Disclaimer:
We do not own Young Justice and Avengers nor its characters.
Presenting...
Lethe
Chapter Two
"Then, I was like-"
Recognized Batman 0-2, the Computer's voice echoed throughout the Cave.
Wally stopped his story and excitedly looked at the other members. They quickly raced to the Hangar. Wally, of course, running ahead of everyone else. After their encounter with Mister Twister, the Team thought that would be it but they guessed wrong.
"For your next mission," Batman began once everyone in the Team fell in. Their faces wiped blank into a more serious and professional attitude. One couldn't tell their excitement a few seconds before. "You will be guarding an trained and dangerous individual."
"Oh oh!" Wally waved his hand in the air excitedly. "Is it an evil genius? Oh, or is it about a secret undercover agent posing as a body double of a princess-"
"Report anything suspicious and deemed dangerous activities," Batman continued, interrupting the speedster. Wally zipped his lips immediately, cautious of the serious hero. "The Justice League has voted that she stays in the Cave and be a member of the Team for the time being."
Recognized Green Arrow 0-8. Black Canary 1-3. Marina Lynn Marks A-0-2.
Green Arrow, Black Canary, and an unfamiliar person materialized. The outsider had light brown hair that shifted freely as she walked forward. She had pale skin and heavily shadowed undereyes. She donned jeans and a loose white tee. A plaid long sleeve shirt over her Team examined the civilian. Green Arrow and Black Canary walked to Batman but the stranger studied the Zeta-tube, ignoring the group entirely.
"Amazing. How did they make a teleporting beam? They had to at least-" She muttered to herself. The Team raised an eyebrow at the girl, who obviously wasn't accustomed to the League tech. Her mutters filled the silence.
"Ahem," Green Arrow cleared his throat, snapping her back to the group.
This "trained and dangerous individual" paused, straightening herself. Despite her amazement to the Zetatube, she remained unfazed at the dressed superheroes before her. She walked to the gathered heroes, stormy gray eyes staring them down.
"A little girl!" Superboy raised his voice. He glared at the Dark Knight, who promptly ignored him. Marina narrowed her eyes at the clone. Red Tornado debriefed her on her new roommates. The clone of Superman portion was literal. He looked like a carbon copy of the superhero, but his attitude was the complete opposite.
The Team glanced at each other before they stared at her. She returned their stare with stronger and increasingly cold glare. Black Canary elbowed her at the side.
"Play nice," Black Canary whispered to her. Marina sighed, easing up to stand tall.
Wally gaped at her. Her brown hair cascaded down the side of her face. Familiarity gripped him. He swore he had seen her somewhere.
His thoughts wandered, why is a beaut like her be dangerous and with the Justice League. The Justice League only took care of those who had really some affiliations with the baddies like Joker or something. Unless she had caused or been involved with a bad guy. His eyes widened in realization.
"Hey, isn't she in that video a week ago?" Wally asked out loud. "The one falling through Wotan's black hole?"
The Team looked at Wally in surprise. He threw up his hands, "I watched the video alright? Well, before they took it down."
Eyebrow raised, Robin recognized her as well. "Yeah. Batman, why do you have someone who is clearly with Wotan? And more importantly, why isn't she locked up?"
The Team stiffened, looking at Marina. She shifted her weight to a more relaxed position but she still didn't let her guard down. Her eyes narrowly fixed on them.
"The Justice League already had their questions answered," Batman said, slowly. "If she posed as a bigger threat, then, the League would have held her elsewhere. Whether or not she causes problems, it's the Team's responsibility to deal with it."
"So, you're handing us your problem," Superboy grunted. He crossed his muscular arms across his chest. "Now we're babysitters?"
"You have more important plans than a mission?" Batman sternly questioned. "The League has decided that she will prove to be a valuable member of the Team insteading of wasting her talents." Batman said, nodding to Green Arrow and Black Canary as they proceeded to the Zeta-Tube.
Marina mentally sighed. She just hoped to survive the time until going home without making enemies. In a strange place or in this case world, she learned from Cap and Natasha that allies are needed to match the unknown.
Marina watched as Batman, Green Arrow, and Black Canary teleport away. Black Canary had already told her the circumstance of her stay in this world. She had said that the League decided that if they were going to help her, she should do some work for the meantime.
