Chapter 26

A/N: hey everyone! I'm back again! So, I know the update schedule's been wild for all my stories and I'm sorry about that. It's just difficult to allocate time between all of them and my studies. For the most part, I get most of my writing done when I have the free time and motivation. Anyways, thanks for the reviews, and I hope y'all enjoy the next chapter, I know it's not my best, but I figured I should at least give y'all something.

/comms/

Telepathy

Gotham, October 23, 12:00EDT

Mike looked like shit.

Sitting down across from him, Artemis watched as the older boy seemed to half-heartedly pick at his food. Something must've happened last night, because when she saw him yesterday he'd been fine. It was possible that he'd been called to patrol with Canary and just got back at the crack of dawn. Lord knew she'd had that happen before when she'd been called by GA once or twice.

Then again, from what she remembered on missions, Mike seemed to tolerate sleep deprivation better than most of the team—well, except Robin, but that kid was just built different, so he didn't count. And, she hadn't heard anything when she'd been patrolling with GA about Mike and Canary being involved in any insanely long stakeouts recently. And even then, they worked pretty quickly. Though, it wasn't like she could ask him right now. Not with so many civilians present.

"Nope," Bette said, snatching Mike's drink away from him. "You've already had several energy drinks today and a coffee. You got out of the hospital in August, you need to wait at least a year before putting yourself back in it."

"A little more caffeine won't kill me."

"Caffeine is a drug! You could overdose!"

Mike gave the blonde a deadpan look, "On caffeine?"

Artemis's brows furrowed as she watched the argument. Normally she'd be more than content to watch her two school friends bicker about stupid shit, but her attention was more focused on something else. Mostly on the fact that that had been the second time that Bette had mentioned that Mike had been in the hospital. And, given by how much the blonde was fussing about it, she would bet that it had been for something pretty bad. Which didn't make sense, considering his powers let him heal a broken leg in the span of two hours at most. Unless…

Unless Mike got his powers recently.

He did start about the same time she did. And the timeline seemed to match. After all, Baywatch mentioned that he got his powers suddenly after he basically blew himself up. Maybe Mike had been in a similar accident? That would explain why he didn't want to talk about how he joined the Team.

But, it wasn't like she could ask him. First off, they were in public. So she couldn't really ask about his powers right now. Secondly, and more importantly, Artemis knew Mike would not be happy to answer her questions. The dude was practically as secretive as she was about her home life. Hell, the only time she'd heard him mention his family had been when they'd gone camping. Otherwise, for all she knew, he could've been from the moon.

Maybe she just needed to ask Bette? She seemed to know more about what was going on in her friend's life than anyone else in their group of mutual friends did—except Robin, because once again, the kid was just weird.

Though it wasn't like Rob would tell her either. The Boy Wonder seemed to suddenly like sticking to the older boy like glue when they'd hung out with the rest of the Team.

She still wasn't sure if she'd hallucinated the sight of her more serious teammate letting their youngest comrade hang off his back like a koala last time they'd been at the Cave.

So, if anyone was going to tell her about what was going on, it was most likely going to be Bette. The girl seemed to know everything going on with everyone. How? Artemis wasn't totally sure. It probably had something to do with the other blonde being insanely popular. Either way, she seemed to have access to all the best gossip.

However, that would have to wait for when she managed to get the other girl alone. This wasn't a conversation she wanted people to overhear. She didn't want any rumors spreading.

And she also did not want to end up on Mike's bad side.

Artemis hasn't seen him fully lose his temper yet. Sure, he's been pissed a few times, but he hasn't been in blind rage like a few others on her team had been before. And, something told her it would not be pretty when he did snap.

Though…she could ask her mentor.

Green Arrow was Canary's…boyfriend? Fiancé? Partner? Whatever they were, they spent an awful lot of time together. So, he probably would've heard something about Canary's new protégé. And, since her mentor was a chatterbox, and could talk about anything and everything under the sun, he probably wouldn't think twice about her inquiring about her teammate's backstory.

Of course, with that route she'd be risking word getting back to Batman, or worse, Canary and Mike. None of which would appreciate her prying into people's personal business given her own present situation. Especially since her teammate had been courteous enough to not pry into her business nor rat her out. And that was even despite having valid reasons to do so during the whole mole debacle.

"Seriously Bette, give me back my soda."

"No."

Mike slammed his hands on the table, snapping Artemis out of her thoughts as she watched the older boy push himself out of his seat. "Fine, I'll go buy another one." Without waiting for Bette's inevitable argument, the brunette stormed off towards the nearest vending machine.

Leaving Artemis alone with Bette.

The other blonde leaned back in her seat, rubbing her temples as if she had a headache coming on. "Honestly, he's gonna give himself a heart attack one of these days."

Artemis doubted Mike's powers would let that happen, but she didn't voice that opinion. "So…uh…what was that about?"

