The windows at the control centre were huge. You might think you know what huge windows look like, but you don't. These things were literally the size of buildings, stretching upwards along the entire height of the monolith. Granted, I was in my natural, Galvin form for a bit when looking at it. But even in my human prison, it's still massive.
Part of me wondered how that could possibly be considered structurally sound, but the rest of me was far too busy staring down at the Earth before me. I had always heard that astronauts had considered doing spacewalks in Earth's orbit to be the best moments of their lives. While looking down from a space station wasn't really the same thing, at that moment, I could believe it.
In fact, I had spent almost the whole of the past hour just staring at Earth. Despite my newfound situation, and all the things I shouldbe doing right now, I couldn't help but just stare at the Earth. It wasn't a new sight to me, but a part of me was just too fascinated with the view to look away.
'It looks the same,' I thought to myself as I saw the United States start to become visible. I'm not sure why I found that odd. I guess I figured that something that was not really my home shouldn't look so similar.
I almost didn't notice when someone joined me, and I turned my head to find Koriand'r looking down at the planet next to me. Looked like she had changed into a midriff-bearing tank top and shorts combination. I gave her a small smile. "Welp, that's Earth. Or at least an Earth."
She glanced at me before she looked back down. "It… looks like a lovely planet."
The smile slid off my face at that. Something was definitely bothering her, but I had no idea how to breach the topic. I wasn't great at this sort of thing at the best of times, and now… 'Hey is something bothering you, I mean, aside from being more or less exiled from your home?'
I was saved from making a choice as Batman arrived soon after. "Let's go. I've already informed your teammates that you will be arriving." Without saying anything else, he turned and started walking towards the far wall, which seemed to have several high-tech archways embedded in it. Well... high tech for Earth anyways. If my human memories are correct, then those are from Apocalypse. Though I'm not sure how they got such technology.
As Koriand'r and I followed after, I asked, "So, how are we getting down to Earth?"
"The League uses a teleportation system called Zeta Tubes. It allows connection between terminals on any point on the globe."
I felt a small amount of concern with that, though my face remained still. If there was one thing I excelled in, it was looking unbothered. "Wait, this doesn't dissemble us and put us back together on the other end, does it? Or just make copies of us and destroys the original?"
He cast a glance back at me before he reached a terminal and started typing. "No. Zeta Beams work in a similar manner to wormholes. Structure and continuity are kept intact. I doubt the League would use them if that was not the case." The archway in front of us started to make a large humming sound, and as I saw parts within the machine in the back start to spin up, a golden light filled the entire apparatus.
Without preamble, Batman walked into the light and vanished.
Koriand'r and I glanced at each other before I took a deep breath and walked into the teleport, both giddy at how awesome this was and terrified that something would go horribly wrong. I touched the energy and-
"Recognized: Batman, 0-2. Recognized: Guest, D-0-1. Recognized: Guest, D-0-2."
The mechanical voice chimed for each of us as we stepped out of the golden light of the Zeta Tube and into a literally cavernous hall, where the earth-brown walls ached up a good 60 feet above our heads, with a strange metal flat cone structure hanging from the ceiling in the middle. Or was it inbuilt? I'll have to get a better look at that up close.
There were also two people standing in the centre of the circular hall, but it took me a few moments to get my bearings. The sensation of being teleported was novel. It was very… tingly. Yes, I suppose that word works.
Batman snapped me out of my thoughts as he began to talk, not slowing his stride in the slightest. "This is Mount Justice, located in Happy Harbor, Rhode Island. It used to be the League headquarters until we moved to the Watchtower, and now it is the headquarters for your team. You two will be living here, along with two more of your teammates."
"What about the others?" Koriand'r asked. "Why do they not live here as well? Also, how many of us will there be?"
"Including yourself, the team will number seven members. The remaining three have their own arrangements." We stopped in front of the pair of figures waiting for us. Oh great, and my shirt is still, not, fixed... "Miss Martian, Superboy, this is Albedo and Koriand'r. They'll be joining the team."
I took a second to look over the two teens in front of me. Superboy was a tall, well-muscled youth in a black Superman T-shirt and jeans, and his resemblance to Superman was obvious. His stance was very different from the older man's though. Superman had faced me with an open and friendly posture, but his, the clone's, was currently closed off with his arms folded over his chest, a slight frown on his face as he looked us over.
Miss Martian, on the other hand, was almost the opposite; the girl regarded us with a pleasant, almost giddy smile, and I would have easily mistaken her for a normal red-headed teenager in a skirt and blouse if not for the fact that her skin was green.
