Chapter 7: A Change of Fate
July 27
9:57 P.M.
New Orleans
A man in a suit was walking down the street as music was playing and people were enjoying themselves. The man had grey and white hair, wrinkled skin and blue eyes. He was holding a cane with a golden handle on it but was not using it to walk with. His name was Kent Nelson. Kent walked up to a store and stopped in front of it. The sign in the window read "Madame Xanadu" on it. Kent pulled out an antique pocket watch with a gold chain and opened it to reveal an old picture of a beautiful woman inside it.
Kent took a deep breath before he snapped the watch closed. He then entered the store and walked over to a table with a red cloth over it and a crystal ball in the center of the table.
A woman with tanned skin wearing fancy clothes that gave off the appearance of a fortune teller walked into the room to greet him. "Bonjour Monsieur, how can Madame Xanadu be of service?" The woman asked with an accent common to the area. She approached him. "Ah, there is someone who you wish to speak. Your wife, no?" She asked knowingly.
Kent tightened his grip on the watch he was holding it in his left hand. "Yes, my Inza." He replied as Madame Xanadu sat down in one of the chairs.
"Then Madame Xanadu will make contact, if Fate be kind." She said with a wink.
"Ah, but he so rarely is." Kent replied.
He sat down across from her but before Madame Xanadu did anything she held out her hand waiting for something. Kent knew what she wanted and handed her a roll of bills, which Madame Xanadu put inside her shirt. Xanadu closed her eyes and waited patiently.
Suddenly, the crystal ball started glowing and a mysterious wind began blowing in the shop. Madame Xanadu's eyes began glowing as her hair was blow and her eyes began to glow as she fell into the trance. The wind blew out some of the candles in the shop and the table rose into the air. "Ohhh, my love, I have missed you." Madame Xanadu said as she appeared to be in a trance.
Kent then burst out laughing. "Is that supposed to be my wife?" He asked as he tried to keep his humor under control. "Is that the best you can do?"
The wind suddenly stopped and the table slammed down on the floor. "Imbecile, you have broken the spell!" Madame Xanadu shouted angrily, trying to keep up the act. "You're wife is forever lost!"
Kent gave her a disbelieving look. "That was supposed to be my wife?" He asked with a laugh. "Heck, my little spitfire would've kicked my can for throwing away good money on you."
Madame Xanadu stood up angrily. "No refunds for nonbelievers." She said.
Kent gave her a serious look. "I think we both know that you're the nonbeliever, 'Madame'." He said completely serious. He gestured over his shoulder. "A wind machine," he then lifted up the table cloth, "tire jacks under the table. It's a shame too. You have the perfect aura for the work." He then held up his watch and flicked it open. "And nothing would've pleased me more than to be reunited with my bride." He commented.
A man appeared in the shop and grabbed Kent by the shirt, causing him to let go of his cane, and lifted him into the air. "You will be reunited with her soon enough." The man said menacingly. The man had tanned skin, brown eyes, a black goatee and long black hair in a ponytail. He was wearing black pants, black gloves, brown boots, a brown belt with a golden belt buckle, a golden earring in his right ear and a white shirt that was open down the middle to reveal his chest. The man was known as Abra Kadabra, a criminal. Kadabra grinned menacingly at Nelson before the both disappeared in a flash of blue light.
Madame Xanada gasped at what she had just seen and ran into the back of her store.
Kent's cane then rose up into the air all on its own and began to glow before it too disappeared only in a golden light.
August 19
7:39 P.M.
Mount Justice
Naruto and Kaldur were facing each other in a holographic ring, like the one Black Canary would use during her training sessions. Naruto was wearing blue jeans, a brown leather belt and brown boots with a black tank top while Kaldur was wearing his usual uniform without his water-bearers and backpack. "Initiate combat simulation in three… two… one…" The computer voice announced as the two circled each other.
Naruto and Kaldur charged at each other. Naruto threw a right hook but Kaldur ducked under it and countered with a left jab, right hook and spin kick, which Naruto was able to block. Kaldur landed after the kick and back flipped away from Naruto, who didn't let up.
Artemis, M'gann and Kara were watching off to the side. Artemis was wearing a white top with a brown jacket over it with the sleeves rolled up, dark blue jeans and black knee high boots with small, round black earrings and her hair pulled back into its usual ponytail. M'gann was wearing a white T-shirt under a blue short-sleeved crop top sweater, blue skirt, knee-high socks with brown shoes, and a headband to keep her hair back. Kara was wearing a red unzipped hoodie over a white shirt that left her belly button exposed, with skin tight jeans and white and blue tennis shoes.
Artemis had her hands on her hips and a grin as she watched the two boys sparring. "Kaldur's, uh, nice, don't you think?" She asked M'gann, causing the Martian girl to look at her. "Handsome, commanding, you should totally ask him out." She suggested. 'That way I can get some alone time with Naruto.' She thought to herself.
M'gann chuckled at this. "He's like a brother to me." She replied before grinning. "But you know who would make the cutest couple?" Artemis raised an eyebrow at that.
"You and Wally." M'gann said with a smile. They looked over at Wally who was wearing a white long sleeve shirt under a red short sleeved shirt, brown baggy pants and red sneakers. Wally was eating a burrito and took a huge bite out of it, making a disgusting noise.
Artemis wasn't buying it so M'gann explained. "You're so full of passion and he's so full of… um?" She tried to find the right word.
"It." Artemis offered, causing all three girls to giggle.
Naruto and Kaldur got close, Naruto slid his leg around Kaldur's foot. He tripped Kaldur over his leg and tossed the Atlantean over his back. This resulted in Kaldur landing on his back.
"Failed: Aqualad…" The computer announced as it recorded the fight's data and how he had lost.
