Disclaimer:
We do not own Young Justice and Avengers nor its characters.
Without further ado, we present...
Lethe
Chapter One
Star City
July 11, 6:05pm
A cool breeze passed through Star City, replacing the hot shrill whistling of summer. One optimistic person could count this small blessing as fate shined down on them in the fraction of a moment. But it was nothing to Wotan.
This light rustle was not the only thing that would stir the city today. Wotan stood tall. After he was done with it, the whole world would shake under his might and power even the great Justice League would cower beneath him.
It was just a matter of time.
From a rooftop of one of the many buildings that littered the city, he watched as the sun slowly descended into position. For the ritual to work, he had to wait until the afternoon sun was inches away into setting.
Now, he thought as he wielded an object from the air to appear.
An ancient egyptian red crown materialised. It glowed scarlet. It increasingly got brighter underneath the rays of the sun. The red crown hummed with power.
Wotan stood in the middle of the circle of candles. His arms spread wide as if to embrace the sun. He stood at the point of the intersecting lines. His voice loud and clear as he began to chant.
Neith, the great and unique goddess who came to be in the beginning and because of whom everything came to be. I call onto you, Opener of the Ways and Keeper of Zau!
The candles around the sorcerer flickered violently. The wind picked up harshly, rushing through the city like rapids. The setting sky froze as a vortex began to swirl in the middle of the darkened sky. The darkness ominously loomed over the city and slowly got bigger and bigger. The people's screams and cries in horror only mixed into his chant.
At this Convergence, may you weave this world's thread to one that I desperately seek. At your loom, may you entwine to this world— a weapon that will quiet my foes. From the gift of the hand of the destroyer of foes, I call on its ramifications that I may hold! Weaver of existence!
"Wotan!" He heard his enemies call over the roaring winds of the vortex. The Justice League came flocking. He cursed. They had arrived earlier than he expected, but the weapon will be delivered right into their hands. A body tackled him to the floor, causing him to stop the almost finished chant.
"What have you done?" Batman grumbled, gripping the fabric of Wotan's suit.
A wicked smile played upon Wotan's face. Red eyes flashed dangerously. "You're too late."
"Batman!" Zatara's voice cuts the Dark Knight off before he could reply to Wotan. "There's something falling from the center of the vortex!" Batman glanced at the center of the swirling blackness. Something fell to the ground fast.
And with that, Wotan started to glow. His blue skin shifted to white. His cackles grew louder as he glowed brighter.
"Get down!" Superman yelled to everyone in the gathered Justice League. Batman jumped back from Wotan. A flash of light like a stun grenade went off. Once the Dark Knight glanced up again, Wotan was gone.
Batman glanced up to see the object hurling quickly to the ground. Shrieks erupted around the League. The passer-bys made out what was falling.
"It's a girl!" Wonder Woman yelled. Superman swiftly flew to catch the falling girl. The girl in Superman's arms laid limp. Her brown windblown hair covered her face. The Krytponian slowly descended to join Batman and the others on the rooftop and gently laid the young girl down.
Kneeling beside her, Batman pressed his glove fingers to her pulse.
"What would they want with her?" Green Arrow asked no one in particular. Judging by Batman's scowl, Green Arrow's eyebrows furrowed as his eyes grew panicked. "Is she-"
Batman shook his head. "She's alive. Just unconscious."
Though their bodies didn't sag in relief, the heroes sighed, glad that the girl was alive. In this job, they hated when people were caught in the crossfire, especially the young. But she actually wasn't that young. Their Jane Doe had some slightly matured features. She was in her early teens.
Wisps of stray hair framed her face, long brown hair alike to caramel. Her skin pale except for the dark bags under her eyes. Diana scanned her body for any injuries and discovered that the young girl had quite the lithe frame for someone her age.
"So what would they want with her?" Superman asked Batman, his crossed arms now laid to his sides.
"I don't know," Batman confessed, emotionlessly. "But we're going to find out."
New York
July 11, 5:59pm
Taps of the drum's cymbals played as the AC/DC's Back in Black began. The bass and drums vibrated through the room as Marina typed on the hologram keyboard. She twisted on her swivel chair from the keyboard to the paper cluttered table, searching for a piece of paper.
Where is it? She hummed as her foot thumped to the rhythm of the song. Going through the pile of paper, she stopped to play on her imaginary air guitar during the Back in Black guitar solo. After it ended, she blushed, thanking God (or gods) that she was alone. She continued her search until a slightly crumpled paper peeked through the pile.
Aha! She grabbed the paper. Ones and Zeros were written all over it saved from the bottom left corner. It had a pen doodle drawing of Tony giving her the stink eye. Sure, it couldn't even be compared to Steve's drawings but anyone could tell it was him, the millionaire philanthropist.
His beard and moustache had been drawn in rough sketched lines. His hair was disheveled and dark circles under his tired yet pissed eyes. She had drawn him during their experiment of their new clean energy technology, inspired by the irritated look that he had given her when she had sarcastically replied to his fumble.
With the corner of her lips turned upwards, she looked through the information written. It extended to the back of the paper. She hummed, before cracking her knuckles. She faced her computer. The encoding took less than a minute.
"Finished!" She sighed as she leaned back in her chair, stretching her arms. She let out a catlike yawn, scratching the side of her neck. She stretched languidly before she moved to the table where her once hot pizza was placed.
"Boo!"
"Shit!" She cursed as she jumped. Her cold pizza flew from her hands. She stumbled to save it before it hit the floor. She succeeded with a relieved sigh.
A bluish Tony howled in laughter as she glared daggers at the hologram. If only looks could kill… Well, she had rather exact revenge than kill so soon.
