DEC 2003 - #4

No Man Is An Island . . . ? by Paul Hahn

"Phoenix."

The word came out from Superboy's lips like an even breath or a whisper, yet the impact of the word burst out like the anthem of a band at Woodstock, or the detonation of a nuclear device against a quiet, calm morning.

He took off, flying quickly back to the island. He left Linda Danvers floating above the ocean waters behind him, a bit stunned and confused.

For Superboy, also known, at times, as Kon-El, everything was starting to come together. Memories were starting to break through, thoughts and images were flooding back into his mind and he knew, as much as he hated to admit it, as much as he wished otherwise, that something truly was wrong and that Robin - Nightwing - Chuck Barnes knew it too and that he was already trying to fix things.

Thoughts are a mess . . . jumbled . . . confused . . . I'm not the detective. I don't use my brains to be a hero. I use emotions, I use my strength. Chuck's the brains. He'll figure it out. But not alone . . . I'll help. And I'll get Bart, too.

It's funny . . . one time, Red . . . Red Tornado, our old mentor compared Chuck, Bart, an' me to that old personality thingy, the Id, Ego and Superego. Bart was the Id, operating impulsively and purely on the pleasure principal. I was the Ego, a step ahead of Bart, able to think things through just enough to get them done. Chuck was the Superego, the guy who could think about everything and do the right thing. The three of us, working together as Young Justice, it made for an interesting experience. So much has happened since then . . . but I know it's gonna be us three who'll fix this. Something is wrong. I don't know what, and I don't think Chuck does, either. But he's gonna figure it out. And when he does, me an' Bart, we'll be there behind him.

If Kon had bothered to look behind him, he would have known that Linda was not following him. But he couldn't look back. With memories slowly seeping out, as truths became clearer and facts were uncovered, he couldn't bear to look at Linda. The memories made it painful.

He loved her. He always did. He always would. But now was not the time . . .

"Bart!" he yelled as he stopped his flight and landed on the ground in front of his friend.

"Hey," Bart shot back with a dopey grin.

"Okay Bart . . . " Kon started, then paused. He wasn't sure how to go about this. He wasn't even sure what he wanted. And on top of that, Bart, while one of the fastest people alive, wasn't very quick on the uptake. In the mental sense, he was kinda slow. "Bart, do you think anything's wrong?"

"Wrong?" Bart asked back.

"Yeah . . . with what's going on, here on the island?"

"Well, at first I thought it was kinda weird that you an' Robin fought but then I remembered that it happened before but then I remembered that it didn't actually happen before because when Robin and you fought you were actually a clone of yourself who I think was named Match so it was actually the first time you and Robin fought and I thought that was kinda weird I mean don't you?"

Kon-El blinked.

"What?" Bart asked.

Kon sighed. "I need you to stay with me on this, Bart. Really."

"Okay."

"I'm pretty sure something's wrong," Kon started again.

"Okay."

"Robin isn't Robin anymore. He's Nightwing."

"Yeah I know," Bart shrugged. "I just figured he decided Nightwing was kinda a lame name and changed back although Robin's not so cool either but I mean if your first name was Chuck you'd go by something else too right not that Kon-El's so cool or -- "

"Just listen, Bart," Kon said, doing his best to remain calm and stay patient. "Just. Listen. Nightwing fought me for a specific reason: to open my eyes. To get me to realize that things aren't exactly right here. We all just thought he was paranoid . . . but, well, he is paranoid, but we just thought he was being excessively paranoid . . . okay, he is excessively paranoid, but do you understand what I'm trying to say? Wait, don't say anything, I'm just gonna assume no." Kon sighed. "This island is not paradise. It's not perfect. Something is wrong, and Rob--Chuck is getting to the bottom of it. And we've got to back him up."

"Okay," Bart shrugged.

"I think there's something wrong with Sam and Jen," Kon continued. "And, I think, Linda, too. I'm not sure if they're with us. I don't know who to trust, except you."

"That's kinda flattering," Bart grinned. "But, uh, yeah, Illyana's kinda weird, too . . . I wouldn't trust her. And if Rebel wasn't talking, that'd make more sense, but I figure she's talking because she always wanted to. Cissie and Hallie and Anita are fine, but I don't know where Cassie is -- "

"Cassie!" Kon exclaimed, the memory slapping him upside the head. "Wonder Girl! I can't believe I didn't remember her . . . she's not here."

"Yeah, I noticed that right away and thought it was kinda weird but I dunno maybe she was just hiding or we were playing a game or something."

" . . . You knew about her?" Kon asked. "And about Sam, Jen, Linda . . . ? You knew that things aren't the way they should be?"

"Uh, yeah," Bart replied. "I mean, how realistic is it that we're on a tropical island that provides us with our every means of survival? I mean, come on, duh . . . "

" . . . You really thought about all that?"

"Yeah."

"Really?"

"Yup!"

Kon shook his head. " . . . Okay then . . . let's go find Rob--Chuck! Jeez, it's gonna take forever to get used to calling him that . . . "

"Let's get the others, too," Bart said. "I have this weird feeling we're gonna need 'em . . . "

"Okay," Kon nodded. "I just hope that Chuck's already at the bottom of this . . . "

"Oh . . . my . . . God . . . "

Chuck Barnes' eyes were wide, his jaw was drooping low and open, as the sight before his eyes was beyond means of comprehension. He had entered into the catacombs inside a mountain in the island's center, using a small, man-made torch as his only light. He eventually came upon a large chamber, dimly lighted with glowing algae or moss of some sorts growing along the walls and floor. His eyes began to jerk all about, trying to take in the entire scene and, slowly, but surely, he began to identify, if not understand, what was before him.

