Panther Chapter 7: Denial, a young justice fanfic

In the star scape, a golden helmet turns, eternal. Until it stops and the eyes glow an even brighter gold than the color of the helmet.

New Orleans

July 27th, 21:57 CDT

Trumpet music plays in the background as an old man walks down the street, carrying a cane but not using it in any way. He stops before a door on his left. Madam Xanadu is in the center of the main golden oval sign. Three small square signs with red font read Tarots Read Loved Ones Contacted Fates Foretold. He pulls out a golden pocket watch. He looks at the woman on the inside of the cover. He closes it and walks inside.

As he does, a woman steps through the bead-guarded doorway. Her skin and hair are dark, but her green eyes are accented by the three blue jewels on her forehead. "Bonsoir, monsieur," (Good evening, sir) She greets him. "How can Madame Xanadu be of service?" Her French accent is rather mild. "Ah, there is someone to whom you wish to speak," She stops about the distance of the table to her right apart from the man. "Your wife, mai non?"

The man's hand clenches tightly around the watch. "Yes, my Inza."

Xanadu sits down. "Then Madame will make contact if fate be kind."

"But he so rarely is," The man sighs as he sits down as well.

"Ahem," She clears her throat, then holds out her hand.

The man reaches into his jacket, pulling out a roll of bills, which are ones. "Oh, of course," He says, placing them in her hand. She slips them down her shirt with no hesitation and closes her eyes.

The ball in the center glows pure white and her hair is blown back. The light above sways and creaks, the table shakes ever so slightly, and the curtains blow with the wind. The man watches as the table rises. Then the candles blow out.

"Oh, my darling. How I've missed you," Madame Xanadu says, though her voice is slightly higher than her own. Her eyes snap open, glowing white as well. "I'm so lonely here and cold."

The man bursts out into laughter. "Th-That's the best you could do?"

Everything clatters to their original places. "Imbecile! You have broken the spell," Xanadu snaps as her eyes open once more. "Your wife is forever lost."

"That was supposed to be my wife?" He questions, mocking her. He lets out a single chuckle before he continues. "Heck, my little Spitfire would've kicked my can for throwin' away good money on you."

"No refunds for non-believers," Xanadu replies hastily as she stands up out of her chair and crosses her arms.

"I think we both know you're the non-believer, Madame. A wind machine," He gestures widely with his hand to where a wind machine is hidden from sight behind the curtains near the ceiling. "Tire jacks under the table." He lifts the long table cover to show it off, then sits up straight. "A shame, too. You have the perfect aura for the work, and nothing would've pleased me more than to be reunited with my bride." He opens up his golden pocket watch, looking down at the picture in longing.

A hand is placed on the back of the man's jacket and then on his left lapel. Turning, he's stunned to see Abra Kadabra grabbing her. "You will be with her soon enough," He promises through his thick accent, holding the other man off the ground. He smirks and all the old man can do is look stunned before they disappear in a flash of blue-white light.

Madame Xanadu gasps in shock, finally her flight reflexes kick in and she runs back through her bead-blocked doorway.

Behind her turned back the cane the old man had glows, floating on its own before it too disappears in a golden flash.

Mount Justice

August 19th, 19:39 EDT

"Initiate combat training," The computerized voice says as Kaldur and Superboy slowly work their way from the opposite sides of the circle towards each other. "3." The two begin to circle each other. "2." They're now maintaining about ten feet of distance from each other. "1."

Both charge and Superboy goes in for a right hook punch that Aqualad ducks under, retaliating with a left-right one-two combo. Both of which Superboy blocks, though Kaldur jumps and goes for a hook kick, that Superboy both ducks under and raises his hands for. As Kaldur lands he goes for another right hook that Kaldur dives back into a back handspring, landing in a crouch.

Artemis, Catarina, and M'gann watch on. "Kaldur's, uh, nice, don't you think?" Artemis asks, glancing at the girls to ensure they're the only ones listening before she continues. "Handsome. Commanding. You should totally ask him out, M'gann."

"He's like a big brother to me," She denies light-heartedly. "But you know who would make the cutest couple? You and Wally," She teases, looking over her shoulder at the ginger currently noisily enjoying his burrito. "You're so full of passion and he's so full of-uh-of-"

"It," Artemis finishes with conviction, though their combined laughing afterward proves that she is mocking him.

"Actually, I take it back. I think Cat and Robin would make a cuter couple," M'gann smiles playfully at the girl, who blushes. Her ears twitch in alarm.

"H-Huh?! Me and Robin? Uh," She clears her throat, trying to sound normal and not high-pitched like she was a moment ago. "I don't...I don't know what you're talking about. Di-Robin and I have been friends for a long time now."

"You almost said his real name, didn't you?" Artemis looks at her teasingly and the girl covers her mouth, feeling embarrassed as her blush deepens. "Did you really think that we wouldn't find out? It's kind of obvious the way you stare at him."

"I-Is it really?" Catarina rubs the back of her neck awkwardly. She's had experience keeping secrets, and yet she didn't seem to notice them knowing the very obvious fact that she...

Might have feelings for Robin.

Sometimes...when he holds her in his arms, she feels safe in them. And he's always the first one to protect her above anyone else. Her being Batman's biological daughter and him being Bruce's adopted son didn't really change anything. She doesn't really see Robin as a brother anyway, since they're the same age. And...

He sees her in ways no one else does. They were very accepting of her being half-cat, but with him, it's...different.

