Disclaimer:
We do not own Young Justice and Avengers nor its characters.
BEFORE PROCEEDING:
Trigger warning: PTSD, mentions of abuse, and mental illness
Without further ado…
Lethe
Chapter 9
Marina's senses sharpened in alert. She watched her surroundings, visually taking in her environment. The night cooled the hot earth but the rising sun began to warm the sky. The camp buzzed with different soldiers.
Like a statue, Marina stood still. Minutes or hours gone by with a blink of an eye. Bialyan military men passed by her cautiously. They watched her, waiting for any sudden movement with a hand on their guns.
A maniacal giggle and the shifting tent entrance flaps rose from behind her. She didn't so much as flinch in surprise. Zen numbed her mind but her vigilance grew overly sensitive to the noises and possible threats around her.
"Now, now, pet," a chilling voice slithered to her mind. The same voice spoke aloud, "My, you take your orders seriously."
She remained tall. Her hands hung freely at her sides, ready to wield her many weapons. A cloaked figure sized her up, scrutinizing her features and stance. The soldiers around them clutched their guns closer to their bodies. He waved them away.
"There's no need for that," he drawled. Marina's face jerked to the side before a stinging sensation bloomed from her cheek. She didn't hiss in pain when a tight grip captured her jaw. She willingly followed the force. "You will do as I say. Will you not… Lilith?"
Her reply was met with a broad grin. The words left her mouth, "она моя. найти егo."
Miles of sand stretched out for miles. Sunlight scorched orange onto the grains. Heat radiated in the air so intensely she could practically see each wave.
But, she felt nothing. It was as if she fragmented away from reality. The desert's mirage bled into a nightmare she could not escape from.
"The two tanks have been destroyed by the Superboy," a Bialyan soldier spoke in English with a strong accent. He paused to listen to the other end of the device. A flurry of words unfurled from the other end of the call. Being unable to understand, Marina stayed perfectly still.
The soldier continued in English, "His companions, the archer and the speedster, have escaped. However, they are within range."
Psimon crossed his arms, relaxing into the armored vehicle. He sighed with boredom. He turned to Marina, "Your little friends are all over the place. The way that I intended them to be." He chuckled to himself. At the expected lack of reply, he glanced at the military man, "Deploy the drones. We don't need pests like them alive."
The Bialyan snapped into a stiff salute. He relayed the information in his language to the walkie-talkie. Psimon rounded on the young girl. Eyes lit with amusement. "Who knows what will happen to your comrades? But, no worries. Our focus is on the task at hand."
Marina did not reply. They stepped out of the car. Screams echoed through the land. The clone fought to flee the circling soldiers. Psimon tisked. He nonchalantly waved his two fingers.
"Lilith, restrain the beast." Marina's body moved at its own accord. She took the machine gun from the hands of a Bialyan. She shot at the clone, who covered himself with a snarl. He pounced.
Marina weaved around him. Her speed equally matched his strength. She stunned Superboy with a flash grenade before dropping her gun. She swept his black clad legged from underneath him. He stumbled, leaning to listen to her shifting feet. She shot another round of bullets to mask her noise.
"Men, get ready to grab onto the ropes."
She grabbed the discarded rope off the ground. Using his readjusting eyes to her advantage, she quickly encircled his wrists with restraint. He lunged at her one more time. She dodged, rolling underneath his arm. She grasped the other. The ropes tightened as the soldiers pulled Superboy's arms.
The clone pushed her aside, attempting to go after his captors. Marina rolled on her upper back before snapping her waist up. Her kickup smoothly pulled her from the sand. Wordlessly, she moved to Psimon.
"Well done, Lilith. Well done."
Despite the praise, she emotionlessly watched the boy writhe. She remained still as soldiers struggled to contain the clone. A group of them flew forward at Superboy's pull.
With her main mission in mind, she didn't budge to help. She simply followed the cloaked figure. "You must control his mind," a soldier instructed Psimon.
Raising a pale hand, Psimon replied. "Doesn't seem to be much mind left in there to control. But be still."
A pair of armed men dragged the unconscious boy into the back of a truck. Psimon chuckled, "The subjects will be our number one priority. However, the package must be protected. Those children do not know when to stop. They'll come back for it eventually."
The Bialyan soldier nodded. "A squad will be waiting for them when they return."
"Very good. Lilith, the door." Automatically, Marina swung open the side of the armed car. She waited for him to slide in.
