A/N: This is a trigger warning for the following: rape/murder/torture/gore. If you wish to skip this, skip the named entries.
Mount Justice
August 15, 2017
10:34
With a strut in her step, McKenzie walked through the halls of the mountain base, a certain destination in mind. As she neared her stop, McKenzie opened the doors to the medical bay, a bowl of cereal in her hands. The waft of sterilized instruments and latex pierced her sense of smell as she entered the brightly lit room, reminding her about Victoria's injury and yesterday's events.
Victoria's gaze shifted over to McKenzie, her eyes going wide with joy as she sat up straighter in her cot. McKenzie smiled as she made her way closer to the leader. "Mack, I could propose to you right now," Victoria admitted, taking the food that was offered to her in her hands. As she began eating her breakfast, McKenzie sat down at the edge of the bed.
"How are you feeling?" McKenzie asked, looking at her team leader through worried eyes. The team was still fairly new, so Victoria's wound had been the most serious in the team's history, which alerted the young half-serpent girl. Victoria responded to her between bites.
"I'm feeling better. I can't go out on any missions until I get my stitches out though," Victoria grumbled, pouting much like a child who didn't get her way. McKenzie offered her a small smile in return, her hands wringing together in her lap almost awkwardly.
I want to be closer to my team, like they are with one another. McKenzie reminded herself, forcing herself to continue her conversation with the leader, despite her timid nature. "When will that be?" McKenzie asked politely, shifting slightly to get more comfortable on the bed's edge.
Victoria put down the now empty bowl on the bed side table, propping herself up to better communicate with her team mate. As the girl spoke, she played with the bandages wrapped around her thigh, "Seven days if I'm lucky."
McKenzie bit the inside of her cheek. I forget that Victoria is one of the only people on the team without super powers; she always carries herself as if she's invincible. "That sucks," McKenzie sympathized lamely.
"Yeah, but I deserve it for being rash," Victoria confessed light-heartedly, a brief chuckle interrupting her, "But how is Noah doing?" McKenzie had briefly forgotten that the necromancer had also been shot during the team's mission, Noah not complaining even once about his shoulder.
The half-serpent leaned to rest her head against her palm. "He's doing okay. He's out of commission for four days though to keep the integrity of his stitches," McKenzie informed her. "He seems more upset about being 'grounded' than he is about being shot," McKenzie added jokingly, a smile gracing her face.
Victoria rolled her eyes. "I can relate to that. Logan's recovery rules are just as annoying as they are dumb," Victoria fumed in a faux manner, making fun of the protective nature of the eldest team member. McKenzie giggled in response, grateful that she wasn't in either Victoria's or Noah's predicament.
"At least you get out of training for the next couple of days," McKenzie provided, hoping that the excuse from the excruciating task would make Victoria feel untroubled. Victoria smiled lightly at the convenience of a break. "Speaking of training, I have to go. But I'll be back later today with your lunch," McKenzie said as she stood up.
As McKenzie made a move towards the exit, Victoria took a hold of her wrist lightly, forcing McKenzie to turn around. "Thank you, Mack, it means a lot," Victoria said gratefully, a serious look in her blue eyes. McKenzie nodded, before relocating herself to the training area.
Noah greeted McKenzie as she entered the room, waving her over to sit next to him on the benches. "I thought you were decommissioned for the rest of the week," McKenzie conceded as she sat down.
The necromancer shrugged his shoulders, leaning back so he could rest himself against the wall behind him. He grumbled, "I am, I just wanted to watch you guys train." McKenzie's eyes followed his stare, her orbs now focusing on Yessenia and Logan sparring. By now, she was used to how each of her team mates fought, save Noah's new presence.
Yessenia was a more direct fighter, throwing punches and quick jabs, while Logan was a defensive fighter, blocking her blows. McKenzie watched on in interest as the young Amazonian girl landed a punch against Logan's jaw line, stunning him for a brief moment. Noah leaned in closer to McKenzie, gaining her attention as he spoke to her.
"Is he normally that…" He struggled for a moment to find the appropriate adjective, "…that passive of a fighter?" He finished his question, directing it towards McKenzie. Both of their eyes were still on the sparring session, scrutinizing their team mate's style. Yessenia kicked up towards Logan's face, but he deflected it with a raised arm, pushing her to the side with no effort.
"He doesn't like hurting people," McKenzie answered, her eyes momentarily flickering over to Noah to see his expression. "But he's especially gentle with us. I don't think he's ever hit us or so much as raise his voice at us," McKenzie added to her previous statement, her eyes going back to the fight. The Amazonian girl had a smirk on her face, landing another jab at Logan's face.
Noah ran a hand through his hair for a moment, speaking in a lower tone, "That mentality is going to get him killed." McKenzie's head whipped to look at Noah directly, her eyebrows furrowing. Noah continued talking, "You can't talk down a villain, you have to strike or you'll be attacked. Who is he helping if he's going easy on us during training?"
While the two were conversing, the sparring was coming to an end. After extending her arm to punch the older male in the face again, Logan had taken her arm in his grip, spinning her around and into a head lock. He released her almost instantly, smiling in her direction with a 'great job' congratulatory quip.
