Chapter 10 Rogue.
(General P.O.V)
The Zeta tube lit up and Batman walked out to find the entire Justice League, with the exception of Martian Manhunter and Lantern Jordan who was offworld, gathered in the Watchtower.
Batman stopped in place, narrowing his eyes.
"What is this? I don't remember having a scheduled league meeting."
He asked to the confusion of the others.
"Say what now?"
The Flash wondered out loud.
"Batman, you called for it. Sounded really urgent too."
Superman informed him, rising from his seat. Batman's hand inched towards his utility belt.
"I don't remember doing such a thing."
He ground out, eyeing everybody with suspicion.
"You did. Saying something about civil unrest in Markovia."
Wonder woman insisted.
Batman's eyes widened under his cowl.
"There has not been any civil unrest in Markovia for the past 5 years. The current ruling class have good relations with their people and neighbors."
He said, quickly rushing towards his seat, activating the security alarm and putting the whole Watchtower on lockdown.
"Okay, are we missing something here"
Green Arrow asked Black Canary.
"Civil Unrest in Markovia is part of an extensive code. In the event that my mind was ever compromised, I would forget to run the code through our systems and that would send a pre recorded message to all of you, to meet up with me in the Watchtower. The Code also had the function of remotely disconnecting my communication devices to the Watchtower..."
"...therefore notifying you and causing you to come and check out what the problem was."
The Flash concluded.
"Damn, that's genius."
"So what does this mean, exactly?"
Stewart enquired, checking through the camera feeds across the Watchtower.
"It's a countermeasure in case a telepath managed to get close to me and took control of my mind. It was meant for J'onn."
The whole chamber became deathly silent as a serious atmosphere set in.
"Bruce...you can't be serious."
Wonder Woman told him, sharing a stupefied look with Superman.
Before Batman could reply they heard groaning sounds.
The Flash grabbed his head, eyes wide and panicked. Streaks of lightning begun to wash off him.
"Everybody! Get back!"
Superman warned.
Bam!
It was too late. The Flash was quickly off, headed on a course for Batman with a murderous expression on his face. His hands blurred as he pumped the air.
The symbol of a shield of red and yellow neatly intercepted him, Superman coming in between the two. His chest inflated with breath then he released the air in a fan of snowy winds, carpeting the floor to obstruct Barry from getting anywhere near Batman.
The Flash increased his speed once more, moving too fast to lose traction on the ice sheet covering the floor. Then, he vibrated his molecules and passed through Superman's body.
Clark fell forward as momentum was stolen from him. The Flash sidestepped Wonder Woman's Lasso, flicking it away to wrap around Hawkwoman and drag her to the floor before she could attack him with her Nth metal mace.
Batarrangs cut through the air, so slow it was like decades had passed with the projectiles suspended in motion. The Flash found them inconsequential and so he dodged them with the slightest of margins. However, the moment he was 2 inches from one, something happened.
The Flash seized up as a sheet of blue energy expanded from the Batarrangs in the air, forcefully dropping him out of his super speed and onto the ground on his knees.
"What in the hell was that?!"
Green Arrow asked, lowering his crossbow.
Batman walked forward.
"A gravity bomb. A device that generates a localized field of gravity, strong enough to prevent a speedster from moving at high speeds or phasing through objects. By manipulating the gravitational field around the speedster, the device can effectively trap them in place, making it impossible for them to escape."
"He's okay."
Canary told them as she checked on the Flash's vitals.
"Of course he is. It was meant to be non lethal."
Batman told them, getting back to typing on his wrist computer.
"We need to find J'onn."
He told the rest who were still in various states of shock.
"Batman."
Lantern Stewart called out, hands crossed on his chest.
"What is really going on here?"
Batman stopped, turning to find his colleagues all staring at him with questioning glances.
"I have reason to believe that the Martian Manhunter has gone rogue."
