CHAPTER FIVE: MISTRESS OF MAGIC
"Ted, take it easy!" Booster shouted as he watched his friend sailing across the sky.
"You better go up and get him." Guy suggested.
Despite Ted's plea for latitude, Booster wondered if Guy's suggestion should be heeded. While his control over flight ability had improved significantly since their return from Pago, it had been less than a week since Ted had come into possession of the Blue Scarab. From the onset, they had unanimously agreed that he required tutelage in his new powers. Thus the trio had travelled to the island of Kooey Kooey Kooey, in order to begin his instruction.
The other thing agreed upon without argument was that the first thing that Ted needed to get control of was his flight ability. Both Guy and Booster had significant experience in this field and knew how enticing the power of flight could be. However, one simply did not leap into the air and start soaring. The human body was not made for that form of travel. Even if flight was being generated through artificial means, training was needed and care had to be exercised.
At present, Ted was executing a tight loop some hundred above the ground. The only reason Booster was not up there with him was because Ted had assured him, the Blue Beetle was ready for his first solo flight. Guy and Booster had not been happy to allow him the attempt but there seemed to be little they could do to stop him. Ted was an adult after all. Nevertheless, Booster was somewhat comforted by the fact that Skeets was up there with him.
If he could not trust Ted, he could at least trust Skeets to see it that Ted did not wind up breaking his neck.
In any case, for the moment Ted seemed to be doing fine. He had been zig zagging through the clouds for some time now and showed no signs of having any difficulty as he practiced his exercises. This included loops and barrel rolls, directional changes and general manoeuvrability. Although he was in higher altitudes than either of them found acceptable, it appeared that he was managing the height well enough. Although concerned, Booster had to concede Ted was a fast learner. "He'll be okay." Booster replied, trying to keep the uncertainty out of his voice.
"Is this before or after he becomes a stain?" Guy remarked under his breath. However, he too was forced to admit that Ted was doing all right for a rookie. Despite himself, Guy could not help feeling a little envious as he saw Ted moving through the clouds. There was a time when Guy Gardner had flown the skies in very much the same manner. In those days, he had been the Green Lantern of Sector 2814. The Green Lanterns were an intergalactic law enforcement fellowship who answered to the great Guardians of Oa. During those days, the universe had been his playground. While he did not regret his Vuldarian heritage, his earthbound existence paled in comparison with the days when he could travel through the stars as if he belonged there.
Thinking of the Guardians and their present situation brought another thought to mind. "Its too bad Kilowog is gone you know," Guy said quietly. "That poozer would have whipped Ted in to shape in no time."
"Yeah," Booster agreed. "He was the Guardian's drill instructor wasn't he?"
"The meanest one on Oa." Guy said with a faint smile.
For a moment, neither man spoke as they observed an unspoken moment of silence for their fallen comrade. Kilowog had been one of the most respected ring bearers in the Green Lantern Corps and at one time was the League's handyman. Without his ring, Kilowog was a genius with his hands. After joining the League, Kilowog had completely overhauled their entire security system, debugged their teleporters and even fixed Beatriz's hair dryer. To say nothing of the fact that hidden somewhere in jungles of Kooey Kooey Kooey, was a casino resort Kilowog had managed to build single handedly in a matter of hours.
Thinking about Kilowog only made Guy think about all the other friends who were dead. Lately, the number seemed to be on the rise. Kilowog, Joe Jones, Rex, the Silver Sorceress and of course Tora. Today was simply too nice a day to deal with all that grief. In an effort to change the subject, Guy spoke up again. "I tried getting Scott on the horn." He replied.
"Barda?" Booster ventured a guess. Scott Free aka Mr Miracle was married to Big Barda, a native of Apokolips who trained most of the planet's fearsome Parademons. It was Barda who had trained Beatriz when her powers had been boosted after the attempted invasion of Earth by the Dominion. As drill instructors go, Barda was tough but she knew her stuff. It would not be a bad idea if she gave Ted some instruction. His friend could certainly use the discipline.
"She was on League duty." Guy said tautly putting and end to that idea rapidly.
