Disclaimer:
We do not own Young Justice and Avengers nor its characters.
Presenting...
Lethe
Chapter Three
She cowered in the corner as she heard her parents' screams echo loudly. In the crack of light, she watched the terrifying sight. Black and red. Black and red seared into her brain.
She shook as her whole world drew into a pinpoint view. Shadows and darkness tightened the noose around her neck. Move, she commanded her body. Move! Help them! With quivering hands, she pushed against the door but it didn't move.
She pried her tiny hands into the slim gap between the wood but it wasn't enough. She bore her entire body against the door. She gritted her teeth and pushed with all her might. The space gave away and she fell into a pitch black pit.
She shut her eyes, bringing her hands to cover them but halted when she realized she was no longer falling. Her eyes flew open to see her parents. Pristine, clean and as sharp as she remembered them.
They frowned at her. Her father's grey eyes steeled into disgust. Marina took a step back from the sight of revulsion in them.
"Mom… Dad," she whispered. In confusion, she took a step toward them. "It's me! It's Marina." They didn't run to her like she always imagined. Instead, they recoiled further away from her. Every step she took closer to them, they grew farther.
"No, you're not," her mother rasped. "You're Lilith. The devil's hand. The Forgotten One." Marina's heart shattered. Pieces fell to her feet as she took another aching step toward them.
"No, I'm not," Marina declared, her voice pleading. "I did what I had to do to survive but I-I'm still Marina."
"No, you're not," her father growled. "She didn't have your hands." Marina's gaze dropped to her palms. Red overflowed from her fingers.
"No, no no," she murmured horrifiedly. She tried to make the blood stop, wiping her hands over her clothes to get rid of them.
"Who are you?" Her father's words reached her ears. Softly, like a final touch. Marina glanced up to look upon her parents' faces again but was met with something she never wanted to see again.
A sea of red lapped her legs. Blood swished in a current circling her calves. Bodies of men and women bumped into her. The familiar stench made her gag.
"I know what you are," a harsh voice sang to her. A disembodied voice caressed her ears. Her skin prickled. "A killer. Assassin."
Marina pressed her bloodied hands against her hair in desperation. She curled into herself, muttering. "No, no, no…" The waves at her feet grew stronger and stronger. The force of the scarlet liquid pushed her onto her knees.
"No, no, please," she begged. The blood swirled around her, crawling up her chest. The faces of the bodies moaned in front of her.
"A murderer," a familiar voice said lightly. Marina turned to the sound. The blood reached her neck, quickly raising.
"Tony, Tony!" Marina screamed. The blood finally entered her body.
Marina woke up with a gasp. Beads of sweat poured from her forehead, rolling down her face. She heaved for a breath. She gripped the cotton sheets around her. A sob stuck in her throat. Uncontrollable emotions raged through her system for the first time in three months.
She closed her eyes with a shuddering breath. She hugged her quivering shoulders. "It's just a nightmare," she muttered to herself soothingly.
Her heart pounded in her ears. She tried to drown it out in counts of her breath. She sat in the dark for what felt like an eternity.
Slowly and numbly, she peeled herself from the bed. Switching on all her lights, Marina went to her closet. She stripped off her soaking clothes.
She stood in front of her full body mirror. She stared at herself. The truth in full light. Silver scars, pink wounds, purple bruises.
Her eyes lingered over her collarbone. 122430. Her fingers brushed against the inked skin.
The pain so close to her heart throbbed. Marina settled on another pair of shorts and comfy light sweater.
The ache suffocated her. Walls drew closer. Marina quickly took her notebook from her bedside table before walking barefoot to the open living room. The lights turned on automatically. The remnants of the dream still cemented in her thoughts. She sat down by the table, whipping out her pencil.
"Time to get away," she whispered to herself before starting on FRIDAY. She sketched her mainframe. Numbers and designs pushed aside her nightmare.
M'gann yawned as she came into the kitchen. She jolted when she saw the back of a smaller figure. Caramel hair pulled into a braid down her back, standing out against the cream fabric.
"Marina?" M'gann asked. Marina looked over her shoulder, giving the martian a small smile.
"Hey, M'gann," the younger girl said goodnaturedly. She waved a spatula in the air. "Just making breakfast."
"Oh, do you need any help?" M'gann looked over Marina's shoulder. A pile of eggs laid steaming beside the stove as Marina cooked the bacon.
Marina shook her head, "Nah, I'm almost done." Surprised, M'gann raised a brow. She glanced at the kitchen clock placed on the wall. 7:02 am.
"When…" M'gann started. Marina hummed lightly as she placed a couple bacon strips aside. "When did you wake up?"
Marina took the plates filled with eggs and bacon to the table. M'gann followed. The breakfast spread laid neatly on the table with two sets of plates. Proud of herself, Marina took a sip from the mug stationed there. She sighed in delight before looking back up at M'gann.
"I didn't sleep," Marina answered nonchalantly. M'gann's eyes grew wide.
"W-What?" M'gann stammered. Marina shrugged.
"Yup," She popped her lips. The younger girl made her way out of the kitchen. "Go ahead and eat. I'm still full from a sandwich two hours ago. I'll be in the living room working."
M'gann stared after the younger girl in shock. She peeked over the counter into the living room. Although the tv was switched off, music played softly. An electric guitar filtered into the kitchen quietly.
Marina twirled a screw in her hands. She settled on the floor surrounded by pieces of metal. She bobbed her head to the rhythm. M'gann watched as Marina focused on the box in her hand. The brunette got lost in her own world.
