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“Somebody, please tell me this is not happening.” Raising a hand to her forehead, M’gann groaned. Something felt... off. Like, her mind was muted - but at the same time, her body felt energized, beyond anything the girl had ever experienced before.
“Anybody. I’m begging here.”
Blinking her eyes open, M’gann slowly moved, and became aware of the broken beam pinning her to the floor. It should’ve been the work of seconds to lift it away with telekinesis, but- when she tried to reach- nothing happened.
“I am seriously about to freak out, somebody tell me this is just a really vivid hallucination, please.” Freaking out slightly as well, M’gann pushed herself up enough to glance across the shattered room in the direction of Wally’s voice. Except... Wally didn’t look like himself.
It was still him, clearly, windswept ginger hair and wide green eyes, but the Kid Flash uniform had been replaced with a... magician’s outfit? Zatanna’s magician outfit? Well, perhaps not Zatanna’s specifically, since it actually fit, but other than some different dimensions and pants instead of tights, it looked just like the dark-haired girl’s clothing. A little further behind Wally, another pile of rubble shifted, revealing the very dusty Artemis standing with a scowl.
Also not wearing her usual uniform.
After glancing back and forth between Wally in Zatanna’s outfit, and Artemis in a version of Superboy’s, M’gann slowly, oh so slowly, looked down at what should have been her organic clothing in stealth mode.
Instead, she was wearing the Kid Flash suit.
“Oh boy.”
“Here.” Zatanna gasped with relief as a bottle of water poured down over her head, relieving some of the terrible heat and dryness. Her hands finally lifted away from the slits in her neck - the gills she’d gained - allowing some of the cool liquid to ease their inflamed soreness.
“Thanks, Aqualad,” she murmured, glancing up at the boy crouched beside her. “Or- should I call you Archer Lad now?”
Mouth twisting in a wry smile, Kaldur glanced at the leather wrappings that had replaced his tattoos, the arrow emblem at his belt instead of the Atlantean crest. “A question I believe we can save for later. In the meantime, however, we should focus on finding the others, and seeing the extent of this... damage.”
“Right. I’m coming.” Pressing both palms to the floor, Zatanna carefully levered herself upright, bare toes curling into the ash and bits of broken masonry covering the floor. “Um. I realize this is normal for you, but is it okay that I’m scared about stepping on something sharp?”
Kaldur considered her bare feet for a moment. “It would stand to reason, that along with my other features, you have also gained thicker skinned soles that makes shoes a moot point. However, I do understand your concern, and consider it perfectly reasonable.” With that, the boy bent forward to slip his arms around Zatanna’s shoulders and knees. He lifted her up without trouble, and started to ease his way out of their sheltered spot amidst the rubble.
“Thank you, Kaldur’ahm.”
“You are very welcome.”
“Alright, I admit, you look pretty cool, rockin’ my threads.” Conner snorted, still poking at his new jumpsuit. Raquel, likewise, continued to twist and tug at the gloves and tunic she’d woken up with, in addition to a half-cape and domino mask. Why both of them woke up with the clothes of other teammates remained unknown, but seeing as Conner no longer had super strength, they were stuck waiting for answers.
Literally.
The explosion that ripped apart the facility they’d been infiltrating had thrown both teens into an elevator car, which obviously helped protect them in the aftermath, but also meant the pair were very much stuck underneath who knew how much debris. They had enough space to stand and assess for injuries, but that was about it. Not ideal, but not the worst case scenario either.
“Okay, I need an honest opinion here.” Raquel gestured to the utility belt cinched around her waist. “You think I can pull anything out of this, or is it probably booby-trapped so no one but Robin can reach in?”
Conner frowned. “Dunno. Don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone else try.” Not even Wally, who knew Robin kept some energy bars in one pouch, but always asked and waited to be tossed one rather than going for the snacks himself. That was more consideration than anyone else’s personal food ever saw.
Raquel made an indecisive noise, before moving her hands away. “Eh, I’m not gonna risk it just yet.”
And of course, that was when the scrabbling noises started.
This is SO not asterous
How am I supposed to-
-oh, wait, maybe that’s done it-
-aaand nope, can’t hold the shift
Is it even possible to speak out loud like this? Or is it all telepathy?
Not the problem right now, focus, focus
Gotta find the others
There’s... lights? Sort of? Is that them?
Nnnope, too many, too angry, that’s probably all the goons we didn’t take down
Wait. There!
Two and two and three makes seven! Yes!
...now how am I supposed to get to them? Phase-shifting’s out, she said that’s an advanced skill, and I can’t even figure out how to shapeshift right now-
-wait
Can I
Can I fly?
...YES
“I am going to find whoever is responsible for this,” Artemis growled, “And I am going to punch them very, very hard.”
“Just make sure you don’t punch through them,” Wally muttered, still fiddling with his new bow-tie. “Because that’s probably something you can do right now.”
She considered her fingers, flexing them, noting the absolute lack of any visible difference. But Artemis could feel a difference, could feel a humming confidence deep in her bones, a layer of warmth, like how the asphalt maintained heat for a while even after the sun went down in the summer. If this was what Superboy felt all the time, a background strength he didn’t even notice because it counted as normal, then no wonder the guy’s first instinct included charging straight into the fight without an ounce of hesitation.
