Chapter 63: Fail State (Patreon)

In the end, that feeling of foreboding had me teach more than a few defensive spells to my friends. It offered little peace of mind, though I didn’t let my apprehension show, beyond warning the rest of the team to be on their toes.

For the moment, though, nothing seemed to come of it.

A few days later, I was with Tula in the mountain’s Atrium, in the beginning stages of designing the base’s defenses. Warding such a massive space was a challenging task even for me. Luckily, Queen Mera had taken a brief trip to the surface and was more than willing to help out.

“It’s the least I could do,” she said, pointing out another place where our planned rune cluster would fall apart. “Really, dear, I should be thanking you, your approach to runic enchantments will reinvigorate this field of study.”

Despite my premonition, I couldn’t help but smile at her warm words and warmer presence. It still surprised me, that we’d gone from stilted suspicion to…this, in only a few days. I couldn’t even blame her for being wary of me, given that higher level Atlantean magic was the equivalent of military secrets.

It still felt nice.

“I wouldn’t be making any progress if not for the two of you.” My first ward schemes had been embarrassingly flimsy, “Though I guess it makes sense that Atlantis is the premier researcher enchantments.”

Queen Mera gave a small smile. “We’ve forgotten yet more.” She placed a hand, tenderly, on her pregnant stomach. “Perhaps with this, we’ll be able to return a sliver more of our heritage to our children.”

I paused, a tangled ball of emotions pulling taught in my chest. It’d be a lie to say she looked radiant, as a mother, but there was a weight to her presence and emotions that made people fall into orbit around her.

“Would you like to feel him?” She asked. I blinked in surprise. “I understand that it is a popular tradition among surface dwellers, is it not?”

“That…” I said. My hand drifted away from my side, before I caught myself.

Tula tilted her head. “What is this custom? I haven’t heard of it.”

“Oh yes,” Mera said. “My husband is quite taken with the idea.” She gave a cat that ate the canary smirk. “He drops everything and dotes on me, if I mention that our son so much as wiggles in the womb.”

Tula sighed. “How romantic.”

“Come, my dear, I’ve seen the way Garth looks at you during my lectures.”

“That—I—”

The Queen’s smile turned almost wicked. “What, did you truly think I would not notice? I approve, so long as your budding relationship does not…interfere with your studies.”

Tula’s cheeks reddened to match her hair. “I would not…” she managed. “B-but what about this surface custom, I still do not understand!”

Smooth topic—

Queen Mera snagged my wrist. “Simply, it is like this.” She pressed my palm against her stomach. I stiffened.

“Queen Mera, this isn’t—”

“Are you not his Godmother?” she said.

“That’s not really the point here…” I managed, glancing away. I opened my mouth again but, “Oh…” I breathed. “He kicked.”

“You can feel that?” Tula asked.

“It’s amazing, is it not?” Queen Mera replied. 

But I was a million miles away.

The prince was…a curious little thing. Already aware, maybe not in his mind, but in his soul.

“Hello there, little one.”

I felt him move in response, stretched, his arm bumping against my palm. There were no words in his reality, no individuals, or kingdoms waiting to be governed. 

But there was warmth, and an ocean of sensation.

Through him, I could almost feel Queen Mera’s heartbeat thrumming through my bones. He was aware of his mother, in a way that you can only be aware of something when it is your entire world.

And he was aware of me.

With sharp breath, I pulled back, eyes blinking rapidly.

Queen Mera rested her hands protectively on her stomach, a calm smile on her face. “Oh my, it seems you discovered something, a side effect of your own magic?”

Dumbly, I nodded, slowly trying to make sense of what I’d sensed. “His magic, it…he noticed me. I was surprised.” After a moment I smiled. “He seemed happy, though. He loves you.”

Mera laughed, eyes going slightly wet. “Truly, I couldn’t ask for a better Godmother.”

I just shrugged my shoulders. “I’m not sure about that,” I said. “I’ll hardly be on hand…”

“Will you be there when he needs you?” She asked. “I have already heard about your ingenious spell from Tula, if my son calls for your aid, will you come?”

“I…” I bit my lip.