"FRIDAY just sent me the picture of your face, " He said, wiping a tear away. His hologram bent over a table. "Priceless."
She rolled her eyes, taking a bite of the cheesy goodness, "What do you want, Tony?"
"Just checkin' in. Wanna see how my little protege is doing," he cooed. He stationed his hologram to sit on top of a table.
She glared at him again. He knew that she would prefer "reserved Avenger" instead of being his "little protege"... Or his "Mini Avenger," or "Baby Avenger." She remembered the annoyance she felt when she would hear him call her that during the beginning of her stay with them. But she couldn't keep a grudge against him for long.
"I just finished," she said, her mouth full of pizza.
"How charming, my little Marina Lynn," Tony wrinkled his nose at her. "I swear, kid, if only the media sees you like this."
"You should be honored that I only do this with you," she said, giving him a lazy grin.
"Yes, very honored, Garfield," he drawled, unimpressed. His hologram waved his hand. "Anyways, I just wanna let you know that I'm arriving in a few hours. In case, you know, you forget to actually see me. I have a surprise for you."
"What is it?"
"Well, that wouldn't be a surprise if I told you, would it?" He grinned at her. From above his sunglasses, Tony's amused eyes watched her irritation.
Marina wanted to argue but she knew the reason why he's doing this is solely because she hates surprises. You would think that he got the hint from giving the huge stuffed bunny to Pepper.
No, she thought. He just loves pushing my buttons.
"Okay," she said, defeated. And yawned again due to another night of no sleep. Her being a night owl was an understatement. She argued with Natasha once, that she doesn't sleep because night is the only time her job is active.
"Maybe you should catch up on sleep now before seeing my beautiful face. Are you coming for Gene Simmons with those dark circles? You can be the long lost member of Kiss," Tony added. "I'll see you in a few."
"Bye," she yawned for the third time in the last minute. The hologram of Tony smiled at her one last time before it disappeared.
Marina pulled herself from her chair, leaving the thing for the first time after hours. She walked to the elevator to stay in her room for the next 24 hours until her leg caught. Her jolt was not familiar. She wasn't sent hurling to the ground over some part of Tony's new project.
What the…
She glanced at her leg to see black matter wrapped around her foot, working its way up to her calf then to her knee. Her eyes widened. What is that?
She tried to break free by shifting her weight to her other foot and pulling it. But the matter spread to her other foot. Panic tore through her. If things couldn't get any worse, the dark matter started to pull her in.
"FRIDAY! Record this," she commanded. She was sinking fast. The black hole was to her neck now. "Show it to Tony-" The dark matter quickly spread over the surface of her cheek.
Then, darkness consumed her.
Star City
July 12, 11:10am
Mumbles. Marina felt herself regaining consciousness because of the mumbles. She first couldn't make it out at first but she was definite that was a low and musculine voice like Thor's… But this… a more gruff and with less emotions. Unrecognized with the voice, she felt her guard fly up. She was recalling the last thing she remembered.
Falling. She was falling then what? Wait. Before that she was working on something for Tony. Then the black matter- Her steady breathing slipped to a shaky intake.
"You're awake," another voice, a male voice, said to her. It was different from the first voice. Less gravely. This had more emotion yet it was stern.
Marina opened her eyes, slowly. The white light was overbearing. A sharp pain cut through her head. She held back a wince. She pressed her eyelids shut again before opening them, the light less intense now. It took a second for her eyesight to adjust. Marina surveyed her whereabouts, cautiously.
The overwhelming smell of sanitizer that burned her nose. White walls and bright lights that blind her. Stiff bed, and an IV drip hooked up to her. Nothing unfamiliar, but it was unwelcomed all the same. She was in a hospital.
Her eyes automatically drew to the door at the other end of the room, hidden slightly by people beside her. Alarmed, she peered up to where the voice came from.
There were strangers, all dressed in a lot of spandex. When she said a lot, she meant a lot of it, that's all the three wore. They were two men and one female. One male and the female wore brightly colored leotards with red and blue. While the last man wore blacks and grays. They looked perfect, beautiful and equally dangerous and stern.
Her eyes trailed down to see their full costumes. The adult man had his red briefs over the bodysuit. So did the other man. But he wore his were black.
Her lips quirked upwards. She suppressed the urge to laugh. It took much effort to stifle it. The longer she stared, the harder it was to not laugh. She looked away. Her body shook in muffled snickers. Caution melted into quiet giggles.
Her right hand moved to cover her rude smile but it jerked back down. Her eyes immediately flickered to her arms. She was bound to the bed by handcuffs. She moved her legs, pulling them upwards but they were also bound.
Amusement turned into fury. Her ankles and wrist throbbed with a lingering imaginary pain that sent off alarms in her mind. Panic washed over her.
"What the hell?" She yelled to her captors. She struggled against the restraints but no use. "What did you do to me?"
"We understand that you're mad but-" The tall raven-haired woman began. She took a step forward, with a hand extended to sooth the writhing girl but the darkly dressed man interrupted her.
"We need to make sure you're not a threat," the man dressed in black and gray said, more grumbled. A flash of helplessness tore through her like a memory. She pulled her bounds again.
"We are the Justice League. We want to help you," The muscular man in blue and red explained to her.
"Get this off me," Her voice demanded. She steeled herself. Her blood boiled with rage. They made sure that she wasn't a threat but it was not reciprocated. Who the hell are these people?
The three gave a three-way glance that would make any gossip girl group envious before proceeding to the door.
"Please," she hoarsely whispered. Her words trailed after the Justice League. The dark haired woman looked back at her for a moment. Pity shone in her blue eyes before washing away. She donned on an emotionless mask. She and the black clad man exited through the door almost immediately. And without a word.