Naruto dusted off his hands. "Learned that one from Wonderwoman." He said proudly before helping Kaldur to his feet.
A door opened in the ceiling area and Red Tornado dropped out of it. The robotic hero used his wind powers to land gently on the ground and started to walk away when Wally raced up to him. "Got a mission for us?" The speedster asked excitedly.
Tornado stopped and looked at Wally. "Mission assignments are the Batman's responsibility." He reminded the teen.
"Yeah, well, the Batman is with the Robin doing their Dynamic Duo thing in Gotham." Wally countered. "But you're heading somewhere, right?" He grinned. "Hot date or a…a mission?"
The others had joined Wally. "If we can be of assistance," Kaldur added, trying to make up for Wally's impatience.
Red Tornado turned around and activated the hologram computer screens. An image of Kent Nelson appeared on the screen. "This is Kent Nelson, a friend." Red Tornado stated. "He is one hundred and six years old."
"The guy doesn't look a day over ninety." Wally whispered to Artemis with a grin.
"And he has been missing for twenty-three days." Tornado continued. "Kent was a charter member of the Justice Society, the precursor to your mentors' Justice League." The image of Nelson changed to a man wearing a blue and gold uniform with a gold helmet on his head.
Aqualad immediately recognized the image. "Of course, Nelson was Earth's Sorcerer Supreme. He was Doctor Fate."
"More like Doctor Fake." Wally scoffed quietly to Artemis. "Guy knows a little advanced science and Dumbledore's it up to scare the bad guys and impress the babes."
"Kent may simply be one one of his walkabouts. But he is still the caretaker to one of the most powerful mystic items in the world. And it is unwise to leave such power unguarded." Red Tornado finished.
"He is like the great sorcerer priests and priestesses of Mars." M'gann said stepping forward. "I would be honored to help find him."
Wally's hand shot into the air like a bullet. "Me too!",, he said with way too much enthusiasm. Everyone turned to look at him, Naruto couldn't help but glare a bit, mostly annoyed that Wally was hitting on his girlfriend.
"So honored I can barely stand it.", the speedster said taking a step forward, holding up two devil horn signs "Magic rocks."
Red Tornado pulled out a golden key and handed it to Naruto.
"Take this. It is the Key to the Tower of Fate." He explained.
"Tell me," Naruto asked "Does Kent check in regularly, or not at all?"
"Kent Nelson communicates with the League once every 14 days." Red Tornado said.
"And how long does he usually go on his…um, oh let's just call them excursions?" Naruto asked.
"Kent will normally communicate to the League if he is planning on taking an extended leave of absence." Red said. "Does something have you concerned?"
"I just feel like it's more than likely he's been kidnapped." Naruto mentioned.
"Why do you think so?" Kara asked.
"It says in his files that Kent Nelson actually stopped wearing the Helm of Nabu 9 years into his career as a superhero, but he was active until the 90's as Doctor Fate. That means he was such a knowledgeable and powerful magic user that most people thought he was still wearing the actual Helm of Fate. I'm concerned whoever kidnapped him is stronger than he was in his prime." Naruto said before he addressed the team.
"Artemis, Kaldur, Bring your gear just in case. We may not end up needing to fight anyone, but better to be safe than sorry. Meet up at the Bioship in 5 minutes." Naruto said.
"What are the chances that we both so admire the mystic arts?" Wally asked M'gann with a flirtatious grin, irritating Naruto again that Wally was shamelessly hitting on his girl.
The team soon headed to the Bio-Ship to head for the location of the Tower of Fate. Naruto had thrown on a brown leather jacket that matched his boots and belt.
On the way, Artemis took it upon herself to question Wally's claims to believing in magic. "So, Wally, when did you first realize your honest affinity to sorcery?" She questioned.
Wally grinned, but inside he was worried. "Well, my don't mean to brag, but before I became Kid Flash, I seriously considered becoming a wizard myself." He said as he reclined in his seat and put his hands behind his head. Artemis, Kara, Aqualad and Naruto rolled their eyes before looking out the front window.
8:22 PM
Salem, Massachusetts
The Bio-Ship, in camouflage mode, soon arrived at the coordinates given to the team by Red Tornado. "We've reached the coordinates." M'gann announced to the team.
"But there's nothing out there." Kara commented.
"Take us down." Naruto instructed and M'gann nodded as the Bio-Ship landed on the open field where the Tower was supposed to be. The team started to leave the ship when Naruto sensed something nearby and it wasn't the tower. Granted, he could feel the general location of the tower, but that wasn't what he was sensing that worried.
"Hold up." He ordered causing everyone to stop where they were. "There's something out there." He cautiously disembarked from the Bio-Ship, looking around for any hidden enemies.
"Do you sense the tower?" Aqualad asked.
"Yeah, but there's something else I'm sensing out there too." Naruto said as he narrowed his eyes and activated his telescopic vision and didn't see anything in the alleys. The only thing he saw was a couple stray cats, one of which seemed to be looking in their direction. It's most distinguishing feature was the red eyes, and it felt like Naruto knew the cat. It soon ran off.
"I think we're being watched. We need to get a move on." He told the group as they disembarked. 'Something was familiar about that cat…' Naruto thought as he could shake the feeling that the cat had been waiting for them.
Not too far away, in an abandoned theatre
Naruto's instincts about the cat had been correct as it was heading into the old theatre building where voices could be heard. "Grant us access to the tower and I will promise an end to your suffering." A voice said. "Continue to refuse and…" A blast was heard followed by an old man's cry of pain.
The cat made its way to a boy that was sitting in one of the seats, watching what was happening on stage. He laughed as he listened to the old man's suffering as if he enjoyed it. The cat jumped up into the boy's lap, who immediately began petting the cat.