It was irrational, being this attached to a baby. It was just a title, and I hadn’t even met him yet.

Yes I have, a treacherous voice whispered.

But what if I didn’t make it on time?

“I…”

But before I could discover what my answer would be, the Zeta Tubes at the far end of the Atrium flared. The three of us turned as Batman, a green humanoid I could only assume was Martian Manhunter, and Red Arrow stepped into the mountain proper.

I raised an eyebrow at Red Arrow’s sudden appearance. To the best of my knowledge, he hadn’t been back to the mountain since he dumped the scientist and her rogue nanobots on our lap. I thought he was still flying solo.

“Queen Mera,” Batman said. “You have the League’s thanks for your assistance here.”

She gave him a teasing smile. “And you have received my husband’s invitation to this ‘baby shower’ have you not?”

“Rest assured, all members of the League have received your invitation. Attendance, of course, is up to the day.”

Mera nodded. “Perhaps luck will be hind, and the various villains will take a collective day off.”

Martian Manhunter nodded in greeting. “Would that we would be so lucky.” He smiled, which gave an interesting cast to his skeletal features. “I know that my niece is interested in attending.”

“A royal baby?” I said, “she would be. But I doubt that’s what we’re all here for?”

Batman and Manhunter shared a glance, then the caped crusader stepped forward. “Team training session. Red Arrow will be observing.”

I raised an eyebrow, “Reconsidering a position on the team?”

A muted thrum of annoyance ran through him. “You’ve done well for yourself. When you’re here, anyway.”

“At least I bothered to show up.” I turned back to Batman, “Who else is included?” I asked. “Because I’d like to include Tula, pending Aqualad’s approval.”

She shifted. “Why would I need Kaldur’s approval, in this instance?”

Mera laughed. “For your inclusion on the team, child,” she said. “Destiny approached about such earlier, and while I am loath to lose such a promising student, I think some more worldly experience would do you well.”

Tula blushed. “You recommended me?”

Maybe, in the past, I would have just shrugged and brushed it off, but I was trying to be better about these things. “You’ve got a solid foundation, and you mastery of water magic outstrips pretty much everyone I’ve come across on the surface,” I said. “But you’re the one who will be putting your life on the line.”

“If the villains will come and attack Atlantis, we should be willing to defend it,” Tula said.

The Queen smiled. “An admirable view.”

“This is nice and all,” Red Arrow said, “but aren’t we on a schedule?”

I raised an eyebrow. “That’s funny and all,” I said, “but aren’t you just here to observe?”

He folded his arms, trying to come off as an adult. Instead, I just turned to Batman.

“The rest of the team should be returning to the mountain now,” he said. “The exercise will be held in conference room C.”

I turned to look at Martian Manhunter, but he simply curled his lipless mouth into a small smile.

For the first time, I found myself grateful that M’gann had chosen such a human appearance. Between his flat expressions and mental shields, I couldn’t get a read on what Manhunter was thinking. Maybe I’d grown a little comfortable with my empathy.

I was even tempted to start pressing against his shields, trying to worm through it and find weaknesses. But if M’gann’s stories had any truth to them, her uncle would no doubt notice my intrusion.

Before I could really make up my mind, the Zeta tube flashed again, and the rest of the team began trickling in. With a rush of wind, Wally slid to a stop in the atrium as well.

Raven sent me a nod as she settled in at my side.

“Yo, Red! What’s up my man!” KF said. “Finally decided to join the cool kid’s club?”

“Don’t call us that,” Artemis muttered. Though, in a roomful of people with superhuman senses, she might as well have shouted.

“I’m just here to observe for the day,” Red Arrow said. A muted strand of amusement ran through him. “Wouldn’t want to upset Green Arrows…niece.”

Artemis rolled her eyes, “Love you too, Roy,” she said. “Really missed you back in Star City.”

The Zeta tube flashed again. “Uncle J’onn!” M’gann bulldozed through the awkward atmosphere like a green missile. “Are you here for today’s lesson?”

He nodded, putting an arm on his niece’s shoulder. “It is good to see you as well,” he said. Like the rest of him, his voice fell into that uncanny valley of almost human in a way that could only be intentional. “It is my pleasure to oversee this exercise.”

