Afterlight

Chapter Fifteen

"Be careful in the company of monsters that you don't become one."

― Cindy Gerard, Take No Prisoners

May 5, 2016

The blast hit me in the shoulder, slamming me into the wall. I growled at the pain from my burned shoulder and spun into a crouch, extending a palm towards the automatic gun on the other wall. Light shot from my palm, obliterating it into small shards of metal.

I rolled under the next beam, directly into the path of another gun. I saw the blast coming towards me, and focused on my newest power, absorbing the beam into my body. Unfortunately, that also caused my powers to flare out over the entire room, shorting out the lights and machinery.

"Reboot the entire system!" Scientist stepped into the room and glared at me, "You lost control, again! You are not focusing!"

I spluttered, "Yes, I am! It's a little hard to control a completely new power that I shouldn't even have!"

"You have it now! Be grateful," Scientist snapped, "You have been given an opportunity few earn."

"I didn't want this," I hissed, my hands balled into fists at my side. I felt my powers stirring inside of me, aching to reach out. I shoved them back with a hard thought. I couldn't lose control here.

"But those who control you did. Unless you wish for them to be contacted, you will focus," Scientist growled, "Begin the simulation again!"

I dove to the side as several guns whirred to life, beams shooting at me. I ran through the simulation, flowing through the hits and destroying each gun with a hard thought and a burst of light. Once I felt comfortable, I began to focus on absorbing energy from the blasts until I could destroy the guns with hard kicks or punches from body parts cloaked in light.

Finally, the blasts stopped. I whirled around, searching for the next weapon, only to find that all of them were destroyed. I leaned against a wall and sighed in relief as Scientist walked in. Her eyes sparkled with excitement, "Again."

I pushed myself off the wall and began to run through the course again. Spinning and slashing, and, above all else, not losing control over this new power.

"Your simulation scores have improved. I believe that we can proceed onto the next phase," Scientist looked at her tablet while waiting for my response.

"Which is what?" There was no way that they would be putting me through another experiment.

"A living subject," Scientist pressed a button on her tablet, "Bring the human in."

"Human, what?" Panic surged through me. I would kill them, I knew it. I didn't want to kill an innocent person.

Everyone I had killed before had been guilty of something, but the person that I was going to touch was probably guilty of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. A teenager who had been caught by soldiers following orders. I couldn't take killing a teenager, not anymore.

Scientist stepped into the viewing area as a teenage girl was pushed into view. Her head had been shaved, and I could see the electrical marks from the electrodes that had been attached to her. She was frighteningly pale and painfully thin. Her eyes stretched wide in alarm when she saw me.

"Who- who are you? I don't know where I am. They just took me when I was trying to board a train to Michigan," She said hoarsely, "They've been doing experiments. Did they do them on you?"

"My name is Oblivion. What's yours?" I tried not to cry. This girl didn't deserve this.

"I don't-Georgia," She said in relief, "My name is Georgia."

"Hi, Georgia. They've done some experiments on me too. We're doing one now," I admitted to the poor girl, "They want us to touch hands."

"No, I don't want to do any more experiments," She backed away, crying silently. I shook my head and smiled grimly.

"We have to, or they'll hurt us even more than they already have. I know you're scared, trust me, I get it. Just, please, do what they say," I begged her, "It won't hurt."

"I'm scared," She whispered. I nodded, my heart shattering.

"Yeah, so am I. It will get better, I promise. You just need to touch my hand," I stretched a hand out, "Trust me."

"Okay," She cautiously held her hand out, trembling with fear.

I grabbed her hand, struggling to contain the beast within me. This new power wanted everything. I could feel her life and her exhaustion pulsing through her. The thing at the back of my mind tugged me towards her, and I pushed it back. Suddenly, it settled within me. I sighed in relief and couldn't stop myself from relaxing.

And just like that, it snapped back to life and burst through my barriers. Georgia exhaled softly as I drained the life out of her, her eyes closing like she was going to sleep. I screamed and let go, trying to break the connection.

"No," I sobbed, "No, I had it. I had it!"

"Oblivion, calm down. It would have been killed anyways. The subject did not possess a meta-gene," Scientist said through the speakers.

"She was a girl! A scared girl, and I killed her!" I wailed, the lights flickering dangerously. I was a monster! Georgia shouldn't have died.

I whipped around to look at Scientist, "Why did you make me do it? You knew I couldn't control myself. You knew!"

"Oblivion, I will put you into a pod. I need you to breathe," Scientist hissed as the lights in the room died.

