Chapter SEVEN
A Knight To Remember
"Henchgirl?" Harry spoke into his lit Zippo. "Henchgirl, are you there?"
"Right here, Mr. Black," the young female inventor answered groggily a few moments later. "There's not anything wrong with the flying charm, is there?"
"No, that spell works great," Harry reassured her. "Thanks a lot."
"You're welcome," she replied cheerfully. "So… what's up?"
"Oh, I just needed someone to talk to for a few minutes," the wizard announced. "I didn't wake you, did I?"
"It's alright," his friend replied. "It's about time for me to get up anyway. So, is everything okay?"
Harry pondered the question for a few moments. "I suppose," he finally announced. "I just had a strange run in with an even stranger woman."
"Really?" Henchgirl exclaimed. "Describe her."
"Well, I was riding along in my submarine and-"
"Ohh! You have a submarine? Can I see it? Huh? Can I?" the rumored-to-be-intelligent female interrupted. "I've always wanted to build a submarine, but the Professor won the coin toss so we built a zeppelin instead."
Harry blinked in confusion. "I suppose so…" he finally replied. "Can I send shrunk items to you?"
"Of course," she immediately answered in a manner that suggested it was obvious.
"Right, here it comes then," the wizard warned before stuffing the miniature USS Black through the portable Floo connection.
"Got it!" the young woman announced happily a few minutes later. "Awesome!" she cheered as she presumably inspected the vessel. "Can I keep it for a little while? I'll give it back, I promise!"
Harry paused for a moment before answering, "Well, I was sort of planning on-"
"I'll let you borrow my ship if you'll loan me your submarine!" she pleaded.
"Ship?" Harry inquired curiously.
"Oh, yeah," she admitted, "lots of people like building ships inside of glass jars. I thought that was somewhat silly, so I skipped that part. But I did build mine to be realistic; it's a replica of a Dutch flute ship that the old British navy named the Concorde."
"So, you built a full scale merchant ship – all by yourself?" Harry demanded incredulously.
"I was bored," Henchgirl admitted. "Anyway, I threw in the weather magic we used on the Zeppelin, tacked on a few extra gadgets, and added some extra weapons. The original design had thirteen cannons on each side - which I thought looked kinda weird, so I put twenty cannons on each side of my ship."
"Well, that sounds reasonable," Harry uttered while silently wondering what was strange about a thirteen cannon array. "Okay," he decided, "we have a deal."
"Yeah!" she celebrated. "Thanks a bunch! Here comes my boat," the witch warned.
"I'm ready," Harry promised. A moment later, a small and intricate wooden vessel lay in his hand. "This is some very fine craftsmanship, Henchgirl!" Harry praised.
"Oh, it was nothing," she said shyly. "So, what were you saying about this weirdo woman?"
"Well," Harry continued after switching mental gears, "she reminded me of some aquatic, depressed Veela to be honest. I met her about a hundred feet down in a lake off Britain, and she spoke really formally the whole time. She also had this nasty fixation on Divination and kept talking about destined champions and noble quests and all that rot."
Really?" the inventor questioned. "Did she give her name, or any details as to what she wanted?"
"Oh, yeah," Harry responded irritably. "She said her name was Viviane and she wanted to give me this sword called Caledfwich that apparently will help me do… something."
"Do what?" the inquisitive female demanded.
"How should I know?" Harry fired back. "She's a magical woman and you're a magical woman; I was hoping that you could tell me!"
"No, the name of the sword," Henchgirl corrected. "What did you call it?"
"Oh," Harry said sheepishly, "she called it Caledfwich. Does that mean anything to you?"
"I've definitely heard of it somewhere before," the brilliant witch admitted. "I just can't remember where. I'll research it and get back to you. In the meanwhile, don't let it eat on you. After all, it's not like it's a historically significant and easily recognized heirloom or something."
"You're right!" Harry agreed, much happier after their talk. "Thanks again."
"Anytime, Boss!" the blonde chirped happily before closing the connection.
"Hmm…" General Wade Eiling mused as he finished perusing the six-decade-old report detailing the 'Captain Nazi' super-soldier serum. According to the data captured by Spy Smasher during World War II, the elixir could enhance a normal human being's strength a hundred fold. Not only that, but the Nazi scientist theorized that the subject's skin would be impenetrable to all but heavy artillery fire. Although the original serum was never tested – thanks to Spy Smasher -, such scientific ingenuity was quite amazing even by contemporary standards.
"Very interesting…" he finally announced to no one in particular.
The alarm clock suddenly erupted, alerting Harry that it was time to rise. Crawling out of bed, the mage went through his typical morning ritual before escaping from his orbiting cabin and heading towards the commissary.
His relatively happy mood soured a bit when Harry discovered that the coffee was missing yet again. His heightened sense of smell informed him that precious brown fluid had been present recently, but he could catch no sign of its presence. Finally deciding that enough was enough, Harry felt that he should do something to counter this gross injustice.
Besides, he was bored and his schedule was clear for the day.
Sighing, Harry slipped his hand into his coat pocket and retrieved the Universal Remote that he had thus far been ignoring. He truthfully could not understand why anyone would want to 'power down' the universe – although watching an 'offed' sun reignite was pretty neat -, and he truthfully was slightly fearful of the ominous 'eject' feature. However, the device deserved a true field test and Harry could not devise a better trial than to assist him in solving the 'Case of the Disappearing Coffee'.
Discretely holding the device before him, Harry hit the 'Pause' button and watched as the world around him ground to a halt. Already liking this experience over his watch-turned-time-turner, the wizard pressed 'Seek Backwards' on the wondrous device and marveled at the Professor's ingenuity as the he witnessed the entire world moving slowly in reverse.
Tapping his foot impatiently, Harry waited several minutes until the uniformed cafeteria personnel entered the room and replenished the buffet tables – including four of the delicious glass mugs that he so enjoyed. Granted, four mugs would only barely get him through the morning, but beggars could not be choosers.
Pausing time again, Harry wandered over to the table and quickly gathered the mugs before 'fast forwarding' back to the point in time when he first entered the commissary. Setting down his hard-won treasure with a satisfied sigh, Harry started to sip the grand black liquid, already feeling his dark mood lessening. Feeling much better despite the restless night, Harry summoned breakfast from the long table and started to enjoy the day.
Shutting off her communicator in a panic, Diana rushed to the cafeteria. As per her instructions, one of her informants had just tipped her off to another 'Code Black' in the commissary. Unfortunately, her preventative measures seemed inadequate as she burst in on the breakfasters just in time to see the java'd deity down his third 'mug' of the morning.
Dropping her shoulders in defeat, the Amazon turned around and retreated to the bridge to inform Mr. Terrific that Mr. Black would be indisposed for the next several hours.
Once she accomplished that task, the senior Leaguer gave in to the inevitable and returned to her cabin. It was past time to update the League's policy on dealing with Immortals anyway, and she could take the opportunity to include a strong warning on the negative consequences of contact with coffee or other caffeinated substances.
After all, it was not outside the realm of possibility that other immortals might decide to come 'slumming' – especially if they ever discovered a drink more potent than Ambrosia.
"You look well, General," Amanda Waller greeted after taking her seat. Having received a request to meet from her old coworker, the newly named liaison to the Justice League arranged to meet with the distinguished soldier in an out of the way restaurant. "It seems the past few months have been good to you," she acknowledged.