The cat's master was a scraggy boy with long, thin limbs, a thin neck and an angular face. He had black hair in a mop-top style with V-shaped bangs and devil-horns rising over the ears to points slightly above the top of his head. He had arched eyebrows and sideburns that taper to a point. He also had long, sharp, black fingernails. He was wearing predominantly black clothes that included a white shirt with a tall, stiff collar. On top of this, he wears a black skinny tie that was low on the collar, black skinny trousers and pointed shoes, as well as a distinctive jacket. The jacket resembled a standard suit jacket around the chest and shoulders, although it had long sleeves with flared, pointed cuffs, and the jacket's skirt was mid-thigh length and shaped so that it comes to a point at the front. The jacket is fastened with two short button straps around the waist.
The cat tried to tell its master something. "Quiet Teekel!" The boy shushed. "I'm watching the show!"
Up on stage were Abra Kadabra and a tied up Kent Nelson. "Enjoy it… while you can." Kent wheezed to the boy. "Soon enough… my friends will come for me." Kadabra walked around behind the old man and raised his wand that sparked some electricity before he touched Kent's back with the sparking end. The electricity went through Kent's body, causing him even more pain.
The boy stood up as Kent cried out in pain. "Encore! Encore!" He cheered and clapped happily. Teekel whined even louder this time. "What?!" The boy asked in annoyance. The cat hissed before its eyes glowed.
The images that the cat had witnessed of the Team arriving at the Tower's location appeared in the boy's head. "Oh…" The boy said as this was more important than torturing the old man.
Back in the park
The team was standing around looking for any trace of the Tower of Fate. Naruto could tell it was inside the park somewhere, but his senses were encompassing the whole park, so he couldn't pinpoint an exact location. Kid Flash was whizzing around but soon came back. "Nothing. This isn't simple camouflage." He said to the group.
"So what do you think?" Artemis asked, still attempting to get Wally to show that he didn't believe in magic. "Adaptive Micro Optoelectronics combined with Phase Shifting?"
"Absolutely…" Wally started to agree but then realized that M'gann was standing right next to him. "Not! Clearly, mystic powers are at work here."
Unbeknownst to the group, Abra Kadabra and the boy had arrived with a restrained Kent Nelson but were covered by a cloaking spell or field. "Hey, Abra Kadabra, aren't you using adaptive micro optoelectronics and phase shifting?" The boy asked.
"Yes, Klarion…" The fake magician admitted reluctantly. Klarion chuckled as he pet Teekel, who was in his arms.
Naruto turned his head and looked over his shoulder, narrowed his eyes as he looked directly at the concealed people. 'Someone is hiding from us…' He thought. 'Whoever it is must be the ones who kidnapped Mr. Nelson…'
Naruto pulled the key out of his pocket and looked at it.
"A test of faith…" Aqualad suggested and Naruto nodded in agreement.
"I think you're right. Stand back." Naruto ordered as he stepped forward to the open area and held the key out. The end of the key seemed to disappear in the air. Naruto turned the key and the Team heard the sound of a door being unlocked. The Tower of Fate then appeared in front of them from out of nowhere. The key was in the lock on the door and the door opened.
"Alright, from here on, keep your guards up. No messing around." Naruto told the team looking specifically at Wally. "There are probably traps to prevent someone from stealing the helm, so don't do anything stupid and don't touch anything." This was directed at Wally, who wasn't really paying attention as usual.
The team entered the tower and the door closed behind them. Kara turned as found the door had vanished. "Where'd the door go?" She asked.
Suddenly an ethereal form of Kent Nelson appeared before them. "Greetings, you have entered with a key but the tower does not recognize you. Please state your purpose and intent." The specter demanded.
Wally glanced as M'gann and saw this as a chance to make a good impression for her. "We are true believers, here to find Dr. Fate." He said.
Nelson's projection frowned as Naruto glared angrily at Wally. "Wally, you fucking idiot!" Naruto shouted as the projection vanished.
Suddenly the sound of the floor rumbling startled everyone. The floor under the team's feet crumbled and the teens fell down a pit that had a pool of lava at the end. The others screamed in surprise as they descended towards the lava, but Naruto remained calm and managed to grab both Artemis and M'gann with his arms around their waists. He was surrounded by a blue aura and levitated in mid-air while his eyes glowed blue as he called upon his spacial manipulation and stopped the other's in mid air. Kara quickly regained her bearings and grabbed Wally and Kaldur by their wrist and held them up in mid-flight.
"That was too close." Naruto muttered.
Outside the tower
Abra Kadabra pushed Kent Nelson towards the still visible Tower entrance. A golden ankh symbol appeared on the door before it disappeared, allowing them to enter the tower. Klarion grinned evilly as the trio entered the tower. They soon found themselves in a hallway.
"The tower may not appreciate trespassers." Kent warned.
Abra raised his wand and pointed it at Kent's throat. "Mute!" He orders. A collar device attached itself to Kent's throat and a red light glowing in the center. The device effectively prevented Kent from saying a word.
The two criminals had Kent walk in front of them as they walked through the tower. They came to a wall that opened up for them and led to a study with a fireplace that had a picture of Inza hanging over it.
The ethereal Kent Nelson that showed itself to the team appeared before them. "Hello, Kent. How unlike you to bring guests to the tower? Especially one with such potent mystic powers…?" The specter questioned.
Abra placed his hand on Kent's shoulder. "My friends… come to… help me…" A recording of Kent's voice played from the device around Kent's neck. The specter knew something was up and smirked before fading away. The fireplace wall opened up revealing a staircase. The trio walked through the entrance which closed behind them.
Back in the pit
The team was starting to have problems as something seemed to be pulling them down towards the lava pool. "Thanks, Naruto. A second later and we would've been literally cooked." Artemis said with M'gann nodding in agreement and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
"Phew I am so hot." M'gann stated.
