Well, hello there all Long time no see, eh? Sorry it's been so long since I've updated, but I guess consider this a late Christmas/New Year's gift. I hope that you have all been having a wonderful holiday. :D
It had only been 30 seconds and already Jak was regretting that she had agreed to come up here. Try as she might, she couldn't help but look around in wonder. This place must have cost a fortune. She felt as if she had stepped onto a movie set or something, because it certainly did not feel like reality. All over the place meta-humans floated as they moved across the station. In the transport room there appeared to be billions of dollars of technology alone. Heroes from all over the world were constantly arriving and leaving the tower using the teleporting platforms.
She tried not to look around so much, but she just couldn't help it. Never before in her entire life had she seen such an amazing, advanced place. As she followed Superman through the tower, she could feel eyes on her. The curious eyes of the other heroes. The ones that didn't know who she was yet. She hid her discomfort, but she really did not enjoy all these people looking at her. The rational part of her brain said that they were just curious. She was a new, strange girl with a large scar on her face following Superman inside the watchtower. Of course they were curious! However, her irrational brain was starting to take control. What if someone recognized her as a meta human? What if someone here had ever been associated with Cadmus? What if the tower came under attack, and she was taken by Lex and the woman? What if they found out what she truly was?
Suddenly all that Jak wanted do to was teleport back to her apartment, in Metropolis. Even the dark streets of her hometown, Gotham, seemed a safer option than being up here. As she followed Superman's footsteps, she subconsciously crossed her arms, and covered her mouth with her right hand. It was a nervous habit of hers that she just couldn't seem to shake.
Before she knew it, she was sitting in a bare room on a chair that was across a table from another chair. Superman turned to leave, but stopped himself at the last minute.
"J'onn should be here soon." Jak nodded as she stared at her hands that were clasped in front of her. What was the famous Martian Manhunter like? She'd heard stories that the alien was a gentle creature that took his humanoid form more often than not. Still, she had to wonder exactly what it was going to feel like, someone rummaging through the dark recesses of her mind. The thought made a shiver run down her spine.
The door opened, and Jak heard footsteps towards the table. She looked up and saw a green man, whom she assumed was the famed "Martian Manhunter."
"Greetings, my name is J'onn J'onzz." He gave her a warm smile and walked towards her. He stretched out his hand. She couldn't help but smile and shake his hand.
"I'm Jakayla Forester, but most people just call me Jak."
"It's nice to meet you, Jak."
"Nice to meet you, too." J'onn made his way to the other side of the table, where he sat in the chair opposite her.
"I assume that you have been informed of why the League has brought you here."
"Yes, Superman says that I'm your best bet to find Lex and that woman." J'onn nodded.
"In order to do that, I have been asked to look at your memories. Will you permit me to do so?" As much as she was scared that he would find something out that she didn't want anybody to know, she did not feel safe knowing that she was wanted by two crazy villains.
"Yes, just… Please only look at the memories of that day, if you could."
"Of course, I understand that it is an uncomfortable, having somebody in your mind. I promise that I will only look for what I need, and nothing more."
"I appreciate that."
"Now, if you would close your eyes for me, and try to relax." She complied, taking a deep breath and trying to stop her shaking hands.
"I'm ready."
It was a very odd feeling, having someone in your thoughts. It didn't hurt, Jak noted, but it just felt… strange. It was like a gentle push on her consciousness, and suddenly her mind was plunged into the memories of that fateful day. She felt the explosion again, the ringing in her ears. She saw the panic within the Planet, and could feel the building begin to shift again. She felt a sudden stinging on her face, and blood. She saw Lois trapped underneath that slab of concrete. Running through the halls. Trying to escape. Trapped! . .Thunder.
PAINSOMUCHPAIN.
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"Jak!" Exclaimed J'onn. She felt two arms soft shaking her. She ripped her eyes open and saw J'onn trying to wake her. Jumping up, tears streaming down her face, she ran from the room.
She didn't know where she was going to go; she didn't know her way around the Watchtower. All that Jak knew was that she had to get out of that room. She had to get away. The memories had been too much for her.
Aimlessly running through the halls, she saw people begin to stare at her. She wiped the back of her hand on her face, trying to get rid of the tears. Suddenly, she ran into something that sent her on the ground. She looked at what she had run into, when she saw it was not a what, but a who.
