Disclaimer: I don't own the Justice League or the episode Starcrossed or the characters therein.
Thanks for all the reviews! Note – Starting with this chapter and up until about Chapter 16, they're sort of entwined, action-wise, but I'm trying to take on one event at a time.
The unbeta-ed version.
Question – Do you all want a happy ending?
Chapter 14, Out of My Head, by Fastball
"Was I out of my head/Was I out of my mind/How could I have ever been so blind?/I was waiting for an indication/It was hard to find/Don't matter what I say/Only what I do/Never mean to do bad things to you"
Without a second glance at Diana, Batman picked his way through the glass littered over the floor and made his way quietly to the front door, knowing that J'onn and Flash would be following him. He knew that he couldn't afford to turn around, that he couldn't look into those eyes and risk the possibility of her seeing what he was about to do, what he was about to chance in order to save the world. When he weighed one broken heart against the lives of billions of people, there was no choice for him, no second guessing. There was only one action and he was willing to take it, willing to do whatever it would take in order to defeat the Thanagarians and rid Earth of their toxic presence.
When he saw three figures take to the sky, their silhouettes the only thing that he could see against the night sky, he wanted to whisper something, anything that would give him benediction in Diana's eyes, that would help her to understand the price he was about to pay, but he couldn't do anything more than look longingly at the sky and square his shoulders, heavy with the burden of his plans.
He led the other two to the Thanagarian ship that rested on his front lawn, grateful that he lived far away from the prying eyes of neighbors and curiosity seekers, that no one would be wondering why their was an alien craft parked outside Wayne Manor. Walking up the gangplank, the three made their way to the control room that was located in the front of the ship, hopeful that J'onn would be able to recognize the language or something about the ship that would enable them to fly it, to use it in order to invade the Watchtower, to take the Thanagarians by surprise so that they would be allowed entry with no one the wiser.
J'onn sat down in the control seat, looking over the mechanics in front of him while Batman and Flash peered over his shoulder, wondering if this plan was going to grant them success or if there was going to have to be some other way to take back the Watchtower.
"Well?" Batman asked quietly. He, like J'onn, was staring at the machinery in front of them, hoping that something would be recognizable to the Martian. Flash was staring all around him, eyes taking in everything in his sights: staring out the window, looking around the cockpit area, fingers just itching to try something and see how this ship worked.
"I have no idea how to fly this vehicle," J'onn said soberly, still peering down at the machine, feeling Batman's presence just over his left shoulder and wondering what they could do next in order to invade the Watchtower and reclaim it.
"What's this do?" Flash asked curiously, finally laying his fingers on one of the buttons he so desperately wanted to touch and pressing it down. Less than a second later, a laser beam emanated from the front of the ship with a loud booming sound, light and smoke filling the night sky just before the beam hit the Manor, taking out one of the couches that previously had been lined against the window and almost killing Alfred as well. Luckily, the butler had walked to the side of the window just before the blast to get the broom so he could clean up the rest of the glass.
As Flash's eyes went big in horror, a sheepish expression quickly changing to one full of contrition as Batman leaned over, his teeth grating together and his head only inches from Flash's. "That's. Not. Helping," he gritted out through his clenched teeth, every line in his body showing his displeasure with Flash in that instance. The scarlet speedster just swallowed, looking up into the face of the angry Bat, realizing that he was only seconds away from potential death and wondering how he was going to escape this situation. Sure, he had speed, but Batman always seemed to have a few surprises up his sleeve that no one could predict. Certainly not Flash anyway.
And then J'onn diffused the situation by taking the heat off of Flash with his next words. "I'll need one of the hawk men."
Flash relaxed his body now that Batman was distracted and took advantage of said distraction by saying, "I got him" and racing into the Manor. He was back out in seconds with Lieutenant Kragger, the ice melting from his body from the speed that Flash was employing. Finally, Flash tossed the bound and dripping Thanagarian against the side of the ship, only feet from where J'onn and Batman stood. With a groan, the hawk soldier fell to the ground and, his face filled with contempt, he viciously bit out, "You think I'd tell you anything? I'd sooner choke on your bones."
Flash picked him up by the frontal armor, rearing back with his opposite fist as he said, "Okay by me. Start with these?"
But J'onn again stepped in, stalling Flash's action with a hand to his arm. With quiet command in his voice, he said, "We're running out of time. I'll take the information from him."
Flash quickly dropped his arm, turning to look at J'onn with one question on his mind, "I thought you couldn't read their minds?" Simultaneously, the two men turned to look at Lieutenant Kragger. The hawk was staring up at them, his face blank but for the lingering emotion of anger that sat on his lips.
But his expression grew horrified as he looked up into J'onn's face, the Martian's eyes glowing yellow with an intense blaze and as the Martian's words penetrated, the Thanagarian began to shake in fear and uneasiness.
"I'll just have to try a little harder." And with those words, the Martian Manhunter reached out his hands, shaped like claws and laid his hands on the Thanagarian's head, stepping into his mind in the search for answers.
