Chapter 7

"The Modern World"

Music

A hunter gather band huddle around the campfire surrounded by darkness. They understand little of the world or galaxy they live in. The growls and shrieks that pierce the night conjure up monsters and demons in their prehistoric minds. Fear is a constant for them. They know only the tribe, those sitting here around the campfire. The world, especially at night is a dangerous place for them.

One of the hunters stands and starts to pound the end of his spear against the ground, Goon Doon, Goon Doon. It's the rhythm of the hunt. Another joins him, picking up the beat. Smiles spread around the campfire, as the gathers add to the rhythm, Go Do Pa Ta, Go Do Pa Ta. The basic rhythm pulses through each of them. This is the music of their tribe, special and unique to them. It reminds them they are not alone in the night, but part of something bigger. Goon Doon Go do Pa Ta.


The monastery sits high among the cliffs away from the world of Man. The brothers that join understand that they are giving themselves over to a higher calling. It is an isolated, solitary life dedicated to contemplation. There is a bond they share. The expression of this is the chant. Silently the brothers file into the cathedral and take their places. It begins.

Dominus vobiscum

Et cum spiritu tuo

Over and over it repeats creating a hypnotic rhythm. Each brother feels it and adds his voice to the mix. It is a communal feeling that washes over all of them. It is a unique expression of who they are as a group.


You have to be in the know to find the club. To the straights it's in the wrong part of town. They would never venture to the 100 Club. The lights dim and from out of the darkness a voice shouts, All right you bastards, give it up for the Sex Pistols! The roar of a guitar follows it as the lights come up.

"Right! NOW! ha ha ha ha ha

I am an anti-christ
I am an anarchist
Don't know what I want but
I know how to get it
I wanna destroy the passer by cos I

I wanna BE anarchy!"

The wall of sound spews out filling the club. There is a manic intensity to the lead singer that seems to fuel the crowd on. It practically shouts, out with the old, we don't want to hear that crap anymore. The crowd is young, full of energy and vitality. Pandemonium breaks out as first they pogo and then the slam dancing begins. To an outsider it looks like madness. The crowd understands and wouldn't think to explain to anyone. This is their music and theirs alone.


A shuttle bus leaves the dorm for the main campus packed with students, both male and female. The ride is silent. Most of the riders have ear buds in, listening to their music. Some add to this, sending out messages from their phone across their Facebook page. They want desperately to make a connection, usually with the opposite sex. They have running conversations with people thousands of miles away. Two feet to their left is someone of the opposite sex also looking to make a connection, but they are corresponding with someone on the other coast. This is the modern world, alone in a crowd.


Music is older than recorded history. Since the beginning it has always been a communal experience. In every culture and every age music has played a pivotal role. Friends have been made by sitting together to listen to new band's latest release. Moments in your life are forever tied to a song. The experience of hearing live music with a group is a revelation that you aren't alone, that others are like you. Yes, there are times music can be a solitary thing, but for the most part it is meant to be heard in a group. The shared experience of music makes you see things in a different light and look at the world with new eyes. It is an element of the growing up process, finding what you like and letting yourself be exposed to new people and their tastes.

If the ear buds are taken out and the phones are put away, something happens. You start to notice the world around you. It's just like magic.


The Crystal Forest

The Queen of Fables sits on her throne reading, while the three witches whisper in her ear. They are urging her to strike at the young princess. The Three Witches represent darkness, chaos, and conflict. They seek to spread mayhem at every turn. Their prophecies helped bring about a Danish king and now they have turned their sights to the young Magi princess, Zatanna.

"Why wait, my Queen?'

"The Princess is a usurper, strike her and let her know your power."

"Yes, strike her! Strike her down, my Queen!"

"Enough, sisters," the Queen finally says. "I share your zeal in wanting to punish this 'Light Princess' but we must not let our momentary desires lead us to give up our overall goal. It's all within my grasp, a kingdom in the real world and Prince Charming. If we just wait a little while longer, all the Magi and Charming will see she is not what they think and that I am the true Magi Supreme! Remember, sisters, the example of the tortoise and the hare."

"We're going to eat them,' one witch asked.

"No, you dolt" The Queen fired back in frustration. "Patience is a virtue, old hag! Although, tortoise and hare stew does sound delicious. Perhaps we should have the chef prepare them for supper."

