Roanoke part - 5
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The interior of the so-called Bio-Ship is far more mechanical and less eldritch underbelly than you would have expected. Its insides are lined with a litany of glowing panels, navigation tools, and even a standing desk for the captain.
"Martian tech," Ravager says. "daddy would love this."
Even after years of knowing one another, it's still weird to hear her call Slade that.
You and Ravager wisely take seats in the back and let the heroes go about managing the flight.
It'd be a good chance to rest also, you yawn loudly. You're so tired, so very...
You drift into a blessedly dreamless sleep, and just a bit of strength returns to you.
"Hey, wake up."
You jolt up in your seat, body tense and hands on the hilt of your sword.
"What?" you ask in a sharp whisper, years of training kicking in.
"Calm down, we're here." Ravager replies.
True to her word, the unending forest line gives way to a series of craggy outcrops and a looming shadow.
Mount Justice it turns out, is quite literally built into a mountain, and only a short bio-ship flight from Gotham judging by your internal clock which is as accurate as ever.
The Bio-Ship suddenly lurches forward, taking your stomach with it. The mountainside parts, revealing an internal hanger which the ship easily slips through.
You all quickly leave, and you only get a quick glance at the rocky interior before being led to a sold steel door that barred your way.
"Normally, neither of you two would ever be able to pass without your own authentication keys, and I'd be more than whelmed if that ever happened...but today is an exception. Computer Override Code Alpha-Delta-Psi-Two-Seven."
A light blue ray pops through a camera above the door and scans his face. "Acknowledged, B01, Robin. Override In Effect."
"Wait that's a thing?" you hear Artemis ask.
"Yeah, I could have shown off this place to so many babes."
"Wally!"
With a low hiss, the part of the metallic door and you enter the heart of Mount Justice.
Immediately, you're struck by a sudden surge of vertigo, of familiarity with this place, almost like nostalgia but different.
Would this be where'd you have ended up if you had stayed at Wayne Manor? Here? Maybe on this team, fighting evil in tights and chumming it up with the Justice League? Would you have been happy? you wonder. Happier than you are now?
Always Forward. Never Back.
And with that, all thoughts of what could have been flee you. The past was the past, it couldn't be changed, no point in wasting time on it.
"So this is Mount Justice. Cozy." You say. The inner sanctum is anything but, with the ceiling a hundred feet in the air, and the walls far away in such a way that it gives the atrium a cavernous feeling to it.
"It's totally rad, right? We've got a movie theater, and a movie fridge, and even a robot butler!" Kid Flash boasts.
Why do you get a feeling he's not talking to you? You follow his eyes to the very much unimpressed form of Ravager. You hold back a scoff.
His attempts would be almost funny if you didn't have the sudden urge to break his kneecaps and force-feed him the marrow.
"Red Tornado's not a butler?"
"M'gann!"
Any more discussion regarding if this Red Tornado was a robot nanny, or a robot butler is put to a sudden stop by the sudden exclamation behind you.
"Guys! You made it!" Standing at the mouth of the main chamber's entrance with a host of brightly colored screens behind her is a girl dressed in what could only be described as the outfit of a magician's assistant, a slim black coat over a white button-down shirt topped off with a pristine bowtie, and…your eyes trail down, fishnets.
"Zatanna!" Wally cries out, disappearing in a blaze of red lightning and reappearing beside her and pulling her into an embrace. The others are more subdued in their reunion, but no less happy.
You ignore the little pull of envy you feel at the sight keying in on the name.
Zatanna…the name's awfully familiar, and in a flash, it comes to you, pulled directly from the extensive portfolios Slade had driven into your skull.
Givoanni Zatarra. Member of the Homo Magi race. Master Magician, wielder of the arcane arts, and member of the Justice League. One daughter. Zatanna.
So, you thought sardonically, the costume isn't just for show.
The girl's face morphs into a scowl when she turns to you and her brow quirks in question. She points a single accusing finger at you. "And why is he here and not in handcuffs or in a cell?"
