From Mars, With Love: The Rock, Part 3
Nov. 23rd, 2007 03:58 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shankieIt's like an acid trip, and I apologize for that.
From Mars, With Love
DCAU, J'onn/Wally. PG really. Lots of mind control stuff, but that's it.
Wally's presence is instrumental in moving toward J'onn's freedom... but when the captor can read minds and warp reality, it takes great lengths to hide secret plans...
The Rock, Part 3: In Which Things Are Not As They Appear
He was going to die, but he couldn’t care less. Maybe not.
Somewhere inside... draped and...
Opulent.
Yes. That was the word.
J’onn was inside him again, different, but filling him with bliss and joy. Nirvana. No drug could ever make this kind of high. He was doing it, of course, because she was telling him to.
Wally was blissfully harmless. J’onn was moving over his skin in the form of smoke, and he sighed deeply.
“He’s going to help make you part of my collection. And you’re going to love it, dear.”
Perhaps not love. But enjoy? Apparently.
Wally moaned, couldn’t help but touch himself a little. But she wasn’t even there when he opened his eyes a crack, eyelids fluttering. He felt like he was staring at a million-watt strobe light. And it felt so good.
Something changed in his head. Like a switch flipped. Not sure what it did. Something...
I have to make her believe I succeeded, if we’re ever getting out of here. I’m sorry.
For what?
* * *
Batman went to Wally and J’onn’s apartment to ensure it was both cared for and secured. It seemed the thing to do. He found the former to be true and the latter to be anything but.
Mail was collecting in a basket on the kitchen counter, all the plants were freshly watered, with droplets still lingering on a few leaves. The tropical fish in the living room appeared equally well fed. Casually gliding through the plants growing in their lit tank. Angelfish. A few smaller, brightly coloured schools of different species shared the space, moving in clusters.
There was a teenage boy sleeping on their couch. He didn’t wake at Batman’s presence, snoring contentedly. Clean, but a bit ragged around the edges. A battered t-shirt, shaggy hair.
Bruce had no idea who it was. Either it was their unnamed caretaker of plants and fish, or he’d broken in to find a place to sleep.
“Wake up.”
The boy woke with a start, bleary-eyed and disoriented. He saw Batman standing there and went rigid with fright.
Then he breathed a sigh of relief, relaxed, and shook his head. “Oh man. You scared me, dude.”
“And you are?”
“Oh yeah. Tom. I, uh, well, I’m staying here for a little while. Jon told me if I didn’t hear from them a while you might show up. So, what’s going on? I’m a little, you know. Haven’t heard from them in a few days.”
Apparently J’onn didn’t have a secret identity here. There was a photograph of the Martian Manhunter kissing Wally West on the cheek on the wall over the TV.
“I’m sure they’ll be fine,” Bruce lamely replied. “I apologize for the intrusion.”
As more time passes in a missing persons case, it becomes less likely the missing will be found. In this case, the missing were found, but... now they couldn’t get to them.
It had more the shape of one of Batman’s longer cases than the direct and immediate work the Justice League mainly were concerned with, and as days went by, he became more confidant that he was, after all, the one who should be leading this mission.
The others were getting downright dismal.
He returned to the Watchtower.
A file in his hand itched for attention, but Batman entered one of the labs and his focus went to Superman, bent over the console, rubbing the back of his neck as if he were Clark Kent at his desk.
“Progress?”
“Well, no,” Clark replied. “The last message from the Guardians was ‘we’ll look into it’ in so many words.”
“God forbid they be any different than they ever are.”
Batman walked up behind him, looked at a page of Martian language in translation on the screen. Something of a dictionary J’onn had put together in the database. “It was something I heard... not very well. I think...” He leaned forward, put his finger against symbols that meant ‘trust’ or ‘bind’ on the monitor. “J’onn was saying it. I don’t know.”
The file was set on the console and Batman’s mind moved into the more speculative realm of translation, only to be immediately drawn into alert readiness.