"You certainly are." Wally agreed in a dreamy tone.
"Wally!" Artemis shouted at him, as this was not the time for flirting.
"Hey! Inches above sizzling death, I'm entitled to speak my mind!" Wally retorted.
Kaldur wiped his forehead. "My physiology and Megan's are susceptible to extreme heat. We need to get out of here and quickly." He urged.
"Hello Megan!" The female Martian said as she realized something. "We never truly answered… the question." She then put a hand to the side of her mouth so her voice could be heard. "Red Tornado sent us to see if Mr. Nelson and the helmet were safe!" She shouted. Her answer caused a platform to close around the pool of lava.
The team then landed on the platform. Aqualad knelt down and touched the surface with both hands. "This platform… it should be red hot but it is cool to the touch." He pondered in fascination.
Wally immediately went to M'gann's side to help her. "Don't worry Megalicious I got ya!" He flirted which only angered Naruto even more than he already was.
"Enough!" Artemis shouted, pushing Wally away from M'gann. Wally had gone too far this time and almost got them killed with his shameless flirting and someone needed to put a stop to it.
She might have done more but Naruto grabbed the speedster by the throat and slammed him against the stone wall. "If you ever think about putting this team in mortal danger for your own selfishness again," he snarled, "I will break your spine, you little shit!"
"H-Hey, what's your problem?" Kid Flash asked only the cringe in fear at the pissed off look Naruto was giving him.
"What's my problem? Funny you should ask since our current predicament is entirely your fault, you fucking idiot!" Naruto shouted. "I told you not to do anything stupid and not even ten seconds later, you nearly got this whole team barbequed!"
"Hey, Naruto! Ease up," Kara said as she gripped his hand. She might be mad at Wally too, but someone like her and Naruto grabbing someone by the neck could lead to it get broken if they lost their cool. Naruto reigned his temper in a little and stopped holding Wally by the throat instead holding him by the collar of his shirt.
"Use your fucking head!" Naruto growled, "You're so desperate to get in M'ganns pants that you almost got us killed!"
"Hey! All I did was answer the computer's question!" Wally snapped.
"No, you didn't! What you did was lie to a powerful, sentient tower designed to keep out all intruders! This isn't science Wally! It's magic!" Naruto shouted, releasing Wally and walking a short distance away, taking deep breaths to calm down.
"No it isn't!" Wally shouted back.
"Wally, you don't believe?" M'gann asked as she was somewhat hurt that Wally had lied to her.
Wally remained silent for a few minutes before having enough of the dirty looks he was being given. "Fine, fine, I lied about believing in magic!" He admitted. "But magic is the real lie, a major low!"
Kaldur was running his hand on the floor and shook his head at Wally's declaration. "Wally, I studied for a year at the Conservatory of Magic in Atlantis. The mystic art created the skin icons that power my water-bearers." He argued calmly.
"Dude, have you ever heard of bioelectricity?" Wally retorted. "Hey in primitive cultures fire was considered magical too! Today it's all just a bunch of tricks."
"You're pretty closed minded for a guy who can break the sound barrier in his sneakers." Artemis commented.
"That's science! I recreated Flash's laboratory experiment and here I am!" Wally explained. "Everything can be explained by science."
"More like explained away by science," Naruto countered.
Kaldur had found a door ring to a trap door. "Let us test that theory." He challenged as he grabbed the ring and pulled on it.
"Wait! The back draft from the lava will roast us alive!" Wally warned only for a snowy breeze to blow into the pit.
"It's snow." M'gann said with a smile.
Artemis grinned at Wally. "Do you ever get tired of being wrong?" She teased.
The team all jumped down into the opening only to land sideways in a snow covered field. Wally was the last one to jump through the portal, which closed right behind him, with Artemis looking at him. "Well?" She asked waiting for him to explain.
"Ever hear of String Theory? We're in a pocket dimension." Wally argued.
"Wrong!" Naruto said before he used his powers to slam a wave of snow into Kid Flash, making Artemis, Kara and M'gann giggle as he sat up with snow in his mouth while glaring at the team leader.
"Hey, what's that?" M'gann asked, drawing everyone's attention to Kent Nelson's cane that was floating nearby.
"It looks like Nelson's cane." Naruto said as Artemis walked over to the cane.
She grabbed it but her eyes widened because when she couldn't let go of it. "Hey, I can't let go!" She cried out.
Naruto immediately leapt forward and grabbed the cane as it started glowing. "Brace yourself!" He warned before they were both pulled into the air and suddenly vanished in a flash of light, shocking the other Young Justice members.
Meanwhile
In another part of the tower
Klarion was getting bored as Abra Kadabra, Kent Nelson and he were walking through an endless labyrinth of stairs. "Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?" Klarion asked over and over again.
Kadabra grabbed Kent by his shoulder and stopped him. "Tell us how to find the helmet!" He demanded as Klarion was annoying him a lot.
Nelson was unable to answer because of the collar on his neck, so Kadabra removed it and tossed it aside. "I can't, having too much fun." Nelson retorted with a grin.
Kadabra had enough of Nelson's defiance and zapped the old man with an electrical charge from his wand. The pain caused Nelson to collapse to the ground. "Still having fun?" The fake magician asked.
Klarion chuckled. "I am! Zap him again! Or dump him off the side and watch him splat!" He encouraged. Kadabra raised his wand and unleashed another electrical blast at Nelson, causing the old man to cry out in pain.
Teekl meowed something at Klarion, which caused the witch boy to sigh. "Yes, yes, I suppose we might still need him.", He reluctantly admitted but didn't immediately stop Kadabra from torturing Kent.
