Disclaimer: I don't own Justice League, it belongs to DC comics, so don't try to sue me...I don't have anything you want.

Authors note:  I apologize for the lateness of this chapter...almost two months! I didn't forget, but I had writers block for a lot of the time, and what I did write sounded horrible, and I didn't want to give you anything I didn't like. I expect it to be wrapped up in the next chapter, and I'm going to add one more as an authors note and thanks, and if anyone wants to ask me any questions, I'll answer them in it too.

In this chapter, I thank Plutonianpick, who I think really wanted this chapter, and gave me the title for it, thanks! And to Matt Morwell, my beta reader and friend *hugs* who looked over it for me ^^


Recovery
Chapter eight - Reinforcements





In a world of heroes, villains, aliens and other assorted things, finding something that was completely and absolutely unbelievable was quite often hard to do.

If you could find something like that, which Flash would often say would be like seeing Batman smile...or even more extreme, laugh, would make the entire world stop.

If you'd been told that less than an hour ago, your best friend's mind had had a visitor, that the visitor had seen your best friend's memories playing themselves out, and that the visitor had been able to interact with your best friend... well, that was about as close to a 'Batman smile' moment as you could get.  If it were possible to use, one of them would have brought a Kodak camera.

Of course, such doubts were extinguished in a nanosecond when the person telling you this, actually was Batman.

Perhaps it was partly because of the fear he initiated just by his presence, or the fact that just looking at him, you knew he didn't lie, but whatever it was, it was extremely hard not to believe him.

Of course, when he then told you that in the next few minutes, you would all be inside that persons mind, trying to stop them from dying, by facing his illusions, even the most steadfast and closest person to the dark knight could not help but wonder if he had secretly been at the Bat-booze.

But this was no ordinary person.

When you were talking about a Martian, with superhuman strength, the ability to go immaterial, fly...ordinary pretty much went out the window, flinging through the sky, and halfway across Alpha Centuri.

And when this Martian also had telepathic powers...well...ordinary had found a place much much further away.

- - - - -

"I get the whole plan of entering J'onn's mind, but how are we meant to do that?" John Stewart said "None of us have any sort of telepathic power"

"If I can get in, so can you"

"Is there a big risk that we could do damage to ourselves?" Superman queried

"Only if we fail to convince J'onn he is needed, and his brain fails to function, we could be trapped inside, our physical bodies comatose"

"...just like J'onn" Diana murmured, none of them said anything, and she stretched her hand to the middle of the table "I'm in, J'onn is too much a part of the team for us to do anything but our best to save him"

"I agree" Superman nodded, placing his hand onto Diana's, with their own assent, Green Lantern and Hawkgirl soon followed. Batman didn't join in the placing of hands on each other to signify their agreement, but he felt the same as they did.

"We need to do this quickly, with every passing minute, the monitor measuring his brain activity falls lower, and it is the only think keeping him alive apart from the machines, and without that activity, he'll be nothing more than a husk"

His words were blunt, cruel even, but they only served to make the rest of them more determined. Right now, their own lives mattered little, compared to that of their friend.

The next few minutes passed in a blur, as they made their way to the medical bay. The seriousness of the situation was instant by the sight of the machines, a respirator helping J'onn to breathe, and another measuring his vital functions. Even more sobering was the sight of his original form lying there, the energy needed to maintain it no longer present.

Time was of the essence.

There was not even enough to set up anything to connect them to the real world in case of emergency. The hours, even days it could take for that to happen could mean the difference between life and death.

Crowded around the bed, with a hand on his arms, which lay outside of the covers, resting on the top, each of them closed their eyes, and concentrated. Each felt slightly silly doing it, but when a strange mist seemed to settle over their minds, and a feeling of weightlessness drifted throughout the room, as if they were floating on air, it seemed to be working.

All could feel as if their minds, their own consciousness, was detached from the rest of them, and if they opened their eyes, would imagine something out of a near death experience, as if they would be floating above their bodies, while they were in this state.