"Oh, yes, I get it now, "the witch replied. "You were speaking of the fable the tortoise and the hare. I was taking you much too literally. Perhaps it is my stomach growling that influenced my thinking. Do you think we could have those baby carrots along with the tortoise and hare stew, my Queen? It would be ironic and also rather tasty."

"An excellent suggestion," the Queen said. "Make it so."

"What of the young Magi princess, My Queen," another witch asked.

"Haven't you been listening? We're going to wait until she reaches the Magic Kingdom!"

"But the stew is definitely for tonight, right," the first witch asked. "Because now that you brought it up, I really have a taste for it."

"Yes, yes, the stew is for tonight! You hags are starting to irritate me!"

The three witches took a step back from the Queen in fear. They did not want to suffer the Queen's wrath. She gave them a hard look and then turned back towards her book.

"Forgive me, my Queen," the third witch finally says. "I understand your desire to wait, but couldn't you give the young Magi princess just a taste of what is to come?"

"What do you mean," the Queen asked.

"In every good fairy tale there is always a bit of foreshadowing," the witch explained. "Why not give her just a sample of what is to come? It will add to her confusion and vulnerability."

The Queen smiled at this thought. She did hunger to strike at the 'Light Princess' and this appealed to her.

"How would you suggest we do that," the Queen asked.

"Music."

"No, that wouldn't work," the Queen said with a shake of her head. "Music is poor conduit for our type of magic."

"True, in most cases, my Queen,' the witch countered. "Music is an art form whose medium is sound. It has the power to gather and strength, but these moderns have found a way to turn it into isolation. At this very moment, the young Magi princess listens to music that only she can hear."

"She's using music to cut herself off from the world? Why would any one do that," The Queen asked in astonishment.

"Madness," the witch offered. "This modern world is filled with it. Their modern devices are supposed to keep them in contact, while in truth they shatter time and space. They give them the illusion of being connected to the world, yet the reality is they are isolating themselves from the very world around them."

"Interesting," the Queen mused. "Perhaps we can use this illusion. Magic is also part sound in nature, we could send a small taste of what is to come to our 'Light Princess' and no one else will know."

The Queen's smile grew as she thought of it. Suddenly she burst out laughing. It was a cold, menacing laugh. The three witched cackled along with her.


Space

The small ship was silent, each of it's three occupants cut off from the others in their own worlds. Zatanna lay on her bunk, her IPod turned up. She was listening to the Dresden Dolls, but her mind was on Clark. Part of her knew she should give him his space. He was the strong silent type, who didn't talk about his feelings. That was his way of dealing with problems and she knew she should respect that.

The problem for Zatanna was she didn't like that one bit. She was a woman and if she was going to get to know him better she wanted him to talk about his feelings. The strong silent type sounds romantic, but it leaves you clueless as to what is really going on. If we're going to get anywhere in this relationship, he's going to have to talk to me, Zee thought.

Even as this thought came to her mind, she realized she was jumping ahead a little. They weren't in a relationship, they were just friends at this point. She didn't want to seem pushy, knowing guys hated that. The problem was she liked Clark, a lot. It wasn't just physical, although that certainly helped. No, her instincts about him had been right. Just in the short period of this trip she'd seen a side of him that he didn't usually show. He could be funny, charming and even silly. He wasn't a pompous jerk like so many men she'd met. He didn't take himself to seriously. Just the image of him in the balloon hat brought a smile to her face.

It was official, she told herself, she was smitten with Clark Kent. This only made her decision what to do harder. It was so frustrating. She didn't even know if he thought of her that way. God, he'd thought she was with Bruce this whole time, she lamented. No wonder he never made any move. I should go to him and make it clear I'm not seeing anyone and am interested in him, Zee told herself. The only problem with that was she didn't really like confrontation. What if he isn't interested? I'd look like a complete idiot, Zee thought. Talk about an awkward trip that would make this one a nightmare.

Her mind went back and forth on what to do, but eventually she just stayed where she was. Closing her eyes, Zatanna let her mind drift as she listen to the music. She was just on the edge between waking and sleeping as the images began to swirl through her mind.

