Disclaimer:
We do not own Young Justice and Avengers nor its characters.
Without further ado…
Lethe
Chapter 11
Mount Justice
September 23, 06:29 EDT
Marina thought that narrowly escaping death would stave off any questions for her. But, she was wrong. She sat in the middle of the mission room. Surrounding her, her teammates stayed quiet.
Batman, Green Arrow, and Black Canary stood at the opposite end with their arms crossed. Batman stared Marina down, "You hacked into the Justice League's internet to send a message."
She shrugged, "Technically, I wasn't–"
"But you ordered it. "
"Yes, I ordered it." She narrowed her eyes at the Leaguer. "Because we were almost killed. I didn't know if the others were alive–"
"But they were–" Green Arrow began. Marina slammed her hand on the table. She remembered the dread in her stomach when she was M'gann and Kaldur in that fiery death trap.
"How was I supposed to know that?" She asked incredulously. She waved to Robin and Artemis. "When we got out of the Zeta-tube, all we saw was smoke and fireballs being launched at us. We didn't know if Kaldur, M'gann, Wally and Conner were still alive. I did what I had to do. And if was a second later, we would all be dead!"
The Team shifted uncomfortably from her last word. Robin opened his mouth to interject but Black Canary raised a hand. She pressed her hands on the table, leaning toward Marina. "Yes, your quick thinking called for help and help came. It is a miracle that you only suffered a physical injury–"
"I'm fine–"
"But you betrayed the League's trust." Black Canary declared. Marina simmered down. "You built an AI to snoop behind our backs. To open the Watchtower's mainframe through a back door."
The young girl grew quiet. She knew that. The Watchtower was off limits for the sensitive information it contained. It would be bad if she opened it for another but she wasn't that sloppy with covering her tracks… They didn't know that though.
"It remains the same," Batman concluded. "You connected to the Watchtower without permission from the League to do so. If it were under any other circumstances, the Justice League would have taken away your privileges and kicked you out of the Team."
A chill gripped Marina. They would've taken back their end of the deal. The Team looked at Batman in shock. He continued, "However, the quick thinking saved your lives in the end. We will let you off with a warning."
The Team collectively sighed. Marina melted in her chair in relief. "But make no mistake. You will not be doing it again."
Marina nodded her head in agreement. "I won't." As a sign of good faith, she tapped her earpiece. "ALICE, erase all networks and memory from the Watchtower and the League's personal numbers."
"Got it, boss." A ping sounded in her ear. She slid out her phone and showed ALICE's mainframe. The blue hologram image displayed the Watchtower connection. ALICE deleted all the numbers and lines of code. The screen blinked blank.
"It's done." Marina announced. Batman grunted, appeased for now. He tapped his comm.
"Batman to Martian Manhunter, Watchtower mainframe is clear. You can synchronize the Cave security protocols now."
Marina perked up, "Oh, I have some suggestions and upgrades we can do for Cave security–" She paused when Robin nudged her.
"We need to work on your timing," Robin whispered to her. "You just got off with a slap on your wrist. Don't give them any more reason to punish you."
Marina blinked. The League warned her not to connect to the Watchtower mainframe ever again. If she hooked something up… "Forget I said anything."
"Wise choice," Green Arrow said. He smirked at the young girl. He walked out of the room. Black Canary studied them.
"Anyway, how are you all doing?"
"Feeling the aster," Wally replied. He slumped over the table. "Those robots whooped our butts and we didn't see them coming."
"We didn't even see them leave," Artemis pointed out. "Or where they went."
"Let's just be glad they didn't leave any more damage," Marina gestured to her thigh. She also remembered her peek into her workshop. One wall was completely gone from when the reds came knocking. Batman pulled aside their leader.
"I'll recover soon enough," M'gann answered when Black Canary examined her. Conner crossed his arms. Green Arrow came back with a bowl of pretzels. He set it in front of the speedster.
"Thanks, but no thanks," Wally groaned. He stared blankly at the food. Marina's stomach growled. She snuck in to take a piece.
"Yeah. What we want are answers about Red Tornado and his siblings." Robin watched the Leaguers' expressions. They remained stoic.
"Exactly," Wally agreed. Green Arrow took the food away. Wally's hand shot out. "Leave the bowl."