"Well, obvious to everyone except for Robin himself," M'gann tells her with a gentle smile. "Don't worry, though, we won't tell him about you-know-what."

"Unless we get really tempted," Artemis winks at Catarina and they all end up laughing again.

"Thanks. It's good to know that I can trust everyone not to tell him—even Wally," She glances over her shoulder to the boy still eating. She thought he would've said something to him given that he's known Robin for a good while, and is Robin's male best friend. And it's kind of hard to avoid him since they both live together and go to the same school...

"How was your first day at Gotham Academy?" M'gann asks the black-haired girl.

"Oh, it was really good. Dad arranged it so that I have the same classes as Robin, so at least I wasn't alone. But I did met his friend Barbara, she seems nice," Catarina explains to them, looking back to Superboy and Kaldur. M'gann and Artemis glance to each other in surprise that she's already openly calling him Dad, smiling at each other. They're happy knowing that Catarina seems to be in a good place...

Kaldur and Superboy charge each other, and with his bigger build Superboy gets his arms on the Atlantean's shoulder blades, before getting his boot behind Aqualad's barefoot and throwing him over his shoulder and a good fifteen feet away, on his rear.

Aqualad lets out a stunned cry as he feels his feet leave the ground.

"Fail Aqualad," The computerized voice calls out, as his stats appear near the fallen Atlantean's shoulder.

Superboy stands up straighter, brushing off his hands. "Black Canary taught me that."

Red Tornado drops out of a hole in the ceiling, gaining everyone's attention. Superboy helps Kaldur to his feet.

The ginger speeds in front of Red Tornado. "Do you have a mission for us?" Wally asks eagerly.

"Mission assignments are the Batman's responsibility," He simply responds.

"Yeah. Well, the Batman is with the Robin, doing the Dynamic Duo thing in Gotham," Wally responds, tauntingly emulating Tornado's speech pattern. "But you're heading somewhere, right?" At this point, the rest of the Team members are slowly moving in. "Hot date or a-a mission."

Catarina steps up to him, smacking the side of his head. "Ow!"

"If we can be of help," Kaldur speaks up, counteracting Wally's general rudeness with very polite and formal speech, as usual.

Tornado looks the Team over for a moment. Then he turns and calls up the holoscreens, pulling up the same man who spoke with Madame Xanadu. "This is Kent Nelson, a friend. He is 106 years old."

"Guy doesn't look a day over ninety," Wally comments in Artemis' direction. M'gann steps up on his right, immediately drawing the ginger's attention away from the archer.

"And he has been missing for twenty-three days," Tornado continues, either not hearing Wally or ignoring him. "Kent was a charter member of the Justice Society," The image of the holoscreen changes to cover Kent's face with a golden helmet and his clothes turn royal blue with a gold belt, breastplate, gauntlets, boots and cape. "The precursor to your mentor's Justice League." With that, Kent's picture becomes Doctor Fate's.

"Of course," Kaldur realizes, sounding annoyed with himself. "Nelson was Earth's Sorcerer Supreme. He was Doctor Fate."

"Pfft," Wally snorts at this. "More like Doctor Fake, guy knows a little 'advanced science' and Dumbledore's it up to scare the bad guys and impress the babes," He whispers to Artemis.

Tornado turns to the Team again. "Kent may just be on one of his...walkabouts, 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."

"If he's been guarding it so long, I don't think he would just step down from that task willingly," Catarina rubs her chin. "There's gotta be something at work here."

"He's like the great sorcerer-priests and priestesses of Mars, I would be honored to help him," M'gann speaks up, everyone paying her attention. They all know that it isn't often she would bring up her life on their sister planet. Much less her religion. Similar to how Catarina has yet to go into full detail how she became Panther or why Catwoman hasn't come to see her unlike the other mentors—besides Superman. They thought she would've been proud of her protégé putting their criminal past behind and making a good name out of it.

Wally's hand shoots up instantly. "Me too." Everyone turns to him, surprised. "So honored, I can barely stand it," He continues, suddenly sounding sheepish as he realizes all attention is focused on him. Behind him, Artemis is glaring. "Magic rocks," He throws in a rock and roll hand gesture. The blonde rolls her eyes and she crosses her arms.

"Take this, it is the key to the Tower of Fate," Tornado says, offering up an old brass key. Aqualad takes it from his waiting hand.

"What are the chances we both so admire the mystic arts?" Wally questions M'gann. She gives him a small smile and nothing more.

Catarina crosses her arms this time, she and Artemis both giving each other a brief raised brow.

Inside the Bioship, M'gann is at the helm, Artemis is directly in front of her, Wally is to Artemis' right, and Kaldur and Superboy are on her left. Catarina is in the back next to M'gann, right across Superboy. "So, Wally," Artemis begins, an already mocking tone in her words. "When did you realize your honest affinity for sorcery?"

"Well, I-I don't like to brag," Wally stumbles over his words, but his attention is fully out of the corner of his eye right at M'gann. "But, uh, before I became Kid Flash, I seriously considered becoming a wizard myself." Seeing that he has M'gann's attention, he puts his hands behind his head and visibly relaxes.

Artemis rolls her eyes as Catarina simply places her hand on her face. Kaldur looks away from KF.

"We've reached Tornado's coordinates, but-" M'gann starts, as she brings the Bioship down in the street.

Salem

August 19th, 20:22 EDT

The Bioshop is fully camouflaged as it makes its descent. On the right side of the road is an open field, but on the left, there is an old theater that looks shut down, and a red brick building that with its lights on seemingly has people inside.