You've decided you don't like her.
"Change of plans, he's with us," Robin says sourly as though the sudden disappearance of the entire adult population hadn't saved him and his little gang from being humiliated, and if he had any choice in you "helping".
She quirks an eyebrow, glaring at you. If her eyes had been just a bit lighter, it'd have been hard to tell difference between her and Rose at that moment.
"Is that so?"
Your eye twitches slightly at her impudence and the need, the urge, to make her understand what she was dealing with, to remind her that you were far above her pay grade, rises up within you. It burns like acrid smoke in the back of your throat clouding your thoughts of anything but anger before you snuff it out.
Instead, you afford her only a cold smile and your eyes burn bright of their own accord, two golden orbs of unending light.
The temperature in the already cool cavern plummets for the barest hint of a second. Her eyes widen in surprise and a healthy dose of fear and she takes a step back instinctually. She forms a single unspoken word. "Magi,"
Satisfied for the moment, you break your gaze, and just as quickly, the overwhelming cold that had enveloped the room dissipates into nothingness.
"The name is Cadmus Othrys, nice to meet you, Fishnets. And for the record, I didn't save Gotham to get sass from a girl whose life achievement was pulling a rabbit out of a hat."
Fishnets flushed red in anger and sputters indignantly.
"I was - I was helping, too! And I don't pull rabbits out of hats, either!"
"Shame, there goes one of your few redeeming qualities."
"One of my- who the hell do you think you are?"
Before you could be on the receiving end of an undoubtedly witty and scathing backhand, the leader of the sidekick's steps in.
"Zatanna, please, control yourself," Aqua-Lad sighs.
Fishnets whirls on the Atlantean and the new target of her anger.
"Control myself?" she cries out indignantly. "You're the one who brought a mass murderer-"
"Alleged mass murderer, actually." You interject, "just want it on the record."
"Wait, you literally admitted to us that you did it!" Kid Flash says. "You can't gaslight us!"
"Got any proof I said it?"
He smirks triumphantly. "Actually I do, MM, do your thing! MM? M'egan, what's wrong?"
The Martian is fixated on you, her demeanor almost catatonic as she stares off into nothingness, and deaf to her teammate's pleas.
"Might want to check on her."
Why were they all glaring at you as though you had something to do with it…oh wait, you did. Never mind, it's still a helpful suggestion.
"Alright, an alleged mass murderer into Mt. Justice and you expect me not to say anything?"
"I expect you to put your personal feeling aside for the good of the mission," Aqua-Lad says firmly.
"Grrh, fine, whatever!" She stamps back through the entranceway that she appeared from. "Come on, I think I found something."
That something in question is a very large and prominent red dot smack dam in the middle of some island off the east coast.
"We detected a massive magical surge emanating from this location right before, well-"
"Before all the adults went poof?" Wally added helpfully. Fishnets' frown made it clear she wasn't amused by the comment.
Robin presses forward before the conversation could stall. "So, you think whatever caused this came from there?"
"It's our best bet, at this point, our only bet."
"Wait a minute, that island, I know that one, that's-"
"Roanoke,"
"The one where all those English settlers disappeared from?"
"The very same, it's also one of the strongest magical conduits in the entire Western Hemisphere, besides Mexico City."
Thankfully no one needed to ask why Mexico City is a hotbed for magical activity, even Miss Martian. Apparently, Aztec brutality was known on a galactic scale.
"We can't go in blind. Do we have any satellite feeds? Anything at all to give us an idea of what we're up against?"
Fishnets shakes her head. "Whatever it is, they're powerful, more powerful than even my dad to pull off something like this. God, how are we supposed to pull this off without the League?"
What happens next solidifies your belief that there really is something called God, and that he's most definitely a comedian.
A bolt of lightning crashes down from the ceiling resonating with the sound of a thunderclap and bathing the room in golden light. When it settles, there's a young boy standing in the middle of the room.
"It worked!" he crows, throwing his hands into the air.