Wally dug into the food. Marina pulled pieces occasionally. She jolted when Conner shouted, "You knew?"
Marina sprung up when Conner reached Kaldur. He grabbed Aqualad's waterbearer slings. She ignored the pain on her thigh. Conner pressed Kaldur up against the wall. "That android and his maniac family nearly killed M'gann."
"And the rest of us," Marina muttered underneath her breath. M'gann flew to her boyfriend. The rest of the Team followed. Marina limped slightly.
"Conner, what are you doing?"
"Kaldur knew we had a traitor among us and said nothing." Marina bit her lip in thought. Her hand brushed against her bandages.
"You knew?"
"And didn't tell us?" Robin and Wally looked at their friend in rage.
Kaldur didn't step back from Superboy's aggression, "I sought to protect the Team from–"
"Protect us from what?" Artemis placed a hand on her hip. "Knowledge that might have saved our lives."
Marina stepped in to defend Aqualad, "Protect us from falling apart as a Team. Everyone, let's take a brea–"
"Why are you taking his side?" Robin turned on her. "You of all people should be mad. You got hurt."
"I am fine." She gritted through her teeth. A suffocating feeling rose up to her throat. It felt similar to when she was at the Leipzig Airport. "I'm just saying that we should all calm down."
"M'gann almost died," Conner snarled.
"Enough," Batman silenced the Team. Conner released Kaldur. "With Red Tornado missing, the Team will now be overseen by rotating supervisors. Captain Marvel has volunteered to take the first shift."
A brawny man dressed in red, white, and gold stepped forward. Marina frowned. "I'm really looking forward to hanging with you guys."
The Team looked at each other. Conner sneered at Kaldur. Marina stepped forward. The clone hissed, "After I dismantle Red Tornado, you and I are gonna–"
"What?" Marina placed herself between them. She raised a brow at Conner, "You're going to do what? For once, Conner, don't use your fists to solve–"
"Red Tornado is a member of the Justice League. That makes him a League responsibility. You will leave him to us." Batman gestured to a hologram. The headline of the News of the Planet appeared. "I have another assignment for this Team."
The image changed to the Gotham Truth Rag. Data files compiled into the sides of the article."Gotham Mayor attacked by Guerilla Gorilla."
"Batman, please, tell me you're not sending us on this joke of a wild ape chase."
"I never joke about the mission." At his mentor's seriousness, Robin grew quiet. He looked off to the side. "I've checked the sources. I've studied the patterns. Mayor Hill's encounter is only the latest in a series of incidents."
Batman turned to the Team's leader as he relayed further instructions, "Aqualad, you and your team will depart for India and check this out."
With that, Batman dismissed the young heroes. They passed by Kaldur in silence. Wally scoffed, "'Your team.'"
Marina hung back with Kaldur. She saw the doubt cross his face. "They'll come around."
"Perhaps it was wrong of me to keep this from them."
Marina shook her head, "If you told us sooner, we would've turned on each other." She laid a hand on his shoulder. Her chest tightened, mind flashed to months before she dropped into this universe. She was brought back to watch from Leipzig Airport. "I- I just hope that this doesn't make too big of cracks for us to be whole again."
She turned on her heel. The pain in her thigh subsided. When she entered the hangar, Robin leaned against the wall with Wally. They narrowed their eyes on her. She walked forward, her head held up high. Before she watched the Avengers split up from the sidelines, she won't do the same here.
She prepared herself for the mission. Marina picked up a new set of bullets and replenished her knives. "Glad to know that you removed the us out of trust."
Robin's words stung. She pushed it away, not starting any more arguments. She got on the Bioship after Conner. She tapped ALICE on her ear. "ALICE, report."
"Operations are functional."
"No glitches since the EMP?"
"No, ma'am," ALICE replied. Marina dropped to her usual seat. She felt daggers on her back from Conner and Artemis. She ignored it. Tensions ran high once everyone boarded the Bioship.
"Great," she murmured. "Stand by. I have a feeling this is going to be a long mission."
Northern India
September 23, 21:36 IST
The sky turned dark when they reached India. Marina stared out the window as they flew over mountains in camouflage mode. The entire trip was silent and heavy. Once they reached the mission site, the Bioship descended.