"Nothing's there," Superboy finishes for M'gann.

"Take us down," Aqualad commands her. Outside the Bioship is an mangey orange cat with deep red markings around its body. Though its face has similar black marking and red eyes that seem to observe the hidden Bioship before it hops off the box it was on and trots inside the theater.

"Grant us access to the tower, and I promise an end to your suffering," A man's voice—the same man who was in New Orleans—bargains. "Continue to refuse and-" He cuts himself off as something zaps.

This causes another man, who sounds older, to cry out in pain.

The cat jumps on a teen's lap as he laughs from the front row of the seating. Instantly he begins petting the cat, causing it to purr and meow. His face is pale, his hair is dark and styled in a way that almost seems to give him horns, but his eyes are old and angry. The cat begins to babble at him.

"Shush, Teekl!" He reprimands the cat. "I'm watching the show."

Up on the stage, tied in ropes and sitting in a chair, panting from pain is Kent Nelson. The same man that was in New Orleans is standing before him, holding a magic wand. "Enjoy it..." Kent begins, though forced to take a breath due to the assumed torture he's been receiving since New Orleans. "While you can," He finishes, then looks up with determination in his eyes, knowing he has their attention. "Soon enough, my friends will come to help me."

The Hispanic with the long ponytail had walked around his chair, raising his wand as the end sparks blue. He touches it to Kent Nelson's back to zap him once more.

Teekl the cat hisses as the teen stands up. "Encore! Encore!" He shouts while clapping. He laughs in sick joy.

The cat meows once more. "What?" The boy questions, annoyed.

The cat hisses then meows once more. Almost as if he understood her, his eyes soften. "Oh."

Wally skids to a stop in the middle of the field they parked the Bioship next to. "Nothing," He says, looking to Artemis. "This isn't simple camouflage."

The whole team looks to the ginger speedster, but Artemis is smug when she responds. "What do you think, adaptive micro-opto-electronics combined phase shifting?"

"Absolutely..." Wally starts off, but as M'gann appears in his line of sight, the slight smile drops from his face. "Not. Clearly mystic powers are at work here." Though the way he looks at M'gann is too obvious to be missed as well as his reason for changing his answer. The way his voice nearly cracks doesn't help his case either.

Artemis glares, while the other three look skeptical.

Unnoticed behind the teens, the four occupants of the theater appear. Though Teekl in the boy's arms and Kent Nelson's hands are bound. The boy looks rather smugly at the man with the wand. "Hey, Abra Kadabra, aren't you using adaptive micro-opto-electronics combined phase shifting?"

"Yes," Abra Kadabra begrudgingly responds, looking away. The boy then grins widely, noticing the markings on Catarina's fingers where her claws would normally go. She decided to hide her cat ears and tail for the time being.

"And what do we have here?"

Crickets chirp as the Team stares at the open field.

Kaldur looks to the key in his hand. "A test of faith," He repeats, looking to the handle on the key where it says 'insert.' He walks between Artemis and Superboy. "Stand behind me," He commands, stepping up so he is more than three steps ahead of the closest team member. Raising the key, it disappears and sounds as though it clicks into a lock. Turning his hand, the tumblers thud to the unlocked position. As this happens, a massive stone tower comes into sight, much to Artemis' and Wally's surprise. Though Superboy, Catarina, and M'gann don't seem to mind.

Kaldur keeps a hand on the key, pushing the ornate wooden door inwards. The Team follows him in without a command. The door slams shut, but the key remains in the door.

"Uh, where'd the door go?" Superboy asks, confused as they look around the blank four walls. Then a gold-tinted projection of Kent Nelson appears.

"Greetings," The projection of Kent's magic power begins to speak. "You have entered with a key, but the Tower does not recognize you. State your purpose and intent."

Wally looks back to M'gann before smiling. "We are true believers, here to find Doctor Fate," He says with an overdramatic smile.

Kent looks at him sadly and then fades from view. Wally's face falls until he hears the sound of the floor creaking loudly. He looks down just in time to see the whole segment give out from underneath all of them. This drops the six of them towards the magma at the bottom.

Superboy is falling the fastest, but changes his course to get to one of the walls, while M'gann grabs Wally, bringing the two of them closer as well. Artemis pulls out a small crossbow, turning on her back to shoot higher into the rock, then swinging to grab Kaldur as both of them plant their feet solidly on the wall. Catarina soars over to the rock, releasing her claws. She jabs them into the rock and slides quickly. She gasps as she's nearing the magma, gripping the rock tighter before she finally comes to a slow stop right above the magma.

Superboy claws at the rock like his sister, and his immediate tight grip slows him down, but not stopping him even as he digs the balls of his feet into the rock. Finally, he slows, but not before his feet and ankles fall into the lava. He screams in pain and Catarina's mouth opens in shock. He pulls out his unharmed feet out of the lava.

"Those were my favorite boots," He says in annoyance, breathing heavily. "This Nelson guy better be worth it." He turns to his sister. "You okay?"

"We just went for a joy ride right over magma," She places her forehead on her arm, her chest heaving up and down. "But other than that, I think I'm good."

Outside the theater, Kent Nelson, Abra Kadabra, the kid, and his cat come into view. Abra Kadabra pushes Kent forward harshly. As Kent gets within feet of the door, the cross with the top of infinity—the symbol of Doctor Fate—appears on the door and it unlocks itself to reveal a staircase within. The teen smiles mischievously.