(Davian's P.O.V)
I blinked a couple of times to adjust my eyes to the bright light in the room. The first thing I did was to look around, making sure I was alone. That done, I got to work. I was done with being a prisoner.
The bonds around my wrists were still tight and my shoulders ached from the strain. The good thing was that the headache and nausea caused by the concussion was gone. I could think more clearly right now.
"There is no way I'm getting these zip ties off."
I whisper in realization, ready to call upon my Reiryoku.
"Not by yourself."
A voice stated from somewhere to my right.
My head turned to see Martian Manhunter walk in, a section of the wall rising up to opened.
"Oh Fuck no. Stay away from me!"
My muscles cried in exertion as I tried to pull my body on the chair away.
"You're supposed to be the good guys!"
Where's that feeling!?
Heavy and light...push...pull...push...
I could feel something brewing inside but it would be too late as Manhunter glided the rest of the way to hover at my back. His presence hang like an ominous cloud over me. Shit, I can't get knocked out again!
Snap.
The zip ties loosened and I could move my hands again. I looked at the deep lines on my wrists, rubbing them while I got up.
I took a few steps back as Manhunter and I watched each other.
"Why?"
I questioned.
"You were right. We are supposed to be the good guys."
He stated and a scowl was my response. A bit too late for self reflection wasn't it?
It was... surprising. Why was he really doing this? Was it all a scheme by Batman? But what kind? Then again, the simplest answer is often times the truth. Maybe J'onn was helping me out because that's what Superheroes do.
I wasn't going to kick a gift horse in the mouth.
"Can you get me out of here?"
Preferably before the Batman arrived.
Manhunter smiled, turning around.
"Of course. Follow me."
My fingers wrapped around the frame of the chair as I raised it up and brought it crashing down on his head. The metal chair deformed around the base as Manhunter went down on one knee.
Fuck that trust bullshit. He could have been leading me to another trap. Better safe than sorry.
I wasted no time, grabbing his head and slamming his face onto my knee. A meaty thunk! rang out, followed by a spray of blood as J'onn's nose deformed.
"I'm done playing your games."
I told the downed Martian, stepping away and running towards the open door, not even aware of my flashing eyes. Later I would question myself on how I had been able to hurt someone that was basically Superman tier. Later, I would also question myself on why I hadn't felt it fast enough. The wrongness under my skin.
'...not ready!!'
Later I would regret a lot. However, right then, all that concerned me was leaving and there was no way I was just going to trust Manhunter after they had kidnapped me once.
My bare feet slapped the concrete floor under me as a small breeze hit me. The smell of the ocean was easy enough to identify. The white room behind me turned out to be a holding area as it opened up into what turned out to be a long hallway, with individual rooms on the walls.
I managed to open one, only to see a well spread bed, a few furniture and another door leading to the bathroom. There were 4 rooms like this. Guest rooms no doubt. I made it all the way to the end and stood before an elevator.
My eyes widened when I saw it light up. Someone was using it, headed straight for this subsection. I ducked into the door next to the elevator which turned out to be a staircase and ran up the stairs fast. A few flights up and I peeked through the small window on the door.
The next floor seemed different. It was a training room. Different weights and exercise machines littered the place. Luckily there didn't seem to be anyone around. I pushed it and walked in. Maybe there was a change of clothes in the lockers and something for my feet.
I walked through and immediately the air changed. My body reacted before my mind did. I found myself jumping away towards a set of dumbbells as a javelin bit onto the ground next to where I was. My back collided with something hard and I was tossed to the ground while groaning in pain.
"Well well well, what do we have here?"
A female voice, hummed with an undercurrent of violence. The sound of feet shifting and Cheshire held a Sai onto my neck, the point pushing slightly in to draw blood. I slowly scrambled to my knees, raising up my hands in surrender. Dammit! I knew something was up.
"Hey hey, careful with that. You can hurt someone real bad."
I spoke up with a calm I was not feeling inside. Cheshire cocked her head to the side, the mask on her face not revealing much.