"So… Who's going to tell her?" Wally asked through stuffed cheeks. Bits of cheese popcorn flew from his mouth. Robin wrinkled his nose at the sight of his best friend stuffing his face. M'gann shifted her gaze to the rest of her teammates.
"Is this how the human body rejects all of her coffee?" M'gann asked, confused. She tilted her head to the side. Robin snorted.
"I have never witnessed a reaction as severe as this," Kaldur noted. He shook his head.
"Nah, this isn't a reaction or rejection to coffee," Robin concluded. The Team shared a glance before returning to stare at the living room. Marina grumbled to a cave wall.
"Goddammit, this isn't what I want," She grumbled. Marina swiped her two fingers in the air to the right then downwards. "FRIDAY, bring up the mainframe." She flipped her wrist upward before pinching her fingers together. She pulled her hands apart and extended her fingers wide.
She bit her lip, staring at a blank wall. The Team watched her repeat the same thing for about half an hour. She tapped a corner of her vision. "Enhance." She studied the mountain a little longer.
The Team jolted when she clapped her hands in victory. She quickly made her way to the table with all her papers. She picked up a black rectangular shape. Her newly given phone held in Marina's hands looked different. It was stripped back to it's metal case but it's now slimmer. All that remained as the glass of the front face and a thin metal backing.
"Connect to home," Marina declared. Her phone glitched, for a second projecting blue light before dying down. Marina ordered it again, "Connect." This time the light stayed on for an extra second. She clicked her tongue to the roof of her mouth before waving her hands in the air once more.
"FRIDAY, connect," Marina stated again. She tapped the air frantically.
"What is she doing?" Wally asked, finishing his popcorn. "And who is she talking to?"
"I think she was talking to a," M'gann raised her hands to make air quotations. "FR-"
"Piece of shit," Marina cursed. The Team swirled their heads to her direction. Their eyes wide. Marina shook the phone, bumping it against the palm of her hand. "Work dammit."
She set the phone on top of a couch. Her hands flew into a flurry yet again, swiping in all directions. She closed and opened her fingers and palm. She took up the phone again and waved it around. Light glitched from the device. Underneath her breath, she muttered to herself.
"What is she speaking now?" M'gann whispered to the boys. Wally shrugged while Robin strained to hear her. Superboy paid closer attention to the words. His super hearing picked up the sound.
"Sounds like Russian," Superboy said. He narrowed his eyes. "But-"
"Abnormality detected?" Marina exclaimed. Wally nodded his head beside Robin.
"Yup," Wally said to the rest of the Team. He scrutinized the girl who played with the air. "My thoughts exactly."
Marina groaned. She dropped into a couch, rubbing her eyes. She set the device on the table. With the show over, the Team slowly went to their own directions. Superboy went off to the garage while Kaldur walked off to the mission room. M'gann prepped their lunch. Wally hung around her, flirting and searching for more food.
Robin's face broke out into a grin. He stepped into the living room and stood beside Marina. She peeked through her fingers wearily.
"Hey," Robin drawled to greet her. He smirked, "Has Friday answered you at all? The weekend called."
Marina covered her eyes again, "Haha. Very funny." An inkling of a smile tugged the corners of her lips.
Robin snickered to himself. He settled down on the floor beside the table, studying her too slim phone. "What were you doing?"
Marina grunted in reply, "A failure. A useless piece of scrap metal." She turned her head to face Robin and the table. Her hands fell from her face. Robin noticed dark bags underneath her eyes.
"Need help?" Robin asked. He felt an invisible barrier rise in the girl. She tensed for a split second before shrugging him off.
"Need coffee," Marina replied, expertly switching the conversation. She sat up, downing what was left in her mug. Robin raised a brow.
"You know it's okay to ask for help," He said, leaning against the couch. "You can trust me. I'm part of your Team after all."
Marina glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "That's not it," she replied softly. You don't know about the other dimension yet… No one does, if I show you this kind of technology...
Robin didn't press on further. She stood up, collecting her papers. Although there were five more people in the Cave, she felt isolated.
She didn't belong here and she felt it. She missed her family, people who knew her. Who understood her. But Robin was right, they were a Team. It eased the loneliness a little. She hesitated for a moment.
"But thanks… For the offer." She gave Robin a small smile before turning on her heel.
"Isla Santa Prisca," Batman began while putting a map up on the hologram. "This island nation is the primary source of a dangerous and illegal neo-steroid, a strength enhancing drug. Sold on the street named 'Venom.'" Batman's fingers flew gracefully across the hologram's keyboard. Pictures of the warehouse rose to screen.
"The infrared heat signatures indicate that their factory is operating at full capacity but all shipments of Venom have inexplicably been cut off. That's where this Team comes in. This is a covert recon mission only. Observe and report."
Batman's gaze shifted to Marina, "Nothing else. If the Justice League needs to intervene, it will." The underlying meaning of his statement was loud and clear to her. Any other business she'll do will be met by the Justice League. She rolled her eyes at his blatant message.
"The plan requires two drop zones," Batman continued. Pinpoints of the map appeared on screen.
"So who's in charge?" Robin asked, making Batman and Red Tornado turn to him. They exchanged glances before Batman replied.
"Work that out between you. Lethe," Batman's baritone voice lowered as his eyes narrowed to Marina. His address chilled the atmosphere in the Hangar. "If you do anything that would compromise the mission..."
"Yes, I understand," Marina interjected. Under any circumstances would she ever risk the mission in jeopardy, especially the mission. Batman scanned her face. She returned his gaze with narrowed eyes. With this, Batman went back to typing on the holo keyboard.