"Sometimes mercy is good," McKenzie finished the conversation, going quiet as both Yessenia and Logan joined them at the benches. Yessenia smiled at McKenzie as she greeted the shorter girl, a gleeful 'hey Mack!' leaving her mouth.
"You're a really good fighter Yes," Noah complimented, offering the girl her water bottle, which she had left with him. The necromancer's statement had not only been out of kindness, it had been the truth. The girl's training was almost flawless, her mastery of hand to hand combat surpassing the rest of the group's in Noah's opinion. Yessenia's balance of both skill and power made her a fierce fighter, and one that no one wanted to cross.
Yessenia finished her water, tossing the empty bottle back onto the bench. She smirked, "Well, Wonder Woman and Black Canary taught me well." It didn't take long for the team to have deduced Yessenia's heritage, as she was a proud Amazonian princess, her mother being Wonder Woman herself, as well as thrilled with her family ties with Black Canary.
McKenzie smiled at the mention of both Justice League members. "Well they should be really proud of you Yessenia!" McKenzie cheered, throwing out her hand for a high five with the other girl. With a cheerful grin, Yessenia collided hands with the older girl.
"Want to do a group simulation?" Yessenia asked the room's occupants devilishly. Yessenia met McKenzie's eyes, who then looked at Logan and finally Noah. Group simulations were a team favorite exercise for the group, so it was no surprise when they decided in favor for it.
"So how does this work?" Noah asked as he looked down at the tables ahead of him. The group had entered a different room in the base, one that sported advanced technology over an array of furniture. Victoria, pleased that she was able to be released from the medical bay to participate in a group simulation, laid down on one of the tables.
Victoria patted the slab next to her, inviting Noah to lay down on it as she explained. "It's a mental simulation. We are all connected to headsets which will display a certain scenario for us to overcome. The simulation doesn't end until we solve it," Victoria elucidated, laying back carefully as to not aggravate her thigh.
"Or die, that one is also an option," Yessenia added with a grin, poking Victoria in the ribs playfully. Noah's eyes went wide slightly at the passive reaction the rest of the team had at Yessenia's exclamation.
Logan spoke from his hunched over position, working on the head sets, "You don't actually die, Noah. Don't let them scare you." He finished configuring the last head set, before giving each team member one. Noah held his in his hands for a minute, reluctant to put it on his cranium.
McKenzie, from her table in between Noah's and Yessenia's, smiled reassuringly at Noah. "It's fun. You get to try new things without having any consequences. You'll love it," McKenzie eased, putting on the small head set over her dark brown hair. Noah followed her lead, still somewhat skeptical but trusting his new-found friend.
When the entire team had the head sets fashioned on, McKenzie turned to Logan in a questioning manner. "What simulation did you choose this time?" She asked, readjusting herself to lay on the table more comfortably.
"The Gotham City Bane simulation. I figured Noah would be more comfortable doing something he recognizes for his first scenario," Logan confessed, laying down as he talked. The room soon became dark after his words, enveloping the teens into their simulation.
Gotham City
August 15, 2017
13:14
McKenzie peaked her head over the rafters, looking down onto the drug cartel occurring in the first level of the warehouse. She counted the guards she spotted, coming up with a little over a dozen, not to mention Bane, who overlooked the room. McKenzie looked back towards her team mates.
Victoria aimed her crossbow against her propped up knee, whispering to the group softly, "I don't have a clear shot. Any ideas on what to do?" Her eyes went to Noah, who besides her, knew of Gotham City's terrain. His face scrunched up in periodical thought.
"If we rush it we will out matched," Noah informed her, in a whisper just as soft as hers. The group remained silent as they watched the delivery unfold below them.
McKenzie tugged on Noah's sleeve to get his attention. "One of us could booby trap the boxes with motion sensed bombs. It'll take out a lot of the hench men," McKenzie strategized. Noah and Victoria met eyes, having a nonverbal debate over that idea. After getting a nod from Victoria, Noah slunk into the shadows, disappearing completely. Yessenia focused on the scene, attempting to hear Noah's movements.
She jumped slightly when the young bat reappeared at her side, his task completed. "After the bombs go off, one of us needs to go after Bane," Noah stated, implying that he be the one to confront the bulky Bane.
"Amazon Girl should be the one to confront Bane," Victoria argued against Noah's statement. Before he could retort, she interrupted him in a harsh whisper, "She has the lowest chance of being severely hurt if he hits her." Noah, although offended at his team mate's lack of trust in him, remained quiet. "The rest of us will occupy the hench men."
Almost instantly, the bombs rattled off, taking out 1/3 of the guards in the warehouse. McKenzie took a deep breath before jumping down into the scene, her legs being replaced by a tail midair. She landed on top of a goon, her tail pinning his arms to his sides and forcing him to drop his gun. When the weapon clattered to the floor noisily, she flipped his body over and onto the floor. When she unraveled herself from the man, another guard ran up behind and held her still.
"Big mistake," the half-serpent smirked, excreting a dosage of non-lethal poison through her skin. After the venom coursed through him for half a minute, he collapsed on the floor in a twitching heap. McKenzie took the time to see what her team mates were doing, looking to see if anyone needed help.