"What is that supposed to mean, you condescending little fuck? Think I can't use it? That I'm going to stab myself with it like a c-lister, you dumb fuck?"
She growled out, pulling in closer.
Well that came out of nowhere.
"No." I leaned back, gritting my teeth.
"I meant no disrespect. But I gotta wonder, are all assassins so sensitive?"
Someone else landed next to Cheshire.
"He got you there."
The villain I recognized as SportsMaster told her.
"You're lucky we need you alive."
Cheshire growled menacingly. I couldn't help but notice she smelled nice.
"I wouldn't mind carving you up a little though."
Then my dick remembered she was a stone cold killer.
Heavy and light...push, pull, push, pull...
A ghostly figure rose up from the ground next to our little group. Manhunter had a serious look on his face as he appeared. I narrowed my eyes. Cheshire and Sportsmaster didn't react in shock or surprise, telling me all I needed to know.
Martian Manhunter was a traitor.
"Nice of you to finally show up."
Sportsmaster told him, removing an inhibitor collar from somewhere.
"He managed to distract me enough for him to get away."
Manhunter informed them, eyes locked on to me. I stared back without flinching.
Heavy and light...
"By your busted nose, I can tell he did more than distract you."
Cheshire laughed.
Yeah she was right. Couldn't Martians heal fast?
Heavy and light...
"Enough talk. Let's go before the Bat comes back."
Sportsmaster told the other two, walking towards me.
I took a deep breath as power suffused my entire body. Cheshire noticed the glowing purple eyes first. She didn't hesitate, plunging her sai into my neck but the weapon bounced off. I stood up and pushed her off with a burst of Reiryoku.
A few things happened next. Time seemed to slow down and more clearer than before...the voice returned.
"You are not ready!"
Then I understood why. My vision blacked out, something surging up to the forefront. Something that stole my breath away as it hit me.
Anger! Anger! Anger! Anger!
Then I lost it once more.
When I opened my eyes next, it was to a scene I would never have expected.
Chapter 10 Rogue.
(General P.O.V)
The Zeta tube lit up and Batman walked out to find the entire Justice League, with the exception of Martian Manhunter and Lantern Jordan who was offworld, gathered in the Watchtower.
Batman stopped in place, narrowing his eyes.
"What is this? I don't remember having a scheduled league meeting."
He asked to the confusion of the others.
"Say what now?"
The Flash wondered out loud.
"Batman, you called for it. Sounded really urgent too."
Superman informed him, rising from his seat. Batman's hand inched towards his utility belt.
"I don't remember doing such a thing."
He ground out, eyeing everybody with suspicion.
"You did. Saying something about civil unrest in Markovia."
Wonder woman insisted.
Batman's eyes widened under his cowl.
"There has not been any civil unrest in Markovia for the past 5 years. The current ruling class have good relations with their people and neighbors."
He said, quickly rushing towards his seat, activating the security alarm and putting the whole Watchtower on lockdown.
"Okay, are we missing something here"
Green Arrow asked Black Canary.
"Civil Unrest in Markovia is part of an extensive code. In the event that my mind was ever compromised, I would forget to run the code through our systems and that would send a pre recorded message to all of you, to meet up with me in the Watchtower. The Code also had the function of remotely disconnecting my communication devices to the Watchtower..."
"...therefore notifying you and causing you to come and check out what the problem was."
The Flash concluded.
"Damn, that's genius."
"So what does this mean, exactly?"
Stewart enquired, checking through the camera feeds across the Watchtower.
"It's a countermeasure in case a telepath managed to get close to me and took control of my mind. It was meant for J'onn."
The whole chamber became deathly silent as a serious atmosphere set in.
"Bruce...you can't be serious."
Wonder Woman told him, sharing a stupefied look with Superman.
Before Batman could reply they heard groaning sounds.
The Flash grabbed his head, eyes wide and panicked. Streaks of lightning begun to wash off him.
"Everybody! Get back!"
