Karen fidgeted on the table as Bruce Wayne drew blood samples from her arm, aware of Dick Grayson watching her like a cat. Alfred was bustling about straightening and then standing dutifully next to Karen.

It didn't matter, now that she was here and Batman was working on just what that psychopath did to her, she wanted nothing more than to explore the lair of the Batman. What she could see was only satisfying a small part of her curiosity.

There were three main platforms in a mind-blowing cavern beneath Wayne Manor, the one on which the computer and stairs were, as well as her and the others. Another was circular and led to a tunnel and had on it a badass looking car that Karen was itching to pop the hood of and a weird looking jet. And the third was all the way down at the bottom where water flowed through the Batcave. Next to the platform floated the oddest looking submarine in the history of submarines. But she could barely make out these details, the cavern was so dark. The flood lights only illuminated the platforms and one small ante chamber filled with trophies, Karen thought from a giant penny to several Joker memorabilia and a few strange looking guns.

"Stop" Batman snapped and Karen had not realized she was shaking her leg in agitation. He stuck the needle in her arm and the syringe filled with crimson blood.

"Sorry" Karen muttered and then she looked over at Robin who was still glaring at her. "keep glaring and your face will freeze like that kid"

"I don't trust you" Robin said

"Good" Karen said "then you're on your way to becoming a Gotham citizen already"

"she won't say anything Robin" Batman said as he put a drop of Karen's blood on a slide and stuck it under the microscope.

"How do you know"

"Duh, kid" Karen said as Batman held his peace, engrossed in whatever fascination her blood held for him. "if I play Tilly Tattle Tale I'm going to have to explain how I know what I know, and if I tell the truth I'm going to either be locked up or experimented on, if I don't tell them how I know they are going to want evidence I don't have. Either way I lose. And I don't like losing"

Boy Wonder didn't answer and jumped off the table to sit at the computer.

"Batgirl coming?" Robin asked

Batman grunted but didn't say anything as he fiddled with the dials on the side of the scope.

"Oh lovely" Karen said "now maybe she'll stop stalking me"

"it was necessary" Batman said as he took another vial of chemicals and dropped a bit onto the slide.

Karen turned his statement over in her head a few times.

Why would Batman have Batgirl follow Karen and watch her every move. Karen still wasn't sure when it started but she was willing to bet her tiny apartment that it had started after the trios visit to her fire escape. And Karen still remembered the topic of that conversation.

"You think Torment is planning to take us back don't you" Karen asked and Batman's silence was enough. She thought about it, and shook her head. "no he won't"

"And why is that" Batman asked absentmindedly

"Because Torment's doesn't do things half way" Karen said "he won'[t take us back, he'll want revenge, he'll want to humiliate the people that humiliated him. that requires planning, and a lot of time, which he now has. But he doesn't have materials or resources. He's been isolated."

"Joker broke out of isolation" Robin said

"I'm not saying that is can't be done" Karen said "I'm only saying that he won't come after me or you Bats until he had every variable and factor placed and accounted for"

"that could take several years" Pennyworth commented

"He's patient like that" Karen said bitterly. "Sadistically so"

"Did he say anything Detective?" Batman asked suddenly.

"What do you mean" Karen asked looking over at the Batman who was still hunched over the microscope.

"When you were captured did he say anything"

"Yeah" Karen said slowly "why"

"What did he say" Bruce Wayne asked turning to her "exactly"

"Well he kept calling me his dear, which I hated" Karen said "Umm lets see, he said that he had never sensed power like me . . . he said that he's immortal and that he was sucking 'magic' out of me. But I wouldn't really depend on what he says too much, he is insane after all"

"insanity follows fact and logic" Batman said and he began typing on the computer "Robin, find out if Kent Nelson is still in New Orleans"

"Piece a cake" Dick Grayson said, going over to the computer and tapping a few keys. "Got him, he's there alright. But what do you want him for"

Batman looked at his young protégé as if it was obvious.

"Right" Grayson said

"Umm Kent Nelson. . .?" Karen trailed off hoping one would answer her unfinished question but neither did. "Oh you know that's fine, I put my life in your hands and you won't tell me what's going on. Yeah this will go over well"

"can I get you anything while you wait Detective?" Alfred asked.

"No" Karen said "no I'm good"

"Calling" Robin said and a ringing sound filled the cave.

"Hello" a rough voice said cheerily

"Nelson" Bruce greeted "I need you to come here"

"Batman" Nelson said "always so blunt."

"Magic is involved" Bruce continued

"Ah yes" the rough voice said "well I'll be on my way shall I?"

