Bludhaven - The Warehouse
December 29th, 2016
20:12 EST
"That was quite possibly the weirdest shit I've ever seen," Virgil was first to break the silence as they exited the Bioship. It sat in it's fully expanded form in the basement with them. Virgil found it odd that it hadn't compressed yet. He helped Cassie out of the ship. The toxin was worn off for the most part. But she was still wobbly.
Jaime groaned, "I am not looking forward to this debrief."
The Zeta platform behind them began to glow.
Recognized Miss Martian, B05
Superboy, B04
Beast Boy, B19
As they stepped off the Zeta Platform, Miss Martian, Superboy, and Beast Boy were greeted by the other team members.
"Hey guys. How'd the missi-" Miss Martian cut her words short. She turned her head towards the Bioship. Her eyes squinted in confusion. "What?"
"M'gann? What is it?" Dick asked.
She took a step towards her ship, brows furrowing, trying to decipher the psychic message she was trying to send her. She gasped. "There's a stowaway on board!" The Team perked at her words. "The Bioship, she's saying someone snuck inside."
"Fish 'um out M'gann!" Dick ordered. "Everyone, get ready." He took a defensive stance. Everyone followed suit as they gathered around the ship.
M'gann raised her hand, her eyes glowed as she ordered the ship to force the intruder out. It levitated a couple of feet, opening the floor of one of the storage cabinets. They heard a girlish screech as a small body fell, somersaulting towards them. She landed on her rump, groaning as she rubbed the fresh bump on her head.
It was Adalae. But she had abandoned her Apokolips weapons and wait staff uniform, now sporting an undershirt and gym shorts. Strands of her long disheveled red hair escaped from her ponytail and onto her face. She blew them out of her eyes. She gasped at the sight of The Team. She hunched her shoulders and turned her knees together as she let out a nervous chuckle. "Uh, hi." She gave them a wary smile, not quite sure what to say. "Ummm...surprise?"
"She...she was there." Karen informed, remembering that Adalae had offered her food. "She was with that group that tried to assassinate the mayor!"
"Nononono," Adalae waved her hands in front of her in panic. "No I'm not with them I swear!" She stopped herself, twisting her lip as she tried to explain. "Well, I mean I was with them but not with them."
Wonder Girl furrowed her brows in anger. "Sure looked like you were with them when you were shooting at us."
Adalae shook her head with rapid motion. "No, no they made me."
Jaime tried to interrupt, recalling her help with the battle just hours before. "Guys, she's-"
La'gann growled. "She's obviously sent by them to infiltrate our base. I say we take her out!" He took several steps towards her.
She shook. Her eyes went wide. "No wait-"
But she was cut off as La'gann let out a roar. His tattoos began to glow as his body bulked and expanded into it's pufferfish form. He raised his fist into the air.
Adalae's jaw dropped in horror. She screamed.
La'gann stopped himself as he watched her bring her face to her knees, wrapping her arms around her head for protection. She rocked. Tears filling her eyes as she waiting for the blue monster in front of her to strike her. La'gaan shrank back down to normal size. He watched as the little girl in front of him shook, wrapping herself into a tiny ball to shield herself from him. He felt like a predator, not a protector.
M'gann approached her with swift strides. The look of horror that flashed across Adalae's face made her stomach to drop. She brushed passed La'gaan. "Really La'gaan? Really?" She hissed at him. His mouth curled into a pout.
M'gann lowered herself on one knee in front of her. Adalae felt the heat of someone close to her. She lifted up her head, strands of hair sticking to her wet cheeks. She saw M'gann reaching her hand out towards hers. Adalae gasped, flinching away from her, bringing her hands to her chest.
"It's alright, it's alright," M'gann tried to reassure her. Her voice was almost a whisper.
Adalae looked up at her with wide watery eyes. She darted her eyes all around her to see that no one else had moved. She spoke, seeing that all was still for a moment. "I-I was, I was just trying to run away from them." She swallowed hard and licked her lips with uncertainty. Her voice shook and cracked. "I thought….I thought you were the good guys."