But none opened their eyes, until a flash of light, so bright, each felt as if their corneas were being burnt, forced them to squeeze them even tighter, until it started to dim.

The first to open their eyes was Diana, tentivly, slightly afraid that something had gone wrong, but was met by the sight of a metal room, not unlike the medical bay.

But it wasn't the medical bay, she knew that, but didn't recognize it in the slightest.

As the others looked around, the only ones who showed any sort of recognition were Clark and Bruce. The man of steel and the dark knight had different reactions, Superman, was confused, but Batman, whether it was because this was not the first time he had experienced it, did not seem it in the slightest.

"We're here..." Superman mused "You said we'd come to places that J'onn has memories of, right?" he directed this at Batman, who tilted his head slightly in assent.

"Yes"

"That explains why we're here then..."

"What is this place?" Flash spoke up, head whirling around as he took in all the high tech equipment "Some kind of laboratory?"

"In a way..." Superman nodded "This is where we found J'onn, after he tried contacting me..."

"Guys!" Hawkgirl shouted "Over here" she had wandered away from the group, and was standing at the far end of the room, a door open slightly, so that she could peer around it. Whatever she had seen was obviously important.

As they came to her, she pushed the door fully open, after explaining there was nobody in the room, save one person.

"I doubt we'll be noticed anyway"

"Why?" she asked, looking at Batman

"When I was inside J'onn's mind before, I was unnoticed until I made myself known"

"As if we're invisible?"

"In a way, but we shouldn't be noticed until we make direct contact with his mind, right now, J'onn doesn't know we're here, his mental strength isn't high enough. If we make verbal contact, then anything in here will be able to see and hear us"

"And hurt us?" Diana asked, afraid of the answer.

"Yes"

"Well, now that this cheerful moment is over, can we find out what's in there" Green Lantern prompted sarcastically.

Entering the room, even Batman and Superman appeared shocked. On a metal backed board on a vertical platform, both wrists and legs shackled with what appeared to be the same material, was J'onn. Here, he was in his original form, and his eyes were tightly shut, and tears trickled from them. His mouth drawn in a fine line, and on his body were veins which were swollen.

"What are they doing to him!" Diana uttered disgusted, with wide eyes "He looks in so much pain"

"I don't know..." Superman murmured "This is obviously before we got here..."

The door opened again, and each of them ducked to the side of the wall. But as Batman had said, the figure walked past without so much as a word or glance in their direction, making his way up to the writhing Martian. When he had entered, the figure had been human, but in this place with no windows and little light, his form shifted until the league found themselves looking on the form of an invader.

"We cannot just let him go through this!" Hawkgirl hissed, raising her mace, but Green Lantern held her back

"No...We have to see what happens"

"Fine" she muttered, but made no further move, arms crossed, one gripping the mace tightly.

The invader opened his mouth, but spoke english as he threatened J'onn.

"You shall tell us who you were trying to contact"

J'onn's eyes flashed open; the pain he was going through could be seen plainly.

"Never!" he hissed

"We know you are attempting to contact one of the inhabitants of this backwater planet Martian" The Invader growled, reaching for a dial, which he turned, and J'onn screamed in pain each time, but said nothing.

"Your mind is a lot stronger than we anticipated" the Invader mused "But this should break it enough so that we shall know who you were trying to find" his voice had a sadistic tone when he reached for a vial, and inserted it into something that resembled a needle for an injection. Then he positioned it right over one of the swollen veins and pressed the tip of the needle deep into the skin.

The dark purple chemical spread through his body quickly, the veins which could be seen plainly were soon the same colour as the vile mixture.

The actual process caused J'onn to do nothing more than grit his teeth and struggle vainly, but as soon as the chemical was gone, his eyes bulged and he inhaled and began to choke. His entire body writhed in pain, but he could not cry out as his airways were restricted. The invader merely chucked as this happened, then grabbed J'onn's arm and began to squeeze it.

"TELL ME!"