Victoria and Logan had double teamed against a small group of weaponized goons, both standing back to back with their own weapons raised. Victoria's crossbow was loaded with arrows, shooting down attackers quickly and efficiently, whereas Logan wielded a bo staff, stunning his opponents. McKenzie's eyes danced to where Noah was, the boy slinking into and out of shadows from all over the room, using his opponents' confusion over his location against them.
Yessenia, playful as always, taunted Bane. "Is that the best you can do?" She teased, a grin crossing her face. The Amazonian ducked a punch directed at her before propelling herself up to uppercut the villain. The attack forced Bane to stumble back greatly, annoying the venom-filled man. Yessenia drew her sword from its position on her hip, her finger tips gracing her lasso as she did so.
"Pest," Bane insulted in a loud voice, charging towards Yessenia. McKenzie glided closer to the action, unaware of her surroundings. Rope clad men grabbed McKenzie, stopping her from entering the fight with Yessenia and Bane.
Yessenia flew over Bane, cutting the tubes connected to his head. With a cry, the venom leaked out of the man, and McKenzie watched as he withered away to a smaller version of himself. Yessenia allowed herself to celebrate, a proud and triumph smile on her face.
A loud beep sounded before the room started filling with a green and thick gas, surprising Yessenia, and causing her to look down at Bane, who held a trigger in his hand. With a smile, he revealed the drug that was being smuggled, "Scarecrow asked me to protect his shipment. Sweet dreams, pests."
McKenzie watched as all of her team mates collapsed on the ground, her unable to prevent them from the nightmarish fate. The serpent jerked herself free from her captors before rushing over to her nearest friend, who happened to be Noah. She gripped onto him tightly as his body convulsed, trying to hold him still and calm him. Even though the young serpent was immune to all toxins and poisons, she gasped in pain before falling down near Noah.
McKenzie woke up, her vision blurry as she struggled to open her eyes. Panic set in when she realized she was bound in a wooden chair, her team mates surrounding her in similar predicaments. McKenzie surveyed them all for injuries as they slowly came to, each becoming startled when they woke up.
Noah struggled against the rope holding him still for a moment, mimicking McKenzie's higher set voice, "It's fun she said you'll love it she said." During his reenactment of her earlier simulation persuasion, McKenzie wasn't sure if she should feel slightly offended or humored; however, when he looked at her with a slight smile, she chose the latter. The bat quickly got to work with cutting his rope with a sharpened batarang.
"What happened?" Yessenia asked in a confused manner, using her sword to copy Noah's escape.
"An anomaly with the program," Logan informed her, using a hidden knife to cut his rope. "Scarecrow must have been added to our scenario by mistake." His ropes had fallen and he soon made his way over to McKenzie, cutting her rope swiftly.
Victoria stood out of her chair after using a metal tipped arrow to cut herself free. "What does that mean for us?" She asked.
The room they were in was small, the ceiling, walls and floor imitating an old, fallen down shack. After the last person stood up from the wooden chairs they were previously seated in, the group huddled together closely, staring down a lone door at the front.
"Well," McKenzie started, taking a break in her sentence to look at her team mates, "It means that our scenario just got a little scarier." The small seventeen-year-old girl walked slowly up to the door, taking the door knob in her hand. Her team followed behind her cautiously, arms up in defense as she opened the door. The room inside was pitch black, but it didn't stop the members from entering, unaware of what was going to happen.
McKenzie
McKenzie walked into the room last, following her team mates closely. When the entire team had taken a couple of steps inside, the scene in front of them started changing drastically from its previous darkness. The team had found themselves back inside the warehouse, watching the scenario unfold from a third person point of view. The difference between the simulated mission and the room was a missing McKenzie.
The young serpent, who had previously been with her friends watching the scene, found herself reliving it once more for the second time that night. This time around however, the hench men who had tied her up were gone, and McKenzie was able to run into the fight with Yessenia and Bane.
"I got your back," McKenzie called as she stood next to Yessenia, a smile on her face. She was grateful that she was able to erase her earlier mistake of being captured. As Bane charged the duo, Yessenia flew up again, taking a hold of McKenzie in one of her hands. Bane was quick in reflex as he snatched McKenzie out of the air by her leg, pulling her into his grip and placing her in a head lock.
Yessenia dropped to the ground, her shield and sword up. "Let her go," she spat.
From their position in the third person point of view, the group conversed. "Are we getting redoes on our mistakes of the scenario?" Noah asked, still confused by the group simulation rules. Victoria shook her head as she replied in a perplexed manner.
"We never have before," the Italian retorted, walking farther into the scene to witness the change of events. McKenzie didn't notice her present team mates, looking past them as if they were invisible.
Bane smirked, crushing McKenzie in his arms painfully as he pushed her deeper in his chest. McKenzie excreted her venom, as she often would, but it only caused the villain to chortle. "Your venom is nothing compared to the one already coursing through my system," he boomed, his thick Santa Prisca accent lacing his words. He glared at Yessenia, who was preparing herself for combat.