"Oh." Booster said shortly. Although Booster had not applied for membership in the new League, he could understand Guy's resentment. As he had declared at their reunion, he shared Guy's view that the new League considered itself too good for the likes of them.
"How did I do?" Ted broke into the conversation from above. He was only about twenty feet above their heads and was making a gradual descent. His faced was etched in concentration as his flight speed eased and he landed gently on the ground before them. Skeets remained long enough to see his charge land before the small automaton returned to the Bug.
If it was praised he was expecting, Ted was not going to get it.
Guy did not intend to waste time with cordiality's and launched straight in. "You don't know how much invulnerability you got, so quite acting like a jerk until we figure that out." He snapped. "If you have limitations on your powers, you don't want to be two miles up when you find out!"
Ted looked to Booster for support but saw no help there. He supposed he could not blame them for being slightly angry at him. He was only supposed to go high enough to do some control loops and barrel rolls just to get a feel of his flight ability, not attempt to leap tall buildings in a single bound. However, he could not deny that it had been exhilarating being up there. Flying like this was a new kind of freedom beyond anything he had ever experienced in his life. It was as close to heaven as Ted Kord had ever known. Finally Ted understood why Booster felt the Bug so confining.
"Sorry, you're right." Ted conceded, throwing up his hands up in a gesture of defeat. "But its a hell of rush though. So come on, how did I do really?"
Guy allowed himself a faint smile, knowing the sentiment well. He exchanged a glance with Booster as he considered Ted's question before answering. "Not bad. You're still green but you got potential."
"You mean blue." Ted grinned.
Guy rolled his eyes. "I ain't dignifying that with an answer."
"Come on, lighten up will you?" Ted looked at him. "You know I never thought I'd say this, but you're turning out to be like Jonn."
"You know, after hanging around you bozos for the last few days, I'm starting to remember why Jonn was the way he was."
Suddenly, he noticed both Ted and Booster giving him a look. "What?"
"You know," Booster replied looking perfectly serious. "I never thought I'd ever hear myself saying this but maybe you should take top spot when the Crusaders gets going."
"You're kidding, right?" Guy exclaimed. He remembered what it had been like when he had attempted to take that position during their League days. Neither Booster nor Ted had been ardent supporters then. In fact, no one really took him seriously as anything more than a ring wearing thug. To be fair, he had to admit he was a lot different back then.
"No," Ted responded with the same tone of seriousness. "You've been doing pretty well the last couple of days, Guy. Why not?" It was true. A few years ago, Ted would not even have considered giving Guy the keys to the outhouse door but Guy Gardner was a different person these days. He was still as hot tempered and gruff as always but there was also a stability to him that could weather any storm. Guy had always been able to take charge of a situation but during his League days, he was nearly psychotic. Discovering his Vuldarian heritage had given his mind the balance it once had. According to the files, Guy had been a school teacher and a social worker before Green Lantern Corps had entered his life.
"I don't know." Guy retorted. "Where's Bats when ya need him?" He mused.
"With the rest of the Dream Team." Booster answered. "Come on Guy," he urged. "You used to tell us that we were in Gardner League International all the time. What's wrong with taking the top spot now? We couldn't get you to shut up about it before."
"I was a jerk back then too." Guy dead panned.
"You're still a jerk but we can put up with you now." Ted quipped.
"You know what you can do with yourself."
"We could put Ted in charge." Booster remarked. "And we know how that could turn out."
"Hey!" Ted exclaimed in mock hurt.
"I'll think about it." Guy finally agreed. A long time ago, that's all he ever wanted, to be in charge of the League, like Jonn and Batman were, to finally have the respect of his fellow super heroes. He could not understand his hesitation now. It was not as if he did not think he could do it. Of course, that fear was the farthest thing from his mind. Since running into Wargo, Verona and his other friends, that's all he had seemed to be doing, playing impromptu leader to a small group. However, taking on that role to the Crusaders officially was daunting.
