Hey readers! I know I haven't really reached out to the lot of you before, oops! Thank you for reading my work so far; it's taken me nearly nine years to finally upload a fanfic of my own and I'm honestly terrified. I'm sorry it's been so long since my last update too! I'm in my final years of college and let me tell you, it's been a struggle lol. Here's Chapter 8 of Messed Up! If you feel led to, please review! It gets lonely over here and it most definitely is a great motivator for rolling out new chapters!
Mt. Justice
August 12th, 8:35 EST
M'gann couldn't stop feeling filthy. As she scrubbed away at the plate in her hand, the Martian did her best to ignore the feeling of liquid hitting her skin.
Crimson, sticky liquid colored her skin, it was everywhere. The canary yellow parts of Wally's costume were no longer cheery but coated in the liquid, the bottoms of Conner's boots squelching wetly as he stepped in the puddle of crimson below the girl's body.
The plate was telekinetically lifted from her hands, M'gann trying to do anything that would distract her from the disaster of the night before. She went to grab another plate, to keep pushing forward, when she felt it. Her pools of amber shot to her busied hands, only for them to widen in horror.
With each second, M'gann could feel the girl's mind slip away. Her thought space was full of overwhelming waves of fear, pain, and most sickening, peace. The girl had been okay with dying, had actually welcomed it with open arms as the Team rushed her to Mt. Justice, praying they could save her. The feelings began to fade as the machines screamed in distress, warning that the girl was slipping away, that her body was giving up. Conner was clutching her to his chest, crimson liquid sandwiched between them as the fight between life and death went on before them. There was so much blood everywhere, the floor, the walls, her hands.
M'gann's eyes split wide in horror at the sight of wet, coppery blood coated her hands, staining her emerald skin red. The plate crashed to the ground without mercy, a scream ripping its way out of her throat at the sight of the blood on her appendages.
"M'gann!"
Strong, comforting arms wrapped around her shaking form, the Martian unable to look away from her coated appendages as frantic sobs escaped her.
"M'gann, what's going on? What's wrong?!"
Then, just like that, she blinked and the blood was gone. The world around her came crashing into her focus, the Martian thrusting the arms away as if they were fire and wildly looked to identify who the individual was. Pools of amber struck orbs of heart stopping ice blue, Conner gazing at her with worry and a sprinkle of apprehension. Black Canary stood beside the clone, caution highlighting her well-endowed features as she stood at the ready.
A fresh sob trickled from between her lips, the Martian crumbling against the cabinets in exhaustion, "I-I keep seeing he-her blood, on my hands. It-it feels like it's still there!"
Conner came to her side with Black Canary in tow, the clone pulling her to his chest as he stated firmly, "There isn't any blood M'gann."
"Last night was traumatizing M'gann, for each and every one of you, "Black Canary crooned, hand coming to rest on the sobbing teen's knee. "It's normal to see remnants of trauma remain, though it's never easy or welcomed."
"What is going on here?"
The three looked to the kitchen doorway, Martian Manhunter standing intimidatingly with worry etched onto his usual placid facial features, and M'gann felt herself freezing at the sight of her uncle.
Uncle J'onn was rushing to aid Batman in stabilizing the girl, Mika. The girl was unconscious, eyes shut and a stream of blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, orange curls wet and soiled in the crimson liquid. Her face was beaten nearly beyond recognition, Mika's right eye swollen and bloodied while her left was caked in bruises and blood seeping from the gash above her eyebrow. The older Martian was conducting chest compressions on the dying teen as Batman readied the crash cart, the others in the room rushing about to save the girl. The screams of the monitors filled the air, her uncle shouting something that sounded like it was underwater. All she could see was the blood caking his hands as he pulled away from Mika's beaten form, Batman shocking her with a shout of, "CLEAR!"
"M'gann."
Her focus was torn away from the horrific memory, the Martian teen coming face to face with her uncle, a whimper leaving her pursed lips, "I can't stop seeing it Uncle J'onn, I can't stop seeing her like that."
His large hand came to rest on her shivering shoulder, Martian Manhunter speaking with regret and grief coating his voice, "It is hard to see others in such a state M'gann and I cannot say it will ever become easier to endure."
Tears trickled down her freckle dusted cheeks as he continued on, "But sadly it is a part of the work we do. There will be days of victory and days of loss. This mission sadly involved the near loss of an innocent life."
Caution sprinkled across her pools of amber, M'gann murmuring softly, "Is she doing any better?"
His face grew heavy with despair and hesitation, "The damage to her body is quite extensive I am afraid; while we have multiple specialists being brought in to assess her chances of recovery at this point in time, her mind and status continue to deteriorate due to her coma."
Conner's hold on her grew tighter, the clone retorting with a glare, "Then bring her out of it!"
Canary placed a firm hand on the teen's shoulder, responding with a grimace, "It's not that easy Conner. Mika's in a trauma induced coma; if we were to force her to wake up now, it could cause her to go into shock and die. At this point, all we can do is wait."