A mess of cords and tubes filled the room, only they weren't really cords, at least not like Chuck had ever seen. They were organic, apparently made of some sort of plant matter. They formed a network throughout the chamber and into the walls, where Chuck suspected they might even run throughout the island, having seen similar flora like them outside. As his mind reeled from shock, he thought it was funny how they looked like veins.

But that wasn't the real shocker. The shocker was that most of the veins were attached to people . . . to Young Justice.

He gazed about, and identified his teammates: Superboy . . . Impulse . . . Arrowette . . . Jolt . . . Empress . . . Rebel . . . and himself. Nightwing. They were in uniform still, although everyone's costumes were tattered, torn or otherwise damaged. Everyone was unconscious, connected to the veins. They, themselves, did not appear to be injured.

"I don't understand . . . " Chuck said, still trying to make sense of it. "Cassie . . . "

"I'm here," her voice replied in his head. "You see what I was talking about now, huh? I'm inside you . . . the real you . . . using your body as an anchor to pull myself back together. I think I would have done it by now, but there was something fighting me . . . and that something, it appears, was the island itself!"

"This makes no sense," Chuck continued. "I'm here . . . and yet . . . I'm over there, too. Is that . . . the real me? The real Young Justice? And I'm just . . . what? A dream? Or . . . is this some sort of out-of-body experience? Am I dying?"

"I wish I had the answers," Cassie said. "But you've got to get the others . . . bring them here. Show them this! Make them all realize . . . and then free yourselves!"

I can just free us now . . . Chuck thought.

"I think you should get the others," Cassie explained. "Things might be just a little to confusing--er, even more confusing unless they see what's going on."

"Alright," Chuck said. "I'll be back."

Nightwing turned and headed back the way he came, remembering exactly the route he had taken. As he exited the tunnels and headed back towards the beaches and living area the team had taken, he failed to notice any difference in the island.

He failed to see new vines growing, tree branches stretching, and the very island itself begin to follow him . . .

"Okay," Kon said, "I know this is a lot to take in, but we've got to act, and soon . . . "

He and Bart had gathered Cissie, Hallie, Anita and Cassandra with them.

"But if something really is wrong," Anita asked, "why aren't we going in full force? Where's Illyana and Sam and Jen and Linda?"

"We can't bring them with," Kon said. "I can't explain why, but it's just this feeling I've got, okay? But we've got to go get Chuck . . . whose name, as you all should know, is Nightwing. Not Robin. Nightwing. And we've gotta go find him and help him and fix things . . . "

"But fix what?" Cassandra asked. "I mean, this place is perfect . . . I can't remember a time I was ever happier."

"Yeah," Hallie said. "This is Paradise . . . "

"It's not," Bart said, looking into Hallie's eyes. "Trust me. I can't explain it yet, and neither can Kon, and maybe Nightwing can't even yet, but it's not right. None of it."

" . . . If you think so, Bart," Hallie said, "I'll believe it. Which is a bit odd considering, and all, but I do. I'm with you guys."

"I just want to find Robin," Cissie frowned. "Let's go."

"Whatever," Anita shrugged.

"I . . . I dunno," Cassandra said. "I'm getting some weird feeling about this . . . like, if I help you, if this is wrong . . . then . . . then I won't be able to . . . to talk anymore? Why is that? I . . . "

"We've all got weird feelings building up inside right now," Superboy said, trying to rally them once more. "But we've got to put them aside for now. We've got to trust each other, and only each other, and expose this false Eden for what it really is!"

Just then, Chuck was making his way back out.

"Hey!" Bart exclaimed. "Now we don't have to go looking for him."

"Chuck!" Cissie exclaimed. She ran up to him and hugged and kissed him. He returned the hug. "I was worried . . . "

"Well, we've all got reason to worry," Chuck said. "I know you all think there's something wrong with me . . . "

"Nope," Bart said.

"No way," Hallie added.

"Not anymore, at least," Superboy grinned. "Your plan, at least against me, worked. I figured out things were wrong . . . and so did Bart. And we've got the team gathered. We were gonna go look for you, hoping that you, being the master detective, were on to something."

"Oh, I found something," Chuck said. "I'm not sure how to explain it . . . but you guys have to see it. I knew things weren't right . . . and what I saw confirmed it."

"So, where we headed?" Anita asked.

"Into the mountain . . . there's some catacombs and tunnels that lead to a large, open chamber. We've got to get there, and fast."

"Lead the way, bossman," Superboy said.

"I'm afraid we can't let you go," Linda Danvers called from the air, directly behind the group.

Sam and Jen were walking up from the beach, close behind Linda. Illyana teleported down on the ground near Linda.

"We can't let you go," Illyana said.

"I don't think you have a choice in the matter," Anita said. "Seven on four, if it comes down to blows."

"Y'all're pretty confident about that," Sam said.

"I think we've got you out-muscled," Jen added.

"We don't want a fight," Chuck said.

"Too late for that," Illyana grinned.

Beyond the team, towards the mountain, began a low, slow build of a rumble, that grew louder. Vines and branches and more and more flora began to sprout out from the sandy ground, creating a virtual wall blocking their path. Thorns popped out of the wall, and more thorny vines rose from the ground and fluttered about in the air, as if to warn them to stay back.

"I told you, we can't let you go," Linda repeated.

"What is this . . . ?" Cissie asked.

"You know that old saying, 'No man is an island'?" Illyana asked, a cold grin growing across her face. "Throw it out; it no longer applies . . . "