Unfazed by the man's glare, Yessenia ran up to him, her sword raised. She used the sharp tip to slash at the man's arms, hoping that it would persuade him to release McKenzie, but instead he chuckled at the action in a bored manner. He seized her sword without hitch, turning it against its wielder. The team's eyes went wide as the Gotham resident plunged the sword through Yessenia, a gasp escaping her lips.
"No!" McKenzie shrieked, thrashing about in the man's arms even more. The man tossed McKenzie into Yessenia's bleeding form.
"That is your fault," Bane sneered, bending down to McKenzie's level. "If you were better she would not have had to save you." The girl hugged Yessenia's lifeless body into her chest, sobs racking her body violently.
The living Yessenia watched, tears clouding her own eyes as she watched her friend wail into her corpse. "I-" Yessenia stammered, bringing her hand up to cover her mouth. The girl, for once, was at a loss for words. Even though it was futile, Yessenia rushed up to the girl, trying to show McKenzie that she was alive and that her nightmare hadn't been real.
Yessenia ran through the girl, her arms not wrapping themselves around the older girl as planned. She dropped to her knees beside McKenzie, her friend's sobs damaging her. "I am so sorry, Yes," McKenzie apologized, hiccupping through her words. The girl's usually pale face was now red, her swollen cheeks stained with tears. "I didn't mean to do this to you." Yessenia's lip quivered at not being able to hold her distraught friend.
"It's okay McKenzie, it isn't your fault," Yessenia cooed softly, her own tears falling down her face. Before this, the Amazon had not fully comprehended how important she was to the serpent girl. Yessenia bowed her head down, trying to hide her tears, embarrassed that she was distraught with McKenzie's hell.
McKenzie, with Yessenia's blood covering her front, brought up a shaking hand to wipe away her tears. The mangled corpse of Yessenia laid still in the girl's lap, ignoring the upcoming panic attack that McKenzie was to have. The hiccups returned as McKenzie once again apologized to her deceased friend, her shudders violent.
"I never meant to hurt you," McKenzie wallowed, her body now rocking back and forth slightly, her hands clutching her head. The blood that had been on the girl's hands had now caked itself into McKenzie's coffee colored hair. "Why did I try to save you? I'm not a hero!" The girl nearly shrieked. Her shaking had become so profound that the team was sure that a low-grade earth quake would resonate the same.
The repetition of her last phrase haunted the team, the words, "I'm not a hero!" echoing in the eerie room. Her words eventually stopped, the girl's panic attack resulting in labored breaths and harsh panting. Noah and Victoria, ignoring the fact they couldn't assist the sweet girl, had tried directing her out of her panic, while Yessenia had buried herself into Logan's chest, her arms wrapping around his waist tightly.
After McKenzie's tears subsided, the bloody girl stood up, Yessenia's body cradled in her arms. Tears still fell down her cheeks, her eyes blood shot and swollen. "I am so sorry," McKenzie apologized for the last time, placing a tender kiss on Yessenia's temple. After her lips left the corpse, Yessenia's body began to fade away from the scene, leaving a dazed McKenzie to look for it.
Her eyes went wide as she saw Yessenia, who had separated herself from Logan long enough to see the ending of the ghoulish horror. McKenzie rushed into Yessenia's arms, practically crushing the Amazonian girl in her grip. New tears sprung from McKenzie's eyes as she kept reassuring herself that it was indeed her 'deceased' friend she was holding.
"I am so sorry," McKenzie repeated. Yessenia held McKenzie, her hand cradling the back of the girl's head, sweet whispers escaping her. The team allowed them to have their moment, not wanting to interrupt their reunion. "I thought you died because of me," the girl whispered. As she spoke, the room fell black once more, a new door appearing.
Yessenia didn't let go of the girl completely as they parted, her hand clutching onto the older girl's as if her life depended on it. McKenzie recollected herself, her shudders slowly and her tears drying up, before the team continued into the next room.
"Whatever happens," Yessenia started, taking a hold of Victoria's hand in her free one, "We do it together." The girls all nodded with one another, before following the boys in the new room.
Victoria
As the team entered the new room, an invisible force blocked them at the entrance, save for Victoria who walked ahead with mirages in their likeness. Unable to propel themselves forward, they watched Victoria's fears unfold.
Yessenia snatched her hand away from Victoria's, ending the reassuring grip she had. "So who's fear is next?" Victoria asked awkwardly, her hands now wringing ahead of her. She wouldn't admit it, but the lack of human contact made her anxiety increase, the feeling of being alone overwhelming her senses.
"I don't know, maybe yours," Noah guessed, not making eye contact with the Huntress trainee. He stopped, allowing himself to ponder for a moment, "But then again, can you actually have a fear if you're the team's leader?" He cackled for a moment, elbowing Victoria in her ribs painfully.
Victoria chewed on her lip, the bottom half resting in between her upper and lower jaw. She played with her fingers as they continued their walk down the long and narrow black hallway. "Would it not be right if I was scared of some things?" She asked in a hypothetical manner. Logan clapped her on the back as he rushed to walk alongside her.
