Metal Has No Heartbeat (A Blue Beetle/Jaime Reyes [Young Justice] Fanfiction)

Twenty Four: Everybody Suffers

Harper's story line is flying too close to Brenda's lmao

*

"What?" I snap, stepping away from the group and storming towards Doctor Magnus. "I'm not leaving!" 

As if my statement is the most obscure thing he has ever heard, Doc swivels around with a confused frown on his face.

"Mahiko, if T is on the loose again he may be looking for his old experiments to see where he went wrong. I can't protect you if-"

"I don't need you to protect me!" I interrupt.

No no no, my place on this team does not end here. Not out of fear, not running from someone who has already ruined enough of my life.

"You don't get to just...control me and tell me where I can and can't go," I tell him, calming down a little do get the point across. "I'm not a Metal Adolescent anymore. I'm here, on this team. T has no initiative as to where I am. If anything I'm safer here." 

I do not want to go back to my life in that tiny room in Doc's mansion, waking up and eating with kids doomed to die when I am not. I do not want to sit idle by and watch them fall around me.

Doc seems unsure of what to say. His eyes cast past me and I follow that gaze to Batman and Captain Atom.

"Doctor Magnus," Nathaniel begins, approaching from behind and placing his hand on my shoulder, "You sent Mahiko here to learn how to be a hero because she remains unaffected by the experiments. If anything, does that not make her more of a target and therefore safer where no one will ever find her?"

Clearly reluctant to comply, Doc sighs heavily. Alissa and Theon continue to ignore me, turning their backs and wheeling Axel into the Zeta.

"The house has a barrier around in. Despite Mahiko's...resistance to the nanobots, she still has them. If T put trackers in them the only signal he will get is the one outside of the barrier. Yours," He's trying to scare me, "He will come for you."

"Let him," Batman says. I nearly smile.

There is an unprecedented amount of guilt building in me. 

Doc is only doing what he thinks is right.

I step away from Captain Atom and begin walking towards my previous mentor. I had hated him once, upon realising that he was the one who invented the technology we were tortured with. Then I grew to love and respect him like a father figure for his dedication to fixing us.

"Doc," I begin, reaching him and taking his hands in mine. I stare at him, unabashed, "Please." 

His brow furrows. There are a million questions there; do I not miss them, do I not want to go home. He voices none of them and instead sighs again.

He squeezes my hand, "The tiniest sign of trouble, Mahiko."

"And I call you," I nod.

He looks past me again, to either Batman, Captain Atom or both. He nods at them before his focus moves back to me.

"Be careful," he says, letting go of my hands and leaning down to hug me instead.

"Always am."

I feel like Doc leaves with a small piece of me. Departing with the rest of the girl from Creeper's Point. He turns his back and heads towards the Zeta, heads to his home, but not mine.

I just have to be careful.

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