When she shut the door, the soldier's device spoke. He turned his attention to it. The deep voice of a woman sounded. The soldiers snapped nimrod straight, and obedience permeated the air. Marina did not pay attention to unfamiliar words. Instead, she opened the door behind the passenger's seat.
She stood tall as pained yells and whirring rang through the tent. She stayed at the corner, blankly staring at the bright monitors. Scientists discussed between themselves as Psimon hovered around in fascination.
Two scientists around the clone were shoved to the side. The computer beeped before the electricity shut down. Superboy heaved while he was knocked unconscious.
"Well, someone's certainly a glutton for punishment." Psimon stared at an empty space. He drew back his hood. "Psimon says…"
A silence hung over the experimentation tent. With no orders, Marina stayed still. A scientist waved a hand in front of Psimon's smirking face. Equipment levitated from their surfaces. Marina remained unfazed, waiting.
A cacophony of noises began all at once. A heart beat monitor went off as the sphere test-subjected whirred back to life. It rolled out of its confines and into the restraints of Superboy. He jumped, attempting to strike Psimon. A psychokinetic force field enveloped him and Marina.
Superboy skidded back. He didn't spring back for round two. He shook himself awake from his daze.
"Lilith, kill Superboy," Psimon said, his eyes not moving. At the command, her body lurched forward. The sphere rammed into the Bialyan reinforcements as Superboy raised his hand at Marina.
"Snap out of it, Marina." He spoke. She advanced, brandishing a knife. Whirring roared up again but Superboy yelled over the sound. "No! Don't hurt her! This isn't her– this isn't Marina. She would never try to hurt–"
She attacked. Superboy flew to the side, away from her blade.
"Marina! Stop! The brainwash Psimon has you under isn't who you are," he gripped her wrist to throw her across the tent. She lunged at him again. Superboy circled her. His arms caged her from behind. She escaped, jerking away his embrace.
She swung with her left hand. Blade sought his flesh. He stepped back to avoid the metal. She drew another knife into her other hand. She lurched forward to stab him in the gut. He parried, deflecting her arm. She swiped her weapon in a hook.
Superboy weaved under it. She descended another stab. They both whirled around. Her attacks and his defense were never-ending. She made a small slice on his cheek.
"Come back to us," Superboy pleaded as he ducked from her knives. With glassy eyes, Marina readjusted her form. Her blades drew closer to her body. Superboy noted her fighting style was a lot more aggressive than normal. "This is going to hurt one of us. And it isn't gonna be me."
She twirled, bringing down her weapon. Superboy leaned to the side, narrowly avoiding injury. He stepped into her space, punching the other knife from her opposing hand. He grabbed her wrist, pulling it back to make her unbalanced. Superboy knocked her unconscious with a small grimace. She fell back.
"The Watchtower detected an immense power surge in the Bialyan desert," Batman's voice drawled. With a press of the remote, a map appeared behind him. A bright red dot blinked on the display. "Spectral analysis revealed elements non-terrestrial in origin."
Marina gnawed on her lip. "Find out what happened at that site. What landed there." She wearily eyed the dot. She doubted that it was another person from her universe.
"Bialya is a rogue state ruled by," The Bat clicked the remote again. A woman with dark skin and deeply shadowed eyes looked away from the camera. "Queen Bee and not a member of the league's UN charter. All communications are subject to interception. Maintain radio silence at all times."
Her hope soured. If it was a person from her universe, they would deploy the League– not the team. The map flashed again. "You'll land in Qurac, on Bialya's border, two klicks from the hot zone."
"We will begin our preparations."
They scanned the dark expanse of the desert. "All clear." Robin concluded. Superboy carried the machine off Bioship. Artemis hissed as she looked over a dune.
"The Bialyans control the site." Marina's eyes narrowed at the camp. Robin handed her his binoculars. She counted the guards standing outside. She whistled lowly at their machine guns. She zoomed into them.
"The top of the line," she murmured to Artemis and Robin. "South African made. 100-round bullet magazine capacity. Whoever is running this joint isn't someone to deal with lightly. They know their weapons."
"More like they know their incidents at the border," Robin whispered back. "Queen Bee's all over this camp."
"Set up here," Aqualad instructed Superboy. He quietly set it down on the sand, twisting a knob to open the main computer of the machine. Robin silently moved across the sand grains. His fingers flew across the keyboard.
"We'll be up and running in no time."
"Jackpot!" Kid read the screen. He placed his hands on his waist. "This site's lousy with Zeta-Beam radiation."
"Detecting non-terrestrial trace elements from the tent," Robin confirmed over his shoulder. Artemis and Marina joined their huddle around the machine. The latter maintained a perimeter.
