chapter 7 (revised)

disclaimer: i do not own Young Justice or any DC comics characters

rated T for violence, minor language, and some sensuality

enjoy and R&R


Mount Justice, August 19, 6:27 pm...

"Recognized...Batman, 02. Nalani, T02."

Batman walked into the assembly room with a young woman at his side. She was tall with jet black hair, and golden tan skin. She wore a red body-tight, mini-dress with a deep v-neck lined in black, black thigh-high boots and matching gloves. The team was dressed casually, gathered for a training exercise. "Did we interrupt something?"

"Nah, we were just training," Artemis replied bluntly, shrugging.

"Good. Since Shield is...preoccupied," Batman gestured to the woman. "Nalani offered to take her place until she returns."

"Offered," Nalani scoffed, shaking her head. "Right."

"We didn't realize we need a temp," Kaldur spoke, staring intently.

Batman narrowed his eyes, "The absence of one member can thwart the entire team during a mission."

"We're doing just fine," Artemis retorted, crossing her arms.

Nalani sighed, stepping forward, "I'm doing this as a favor to Jeline. She asked me to come in. I'll only be here until her training is over. Also, Black Canary is busy in Europe, so I'll also be training you while she's away."

"Well, with all that settled...what do you say you and me go grab a bite to eat down at the harbor," Wally zoomed in front of her. "Let them work out their own training."

"Wally, right?" she raised a brow at him. "It's kind early for dinner, but yeah...why don't you treat me and the team to dinner? It sounds like a good, generous plan."

"You have a kind, big heart," Wally grabbed her hand. "I like that."

"I'm going to ignore that comment," she slipped her hand away, and turned to Batman. "You can go now. Your chaperone duty is over, I'm not going anywhere."

Batman nodded, turning around swiftly and exiting through the teleporter. "Damn, I thought he'd never leave," Nalani sighed, peeling off her eye mask.

She stared at them with gorgeous sea-blue eyes, "My name's Penelope. But you can call me Penny."

Later...

Penny had changed into workout clothes; white t-shirt and spandex shorts. She was barefoot, standing off to the side while Superboy and Kaldur faced each other. Wally leaned against the wall, munching on a twinkie as Megan and Artemis awaited the duel. "Initiate combat training: 3...2...1."

Kaldur lunged, throwing punches at Superboy's head; he ducked, swiping at Kaldur's stomach. Kaldur back-flipped away in time. Penny walked around them in a circle, watching their moves. The two boys grabbed each other, pushing with all their might. Superboy slipped his foot behind Kaldur, throwing him off-balance and tossing him onto his back. "Fail. Aqualad."

"Black Canary taught me that," Superboy wiped his hands on his jeans.

Penny groaned in frustration, "What the heck was that? Hasn't Atlantis taught you anything? This boy's only had a month and half of training and you can't beat him?"

Kaldur got up on his knees, "He had the drop on me. I can't change what happened."

"True. And if he was an enemy, you'd be dead," she turned around to glare at Superboy. "And you, this sparring isn't a game. This is real-life combat."

"Come on," he scoffed at her. "I highly doubt you have the training Canary does."

Penny arched a brow and lunged, kicking around at his neck. Superboy ducked, hopping back as he thrusted his fist forward; Penny grabbed his wrist, slipping in between his feet. Superboy cried out as he flipped down, landing on his back. "Fail. Superboy."

"You're too direct," Penny stood up, placing her hands on her hips. "The point is to use your opponents strength against them. The element of surprise is your best weapon-"

She bent down; Kaldur flew above her, rolling on the ground to his feet. Penny stood up straight, narrowing her eyes at them both, "..good, you're finally listening to me. Except that I could hear your feet slapping on the floor."

"I'm surprised you could hear anything other than your blabbering mouth," Superboy glared at her.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

"Yeah, I did," she walked over to him. "You should show more respect. I may have come down here as a favor to Jeline, but I could easily prove to Batman how inefficient you are."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "I mean, bailing on your teammates in the middle of a mission. Even Superman doesn't do such a thing. Imagine what he thinks of you now."