Marina hooked the line in her hand. She jumped down with Robin and Artemis. Once they landed, they scouted different directions. She drew her knives. She peered over the shrubbery and trees. She rendezvoused back with the others.
"All clear," Robin stated.
Aqualad tapped the buckle on his belt. His uniform turned black. "Switch to stealth and we will review mission parameters."
The Team made a disgruntled circle around Aqualad. Wally tapped the bolt across his chest. "Parameters? We don't need no stinking parameters."
"It's recon. We know what to do." Robin and Wally turned their back on the leader.
"Kid, Robin."
"The three of us started this team because the Justice League was keeping secrets from us."
"Or did you forget that, like you forgot to tell us about the mole?" The two set off, running into the thicket of trees.
"Come on, I'll keep you safe," Conner grasped M'gann's arm. They stared at each other. M'gann frowned, crossing her arms. "I just wanna protect you."
"Like Aqualad protected us?" Artemis interjected. She raised her bow, touching its edge on his chest. "I'm not sure your "protection" or your patronizing is good for our health."
"M'gann, Artemis," Lethe called. Artemis faced her.
"What you call "protection," Artemis said, referring to their argument in the Cave. "Is manipulation, Lethe. You should see it the way it is."
The two girls walked off in a different direction. Lethe watched them go. She heaved a heavy sigh. Conner turned on Aqualad.
"Why didn't you stop them? You're supposed to be in charge!"
Aqualad stammered, "I am–"
Conner waved him off. Lethe frowned as the clone leapt away. She brought her gloved hands to her temples.
"Um," Captain Marvel said. His eyebrow lifted. "Did I miss the part where you actually said what the plan was?"
Aqualad sighed. They walked off. Lethe felt a prickling behind her neck. She whipped around. When she saw nothing through the dense leaves, she brushed it off. The anxiety of the group separating made her far too weary.
Lethe followed the terrain while Captain Marvel searched above. She crouched by the set of ape footprints. Captain Marvel landed beside her. He said, "Guess this is where Mayor Hill's 'monkey business' went down. So at least, we've confirmed his story, right?"
Lethe watched Aqualad walk ahead with worry. They reached a clearing. "Aqualad?"
"My apologies," Aqualad turned to them. A frown creased his face. "I am plagued by doubts. Perhaps I was wrong to withhold–"
Thumping echoed nearby. Lethe drew her weapons. She glanced down in alarm when the ground began to shake. An elephant emerged from the trees. It trumpeted loudly, sprinting towards them. Captain Marvel launched from the ground, pushing back against the giant animal.
It skidded back before its trunk wrapped around the leg of the Leaguer. It threw Captain Marvel into the trees. Another trumpet sounded from behind Lethe. Another elephant appeared. Aqualad and Lethe stood back to back as two elephants cornered them.
Lethe dove to the side when the elephant raised its foot. She ran over tree roots and bushes. The elephant swiped its trunk at her. She crossed her arms as the trunk landed on her. She flew back, her feet skidded against the forest floor. She slid between Captain Marvel and Aqualad who was sprawled on the ground.
"ALICE–"
"On it," the AI replied. ALICE fed virtual examination of the elephants into her mind. "Ma'am, these elephants are twice as large as a normal elephant. Based on their cracked skin and unusually aggression, it seems that they have been injected with–"
"Kobra Venom?" Lethe asked. She recognized the muscle that peeked from their skin. It was similar to that giant from her first mission with the Team. ALICE displayed the components of Kobra Venom. "Any countermeasures?"
"Working on it," ALICE replied. Lethe dodged when the brown elephant charged. Captain Marvel pushed the animal away. She knelt, studying the elephant for a weakness. "Ma'am, the collars around their neck seem to have been designed to release electroshocks to inhibit the wearer."
"Aqualad," Lethe called out to him. He stared at the neck of the animal. "ALICE said that they're wearing inhibitor collars. I think that they're being controlled."
"Let us find out," Aqualad drew his waterbearers. The black lines around his arms glowed blue. The light attracted the grey elephant's attention. Lethe ran to distract the other elephant. Captain Marvel fumbled to stand. He took off again to divert the elephant to another clearing.
Lethe panted. The wound on her thigh throbbed. Her AI spoke up once more. "The latch can be easily pulled off."