The buzz of panic engulfed her further. With the override of emotions, Marina grew numb and highly aware all at the same time. An icy grip broke across her skin, radiating from her metal shackles. It quickly made its way to her heart, burning and freezing her body. A thin prick of irritation and anger at their pity drowned in the wave of anxiety.
Some feral animal trapped in her clawed her throat, demanding to be released. Her voice grew rougher in man in blue and red lingered for another second longer. His huge back straight, fists by his side curling and uncurling. He stepped out the door as she whispered once more, "Please."
She thrashed against the bonds once they exited. The metal banged against the hospital bed. But they didn't budge. She growled in frustration. Who were those people? Where was she? They didn't look like Hydra but if they were… She needed to call Tony soon.
"FRIDAY?" She asked out loud, waiting for the female American accent to reply to her. Luckily, they didn't touch her in-ear comm. She was met with static. She groaned. Her heart thumped loudly in her ears. She took three shuddering breaths to calm herself. She examined her situation yet again.
They held her captive in a windowless room, with only one exit and entrance. The door had a slim glass to view in or out of the room. She watched the Justice League talk to the police men. She looked on as they dismissed a guard on standby who walked down the corridor. A pair of doctors stepped out from a room and swerved to avoid him.
She was left with no option. She needed to escape; to get out of here and contact Tony somehow. The door opened again and the tall woman walked through it along with another mask wearing fellow. He wore a red bodysuit that covered him head to toe. A yellow lighting bolt in the middle of a white circle on his chest. They strode at the foot of her bed and stood there. The red and yellow man grinned at her.
"Hi! I'm the Flash. You may have heard of me," The man said with a bright smile. But Marina didn't respond. "And that is Wonder Woman." Instead, she looked at him from head to toe before shifting her gaze to the woman beside him.
"It's okay to talk," The woman assured. Her blue eyes softened as she moved closer to Marina. Marina tensed. "We're here to help."
Marina only gave a stern look. Filled with purpose, she held firm.
"Do you remember how you got here?" The woman asked, gently as if she was asking a traumatized child. Marina remained the same, giving a cold glare. The Flash let out an agitated huff.
"Look, kid. We're the good guys. Just tell us what we need to know," The Flash said, becoming a little irritated. She simply glared at them.
"Yeah, the good guys who tied me up from moving."
"It's just a precaution. We will let you go if you answer our questions. Until then, we'll come back tomorrow to try again." Wonder Woman said and nodded to her companion. He shot Marina a glare before following her out the room.
Star City
July 13, 10:58am
Marina merely pretended to be asleep so that there would be no disturbances or questions. She counted the shifts of nurses, the intervals of people doing their rounds, and the number of people that would pass by during the day. Her nurse just checked on her for her morning check up. She has three hours before the next one. It was almost lunch, rounds slowed down so that the staff could eat and prepare for the afternoon. Her guards were in the middle of changing shifts.
Marina pulled out a bobby pin she acquired quietly after asking her attending nurse to adjust the bed's incline. Once she bent down beside the bed, Marina gently took out her loose bobby pin. She stuck the bobby pin into her cuff and wiggled it. She fidgeted as she worked on setting herself free. She watched a pair of nurses walk away from the door.
Click! Her left handcuff finally unlocked itself. She pulled her hand free to work on the other. She quickly freed her hands then moved on to her feet. She removed her IV line. Luckily, they removed the rest of the monitors the day before. She softly stood up from her bed, slipping the pair of handcuffs into her pocket. She peeked out of her door.
Coast was clear. According to the fire emergency exit map in her room, the nearest exit is two corridors down while the on-call room was on the way. Her wing was a little further from the main building of the hospital.
She quickly moved down the corridor, looking around the corners as she did. She pressed her back to the wall as she watched two doctors leave the on-call room. They moved their way to the cafeteria. The door agape. She saw no one inside. She slid into the room quietly. The bunk beds at the corner held one doctor, sound asleep.
She moved to the wall of lockers. She took the doctor's coat that hung on a chair. She opened the locker as silently as she could. She threw on a pair of pants before taking the running shoes of the sleeping doctor. She took a surgical mask from the box by the door.
Chatter echoed down the corridor as she closed the emergency exit door. A steady rush of blood and adrenaline sounded in her ear as she took long strides. She forced her back to stay casually straight and not too stiff. Her skin, riddled with gooseflesh. Anticipation tore through her nerves. She hurriedly descended the stairs of the hospital as inconspicuous as she could.
She touched her comm, "Come on, FRIDAY." A ping rang out above before a staticy voice cut through the air.
Attention attention to all personnel. We have a code yellow. I repeat code yellow. From the Thomas Wing, Southern Section. I repeat Thomas Wing, Southern Section.
Code Yellow- missing patient. She jumped out the last steps of the floor. She just needed to make it to the lobby before making it to the parking lot. People crowded the corridor. A handful of security guards were questioning people and surveying the area. She cursed underneath her breath, the words sounded harsh to her ears. She didn't know whether it was because of the mask or because the hospital she was in was having a full manhunt for her.
She willed herself to calm down as a group of guards passed her by. They ushered people into corners. She kept her eyes on the ground of the corridor. A guard lingered in front of her. She sighed lightly.
"Excuse me, Doctor...Johnson. I have a few questions. If I may ask you some-"
"I'm very sorry but I have an appointment that I am late for," she answered with a fake Californian accent, stepping around him. He quirked an eyebrow but followed her.
