I was broken from a young age
Taking my soul into the masses
Write down my poems for the few
That looked at me took to me, shook to me, feeling me
Singing from heart ache from the pain
Take up my message from the veins
Speaking my lesson from the brain
Seeing the beauty through the  

∞

I'm going to throw up.

Not in my usual way, leaning over the toilet bowl after dinner, but in a Black-Mask-and-his-men-are-leading-me-to-my-death way.

His voice is gruff, muffled by the leather splayed over his face. The juvenile in me wants to reach out and hold my sister's hand as she strides beside me, but that's silly.

We're in some stingy doc factory, of course. The workers are gone for the night, but we're underneath it, walking along the creaky wooden planks besides the slow moving water.

They feel like they could snap at any moment, drop me into Gotham bay so I can drown in its pollution. Instead of staring down at them I look at the back of Black Mask's head. He's strutting towards a concrete building and blabbering on about the history of the place.

Behind him are two guards in less-scary masks, another two between the big boss and us.

Wrapped around my wrist is a device he gave us. Surrounding this place is a barrier designed by the scientist Black Mask is working with. It blocks powers and abilities, unless you're wearing one of these.

"You're job tonight is to assist in transferring a little group of heroes I've obtained. You'll keep them contained while we move them from collars to tanks. They'll have their powers back for about five seconds during transport. Think you can handle that?"

He stops when we reach the end of the rickety floating bridge. Black Masks turns to look at us... I think. His mask still obscures a lot.

Ellery had used her powers just to make sure we were safe here. Whilst safe isn't a word I'd use, Black Mask is not the type to encourage rape or sexual harassment.

So whilst that is not a danger, double-crossing is.

"We can handle it," Ellery says. She sounds so calm, and I try not to be that petty little sister who thinks the world of her older siblings.

The doors slide open like a lift. It looks anything but though, especially rickety and dangerous like everything in Gotham.

He steps over the threshold and I swear the whole thing shakes. If that thing can't take Black Mask, who is broad but still lighter in stature than his men, how is it going to take all of us?

Nonetheless I follow my sister into the gates of hell. The thing rocks like its hanging from dental floss. Whilst I've never feared anything claustrophobia seems to want to crawl up my spine when the other bodyguards get in.

If they turn, attack, we'll be ready and fine. My sister and I aren't pushovers when it comes to a fight, nor are we intimidated by guns. I can walk through walls and turn invisible, Ellery can cast illusions.

We'll...be fine.

The elevator smells of oil, the yellow industrial bars walling it coated in grime reminding me of some dank, dirty Colombian mechanic shop.

Lights whirl and some noise like a buzzer nearly makes me drop right as the elevator does just that. I'm well aware of Black Mask's position behind us, literally ready to use my powers straight away.

The doors slide open again and I want to grunt impatiently as the oafs accompanying us take their time getting out. When Ellery and I step into the room, it's small, cold and dirty. Like everything in this place.

Compact, grey and concrete. Just an empty room apart from the semi-circle in the centre of it and the table at the back with all their toys on it.

As well as the semi-circle made up of the heroes we are here to work with.

"I'm leaving you with Chains and Boats, got it kids?" Black Mask says as he walks across the room to a door on the right. When the smaller bodyguard opens it, Roman Sionis turns to look at us. "Be good." 

His voice is deep, gruff and growling. It reminds me of someone who also wears a black mask and runs around beating people up. Only, Black Mask is less scary.

"Boss'll be back soon to give more instructions," says- Boats, maybe? -as I take a step towards the centre of the room. 

The heroes are individually strapped into these vertical bed things, metal and decorated black and red.

"Got 'em," Ellery says. I look over my shoulder to see our guards staring up at the ceiling. Ellery's eyes are focused on them. They're trapped in an illusion.

"The devices?" I ask. If Black Mask is coming back I'd rather be done with our task. Ellery tosses me one of the two intricately designed portable hackers, fit for taking apart this technology.

I'd compare it to the screwdriver the Doctor has on Doctor Who, a show Tim has repeatedly forced me to watch.

Tim. He's probably still awake, working tirelessly on school or Wayne Enterprises.

The heroes watch us the whole time, each with different expressions. Some are suspicious, some afraid, some trusting. Either way the first person I get to is the green girl. Miss Martian? I think that's her name.

I reach up and peel the electric tape off her face.

"Thank you," she says with laboured breath, wriggling her mouth around. How long have they been down here?

I uncap the device to see the end of it has two prongs which match up to the connection on the metal beds. I press it in and the panels on the side lighten up one by one, like a countdown.

When that countdown ends the lights switch off and the restrainers pop open, swinging out and freeing her.

Simple as that, huh?

"Do you think he suspects anything?" Miss Martian asks as I move on to a girl I assume calls herself Bumblebee. Behind me, Ellery gets to work on Superboy.

"He's suspicious by nature," Ellery answers, "He'll probably be back sooner than we think. In which case we might have to fight our way out of here."

"The perimeter is lined with the barrier. No one can get in or out without Black Mask's consent. Our priority is shutting down those blockades," Superboy says. Bumblebee shakes her limbs out as she steps down.

I move onto the weary looking blonde girl.

"We know the drill man," Ellery says.

"Did Black Mask say anything that might hint at it at least?" Bumblebee asks. Superboy and the other green hero, a monkey-like boy, stand guard at the doors.

