JustIce League: The Malignant Uprising

Epilogue II: Cowardice

J'onn had a small, one room apartment. Technically, he really didn't have a room at all. The front door opened to be greeted by a brown desk that was perched neatly against the opposite wall. Directly next to the door was a small bed that was perfectly made. A window shined light into the room from across the bed. The sitting room was nothing but a couch that lay in a bent part of the corner. There was a bathroom, but it wasn't in his home. It was one he had to share with others downstairs and above him.

Though today the room wasn't in the perfect condition it usually was. Darkness had consumed the room and furniture was turned over. Everything was in disarray.

Sunlight managed to find its way through Manhunter's drawn shutters. It illuminated a small portion of Manhunter's bed and fell across his eyes. He rubbed his face as he began to sit up out of bed. He hadn't gotten up in days.

For a moment he stared at the floor. The interesting pattern of the wood floor reminded him of the battlefield somehow. Something about its emptiness drove him to think about Tempest and the hardness of it all. The dull color made him think about all of the warriors in the same monochromatic uniforms. The dark swirls made him think about Tempest's flaming tendrils.

J'onn yelled in frustration as he pounded his head. 

This wasn't how it was supposed to be. Battles were never supposed to leave you this scarred. They weren't supposed to make you hate yourself this much. They weren't supposed to be this bad. They weren't supposed to tear friends apart. They weren't supposed to crush his spirit.

Slowly, he took a shaky breath in and closed his eyes. He blocked out the flashes of the fight and focused on his breathing. He twisted his hand on the bed, knotting his bony fingers into the fabric and sheets. The warmth was a comfort he knew he shouldn't desire, but the recent days had given him a reason to affiliate with his human compulsions.

He opened his eyes again. He didn't know why he was so tired all of the time. He hated all of this nonsense and why he couldn't understand it.

Slowly, J'onn stood up and went to his window. He slipped a finger through one of the blinds to peer outside. He took a relieved breath out as everything appeared to be normal. All of his neighbors were shuffling to work.

At least I'll be alone, he thought.

He dropped his hand from the window and shut the blinds tighter. He didn't want anyone to be able to look in. He slowly trudged over to his bedside table and flicked on the lamp. It had a gentle radiance that made it so his room was light enough to walk around in. He began to quietly pick up his turned over furniture. The couch had a broken leg, so a corner of it sat low to the ground. His desk had a large crack on the side and his laptop wasn't turning on.

J'onn balled his fists as he sat on his couch. What am I going to do about the Young Justice? I just left them in Mount Justice. I just left them sitting there in the briefing room. I just left them there to freeze to death. No matter what tools I used, no matter what I tried, the stupid ice wouldn't melt. The water wouldn't unfreeze.

J'onn tapped his leg anxiously with his left hand. He had been thinking about what to do for days on end. He had been feeling guilty and angry for what seemed like forever. He didn't want his Me'gann to die in the cold. He didn't want her to feel alone. That was her greatest fear.

He knew that he had to save her and that he had to keep her safe. His thoughts lingered to the past. 

******

It was a cold day as J'onn walked to the Hall of Justice. His breath turned into white mist as he breathed in and out. He wore a heavy coat and scarf to protect him from the bitterness of the wind, but it managed to get through somehow and chill his bones.