"Ma'am, it's just a few minutes of your time," he insisted. His long strides cut her off. "We're looking for a young girl. She has long brown hair… Grey eyes." He continued, his eyes suddenly widened in recognition. She sprang to action. She wasted no movements to knock him out before sprinting down the hall. Gasps from bystanders followed her. Racing, she exited the corridor to the landing before the lobby and main exit.
A pair of security guards called out. "Stop," One of the guards shouted as he stood tall in front of Marina. She slowed to look at the burly figures. They cut her off from the first floor and the escalators. Behind them and beyond the floor's railings was the main exit on the floor below her.
"Why are you keeping me here?" She asked, simply.
"To ask you questions." One stated, stepping forward. "The Police and the League need answers."
She snorted, "Normal people don't strap someone down to a bed just to ask questions."
"They aren't the normal type," he replied. Both of the security shifted their stance to attack.
Marina quirked her lip, "Neither am I. '' Her body thrummed with adrenalin, flight or fight mode overriding her system. She sprinted toward them, using her size to evade their grasp. She punched one quickly to stun him. She flew behind the other man, hooking him by the neck. He fell back. She placed the other end of the handcuff on his wrist.
She glanced back at the other who was recovering from the stun. She swiftly knocked his legs from underneath him. The security guard fell beside his partner. She maneuvered herself over the railing and circled the handcuff over the railing's metal to latch on to the other security guard. They struggled against the railing, pulling at the steady metal that held them in place.
"I have a message for you to tell the League: You should've thought twice before cuffing me to the bed," she growled before leaping off the railing. She rolled once she hit the ground. She scrambled to her feet, running out of the hospital as fast as she could. Bumping people as she went.
Marina got on a shuttle, panting for breath. She dropped to a seat. She tapped her ear once more, "FRIDAY. FRIDAY can you hear me?" The old woman across from her gave her a look.
Marina groaned before whipping out her temporary phone. She managed to steal one on her way out after crashing into a group of foreigners. She'll give a new one back along with the wallet. She used the birthday date on the license to enter the phone. After disabling any gps, she got to work. What she knew from the hospital was that she was in Star City, wherever that was.
She searched it up on her new phone, Star City. Various articles popped out. Green Arrow Saves the Day Yet Again, read one headline. Justice League Star City Responders Met with Problems. Luckily, Whole League was Deployed.
"Justice League," it was what those spandex people introduced themselves as. They were apparently the good guys. She hummed before getting off the bus at her stop. She needs a place to stay and research where the hell she was. She studied the street she was on. People strolled up and down the sidewalk. She walked further and as if the fates were on her side, a small sign appeared at the side of a building.
Star City Internet Cafe
She quickened her stride to it. The windows were the first that she noticed. Unlike most cafes, this had many windows for sunlight to shine into the room. The computers were old. Marina noticed the computers' sides were thick like the earlier versions of the 2000s to early 2010s.
No. It can't be. Ignoring the questioning look of the employee, she paid for the use of a computer and sat in the furthest one from the windows. She checked the date.
July 12… 2010? She muttered to herself, shocked. She went back in time and to a different Earth.
She typed and researched where she was. The more she read, the more frantic her heart sped.
Justice League. Amazonian hero. Gotham Watcher. Speedster. An Atlantic King. Superman and Krypotian?
She gathered as much information as possible, still reeling. She was in another universe. I didn't even touch the Tesseract! She thought, shaken. Her body stiffened as she continued reading. She stumbled out of the Internet Cafe, leaving a ten dollar bill by the computer. She couldn't stay in one area for long.
Focus, Marina. Your goal is to know where they hell you are and contact Tony. But since the latter is impossible with the tools you have right now, I need-
Her stomach gave a monstrous protest, slapping her back to reality. Food. First, she needed food. Unlike Tony, she needs food to operate and think. According to the internet, there should be a diner just around-
She caught a glimpse of a sign. She jogged to it, sitting down in the bar area. She studied the menu, calculating the money in the stolen wallet from the hospital. She had enough for the Weekend breakfast all day set which was eggs, bacon, and a side of hash browns and just enough change for the bus rates.
But what is her next step? She needed answers and she was damn sure that everyone else wouldn't know them. Except for… She groaned.
"What can I get for ya, honey?" The waitress asked. Crow's feet peeked at the corners of her eyes as her gray hair tied into a bun. She had a coffee stain on her apron that was very visible due to the apron's white fabric. She gave Marina a kind smile.
"I'll have the All Day Breakfast," Marina said, handing back the menu. The waitress gave her a once-over, taking in the teen. Who most probably looked like a mess with knotted hair, a hospital robe, pants that hung off her frame, and too big of running shoes.
"I expect you have money for that, right?" The waitress drawled, not looking up for the notepad she was scribbling the order on. Her motherly tone didn't fade a bit despite the biting comment.
"Yes," Marina stated. She was too hungry and cared less to fight with the older woman. The woman nodded as she scurried off. It wasn't long until her food arrived. It was the all American scent of the breakfast that waned her troubles slightly. She dug in, inhaling as much food as she could. From the corner of her eye, she saw a wrinkled hand of the waitress get her cup of coffee and pour more. The waitress wandered over to the table across from Marina, chatting with another customer.
Riing. She heard the entrance bell chime as heavy footsteps stepped into the diner.
"Stop what ya doing and put your hands up!" A man grunted and pulled out what Marina expects to be a gun from the collective gasps of horror. Sighing, Marina dialled the emergency line on her phone, allowing the dispatcher to listen to the robber's shouts. The coffee pot fell from the waitress' hands, glass shattered across the floor.
"I ain't messing around here! Put your hands up! Get behind the counter! All of you!" The few customers at the diner scrambled to the counter. They ducked behind it. His footsteps stomped towards Marina. But she continued to eat.