M'gann felt a slight drop in her jaw. She could have sworn she felt her own heart break. "We are." M'gann assured, giving small affirmative nods. She turned her head to La'gaan. Her eyes narrowed as she hissed again at him. "We are." La'gaan threw his hands up in the air. He couldn't seem to do anything right.
"I won't hurt you. I promise." M'gaan told her as she dropped down on both knees, tucking her legs underneath her. She placed her hands in her lap. "What's your name?" She asked with a slight tilt of her head.
"Adalae." She responded. Darting her eyes between everyone in the room, still uncertain of their actions.
"Guys, I was trying to tell you," Jaime took a step forward, motioning towards Adalae. "She was the one that told me about the Talisman. At the mission today."
"Really?" Dick asked.
"Yeah," Jaime affirmed. "She's basically the reason we won."
M'gann turned her attention to Adalae once more. "Why did you help us?" Her tone was genuine.
The muscles in her body relaxed. She wiped away the teary residue from under her eyes with her hand. "I knew they wanted to kill him. I didn't want anyone to get hurt." She gave M'gann a small nervous smile. "Don't you get my phone call?"
Dick raised his brows. "That was you." Everyone turned their attention towards him. "I thought I recognized your voice. You were the one in the 911 call."
"Mm-hmm." Adalae hummed with a smile as she shook her head.
"Wait, okay." Wonder Girl rubbed her temple. "So you help your 'Pack' attack us with Apokolips weapons and then expect us to believe you're just...running away from them?" She addressed Nightwing. "How the heck do a bunch of kids get a hold of Apokolips weapons anyways?"
"Oh, La Dama gave them to us." Adalae answered for her.
"La Dama?" Dick asked as he furrowed his brows. He was sure he had heard that name in the database before.
"Yep." Adalae reaffirmed. "She's a business lady in El Paso. Really pretty. But..really really scary."
"I know of her." Jaime chimed in. "She's a low key crime boss. One of those higher ups who the authorities can't seem to get any evidence on. Kind of like Lex."
"Can you tell us why she gave them to you?" M'gann asked.
"Yeah." Adalae gave her a few rapid nods. "Yeah, I'll tell you everything you want to know. Just..." She bit her bottom lip, looking up at M'gann with pleading eyes. "Please don't, please don't kick me out. I-I don't want them to find me again." Without realization, she brought her finger up to the cut on her lip. She tried to push back the water in her eyes again. "I don't want to go back to them."
M'gaan's eyebrows raised as she observed her injuries. She slowly brought her hand up to Adalae's face. She flinched as M'gann came close. M'gann cupped her right cheek in her palm, her thumb softly rubbing over her bruise. "Were they the ones who did this to you?" She asked.
Adalae's eyes fell to the ground as the team members exchanged nervous glances.
"Tye...Tye and Jenny treated me good." She finally answered. "But...the others weren't so nice." She swallowed the lump in her throat. "They could be, really violent sometimes."
M'gann bit her lower lip, face contorting in sympathy. She brushed a strand of stray hair behind Adalae's ear. "How about we get you out of this cold basement?" She asked, giving her a small grin. "Are you hungry?" Her voice raised in pitch. "Because I have been told I make some pretty awesome cookies." M'gann winked at her. She watched as a smile of relief spread across her lips.
Adalae sat on one of the stools in the kitchen island. Her feet dangled in the air as she stuffed herself full of M'gann's cookies. "Wow!" She managed through a mouthful. "These are good."
M'gann chuckled. She found her adorable. "Told you." She rubbed the top of Adalae's head, smiling. "I'll put in another batch just for you."
Garfield gathered with the others in the living area. He watched with crossed arms. Jealousy fuming off of him as M'gann was giving this new girl her full attention. Attention that she usually gave to him.
"Those should be my cookies," he mumbled.
Conner couldn't help but laugh at the sour expression on Garfield's face. "Whatsa matter Gar? Jealous you're not getting all of M'gann's attention?"
He huffed. His lower lip puckering into a disgruntled pout. "She never makes batches just for me anymore."
Kaldur gathered with the rest of The Team. They held quited discussion as they watched Adalae and M'gann interact in the kitchen.
