Through the Eyes of the Dead

May 13, 2018:

Witchdoctor, Donna Troy, and the Martian Manhunter continue the investigation into the deaths in Florida.

Morgue, Hall of Justice

A morgue. A very full morgue.

Characters

NPCs: None.

Mentions: Wonder Woman, Batman

Mood Music: [*\# None.]


Fade In…

As often as the woman had been within the Halls of Justice, in the last few days, one might have been forgiven for believing that she was a member of the league of superheroes who operated from this location. But that would be a mistaken belief. Donna Troy, unlike her sister Diana, was only a visitor, and thus, unable to visit beyond the reception area without an escort. Either a member of the team, or a member of the security force. And in the aftermath of the attack on the Hall, she had returned, to once again attempt the funeral rites that had been abruptly interrupted by the arrival of the Asgardian horror. Just at the moment, she seemed content to wait by the main reception desk until someone could be found to escort her down to the morgue.

-

J'onn J'onzz has spent most of his day in or near the medbay — not really through necessity — his mind can reach across vast distances, after all — but some odd sense of obligation, perhaps. It's a thing he can't even expressly verbalize, himself. It is, finally, the observation of others — the awareness that his behavior is seen as strange — that prompts him to motion, finally leaving the makeshift medbay.

It is a great complication of the mind, remembering-but-not, the things that were once familiar. Some part of him — his muscles, his feet, reflexive paths — carry the Martian Manhunter through the Halls of Justice on a path well-worn by him in the past, but in some ways, brand new. It is only when he recognizes a figure with genuine familiarity that he slows, as he comes into view of the reception. "Donna Troy," he states her name, but it also serves as a greeting, presumably.

-

After the battles and banishments of before, much like the others the Witchdoctor had taken a break to process, recover and attempt to make sense of the linked entity that had assaulted their public headquarters. Eventually though, duty called once more and there was still a more grave threat she needed answers on. With no need for subtlty in the Hall, the woman was once more dressed in her 'Witch gown' as she rounds the corner to the faces now familiar.

-

Donna's attention shifts, from where she had been studying the architecture of the lobby, towards the sound, and sight, of a familiar figure. She turns a moment after, to meet his approach. If she finds anything about him, alien, inhuman, she gives no indication, her voice, as she replies to the greeting friendly. The pronunciation of his name is precise, exact. Not the more common human approximation of 'John Jones', but precisely as he had offered it when they had first met. "J'onn J'onzz. Have you been given the ignoble task of being my escort today?" And another greeting comes soon on the heels of the first, "Witchdoctor." Well, with two of them, now, maybe she'll make some sort of headway.

-

"It seems that I am 'underfoot' within the medbay, and far more useful at escort — or so I have been told." It is hard to tell whether J'onn takes exception to this, or whether it's offered with a dry humor — his expression largely even and unchanged, only a slight infliction on 'useful' to give a hint. "You are to honor your dead, so I am told? This is a task that should not be delayed." Now, there's a hint of something, grave and drawn, brief in the Martian's deep timbre of voice. His gaze, too, goes to the newer arrival, inclining his head — gaze lingering in that way that suggests he's looking for any sort of familiarity, and failing that, seeking some sort of social cue as to whether they're acquainted.

-

"Donna," the Witch greets with a nod of her head and a smile. She hadn't attempted to hide her identity since the charity event. Alyse wasn't really one for alter egos, at least when it came to herself. "And John? Am I saying that correctly? We haven't been properly introduced…" the blonde woman herself folds her hands, looking back to the woman. "If you do not mind, I wish to perform my reading today. No sense disturbing your people's spirits once they are put to rest."