"You!" The hostage taker hissed at her side. "Stop! Or I'll make ya an example!"
"I won't do that if I were you," Marina mumbled as she chewed the last piece of her meal, turning her body to face him.
The man chuckled, waving his gun in one hand. Then pointed it at her. "Yeah? How are you gonna-"
With the table knife, she jammed it into his thigh. He howled in pain. She knocked the gun out of his hand which went skidding across the diner. Marina elbowed him hard in the stomach as she stood up straight. He doubled over to the floor. She kicked the side of his head, rendering him unconscious. His body landed on the floor with a low thump.
Marina stood, examining the diner. Glass littered the floor, people huddled in fright, a man bleeding beside her didn't exactly spell out that she was harmless. But innocent people were not wounded or injured, Marina thought relieved. She stepped closer to the counter to face the waitress, who peeked up at her. Marina tossed her phone to her.
"The address," Marina said before sitting back at her booth. She took a gulp of her coffee. She shivered in delight. "And tell them that I'll only speak to Batman."
Police came in just three minutes, guns ready. She sipped her coffee slowly, waiting for the caffeine to kick in as she savoured the bitterness. She felt a presence stand beside her. She could feel the intense glare going her way.
"I want to propose a deal," Marina said, calmly. She looked up at him. Batman's frown is almost always a permanent expression, deeply set on his half covered face. His dark gray costume had a symbol of a bat spread over the chest. A black cape draped on his broad muscular shoulders. He wore his usual black cowl that even had bat ears. To complete his outfit, he wore a yellow utility belt.
"We don't make deals with threats," He grumbled with a low-pitch. She scoffed.
"You're right about being a threat." She glanced back at her half empty cup of coffee. The gunman beside her whimpered as the EMTs placed him on a stretcher. She winced a little. "But, don't worry. I'm part of the good guys."
She gave a lazy grin, using what the Flash had said to her days prior. She felt his eyes staring intently at her as if trying to calculate her intent and motives. According to his guarded body language, Marina deduced that he had been in the hero business for a while now. A stare like his could easily tear down a person. But it won't work on her.
"I'm sure you have questions," she added. She nonchalantly raised her cup to her lips. "Questions about me that no amount of data or mind games could make me answer them. So I'll answer your question in exchange for something."
"What is that something you want?"
She gulped down her drink, painstakingly slow. She didn't care that she was delaying her answers. But Marina couldn't stop the tugging of her heart when she thought of the one thing she wants…
"A way back home."
Star City
July 14-17
Mysterious stranger saves lives in local Better Diner!
Marina read the newspaper that Batman dropped on the table. She had been placed in some sort of a safe house. Well, technically it was a warehouse with the interior of a furnished house. The walls were made entirely of cinders while the pillars were bare cement. The windows were high on the walls. A sliver of cinder kept the windows and ceiling from meeting.
She and Batman sat on the table, across from each other. Her back faced the wall while his back faced the open layout of the room where the other members of the Justice League stood in a huddle, listening to their conversation.
"Only a trained experienced individual could knock a group of security guards unconscious." Batman started. Marina's eyebrow rose.
"I learned self-defense."
"And yet you inflict those wounds on an armed man. That may be self defense but I doubt that you were taught to disarm and maim." Batman countered emotionlessly, referring to the wounds she left on the man the day before. "So, who trained you?"
"Many people." She replied truthfully. Or at least kind of true. He waited for further explanation. She sighed, leaning back on her seat. "I am trained and experienced in combat. Had to learn how to stay alive because where I'm from, some barely do."
"Who are you?"
"Marina Lynn Marks."
"Where do you come from?"
"I'm from New York." She pulled the best Captain America- kid-from-Brooklyn accent.
"Is that supposed to make me laugh?" He growled. "We all know that you don't even exist in this country. Or any country for that matter."
"I am from there," she declared again. With all her conviction, she leaned closer to the expressionless man's face.
"Then explain to me. Why don't you exist in the database?"
"Well, that's because I'm not from this universe," she said, leaning back into her seat. She sighed, even from her own mouth it sounded insane. But, if there is a man who can break the sound barrier with his sneakers and an Amazonian straight out of legends herself, then anything is possible.
She never doubted it especially when Thor had explained to her about the Bifrost but to cross universes and time. More like, kidnapped from her own universe…
This didn't even crack Batman's emotionless face, much to her expectation. But it shocked the other members. She recognized the members of the Justice League: Flash, Superman, Martian Manhunter, Black Canary, Green Arrow and Wonder Woman. Mutters rippled through their group.
"How are we supposed to believe you?" The Flash asked, stepping forward. He scowled at her.
"There is a possibility of multiple states of realities and universes. Your friends can explain it to you," she shrugged. "But I can tell you definitely that I'm not from here. The place I was born and the people who I live with aren't here."
Batman stood to join the huddle of the Justice League. Their facial expressions silently changed as if they were talking to one another. She hummed as she watched them.
Maybe they are, she concluded. During her research, she learned about most of the Justice League members. The media only knew so much but she deduced that the green Martian Manhunter powers could include telepathy from what the videos showed.
"I'm right here," she said. She leaned forward on her folded arms on top of the table, "Just ask me. I like to think it's much easier than mentally talking to each other. Though I could be wrong. I never tried it before." She shrugged.
Their heads snapped to her. Her body stiffened slightly. She was intimidated by their power and their quantity. Extreme weariness and determination steeled her eyes. Black Canary's eyes softened at this. She approached and sat on the seat that Batman had previously.