"You think we can trust anything she says?" Kaldur asked.
"Well, she seems to have M'ganns approval," Jaime answered with a smile, watching them. "And she is the Telepath." He turned towards Kaldur. "Plus, I've seen her with the other members of The Pack. I mean, I can't really describe it, but she definitely didn't seem like she belonged with them."
Kaldur hummed to his thoughts. He approached the kitchen island. "Ok so...uh…"
"Adalae," she responded.
"Adalae. Right." Kaldur repeated almost too slow. What kind of name was that anyways? He continued. "So, we were talking about the Apokopils weapons. The ones La Dama gave to you?"
"Mmm-hum that's right." Adalae answered. "So uh, I guess..uh, I'll just start from the beginning." The others moved in closer as she started her story. "So Jenny is the leader of The Pack. She lives on the reservation and a few months ago she started having us steal medicine and food from stores. The people on the reservation are really poor. That can't really afford that stuff. So, Jenny went to get some help from La Dama. She already had everything that happened today planned, but she needed weapons, just in case." She took another bite out of her cookie. "So La Dama said she'd give them to us whenever we needed them, if we sold some drugs for her."
"Drugs?" Nightwing repeated. He looked over at Rose who raised a brow at him.
"Yeah. I'd never heard of it before." Adalae squinted in thought. "I think it was called...Spark?"
Nightwing's eyes widened as an array of questions ran through his mind. "Do you happen to have any with you?" He asked her.
Her mouth twisted in disappointment. "No. We hadn't gotten our shipment yet. I think...I think that was suppose to happen sometime in February."
"Do you know what day? Or where you were supposed to pick it up?" Nightwing's questions were quick and urgent.
She looked up at him with large, sad eyes. "No, I don't remember. M'sorry."
Nightwing sighed. He should have known it wouldn't have been that easy. "It's alright," he assured her.
"So how did you did up being part of The Pack?" Kaldur asked.
Her gaze fell to the floor. Her voice was small. "I don't remember."
A skeptical look plastered across Cassie's face. "You can't use that answer for every question, you know."
"No, really." Adalae tried to assure. "I don't-I don't remember anything before July. I don't remember anything about my life." She made intricate circles on the counter with her pointer finger. Her eyes followed it. Sadness plagued her tone. "I mean, I remember how to read and write and, you know, life and stuff like that. But...I don't remember where I'm from, my school, my parents." She finally looked up at them, their stares weighed heavy upon her. "I don't-I don't even think Adalae is my real name. Jenny said that was the name I gave her when I woke up."
Nightwing narrowed his eyes, tilting his head. "What do mean 'when you woke up'?"
"I don't-everything's really blurry from then." She let out an audible exhale, as if getting ready to repeat a story that she had told many times. "Jenny said that she and The Pack found me in the woods one night. They said that I was hurt real bad, and Jenny took me back to her house to get better." She shrugged. "She kind of adopted me. She adopted all of us."
"She found the other kids too?" Conner asked.
"Yeah, they were with her before she found me." Adalae rubbed the edges of the ceramic plate with her fingers. "Sebastian, Nathan, and Summer said they escaped from some lab in New Mexico like a year ago. Jenny found them when they were crossing through El Paso."
Rose perked her eyebrows. Everyone on the team seemed to look over at her. She tossed them a confident smile.
"A lab." Kaldur repeated.
"Mm-humm, they said they got their powers 'cause they were experimented on." Adalae rubbed her temple. "Ah, what did they say it was called? Caaa...ca..Candus? Catus?" Her eyes went wide. "Cadmus! Cadmus. That's what it was called."
"Are you sure?" Dick questioned again.
"Yep," she chirped.
A tight smile bunched Rose's cheeks. Cockiness rolled off her in waves. "And you guys doubted me," She chimed.
"They must have been some of the subjects your parents set free," Nightwing deduced, rubbing his chin.
"Looks like that didn't turn out well for us," Cassie sassed.
"Oh, and then she met Tye and well," Adalae shrugged. "You guys know the rest."
Jaime crossed his arms. He muttered swears under his breath.
"Jaime?" Artemis addressed him. "Something on your mind?"
