TEN: Martians and Magic Mirrors

I left Kara's room while I figured everyone was still asleep. Curiosity got the better of me as I began exploring the House of Mystery. Each room was stranger than the last. I'd never seen so much magic before. Bruce had always been skeptical of magic despite working with a lot of people whose powers were based in it, but I had learned to keep an open mind.

My open mind still didn't prepare me for what I found in the next room I entered. The room appeared to be empty aside from a large mirror. I moved closer to it, wondering why a mirror got its own room all to itself. That was when I saw a face looking back at me that wasn't my own.

"M'Gann..." I whispered as I stared at Miss Martian standing where my reflection should be.

"Hey, Dick," she replied with a kind, sad smile.

"This is a trick... This mirror must mess with minds," I decided.

"No, Dick... It's real. The mirror is a portal for communicating with the dead. I've been following you since you infiltrated Lex's lair, but I couldn't get through to you..." She paused. "I can prove it. I heard you tell everyone you don't want to be called Robin anymore. It's why I called you Dick."

"That just proves that you're an illusion and I'm talking to myself."

"I can help, Dick. Please listen to me! I still have my telepathic abilities. If you let me into your mind, I can show you the truth."

I sighed. "Alright," I agreed. "Show me."

"I'm sorry, Dick... This won't be easy for you to watch."

My reflection reappeared in front of M'Gann. I watched her put one hand on each of my temples, and I could almost feel her touch. As she slipped into my mind, I suddenly watched her memories play out before my eyes.

M'Gann and Conner were running to find Artemis and Wally when she spotted Gar. He was a sitting duck... Literally, he'd turned into a duck and was trying to swim through a lake to safety. Apophis was only a few feet away. Any second, he'd see him.

"Conner..." M'Gann said softly.

He nodded. "Let's go save him," he replied.

"Artemis and Wally are in trouble. We have to find them."

"We will, after we save Gar."

"There isn't time, Conner. Go. Save them. I'll save Gar."

"I'm not leaving you."

"Artemis is my best friend, and Gar's basically my little brother. We have to split up if we're going to save everyone. Go, Conner." She kissed him. "I love you. I'll see you soon."

Conner grumbled a weak protest before saying, "I love you, too. Be safe, M'Gann."

They split up. M'Gann spotted Apophis and knew what she had to do.

Gar, when I tell you to, shift into something fast, she said telepathically. The fastest thing you can think of.

Hey, Big Sis! Will a cheetah work? Gar asked.

That's perfect. On my count, okay? One... Two... Three!

Gar got out of the water and shifted into a cheetah. Right before Apophis would have seen him, M'Gann stepped out of the shadows.

"Why don't you try picking on a real threat?" M'Gann asked.

Run, Gar! Run, right now! She told him.

But- Gar protested.

Go! She demanded. Gar reluctantly fled before Apophis could see him.

M'Gann was a real threat, but not to Apophis. He was a robot at his core, and that meant she couldn't enter his mind. He quickly assessed her and knew how to destroy her. I was forced to watch in horror as M'Gann was set on fire.

"M'Gann!" Billy screamed as he found her and Apophis. He was in his Captain Marvel form, and he immediately tried to put out the fire, but it was too late. M'Gann was dead.

"You'll pay for that!" Billy shouted at Apophis. He attacked, fueled by grief and rage.

Apophis studied him. "You shall be of use to us," he decided. He wrapped one hand around Billy's throat and squeezed before using his other hand to inject his eyes with something. Billy screamed in pain before blacking out.

"When he wakes, he shall be one of ours," Apophis said.

The memories shifted. I found myself outside of the lair. Conner was screaming in grief, and I knew that he could feel that M'Gann was gone. Her spirit was holding him and trying to comfort him, but he couldn't feel her.

"Let us go, you asshole!" Artemis shouted from inside of the lair. "There is no way in Hell we'll ever work for you!"

Conner forced himself to move. He raced inside, keeping himself hidden, and spotted Lex standing next to Clark. Artemis and Wally were in restraints. So was Diana.