This was my breaking point. After all of the lives I had taken under the League of Assassins and every order I had carried out, one innocent life had broken me. I couldn't do this anymore. I couldn't act like I didn't care about them.

God, I hated the Reach. I hated them and the League of Assassins. They had made me do this, they were the ones who had me into a monster that they couldn't control. I wanted them to pay, I wanted to hear their screams as they died by the hands of the monster they had created.

I could feel every piece of machinery on this ship. Life pulsed within it, both organic and inorganic. My mind reached out to the organic life, the Reach, and grabbed it. Several people collapsed instantly, starting panic on each level. I could feel their screams shaking the Reach ship.

I didn't care. They needed to die.

I inhaled, ten Reach dying with my breath. I exhaled, and half of the machines on this ship shorted out. They would die, all of them, and I would make sure that they did. They had created me, the monster who could not distinguish between good and bad. It didn't matter, no one on this ship was good. Not even me.

On my next inhale, I tasted something bitter in the air. My mind faltered suddenly, and I struggled to keep my hold on the ship. I blinked, and five Reach died. I felt stronger, but my hold on them was weak, so very weak. I couldn't keep my grip on them as I sagged to the floor.

"You are going in a pod," Scientist spat as two lab assistants grabbed me and began to snap restraints, "You have made a mess. Countless Reach have died because of you."

"No, because of you and me," I slurred, "The monsters."

May 20, 2016

Something pulled me out of the darkness. I choked on the air, and looked up to see Talia al Ghul standing in front of me with a syringe. She cast me a shrewd look and stepped back, setting the needle on a tray. My mentor pressed another button that unlocked the restraints on my wrists. She stepped to the side as I fell out of my pod.

"Pathetic," She sneered, "Get up."

"Y-yes, Mentor," I scrambled to my feet, swaying with a nonexistent wind. I looked around and realized that I was in a League of Assassins base.

"What do you remember from the past month?" Talia asked me sharply. I attempted to collect my thoughts.

I couldn't remember anything, "Everything is fuzzy. There was a…girl. I touched her hand and she died. Then I was put into a pod and they pulled me out every once in a while to train me. Everything is really fuzzy."

"They dosed you with a sedative every time you came out of the pod. You were a sleep walking time bomb for three weeks while they trained you," Talia al Ghul said disapprovingly.

"I'm okay now?" I asked hesitantly. I refused to let myself hope that I was.

"No," Talia said bluntly, "Contact with humans is very difficult for you. You still need to master it, but that can be fixed through meditation and control. For now, you will wear gloves to prevent skin-to-skin contact until you can control yourself."

"Oh," I finally said, "I understand."

"Come," Talia al Ghul ordered, "Medical needs to examine you."

We walked in silence. I struggled to feel anything, but nothing was there. It was like I was dead inside. Whatever chemicals the Reach had pumped into me were very effective. It was slightly disarming, being unable to feel anything.

"The Demon's Heir," The nurse pressed her fist to her heart and bowed to Talia. Talia nodded back, allowing the nurse to turn to me, "Oblivion, take a seat. I have a few tests that I need to run on you."

"Which ones?" I asked as Talia left. The nurse hummed quietly as she sterilized several instruments.

"Oh, a few x-rays, some scans of your brain activity, an EKG and an echocardiogram to make sure your heart is okay, and a few others. The usual," Stitch pulled on a pair of gloves, "We'll start with a blood sample."

May 21, 2016

I breathed deeply, the silence of the throne room pounding my ears in relentless waves. People lined the walls around me, but only one person was standing. Even Talia al Gul knelt before her father, the Demon. I was behind her, waiting for the ceremony to proceed.

"Apprentice to Talia al Ghul," Ra's al Ghul boomed, "For the past two and a half years, you have been nameless as you were molded to the shape required of you. Today, that changes. You are here to don a new name, and a new life."

"I and your mentor, Talia al Ghul, have observed you and searched for your name. We have looked into your actions and into your beliefs in order to find your soul," Ra's al Ghul continued his speech, "Your name is the representation of who and what you are."

He looked at me, "You have shown a willingness to follow orders that outstrips that of most apprentices. You would follow your orders into death, oblivion, if you will."

I gasped, "Your name is Oblivion, apprentice."

"Speak it, feel the way it rolls on your tongue. You are new, and you are infinite in the darkness," Ra's al Ghul said somberly, "Rise, Oblivion, for you are one step closer to being a true member of the League of Assassins."