Click

"oh great" Karen said sarcastically "a man I don't know is coming, Batman believes a mad man, and oh yeah I can create fireflies with just one thought"

"Yes" Batman said curtly "now make another one"

"Excuse me" Karen asked indignantly

Bruce Wayne glared at her and Karen sighed

"you do that better with the mask" Karen informed him as she held out her hand and thought of light.

A much bigger light than before appeared instantly just above the middle of her palm and Karen bit her lip to keep from gasping. The drop in her strength though was not nearly as much as it had been the first few times and Karen could only guess at what that meant.

"Umm" Robin said "did you mean to make it that big" Karen shook her head. "is it just me or is she getting stronger?"

"Please say its just him" Karen muttered

"He's right" Batman said as he got out some sort of hand held scanning device and Karen was now wishing she had taken a tech course in college. He held it close to the light.

"Hmm" he muttered "no heat signature or any radioactive activity"

"At least I'm not a Nuclear reactor" Karen said then sighed "can you fix me or not"

Batman didn't answer.

"I almost liked you better when you were trying to butter me up" Karen said and in the back of her head she registered another presence on the Wayne estate and recognized it as a familiar. "Batgirl is in the building"

Alfred looked startled and briskly made his way to the stairs. After a few minutes of silence footsteps could be heard as well as low voices.

Suddenly light flared and for once it was not Karen. a harsh golden light seeped into all corners of the Batcave and sent the bats into a frenzy. The light solidified into an Ankh and a man in blue and gold appeared wearing a golden helmet that covered all but the man's eyes.

"Dr. Fate" Karen breathed "you know him?" she asked Batman as he turned to face their visitor

"hardly" Dr. Fate said in an impossibly deep voice "I have been informed of your request of visitation and told it was prudent to come. Why have you summoned me?"

"Her" Batman said gesturing to Karen.

Dr. Fate floated closer and settled on the ground in front of Karen who swallowed for once unableto speak.

It wasn't his voice or his costume or his powers that had her tongue tied. It was the fact that she was feeling two completely different presences. One was light and cheerful but held a certain sadness and had a reach beyond normal. While the other was harsh and ancient and almost alien, it spoke of wisdom beyond time and the presence stretched to places that Karen was too frightened to be aware of.

"Curious" Dr. Fate said and Karen couldn't stop herself from speaking as he looked at her with vacant eyes.

"Am I speaking to Kent Nelson, or " Karen asked quietly and was surprised at how even her voice was. Robin stared at Karen while Batman narrowed his eyes.

"You were right to call me" Dr. Fate said "this human is powerful, a level of power that has not been seen on earth since Merlin and Mordrid perhaps even greater than they."

But before Fate could say anything further, Karen's hand suddenly exploded in pain and she screamed. She began thrashing as her hand felt as though it was ripping apart and when she looked at it that's what seemed to be happening.

Her skin and the muscles beneath it was crawling as though alive, and Karen felt a grinding pain in her bones and then as she screamed she began feeling numb, and the blessed blackness dragged her down to senselessness.

Karen's head pounded like someone had taken a hammer to it and every rustle of the sheets was like a freight train rolling by in her ears.

"Ugh" Karen groaned

"Good morning Detective Larsing" a prim British accent said and light stabbed at her eyes like needles.

"Turn the damn light off" she said hoarsely as though she had had a cold.

"of course" Alfred said "when you are ready breakfast is in the dinning hall and Masters Dick and Bruce are waiting" and with a proper click the door was closed and the light off.

"Fuck" Karen muttered and sat up in the darkness. Her head spun and it took her a moment to regain her bearings but by the time she swung her legs out of the huge bed that she had been put in the lightheadedness and migraine ceased and Karen felt much better.

She looked down at her hand and shuddered remembering quite clearly the pain and the moving of her flesh, but she supposed Batman had drugged her. It explained her raging headache and lack of memory.

Karen wrinkled her nose at her gross smelling clothes and sighed.

Serves you right for being impulsive she thought to herself.

She looked around and found the light switch. At the foot of the bed was a neatly folded pile of clothes, a decent button up blouse, a pair of jeans and socks and boots and a leather jacket. Karen also found fresh toiletries in the bathroom and proceeded to clean herself up. By the time she was done she could faintly smell the French toast and bacon that was wafted from downstairs.

It took a bit to find the dining room before she could sense the three people in the dining room.

No four, it was that new and friendly presence she had felt along with Dr. Fate. So Kent Nelson would be joining them for breakfast. Karen was glad for that, Dr. Fate was a bit too alien for Karen right now.

The four males looked up as she entered the dining room and only two smiled.