"Enough," Kaldur placed his hand on her shoulder. "Perhaps, we should take a break."

The ceiling opened up and Red Tornado flew down, dispersing his mini tornado from his legs. Wally ran to him as he started walking away, ""Do you have a mission for us?"

"Mission assignments are the Batman's responsibility."

"Yeah, well, the Batman's with the Robin doing the dynamic duo thing in Gotham," he replied as Penny glanced at the wall dubiously. "But you're headed somewhere, right? Hot date? Or, uh, mish-yon?"

"If we can be of help," Kaldur added.

Red Tornado turned around, bringing up the screen, "This is Kent Nelson. A friend. He is 106 years old."

"Guy doesn't look a day over 90," Wally whispered to Artemis.

"Quiet," Penny ordered.

"And he has been missing for 23 days. Kent was a charter member of Justice Society. The precursor to your mentors' Justice League."

The image of the old man changed to Doctor Fate; Kaldur gasped in recognition, "Of course! Nelson was Earth's sorcerer supreme. He was Doctor Fate!"

Wally tsked and leaned in to Artemis, "More like Doctor Fake. Guy knows a little advance science and Dumbledores it up to scare the bad guys and impress the babes."

"Quiet," Penny frowned at him.

Red Tornado turned to face them, "Kent may be on one of his...walk-abouts. But he is caretaker to the Helmet of Fate, the source of the Doctor's mystic might and it is unwise to leave such power unguarded."

"It's odd that he'd leave it unguarded at all," Penny pointed out. "He despised the thing but he was very protective of it."

"He is. However, this is odd for him to be away from the Helmet for so long," Red Tornado agreed. "A man like him can take care of himself, though."

Megan examined the image of Doctor Fate, "He's like the great sorcerer priests and priestesses of Mars. I would be honored to find him."

"Me too!" Wally's hand shot up. "So honored...I can barely stand it. Magic...rocks."

"Take this," Red Tornado held up a key. "It is a key to the Tower of Fate."

"What are the chances that we both so admire the mystic arts?" Wally purred at Megan as Kaldur took the key from Red Tornado.

Penny uncrossed her arms, "Well, since this is more of a visit than a mission, there's no need to suit up. But I need to change, I'll meet you at the hanger in 10."

Salem, Massachusetts, August 19, 8:22 pm...

Megan guided the ship in camouflage mode. Penny sat on the other side of Artemis in the front; she wore a purple halter cropped shirt with a lavender spiral on the front, a black mini-skirt, and matching knee-high boots. Artemis swiveled her chair around, "So, Wally...when did you first realize your honest affinity for sorcery?"

"Well, I don't like to brag, but, uh...before becoming Kid Flash," he leaned back in his chair, smiling at Megan. "I seriously considered becoming a wizard myself."

Artemis rolled her eyes back to the front as Megan cleared her throat, "We've reached Tornado's coordinates, but..."

"Nothing's there," Superboy peered out the window.

"Take us down," Kaldur ordered.

Megan set the ship down on the curb. They got out and examined the empty area, big enough for a large house, but held nothing but fresh green grass. Kaldur glanced at Penny, "Are you sure Red Tornado's coordinates were correct."

"They are," she replied, slightly offended. "I've been here before. There was a large castle tower-looking thing here, but...I dunno. It's obviously not here in anymore. Wally, take a quick sweep of the entire area."

"But-"

"Do it."

Wally sighed and zipped past her, speeding along the whole area. He slid to a stop in front of her and Artemis, "Nothing. This isn't simple camouflage."

"So what do you think? Adaptive micro-optic electronics combined with phase shifting?" Artemis suggested.

"Absolutely...not!" he noticed Megan walking over. "Clearly mystic powers are at work here."

"A test of faith. Stand behind me," Kaldur walked past them and held the Key out.

He turned the key and a large castle tower appeared, piercing the sky. Penny nodded her head, "Yeah, did that the first time I came here, too."

"And you failed to mention that?" Wally frowned at her.