Superman warned.
Bam!
It was too late. The Flash was quickly off, headed on a course for Batman with a murderous expression on his face. His hands blurred as he pumped the air.
The symbol of a shield of red and yellow neatly intercepted him, Superman coming in between the two. His chest inflated with breath then he released the air in a fan of snowy winds, carpeting the floor to obstruct Barry from getting anywhere near Batman.
The Flash increased his speed once more, moving too fast to lose traction on the ice sheet covering the floor. Then, he vibrated his molecules and passed through Superman's body.
Clark fell forward as momentum was stolen from him. The Flash sidestepped Wonder Woman's Lasso, flicking it away to wrap around Hawkwoman and drag her to the floor before she could attack him with her Nth metal mace.
Batarrangs cut through the air, so slow it was like decades had passed with the projectiles suspended in motion. The Flash found them inconsequential and so he dodged them with the slightest of margins. However, the moment he was 2 inches from one, something happened.
The Flash seized up as a sheet of blue energy expanded from the Batarrangs in the air, forcefully dropping him out of his super speed and onto the ground on his knees.
"What in the hell was that?!"
Green Arrow asked, lowering his crossbow.
Batman walked forward.
"A gravity bomb. A device that generates a localized field of gravity, strong enough to prevent a speedster from moving at high speeds or phasing through objects. By manipulating the gravitational field around the speedster, the device can effectively trap them in place, making it impossible for them to escape."
"He's okay."
Canary told them as she checked on the Flash's vitals.
"Of course he is. It was meant to be non lethal."
Batman told them, getting back to typing on his wrist computer.
"We need to find J'onn."
He told the rest who were still in various states of shock.
"Batman."
Lantern Stewart called out, hands crossed on his chest.
"What is really going on here?"
Batman stopped, turning to find his colleagues all staring at him with questioning glances.
"I have reason to believe that the Martian Manhunter has gone rogue."
(Davian's P.O.V)
I blinked a couple of times to adjust my eyes to the bright light in the room. The first thing I did was to look around, making sure I was alone. That done, I got to work. I was done with being a prisoner.
The bonds around my wrists were still tight and my shoulders ached from the strain. The good thing was that the headache and nausea caused by the concussion was gone. I could think more clearly right now.
"There is no way I'm getting these zip ties off."
I whisper in realization, ready to call upon my Reiryoku.
"Not by yourself."
A voice stated from somewhere to my right.
My head turned to see Martian Manhunter walk in, a section of the wall rising up to opened.
"Oh Fuck no. Stay away from me!"
My muscles cried in exertion as I tried to pull my body on the chair away.
"You're supposed to be the good guys!"
Where's that feeling!?
Heavy and light...push...pull...push...
I could feel something brewing inside but it would be too late as Manhunter glided the rest of the way to hover at my back. His presence hang like an ominous cloud over me. Shit, I can't get knocked out again!
Snap.
The zip ties loosened and I could move my hands again. I looked at the deep lines on my wrists, rubbing them while I got up.
I took a few steps back as Manhunter and I watched each other.
"Why?"
I questioned.
"You were right. We are supposed to be the good guys."
He stated and a scowl was my response. A bit too late for self reflection wasn't it?
It was... surprising. Why was he really doing this? Was it all a scheme by Batman? But what kind? Then again, the simplest answer is often times the truth. Maybe J'onn was helping me out because that's what Superheroes do.
I wasn't going to kick a gift horse in the mouth.
"Can you get me out of here?"
Preferably before the Batman arrived.
Manhunter smiled, turning around.
"Of course. Follow me."
My fingers wrapped around the frame of the chair as I raised it up and brought it crashing down on his head. The metal chair deformed around the base as Manhunter went down on one knee.
Fuck that trust bullshit. He could have been leading me to another trap. Better safe than sorry.
I wasted no time, grabbing his head and slamming his face onto my knee. A meaty thunk! rang out, followed by a spray of blood as J'onn's nose deformed.