She relayed the information to Aqualad, "Pull the collar off!"
The grey elephant swung at Aqualad, its trunk brushed against the ground. Aqualad expertly jumped over the dirt. He sprinted underneath the elephant before leaping into the air. He groaned with effort as he wrapped the water around the collar and pulled downwards.
The collar thudded loudly when it landed on the floor. The grey elephant blinked. It flapped his ears and swung his neck freely. It stamped away, not giving Lethe and Aqualad a second glance. Lethe knelt on one knee. The pain on her leg radiated. She gritted her teeth.
"Remove the collar!" Aqualad shouted to Captain Marvel. The Leaguer hovered above the brown elephant. He swooped down as the animal reared up. It extended its trunk to grab Captain Marvel, lifting its neck high enough for Captain Marvel to break through the collar. The elephant blew again when the collar fell to the ground. With it's large hoof, it trampled over the inhibitor collar.
The two elephants walked off together. The grey followed the brown back into the trees. Lethe steeled herself to stand beside Aqualad. Captain Marvel landed beside them. "Pretty sweet the way you figured out the problem was the collars."
Aqualad narrowed his eyes, watching the animals leave. "But the collars indicate an intelligence behind this attack. The rest of the Team may also be at risk. Team, report status."
Aqualad pressed the comm in his ear. He flinched when static crackled over the radio. "Ugh, comm is jammed. And Miss Martian failed to establish a telepathic link before we split up."
Captain Marvel smirked a little. "Actually, you let everyone split up before communications were set."
"They would not listen," Aqualad argued. He spread his arms out in exasperation.
"I guess," Captain Marvel shrugged. He placed his fists on his waist. "But back at the Cave, Batman stopped everyone from arguing with one word."
"Ma'am," ALICE spoke up. Lethe turned her attention to her AI. "Your blood pressure and respiratory rate has increased. I believe it is from your injury."
Lethe stifled a groan. She readjusted the bandage beneath her pants. "I am fine."
"If you say so, ma'am."
She focused on Aqualad's conversation with Captain Marvel. "When I joined the League, all he did was boss me around. And it's hard not to take it personally. But, I never disobeyed an order. And that's probably what kept me alive."
At the Leaguer's wise words, Aqualad looked off. "Batman takes command. He has to, for the good of the League." He smiled. "Thank you for helping me understand."
"Hey, wisdom of Solomon," Captain Marvel pointed to his temple. Lethe grinned a little. She opened her mouth to suggest they look for leads but she heard a crackle over the radio.
"Aqualad," Miss Martian's voice said through the comms. "Can you hear me?"
Aqualad swiftly pressed his comm. He stepped away. "Yes, Miss Martian. Report."
"Artemis and I were attacked by animals wearing collars like those used on convicts at Belle Reve prison."
"Same here," Lethe said to her comm. She watched the Team leader. His expression was deep in thought.
"Cool, the tiger." Captain Marvel announced. He ran toward the opposite direction. "I'll be right back."
Aqualad held out a hand, "Captain, wait!" The Leaguer took off. He sped across the clearing. He shrugged, "Hey, speed of Mercury."
Lethe sighed. "The last thing we need is to split up." She headed first in the direction Captain Marvel went. She spotted the trail of the tiger through the grass. She gestured for Aqualad to follow. "Let's just hope that everyone's okay."
"We should establish just that," Aqualad agreed. He followed closely after Lethe. He pressed his comm again. He spoke over their radio, "Miss Martian, I need a telepathic link-up with the entire Team. Now."
Lethe ducked underneath a low branch. The familiar hold on her mind echoed, "Link established."
"Should he really be giving us orders?" Artemis said through their telepathic link. Displeasure dripped off her thoughts. "And should you really be following them?"
Lethe glanced over her shoulder. Aqualad's brows furrowed. He focused on the next step in front of him. "Listen, please."
"Oh, good," Kid Flash said sarcastically in the link. "Aqualad's voice in my head. I've so missed that."
"Hey, Kaldur," Robin piped up. "KF and I were attacked by giant vultures. 'Course, since we're moles, you probably think we attacked ourselves?"
"If he did, he wouldn't tell you." Artemis chimed in. Lethe rolled her eyes.
