MOUNT JUSTICE

DECEMBER 17, 12:10

"Z! Glad you could make it. Where's Fate?"

"He had some meeting to attend. Being a Lord of Order and all, it wasn't something he could miss. Now, the signal-"

"Here. We aren't talking now, but we have a line open to Robin's communicator."

Klarion's laughter rang through the open channel. "Oh yeah?"

The signal cut off in a quick cry before going dead.

"Find him, now!"

Mal began working the holochannels, scowling as his attempts to locate Robin's signal ended in failure.

Zatanna closed her eyes. "Laever s'noiralK wodahs noisnemid ot em!"

A few tense moments passed- slow, agonizing. Nightwing forced himself to remain quiet to avoid disturbing Zatanna's concentration.

Her eyes opened. "I found it."

"Get him out. Get him out now."

"I don't know if I can."

"You can't just cast a reverse portal spell or something? This is magic we're dealing with, not technology!"

"It's not that simple. By the feel of it, Klarion created the dimension he pulled Robin into. The Rules prevent me from entering any territory that Klarion made himself."

"Astral-"

"Not astrally, not physically- anything with any magical signature but his will be rejected."

"Then… is there any way you can amplify the zeta tech to penetrate Klarion's dimension without violating those rules?"

"It's complicated- so many different factors- magic and technology have never mixed well-"

"It won't work." La'gaan, who had been leaning against the wall watching the proceedings until now, joined the conversation. "Unless we can get a physical lock onto the Shadow World, which we can't because it's made entirely of magic. Robin is the only thing in that dimension that's capable of being transported, but we can't move him because there's not a zeta platform on that end. Unless Robin has a zeta platform in that utility belt of his, he's not going anywhere fast."

Nightwing clenched his fist. "Then… it would seem our best bet is to locate Klarion and force him to return Robin. Zee-"

"On it," she replied, entering a meditative trance.

Nightwing stood for a moment, staring at the blank holographic circle where Robin's head had been.

Then he turned and began barking orders. "OK, Mal, contact Batman. Tell him I'm assembling a team to join him in his hunt for Klarion. Also have a channel hailing Robin's communicator 24/7. He needs to know what we're up to. Oh, and contact the others. Troia, the Marvels, Red Arrow- we're going to need all hands on this mission if we're going against Klarion."

"I want to help."

"No, La'gaan," Nightwing replied, turning to the Atlantean, "Klarion is bad news. This is a senior members only mission. You're going to stay here."

"You need me, Nightwing. Klarion's hard enough for Fate to handle. With the Doc out of the equation, Zatanna will need backup. I may not use my magic often, but I am no amateur."

"It's too dangerous, La'gaan. You're not going."

Like it or not, La'gaan knew how to take orders.

"Yes sir."

SHADOWLANDS

0.1 HOUR

He fell about three hundred feet to a stone floor with only a thin layer of hot ash to cushion the impact. He should have been dead or a mess of shattered bones, but gravity wasn't as powerful in this dimension as it was back home. Although he could feel bruises forming underneath his armor, the fall certainly hadn't killed him.

Spitting hot ash out of his mouth, Tim sifted through the ash around him in an attempt to locate his rebreather. Separated from the sky, the light quality had severely gone down and he couldn't see what he was doing. Activating the night vision filter in his mask, he repressed a groan. Broken pieces of plastic and metal lay strewn around him, and none of them were from his rebreather.

The holocommunicator was by far the weakest part of his body armor. Even if he hadn't broken any bones, the impact had been enough to damage it. Picking up the pieces scattered on the ground, he suppressed a groan when he realized exactly how badly cracked the communicator was. Wires had been snapped, the casing was destroyed, and several of the delicate computer chips had been pulverized. He didn't have the right tools to repair it and he didn't dare try. Repairing it would take at least an hour, and if Klarion got bored…

Without the communicator, he couldn't coordinate with Nightwing. He couldn't expect any kind of back up from the others. No advice. No tactical support.

Tim was alone.

Remembering the reason for his fall, he stood and examined his surroundings. His tumble had landed him in a network of tunnels. Other than the light streaming from above, there was no source of light. He would need to rely nearly entirely on his mask's night vision and if it became completely dark, even the night vision filter would not help. The tunnels wandered into the darkness, offering little clue to differentiate which way was the best choice.