"Well, I didn't know the key would work. Kent tapped the the air and the thing appeared," she shoved him lightly and followed the rest of the group inside. They entered a large empty room, hearing the door slam shut behind them. Superboy lingered in the back, "Uh, where'd the door go?"

A golden hologram of Kent Nelson appeared in front of Kaldur and Penny, "Greetings. You have entered with the Key but the Tower does not recognize you. State your purpose and intent."

"We-"

"WE are true believers here to find Doctor Fate!" Wally stepped forward, interrupting Penny.

The hologram stared at him dubiously then vanished. Wally glanced down at the ground as the bricks gave way, crumbling to reveal a pit of lava beneath their feet. Penny hovered in the air as the others fell, screaming. Megan tackled Wally, flying back up. "Artemis!" Penny shouted.

Artemis pulled out a mini-crossbow, shooting it up at Penny. The arrow wrapped around her wrist; Penny pulled on the rope as Artemis grabbed Kaldur's arm. They flew into Penny's arms, dropping the rope. Superboy dug his fingers into the wall, still falling too fast. Penny dove as Superboy's feet dipped into the lava. Penny flew down, hooking her foot under his armpit and hoisting him up. He latched onto her leg, glaring at the lava, "Those...were my favorite boots. This Nelson guy better be worth it."

Megan gasped as she struggled to remain in the air, "Having trouble...maintaining altitude. I'm so hot."

"You certainly are," Wally swooned.

"Wally!" Artemis snapped.

"Hey, inches above sizzling death, I'm entitled to speak my mind!" he snapped back.

Kaldur wiped his forehead, panting, "My physiology and M'gann's are susceptible to extreme heat. We must climb out quickly!"

"Now or never," Penny muttered and sucked in a deep breath. She unleashed a ice-cold super breath down at the lava, sending back a chilly breeze which cooled Megan and Kaldur. When the steam cleared, the lava continued boiling. Penny groaned, "Aw, dammit! This is magic. If I can't freeze it with such a cold breath then we're doomed."

"Why can't you just fly out?" Superboy urged, still dangling on her leg.

"You're heavy," she glared up the pit. "And something is keeping me from flying up."

"Hello, Megan!" Megan bopped herself on the head. "We never truly answered...the question. RED TORNADO SENT US...TO SEE IF MR NELSON AND THE HELMET...WERE SAFE!"

The pit closed shut instantly. Superboy dropped down, landing on the wooden floor with ease. Megan fell with Wally, both landing on their knees as Penny set Artemis and Kaldur down gently. Kaldur squatted down, touching the wooden floor, "This platform...it should be red hot but it is cool to the touch."

"Don't worry, Megalicious. I gotcha," Wally placed his arm around Megan's shoulders.

"ENOUGH!" Artemis pushed him against the wall. "Your little impress-Megan-at-all-cost-game nearly got us all barbecued!"

"When did this all become my fault?" Wally swiped her hand off his chest.

"When you lied to that...whatever it was and called yourself a true believer!"

"Wally," Megan peered over Artemis's shoulder. "You don't believe?"

Wally glanced at all their faces, "Fine! Fine, I lied about believing in magic, but magic is the real lie! A major load!"

"Wally, I studied for a year at the Conservatory of Sorcery at Atlantis," Kaldur countered, still examining the platform. "The mystic arts created the skin icons that power my water bearers."

"Dude, you ever hear of bio-electricity? Hey, in primitive cultures, fire was once considered magical too. Today it's all a bunch of tricks," Wally crossed his arms.

"You're pretty close minded for a guy who can break the sound barrier in his sneakers," Artemis placed her hands on her hips.

"That's science," he corrected. "I recreated Flash's laboratory experiment and here I am. Everything can be explained by science."

"Let us test that theory," Kaldur grabbed the hatch on the platform.

"Wait! The back draft from the lava will roast us alive!" Wally warned.

Kaldur lifted the hatch open, unleashing a burst of cold air and snow. Megan placed her hand through the breeze, "It's snow."

"Do you ever get tired of being wrong?" Artemis smiled at Wally.