-

"I don't think that you should take any offense to that, J'onn J'onzz." And then, as though it were another cue she had forgotten, "Do you have a preferred for of address? I, for myself, prefer simply 'Donna.'." Always best to err on the side of manners, she'd discovered, in her travels, which, all things considered, had been entirely in alien worlds. "I have found that most medical professionals always seem to find anyone who is not also a medical professional, is a nuisance. "Yes. Diana has given permission for the bodies to remain here, so that they can be studied and, with any luck, some clue as to what killed them might be found, but there are some rites which must be performed, respects that must be paid." Donna, finally steps forward to join the two incoming league members, after casting a glance to the security at the desk. "Yes, of course. I can only hope that they will have something to share with you that will help us to unravel this mystery." A thoughtful look, "And perhaps you might find something familiar as well," that to J'onn.

-

The Martian inclines his head towards the newcomer. "J'onn," he states, though it could well sound like he's merely echoed the name she's already called him. Still, her statement of their lack of acquaintance puts him on more even footing. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Witchdoctor, is it? You did well yesterday. Without your assistance, it's unlikely we would've been able to close the path that creature tore into our Hall." He gives her a respectful nod along with the dryly-delivered compliment.

With a gesture down the hall that takes in both Donna and Alyse, he states, "Shall we?" and then resumes the conversation: "I am comfortable with any of my names. They are all me, in some form or another." Which probably doesn't help Donna and the whole social convention part of things, but then the Martian seems wholly unaware of any awkwardness that might engender. "If I can help, of course, I will."

-

Donna falls into step with J'onn, allowing him to lead the way back to what, now, seems a familiar hall. They do seem to have been efficient at the repairs, though some remodeling work still needs to be done. "Then, if that is the case, I will call you J'onn, following the conventions of this country." As the proceed, she looks towards the temporary infirmary where many of the team had recovered from the fight, "I know that I had found the box I came with before, and asked for it to be moved to the morgue. if it is not there, I would like to return to the room we were in to retrieve it." She'd make do, in any case, "I do not know if they have briefed you on the attack on the beach, where the bodies which I am to tend to were found, but I will do what I can to bring you up to speed."

-

Alyse herself was following along silently for the moment. To go pulling the impressions and memories of the dead into herself wasn't the most comfortable of experiences, and there was every chance she'd end up 'feeling' the demise as much as witnessing it, so there was a degree of mental preparation to be taken when she could…if she didn't want to end up huddled on the floor in the fetal position again. So undignified.

-

The Martian inclines his head, seemingly accepting such a address without concern. J'onn, for his part, doesn't turn to look at the temporary medbay — at least not with his gaze. His mind reaches out, assuring him that all is as he's left it — the Asgardian stranger still unconscious. "There is much I need to catch up on," he says, and it's a statement that might be full of some kind of regret, but nothing in his voice conveys such; he glances briefly at Alyse, noting her silence, but doesn't seek to intrude. "We should see to your task, first," he concludes, as he leads the way down the mostly quiet halls towards the morgue.

-

Donna turns the corner, keeping apace with the taller man, and the woman beside her, eyes scanning the area as she took in the work that had been done…as well as the damage that had still to be repaired. "I must admit that magic is not really my area of expertise." Here she inclines her head towards Alyse, who is really much more the thing, "But I find myself asking if it truly was magic, or if it is, as most things seem, magical simply because it is technology which far outstrips what we have here." She makes o attempt to draw Alyse into the conversation, knowing, perhaps all too well, what it feels like to live with the memories of the dead in your head.

As they arrive on the morgue, Donna's quick perusal does reveal the box she had brought the night before, and she heads in that direction, "When you are ready, I will show you what I can of what happened to these people. Or at least, how we found them."

-

"You showed me the day of," the Witch speaks, a sad smile on her face. "I would not wish you to have to revisit and project such things more than you need to." A glance is given now to the Martian, but she'll leave the man to remain the sentinel watching over them while they complete their task. "We'll discover if this is magic, man or beast soon enough." With that spoken, the woman moves now into the space of the morgue, silent and slow. There was a certain hush of respect to proceedings, even if these rites and customs weren't her own, they still needed to be acknowledged as she did her work.