"At least try to get along with each other," Black Canary chided as they walked to an out of order blue police box.
"Why are we-"
"Zeta-Tubes," Green Arrow said immediately, catching Marina's eyes survey the deserted area. "A way to teleport to the place."
"Yeah right," Marina scoffed, "It's possible to understand the quantum state. But manufacturing it into a tiny-"
Green Arrow stepped into the confined space, disappearing with a bright flash.
"Okay," Marina blinked at the now empty box. She took a step back. "But I refuse to enter a small-" Her body began to stiffen, eyeing the narrow police box. But Black Canary pushed her in. All Marina saw was a bright light as it enveloped her. The next thing she knew she was in a gray tunnel.
"Hi Marina," A green girl floated to her. Startled, Marina took a step back. Her hand flew to her hip out of habit. To find it empty, Marina silently cursed. The green girl's eyebrows knitted in confusion.
"Hello Megan," she lifted her right hand to her temple. "I'm M'gann. I'm Martian Manhunter's niece." M'gann reached out her hand to Marina, who eyed the girl wearily. Marina hesitantly shook the Martian's hand lightly.
"Hey, beautiful. I'm Wally," A voice said excitedly behind Marina. She jolted and whirled to the newcomer quickly. Her brows furrowed in surprise.
"Smooth. You scared her," An other voice laughed. Marina studied them. A redhead protested with a "Dude!" to the raven haired boy. Behind them, a boy with tan skin and white hair stood tall behind them. Beside him was the angry doppelganger of Superman.
"Apologies. It was not Wally's intention to scare you. I am Kaldur'ahm or simply Kaldur," The tan tall boy said, stepping forward. "On the field, I am called Aqualad. This is Superboy." He gestured to the Superman clone. Marina nodded to Kaldur and Superboy.
"And I'm Robin." The raven haired boy wearing sunglasses introduced himself with a smirk. He jerked his thumb toward the redhead. "Mister Smooth, here, is Wally. Aka Kid Flash."
"Also known as an admirer of your otherworldly beauty," Wally sidled up to Marina. He winked at her, "If you need a private tour around the Cave, I would gladly show you around." She stared at him blankly.
"No thanks." She replied to him simply, causing Robin to throw his head back in chuckles. Before she could say anything else, M'gann grabbed Marina's hands, surprising the younger girl. Wally grumbled at his laughing friend.
"Oh! I always wanted a little earth sister! I'll show you around," M'gann beamed. She tugged Marina's hands down the corridor. The tour with M'gann was full of endless chatter. Marina zoned out.
The days flew by in a blur. The Cave was a lot like the Compound with training and living quarters. Her chest ached. She missed home but she had to stay here first just until the League figures out how to send her back. And something tells her that it won't be any time soon.
Life at the Cave was noisy. It was some kind of comfort to hear people like how she was used to but it still made her tense that she doesn't know them. M'gann really tried to make Marina feel comfortable, often making conversation with the younger girl, especially when they cooked.
When others prepare her food, Marina was always weary, not knowing what they placed in it. It made her feel a little bit guilty to suspect M'gann of attempting to poison her but she still hasn't trusted anyone in this Cave.
M'gann hung around the Cave, busying herself with the domestic side of living in a teen-filled dorm. Her telekinesis of course made it easier for herself. However, the free range of such power instinctively made Marina on edge at first but after reminding herself that she lived with Earth's Mightiest Heroes, she steeled herself.
Kaldur, Aqualad, experienced superhero life longer than the others. He would make a formidable ally. He intrigued her. His accent is stiffer than Aquaman's. The sight of gills excited her. She could almost hear Tony snort at her eagerness to understand the Atlantian's physiology. While waiting on standby for any missions, he constantly watched over the rest calmly. She ran into him most and without fail, he greeted her.
Superboy was as grumpy and angsty as Superman would never be. Marina was no longer surprised by his caveman language of grunts. He avoided her like a plague which Marina didn't mind. She ignored him just the same. But he wasn't the only one she avoided.