Alarms began blaring and the sound of urgent footsteps could be heard in the halls.
Batman bent over another keyboard and brought up the source of the trouble; a black, swirling storm that had just penetrated the windows on the observation deck and was making it’s way down.
“Perhaps we’ll get a chance to ask him.” He backed off the terminal and turned just as whipping smoke and dust blew in and swirled into form.
It was J’onn, as if carved from ebony. He stood a moment in silence, apparently waiting for the other part of the cloud to materialize.
Wally swirled around the room and was laughing when he formed beside J’onn, slinging a bag over his shoulder.
“Don’t worry,” Wally chuckled, a wicked grin on his face. “This is just a robbery. We’re not staying for tea.”
Superman lunged for him, looking as if he’d well snatch the parcel away... but Wally kept laughing as he exploded back into immaterial smoke. J’onn still didn’t speak, merely used the moment of Clark’s disorientation to land a right hook. Not hard enough to throw him through the window, just get him back against the terminals, ready to charge again.
Wally re-materialized, shaking his finger and clucking in an entirely patronizing fashion. Most of his body was blackness over his skin, like the suit, like J’onn. It didn’t so much end at his collarbone and wrists as it was creeping toward his neck and his hands.
His eyes were like empty voids.
“What made you think that would work, Clark baby? Really now.”
“Flash. I was hoping the whole point of you running back was to return J’onn. You have to come back.” Batman didn’t really think that would work, either. But he had to try. “Wally.”
Always, this drifting smoke was between them, as if Wally and J’onn were part of the same whole. Gravitating towards each other.
“What did she do to you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
With that, they both left as quickly as they had come, explosions of swirling smoke that dissipated and vanished.
“What did they take?”
“A Mother Box.”
* * *
She had once been both a doctor and an adept magician. One day, almost by accident, she learned how to... fuse them both. She? Their captor. Became better. Until she could bid even the strongest mind to bend to her will.
She didn’t spare much effort for Wally, who came of his own free will, and made every show of enjoying what she gave him. No; it was J’onn she gave all her consideration to, between them.
Wally’s body was somewhere, but he never thought to find it. It wouldn’t do any good, anyway. He’d been sucked out and remade with smoke and dust.
When J’onn wasn’t there even that crumbled away and left a ghost of Wally West floating in her throne room. No magic powers.
“Where have you been? You both should have been back hours ago.”
“Can’t you read my mind and tell?”
He smiled and didn’t give her anything but lesbian porn. In truth, he had no idea where he'd just been, but he was getting used to reality shifting like the weather changing.
It isn’t wise to bait her.
It wasn’t wise of her to mess with us.
Through it all, a small part of them both hid away from her. The last part of J’onn’s independent strength, that she couldn’t tear away. Not now that Wally was here. The bridge between them was the one thing she couldn’t have.
It retreated back as she went into Wally’s mind and did look for herself. Picking through his thoughts like leafing through a magazine.
“Nothing interesting,” she remarked, waving him away. Wally was relieved, but he didn’t know quite why. “Go, go. I have work to do.”
They had no name for her. The ones she’d kept here the longest saw her as their goddess, blind to any other kind of truth. And the others... some whispered she used to have a name. Sandra. They showed Wally pictures of her memories weeding a small flower garden, before all this. Alien flowers. He wasn’t sure what kind of alien.
J’onn knew. Provian.
Wally’s transparent body drifted, quite against his will, back into her trophy-case.
The place where she couldn’t watch them, but they forgot everything.
It was like the tree-house Wally had once had, very briefly. Back in Blue Valley. When life was all sunshine and hiding from screaming.
Then the tree-house was a Javelin.
Batman didn't really seem to like telepathy all that much, mumbling something about keeping their fingers out of the pie. Or something to that effect.
J'onn projected a doubt that Batman would mumble something like that and Wally just took one hand off the 'driving tongs' as the thought of them, turned sideways in the seat to give J'onn a look. An amused sort of 'wanna bet?' look.