Penny jumped in first, then Artemis, Kaldur, Megan, Superboy, and finally Wally. They fell sideways as if coming out of a window instead of going down; the hatch disappeared, leaving them in the snowy mountains. Artemis turned to Wally, "Well?"

"Ever heard of String Theory? We're in a pocket dimension," Wally replied, causing her to groan in defeat.

"What's that?" Megan pointed to a floating cane.

Wally rolled his eyes, "Ooo, maybe its Nelson's magic wand."

He zipped through the team, grabbing the cane at the same time as Artemis, "I got it. I can't let go!"

The cane glowed golden yellow, shooting up into the air and disappearing with the two teens. Penny tucked her hair out of her face, "Huh, guess we shoulda all grabbed it."

"That could be disastrous. We have no idea where they went," Kaldur pointed out.

"And we have no idea where we are."

"Can't we just GPS our location or something?" Superboy crossed his arms.

"Um, no because first, tech and magic don't always mix and second, we're still inside the Tower. If we 'GPS' our location, it'd say that we're still in the tower," she placed her hands on her hips.

"That doesn't make any sense."

"Magic isn't always logical."

"We should keep moving, maybe it'll cool us off," Kaldur suggested and started walking north.

They followed suit in silence. Megan walked with Kaldur, conversing over Wally. Penny leaned in to Superboy, "Hey, how's your feet?"

He glanced down at his bare feet sinking into the snow, "Fine. Why? It's not like I'll got frostbite out here."

"True. Just thought I'd ask," she pushed her hair out of her face.

"Aren't you cold? You're, like...barely wearing anything."

"I can survive in any environment. I have my Kryptonian heritage to thank for that."

"Wait, what?" he raised his eyebrows at her.

Penny ignored him and pointed east, "Hey, look at that."

Kaldur followed her finger to a door at the top of a nearby mountain. "I suppose that is our way out."

"You suppose right. Megan," Penny grabbed Superboy's arm and flew towards the door, Kaldur and Megan behind her.

Penny reached the door and struggled with the knob. She shook it, nearly rattling it off it's hinges. Superboy rammed into it, falling down from the ceiling inside a large mystic maze. Penny, Megan, and Kaldur fell through, finding Artemis and Wally with a elderly man with a cane. Penny beamed at him, "Mr. Nelson!"

Kent Nelson squinted his eyes at her, "Oh? Miss Vega. How nice to see you again."

"Wait, you know her?" Wally jabbed his thumb at Penny.

"Yes, I do. Her mother is-"

"Get down!"

Penny pounced on them as a bolt of electricity sailed over their heads. She pulled Kent to his feet carefully, flying him over to the large golden bell. Wally followed them, watching as the rest of the team kept Abra Kadabra busy. Kent banged his cane on the bell and walked into it with Penny and Wally, oblivious to the Witch Boy following them.

Atop the tower...

Kent, Wally, and Penny appeared on the roof. It was empty except for the famous Helmet floating in the air, undisturbed. Kent reached for the helmet when he was blasted with red energy. Kent raised his cane, muttering a spell. "Wally, keep him safe!"

Penny dove in front of the second blast, taking it head on. A large golden force field formed over the helmet and Wally and Kent, protecting them. Klarion the Witch Boy seethed with anger, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Penny flew back up, unleashing her heat vision upon the boy. Klarion brought his hands up, shielding himself from the heat. He tossed mini-red fireballs at her; Penny cried in pain as each one hit her in the chest. She flew back towards him, determined to hit him head-on. Klarion blasted her with more red energy, keeping her back. He blasted her into the sky then focused his attention on Wally who was trying to revive Kent. "I want that Helmet and I want it now!" Klarion demanded.

Penny stood up, her skin smoldering as a large circle of symbols surrounded Klarion, giving him power. He focused his energy and created large red hands; Penny cried out as the pierced through her and dug their claws into the golden bubble protecting Wally. Penny cried out, feeling the energy tear through her body. Wally stood up, grabbing the Helmet. "Hey, dumb kid!" Klarion caught his attention. "You put that on you may never get it off!"

