"Are you sure you don't need anything?" Jenna questioned Marie as they move around the kitchen. Marie shook her head as she tries to make herself a cup of Earl Grey. "Because I can do it for you. You should be resting. Alya says that you were in pretty bad shape yesterday. Come on, let me help you."
"Jen." Marie rolled her eyes, "I'm fine, just a little sore and a little headache, but nothing bad."
"You're sore?" Jenna's eyes widen. "I think you should go lay down. Yeah, you should go to you're room and get some rest. Do you think that you can make it up the stairs, because if you don't think so? I can take you up there, whether you want me to use a construct, I can even carry you if you want. The ring lets me have superstrength."
"Jen," Marie looks at the girl unimpressed. "I'm going to give to till the count of five, and if you're not out of my sight. I will kill you."
"I'm sorry!" Jenna raises her hands in surrender. "But Alya's a little scarier than you, and she said to make sure that you're okay."
Marie narrowed her eyes at Jenna, "One." Marie started to count, causing Jenna to shift uncomfortably under her stare. "Two, Three."
"You know what." Jenna backs up quickly. "What Alya doesn't know doesn't kill her." Jenna then rushed out of the room without a second thought.
Annabelle walked into the kitchen right as Jenna ran away. Annabelle raised a brow at the girl. "Does Jenna know that she can kick yours and Alya's asses if she wanted, right?"
" I have you know that I've won every sparring match with that girl." Marie corrects as she pours her tea into her foam cup. "Were all of them without powers, yes. Do they still instill fear in the girl? Yes."
"Let me guess when you were younger. All the sparring you did with Green Lantern was with powers? So that he could beat every time?" Annabelle grinned, already knowing full well that they were.
"Yep." Marie nodded before taking a sip out of her cup, allowing the warmth of the tea to fill her chest. "I bet ya; he did the same thing with Als."
"How you feeling?" Annabelle questioned after a moment of silence.
Marie huffed with annoyance. "I'm perfectly fine."
"You didn't seem like it yesterday." Annabelle raised a brow at her friend. Annabelle took a seat at the table, and she then gestured for Marie to take the seat across her. Marie sighs before following Annabelle's instruction. "Mar, you broke out of the mind control on you're own, without Halo's cleanse. And with the Motherbox, tell me the truth, Mar. You felt her dying?"
Marie closed her eyes as she remembers the feeling that she felt yesterday. "Yes. But it isn't for the same reason that Halo and Victor felt her. It was the same feeling I got that day... that day that Wally, you know."
"Yeah, I know." Annabelle nods.
"I always get this feeling when someone is about to die, and usually they die," Marie reveals to her. "It doesn't happen all the time, usually when someone close to me dies, I feel it. It wasn't always such a strong discomfort. I felt it when Tula died, though I didn't know it at the time, Jason, Zane, Garmandon, and now. It never happened with a being I didn't know all that well. I barely felt it with Tula and Jason. At least with them, I was on of the same team with them. Heck, yesterday was worse than Zane and Wally! And I saw them as my brothers."
"So, in short, you have no idea what yesterday was all about." Annabelle deadpan.
"Basically." Marie nods before getting up from her seat and walking out of the kitchen and towards the group that stood in front of the Med bay door. Annabelle and Marie were on either side of the group, with Annabelle standing next to Aquaman, and Marie standing beside Conner, and M'gann in the middle.
"I don't understand," Jefferson said as he turns around from looking in the room where Dick was struggling. "I mean, yeah, Granny's X-pit was pure torture, but I recovered, and Marie is recovering. Why is Dick in such a bad way?"
"I wish I knew." Aquaman sighed.
"It seems obvious." Annabelle said, "What do Jeff and Marie have common that Dick doesn't? They have powers; maybe that has something to do with it?"
"His brain is swelling," Bruce told them as he comes to the door in a rush. "Doctor Jace says we need ice to bring down his temperature."
"We're on it." Jefferson nods, and the group quickly rushes off to get the ice. Marie paused for a moment as she felt the discomfort in her chest again. She turned her slightly back with a sigh.
Marie clenches her fist as a familiar pan hits her heart as she thinks about Dick. "God damnit, Dick, you make everything so difficult, don't you." Marie shook her head before going off in the direction that everyone went in.
LOS ANGLES
January 22; 02:24 PST
"Mother of Goat," Brion complained, as he, Violet, Forager, Victor, Garfield, and Jenna were out eating, and he was watching a new superhero group on his phone. "This Infinity Incorporated is poaching on the Outsiders' turf."
"We have turf? What are we? A gang?" Jenna raised a brow at Brion as she takes a bite of her pancakes.