She hissed, "Yet, he still reached out. Now, stop squabbling and focus up."
"Still taking his side?" Robin snapped. Marina bristled. Aqualad placed a hand on her shoulder, telling her to hold back.
"Superboy, are you online? Or just pouting?"
"Busy. Call back later."
Lethe felt frustration roar in her ears, "I am taking the side of reason. I don't get why we're still arguing until now–"
"What gets me is how nonchalant he is about not telling us," Kid Flash stated. Lethe separated the tall leaves. She bit back her shock when she saw three metal prongs sticking up from the ground.
"He should be chalant. Way chalant. Extremely chalant."
She examined the spot a few steps ahead of them. She noticed the disturbed ground, dirt scattered in all directions. "Captain Marvel was here." She said aloud to Aqualad. A trail followed. From the middle of the beams, large hand prints and dragging lanes led through the forest. Distinct paw prints also followed.
Lethe mulled it over. The Tiger knew that it was being followed, not just by Captain Marvel.
"How can we be a team they don't trust us with their secrets–"
"Or Conner doesn't trust us to take care of ourselves–"
"Did he really think you or I could have been the mole?" Wally's complaint echoed through their link. Aqualad touched the soil of the trail. "We've known each other for years."
Lethe took in the other set of paw prints. The tiger. They must have caught the superhero off guard. Lethe gulped, "Guys–"
"Trust is a two-way street." ALICE made a quick scan of the triangle. The blueprints appeared in Lethe's mind.
"Electricity," she explained aloud to Aqualad. "If something enters the triangle, it could render them paralyzed."
"And you know they'd hate it if we kept secrets from them."
"Not that we do that. Never." The overwhelming telepathic noise made Aqualad scrunch up his face. He gritted his teeth.
"Enough!" Aqualad pulled the metal rod from the ground. He grunted loudly. Bright blue light enveloped them. Lethe closed her eyes as the electricity crackled. She opened her eyes again to see Aqualad panting in frustration. "Captain Marvel has been captured and we must act as a team to save him."
Lethe grimaced while Kaldur carried the metal monstrosity. Kid Flash scoffed, "Under your leadership? I don't think so."
"This is not up for debate," Aqualad declared. "You all chose me to lead. When the mission is over, if you wish to select a new leader, I will happily step down. But until that time, I am in command here."
Aqualad threw down the metal prong. He forged ahead. Lethe wordlessly followed. They silently walked through the trees. From a distance, Lethe heard a wolf's howl.
oOo
She crouched in the tall grass. They were stationed by the line of trees around the building. In their telepathic link, M'gann said, "I'll fly over."
"Negatory," Wally told her. "The field extends like a dome over the whole compound."
"Pylons are insulated, but one good shock could cause a momentary gap."
"I see a target."
"Then be ready to hit it," Aqualad instructed. "Be ready, all of you."
He stepped from the trees and walked over to the field. He stood between two metal rods, similar to what they found in the forest. Aqualad held his hands out. The electricity sizzled. Aqualad's tattoos glowed a similar color to the electric field. He pried his hands further from each other.
"Now," Wally commanded. Artemis notched an arrow. It flew directly to the button beside the compound's door. The field powered down. Aqualad motioned them over. The prickle at the back of her neck returned.
She glanced up to see a monkey watching them on the roof. It shrieked loudly, alarming the others. Lethe twirled the knives between her fingers.
The sirens blared and flashed. A company of monkeys descended from the roof. Lethe dodged the sharp claws of a monkey. She twisted to flick her blades at their necks. The edge bounced off the metal. The latch unclipped.
"Remove their collars," Aqualad said after tearing off a collar from a monkey. The released animals scampered to the trees. Lethe moved to where Kid Flash grappled with two monkeys on his back. She launched two knives at the monkeys. The collars sparked before falling off.
She grunted when a monkey pushed her. She yelped when her thigh made contact with the ground. Tears welled in her eyes. In a split second, the extra weight was shoved off from her. Kid Flash stood over her with a collar in his hands. He quickly helped her up before running toward the hulking gorilla that appeared.
M'gann sprawled on the ground in front of the compound's entrance. The gorilla aimed a gun at her. "Get your paws off her, you darn dirty ape." Kid Flash exclaimed. His body slammed into the gorilla but recoiled. He skidded against the ground.