"Waiting around isn't going to do anything either, she's already dying!"
Martian Manhunter's eyes of scarlet shot to Conner's form, hard and unrelenting, "Waiting at the moment is her only chance of survival. The choice of life or death lies in Mika's hands. Any rash decisions could end with her leaving this place not alive."
His words seemed to strike a nerve in the clone, Conner moving to quietly sulk beside his friend, and the adults looked to each other for guidance. The team as a whole had never had to deal with a situation like this; it was moments like these that reminded the members of the Justice League that their proteges were still children themselves.
"Can't we wake her up Uncle J'onn or at least help her get out of her coma faster," M'gann questioned tearfully, pressing herself further into Conner, a feat seeing as how close the two were already with each other, the younger Martian faintly feeling Mika's mind in the far distance, the icy cold, lifeless mindscape causing her psyche to shiver at the telepathic touch. "It feels so wrong, letting her stay in such a cold and empty place in her mind."
The alien answered with previous consideration clearly in mind, looking into the distance with hardened eyes, "Batman and I went over that path of treatment in our earlier discussions and deemed it too dangerous to undergo until further evaluation from the incoming specialists. Navigating the mind can already be a tricky process when the individual is alive and mentally whole, it becomes nearly impossible when they are disconnected and lost within the caverns of their own psyche."
The sonic screamer in the room added solemnly, gazing at the teens with stressed orbs of sea blue, "I know it's hard to wait on something like this, especially if there's a life in the balance like there is now, but we need you and the others to know that we are doing everything in our power to make sure Mika pulls through this."
Conner stood to his feet, growling unhappily as he stomped away, "I'm going out!"
M'gann watched as the clone disappeared down the hall before ripping her eyes away from his retreating form, murmuring quietly, hands clenched into fists, "I can feel her Uncle J'onn and I've tried not to, but I keep drifting back, like something's pulling me there. I just want it to stop!"
"That is the condition in which her mind has decided to be M'gann," Martian Manhunter explained with a sprinkle of despondence to his canyon deep voice. "You will be drawn to it, seeing as how it is an abyss of nothing. Her body is attempting to cope by searching for things to fill the space left behind and it happens to be calling out to those who can access its space, that being telepathic individuals like you and I. It will continue to pull on our own psyches until something is done."
"You must do everything you can to ignore it. Her mind is struggling to cope with the situation as it is already; adding another presence within the mind in such a bodily state could wipe Mika from existence mentally," Martian Manhunter firmly explained, eyebrows furrowed with meaning and concentration.
"Recognize Batman 02, Robin B-01."
In just a few moments, Batman and Robin entered the kitchen and living room area, the usually chipper teen quiet and detached as his stoic mentor seemed more withdrawn and grumpier than before.
Voice gruff and cool as ice, Batman looked to the scene with slanted eye slits, "What's happened?"
Martian Manhunter was the one to explain, helping M'gann stand to her feet, "M'gann is experiencing vivid flashbacks to the events of last night, a consequence of our telepathy unfortunately. What brings you here my friend? You expressed in your message that you would not be here until later in the evening."
"The three of us need to talk," Batman retorted shortly, turning his attention to Robin. "Stay here."
The gloomy teen shot him a glare of his own, grounding out with irritancy, "No problem boss."
With a comforting pat on her shoulder, Martian Manhunter followed Batman out of the room with Black Canary on his heels, leaving the two teens to their own devices.
Silence caked the space between the two of them as they watched the adults leave and Robin looked to her, sympathy dripping from his voice, "Vivid flashbacks, huh?"
M'gann nodded mutely, her uncle's words echoing in her mind, and the younger teen sighed, moving to the maintenance closet across the room, "Let's get this cleaned up."
She followed his leave telekinetically opening the trash can as he fetched the broom and dust pan, Robin making quick work in cleaning up the mess she had made.
"njnihbuv free njinib."
M'gann froze at the words, the deep voice striking her to the spot. She looked around, trying to see if he had come back into the room without her noticing, but she was met with no one but a worried looking Robin.
The boy, midway in placing the broom back where it belongs, gazed at her with a caution, "Uh, you good Miss M?"
"No more tests! Please!"
Her lips moved on their own accord, realization setting in, "She's projecting her inner psyche."
Robin's face contorted into one of confusion, the teen asking with happy helping of apprehension, "Who's projecting their inner psyche?"
"Los hombres malos se han ido. Estoy aquí para ayudarte."
She spun on the teen, asking hurriedly as she tried to keep up with the dialogue, "What does "Los hombres malos se han ido. Estoy aquí para ayudarte" mean?"
"Uh, it roughly translates to "The bad men are gone. I'm here to help you."," Robin answered with caution, his analytical gaze coursing over her form. "M'gann, what's going on? Why are you asking me to translate things from Spanish, especially things like that?"
The Martian tore her gaze away from the boy, murmuring softly, "Her psyche, it's letting out clips of what she's experiencing. She, she's talking in that language, and Batman's there, back talking to her. I think this is one of her memories!"
