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I walked slowly down the paved road and past the gravestones that lined it, the grey and overcast sky matching my mood. The trees scattered around the cemetery were swaying in a light breeze, but otherwise it was quiet as I walked. I didn't really want to be here, but I knew Diana was here. And I needed to apologize for what I did on the mission.
It had been a bit of a hike from the nearest Zeta Tube to the Massachusetts National Cemetery, but I decided to take a cab rather than fly. I didn't know exactly how the government would view a superhero flying into a veterans' cemetery (and one that looked like he was wearing power armor to boot), but I figured it would probably be more respectful to enter on foot. Either way, the guard at the gate had only given me a sidelong glance before letting pass through. Considering who else was showing up today, I suppose he wasn't that surprised.
The eulogy for Mr. Nelson had been several days' earlier back in Salem, but due to some complications it wasn't until now they could put the man's body to rest. I hadn't known until that day that he had a plot here, but it turned out his civilian identity had been officially enlisted in the military during the war. The team had been invited to both the eulogy and burial, much to my surprise (though I was the only one who chose to go to the later). Alright, it probably wasn't that surprising considering we were the last to see him alive and take the helmet in. It's just… I didn't feel I deserved it. He died on my watch. If only-
No, stop that, I thought as I shook my head. I'm already morose enough right now. I don't need an extra layer of guilt on top of that too.
Eventually I found the spot I was looking for some distance away from the road, as small group of people clustered around a steadily descending coffin.
Damn, I'm later than I thought. And worse I didn't see the person I was looking for. Still, I didn't want to interrupt the somber moment, so I remained where I was until the casket finished lowering and the first bits of dirt were poured on. As some people began to move away, I picked one that I recognized and approached. "Excuse me sir?"
Alan Scott, for his age, still had a presence and vigor about him. His face may have been creased and his blonde hair receding, but he stood straight and looked back at me firmly. "Ah, you were one of the lads at the eulogy. What can I do for you, son?"
"I'm looking for Diana, have you seen her?"
He arched an eyebrow. "Oh, she's Diana to you already, hmm?" He said with a hint of amusement. "Took me ages to stop calling her Princess, but I guess I was old fashioned even back then. Are all you kids so informal or are you looking for some more?"
"Uhhh…" I said intelligently, not expecting the turn this conversation had taken.
Fortunately I was saved as someone came up behind the other man. "Come on Alan, don't scare off the kid. He'll start thinking all us old timers are weird." Even with a weathered face and gray hair, Jay Garrick seemed as lively as a man half his age as he swatted his old teammate on the shoulder.
Alan smirked and looked back. "And what's the point of being an old timer if I can't mess with the new blood every now and then?"
"Early bird diner specials and the ability to lecture everyone one on how good everything was in the past?" I ventured.
The man barked out a laugh at this. "I'm not
that foggy in the head yet."
I cracked a smile, and then remembered my manners. "Ah, I probably should have done this earlier." I said as I held out my hand. "Jacob Morgan. It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Scott."
He shook with one hand and waved me of with the other. "Please, if you're already using first names with Diana, you can call me Alan."
"And Jay's fine with me." The speedster behind him said. "I remember seeing you on the news a few weeks back. That was some good work you did in New York."
"Thank you, sir." I said, shifting my weight. Wanting to avoid social awkwardness, I kept the conversation going. "So, do you see Diana often these days?"
Jay shrugged. "Not as much as I'd like, but I still see her about once a year. It's Alan that she's close to though."
"Don't make it sound like more than it is." Alan said before he looked back at me. "Diana still visits me regularly. She's been a great friend since my wife passed all those years ago. And after she-" He stopped before he started again. "Anyway, I could talk your ear off with all the stories I have piled up in this head of mine about her. Jay, remember the look on those Germans' faces when they saw her in her costume for the first time?"
The two laughed, and I hesitated. I did need to talk to Diana… but this was my chance to get an explanation for something I had been wondering about. "If you don't mind my asking, just why is Diana's costume…"
"A star spangled showgirl outfit?" Alan said with a chuckle before he looked around nervously. "Don't tell her I said that."
Jay explained "Back when the All Star Squadron was first getting together, she told the higher ups that she needed some new armor bearing their colors. Something about being a representative for them during the war rather than her own nation. Anyway, she asked for a design she could send back home to be made into armor, something befitting a woman in battle. But, some people back then had
views on women, let alone one that wanted to go to the front lines. So, they sent back that."
"…and she never realized it was an insult?" I asked.
Alan snorted. "Son, she absolutely knew. She just didn't
care. They thought they could shame her by giving her a revealing outfit? She took that stupid outfit, put it on, and proceeded to beat the tar out of every kraut she came across. And she kept wearing it after the war too. Now, women everywhere can look at her and see someone that didn't let anyone push them down. She made it hers."
