Oh my word. Guys I am so sorry this is late! Alas! This is the sad reason I do not write multichapter stories on this site. Also sorry, I'm having my brother text this note to my sister who will then type it onto the chapter which she is uploading for you now because I am driving states away from mine home and computer. Anyways, I've actually had this chapter written for a while but was hoping to get the next chapter written and finish the story. Unfortunately, I have not been able to do this yet. My goal is, however, to finish this story - I do not like to keep things unfinished. Please enjoy.
Dick grabbed a cookie from the tray as soon as he finished relating the recent events to J'onn. He hadn't told Alfred that he had already had some cookies at the Mountain; though he had a feeling that the Butler didn't care today about his sweets intake. To be quite honest about it, the boy didn't really want anything. He had simply grabbed it to ease the silence that followed suit.
The Martian before him had a hand covering his mouth, his eyes lowered as he thought – a decidedly human trait. Batman stood to the side, between his protege and his fellow Leaguer.
Dick glanced at his watch, noting the time. Then he glanced at Batman, who gave no response. He had come home from the cave rather late – though in plenty time for patrol – to find that Martian Manhunter had joined his mentor in the Batcave. Or, rather, had come with his mentor to the Batcave.
The clock keeps ticking, Dick mused. Yet, Batman didn't give a solitary sign that he was ready for patrol.
The boy grabbed another cookie. This was definitely serious. He took a drink of milk. And it certainly didn't ease his fears.
J'onn finally moved. "May I look into your mind?"
He nodded. He wanted – needed, this mystery to be solved.
"What are you looking for?" Batman asked.
The Martian met his gaze before moving toward Dick. "Bread crumbs. And, further insight."
"Wait," Dick said, holding up his hands. "Bread crumbs? Like, a trail of someone else's mind?"
"Yes. M'gann mentioned-"
"Megan thinks someone else has been in my mind, and didn't think to mention it to me?" His voice started to pitch.
"Dick." Batman laid a hand on his shoulder. "Calm down. She didn't know what to think."
Blue eyes looked pleadingly into the mask's white. But, he obeyed. "Yeah, I know." He looked back at J'onn. "What do you mean by 'further insight'?"
Manhunter nodded. "It intrigues me that your most prevalent memory is of your parents."
Dick almost laughed, and he could see Batman react with his own subtle surprise. "Why is that intriguing? They were kind of a big deal in my life."
"My apologies-"
"None needed." Dick smiled his easy smile. They weren't needed.
Again, J'onn nodded in acknowledgment. "Simply that it was the mention of your parents, and the memories that correspond, that brought you out of your haze. On Mars, it is common for young children to remember a time or event that gives them strong emotions that will cause disruption and abuse of their telepathic and telekinetic powers."
"You mean, like Megan in the training session?"
J'onn seemed surprised at the ease in his voice. "Precisely. Though, with M'gann – and other Martians – the emotion plunged her deeper into the mental exercise." He smiled a tiny smile. "I suppose, with humans, it is different, since it served only to remove you from the telepathic grip."
Dick nodded. "Seems important to make a note of it, then."
"It does," J'onn said. He lifted his hands. "May I?"
"Sure." Dick closed his eyes, feeling the cooler fingers of the Martian touch his head.
This was a much different feeling than when the team was linked up. At first, Dick wondered if it was simply the difference in who the mind was.
Only a little. He felt J'onn's smile.
What's the rest? Dick always like multitasking. Which, for him, meant doing one thing while talking up a storm. Or, that's what Lucius Fox would say.
The rest is my combing your memory, thought patterns, and, in a way, your brain waves.
You can do that?
There was that deep, chuffing chuckle. Yes. Now be quiet, your thoughts are cluttering up my work.
That's unfortunate. Dick tried not to laugh. But, there's not much else for me to do.
Yes there is. Think about the day you beat your classmate.
With heavy, but brief, hesitation, Dick did as he was told. It was a little strange, though, noting that it was slightly relieving to find that communicating his minimal memories was so much easier. It made him feel...lighter.
Very good. Just a little while longer-
Suddenly, it ended. Dick cried out in pain – or, he thought it was pain. It was sharp, it was abrupt, it lurched him out of J'onn's touch. It hurt, but it was painless.
His eyes flew open, the lights sharpened, and Batman nearly shouted his name, but it was blurry and dim. Through his blinking eyes, he could see J'onn several feet away, a hand to his head, slouched and swaying.
Though, maybe it was Dick who was swaying. The room felt odd to him, and he wasn't sitting fully on the chair beneath him. His hand groped around for something to steady himself by.
He felt Batman's gloved hand grip his forearm, and he could sense the man talking, but he may as well have been deaf.
And then everything came back.
"Dick, are you alright?"
The boy blinked again. "Y-yeah, I think so."
Batman nodded curtly before turning away. "J'onn?"