Back in the snowy area
Kaldur, Kara, M'gann and Wally were searching for a way out of that area of the tower. Wally was zipping all over the place, while the other three walked together. "I don't understand Wally. It's almost like he needs to believe that the impossible can't happen." M'gann said to the others.
"Wally uses his understanding of science to control what he cannot comprehend." Kaldur explained. "Acknowledging the existence of magic would be to relinquish the last vestige of that control."
M'gann didn't like that answer and neither did Kara but neither could argue with the reason. "Hey I think I see a way out!" Wally shouted pointing at a stair case that showed another area of the tower.
Back in the staircase labyrinth
In a flash of light, Naruto and Artemis appeared on the floor. "That was fun." The female archer groaned before shaking the cobwebs from her head.
"Uh, Artemis." Naruto said, getting her attention. Artemis opened her eyes and found herself staring back at Naruto's purple eyes. She looked down to find themselves in an awkward position where she was sitting on top of Naruto's waist. This position caused a pink tint to form on her face as she quickly jumped up.
"S-Sorry." Artemis apologized while the blush died down and offered him a hand to help him up.
"Don't worry, shit happens." Naruto assured her before he sensed that they weren't alone. "Trouble…" He muttered before turning to see Abra Kadabra, Klarion and Kent Nelson, as Artemis pulled out her bow.
Kent smiled. "Well would you look at that." He said.
The cane that was still attached to Artemis's hand was surrounded by a golden glow. That same glow appeared around Mr. Nelson and caused him to float in the air, towards the two young heroes, knocking Klarion and Abra over as he past flew them. As soon as Kent touched the cane, Artemis's hand was freed and the robes binding Mr. Nelson vanished. "Quickly in here!" Nelson said as he stood up and used the cane to create an elevator doorway.
They all entered the elevator as Klarion stood up. "No, no, no, NO! I want that Helmet! I want it! I want it! I want it!" The Witch Boy screamed in a childish matter and fired red mystic volts from his palms at the three while the door closed and deflected the blasts.
Artemis, Naruto and Nelson stood quietly in the elevator as it went up several levels. Mr. Nelson decided to break the silence. "I'm Kent Nelson by the way." He introduced.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Naruto." Naruto said.
"I'm Artemis." Artemis stated.
"Well, Naruto, Artemis, we're up against an opponent with some tremendous mystic powers." Kent warned.
"I'm assuming you are talking about the brat because Abra Kadabra is a well known fraud, who uses futuristic technology to simulate magic." Naruto stated. "The guy is as fake as they come."
"Right you are." Kent agreed. "Abra is a charlatan but Klarion the Witch Boy, the kid with the cat, he's an actual Lord of Chaos, the ultimate enemy of a Lord of Order like Dr. Fate."
"So are you technically a Lord of Order?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh no, not me. I'm just an old meat coat Fate used to put on." Mr. Nelson said before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his pocket watch. "Until my wife, Inza, convinced me there could be more to life."
He opened the watch and looked longingly at Inza's picture. "Ah, she was a real pistol, that Inza… Anyhow, Klarion's after the helmet. If he gets is sticky little mitts on it, he'll turn the planet into his own personal playground of pandemonium." The elevator chimed at they had reached their destination.
The three stepped out to find a large golden bell hanging in front of them. They walked up to the bell when a portal doorway opened and the rest of the team fell through.
"Friends of yours?" Kent asked Artemis but before she could answer, Naruto leapt in front of Kent with his arms forward and palms open to create a blue barrier around them, deflecting electrical blasts. Kent's eyes widened in shock at the sight of the barrier's power and perhaps even a little recognition at what the energy actually was. "Incredible…" He muttered.
Abra fired again as the barrier dissipated but Naruto batted it away with his bare hand. "Here, have it back!" Naruto shouted as he opened another portal and fired the blast he absorbed at a surprised Kadabra. It exploded on contact while Klarion leapt away with Teekl in his arms.
"Ooh! You'll be fun to play with." Klarion said in a happy tone.
"Sorry, but I like women better." Naruto countered as Artemis helped Kent over to the bell, which the old man rang once with his cane before it began to glow. Naruto quickly followed Artemis and Kent as they vanished into the bell with Klarion also following after them. The others tried to follow as well but were blocked by Abra's lightning blasts.
On top of the Tower of Fate
Kent, Artemis and Naruto appeared on the roof of the Tower where they found the Helmet of Fate was floating in the air above them. As Artemis reached out to grab it, a red hex bolt shot towards her but Nelson pushed her out of the way and took the attack right in the chest. "Agh!" He shouted as he clutched his chest in pain.
"No!" Artemis cried.
"Kent!" Naruto shouted as he caught the man before he fell to the ground. He helped the old man stay standing.
"Zet tey ottow zetien nobnus incontarta ed eum adesem!" Nelson chanted before slamming the bottom of his now glowing cane down on the ground. The cane released a golden energy that created a bubble that surrounded the three, as well as the helmet. This blocked another hex bolt that Klarion had fired.
"NO!" Klarion shouted in rage.
Nelson turned towards Naruto. "Not bad for a former Dr. Fate, uh kid?" He asked before he began to collapse. Artemis and Naruto caught him before he hit the ground. "The bubble will give you just enough time… to do what you need to do…" He explained to Naruto as he pointed at the helmet.
Naruto was shocked by this. "You want me to put on the helmet?! But I don't have any potential for magic!" He argued.
"Have faith… in what you do not know… Believe… in what you can't… remember…" Kent urged as he pulled out and opened his pocket watch to look at Inza's picture one last time. He then went limp in Naruto's arms as he died. The locket fell out of Mr. Nelson's hand.
Klarion kept firing hex bolts at the bubble as Artemis tried to revive Kent Nelson with CPR. "I want that helmet and I want it now!" The Witch Boy shouted.