"Hey Marina," Wally said as the group were about to disperse. "Why Lethe? I mean it's totally rad but I see you more of Shadow, Midnight or Dark Rose-" Robin snorted.
"Am fond of Greek mythology, I guess," Marina shrugged.
"So it doesn't have a meaning?" M'gann asked, curiously. Marina nodded curtly before heading first into the female changing room.
"Woah, smart. It makes her more attractive," Wally sighed behind Marina's back.
She strode to the locker which held her hero uniform. She stripped off her shirt and pants. She puts each leg through the holes of her jumpsuit then puts her arms through the long sleeves. She grabbed her black mask. Marina stared at it. Black Canary had the honor of making Marina's gear. And it was slightly obvious from this mask.
The angular shaped mask stared back at her. Two black diamonds of the domino mask framed her eyes. It met snuggly at the bridge of her nose. Her fingers trembled and Marina didn't know whether it was because of excitement or fear. She placed it in her pocket.
Her fingers slipped into the gloves of her own design. The Cave was stocked with multiple materials by her request. As long as the condition remained, no killing. The gloves were enough to electrocute a person to unconsciousness. With medium black knives strapped to her thighs, her hands flew to her hip. The lack of a holster and weapon placed a sinking feeling in her stomach.
Her blood buzzed. Adrenaline electrified her insides. It mingled with… Marina gritted her teeth in irritation.
Nerves mixed adrenaline. Marina hissed an exhale, isolating her anxiety. She'll be fine without a gun. She reassured herself. Steeling herself, she walked to the bioship. Inside, everyone was in their respective uniforms.
"Woah," Wally whistled. "Babe, you knock me out-"
"Now, that everyone is here," Aqualad interrupted, entering the bio-ship. "Let us proceed."
"We're approaching Santa Prisca," M'gann announced, cutting the tense silence.
It was a long time since she went on a team mission. And the last time it did not end well. Her desperation to keep her family together resurfaced. No matter how much she tried to talk and beg. She went on a mission to get them back together. In the abandoned airport, she could do nothing but watch as her superhero family fought against each other.
The metal of the pistol always provided her a cooling comfort, an extra layer to protect herself. When she chose not to bring one to the Leipzig-Halle Airport... Grief stung her. It ended in the worst way possible.
"You nervous?" Robin's words drew Marina from her thoughts. He raised a brow to her unconsciously bouncing leg. She stopped her movement. Wally leaned into their direction, flashing Marina a grin.
"Don't worry, babe. I'll protect you." Marina ignored Kid Flash's flirt. She frowned down at her knee. The events of Germany still had a lingering effect but it was a far greater improvement compared to the month earlier.
"It is reasonable to be on edge before the mission," Kaldur reassured her. She shook her head in reply.
"I'm not used to being on team missions," she answered with a half truth. She was certainly not used to team missions with people her age. Even with the Avengers, she at times forgot that she was on a team. Her heart twisted.
"Drop Zone A in 30," M'gann declared. Everyone was on high alert. They watched as Aqualad stood and activated his Stealth-tech.
"Ready," Aqualad said, looking at Miss M. M'gann placed the bioship on camouflage mode. The base of the bioship created a hole underneath Aqualad's feet and he dove into the dark ocean. Aqualad swam to the beach.
Kaldur stalked the beach carefully. He placed the disruptor on the cameras and beams that surround the beach. Aqualad's hushed voice echoed through their comms, "Heat and motion sensors are patched. Data is now on a continuous loop. Move in."
The bioship passed the beach easily and hovered over a break in the canopy. "Drop Zone B," M'gann stated. The Team stood up before the chairs melted back into the ship. Hooks descended from the bioship's roof.
Marina hooked her belt. Wally to her left pressed his lighting symbol on the middle of his chest. Immediately, his outfit blackened.
"How cool is this?" Wally sang, facing Marina and M'gann.
"Very impressive," M'gann responded before her skin shifted black. The shift trailed upward, completely changing Miss Martian's look to a dark suit but leaving the red cross on her chest. She placed her hands on her hips, pleased with herself.
Marina brought out her mask. She placed it on the upper half of her face. The lower half of her face was the only thing visible along with her braided hair. She can survive without a gun. Marina patted her knives.
"Uh, that works too," Wally admitted, stunned by his female teammates. He turned to Superboy, "Hey, Supey! It's not too late to put on the new Stealth-tech."
"No capes. No tights," Superboy straightened. He crossed his arms. "No offense."
"It totally works for you," M'gann sighed, admiring Superboy. Superboy glanced at her. M'gann stood straighter and dropped her hand from her chin. Flustered, she tries to cover it up. "In that you can totally do good work in those clothes." She gave him a thumbs up.
"They're totally obsessed with tights," Marina agreed, preparing herself to descend. Following M'gann's lead, Marina, Robin, and Kid Flash repelled down. Noticing that one of their team was missing, they all glanced up. Marina yelped as she dove to the side.
Superboy landed with a boom. Marina coughed from the large dust cloud he created.
"Knew I didn't need a line," Superboy said smugly. Marina rolled her eyes, but he just did a typical superhero landing.
"And yet, creating a seismic event may not have helped us much with the 'covert,'" Robin snapped. He stood up glaring at the clone. Marina dusted off her clothes. The Team converges to the crater Superboy made on the ground.
"Aqualad, drop B is a go," Miss Martian updated Kaldur. Robin opened his hologram map from his watch.
"Head for the factory. I'll track your GPS and rendezvous ASAP," he replied.