The Martian didn't reply.
The Dynamic duo watched him for a moment, and then Batman walked to his friend. "J'onn?"
Manhunter responded to the hand on his shoulder, standing straighter, breathing with a heaviness. "I am fine."
"What happened?" Batman demanded.
J'onn answered, "It was a barrier. A very strong one."
Dick paled as he said, "You mean someone put some sort of fortress around my head to keep you from getting to the bottom of things?"
"I am afraid so. I must apologize, I did not suspect such a thing. Mental attacks among humans are so often easily mistaken for something else, few, who have these powers and skills, hide themselves in the mind of their victim."
"Awesome," Dick muttered. Sitting back up, he nodded. "Alright, let's go."
J'onn leaned forward, and Batman stood nearer than before.
This time, J'onn allowed his conscious to come in tendrils. Slowly, gingerly, like a cat approaching its human, wary of movement and curious of action.
Dick winced as the barrier was approached. Pain blossomed easily, but the boy was prepared – and so was the Martian. J'onn halted his advance, letting the pain become a mere presence. When it did, both could almost 'see' it. A massive fortress with thick walls and soaring, solid towers.
What's up, J'onn? I'm as comfortable with this as I'm gonna get.
Dick felt the sense of looking up. I am unsure of how to proceed. There is no proverbial door.
No problem. Dick was confident. Is there a way to solidify this?
Yes...
Great! Dick's sheer force of will pulled J'onn along into the scheme. He had to get past this fortress.
The image grew deeper, grasping onto footholds in his mind. The acrobat soon found himself standing on solid nothing, looking up at the wall scrutinizing every inch. J'onn suddenly appeared by his side, gazing up with him.
"We got this."
J'onn looked down. "I am glad you have such confidence, however, I am unsure of the wisdom of this plan."
Dick turned fully toward him, grinning. "Dude. Story of my life. According to Alfred. And probably Bruce." He turned back to the wall. "Alrighty, then. As long as we stay whelmed, we'll be fine." He glanced between the fortress and the Martian. "Hey, if this fortress was made out of thought, could you manipulate it?"
"Without hurting you, I cannot do much in the way of doing anything to it."
"But, there's a chance that you can manipulate it."
"Yes."
"Great! Gimme footholds."
J'onn looked down at the boy. "Footholds?"
"Yeah, for climbing. The way I see it, if thought made it, it may not be destroyed, but, it can be manipulated. And, if it's in my head, then what's keeping it from allowing me to scale it?" At this point, Dick was leaning slightly forward, rocked back on his heels, hands on his hips, grinning wildly.
J'onn smiled back. "For one without telepathic abilities, you are certainly insightful."
"Like the big man says, think like the situation." Dick cackled.
Manhunter braced himself, hands outstretched, putting his whole being on concentrating on the wall. The pain came out of its mere presence state, though it wasn't as strong. Both could feel it's effects, though they ignored it in favor of watching the wall.
Bricks moved, trembling, coming out or pushing back in. Some slid from side to side, and large beams protruded from the wall, like blunt stakes. It was over quickly. Rumbling sounded through the air, dimly sounding like a clap of thunder.
"Good work. Where'd the beams come from?"
J'onn leaned on his knees, exhausted from the effort, but optimistic. "You said manipulate. I manipulated."
Dick smirked, and cackled again. "Way to feel the aster. Well, I would say it's time to make yourself small, perch yourself on my shoulder, and I'll get us up there."
J'onn levitated while his form changed smoothly into a spider, delicately resting himself on Dick's shoulder.
The boy tried not to shudder. "Well, I was hoping from something a little less creepy, but, I guess that'll do the job."
He took a running start to the wall, flipping forward to land on his feet, only to launch himself right up to take hold of the first stone. Pulling himself up, Dick spotted his next mark, leaping from the stone to a beam.
He swung under the beam, pulling his legs up straight, flying through the air only to bend and twist gracefully to an upright position, his hand finding a hole, his feet another jutted out stone. Dick took this moment to check on his progress, on J'onn, and to catch his breath.
He wasn't half-way up, but he had certainly gained some height. Another clap of thunder sounded, and his head jerked up. "J'onn, can it rain?"
"No," J'onn said, surprisingly easy to hear. "I think it may be someone speaking."
"Who?"
The walls suddenly shook violently. There was more thunder – or shouting, Dick couldn't tell. Everything started to sway, and his hand began to lose it's grip.
"J'onn!"
There was no answer.
"J'onn?!" Dick glanced at his shoulder, but there was no spider.
The fortress started to fade, and he was on the verge of falling through. The boy pressed himself against it harder, closing his eyes to concentrate. He couldn't fall. He couldn't fall.
Hold on, hold on! He silently ordered himself.
But the wall was getting thinner, and the falling sensation started.
Hope you liked it! Don't forget to review.
-Jimmy C.