In his faint New Yorker accent, he answered her question, "Only bad leaders have fears. When I was the leader of the team, I never showed any weakness, unlike you." Victoria stopped walking, her jaw unhinging herself in surprise. Even the group behind the invisible barricade were shocked at the words the mirage was saying.
Victoria stammered almost lamely, "I don't have any weaknesses." The argument came out weak, a watery break in her words. "I'm a good leader, you said so yourself yesterday." The teenage girl looked up at the taller man with sadness etched into her eyes.
The mirage of Logan chuckled gruesomely, "You thought I was being honest?! You ran into that mission without thinking of the consequences! Noah got hurt and you had to be bailed out by Yessenia!" With each word he spat, Victoria's confidence shrank.
The Italian kept quiet at his outburst, working of a comeback internally. Truth be told though, she felt too betrayed to really conjure an intelligent reply back. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes.
"What are you crying for? I was the one who got shot!" Noah exclaimed, raising his arm up as if to show for his statement. The blood from his wound was there again, pouring down his arm heavily, unlike during the mission. Victoria wiped furiously at her eyes, forcing herself to stand up in confidence.
"Fuck you both, I thought you two were nice," Victoria insulted, hands on her hips. Her voice faltered for a moment, before gaining her confidence once more. She jabbed into Noah's chest painfully, "And I got shot too, you asshole." Noah pushed her finger away, before shoving her into Yessenia and McKenzie, who were walking behind the two.
McKenzie forced Victoria away from her, disgust written across her face. "Don't be mean to Noah, at least he knows how to not be rash all the damn time," McKenzie taunted evilly. Victoria fixed her posture once more, refusing to allow herself to show any weakness to the now judgmental team.
"What has gotten into you guys?" Victoria questioned, the anger replacing itself with concern. Even though her team mates were acting rude, Victoria still cared for them deeply.
From behind the barricade, the team all looked onto the scene sadly. "Do you think she's projecting her feelings of herself into us?" Noah asked the group, a care filled tone wrapping around his words. If there was one thing the boy understood, it was distaste for himself, similar to the one Victoria held.
McKenzie, who was still sniffling from her own nightmare, retorted, "She's not the most confident sometimes," McKenzie admitted, sympathetic for the insecure girl. She knew that the words her doppelganger was spitting out venomously never even occurred in McKenzie's mind, which only assured her that the girl thought this of herself.
Logan brought a hand up to his neck, rubbing at the area. "I should have helped her out with her leadership more. I didn't want her feeling this overwhelmed and negative about herself," the boy muttered, aghast that Victoria could ever believe so poorly of herself.
Yessenia's doppelganger rolled her eyes, pushing past Victoria's open and caring stature to walk ahead of her. "Yeah, we are fine. We are allowed to be upset with you, you know," Yessenia sassed, "After all, Scarecrow wouldn't have gotten the drop on us if you came up with a plan for the simulation."
Victoria felt her heart ache harrowingly, slowing the girl's steps. It was getting harder and harder for her to remain confident and strong while her team mates chastised her for her transgressions. They walked on ahead of her, not caring for her wellbeing. "Okay, I'm sorry," she apologized, hoping it would stop her friends from railing at her.
McKenzie turned around, stomping her foot on the ground angrily like a child. Her previously tear struck face was replaced by one red and hot with anger. "I'm going to have the mental image of Yessenia dying forever because of you, and all you can say is you're sorry?!" The girl yelled in a bewildered manner. Victoria's eyebrows shot up, shock coursing through her.
"After this simulation, we are going to vote for a new leader," Noah reprimanded. He continued his harsh speech, "Maybe we should fire Victoria while we are at it. She's more trouble than she is worth." Victoria's sadness was quickly replaced with anger, shoving Noah painfully into the wall next to them.
She pressed onto his collar bone with her forearm. "You don't even know me, Noah, so back off. You're not any better than me just because you work with the Bat family!" She hissed, lashing out on the newest team member. She was ripped off of him by Yessenia, her glare solid. "And you're supposed to be my best friend!" She snapped.
Yessenia shoved Victoria to the ground, looming over her. "That's because I felt sorry for you! Who wouldn't be sorry for the girl who has a pothead father?" Victoria's eyebrows furrowed and her mouth fell open. Without hesitation, she tackled the girl to the floor. She raised his fist to punch her so-called best friend, but before she could, Logan stopped her.
"This isn't what leaders do, they don't lose their cool!" He snapped bitterly. Victoria's hand went limp at his words, using his arm to help herself off the girl. She looked down at Yessenia with a disheartened gaze, unable to form a proper apology. The younger girl muttered a basic apology, wrapping herself in her own arms, protecting herself from anything else the group could say to her.
As soon as the apology left her mouth, the invisible barrier separating the team and Victoria was lifted, and the group ran out towards the insecure girl. The sound of their footsteps behind her gained Victoria's attention, her head whipping back.
"How much of that did you hear?" She asked pitifully, clutching at her arms tighter. At the sight of her rushing team members, she quickly pieced together that the entrance to the room had been her nightmare, but it didn't stop her from feeling embarrassed. The team remained silent, causing the girl to sigh out. "That's okay, if you didn't think I was weak before, you do now."