Eiling grimaced. "Mrs. Waller," he replied gruffly, "with all due respect, this reassignment is a joke. I never thought that I'd become a desk drone."
"I can't help you there," Amanda supplied promptly. "Langley's all but scrapped Project Cadmus and insisted on your transfer." She paused for a moment before adding in a pondering tone, "We're lucky we're not all in jail."
"Look, the only mistake we made was trusting Luthor," the general protested.
"Wade, you know better than to dwell on the past," Waller mildly chastised.
"I'm talking about right now," he insisted, rapping a fist on the table for emphasis. "The Justice League is still the single greatest threat to global security."
"I used to believe that, too," she admitted while dipping her head in regret, "but remember… we used to say the same about the Soviets. Our enemy is never as evil as we imagine… and maybe we're never quite as good."
"Nuts!" he groaned. "Don't tell me that the bleeding hearts in Congress got to you."
"I'd eat them alive," she fired back bemusedly.
"You would, too," Wade agreed while toasting her. "You've got some onions, Amanda," he complimented.
Waller smiled for a moment before growing serious. "Then listen to me," she pleaded. "I'm not the League's greatest fan, but their intentions are good. I can work with them."
Eiling, however, was not prepared to yield the point. "What if you're wrong, though?" he demanded. "If it turns out the metahumans aren't on the side of the Angels? We won't have any way to defend ourselves. Look what happened last year!" he added vehemently. "Superman walked into Cadmus and tossed our best men like a salad!"
"Oh, for heaven's sake!" Amanda retaliated while stifling a groan.
"What's to stop him from doing it again?" Wada pressed. "They're all orbiting us with a space weapon – supposedly decommissioned. That's a greater threat than the Russians ever were! If we rolled over like this for the Soviet Union… given up our nukes…"
"We'd all be living under a red flag," Waller finished irritably, her own ire rising.
"Yes, ma'am, you better believe it!" Eiling agreed vehemently. "After all our work, what did Cadmus really accomplish? You get a reprimand and I'm pushing pencils – and the League gets another base here on Earth… that Metro tower. When one side loses ground and the other side gains, that isn't a truce – it's surrender."
Amanda sighed resignedly and hauled herself to her feet. "It's a different world, General," she advised the man. As she began to leave, Waller added, "Learn to live in it!"
After Harry had finished his breakfast – with only four pitiful cups of coffee to accompany it -, the wizard reported to the command deck only to discover that his presence was not needed. Mr. Terrific was quite insistent on that point, despite what Harry could have sworn was a stack of missions requiring League attention.
Putting the strange event out of his mind, Harry took a stroll through the halls while he decided what he would do for the day. It was during his fourth pass by the shuttle bay that the wizard realized that he still had not delivered Jennifer's spell books. The wizard slapped himself upside the head before Apparating to the outskirts of the subterranean city to correct that oversight.
"Green Lantern, what's your status?" Mr. Terrific inquired over the long-distance radio.
"This sun's going nova any day now," the guardian reported. "It's worse than we thought. We'll have to deploy twice as many fusion dampeners!"
"You're breaking up!" the League coordinator replied as the signal began losing quality. "Say again."
"The main point is that this is going to take a while," Oa's champion summarized.
"Understood. We've got it covered on this end," the League's new controller replied. "Check in whenever you can. Watchtower out." Ending the long-distance communication, he opened the intercom channel and ordered, "Green Arrow, S.T.R.I.P.E., Stargirl, Vigilante, and Shining Knight – meet me on the bridge."
Once the quintet arrived, Mr. Terrific continued. "Half of our resources are in deep space and we're shorthanded."
"Great!" Pat Dugan said cheerfully. "I'll take a real mission over Watchtower duty any day!"
"So, who's left up here with you?" Oliver Queen inquired. "The Ray?"
"He's with Vixen, checking out an explosion in the Elusions," Terrific reported after checking his tablet computer. "Supergirl and Flash are unfinished in Madagascar."
"You're spreading us a little thin," the emerald archer noted.
"We go where we're needed, Green Arrow," the controller replied testily. "Did you second-guess the Martian like this?"
"Sorry - my bad," Oliver replied blithely, "you're the 'big picture' guy."
"I've got it all worked out," the other man said reassuringly. "I've just got this one mission in Metropolis and I need you people to fill in for Superman."
"Cool!" Courtney exclaimed.
The trip to Shambala was mostly uneventful – Harry found Jennifer easily enough. The only real rough spot during the entire operation was the strange smile that the girl kept up while in his presence. Harry thought that he had heard such a facial expression described as a 'sickly' smile once, but he could have been mistaken. In any event, the wizard found her habit of constantly eyeing him and keeping her back facing away from him to be somewhat offsetting and so decided cut his visit short as a result.
After ensuring that the girl understood the basics of the spell casting material, Harry made his excuses and left – but not before ensuring that his wards were still intact. Once that task was completed, the wizard noticed the late hour and realized that lunch seemed like a marvelous idea. A brief consultation with his abdomen later and it was decided that he would return to Superman's recommended burger joint. While he certainly wished that their sandwiches came in larger portions, the wizard most definitely enjoyed playing with the accompanied toy.
"I'd slay the ogre Blunderbore all over again rather than put myself on display in this manner," Sir Justin complained while waving from atop his mount, Winged Victory. While the crowd gathered to watch the annual Metropolis parade could not hear him from his position next to the city police float, his League teammates could unfortunately hear him all too well.
Still on a roll, Shining Knight continued. "Even though that ogre turned out to be-"
"Morgan Le Fay!" all the other heroes chanted duly.
At Sir Justin's sharp look, the robotic S.T.R.I.P.E. commented, "We've all heard it."
"'Tis a good story," he protested.
Putting the topic of conversation behind her, Stargirl demanded, "So… what? Since we don't have super powers, it takes five of us to replace one Superman?"
One of the police officers stepped down from the float's upper tier. "Uh… excuse me, but I just wanted to thank you Justice League guys for showing up in force," the young man admitted. "It means a lot to us."
"Hey, we can't thank you enough," Green Arrow replied while shaking the officer's hand. "You're the real heroes."
"It's you the people come to honor," Shining Knight seconded.
"Great!" Courtney complained again quietly. "Now I'm petty!"
"See where it says 'Heroes one and all'?" Oliver asked while pointing to the banner on their float. "That's what it's all about. The crowd doesn't care who can bench-press a mountain, or shoot lasers out of their ears."
The crowd picked that moment to comment loudly in a vein disproving Oliver's supposition.
"Hey! Where's Superman?" one elderly female voice cried.
"How come none of the good ones are here?" another voice demanded rudely.
"I didn't come here to see some stupid cowboy!" a kid in the front row grumbled.
"I don't think Vigilante is a good role model," a man near the front of the pack voiced, "especially one with guns!"
"I came to see Superman!" an older voice called out in disappointment.
Courtney just sighed and continued to wave dutifully.
"General Eiling, Sir!" the attending soldier at the gate saluted smartly. "What brings you back to Cadmus?"
Wade Eiling rolled down the driver's window and smiled. "Just came to collect something I left behind," the balding military general replied. Returning the young soldier's salute, Eiling waited until the barricade was raised before shifting back to drive and continuing on to the facility.