"Well done, Oblivion," I beamed at the rare praise from Talia al Ghul.

A low chant began to roll around me. The apprentices and mentors began to speak as one, "Oblivion."

"Oblivion."

"Oblivion."

I opened my mouth, and the word fell off my tongue like it was meant to, "Oblivion."

For the first time in a long time, I felt like I was whole.

There was nothing beautiful about this. I stared into the burning wreckage of the village, which seemed unreal in comparison to the beautiful lake behind it. Five hours ago, Amazo and the Justice League had fought here. The robot had been put back together by an overeager scientist with access to the people needed to retrieve and rebuild the robot.

Normally, we would not have bothered to come to a ruined village, but several of the villagers here were former League of Assassin members. The scientist who had rebuilt Amazo had set it on someone in this village, and instead of the former members calling the League of Assassins, they had called the Justice League.

It was betrayal in the highest form.

I looked at the shocked survivors and then at the mission leader. She hefted her gun and calmly observed the begging people. I barely heard her soft voice, "Kill them. Kill them all."

My hands snapped out to my sides, the hilts of my swords forming in them. I calmly stepped between the piles of ash until I came to the first traitor, an older woman with heavy scarring on her face. She stared in a bitter way at me, not bothering to protect herself.

"Do it, you robot. Don't make me wait," I tightened my grip, preparing to strike.

"As you wish," I twitched my wrist, the blade carving the skin of her throat into a smile.

I turned around and walked away, looking for other survivors. Some were hard to find, but they always revealed themselves in some way. The only memorable thing about them was the fact that they didn't beg. None tried to convince us that they deserved to live, and I was thankful for that.

"They get younger every year," I had found a woman in her eighties sitting on a stool, calmly sipping her water.

"The League of Assassins reaches those who are worthy, the age does not matter," I responded automatically as I stepped over a large wooden beam.

"And they sound the same too. Well, I won't beg for my life. That's something that's stuck with me even after I escaped your masters," The woman sighed, "I do ask you to think about one thing."

"Why are you doing this? What have we done wrong?" I stirred restlessly, "We served them, and they stowed us away in a place where we couldn't be heard. The same will happen to you one day."

"Lies," I hissed, "They will not."

"They will," She said tiredly, "But not until they make you into a wild animal. A beast, if you will. A mo-"

She jerked as the blade pierced her heart.

I jerked upright in my bed, my breath catching in my throat as my body was encased in armor made of light. I destroyed it with a blink of my eyes and threw the bed sheets back, standing up and pulling on my uniform. I frowned as I noticed the new gloves that had been slipped into my costume. They had a Reach style to them, and I had no desire to possess anything from the Reach. Grumbling, I pulled them on anyways.

Once I had eaten, I was called to a private training room. Talia was inside, and she appraised me with cold eyes as I stepped inside. I seated myself on the floor and mirrored her meditative pose. She nodded and closed her eyes, and I followed her lead.

A few minutes in, she began to speak, "The Reach informed me of their methods of…training. Barbaric methods, they were. The idea that a stressful situation is the ideal place to learn control is ridiculous. You do not need physical help, but mental help."

"When you attempt to control this power, you look outwards, but you must look inwards," Her voice was soothing, a rarity, "Listen closely."

May 27, 2016

The Manta-Flyer docked itself to the Manta-Sub around midnight. I uncurled myself from my tense position in the small cabin that I had been given for the trip back to the Manta-Sub. For reasons unknown, the Light had still wanted me on the sub, possibly to monitor Black Manta for suspicious activity.

I hadn't agreed with the decision. My time with my mentor had helped my control over this new power, but I was still scared of losing control and killing someone. What had happened on the Reach ship had been horrifying and I couldn't forgive myself for it.

I twisted the airlock open and climbed into the Manta-Sub, coming face to face with Black Manta. He unlatched his helmet so that I could see his face, and held out a hand for a handshake. Despite the risk for appearing rude, I bluntly ignored it. Even with my gloves on, I didn't trust myself.

"Oblivion, how was the Reach?" Black Manta asked, annoyance creeping into his voice.

"Enlightening," I replied, resisting the urge to continue with a sarcastic comment, "How is Manta?"

"His progress is slow. I fear that the Martian witch is taking her time so that her team can find her," Black Manta growled.

"It wouldn't be surprising," I mused, "Do you mind if I see Manta? I would like to see his progress for myself."

"Go ahead. Tigress is monitoring the Martian. They are in his room," Black Manta nodded toward the door.

