"Are you sure you want to do this, Andi?" Johnny asked me as we spied on the front door of the bar from an alley across the street.
"Of course I want to do this, Johnny." I said, taking a look back at him. "They have Virgil and I will do anything to get him back. You should know that by now."
"I know." He gave me a quick squeeze on the shoulder. "That's what worries me."
"Well don't worry." I completely turned around to face him. "If I get too out of control, J'onn will sense it and knock me down to an appropriate notch."
Johnny raised an eyebrow in question. "J'onn?"
I nodded. "He's a Martian that's connected to my brain." That sounds crazy even for me
"A Martian?" I nodded again. Johnny shrugged and I turned back around. "Alright then. But, what if he doesn't sense you going overboard?"
I smirked a small amount. "Well you are just going to have to keep me in check then, aren't you?"
He, too, gave a small smile. "I guess so."
"Do you have your teeth?"
I heard some moving around behind me and then a slightly muffled, "Yes."
"Your tattoo?"
"On my arm." He reassured me.
"Good, you're going to need them." Squinting at the entrance to the bar, I saw our signal to go. "I see Kyle. He just came out of the bar."
"Go get him, Sweet cheeks." Johnny gave me a quick rap on the butt and pushed me forward.
"That is not keeping me in check!" I whispered back to him, to which he just chuckled at.
I straightened my black low cut long sleeved shirt, and made my way towards the bar in a pair of well fitting dark blue jeans, held up by my new Green Lantern belt buckle, and tall high heeled black boots. I had planned to handle this situation in a similar manner that I did when I first tracked down Gambit. The only main difference is that this time I was weaponless…no, seriously, I had nothing. Yes, it is a stupid idea to go into a bar full of vampires without any protection whatsoever.
"Kyle!" I bounded over to him and he turned and smiled at me.
"Hey Andi! You ready to have some fun?" I nodded and he grabbed my hand and began leading me inside. Kyle nodded at the large, pale bouncer, and he waived us in.
The bar was dark with dim florescent lights being the only source of illumination. It looked like any other bar: dark stained tables and chairs, a long dark stained bar with a wall full of liquor behind it, a jukebox in a corner, and patrons who were whispering to each other and chuckling to themselves, as well as customers sitting alone looking either very broody or very sketchy. Either way, it looked like a normal bar at first glance.
"Where are we going to sit?" I began looking around like a bimbo and Kyle just smiled and pulled me closer to him.
"The party is downstairs." He whispered into my ear. I threw him a coy smile and he led me to a closed black door. I gave a quick glance behind us to make sure Johnny had followed and Kyle opened the door and let me go in first. Inside was a medium sized stock room, as well as another door, this one with a sign saying 'No Humans Allowed'.
"'No humans allowed'?" I asked him once the door behind us closed.
"It's the owner's joke." He tried to explain. "He doesn't think of the customers as 'humans'." He was about to turn the door knob when he looked back at me and came very close to my face, causing my breathing to hitch. "Are you ready for the adventure of your life?" He whispered against my lips.
No. "Yes." I whispered back.
Kyle smiled and opened the door.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~
Johnny watched Kyle and I meet up just to the left of the building through a jealous lens. "Watch yourself, pal." He mumbled to himself as he saw the boy take my hand and lead me into the bar. "I am so going to kill you." He waited thirty seconds before following us.
The bouncer halted Johnny at the door and grunted. "Show 'em."
Johnny opened his mouth, modeled his fangs, and rolled up his sleeve to display his tattoo: it was a curvy 'L' with a small circle surrounded by thin rectangles. The bouncer nodded at him and Johnny stalked inside; he came in just in time to see me take a look towards him and be led out of the main room. He dodged the eyes of the patrons who had decided to look up while this stranger made his way through the dim tavern. Johnny slowly approached the back door and gave us a ten second head start before opening the door and trailing us.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~
It was a…party? Rave? It was a large bunch of people dancing around badly to loud techno music. I could literally feel the strong waves of bass hit me as Kyle continued to lead me through the crowd. There was something different about these people. I mean, I knew they were vampires, but something was off about them. They kept staring at me as I passed them. And they all had the same pale grey-blue eyes. All of a sudden, Kyle began pulling me more furiously.
"Kyle!" I exclaimed, barely pulling back to show him that I was 'too weak' to stop him. "Where are we going?"
He didn't answer. He just kept pulling me.