He ripped the bubble apart. Penny screamed in pain and fell over, loosing in consciousness as Wally placed the Helmet on, just as Klarion blasted him with red energy. Penny fought the blackness, shaking her head to jolt her mind awake. She turned her head, seeing Klarion blasting ineffectively at Doctor Fate, "Get it off, Nabu! Order went out of style in the 20th century!"

"This battle is pointless," Nabu spoke, his voice deep with a hint of Wally's own voice. "You sought to take the Helmet before it gained a host. But you are too late."

"Shut it, ya old fart!" Klarion pulled out the bricks from the Tower and slammed them together on Fate.

"Brat," he blasted his own energy at Klarion. The witch boy screamed and disappeared, reappearing behind Fate. Penny dove into the air, pushing Fate away as she took the hit. Fate rolled on the ground, recovering quickly as Penny landed roughly, creating a mini crater underneath her. Klarion smiled with glee as he threw a dragon-faced fireball which Fate dodged. He held up a shield just in time as the fireball circled back. Klarion blasted him from behind, sending him rolling along the roof. Klarion shot several energy bullets, but Fate held up a large golden shield to block it until the energy broke through. He flew up as he was chased with Klarion's red fire-breath. The Witch Boy shot large red flame columns, nailing him easily. Fate grunted as he fell, landing on his head. Klarion snickered, "You're out of practice, Nabu. And that pathetic host body? Zero affinity for the mystic arts."

He summoned dark, ominous thunder clouds. A powerful, continuous blast of red lightning rained down on Fate. He brought up a golden bubble, creating rainbow light from the collision. Klarion laughed tauntingly, "Ooo, rainbow power."

His cat meowed at him and he frowned, "I am paying attention, you stupid cat! In case you hadn't noticed, I'm winning!"

Fate frowned and released a large energy blast, destroying the storm above. Penny shield her eyes, grunting from the mystic pressure. When she gazed back, Fate floated in in the middle of a ring of golden fire. "It is difficult for a Lord of Order or Chaos to maintain a presence on the physical plane."

Klarion's form glowed red as well as his cat, tossing two large fireballs. Fate dodged them, "I am bound to the Helmet and uses a human host."

He blasted him with golden energy, but the boy brought up a brick shield, "But that is not your way."

"You're babbling, Nabu!" Klarion warned, looking more demon like.

"Oh, am I?" he shot a powerful blast of energy, aiming it at the cat instead of Klarion.

"Teekl!" Klarion gasped in shock, he turned to glare at Fate. "I can't believe you would assault a defenseless pussycat!"

"We both know that creature is not cat, Witch Boy," Fate narrowed his eyes. "And without your familiar, you have no anchor on this reality."

Klarion glanced at his arms as his entire being started fading. He growled and spat at Fate, "Bully! Killjoy! Geezer!"

Fate shot another blast of energy; Klarion cursed, teleporting behind Teekl. He scooped up the cat, "We're outta here!"

His form dispersed into dark slithers of energy, escaping the tower. Penny stood up, glancing at Fate who stood still, staring at the spot where Klarion disappeared. She wiped the dust of her body and walked over, "Uh, Nabu? You can release Wally now. He's...kinda needed. Not really, but...hello? Are you listening to me?"

Penny lowered her head in thought, "Oh! Nabu, you won't release Wally because you need a host, right? Well, this boy is of science. He is not fit for you. What if I told you you could find a better host? Even better than Kent Nelson?"

Fate lowered his gaze to hers, his eyes narrowing at her. "Listen, I don't know any sorcery-type people who could be hosts, but I do know a telepath."

"Telepath...I can read minds already," he replied.

"But this telepath is young. Very young. She can commit more years than Nelson to you. And based on your current...situation, you're not exactly picky about who becomes your host," Penny stepped closer. "Let this boy go. I'll get the telepath to develop a link with you and you can decide whether or not you want her."

"I accept your bargain," he lifted his hands, pulling the Helmet off. Fate's outfit disappeared, leaving just plain old Wally.

Penny stepped back, "Finally, I was about to slap you."

"What?" he squeaked. "Why?"

"Fate was talking. He just stood there staring at nothing," she placed her hands on her hips. "What happened?"