"I just can't believe it," Jaime wined, throwing a hand in the air. "Tye was my best friend. After years together you think you know someone." He crossed his arms again. "Guess I was wrong."
"You know Tye?" Adalae asked him with a slight tilt of her head.
"I thought I did," Jaime answered.
Adalae hummed to herself as she bunched a corner of her lip. She looked back up at Jaime. "Well, I wouldn't be too hard on him. He's not…" She played with her fingers, looking for the right words to say. "He's not in full control of his actions all the time."
"What makes you say that?" Jaime asked.
"Jenny's Talisman, it lets her manipulate people's minds." She answered. "I've seen her use it on him a lot, especially when they argue. She used it on the other kids too. Sometimes they'd lose control in their animal forms or disobey her. She'd have to use it to make them do what she said." She scratched her arm in nervousness. "I didn't want her to messing with my mind. So I just...I just did whatever she asked me." She wrapped her arms around herself. "But I knew sooner or later she'd make me hurt someone...just like the other kids."
M'gann placed a soft hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to worry about anything like that now."
"So Jenny has her Talisman," Conner listed. "Tye has his astral projection thing, and the other kids have uh, animal, forms. Do you have any superpowers?"
"Uhhh...yeah kinda. I mean, I think so?" She sounded unsure.
"You think so?" He repeated, skeptical.
"Jenny said that my accident sparked my powers. But they only come out it like, small bursts. I can't really control them yet," she advised.
"Well, we do know that the Metagene tends to surface under extreme stress." Nightwing informed. "So it would make sense that an accident would create your powers. So, what can you do?"
"Well, I heal pretty fast." Adalae made a circle around her face with her pointer finger. "Like, I got these today and they'll be gone by tomorrow. Um, I'm can be pretty strong. And...uh, well I….it's hard to explain. Um, Sometimes when I touch something, I see things about in my head." She scratched her neck, trying to think of the words. "Uh, how do i say it better? Like, if I concentrate really hard, and I touch an object, I can see its history. Like, important stuff that's happened to it, or people who have handled it."
"Oh. Psychometry." Nightwing responded without hesitation. "That's what that's called. It's like...object reading, like what some mystics can do." Artemis looked over at him with a raised brow. "What?" He shrugged with a smile. "I've picked up some paranormal lingo from Zataana."
"Can you demonstrate for us?" M'gann asked.
"Uh, yeah, I can try," she responded.
From out of the corner, Sphere rolled over towards them. She chirped with excitement as she rolled up next to Adalae.
Conner chuckled. "I think Sphere wants to volunteer."
"Ookaaayyy…." She replied slowly, eyes wide. She looked around at their casual faces, unsure as to why a giant, rolling, steel ball was normal for them. She cautiously placed her flat palms on Sphere. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She opened her eyes, a blue light engulfing them. She observed as snippets of Sphere's past flashed in her mind. "She's from...another planet." She explained. "She was taken from there. Taken to a desert? You...you saved her from...from. Ick. Some gross white guy with a big head."
Several amused chuckles emerged from the group. Dick smiled, "That would be Psimon."
Adalae closed her eyes. They returned to normal when she opened them and took her hands off of Sphere.
"That's pretty cool," Superboy noted. "Looks like you're not the only one around with psychic abilities M'gann."
Adalae looked up at M'gann. "You're psychic?" She asked.
"Sort of." M'gann responded, taking the cookies out of the oven. "I'm a Martian. I'm telepathic and telekinetic. I can communicate with people through thought. I can read people's minds, sift through their memories, stuff like that."
"Cool." She chimed. Her eyes went wide as a realization rose in her mind. "Wait wait you can go through people's memories? Can-can you help people get back memories they lost?"
"I think so," M'gann responded, remembering one of their very first missions in Bialya. "I've dabbled in it before."
An excited smile grew on her lips. "Can you get me back my memories?! Oh please please please. I would be so grateful." She gave M'gann's shirt a light tug.