All three enter the tower and once again, the door slams shut behind them. Only this time it disappears from the outside too.

Inside the Tower, Kent looks to Kadabra. "The Tower may not appreciate trespassers."

Kadabra raises his wand. "Mute," He simply commands.

A collar appears around his neck, a red light glowing in the center as it slightly chokes Kent.

Kadabra places his hand on Kent's shoulder and they all walk forward, the wall dividing to let them in. They stop in the living room where Inza's portrait hangs over a large fireplace.

Kent's magical projection appears in the center of the rug. "Hello, Kent," He greets them. "How unlike you to bring guests to the Tower, especially one with such potent mystic power."

Kadabra raises a hand and places it on Kent's shoulder as the collar speaks for Kent. "My friends come to help me." It's mechanical and wrung out, but definitely Kent's voice. Silently, the man glares heavily at Kadabra.

Kent's projection smiles and the wall opens once more. It reveals stairs that run in all directions, regardless of gravity.

Kadabra smiles smugly, as all three begin up the stairs does the wall close behind them.

M'gann and Wally are slowly falling, slowing and speeding up as M'gann power wanes and waxes. "Having trouble...maintaining altitude..." She wipes sweat from her brow. "Ugh, I'm so hot."

"You certainly are," He says without even thinking.

"Wally!" Artemis both gasps at and reprimands him.

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

"And I'm entitled...to throwing one of my claws...at your face," Catarina pants, looking up at him.

"Thank you, Cat," Artemis smirks at her as Kaldur also wipes the sweat off his brow.

"My physiology and M'gann's are susceptible to extreme heat, we must climb out quickly."

"Hello, Megan," M'gann says through gasps. "We never...truly answered the question," She turns her head slightly. "Red Tornado...sent us...to see if Mr. Nelson and the Helmet...were safe."

A panel slides shut underneath Superboy and Catarina's feet. He calmly steps on the panel as Catarina lets go, landing on all fours with a sigh of relief. Wally falls, landing on his butt while M'gann falls next to him on her knees. Artemis and Kaldur belay down to the panel.

"Thanks, M'gann. You saved my tail," Catarina wipes the sweat off her forehead. "All of ours, really."

"This platform," Kaldur realizes, touching it with both his hands. "It should be red hot, but it is cool to the touch. Catarina, can you look into it?"

"I'm not Robin, but I can try," She pulls out a glove and puts it on, a holoscreen appearing from it similar to Robin's. "Though with a place like this, it's bound to give me problems, so don't hold your breath..."

"Don't worry, Megalicious, I gotcha," Wally says, helping the green girl to her feet.

Artemis blows a gasket. "Enough!" She shoves Wally into the wall. "Your little 'impress M'gann at all cost' game nearly got us all barbecued."

Wally glares at the blonde before him. "When did this become my fault?"

"When you lied to that whatever-it-was and called yourself a true believer," Artemis snaps at him, Superboy and M'gann looking to the redhead from behind her.

"It must have sensed that he was lying, and it sends whoever lies or is among a liar to be...well," Catarina glances to the panel, going back to her glove. "So even if one of us had said it, it wouldn't have worked."

After her explanation, all the attention in the room is on Wally again.

"Wally?" M'gann questions with a stunned look. "You don't believe?"

Wally glares at Artemis before speaking out in exacerbation. "Fine. Fine! I lied about believing in magic! But magic's the real lie, it's a major load! Cat, you believe in it too? I thought you went to the tech side of things!"

"Hey, I'm half-cat, I believe in anything at this point," Catarina crosses her arms.

"Wally, I studied for a year at the Conservatory of Sorcery in Atlantis," Kaldur prompts his hand still on the floor. "The Mystic Arts created the skin icons that power my water-bearers," Now he's looking at Wally.

"Dude, you ever hear of Bioelectricity and genetics?" He asks, seeming annoyed, but not demeaning. Then he opens his mouth again, this time set on being sarcastic. "Hey, in primitive cultures, fire was once considered magic too. Today, it's all a bunch of tricks."

"You're pretty close minded for a guy who can break the sound barrier in his sneakers," Artemis speaks up.

"And you oughta pay more attention in your history class: it was mainly used for defense purposes and to cook food when it was discovered over a million years ago," Catarina states while still going through her screen. She then smiles at something, bending down to Aqualad.

Artemis snickers at the cat girl for the retort and Wally slightly glares at her.

"That's science on my speed," He argues, turning back to the blonde. "I recreated the Flash's laboratory experiment, and here I am!" He says with a sarcastic hand gesture of grandeur. "Everything can be explained by science."

Kaldur smirks at him once Catarina has informed him of what she's found. "Let us test that theory," He grabs an unseen handle.

"Wait, the back draft from the lava will roast us alive!" Wally protests, but Kaldur opens it anyway.

The door opens, however, with a snow flurry. It's accompanied by gusting winds and an expansive tundra-space beyond.

"It's snow!" M'gann cries cheerfully.

"The environment changes depending on the validity of the visitor," Catarina smiles up at them. "According to my map, there should be a door in there that'll lead us to another room."

Artemis looks up at Wally's angry face with a smirk. "Do you ever get tired of being wrong?" His frown deepens.

The Team jump through, but what was originally a downward jump sun so the gateway was now floating in mid-air from their point of view. It disappears in a golden flash. Wally turns away from where he was watching it, to find the whole Team looking at him.