The general entered what was once Cadmus's headquarters and proceeded to the uppermost levels uncontested – as he expected. What he did not expect, however, was for his high-level access codes to have been revoked from the ultra top security bioscience storage facility.
His concentration on the door's keypad was interrupted a few moments later by rushed footsteps and an insistent query, "General! What are you doing?"
Eiling looked up to find a white-coated scientist being escorted by an armed soldier. "Hello, Dr. Anderson," Eiling greeted. "I left my reading glasses in the bio-vault and can't seem to get back in."
Anderson made a show of inspecting the security keypad before looking suspiciously at the elder general. "That code was changed six months ago," the short man informed. "You're not authorized."
As the soldier began to discreetly draw his side arm, Eiling jumped into motion and caught the man off guard. A couple of quick punches to minimally guarded areas of the man's armor left him unconscious and Eiling holding his sidearm to Anderson's suddenly pale face.
"The new code – now!" Eiling growled.
Caving in to the obviously unstable general, Anderson used his security code to open the bio-vault. Eiling shoved the smaller man into the vault ahead of him and had the scientist open the inner door via an optical scanner. Once the two had access to the vault proper, Wade held his hostage at gunpoint while he retrieved his ultimate objective.
With a small smile of triumph, the intruder held aloft a loaded syringe – held in federal custody for over six decades.
"General! No! That serum's unstable!" Anderson pleaded from where he had landed on the floor.
"I read the report," Eiling replied bluntly.
"So you know about the horrible disfiguration?" the biology expert demanded as he regained his feet. "The test animals-"
The sudden presence of a pistol at his chest halted the scientist's monologue. However, the scientist received a sudden burst of bravery and dashed the remaining few feet to an alarm panel.
"Too late now," Eiling said grimly over the wailing of sirens and stampeding feet of the base's soldiers coming to full alert. Rolling back one sleeve, the general inserted the syringe into a vein and pushed the plunger.
As a squad of soldiers entered the unsecured bio-vault, the point man backed up in shock as Eiling's form began to expand and mutate. In a manner of seconds, the figure only barely resembled a man.
"Shoot to kill!" Anderson cried. "Now, while you still can!"
The soldiers replied with a hail of gunfire, but their efforts were in vain. The new metahuman's transformation had already completed and their arsenal had no effect on the hulking figure's gray skin.
Striding to an outside wall, the transformed Eiling easily punched through the concrete to provide an egress. One of the braver of the squad tried to sneak up on the monstrosity but failed – and soon found himself gripped around the torso with one gigantic hand.
"D-don't kill me," the man pleaded as he was held out over a ten-story drop.
"I'm not going to kill you, soldier," Eiling replied. "You're just doing your job." Tossing the man back inside, the creature took a gigantic leap and sailed out into the night sky.
"And now I'm going to do mine," he added to no one in particular.
After finishing the 'fast food' – a term Harry still could not comprehend, seeing as how it took nearly twenty minutes to obtain – the wizard decided to explore the western end of Metropolis. Throwing away his meal's refuse – and carefully pocketing the plastic action figure -, Harry left the restaurant and walked through the maze of streets that was Metropolis. Ultimately, his exploration landed Harry in the old business district where his senses were assaulted by a series of strange smells and odd sights.
Feeling a sudden onset of déjà vu, Harry pushed the door open and entered what appeared to be a large curio shop.
"Hello, Mr. Black!" a short man behind the counter called out as Harry entered.
The wizard in question jerked his head in the other man's direction and glared at the source of the interjection. "Bloody shopkeepers," he cursed under his breath. In a louder tone, Harry nearly growled, "Shopkeeper, I wonder what the chances are that I get kicked to the other side of the multi-verse only to run into one of you people again! How many cousins do you have, man?"
"I admit, we are one of the larger families of old," the shopkeeper replied.
"I'll say," Harry grumbled to himself while silently cursing Cassandra's reproductive tendencies. "So why am I here?" he demanded of the man after a few moments of silence.
"I'm sorry?" the man asked innocently. "Whatever do you mean?"
"Don't you think it an amazing coincidence that I land clear in another dimension, start wandering in one of the largest cities in the world, and just so happen to stumble upon yet another one of Cassandra's many… many spawn?" Harry demanded crossly.
"Definitely strange," the man replied in a suddenly nervous fashion. "I mean, I'm just here to meet this dimension's more… arcane needs, after all. Yeah, that's right. Just an honest job. Hehehe."
"And I suppose that you're planning on sending me on a wild goose chase or twenty as well?" Harry queried sharply.
"Of course not!" the shopkeeper said shakily. "No questing stuff here," he added while kicking a bag further underneath the counter. "Just the common everyday items: potion ingredients, invisibility cloaks, black dragonhide gauntlets that contain magical cores to allow for hands-free spell casting and sub-dimensional pockets to contain unlimited weaponry, brass cauldrons…"
"Wait!" Harry interrupted. "What was that last bit?"
"Oh, the brass cauldrons?" the man inquired helpfully. "Size 2 with extra thick bottoms; great for brewing-"
"No, before that!" Harry stated irritably.
"Oh!" he said in an enlightened tone. "The battle mage gauntlets. Some wizard who liked fighting hand-to-hand with both spells and steel made them a few centuries back. He stashed his swords, knives, staffs, and whatnot in the gloves and could call any weapon to hand instantly with no more than a thought. Made spell casting a whole lot easier too – or so I've been told."
"Sounds useful," Harry grudgingly admitted. "Why hasn't someone purchased them already?"
"Did I mention that the wizard was a Parselmouth," the old man asked while grinning smugly, "and charmed them so they would only work for another Parselmouth?"
"How… convenient," Harry said through gritted teeth. "And just how much would such a… unique pair of items cost me?"
"Oh, for such old items as these…?" the other man asked in a satisfied manner. "I could just let you have them – I'm not likely to find anyone else that can use them, after all – but…"
Harry sighed. "But…?"
"Well…," the man hesitated, "there are these maps, you see…"
"I knew it!" Harry growled.
"Hey, there're just old maps," the man protested. "It's not like you'd have to go search out Avalon and discover their forgotten healing and shapeshifting techniques or anything."
"Shapeshifting?" Harry queried despite himself. The Animagus book he had read the previous day had briefly discussed how the ancient mages could assume most any form but went on to explain that such knowledge had been lost to the ravages of time.
"Oh, yes," the man nodded rapidly, "the Avalonians were talented in many areas, but especially in Shapeshifting. The legends say that some Avalonians could change into any form they wished - be it animal or person, unlike today's limited Metamorphmagi and Animagi."
"I see…" Harry deliberated, privately intrigued at this new route of following in the Marauders' footsteps. "How much?"
"Let's say… ten galleons for the maps and gauntlets," the man decided.
Harry nodded sharply. "Done," he agreed before passing over the coins. Grabbing the bag containing Avalon's location and his new accessories, Harry left the shop. Stepping into an adjacent alley, Harry quickly slid on the dragonhide bracers and began stowing his weaponry. Once he had transferred his arsenal, the wizard willed Major Black's sword to appear. As the shopkeeper promised, the desired implement of destruction immediately slid into his hand.
Smiling cheerfully, Harry pointed his other hand at some scattered trashcans and tried to wordlessly levitate them – which also worked… after a fashion. The waste receptacles did indeed leave the ground – that much was certain. Unfortunately, his new protective gear seemed to pack quite a magical kick as the aforementioned containers took off like lit bottle rockets.