“And what is the exercise, exactly?” Artemis said. “All the schedule said was ‘team training.’”

“And do we really need do, like, cardio day or something?” Wally asked. “We rolled the entire Injustice League a week ago!”

Batman stepped forward. “Instead of physical training, today the team will be working on cohesion and decision-making skills in the face of impossible odds.”

“And how, exactly, are we supposed to do that?” Raven asked.

“Martian Manhunter will place all of you into a shared mindscape, where he will administrate the exercise.”

I blinked. “Are we sure that’s a good idea?” I asked. “There’s a reason we’ve drifted away from using Telepathy for communication outside of short bursts. The last time we linked up the entire team didn’t exactly…go well.”

Batman nodded sharply. “The factors that caused the Biyalan mission to spiral have been taken into account, and all necessary countermeasures will be put in place.”

“Sounds like a blast!” Wally said. “Besides, we’re in the Mountain, what’s the worst that could happen?”

Raven sent him a shriveling glare. “I am holding you solely responsible for any negative outcomes of this exercise.”

“Huh? Why?”

Robin rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah, not to put too fine a point on it, KF, but we have been attacked by killer robots and a Lord of Chaos here, before.” He paused. “Not that I’m saying the new counter measures wouldn’t stop that.”

“Several Members of the League are on standby to intercept attacks,” Batman said. “Furthermore, we will be isolating the Mountain’s network for the duration of the exercise.”

Somehow, those words only made the curl of foreboding in my stomach curl tighter. But it was directionless, all spiraling in on itself.

As I grew in power, it seemed that my precognition had only grown more and more muddles.

“This seems quite interesting,” Queen Mera interjected. “You have my permission to participate if you desire, Tula. But I believe that my King is one of those who will be protecting the mountain?”

Batman inclined his head in response.

“Then it would be best if I returned to Atlantis, still, I wish all of you the best of luck.” She gave Tula, Kaldur, and I matching smiles. “I look forward to seeing you again soon.”

Kaldur bowed, “Of course, your majesty.” And Tula followed suit.

“Enough of that,” she said, smiling. “I will not have Atlantis’s next protector treat me so distantly.” With that, she swept out of the room towards the underwater entrance where her guards were no doubt waiting.

I believe she said something about not wanting to risk teleportation with the baby.

“So what will the test be?” M’gann asked after a moment.

“That will be determined by you all,” Manhunter said. “As a shared experience, much of the battle will be shaped by your own preconceptions. The goal is to face you against the strongest foes you could imagine and see how well you fair.”

I felt Raven still at that. “I am no longer comfortable with this exercise.” She said.

“It is completely safe,” the Martian replied. “By design, the shared mindscape will separate your actions in the dream reality from your body. Harm will not transfer, and even death will only wake you from the exercise.”

Raven looked down, cowl shadowing her face.

“C’mon guys, it’ll be fun,” Kid flash said. “Like VR.”

“While I understand your concerns,” Kaldur added after a moment, “I believe this type of training will help us all grow as a team, as well as serve as a place that we can truly test our abilities.”

He gave me a significant look at those words, and I sighed. It was true that I hadn’t been able to use the full range of my abilities in the real world, in any of them for that matter. Even against the vampires, the fight had been to fast for me to cut loose with truly massive spells, and in every other circumstance, there were bystanders and collateral damage to account for.

Even still.

“Remember that is a training exercise,” Batman said. “The goal is to push your boundaries in a safe environment, because the real world is never so forgiving.”

I grimaced. Even if I didn’t want to participate in this exercise, the last thing I wanted was to catch my teammates unaware in a real-life scenario. If ever the time came to break out the big guns, I wouldn’t be able to worry about friendly fire. And while I trusted my teammates to take care of themselves.

Well, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Externally, I only shrugged, which was taken as agreement enough for the team to move forward. Aside from Raven and I, the rest of the team seemed fully on board with the exercise. Even Artemis was muttering something about ‘heavy ordinance.’