"Well?" Artemis asks, a confident look on her face.

"Ever hear of string theory?" He questions sarcastically. "We're in a pocket dimension."

"Ugh," Artemis growls in anger by Wally's absolute lack of faith.

"Don't worry, Artemis," Catarina looks over her shoulder. "I'm sure he'll come around..." She walks forward, muttering to herself. "Or die trying."

"What's that?" M'gann questions, looking at Kent Nelson's cane floating above the snow.

"Ooo, maybe it's Kent's magic wand," Wally says sarcastically. He speeds over so he can grab it at the same time Artemis does.

"I got it," They say in unison. Then it begins to glow gold. "Huh?" They both question in shock. "I can't let go!" They're pulled upwards by the cane and disappear in a flash of gold. The four remaining exchange worried looks.

"That door you mentioned, find it quickly," Aqualad states to Catarina, who nods sharply at him. She pulls up the map and runs, the three following after her.

The teen, Abra Kadabra, and Kent are walking along a staircase that looks like it's upside down.

"Are we there yet?" The teen drawls, his cat lying behind his neck. "Are we there yet? Are we there yet?"

Kadabra grabs Nelson's shoulder, bringing all three to a stop. "Tell us how to find the helmet," He demands, clearly becoming aggravated.

Kent glares, but can't say anything due to the collar around his neck. In a second Kadabra removes it, throwing it over his shoulder with a smug look. "Can't," Kent says, though his voice is hoarse he's smiling. "Having too much fun."

Kadabra's face contorts in anger, then electrocutes Kent, knocking him to the ground. "Still having fun?"

The teen chuckles at the display. "I am! Zap 'im again!" Another idea comes to his mind as his fist meets his open right hand. "Or dump him off the side, and watch him splat!"

Kadabra raises his wand again, zapping Kent.

The teen laughs once, enjoying the pain before him. Until his cat meows and grabs his attention. "Ah, yes, yes," He seems to agree with the cat. "I suppose we might still need him." Though he looks back at the pain Kadabra is causing Kent with vicious glee.

Superboy, M'gann, Kaldur, and Catarina walk through the snow in almost silence until M'gann finally speaks up. "I don't understand Wally. It's almost like he needs to believe the impossible can't happen."

"Or that he needs to be right," Catarina mutters while leading the way. Her hair blows to the right side as she walks.

Kaldur approaches it calmly, having known Wally for a while to understand how he thinks. At least a little bit. "Wally uses his understanding of science to control what he cannot comprehend. Acknowledging the existence of magic would relinquish the last vestige of that control."

M'gann looks away from Kaldur, thinking about what he said. Something creaks and thuds in the distance.

"We're here," Catarina reports, looking up towards the sound. The four find a doorway sitting on top of a nearby ridge with a few steps leading up to it. They exchange no words as they head towards it.

On a nearby platform to where the teen is watching Kadabra torture Kent, Artemis and Wally come into existence. Neither of them let go of the cane (not that they could right now) and they move from lying on their sides to kneeling on one knee. Kent sees them instantly.

Once Wally's looking in the right direction, he recognizes Kadabra. "Abra Kadabra," He growls at him.

Kent relaxes and gains a slight smile. "Well, would you look at that?"

The cane glows in Artemis and Wally's grip, in response, Kent's whole body glows the same gold. Kadabra and the teen barely glance at the teen-heroes as Kent begins to float and fly past them. He grabs the cane with both hands and immediately lets the two go as Kent's bonds become undone.

"In here," Kent says, standing up and using his cane to create an elevator in the wall, the three rushing in.

"No! No! No!" The teen working with Kadabra shouts angrily. "I want that helmet!" He raises his hands, red magic gathering as the door to the elevator begins to shut. "I want it! I want it! I want it!" The red lightning only hits after the door are fully shut.

Elevator music plays in the background as the number shown increases. Both teens look to Nelson, unsure of who should say something first.

"I'm Kent Nelson, by the way," Kent finally speaks up.

"No duh," Wally mumbles, only to be hit by the elbow to the chest by Artemis. "Ow!" He hisses in pain.

"I'm Artemis," She introduces herself. "Miss Manners here, is Wally."

He smiles at the both of them. "Well, Artemis, we're up against an opponent that with tremendous mystic power."

"Abra Kadabra?" Wally questions rhetorically then scoffs with an eye roll. "Flash proved that he uses futuristic technology to simulate magic," He says directly at Kent. "Guy's all show and no biz."

"Right you are," Kent agrees with him, much to Artemis' shock. Wally smiles proudly, looking at her shocked expression with a little too much pride.

"He is?" She asks him, stunned.

"Abra is a charlatan," Kent explains to the two. "But Klarion, the Witch Boy, kid with the cat, he's an actual Lord of Chaos, the ultimate enemy of a Lord of Order like Doctor Fate."

"Right," Wally drawls out, "You're a Lord of Order." He sounds hesitant and confused.

"Oh, no. Not me," Kent says with a smile. "I'm just an old coot Fate used to put on. Until my wife Inza convinced me there was more to life," He opens his watch and looks down at her picture. "Ah, she was a real pistol, that Inza." He snaps the watch shut and gets back on track. "Anywho, Klarion's after the helmet. If he gets his sticky little mitts on it, he'll turn the whole planet into his own personal playground of pandemonium."