Somehow, this ranked towards the bottom of the most surprising things you've seen today.
Within a moment, the newcomer is surrounded and under a barrage of questions. "Who are you? Where did you come from? Was that real lightning? Where are your parents?"
His face falls at the last question before immediately brightening again. "Quick! Read my mind!"
Miss Martian's eyes glow an iridescent green before fading abruptly. She looks at the boy with wide eyes and shock written across her features.
"He's, he's Captain Marvel!"
You don't remember Captain Marvel being a scrawny ten-year-old standing at five foot nothing unless Slade's files were really outdated. You sneak a look just to make sure the mercenary hasn't materialized the aether to punish you for such an insult.
"Yeah right," Wally snorts. "and I'm Speedy Gonzalez."
You'd have to agree with Speedster on this one, but the sheer certainty in Miss Martain's words makes you halt.
"Really, Wally?" The boy tsks. "Do I have to bring you nachos and juice to get on your good side?"
The sidekick in question scratches the back of his abashedly. "Alright, he may be Captain Marvel."
Okay, scratch that, this is one of the more surprising things you've seen today.
The sidekicks share a long look with one another as though locked in a silent conversation.
"Are you guys having a mental conversation?" Fishnets asks half-impressed and half-insulted. "because I can't tell if that's cool or insulting."
"Apologies, a force of habit," Aqua-lad says. "Captain Marvel where were you right before this?"
"On a world without kids."
That gets a reaction from everyone in the room, including yourself. Fishnets bolts up from where she's standing.
"You saw my dad? Is he okay? Please tell me he's okay."
"Zatarra's fine," he assures her. "the whole League is fine, it looks like whatever happened split the world into two dimensions, one with only adults and one with only-"
"kids." Robin finishes. "and you're the only one who can get to both."
"Exactly. The League is on the same page as you guys and traced the source of this to Roanoke. But now that we can communicate with you, we can hit whoever did this from both sides!"
"Sounds like a plan!"
What follows is a series of hurried and frantic plannings interspersed by the shouting of the word "Shazam" and heralding another thunderous lightning strike.
You and Rose are content to watch and observe, but you do take no little pleasure in hearing Dick skirt around your presence. The reunion with Bats is going to be just…exquisite.
Maybe you should be worried about the fallout, or how the rest of the League would take to your presence, but that's an issue for the future, and right now, you have all the time in the world.
The plans are finalized in swift and hurried order. Captain Marvel gives a heartfelt "good luck" before disappearing in a flash of lightning to aid the Justice League. Without a word, you all leave Mount Justice, boarding the Martian's ship with the destination already put in, Roanoke.
The Bio-Ship cut swiftly through the silent empty night sky and a grim air hung over the cockpit. Battle was at the forefront of everyone's minds.
Superman's clone handled the approaching conflict with characteristic sullen silence, unamused by Wally's weak attempts at a joke.
A hue of ethereal colors danced on Fishnets' fingers as she whispered to herself, and Dick sharpened his Batarang for the hundredth or so-time.
You aren't immune to the rising tension either, and your heart beats just a bit faster the closer you get to your destination. Rose beside you, lounges casually in her chair, eyes closed and seemingly completely relaxed. You know better. You can see how her hands flex around the imaginary hilt of a blade, and how there's a stiffness to her back as though ready for attack at any moment.
There's nothing you can do to help her, to put her at ease, just like there's nothing she could do for you, not that either you would welcome such help. This would all be over after the battle, but before then, you could afford to let there be silence between you.
The Bioship trills to signal your approach. Down below lays a little spit of land amidst the sea covered in miles of forests. But even from here, you can see where your target was. A large concentric circle the color of blood glows ominously at the island's heart, covered in lines and lines of impossibly complex runes that make you uneasy just by looking at them.
"You all know what to do," you hear Dick say in the background. "MM, take us down."
You tighten your grip on your sword. Showtime.
You're dropped off a mile away from the site under the invisible cloak of the Bio-Ship.