Lethe helped Miss Martian up. She stood over the rising M'gann as she hailed bullets on the animal. M'gann levitated above the ground. She stopped the gorilla from swiping at Lethe with a lift of her hand. She used her telekinesis to throw the gorilla against the compound's wall.
The Team rushed in. Moonlight streamed into the dark room. Kid Flash pointed, "It's the Brain!"
"Ugh," Artemis rolled her eyes at Kid Flash. "I can see it's a brain."
Kid waved his hand. "Not 'a brain,' the Brain."
The machine with a dome encasing the pink organ rolled up. "In the flesh, uh, so to speak." It faced the gorilla. "Mallah." The gorilla raised a remote control. It pressed the button.
Metal rods sprung out from the ground. She gasped when electricity surged into her body. She crumbled to the floor. Aqualad spoke to their link, "Miss Martian, Superboy, now."
Lethe curled up and was unable to move. She hated the feeling. The snapping energy made her feel nauseous. M'gann telekinetically brought the control to her. She switched off the field. Lethe heaved a relieved sigh. She quickly stood up.
From behind the Brain and his animal companion, the wall exploded. The debris knocked the gorilla unconscious. The dust faded. Superboy stood tall with a jacked up white wolf behind him. It snarled, leaping onto the stumbling Mallah.
Lethe went after the Brain with Aqualad. She hid behind Aqualad as the Brain attacked with red laser beams. He shielded them with his waterbearers. She stepped out, firing her gun. "This gun is armed."
"Combien dangereux," the Brain said. He fired a beam, burning the bullets to dust. "That should not be for a young mademoiselle like you."
She dodged the red beams. She covered Aqualad while breaking Captain Marvel's collar. The Leaguer sat up, "Thanks. Now, one good turn deserves another."
"Way ahead of you," Lethe wiggled her knife in the Tiger's collar. Her heart went out to the poor creature. "Here, you go." She patted the cat's head.
They surrounded the Brain and gorilla. Mallah let out a fierce roar. He bared his fangs. The Brain interjected between the gorilla's snarls, "No, Mallah. This will not be our waterloo."
The Brain unfolded a series of parts from its mechanical body. "Au revoir, mes amies." The sound cranked up.
"Get down!" Kid Flash shouted. Lethe braced herself. Rather than a bang, the lights went off. After a few seconds, a lightbulb flickered to life then another. It dimly illuminated the laboratory. They stared at the empty space that once held their opponents.
"Wait. That big weapon thing was a light switch?"
The Team relaxed. No sign of the Brain and Mallah anywhere. Lethe tapped ALICE. "No trace. Sorry, ma'am."
"It's no problem. We live to fight another day."
The AI scoffed, "In the second day in a row."
The sun peeked over the horizon. The night sky swirled with pink clouds. Exhausted, the Team walked back to the Bioship. By this time, Lethe didn't have enough energy to reduce her limp. Aqualad saddled beside her, throwing an arm around his shoulder.
"After everything we have experienced in the past 24 hours, I still have not thanked you." Aqualad glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "I truly appreciated that you stood by me."
Lethe shrugged. She beamed at him, "I meant it when I chose you as our leader. I don't really know my place here but I do know for sure that your role is with the Team."
Aqualad returned her smile. He settled Lethe down on a log. Animals lined up to have their collars removed. The Tiger oversaw everything. Unable to help herself, Marina threaded her finger through the tiger's fur. The Tiger purred softly, enjoying her strokes. The repeated movements made Marina think.
Her words struck something within herself. I don't really know my place here. Where is here? In this universe, in this Team. The friends she made don't even know that she was from here.
Aqualad removed the metal around the last monkey. Captain Marvel, on the other side of the tiger, knelt down. He petted the giant cat. "That's the last of the collars?"
The tiger responded with a grunt. Captain Marvel grinned, "And I can count on you to keep the other animals out of trouble?"
The tiger answered with another affirmative growl. Captain Marvel rubbed the tiger's head. "Good. I'll be back for a visit. I promise." The tiger took off back into the forest. "I think I'll call him Mr. Tawny."