The elevator dings, and the doors open. The three walk out, seeing a golden tower-bell hanging on the platform before them. Following Kent, Wally and Artemis ascend the stairs.

Behind them, on the ceiling, a door opens. Superboy and Kaldur fall to the floor hard enough to hurt, while M'gann levitates downwards. Catarina falls, but lands on her feet thanks to her cat-like reflexes.

As Artemis runs to the four of them, Kent turns to Wally. "Friends of yours?"

Electricity zaps in the background. A blue bolt just misses the two of them. On a perpendicular platform are Klarion and Kadabra.

"Friends of yours?!" Wally asks back with equally as much sarcasm as Kent, before grabbing him and getting him out of the way of Kadabra's next shot. Artemis, Kaldur, Catarina, Superboy, and M'gann are all forced to dodge it as well.

Kent and Wally crouch near the bell, until Kent stands, raising his cane, and hitting the bell.

As the bell tolls, it gains both Klarion and Kadabra's attention. Keeping Teekl in his arms, Klarion takes off into the air, as Kent and Wally walk into the bell, followed by Catarina. Klarion follows them in without any hesitation.

Catarina, Wally, and Kent appear on the roof of a tower, and floating just above their heads is the golden helmet. As Kent reaches for it, he's hit by a bolt of Klarion's magic.

"Mr. Nelson," Wally gasps, grabbing Kent to stop him, due to the force of Klarion's shot.

Kent stands, despite the fact that he has to groan through the pain, before raising his cane as he begins to cast a spell. At the end of the spell, he slams his cane down on the ground, creating a golden shield around the helmet, Wally, and himself, save for Catarina. Just in time to block another one of Klarion's shots as well.

"No!" Klarion shouts in anguish.

"Why'd you leave my friend out there?" Wally demands him.

"Does she look like she needs protection?" Kent gestures to her as the cat-girl jumps around from Klarion's magic blasts.

"By the end of this fight, we'll see if this kitty has nine lives," Klarion smirks sadistically at her. "You'd be perfect for my collection."

"Gross," She looks at him in disgust, not sure whether or not he likes her or that he wants to kill her—and she's fine with neither.

"Not bad for a former 'Doctor Fake,' eh, Kid?" Kent's voice has weakened significantly, and as he finishes he loses his balance and falls into Wally's arms as his cane falls to the side. "The bubble'll give you enough time-" He gasps for a breath and Wally catches him. "To do what you need to do."

Wally's eyes go wide. "I have no idea what I need to do."

Kent opens his watch, looking up at Wally. "Have faith in what you can't explain. Believe in what you can no longer deny," With that, Kent limps into his arms, his watch falling out of his hand as it hits the floor.

Wally can only look upon the scene, stunned. Catarina turns around, gasping in utter shock. Klarion fires an assault right at Catarina, and she backflips over it, landing behind the bubble.

"28, 29, 30," Wally counts the chest compressions. "Come on. Come on," He begs Kent.

Klarion begins firing shots with each hand, throwing them almost like baseballs, which is enough to take Wally's attention away from Kent. "I want that helmet and I want it now!" He growls in anger. Catarina flips over the bubble and unsheathes her claws. She then swipes and slices one of the blasts in half. "WHAT?!"

"My claws can cut through anything," She smirks, standing up fully. "Even your magic."

"Hmm, how intriguing~" He hums slightly in awe of her, creeping her out.

"Take a hint and give me your best shot, you creep," She waves him forward, egging him on. He then starts attacking her and she backflips, diverting the attacks away from the bubble.

Wally looks up at them, then the helmet, then down at Kent. "Wally, Cat, we're in trouble," M'gann's voice cuts through telepathically. "Tell Kent we need Doctor Fate!"

Within the tower, Kaldur and Superboy are trapped in electrical cages. Miss Martian keeps one hand out to deflect shots telekinetically, and Artemis shoots at Kadabra.

Wally watches from M'gann's perspective as Artemis' shot is deflected by Kadabra and she too is trapped in an electrical cage. They're unable to do anything as one heads right for M'gann.

The jolt snaps the connection between the three. They bring their minds back to the rooftop with a gasp. And because of the distraction, Klarion hits her with his magic, knocking her right in front of the bubble.

Gritting his teeth, Klarion pauses, then forms a magic circle around his feet. He gathers power between his hands until they expand to create two red hands that instantly shoot out. They manage to get a grip on the shield surrounding the helmet, Wally, and Kent.

The claws sink in as Kent's cane begins to burn. When the cane runs out, the shield will break.

"Wally..." He looks outside to Catarina, who weakly lifts up her head. "You've gotta...do something...while you still can..."

The claws screech against the shield, and Wally ignores it in favor of looking down at Kent. "A test of faith," He agrees with the man.

Standing up, he takes the helmet into his hands. Though, Klarion grabs his attention before he can do anything. "Hey, dumb kid. You put that on, you may never get it off!" He warns as he rips the shield apart.

Wally raises the helmet, as Klarion gathers more magic, shooting it at Wally. However, he puts the helmet on before it can hit him. Though the magic does absorb him.

Wally blinks as he's suddenly assaulted with a total lack of anything resembling where he just was. "Okay. Okay. No problem." Wally mumbles to himself, despite the echo that just said that. "I'm not here. I'm just delusional."

"Still don't believe?" Kent's voice asks with a chuckle. "Seriously, Kid, how'd you get so bull-headed in 15 short years?"