"All he did was ramble about the history of the docs. He think that we're loyal to him because of what he's offering."

Blondie steps down and almost scrambles off like she's afraid of me. I reach up and pull the tape off of Batgirl.

"You worked that out pretty fast," she says to me, nodding to the device.

"Not really. It's a basic universe double-tap."

"You know hacking?" She questions, maybe frowning behind that mask.

"Just useless knowledge."

It's the most I've spoken since we got here.

Robin says something to Illusion about the device, but I'm already stepping away from Batgirl's bed.

{By the grace of the fire and the flames // You're the face of the future, the blood in my veins, oh ooh}

"What's the plan here again?" The blonde bearing the Wonder Ws says, hands clutching like she's not really sure what she's doing here. Not on the mission because clearly she doesn't know that either, but life in general.

"We need to disable the barrier lining the outskirts of the lair by turning them off at the control panel in Black Mask's office. That's what Spice will be doing. Your jobs are to scout the rest of this joint so all of his tech is accounted for. You need to make sure we turn everything off or else Spice is at risk. Mine is to stay here with Spice's bracelet and create the illusion you're all still here. Batman's words," Illusion says as the assorted heroes collect their weapons.

"You expect us to let you go off on your own?" The fish guy says. I find it hard to look at his face. I'm sure that's extremely offensive but his eyes are huge.

"Who the hell-" Ellery begins with a clear Gotham attitude dripping from her speech.

"It's why I'm here," I interrupt her, bringing my arm to my chest and gripping the bracelet. We scanned them the moment he gave them to us. They are free of bugs and microphones, merely casting out a shield which grants you your powers back.

They do, however, contain a tracker. 

"How are you going to-"

A couple of them wince when I dislocate my thumb and pull the bracelet off. With my powers it's nothing. And, furthermore...

"You can't make it all the way to his office with no powers, on your own," Superboy argues.

"No powers?" I question, shifting into camouflage, "What do you mean no powers?"

Jaws drop and eyes widen before they try to use their own abilities. When it proves they are still powerless I get threatening looks as if I've turned on them. Honestly, who trained these people? Kite-man?

"Spice's primary ability is to adapt to survive. Black Mask's tech takes a few seconds to work on the body. It was enough for her to adapt and overcome it like a disease."

"Antibodies?" Batgirl suggests.

"Give me a cold it'll be an hour. Try to drown me and I'll grow gills. Simple as that," I say, throwing the bracelet to Illusion. She gives me a firm nod that I return.

Be careful. 

"We're going with you. We've never needed powers before," Batgirl says, stepping up.

Illusion agrees to have her as well as Robin accompany me. With her powers, she senses no one on the other side, but just to be careful I shift my density and peak through the door, to see a dark and empty concrete hallway.

"It's clear."

Using keys from Boats' body we unlock the door and set out, leaving the others to complete their own missions.

"It's this way," I say, nodding down the haunting looking hallway to the left when we reach a fork in the road. Camouflaged, I start stalking down the right hall, cold, clinically clean and grey with lights manning the edges.

No cameras though.

My company is silent, no radio. I don't glance back even though they leave no presence, no sound and no scent to actually tell me.

At the next two-way we take a left, then down a set of stairs and up a ramp where we have to dodge a group of Black Mask's thugs.

We reach the warehouse summit and see the rest of the team at the head of the room. There isn't time to investigate though. Below is filled with crates of illegal tech and displays of war machines and weapons.

This guy really is nuts.

A swinging bridge attached to the ceiling is our risky path to the office. There are cameras here. Robin throws a device which attaches itself accordingly. 

He signals to me that we can move. Slow and steady may win the race, but not with the time we have. If Roman shows up at the room and Ellery's illusion doesn't hold up, the whole plan is done for.

So we scale the bridge with quick work. I lead, Robin pulling up the rear.

We reach the ledge of the next hallway and duck behind the wall. I turn to start down the next corridor with the map still lodged in my memory.

But, we hit, well, a wall. 

Like, a wall at the end of the hallway.

Robin, Batgirl and I come to a halt, stuck between a path leading to a very busy sounding room, the warehouse bridge and a barrier. 

When a gruff voice sounds from down below I immediately freeze. Black Mask has entered the warehouse now and he sounds ready to move on.

"Radio Boats. Tell him and the girls to bring the kids through." 

He always has to yell at his subordinates. For a smart guy he sure has some dumb hired help. If they radio Boats and no one answers they'll go and check up. I need to act now and fast.

"Wait here," I tell Batgirl and Robin. They shout in whispers and tell me to wait but I switch on my camouflage, flight and density shift, zooming straight through the wall.

My sister and I aren't dying for this.

◊

◊

Robin fails to catch Spice as she races off.

"It might be the only way," Batgirl tells him.

"I know, but..."

"But what?" She asks, distracted with listening to everything Roman Sionis is saying as she leans around the wall.

"There's something weird about these two. Illusion," Robin begins, "when she was releasing me and we were talking she gave me this weird look. And- And then-..."

Batgirl pivots in her kneeling position to look back at him, "What?"

He sighs, "She called me Tim." 

∞∞

I was choking in the crowd
Living my brain up in the cloud
Falling like ashes to the ground
Hoping my feelings, they would drown
But they never did, ever lived, ebbing and flowing
Inhibited, limited
Till it broke up and it rained down
It rained down, like
You made me a, you made me a believer, believer