"Superman, fight this!" Diana begged. "You know who you truly are!"

"Join us, Diana," Clark replied. "You'll be stronger than ever before."

"Evil is not strength," Diana replied firmly. "It is the greatest weakness there is."

"Suit yourself." He turned toward Wally and Artemis. "Which one of you wishes to die first?"

"Go to hell," Artemis replied.

"Artemis it is," Lex said with a laugh. "Zatara, come here."

Zatara stepped into view. "Yes, Master?" He asked.

"Dispose of the girl."

"Of course." He turned toward Artemis.

That was when Wally started moving in place, vibrating at super speed. He phased through his restraints and attacked Zatara before he could get near Artemis.

Conner took that moment to show himself. "Superman!" He shouted. "Superman, listen to me! I know you're still in there. You don't want to hurt anyone. Fight this!"

"Superboy is a problem," Lex said. "We really only need one Kryptonian. Superman, get rid of him."

Clark attacked Conner without hesitating. The assault was vicious. Conner fought back. He didn't want to hurt Clark, but he did what he had to in order to protect himself.

"This is not who you are!" Conner insisted. "Remember, Superman! Remember! Keep fighting!"

I saw a flash of humanity in Clark's mostly dead eyes, but just as fast as it appeared, it vanished. He shoved Conner into a hole. It was filled with kryptonite. Conner immediately became too weak to fight. With his powers failing, he was vulnerable. Clark grabbed his head with both of his hands.

"Clark... Don't," Conner said weakly.

Clark laughed. "Goodbye, Superboy," he replied.

"I forgive you," Conner said, "because I know this isn't you. Keep fighting, Superman. Keep fighting!"

Clark twisted Conner's head, snapping his neck. He tossed his body aside.

Martian Manhunter stood over the hole. He looked devastated, but quickly put on the facade of being evil. I could tell he was struggling to keep control of his own mind while not letting on to Lex that he was no longer his puppet.

I was distracted from that as Zatara shouted, "Elibommi!" Just like that, Wally was immobilized mid-run. He couldn't move an inch. Zatara moved toward him with a sadistic expression on his face.

"No!" Artemis screamed. "Get away from him!" She struggled against her restraints, but it was no use. She couldn't free herself. "If you hurt him, I'll slaughter you!" She declared.

Zatara laughed darkly before taking a sword from Lex and shoving it through Wally's chest.

I screamed right along with Artemis. I was powerless to do anything as I watched Wally die. This was the past. He was already gone.

"M'Gann, stop," I whispered. "Please stop. I can't watch this."

"I'm sorry, Dick... You have to see it. You have to experience it. It's the only way to save Artemis," she replied sadly.

I wanted to protest, but if it could help Artemis, I needed to suck it up and deal with it. I stopped fighting.

Lex freed Artemis, who was still screaming Wally's name and sobbing. She pulled Wally into her arms.

"I... love... you, Babe," Wally said weakly as blood dripped out of his mouth.

"I love you, too, you jerk... Don't die on me, Wally," Artemis begged him. "Don't leave me..."

Wally exhaled a final time. Artemis screamed in grief as she cradled his corpse. My heart was beyond broken. I just wanted to hold my friend and grieve with her. Instead, I had to continue watching.

Lex moved toward Artemis. "I can take your pain away, Artemis," he said softly.

"Go fuck yourself," she replied. Even broken, she was still Artemis.

"Your friends are all dead, Artemis... Superboy, Miss Martian, your beloved Kid Flash... Everyone is dead. Consider my offer a kindness. I won't kill you, Artemis. I can leave you alive to mourn them all forever, or I can take your pain away and make you stronger."

"Yes, Artemis... Join us," Poison Ivy said as she stepped into view. "Lex is building a new universe. You'll like it here."

"Artemis, no!" Diana cried. "Resist their lies!"