"I mean, I can try, but it's a very invasive procedure." M'gann explained to her. "A very...delicate process. You'd have to be ok with me going into the deepest parts of your mind." The smile began to fade from her face. M'gann placed a hand on her shoulder as she leaned down towards her. "But you'll be there right alongside me."
"Alright." Adalae nodded. "I trust you."
"We'll give you two some space." Nightwing told them as he motioned for everyone to exit the kitchen. "I'm going to start the report for today's mission."
M'gann moved their dishes to the counter. She ushered Adalae to the other side of the island, where it was more open, more room. She sat her in a stool and placed herself in a stool in front of her.
"Alright. I just need you to relax and clear your thoughts." M'gann told her. "You'll see my physical form in your mind. You just have to remember that even if something you see is weird or scary, it's not real ok? Nothing will hurt you unless you let it."
"Okay," She replied, nerves shaking her breath. "I'm ready."
M'gann made the psychic connection between their minds. In her mind, Adalae looked around her and down at her body. Her limbs were all there. M'gann's body appeared in front of her. They were surrounded by moving shapes of black and hues of yellow. It reminded her of a lava lamp. 'Screens' containing her memories played all around her.
"Woah. Kinda creepy in here," she said, looking around
M'gann giggled. "It is weird isn't it? Ok we'll start with the Convention Center. Just think about the events from today and we'll slowly work our way backwards. Alright?"
"Alright," she nodded with a smile.
They watched as memories played all around them, as though they were traveling in a tunnel at hyper speed. The girls watched as the scene from from earlier played in front of them. And then onto The
Pack's violent 'sparring matches', their interaction with Jaime at the reservation, the thefts of the product, and their meeting with La Dama. M'gann helped her replay all of her memories with The Pack, and then….
Darkness.
And in that darkness could be heard the sound of a steady heartbeat. Flashes of a ceiling of a dimly lit room could be seen, as if M'gaan and Adalae were looking through blinking eyes.
The area around them was engulfed in a dull flickering orange, as if being lit by candle light.
A voice that Adalae recognized as Sebastian's hissed around them:
"She shouldn't be here."
A heartbeat thumped again.
"We should have just let her die."
"Be quiet," The next harsh voice belonged to Jenny.
Their silhouettes appeared out of the corners of her 'eyes'.
"You're making a mistake," Summer chided.
Heatbeat.
"You don't smell it on her? You don't sense it?" Sebastian's contained a twinge of panic.
"I said quiet," Jenny hissed at them again.
The area around them went dark again, but the voices were all too clear.
"It smells like death. Like Violence," Summer's voice shook.
"Tell me you don't feel that darkness," Sebastian's tone dripped with spite.
"Do not question me." Jenny scolded. "I will deal with it." The eyes fully opened. "Worry about yourself."
"She's awake," Jivan pointed.
The room came fully into view as Adalae's eyes rose up, as if she were sitting up in bed. The sheets all around her were stained with blood. The bedroom that held them was lit with several candles.
Terror swept across the faces of Jenny, Jivan, Summer, and Sebastian. They shook as all but Jenny cowered into a corner. Jenny took a step forward. Her brows furrowed. She spat as she spoke. Her voice trembled. "What-what do want? Want do you want with her?"
Slowly the eyes turned to the left, towards a dresser with a mirror. The girls gasped. Adalae almost screeched as she saw her reflection in the mirror. She covered her mouth with her hands. This was not a memory she recalled at all.
In the reflection of the mirror, she saw herself sitting, hunched over in a bed. She was shirtless, bloody bandages wrapped around her chest and arms. The whites of her eyes had gone pitch black. Irises of yellow and black, slit pupils rested in the center of them. Her lips curled into a demonic smile to reveal razored teeth. Drool dripped down her chin
Jenny appeared out of the corner of the mirror as she approached the bed. She held out her hand. Her Talisman began to glow. "You will let. This child. Go." Her demands were firm. The 'Adalae' that was reflected in the mirror turned towards her with a snarl. "If you will not leave then I will make you sleep." Jenny's eyes began to glow with more intensity. She held out both hands towards her. "YOU WILL SLEEP."
Everything went back once more. Slow, shimmering moonlight grew from above. A nighttime forest appeared around them.