The Azgor were not just telepaths; but rather capable ones without the capacity for speech. Even at this distance, J'onn was speaking to them. Formulating a plan to get the ship back to Azgor 7.
They weren't at all interested in Wally or his help, so all their communication so far had been given through J'onn.
And yeah, Wally was a lot offended. They were doing the whole 'feeble humans' thing. Even if Wally got the impression they were rather human-looking themselves.
So Wally was driving and J'onn was having twelve conversations at once. Way too much for Wally to follow, so he was being given an abridged version. Basically towing the mining ship back to their nearest settlement, on the outskirts of their solar system. Centered around their star, Azgor, that not only was their namesake, but the focal point of an elaborate religion they'd held for the entirety of their history.
It all was very pretty and holier-than-thou.
About three hours later, the hulk of the vessel was visible in the vacuum of space, a huge chunk missing from the left side, being held together by what appeared to be some kind of sparkly force fields. Smoke was being sucked out into space from cracks here and there, and it was floating without working propulsion.
J'onn directed Wally to pull ahead of it, working on the other side of the control panel to set up a high-tech towing rig.
The steely-blue surface of the metal ship began pulling along behind, and J'onn went incorporeal down through his seat and into space. Going over to give the first contact meet and greet by himself.
He'd asked permission first, and been asked to come without "the human."
Which was downright rude.
Wally felt like the under-appreciated chauffeur, keeping boredom off by monitoring the long-range sensor scans. Space-dust, a comet, a distant nebula at the edge of the sensor range. Static-y purple and blue, indistinct and lovely. He shared it with J'onn, actually told the Captain to wait a moment so he could turn aside and give all of his energy to Wally. Like a hug all around him, he smiled and hummed with joy.
They'll learn.
They'd better. Wally made a fist beside the steering column and laughed. But, of course, laughing didn't hide the little bit of hurt and sincerity.
Kinda really wanting to hit one of them, but not really.
They were rude.
Wearing long white robes with different kinds sleeves on everyone. The Captain had a goldish metallic draping look, somber eyes with wrinkles on dark gray-brown skin and white hair that was so fine it floated when they moved.
His telepathic voice was a bit grating. Like someone with a smoke-worn voice box. J’onn did a good job of concealing the dislike, only giving over a bit faintly, even to Wally.
Diplomacy was the job.
Wally sighed when J'onn's attention went back to the others, and again it felt quieter in the cockpit. Not lonely, but empty. A vibrating noise in the back that he could only really hear when he flew one of these things without passengers; or at least, any that were making any sort of noise.
J'onn had taken it upon himself to avoid sitting in perfect silence for the entire trip, just so it wouldn't be so much like being sealed in a tuna can. When he wasn’t distracted, anyway. And then there was Batman, who would either bark over your shoulder or hide in the back like he was hoping to be forgotten about for the duration.
He didn't like Javelins, he was quickly discovering. It never used to be that way. His first crash-landing behind the stick had him right next to Shayera getting a lesson. After that he'd loved 'em. Maybe it was the accident that did it. He didn't quite trust their technology and what-not so much anymore.
And the Javelin was shaking, just a little, from towing the larger ship. Turbulence. Nowhere to run if something went bad.
Nothing is going to happen.
Where J'onn was being shown their sparking, useless energy core. They couldn't regulate the energy output; turning it on would destroy the ship. So it was powered down and dim where a light show used to be.
I know that. I’m fine.
We’ll be there soon.
Peachy.
Wally got out a book of crossword puzzles and started in on the first one.
It kept him occupied until the hazy sphere of an atmospheric world came into view, like a perfect gleaming ball of blue smoke. Hardly any land at all, more like veins across the ocean, underneath the clouds.
Can you see this?
It’s breathtaking.
The sun glanced off the side and sunset filled the cockpit as they came into a shaky but uneventful landing. Orange fire over the growing sphere. Past a satellite that was as graceful as the emerging world and the civilization growing over the water from the thin strips of land in technology of varying spectacular build that reminded him something of Venice.