Any further thought to the subject was quickly forgotten as the communication device on Ted's belt started beeping. Catherine had produced these a few days before they had left for the island. She had liberated them from a UN warehouse where the most of the equipment from the London embassy had been stored after the withdrawing its sanctioning. Now that they were reforming as a team, Catherine had believed it to be necessary for them to be contactable, no matter where they were. While she was not officially apart of the team, Catherine was helping out where she could to get the Crusaders on their feet. As its shrill sound cut through the serenity of the island, they were reminded why signal devices were never a favourite League accessory.
"Radio Shack, we don't deliver." Ted announced speaking into the device's mouth piece. Fortunately, the master controls for the signal devices were able to detect others in close proximity, therefore sparing the noise of all their devices going off simultaneously.
"A situation has come up." Catherine's voice responded without reaction to Ted's greeting but the strain was audible. It immediately put him on guard and he flicked a switch on the side of the device so the others could hear their conversation.
"What kind of situation?" Guy asked.
"Well I had an interesting morning." She explained. "Apparently, I ran into an old League enemy."
"So tell go to the League with this." Booster added. "After all, we're old news."
"I tried that." Catherine countered, ignoring the indifference in their voices. "Apparently, the League is out of touch. I couldn't even get past call waiting at the Watchtower."
"So who is it?" Ted inquired, ignoring the usual derisive remarks about the new League. At some point, he was going to have to help them get over that resentment. It was unproductive.
"I am not sure but he threatened that we will soon be dreaming gray."
No one spoke but words were unnecessary at this point. Each one of them were aware of what those words meant and who had delivered them.
"Are you okay?" Guy asked quickly. "He didn't hurt you?"
"Not at all," Catherine answered unable to hide the concern in her voice. "I believe the Gray Man wanted me alive, so that I could tell us he's coming."
"Damn." Guy swore under his breath. Of all the League enemies they had faced, the Gray Man was undoubtedly one of the worst. Even if the Crusaders were to take him on, they would be at a disadvantage. They were going to have to rectify that immediately or else they would not have a chance at defeating him. "Alright Catherine, we'll head out of here. We should be back in New York in a couple of hours."
"I'm calling from Paris. I'll be taking the Concorde in this afternoon. I will contact you when I reach New York." She replied. With that, Catherine terminated the transmission.
"Its impossible." Ted declared when Guy looked up at them. "He's a vegetable. Doctor Fate said that the Lords of Order neutralised him permanently."
"You know that hocus pocus stuff rarely holds firm." Booster countered. "The Gray Man was supposedly neutralised the first time we ran into him and yet he came back with that Teasdale character remember? Who's to say that this time is any different. He might have just found another loophole."
"We have a problem. " Guy stated.
"Yeah we do." Ted answered knowing to what Guy was referring. "The Crusaders ranks don't currently include someone who has any understanding of the supernatural." Although Ted believed in the power of sciences and logic, he had seen enough during his career to know there were more things unseen in this world then anyone was led to believe. Magic was real, as real as gravity and motion. He did not understand how those forces could be but he had seen them at work and their existence was no myth. It was real.
"Right." Guy agreed. "We go after him and we're going get our butts kicked."
"What about Doctor Fate?" Booster suggested. "Where is he these days?"
"He's been out of sight for some time now." Ted replied and thought about it. It had been some time since he had any access to the Justice League members archive and he tried to recall previous Leaguers who might be able to help them with their particular problem. The League did not have many members who specialised in magic. Other than Doctor Fate, Ted tried to remember who else might have had the expertise. When the name surfaced, it came up with such force that Ted was annoyed it had not come to him sooner. "What about Zatanna?"
"Who?" Both Guy and Booster looked at him and declared in unison.
"Zatanna," Ted repeated himself. "She used to be in the League way back before our group even learnt to kvetch. The files say she's a magician or something, a pretty powerful one too."
"Okay," Guy nodded deciding it was something to go on. At this point, they really could not afford to be choosy. If the Gray Man wanted revenge, it might be possible that he would not want the current League members, but those who got him lobotomised. If Zatanna was the best they could do at this point in time, then it was going to have to do.
"So where do we find her?" He asked Ted.
"I have no idea." Ted shrugged. "I never got through the rest of the archive, we got our wide screen TV remember?"