M'gann look around her. They stood in a clearing, surrounded by desert-type foliage. The sandy soil shifted under her feet. The sound of whimpering caught her attention. She saw Adalae gaze all around her, her breathing hitched as she rubbed her arms.
"Adalae?" M'gann placed a hand on her back. She flinched at the contact.
"I don't. I don't like this place." Adalae fidgeted in place. She shook, sweat forming on her brow. "I don't like this place." She looked around her once more. "This is where…."
"Where what?" M'gann tried to get an answer from her. "What happened here? Your accident?"
"I don't. I don't rememb-"
She was cut off as a voice rang around them. It vibrated through their bodies. It spoke with a multitude of tones. A deep bassline ringing the loudest.
"You shouldn't have come back here."
They felt as though the air was ripped from their lungs.
"You shouldn't have come back."
"What was that?" M'gann asked, frantic. "Who was that?"
"I don't-" Adalae tried to speak but she was cut off once more. A chilling cold surrounded them. About five meters in front of them, a figure began to emerge from the darkness of the woods. The sounds of chains clanked as it walked closer. The thump of its steps shook the ground below them. It was only able to take a few steps before its chains reached their end, metal screeching ringing through the chainlinks.
Adalae and M'gaan froze in place as the moonlight revealed to them, a massive black wolf. Saliva poured off its fangs as its lips curled into a savage snarl. Its gaze of pure white eyes pierced right through their very souls. It stood high above them. Reaching twenty feet from the ground to the tips of his ears. They could feel its hot sticky breath as steam poured from its mouth with each exhale. Its clawed paws pulled on the chains that held it back.
M'gann's jaw fell as her eyes went wide. She shook her head. "What the hell?" she managed to say, her words almost a whisper.
Its voice rang all around them again. "You shouldn't have come back."
M'gann's attention was jolted behind her as Adalae screeched. Adalae trembled, her hands balled into fists as her eyes darted in horror at the ground.
A pool of deep crimson blood formed around them. It seeped from the soil, shimmering in the moonlight. It only rose an inch above the ground. But it was enough to cause Adalae to whimper. She hunched her shoulders, shrinking back a few steps as she trembled.
M'gann shook her head, face contorted in fear and confusion. "This...This isn't a memory." She gawked. "This is...something else."
The wolf's voice erupted around them again. "Do not..come...back."
Adalae let out an ear shattering scream. She arched her back in pain. Four long parallel gashes struck her back. M'gann whipped her head around to her, only to see four more gashes erupt from Adalae's left shoulder to down her chest. Blood flowed from them. She clutched her chest, nearly crumbling to the ground.
"Adalae!" M'gann cried out to her and rushed to her side. She grasped her arms, catching her before she was able to fall.
"It hurts! It hurts!" Adalae cried. Her face twisted with pain as tears streamed down her face.
"Listen to me. This isn't real." M'gaan tried to reason with her. "You're not really hurting. You're…" M'gaan gasped as she placed a hand on the wound on Adalae's chest. Her blood was hot. It was sticky. And M'gann felt her heartbeat through the wound.
It felt real.
It shouldn't feel that real.
And M'gann began to doubt if she was in an illusion anymore.
M'gann trembled, feeling the gushing blood beneath her fingers. "It's-it's warm."
The wolf spoke once more. "You will not interfere."
Rabid clicks rose from behind M'gann as a chain shot out from the wood behind the wolf. It wrapped itself around her right wrist, pulling her towards it. She planted her feet firmly on the ground. She pulled back against the chain's force.
M'gann shook her head. "Thisisn'treal. Thisisn'treal. Thisisn'treal." She tried to reassure herself.
A deep growl emerged from the wolf. "You will not come BACK."
Another chain flew through the air. It tangled around M'gann's other wrist. She slid across the ground inch by inch as she found herself struggling against their pull. It brought her closer and closer to the wolf's bloodthirsty jowls.
"Let go! LET GO." M'gann shouted.
Adalae screamed once more as more gashes emerged on her arms. She clutched them, trying to ease the pain. "It hurts." She cried. "M'gann it hurts."