Wally turns to the source, shocked to see Kent standing before him. "But-but—you're-you're-"

"Yup," Kent knows what he's trying to say. "But don't feel bad. Soon as this little brouhaha is over, my spirit will ascend, and I'll be reunited with my beloved Inza."

"O-Oh. Okay," Wally stutters out. "Wait, but does that mean that I'm-!"

Kent sighs good-naturedly, cutting him off. "You're alive," Kent places a hand on Wally's shoulder, but seeing him flinch, he removes it. "But your soul no longer controls your body. See, we're inside the helmet. You put it on, and my soul got sucked in, probably because I spent so many years serving its master."

"Master?" Wally questions in confusion.

"Nabu, the real Doctor Fate, one of them Lords of Order I told you about," Kent explains, placing his hand on Wally's shoulder again. "He's the guy controlling your body now." Kent pats his shoulder lightly. "Wanna watch?" He removes his hand and gestures to the back.

Wally's green eyes show from under the helmet, as his hand is held out. Catarina looks up at him in shock, mouth wide open. The zapping of Klarion's spells is heard, but Nabu makes no move to avoid them. "Give it up, Nabu! Order went out of style in the 20th century," Klarion shouts, still throwing magic, but they all hit a projection of Doctor Fate's cross that acts as a shield.

Nabu holds out both hands. "This battle is pointless," When Doctor Fate speaks, Nabu and Wally's voices overlap, contrasting and grating against each other. "You sought to take the helmet before it gained a host. But you are too late."

"SHUT IT, YOU OLD FART!" Klarion snaps, drawing two large stone columns from the tower, and moving them so they slam against Doctor Fate's sides.

"Wally!" Catarina shouts in concern.

Only for his symbol to show on the outside of the rock before it blows to pieces.

"Brat," Doctor Fate snarls, before launching a golden wave at Klarion. He barely blocks it, but Teekl runs away from it. The spell causes Klarion to dissipate, as he does, Doctor Fate releases his hold on the spell and begins to descend back to the tower roof.

Behind his turned back, Klarion comes back from black fragments. He shoots Doctor Fate in the back with red lightning.

Catarina's eyes flash yellow and she hisses in anger at Klarion. She rushes forward to him.

Inside the helmet, Wally cries out in pain., falling to his knees. He looks to Kent angry, but mostly confused. "What gives?"

"Well, it is your body," Kent states to him.

"Then let me control it," Wally argues back. "With Fate's powers and my speed-"

"Sorry, Kid, doesn't work that way," Kent interrupts the ginger. "But you can see why I haven't put on the helmet in 65 years."

"And if Fate loses this fight?" Wally questions, his eyes going wide.

Kent's face turns somber. "You see Inza before I do."

Wally's eyes widen again as his mouth drops open.

Klarion launches a red magic dragon at Fate's downed form and at Catarina, forcing the magician to jump out of the way. Catarina is hit and flies backwards, landing at the edge of the tower. As the red dragon comes back around, Fate puts up a shield, only to be hit in the back by Klarion. This knocks him over to Catarina's side.

Klarion changes the flames in his hands to red dots that hang in the air. He uses finger guns to have them start shooting at Doctor Fate.

The Lord of Order barely has time to get a shield up to protect him and the cat-girl on the ground. Each shot cracks the shield until it shatters, knocking Fate even further back. He rolls to his feet to dodge more red fire. He takes off into the air to continue avoiding the red fire that Klarion is spewing.

Grinning devilishly, especially at Catarina, Klarion raises a hand, creating red columns that Fate dodges. He ends up right before Klarion as he gets hit by one. Fate gets knocked to the ground where the helmet hits with a clang.

"You're out of practice, Nabu, and that pathetic host body," His fingernails shink against each other as if they were made out of metal. "Zero affinity for the mystic arts," He steps up to Catarina, still keeping that grin. "Though you did bring me one good thing: a new toy for me to play with!"

He raises his hands, thunderclaps in the sky as a full storm brews over the tower. Red lightning rains down and is heading right towards Catarina. It seems as if she's done for...

Until she rapidly opens her eyes and throws blinding power right at Klarion's face. He screams as he reaches towards his face, the girl sprinting away from him.

Fate gets a barrier up around the two, though the energy that comes off is rainbow rather than gold or red.

"Ooo, rainbow power," Klarion taunts him, rubbing at his eyes still.

Teekl just meows in response.

"I am paying attention, you stupid cat," He snaps back.

Teekl mews again, her hackles rising as her body arches.

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm winning," Klarion emphasizes to his cat.

Fate's eyes narrow, a golden light booming from his chest, knocking him free and creating a yellow flame on the roof. Because Catarina is standing with him, she's protected. "It is difficult for a Lord of Order or Chaos to maintain a presence on the physical plane." As the smoke clears, Fate stands tall, in the center of the ring of yellow fire, cape billowing behind him.

Angered to be compared to a Lord of Order, Klarion's whole form changes, dropping any resemblance to a normal human. He erupts in a red fire that covers him and Teekl, before launching fire at them with a screech.

Catarina snarls as her claws appear and she rushes forward with a vengeance. She front flips and spins around the fire, jumping around it with ease thanks to her agility. Then she swings her arm to slice at a flame into three pieces. They fly right past her head.

"I am bound to the helmet and use a human host," Fate continues, dodging all of Klarion's attacks as well. He unleashes his own, which Klarion barely blocks with stone from the tower. "But that is not your way."

Klarion drops the shield, his face contorted to look even more animalistic, and his eyes glowing red. "You're babbling, Nabu," His hands gather red flames again.