Wincing as he heard a suspicious noise – where 'suspicious noise' is the arbitrary definition of the racket one would achieve by sending several metal containers colliding at high velocity into an automobile equipped with an alarm system several blocks away - Harry pointed at another piece of debris and tried again. This time, Harry consciously tried to limit the amount of magic he was channeling with great success. In fact, this method resulted in absolutely no property damage.
Harry's smile widened further as he summarized his new purchases with one word.
"Wicked!"
Courtney set off another batch of fireworks from her staff to the accompaniment of cheering from the crowd. Once the last sparkles faded, she flew back down to hover near Vigilante.
"Stargirl, ladies and gentlemen," the cowboy called out in a showman's voice, "the All-American sweetheart."
"Wow!" Courtney congratulated the masked hero. "You really know how to work a crowd."
"Shoot!" he said easily, "If I had brung my guitar, I'd have 'em eating out of my hand." Throttling his motorcycle, Vigilante sped up to where Shining Knight was riding his horse.
"And what have you got to say to the Shining Knight?" Vigilante called out to the crowd. "Sir Justin's a real live knight from back in the times of King Arthur and them!"
While the crowd chattered in awe to one another, Justin mentioned - in a low voice -, "Friend, I am no mare at auction."
As the knight made to pass the cowboy, Vigilante slapped the winged mount – causing the horse to take to the skies. "How about Sir Justin's horse, Winged Victory? And his magical sword, given to him by Merlin the magician hisself."
Justin sighed at the over-the-top introduction but drew the enchanted blade for the crowd's inspection regardless – to the accompaniment of more cheering. Before the cowboy could continue his speech, however, the festivities were interrupted by a hulking gray figure plummeting out of the sky. The humanoid form collided with the Justice League's float, causing the civilians to scatter and the leaguers to prepare for battle.
"Freeze!" one of the police officers ordered while leveling his pistol in a two-handed grip at the monster in their midst. The rest of the police force encircled the creature and followed suit.
"I'd listen to the man," Green Arrow seconded as he readied an arrow.
"Where's Superman?" Eiling demanded while casually holding a giant piece of the destroyed float over his head.
"Busy," Oliver rejoined sarcastically, "can I help you?"
"Yeah," Wade rebutted, "hold this for me." The gathered heroes scattered as several hundred pounds of wood was suddenly lobbed where they had been standing moments before. Courtney tried to catch the projectile with her staff but failed and was buried in the rubble.
"Open fire!" the police captain ordered. The officers followed the command – to no obvious effect.
"Go ahead, boys, pour it on," Eiling boasted. "I can take it!" The League joined their efforts to that of the police department's in the form of a hail of arrows, missiles, bullets, and a charging knight sweeping down from the sky.
The unnatural juggernaut met the latter threat with a hail of thrown cars that, although failing to hit Sir Justin directly, managed to get rid of him all the same when the knight hurried to rescue the individuals in harm's way.
A small group of kids joined the resistance by throwing rocks and other bits of debris at the hulking monster. "Take off, ya big wuss!" one of the braver children called as he lobbed a broken piece of lumber.
Vigilante caught sight of them, however, and came running to cover them.
"Where's your parents?" the cowboy demanded.
"I don't know," one of the boys answered. "Run off, I guess."
Vigilante knelt down and got their attention. "Listen, I need you fellers to do a very important job," he informed, "so you're all my deputies." He threw one hand towards a group of gawking civilians at the edge of the battlefield and ordered, "Now go ride herd on that crowd and get them to somewhere safe!"
"Yes, sir!" they shouted before racing off to do their new errand.
The cowboy rejoined the fray just as the behemoth charged a group of police officers. "I mean it!" the creature interjected. "Get Superman and tell him that General Wade Eiling wants a word with him!"
"Eiling?" Green Arrow echoed. "Cadmus?"
"What happened?" S.T.R.I.P.E. demanded. "That beat down you got last year leave you with Superman issues?"
Eiling reached out and encompassed the robot with one hand, then slammed the other figure into the ground. "He's your poster boy," the creature supplied. "I'm gonna show the Justice League that you're not the only superpower on the block, that there's someone who can stop you. I'm here to protect them from you!"
Dugan broke free from Eiling's grip and rocketed into the sky before reversing his direction and charging towards the monster. Unfortunately, Eiling leaped into the air and caught the robot with a vicious punch, the shockwave from which breaking several of the nearby windows and created several more hazards for the people on the ground.
Green Arrow ducked out of the way of the barrage and keyed his communicator for the Watchtower. "Mr. Terrific, we need backup!"
"Everybody's in play somewhere else," the controller replied. "Everybody. I'll see if I can scrounge a few reserve Leaguers.
The archer huffed in irritation and rejoined the fight, which mostly consisted of an aerial battle between the monster and the robot – with the robot taking most of the damage. Eiling finally managed to knock S.T.R.I.P.E. to the ground and proceeded to pound the suit to pieces. "I'll give you issues," the monster growled as he peeled back the armored plating and prepared to deliver a punch to Dugan's unprotected torso.
Fortunately for the Leaguer, however, a rather large wrecking ball suddenly interrupted Eiling's plan. One of Vigilante's 'deputies' had apparently snuck into the adjacent construction site and succeeded in activating the heavy duty equipment. Before the child could make another pass, however, Eiling had recovered and was attempting to remove the demolition crane's supports.
Dugan recovered enough to fire his suit's jets and body check the juggernaut before he could do anymore damage. Regrettably, Eiling had already wrought considerable destruction and the support beams gave way, sending the juvenile operator sailing out of the cab and into a steep plummet.
Vigilante had noticed this impending catastrophe, however, and reacted accordingly. Revving his bike, the cowboy shot up an impromptu ramp – namely, a large piece of debris - and jumped the construction yard's wreckage just in time to snag the boy before he hit the ground.
While Vigilante took his cargo out of danger's path, S.T.R.I.P.E. and his stepdaughter - who had finally recovered from her earlier mishap - tried to keep the titan at bay. Unfortunately, their efforts proved no more effective than before. The cowboy saw this and, once his errand was complete, rode straight for the creature. Timing the maneuver precisely, he called out to Courtney to get clear. As soon as she complied, Vigilante leaped off the speeding motorcycle. As the abandoned vehicle approached Eiling, Vigilante drew both pistols and fired into its fuel tank – creating an explosion powerful enough to knock the monstrosity off its feet and give S.T.R.I.P.E. and Stargirl some breathing room.
Having experimented with the array of features on his new gauntlets in the vacant alleys, Harry was preparing to Apparate back to the Watchtower when a large explosion caught his attention. Looking around, the wizard sighted columns of smoke emanating from the other side of town. Summoning all of his weapons back to their new holsters, the newest League member mounted his pet Pooka and took flight towards the source of the disturbance.
Eiling climbed back to his feet. "Ya lousy bush Leaguers," he cursed. "I'm running out of patience!"
"You, too?" Courtney demanded cockily. Wrapping the creature in an energy lasso, the heroine lifted Eiling into the air. "We're taking this somewhere else! Haven't you ever heard of innocent bystanders?"
"Ever hear of 'acceptable losses'?" he replied. "You can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs. This country's halfway down the toilet because of you super-powered types."
"For the record," Courtney stated, "I don't have powers, Potty Mouth! It's the staff."