"Jolly good Detective" Alfred said briskly and pulled a chair for her to sit in then began piling her plate with food.

Kent Nelson stood and held out his hand as Karen neared the end of the gigantic table.

"Miss Larsing a pleasure to meet you" Nelson said grasping her hand firmly in two of his.

"Likewise Mr. Nelson" Karen said and was about to ask her seemingly endless questions when Alfred shushed her.

"Food first Detective questions later" the butler said in a tone that brokered no argument "if you please"

The breakfast was quiet and Karen was halfway through her French toast when she began feeling uncomfortable. There was too much . . . space? Wealth? There was something here that had Karen just itching for a park bench or her little apartment. Finally she put down her fork and appealed to Alfred.

"Is there somewhere else I can eat?" Karen asked "a smaller table, or maybe a bench, don't care really, just not in here"

Karen knew it was probably rude but she could give a rat's ass about manners, she wanted out of the manor. It wasn't the space, the Batcave was just as big as the house, it wasn't the company she had been with all of these people before her hand had started eating itself or whatever it had done last night, it had to be the house. Alfred looked startled but nodded. Karen was about to get up and follow when Nelson chuckled.

"Don't worry Karen" he said as she turned to him in indignation "it's not the house it's the magic"

Karen stared at the old man before her and swallowed looking first at Bruce who wore a blank expression as though this happened every day and her was starting to get bored, then she looked at Dick who only looked curious, but not surprised. Karen looked back at Nelson and carefully phrased her question.

"What I can do, sensing people seeing all these colors" Karen said and closed her eyes, unable to believe she was saying this. "making balls of light, is magic"

"Yep" Nelson said "Come on, lets take our breakfast on the terrace"

Karen mutely followed as Alfred led the way out the double French doors and down the steps to the gazebo, surrounded by beautifully manicured lawns and flower beds. Almost immediately Karen felt better, not completely, but better none the less.

Alfred deposited their food on the small table in the gazebo and pulled out the two chairs then quickly and discreetly made himself scarce.

"I don't understand" Karen said "I was ordinary a few months ago, I couldn't even change the batteries in my flashlight without Jack reminding me all the time. Why did this all start happening now?"

"that's the mystery" Kent said tapping his nose "Magic is difficult to explain, but here is my take on it, for however little I have experienced it, magic is in everything, small traces in today's world but it's there. Now usually on the earthly plane magic can only be harnessed with objects or talismans as a focus. Those that have magic here on earth are sensitive people able to use the magic trapped within the objects or use the focus. Now there is the one or two humans that are born with it."

"Born with it?" Karen asked

"Yes" Nelson said "now whether they know it or not is a different matter entirely, and whether they can use it or not is in another ball park. The last man on the earthly plane able to do this at least to my knowledge is Merlin."

"Then how come you can do magic" Karen asked feeling more and more confused as Nelson continued to talk.

"I can only do magic if I absolutely need to" Nelson said "and like all magic the use of a spell comes from with in,"

"But last night" Karen started and Nelson smiled as she trailed off thinking.

"the helmet" Karen muttered

"I'm only an old coat" Nelson said "I have enough power and a decent affinity for the mystic arts, enough that Nabu, the real Dr. Fate can operate and use spells and magic that I can't. My wife Inza thinks I ought to quit, and I suppose I will in a year or two, but not yet."

"Nabu?" Karen asked

"a Lord of Order from the magical plane" Nelson said "he followed Klarion the Witch Boy here and has not left."

"do you expect me to put on the helmet" Karen asked wearily and Nelson shook his head.

"Your magic is different" Nelson said "you have the ability to use magic directly, like Merlin, to see auras and that light you made was only the beginning, you will be able to do much more, for instance look at the roses behind you"

Karen turned to the roses and watched as they grew slowly, the blossoms blooming fully and the ivy vines curling further around the gazebo pillars.

"at the moment you are untrained" Nelson said "and I can't train you, all I can do is perhaps give you a book of Celtic spells and send you on your way. "

"Why can't you train me" Karen asked shakily as she turned from the roses, freaked out beyond all reason.

"Because your branch of magic isn't mine" Nelson said "and you will not be able to be as open about your practices as I or Zatara are. you are too powerful and if you do a spell too big you may end up putting Africa in an ice age"

"Great" Karen muttered "So no lifting up Mount Kilimanjaro"

"I'm afraid not" Nelson said with a smile. "the most important thing for you to know is this, do not be afraid of your gift, do not fear it's potential otherwise it will drive you insane"

"No worries then" Karen said "I'm already insane"

"now" Nelson said snapping his napkin out "let's eat shall we?"