"Mmm. Oh, take it as a compliment." Garfield told him as he to easts his pancakes. "We inspired them. They wanna inspire others. Mmm."
"And that's a good thing, right?" Violet agreed.
"Always looking on the bright side." Brion smiled at his girlfriend. " I need that. Frankly, I'd be lost without it. Without you."
"Aw, that's so sweet." Jenna cooed.
Violet frowns, and Brion quickly notices and frowns as well. "Not in a pancake mood?"
"It is difficult to enjoy pancakes when my powers can do nothing to pull Dick back from death's door," Violet said, causing everyone to stop eating.
"Oh, that's depressing." Jenna frowns, placing her fork down.
"Didn't you just say she always looked on the bright side?" Garfield asked Brion.
"I think we all feel a bit guilty we're here enjoying a meal while Dick is so ill." Brion defends Violet.
"What else can we do? Dr. Jace asked us to give some space to his oldest friends and family." Violet said.
"That reminds me. Who is his family?" Brion asked. "Is Grayson's father Bruce Wayne--"
"Look, can we talk about Gretchen?" Garfield quickly changed the topic, "She's the reason Dick's... Well, you know. She almost killed Jeff, Mar, and Motherbox, too, using some serious Apokoliptan tech. You know she's got something else cooking. And I'm not talking about pancakes." Garfield stands up, placing his hands on the table. "We need to take her down!"
******
Marie and Annabelle stood talking with Aquaman, Conner, and M'gann when the kids come back from having a late lunch. Marie glanced towards Med Bay, where she sees Barabara, Tim, and Bruce walking out of the room.
"Is everything--" Dr. Jace began to question
"There's no change," Barbara told her. "Alfred's with him."
"Kaldur, M'gann. A word." Bruce looked at the two leaders. Marie crossed her arms as she glares at them as they walked away with the Batfam to the kitchen.
"It's a shame it takes something like this to bring everyone together." Dr. Jace says as she holds her coffee mug.
Annabelle's eyes follow the group, her eyes slightly narrowing in confusion. Annabelle then looked at Marie who's whole demeanor changed. Annabelle then looked at Jefferson, who was narrowing his eyes at the group as well.
"Yeah, a shame." Jefferson spaced out for a bit before just as quickly snapping out of it. "Son of a..." Jefferson moved forward towards the Batfam, Aquaman, and M'gann as they exit the kitchen. "You were all working together!"
Marie let out a stream of air from her mouth as Jefferson went off on the group. "Shits about to blow up."
"Mr. 'I don't join teams' Grayson takes Marie and me on a rogue mission to Granny's house, where we're rescued by the co-chair of the Justice League and a Bat-family drone!"
'That's one me!"
"I can explain." Both Aquaman and Barabara spoke. Annabelle furrowed her brows in anger as she starts to think about what Jefferson was implying.
"Oh, I'm sure it is. And I'm sure you can." Jefferson growled with his raising as he spoke. "But it doesn't stop there. Or start there, for that matter. That joint op busting meta-trafficker around the world? Dick explained it all so logically. It was intel M'gann provided to us, to the Team, and to the League. But, of course, it was really the six of you coordinating. Just how long have you been coordinating? When I quit the Justice League and wouldn't join Batman Inc.? Did Dick recruit me for Markovia just to keep me in the fold? Holy... When the League split, Batman didn't blindside Aquaman! You both planned it in advance!"
"What?!" Annabelle stepped forward with anger. Marie sighed as she rubs her forehead.
"Created that dog and pony show to lie to every one of your fellow Leaguers!" Jefferson continued before marching up to Aquaman, lowering his voice. "And why? So you could break the law with impunity while dragging me into it?"
"It is not as bad as... As you make it sound."
"Oh no, it's bad." Marie coughed, causing Annabelle to look at her confused.
"Oh, no, I'm guessing it's worse. Everything's a lie!" Jefferson exclaimed. "Badass Kaldur getting his had ass kicked in Brooklin, Maine? That was just to make the Outsiders look good, wasn't it?"
"Wait!?" Jenna exclaimed.
"No!"
"That's not what happened." Garfield, Brion, and Jenna all spoke up, moving closer to the commotion.
"Not bad enough you manipulate me... you had to manipulate these idealistic kids!" Jefferson shouted.
Marie took a deep breath as she looks at Jenna. Annabelle narrowed her eyes at Marie before letting out a loud gasp. "You knew!" Everyone looked at the duo as Annabelle took a step back from her best friend.
"What?" Jenna's head snapped in Marie's direction, waiting for Marie to deny, but all Marie did was bow her head with a deep sigh.