She was in a field with the sun streaming down above. In the distance she could see a castle like out of some storybook. She was dressed in an elaborate gown like some sort of princess. Zee could even feel the little crown on top of her head. She felt wonderful. The sound of hoof beats caused her to turn and see a shining knight riding towards her. His armor glistened in the sunlight like silver. It was Clark she realized.

It was like a fantasy, she thought. Clark is her shining knight coming for her. A sense of excitement filled Zatanna and she started to run towards him. She felt lighter than air and practically bound through the field towards him. She could see a smile on his handsome face and returned it with one of her own. She laughed in happiness as she leaped through the air, covering more and more ground getting closer to him all the time.

Zatanna didn't notice it at first, as she was too excited to reach Clark. Each leap and jump she took seemed to last just a little longer than the previous one. Her feet barely touched the ground and then she was soaring again. Higher and higher she rose until she started to worry. Even went she tried to stop, Zee found she couldn't. She floated right over Clark and continued on.

Something was horribly wrong; this isn't how this fantasy was supposed to go. Her feet weren't even touching the ground anymore. She was floating higher and higher, further and further away from Clark. She could see him riding hard to catch up to her, but like a balloon she kept drifting higher and higher.

"No!" Zee gasped, as she sat up.

"Ow!" She groaned as she hit her head on something. Looking up she realized it was the ceiling of her cabin. The next moment, Zatanna plunged back down to the bunk and bounced off. As she scrambled to get off the floor, she didn't know what to think. Had she been floating above her bed? Where had that come from, thought Zee?

"What the hell was in those brownies," she muttered aloud. She pulled the ear buds out and looked at her bunk and then the ceiling. Rubbing the bump on her head she didn't know what to make of it. Finally she decided to just take a shower. Maybe she would go talk to Clark after all.


The Crystal Forest

The Queen of Fables and the three witches stood gazing into the huge crystal ball. They were all laughing as they watched Zatanna first float off the bed and then hit the ceiling. When she plummeted back to the bunk, they had tears in their eyes. The look of astonishment on her face was too much for them.

"Oh, my, I haven't laughed this hard in ages," the Queen said, as she wiped away a tear.

"You're wicked, wicked," cackled one of the witches.

"Did you see the look on her face? Oh this is going to be so fun," another witch added.

"Let's leave the little princess alone for now," the Queen replied. "All this fun has given me an appetite."

The four of them went off laughing to have their tortoise and hare stew.


Space

Clark was on his back tinkering with the engine. It reminded him of working on the truck back home on the farm. The fact that this was a space ship engine versus a diesel truck wasn't lost on him. He also knew the League had teams of mechanics to do this sort of thing, but he liked doing it himself. It gave him time to think. He had his IPod on shuffle and was listening to some classic rock, the Beatles, ELO, among others. He'd modified his headphones to cancel out all the other sounds around him.

He'd been thinking about what Wally and Zatanna said earlier. It had come as a shock to him that people saw him as standoffish. He wasn't trying to be. It was one of the things he liked so much about this trip, that he could just be one of the team. It was such a change from the normal mission. He'd laughed more in the last few days than he could ever remember on a mission.

Maybe I am standoffish, Clark thought. It might be an unconscious reaction to how the others acted around him. He had always been flattered that the other heroes showed him such respect as Superman, but now he realized it tended to isolate him from them. Clark would like nothing more than to sit around with his teammate laughing and talking, but they always seemed to tense up when he was around. Somewhere along the line he's just started avoiding the whole uncomfortable situation. That's why earlier with Zatanna and Wally had been such a welcome change. He'd even given in and worn that stupid balloon hat because it was just nice to be a part of the group again. He hadn't realized how much he missed that until now.

The other thing that had been going through his mind was Wally and Zatanna's comment that he didn't even notice the women on the Tower. Of course he noticed, how could he not? He was a guy, after all. In some ways this bothered him even more than being considered standoffish. Is that how they see me, Clark wondered, above such mortal things? Didn't they realize he was for the most part still just Clark Kent, the guy that grew up in Smallville? Yes, compared to Wally, Clark was a little shy around women, but that didn't mean he wasn't interested.