They landed on a round pad surrounded by a wild reef, wide enough that their passenger ship more or less crashed neatly behind the Javelin. Everything shook and bobbed, but they were apparently floating, and the water took all the impact.
The landing pad stabilized and waves splashed hard against the distant rocks. Sending spray twinkling in the air as Wally stepped out of the opening rear hatch. Hand on the rising half until it lifted away.
It was amazing.
Their apparent greeting party was a herd of technicians and medics, followed by the brass and a small security contingent. Just four guys behind who Wally would guess was in charge from J’onn’s immediate show of deference and feeling of respect as he stepped out on the other side, walking towards not the aliens, but Wally.
Let me guess, you’re doing all the talking. They don’t seem very personable so far.
We won’t be here long.
Why aren’t we leaving right now?
New society. We’re going to make a good impression. At a dinner party in our honor.
I believe you mean yours?
J’onn got close enough to put a hand on Wally’s shoulder, looking concerned.
I don’t trust them.
And that, that J’onn didn’t quite expect. He frowned, not quite dismissing the idea, and suggested they begin with the niceties.
Flash. Wally cringed and stropped in his tracks. We would like to show our thanks.
J’onn suddenly was all around him like a shield. Then more like a filter, holding most of it off.
I don’t suppose you good folks could turn it down? Wally projected, hoping to be heard, and apparently he was.
There was a measure of disdain almost like pity. You are also welcome here.
Thanks.
His head was still aching a little. It’d been like a drill in his temple, and man, wouldn’t they know that with that boom?
They’re isolationists. Rarely meet non-telepaths. He didn’t know any better.
Right. The head guy, who apparently was head of security on this batch of islands they called the Southern Crescent. Seat of the International Parliament and other lofty governmental things.
Watery clear eyes. Wally couldn’t quite look at his face, something... he couldn’t put his finger on. J’onn offered that he was rather imposing to all involved.
Wally had apparently been greeted and promptly dismissed from thought. They were filling J’onn in on a primer of history in the city of Serpia that they were walking in to. The seat of their race’s culture in the new era.
What made this a ‘new era’ seemed to be fuzzy.
The more J’onn gave him to hear, the less he liked these people. For undefinable reasons. They were all clean and tidy and had a smallish population of poor that could be seen, just over the horizon, in what could have been old Japanese fishing villages with engines and technology everywhere.
Law and order are different in a society that is open to one another. More or less. Tuning in and out, as they could. All filmy and drapey and thin. Like walking dolls.
Wally shuddered and couldn’t understand how J’onn was not creeped out by this place.
They’re just different than you’re used to.
That’s such an understatement.
Silently walking around in their shiny world, on these cobbled streets that didn’t have cars so much as pedestrians and what looked like rickshaws with motors. Driving themselves on neatly defined white lines.
A group lined up. The Justice League representatives were given their own little green-roofed transportation and a few of their more official escorts got in their own, and they began riding, slowly, through the streets.
I really don’t like it here.
I’m getting that.
J’onn. And J’onn looked at him again, at that. Instead of out at the passers-by. You can keep them out of my head. Right?
Yes.
Are you sure?
If they tried anything, I would know. This J’onn was sure of. He took Wally’s gloved hand and smiled his serene smile. Besides, how would they keep up with you? I’ve had practice.
Ah, yes. I’ll whirlwind them out of my skull. Wally shifted closer on the seat and felt conspicuously looked at and felt at in his head. J’onn was there, however. Keeping out curiosity at this strange pair of outsiders.
Especially the primitive one.
That’s not what they’re thinking.
It’s close enough. I get that much.
Their destination was the Golden Palace, which lived up to the name in spades. Shiny goldfish in little garden pools as they walked up to the spires of delicate gleaming shapes. Many of the ‘people’ here had almost transparent white skin that showed purple blood in veins underneath. Those watery eyes.
Staring at him.
Like an army of mannequins.