Logan, always gentle and reassuring, placed a hand on her shoulder. "We don't think you're weak, Tori," he said, but the girl bowed her head in shame anyways. He lowered himself to look her in the eyes, a little set back by the insecurity flowing in her gaze. Without hesitation, he enveloped her in a hug. At first, the girl didn't return it, still horror struck at the vulnerability that she showed her team mates, but soon hugged him back.
"Guys, I don't mean to be a dick and ruin the moment," Noah started, "But we reached our next destination." His hand moved up to open the next door.
Noah
Noah shrunk in the darkness at the next scene displayed before the team, recognizing the coven as one from his childhood. He glanced back at his team mates briefly, knowing that in a matter of seconds they would disappear from his view.
What happened next surprised him, as his birth family wasn't the one to greet him in his old childhood home, but his new one. Jason walked up to him, a frown adoring his rugged face as he grabbed onto Noah's shoulders tightly, forcing him inside the house.
The team followed the two, surprised to see a young girl standing next to Jason once they were inside. "Firecracker?" Noah questioned, his face scrunching up in confusion. Jason pushed him in her direction, and the young necromancer fell to his knees in front of his girlfriend. The tall, tanned girl glared down at Noah, who clumsily stood back on his feet.
'Firecracker' took a step away from him, her face expressing a mixture of fear and disgust. He brought his hand out, wanting to envelope her in his arms and tell her how much he misses her presence. She flinched away from Noah, causing the boy's face to fall in betrayal.
"What's going on?" Noah asked, crossing his arms across his chest to shield himself from the two who admired the most. The two looked down at him disdainfully, ignoring the pounding on the door. Noah's heart rate quickened in panic. "Charlotte? Jason? Please tell me what's going on," Noah begged.
He reached out once more to touch his girlfriend. "Noah, please…" She whispered in tearful eyes, lowering his arms back to his sides. The pounding at the door got louder, the wood splintering away. "I don't think I could live with myself knowing that I love a monster," her words were like daggers to Noah, who's eyes instantly pricked with unshed tears. "You… you killed Alfred, Noah."
Noah gasped, his eyes wide in shock, before they glanced at his two hands through his blurred vision. He promised himself that he would never hurt anybody, but here he was, killing those closest to him. At the mention of the lovable butler's name, Noah collapsed to his knees.
The front door's wooden frame became cracked, revealing an angry mob of people standing behind it and trying to break the door down. "Monster!" Parts of the mob yelled bitterly, while others settled for "Murderer", "Freak", or "Devil". Noah blinked rapidly, trying to clear his head from his childhood memories of the cult who had busted down his family's home, but it was no use.
The necromancer turned to his adopted father, tears springing from his eyes. "What are they going to do to me?" He asked the older man, attempting to act brave in front of his mentor. Jason stood over him, bending down to pick him up by his hair. He dragged the boy near the hidden team, who pressed themselves against the door to make sure no one got into the home.
"I am sorry," Charlotte called from her place across the room, burying her face in her hands. Noah wanted nothing more but to hold his girlfriend tightly as she cried, but knew it was better if he didn't. After all, he was the one who hurt the only person who ever truly loved.
Jason opened the door, the door phasing through the team effortlessly. The mob outside ran in, revealing themselves to be in some sort of cult. One of them shrieked 'check for the mark', resulting in multiple offenders trying to remove Noah's shirt.
Noah attempted to break free from their grip, but there were too many of them for him to overpower. Soon enough, Noah's shirt had been removed, revealing the 'mark' the cult was searching for. It had been clear as day on Noah's stomach, the black curved cross revealing himself as a necromancer.
"Kill him!" The leader of the cult ordered, holding no regard for the child. Noah looked up at Jason and Charlotte with pleading eyes, hoping that they would end his nightmare. The team attempted to fight the cult members, but each strike and attack on went through them, their efforts proving futile.
McKenzie shuddered in her place, wondering if this was the near-death experience Noah was petrified of as the cult dragged him out of the house, ignoring his cries and claims for love for both Jason and Charlotte. "Leave him alone!" McKenzie pleaded on deaf ears, horrified for her friend's wellbeing. Noah was thrown lazily onto a town square, the cult picking up stones and pelting the defenseless boy with them.
Noah shielded his face with his arms, rolling up his knees into his chest. The team stood in front of the town, attempting to be hit with the rocks instead of the smallest member, but once more, the weapons flew through them, hitting the boy violently.
Soon enough the stones turned intangible as the scene faded away. Noah, who was mostly unhurt save for a few minor cuts and bruises, rolled out of his ball, and sat up. He brought his knees up to his chest as his team sat around him, scrutinizing the numb looking boy.
"Was-Was this a memory?" McKenzie asked, her eyes focusing on a bruise forming on the boy's arm. Noah sighed as he stood up, wanting the attention off of him immediately.
He winced as he stood up, putting more of his weight on his uninjured leg. "No, it's just a fear," he replied coolly, already looking for the next door that would shoot past his fear and onto the next team member. Victoria grabbed his hand gently, forcing him to stop his limp. His eyes softened at the concern edge to her gaze. "My fear is based on a memory I had when I was a kid, but it wasn't me that was getting attacked, it was my parents," Noah revealed, bringing his hand up to touch his swollen cheek.