"Roger that," Robin said, closing the map. They sprinted into the jungle. Rain falling gently around them. Robin led the way behind the waterfall. The terrain was awfully quiet. They walked down a clear path. Marina tensed. There would be higher chances of running into people. Behind Marina, Superboy stopped.
"Did you hear that?"
"Uh no…" Kid Flash answered, turning to Superboy. "Wait, is this the super hearing thing?"
"You do have great ears," M'gann commented dreamily. No one responded to the Martian. Marina's hand hovered over her knife holster strapped on her hip.
"Okay, Rob, now what?" Wally asked. When he finds the trail ahead of him empty, Wally's hands flew to his hair in frustration. "Man, I hate it when he does that."
"Superboy, Kid, switch to infrared and see if you're being tracked," Kaldur said through their comm. Kid smirked and placed on his goggles. He stared down the trail.
"Got a squad of armed bozos incoming." They ducked behind the trees and rocks. Superboy narrowed his eyes.
"Two squads," Superboy corrected. "But they'll meet each other before they find us." Gunfire echoed through the island loudly.
"No super hearing required now," Kid pointed out loudly over the gunfire.
Over the comm, Aqualad commanded, "Swing wide. Steer clear!"
"Yeah, yeah. Just as soon as I find Rob," Wally answered offhandedly before sprinting away. Just like that, he was out of their sight. A raindrop kissed Marina's forehead. She studied the slippery mud trail where Kid went down.
"This will not be good," she told her other teammates. They slowly moved closer to the sound of gunfire. Kid's yelp caught the trio's attention. They glanced at each other before quickening their pace through the forest. There was a halt of gunfire. Superboy raced past the trees.
"So much for the stealthy," Kid said, staring up at the men with guns. The men opened fire at K.F who backflipped to avoid their bullets. He ran away from them, also avoiding the other group. He jumped into the trees as Superboy's body slammed into Bane, the masked drug manufacturer.
Bane maneuvered his arm at the crook of Superboy's neck, using his momentum to bring him down to the ground. With one knee against the ground, Bane held Superboy's side of the face with his right hand and his left gripped Superboy's arm. S.B managed to break his hand free. He threw Bane to a tree.
The two men inched forward beside each other. With the darkness and dense part of the jungle shielding her, Marina ran towards the side of one of the two men. Before they could even react to the figure, she jumped at one guy, kicking the other in the head. As she wedged the man's neck and shoulder between her legs, she hooked her arms to the other man and tilted her body, dragging the two men down with her. They landed harshly on the floor, rendering them unconcious.
Marina crouched, analysing the terrain. She was about to deal with the guys shooting at Kid Flash when a shadow beat her to it.
"What is wrong with you guys?" Robin spun to kick one of the guys square in the chest. "Remember covert? Why didn't you follow my lead, vanishing into the jungle?" Kid Flash rapidly punched and kicked another guy unconscious.
"That's what you were doing?" Kid Flash asked, extremely irritated. "Way to fill us in. We're not mind readers, you know."
Wally watched as men were flung to the tree behind him. Miss Martian floated beside the men she used her telekinesis on.
"Or I'm not anyway." Wally concluded, turning back to Robin.
"You told me I could only read the bad guys' mind," M'gann defended herself. Her eyes widened. A man leveled his rifle toward the Boy Wonder. "Robin! Look ou-"
Marina quickly picked up a fallen rifle. Her mind calmed. Her body automatically moved, aligning the gun to her shoulder.
A gunshot fired immediately. And a howl of pain erupted. Robin quickly turned to face the sound. There stood Marina with a gun in her hands over a man, hunched over his bleeding leg. Robin narrowed his eyes to give her a pointed look.
"What did you do that for?" Robin asked incredulously, folding his arms.
"I saved your ass," Marina replied. A whimper sounded from the guy. She flinched. "Well, he's alive, isn't he?" She defended herself.
"Alive in AGONY!" Robin exclaimed furiously. "I thought Batman told you-"
"I didn't kill him!" She pointed to the guy. "It's either he shoots you or I shoot him."
Robin pressed his lips and groaned in irritation. A bad guy came into view and Robin drew a batarang. "Put that down," he snapped at Lethe.
She hesitated but dropped the weapon begrudgingly. She scowled before forcing herself to release her tension. She can fight without a gun. Her fingers itched to pick it back up. She quickly moved to knock out another person.
Aqualad slashed the man from escaping and touched his chest only to send electricity through the man's body. The man dropped to the floor as Aqualad crushed the gun beneath his foot.
A bird squawked overhead as they finished tying up the hooded men.
"I recognize those uniforms," Robin said after studying their tied up assailants. "They belong to the Cult of the Kobra."
"I am certain that Batman would have mentioned it if he knew a dangerous extremist was running Santa Prisca's Venom operation," Aqualad said, turning to Batman's protege with crossed arms.
"Agreed. And since there's clearly no love lost between the cultists and those goons," Robin glanced at the tied up men. He cupped his chin with a gloved hand. "I bet Kobra came in and tossed them out. That's why normal supply lines have been cut off."
"We get it. Kobra wanted super cultists. Mystery solved," Wally said exasperated. "Radio Bats and we'll be home in time for-"
"These cultists aren't on venom. Kobra is hoarding this stuff. We don't leave," Robin interjected, lost in thought. "Not until I know why."
"Until you know why," Wally spat, leaning down to the younger boy. His green eyes flashed with irritation. The rest of the team watched the two like a tennis match, understanding all too well the tension rising.
"This team needs a leader," Robin countered.