"Artemis, Naruto, we could use some help down here!" Megan said telepathically as Kadabra was fighting the team. "Tell Mr. Kent that we need Dr. Fate!" She said before she was shocked by Abra.
Naruto glared angrily at Klarion as he stood up and walked over to the Helmet of Fate.
"Hey Klarion!" He shouted as he took the helmet in his hands. "You want this helmet so bad?! Then come and get it!" Naruto challenged as he put on the Helmet of Fate. Instantly Naruto was engulfed in a bright gold light, which then died to reveal Dr. Fate.
Mindscape
Naruto opened his eyes and found himself surrounded by a dark void. "Okay… What just happened?" He asked out loud.
"Ah, I see you managed to put the helmet on in time." A familiar voice said behind him.
Naruto turned to see Mr. Kent Nelson standing behind him, looking very much alive and healthy. "Kent!? Didn't you just die a moment ago?" He questioned.
"Yeah, but don't feel too bad. Soon as this little brouhaha is over, my spirit will ascend. I'll be with my beloved Inza again." Kent explained happily.
"I'm happy you're so upbeat about that, Mr. Nelson, but what's happened to me?" Naruto asked. "I put on the helmet and find myself here."
"Yes but your soul no longer controls your body at the moment." Kent explained. "See, we're inside the helmet. You put it on and my soul got sucked in, probably because I've spent so many years serving it's master."
"You wanna elaborate on that?" Naruto questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"Nabu, the real Doctor Fate. One of them Lords of Order I told you about." Kent stated. "He's the guy controlling your body right now. Wanna watch?" He gestured to a mystical screen that was showing what was going on outside.
Real world
Nabu was in complete control of Naruto's body and had a giant golden energy ankh to block Klarion's hex blasts as Artemis watched. "Give it up, Nabu! Order went out of style back in the twentieth century!" Klarion shouted.
"This battle is pointless." A deep voice combined with Naruto's stated. "You sought to take the helmet before it gained a host. But you are too late!"
"Shut it ya old fart!" Klarion shouted as he stopped firing energy blasts and used his magic to cause sections of the brick ground to rise up in an arch and slam into Dr. Fate.
A golden ankh symbol appeared where the arch came together and an explosion followed soon after with Dr. Fate freeing himself. "Brat!" Fate shouted before firing a golden beam of energy at Klarion which struck an invisible force field that surrounded the Lord of Chaos.
"AHH!" Klarion shouted as he appeared to burst apart. He then reformed behind the Lord of Order and blasted him in the back.
Mindscape
"Nrgh!" Naruto grunted as he felt the attack strike him. Thanks to his invulnerability, it didn't hurt him. "Why did I feel that, just now?"
"Well it is your body." Nelson replied as if that explained everything.
"Then why am I not in control?" Naruto asked.
"I'm afraid it doesn't work like that. But you can see why I haven't worn the Helm in 65 years." Kent stated. "And if Fate does somehow lose against Klarion, you'll see Inza before I do."
Naruto gritted his teeth as he hated being unable to do anything. He was angry at a lot of things today and having his body stolen caused it to reach a boiling point.
"Damn it!" Naruto shouted, his eyes glowing purple instead of blue this time.
Suddenly, Naruto's body started glowing white. "Now what?!" He asked before vanishing.
"That's unexpected." Nelson said as he could guess what had happened because of Naruto's strong powers and great willpower.
Out in the real world
Dr. Fate became surrounded by a purple energy orb and when it dissipated, Dr. Fate looked completely different.
He was now wearing a black suit layered with golden armor that covered his legs, chest, shoulders, crotch, forearms and fingers. A black sleeveless duster jacket with a golden Infinity symbol was worn on the back. He wore a golden metallic belt around his waist and gold boots on his feet. His head was covered by a golden, open-faced helmet. (AN: For visual representation, Naruto's armor is the same armor that Thane, son of Thanos, wears in the video game "Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order", and he has the Helmet Thanos had in MCU until he acquired the Space Stone.)
Klarion and Artemis were shocked by the sudden transformation. "What's going on, Nabu? Finally decided to go with a more modern look, instead of having that bell on your head?" He asked in a mocking tone.
"Nabu isn't home right now, Bitch Boy, only me!" Naruto's voice said as he raised his head. he was surrounded by a purple aura as his eyes glowed purple. He flexed his power, causing small pieces of rubble to float into the air. He then fired a beam of purple energy from his right hand that destroyed Klarion's shield that he hastily threw up, blasting him off his feet.
Artemis was shocked to see the power that Naruto now possessed. "Naruto, what's happened to you?" She asked.
"I don't know Artemis, but I know I like it!" He replied with a smirk.
Klarion jumped back up to his feet and fired a magical blast in the shape of a dragon head at Naruto. Naruto jumped into the air to avoid it but the fiery head quickly turned around and came flying at him. He fired a purple beam from his hand that hit the dragon head and caused it to swell and then explode. Klarion fired a blast of energy at Naruto while his back was turned but Naruto conjured a purple shield in front of him that destroyed the blast when it hit the shield.
Klarion glared at Naruto, while thinking to himself, 'This isn't good. He's gained access to another Infinity Stone. And it's one of the best he could have unlocked!'. Klarion summoned red magic in his hands and created giant red hands of magic and sent them at Naruto. Naruto's eyes glowed purple and fired purple beams from them, cutting the hands to pieces. Klarion slammed his hands on the ground, causing a n explosion of red magic underneath where was standing. Through the smoke, Naruto fired a large beam of purple energy at Klarion. Klarion opened a portal and the blast harmlessly went through it. Klarion then sent the portal at Naruto, trying to take him somewhere else. Naruto punched toward the portal approaching him, a thin purple wave emitting from his fist and shattered the portal. His eyes then glowed blue as he formed a small black hole as sent it at Klarion. Klarion used his magic to turn the black hole into a swarm of bats that attacked Naruto, who merely sent out another destructive blast of purple energy at the swarm and destroyed.