Hearing everything he needed, Eiling grabbed the glowing cord and used it to sling Stargirl into a downward arc. Once she struck the ground and lost her concentration, Eiling's bonds disappeared and he came crashing back to terra firma. Grabbing her by her head and lifting her off the ground, Eiling growled, "In that case, Miss, you're just another egg."
"Face, Villain!" Shining Knight cried as he swooped in with drawn sword. "Have you no shame?" Jumping from his winged mount, Sir Justin managed to slice the monster's forearm with his enchanted blade.
The damage was minimal, however, and only served to make himself the brute's target. Eiling punched Sir Justin with the damaged arm and sent the knight crashing into a nearby building.
While his back was turned, Vigilante and Green Arrow rearmed themselves and jumped back into the fight. "You hit him high – I'll hit him low," Vigilante offered.
"Whatever!" Arrow growled in response as another barrage of arrows and bullets were launched. As before, their attack succeeded only in drawing Eiling's attention – which took the form of a powerful stomp, generating flying debris and demolished street pavement.
"Vig!" Oliver called out when he saw the cowboy failing to rise from the last assault.
"Found your reinforcements, G.A.," Mr. Terrific's voice said over the League's communication link. "I'm teleporting them in now."
"Got that," Oliver replied, "Thank's, T." Turning to the waiting Eiling, the archer yelled, "Well, you wanted Superman. Now you got…" the blurred figures resolved, "the Crimson Avenger and my ex-sidekick?" The archer uttered the latter part with disbelief.
"Ex-partner!" Speedy corrected shortly.
"Speedy," Oliver cut in, "do we have to do this now?"
"Whoo, now I'm scared!" Wade Eiling said sarcastically. Crimson Avenger answered the retort with a stream of tear gas, which actually affected the monster for a few moments – before the creature clapped his hands together with enough force to dispel the cloud and sent the trio off their feet from the resulting shockwave.
"Ollie," Speedy asked as Eiling approached their position, "how many guys has he taken out?"
"That would be all of them," Green Arrow answered as the two archers began pelting the advancing figure with arrows.
"You spoiled rich little twerp," Eiling growled.
"I think he means me," Oliver quipped.
"Oh," Speedy countered, "for a second, I was all mad."
"Still got your quantum arrow?" Oliver asked as the two exhausted their quivers' supplies.
Speedy looked over his shoulder and answered, "Yeah, but you said-"
"This is an emergency!" Green Arrow interrupted, drawing the last arrow from behind his back. The two archers launched the quantum bolts in tandem, forming an energy bolo as the two arrows flew towards their target. The weapons connected, erupting in a blinding explosion that sent both humans off their feet and covered 'ground zero' in a dust cloud.
As they watched to see what effect this latest assault had, the two were dumbstruck as Eiling came waltzing out of the fog apparently unaffected by their combined attack.
"We are so dead!" Speedy finally announced.
"Could be," Green Arrow admitted. The two archers began a desperate charge forward, but were grabbed by Eiling's superior reach and casually flung into two parked cars.
"Superman, you coward!" the behemoth bellowed. "All your men are down and you won't even show your face!"
"He cannot hear even your bellowing, Monster!" Sir Justin called out as he limped through the rubble. "As we speak, Superman rescues an entire star system a universe away. Do your worst," the knight challenged, "for I will not let you harm another."
"I do what I do in service to my country," Eiling countered.
Shining Knight brought his sword to attention and continued, "Once, at the word of my Lord King Arthur, I was ordered to lay waste to an entire village. I knew my king's heart could not be so unjust, so I spared them all."
"Then you're a lousy soldier," Eiling accused and punched the knight back a dozen paces.
"There it is," Sir Justin gasped, "the creeping moral decay of the past thousand years."
He unsteadily charged forward again while swinging his sword, but Eiling easily dodged the strike.
"Arthur thanked me, oaf!" the armored warrior spat. "Had I been wrong, I would have handed over my sword and left the court in shame."
He charged forward again sword first, but the crude mockery of a man caught the blade and used it to sling Justin several feet away from him.
"Save yourself a hospital stay," Eiling grumbled as he stalked towards the slowly rising knight, "and stand down. That magic armor won't help you."
"Perhaps not, but I will," a cold voice announced right before a red bolt of light slammed into Eiling and flung him a hundred yards. Harry jumped off the descending Pooka's back and helped the knight back to his feet. Recognizing the man from the League's member reports, Harry greeted, "Well met, Sir Justin. If I may…?"
Before the bruised knight could utter a word, the wizard had already cast a basic healing charm. Feeling much better, the Shining Knight looked at his rescuer's face and the accompanying ghostly stallion and asked, "Who are you, strange Sir Knight? Do I know you?"
"You might, Sir Justin," Harry replied. "My name is Black." Catching Eiling slowly stalking towards them again, Harry hit the creature with a Reductor curse – which did a much more admirable job of keeping the behemoth down than his previous Banishing charm. Just for spite, he flicked one hand and levitated the figure off the ground to prevent it from escaping. Turning back to the slack-jawed knight, Harry asked, "What has happened here?"
"That rogue assaulted our party and indulged in knavish actions," Shining Knight replied in disgusted tones. "The seven of us have been trying to subdue the fiend without success."
Harry suddenly caught sight of Courtney's battered form lying on the ground and Apparated to her side. Seeing her chest still rising and falling regularly – if a trifle tenderly -, Harry let out the breath he was holding and cast the same healing charm on her that he had used on the knight. As her eyes opened and she struggled to rise, Harry picked her up and carried her to where Green Arrow and the remaining Leaguers were congregating while gesturing with his head for the armored man to join them.
"Thanks," the blonde girl in his arms said weakly. Her eyes suddenly widened as her mind assimilated the last few minutes of the battle. "Wait! My father… is he-?"
"I will tend to him, Courtney," Harry said reassuringly. "Just wait here."
"Thank you, T!" Green Arrow cheered. "We've needed a heavy hitter! Where've you been?"
Harry looked mildly confused. "The other side of town," the wizard answered, "having lunch and doing some shopping."
Several of the others seemed incredulous. "Didn't Mr. Terrific call your communicator?" Arrow demanded.
"What communicator?" Harry asked blankly as he helped Courtney to stand on her own.
The emerald archer suddenly smacked himself in the face. "You mean… we've had a super-strong magic user in our back pocket and have been gettin' our butts handed to us… all because some genius forgot to give you a freakin' walkie talkie?"
Harry just looked at the man with a slight smile and nodded once. "It's nice to meet you gentlemen," the wizard directed towards Vigilante, Crimson Avenger, and Speedy, "but I promised the little lady that I'd check in with the walking refrigerator."
"Our comrade lies in yonder refuse," Sir Justin informed the wizard while gesturing to the demolition site behind them.
"Right," Harry acknowledged, "back in a sec." The mage Apparated out of sight - much to the disbelief from the Leaguers not yet 'in the know'.
"Ollie… who was that?" Speedy asked slowly.
"That, Speedy, is Mr. Black," Green Arrow supplied. "Imagine the offspring of Batman and Wonder Woman with a little Zatanna thrown in, and you've pretty much got him pegged."
"Ah… got ya," Speedy nodded warily while watching the strange man's destination. A sudden snort from behind them caused several of the gathered heroes to start. "What in the world is that?" the youthful bowman demanded while pointing at Mortis, who had also joined the party without anyone noticing.