Bette seemed to remember she was there, looking to her with surprise, "Oh, that? It was nothing."

"Sure didn't sound like nothing. You're fussing over him like his mother or something. And, that's the second time today I've heard you mention the hospital," she pointed out. "So what's going on? Is Mike sick or something?"

"What? No," Bette shook her head before pausing, giving her a look, before she glanced around the cafeteria, "It's just…you didn't hear about the incident that happened over the summer?"

The archer felt her stomach drop. That didn't sound ominous all. "What incident?"

"Well, over the summer, Mike was in the hospital," Bette spoke quietly. "Apparently he was in a coma for like a month or something."

"What?!" Artemis grimaced at her own exclamation, glancing around the room to see if she'd drawn any untoward attention. That was news to her. Frankly, the idea of Mike being injured enough to be in the hospital was more than a little jarring. It probably was due to the fact that he had the most insane healing factor on the Team and since she'd known him she'd seen him walk off normally crippling injuries. But still…it was not a pleasant mental image. "What…what happened?"

Bette paused, glancing in the direction Mike vanished in. "Well…the thing is no one's really sure. I mean, my uncle was with him the whole time, but he didn't really talk about the case when he stopped by the shower and eat. I do know the cops are investigating though."

And Batman too probably, Artemis would bet.

"There is one rumor I've heard, but," Bette pointed the tip of her plastic knife towards her warningly, "for the record, you didn't hear it from me."

"Didn't hear what?" Mike spoke, almost making Artemis leap out of her chair as the boy returned. He looked more awake now that he was sipping on a new caffeinated beverage. Not getting a reply, Mike raised a brow, giving the other girl a pointed look as he took a slow sip of his drink, "Bette, are you gossiping again?"

The pale blonde smiled playfully, leaning back in her seat, "Not over anything serious."

Mike rolled his eyes as he sat back down. "Just because it doesn't seem serious doesn't mean it can't become serious."

Bette waved him off, "I know. But still, it was just girl-talk with Artemis." The other girl gave her a wink, probably in an attempt to signal that she'd tell her more later.

"What if someone overheard?"

"Then they shouldn't be eavesdropping. Besides, is it really a rumor if it's true?"

"Some people claim to have facts to support their baseless claims," Mike retorted, "Just because they say there's facts doesn't mean there is. So yes, depending on the information, I'd say it is a rumor, especially if the alleged facts are baseless."

As usual, Artemis ignored the debate her two friends started. No, she was more focused on the new revelations made to her. Her gaze trailed to Mike, flickering over the pale pink marks peeking out from under his uniform. Scars were normal among heroes, and Artemis knew that each of her teammates had their fair share. However, she couldn't help but notice that Mike seemed to have more than the rest of them.

They were hard to see, but they were there.

Initially she attributed it to the fact that Remnant almost always managed to get himself injured on a mission, but now…now she couldn't help but wonder if he got those scars some other way.

Her gaze flickered to the pale lines circling his throat. The scars on his neck looked like they came from something sharp, but they were just thick enough to be questionable. They almost looked like they were formed by a garrote, or maybe the sharp edge of a blade being drawn over skin. It also didn't escape her notice that he had similar looking scars on his arms too, almost like something had been wrapped around them.

Of course, it wasn't like their origin mattered. Either way, if there was one thing Artemis had learned from her father, it was that scars like that were not the result of an accident.

No, those kinds of scars came from intent.

Artemis set her fork down, stomach dropping as if filled with a sick dread.

There was a reason Mike didn't want to talk about why he joined the team. A reason explaining why her teammate seemed to almost be immune to pain. Explaining the numerous scars she's seen covering his arms and throat. Michael hadn't gotten his powers in some freak accident. No. He'd gotten his powers because someone had done that to him.

Someone had tried to kill Mike.

-.-

Mt. Justice, 16:43EDT

The room was quiet save for the sound of running water as the door clicked shut behind him. Looking up, Mike's gaze met the concerned but welcoming gaze of his mentor looking back at him.

She looked tired. Moreso than usual.

"You ok?" he asked, the question slipping out before he had the chance to consider his words.

Across from him, the woman gave him a soft smile. "I should be asking you that," Canary said, leaning forwards to rest her elbows on her knees. "Your uncle told me about what happened," she reached out putting a hand on his knee, "I can't imagine what you're feeling right now."

Silence once again fell over the room as Canary waited for his response; only broken by the soft sound of running water as Mike sat in a chair, refusing to meet his mentor's eyes. He loved working with Canary, he really did, it was the most fun he'd had in years. But, if there was one downside about working with her, it was their almost mandatory therapy sessions.

It was just…he never really knew how to convey his problems. Not without making himself appear as pathetic and weak as he actually was.

It certainly didn't help that Mike had never been one to talk about his feelings—not that he could remember anyways. Perhaps there had once been such a time in his life, but if there had been, it was long gone by now.

