Misplaced
Mount Justice
November 5, 19:47 EDT
I had yet to inform my teammates of my newly discovered abilities. When asked about the bloody bandage, wrapped around my hand, I replied that I had accidentally punched a glass window while taking down a purse thief in Star City. Though now that I knew what my limits were, it was becoming more and more difficult to hide my powers. Today was no exception. I was helping M'gann and Connor unload crates from the Bioship after our shopping excursion for Batman. I had discovered that my strength was enhanced to that of three men, so lifting the heavy crates wasn't an issue.
"Did you get everything?" Batman asked us, he stood with Zatara, who had brought Zatanna along with him.
"Of course, Batman. Everything on your list." I replied setting one of the last crates down.
"Plus groceries." M'gann added. Wally sped over as soon as she mentioned food.
"Cookie fixins?" He asked with a child-like grin.
"Snickerdoodle."
"Babe, you rock my world." Connor and I rolled our eyes and went to work unloading the crates. Not far off, I heard Zatanna and Artemis enter the hangar. I barely began to use my heightened hearing and it was already driving me nuts. I hated eavesdropping on other peoples' conversations. My annoyance, however, turned to panic as I heard a box of groceries slam to the floor. I whipped around and to my horror, Batman, Zatara and Red Tornado were gone.
"Zatanna, what just happened?" I asked without a second thought. This was definitely magic related.
"I- I have no idea! I've never seen this happen before!" She said, just as shocked as I was.
"There has to be some sort of magic involved, right? Can't you sense it?" Artemis asked her, her voice surprisingly steady.
"I can try, just give me a minute." Zatanna shut her eyes and slowed her breathing for a moment. When her eyes opened again, they were wide with concern, "I felt it. There's a lot of magic interference going around. This can't be the work of just one sorcerer."
"Well for the time being, we should investigate further." I suggested, feeling the sudden urge to take the lead on this, "Check all social media outlets, our hometowns, including Atlantis and report back in the mission room. Any kids on their own should be brought to the nearest school or place of worship. I'll see if I can contact Red Arrow and get his help too."
Everyone nodded and we went back to the mission room with a new task at hand. Rob led Zatanna to the holo-computers.
"We'll start checking the media. You guys see what you can find out there." The Boy Wonder instructed.
"Start internationally. We'll call when we have anything to report." Kaldur told the pair. They both nodded and went to work. I pulled out my phone and dialed Roy's number. No answer. I tried again. No answer. Then it hit me. Roy was 18. Technically, he was a legal adult, which must have meant that he was gone too.
"Red Arrow isn't answering his phone. He's technically an adult, so it looks like he's gone too."
"I will contact my friends in Atlantis and notify you if they are experiencing the same dilemma." Kaldur told us before turning to head to his room. I looked over at Wally, M'gann, Connor and Artemis.
"Let's head into town. Round up as many kids as possible and bring them to Happy Harbor High."
We spent the next several hours searching for kids and teens and directing them to the local high school. The kids were easy, teenagers not so much. They needed a bit of convincing to keep themselves from looting and ransacking. Luckily, my fists were in a talking mood. By the time 11:30 rolled around, I was helping Connor gather as many toddlers as we could carry, while Wally was speeding through town and M'gann was traumatizing graffiti artists. Artemis volunteered to stay at the high school and keep an eye on things.
With a three-year old boy in a Green Arrow sweater in one arm and my phone in my free hand, Wally, Rob and I were on speaker phone, discussing the circumstances.
"Any luck with-"
"No. Can't reach the Batcave, the Hall of Justice, or the Watch-" Robin caught himself. Zatanna still didn't know about the Watchtower, "-or any adult hero."
"It sounds like we're on our own then." I said glumly, "We're almost done here in town. Then we'll regroup at the Cave."
"Alright, Kid Flash out."
I hung up and began to follow Connor, who was now covered in three toddlers to the high school. We burst into the gym a few minutes later, and saw Artemis and Wally already there. We set the kids down and watched one of M'gann's cheerleader friends lead them over to a group of kids their age.
"That's everyone we could find. Now, let's head back and figure this out." I instructed.
Back in the Cave, Kaldur was still trying to get through to Atlantis, so I continued to take point on our 'mission'.
"We need to let the kids of the world know that there are still heroes that are working to solve this. We need to get a message out globally." I decided. Rob and Wally stepped forward.