"I'm done playing your games."
I told the downed Martian, stepping away and running towards the open door, not even aware of my flashing eyes. Later I would question myself on how I had been able to hurt someone that was basically Superman tier. Later, I would also question myself on why I hadn't felt it fast enough. The wrongness under my skin.
'...not ready!!'
Later I would regret a lot. However, right then, all that concerned me was leaving and there was no way I was just going to trust Manhunter after they had kidnapped me once.
My bare feet slapped the concrete floor under me as a small breeze hit me. The smell of the ocean was easy enough to identify. The white room behind me turned out to be a holding area as it opened up into what turned out to be a long hallway, with individual rooms on the walls.
I managed to open one, only to see a well spread bed, a few furniture and another door leading to the bathroom. There were 4 rooms like this. Guest rooms no doubt. I made it all the way to the end and stood before an elevator.
My eyes widened when I saw it light up. Someone was using it, headed straight for this subsection. I ducked into the door next to the elevator which turned out to be a staircase and ran up the stairs fast. A few flights up and I peeked through the small window on the door.
The next floor seemed different. It was a training room. Different weights and exercise machines littered the place. Luckily there didn't seem to be anyone around. I pushed it and walked in. Maybe there was a change of clothes in the lockers and something for my feet.
I walked through and immediately the air changed. My body reacted before my mind did. I found myself jumping away towards a set of dumbbells as a javelin bit onto the ground next to where I was. My back collided with something hard and I was tossed to the ground while groaning in pain.
"Well well well, what do we have here?"
A female voice, hummed with an undercurrent of violence. The sound of feet shifting and Cheshire held a Sai onto my neck, the point pushing slightly in to draw blood. I slowly scrambled to my knees, raising up my hands in surrender. Dammit! I knew something was up.
"Hey hey, careful with that. You can hurt someone real bad."
I spoke up with a calm I was not feeling inside. Cheshire cocked her head to the side, the mask on her face not revealing much.
"What is that supposed to mean, you condescending little fuck? Think I can't use it? That I'm going to stab myself with it like a c-lister, you dumb fuck?"
She growled out, pulling in closer.
Well that came out of nowhere.
"No." I leaned back, gritting my teeth.
"I meant no disrespect. But I gotta wonder, are all assassins so sensitive?"
Someone else landed next to Cheshire.
"He got you there."
The villain I recognized as SportsMaster told her.
"You're lucky we need you alive."
Cheshire growled menacingly. I couldn't help but notice she smelled nice.
"I wouldn't mind carving you up a little though."
Then my dick remembered she was a stone cold killer.
Heavy and light...push, pull, push, pull...
A ghostly figure rose up from the ground next to our little group. Manhunter had a serious look on his face as he appeared. I narrowed my eyes. Cheshire and Sportsmaster didn't react in shock or surprise, telling me all I needed to know.
Martian Manhunter was a traitor.
"Nice of you to finally show up."
Sportsmaster told him, removing an inhibitor collar from somewhere.
"He managed to distract me enough for him to get away."
Manhunter informed them, eyes locked on to me. I stared back without flinching.
Heavy and light...
"By your busted nose, I can tell he did more than distract you."
Cheshire laughed.
Yeah she was right. Couldn't Martians heal fast?
Heavy and light...
"Enough talk. Let's go before the Bat comes back."
Sportsmaster told the other two, walking towards me.
I took a deep breath as power suffused my entire body. Cheshire noticed the glowing purple eyes first. She didn't hesitate, plunging her sai into my neck but the weapon bounced off. I stood up and pushed her off with a burst of Reiryoku.
A few things happened next. Time seemed to slow down and more clearer than before...the voice returned.
"You are not ready!"
Then I understood why. My vision blacked out, something surging up to the forefront. Something that stole my breath away as it hit me.
Anger! Anger! Anger! Anger!
Then I lost it once more.
When I opened my eyes next, it was to a scene I would never have expected.
