I didn't program you to care."

"What do you mean "I didn't program you'?"

Megan gave Artemis a quizzical look, "I once wanted to be like you, you know?"

"Really?" Artemis replied blankly. "What, you wanted to become more human?"

"No, more powerful. But I couldn't do that with the League. I had to rebel, J'onn."

"This has gone long enough." J'onn didn't break out of Artemis' form, but began speaking in his low, chastising voice.

"I haven't even spilled any of your besties' blood. The Justice league: BFFS even in death…isn't that adorable?"

"I wish I could have been there for you...years ago."

"So I could change? Humans are beneath us, uncle. Even if you put me down, they won't trust you. They have seen what I can do; of course, since I'm younger than you, they'll presume I have only a fraction of your power. You'll scare them, J'onn."

"M'gann, stop. I'm-"

"Disappointed in me? That hurts," Megan giggled, ignoring the sad, withdrawn look on her uncle's face. "You are just like me...perhaps worse, with a heart twice as black. As black as Malevich's square. Your heart is an endless screaming night. And what a twisted and chaotic heart it is. I really learned from the best: you."

"You were nice once..."

"Your league wanted to see me as nice. I learned from you to lie to them. Everyone wanted me to be innocent, fall in love with Superboy, but..."

"But I thought you wanted him. Wasn't that the point of this lowly human obsession?"

"Too cold, uncle. I thought I loved him. It felt like something compelled me to love him; I needed him or I would die as sappy and melodramatic as that sounded. What I felt...was stronger than probably what the devotion Artemis and Conner have been forced into feeling for me now. My obsession with Conner consumed me."

"And ruined you."

"It saved me from a life of boredom. I don't have to put on fake smiles and play the wannabe alien housewife for the team. They fear me, uncle. Even years from now, my name will inspire fear in them even if I die soon. I am their greatest regret."

"You are," J'onn said calmly, still maintaining himself in Artemis' form.

"You could have changed everything. Changed me. Not that I want to go back."

"You were in love with Conner. Teenagers do reckless things." M'gann caught a glint in J'onn's eyes, but was unable to read his mind and detect the emotion.

His mental defenses were unbreakable.

Perhaps they always were...

"I was right before. Something compelled me to get Conner."

"Your feelings got the better of you."

"I'm not a human, nor am I young enough to be a girl."

J'onn didn't say anything, crossing his arms as if to brace himself.

"Only you could have controlled my mind."

"Only you killed those people."

It happened, an admission of mutual guilt, but something still felt wrong to the Martian. Her head was clearer than it had ever been; she was still an impulsive murderess, but she couldn't bring herself to trust her uncle.

"A part of you tried killing Wally to control my body."

"It failed?" J'onn said surprisingly, as Miss Martian's body slunk into unconsciousness.


AN: It took me a while to get back into the mindset for this story, you know: crazy, crazy, crazy Megan.

Anyways, how guilty do you think M'gann is? Did J'onn just create her obsession for Superboy or go further and cause her to kill?