Marina's leg throbbed as she shifted to stand. Kaldur supported her by grasping her arm. They slowly went up the Bioship's ramp. Robin stood in the middle.
"Look, I need to know. Why did you keep the mole intel a secret?"
They faced the rest of the Team. He glanced at each one of the members before divulging. "The source of the tip was Sportsmaster."
Artemis recoiled from the villain's name. She hissed, "What? You can't trust him."
"I do not. It seemed possible, even likely, that he was attempting to divide the Team with false information."
"And given how this mission went, he nearly succeeded." Robin glanced at Lethe. "But you had to consider it might be true."
"Yes. As leader, I did. In which case, I did not wish to alert the traitor."
"Or to split up the Team," Marina interjected.
Robin sighed, "I hate to say it, but makes sense."
"I am still prepared to step down."
"All in favor of keeping Aqualad as leader." Wally raised his hand. Marina did the same with her free arm. Robin smiled at his old friend. Kaldur nodded.
Captain Marvel clapped Aqualad on the shoulder, "Guess it's unanimous." They shook hands. The Leaguer walked away, saluting to the Team's leader. "See you tomorrow."
"You're not coming back with us?
"No. Gotta fly." In a blink of an eye, he flew out of sight. They filed into the Bioship. Aqualad led her to her seat. Marina bit her lip in thought. Her hands unconsciously massaged the scarred palms. The ship rose back into the sky.
Robin beside her cleared his throat. Marina glanced over at him. The rest of the Team stared at her. Guilt flashed in their eyes. "I'm sorry," Robin said. "I shouldn't have gotten mad at you for staying by Kaldur."
"Sorry, for blaming you for nearly killing us," Superboy grunted.
"We shouldn't have said those things to you," Artemis apologized. "That thing about manipulation and trust–"
Marina held up a hand. She swiveled her chair to look at all of them. "Apologies accepted." She wrung her hands together. "But, what you said was true. Trust is a two way street. And you already showed it to me in one way." She gestured to her pistol. "It's time to return the favor."
"Marina," M'gann started. "You don't have to–"
"But I want to," she gathered her courage. "I kept secrets from you. From all of you." They watched her intently. She removed her mask so that they could see her eyes.
"I… I'm not from here." She began. She pulled out her phone, clicking it twice to pull up the video. It showed Star City and Wotan, the panic in the streets, and the whirling wind. She paused when her figure dropped from the hole in the sky. "I'm not from this universe. Where I come from, there's no such things as the Justice League, Atlantis, and visitors from Mars."
She zoomed into the black hole. "But there were heroes. They were called the Avengers. And…" She trailed off. Emotions lodged in her throat.
"They are your family." Kaldur finished. Marina nodded, willing the tears away from her eyes.
"They found me and… took me in. When Wotan opened the black hole, somehow I got sucked through it. And here I am." Marina sighed. She played the clip. They watched Superman save her. "I know it sounds crazy. Magic brought me here–"
"I believe you," Wally said surprisingly enough. She blinked in surprise when the rest nodded along with him. She tried to swallow the knot in her throat.
"T-That's not all– Before– I–"
Artemis raised a hand. "You don't have to tell us everything."
M'gann smiled reassuringly at Marina. "Only when you are ready." She stiffly nodded her head. She tried to speak but no words fell from her mouth. Fear about her whole truth lingered within her.
Robin patted her hands, "And thank you for trusting us,"
"Thank you," she also said. They raised their brows. "For not thinking that I'm crazy."
"No problem, babe." Wally grinned at her. "I always knew that you were too beautiful for this world."
When they landed in the hangar, Marina tried to stand from her chair. A small groan of pain escaped from her lips. Six pairs of eyes landed on her.
"What was that?" Robin asked. Marina waved her hand dismissively.
"Nothing."
"That doesn't sound like nothing," Artemis snorted.
Marina gritted her teeth, "It's nothing."
"Then stand up," Wally instructed. Marina crossed her arms over her chest. She huffed indignantly.
"Now I don't want to."
"Quit acting like a kid," Robin chuckled. Marina pulled a face.
"Fine," she grumbled. When she stood, her leg exploded in pain. She pitched forward but didn't meet the ground.
M'gann blew a sigh. "Phew. That was a close one." She held up her hand. She telekinetically levitated the younger girl.