I was taken aback by the intensity in his voice, but it felt… good to see someone with that level of respect for one of my childhood icons. "Well, I'd love to hear more sometime, but I really do need to talk to her."
Alan hummed as he pointed off in a direction. "Last I saw she went that way, a little before we started lowering Kent. Said she'd be back before we started, but I guess she got distracted."
"Great. Well, I hope to see you again sometime, it was nice meeting you." I said as I turned and left. The two were a little nonplussed at my abruptness, but they let me go regardless.
I walked for about a minute or two before I saw her, easy to spot as she was the only person in this part of the cemetery. She had her back to me as I got closer, putting her focus on a gravestone in front of her. "Diana." I called out as I approached. She gave a small start as she turned to look at me. I started to say something but stopped. Now that I had stepped to the side of her, I could read what the gravestone said.
Here lies Stephen Rockwell Trevor
Friend. Patriot. Hero.
1919-1997
Oh. How did I not think about
why Wonder Woman might be in a graveyard by herself? "Oh… I came here to apologize for how I acted on the mission, but I didn't realize… I'm sorry I should go-"
"No, no, it is fine." She said with a wave of her hand. "I didn't mean to spend so long. It seems I became lost in thought."
"You can take as much time as you want." I insisted.
She glanced back at the gravestone before giving me an odd look. "Ah. Sometimes I forget how much you know about us, personally. I haven't talked about Steve in a long time." She sighed at the look of confusion and asked "How much do you know about Steve Trevor?"
I considered my words carefully before I said "Not much, other than that he was frequently a love interest for you. Sometimes he lived in the modern age, but usually he was associated with the time when you first left Themyscira. I'm guessing World War Two by the date."
"Love interest..." She said flatly. "A quaint way of summing up my relationship with the first man I ever met."
I flinched a little at that, which Diana saw. "Sorry," she said. "I haven't talked about Steve for a
very long time. Hearing him reduced to such a description is… unpleasant."
"I'm sorry." I said, not sure what else to say.
Diana seemed to consider something for a long moment before she spoke. "Well, I suppose you might as well know. Steve and I loved each other, but our relationship was not easy. Both of us were frequently called away to do our respective work. We had talked about starting a family several times, but we never seemed to make the time for it. I kept telling myself that I would always have time for it later." Her shoulders slumped as she looked back at the grave. "I had the time. But he didn't."
Her tone became distant, and she almost seemed to be talking more to herself than to me. "I couldn't tell you when it happened, but one day… Steve had become old. Too old to be rearing children. I tried to convince him otherwise, but he was stubborn about it. The days passed, and more and more he became self-conscious about us, about how I was still young while he grew older. I think he didn't want me to feel shackled to him, and so we started to… drift apart."
He voice was barely above a whisper as she said "And before I knew it, he was gone. Died of a heart attack while I was back on Themyscira. He always did push himself too hard. I wonder… is this how it's always going to be, for every person I get close to?"
I had no words for that. All I could do was step closer and place my hand on her shoulder, looking down at the grave with her.
I suppose I'll learn myself someday, I thought as I gently squeezed her shoulder. I then noticed Diana looking at me strangely. At first I was worried I had overstepped my bounds and took a step back, but then I realized what it was. "I said that out loud, didn't I?"
She nodded and gave me an expectant look. I internally debated for a moment before I gave in and explained. "Ted and Serling have gone over the data about my nanomachines's structure and replication ability a number of times. It's hard to be certain, but as far as they can tell there is no signs of degradation. There's no reason I can't repair and replace my nanites indefinitely. I'm… immortal. Well, ageless, in any case." I gave a mirthless chuckle. "Funny. I've been given something people would, and have, killed for, completely out of nowhere. And I don't even know how to feel about it."
After a moment Diana spoke, her tone soft. "I didn't mean to make it sound that my life was unbearable because of this. I-"
I held up a hand. "I know. I'll probably find my own way of dealing with it at some point. Though." I said as I gave her a small smile. "I suppose if nothing else, it's nice to know that you'll always be there in case I need help with it."
Diana look at me for a long moment before she returned the smile. Then, she let out a long sigh, closing her eyes and rubbing the back of her neck. "Oh, this conversation took a far more serious turn than I intended. Might I suggest we move on to much less somber topics?"
"Do lets." I replied as I glanced around.
She opened her eyes and her smile became something much more mischievous. "So, have you started courting Koriand'r yet?"
That brought me up short, and there was a pause before I turned back to look at her. "I don't know what you're talking about."
She arched an eyebrow and her smirk widened. "Really? So, you brushing her hair, or fussing over her every time I see you two, is what exactly?"
"That's just- I mean it's just how we-" I started and stopped several times as I tried to explain and change the subject, but the woman's smile quickly informed me that I wasn't getting out of this one. Eventually, I just gave up. I pinched the bridge of my nose as I said "Diana… I'm 28."