I made my way through the halls, twisting around troopers until I found his room. The trooper stationed at the door stepped aside. I disengaged the automatic lock and pushed the door open, stepped inside, and closed the door behind me. Tigress gasped when she saw me and Miss Martian's eyes widened.

"Oblivion, you're back," Tigress needlessly stated.

I nodded and stepped over to Kaldur, "From my visit with Reach, yes. The Light has asked me to remain stationed here until the Reach partnership has fully played out. How is Manta, Miss Martian?"

"He has improved, but it's slow. His mind was severely damaged from my attack. Basically, I'm rebuilding his mind from scratch. We still have another week before I can be sure that he'll fully recover," Miss Martian sighed.

"I see," I looked over Kaldur, noting the spark in his eyes. They weren't- Yep, they were. I exhaled, long and slow, "Carry on with your healing. I'd like to observe."

I felt the connection form in my mind, a tentative hold on the jagged edges. The connection no longer hurt, or maybe I was too far gone to feel pain. I stepped back until I leaned against the wall, and tipped my head back against it.

"Kyara?" Miss Martian asked softly.

"Yes?" I closed my eyes for a moment, thankful that my mask hid the tears forming, "What is it?"

"What did they do to you?" Artemis asked for her, "You look like death, and it's not just the mask."

"They did what they always do to her," I swiveled my head to look at Kaldur, "They prevented her from fighting back."

"Kaldur!" Artemis said, astonished.

"No, he's right," I paused and inclined my head towards him slightly, "I'm happy to see that you've recovered, even if you have to hide yourself."

"You aren't surprised?" Miss Martian didn't look at us.

"No, I suspected that he was healed and that he was buying time," I admitted to them, "I just didn't realize how deep you guys were into the cover."

"Back to the original question. What did they do to you?" Artemis snarled. I smiled slightly, it was nice to hear that someone cared about me.

"I was given to the Reach for experimentation," I kept myself calm and collected, "They did something to my meta-gene. I still have my ability to manipulate light, but I don't just project light- energy, I mean…I- I absorb it."

"When you say energy…you mean light, right? You absorb light," Miss Martian tried to keep herself from looking at me.

"I absorb light, yes," I didn't want to say it. I didn't want to speak about what I had done, even if I now had better control over my powers.

"But that is not the only thing you absorb. When you say energy, it can be anything. Anyone," Sometimes I hated how quick Kaldur was to catch on.

"Yes, anything…anyone. Even a-" I cut myself as tears threatened to fall. Clenching my hands into fists, I pulled myself back from the edge of my control.

When I had still been with the Team, I had always been on the edge. Of what, I didn't know, but I had been constantly crumbling into smaller bits under the stress, the guilt, the flashbacks, and the nightmares. I could have gone to someone, but I had been so desperate to make everyone believe that I was fine even when I was falling apart that I hadn't.

Looking back, I could see that I had been protecting myself until the very end, where I had refused to let everyone I had grown to care about die. I could see now how stupid I had been to give up after fighting all those months to stay afloat, but I had been determined to keep everyone from dying, and had felt so alone despite everyone trying to get close enough to help.

Now, about four years later, I had lost everything I had once tried to protect. Every method the League of Assassins had taught me for coping with everything eating at me was failing, and my family was once again in danger of being destroyed. I was exhausted of playing a game that had no end, and it showed in the ruins of my powers and the scars on my mind.

What I had done a few weeks ago, killing an innocent child, had broken me more than anything I had experienced in a long time. Even though the Reach had given me these powers, I had been the one to wield them, and that knowledge hurt more than anything.

I was so tired, so very tired. My powers were ruined, and everyone I loved was in danger. I was so close to shattering that I could barely hide it. I was so afraid of hurting someone that I refused to touch them, even with the control that I had gained in the past few days.

"Even what?" Miss Martian asked quietly, jerking me out of my self-pity.

"Nothing," I whispered, "It doesn't matter."

"Oh, Kyara," Kaldur said sadly. He knew what I had been about to say.

"So what's our plan?" I snapped in an attempt to change the topic. They reluctantly dropped the subject.

"We need to-" Kaldur began to say.

The mind link cut off abruptly as the door unlocked and was pushed open violently. Black Manta stormed inside, every line of his body radiating murder, "My patience has run out, Martian. Finish curing my son within the next twenty-four hours, or die."

Miss Martian looked at me and replied with dry humor as he left, "Guess that answers your question."