For a moment, he stood undecided, staring between the three options.

The first tunnel led up; maybe back to the light, but large boulders blocked the path. It would take hours to navigate and he quickly discounted it as an option.

It led straight forward. Nothing seemed odd about it.

The tunnel to the right went deeper into the caverns. Hair lifted on the back of his neck and he quickly stepped back.

Ducking the low ceiling, he entered the center tunnel.

MOUNT JUSTICE

DECEMBER 17, 12:28

"I wish I could go with you, Angelfish."

She smiled gently at La'gaan. "I'll see you when I get back."

"I know, but- you know. These things- just- just be careful."

M'gann smiled. The silence grew more awkward. La'gaan tried to think of something- anything- to continue the conversation when-

"La'gaan- I was wondering- Are you- free tomorrow night?"

Everything stopped for La'gaan. This couldn't be real. This couldn't be real.

"Yes," he said, trying to be nonchalant, but he knew his enthusiasm had leaked through.

"Well- there's this restaurant. Has a nice little underwater garden- I was wondering if you'd like to have dinner with me."

She asked him out. She asked him out. M'gann, smart, talented, sweet, beautiful, compassionate, strong M'gann had asked him out. "Oh my- Neptune's Beard, yes! Yes yes!" He quickly composed himself from his outburst. "Only if I pay the bill. My treat, Ok Angelfish?"

Her smile was like the glow of an edan flower. "Oh, La'gaan, that's sweet, but you don't hav-"

"I want to." He took her hand. "Please."

"Well, if it makes you happy-"

"Anything that makes you happy, Angelfish."

She leaned forward and kissed him on the mouth. La'gaan stiffened, completely taken aback, and unsure of how to react. He had never been kissed before, had never really expected to be kissed.

M'gann broke the kiss and pulled him into a hug. "I'll be back soon."

"I'll wait for you," he promised. With a last wave, she flew towards the bioship.

Neptune's Beard. Tomorrow night. Could he even make it out? What was he thinking? It's not like he could appear in public like this! (Like himself.)

This didn't seem right. Why would someone as smart and talented and perfect as M'gann want to be with him? And on a public date no less?

Something didn't add up.

And then his mind turned on him.

What if she only felt sorry for him? What if she didn't really love him?

What if she was still in love with Conner, who- face it, La'gaan- was both related to Superman and a much better boyfriend?

Please, Angelfish, not that. I don't need you to love me to be happy. I'm used to that. But please- don't lie to me. Anything but that.

He felt a sudden need to speak with someone. But Mal and Nightwing were busy, his Angelfish didn't need to be burdened with his issues, Aquaman was busy with the baby, and Kaldur was-

No. At times like this, there was only one person he could talk to.

SHADOWLANDS

HOUR 0.5

The path ended in a dead end. Fighting shades that he encountered along the way didn't take up too much of his time. A well-placed explosive shuriken generally took them out with little trouble, but he only had so many of those and he couldn't afford to waste them. Operating by touch in the darkness of the caverns, it took him a while to ascertain that the tunnel had indeed closed off. Once he was certain this path would lead him nowhere, he followed the trail back to the clearing. After a little deliberation, he chose the tunnel on the left.

He wasn't sure how long he traveled along the passage way. Unlike the center path, which had been relatively straight, this tunnel twisted and turned like a rollercoaster and the ceiling was higher than that of the center tunnel, but fallen stones heavily clogged the path. Squeezing past them was difficult and occasionally painful.

Time passed. His stomach growled- it had been at least eight hours since he'd eaten, especially when his physical activity was factored in. It was too dark to try and eat it right there- something may attack, or he may drop it. Better to wait until he was in a better position.

Water. He'd need water too even if he wasn't thirsty yet. That was going to be a serious concern.

His thoughts were broken by a faint glow at the end of the tunnel. Hope rose in his chest and he pushed forward with renewed energy.

Finally, he stumbled into a clearing. Standing to his full height, he looked around the chamber- and recognized it. He could see parts of his holocommunicator scattered on the ground, the break in the ceiling where he'd fallen through-

He had spent hours navigating a loop.