"N...n...ne...NEVER!" J'onn managed to cry, but even the league could see from where they were stood, that this was a battle J'onn was losing. His eyes dimmed, and just seconds after that outburst, he let out a strangled cry and his head limply hung. The Invader laughed again, and placed his hands on both side of J'onn's head, closing his eyes.

"You were wrong to oppose us, your abilities would have been such an asset to our cause"

He let go of his head a second later, and morphed back into his human form, eyes narrowed and a smirk spreading across his features, which made all of the league clench their fists and grit their teeth.

"Thank you so much for the information, I shall now be able to catch this...Superman...and the others, off guard" he snapped his fingers and another Invader came into the room, the first motioned towards J'onn, who had now regained consciousness halfway, and glared through half closed eyes. "See that he is kept secure, with enough time, we may be able to make him useful!"

This was enough for Hawkgirl, who let out a battle cry and jumped from where she had stood.

J'onn looked at her, and the instant he did, both the Invaders noticed as well. But it was too late when they did, as the electrified mace swung through the air, smashing through their bodies and separating them in two. Superman, knowing their weakness, flew to the ceiling and tore a hole in the roof, allowing a large beam of light to shine through onto the dismembered bodies, which began to melt and let off a foul smelling steam as they were destroyed.

Diana had headed straight for J'onn, and along with Flash, was ripping off the restraints, letting him fall into their arms.

He glared up at them through bleary eyes.

"How are you here..." he muttered "I failed...they are to destroy you..."

"J'onn...this isn't real!" Diana uttered "It's an illusion"

"No...real...very real...this pain..."

"J'onn" Batman said in a low voice "The pain seems real because your telepathy is intensifying it, but Diana is right, it is just an illusion"

"If it were real" Superman said as he stood next to J'onn, still supported by Diana and Flash "You would only recognize me...you didn't meet the rest of us until after myself and Batman rescued you from the invaders, remember?"

J'onn shut his eyes, they were squeezed shut as a wave of pain went through him "Y...yes..." he murmured "I...I remember..."

"Good!" Green Lantern nodded

"They...they used that potion on me...but I resisted it...they did not find out who I was trying to contact...then you came...and we fought the invaders outside...I remember collapsing...the potion was still lingering slightly..."

"See J'onn...you're not a failure!" Superman smiled "You just let yourself think that"

A smile crossed the Martians features "I...did not fail you?"

"Never" Diana smiled "You saved us many times, you just let yourself think that you had failed"

"Y..Yes" he smiled again "And if this is an illusion...I cannot be injured..." he stated, and let go of the support from Diana and Flash, standing upright, eyes flashing. But he faltered a second later, and they supported him again.

"Your body and mind are still damaged J'onn" Batman said "There's still a chance that..."

"...I could die" the Martian nodded "I know, I have allowed myself to fall too deeply, but I shall try with every fiber of my being to..." he was cut off as a fresh wave of pain soared throughout his body.

"Q..quickly!" he managed to choke out "It is too dangerous for you to remain any longer!"

"J'onn!" Diana shouted "Don't give up!"

"I am not...the energy!" he yelled.

But as they all looked on at his struggling form, the scene in front of them began to waver and disorientation washed over them all. And in a flicker of a second, they found themselves looking not at the laboratory, but at the equipment of the watchtowers medical bay. Batman immediately went to the monitors and his fingers flew across the keys and his eyes on the screen.

Diana glanced as J'onn, who seemed the same as before, then walked up to Batman, standing behind him.

"Did it work...?"

"Before we went in, with every hour, his brain activity would fall. At our time of entry, it was at forty nine percent"

"And now?"

"It's forty nine percent"

"Is that good?"

Batman nodded "If there had been a decrease, I would be worried, but even though it is still at the same as when we entered, it is a good sign. With the strain our presence would have put on him, coupled with the stress of the illusion, it would have been more likely for it to fall"

"But he could still..."

"Yes..." Batman said somberly "There is still a chance that with the brain activity so low, his body will not be able to recover"

Diana placed a hand on her forehead and sighed.

"We'll have to wait; only time will tell"