"We can help with that, Kara." Wally smiled warmly.
"Then we better get changed. Kids these days only listen to people in uniform."
"Attention, children and teenagers of Earth. I am Wildcat and these are my friends, Robin and Kid Flash." I began, staring at the camera from behind my mask, my voice confident and reassuring.
"We're using Justice League tech to cast and stream on every TV, radio, computer and smartphone on the planet." Robin explained.
"We know you must be scared and angry. We know that with your parents missing, there's a temptation to run wild. But please, stay calm." Kid continued.
"We are working to find a way to bring the adults back. But for the time being the oldest among us have to step up. Look out for your younger siblings and those who can't look out for themselves." I added in.
"Protect them. And we will protect you. It's up to you. Help in any way you can." Wally finished. The camera shut off then and Rob configured the planet's satellites to play our message on a continuous loop.
I stepped away, my feet bringing me to the trophy room, where I stopped in front of the Helmet of Fate. I sighed, staring blankly at the Helmet.
"I know what you're thinking." Wally's voice echoed off the walls of the relatively empty room. He walked over and stood next to me, arms crossed over his chest, "I was thinking the same thing."
"It may be the only way." I said quietly.
"I just got through to Atlantis." Kaldur walked in next, his expression depressed, "No adults there either."
"So... just how desperate are we?" Wally asked the question we all had on our minds. We turned to look at the Helmet.
"We all know that the next person to don the Helmet of Fate will most likely never escape from Nabu's grasp. There will be no going back from that." I reminded them. It was a miracle that Nabu had even released Wally to begin with. Let alone Kaldur. There was no way he would let anyone else go.
"So... not that desperate. Not yet." Kaldur answered, taking my hand in his.
"Guys?" Zatanna called out to us quietly. She was dressed in her mission attire her normally bright blue eyes now swimming with fear. "I'm ready to try my father's locater spell."
We gathered around a global holomap and waited with baited breath for Zatanna to perform the spell. She took a step forward, raised her arms, wand in one hand and recited the backwards incantation.
"Etacol retnecipe fo yrecros!"
The globe stopped, a red dot appearing not far off the coast of Virginia.
"Coordinates locked. Roanoke Island. You did it." Robin smiled softly at his crush. She didn't return it. I could tell something seemed off to her. I moved to ask her about it, but the sound of rolling thunder and a lightning strike took hold of my attention. A ten-year old boy was standing behind us in the Cave.
"It works!" He exclaimed. We all kinda stood there for a second, trying to comprehend what happened. Then Kaldur started asking questions.
"Where did you come from? Who are you?"
"Quick! Read my mind!" The boy told M'gann. How did he-?
M'gann gasped, "He's Captain Marvel!"
"Yeah, and I'm Speedy Gonzalez." Wally said sarcastically, "Look, just because he believes he's Cap-"
"Gee, Wally, do I really have to bring you nachos and pineapple juice to get on your good side?" The kid asked smartly. We were all stumped. It was him, I don't know how but this ten-year old kid was in fact Captain Marvel.
"Ok, we're convinced. Now explain what's going on, Cap." I smiled down at him.
"Technically, I'm not Captain Marvel right now. Call me Billy. Billy Batson." Billy grinned, "Anyway, I've been in Fawcett City all day trying to figure this whole thing out. I was able to get a ride to Happy Harbor, but my pilot turned 18 in mid-air and disappeared. So I changed into Captain Marvel and found out that adults don't actually disappear! They get transported to another dimension! One without kids! And I found Batman and Zatara too, they want to coordinate a simultaneous attack on Roanoke Island."
"Incoming call, Constantine, John." A holo-screen appeared in front of me.
"Accept."
John's face popped up on the screen, a fresh cigarette caught between his teeth.
"You know those things will kill you one day." I crossed my arms and narrowed my eyes at the Brit.
"Not if the demons kill me first, darling." John quipped, "Are the adults missin' in the States too?"
"All over the world, John. Any advice?"
"This is powerful magic, no single sorcerer could do this on his or her own. I suspect that there's at least one child and one adult." Who did we know that was an extremely powerful child sorcerer?
"Since the number of child sorcerers is limited, I would assume it would be Morgana LeFay, Sargon the Sorceress, or even Klarion the Witch Boy."
That was all I needed to hear.
"Thanks, John. Grant, out."
I turned to Billy, "Tell Bats and Zatara that we need to move fast to make this work."