"Oh, that's Mortis," Courtney supplied easily. "He's Mr. Black's ghost horse."
"And why's that old curly wolf got hisself a dead horse?" Vigilante demanded while looking over the creature.
"Maybe because he's the Grim Reaper, and a pale ghost horse is part of the deal?" she suggested sarcastically.
"Say again?" Green Arrow demanded. "I think I lost something in the translation."
"Mr. Black is the personification of Death," the girl said slowly. "We were on a mission a few days ago and I saw him with the hooded robe and scythe and everything."
"Still," Sir Justin spoke up, "just because a man wields an unusual weapon does not necessarily indicate a supernatural origin. In fact, I once knew a great knight who wielded all forms of weaponry including the scythe." The knight's pallor seemed to fade.
"What is it, partner?" the cowboy asked when Sir Justin failed to continue.
"The knight I speak of served only the people and bowed to no king," Shining Knight said in reply. "Unlike the many brigands who cowardly blackened their devices before engaging in savagery, this legendary knight bore no markings because of his pledge to guard all peoples, not merely a province. It was even suggested by some that he possessed supernatural powers, for he was never defeated in battle."
"So…?" Green Arrow prompted. "What's your point?"
"He was known only as the Black Knight," Sir Justin explained.
"Uh huh," Oliver said. "Gotcha."
"I think that there hard case done hit you upside the head once too many," Vigilante exclaimed. "Just 'cause he's got magic powers and a ghost horse don't make him the danged Grim Reaper or some long-dead legendary knight."
"Perhaps, friend," Sir Justin allowed, "but I feel something familiar about the fellow."
Reappearing in the construction lot, Harry found the white robotic figure quickly. Seeing Pat's chest still moving regularly encouraged the wizard to hit Pat with the same healing charm that had proven so effective with the others.
The incumbent machine began to twitch as Pat's voice came over the speaker. "Mr. Black…? I was wondering if I'd see you. So… am I dead yet?"
Harry shook his head. "Sorry to disappoint, my friendly overgrown toaster, but you're very much alive. Your daughter sent me to check up on you."
"You've seen Courtney?" the mecha repeated and seemed to tense. "She's not dead… is she?"
"No," Harry replied with a smile, "she's quite alive as well. I've already seen to the others' injuries so let's get you operational, shall we?"
Dugan looked at the diagnostic displays. "I can't. That monster's crippled most of my systems – the repairs will take days to have me running again."
Harry smiled mischievously. "I was thinking of something a little faster," he admitted to the other man before hitting the suit with a silent Reparo. The older man watched in amazement as pieces of his fractured battle armor flew to him and reattached themselves. As each new piece jumped back into place, the mecha pilot could observe his status displays progressively clear the warnings. In a few moments, his operating system informed him that the suit was in optimal condition.
"I… think that did it," Dugan finally responded. "How did you do that?"
Harry just shrugged. "It was just a simple little trick - hardly awe inspiring."
As the robotic suit regained its footing, Pat Dugan could not help but disagree with the wizard's assessment.
Harry began walking and beckoned the other man to follow him. "Shall we meet up with the others, then?" The pair walked back over to the League's congregation. "Alright," Harry started once everyone had gathered around, "now that everyone's present and accounted for… what exactly happened here?"
"Well, that guy," Oliver pointed over at the thrashing gray giant with the scorched hole in his chest, "used to be a General Wade Eiling from Cadmus."
"Funny," Harry said idly while watching as the person in question flailed his limbs helplessly, "I always pictured him as being more… human."
"Yeah… we're not sure what's up with that," the archer agreed. "Anyway, he comes barging in here, throws stuff around, and keeps yelling for Superman to come face him."
"Didn't you tell him that Big Blue is out of the solar system at the moment?" the wizard inquired.
"Indeed," Sir Justin confirmed, "however, the knave's strategy seems to be putting the innocent in harm's way until Superman reveals himself."
"Really…?" Harry drew out menacingly. "And why does he want to see Superman so badly?"
"Apparently, to save all these people from the nasty metahumans," Courtney muttered sarcastically.
Harry looked confused. "I didn't think any of you were a metahuman," he finally offered.
"That doesn't seem to make much of a difference where he's concerned," Green Arrow noted while jerking a thumb in Eiling's direction.
"I see…," the wizard acknowledged before summoning his newest sword from its wrist-mounted housing. Once the blade was in his hand, however, it began to glow again. "That's quite enough of that, thank you very much!" Harry chastised the weapon before forcing it to stop illuminating.
"Sorry about that," he told the others while they were rubbing their eyes, "I think the crazy thing wants to be a torch when it grows up or something. Anyway," the wizard continued, "do any of you mind if I cut in?" he asked suggestively.
"Please… be our guest," Oliver Queen offered with a grandiose bow.
Harry bowed his head in reply. "Thank you," he verbalized before instructing the patiently waiting Pooka to search the wreckage for trapped survivors. With that chore delegated, the wizard spun on his heels and strode towards the suspended gray menace.
"That was my Lord King Arthur's sword, I am sure of it!" the Shining Knight exclaimed as the other man passed out of hearing range.
"That was Excalibur?" Speedy questioned eagerly, simultaneously showing his fascination of the medieval legend.
"Nay, my young friend," Sir Justin disagreed, "though some folk have called it such. The true Excalibur was broken by my Lord in battle, whereupon Merlin the Enchanter took Arthur to the Lady of the Lake. At Merlin's behest, she bestowed upon him a new weapon for a time. Upon being mortally wounded, Arthur ordered the blade returned to the Lady until one worthy of its power came to claim it. Apparently, Sir Black is such a man."
"But if this Mr. Black has it… does that mean that he's the new Arthur or something?" the youthful bowman pressed.
"I am… unsure as to his true identity," the knight admitted. "I will admit a passing resemblance between our new comrade and my Lord, however. It is most intriguing that he greeted me in the manner of old friends as well."
"I suspect that both his and that sword's origin goes much further than that," Pat Dugan commented as he kept watch on their 'backup'.
The others seemed unable to follow his train of thought. "What do you mean, my friend?" Sir Justin inquired.
"Do you remember the accounts of the Garden of Eden?" the mecha inquired. "Specifically, the events following the Fall of Man?"
"Verily," the knight replied, "why do you…" The armored man blinked repeatedly before continuing, "Surely you jest…"
"What?" Courtney demanded.
"The Bible details what happened after Adam and Eve were exiled from Eden," Pat answered his stepdaughter's inquiry. "After their banishment was executed, God placed a cherub with a flaming sword to guard the way to the Tree of Life to prevent any human from returning."
"Umm…" the young girl hesitated, "in that case, wouldn't it – and he - still be there?"
"Good point," Green Arrow noted.
"Not necessarily," the robotic suit disagreed. "According to the Eastern Orthodox tradition, the flaming sword was removed from the Garden of Eden after the birth of Christ to make it possible for humanity to re-enter Paradise."
"What are you saying?" the archer demanded. "That this immortal guardian got laid off from his security job, then decided to loan his sword to King Arthur and take up soul reaping for a hobby? Be serious!" he chastised. "I mean, that's pushing it even by our standards!"
"Well, the people of my time did consider the Lady's sword a gift from Heaven," Shining Knight admitted. "Truly, it was a weapon of unmatched power."