A breath is taken, then she 'lets go' and opens her senses to the 'echoes' left on the fallen.

-

"I imagine we shall learn the truth, either way — once our experts have time to investigate further. Still, the Witchdoctor's assistance in such things was undeniable," J'onn nods again to Alyse as he holds the door open for them to precede him into the morgue. Settling into a position a few steps back from the two women, his hands settle to clasp at his back, clearly not set on interrupting the ritual. Although his expression remains as stoic as ever, there's some shadow of something sad in his expression as he stands watch, silent.

-

There's something infinitely sad, in Donna's expression, as she walks into the morgue, the many bodies lying still and silent on their sheet covered gurneys. So many…too many. "I appreciate your concern, Witchdoctor," she had not, as it happened, ever learned Alyse's first name, but that seemed to bother her not at all, "But I have seen enough death that if I must see it again, and it leads to justice, I will do what needs to be done." Donna does not approach the bodies immediately, instead retrieving the box and walking over to one of the deep sinks, which can be stoppered and filled with water.

-

Witchdoctor was just that, a mystic and a medically trained doctor herself. Although she was certainly the lesser known of the two, but then Strange was a native to this world where she was not. Her eyes were closed, but there was so much to take in that the effort was plain on her face. This was reading multiple people, multiple pieces of the story and putting them all together to form a picture. The trauma, physical and mental, inflicted on all of the dead? It was confronting enough just experiencing firsthand.

Eventually, the woman's eyes snap open and she gives a loud gasp before steadying herself against one of the autopsy tables. "Some of these people were killed by firearms…you may wish to let those who have the means track the projectiles before these bodies are gone. At the very least, you may be able to learn something from their armor. Perhaps the Batman can assist?" Another deep inhale and she bows her head. "I will leave it to you, I need a moment to sit down."

-

In the same way the Martian does not seek to involve himself in the ritual Donna Troy tends to, neither does he interfere with the Witchdoctor's own rites, even if they receive equal measure of attention from the all-too-human looking eyes of J'onn. It is only when the Witchdoctor gasps that J'onn is there beside her in a heartbeat, a steadying hand offered the woman. "Are you well?" he inquires. Certainly, the information she gives is of interest, though the Martian seems more interested in the here-and-now for the time being.

-

The revelation of the firearms, the use of modern weapons brings Donna's head around, as she listens with intense interest to Alyse's words. When the woman crumples, she steps away from her work, but, thankfully, J'onn steps in to tend to the woman, and she considers. "This what she has seen. I will show you what I saw." Because, yes, there was much to be learned from the bodies, but, perhaps, for one skilled in combat, and with knowledge that perhaps Donna did not have herself, to be learned from the scene of the battle.

Donna, once again, move to close the distance between herself and the pair standing by the free table. Once again, that coming together of her hands, like a prayer, palm to palm, and when she brings them apart, that three-dimensional replay, like a movie in the round, of what she saw when she arrived on the beach in Florida. Again, that strain as she has to both recall the memories and channel them into something visual that she can project for others to view.

-

Modern weapons were far from the only cause of death, but their inclusion was enough to shed new light and raise particular concerns. Alyse is not quite so proud as to refuse the offered steadying hand, but she looks back to the martian with a nod of her head. "It is uncomfortable to live out such things by proxy, but it still does not compare to what these people went through. I will be fine after I rest for a time."

-

Only once J'onn is sure the Witchdoctor is steady, giving a nod at her reassurance, does he turn his attention to the image that Donna displays. Once more, his expression is stoically unreadable, but something flickers in his gaze at the vision she depicts. "An interesting conundrum. Though not wholly unexpected. In the same way that we heroes gather together, join forces — there is little reason and much advantages for our foes to do the same."

