(Any time another language is spoken, it will be translated in the comments.)
"The advancement and diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty."
-James Madison
'~-JJ (Jessica)-~'
February 14th, 2022
Valentine's Day is a phenomenon that is celebrated all around the Magic Web. For me, a nine-year-old, it wasn't very relevant in my life- which is why I took it off my schedule.
Ever since the end of July, a more important question plagued my day-to-day life: what did they use to keep my mother there?
Emily had told us that it was a serum, but that conclusion troubled me. Were Magi supposed to have a weakness- a "kryptonite" if you will?
I devoted these past months to researching all that I could about this serum. Nova had concluded that it lowered the PH of the plasma in the body, which caused someone to melt from the inside out.
Fascinating.
I had grabbed some of the serum for myself, and when I tested it on my rodents, I saw the same result.
So why did my mother live? And, more importantly, how did it suppress her powers?
I injected a small amount into my bloodstream, though my body didn't react in the same way that my mother's body did. It was likely that I was somewhat immune to the serum- though I knew that it was impossible that I was fully immune.
I began to construct an antidote only two months after my mother's rescue. I needed to test how sodium bicarbonate worked with the serum. Luckily for me, that seemed to stop its acidic effects. However, I still needed a way to negate its effects on power generation in Magi.
That's when I had an idea.
Irene's love story was one of the most popular stories to tell among my kind. Magi loved this story so much that every Valentine's Day, they would gather in the stadium (which was normally used to watch sparring matches) to see a play based on it.
Irene's relic had incredible healing powers. It was a piece of her soul that was left behind after she died that mysteriously persisted. This was the case with the other relics, though Irene's was considered the most powerful. Some Magi believed that there was an undiscovered seventh relic that belonged to Sunbright, the first Divine.
Ludicrous, right?
Anyway, I visited the lake when the sun was at its highest in the sky. The surface of the lake shimmered back at me as I stared into its mirror. I hadn't entirely thought ahead to this moment, so I stood there for a couple of minutes, trying to figure out how to retrieve the relic.
Finally, I raised my hand towards the center and focused all of my energy on my grandmother's relic.
I watched as the artifact appeared from under the water's surface and floated towards me.
I cheered silently as it hovered above my hands, emanating a warm light.
With my right hand, I pulled out a vial of the new solution.
"I need your help," I began. "Our enemies have a weapon that could leave us under their rule for thousands of years. I have an antidote here, but I need one more component: your power. So please, bless this vial so that your people may survive."
A moment passed where nothing happened. Then, suddenly, in a flash of light, the clear liquid in the vial turned a magenta color. The solution was complete.
"Thank you, Grandma," I whispered, tossing the relic into the air. Magic burst from its surface as it returned to its resting place under the water.
In my hands was the medicine that would save our people from doom.
'~-Angel-~'
The musky scent of the BAU filled my nostrils as I spun in my chair. I was disguised as Max- Spencer's "girlfriend" of a couple of years. Of course, the real Max wasn't here: she had died five years ago in a house fire. We were lucky that her spirit allowed the system to use her form.
I had come in today because, for the past week, Spencer had been very stressed over a case he worked that went cold. It was a bomber who seemed to have gone dormant after a few small-scale explosions that had killed seven people and paralyzed a little girl.
I watched my husband from across the bullpen. He was twirling his pen between his fingers and biting on it in intervals. Every once in a while, Spencer would write something down and immediately scratch it out. I could tell that he was not dealing with this very well.
The girl who had been paralyzed from the waist down was eleven- which was a little older than our daughter. I understood why this caused him to become so fixated on this case; even when his teammates had moved on.
"Spencer," I cooed, massaging his shoulders with my hands. "I know how upset you are right now. I understand. Just don't stress yourself out too much, okay?" He groaned when I pressed into a certain spot on his upper back. I watched as the stress physically left his body and he relaxed.
"Reu ahn ituwka, mai whusenia."
"Reu pseaque. Te naose leihea."
"Te naose leihea oave, mai whusenia."
"What language is that, Brainiacs?" Luke Alvez teased as he walked towards us.
"It's actually an old language from ancient-"
"Nevermind. I don't wanna know." He smiled kindly, patting my shoulder.
In the corner of my eye, I spotted something dark through the window. Smoke.
"Whusenia?" I asked- accidentally staying in my native tongue.
"Beme?" He asked, again staying in our native language.
"Guys, I can't understand you," Luke complained.
"Sorry, but something's on fire." The boys looked at me in confusion. "There- in the distance."