******
"I can't believe you!" Annabelle shouted at Marie, once they and Jenna were in the corner of the room, "You knew!" Annabelle shook her head before letting out a chuckle. "Oh, have to fucking kidding me, but why am I surprised? You were apart of the last big lie that was kept from everyone."
"I'm not about that weird society." Marie tried to defend herself. "I wasn't even here when they were formed! I found out in November, okay!"
"You've known for months," Jenna didn't know how to feel. She couldn't help but feel betrayed by Marie. "And you didn't say anything, not even to Alya?"
"Don't read too much into it, Jen. I'm sure you've heard about Artemis faking her death back in the day. Marie was apart of that decision not to tell the team, her, Nightwing, and Aquaman. So it's not surprising that those three teamed up to do this to us again. Don't you ever learn?"
"I wasn't apart of this," Marie repeated herself. "I had nothing to do with anything. I didn't plan anything. I just didn't tell anyone about what they were doing."
"And that's supposed to make it better!"Annabelle screamed, "Dinah and Ollie have been having trouble ever since. He took off with Batman to join Batman's group! And didn't tell her about it! And how do you think Alya's going to feel about you lying to her again! Last time, you traumatized her on a staged mission, and now you have kept the fact that missions that she went on were staged. I can't believe I was so worried about you." Annabelle scoffed before she began to walk away backward from Marie. "Because it really seems you don't give two shits about your own sister and me."
"Where are you going?" Marie shouted after her.
"To do that right thing!" Annabelle said. "I'm going to tell Dinah and Ollie about this bullshit!"
Annabelle left, and Marie turned to Jenna, who looked at Marie with wide eyes. Marie sighed. "Jen..."
"Stop." Jenna cut her off. "I'm pissed, and that's an emotion I'm not used to. And I--- you know I grew up alone without any siblings, so I see Alya's like my big sister, and I really hoped and thought that maybe you and I would get to the point that we saw each other as siblings, but I don't know how can I get pass not feeling betrayed, and getting to that point of trust that I have with Alya with you now. I don't trust you anymore. Because I'm never going to stop thinking if you're hiding something from me."
"Jenna, I am sorry."
"I don't care." Jenna shook her head. "Alya's going to be so hurt by this. And liked I said, Alya's my sister, and I don't give two shits about people who hurt my family."
"You're not even sorry!" Jefferson shouted as he tries to walk away from Aquaman and Bruce. Marie turned her head in the direction of the three men as they made their way out of the kitchen.
"We are sorry we have made you feel this way," Aquaman told him.
"That's not an apology!" Jefferson snapped around.
"I am not going to apologize for putting the mission first." Bruce refused.
"What good is the mission if we lose ourselves trying to fulfill it?"
"Jeff." Dick's voice causing Jefferson to turn around to see Dick being held up by Alfred. "I think the person you're really angry with... is me."
Marie's face softens as she looks at Dick with concern as he tries to talk to Jefferson. Jenna looked at Marie with disgust and scoffed. "You two deserve each other," Jenna mumbled before walking away from Marie and taking a seat next to Garfield. Tim took over for Alfred holding Dick up. And Bruce had left to get fresh air, with Barabara going to follow him.
"Jeff." Dick and Jefferson have been going back and forth on the manner. Marie stood next to Conner, even though she was sure that he was upset with her as well. "Please."
"Stop, you're not sorry either. I'm so gone." Jefferson told him before he went to leave but stopped himself when he looked around. "Where's Helga?"
"Uh, she left a while ago with Violet and the Markovs," Garfield answered.
"What?" Marie's eyes widen as she looks around for those kids. "When?"
"Yeah, I don't blame her." Jefferson sighed. "Probably didn't want them to see all this." And just on cue, the elevator doors open, revealing just Tara and Brion. Jefferson looked at the two, "Where's Violet? Where's Helga?"
****
"We have to rescue Violet!' Brion exclaimed after he and his sister had revealed to them Dr. Jace's betrayal and Violet's capture.
"But we don't know where she is," Tara told her brother.
"This can't be true," Jefferson muttered as he sat down with his head on his head.
"I'm sorry, but it is. If my control chip hadn't malfunctioned, Brion and I would never have escaped." Tara explained.
"Helga--"
"Jace betrayed you." Tara spat. Anger spiked in Marie's chest at the thought of Jace, how she allowed this woman to live with these kids for months, despite having an off feeling about her the entire time. "Betrayed us all."
"I gotta get outta here," Jefferson spoke before standing up and making his way towards the elevator.
"Jefferson."
"Don't follow me!" Jefferson shouted at Aquaman.