"It is your leg," Kaldur pointed out with concern. "It has been worsening throughout the mission. You walked with a limp and needed support–"
"I'm fine now," Marina announced. She tried to dispel their worry. She stood up, pain panged on her leg. Her brows furrowed. Once she stood straight, she spread her arms in triumph. "See?"
"Yeah… We don't believe you."
"Conner, don't drop her," M'gann warned him. Marina's face burned in humiliation. She laid tense in the clone's arms. She frowned when Robin, Wally, and Artemis laughed at her expense. Even Kaldur cracked a smile.
"Just leave me," Marina snarled once they reached her workshop. The Team shook their heads. She frowned at the mess.
The League seemed to have passed by, considering the newly plastered wall. She grumbled when she saw different items out of place. She eyed the shelves that were moved to the corner of the glass doors and wall.
"Welcome back, ma'am," ALICE spoke through her speakers. The Team jumped. They quickly got into a defensive stance. Marina waved at them.
"Calm down, everyone," Marina clapped her hands. Her workshop sprung to life. The monitors on the far end of the wall lit up with her desktop. Her 3D printer whirred. "Team, meet ALICE. ALICE meet the Team."
"It is a pleasure to meet you all." The AI greeted the young heroes politely
"Who is ALICE?" M'gann whispered to Marina. Marina gestured the swivel chair to Conner, who smoothly set her down.
"I am Artificial Learning- Intelligence and Computing Entity of Ms. Marina Marks. Also known as ALICE." ALICE replied. M'gann squeaked. "I have been designed by Ms. Marina with the help of one Robin. However, my initial matrix was created by Tony Stark, Marina's mentor. I formerly went by the name "FRIDAY" before being reborn."
"FRIDAY?" Robin muttered. They distinctly remembered her calling that name while she swiped at the air. Marina rolled her chair to the middle table.
"So she wasn't crazy after all?" Wally hissed to his best friend. "I thought after all that time, playing with the air–"
"Ma'am Marina does not play with the air," ALICE piped up. "Because of her earpiece, she has a constant live feed projected to her occipital lobe. She sees things that FRIDAY or I send to her including search, body diagnostics, and data."
"ALICE, bring it up," Marina ordered. The middle table lit up with blue lights. Holograms emerged from the table top. A blueprint of an comm-like device appeared. "This is what I see."
She swiped her hand in the air. The image rotated. "I created this with Tony. My mentor." After showing the parts of her comm, she clapped her hands together. The Team jolted. They gawked when the image of the device zoomed out.
A blue light blinked in a head silhouette. "And that's my brain." She popped her lips together. "In real time. That's how it works."
"H-How–"
"Elementary, my dears." Marina said simply. She gave it a thought. "And a whole lot of coffee."
Robin laughed, "I knew that you were an engineering freak but I didn't know it was to this extent."
"I would say the same thing about you and coding." Marina swiped her fingers in the air. A full screen of numbers appeared. "You helped me build ALICE."
"But you had a foundation."
"Tomato, tomahto," Marina rhymed. She explained, "ALICE is like my assistant. She can get through anything unless it's too complex and requires me to have a look at it… Or I need someone else to do it."
She stared openly at Conner. "Sadly, she doesn't do physical work. So can you move my shelves back up against the wall?" Conner remained emotionless as he pushed the heavy shelves with ease.
"Stop! That's perfect." Marina returned her attention to the others who gaped at her holograms.
Wally whistled, "These are revolutionary. You invented this all by yourself?"
"It's still a concept and plan," she gestured to the virtual blueprints. She pinched her fingers together before pulling them back. They zoomed into her inventions. "Back in my universe, I handled my own projects but learned how to make others."
She landed on her Hawkeye files. She grinned at Artemis. "There's something I'm sure you'll like." An upgraded automatic quiver displayed on the table. Artemis' eyes grew wide. She gaped at it like a fish.
Robin turned to Marina. "Do you have any toys for the rest of us to play with?"
Author's Note:
Hello everyone! Happy 2024! And we're actually posting the first 2024 chapter on Marina's birthday, Feb 6, to start the new year right :) We also wanted to show how the split of the Avengers affected Marina, her love for animals, and of course, her kickass nature. We hope that you enjoyed this one!
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!