"And it's you?!" KF questioned, pointing his finger to Robin's chest. "Dude, you're a thirteen year old kid, who ducked out on us without a word."
Robin snickered sarcastically. "And you're a mature fifteen? You blew our cover the first chance you got!" Marina stood beside M'gann and Superboy, watching the heated argument.
M'gann turned to Marina and Superby, "Don't you want to lead?"
Connor shook his head, "You?"
M'gann held up a hand, "After the Mister Twister fiasco?"
"You did alright," Superboy commented with a smile. A rosy, deep blush rose to M'gann's face. Marina shifted slightly uncomfortable as M'gann tucked her hair behind her ear. Superboy looked off to the distance.
"What about you, Ma-Lethe?" M'gann asked Marina, using her codename. Marina shook her head.
"Best if I don't. I'm only here temporarily." M'gann slumped upon remembering her fellow teammate's situation. "Anyway, I don't think I can lead. I'm used to being solo."
Before M'gann could ask more about her reply, Kid Flash and Wally interrupted with their loud argument.
"Yeah? You don't even have super powers!" Wally scoffed, walking into the circle of their assailants.
"Neither does Batman!" Robin argued. Wally halted, propping a hand on his hip.
"Duh. You're not Batman."
"Duh, closest thing we've got," Robin retorted, jabbing a thumb against his uniform. The Team watched the two like a tennis match. The masked bulky man chuckled from his restraints.
"Such clever niños. But you only know half the story," Bane drawled. His baritone voice drew the Team over. "Let me show you the rest. Get you into the factory via my secret entrance. " M'gann knelt in front of him.
"There is a secret entrance," M'gann confirmed, pressing a hand to her temple. "But he's also hiding something." Miss Martian's eyes glowed as she stared at the criminal.
"Uh, uh, uh, chica. Bane is not that easy," the masked criminal said smugly. M'gann groaned in frustration, disabling her telepathy.
"He's mentally reciting fútbol scores en Español," she turned back to the rest of the Team. "This will take a while."
"It's not complicated. The enemy of my enemy is my friend," Bane declared. Marina narrowed her gaze.
Bane led them to a cliff that overlooked the factory. Robin raised his binoculars to his eyes.
"Look at all that product. A buy is going down," Robin muttered. Bane walked away. Marina watched him from the corner of her eye. "But if Kobra is not selling to the usual suspects, then-"
"We need to identify the buyer," Aqualad said, lowering his arm that was against the tree.
"Just what I was thinking," Wally said as he fixed his goggles on his forehead.
"Yeah," Robin scoffed with a sarcastic smirk. "You're the thinker."
"Sarcasm? Dude, a real leader would focus on getting answers."
Marina, M'gann, and Conner watched as Bane moved a boulder. They glanced at each other.
"Answers," Bane said, dusting off dirt from his hands. "Are this way." He gestured down the tunnel then proceeded to walk first.
"So. Now El Luchador is our leader," Kid Flash commented sarcastically, making Robin shove past him. Marina lagged behind the group as they walked into the tunnel.
Remembering the lack of a gun, her trembling hands moved closer to her knives. She inhaled a shaky breath. Great, just great. Darkness fell over her as she stepped into the tunnel.
Wooden beams supported the structure of the dimly lit tunnel. Bane stopped as he pressed his thumb on a button. The sealed door turned green and opened. A small relieved sigh escaped from Marina. Bane then moved to the door, ajaring it open slightly for Robin to survey the scene.
"All clear," the Boy Wonder said before he ran in. They stalk in after him but Robin already disappeared.
"Has that little fool already been captured?" Bane asked, peeved.
"No. He just does that," Aqualad replied, equally annoyed.
"Stay put," Kid Flash slid his goggles over his eyes. "I'll get our intel and be back before the Boy Wonder." K.F dashed off as he finished the sentence.
Bane made a jab at Aqualad, "Great chain of command." The remaining four shared a look before quickly crossing the building. They silently crouched behind an unused assembly line near the mouth of the factory. They peeked over the wood.
"It's a massive shipment," Aqualad remarked as they watched Kobra members use a forklift to transport the crates.
"Yeah, but they're only taking new products off the line," Superboy observed. "They're not touching this Venom."
"Maybe freshness counts?" M'gann offered. Marina shook her head. Superboy stared into the distance.
"Helicopter's coming," he informed them. They stared at the dark sky as a helicopter loomed over the horizon. M'gann shifted to her camouflage mode and flew closer to the trade while the rest of the Team retreated deeper into the warehouse. They waited readily on a catwalk. Marina tugged on her gloves.
Aqualad closed his eyes. "Sportsmaster," he murmured. He opened his eyes. "He is the buyer. Aqualad to Red Tornado. Do you read?" Aqualad pressed his comm.
He grunts in annoyance, "Can't reach the League, Robin or Kid. Comms jammed. We need a plan. Now."
"I have a suggestion," Bane smirked. He leapt off the catwalk with a battle cry. Marina stood up with Aqualad and Superboy, surprised by Bane's reckless act. Guns rang through the warehouse.
"What is he-?" Aqualad began angrily. A loud growl reverberated a split second before the glass windows behind them scattered. A monster jumped on to their catwalk breaking it in the process. Marina landed on her feet, battle ready beside Superboy and Aqualad.
The monster roared, extending to his full height. His skin brown and split. Cords of muscle exposed by the cracked skin. Rushed footfalls grew closer and closer. Kobra cultists and their leader followed behind the monster.
"Destroy them!" The leader shouted. The monster sprinted to them. Superboy leapt to meet it. Strengths perfectly matched. The Kobra members flowed around the monster with guns in their hands.