"Shhh... No one asked you, Wonder Woman," Ivy said. She kissed Diana, who struggled to free herself and fight back. She grew weaker as some kind of poison entered her bloodstream, and I watched in horror as something visibly changed in her and she stopped resisting.

"Join us, Artemis," Diana said when Ivy broke the kiss.

Artemis stared at her in horror. "Wonder Woman, no!" She said. "Fight this! You have to fight this!"

"Why would I do that? This feels so much better... I'm free, Artemis. And you can be free, too."

Ivy released Diana's restraints. Artemis clung to Wally's body protectively. Diana pulled her to her feet, forcing her to release him. Artemis attacked her, but Diana quickly injected her with the same thing that had been used on Billy.

Artemis fought, and Diana was happy to battle against her while the evil spread through her veins. I thought she stood a chance, but then, Ollie showed up.

"Green Arrow..." Artemis said in horror.

Ollie moved closer to her. "It's okay, Artemis," he said soothingly. He took her away from Diana. "Just relax now... Give in, Artemis. You won't miss them anymore once you give in. You won't hurt anymore. You're very important to me. Let me help you."

I knew she wanted to fight, but Ollie was her surrogate uncle, and her grief had all but broken her already. Seeing Ollie under their control, too, was too much for her. She collapsed in Ollie's arms and the evil finally took control of her. When she started to laugh manically, I knew we'd lost her.

Finally, M'Gann released me from her memories. I looked at her in the mirror and asked, "Why did I have to see all of that?"

"You had to understand everything that happened. It's the only way you can help them, Dick," M'Gann explained. "The ones who still have a shred of humanity deep down need to connect to themselves. Artemis broke because she lost everyone. She's still in there... I know you can save her."

I paused. "I miss you, M'Gann," I finally said. "I miss all of you."

"I'm sorry for everything you've been through, Dick. And I'm sorry for what you still have to face." She paused. "I'm going to do something for you... I can't fully connect this new team to each other because I'm just a spirit now, but I can give you some of my power... You can connect to each of them individually. You'll be able to see what's going on if they run into trouble. You could communicate with them without using tech... Telepathy is something that Apophis, Lex, and Batgirl can't just hack into."

"I don't know if this is a great idea," I said.

"It won't be like it was for me. You'll only connect to them when they're in need. Heightened emotions will open the connection up." She smiled at me again. "This will help you save the ones Lex captured, too. When the time is right, I'll connect you to them, but for now, tell me who's on your team."

"Kara, Zee, Gar, Billy, Raven, Damian, Constantine, and Harley."

"Harley Quinn... That's surprising... Good choice, Dick! She's a much better ally than enemy. Anyway, if you add anyone else, let me know and I'll make a connection to them, too."

"Thanks, M'Gann," I said. "Really."

"Any time, Dick. I'm always watching over you guys. So is Conner. I have him watching out for Gar right now."

"Tell him I miss him... And... If you see Wally..." My voice cracked.

"He's with Artemis. He's always with Artemis... I wish she could feel him. It might snap her out of this."

"Can you... Um..." I shook my head. "Never mind."

"He knows, Dick," she promised. "And he misses you, too."

I nodded. "Thanks."

"You'll get through this, okay? You're stronger than you think. Any time you need me, think my name. You'll be able to hear me now, because I'm about to share my power with you." She kissed the top of my head.

Suddenly, my mind felt like it was going to explode. Everything was incredibly loud. I cried out in pain and clutched my head as she released me.

"Ouch!" I protested. "That really hurt."

"I'm sorry," she replied. "Telepathy is painful sometimes, but it should fade now that I sealed the power."

The pain was already passing. "I'm okay," I said after a minute.

"Alright. Go check on the others. I need to get back." She hugged me, and I could kind of feel it even though she wasn't physical. "I love you, Dick. Tell Zee and Billy, too."

"I will," I promised. "I love you, too, M'Gann."

She smiled one more time before vanishing. I sighed, not allowing myself to be upset about that. Instead, I wondered how I was supposed to adjust to this new power so I could use it to save my friends.