Sylvia Wayne "Wildcat"
The Cave
November 6th, 2010
"Shazam!" We all recognized the booming voice of Captain Marvel echoing through the cave as lightning struck and a small boy appeared in it's place.
"It works!" He celebrated as we all ran over to him, realizing the security breach.
"Where did you come from? Who are you?" Aqualad jumped into interrogation.
"Quick! Read my mind!" The kid stood with a smirk on his face, staring straight at M'gann. Her eyes glowed green for a moment before dissipating, her eyes wide.
"He's Captain Marvel." She, as well of the rest of us, experienced a wave of shock. But, Wally wasn't having it.
"Yeah, and I'm Speedy Gonzales. Look, just because he believes he's Cap-" Wally tried to explain otherwise, but the kid had other ideas.
"Gee, Wally, do I really have to bring you nachos and pineapples juice to get on your good side?" The kid smirked, his words leaving with a wide-eyed, empty headed expression. Since no one was going to say anything about it, I decided now was as good a time as any.
"Well, ten year old Cap explained a lot." I said, eyeing the kid in the middle of the room. It wasn't long before the Captain was slipping between dimensions, giving us communication with the adults. But more importantly to me, we were in communication with my father.
"There will be threats in both dimensions, and we may not be familiar with our opponents." The kid said after returning from the adult dimension.
"But the key to this mission is a coordinated simultaneous attack." Aqualad responded, the kid disappearing for a few moments before returning.
"Agreed. Our best chance against sorcery is to strike fast, disrupt their efforts." He relayed, waiting patiently for Aqualad.
"And hope the two dimensions merge naturally back into one." He added to the final statement, Captain disappearing once again. before returning with the game plan.
Roanoke Island, North Carolina
November 6th
1:45 a.m.
The Bioship landed a few miles away from where we spotted Klarion in a pentagram. The second the ship landed, Kid ran ahead with me on his back for scouting while the others came at their own pace. Once the whole Team was in place, we all waited for the top of the hour to attack simultaneously with the leaguers. The moment the clock struck two, Robin threw explosives at the same time Artemis fired several arrows. But Klarion deflected them like they were nothing, leaving the two heroes in a brief state of shock.
"That's the best you can do?" Klarion asked in a small voice, waving his clawed hand and sending the arrows and explosives back, detonating them at Robin's and Artemis's feet. They cried out as they tried to dodge the fire. I pounced in outraged, starting the second attack with Aqualad, Superboy and Kid Flash joining in as we all attacked from different paths of the crossroad. But the witchboy put up a shield, knocking us all back. Zatanna tried to cast a spell to break the field, but nothing happened.
"Huh, baby magic." Klarion cast a counterspell that shot her into the air with a shrill scream, but Superboy caught her and set her safely on the ground. I ran after Klarion and began slashing my claws at the forcefield as M'gann used her telekinesis to pound rocks into the shield. But I made a hasty retreat as Klarion began to roar and breath fire at the two of us. I regrouped with Kid and Artemis.
"Listen, when Nabu possessed my body, he defeated Klarion by attacking the cat!" Kid quickly informed, Artemis and I zeroing in on the orange feline licking it's paw. It seemed to look back at us before hissing.
"Good. Not a big cat fan, anyway." Artemis whispered knocking an arrow.
"Oh, thanks." I said sarcastically as she shot an arrow at the cat, but Klarion made it turn into a simple ball of green yarn. I sprinted ahead, claws at the ready as the witch boy chuckled.
"Show 'em what a familiar to a Lord of Chaos can do, Teekl." The cat began to quadruple in size. Becoming a sabre toothed tiger version of that tiny cat, but I kept running as it roared. I dodged the first swipe of it's claws before slashing my own across the beast's face. Klarion's force field flickered for a moment as the monster cried out in pain. I seemed successful as I went in for another blow, but the beast attacked in a fit of rage.
"Wildcat!" Kid yelled as the beast pinned me to the ground, digging its claws into me as I did my best to push its snapping jaws away from my face. But Superboy came to my rescue, tackling the beast, giving me enough time to retreat and recover for the next attack. I looked over and noticed electricity coming from the gem in the center of the pentagram, Klarion standing weaker.
"So, you teamed up with the grown-ups. Teamwork is so overrated." He spoke snidely, channeling the electricity at all of us. Aqualad held his ground as the rest of us were blasted back as Superboy was swatted around by the magically enhanced cat.
"Kid!" I shrieked as the searing pain of the electricity ran through my body. I felt like I couldn't breath as the world around me flickered between the lab and the crossroads. One minute I was drowning in the electrocuted water tank. I convulsed and choked as the electricity refused to cease. The pain burned through me as I was beginning to lose consciousness.
"You and the other brats have no way out of this one. But you could come with me, me dear kitten, and I can show you the Light." Klarion seemed to speak softly towards me as my body went limp and the electricity stopped. I couldn't move as I suddenly remembered the Brain when I collapsed in India.
"Why attack moi, when I can take you to your creators." He said with his mechanical french voice, and I stopped in my tracks. "Come with me, my dear kitten, and I can show you the Light." The brain said, and it seemed like a play on words, but I knew the term from somewhere. My head drifted to the side seeing Zatanna holding the Helmet of Fate.