Marina sprang into action. Her hand reached out to grab a man on the jaw. Her gloves crackled with electricity and emitted a pulse. The Kobra member gasped before going unconscious. Using the momentum, Marina threw the man to the rest of his squad, knocking them over. Bullets raced toward her. Marina ducked to the side. She pressed her back against a pillar.
"Miss Martian, radio is jammed. Link us up!" Marina heard Aqualad yell.
"Everyone online?" M'gann's voice echoed through her head. Marina jolted.
"Yeah," Superboy replied.
"You know it, beautiful," Wally answered. Marina waited for the unceasing rain of bullets to end.
"Telepathy?" Marina thought, which echoed through the link. She remembered the League in the safe house. "This is actually handy…"
"Good. We need to regroup," Aqualad announced on their telepathic link.
"Busy now," Robin answered. Marina peeked behind the pillar quickly. Three men. Two right and one left armed heavily, glaring at her direction.
"Robin, now," Aqualad commanded. Marina inhaled sharply, taking her knives into her hands. She was backed into a corner. "We need to retreat. Kid, clear a path."
Marina jumped from behind the pillar, throwing her knives. It landed on her targets. She sprinted away when she heard them whimpering and grasping their injured shoulders. She followed M'gann back to the secret entrance of Bane.
They ran down the tunnel. Dim light passing and going quickly as they speed past. Gunfire resounded off of the tunnel's rocks.
"Superboy, the support beams!" Kaldur called. The super-strengthened boy punched through three. Rocks crumbled behind them, making a wall between them and Kobra. Marina yelped at the landslide of rocks.
Darkness enveloped the Team. She leaned against the wall, struggling to catch her breath, as Kaldur broke a lightstick. Shadows pushed back by the red glow. Scarlet light shone upon the Team.
Black and red flashed in her mind. She shook her head to disperse it. She braced herself firmly against the start of her shaking. She focused on her hands, not minding the walls around her.
From his place by the rubble of rock, Robin placed his hands on his hips. "How can my first mission as leader go so wrong?" Kaldur dropped the glow stick to the ground.
"You do have the most experience. Perhaps that is exactly what has left you unprepared," Kaldur calmly suggested. Marina straightened with the rest of the Team as they stared at the Boy Wonder's back. Marina let out an even exhale as she focused on Robin.
"Fighting alongside Batman, your roles are defined. You two do not need to talk. But this Team is new and the leader must be clear. Explicit. He cannot vanish and expect others to play parts in an unknown plan."
"Oh so I'm supposed to hold everyone's hands," he snapped, swirling around to face the Team. He groaned frustrated but resigned. "Who am I kidding? You should lead us, Kaldur. You're the only one who can."
"Please! I can run circles-" Wally interjected.
"Wally, come on. You know he's the one. We all do," Robin grinned at the Atlantean. M'gann faced Kaldur confidently.
"Hello, Megan! It's so obvious!"
"Coulda told ya," Superboy concurred. His arms still crossed. Kaldur looked at Wally and Marina.
Marina shrugged, "I'm not sure if I get a say. But yeah. You're the best one to lead this team, Kaldur." They now stared at the silent Wally.
Wally shrugged before donning a grin, "Okay." Kaldur walked towards Robin.
"Then I accept the burden," He said before resting a hand on the younger boy's shoulders. "Until you are ready to lift it from my shoulders. You are born to lead this Team. Maybe not now, but soon." Robin gave a small nod with a smile.
"Alright, our first priority is preventing that shipment from leaving the island." The Team gathered closer around their new leader.
Robin crossed his arms, "Funny. I had the same thought."
"Sportsmaster the supplier-slash-buyer. But it still doesn't track," Robin explained as the Team ran down the mine tunnel. "He doesn't have the juice to acquire the Blockbuster formula or to get Kobra to do his dirty work."
Robin read the holoscreen of information as he and Kid Flash led the way. Aqualad and Superboy trail behind him, Lethe and Miss Martian the furthest back, much to Marina's hidden displeasure.
"And neither of them have the chops to bond Blockbuster with Venom. That took some major nerdage," Kid commented. The knot in Marina's chest loosened the closer they got to the mouth of the tunnel.
"I believe the expression is 'tip of the iceberg,'" Aqualad said as Bane came into view. He dropped a metal object from his hand. A half a dozen things identical to it lay on the floor.
"Halt, ninos," Bane commanded with a crazed look in his eyes. He held what Marina deduced as a detonator in his hand. "I'm feeling explosive."
Small beeps came above their heads as they glanced up. Explosives positioned on the second to the last beam. They won't make it out in time if he presses the detonator.
"You betrayed us. Why?" Aqualad glowered, confused.
"I want my factory back," Bane said, like it was an answer to an easy question.
"Kid, you'll need a running start," Aqualad echoed through their telepathic link. The ginger slowly backed away a couple of steps. The rest of the Team straightened to support Kid Flash immediately.
"So, I forced you into a situation where you would either take down my enemies or die trying," A corner of his lips turned upward to a victorious smirk. "If the latter, the Justice League would certainly come to avenge their sidekicks. And when the smoke cleared, Santa Prisca would be mine once more." Robin's hand hovered over his utility belt. Marina did the same, fingers close to her knives.
"Blowing the tunnel with you inside," Bane held out the trigger. "Should have the same effect."
He didn't notice the blur as his finger moved to press the button. The trigger was no longer in his hand.
"With what?" K.F asked behind Bane. He leaned against a tree. A smug grin played across his lips. "This trigger thingy?" He showed off the trigger in his hand.