It’s alright, J’onn reassured him, filling him with love. I have everything under control.
From Mars, With Love
DCAU, J'onn/Wally. PG really. Lots of mind control stuff, but that's it.
Wally's presence is instrumental in moving toward J'onn's freedom... but when the captor can read minds and warp reality, it takes great lengths to hide secret plans...
The Rock, Part 3: In Which Things Are Not As They Appear
He was going to die, but he couldn’t care less. Maybe not.
Somewhere inside... draped and...
Opulent.
Yes. That was the word.
J’onn was inside him again, different, but filling him with bliss and joy. Nirvana. No drug could ever make this kind of high. He was doing it, of course, because she was telling him to.
Wally was blissfully harmless. J’onn was moving over his skin in the form of smoke, and he sighed deeply.
“He’s going to help make you part of my collection. And you’re going to love it, dear.”
Perhaps not love. But enjoy? Apparently.
Wally moaned, couldn’t help but touch himself a little. But she wasn’t even there when he opened his eyes a crack, eyelids fluttering. He felt like he was staring at a million-watt strobe light. And it felt so good.
Something changed in his head. Like a switch flipped. Not sure what it did. Something...
I have to make her believe I succeeded, if we’re ever getting out of here. I’m sorry.
For what?
Batman went to Wally and J’onn’s apartment to ensure it was both cared for and secured. It seemed the thing to do. He found the former to be true and the latter to be anything but.
Mail was collecting in a basket on the kitchen counter, all the plants were freshly watered, with droplets still lingering on a few leaves. The tropical fish in the living room appeared equally well fed. Casually gliding through the plants growing in their lit tank. Angelfish. A few smaller, brightly coloured schools of different species shared the space, moving in clusters.
There was a teenage boy sleeping on their couch. He didn’t wake at Batman’s presence, snoring contentedly. Clean, but a bit ragged around the edges. A battered t-shirt, shaggy hair.
Bruce had no idea who it was. Either it was their unnamed caretaker of plants and fish, or he’d broken in to find a place to sleep.
“Wake up.”
The boy woke with a start, bleary-eyed and disoriented. He saw Batman standing there and went rigid with fright.
Then he breathed a sigh of relief, relaxed, and shook his head. “Oh man. You scared me, dude.”
“And you are?”
“Oh yeah. Tom. I, uh, well, I’m staying here for a little while. Jon told me if I didn’t hear from them a while you might show up. So, what’s going on? I’m a little, you know. Haven’t heard from them in a few days.”
Apparently J’onn didn’t have a secret identity here. There was a photograph of the Martian Manhunter kissing Wally West on the cheek on the wall over the TV.
“I’m sure they’ll be fine,” Bruce lamely replied. “I apologize for the intrusion.”
As more time passes in a missing persons case, it becomes less likely the missing will be found. In this case, the missing were found, but... now they couldn’t get to them.
It had more the shape of one of Batman’s longer cases than the direct and immediate work the Justice League mainly were concerned with, and as days went by, he became more confidant that he was, after all, the one who should be leading this mission.
The others were getting downright dismal.
He returned to the Watchtower.
A file in his hand itched for attention, but Batman entered one of the labs and his focus went to Superman, bent over the console, rubbing the back of his neck as if he were Clark Kent at his desk.
“Progress?”
“Well, no,” Clark replied. “The last message from the Guardians was ‘we’ll look into it’ in so many words.”
“God forbid they be any different than they ever are.”
Batman walked up behind him, looked at a page of Martian language in translation on the screen. Something of a dictionary J’onn had put together in the database. “It was something I heard... not very well. I think...” He leaned forward, put his finger against symbols that meant ‘trust’ or ‘bind’ on the monitor. “J’onn was saying it. I don’t know.”
The file was set on the console and Batman’s mind moved into the more speculative realm of translation, only to be immediately drawn into alert readiness.
Alarms began blaring and the sound of urgent footsteps could be heard in the halls.