Wally's mouth was always running. His mind was just as fast. He understood science and knew it well, or so she gathered from overhearing his conversations with Robin. It would almost make her think that his extroverted personality was for show until he sees a girl. He flirted with Marina and M'gann as if they were the last girls on earth. She tried to dodge him when she can, mostly taking refuge in her room until the walls drove her insane.
Robin… She wasn't the only one with secrets in the Cave and she definitely wasn't the only one that held them to her chest tightly. Although Robin was just as talkative as his redhead friend, he never slipped. Never talked about himself. Although she was only there for a day and a half, she could see Robin's expert master over a conversation. He made sure that he would never have to talk about himself. The Team certainly wasn't boring, which a small part of her rejoiced for.
"Hey Marina!" M'gann knocked on her door. Marina lifted her gaze from her notebook, where she was designing how to revamp FRIDAY to fit this world. Not much progress as she would like but it was far from zero. She needed a power source and data steady enough to run the translation. She might as well create an AI in her current base. The Martian peeked her head into Marina's room. "We're going camping! Meet in the kitchen."
Marina's eyebrow lifted, taken aback by M'gann's words. Before she could reject, M'gann flew from her room, literally. Marina tucked her notebook into her desk drawer. She got up with a sigh and made her way to the kitchen. She met Robin in the hall. He smirked at her, which she didn't return. She continued to the kitchen with him falling into step with her.
"So camping, huh. Are you excited?" He tried to strike up a conversation with her. She nodded curtly. They entered the kitchen where Kaldur, Superboy, and M'gann waited. Excitement rolled off of M'gann in waves. The squeak of sneakers later, Wally stood at the kitchen entrance with his arms filled with camping supplies.
"We're going to need a lot more stuff than that if we're going camping!" Robin pointed out. Wally's face contorted to confusion. Maybe this wasn't a team building after all.
"I hope you don't mind. I invited all the others to join in the fun with the s'mores," M'gann said to Wally. Her amber eyes lit with anticipation. Marina sighed. This was going to be a long night.
Sweetness melted in Marina's mouth. She sat on the ground by the fire. She leant against the log beside Superboy, across from Robin. She felt the covered gaze of Boy Wonder on her. She ignored it as she poked her stick through her next marshmallow.
"This is a great idea, don't you think Wally? Camping in the great outdoors!" Robin smiled knowingly into the fire. Wally scowled as much as he could while stuffing his face.
"I don't remember inviting you. Besides, I didn't say anything about camping. I said a campfire. Big difference between just a campfire and the whole camping thing. I don't like camping... outside..." He swallowed and peered over his shoulder. "Unless I'm camping with that special someone."
Robin frowned at Wally, "Dude, kinda bordering on creepy." Marina reached over to get graham crackers.
Wally grinned triumphantly and jerked a thumb toward M'gann, "She doesn't seem to think so."
"She's probably on a sugar overload."
"Well I think all of us camping is a wonderful idea! Don't you think so, Marina?" Marina shrugged and sandwiched her marshmallow.
"I don't know. This is the first time that I camped with people," She said honestly before taking a bite of her smore. Nights of sleeping outside with the rest of the Avengers were more of stakeouts than camping. She felt stares lingering her way but she focused on the sugary goodness.
"Thanks to Wally, I get to try s'mores for the first time!" M'gann exclaimed. Her mouth filled with marshmallows.
"What can I say? I am a sweetie! Ha! Get it? Cause s'mores are sweet." Marina shook her head at the pun. Superboy glanced around.
"So this is what you do when you go camping? Sleep in these flimsy things called 'tents' and sit around the fire?" He asked incredulously, waving at the tents behind him.
"Yeah that's pretty much about it so if you feel like heading home, I can sit out here with Ms. M... alone." Wally said, emphasizing the last word. Robin smirked smugly.
"You are as subtle as a train wreck, you know that?" Wally determinedly turned to the boy sitting on the ground. Marina watched Wally's mess of flirting with a silent amusement.
"You're not going to catch any fish unless you go fishing, dude." Behind Wally, Kaldur grimaced but more to the meaning of what Wally said than to the metaphor. Wally turned back to Kaldur, lifting a hand in apology, "Sorry. No offense."
"No, you usually sit around campfires and tell stories," Robin answered Superboy, crossing his arms. Marina took a sip of water from the jug beside her.