Bane bellowed as he swung a punch Kid Flash. M'gann's telekinesis pulled him back. Bane was held helplessly a couple of feet above the ground. Conner stepped forward, dropping into a fight stance.
"Finally," Superboy mused with a grin. "Drop him."
M'gann dropped her hand which held Bane afloat. The masked man fell right into S.B.'s uppercut, sending him flying.
"The helicopter is operational, exalted one," an agent said. Sportmasters walked towards the chopper with a silver box in hand. But was stopped by a certain speedster taking out two agents. The agents shot at Kid as he zipped through, avoiding the bullets.
"Take the shipment!" Kobra hissed as two agents came to reinforce. Superboy jumped into the picture, leaving the floor cracked.
"Go again?" He taunted Blockbuster. Blockbuster roared, running to S.B. A gushing current of water pushed the monster back. "Sorry. Not the plan."
Aqualad blasted the monster with the help of his water-bearers as Superboy ensured that Aqualad won't be ambushed. Sportmaster lurked behind Superboy and sent red beams from his gun to Superboy's back.
Marina crept behind a henchman, swiping her feet under his. Before the others could shoot, Wally quickly got their guns. A man lunged to grab Marina's braided hair. She captured his arm with both her hands. Using the momentum of the grab, she pushed the arm down, making the man go forward. Marina threw a punch to his face, turning his arm down to the floor.
Once the henchman hit the ground, another tackled her. Blindsided, Marina's back hit the tree, knocking the air out her lungs. He braced his right forearm against her, trying to still her. He twisted his body, about to punch with his left hand. Marina quickly shoved her hand to the side of his face, pushing to stall him from throwing the punch.
He used his left hand to remove her palm down. Marina used this opportunity to land a punch across his face, causing him to tumble to the ground. She kicked the side of his torso.
Wally skidded to a halt, leaning against the tree. He watched Marina handle the henchman with ease. He grinned, "Have I ever told you, beautiful? You look great while kicking these guys' butts."
"The plan?" Marina suggested, paying no heed to his flirt. She eyed the defeated men sprawled around her.
"Right," he answered. He placed his goggles over his eyes again before bringing his attention back to the bad guys.
"What's wrong, boy? You look disconcerted," Kobra taunted Robin. Robin narrowed his eyes. Marina snuck behind Kobra quietly. She tugged on her glove. She sprang forward. Her hand met the nape of his neck. He chuckled before swiping an arm at her. Marina dogged it, sliding back.
"Little girl, you think that a little shock could render a god unconscious?" Marina stripped her glove away and lunged at him causing the cult leader to weave. Robin came in, working with Marina. He followed up another punch as Marina recoiled. She struck again when Robin ducked from Kobra's hook.
Lethe grabbed a hold of Kobra. On autopilot, she felt cold waves radiate toward her hands. A tingling sensation travelled to her fingertips. The cooling sensation reached Kobra's skin. He gasped and threw her to the side. Marina skidded, bending her knee readying herself to attack again.
"Interesting… what are you? Some kind of monster?" He rasped, baiting the young girl. She gave a wry smirk.
"I'd rather be a monster than an arrogant god." Marina spat. Kobra's eyes darkened. Robin sprang. Kobra took his arm and tossed him to the ground. Kobra stepped on Robin's chest.
"I am plagued by mosquitos," the cult leader proclaimed agitated. Robin fought against the weight on his chest. Marina brandished a knife. She twirled it between her fingers, carefully making her way to Kobra. The Team circled around her, ready to fight.
"Good! Cause this mosquito is mighty concerted over your pain," Robin declared. He performed dual helicopter kicks and expertly got out from under the red boot. He jumped back to stand beside the Team. Kobra watched the Team.
"Another time then," Kobra announced before slinking into the shadows. Robin raced forward and pried away the leaves to look for Kobra. With the place empty of the enemy, Robin walked back to the Team.
He smirked as he watched the warehouse behind the Team continue to flame. "We picked the right guy to lead." Robin said honestly and genuinely then his lips twisted to a lopsided grin. "Which automatically makes you the right guy to explain this mess to Batman."
He gestured to the flaming warehouse. Robin laughed heartily before walking away from Kaldur. Marina placed her knife back into its strap. A sigh left her body along with the adrenaline.
"Crazy first mission." Robin said, sidling up to her as they walked back to the bioship. Marina pressed her hand against a forming bruise on her shoulder blade. She glanced at Robin from the corner of her eye.
"At least it wasn't boring," she answered simply. She tossed her braid over her shoulder.
Robin rubbed the back of his neck as they made their way to the bioship. "Listen…" Marina halted in her tracks. The rest of the Team slowly gained their distance from the younger teens.
"Thanks for what you did back there," Robin said. His eyes shifted around before staring directly into hers. "I shouldn't have gotten mad at you after you saved my life."
"It's fine," Marina replied. She watched Robin. He looked at her abashed. Finally, she can see that he was really thirteen years old. "That's why we're a team. We look out for each other."
Robin kept his gaze on her, studying the girl. She walked towards the bioship nonchalantly. The Boy Wonder finally snapped out of it and jogged to catch up. Marina watched at the corner of her eyes as he grinned at her. "A Team huh?"
"A simple recon mission," Batman's voice grumbled. Marina took a much more slack stance than the rest of the Team. Batman got inches away from Kaldur's face. "Observe and report."
Batman took a step back to address the entire team. Marina stood in between Wally and M'gann. Her eyes lazily followed Batman's walk down the line of the teenagers. "You'll each receive a written evaluation detailing your manymistakes."