Batman bent over another keyboard and brought up the source of the trouble; a black, swirling storm that had just penetrated the windows on the observation deck and was making it’s way down.
“Perhaps we’ll get a chance to ask him.” He backed off the terminal and turned just as whipping smoke and dust blew in and swirled into form.
It was J’onn, as if carved from ebony. He stood a moment in silence, apparently waiting for the other part of the cloud to materialize.
Wally swirled around the room and was laughing when he formed beside J’onn, slinging a bag over his shoulder.
“Don’t worry,” Wally chuckled, a wicked grin on his face. “This is just a robbery. We’re not staying for tea.”
Superman lunged for him, looking as if he’d well snatch the parcel away... but Wally kept laughing as he exploded back into immaterial smoke. J’onn still didn’t speak, merely used the moment of Clark’s disorientation to land a right hook. Not hard enough to throw him through the window, just get him back against the terminals, ready to charge again.
Wally re-materialized, shaking his finger and clucking in an entirely patronizing fashion. Most of his body was blackness over his skin, like the suit, like J’onn. It didn’t so much end at his collarbone and wrists as it was creeping toward his neck and his hands.
His eyes were like empty voids.
“What made you think that would work, Clark baby? Really now.”
“Flash. I was hoping the whole point of you running back was to return J’onn. You have to come back.” Batman didn’t really think that would work, either. But he had to try. “Wally.”
Always, this drifting smoke was between them, as if Wally and J’onn were part of the same whole. Gravitating towards each other.
“What did she do to you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
With that, they both left as quickly as they had come, explosions of swirling smoke that dissipated and vanished.
“What did they take?”
“A Mother Box.”
She had once been both a doctor and an adept magician. One day, almost by accident, she learned how to... fuse them both. She? Their captor. Became better. Until she could bid even the strongest mind to bend to her will.
She didn’t spare much effort for Wally, who came of his own free will, and made every show of enjoying what she gave him. No; it was J’onn she gave all her consideration to, between them.
Wally’s body was somewhere, but he never thought to find it. It wouldn’t do any good, anyway. He’d been sucked out and remade with smoke and dust.
When J’onn wasn’t there even that crumbled away and left a ghost of Wally West floating in her throne room. No magic powers.
“Where have you been? You both should have been back hours ago.”
“Can’t you read my mind and tell?”
He smiled and didn’t give her anything but lesbian porn. In truth, he had no idea where he'd just been, but he was getting used to reality shifting like the weather changing.
It isn’t wise to bait her.
It wasn’t wise of her to mess with us.
Through it all, a small part of them both hid away from her. The last part of J’onn’s independent strength, that she couldn’t tear away. Not now that Wally was here. The bridge between them was the one thing she couldn’t have.
It retreated back as she went into Wally’s mind and did look for herself. Picking through his thoughts like leafing through a magazine.
“Nothing interesting,” she remarked, waving him away. Wally was relieved, but he didn’t know quite why. “Go, go. I have work to do.”
They had no name for her. The ones she’d kept here the longest saw her as their goddess, blind to any other kind of truth. And the others... some whispered she used to have a name. Sandra. They showed Wally pictures of her memories weeding a small flower garden, before all this. Alien flowers. He wasn’t sure what kind of alien.
J’onn knew. Provian.
Wally’s transparent body drifted, quite against his will, back into her trophy-case.
The place where she couldn’t watch them, but they forgot everything.
It was like the tree-house Wally had once had, very briefly. Back in Blue Valley. When life was all sunshine and hiding from screaming.
Then the tree-house was a Javelin.
Batman didn't really seem to like telepathy all that much, mumbling something about keeping their fingers out of the pie. Or something to that effect.
J'onn projected a doubt that Batman would mumble something like that and Wally just took one hand off the 'driving tongs' as the thought of them, turned sideways in the seat to give J'onn a look. An amused sort of 'wanna bet?' look.