"Oh! I would love to hear your story, Kaldur. Could you tell us how you became Aqualad?" M'gann glanced at Kaldur, expectantly.
"I was thinking more of a ghost story type of thing but I guess… whatever." Marina leaned forward, curious as well. Kaldur smiled, "Oh. I suppose I could do that if you don't think it will be too boring."
"Not at all! I would love to hear it!" M'gann took Marina's words out of her mouth.
"Well, I grew up in the city of Shayeris, which is a city of Atlantis." Kaldur began. "Surface dwellers think all Atlanteans are the same but our kingdom but our kingdom has many cities, many people, many cultures. When I was twelve..."
He continued with his story as Marina and the Team listened intently. He talked about saving the defeated Aquaman with the help of his friend, Garth and how the offer of being his protege arose. Kaldur lace his fingers together as his elbows rested on his thighs.
"The rest of the story you know. Aquaman brought Aqualad to the surface world… and now I am here with you," He concludes. M'gann clapped her hands.
"Wow, so you wanted to be Aqualad?" M'gann asked, a smile played on her lips
"Yes, the opportunity arose. I could think of no other path." Marina slumped. Atlantis is real in this world. Just imagine how much technology and knowledge they knew about the old world. She sighed wistfully.
"Yeah? If you think he wanted to be Aqualad so bad? Let me tell you about how I got started." Wally said, turned his thumb to point at himself.
"It literally goes back a couple of generations…" He explains about how Jay Garrick was the first speedster and how a fan was crazy enough to recreate Garrick's experiment that made him turn to a speedster too. Wally's uncle was that fan. Wally then discovered that his uncle was the Flash and tried to recreate that experiment also.
Marina played with the experiment in her mind. Wanda's brother, Pietro, was also a speedster but she couldn't fathom how Flash and Kid Flash could be born without the power of an Infinity Stone. A huge wave of relief flooded through her, at the lack of Infinity Stones in this universe. Marina always grieved over the amount of death that trailed behind a Stone and on how these Stones caused so much pain to Steve, Clint and the Maximoff siblings.
Marina vividly remembered the softness of Wanda's eyes whenever she brought her brother up. There were no tears yet Wanda's eyes would glisten at the very thought of her brother. After all they've been through together, Marina could only imagine what it was like to lose someone of that close bond. It was like losing Tony, she would imagine. The very thought made her choke up. She shook it off. He is alive and well, most probably losing his mind while worrying about her. She needed to get back home.
"The experiment actually worked?" Aquaboy asked, an eyebrow rose.
"Well…" Wally trailed off. "Not at first actually…"
He explained that it took weeks for him to get run like Flash and that Flash was "beyond ecstatic." Marina speculated that he actually wasn't.
"That's the day the world got KID FLASH," He folded his arms as if he had graced them with such a great gift. Wally became a hero because of an experiment but by choice. She played with her stick.
"You. Are. Welcome." Wally declared. Robin laughed.
"Yeah, we're all thrilled. You're so speed-capable."
Wally grinned back, "What's the matter? Jealous?"
"Sheeyeah right! Jealous of you?"
M'gann tilted her head and took a bite of her s'more. "Could you tell us about how you got started, Robin?"
Wally snorted a laugh while Robin pursed his lips. Wally brought his pointer fingers beside his temples, "Are you kidding me? Bats won't even let him tell you his real name. I mean… You'll probably get a better origin story out of Supey over here."
Superboy stared into the fire. His eyes dimmed with what looked like… sadness? Marina studied the boy. The fire made his features sharper, deadlier.
"But you already told me his story. Didn't you? You said that the three of you rescued him from Cadmus." M'gann said. Marina's throat felt fuzzy like a box of cotton was stuffed down her throat. An experiment, created by others.
"Yeah, we did."
"Yes. Chronologically, Superboy is only 16 weeks old." He was literally created in a lab. Her stomach churned. The warm atmosphere dropped.
"...And you have no memory of things before being rescued?" M'gann asked. Superboy raised his gaze.
"I have some memories… from the G-gnome. It would teach me about the world outside while I was in the containment pod."
"So you can remember things? When you were in the containment pod, they would feed you information and you could remember it, right?"