His father had made sure of that.

"That good, huh?" Canary spoke again. The question seemed to be making a lighthearted attempt at a joke, but her tone held a edge of sad understanding. "I'm not surprised. You must feel violated; knowing you were being watched from the safety of your own home."

Mike merely gave her a small shrug. "It wouldn't be the first time," he murmured back, pulling a knee up to his chest. After all, he had been the one to discover the cameras in his old home. He'd dealt with it then, he could deal with it now.

"That doesn't make it right," she replied. "If anything, that makes this worse. You were supposed to be safe."

"It's not your fault."

"Yes, it is," Canary argued, "Michael, it was our job to keep you safe. And we failed that. This never should have happened."

Mike gave a noncommittal hum, crossing his arms as he leaned back in his seat. It wasn't like he blamed the heroes for the mishap. Frankly, if anyone was to blame it was him for not making the correlation sooner. He had been the one to find cameras. He should've known that his father would've naturally done something like this; after all, it hadn't stopped the man from hiding literal books of murder in their toys. Hiding cameras like that would've been child's play in comparison.

Instead, he'd once again been too stupid to recognize the obvious signs sitting right in front of him. Nope. Instead, all he had done was let his father get even further ahead of them because his failure had allowed the bastard to see every step of the case he had. Because of him, the investigation was now further behind than ever because now everyone was fussing over him instead of hunting down his sperm donor.

No wonder Batman left him out again. He was clearly too much of a liability to deal with.

"Michael," Canary spoke up, her voice uncharacteristically gentle as she sat down next to him, "Hey, I know what's going on in that head of yours." Reaching up, she gently set a hand on his shoulder. "None of this is your fault. I know it doesn't feel that way. I know you blame yourself for not seeing this sooner, and maybe even for…other things that were out of your control. And, I know you may not feel like it, but you are just as much of a victim of your father as the others were."

Mike scoffed in disbelief, "Yeah right."

Resting his cheek against his knuckles, the teen looked away, making a point to ignore the no doubt despondent look on Canary's face. He never liked seeing her disappointment after he made comments like that. But it wasn't like he was wrong. He wasn't like the other victims. He survived. They didn't. He had already had blood on his hands. They had been innocent. They shouldn't have been grouped with someone like him.

The hand on his shoulder gave a firm yet gentle squeeze. "Mike," she spoke, "you're been abused, tortured, experimented on, and almost killed. You are a victim of your father. And, what happened to all the others was not your fault. There was nothing you could have done."

Personally, Mike disagreed.

As if she knew what he'd been thinking, he felt his mentor's hand squeeze his shoulder again. "Michael, listen to me," Canary said, giving him a pointed but sympathetic look, "I know you don't feel like it, you probably haven't felt like it in a long time, but you are a child. No one blames you for what your father's done. And it was not your job to stop him. The blame lies with us. It's our job to protect you, to let you be a kid again. This never should have happened. You should have been safe, and you weren't. We failed to keep you safe. And for that, we are so sorry."

Mike leaned forwards, resting his elbows on his knees as he looked down at the floor. Some part of him was agreeing with her. He had been how old when his father had fucked off? Twelve? Thirteen? What could he have done? Especially against the man that had terrified him?

But still, another part of him still blamed himself. Mike had been the one literally living with the madman. If anyone should've noticed what William had been up to, it should've been him.

"I don't blame you," he finally spoke. "I should've seen this coming. Fath—William never liked it when I stepped out of line."

"So you think he's sending a message?"

Mike nodded.

"And what do you think he's saying?"

Looking up, the teen met his mentor's gaze. "It's his way of saying that I'm never going to be able to escape him. That I'll always belong to him."

Beside him, the heroine stiffened, "So you think this is a threat?"

Mike shrugged, looking away again. "I wouldn't put it past him."

"He's not going to hurt you," Canary reassured, rubbing his back. "We won't let him."

The teen felt a small smile tug his lips. "You might need to worry more about me hurting him now. I'm not as easy to push around as I used to be."

"True, you do have an excellent teacher," the woman sat back, tapping her cheek contemplatively, "Eh, I'm sure the prison won't care if he arrives in a body cast."

That got him to laugh. "Thanks," taking a deep breath, Mike leaned back in his chair, looking up at the ceiling, "I needed that…today's been…a little nerve wracking."

"I can imagine," his mentor replied, her tone turning soft at his now somber tone. "Still, you want to know what I see?"

Mike raised a brow, "And what might that be?"

"You scare him," she answered.

"Great, I scare a serial killer. How exactly does that make me feel better?"

"Because almost single-handedly you exposed his crimes to not just the police and FBI, but to the Justice League," Canary said, sounding proud, "You're the only witness to his crimes. The only surviving victim. You have the power to put him in prison not only for the rest of his life, but give the families of his victims' closure. That's why he'd scared of you. It's because he can't control you anymore, and he knows it."