The Azgor were not just telepaths; but rather capable ones without the capacity for speech. Even at this distance, J'onn was speaking to them. Formulating a plan to get the ship back to Azgor 7.
They weren't at all interested in Wally or his help, so all their communication so far had been given through J'onn.
And yeah, Wally was a lot offended. They were doing the whole 'feeble humans' thing. Even if Wally got the impression they were rather human-looking themselves.
So Wally was driving and J'onn was having twelve conversations at once. Way too much for Wally to follow, so he was being given an abridged version. Basically towing the mining ship back to their nearest settlement, on the outskirts of their solar system. Centered around their star, Azgor, that not only was their namesake, but the focal point of an elaborate religion they'd held for the entirety of their history.
It all was very pretty and holier-than-thou.
About three hours later, the hulk of the vessel was visible in the vacuum of space, a huge chunk missing from the left side, being held together by what appeared to be some kind of sparkly force fields. Smoke was being sucked out into space from cracks here and there, and it was floating without working propulsion.
J'onn directed Wally to pull ahead of it, working on the other side of the control panel to set up a high-tech towing rig.
The steely-blue surface of the metal ship began pulling along behind, and J'onn went incorporeal down through his seat and into space. Going over to give the first contact meet and greet by himself.
He'd asked permission first, and been asked to come without "the human."
Which was downright rude.
Wally felt like the under-appreciated chauffeur, keeping boredom off by monitoring the long-range sensor scans. Space-dust, a comet, a distant nebula at the edge of the sensor range. Static-y purple and blue, indistinct and lovely. He shared it with J'onn, actually told the Captain to wait a moment so he could turn aside and give all of his energy to Wally. Like a hug all around him, he smiled and hummed with joy.
They'll learn.
They'd better. Wally made a fist beside the steering column and laughed. But, of course, laughing didn't hide the little bit of hurt and sincerity.
Kinda really wanting to hit one of them, but not really.
They were rude.
Wearing long white robes with different kinds sleeves on everyone. The Captain had a goldish metallic draping look, somber eyes with wrinkles on dark gray-brown skin and white hair that was so fine it floated when they moved.
His telepathic voice was a bit grating. Like someone with a smoke-worn voice box. J’onn did a good job of concealing the dislike, only giving over a bit faintly, even to Wally.
Diplomacy was the job.
Wally sighed when J'onn's attention went back to the others, and again it felt quieter in the cockpit. Not lonely, but empty. A vibrating noise in the back that he could only really hear when he flew one of these things without passengers; or at least, any that were making any sort of noise.
J'onn had taken it upon himself to avoid sitting in perfect silence for the entire trip, just so it wouldn't be so much like being sealed in a tuna can. When he wasn’t distracted, anyway. And then there was Batman, who would either bark over your shoulder or hide in the back like he was hoping to be forgotten about for the duration.
He didn't like Javelins, he was quickly discovering. It never used to be that way. His first crash-landing behind the stick had him right next to Shayera getting a lesson. After that he'd loved 'em. Maybe it was the accident that did it. He didn't quite trust their technology and what-not so much anymore.
And the Javelin was shaking, just a little, from towing the larger ship. Turbulence. Nowhere to run if something went bad.
Nothing is going to happen.
Where J'onn was being shown their sparking, useless energy core. They couldn't regulate the energy output; turning it on would destroy the ship. So it was powered down and dim where a light show used to be.
I know that. I’m fine.
We’ll be there soon.
Peachy.
Wally got out a book of crossword puzzles and started in on the first one.
It kept him occupied until the hazy sphere of an atmospheric world came into view, like a perfect gleaming ball of blue smoke. Hardly any land at all, more like veins across the ocean, underneath the clouds.
Can you see this?
It’s breathtaking.
The sun glanced off the side and sunset filled the cockpit as they came into a shaky but uneventful landing. Orange fire over the growing sphere. Past a satellite that was as graceful as the emerging world and the civilization growing over the water from the thin strips of land in technology of varying spectacular build that reminded him something of Venice.