'Am I joining this world's Teen Titans?' I thought to myself before I realised the idiocy of the thought and discarded it. After a beat, I stepped in, holding my hand out to Superboy. I can't deny, looking at the half-breed gave me certain sense of... pleasure? No, enjoyment. Which was accidentally shown in my tone. "It's a pleasure to be working with you."
He seemed almost taken aback by the gesture, as if he wasn't sure I was being genuine or not. Which I suppose someone of his intellectual calibre tends to do. After a few seconds, he took my hand. "Uh, thanks… I guess. You always talk like that, or are you just trying to mess with me?"
I blinked in surprise for a second before a short chuckle escaped from my mouth. "Ah, no, don't be bothered by it."
Miss Martian, on the other hand, extended her arm out towards me enthusiastically, fully extended. "Hi! My real name's M'gann M'orrz, but you can call me Megan." She said as I apprehensively shook her hand. 'Great, a friendly one.' "It's nice to meet you, and I look forward to working with you too!"
My god, this girl was annoyingly chipper. At least Kori has the benefit of... Wait, why am I talking about such things?
Koriand'r seemed to snap out of whatever state she was in and catch some of the other girl's excitement as she said, "I as well am excited to be fighting alongside you. May this company be righteous and victorious!"
Batman's grunt caught our attention. "I expect you to be settled in and ready soon, and when I give you orders, I expect you to follow them. Am I understood?" As much as I didn't want to, I nodded alongside the rest. If I was going to return to my home multiverse, I was going to have to play nice for now. Without another word, the man strode back to the Zeta Tube.
"He's a bit more… dull than I thought he'd be," I commented to no one in particular as he teleported out. I know Batman was supposed to be the super serious one of the League, but I thought… well, I only just met him. Maybe he has a 'less growly' mode for people he actually likes.
Not like I planned to be one of those people.
M'gann cringed a little before she said, "Yeah, but Uncle J'onn says that's just the way he is, don't take it personally." She paused awkwardly for a moment before she changed the subject. "So! Those are some interesting clothes you're wearing. Did you make it yourself? I haven't seen them before. Not to mention your hair and eye colour." She seemed to scan my clothes with some interest.
I hid a grimace. "Ah, no, at least, not these ones. These," I puffed them up for emphasis, " were custom-made. And now they're ruined." I let them go as I deadpanned at the curious Martian. "As for my appearance, well, I'm stuck this way. And getting experimented on didn't help."
She looked aghast at that. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to- I mean you look-, I've just never seen humans that look like you. Or, well, I guess in this case-"
Koriand'r spoke up, saving me from this headache. "Actually, though he is not human and I too was experimented on, I am not human to begin with. I am Tamaranian."
The poor girl somehow wilts further. "I-I-I'm sorry, I just assumed that because he's human and you looked human but – Hello Megan!" She slapped her forehead with her hand, as if suddenly coming to an epiphany. "There are lots of things on this planet alone that look human but aren't and-"
"It is fine, it is fine." Koriand'r cut her off. "From what I have heard, there is a surprising amount of physical similarities between many alien races in the galaxy." She pauses and titled her head. "Though I am curious why you would not think that yourself, seeing as how, um, 'human' you look as well."
The girl shifted and looked away. "Ah, well, Martians are shapeshifters; we don't normally look human. We don't look that different, though!" She insisted. Seeing an opportunity to once again change the subject, she carried on. "We can also use telekinesis and telepathy, like this."
All of a sudden, I felt… something, like a light buzz going through me, and as soon as it started, it stopped as M'gann gripped her head in pain. The other two stood up straighter, and Superboy said, "Wait, what do you mean telepathy?"
I kept my focus on the green girl. "Are you alright? What happened?"
"I…" M'gann started to say before she shook her head and started over. "I tried to speak to you telepathically, but I got some kind of feedback. Your brain is…" she trailed off, at a loss for words.
Hmm, how strange, I don't have any natural defences for telepathy... Do I? So what blocked her? The nanites? But how, they're concentrated in my chest, right? Unless they've spread to other parts of my body now... I suppose that would partly explain why the tech around my eyes was disappearing. Or so says Lantern Stewart.
Unless it's my unstable genes? I'll admit that is fascinating.
"Huh. To be honest, I'm surprised that you didn't get anything. I've been told that my body is partially made out of nanites, but they shouldn't be able to stop you from entering my mind. Even if I am thankful for it."