A magic circle formed around Klarion and a moment later there was about 100 copies of him surrounding Naruto. Each one created a red whip and wrapped it around a part of Naruto's body before sending red lightning down the line and shocking him. Naruto grit his teeth as sent destructive energy along each of the lines, destroying the copies, causing Klarion to let go of his own whip before he got blasted with the wave. He was then surrounded by a blue aura and was flown forward, Naruto's fist wrapped around Klarion's neck.
"No more tricks, Witch Boy." Naruto said.
"Well, that wouldn't be fun now would it?" Klarion choked out. "You know, I got admit, I've missed playing with you."
That got Naruto's attention. "What are you talking about? I've never met you before today."
"That's where you're wrong, Naruto. I've known you since you were still a kid. Your old man was so disappointed when you lost your memories. And just between us, I think he was actually a little bit heartbroken too."
"You know something about my memories that I'm missing. Tell me, who is my father?" Naruto demanded.
"Well, the problem is, it's too soon for you to know that yet. Sorry, no spoilers just yet," Klarion said and Naruto had missed that there was a cloud forming overhead and a giant bolt of red magic struck him dead on, causing a shout of pain as it generated a large explosion. The blast caused Dr. Fate to change back into his original form, which was seen as he rolled out of blast.
"Losing your touch in your old age, Nabu?" Klarion taunted as he created several red orbs in the sky and began firing them at Dr. Fate.
The Lord of Order created a golden energy shield to protect himself from the attacks.
Back inside the mindscape
Naruto had reappeared in the mindscape. "Okay, what the hell just happened?" He asked Kent who had been watching.
"If I had to take a guess, I'd say that you're so powerful that you can overpower Nabu and reclaim control of your body. I'm afraid that you and Nabu may keep changing back-and-forth until one of you takes off the helmet." Kent stated.
"Then one of us needs to end this fight quickly." Naruto said as he went back to watch the fight.
Real World
Nabu's shield wasn't able to hold up against Klarion's barrage of spells and shattered, knocking the Lord of Order backwards. He immediately got back up and leapt into the air to avoid a stream of fire that Klarion blew from his mouth. Klarion stopped that attack and raised his clawed hand, causing bursts of red hex energy to shoot up into the air. Nabu managed to evade two of those attacks but a third hit him hard, causing him to slam into the ground. His form shifted again and Naruto was back in control. "You're out of practice, Nabu!" Klarion taunted. "That body may be durable but it has zero affinity for the mystic arts."
"That may be, but I still have my powers." Naruto countered as he fired his purple beams from his eyes at Klarion. Klarion countered with a hex blast that caused an explosion.
"Ha! Like that would… work?" Klarion said in confusion and the smoke cleared but Naruto was nowhere in sight.
"Oh, it did." Naruto's voice said from behind the Witch Boy. Klarion turned around just in time to be punched in the face by a vicious right hook that sent him flying through the air until he managed to stop in his tracks.
"Ow! That hurt, you brute!" Klarion shouted in anger as he rubbed his bruised jaw and spit out some blood. The witch boy glared at Naruto but then spotted Artemis out of the corner of his eye holding Kents body and gained an evil smirk on his face. He did a gesture with his hands, making pieces of earth rise from the ground but then form into spears and aimed them at Artemis.
With a swing of his arm, Klarion sent the spears flying at the shocked female archer. "Artemis!" Naruto shouted before he conjured a shield around his teammate, causing the spears to break when they hit it. "Leave her be, Klarion!" He shouted as flew right in front of Artemis and used his telekinesis to send the spears back at their creator.
The Witch Boy took off into the air to avoid the spears and had a grin on his face, like he was enjoying himself. "Now where's the fun in that?" He cackled in glee while firing a barrage of red fireballs at the two. Naruto threw up a blue energy dome to stop the attacks.
The Lord of Chaos landed, raised his hands into the air and a multicolored portal formed above them. "Time to end this." Klarion declared. A massive bolt of red hex energy was unleashed from the portal and came down towards Naruto and Artemis, hitting the shield Naruto had created.
Rainbow energy was created at the point of contact between Naruto's shield and Klarion's attack. "Ooo, rainbow power." The Witch Boy admired only to have Teekl growled at him. "I am paying attention you stupid cat!" Teekl didn't like being called a stupid cat and meowed at his master again. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm winning!"
Naruto was drawn back to some of the things that had been said before and during this fight. 'I'm just an old coat Fate used to put on...You sought to take the helmet before it gained a host... I'm afraid that you and Nabu may keep changing back-and-forth until one of you takes off the helmet…'
"I think I understand now!" Naruto said as he channeled purple energy into the shield, exploding it outward and destroying the red hex bolt. He then stood surrounded by a circle of purple fire, while Artemis and Kent were completely unharmed.
"As I understand it, Lords of Order and Chaos cannot merely exist in the mortal plane." Naruto stated calmly.
Klarion's eyes widened as he knew exactly what Naruto was talking about. He and Teekl were then surrounded by a red mystical aura that gave them a more demonic look as Klarion summoned more of his power. Large balls of fire energy appeared in each of Klarion's hands which he then threw at Naruto. He flew into the air and began dodging as he continued talking.
"Nabu is bound to the helmet and needs to use a human host to interact with the world." He stated before firing a blast of energy. Klarion formed a stone wall to block the attack. "But that is not quite what you do."
"You're babbling, kid!" Klarion shouted in his more demonic voice.
"You think so?" Naruto asked as he pointed his finger towards Teekl and fired a thin purple beam at it.
Klarion responded by forming a solid energy shield in front of himself but the beam passed by him and pierced Teekl's side, who cried out and was sent sprawling across the ground, bleeding.