They landed on a round pad surrounded by a wild reef, wide enough that their passenger ship more or less crashed neatly behind the Javelin. Everything shook and bobbed, but they were apparently floating, and the water took all the impact.
The landing pad stabilized and waves splashed hard against the distant rocks. Sending spray twinkling in the air as Wally stepped out of the opening rear hatch. Hand on the rising half until it lifted away.
It was amazing.
Their apparent greeting party was a herd of technicians and medics, followed by the brass and a small security contingent. Just four guys behind who Wally would guess was in charge from J’onn’s immediate show of deference and feeling of respect as he stepped out on the other side, walking towards not the aliens, but Wally.
Let me guess, you’re doing all the talking. They don’t seem very personable so far.
We won’t be here long.
Why aren’t we leaving right now?
New society. We’re going to make a good impression. At a dinner party in our honor.
I believe you mean yours?
J’onn got close enough to put a hand on Wally’s shoulder, looking concerned.
I don’t trust them.
And that, that J’onn didn’t quite expect. He frowned, not quite dismissing the idea, and suggested they begin with the niceties.
Flash. Wally cringed and stropped in his tracks. We would like to show our thanks.
J’onn suddenly was all around him like a shield. Then more like a filter, holding most of it off.
I don’t suppose you good folks could turn it down? Wally projected, hoping to be heard, and apparently he was.
There was a measure of disdain almost like pity. You are also welcome here.
Thanks.
His head was still aching a little. It’d been like a drill in his temple, and man, wouldn’t they know that with that boom?
They’re isolationists. Rarely meet non-telepaths. He didn’t know any better.
Right. The head guy, who apparently was head of security on this batch of islands they called the Southern Crescent. Seat of the International Parliament and other lofty governmental things.
Watery clear eyes. Wally couldn’t quite look at his face, something... he couldn’t put his finger on. J’onn offered that he was rather imposing to all involved.
Wally had apparently been greeted and promptly dismissed from thought. They were filling J’onn in on a primer of history in the city of Serpia that they were walking in to. The seat of their race’s culture in the new era.
What made this a ‘new era’ seemed to be fuzzy.
The more J’onn gave him to hear, the less he liked these people. For undefinable reasons. They were all clean and tidy and had a smallish population of poor that could be seen, just over the horizon, in what could have been old Japanese fishing villages with engines and technology everywhere.
Law and order are different in a society that is open to one another. More or less. Tuning in and out, as they could. All filmy and drapey and thin. Like walking dolls.
Wally shuddered and couldn’t understand how J’onn was not creeped out by this place.
They’re just different than you’re used to.
That’s such an understatement.
Silently walking around in their shiny world, on these cobbled streets that didn’t have cars so much as pedestrians and what looked like rickshaws with motors. Driving themselves on neatly defined white lines.
A group lined up. The Justice League representatives were given their own little green-roofed transportation and a few of their more official escorts got in their own, and they began riding, slowly, through the streets.
I really don’t like it here.
I’m getting that.
J’onn. And J’onn looked at him again, at that. Instead of out at the passers-by. You can keep them out of my head. Right?
Yes.
Are you sure?
If they tried anything, I would know. This J’onn was sure of. He took Wally’s gloved hand and smiled his serene smile. Besides, how would they keep up with you? I’ve had practice.
Ah, yes. I’ll whirlwind them out of my skull. Wally shifted closer on the seat and felt conspicuously looked at and felt at in his head. J’onn was there, however. Keeping out curiosity at this strange pair of outsiders.
Especially the primitive one.
That’s not what they’re thinking.
It’s close enough. I get that much.
Their destination was the Golden Palace, which lived up to the name in spades. Shiny goldfish in little garden pools as they walked up to the spires of delicate gleaming shapes. Many of the ‘people’ here had almost transparent white skin that showed purple blood in veins underneath. Those watery eyes.
Staring at him.
Like an army of mannequins.
It’s alright, J’onn reassured him, filling him with love. I have everything under control.