"Marina, can I call you that?" Black Canary's voice was as smooth as honey. Anyone could tell she was genuine. Marina had always been weary and weak against those people. She kinda reminded her of Natasha. Back straight, Marina nodded.
"Marina," Black Canary nodded to her fellow superheroes. "We're here to help you. So don't be scared."
"I'm not," She said, deflating. "Just not exactly stoked on being in another universe."
Or feeling this helpless again, a small part of her whispered in her 's body went rigid once again. She scowled and remained silent. Black Canary didn't press further and simply gave her one last look before returning to the huddle.
Marina was no stranger to the lack of sleep. She grew accustomed to it and its setbacks. Now, she shrugged it off after she brewed herself a strong coffee. Well, the strong coffee to the extent of an instant. She poured herself a cup and set it on the table beside her. She always brewed too much coffee; a habit she learned in the long hours of creating stuff with Tony. But it first began in the compound since her insomnia always leads her to making coffee first.
The compound…
She wondered if Rhodey and Vision knew what had happened to her. Maybe even Ste-
No, he won't. She sighed as she sagged into the chair, lazily tracing patterns of the sides of her cup. She felt the sunlight from the high window. She basked in its warmth. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Day Four of being in a completely different universe. What was happening in hers-
"Kid," a masculine voice said. It wasn't Tony's. She opened her eyes to see Green Arrow, her babysitter ever since midnight, eyeing her carefully. "You alright?"
Marina nodded and jerked her chin to the coffee pitcher. "Yeah, I made coffee if you want," she offered silently. The exhaustion slowly easing off her bones. Caffeine replaced it.
"Thanks," he said, slightly startled by her offer. "But I better be off."
As if on cue, Black Canary opened the door, stepping in with her usual outfit. A black, one-piece bustier-leotard combination with gray stockings. She also wore black calf length boots and black fingerless gloves that went past her biceps. She had a blue jacket and a black choker. This surprised Marina since most of her comrades have brightly colored skin tight fabric.
"What is it with them and spandex?" She muttered to herself, sipping her drink. Black Canary and Green Arrow exchanged hushed words before Green Arrow nodded goodbye to Marina who nodded back.
"So…" Black Canary began, standing beside Marina. "Have you had lunch?" Marina gazed up at her lazily and nodded quietly. Black Canary hovered in the uncomfortable silence. Marina refocused on her cup again. Her finger grazed the rim of her coffee mug. Black Canary sighed before disappearing. Marina let her head fall back on her seat. She curled her legs to prop on the seat, knees pressed close against her chest.
A screech of a chair against the floors drew her attention to Black Canary. She settled on the seat across from her. "You know, I have been trained to help."
"Sorry, ma'am, but kicking butt won't help here," Marina answered, narrowing her eyes at the Justice League member. Black Canary shook her head.
"No, I am a psychiatrist." Marina arched a brow. Another job outside the hero life… How intriguing. Black Canary continued. "I understand that it's hard to be in a different environment. More like, universe. But we are here to help you. And to do that we need to understand how you got here and what you should do while the time being before heading back." Marina stared at her, wearily.
"But I just want to know you a little better," Black Canary soothed. Marina settled back in her seat. Black Canary took this as an approval to continue.
"Do you like any subject?" Marina shot her a bored glare but answered with a shake of her head.
"Any favorite teachers in school?" Black Canary tried again.
"I don't go to school," Marina answered. If she had to sit through these mind numbing questions quietly, she'd rather shoot herself in the foot.
"Oh, are you homeschooled then?"
"Yeah. I guess for the last six years. Subjects and grades aren't really that important." Marina uncurled her legs, moving to cross them instead.
"Who taught you?"
Marina felt the corner of her mouth twitch upward. She suppressed her smile as she remembered Tony and Natasha.
"So, you tease Cap on dating but you don't- Oof!" Marina expelled a pained breath as her back hit the padded floor. Nat straightened from the leg swipe. She smirked as sweat slid down her face.
"You have a long way to go," Nat told her, letting Marina catch her breath. Nat blew a strand of red hair from her face.
Marina frowned. She slowly got up, "Yeah, well, no one is really ready for fighting against you-"
"Not that. I meant multitasking." Natasha said. She shifted her weight to one foot as she studied the younger girl. She hummed, "You're too rigid. Flexibility wins a fight. A better range of movement, confidently adapting to what the situation requires... Ok, let's go back to the barre." Marina groaned.
"Your blueprints are wrong," Tony said over her shoulder offhandedly. Marina lifted an irritated brow. "Your calculations are incorrect. The rotations will short circuit the board." She reexamined the sheet. Upon finding the mistake, she cursed. Tony laughed behind her.
"Oh, my little student. You have lots of things to learn. And make sure that Cap doesn't catch you saying such foul words. So young to be saying such obscenities! My goodness gracious!"
"My family," she replied. A pang of sadness echoed through her tired body. Black Canary continued.
"What do you like to do with your family?" Marina grinned mischievously at the League member as she placed down her mug. Black Canary's brow arched.
Black Canary ducked from Marina's kick. "So, your family spars for quality time?" She asked while Marina pivoted on her foot.
"Yeah. Sometimes," she replied while brushing past Black Canary's punch. Marina grasped the older lady's arm to pull it behind Black Canary. Dexterously, Black Canary parried and jumped away. She lunged at Marina, hooking her right arm which Marina dodged. As Black Canary straightened, she brought her left hand to strike Marina across the cheek. Marina countered it with the back of her forearm. Marina spun clockwise to avoid Black's Canary's right cross swing again.
Marina took a few steps back, away from the Leaguer. She heaved for a breath, brushing the sweat on her forehead away with the back of her hand. Her adrenaline pumped through her system. She queried a smile. Just like Natasha. Except, Black Canary was more powerful than quick.