"I'm so sorry," Yessenia sympathized, standing up so she could be near Noah. She placed a ginger and tender hand on his shoulder, afraid that if she hugged him it would hurt him. Noah looked down at the ground. "You're not what they said either, No. You're not a monster or freak because you're a necromancer," Yessenia soothed, biting at the corner of her lip.
Victoria perked up from her position, standing up to join them. "If anything, it makes you cool and mysterious. Girls like cool and mysterious," Victoria cheered him up with a slight wink. Noah smiled shyly, sending them both grateful looks.
Noah rubbed at his arm, attempting to soothe the pain. The door revealed itself next to the group, and Noah gripped the door knob tighter than he previously did. He glanced at his team mates, before muttering, "Alright, three down and two more to go."
Yessenia
This time when the group entered the room, they were quickly separated. As soon as Yessenia stepped foot into the next nightmare, she was grabbed by a group of masked men, who bound her with power reducing wire. Yessenia struggled against the wire, which cut into her skin uncomfortably.
"What's happening?" McKenzie asked in fear, remembering her own nightmare which also included a defenseless Yessenia. The group remained quiet as Aries stepped into view of the Amazon girl, the glowing armor lighting the darkened room.
Yessenia sneered when she saw the villain, her capture finally making sense to the young girl. "Aries," The girl greeted coldly, "What do you want?" The team could only applaud the girl's fearlessness in the face of the God of War.
"I don't want you, you're only bait," Aries admitted, pacing the length of the small room. Yessenia was sure that underneath his cowl, the God held a triumphant smirk. Anxiety and fear filled her core, causing the girl to struggle again.
Yessenia bit back attitude, hoping that if she responded in a more heroic matter he would talk to her. "Bait for who?" She interrogated, her shoulders starting to bleed in the slightest from her struggles. She didn't need to wait for his response, voices coming from behind her. "Oh no," she whispered to herself, praying that Athena would guide her through this experience.
Her team mates busted into the room. Yessenia wouldn't have been nervous if Wonder Woman had joined them, as she knew the villain better than anyone, but the team stood alone and ignorant to the deadly ways of the god.
"No, guys. Don't come any closer!" Yessenia ordered, knowing that if she were bait than the room had to be trapped. Her stubborn team mates entered anyway as they surrounded her seated position, hands flying to untie the girl. "Guys stop!" Yessenia begged before any of them could officially grab at the wire.
Victoria looked at her with concern filled eyes, "Don't worry Yes, we will get you back home in no time." As the Italian spoke, she disregarded Yessenia's pleas and grabbed at the wire wrapping itself around her frame. The wire zapped dangerously, sending a high voltage through Victoria's body.
Yessenia thrashed in her seat as her friend collapsed to the ground, her body convulsing with electricity before laying limp on the ground. "No!" The Amazon girl cried, tears leaking from her eyes. "Is she-?" The start of her question was answered as the EMT brought his fingers to Victoria's neck.
"Her heart stopped," Logan informed the group, dropping to his knees. Yessenia cried as he performed CPR to her friend, but she knew it was no use.
Aries reappeared out of the shadows for a brief moment to survey the dead girl, before faltering back into the darkness. "Two can play at the shadow game," Noah smirked, his body slinking into the shadows.
From her seat, Yessenia could hear her new team mate being harassed by Wonder Woman's fiercest villain; however, she couldn't see their fight or provide any aid for the boy. A crack interrupted Yessenia's calls, stunning her into silence in confusion, before Noah's body was thrown in front of her, his neck bent at an awkward angle.
Yessenia screamed in fright, guilt over whelming her. "No! Everybody get out of here!" She begged. McKenzie looked down at Noah, her eyes going wide as blood trickled out of his mouth, pooling underneath his head. The older girl spared a glance at Yessenia, before running into the abyss. "No, Mack! Please!" The girl's tears became evident on her face, the once chilled girl screaming. Deep in her mind, she knew that it was only a simulation, but having to witness her greatest fear petrified her.
The team watched in their third person point of view for the fourth time. Watching one of their team mates die was horrifying, but watching all of them die was traumatizing. "Is Aries really that bad?" Victoria asked, a hand covering her horrified expression.
"He's the God of War," Noah informed her, his eyes scrutinizing the damage Yessenia was giving herself by rubbing against the metal wiring. Her shoulders were already cut and bleeding, but her obsessive want to be free resulted in her upper arms and forearms to be cut as well. "Stop struggling mate, it'll be over soon," Noah said, head down in sorrow.
Yessenia knew the fighting had stopped after quietness creeped into the dark room, yet she couldn't find any sign of McKenzie or Aries. She knew it was childish for her to be afraid of the dark, but it didn't help her when she knew that her friend lay dead in it.
"Please, Logan, get out of here before he kills you too," Yessenia cried out hoarsely. But the boy paid no attention to her pleas, Logan still attempting to revive Victoria. "Watch out!" Yessenia warned, Aries looming over the significantly smaller boy. Yessenia watched on in terror as one of Aries' sword pierced into Logan's back, slicing him open.
