Ja was quiet for rest of the journey, opposed to his more boisterous nature. When he brought Daphne back to the submarine seemed to be the only real burst of energy he had. He also didn’t ride in the sub the rest of the way either, lingering only until he was sure Daphne was okay by peeking through windows. It felt wrong to sit in the murder machine, even if it was the people inside that caused it to do so…which was something else that he’d have unpack later.
Instead, he opted to swim up along with Mirage. When they eventually passed through Atlantis, he found himself marveling at the water kingdom. He had wanted to say something to her, or maybe even ask questions but ultimately found himself speechless. She seemed still rather sour, and Ja could understand as the loss was still heavy. It felt like that was just time for silence.
As of currently, Ja had managed to shift his focus to the mission at hand. He at least remembered right before they left; their objective to protect Dr. Bingley. So, when it came time to escort him through the Atlantic White Island space, Metamorph was attentive, senses on high alert. Every so often, he’d feel the Professor’s eyes on him, but when Ja looked at him, the man would look elsewhere. Fear of some sort…? Ja thought to himself that maybe he was radiating aggression and tension inadvertently through his sharp focus, so he tried to relax some.
When it came time for the man’s lecture, Ja was clung to the nearest vertical surface nearby, listening with some confusion. The young prince of the wild didn’t quite understand the description of those with the gene of magic. A disease, was the word that was used. The discrepancy between what he said, and those on his team made him look at them. Zachy and Kassy— they didn’t seem to reek sickness. Moreover, if it was a gene that was the cause, did that not mean it was natural at some level?
The boy could understand diseases that killed the body that were caused by outside factors. Which is why he thought humans came up with the idea of medicines. Diseases that were passed from parent to child though, he understood to be an element of the circle of life. Whether these differences led to the species growth or death was part of that circle, and in turn, part of that species progression.
However to Ja, this cure would be the outside factor, a foreign agent disrupting the body’s natural processes. What this man proposed, would disturb that circle. The idea of which bothered the son of the Red, but Aquaman allowed the man to present these ideas and Atlantean colleagues attended this meeting, which meant they must have some ground…
A tingling in his back told him of dangers of the deep approaching the area. His eyes narrowed and he hopped down from where he was perched, crouched on all fours near Dr. Bingly. Looking to Kassy as their mission leader, he paid attention to the assignments and lineups she gave to each of them. When asked if he was up to the task, a look of conviction sat on Ja’s face.
While he deeply appreciated her compassion for him, Metamorph understood that the situation earlier shouldn’t have a bearing on his mission. There would be time to properly grieve later. For now, if stopping these ‘Deluge Forces’ would protect the Doctor, that was what he would do. Her strength and confidence radiated to him, even prompting a little closed lip smile.
”I am ready. Lead the way.”