"Teekl!" Klarion shouted in concern as he turned back to normal, no longer looking more demonic, before he glared back at Infinity. "I can't believe you would shoot a defenseless and cute pussycat!"
"You and I both know that while it might inhabit the body of one, that thing is no cat." Naruto said as he gestured to the now shimmering Teekl. "And if your anchor dies...well, something tells me you already know what happens." Teekl struggled to breath as Klarion seemed to fade in and out of existence.
"Bully! Killjoy! Asshole!" Klarion shouted angrily. Naruto replied by firing a beam of energy from both hands at Klarion. Klarion knew he might not survive a blast of Power Stone energy in his weakened state.
"Holy Shit!" He gulped as a blood red portal appeared behind him, which he jumped back into. The portal open over Teekl and Klarion dropped down, picking up his cat. "We're out of here!" Klarion shouted in panic before he and Teekl turned into black fog with a red outline and disappeared.
Naruto stood staring at the sky with his coat blowing in the wind. Artemis stood up. "You did it, Naruto!" She shouted happily but he didn't respond at all to her voice. In fact, his form shifted back into that of Dr. Fate. "Naruto? Dr. Fate? Nabu?" She tried to get his attention as she walked closer but he didn't move a muscle.
Inside the tower
Abra Kadabra was lying on his stomach, groaning as his head was reeling from having his teeth knocked out by a kryptonian. Kara kept on foot on top of Abra, keeping him pinned while M'Gann wrapped Abra in pieces of metal to prevent him from escaping.
Wally held Kadabra's wand in his hand. "Souvenir!" He said happily.
Back on the roof
Artemis was waving her hand in front of Dr. Fate's face, trying to get his attention but he didn't even blink. "Something's wrong." She said with worry in her voice.
Inside the mindscape
Naruto found himself back inside the helmet. "Uh, this again? I won the fight, so why am I back in the helmet?" He asked Kent.
"Because the Earth needs Dr. Fate." Nabu's voice said as an image of the helmet appeared in the mindscape. "I will not release this body."
"You can't do that!" Naruto shouted as he got ready for a fight.
"Technically he can but he really shouldn't." Kent stated calmly. "Nabu, I know you desire a new host but this is not the right candidate. The boy has no affinity for magic, so you'd always be at your worst. Not to mention, based on what we saw, the two of you would always be battling for control over his body, preventing you from fulfilling your duties as a Lord of Order."
"That is true, but I do not appreciate being permanently hidden away, useless, isolated, for decades and centuries at a time." Nabu stated. "Chaos must not be allowed the reign!"
"That will not happen again. The boy will take the helmet and make sure you're put to good use." Kent stated.
"I have no issue with that. Besides, I'm sure Zatara wouldn't mind occasionally wearing the helmet when it's necessary." Naruto added getting a nod from Mr. Nelson.
"And in the meantime, I'll stick around and keep you company." Kent offered.
"Wait! What about passing on and being with your wife?" Naruto asked in concern.
"Heh, don't sweat it, kid. I'll spend a few millennia here, and then see Inza." Kent said happily. "That's the great thing about eternity, it's eternal."
"The bargain is acceptable." Nabu said as his eyes glowed.
"Some free advice before you go." Kent said to Naruto. "Find your own little spitfires, ones who won't let you get away with nothing." Naruto looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes, I know I'm talking about more than one girl. Even though it's not generally accepted by the public, I knew a few heroes that had more than one girlfriend or wife back in the day. Someone as strong as you will need them to keep you grounded and on the right path. For example, girls like that-" Kent was cut off as the area became completely white and Naruto was freed from the mindscape.
Real world
Naruto removed the Helmet of Nabu and returned to his normal clothes. He found Artemis looking at him with concern written on her face. "Are you alright?!" She asked urgently.
"Yeah I'm okay, Artemis. I just had to talk to Nabu and Mr. Nelson about some things before I took off the helmet." Naruto explained as he looked over at Kent's corpse. He set down the helmet before he put Kent's locket into his hand and closed the hand around it.
Artemis picked up the helmet for Naruto so he could pick up Kent's body. "Make sure you don't lose that." Naruto told Artemis. "I have a promise to keep that involves the helmet." The female archer nodded in understanding as the two made their way back into the tower where the others were waiting.
"Oh no…" Kara said in horror when she saw Naruto carrying Kent's dead body. No one said as they left the Tower of Fate, which Aqualad resealed by locking the door behind them and taking the key from it.
Mount Justice
August 20
3:48 A.M.
It was raining outside as Naruto was in his room and placed the Helmet of Nabu on a shelf next to other items he had acquired from the team's previous missions. Naruto sighed sadly as he felt the mission was a failure for not being able to keep Kent Nelson from dying.
He got up and walked through the hallway and found Artemis with Wally in a storage area where Wally kept his souvenirs. "So how do you explain what happened to Naruto when he put on the helmet?" She asked the magic skeptic as Naruto approached.
Naruto wanted to hear this and saw that Wally had his own souvenir shelf. Wally looked at Artemis. "Energy from the thing rewrote his brain's beta waves. He was bio-scripted into become Dr. Fate for a few minutes." Wally said matter-of-factly.
"Wait, you're still claiming there's no such thing as magic even after everything we just went through?" Artemis asked. "If that were true then why is Naruto keeping the Helmet?"
Wally looked at his souvenir shelf. "Duh, souvenir!" He replied with a grin.
"Geek!" She said before walking away with Naruto shaking his head.
Naruto remembered what Kent said about needing to find his own spitfires to help keep him on the right track but he was worried about how the others would react to him having more than one girlfriend, plus he was happy with M'gann as is, so for now, he was just going to wait and see what happens.
To Be Continued