"Sure thing. SHAZAM!"
"Good thing you have your own sorcerer on call." Artemis smirked.
I shrugged, "It helps from time to time."
"Really?" Zatanna arched a brow at me, "John Constantine?"
"We may have... mingled here and there a while back. So I have his number, big deal. It's not like I'm sneaking around with the jerk." My face flushed at what I had just said. Sheepishly, I rubbed the back of my neck, "Well... I'm not anymore."
Thank God for Billy Batson.
"Batman agrees with you, Kara. He thinks that if we can distract these goons, the two dimensions will merge on their own. They're on their way to Roanoke now."
"Then let's move."
We landed in Roanoke in less than an hour and immediately went to work. Just as Constantine had predicted, Klarion was there, but he was alone, in the center of a pentagram where a small gem had been driven into the ground. We crept as quietly as we could until we were close enough to attack from a reasonable distance. Robin and Artemis launched explosive discs and arrows at the Witch Boy, but he stopped them midair before they could reach him.
A wicked grin spread across his wicked face, "That's the best you can do?"
He sent a bolt of red lightning at the pair, scattering them along the tree-lined path. Connor rushed through the smoke toward him while Kaldur came at him from behind, his water-bearers forming a hammer, and Kid sped toward him from the side, all with the intent of knocking Klarion out of the pentagram. But with a simple flick of his wrist, the Lord of Chaos crafted a shield around the pentagram and himself, sending the three boys flying backward.
Zatanna rushed forward and raised her hands, "Etativel mih ffo eht margatnep!"
Her spell had no effect on him, and so he scoffed, "Baby magic," and raised his hand, "Fi ehs stnaw ot etativel os yldab, tel reh."
Zatanna went flying backwards, but Connor caught her and set her gently back on the ground, while M'gann and I tried to break down Klarion's shield. M'gann launched boulders at him from all sides while I tried to punch my way through. It made for a good distraction as Artemis tried to shoot the cat that had been watching the fight from afar. Klarion raised his hand again and in a puff of smoke, the arrow turned into a ball of string.
The Witch Boy laughed, "Show them what the familiar to a Lord of Chaos can do, Teekl."
The cat roared, transforming into a saber-toothed beast five times larger than it was before. It immediately went after Connor like he was a new toy to rip up. I realized pretty quickly that I was getting nowhere by trying to punch my way through Klarion's shield so I backed off. That was when I noticed blue lightning starting to appear from the gem in the center of the pentagram.
"Humph, so you've teamed up with the grumps." Klarion muttered, "Team work is so overrated."
As the lightning erupted from the gem, Klarion redirected it towards us, sending pulsing shockwaves through us. I screamed in pain and not far off, I heard Kaldur do the same.
"Don't shout, Billy." He must have reappeared behind me, because I couldn't see where he was, I've linked you telepathically to the others."
"That's so cool! Oh, I mean, uh, it's the gem! At the center of the pentagram. Destroy it, and we win!"
"That's all I needed to know." Zatanna said determined. That could mean only one thing. I whipped around, ingoring the pain coursing through me and saw the Helmet of Fate in Zatanna's hands.
"ZATANNA, DON'T DO IT!" I yelled. Clearly, that got Klarion's attention because the lightning finally dissipated. She slipped on the Helmet and in a flash of golden light, Zatanna had become Doctor Fate.
"Klarion! This ends now!" Fate cried, glaring down at the Witch Boy.
"Billy! Tell Zatara!"
"Right, SHAZAM!"
Fate and Klarion began to clash. With him thoroughly distracted, M'gann, Wally, Kaldur and I moved Artemis and Robin out of the way.
"Kid, go!" I ordered. He took off, M'gann not too far behind. I ran after the latter toward the shield, ripping the tape off my hands. I wouldn't need it anymore. The now familiar metallic sound reached my ears and a stinging sensation erupted across the back of my hands. I struck the shield as hard as I could, driving my claws into the red dome, but leaving no lasting effect.
Above us, Zatanna was fading in and out of her Doctor Fate attire, struggling to maintain flight. Klarion smirked.
"Ha! There, see? When the world's divided, the Helmet splits too! You're not all here, Nabu! And you're losing your hold on that poor, soon to be dead, girl! She gave herself up for nothing."
"No, Witch Boy." Fate replied angrily, "Fate decrees her sacrifice will not be in vain!"