Superboy shrugged, "I guess so."
"Well, if you can remember what they taught you, you must've been thinking about things as they fed you information. What did you think about?"
Superboy leaned forward. The shadows grew more drastic as Superboy's voice grew serious, "When I was in the containment pod, I was fed… information. I really didn't start thinking for myself until after I got out…" Marina stared at the fire. She massaged her right palm gently. Red engulfed her mind.
"You are a weapon! You do not weep!" A voice hissed at her. Her tears melded with sweat, rolling down her face.
"You do not feel." Her body convulsed. She screamed in agony into her gag. Fire filled her body. "You do not disobey."
Superboy's sudden movement snapped her out of her trance. He stood up from the log and rounded it. Heavy silence hung over the group.
"Did you hear what Superboy said?" Wally whispered, not so secretly. Marina turned to him. Robin snapped out of his daze, like her.
"Hunh? What?"
"He just said he wants to take down Superman!" Wally hissed. This time not as quiet. Marina's eyebrows shot up.
"Are you serious? Superboy?" M'gann asked hesitantly. Marina studied Superboy's back. Due to the flickering fire, his back grew bigger as if a huge weight casted down on his shoulders.
"It's how I feel… sometimes," he answered. "What if that's why I was created? What if that was the only reason I was created?"
"That's not possible!" M'gann said with conviction. Wally and Kaldur reassured him as well.
"Yeah! Look at all the good stuff you've done so far!"
"What would be the possible reasoning behind this thinking?"
Superboy grew silent for a second, "I just feel… I don't know what I feel. Sometimes thoughts happen." He stared at the dark woods. Marina felt a pang of understanding. She opened her mouth to speak but no words of sympathy came out. She pressed her lips together firmly.
"Those would be silly thoughts you should put them out of your head," M'gann comforted him.
"He does have a valid point. We really don't know anything about what they did to him yet." Robin's voice cut through the tense air harsher than normal. Wally smacked a marshmallow between two graham crackers.
"We know he's one of the good guys and we know he's part of this team!" Wally announced before briskly walking to Superboy.
"In my world, actions speak louder than words. Superboy has proven his intentions with actions," Kaldur stated. The words and sentiments lifted the weight of Superboy's shoulders. He relaxed.
"Whatever reason you were created doesn't dictate how you should live," Finally, Marina said, her voice gentle and soft. Like she was talking to herself. The Team looked at her, surprised. Marina didn't notice. She stared into the fire, lost in her own thoughts. "You are a weapon!" echoed through her mind.
"Yeah, put those thoughts outta your head, Supey! Here. Have another s'more." Superboy held the s'more in his hand. He murmured a thanks to everyone.
"Hey, what's with you? Not like you to zone out like that," Wally walked back to the log. Robin made no move, still looking into the fire.
"I guess Superboy isn't the only one lost in thought tonight," Robin replied simply. His eyes covered by the sunglasses shifted to the girl opposite to him. Marina watched the wood crackle and burn.
"Marina, what was that?" Cap asked, crossing his arms over his muscular chest. Marina tilted her head, confused.
"I carried out the mission," she replied. She strapped her gun to her thigh. Cap sighed before pressing his fingers to the bridge of his nose.
"The mission was to take care of the Doctor Certes and bring him to face his crimes."
"But I did that-"
"No. What you did was almost kill the man. It was a good thing Clint was with you-"
"I took care of him. I made him face his punishments-"
"- and almost got yourself killed in the process! It would've never been worth it!" Captain raised his voice, making sure he was heard clearly. Marina blinked slowly at the man. She never saw him get mad, even when Tony got really bothersome. And even then, Cap would never be mad enough to raise his voice. He would just get extremely annoyed. "We don't make the call on how to punish these men. If we did, we're no better than them."
Marina flinched at the words. Captain America inhaled a shuddering breath to calm himself. His hand ran down his face. Just like that, the theoretically immortal man aged decades. His blue eyes softened.
"Marina, this isn't you. And we both know this…"
"- soared! I was coming to Earth! This was the most exciting time of my life! Now, I am here with all of you, and I am part of the Team! I truly love it!" M'gann's shouts brought Marina back to reality.