"Am I?" Fate questions, drawing his hands to his chest.

Klarion raises a shield quickly, looking away because he knows it's not strong enough. Catarina comes into view, since Fate was distracting him. She spins around and slices at the shield with her claws, splitting it into pieces.

A yellow beam shoots out from Fate's hands, and it misses Klarion completely. Teekl's hackles rise as she hisses, and yelps at the impact that sends her flying.

"Teekl!" Klarion shouts, rising to his feet and turning to Fate. "I can't believe you would assault a defenseless pussycat. Attacking a cat? That's dark...and a turn on," He smirks at Catarina, though still angry.

"Okay, for the record, not gonna happen, toothpick," Catarina gags at him and he grits his teeth for the insult.

"We both know that creature is no cat, Witch Boy," Wally's green eyes narrow in accusation. "And without your familiar," The yellow flames that surrounded Teekl fade out as she warily stands to her feet. The yellow flame is now gathered in Fate's hands. "You have no anchor in this reality." Proving it, Klarion fades from sight in staggering increments.

"Bully! Killjoy! Geezer!"

Fate raises his hands, shooting another beam, this time at Klarion. Catarina flings a whip towards him. "Holy carp!" The Witch Boy yelps before jumping into a red/black portal. Another forms above Teekl, where he drops out and picks her up in his arms. "We're out of here!" Both of them fully dissolve into black and red outlined wisps that take off toward the sky.

This leaves Fate and Catarina alone on top of the tower.

Inside the tower, all the other members of the Team are crying out in pain from Kadabra's cages. As he raises his wand once more, Fate's symbol shows up behind him as he is stripped to his underwear and of his wand. "Wha?" He questions, gasping as Superboy stands up.

"Show's over," The Kryptonian snarls, punching Abra Kadabra in the face, knocking him down and out.

"Yes! That's how we kick it on the earthly plane!" Wally cheers, still within the helmet. Fate just stands there as Catarina waves a hand in front of his face.

"Uhh...Mr. Fate? Hello?" It's kind of creepy how he's just standing there...and she's half-cat!

Wally glances at Kent, noticing the obvious as well. "Uhh, it's-it's over, right? So why isn't Nabu taking off the helmet?"

"Because the Earth needs Doctor Fate," Nabu speaks up, an image of the helmet appears behind Wally and Kent. "I will not release this body."

"What?!" Catarina gasps as he also said this out loud.

"He can't do that!" Wally objects to this before looking to Kent. "Can he do that?"

"Can, but shouldn't," Kent answers angrily. "This is not the right candidate, and neither is his friend out there. The kid's soul belongs to the world of science, not sorcery."

"True," Nabu agrees, but his tone is dark. "But I do not appreciate being permanently hidden away, useless, and isolated for decades at a time." No one says a word as Catarina clamps her mouth shut. "Chaos must not be allowed to reign."

"That won't happen again, the boy'll take the helmet and make sure you're put to good use," Kent speaks for Wally.

"Yeah. I swear," Wally agrees with a bright smile.

"And in the meantime, I'll stick around, keep you company," Kent says, a touch of sadness in his voice.

Wally turns to Kent instantly, horrified. "Wait. What happened to you ascending? Seeing Inza?" His voice saddens at each question.

"So you believe now, eh?" Kent taunts the ginger. "Don't sweat it, kid. I'll spend a few millennia here, then see Inza." He flips open his watch to look down at her picture once more. His own voice is as sad as Wally's. "That's the great thing about eternity. It's eternal."

"The bargain is acceptable," Nabu says darkly.

"Some free advice before you go. Find your own little Spitfire," Kent begins to fade away. "One who won't let you get away with nothin', for example that-" He's cut off before Wally can hear the end of it. The helmet finally comes off.

Looking around, Wally finds himself still on the roof, looking at a shocked Catarina. He looks in her direction to see Kent on the ground. He walks up to the old man and sets the helmet down, placing the watch back in his hand. He closes his fingers around it.

"Wally, what...what happened?" Catarina asks slowly.

He says nothing as he looks down at the man he couldn't save, blaming himself. Catarina, sensing his guilt, places a comfortable hand on his shoulder. She closes her eyes in sympathy.

Mount Justice

August 20th, 3:48 EDT

Wally walks up to a shelf, where all his souvenirs are proudly displayed. He sets the helmet beside Cheshire's mask. Wally stands proudly before it.

Artemis clears her throat, leaning against the doorway. "You never said what happened to you when you put on the helmet. Even Cat couldn't tell anyone since she didn't see it."

"And then the craziest thing happened..." Catarina states into the phone, talking to Robin.

Wally's face falls, looking downright bored and uncaring. "Energy from the thing rewrote my brain's Beta Waves. I was bio-scripted into becoming Doctor Fate for a few minutes," He shrugs at her. "No big."

"Wait, you're still claiming there's no such thing as magic?" Artemis asks him in shock. Then she scoffs at him. "If that's how you feel, why keep it at all?"

Wally looks to it, then at her, giving a half smile. "Souvenir."

"Geek!" She insults, storming out of the room. He turns back to the helmet.

"Find your own little spitfire, one who won't let you get away with nothin'," Kent's voice echoes inside Wally's head. The redhead frowns at the words, but as he sees M'gann by, he smiles widely.

"Hello, Megan. Guess who bought us two tickets to a magic show," He says, following her down the hall.