A large golden ankh appeared, sending a beam of light down onto Klarion's shield. At the same time, M'gann raised a boulder from the ground, while Kaldur and I continued to pound at the dome. Slowly, it began to fade.
"NO! NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!" Klarion cried. Fate through an ankh at the Lord of Chaos, trapping him within it. Kaldur turned around.
"Now, Kid!" Wally sped out from the trees and scooped up the gem.
"Doc! Catch!" He tossed it up to Fate, who caught it with ease.
"Yam eht owt emoceb eno ecno erom!" A blast of white light made me turn away for a moment, before looking back to see Felix Faust, Black Briar Thorn, Wotan and Wizard all collapse to the ground, unconscious.
Klarion shrugged, "Huh. They sure don't make evil immortal sorcerers like they used to. Oh, well."
He snapped his fingers and the ankh faded away. He then stood and brushed himself off.
"Fun while it lasted. Teekl!" The saber-toothed creature stopped attacking Connor and ran toward its master, reverting back to its cat form along the way. Klarion opened a portal and turned back to us with his wicked grin.
"See you later, armadillos! Unless I see you first!" He burst out laughing and leapt through the portal, vanishing into an unknown realm.
Wally sped over to Fate, "Aren't you going to stop him?"
"To what end?" Fate replied, "Klarion is chaos personified. He cannot be contained."
Batman finished tying up the adult sorcerers while the rest of us looked on at Zatara, who was looking up at Doctor Fate. Never before have I seen such sadness in a man's eyes. Robin and Artemis groaned, struggling to stand. I retracted my claws and helped Rob up while M'gann supported Artemis on her shoulder.
"Did we win?" The Boy Wonder asked.
"At a cost." Kaldur answered solemnly.
"FATE!" Zatara yelled, before calming himself, "Great Nabu, release my daughter."
There was a moment of stillness, of what I thought was hesitation, before Fate replied.
"No." Zatara's face fell even more, if that was even possible.
"Witness the havoc wrought in these hours, the world needs Doctor Fate. And the girl's natural affinity for the mystic arts makes her the perfect candidate."
"You can't do that!" Artemis yelled.
"She has her own life to live!" Robin argued.
"You have no right, Nabu! Kent would never-" I began, but Nabu interrupted me.
"Kent Nelson argued strenuously. So I released his spirit into the afterlife. He is gone."
I backed off, my eyes trailing to the ground, the pain in my hands returning now that the adrenaline was wearing off.
"Take me instead." Zatara offered, "My skills are already at there peak. My body is physically stronger, better able to withstand the strain of your power."
"All true." Nabu agreed, albeit cautiously, "But if I remove the Helmet, what guarantee have I that you will don it?"
"My word. Ekat em daetsni." Zatara vowed as Fate descended to the ground. He removed the Helmet of Fate and Zatanna appeared once more. She looked up and saw her father standing before her and a smile burst across her face.
"Dad!" He wrapped her arms around him tightly for a moment.
"Zatanna." He released her and placed a kiss on her forehead, "Remember. I love you."
He set his hands on the Helmet, tugging it away from her and turning to Batman, "Take care of my girl."
"You have my word."
Zatara began to place the Helmet on his head, but Zatanna rushed toward him in an attempt to stop him. But I was faster. I ran out and grabbed her, putting her in a restraining hold.
"No! Please! This is my fault! Dad, don't! DAD!" She struggled against me, but I was able to hold her back as Zatara became the new Doctor Fate. He turned away from us and levitated the tied up sorcerers before taking to the sky himself.
"Leave these to Fate." And in a final flash, both Fate and the sorcerers were gone. Zatanna's knees gave out, but I held her steady as she began to cry into my shoulder.
Mount Justice
November 7, 09:10 EST
Batman thought it was best to move Zatanna into the Cave. So M'gann, Artemis, Robin and I all offered to help move her things from her father's apartment in Manhattan. Once the last of the boxes were unloaded, we stepped back, allowing Zatanna to have a little space.
"My room's right next door if you need anything." M'gann offered with a kind smile.
"Thanks. I, uh... could use a little alone time." Zatanna gave a small, sad smile back, but it was forced.
"Of course. Take all the time you need." I set a comforting hand on her shoulder, before ushering everyone out. And as I walked away, I couldn't help but shed a tear as my enhanced hearing picked up the sound of sobbing coming from Zatanna's room.