"I'll check it out in camouflage mode," M'gann offered.
Aqualad nodded. "Good idea. Go."
"Be careful," Lethe said together with Superboy. Lethe crossed her arms.
"Report anything you find but if you're compromised, get out of there."
"And maintain telepathic contact." With an affirmative, Miss Martian disappeared from sight. Marina watched over the campsite with Robin's binoculars. She watched as the tent's entrance flaps open.
"I'm in," M'gann announced over their link. Lethe dropped her binoculars when she could not see M'gann progress anymore. Something didn't sit right with her. Marina pushed it aside.
"Good. But tread carefully," Aqualad reminded her. "Camouflage is not invisible."
"They're testing something. But it's alive." Lethe's body tensed. "In pain. Hello? Can you hear me?"
Her stomach twisted. She fidgeted with her hands. She jolted when an unfamiliar voice replied, "I can. And an open mind is a dangerous thing."
M'gann's voice cut through their telepathic link again. This time with surprise and worry. "Someone's hacked our link."
"M'gann," Marina cautioned telepathically. "Get out of there!"
"Psimon can't see you. Psimon can't catch you. But Psimon can make you all forget!"
A high pitch noise filled their brain. Marina gripped her head as the rest of the Team screamed in pain. She clenched her teeth, eyes screwed shut. It felt like her mind was splitting inch by inch. She lost consciousness for a brief moment.
When she woke up again, her hands were bound together. She blinked at the darkness around her. She tried to look around but the rope around her wrists burned. The sand underneath her reminded her of her mission– her team.
"M'gann? Are you there?" She thought. Silence answered. She opened her mouth to mutter, "Robin? Aqualad? Are you here?"
"I'm afraid not," a voice replied. Warm light surprised her. A hooded figure followed by a group of armed soldiers entered. He chuckled with amusement. "But I am. And surprisingly, so are you."
He crouched in front of her. She snarled at him, jerking against her ties. "What did you do to them?"
"Psimon says forget," he purred at her. Marina paused. She spat at him.
"I'm not playing your games." His eyes lit with surprise and excitement.
"How fascinating. You are immune to psychic and telepathic attacks," Psimon drawled, watching her features intently. Ice ran through Marina's veins. She steeled herself from reacting to his words. "How is that possible? Hmmm?"
She didn't reply, eyes narrowing at the cloaked enemy. He sighed at her silence. He stood up, dusting off his trousers. "Well, if you will not answer, I will look for the answer myself."
Marina watched in horror as he pulled down his hood. Against the pale stark skin, the swelling pink organ caught her attention. A clear dome with strips of skin encased his brain. He noticed her disgust.
"My appearance only holds a fraction of my power," he shrugged unbothered. He folded his sleeves. "The strongest fortresses have their own weaknesses. A crack is all I need."
Marina glowered at him. Psimon sat back on the ground. "I can search for it all night if I have to. No matter how deep, I will find it."
She looked away. Panic rose in her chest. Psimon snapped his fingers. A gloved hand grasped her chin. She forcibly turned to look at Psimon's dark eyes. "Now, what secrets are you hiding?"
She writhed against the power of the grip. Psimon steadily took hold of her mind. "No!" She yelled. "No, don't–" Darkness sucked her in.
Feelings went out the window and numbness settled in. Her awareness grew hazy as if she watched herself miles behind a glass divider. Her body twitched, itching to obey. A dark laughter filled her ears. Her hearing tuned into the specific voice of command.
"Lilith, it's time to wake up."
An explosion of loud noise brought her back. Marina jolted awake, her eyes snapping open. She blinked slowly for her vision to refocus. She shook her head to dispel the fog that clouded her thoughts. She gasped silently, taking in more air.
Two figures came into focus. M'gann's green body embraced against Superboy's naked chest. She rolled onto her back. A whirring drew closer. It beeped. Marina allowed herself to stay on the ground for a little while longer. She tried to process what happened.
A chill ran down her spine. The lack of control and numbness she felt was something she never wanted to experience ever again. She relived the nightmare for more than 24 hours. She stared blankly at the night sky. The world fell into a blur around her.
"-rina! Marina!"
M'gann's voice pulled her from her trance. She blinked at the martian and Superboy, who looked down at her worriedly. She groaned, shutting her eyes. Superboy helped her sit up.
She croaked, "I– I'm fine."
Superboy snorted. "No, you're not. You were just brainwashed by that bald freak. Because of him, you attacked us."