"Well, whoever he is, he's fixin' to get into it with that coyote," Vigilante interrupted while pointing. "Shouldn't we be rustlin' up a plan?"
"Truthfully, my friend, be he the Black Knight or someone even more distinguished, that rogue poses no threat to a warrior of his caliber," Shining Knight declared.
"All the same," Green Arrow decided, "we should probably stay on hand." He jogged off to join the wizard, inviting the others to do likewise.
Harry casually walked up to the invisibly suspended Eiling and said, "So, you'd be the hypocritical git Wade Eiling, then?"
"Let me down from here and I'll shake your hand," the gray figure growled.
"In a minute," Harry promised. "Now, first things first. I hear that you've been looking for Superman. Why?"
"Superman and your Justice League are a threat to a safe and stable world," Eiling stated as he renewed his attempts to escape his intangible prison. "Now let me go."
"So," Harry mused humorously, "you think that killing Superman will keep the world safe?" He made a show of looking around at the wary crowd and large-scale property damage. "I'm curious… how does harming these innocent people fit in with your plan for global security?"
"They're just collateral damage," Eiling replied. "I'm not the menace – the metahumans are! Super-powered beings."
Harry nodded indulgently. "I see. Well, this section of town seems to be pretty well trashed, and the only 'super-powered beings' around here are the two of us – and I just got here."
"He has a point," Oliver Queen quipped as the others approached.
"In this world, power is the only thing that matters," Eiling directed towards the blonde archer. "You and these other no-named heroes… you're just people. In the great scheme of things, nothing you do has the least bit of significance."
"I've heard this spiel before, and it's just as invalid now as it was then," Harry said darkly while memories of Voldemort's taunts on the pursuit of power filled his mind. "Power is merely a means to an end, not an end itself."
The wizard paused for a second before speaking again, his voice even more intense than before. "And you're wrong, you know," Harry informed the man seriously. "These seven may have been born without superhuman abilities… but they possess a strength you sorely lack. Despite the overwhelming odds and the very real likelihood of their own demise, they chose to do what was right instead of what was easy. And that kind of power, Wade Eiling, can change the world."
"I'll waste you and a billion like you," Eiling bellowed, "before I let any power rival America's!"
Harry sighed at the evident lost cause. "No, you won't," he answered quietly and released Eiling's bonds. "Since you refuse to listen to reason, we'll do this the old-fashioned way. You wanted a fight to the finish against a freakishly strong opponent; you shall have one."
The wizard gave the drawn sword a little wave. "Shall we?"
As the behemoth charged forward, Harry whipped his sword in an upward arc before sheathing it in his gauntlet. Eiling stopped short of ramming the group and stared at the wizard in confusion for a moment before his eyes lost focus. A thin line of crimson blossomed on the creature's countenance, spanning from its left ear, across the cheek, and finally ending near the neck on the other side. Fully half of the monster's skull slid off an instant later, creating a morbid thud as it contacted the ground. The rest of Eiling's body remained erect for a moment more, then toppled backward to land with a crash amid the blood and debris.
"I think President Abraham Lincoln said it best," Pat Dugan said through his robotic faceplate. "'Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.'"
"Well," Harry finally offered, "I guess he failed, then."
A sudden arrival of three large transport helicopters in the distance preempted any reply to Harry's painfully obvious observation.
"Great!" Oliver complained. "What now?"
The three aircraft flew over the group before two of their number circled back. Throwing open their doors, the vessels began disgorging armed troops. These soldiers rapidly secured the area, both by keeping the crowd back and keeping a close eye on the Leaguers and their recently deceased adversary. After a few moments, one of the more decorated troopers reported into a communications unit and, after a short exchange, the third helicopter landed. One of the closest troopers rolled back the door to reveal a short, dark-skinned woman disembarking from the transport.
"Waller, too?" the blonde archer rhetorically demanded. "Oh, this just keeps gettin' better and better!"
"I think, my friend, that you spoke too soon," Shining Knight counseled. Following the armored hand to the source of his comment, the gathered heroes watched as an older version of Kara In-Ze followed the much shorter woman out of the helicopter.
"This is just peachy!" Courtney complained. "Another round with Miss 'I'm gonna trash your space station' is just what we need!"
"Look on the bright side," Vigilante commented, "at least their critters ain't shootin' us."
The two women approached the other group with their 'guard' in tow. Amanda Waller shot a seemingly disappointed look at Eiling's remains before turning her attention to the Leaguers closely eyeing her escort.
Before any of the new arrivals could speak, however, Courtney decided to start venting. "So, I guess that Cadmus is still playing with genetic engineering, huh, Waller? Is the fact that your latest plaything went berserk why you brought this failed science project back to life?" she demanded insultingly with a sharp nod in the taller blonde-haired woman's direction.
"Stargirl, enough!" Harry barked. Once the other teenager seemed to have regained control of her tongue, the wizard turned his attention to the insulted duo. "First things first," he instructed while holding out his hand to the short woman. "My name is-"
"Mr. Black," Waller interrupted confidently. "D.C.'s been hearing a lot of… interesting things about the League's newest addition. I am-"
This time Harry interrupted. "Amanda Waller, former head of Project Cadmus and current Director of the Department for Metahuman Affairs. I've received a lot of… disconcerting information about you as well."
Leaving the politician to ponder for a moment, Harry turned his attention to the other woman. "And you must be Gallatea," the wizard continued, "Kara's… sister."
"You mean 'clone'?" the woman asked irritably.
Harry shrugged. "Just because your existence began in an unusual manner doesn't mean that the two of you aren't sisters. And, just between us," he added, "my upbringing wasn't exactly traditional either."
"Shall we get to the matter at hand, then?" Waller prompted none-too-subtlety. "What happened here?"
"Eiling showed up looking like this approximately ten minutes ago," S.T.R.I.P.E. replied. "He immediately engaged us and, as a result, endangered the lives of the gathered civilians. His stated goal was the elimination of all metahumans; I believe that he intended this ordeal to lure Superman to his demise."
"I see," she offered a few minutes later. Turning to one of the attending soldiers, Waller briefly ordered, "Get him out of here." Returning her attention to the group, the squat director demanded, "So… who gave him the haircut?"
"That would be me," Harry admitted. "He was completely out of control, totally irrational, and posed a significant threat to numerous innocent lives – so I stopped him."
"I was under the impression that the serum he illegally obtained would have made him invulnerable to most physical attacks," she noted idly.
Harry just shrugged, unconcerned. "I have a lot of experience with stopping overpowered psychopaths. Besides, my associates here wore him down beforehand, so I was able to take him down without much fuss."
A loud whinny drew the wizard's attention towards the wreckage. Mortis was standing in front of ruined van and stamping his front hoof at a large piece of debris lying atop the vehicle.
Realizing what the Pooka was indicating, Harry stretched out one hand and Vanished the rubble. Now that the trapped occupants were revealed, the wizard hit the side of the automobile with another Vanishing charm to create an egress for the entrapped family.
The Pooka gave a reassuring snicker before continuing his reconnaissance duty.
Chore finished, Harry turned back to the others and cleared his throat to gain their attention.
"So," Green Arrow continued a few moments later, "what exactly brings the former Director of Cadmus way out here? I didn't take you for a field general, too."
"Besides ensuring that General Eiling's actions did not lead to a major catastrophe?" the dark-skinned woman responded. "I have a… request of the League to make."