Batman paused before her during the tail end of the sentence. Marina remained unfazed as Batman lingered before her for a few moments.
"Until then- good job," Batman's praise made everyone's head snap up in surprise. They stared at the Leaguer, who turned his berating into explaining. "No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy." The Team relaxed visibly.
The silence grew more comfortable. Batman walked away, "How you adjust to the unforeseen is what determines success. And how you choose who leads, determines character." Marina's lips twitched up. Not as stern as she thought he would be.
First mission down and she didn't die. A victory in itself. The rest of the Team walked forward and made their way to the kitchen, chatting as they went. Marina hung back, watching the Team. Maybe, this Team thing might just work out.
Robin paused and turned to the unmoving girl, "Come on, Marina."
The huge living room became her new office. She sprawled out languidly on the ground beside the table. It was more comfortable here than in her four corner room. Although her room was quite big, it was suffocating. No windows. Dreary metal walls. A single lonesome bed in the middle of the room. She didn't like working in a place where people can walk in and out from but sacrifices had to be made.
Marina hunched over the table, glaring at the lines of equations she wrote down. She fiddled with her pencil in one hand. She still couldn't get it right. Needing a break from her AI making, she jotted down every equation she knew to be related to dimension crossing, time placement, and quantum mechanics which she knew every little of. Tony wasn't exactly teaching her how to jump through space, time, and the alters of reality and dimensions.
She dropped her head to the table. The cold surface kissed her forehead. Marina closed her eyes in frustration.
"Do you ever sleep?" The playful voice caused Marina to snap her head up from the table. Robin smirked down at her in his usual hoodie and sunglasses.
She shook her head, "Might I ask you the same?" She gestured lazily to her new companion, emerging from the empty corridor.
Robin snickered and sat down beside her on the Cave floor. She raised an eyebrow to the boy's rugged state. He had a cut on his cheek and a forming bruise on his chin. He ignored her silent question before peeking at the corner of her paper.
He glanced back at her as if asking for permission. She shrugged in reply. Robin grinned brightly.
"Carbon alloy?" He tilted his head to the formula. She subconsciously pulled her quantum equations sheet closer to herself. He caught sight of the prototype blueprint of her motorcycle situated on top of her neat pile. He took a sheet of paper from the stack she situated in the table space on the other edge of the table and plucked the pencil from her hand. He scribbled on his paper, swiveling his head to her formula every so often.
After sneaking her paper back to the bottom of the pile, Marina peeked over his shoulder to see what Robin was writing. She scanned the lines of equations and hummed in delight. It was correct and even simpler and more efficient than her previous.
A twinge of indignance flared in her stomach. She didn't like it when people did things better than she did. But she let it slide. Because of him, she won't be spending more time on tweaking the errors.
She shifted through her collection of paper. A pencil rolled out from it. She took it in her hand before getting a fresh sheet of paper from a pile in her other hand. She sketched the prototype motorcycle, drafting equations in the margins for her to look at later. Robin busied himself with the equation he saw on her paper. A comfortable scratch of pencil against paper filled the living room.
Time flew by quickly. On a quick run to the kitchen, Marina stretched before pouring coffee into two mugs. The two teens remained quiet as they worked, looking over each other's shoulder to see the other's progress. Marina walked back to Robin. She set down the coffee before crossing her bare legs.
She offered the Boy Wonder a mug, which he hesitantly accepted with a small thanks. She nodded, sipping from her own. She sighed happily as the caffeine rushed down to her stomach. From the corner of her eye, the Boy Wonder stared at her.
"Neat tattoo. When did you get it?" He asked the girl his age. He gestured to her collarbone. Black ink graced the pale skin above the neckline of her tank top. She caressed the marked skin.
Robin flushed. He cleared his throat awkwardly, "N-Not that I was staring down your shirt or anything." Brushing the tips of her fingers against the collarbone skin, Marina completely forgot about the tattoo.
"This was from a long time ago," she replied softly. Her voice had a hint of fondness. "I totally forgot that it was there."
Robin cleared his throat again, diverting his gaze to the paper. Marina's eyes shifted to the wall clock hanging opposite to them. Quarter to four in the morning.
"Aren't you going to sleep?" She changed the subject.
"Justice never sleeps," Robin replied with a gruff voice. She giggled lightly, the caffeine hijacking her system. "Can't sleep." He said more seriously. A grin beamed at her brightly. She gave a small smile back.
Author's Note:
Hello! Long time no see. Sorry, we haven't been active on Lethe due to our lives just getting ahead of us. After adjusting to college and online learning, we have figured out a schedule for writing. We still don't know when we'll update the next chapters but rest assured we are not giving up on Marina.
As far as we know, Chapters 1-3 will be the final versions. Sorry, after going back, we decided to add a few things to show more of Marina. Please bear with us.
Oh, we also like it when you guys leave reviews. It really helps motivate us.
So please leave a review about how you felt reading the chapters, what you feel like is coming up, and what do you think Marina's backstory is. Are we doing a good job with the other characters? Please let us know if any of the characters are OOC and if you have any ideas of what you want to see between Marina and the characters.
As thanks for your patience, here is a sneak peek of the next chapter: (Mind you these snippets are not one scene.)
"What are you doing here?" Marina hissed.
"You may begin."
Did he ask for help? Did he tell the others that she was missing? Could he even find them after months on the run? Would he want to?
"Babe, I'll always keep up. Maybe you can show me how that motorcycle rides after this."
"Thank you," she cleared her throat.