The smoke was gone. What the-
"Made you look," I giggled, swiftly dipping my hand in the cup of water on Spencer's desk and flicking it at Luke.
"Max!" Luke shouted, which attracted someone's attention.
"Seriously, Luke? Right in my ear?" Emily Prentiss complained. She was standing right behind him.
"Sorry, Prentiss." He apologized half-heartedly, which made Spencer and I giggle.
"It's fine. I just came to say that the bomber unsub struck again. It's all over the news." Spencer's teammate clicked a button on the remote that she was holding. The tv sprung to life, showing a news station in front of the Washington Monument.
"How the hell did you know?" Luke asked me.
"I'm a Magi," I stated. Both Spencer and Luke looked at me like I was crazy.
"Guys, I'm kidding. Did you seriously think that I was?" I laughed, and the men followed suit.
"The Washington Monument is a pretty bold target," Spencer commented, focusing us back on the screen.
"Nobody was injured in the blast," The reporter told the camera.
"That's odd," Emily commented. "Our unsub was planning something big, so why such a small bomb?"
Suddenly, it clicked.
"Oh my God, you need to call in and clear the area." The others looked at me. "Our unsub craves attention. He wants the camera to be pointed at-"
Shrieks sounded from the television as a slice of light cut the monument in half.
"-him."
"Dammit," Emily muttered.
"Why aren't you a profiler?" Luke asked as Emily ran to grab the rest of the team.
"My family had other plans for me. I was too young to stand up for myself, so I never went into the field." This statement was actually true. My brothers and sisters had set out a detailed plan for my rulership, which hindered me from doing what I wanted to.
"That's sad. We could really use you." The rest of the team gathered around us. Garcia was the first to speak.
"Okay, so they're saying that there was no evidence of a bomb." I saw the wheels in Spencer's brain start to turn.
"Inside the monument?" Luke clarified.
"Yes. It was as if the explosion-"
"-Appeared out of thin air." Spencer finished. "It was a Magi attack."
"Do you think Amelia Divine was behind this?" Tara questioned. I almost burst out into laughter- our body had been here the whole time.
"No," Spencer replied. "Amelia said that she wanted peace; to be accepted by humans. This isn't peace, and it sure isn't going to help her be accepted."
"Alright, everyone. This case is now active again. Go to your stations and get to work building a profile. If this unsub strikes again, he will kill a lot of people." Emily commanded, and the team split up to start again on the case.
"Tevad nou enan," I whispered to Spencer.
"Te ago." He nodded, which silently waved me away.
This was definitely not going to be good.
'~-JJ (Jessica)-~'
June 6th, 2022
"She's pretty much done."
I observed my work on the glowing screen. I was in the basement, where my laboratory and computers resided.
"You never fail to amaze me, little girl." Jason stood behind me, a smile on his face. "I remember when I was nine. I overheard Mom talking about me having a girlfriend one day, so I made it my job to try and get a girlfriend." He shook his head. "I didn't even like the girl. I just wanted my mom to be happy."
We heard talking from upstairs.
"They've been talking for a couple of hours now. What do you think they're discussing?" I asked.
"I dunno, it's probably something important." Jason paced around my lab. "DIANA will really help us. You've done an incredible thing."
"Well, considering that she can do what I can in a third of the time, yeah, I did do a pretty incredible thing."
I pressed a key on my keyboard.
"Hello, I am DIANA. Confirm your identity."
"You can see my face, Doofus." I rolled my eyes, typing away at the keys.
"I know. Welcome home."
"Thanks. DIANA, where are my father's team members right now?"
"Most of them are at the office, though it seems that Jennifer Jareau is on her way to an apartment complex. 937 Hoover Street."
"That's Dad's apartment complex." Jason realized, disappearing immediately. I followed suit, appearing in the living room where Mom was talking to Dad.
"Your teammate is on her way now. You must've missed someone's call." Dad nodded. He kissed mom briefly before disappearing.
"What were you talking about?" I asked.
"Nothing that you two should worry over." Mom kissed my head.
"Hey, I'm gonna go hang with my friend." Jason changed the subject.
"Your friend?" Mom asked. A hint of amusement was in her tone.
"Yes, Mom. Daniel: my friend." He rolled his eyes. "We're going to the park near his place."
"That sounds like a date to me," She stated. Jason groaned.
"We're just friends, Mom."
"Not for long," I butted in. After all, I had, through a vision, seen his plan to ask Daniel out.