(Italics signify the inside of Kragger's Mind)
J'onn pried open the outskirts of the mind, ripping apart the seams that protected the Thanagarian and flying into the red filled space, lined with black synapses and nerve passages. Careful to avoid those, J'onn continued through the head of Lieutenant Kragger, bypassing pockets of information in his search for what he needed: the center of the brain, the ultimate well of knowledge. He looked left and right, wondering what traps lay within this mind and how he could overcome them, and finally, he reached the outside of his destination. He stopped on the almost concrete flooring, staring up at the two Thanagarians that guarded the center of the brain, standing tall and proud and upright against the door that would lead to what J'onn was looking for.
Flying forward, he pushed open the doors, landing just inside them. Behind him was a small set of stairs and surrounding him were pillars that reached to the ceiling. Straight ahead, he said a glowing light and he made his way there, slowly and patiently, always keeping on eye on what was around him, on what could, in the mind, become potential dangers if his intrusion was detected.
He had taken on a few steps when he felt a cold shadow falling on him from behind. Turning, he heard the screech of a hawk and saw, to his horror, the talons and the beak racing towards his skin, his body. With a cry of agony, he felt the razor sharp burn of talons against his cheek and flinched from the pain.
Standing beside J'onn's corporeal body, Batman and Flash watched in shock as J'onn let out a cry of pain, and long, painful scrapes welled blood down the side of his face. "J'onn!" Flash cried, reaching out a hand to the Martian, but J'onn never felt it.
With shrieking cries, hundreds of hawks descended from the ceiling, all heading towards J'onn in order to stop him from reaching the center of the Thanagarian's brain. With a mighty thrust, J'onn threw several of the hawks away from him and began to fly through the air, striving to reach his destination before he reached his death.
As Flash removed his hand from the Martian's shoulder, to his horror, he jumped back as he saw scratch marks appear on J'onn's back, ragged marks that lanced the skin and tore away his cape. His arms were soon covered in the marks and all Batman and Flash could do was watch their friend suffer through this torture, knowing that this was the only way that they would be able to extract the necessary information from Lieutenant Kragger in time.
Still, he persevered, covering his face and pushing himself onward until he came to a small bowl of flames that rested on a pedestal high atop a pillar of stairs. Stopping at the top, J'onn looked at the fire for a second and, still continuing to feel scratches from the hawk talons, he rested his hands along the bowl of flames. Smoke wafted out from under his hands, but, working through the pain, J'onn pushed with everything that he had left in him, finally tilting over the bowl with an explosion of fire that quickly spread through the central room of the brain and the hawks disappeared with howling screeches.
A small golden blaze appeared in the dazed eyes of Lieutenant Kragger and he screamed in anger as his brain was overtaken by the Martian, as J'onn returned to his own body and throw the Thanagarian away in disgust, having received the answers to the questions that he had sought in his mental journey.
With a cry, J'onn stumbled back, and quickly, Batman moved to halt his fall, stepping behind his friend, eyes lit with concern, but J'onn took a few deep breaths, placing his hand to his head and steadying himself. The scratches and talon marks disappeared from J'onn's body and he looked into the anxious faces of his friends, quietly stating, "I have what we need." Without another word, the three boarded the ship and took off for the Watchtower.
Alfred walked out from the Manor, peering at the lifeless Thanagarian that Batman and the others had left on the lawn, sniffing with disdain before adding, condescension ripe in his voice, "I've asked Master Bruce to refrain from leaving trash in the yard."
As the Thanagarian craft neared the Watchtower, Batman and Flash moved to the back quarters and out of sight in case someone checked to ensure that it was indeed Lieutenant Kragger docking in the station. J'onn, using his transformation abilities, could pass as the Thanagarian without problem, and seconds after he altered his appearance, he pressed down on the communication button.
In Kragger's voice he stated, "Shuttle Ellipson 16 requesting entry. Confirm docking code."
"Docking code confirmed. You are cleared to come aboard."
And with those words, the doors to the landing bay of the Watchtower opened up and smoothly, J'onn flew the ship inside, putting in down for landing just where they would typically have parked the Javelin.
He emerged to find two hawk soldiers waiting to greet him. "We weren't expecting you, sir."
With a stern face, he answered their unspoken question, "There's been a change in plans."
And within seconds, where Lieutenant Kragger had been, there now stood a fearsome green monster with horns, bared teeth, muscled spiked shoulders, and glowing orange eyes that immediately attacked the two soldiers, taking them completely by surprise and knocking them clean to the other side of the room.
A third soldier entered the room and, without delay, hefted his plasma gun onto his shoulder, aiming for J'onn, but a batarang sliced through the air and knocked the gun out of the soldier's hands. He looked up in surprise to see Batman racing out of the ship and seconds later, a fist fitted with brass knuckles struck him to the ground with a groan.
A horde of at least a dozen Thanagarian soldiers began to fill the room from the innards of the Watchtower, weapons armed and raised to defend the area from the three intruders. Flash raced forward, punching one to his knees and plowing through several others, surprising them with the speed and the solidity of his punches. Others took off towards J'onn, but in his present form, he easily defeated them, throwing blow after blow, each decimating the hawk soldier attacking him.