"We are happy you're here with us as well, M'gann… And you as well Marina," Kaldur grinned. Marina gave a small smile back, getting off from the ground. She clapped her hands together to remove the dirt.
"You could say that again!" Wally agreed.
Robin stretched, "Well, I don't know about you guys, but I think I've had one s'more too many. I'm going to hit the old sleeping bag."
"Yes! This has been such a wonderful evening but I am excited to sleep in a tent. And with Marina! Like a sleepover!"
"I'm right behind you," Wally announced happily. He made his way to M'gann and Marina but was seized by Robin.
Robin pointed to the green tent over his shoulder, "Yeah, but you're sleeping in this tent right over here."
Marina laid awake, staring at the tent's ceiling. M'gann slept soundly beside her. She turned to her side, carefully moving to not mess the braid M'gann made. She subconsciously reached underneath her pillow. Instead of a cool touch of metal, her fingers met air. She wasn't allowed to have a weapon while she was still not deployed yet.
Marina sighed and sat up, finally resigning to her restlessness. Wrapping her blanket around her, Marina tiptoed her way out of the tent. The dying fire dimly lit her way to a log. She settled herself on the piece of wood, cautious not to make any loud noise. The low heat of the fire chased away any coldness from her face. Marina looked up, watching the night sky.
Exhaustion lapped against her bones. Her drained energy from the last few days catching up to her. The sounds of nature and burning logs eased her greatly. Finally, a moment to recharge.
Silently, she watched a star shoot across the sky. The lights of the stars were brighter than what she was used to in New York 2016. They twinkled down on her. She spotted the constellation burning brightly millions of light years away. She brought her hand over her chest.
"Hi, mom," she whispered to the celestial lyre. No matter where she was, her mother was there. No matter what universe, dimension, or world. Now, she just proved it.
A rush of familiarity filled her. She caressed the palm of her hand again. How else has she gotten this far? A soft rustle of movement prickled her ears.
"I know you're there. You can come out." Marina called over her shoulder, her eyes shifted to the darkness of the night.
"I come in peace," Robin stepped out of the shadows. His hands raised, showing his empty palms to her. A smirk played on his lips. So that their whispers didn't drift to their sleeping companions, Marina quietly motioned for him to move closer.
"Can't sleep?" He asked her, walking toward the center fire. A dark brow lifted above his sunglasses.
Shadows flickered and shifted across Marina's face as the fire danced. She shot him a look like she was saying, "you tell me."
"What are we staring at?" Robin questioned, peering up to the sky just like how she was. The light of the fire casted a warm glow to the boy's face. His features gracefully sloped and dipped. Cheekbones prominent against the firelight. Lips turned up to a smirk. The line of his jaw is not as sharp but maybe in a few years, it could cut through ice. He must enrapture all the girls. But something tells her that his full unconcealed face would leave someone breathless.
"Ever the inquisitive one, Boy Wonder," she answered. Her joke got his attention. Surprise casted over his features before he laughed softly. Trying not to wake up the others, Robin's shoulders shook. "Lyra," she replied to his second question.
"Do you normally watch the stars?"
"It's rare that I get to," Marina replied truthfully. The lingering warmth of the fire must have made her more comfortable. Or maybe she's done from putting up walls for the last few days.
"You don't have stars where you come from?" He joked.
She laughed, "Not as bright as these." Robin watched her. Her small smile brightened her face. Robin studied her. Slightly uncomfortable at the attention, Marina shifted hers to the sky once more.
"Are you looking for something?"
"Is that the reason why people look at stars?"
"Yeah, when they are looking for a way back home."
Marina stiffened. She was in another world. She didn't know these people. Robin caught her unease. He raised his hands again, "Not to pry or anything."
Silence hung over them once more but this time, it left a thick air. Robin cleared his throat, "I was wondering. How did you bargain with Batman? I mean- I would know from first hand how difficult that is."
"I stabbed someone then I proposed the bargain," Marina stated simply. Robin chuckled but froze when he saw the gravity of the girl.
"What? Are you serious?"
She smirked at him, "That's for you to find out, Boy Wonder." She stood up and walked back toward the girls' tent. She bade him a whisper of a greeting, "Good night."