Booster rolled his eyes in resignation. "Oh this team is going to work."
*********
Sorcery is more than magic tricks and spoken spells. It exists as an unseen plane of existence cohabiting in parallel uniformity with what is perceived as reality. It has currents and waves that can be manipulated by the adept because the veneer that separates the realm of magic and that of science is relatively thin. Most people do not realise the separate universe that lives in tandem with their own. Most cannot see past their disbelief to know that there is more than meets the eye in all aspects of life. For those who can make the crossing from one realm to another, their minds are open to a universe of possibilities, where there are no mysteries and infinite answers.
So how the hell did she get this VCR working?
Zatanna Zatara stared at the machine surrounded with packing foam and instructions, unable to make sense of any of it. She had read the manual twice and decided that these instructions were written by someone who had no concept of the real world because one had to be autistic to understand it. Sure, she could use magic and make the thing work with little effort. Lately, however, Zatanna had been trying to do things for herself the conventional way. Learning about her Magi heritage had shown her the importance of her gift. A gift that was much too important to waste on such trivial things.
"That's it," she sighed staring at the jet coloured tabby curled up on the arm chair opposite her. "I give up."
The feline narrowed its eyes and let out a soft purr, as if attempting to soothe her irritation with the sound. She rose to all fours and stretched languidly before leaping to the floor next to Zatanna. With the grace that was a secret only to cats, the cat walked against her and nudged against her arm.
"Thank you Branwen." Zatanna smiled. "I suppose I ought to give it a rest anyway, it looks like we're having company."
She rose to her feet and padded towards the kitchen. Zatanna had no clear idea of who her visitor was, only that she would soon make an appearance at her doorstep. She judged by the aura she was emanating, that he was no danger to her. Her visitor was just a human. The tremors would be much stronger had her visitor been a fellow mystic. Zatanna was glad. She did not wish the well meaning assistance of her mystical friends at this point. She had bought this house in a quiet corner of New England for a good reason. While the Otherworld aura in this area was strong to aid her in her studies, Zatanna had wanted solitude.
Her neighbours in the small town would seem to agree. Although they stayed away from her, there was no mystery surrounding the attractive woman with the deed blue eyes and the jet black hair. She had no secret identity to speak of, so they all knew she was Zatanna, one time member of the Justice League and supposed Mistress of Magic to the super hero community. Zatanna did not mind the isolation, knowing that it was best that she was left alone by the resident of the fishing village because her life was too filled with the uncertainties of her craft.
She reached the kitchen and put the kettle on to boil, before removing two cups. As her guest came closer, she was starting to get a stronger sense of the woman. The purity of her soul was unquestionable. Here was someone who had very few limitations, even for a human. The confidence emanating from her ego was beyond supreme but Zatanna sensed no malice in her, just a single minded dedication to an ideal. A crusader, she thought with a smile. How refreshing.
She prepared herself a pot of Jasmine Tea and readied the other cup for French coffee because her visitor did not care for tea. After the kettle emitted its shrill cry throughout her colonial styled kitchen, Zatanna placed the crockery onto a serving tray before placing the whole thing onto the nearby dining table. She had just set the tray down when she heard a sharp knock on the door.
"Right on time, Branwell." She said to the cat as it followed at her feet, when Zatanna went to answer the door.
"Catherine Colbert." Zatanna greeted when she swung the door open.
Catherine tried not to look surprised but the emotion escaped her. Zatanna Zatara stood by the doorway, an exotic looking woman who looked the part of a performing magician. Her jet coloured hair was tied in a neat pony tail and she was wearing a pair of thick tights and a turtle neck sweater. It was hard to believe that Zatanna spent her time conjuring spells and delving into the supernatural.
"I guess introducing myself is somewhat redundant now." Catherine managed to say, recovering instantly. "I shall just resort to a simple hello."
"That will do." Zatanna offered her a warm smile. "Please come in."