"Adalae!" M'gann looked behind her as she cried out to her. But the chains on her own wrists dragged her closer to the wolf once more.
"I wanna go back." Adalae wailed, tears still flowing freely. "I wanna go back. Get out of my head." She grasped as the base of her hair as she screeched. "Get out. GET OUT!"
"Let me go!" M'gann yelled at the wolf, pulling back against the chains. "LET GO!"
"Looks like your story checks out Rose," Nightwing informed. He leaned against the back of the couch as he waited for M'gann to finished. The rest of the team members lingered about, curious as to what M'gann would find.
A cocky smile formed on Rose's lips. She leaned back into the recliner, propping her feet up on the coffee table. "Told ya."
"I'm going to see if we can get an interview with the one they captured." Kaldur informed. "He might remember his time in the lab. It could help our investigation."
Superboy pointed his thumb over his shoulder to Adalae. "So what are we going to do about her?"
Dick chewed on the inside of his cheek in thought. "Well, first we'll have to get her back to her parents. And if her story checks out while M'gann is in there, I don't see why she can't help our investigation. We might be able to use her to go undercover, if she wants. See if we can get her to find out when that shipment of Spark is coming in. We'd have to protect her from Black Bison though."
"And what if it turns out her parents aren't around anymore?" Rose interjected with a raised brow. "We're not going to dump her on child services are we? She might catch the attention of some bad people if they find out she has powers."
Dick's jaw slacked. "I hadn't thought of that."
Artemis grinned as she crossed her arms. She sighed. "Strays always end up being our responsibility don't they?"
Dick gave her a half smile. "I suppose so."
As Garfield waited on the couch, something peaked his attention. He sniffed the air around him. There was something...odd. It filled his nostrils with a sour odor. It riled his predatorial senses. The stench was unmistakable:
Fear.
Garfield looked around him. He jumped onto the back of the couch, following his nose. He took a few leaps towards M'gann and Adalae. His eyes narrowed as he looked between them. Everyone else wouldn't have noticed the small irregularities, but he did. He watched as the girls' facial muscles gave sporadic twitches. The fingers scratched at their legs as they rested on their laps. He noticed a drop of sweat fall from M'gann's brow.
"Guys." Garfiled's voice was loud and stern. It halted the conversations from his team members around him. "Something's wrong." His eyes darted between them again as the twitching in the muscles increased. The team now had his full attention. They approached the kitchen.
"Garfield?" Concern sparked in Superboy's voice. "What is it?"
Beast Boy shook his head. "Something's not right." He took a few steps towards M'gann. He reached a hand towards her with caution as he wet his lips. "M'gann?"
M'gaan shot up out of her stool. Its wood smacked against the floor with a frightening bang. She gasped as she thrashed her arms about. Her feet planted firmly in place. Her eyes still glowed.
Adalae jumped from her stool as well, her eyes glowing. She screamed, clutching the base of her hair. "It hurts! It hurts!"
Everyone bolted from their seats and into the kitchen. Rose quickly approached Adalae, palms out in front of her. "Hey, hey! Short stuff, what's goin on?"
Tears streamed down her face as she trembled, pulling at her hair. "Get out of my head. Get out! GET OUT!"
Conner turned towards M'gann. "M'gann what are you doing to her?!" But he found that M'gann as also struggling. Her arms still thrashing, he tried to reach out to her, only to be swatted away. He was certain she wasn't even aware he was there.
"Let go! Let me go!" M'gann yelled.
"What the hell is happening?" Artemis squawked.
"I don't know." Conner replied, he was finally able to grab hold of one of M'gaan's arms, only to find that she wouldn't budge. He noticed the whites of her knuckles emerging as her fists were clenched tight. She shook and held her arms up next to her head. "She's like a statue. I can't move her!" He faced her, holding her head in his hands, pleading. "M'gann come back!"
"Let me go! LET GO." She shouted.
Adalae cried out again, begging. "Get out! Get out, please."
"We need to shock them out of this." Artemis announced as she turned towards Nightwing.
Shock. The word lit an idea in Virgil's head. He approached the kitchen island. His electricity danced in his hands. "Everyone, get back," he demanded.