"JJ!" He squeaked, storming towards the door. "Bye, you two!"
"Bye!"
The door almost slammed shut as my brother left the house. I peered out the window at him walking on our driveway.
I almost missed the single black crow perched on the rooftop of the house across from us.
I apparated onto our roof, summoned a bow, and took aim.
You will not take my brother away from me.
The crow appeared to have a consciousness as it stared at me, then died. It almost looked proud- as if Death were congratulating me for sticking up for my brother.
Another crow flew high in the sky, appearing to have an injured wing. It followed my brother down the sidewalk and disappeared as soon as he teleported away.
I went inside, knowing that I was the one that let my brother cheat death. It would not take his soul today.
Though I knew that it would still try.
'~-Spencer-~'
My team was working hard on a new case today. It was local, which was good for us, but there was one piece of crucial information that we were missing.
"Lebausve," I grumbled, twirling my pen in my hand. I was missing something- and I knew that it was right under my nose.
The buzz of my phone interrupted my thoughts. I picked it up and repeated my greeting in a deadpan voice.
"Hello, this is Doctor-"
"Sir, it's Jason." I froze.
"Who are you?" I said in a low voice.
"I'm Daniel. I'm your son's b- well- it's complicated, but we were walking at the park today. He got shot. The doctors say they can't heal him."
"Nova's hospital?"
"Yes, Sir."
"I'll be there." I hung up swiftly and started to collect my things.
"Where are you going?" Jennifer asked.
"Sorry, it's an emergency. I have to go." I hurriedly left the bullpen and anxiously waited for the elevator to arrive.
"Spence-"
"Oh, and the unsub is diabetic. Probably type one."
With that, I left the BAU, my hands shaking from the amount of anxiety that flowed through me.
'~-JJ (Jessica)-~'
I sat beside my mother and Daniel in the waiting room. It was going to be a long time before Jason would be ready to be seen. Apparently, he had been struck by a weapon that the Magi had not seen before.
One thing was for sure, according to Nova. Jason may not make it off the table.
Even though I assured them that he would, even I began to doubt my own powers.
Agonizing minutes passed until we heard a door swing open. Mom and I looked up, expecting to see Nova. However, the person who had entered the room came in from behind us. It was my father.
He was a mess.
"How is he?" He asked my mother.
Her mouth hung open idly, not able to form words. I spoke for her instead.
"Nova says that he's struggling to stay alive. They think that he isn't gonna make it." My father looked at me incredulously.
"Oh, God," Dad whispered as he sat down beside his wife.
"They're wrong," I reassured him. "Jason will live," I felt a shiver pass down my spine. His heart stopped.
"But not without my help," I concluded, realizing that I had to do what I had done on the rooftop. I had to kill the crow again, so-to-speak. I had to save my brother.
I appeared in my basement and snatched the magenta vial out of its holding place. I knew that I had kept it for a reason. Swiftly, I duplicated it so that I wouldn't have to make it again. Finally, I apparated back to the hospital- more accurately, the O.R.
"JJ what the-"
I reshaped my vial into a syringe, then pressed it into his neck. As the liquid entered his body, a couple of moments of silence passed before Nova was ready to drag me out of there.
Then, his heart began to beat again.
I was overjoyed, to say the least. Nova looked at me with pride, then resumed the surgery.
He would be okay.
'~-Sunbright-~'
"Someone tried to kill him?"
"We think that he showcased one of his powers to his friend- or something like that. They probably thought they were alone. He was definitely shot by a human, though. We've dubbed it 'plasmatic energy' because of its plasma-like properties."
My blood began to boil.
"Bright?" Spence asked, but I just shook my head.
"They don't get to shoot my son just because they think that we shouldn't be here." My fists clenched tightly.
"What do we do now?" Nova asked, resting their hand on my shoulder.
Maxwell and Amelia joined me in the front as I snatched a quill from thin air.
"If they want destruction," I appeared in my office, while Nova and Spence followed suit. "Then chaos is what they'll get."
I began to write the declaration. Maxwell spoke up.
"If they want violence, then we shall deliver it to their doorsteps."
Amelia was the final alter to say something.
"If death is what they wish to bring," I felt Spence's breath on my neck. "Then may Irene have mercy on their souls."
"Guys-" Spence recognized the co-consciousness.
"Let's go to war."
"Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory, and our interests are in grave danger. With confidence in our armed forces- with the unbounding determination of our people- we will gain the inevitable triumph- so help us God."
-Franklin D. Roosevelt