"You're faring a lot better than I thought," Black Canary confessed as they circled, waiting for one to attack. A bead of sweat rolled down Marina's temple to chin. She smiled smugly back at the older woman.
"Thanks. I learned from the best." Marina struck Black Canary before weaving under Black Canary's attack. She barely made it in time to block a kick. "Although Nat would have my head for being this sloppy."
Marina took another kick to her side, which she wasn't able to stop. She skidded sideways before springing again. Marina hooked her legs around Black Canary's arm then to her neck. The momentum allowed the much younger girl to twist the League Member to the ground.
As her back hit the ground, Black Canary snapped herself upright. Her eyes narrowed with focus. Marina placed her guard up, squaring her shoulders similarly as Cap would. Black Canary sprung forward, Marina placed her arms up to block but the force of the attack surprised her. Black Canary took Marina's surprise into her advantage by following another punch. Marina took a step back to put distance between them. A black tip of a boot almost slowly brushed by her cheek. Something took out her legs from below her. Marina fell to the ground with a loud "Oof."
Marina's throbbing bum wasn't the only thing hurt by this defeat. Marina suppressed a groan, curling to her side. Black Canary's hand reached down to Marina, "That was a great job. But this Nat has every right to have your head. You are sloppy." Marina chuckled to herself before taking the hand. She was pulled up by the leotard clad hero.
"Is Nat part of your family?" Black Canary asked Marina as Marina downed her water. She was absolutely drained from the spar.
"Yeah. She was like my older sister. Almost like my mom. She related most to me. She was my sparring partner most of the time. I'm always covered with bruises when she comes over," Marina replied nonchalantly while wiping away her sweat.
Realizing what she just said, Marina stiffened. The Avengers had always said that opening with someone other than them is good. But she has yet to accept this as a good thing. She cursed herself underneath her breath.
"It's alright," Black Canary reassured Marina as gently as she could. She knelt beside the tense teen. "Marina, I'm not trying to get all your secrets or information to examine. I just want to learn more about you." Marina ignored her like they were back on square one.
Black Canary sighed, "My mother was the original Black Canary. I grew up always wanting to be like her- a hero. But during the first grade, this group of girls kept making fun of me and my friend. I remember being so mad I saw red. I opened my mouth to yell at them but the Canary Cry came out. I nearly deafened the entire class in that accident. Because of that, I vowed to myself that I would never make a sound- to never scream or whisper ever again."
Black Canary studied Marina's face. The younger girl listened but remained quiet. "But, my mother's friends and colleagues helped me. They trained me and taught me to be confident in myself again. I'm not saying that you have to trust me fully, but I want you to know I really want to help."
Silence hung between the two. Black Canary watched the teen. Finally, Marina nodded her head lightly. Black Canary stood up, content by the small answer. "Now was that move you just did created by Nat?"
The following day arrived quickly. Black Canary had stayed the night and was to be relieved from duty by lunch time. A comfortable silence drifted between them after their spar. Thankfully, Black Canary stopped pressing any kind of small talk which made Marina sigh with relief.
Marina shifted to comfortably reposition herself by the desk. On the chair, she slumped over Black Canary's laptop. Late last night, Black Canary granted Marina free access to her computer. It was no serious heavy duty coding computer like the ones Tony had but she made use of what she had.
Marina hooked her comm to the laptop. Signal to another universe was obviously impossible but she could recalibrate the comm to access the internet of this world. All of the functions of the comm worked except actually being able to communicate with Tony and the others. The only thing that she wanted at the moment.
She shook her head. Her priority is to get back home to them. And right now is doing whatever it takes to get on the good side of this League, "the most powerful heroes." If anyone could bring her back is them, especially since that Wotan guy is definitely out of the picture. Or is he….
Marina unplugged her comm. She moved to the front of the table. She pushed the opposing chair aside. Leaning against the table, she looked at the clear space before her. She fitted the earpiece into her ear. She tapped it twice, "Report."
"Connection unstable. Functions operational. Internet accessible," a robot voice sounded. It was the standard FRIDAY voice without any emotions.
"Great. Put up everything you can on Dimension jumping," Marina stated before holograms of internet searches displayed in front of her. It was a good thing that she was alone in the room or else the League really would have thought that she had gone crazy, swiping air.
The earpiece connected to her occipital lobe, allowing her to see what the comm's live feed. It was a design she and Tony made together after the run in with Killian. They revised it with BARF technology. She read through the articles, swiping it away when it was done.
Scientists say that dimension jumping is theoretically impossible. She snorted at the news article. She waved it away. This line of questions wasn't getting anywhere. She went back to her original line of questions.
"Put up 'Wotan Star City,' " Marina waited for the articles to pop up. She skimmed through the searches and clicked on the only shaky cellphone video of Wotan. Other videos of her falling from the sky were blocked or taken down.
A scarlet crown appeared from thin air as he stood in a circle of candles. A red aura surrounded him as he spoke Egyptian, ancient Egyptian. Marina strained to understand.
Egyptian wasn't really her strong suit. Ancient Egyptian was an Afro-Asiatic dialect, one that she wasn't completely trained to learn.
"FRIDAY, translate this video." Marina watched the scene play frame by frame, examining the blue figure and red floating crown. Her comm beeped.
"Translation failed," FRIDAY stated. "Power for cross reference is unstable." Marina groaned.
Marina heard the shuttling of feet outside of the room. "Shut down," she whispered urgently. She positioned herself to comfortably sit on top of the table. The door in front of her opened and Black Canary stepped through. Marina lifted a brow when Wonder Woman and Martian Manhunter followed, stepping into the room.