"Zatanna!" Aqualad shouted as she lifted the helmet into the air.
"Stop!" Kid yelled as she put on the helmet. In a flash of light, she became a female version of Doctor Fate.
"Klarion! This ends now!" I heard Zatanna's voice layered with Doctor Fates. Suddenly, I felt the rush of wind as Kid ran me out of Klarion's range, laying me down next to M'gann.
"You okay?" He asked, holding my limp hand.
"B-brain…" I tried to tell him, but I was half drooling, unable to move, just like in the jungle.
"I know, you're head probably hurts right now. I'm going to leave you with M'gann and I'll be back, I promise." He said before running off to Klarion. There were Flashes of Gold and Red in the night sky as M'gann used her telekinesis to bring the unconscious duo of Robin and Artemis to our secluded area. Aqualad retreated to us as well as Kid came back as took a breather. Once the unconscious two were settled next to Aqualad.
"Go, Kid!" Aqualad ordered as M'gann started to fly away as well, but I managed to swat at her ankle. She knelt down and put a hand on my shoulder.
"What is it?" She asked, her face concerned.
"B-brain…" I told her like I tried to tell Kid. She nodded.
"I know, you're in pain." She said, turning to leave but I managed to speak again.
"R-read… m-mind…" My voice shook as I struggled, and her eyes suddenly glowed green. Her face seemed horror stricken for a moment as he delved into my mind, but she quickly pulled out and nodded. "For… forg-getting…" I said to her as my eyelids grew heavy.
"Don't worry, I won't forget." She promised as she flew back into battle. My eyes drifted closed as I saw Dr. Fate flicker between being Fate and Zatanna and Klarion laughing.
"See you later, armadillos!" I heard Klarion say as my eyes drifted back open. "Unless I see you first! Too bad I'm only going back with one cat." He met my gaze as he stepped through a portal and disappeared.
"Aren't you gonna stop him?" Kid asked Fate, waving his arms in aggravation, the right one still in a cast.
"To what end? Klarion is Chaos personified. He cannot be contained." Fate informed as my entire body twitched for a split second. My father rushed to my side as I lay there. He scooped me off the ground and held me as I slowly gained function, the ability to move my fingers returning.
"Did we win?" Robin asked as he got up from the ground.
"At a cost." Aqualad gestured to Zatanna in the Helmet of Fate.
"Fate!" Zatara approached the Lord of Order possessing his daughter. "Great Nabu, release my daughter." He pleaded, but the deafening silence was too much for any of us to bear.
"No." The response was not a surprise based on our track record with the helmet. "Witnesses have been these last past hours… The world needs Doctor Fate, and the girl's natural affinities for the mystic arts make her the perfect candidate." The Lord of Order explained, but that only made the Team angrier.
"You can't do that!" Artemis shouted.
"She has her own life to live!" Robin followed suit.
"Kent would never allow you-" Wally started, but Nabu cut him off.
"Kent Nelson did object, strenuously, so I released his spirit to the afterlife. He is gone." When Doctor Fate finished, everyone looked about, not sure what to do. We couldn't save our friend, but Zatara stepped forward.
"Take me, instead." Zatara offered. "My skills are already at their peak. My body is physically stronger, better able to withstand the strength of your power." He did his best to convince the mystical being to release his daughter.
"All true. But if I remove the helmet, what guarantee have I that you will down it?" Doctor Fate saw through the chance that Zatara could walk away with his daughter. But knowing Zatara, he was willing.
"My word." He said a sort of incantation, and not long after did Nabu levitate down and remove the helmet, Zatanna free at last.
"Dad!" She exclaimed.
"Zatanna!" He embraced his daughter quickly before pulling away. "Remember. I love you." He whispered before giving her a kiss on the forehead. She seemed so confused as to his goodbye. He turned and looked to my father as he held me. "Take care of my girl." Zatara said as he took the helmet out of Zatanna's hands.
"You have my word." My father said as Zatara lifted the helmet above his head.
"No, please! This was my fault! Dad, don't!" Robin tried to comfort her as she yelled, but she pushed him away, running to her father to try and stop him from putting on the hemet. "Dad!" She screamed as he donned the helmet, instantly becoming Doctor Fate.
"Leave these to the Fate." The Lord of Order spoke as he flew away with the sorcerers that aided Klarion. Zatanna fell to her knees, watching her father teleport away.
Mount Justice
I was sitting on a hard table in the mission room in the the cave. My father stood across from me in full Bat costume with M'gann to his right. The two of them had… grave expressions as they looked at me. I shifted to lay on the table as M'gann came over by my head, putting her hands on either side of my head. Her eyes glowed green as the time from when I passed out flashed before my eyes. But it was more than me struggling on the ground. I was suddenly remembering the Brain, how the same statement from him as Klarion had triggered me into paralysis. The sentence slipped out of my mouth as I remembered.
"Come with me, my dear kitten, and I can show you the Light."
Author's Note: Sorry about having to split the chapter into two parts! My computer decided it wouldn't upload the whole 3,719 words... so... But I hope you all liked the newest update!