Okay, this was getting scary. "Let go of me!" I screeched, this time actually pulling back. It slowed him very little, and all of a sudden I felt myself being thrown forward. I was forced into a slightly lowered semi circle with seven people sitting on circular couches, the one in the middle smiling when I looked up at him. He was tall and blond, with extremely pale eyes. He had a handsome and innocent face even though it was painfully obvious that he was anything but innocent.
"Hello there." The man said with a large smile one. "While I know your name, Andrea-"
"Don't call me that." I mumbled angrily. I had been beaten and I was not happy about it.
Despite how I felt the man just kept talking, "You have absolutely no idea who I am, not to mention you are very pretty. So," He stood up from the couch and lowered his hand for me to grab. Being confused on where he was going, I took his hand and he helped me up. "Let's start over. Hello darling, I'm Novak Haben. And, to be perfectly honest, you are pretty much screwed from here on in."
Oh shit.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~
The moment Johnny entered the party room he swore. "Shit! I'm never going to find her in here!" He stared out at the crowd of bouncing people. After taking the mass of people in, he took a deep breath and began moving forward. He had to dodge between the bodies, and since the music was so loud, he forwent the apologizing he normally would have done whenever he brushed up against someone.
"Let go of me!" He heard faintly above the music. Johnny's head twisted in the direction of my voice and he began moving quickly toward it.
He physically pushed people out of the way until he got to the outer circle of people standing in front of a cleared space that was lowered slightly more than the rest of the floor. Through the spaces between people he was able to see me on the floor and a man crouching in front of me. Johnny knew that if he tried to intervene now he would create trouble, even though he was pretty sure everything was already jeopardized, so he stood behind a few people and kept an eye towards the man and myself.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~
"So," Novak began as he sat back down on the sofa, all the while keeping eye contact with me. "Do you have anything to say, dearest Andrea?"
"I'm looking for someone." I mumbled angrily, folding my arms over my chest.
"And who would that be?" Novak folded his hands in his lap and let a small, arrogant smirk curl itself onto his face.
"A boy about five seven, African American, wears his hair in short dreadlocks; answers to the name 'Virgil'. Seen him?" I glared at this evil, thieving man.
"You know, I think we have." He turned to the scantily clad woman next to him. "Would you go fetch him?" The woman gave him an opened mouth kiss on his mouth before getting up and leaving the lowered area. He turned back to me. "It'll only take a minute." He reassured me with a smile. I continued to glare at him and Novak continued to sit there as if he had no care in the world.
Sure enough, not a minute later the woman came back, dragging a bound and gagged person behind her. She tossed the person onto Novak's lap like they were a rag doll, and he just smiled and propped the person up. It was Virgil.
"Is this him?" Novak asked like a dumb child.
I curled my hands into fists and my muscles tensed. They were treating him like he was nothing. "Yes." My voice was shaking with rage. I extended my hand towards him. "Hand him over."
"Ah ah ah." That arrogant smirk resurfaced. "We don't just give people things for free." He gave a wider smirk, finally revealing two elongated canine teeth.
"What do you want?"
His smile just grew. "You."
I didn't think twice before I said, "Done." Novak tossed Virgil's body over to me and I turned around, instantly seeing Johnny's face peeking out from behind a few people. Once he saw Virgil, he came closer and I tossed the limp figure into Johnny's arms.
In a second, Novak came up behind me, grabbed my shoulders and pulled me closer to his group. Johnny started to move towards me as well, but I quickly raised my arm and shot a gust of wind out at the two of them. Just before the blast hit them, Novak swooped down and latched himself onto my neck, letting his sharp teeth penetrate my skin. The pain was quick, and it faded just as swiftly as it began, leaving a continual throbbing as he started to suck the erupting blood he had been the cause of.
"ANDI!" Johnny shouted, but to no avail as he and Virgil disappeared a mere second later.
Not too long after Novak bit me, I felt a weakness overcome me, and my legs had begun to shake and crumble beneath me. Novak lowered me to the floor, finally letting me out of the grip his mouth had. I still felt blood pouring out of the two punctures he had left, but my mind was more focused on the fact that my vision was quickly going black and the faded pound of the music which kept becoming fainter and fainter.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~
"ANDI!" Johnny continued to shout as he reappeared in front of Caulder and Hannibal at the barge.
"What's going on?" Caulder immediately asked as Johnny dropped Virgil onto the nearest piece of furniture and began running for the entrance of the compound.
"They've got Andi!" He shouted back.
Hannibal headed him off and stood in front of him just as he was about to reach the door. "Johnny you can't go after them." He said in a calm and commanding manner.