"Nothing important," Wally walked past her, kneeling down next to Kent's lifeless body. Penny walked over, kneeling down next to him, "Don't beat yourself up over it."

Wally grabbed the Helmet and stared at it, "He's stuck in here. He'll never see his wife again."

"Don't say that. You know, eternity can end at anytime. He must be extremely patient if he's willing to wait until a new host to finally cross over," Penny stood up. "We should go. I'll take Kent's body to the JLA, arrange for a funeral. You go find the team and head back to the Cave. Okay?"

"Yeah," Wally closed his eyes.

Mount Justice, August 20, 2011, 3:48 am...

Penny walked through the assembly room, her heels echoing off the walls. She was halfway across the room when she noticed Superboy waiting by the teleporter tubes, "What do you want?"

"I wanted to...ask you something," he stared with determination. "Earlier you said you were of Krpytonian heritage."

"Did I?" she gave him a questioning look.

"You did," he frowned. "I wanna know what you meant by that."

"I meant what I meant. I am half Krpytonian," she crossed her arms under her chest. "And you wanna know who my Krpytonian parent is, don't you?"

He nodded. Penny groaned in defeat, slumping her shoulders, "Okay, fine. But I don't like to broadcast who my father is. It's really awkward when people find out..."

Superboy's eyes widened in realization, "Your father is Superman...?"

"Yes. And now that you know, I have no choice but to trust that you'll tell no one," she walked closer to the tubes, typing coordinates on the holographic keyboard.

"If he's your father, why aren't you wearing the symbol," he gestured to his shirt.

"Because I can't..."

"Can't or won't?"

Penny glared at him, "Now you're treading on personal territory. You know enough, there's no need to feed you anymore. All I can tell you is that you have a better shot of making the big guy proud than me."

Superboy furred her brows in confusion as Penny disappeared through the zeta beam energy.

Watchtower...

Penny entered the teleporter room, finding it utterly empty. "Typical."

She flew through the hallways, following the sound of applause and laughter. She entered the main assembly room, finding it crowded with all of the JLA members and few honorary ones. Everyone is here? This makes me sick, Penny stayed in the back. Apparently no one heard the doors opening and closing; they were too busy with what went on in the front. Penny floated to the top, staying in the shadows as Batman and Superman stood with Betsy Vega, dressed casual in a pretty turquoise dress. "Everyone, thank you for coming."

Ugh, Penny snorted; seeing her mother so cheery made her almost nauseous.

Betsy continued, a proud smile permanently planted on her face, "I know this seems so sudden, but I have named my successor...at least until I decide to return to crime fighting."

She absently rubbed her hand over her flat stomach, "Which probably won't be anytime soon. But...I do hope you'll treat my daughter with the same love and respect you've shown me. I present to you...the new Nova. Roxanne Marie Vega."

Penny's glare hardened as her twin sister stepped out in front of the crowd. Roxanne shared her face, the same exotic, Latina beauty in her body. She had mirroring blue eyes like Superman and loose, luscious dark auburn hair like Betsy. Like Penny, she was nearly as tall as Betsy, standing at five-nine with a curvy, fit body. She wore a strapless black one-piece with red lining the top of the suit, black thigh-high boots and matching gloves and eye mask, and lastly, a red sash tied around her hips, flowing down to her ankles. She looked exactly like Nova, just new costume. Roxanne smiled at the JLA members, "Thank you, everyone. I promise I'll live up to my mother's reputation."

"Certainly lives up to looks," Flash whispered loudly.

"Very funny, Barry," Betsy rolled her eyes at him.

Wonder Woman stepped forward and hugged Roxanne, "I'm always happy to welcome a new sister to the team. We are glad to have you."

Superman placed his hand on Roxanne's shoulder, "We all are."

Penny scoffed and floated back down, heading back down the hallway she came from, glad to welcome you? What the hell? He never wanted anything to do with us! What a total lie. And to pick Roxy? HER? Just because she's older. Bullshit. This isn't over. I will earn my right...to wear the symbol.


end of chapter 7!

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