The woman straightened a little. "You are? That is… older than I thought."
"I figured." I said flatly. Even back before I turned into what I am now, people had problems getting my age right. I was either 7 years younger or older than I actually was depending on if I had a beard at the time. Not entirely sure how that translated to my new body, but it looked like without giving myself some chin dusting people were leaning towards younger. "To be honest I'm not exactly sure what my teammates think my age is. No one's really ever asked. How old did you think I was?"
"21, 22." Diana said as she gave me an appraising look. "Why haven't you said anything earlier? I would have thought that someone of your age would have objected more to working with teenagers."
"I mean, most of those teenagers could kick my ass at the time, so I didn't think I had the ability to be picky. Besides, Batman knows. Probably. At least, I think he figured it out." I hesitated. "Would it have changed anything?"
"…Maybe. Even when I thought you were only a little older than the rest of the team, I had assumed that you would only be with them for a short while. Given this, I would have wondered if a man of your age would have been appropriate for the team." I tensed a little bit at that, but a moment later she said "Still, considering the work you've done so far and how well you're fitting in, there wouldn't be a point in removing you now."
She made a small sound. "Well, I suppose I'll talk to Batman about it. However, what does your age have to do with you and Koriand'r?"
I looked at her confused for a moment before I realized. "…it occurs to me that you might not be the best person to empathize with this particular issue." Diana was 85 years old, and was in turn raised by women who were millennia old. The difference in age between myself and Kori were likely barely noticeable to her.
Still, she was quick on the uptake and raised her eyebrows in understanding. "Ah. You are concerned about being older than her."
"I'm a decade older than her. Probably. The ambiguity really doesn't help." None of us exactly knew how old Kori was, even herself. Her captors had been more focused on torture rather than keeping her up to date on what the year was. And since she had come to Earth immediately after we escaped, she had no frame of reference. We managed to puzzle out that she was the human equivalent of 15-16 when she had been captured, and it had been at least several years since then. But beyond that she didn't know.
"And this is a problem for you?"
"Well… I mean, it's questionable at least."
Diana's hand went to her hip as she stared at me. "Let me phrase it differently: do you not think she is an adult?"
I was silent for a long moment. My thoughts went back over the past few months, of fighting beside her, of living with her, of her interacting with the rest of the team. I thought about the two of us yesterday, about her worry over those she was leading, and how best to direct the team going forward. "…no, she's an adult."
"Then what is the issue?"
I waved my hand as I started to pace. "It's not just that, it's a bunch of things. She's basically my commanding officer, I have to think about how it would look to the rest of the team, and I'm… a mess. Every time I think I have a handle on my life something comes along to prove me wrong. And the less said about me physically, the better."
Diana's face changed to one of concern. "Does your appearance really bother you so-"
"Not my appearance." I said flatly. She looked at me in confusion for a few moments before I made a face. It took a few moments before Diana's eyebrows shot up and she gave me a questioning look. I simply shook my head and she grimaced. "Ah. I see. So, that's it then?"
I frowned at her and gave a halfhearted shrug. "It's just probably not a good idea."
She looked at me evenly for a long moment. Finally, she hummed. "Well, I can see that you've been thinking about this. However, I noticed you neglected to address one thing in that list of yours."
"And what's that?"
She looked me in the eyes and asked "Do you want her?"
"…I don't see how that's relevant."
She gave me that infuriating smile again, though this time there was something sad in it. "Jacob, you've been through a lot over these past few months, and I understand that you are still dealing with your situation. But take it from me, you don't always have as much time as you think you do."
I was going to argue some more, but at that moment my com activated. "
Batman to Machina, I have a mission for the team. Be back in the Mountain in 10 minutes."
"Understood." I replied before looking back at Diana. "That was Batman. I have a mission, so…" I trailed off awkwardly. I then realized that I had completely failed to do what I had come here to do in the first place. "Oh, right, uh, before I go, I came here to say I was sorry about how I behaved in-"
The woman stopped me. "I know. Batman told me what happened, and I understand." She looked at me firmly. "However, next time I need you to tell me if you might have a problem like this on a mission. Don't just keep it to yourself."
I nodded, and after a long silence I left.
----------------------
When the light from the Zeta Tube faded, I was greeted by the sight of the entire team gathered in the center of the room, Batman in front of all of them. The lot turned to look at me as I entered, and I swiftly covered the distance to join them. "Sorry I'm late, it was a bit of a hike to the nearest Zeta Tube."
"No problem big guy. We can't all move at the speed of sound." Wally said in a tone that was less consoling than it was bragging. "Maybe you should try eating a Zeta Tube."
"It's a little more complicated than that…" I said as I reached the group. Out of the corner of my eye I caught Kori looking at me. I turned to look at her fully, and her expression became one of mild concern. My mouth pressed thin, but I gave her a slight nod.