Of course, she would run into Wally at this very moment. In a split second, he was standing beside her, holding out his hand to help her up off of the ground. Jak noticed that he began to do his flirtatious smirk face.
"Now, I know that I have an absolutely magnetic personality but-" The smirk quickly replaced with a frown as soon as he saw Jak crying. His eyes furrowed together worriedly. "Hey, are you okay?" Without really knowing why, she let out a chuckle as she covered her forehead with her hand, crossing her other arm to hold her elbow.
"Yes Wally, I'm fine. J'onn read my memories and I… just got swept up in it." He smiled at her.
"Yeah.. that can happen." He put his hand on the back of his neck. "Do you want to leave?" She let out a tired breath.
"Yes… But I should really go back to J'onn, and let him know that I'm okay."
"Do you need some help finding him?" She let out a laugh.
"If it isn't any trouble, that would be great. In the midst of the panic, I just ran down the corridors randomly." He chuckled in response and put his finger up to his ear.
"Hey, J'onn? Yeah but- listen, she's here with me. Yes, she's okay. Do you need to see her? Okay, we'll be right there."
"Does he need to see me?"
"Yeah, he just wants to make sure that your mind is okay." She nodded and they began to walk back to the room where J'onn was waiting for them. All was quiet the first couple of minutes. Unsurprisingly, Wally was the first one to break the silence.
"What's it like?" He asked her, curiousity laced throughout his tone. "I mean, I've never had anyone digging through my head before." She took a breath, trying to find the words to convey exactly how it felt to him.
"It was… an odd feeling. I can't imagine how it would have felt if someone who was not as careful searched my mind."
"What do you mean?"
"It felt… painful. Though I'm certain it was just reliving the memory of that day."
"Is it just like being there again?"
"Not quite.. You just feel a small, gentle presence in your conscience. I cannot describe it besides saying that it just feels strange. That day, adrenaline was pumping through my veins, so I don't think I felt all the emotions and everything fully. This time, though, my head was clear and I-I felt everything. I was terrified, and stressed, and I felt the bullet pierce my shoulder instead of going into shock like I had that day. I would've thought that I would be blinded to those things because of the adrenaline, but I wasn't and I…" She trailed off, not really knowing where she was going with all of this.
"It sounds like an unpleasant experience." He said. She look to her left, up at him as they walked through the halls. The look on his face was serious, and concerned. There was not a hint of amusement, or flirting or anything, which was strange. She had begun to know him well and associate him with those sorts of things.
"I suppose it has made me realize just exactly how painful that day was for me, both physically and emotionally." She looked down at her feet, remembering that she left Lois. A wave of shame and guilt washed over her as she struggled to keep a straight face. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and she stopped walking. Looking up, she saw that Wally had stopped her.
"Just to let you know… If you ever feel like talking about it, I'm all ears. I mean, you don't have to or anything, and I might not be your first choice, but I'm just putting it out there." She smiled at his serious face, and soon his visage began to mirror her own.
"Thanks, Wally, I appreciate it."
"No problem. I know it must be hard for you. I bet you want to get back to your normal life." Keeping her smile, she slightly shook her head. They began walking again, and Jak delayed her response for a few seconds.
"Oh, you have no idea how- abnormal- my life was, even before this." He raised an eyebrow, bring back some of his flirtatious nature.
"Oh? How so?" She chuckled.
"That, my friend, is another story for another time." His mouth dropped in protest.
"Aww, come on, Jak! You can't just let on to a guy that you have an exciting story to tell, and then just drop it like it's nothing!"
"Well, well, well, it looks like we're here!" She exclaimed, seeing J'onn down the hall. Jak began to sprint, leaving Wally behind. He could have caught her if he really wanted, she knew that, but he didn't. He simply stood and watched her run away, grinning to himself.
J'onn ushered her back into the room, speaking about how he needed to check her mind to make sure it was not harmed during the process. As she followed him in, she looked back, seeing Wally still standing there. She raised a hand and smiled back, a gesture he returned with a wave.
It was then and there that Jak realized something. While she wasn't exactly sure where he fit, she knew that Wally was a person that she would most likely be seeing a whole lot. She was alright with this prospect.