Catherine entered the house and thought to herself that this was the kind of place, he supposed a magician might inhabit. It was warm and cosy, with an aged look to all the wood in the place. The books on her shelves were leather bound and he suspected easily older than both of their ages combined. It reminded her of her grandfather's chateau where she had spent her summers as a child. Still, it had an atmosphere about it that seemed to belong neither in this world or the next.
"Please sit." Zatanna gestured towards the dining table and did not wait for Catherine. Instead, she began pouring the coffee she had made.
"You knew I was coming." Catherine stated. It was not a question.
"Yes." She replied. "I also know when the paper boy is around the corner. "Sugar?"
"Thank you." Catherine grinned deciding that she liked this sorceress very much. She did not seem as flaky as her JLA file seem to indicate. In fact, it was hard to imagine that she was one of the most powerful experts in the supernatural there was. "Do you know why I am here?"
"No." She answered honestly. "I try not to practice mind reading unless its necessary. People tend to find it rude and the surprise is always welcome."
"I don't know whether you would consider this a surprise or not." Catherine replied. "I know you're out of the super hero business but at the moment, some friends of mine need your help."
"You don't represent the Justice League anymore." She stated. That was not a question either.
"I thought you don't read minds." Catherine countered.
"I do read the papers." Zatanna replied, starting to become genuinely intrigued by what this woman wanted of her. She knew Catherine Colbert by reputation of course. Once upon a time, she had been the League administrator to the European branch of the Justice League, later on the United Nations had put her in charge of the whole team after the status of the team had changed. Although Zatanna was not involved with that incarnation, she had agreed with the idea of expanding the League to be more than just an American based organisation. Unfortunately, the mix of UN indecision and politics eventually destroyed the concept and Catherine Colbert had disappeared into obscurity.
"I apologise for the presumption." Catherine offered.
"Its a natural mistake." Zatanna replied sipping her tea. "Now Miss Colbert, you came a long way to find me. Why is that?"
"Are you aware of the Gray Man?" Catherine asked her, deciding to get to the point quickly.
Zatanna knew the role of the Gray Man. "He is a servant of the Lords of Order, isn't he? There is an agreement between one of the Seven and the Lords of Order, to collect dream essence from the dying and then return it to the One. Apparently the One helped the Lords out of a sticky situation some aeons ago."
Catherine looked at her blankly. "Something like that." She replied after a moment. "These sorts of cosmic interchanges take place often?"
"All the time," Zatanna explained. "Most of the time, they're like normal people, doing deals, passing favours, that sort of thing. I believed you people had more than one encounter with the Gray Man." The confrontation had caused little more than a slight tremor in the plane of the Other world The Lords of Order were usually quite adept at cleaning house.
"Yes." Catherine answered. "He started collecting dream essence from the living. He turned an entire town into some bizarre ad for dead."
"Lord Morpheus would not have liked that." Zatanna whistled under her breath. "The Lords of Order are usually quite efficient when they deal with the wayward servant. I find it odd that they would allow him to continue in this aspect if he was so destructive."
"Those who fought him believed so as well. As far as they were aware, according to Doctor Fate, the Lords of Order had practically lobotomised him."
"I see." She nodded, starting to see why he was here. "I gather he is back."
"And claiming vengeance." Catherine finished. "I have tried contacting the Justice League. Apparently, they are unavailable. I believe Gray Man will come after the former Leaguers, my friends, who have no idea how to deal with him without Doctor Fate. The supernatural is not their area of expertise."
"I am out of the game Miss Colbert," Zatanna pointed out. "I'm soul searching at the moment."
"I know," she replied. "But you have been known to come out of retirement whenever you are needed."
Zatanna frowned. Catherine had her there. "My League days are far behind me, I don't intend to get involved with weirdoes in spandex who have over inflated ideas about their importance in the scheme of things."
"Don't worry, we've had Guy fixed. He plays nice now." Catherine replied with a straight face.
Zatanna chuckled softly. "Are you always so determined Miss Colbert?"
"Only when I'm being confronted with mind reading magicians, the rest of the time I am simply arrogant to a fault." He replied.