"Yes I can!" Johnny grabbed Hannibal by the collar of his shirt and shoved him out of the way. Hannibal instantly recovered, clutched the back of Johnny's shirt and threw him away from the door, sending him to the floor. Caulder grabbed Johnny's arms once he hit the ground and held him down.
"You do realize they will kill you if you go back there, right?" Hannibal tried to talk him out of it.
"I don't care! I've got to get her back!"
"Johnny, what good are you going to be to her if you end up dead because of some reckless move?" Johnny began to struggle against Caulder's grip, so Hannibal did the only thing he could think of to really get his attention: he slapped him across the face. The sharp sting Hannibal gave him was enough; Johnny had calmed down. "You cannot go in there blindly. Not now. They've seen you and they will be looking for you." Hannibal paused and glanced up at Caulder, searching for something, any words of wisdom really.
"Johnny," Caulder began, loosening his grip very slightly as he got calmer and calmer. "The best way to help Andi now is to stop and make a plan. Not a half-assed one like you two had before you left tonight, a well formulated plan that has been thought through very carefully. Do you understand?" Johnny nodded reluctantly and Caulder let him go.
"So what do we do?" Johnny asked with his muscles slightly clenched, making his anger known in his voice.
Caulder now looked at Hannibal. He was always the one to make the plans, Caulder just provided the equipment. Hannibal took the opportunity to throw his arm around Johnny's shoulders and began to steer him towards the lower section of the barge which held the training rooms.
"Do you know how to shoot?"
~.~.~.~.~.~.~
Justice League Watch Tower, orbiting currently above Miami, Florida
J'onn J'onzz, the Martian Manhunter, was a larger, three hundred pound alien from Mars made up of all muscle. He had an intimidating stature being over six and a half feet tall, and his sharp face and deep brow, along with menacing red eyes only added to his scary nature. But despite his outside appearance, J'onn J'onzz was a nice man, one who cared deeply about his friends and colleagues in the Justice League and would do just about anything for them.
A little over two years ago, J'onn J'onzz linked his and Andi's brains together so that he would be able to keep in contact with her while she was battling the Silver Lanterns in Central Park. Ever since then they have been able to feel each other's emotions and sense when the other is in trouble. This time was no different.
J'onn was relaxing in the cafeteria of the Watch Tower that evening after what seemed like an endless day. Call after call came in from people in trouble and J'onn sent hero after hero down to take care of it. Knowing that these quiet moments were rare, J'onn closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths.
His serenity was interrupted moments later. "J'onn?" The Martian opened his eyes to see his closest friend. Batman, also known as Bruce Wayne, is the biological half brother of Andi Hojem. His father Thomas donated his DNA to Andi's parents so that they could have a baby. "Mind if I sit here?"
J'onn shook his head. "Not at all." Bruce took the seat across from J'onn and sipped the coffee he held in his hand. "How are you doing?"
Bruce shrugged his shoulders. "Okay, I guess. Ever since Andi left for college it's been kind of lonely around the manor. I mean, I'm happy that she's branching out and keeping out of trouble…especially keeping out of trouble," J'onn chuckled. "But, uh…I miss the company, you know?"
"Is that why you've been coming up here more than usual lately?" J'onn had a hidden smirk and let some laughter escape through his eyes.
"Perhaps." He answered almost sheepishly.
"Don't worry." J'onn lowered his voice into an almost whisper. "I won't tell anyone."
"Thanks." Bruce took another sip. "What about you? How are you handling Andi's departure?"
"Not as bad as others. You have to understand, her and I are mentally connected so it feels like she's right next to me all of the time."
Bruce gave a sad scoff as he took another sip. "That must suck sometimes."
J'onn shrugged his shoulders. "It's not that bad. While yes, on occasion, her thoughts make me a little uncomfortable, it is nice to have her there. Like you said, it's about the company."
All of a sudden, J'onn felt a faint sense of panic coming from Andi's end, but it was so little that J'onn dismissed it. Bruce was speaking to J'onn, but the Martian had a terrible time concentrating because that sense of panic was becoming more and more difficult to ignore. And then, J'onn felt a stabbing at his neck, so much so that he cried out and grabbed the side of his neck in pain.
J'onn scrambled out of his chair to try and escape the agony, but he ended up falling to the floor and rolling onto his back. Bruce was down by his side in an instant.
"J'onn? J'onn, what's going on?"
"I…I d-don't know." He fought to get out. Suddenly the ache was gone and J'onn's entire body relaxed at once. "Bruce?" J'onn asked weakly, his vision fading fast.
"What is it?"
"She's… …scared." J'onn trailed off as he lost consciousness.
"J'onn? J'onn wake up!"