"Marina, you look well," Wonder Woman greeted her cordially. Behind her, Martian Manhunter remained emotionless.
"What do I owe the pleasure?" Marina asked, gesturing to the two newcomers. Black Canary took a step forward and replied for them.
"They're here to ask you some more questions." Wonder Woman circled the table to sit behind Marina, gesturing to the young girl to sit down. Black Canary nodded reassuringly to Marina. Marina sighed lightly before pushing off the table and settling down on the chair opposite to the Amazonian. Martian Manhunter stood rigidly behind his fellow League members while Black Canary moved to stand beside Marina.
"It's been a couple of days since you first arrived and the League has thought it over of whether or not to help you," Wonder Woman began seriously. She intertwined her fingers together on top of the table. Marina kept her stoic mask on although her heart was pumping furiously with anticipation. "Before we help you, we need to know if we can trust you. To do that, we need Martian Manhunter to confirm it himself that you mean no harm."
"And how will he do that?"
"He will have to look into your mind." Marina tensed.
"Of course with your permission. In order for us to help you, we need to know that you haven't been lying to us and won't pose a threat."
Marina's throat tightened. Her instinct shouted at her to get a way- to escape. Her bones shook and rattled. They wanted Martian Manhunter to look through her memories- her mind. She felt filthy paws that once held her mind, manipulating it to benefit them. Her stomach churned from the memories of pain.
You're not there anymore, a familiar gentle voice soothed her. You are safe with us. With them, all she wanted to do was to go to them. Her family, although they were broken. All she wanted was to be with all of them. And she was going to go to them no matter what.
"I won't guarantee that my mind is filled with happy memories and rainbows and puppies… It's far from that. I would never want to remember them-" Marina swallowed the knot in her throat. She pushed away the uncomfortability and sickening feeling. "But if this is the only way…"
Wonder Woman nodded. Black Canary laid a hand on Marina's stiff shoulder. Gathering her courage, she stared up at Martian Manhunter. Her gaze held steady with his. "Do it."
Wonder Woman left the chair. Marina steeled herself. Her heart refused to calm down. Martian Mahunter slid into the chair. He watched her, looking into her eyes.
"Relax and don't block your mind," his baritone voice stated calmly.
To get back to them. He will only be the one to see it… To get back home.
And then it started.
"Mommy, daddy!"
"A stóirín!" Giggles bubbled in her chest as she was lifted high...
"Marina, get into the cupboard. Do not make a sound." A harsh whisper struck her even further. She held on tighter. "We'll be okay..."
Darkness of the four corners closed in on her. All black… and red…
"I pick her. She will be leaving with me now."
"Wrong! Again!"
"Every time you see yourself, you will know that you will forever be a part of us." Her chest burned.
"Again! Get up you little piece of shit!"
"You have graduated. Your first mission-" Small bodies tucked haphazardly in a corner. Shapes of them disappeared quickly.
"N-no, no please. I did everything that they wanted-" Marina gulped, forcibly pushing past the memory. Martian Manhunter remained silent, watching over her shoulder.
She was handcuffed to a bed. "Commence the experiment…"
Her cheek stung, "You know what you were supposed to do yet you deny direct orders. Fire up the machine!"
"A girl!" She heard in the darkness.
"This is yours. You are free to do whatever you want."
"You're not there anymore… You are safe with us…"
"Tada! Marina Lynn Marks, formerly Marek, a true American citizen!"
"Hermione, get your ass over here! Give the stink eye to someone else, Capsicle."
"See you," she smiled. It was returned to her in a chorus, "see you when we get back."
"She is not a threat," Black Canary emphasized fervently. She slammed her palms on the table. "She is simply a girl who wishes to return home."
"Yeah," Flash snorted. "And she'll do anything to do that. She took down grown men and managed to stab another. And she thought nothing of it. Just sat there drinking coffee while a man was bleeding out beside her."
"She was defending herself," Green Arrow argued. "Witnesses said that the gun was at her face."
"Her actions were deliberate. She could have just rendered the man unconscious," Aquaman countered. Batman waited for the arguments to die down. Superman stood beside him, arms crossed.
"Marina Lynn Marks is a young girl," Superman voiced above the rest. "I understand how it is like to be in a completely different environment. She's lost and alone."
"But she remains an unknown threat. She is a danger to those around her, especially herself," Batman remarked. "If she is allowed to continue in public, we don't know what she could do." The room grew quiet.
"What we think of her does not matter," Wonder Woman declared. "Martian Manhunter, what are your thoughts?"
Everyone's eyes flew to the alien. He had stood quiet until now.
"Marina Lynn Marek can indeed pose a threat. But she is a mere child exposed to these circumstances that made her. She holds no ill intention," Martian Manhunter nodded. Superman's shoulders loosened. "Her sole wish is to return home. According to her memories, she was with heroes and was trained to be one of them. I believe as long as we help her, she will be harmless."
Batman hummed in thought, although it was more of a grunt. "Harmless or not we still need to keep an eye on her. She may be a threat herself but if Wotan gets her, she may become a weapon." Superman frowned but remained silent.
"So, what do you propose we do?" Black Canary queried. Red Tornado spoke up.
"It might be beneficiary for her to be around youths her age." Eyebrows lifted at the proposal, seeing where he was going with this. Red Tornado continued. "In addition, she will have a place to stay with others' watching her. She may even be a great temporary addition." Batman considered it before stiffly nodding.
"Who agrees with Red Tornado?" The entire league raises their hand. Batman grunted, "Then, it is settled- Marina Lynn Marks will be sent to Happy Harbor."