Batman vanished shortly after we left the Atrium, apparently one of those on overwatch outside the mountain. Conference room C had been remodeled to include several beds laid out in a neat circle.

With a sigh, I reached out mentally. ‘Ritz’

It only took a second for her to latch onto the mental connection. Ritz was no Telepath, but she was apparently a genius. She picked up new skills almost as quickly as I learned new spells. Just the thought of that was enough to quell the negative emotions in my chest.

‘Hey, wazzup?’

Ritz doing the equivalent of drunk texting in my brain on the other hand, was less than appreciated.

‘Team is doing some shared mindscape exercise’ I said. ‘It looks fine, but…’

‘Buuuuuuut…’ Ritz echoed.

‘Yeah. Just, be aware, I guess?”

‘I’ll be waiting in the wings to sally forth at your word, my lady.’

‘Stop that.’

She sent back the telepathic equivalent of grinning and sticking out her tongue. At the same time.

‘Stop. That.’

‘Have fun!’

I huffed, but it didn’t keep the smile off of my face as I went over to my assigned cot.

Red Arrow, noticeably, remained standing.

“Not coming with us?” Artemis asked.

“Do you know the definition of observing?” he asked dryly. Muted annoyance rising back to the forefront. “I’m on computer duty for this little stunt.”

“Wanna swap programs?” Robin asked. “I got a few new ones, would love to see what you’ve put together as well.”

Red Arrow nodded. “I was about to suggest the same thing.”

With a shake of my head, I ignored the boys and their tech talk.

All too soon, I felt a psychic tendril reach out from Martian Manhunter, it touched me on the forehead gently, asking for entrance. Against my better judgement, I complied.

***

At once, I was standing with the team in the middle of the Mountain’s situation room. Red Tornado was there, and alerts blared over every screen.

Knowledge slotted itself into my mind, unobtrusively, but in a way that I could immediately tell that it was foreign.

Alien invasion. An unidentified fleet had pinged the League’s sensors as it had jumped into the solar system. Thus far, they’d refused all attempts at hails, and the League was sallying to meet it. On screen, we saw a close of feed from Batman’s spaceship as Earth’s resident Green Lanterns came to a stop in front of the alien’s massive flagship.

How Quaint.

Negotiations went something like this, “Identify yourself”--*Bzzzt* Giant Laser.

The Lanterns died. The rest of the league that could function in space, including, amusingly enough, Martian Manhunter.

More lasers. The league was wiped out to a man, and then—

I staggered.

A wave of shock, of certainty, of…of something, rippled through the mindscape. It hit me completely unawares, so much that I could barely resist it.

I saw the rest of the team, blink, once, before it settled over them like a shroud. It was coming from—

“M’gann!” I gasped. As linked as we were, it took everything I was to push back against her mental attack. I’d never realized how strong her Telepathy was. “What are you doing!”

“They killed Uncle J’onn,” she said. The non-sequitur threw me off, I stumbled again. “We have to stop them from hurting anyone else.”

“What?” I said, pushing back against her mental domination. Did she think that it was real? Did she trick herself into believing the simulation by accident? “M’gann no, it’s not—it’s all—”

But just as I was about to wrest control of the shared mindscape from her, something outside, beyond this current mental area pulled me out.

***

And I was standing in the Mountain again. In a circle.

A circle of runes, glowing so brightly they seared at my soul. Several mages stood around it, pouring their energy into the bindings that ate at me, that—somehow—sealed me in place.

And off to the side, next to a smirking Wotan, Red arrow had his hand around Martian Manhunter’s head.

Around Manhunters neck was a collar, made more of biological matter than technology. I could feel the nothingness of his thoughts, as he maintained the simulation by rote, by mind control. As if he was no longer a resident in his own brain.

Exactly the way Red Arrow’s thought’s currently felt.

And it was at that moment I truly grasped how fucked we were.

***
***

A/N: And away we go.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is the Endgame.

I planned this arc out with some folks on my discord...god, it feels like a year ago. And while I've made a few changes to keep thing spicy and in line with the rest of the story, it's a joy to have finally made it here.

As always, I hope you all enjoy...the cliffhanger