"Virgil you know what you're doing?" Conner chimed back at him.
His lips bunched into a corner of his mouth. "Nope, but you got a better idea?"
Conner nodded. He jumped out of his way. Virgil sent a bolt of lightening out of each of his hands. One landed on M'gann, the other on Adalae. They cried out in pain, but the shock was enough to break the psychic link.
M'gann groaned as the grasped the counter. She held a hand to her head.
"M'gann!" Conner grasped her arm, trying to keep her from falling. "M'gann are you alright? What happened? What-"
But M'gann waved him off. "M'fine. M'fine. Adalae-"
Adalae shook with terror, still unable to shake the events of the nightmare in her head. She hyperventilated. Her breathing pulsing in and out in uneven wheezes. She staggered backwards. Small whimpers and shrieks escaped her lips as Rose and Jaime tried to approach her to calm her. She darted from the movements, eyes wide with fear.
Rose held her arms out. "Kid! Kid! It's alright, it's ok." She tried to reassure.
"M'gann what did you do?" Artemis spat at her.
M'gaan shook her head, eyes half lidded. "I didn't-"
"Hey it's us, it's us!" Jaime tried to plead as he came close to Adalae. She still stumbled backwards, frantic and wheezing. Jaime tried to grab her but she lashed out at him, her hand hitting a glass cup on the counter. The shattering glass sliced open the side of her palm.
"Stop her!" Kaldur barked as he saw the blood smear on the counter.
She finally thumped against a wall. Her trembling worsened, her jaw slacked as she continued to gasp and choke. She slid down onto the ground, holding her cut hand to her chest.
"She can't catch her breath!" Artemis noted as she approached her. The others filled in around her. Adalae's wide eyes darted between all of them. Her breathing became even more shallow.
Garfield jumped onto the island, grabbing a hand towel from one of the drawers. He leapt in front of Adalae, facing his teammates. He held up his hands. "Stop it, stop! Just back off!" He snarled at them, an animalistic growl erupting from his throat. "Back off! Just give her some space." Everyone took a few steps backwards, doing what they were told
He turned to face Adalae, dropping down to one knee. Even though she was sitting flat against a wall, she still tried to push herself away from him. He reached out, grabbed her injured hand, and wrapped it in the towel with one swift motion. He held it in place, putting pressure on the wound. Adalae screeched at his contact and tried to pull away. But he held firm, grabbing her forearm with his free hand.
"Adalae. Adalae, listen to me." His voice was stern. He made strong eye contact. "Listen to me. You're just having an anxiety attack. Okay?" Her breathing still faltered, she tried to look behind him, but he held her arm tighter. "Look at me." She did, eyes darting between the features of his boyish, green face. She shook in his hands. He continued. "What you're feeling is scary but you're not in danger, I promise. Okay?" He gave her a few slow nods. "I'm right here. And you're here with me. You're in the real world now, not your mind." She squeezed her eyes tight and sobbed, shaking her head 'no'. It felt as though her throat was closing. She opened her eyes, peering behind him, looking for an escape route, but he moved his head to draw her gaze back. "Don't look at them, look at me. Look at me." She reached out, grasping his wrist, trying to prove to herself that he really was there. She matched his gaze once more. And she found that began to find solace in his large, green eyes. He really was there. The nightmare was disappearing, but she couldn't stop the wheezing.
His words were soft. "Everything's fine. You're gonna be alright."
Her tears slowed. Her shaking reduced to that of shivers. She swallowed hard. "A'can't, breathe." She managed to choke out.
"Yes you can." He corrected. "It just feels like you can't. You have to control it. Can you count in your head with me?" His brows raised as he ushered her. "Come on, breathe in."
The others waited patiently as he counted for her over and over again. After a few minutes she finally regained her composure. A few moments of silence lingered about the room.
She wet her lips, gathering the courage to speak. She looked up at M'gann with glossy eyes. "What….what was that?" A tear fell down her cheek. "What's inside my head?"
Sadness fell upon M'gann's face. A lump grew in her throat. All she could do was shake her head. Her voice faltered.
"I don't...I don't know."