"Wait, you're a machine? I thought you were human." She looked up from her hand with a questioning look. I could see the gears inside her head turning, and I'd rather they stop before anything bad happens. Well, bad for my future at least.
"I said partially. And not exactly… It's complicated." I said. I really needed a term to describe what I was. I couldn't really, and would never say I was human, but I wasn't really a metahuman either. I'd have to think about it. "In short, I am now biomechanical, though I am still an alien."
"Oh! A bit like Martian technology!" She said, perking up as she explained. Guess that's her passion. "All of Martian technology is biologically based. I actually have a bioship here with me." She paused. "But, all of our technology can accept and be controlled by telepathy." She paused as she tilted her head in thought. "So, why can't I connect to you properly?"
"Most likely that I'm just 'incompatible' in my current configuration." I replied, "While I doubt this could work, but you're not going to get the two to communicate with each other directly without some specialised hardware."
I began to trail off before a thought occurred to me. "Say, your bioship has to have to physical part of it that works with your telepathy. One of my... abilities is that I can copy technology that I consume." I raised my hands and gave as much of a trustworthy smile as this body could muster. "I don't want to harm your ship, of course, but if you happen to have a spare telepathic ansible lying around…"
'What am I doing?!'
M'gann cupped her chin in thought. "Not as such, but bioships are capable of regeneration in case of damage, and their telepathic functions are a part of that. I'm not certain, but I may be able to coax her into growing what you need separately."
"I'm willing to try if you are, though I will not rush you." I paused, making sure to keep a partial eye on the clone throughout the conversation till now. He stayed mostly quiet and only showed slight signs of unease. Though nothing too worrying.
She nodded before she started smiling again. "Anyway, I'm glad that you two are here. I only met the others once, so it's just been me and Superboy for now."
Koriand'r tilted her head at that with a finger resting on her chin. "If we are to fight as a group, should we not also live together?"
"I guess they do things differently here on Earth," M'gann said before suddenly becoming shy. A hint of red brightened on her cheeks. "But then, the team only just formed, so maybe we'll come together after we start working. I-I've been learning cooking so that we can all eat together too!"
This caused the Tamaranian to perk up. And I mean, really perk up. "That is joyous news! Nothing brings people together like the prospect of a feast!"
M'gann was so encouraged by this that her feet left the ground a little as she smiled. "I can show you what I've done so far. I mean it's not much, and we are already past dinner, but I'm trying really hard because I haven't really gotten out much, and it seems like a good way to make friends."
"Then we shall be the best of friends!" Koriand'r exclaimed as she clasped M'gann's hands and the two of them started to float away towards a nearby hallway, presumably towards the kitchen.
Superboy and I watched them go before we cast sidelong glances at one another. "Don't look at me like we're suddenly going to be best of pals. No offense, but it's going to take a little longer than that for us to become BFFs."
The teen snorted at that. "Whatever. You talk a lot, see you around." He said before he wandered off. I stood there in the centre of the cavernous hall, alone for the first time since I had started my escape. For a long moment, I wondered what to do with myself.
That moment passed quickly though, and I started to move as there was something I realised I needed.
_________
The reason that most pictures of space are so much more interesting and colourful than when you simply look up with a normal telescope is because a lot of them are long exposures with certain wavelengths shown or removed. So even though the human eye can get a pretty view of the night sky, it is never quite as spectacular as people tend to think space looks. But as I stared up into the night from the top of the mountain with a sense of wonder, I could say that was no longer the case for me.
Even the side of me that I despise so much felt at peace for the first time since my arrival here. I suppose it wasn't a bad place to calm down.
I had found my way outside because I had wanted to simply be out in nature after being cooped up inside for so long, but when I realised the hour and how clear the sky was, I decided to climb the mountain. It was almost ridiculously easy for me to do so, especially as a vulpimancer. I can see now why Tennyson likes to use this transformation so much; my ability to scale sheer walls combined with my new strength made short work of my ascent. And when I got up there and looked up at the heavens, returning to my human prison, I almost reflexively started to shift the spectrum my eyes could perceive wider, taking in more light and detail than I had before.
It was difficult to maintain at first, the sheer sensory overload almost driving me to my knees; a migraine blooming behind my eyes, it was as if they were suddenly dipped in lava, but after some practice, I got the hang of it. It still hurt, but it was better than turning into a hybrid, that was for sure. Adding infrared and ultraviolet light to my vision made the heavens seem to open up in a way I had never thought possible. It wasn't just beautiful, but also peaceful. So much so that I could spend the whole night up here, and let all of my worries fade away for just a while…
"There you are." A voice caused me to turn, and I saw Koriand'r floating through the air towards me. With my vision still altered, I got a spectacular view of how the energy flowed upwards and through her body, swirling in patterns and motes. I felt the disorientation start to get worse before I snapped it back to normal as she said, "I had wondered where you had gone off to." Okay, so my body still wasn't used to such prolonged mechanical alterations, good to know.