Her eyes widened. Fear gripped her throat. She studied the clone. She noted his bruises and cut on his cheek. "Did… I do that?" His silence confirmed her suspicions.
"I'm so, so, so sorry–"
"It's not your fault. It's Psimon's."
M'gann nodded beside him. Marina opened her mouth to say sorry again but was cut off by Superboy.
"You weren't yourself. I should be the one saying sorry." His eyes flickered to a part of her head. She raised her hand to caress the spot he stared at. Though she found the bump, the pain mingled with the rest of her emotions. She didn't even notice. "I gave you that."
"It's okay," she murmured. The sphere beside Superboy beeped once more. M'gann stood up, supporting Marina to do the same.
"I think it's time to head to the Bioship. The others must be worried," M'gann said. Marina wrapped an arm around the martian. Marina vacantly watched leagues of desert pass underneath her. Superboy's hand tightened around her arm, preventing her from falling.
She felt the familiar presence of M'gann's telepathic link but delved deeper into her own thoughts rather than conversing with the others. Despite the hits she took today, she felt… nothing.
When they came back to the Cave, it was as if they didn't just lose their memories. The mission ended well with small bruises and cuts. Marina found herself staring at Superboy's cheek. The cut seemed to be already healing but her guilt didn't recover as quickly.
Marina averted her gaze back to the lunch in front of her. Her body did not protest in hunger when she inhaled the aroma. It smelled delicious but the memories from the mission plagued her mind. Nausea rose within her.
"Marina," M'gann frowned. Marina lifted her eyes from the plate. M'gann and Superboy watched her closely. Her attention flickered back to Superboy. The guilt intensified. "You barely touched your food."
Marina tensed. She shrugged it off, "I'm not really hungry but thanks for cooking, M'gann." She pushed back her chair. The sharp sound made her flinch. "Go ahead and eat. I'll be in my workshop."
Marina stood, brushing past Aqualad and Artemis on the way to the garage. When their greetings weren't answered, they entered the kitchen with baffled looks. Artemis spoke up first.
"What's with her?"
M'gann's frown deepened. "Marina? She's been different since we finished the mission. She doesn't eat. All she does is drink coffee and hole up in her workshop."
"It appears that the mission has taken a toll on her," Aqualad said. He crossed his arms.
Superboy groaned, "I think it's because she cut me." He gestured to his cheek. "But I already told her it's not her fault." Aqualad's eyebrows furrowed.
M'gann slumped over, "Marina has always been there for us. Like with Mr. Kent Nelson's death. I wish we can do more."
"Perhaps, we can," Aqualad declared. "As a Team. Though, I believe that we should alert Black Canary. This is more in line with her expertise," Aqualad pondered aloud. Artemis and M'gann nodded in agreement.
"I'll message her."
Marina wandered back into the kitchen after hours of blankly staring at blueprints and papers. Her coffee-high quickly crashed when the caffeine ran out. She thought about placing her own coffee machine in the workshop as she poured herself another cup. After taking a sip, she followed her feet into the living room. Maybe some TV will give her inspiration to create.
She froze when almost all the members of the Team stared at her. "Ummm… Hi?"
"Marina," Aqualad began. Marina weakly waved a hand before pivoting on her heel. She wanted to get out of here– "You have a place here."
Marina paused. She peeked over her shoulder. "Oh, it's okay! I'm going to my workshop anyway."
Aqualad shook his head. "No. You have a place here– on the Team. During the mission in Bialya, you were not yourself." Marina bit back a retort. She no longer looked at them. Their gazes made her heart twist.
She wanted to snap that it was her. It was a part of her that tried to kill Superboy. If ordered to, she would've murdered the rest of the Team with a few simple words. Her hands clenched, one around her mug and the other into a fist.
"Though you may think otherwise, the injuries you gave do not warrant any hatred or malice."
"You're the one we fought beside, risked our lives with," Robin interjected. "You'll always be part of this Team." She turned to face them. Sincerity filled their features, warming Marina.
"We're here for you, Marina," a pair of green arms quietly wrapped around her. Marina's shoulders loosened at the older girl's comfort. Artemis' calloused hand patted her head gently. Tears stung the corners of her eyes. She blinked them away.
A thankful knot caught in her chest. She cleared her throat. She managed to speak with a small, croaky voice. "Thank you… I– I just need time."
"No problem. Take all the time you need," M'gann declared. She disengaged from the hug. Marina waited for a change of topic. Thankfully, Robin noticed.
"Wally should be arriving any minute now. Who wants to train?"