-

This second time viewing, it's easier, faster, for Donna to replay the memories, and she doesn't linger overlong on them. Not when the actual bodies are here for J'onn and Alyse to review if they need to. Instead, she hones in on one aspect of what Alyse revealed, and leaves the bodies for a time. That clue, that niggling something, takes her towards the armor, where it's been piled, likely after being catalogued. But perhaps she can bring something to that. After all, she could know the means and manner of their construction much more intimately than the scientists. And given that the attack, related or not, on the Hall came so close after these bodies were delivered. Donna lifts the first set of armor onto an empty table, to begin the work of inspecting it. Every join, every fold, ever jointed segment, looking for any place where a bullet, a fragment, a casing might have lodged itself. "Yes, I suppose you are right in that. But…more than the death…the theft of their immportality…why? It isn't as though it were some sort of…shirt, that you could pass from one bearer to another. It isn't even as though it lives in the body, and yet that seems to be precisely how it was taken."

-

"That…is another answer we do not have," Alyse nods, taking a seat for herself and sighing. "Theft is almost certainly mystical, but it could be formed by an object of some unknown power, or a spell. I have heard of enchanted 'athemae' that have been used to siphon the 'years left' from their victims, but this does not seem to be exactly that." A shake of her head, the Witch looks down at her hands. "I wish I had more to offer, but that is all I can tell for now."

-

While the Martian watches Donna handle the armor, he does not inspect it himself as yet. He seems distantly thoughtful, at least until Donna's latter words. "The theft of their immortality? What do you mean?" J'onn seems surprised, and not a little bit disturbed, perhaps unsurprisingly, at that particular revelation. "Their soul, their essence — or their actual immortality?" The Witchdoctor's response seems to confirm the latter, and he frowns, visibly. "I will consult my archives for mentions of such a thing — though I am not aware off the top of my head of any encounter with such a beast by my people before."

-

Donna shakes her head, looking up from where she's meticulously pulling apart one of the suits of armor. There are so many, it's likely to take her a few hours at least, to take them all in, "No, Witchdoctor. You have told us far more than we knew before. Whatever this enemy was, is, if it were easily discovered, we would have done so before now. Any information we can gather now is invaluable." J'onn's question brings her attention back towards him, "I do not know, quite now to explain it. When I touched them." She falls silent, considering, "I am not an Olympian. But as an Amazon, who has, as all Amazons have, been granted gifts by those beings we call the Olympian gods, I can see, feel that thing inside of me that is the same as them. I suppose you could say that I can feel an echo of my immortality in them, because it stems from the same source. Even in death, true death, I should be able to feel that connection, but in these bodies it is nearly absent, they feel…nearly human. It was why, when I first saw them on the beach, I had such difficulty crediting them as being Amazons." She seems, at this moment, not to differentiate between the males and the females. "Thank you. If this enemy can target any race or being that has immortality, there may be more people at risk than these."

-

"Including my people," Alyse speaks up, frowning once more. "Or the Asgardians perhaps, or any other long-lived species until we know the exact method with which they use to perform this profane act." She folds her hands in her lap, the skirt of her gown flared out around her where she sits. "Perhaps we should reach out to those we know, tell them to maintain contact and be on-guard."

-

J'onn's attention moves from Donna towards the bodies of the morgue, then away. "It seems wise, as it is safe to assume whatever it was is now here on Earth — perhaps seeking out others of similar ancestry," his gaze goes to Donna, "Or maybe just similar life span or immortality," he nods towards Alyse.

-

"I think that I will have to leave such warnings in both of your hands. I cannot avail myself of the resources of this place, and I do not know many others in this universe. I will, of course, keep Diana up to date, though I am certain she has already been briefed in everything that has occurred. And if there is anything that I can do for either of you, of course I will." Hell, it might just be bring the beatdown on their enemies, but she's already demonstrated no small ability to do that. "For now, you should rest, and gather yourself. I will be here working for some hours yet, and then I will tend to the bodies of the dead." A glance of apology to J'onn, who will have to continue to be her guard while the work remains to be done.

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