Within minutes, between the three men with speedy fists, brass knuckles, and Martian strength, the hawk soldiers had stopped their flood through the doors to defend the Watchtower. Instead, they lay like pieces of trash on the floor, scattered in heaps, grunts and groans still echoing through the room.
J'onn transformed back in his Martian Manhunter form again as Flash said with an engaging smile, "Okay, the Watchtower is ours again." Tossing a Thanagarian to the side, J'onn and Flash made their way to where Batman stood at one of the computers, looking at the coordinates for where the strike would have to occur in order to devastate the plans of the Thanagarians.
Flash sped over to Batman's side, asking, "So where's your secret weapon?"
And without even turning around, Batman calmly, with no emotion in his voice, answered, "You're standing on it."
Flash looked surprised for a second, then continued his line of questioning. "Wait, you mean we're gonna…"
But Batman had no patience for interference in that moment, not wanting either of the other two men with him to notice that he couldn't even look at them, that he couldn't really explain to them what he was planning to do. Especially with a telepath accompanying him.
"…take the Watchtower out of orbit and drop it right on top their little science project," he told them stoically. "Get them into the escape pods," he added, motioning to one of the Thanagarians with his foot.
With a few flicks of his fingers, Batman initiated the de-orbiting process through the computer, the Watchtower thrusters began to fire and their former home in the sky began to descend towards Earth. Refusing to allow himself any second thoughts, he began to help Flash and J'onn place the bodies of the hawk soldiers into the escape pods until finally, they reached the last ones.
"Is that the last of them?" J'onn queried.
Briskly rubbing his hands together, Flash, with a small smile, replied, "Yeah, the Watchtower should be pest-free."
Neither of them noticed that Batman was slowly and carefully edging his way out of the escape pod and back into the body of the Watchtower. Giving them one last glance, he pressed the launch button, sending the escape pod floating back towards Earth as he stated, "Good."
"Hey!" Flash exclaimed, turning around to see Batman's dark figure standing in the Watchtower and wondering what in the heck was going on.
"What are you doing?" J'onn asked hurriedly as both he and Flash raced to the escape pod window, staring longingly and with questions in their eyes back at their friend, their colleague, one of them: a hero.
"I can't risk having the Watchtower burn up on re-entry. I'll have to guide it in manually."
And, as J'onn and Flash's shocked faced drifted further and further away, he added softly but firmly, "Gentleman, it's been an honor."
"J'onn," he added mentally to the Martian, "Tell Diana...Tell her goodbye."
Next chapter: Welcome to the Jungle – Shutting down the force field…
Please review! Question – Do you want a happy ending (BMWW)? It will require a few extra chapters in the story, so let me know!
I do have one little thing – if you haven't already, when you review, just because I'm curious, can you put where you're from? State, Country, Region, whatever – Just wondering how worldwide this story is and where my reviewers are from! I'll start – I'm a Marylander, just outside the Nation's Capital in the US of A…
To Reviewer T – Second guess: Canada. To be honest, normally I don't notice little things like humor versus humour, but when you pointed it out, I went back and looked. So that's my next guess. You are going to tell me eventually, right? Wally is always so hilarious – well, not so much in this chapter. Sad situation though. Please, if I owned Justice League, my stories would be reality! And that would be that. And actually, you're the second person to mention Alfred, but he really was in the episode in that scene. He's so great. I do try and update as often as possible! So far, so good.
To Reviewer NobodyImportant – I gotta say, your name makes me sad! And I'm sure that it's not true. I'm glad that you're enjoying the story and I really appreciate the review. The lines you mentioned were some of my favorites too – he's in such a difficult position. Poland, huh? Very cool. I've never been to Europe before…
To Reviewer ButterflyV – Thanks! I'm so glad that you like it! I've never thought that Diana found men loathsome and contemptuous. I think that she wasn't sure of their virtues when she first arrived in Man's World, but I also think that in time, particularly after the episode Fury, that she understood that men are like women – there's some good and some bad. I think that in particular she looked at Batman differently after the episode – that he would put himself at risk to save others regardless of the personal cost. And you're right – it's ironic that Diana is taught not to trust men and yet, a woman betrays the League. I think that in some ways, Shayera was the last person Diana expected to turn against them and that's why she was so hurt that Shayera did betray them.
To Reviewer Lauren – Burgundy, France, home of the wines. Yum. If you all, my wonderful readers, decide to have a happy ending to this story, then someone from the team will find out in this story that BMWW have a secret relationship. Other than that, I don't plan to spend much time dealing with their relationship and what the team may or may not know. Either way, thanks for the review!
To Reviewer SSJO4 Mewtwo – Don't worry about reviewing the last chapter! People in the hospital are way more important than my little story. Life happens to all of sometimes. I always liked the idea of Clark with Lois. I think that's part of the reason I dislike him and Diana together. He and Lois just work well together – he needs to be the hero and she lets him; he needs to be an ordinary guy and she lets him do that too. I'm glad that I've converted you! As you can tell, I love BMWW together…And I did put Clark with Lois in my Christmas JL fic!