I paused before I answered, finding the right words to diffuse any misunderstandings. "I just wanted to be outside." She nodded as she floated down next to me and… stood there. She looked like she wanted to say something, but wasn't sure what.
"What do you-/Why are you-"
We both stopped awkwardly and I gestured for her to talk. After a moment's pause she said "Did… you know who I was? When you meet me?"
That... wasn't what I expected her to ask.
I raised an eyebrow at the comment, motioning for her to continue. "Well," she paused, fiddling with her hands as she no doubt tried to find the right words that she (unnecessarily) believed won't hurt my feelings. Or whatever it was she was trying to talk about. "When we first met, back in the Psion facility, every now and again, you looked at me like you knew me."
I won't lie. It took me a second to figure out what she was getting at.
"Sort of, I won't pretend that you weren't familiar to me, but my mind was still in a bit of a mess at the time. Especially since I was trying to figure out where I was." I sighed as I rubbed my temples, my eyes still haven't fully recovered. "I may have gotten some kind of information when I came into this universe, but I doubt such a thing could have happened, especially such precise information. Don't take it personally." I ended it with a shrug as I looked back into the sky.
We stayed in silence for a few moments before I turned to her, just looking up at the slowly darkening sky, a memory from my time rescuing her sticking to my mind like a fly in a glue trap.
I sighed. "I'm sorry about Komand'r. I was in shock from learning where I was and elbow deep in an alien computer, and didn't remember how that was going to go down until… Maybe if I had been faster, it could have gone differently, but given how she was acting, the odds were low."
However, she shook her head. "My sister made her choice, and I am sure that our escape went as well as it could have." She looked back at me, though I could not make out her expression. Apprehension maybe?
"Ah, trust me, I've... escaped worst places, which, might I add, needed me to develop my piloting skills." I cracked my knuckles for extra effect. "All I need to do is repair the ship, and I'm taking you back to your home planet."
"Besides," I started by gently shoving her shoulder, "You'll get through this."
"…If what you say, about being from a different universe, is true, then how can you be sure about that?" I opened my mouth, but she continued. "This place is unfamiliar to you, from what you said earlier, so how can you be so sure that everything is going to be fine?"
I paused, for the first time in my life, I paused.
I didn't know how to respond to such a query. How could I? Where would I even start?
...
...
heh...
...hehe...
Hahahahaha!
I couldn't help but burst into laughter.
I didn't want to, I wasn't even trying to, it just happened. And now I'm laughing!
'Why am I laughing?!'
I clasped my head in confusion, squeezing it to try and force myself to stop laughing.
'Why. Am. I. laughing?!'
"I..." I managed to squeak out. Through rugged breath, I managed to force out, "I... I don't know..."
I raised my hands to my face.
Why have I stayed in this prison?
All that time to escape Tennyson's form, only to spend most of my time in this universe in it.
And when did I become so chatty?
"For the first time in my life I... I don't know... I don't even know who I am..."
"Are-are you okay?"
I looked up, Koriand'r's worried expression looking at my wretched one. When did she get so close to me? A hand shakily reached out to me. She was scared... Of course she would be, why wouldn't she be, just look at me, acting like some, some human!
"It's alright to not know, you know." Her words came out soft, quietly, like moonlight on snow. What is she trying to do? "I didn't know what to do for quite a while, even before the whole, Psion thing."
"I'm supposed to know, I haven't lived for hundreds of years just to not know. Heh," I breathed in, looking at my hands in contempt. "Look at me now, I bet you'd all get a good laugh out of this. Especially you, Tennyson. I bet even the first Thinker would give a mild chuckle at my sorry state. The first in all my fields before I even sprouted my wisdom feet, the greatest of all of the First Thinker's assistances, only to end up like this..."
I clutched my hands, digging into this acursed body with all my might. The pain was nothing compared to this wretched body I keep myself in. If I just pushed harder, "Only to end up like this..." I would pierce the skin.
"Well, I wouldn't consider it a bad thing." Koriand'r's voice suddenly made its way to my ears.
"What?