His mask slits thinned, determination on his young face, "Can you hook me up to whatever you're hearing?"
She nodded, linking their minds together with ease, "Of course!"
"¿Cómo te llama?"
Robin looked to her with wide eyes, the voice of his mentor ringing definitively in their minds.
"Mika. Are they really gone?"
"La policía los está arrestando mientras hablamos. Es seguro."
Robin was quick to translate, mask slits shut with concentration, "'The, uh, police are arresting them as we speak. It's safe.' This must be when Batman and Green Arrow rescued her from the traffic ring when she was a kid!"
"Tienes que venir conmigo. No es seguro aquí."
"'You have to come with me. It's not safe here," Robin relayed instantly, M'gann looking to the boy for guidance. "Can we only hear them talking? Is there any surrounding context?"
M'gann shook her head in the negative just as a cry of pain left the little girl's mouth, quickly followed by Batman's voice, "Voy a llevarte. ¿Listo?"
The boy replied with repuve ease, "'I'm going to take you. Ready?'"
"What are you guys doing?"
They looked up to see an emotionally mixed Superboy gazing down at them with confusion and hesitance and M'gann was quick to explain, a sense of excitement flavoring her voice, "Mika's projecting a memory from her inner psyche and we're trying to understand what's going on! She's currently talking to Batman!"
He let out a huff, stating firmly, "Add me in."
With a quick flick of her mind, Conner entered her mindscape where the young Mika and Batman had been conversing, just at the moment where an array of loud noises began to blare. Conner let out a soft cry, covering his sensitive ears in a weak attempt to quiet the cacophony of sound surrounding them and as M'gann moved to help him, the dialogue picked back up.
"Mika, otros me necesitan. este hombre te llevará a un lugar seguro."
"'Mika, others need me," Conner grounded, gripping his head in agony. "This man will take you to a safe place.'"
"No, please, please don't leave me! PLEASE!"
The desperation in young Mika's voice made M'gann shiver, tears brimming in her eyes, Batman replying coolly, "'Vas con él. Te ayudará a encontrar a tu familia.'"
"You go with him. He'll help you find your family."
Screams of desperation and fear left the little girl, shouting with tones of struggle escaping her lips, "'PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME! DON'T LEAVE ME!'"
A loud snap resonated after the girl's shout, the three of them being thrown back by an invisible force and thrust carelessly out of the mind link, a cry of pain escaping M'gann's lips at the feeling of the link abruptly severing.
Robin rubbed his head in an attempt to lessen the probable headache plaguing his mind, asking with a groan, "What happened?"
Conner moved to help M'gann to her feet, a whimper escaping the Martian, "I-I don't know. Something cut the link we were attached to, but it wasn't Uncle J'onn-."
Her pools of amber widened as she came to realize the icy pull she had been experiencing was gone, now replaced with warmth and life. That could only mean-.
She ripped herself from Conner's hold, racing down the hallway towards the medbay in a hurry, Robin calling after her. In just a few moments she found herself in front of the windows of medbay, hope and excitement racing through her veins at what she saw. Mika herself looked awful, covered in a mess of wires, bandages, and casts, but what had M'gann so giddy was the struggle of the girl's eyelids. They were trying to open.
"M'gann! What's going on?!"
Robin and Conner had finally caught up to her, coming to stop at her side, and she simply turned to them, shaking with joy, "Mika's waking up! Get Tornado!"
The boys looked to the girl with surprise, but Robin took off in a flash, sprinting down the hallway to wherever the adults had decided to talk.
Conner gazed longingly at Mika through the large windows, murmuring worriedly, "Should she be waking up so soon?"
Before M'gann could even think of replying, the adults came barreling down the hall, Batman taking the lead with Martian Manhunter and Red Tornado close behind. The three heroes rushed into medbay as the machines let out a deafening scream, alerting those lucid and alive that the patient it was monitoring was well and waking up.
Black Canary stopped in the doorway, Robin at her side, and looked to the teens with hard, confused orbs of blue, "What happened-?"
Batman's shout of urgency cut her off, "J'onn hold her still!"
Then suddenly, M'gann could feel her.
Mika's eyelids fluttered with life as the monitors settled, gradually opening with large amounts of exertion, revealing eyes of-. What, weren't her eyes supposed to be hazel?
An eye made emerald green and one of chocolate blearily looked around the room, sleep and exhaustion visible in the two beautiful orbs. The girl's eyes focused after a few moments of confusion, clearly coming to settle on the state of her body if the widening of her eyes meant anything. She weakly turned her bandaged head and M'gann watched in surprise as a fiery anger overwhelmed the girl's disorientated facial features. Her mental presence in the room stepped back with a silent cry, the heat of her anger causing her tremble in surprise.
Mika, with a weak but furious glare, finally spoke, her voice fragile and scratchy, "What the fuck did you do to me?"
Robin was the first to speak after a few moments of silence, shock evident in his voice as everyone stared at the girl with slack jaws, "Well, that's not something you see every day."