Superboy and Artemis straightened quickly. They raised their hands. Aqualad studied her. Marina waved off his worry.
"I'll have to take a raincheck. I have some sleep to catch up on." They beamed at her.
Surprisingly, her dreams weren't plagued with nightmares. Her body was so exhausted from the mission and lack of rest that darkness completely overwhelmed her. After a futile attempt to engineer a device, she walked back into the kitchen starving. She missed lunch and her stomach finally protested. She inhaled the spread M'gann made and flew by washing the dishes.
Now, she's trying to create one more time. She groaned helplessly when no motivation came. Every time she glanced down at her hands, she remembered the destruction and harm she inflicted. She winced. While the talk earlier lightened the weight off her shoulders, her mind and chest grew heavy with guilt.
Two knocks sounded from behind her. She whirled around to see Black Canary standing in the glass doorway. Her arms folded across her chest.
"Hey Marina, just checking in."
Marina looked at Black Canary with a raised eyebrow. "Who told you?"
Black Canary stepped into the workshop. Her eyes glanced over Marina's messy, unfinished projects on the workbench and desk. "Batman may have mentioned your mission."
Marina rolled her eyes. "Made it back in one piece." Black Canary eyed her skeptically. Marina felt her walls chipping away. She had to say the reality out loud and accept it but it was proving way more difficult than she thought.
"Physically maybe, but there is no shame saying that the mission has frightened you." Black Canary narrowed the gap between them. She crouched in front of the younger girl. "Talking about it is not a sign of weakness but of strength."
The words struck a chord with her. She practically could hear the kindness of Steve's voice and the empathy in Nat's. She knew better than to let the experiences eat away at her silently.
"I hurt them," Marina whispered. While Black Canary may be known for her gift of supersonic screams, her listening powers rivaled the superpower. She blurted out the words, "I didn't mean to– I couldn't stop it… I could've killed them."
A gloved hand closed on wringing fingers. "Look at me." Marina hesitantly raised her gaze to Black Canary's eyes filled with understanding. "Don't go there, into what could've been. You're here… Say it."
Marina gnawed on her lower lip. She tried. Her mouth opened and closed with no sound coming out. She stuttered, "I–I'm… I'm here."
The member of the Justice League smiled reassuringly at her. "I know it's been tough for you. Being away from your family. Adjust to a whole new world, literally. But, you need to see that you've been incredibly brave. They would be proud of you."
Marina grappled with the image. "You can do this." Clint told her once. Thor announced to her twice. Nat said it thrice. And Tony and Steve…
They've reassured her millions of times. She sighed, releasing her wave of emotions with an exhale. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. 8, 7, 6…
Just because they weren't with her doesn't mean that the progress they helped her create is gone. Her efforts remained. She was still here.
"That's it," Black Canary counted Marina's breaths with her. "What happened was outside of your control and that's okay. Do what you can in your control."
Marina breathed with the counts. Her mind cleared. She shut her eyes in relief. She wasn't a hundred percent over the experience but she was on her way. She opened them again, "Thank you."
Black Canary beamed at her. "We all need some help sometimes." Marina shot back a small smile.
"Ma'am, I am sorry to be interrupting." Black Canary jolted from the sound overheard. Marina quietly chuckled. She forgot that no one in this universe was used to an AI speaking so realistically. ALICE already gave the Cave's system a run for its money.
"I must remind you that the deadline of your decision for enrollment in Gotham Academy is drawing closer. You must submit it before or on September 12." ALICE explained. Marina blew out another breath.
"Thank you for reminding me at such a time," Marina said out loud. A touch of irritation in her voice. If Artificial Intelligence could, Alice would huff at Marina's words.
"Of course, ma'am. Wouldn't want you to forget." Marina scowled at her technological personal assistant. Black Canary threw her head back with a laugh.
"I heard about your enrollment. I forgot to congratulate you." Marina shrugged. Black Canary fell silent. She examined the young girl. "Are you going to accept?"
Marina mulled it over. She hesitated, "I didn't want to at first. I thought by accepting, I would be admitting I'm never going home but… I'm here." She reiterated the words the Leaguer told her to say. She smirked, "And I can only do what is in my control."
Black Canary lifted a sculpted brow, "So, is that a yes to enrolling?"
Author's Note:
Hello! We're back with another post. It's been awhile but we're thankful that you took time to read this other installment of Lethe :) Please let us know your thoughts on this chapter and what you will think will happen in the next chapters/ episodes. We LOVE hearing your insights and suggestions!
Till the next one!