Aries turned to the girl, walking towards her. "You've been very helpful, Yessenia, but I'm afraid it's your time to join your dead sisters," Aries rasped as he brought his sword up, bringing it down at into Yessenia's stomach.
The girl gasped out of instinct, but before the sword could truly plunge into her, it became intangible, as did the rest of the scene. Yessenia stood up quickly, ignoring her injuries as dropped down to look at her friends' corpses. "Fucking idiots," she hiccupped as she pushed aside Victoria's hair from her face, mourning the girl.
Victoria's lifeless eyes stared up at the girl, taunting her. Yessenia took a shaky breath in as she closed her friend's eyes, tears escaping her own. She had been weak and allowed for this to happen to her friends. It was her fault that the team had risked their lives. It was her fault that the team had died.
The group slowly moved into Yessenia's view, reminding the girl of their shared experience. She stood up quickly, rushing towards them, grateful that they were still alive. "I swear if I am ever kidnapped in real life and you come looking for me, I will send Hippolyta after you!" Yessenia threatened lamely, cramming both the reappeared McKenzie and Victoria in a bone crushing hug. When they parted, the next door appeared. Logan looked towards the group, taking a deep breath in before opening the last door.
Logan
The team found themselves cramped up into a small bedroom, surprising them for what was to come. The scene before them looked sweet, Logan reading a book to a little girl, who leaned up against him as they laid in bed, her eyes tired and drooping.
"He looks really happy," Yessenia cooed nicely, her eyes soft at the paternal side to the eldest boy. She knew that the sweet scene would soon turn nightmarish, just as all of theirs had, but it didn't stop her from trying to look for the positives.
The girl's eyes reopened harshly as a glass vase shattered outside of the room, her gaze going up to Logan. "It's okay, it's probably dad," Logan eased her, standing up and handing her the book. "Stay here until I come get you, okay?" Logan ordered in a nice tone. The girl only nodded in reply, watching as her older brother left the room. The team followed behind quickly, all stumbling out into a hallway.
The team watched Logan interact with a much larger man, guessing him to be the eldest's father. "You're drunk," Logan snapped, his arms crossed as he stared up at a burly man, who had tipped over the table near the team. "You can't keep doing this to your family. Katie's becoming scared of you and mom-" Logan was cut short as the man pushed him into the wall, not harshly but not gentle either.
"Your mother, who won't even love me anymore?" The man questioned, completing his son's sentence. Logan smelt the mix of alcohol on the man's breath as he neared closer to the boy's face, paralyzing him from moving. Logan stood against his father, the older man bringing his hand up under the boy's shirt.
Logan tried pushing him away gently, his eyes looking down in shame and embarrassment. "Not tonight, I just put Katie to sleep-" Once again he was interrupted by the grown man, who had viciously ripped off the boy's shirt and thrown it over his shoulder.
"Would you rather I be doing this to her?" The man slurred. Logan shook his head curtly, shaking underneath his father's touch. He looked limp and lifeless as the drunk man had locked lips with the boy, before pulling apart from Logan to undress him more.
Noah stood, anger coursing through his veins. Living on the street for a long time had taught the young bat what rape was, but this was on a new level of morally fucked. He closed his eyes tightly, not able to watch what was to happen next, but knowing deep down what is was.
Noah was forced to look when the drunken man punched the wall next to Logan's head loudly. "This isn't working for me anymore," the drunk slurred again, letting go of Logan who now stood in his boxers. The team stood horror struck at the sexual abuse, unable to properly react; however, they joined Logan's upset yells as the man stumbled over to his little sister's room.
"Don't you fucking dare," Logan growled, anger bubbling within him. He pushed the man against the wall, rattling it loudly. "She's just a kid!" Logan reminded, before releasing his grip slowly. The man paid no attention to his son's warning as he opened the door anyway, entering the room. It didn't take long before the man staggered, Logan standing behind him with a broken baseball bat, one piece littering onto the floor.
"I've had enough of you," the man stumbled, charging into his smaller son as they both collided into the wall. The drunk coughed roughly, looking down at his stomach in pain, which held the sharpened and splintered end of the baseball bat, impaling him. Logan looked up at his dad with wide eyes, his hands instantly letting the weapon go, although the scene had already began materializing before the group's eyes.
The group awakened with a start, each sitting up on the slabs they had laid down on hours earlier. Noah looked over at Logan, speaking softly. "Was that a memory?" A brief and subtle nod. "Did you kill him?" Another nod. Noah stood up from his slab, his hands shaking. Morally, he knew both was wrong. The no killing rule was one popularized by the bat family and installed into Noah's belief system, but the rape? That moral was instilled into Noah before them.
"I think we should take a few days off," Victoria suggested, looking around her broken team mates, who had all lived through their worst fear. She knew that nothing was more horrifying than the vulnerability that the group shared with one another today.
With quiet stares all around the group, the teens departed from the room in their own directions, probably towards their rooms. Noah looked back at the group, deciding that going to Gotham was the best place for him, away from the new team.
As always, let me know what you guys think. If anybody needs to talk about the trigger warning topics, I'll happily listen.