I notice, Clark thought, I'd have to be blind not to. Everyday I see Zatanna, Diana, Shayera, Mari and Dinah just to name a few, Clark mused. They were all just stunning. It was just that he'd been in a relationship with Lois and was trying to make that work. Call him old fashioned but he could only give his heart to one person. The fact that it hadn't worked out just seemed to deepen his depression. Part of him, a big part wanted to give it another try with Lois, but sadly he knew the same issues would come up again. She deserved better than to be jerked around like that, so he knew he had to walk away.

For some reason the thought of Zatanna came to Clark's mind. Her revelation earlier that she wasn't involved with Bruce had been a surprise. Clark had heard all the gossip on the station and like everyone else had just assumed it was true. Realizing it wasn't, Clark found himself thinking about her. He'd always thought she was gorgeous, but had never let it go any further than that. Even Lois had been jealous of her when Zee offered tickets to them for her show in Metropolis. At the time it had seemed ridiculous, but now he had to admit he could see Lois' point.

Do I like Zatanna in that way, he wondered? She has been really friendly on this trip, he thought. Stop, Clark told himself, don't let your hormones run away with themselves. Zee is just being friendly, that's who she is. She's not coming on to you, so get that thought out of your mind. She's probably more interested in Wally then me, Clark mused. God, it has been a really, really long time.

Clark reached out from under the engine for a wrench. His fingers made contact with something soft. Moving them up around the object, he suddenly realized it was a small ankle and shapely calf. As if he'd been burned, Clark pulled his hand away and turned to see the two bare legs of Zatanna right next to him. He pushed the headphones off.

"Clark?" Zee repeated.

"Hey, Za-Zatanna, sorry, I had the headphones on and didn't hear you come in," he quickly replied. He tried to keep the blush from coloring his cheeks as he realized he'd been feeling up her ankle and calf. It has really, really been a long time, Clark thought.

Zatanna was barefoot and wearing just a pair of short and a loose fitting tee shirt. She could barely seem him under the engine so she got down on her hands and knees to look at him.

"What are you doing under there," she asked. Clark turned to answer her. He saw her beautiful smiling face, but as his eyes drifted down, he quickly turned his head away. Kneeling bent over like that, her tee shirt hung away from her body and he could see all the way down it. Oh, man that is not helping, he mused.

"Just-Just working on-on the engine," he managed to say, keeping his eyes glued to the underside of the machine above him.

"Doesn't the League have people that do that," she asked.

"Yeah, but I like to just make sure for myself."

'Clark, about earlier, I wanted to apologize if it seemed like I was prying," Zee said. She knew that was exactly what she was doing now, but it frustrated her that he wouldn't talk to her.

"It's okay, Zee, no apology is necessary," he replied.

"Clark, I saw the look on your face, so I know that isn't true," she countered. "I'm sorry if I hurt you, I was just trying to get you to talk to me."

"You didn't hurt me, Zee, but I do appreciate the concern. It's just sort of a rough patch I'm going through right now, but it will be okay."

"No it won't, Clark," Zee said, determined to get him to talk or at least look at her. "Keeping it all bottled up inside never works."

"I'm not doing that, Zee."

"Yes, you are, I can see it," she said. "I know you think the strong silent type is what you have to be, but you don't.'

"I'm not really doing that, I swear," Clark offered.

"Yes, you are, I just know. I mean you can't even look at me," she replied.

"That's not the reason, Zatanna."

"Then what is? You won't talk to me and can't even look at me."

"That's not the reason, I swear," Clark said. "Can we just let it go, please?"

"No," she said defiantly. "I'm not moving from this spot until you tell me what you can't even look at me."

Clark sighed and rubbed one hand over his eye. How is it I always get into these situations, he wondered?

"I can handle it, Clark, I'm a big girl."

"I'm really aware of that, Zatanna. I mean really aware."

"Than just tell me what the problem is, it can't be that bad."

"All right." Clark finally relented. "I'm not looking at you because kneeling like that I can see all the way down your shirt. I was trying to be a gentleman about it.'

A small almost squeak came out of Zatanna as she clutched her tee shirt to her chest and jumped up. Clark slid out from under the engine and sat up.

"Sorry, Zee, "he offered. She turned several shades of red with embarrassment.