"And that would be…?" the archer prompted.
"We have finished removing the… conditioning that once plagued Gallatea, and both her physical and psychological rehabilitation is complete," she answered. "I wanted to present my request – in person – for the League to consider inducting her. Think of it as a chance to redeem her self."
"Right…" Oliver drawled sarcastically, "and if her mind job is as bad the number you did on Doomsday and she decides to blow us to bits again?"
Shining Knight looked contemplative. "If the maiden was truly ensorcelled," he finally decided, "then it would be unjust to hold her accountable for the actions of another."
"Darn tootin'!" Vigilante seconded. "It twernt exactly a hog-killin' time for me either, but it ain't right ta leave her in the calaboose for a wrong she ain't done."
"For goodness sake!" Courtney nearly screamed. "She almost killed Kara and Steel, and nearly blew up the Watchtower and the majority of the League! I mean, c'mon!"
"I think we're getting a little ahead of ourselves," Pat commented. Addressing his next statement to the two women, he added, "We'll pass your request on to the senior members; they have the final call on stuff like this."
"Oh, this is gonna end well," Oliver groaned as he keyed his communicator. "T, you better call in the brass. There's been a… complication."
'Why do all our meetings go off on tangents like this?' Clark silently demanded to whatever entity wished to listen. The six available senior League members had received an emergency summons from the Watchtower a mere few hours ago with instructions to return to base with all possible haste. The Kryptonian complied and, a record-breaking intersystem trip later, found himself swept up in a whirlwind of activity.
On the surface, the issue seemed so simple. In fact, it closely mirrored his earlier interactions with Darkseid. Like himself, Gallatea's mind had been superseded and subsequently used to commit heinous acts. Once she had been properly deprogrammed, however, the cloned woman expressed an interest in assisting the organization that she had been forced to assault – just as he did.
Unfortunately, most of the inner council did not view the issue in those terms, which inexorably led to the current ruckus monopolizing the emergency meeting. Finally growing tired of the racket, the Man of Steel gave a shrill whistle to gain the others' attention.
"Listen, I know that several of you have valid reasons to be cautious – I'm not disagreeing with you," the last Son of Krypton announced into the newfound silence. "I'm just saying that I know where she is right now emotionally, and she deserves a chance to redeem herself – for her own sake, if nothing else."
"How do we know that she's completely re-conditioned?" John demanded. "The same techniques that Cadmus used on her were used with Doomsday, and I'm sure you remember how well that debacle turned out for us."
"Like I said, that's a good reason for showing caution," Clark admitted. "However, we should keep in mind that the fault for her actions does not lie with her. She was a victim in that situation even more than we were."
"I'm not sure that Kara and Steel would agree with you," Batman pointed out gruffly.
"You'd be surprised," Clark disagreed. "After everyone learned just what Cadmus had done to her, Kara felt terrible for hurting Gallatea as she did. I think she still has an occasional nightmare about the battle."
"Steel feels much the same way," Diana supplied. "His armor prevented him from taking too much damage, and he did not take the assault personally."
"Hey, not that I'm against us getting another super babe – sorry about that, Supes -," Wally spoke up when he realized the relation between Metropolis' son and the potential new recruit, "but don't you think a lot of folks are gonna be a little upset about the whole 'blow up the Watchtower' bit?"
Shayera looked thoughtful for a moment before she added her opinion to the meeting. "We can tell those who are really worried about her being here that we just want to keep an eye on her. If she's on the level, then she'll prove herself trustworthy eventually. Remember, this is the voice of experience speaking, after all."
"We still need to have some sort of countermeasure in place in the event she goes rogue," Batman insisted, "and be prepared to use them if necessary."
"What more can we do?" Superman replied. "We've already installed automatically-triggered red sun lamps throughout the corridors, you still carry around that Kryptonite ring, and we have several A-level metahumans that can contain her if necessary. Even if I'm off-station, we still have Diana, Kara, or Mr. Black."
Taking Batman's continued silence to mean tacit agreement, Clark looked to the others and asked, "So, are we agreed to give Gallatea a chance to prove herself trustworthy, with the proviso that she will be under supervision until her trustworthiness can be verified?"
"I'm in favor," Diana seconded.
"Sure. I'm in," Shayera added.
"John?" Clark asked after a few seconds' worth of silence.
"Fine. I agree," the Green Lantern finally admitted.
"Bruce?" the Kryptonian prompted the only member present that hadn't yet voted.
"I'll allow that it will be easier to monitor her conduct if she is kept close at hand," Batman finally submitted. "Even if she doesn't present an immediate physical threat, she may still be intended as a security leak for Waller."
"Okay, the motion passes," Superman announced, "and we'll be sure to monitor her behavior. Now, the next item on the agenda is the confrontation with Eiling in downtown Metropolis. The late general seems to have stolen an experimental chemical cocktail from the old Cadmus headquarters. Apparently, this drug was created during World War II when the Nazis were attempting to create super soldiers. Eiling tore up a good section of town and endangered countless lives before he was finally stopped."
The others flipped through their copies of the summary as they scanned the highlights of the confrontation. Diana was the first to voice the question they all had on their minds.
"Why were only seven non-powered Leaguers dispatched to cover a threat of this magnitude?" the Amazon demanded.
"Mr. Terrific informs me that everyone was already in play elsewhere," Clark responded. "It is fortunate that Mr. Black happened upon them. The alternative could have been very messy."
"I somehow doubt that it was entirely chance," John announced. "I'd imagine that the potential carnage for such an altercation would be fairly noticeable to the Grim Reaper."
"If that's really who he is," Flash announced as he quickly read the rest of the report at an accelerated pace. "Pat's thinking that his neato glowing sword thing means that Mr. Black's really the guardian angel from the Garden of Eden. The guy's got a point; you gotta admit that B's a lot nicer than what you'd think Death would be like."
"Of course, this theory of Sir Justin's bears thought as well," Diana admitted. "Even my people heard murmurings of the supposedly invincible Black Knight. Perhaps there is more to the story than just idle gossip and good fortune…"
"Not to mention the possibility of a reincarnated King Arthur," Shayera piped. "Sir Justin still cannot ascertain if that's the case, but it would explain his frequent British references."
"I'll check on getting Jason Blood to discretely observe him," Batman announced. "He should be able to discern the truth, give his history and… unique abilities."
Clark brought the meeting back in line. "Aside from all of this, Bruce, Diana, and I received firsthand information that all-but-confirms that Mr. Black is really a Hindu god named Krishna," Superman added. "From what Bruce told me, he's been around since before the world was inhabited by humans. Apparently, he comes to Earth whenever demoniac activity increases to threatening levels."
"Whoa!" Flash shook his head. "How can one guy wear that many hats? I mean, he can't be all of this stuff… can he?"
"Well, he can travel through time at will," Shayera noted.
"Okay, I'll buy that," the Fastest Man Alive admitted, "but why would he want to do it, even if he could?"
Diana managed an elegant shrug. "He's a very old immortal with an overabundance of power," she pointed out the obvious. "Maybe he just went around putting out fires and different people caught him in the act and wrote about it. It's possible that the different legends started that way and just got blended together over the years. Or maybe," she added a moment later, "he was just bored and decided to play several different parts throughout history for the entertainment value."
Wally just began beating his head against the table while demanding, "Make it stop!"