...Artemis could definitely get used to it.
But at the same time, her new t-shirt and cargo pants felt too loose, too exposing, and she desperately wanted to know where the hell her bow and quiver had disappeared off to.
Probably gone to one of her teammates, but it wasn't like they knew for sure or not.
As if he could sense the anxious turn her thoughts had taken, Wally reached over to catch her hand, and Artemis gratefully squeezed back. Except, she apparently squeezed way too much, because Wally yelped and stiffened up, his fingers spasming in her grip. Swearing, Artemis let him go in an instant. “Crap! Sorry!”
“S’fine,” the boy wheezed, shaking out his hand. “Just- little firmer grip than usual, s’all. Ow.”
Grimacing, Artemis scooted closer to extremely carefully lean her shoulder against his. “Sorry,” she murmured again. Wally tried to smile back, and let his head tilt to press a kiss to her temple.
They both fell into silence, and returned to watching the gap in the far wall, which M’gann had zipped through a while ago in order to go searching for their friends. Artemis had tried to argue they should stay put, each of them dealing with new powers they didn’t really know how to control, but M’gann’s enthusiasm with her newfound superspeed meant she took off with barely a backwards glance.
Even Wally wasn’t quite that reckless. Anymore, at least.
Her boyfriend had only been able to grimace and shrug, explaining that the brand new speedsters went through a period of hyperactivity until the power first settled - one of the few things he and Barry and Jay all had in common. And M’gann too, apparently.
Fan-freaking-tastic.
Kaldur was attempting to navigate a half-broken set of stairs with Zatanna still huddled in his arms when the red and yellow blur zoomed up to them. His initial reaction of relief took a drastic left turn into alarm when the blur solidified as M’gann.
“Isn’t-this-so-cool?” The girl asked, beaming, in a voice almost too fast for Kaldur to decipher. “I’ve-always-gotten-quick-blurred-impressions-from-Wally-when-he’s-really-moving-but-experiencing-his-superspeed-firsthand-is-AMAZING!”
“Um,” Zatanna coughed. “M’gann?”
“Yes! Oh, you’re-probably-not-doing-well-from-the-fires-are-you? Come-on, the-others-are-back-this-way!” And before Kaldur could so much as open his mouth to protest, the martian turned speedster plucked Zatanna out of his arms and vanished from sight.
Well then.
Easing down the staircase became a tad easier, at least, though Kaldur couldn’t shake the concerning image of M’gann running headlong into a wall with Zatanna in her arms. Just as he reached the next hallway, though, the blur returned, devoid of a second figure tucked alongside. Slender hands grasped at his arms, and in a split second he realized she meant to carry him off as well.
Instinct took over. Kaldur spun, knocking M’gann’s legs out from under her before a flat palm strike to the upper back sent the girl crashing down onto the floor. She yelped upon landing, the residual blurring from moving at superspeed resolving into clear lines instead.
“I do not require carrying, my friend,” Kaldur said firmly. “And from what I know of Kid Flash’s origins, you need to slow down for a few minutes.”
M’gann groaned in agreement.
“Alright,” Raquel whispered, crouched in the far corner of their squashed elevator. “Just remember, keep your muscles steady and aim which way you want to go.”
Conner nodded, eyes on the ceiling above them, braced in the center of the clear space and ready to leap upwards as soon as a target presented itself. They still weren’t sure who - or what - was trying to open up the elevator car, but no one had called out, so they were assuming a hostile entity.
A piece of the crumpled metal roof shifted- split- started to peel itself open.
And Conner jumped.
The circuitry of his new jumpsuit surged with warmth, just like Raquel said, but the glow that indicated the flight tech was activate only flashed for a moment before fading out again. It did add some momentum to his leap - but he couldn’t bring up a force-bubble in time to keep from slamming full force into the elevator ceiling.
It- hurt.
Actually, genuinely, like getting smacked down by Blockbuster or Mammoth or Superman hurt.
Alarm filled his mind. But- not his own. He started to fall backwards, towards a painful landing on the floor, only to be caught and held by an invisible grip. “Miss Em!” Raquel called, relieved, as she stood up in the corner. “Am I glad to-”
“No,” Conner choked out. The telekinetic grip around him was too tight, even as it eased him down. “Not M’gann.”
Raquel froze. One hand moved towards her utility belt. The torn ceiling split fully apart, yanked by the same telekinesis that let go of Conner as soon as his feet touched down. And a blur of white dropped into the elevator.
It spun in place, hovering between them, like a gyroscope somehow suspended in midair without any support. Until all at once, long gangly limbs shot out to slow the spinning motion, revealing- a martian. A white martian, like M’gann, but- definitely not her. Smaller, for one thing, with solid blue eyes instead of red, and yellow bands of cloth that were the housing for organic clothing.
Conner stared, as pieces clicked together in his mind.
He’d lost his powers, but somehow been given Raquel’s suit. She’d gotten Robin’s suit and weapons, and Robin... Robin was floating in front of them. With M’gann’s clothes, M’gann’s powers. M’gann’s species.
Raquel let out a slow breath, eyes wide beneath her new domino mask. “Boys, we are not in Kansas anymore.”
Amusement brushed against Conner’s mind. He could almost hear the familiar cackle underneath it.