"I wasn't trying, I mean, I didn't know you could see," she fumbled to say, wanting desperately to sink through the floor at that moment.

"I know I'm sorry for embarrassing you."

"What? Oh, well, okay, I'm going to go now and die of embarrassment in my room. Bye Clark," she hastily said. Zatanna practically ran from the room. A smile crossed Clark's face as he thought how cute she looked even being so embarrassed. Stop it; don't go there, he warned himself. Sighing, Clark went back to tinkering with the engines.


Later

Wally finally came out of his room to grab something to eat. His marathon round of video games had ended in victory and he deserved a reward. As he was making his way to the kitchen he spied Zatanna at the controls.

"Hey, Zee are there anymore of those brownies?"

"What? Oh, no, you ate the last of them," she replied.

Something in her tone caught his ear, so Wally detoured from the kitchen and dropped down into the copilot seat.

"So what's up?"

"Nothing," she replied.

"Where's Big Blue,' he asked.

"In the engine room, I think," she said. Wally noticed her blushing at Superman's name and this peaked his interest.

"Something happen between you two," he asked.

"No! I mean, no, why would you say that," she quickly replied. " Clark didn't say anything to you, did he?"

"No, but the way you're blushing and all nervous kind of gives it away. So come one what's up?"

Zatanna looked over at Wally and debated whether to tell him what happened. He was going to find out sooner or later, she thought, so might as well get it over with.

"I kind of flashed him," she softly said.

"You did what?"

"It was an accident," She quickly explained. "I wanted to see if I could get him to talk to me, so I went into the engine room. He was under the engine so I bent down to see him and well, my shirt's kind of loose so it, well, you get the picture. I didn't even realize it while I was going on and on about him not looking at me. Here I'm giving him the platinum view and didn't even realize it."

"Lucky bastard," Wally mused.

"Wally!" Zee gasped in shock.

""Well, you realize it's only fair that you flash me now, too, don't you? I mean we're teammates, can't have you showing favorites, can we?" Wally joked with a smile.

"I'm not flashing you, Wally, so forget it! I'm already embarrassed that Clark saw without adding to it!'

"I'm sure he was impressed if it helps," Wally offered.

"It doesn't."

"Clark's a good guy, Zee, I wouldn't let it bother you," Wally said. "He's probably flattered to see someone as smoking hot as you."

"I didn't want him to see me like that!"

"Too late now."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome, so how about just a little peak, you know, to make things fair?"

"No! Zee shouted. "Are you hitting on me Wally?"

"Do you want me to hit on you, Zee," Wally said with a lecherous grin.

"No,' she instantly replied.

"Then, no I'm not hitting on you."

"What's going on, Wally," she asked. "I thought you had a thing for Shayera?"

"Yeah, I guess," he admitted.

"So why are you hitting on me?"

"Well, you know the old saying, if you can't hit on the one you're hot for, hit on the hottie you're with."

"Wow, now I feel so special," Zee sarcastically replied. "Well, stop it."

"You're no fun," Wally replied.

"Look, if you stop hitting on me on this trip, I'll put in a good word for you with Shayera when we get back, okay?"

"Seriously?"

"Yes," she replied. "Deal?"

"I guess, 'he offered. "By this trip, you just mean the flight to this place, right?"

"Wally!"

"Okay, deal."

They sat in silence for several moments. Finally Wally spoke up.

"So why don't you press the button, Zee?"

"What?"

"The red button, are you dying to know what it does? Just hit it," Wally said.

"Wally, we've been over this, I'm not going to press it, you press it."

"Maybe I just will, if you're chicken," Wally taunted.

"That's really not going to work, Wally, just press it," she replied.

"Well, I had to give it a shot," Wally said. "Okay, hang on to something, here goes!"

They both held their breath with excitement as Wally slowly moved his finger towards the button. His finger lingered, millimeters away from it before he finally just pressing it. They both cringed, waiting for something to happen, but nothing did.

"What a jip! I thought it was lasers or something cool it's nothing!"

Before Zatanna could reply, klaxons started blaring all through the ship. They both looked around in a panic, as red flashing orbs descended from the ceiling and began to strobe like police lights. Three blasts of the sirens went off and then the ship fell into darkness.

"This is not good," Wally said in the darkness.

"You think?"