"You managed to help me more than I helped you. I managed to get out because of you." She rubbed her shoulder, a little bit of red going to her face. "I honestly didn't know what I'd do on that station, sure I had my sister but... well, you know. Seeing someone I haven't met reminded me of those who needed me back on Tamaran. If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine." She said. "I understand."
Koriand'r gave me a small nod before she said, "But, you're smart, time and time again you managed to get through, I barely did anything. So, if you say that things for me will be fine…" She trailed off.
I'm not good at conversations, as a general rule. I'm not good at feeling people out, knowing what to talk about and what not to. It's led me to generally avoid talking to new people.
But on the rare occasions when things get serious and someone opens up to me, though I may not know the perfect thing to say, I know how to talk from the heart.
'Where is this coming from?! That's not me.'
I gave her a small smile and a dry laugh. As much as I could in this pathetic state. "True, I am a genius after all... And hey," I looked up to her as I fixed my hair, "I'm not going to inquire about what happened to you before you ended up there. But from what I saw, I know that you're stronger than whatever happened to you. And no matter what happens, you're going to be spectacular."
She stared at me for a second before a beaming smile lit up her expression. God, I don't think I can keep being around someone as bright as her. Not someone as gloomy as me anyway- Wait, no, I'm not gloomy, snap out of it!
"Thank you." She said quietly. We stood there in silence for a long while after that, just looking up at the sky, before her expression changed to one of concern. "And what about you?"
I arched an eyebrow at that. "What about me?"
"How are you adjusting to all this?"
I waved my hand dismissively. "Oh, it's fine. I mean, pretty big shock, but I'm adapting. I always do."
"..Are you sure? Because much of the time I see you, you seem to be staring off at something, as if something is bothering you."
'What, no, I don't do that... do I?' I shrugged and looked to the side. "That's just the way I am. You'll get used to it. I'm telling you I'm fine."
However, she moved closer and put her hand on my shoulder. "Only if you are certain…"
I started to feel my irritation spike at her insistence, and moved to brush her off, but my hand stopped when I saw the look she was giving me. I… argh, that's just cheating. I didn't really feel like talking about it, whether because I didn't think it was worth it or didn't see the point, but I couldn't exactly dismiss her after that.
After a long moment, I let out a sigh and said. "I can't sleep."
"Oh. Well, that is understandable considering how much you've been through recent-"
"No, I mean I literally can't sleep." I interrupted. "I didn't do it the whole time I was captured, or really, much before I found my way here, even when I tried. I mean, I guess I always wanted to have to sleep less, and my species doesn't sleep all that much, but ever since I've been trapped in this human form, I'm not even able to dream."
I started to pace away from her. "I can't really feel that much either, except for pain. It's all muted, or feels strange, alien. I can't feel warm or cold. Well, as much as before. I don't even know if I still need to eat anymore, I mean, it's not like I liked chill fries, but still. I don't even know if I still have my original brain or some mashup, so I don't know if I'm actually the original... well, me or some strange amalgamation that's just in this body! And to top it off I lost my fucking-!"
I cut myself off before I could start, and I looked out over the ocean. "I keep telling myself it'll be fine, or that it's nothing. They're just minor things I'll have to get rid of somehow, they're not that bad compared to your new superpowers. But it's not working. I might be getting used to it, but part of me is scared of what that means. What if the only way to cope with this is to lose my, what would even be the word for it, Galvanity(?) bit by bit?"
A bitter laugh escaped my lips. "And yet that's still not the worst part. I don't know if I'll ever see my family, my home again. My parents, well, carers. Azmuth would be closest thing to a father for me. I've tried to tell myself that it will all work out, but I'm not sure how." My mouth twisted a little, and I gave Koriand'r a sidelong glance as she stepped next to me. "But then, you know exactly what I am talking about."
She didn't say anything, and I felt a little hollow as I muttered. "It's weird. I'm used to keeping to myself, but now that I'm here, it's the first time I feel truly alone."
"You are not alone!"
I almost jumped from the force of her voice, and I spun to face her. Her expression had changed to something far more determined as she stared back at me. "As you said, I know your loss! Our fates have intertwined, and you need not bear this alone! We have fought side by side and we shall do so again, against whatever storm may come!"
I had never had anyone talk to me so passionately before that moment, and though I was sure it was all in my mind, I felt a warmth pass through my chest at her words. My lips curved upwards, and I found my hand reaching out to her. Though I didn't feel like the usual strangeness from such actions. "So, the two of us against the world, huh?"
She reached out in kind and took my hand. "If need be, we will stand together."
I looked up at the stars, then back to Kori, smiling fully for the first time in, I think, years now. "Together it is then."