It becomes quickly apparent that all the planning did not account for the utter lack of cohesion between the sidekicks and you.
"Where are you going?" Robin hisses from behind.
You turn around to find that they had not even from their spots yet, still hidden in the undergrowth and saddling their equipment, while you and Rose had already covered a good hundred feet.
Rolling your eyes, you give him the one-fingered salute before pointing in the direction of the circle. Even in the darkness, the scowl on his face is easy to imagine.
"We're supposed to be doing this as a team,"
"If I may, I think I have a solution." Miss Martian approaches you warily like you're some kind of wild animal that may lash out at any moment. "If you'd allow it, we can add you to our mental link, so that you can be on the same page as us."
You can't tell if you should be insulted with the offer or pity for how naive she is in trusting you. You wouldn't even trust you, had you not been, well, you.
"MM, what are you doing?" Wally asks incredulously.
Aqua-Lad fixes him with a glare that silences any further argument.
"She's doing it for the good of the mission, continue, M'egan."
For the good of the mission. You'd heard that enough from Slade to justify all sorts of nasty things. But unlike the cold callousness that characterized Deathstroke, there's only determination in the eyes of these sidekicks.
Would you have been like them, colorful costume and all, if things had been different? It's impossible to even imagine. They're too different to you, they may as well be alien, discounting the actual alien in their group. You'd chosen a different life, and there's no going back now.
Always Forward, Never Back.
It makes your insides twist at the idea of willingly opening yourself to them. You'd learned long ago that letting people too close was a recipe for disaster. But maybe, you think, you could bridge that uncrossable gap just this once.
Especially if it meant you could get out of here faster.
You turn to Rose, question clear in your posture. You can see her hesitance as well, and if she chooses no, then you're out as well. You're in this together, just like it's always been. She gives you an imperceptible nod in acquiescence. You turn to Miss Martian and give your affirmation and the cold tension bleeds out of the Martian's shoulders. She hesitantly presses her index fingers to both of your foreheads.
The world shifts and suddenly what had once been one voice encapsulated within one mind, there are eight voices, all locked together in an unbreakable network of emotion and thought.
Wally's chirpiness combined with Superboy's not-so-silent mental mutterings has you immediately regretting getting into this metaphysical clown car.
"So, what's the plan?" The immediate feedback of annoyance and brimming aggravation from Fishnets and Dick has you rolling your eyes.
My name is not Fishnets!
Oh right, mental link. That may be a problem especially if she walks in front of you in those spats-
Said magician's apprentice glares at you heatedly, and no doubt imagines all sort of hideous magical rituals to inflict upon you.
You'd make a great rabbit. Rose supplies.
Oh wait, if she can talk to you, that means she can hear you too...Wally snickers loudly in the back of your mind.
You pinch the bridge of your nose in a vain attempt to forestall the rising headache.
Luckily for you, the sudden outbreak of manical cackling from the woods staves off anymore embarassment.
The trees open up into a wide circular and clearly unnatural clearing judging by the glowing glyphs and runes etched into the soil. They hum and pulse chaotically leaving your hairs on end and surges of adrenaline pumping through your body in tune with the discordant hymn.
In the center of it all is a boy dressed like he's going to a gala, a black suit, and a black-tie. But you can tell he's no normal boy. It isn't the way his hair is shaped into a pair of twin horns sharp like a bull's, or his maniacal laughing as he strokes the orange tabby in his arms. No, it's the deathly pallor of his skin and how his eyes are like volcanic glass, two orbs that ate up all the light.
Alien. Inhuman. And very much punchable.
You taste iron on the back of your tongue, and the feeling of your teeth grinding together sends a violent shudder through your body. The very sight of him makes you angry. It's not the cold anger that you felt for all these years as you plotted the destruction of Cobblepot, no. It's like liquid fire is injected into your bloodstream and coals are burning in your lungs.
From the periphery of your vision, you see no few glances of concern and worry, not for your own safety, but for their own as the heroes feel the violence in you bubbling up to the surface.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
DevionKing
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