The Last One (young justice/robin)

8. remember

Bialya
September 4, 3:57 EEST

"
The unknown variable of Mayilean magic, however, is that despite the previous theorizations, Etheras developed prominent skills in manipulating sentient beings themselves. Many Etheras following the second and third centennial rotations, began to display magical capabilities related to the cognitive distortion of sights, smells, and even motor movement. While the practice is of high difficulty, and typically looked down on, Etheras possess the potential to exploit sentient beings, and possibly entire races.

"

    My head was pounding before I even opened my eyes. When I did, the glare from the sun only made things worse.

    Where am I?

    Why is it so hot?

    It pained me, but I got to my feet, stumbling forward and into the rock wall nearby. That was when the sound of an engine started humming, driving across the desert below.

    Why am I in a desert?

    "Those are Bialyan Republican Army uniforms," I noticed, restarting my computer. "But what Bialyans doing in, uh... Bialya? Okay, better question: what am I doing in Bialya?" Then I noticed the date. "In September? What happened to March? Better radio Batman."

    Then, a memory hit me suddenly; like a piece of a puzzle with no other parts. "Maintain radio silence at all times," he ordered.

    "Or not."

    Another fragment followed in my mind. After Batman ordered radio silence, I think he pulled me aside—but aside from where? "I expect you to be careful," he warned me. "She's fragile, and you're distracted. Neither of those are good for the mission."

    Not knowing what any of it meant frustrated me. He mentioned a "she" and a "mission," but I can't place either of them.

    I went through the past twenty four hours of computer activity, spotting GPS markers spread across the desert. One pinpointed me, but the rest... what are the rest for?

    Besides more questions, the computer didn't give me much. Neither did the scrap of cloth blowing in the wind, displaying a worn Superman symbol. All I could do was follow blindly to the closest marker six miles away.

     I was dripping with sweat by the time I reached it. A girl, nearly face down in the sand, draped in black.

I used my foot to roll her over, turning a pale face up to the sky. Her lips were so dark I wondered if she was even still breathing. "Uh... hello?"

She didn't shift, or show any signs of movement. Part of me considered that I was trying to wake up a dead girl. "Hey, wake u—"

She grabbed me roughly by the ankle, pulling until my back collided with the sand. My head began to throb as she crawled on top of me, holding a knife up to my throat. I pushed at her wrist with all my might, but she had me completely overpowered. Her other arm pinned me by the shoulders, and her legs were immovably locked at my sides.

Either losing my memory has made me extremely weak or she's actually a lot stronger than she looks.

She started speaking. Harsh strings of sounds poured from her mouth, only for me to finally realize that her eyes were unlike anything I'd seen before. They were wide and sunken, filled with nothing but purple light.