It was a few seconds before I realized that Batman had started talking. "-become aware of an increasing number of missing persons along the east coast. Yesterday the League, working with Machina and Starfire, found some of these people."
Behind him a number of holographic screens opened up, showing the aftermath of the small scale riot I had seen firsthand, along with pictures of some of the tests subjects strapped down to gurney or locked in observing rooms. "These people have been experimented on to induce some kind of feral state. All traces of higher functions are overwhelmed and replaced with more animalistic ones. Due to the fire that broke out, they defaulted to aggression."
"So what exactly caused this?" I asked the senior superhero. "Drugs, a virus, brain surgery…"
"Cybernetics." Batman said, and an x-ray schematic appeared on a screen next to him. "A device connected to the brainstem, reaching all the way from the midbrain to the start of the spinal column. In spite of our best efforts we haven't be able to ascertain how they work, or even what their primary function is. The only thing that's clear is that they are Earth based in origin and are capable of both receiving and emitting signals."
"What kind of signals we talking here?" Wally said. "Electromagnetic, vibrations, or something weirder?"
"The implants receive basic radio waves, albeit encrypted. The signal they put out is much more… exotic." The screen behind him switched to a video of a medical lab, one of the patients thrashing against her restraints keeping her to her chair. A pair of people in lab coats were trying to administer something, but the woman managed to bite one on the arm. The man flinched and struck the woman across the face. His partner tried to intervene, but the two got into a shouting match before they started throwing punches at each other. Batman continued. "It is much less pronounced compared to the original subjects, but people around them experience an increase in aggression, hunger, and other… baser drives."
Kori frowned. "Now that you mention it, I do remember feeling particularly aggravated when dealing with these poor souls. But I assume it was because I was facing- well, I had not given it much thought."
"Hmm. Sounds like this is some kind of botched mind control project…" I mused as I looked closer at the scans, calling up every last bit of medical knowledge I could remember. The implant's location did make it ideal for controlling baser impulses, but what could possibly be gained from it?
I then blinked, remembering something from the fight. "Wait, just how did these implants get there? I got a pretty close look at these people while fighting them and I didn't see any surgical scars."
"That's because they have none. Before we managed to figure out how to deactivate the implants, subjects showed substantial regenerative ability. Strong enough that lacerations would heal completely in hours, broken bones in days. Like everything else, how exactly these implants manage this is still unclear."
Robin whistled. "That's some impressive tech. Imagine if the guy who made this took out the perma-rage and went into healthcare. The insurance companies would be toast."
Batman's face became stern. "Even ignoring the mental effects of this implant the regeneration also places a massive amount of stress on the body. If it keeps up for too long it will eventually result in multiple organ failure. And that is to say nothing of the damage the implant itself inflicts on the brain during operation. We've already seen minor brain damage in the individuals we brought in."
"Will they recover?" M'gann asked in concern.
"We don't know as of yet, but the mission of this team is to prevent this from happening again." A new holographic window opened next to him showing the profile of a well-built man with close cropped hair and a number of scars on his face. "Tyler Reynolds is a small time mercenary, and the one in charge of watching the lab/storage area that Starfire and Machina found. He is the one that set the fire to destroy the evidence, but in his haste he let out the test subjects as well. Fortunately, the League was in position to pick him up and prevent things from getting too out of hand."
"Great, so do we know who's doing this?" I asked.
"No. Reynolds himself doesn't know. He was given instructions from a burner phone, and was paid via an offshore bank account. He made it a point of not learning the names or associating with anyone else he met at that lab."
"Professional…" Robin said as he cupped his chin with his hand. "Given the scale of this it's looking less like a criminal organization and more like a governmental or corporate one. Any other leads?"
"The Justice League is looking into the identity of the backer. For now, this team will be headed to where these test subjects were to be dropped off. Reynolds may not have known who he was working for or what their end goal was, but he did have instructions to bring the 'cargo' to a designated point via truck in a few days. Your job is to investigate the area covertly and find any clues you can, either to who's doing this or why."
We all nodded in understanding, but Superboy then spoke up. "What about Kaldur? Shouldn't he be here for this too?"
Batman turned to the half Kryptonian. "Aqualad is on a leave of absence for personal reasons. I don't foresee him being critical for this assignment. Unless you think otherwise…"
"Hey, no problem." Robin said quickly with a smirk. "Dude's earned his vacation. Just leave this to us." Superboy frowned, but he let it slide.
Batman nodded. "Good." He gestured, and the screen behind him changed to show a map of the U.S., focusing on one state in particular. "Your target is located in Louisiana…"
=====A=====
I am mostly keeping to canon timeline for events, but I may be shuffling some mission around in the future to get the pacing I want.