"Alright." Zatanna nodded knowing that her conscience would plague her if she did not help this woman. Not to mention, her state of mind if anything were to happen to the ex-Leaguers resulting from her lack of action. Sometimes she wished Zatara had raised a less conscientious daughter. It could be most disrupting at times. "Tell me when and where and I shall be there."
"Excellent." Catherine toasted her cup of tea with her own. "I look forward to your participation."
However, their encounter was not yet concluded. Zatanna had something further to add. "One more thing, this is a temporary arrangement. I do not wish to join any super hero team so you may as well get that thought out of your mind that you can get me to like staying with the Crusaders. This is a one time deal only." She looked at her through narrowed eyes.
Catherine shrugged but did not look unrepentant. "I'm sure it is."
CHAPTER SIX: THE FELLOWSHIP
Why was she here?
More importantly, how had she allowed Beatriz to talk her into this?
Sigrid Nansen had barely enough time to contemplate that question before she forced herself to remember where she was. This was Guy Gardner's bar and despite Bea's assurances to the contrary, Sigrid was certain she was not welcome here. Her presence would be an affront to Gardner considering his relationship with the last superhero to call herself Ice Maiden.
"Sigrid!" Sigrid heard a voice exclaimed as she walked through the doors of Warriors. She turned around as saw Beatriz de Costa approaching her with a wide grin across her bronzed Latin face. As usual, Beatriz looked spectacular. This of course, was no surprise to Sigrid. All her life, Sigrid had lived in awe of Beatriz and the rest of the Global Guardians. Beatriz de Costa was never anything less than perfect. Even when she had shed the persona of Fire, Beatriz was still eminently known as the Revson Girl whose features now graced a million billboards across the planet.
When the League had disbanded, Sigrid was aware of the turmoil in Bea's life. As a friend and team member, Sigrid had withdrawn from Bea's life. Beatriz needed to see Sigrid as more than just a replacement for Tora and at the time, her wounds had been too raw for such insight. It now seemed that her disappearance from Bea's life had allowed the Brazillian superhero to get a fresh start on her life at the same time, allowing Sigrid to build up some much needed confidence.
While she was far from taking on Doomsday single handedly, Sigrid could say honestly that she was making strides in her life. No longer did she feel the need to live up to Tora Olafsdotter's reputation for courage and strength. Sigrid had come a long way in accepting her powers for what they were and not how much they lacked in comparison with the other Ice Maiden. Sigrid spent her life fleeing from one thing or another because she never believed she was good enough for any of it.
These days, it was easier to accept when she understood that she was just plain scared of failure.
"Hello Bea." Sigrid smiled and the two women embraced warmly.
"Its good to see you." Beatriz said with genuine warmth. "How have you been?"
"I got a job at Star Labs as a research assistant." Sigrid explained, knowing Beatriz was genuinely concerned about her welfare. With pride, Sigrid realised that her lack of confidence had been part of the reason why she was never a good research assistant in Norway. Now that she was launching herself into everything with a new vitality, Sigrid was learning that she was not the failure she perceived herself to be. Her job had brought her an apartment, friends and a life that was slowly reaching apogee.
Considering what Sigrid Nansen used to think of herself, she was doing okay.
"And you're the Revson girl." Sigrid pointed out.
"Its a living." Beatriz replied with a smile. While she was proud of her success, Beatriz was not as superficial as she was before. After losing Tora, she had realised what things in life were of real value and it helped to keep her success in perspective. While modelling paid the bills, she was mostly proud of her efforts as a superhero then as the Revson Girl. "I am sorry I lost touch."
"Its okay, I know how things were." Sigrid answered. Shortly before the formation of the new League, Sigrid had learnt from the medical division of Star Labs that Bea had been injured during the attack by the Hyperclan. She had spent weeks at Star Labs recuperating from severe trauma to her body. Sigrid had dropped into see her occasionally but their meetings had been short and evasive. Both had emotional baggage that had not been shed until recently.
Deciding to move on to a brighter subject, Sigrid shifted her gaze across Warriors. She had heard of the bar prior to this but had never found the opportunity to make a visit. Apparently Guy Gardner was doing quite well here and she could understand why. The place looked like a Planet Hollywood for superheroes without being overtly tacky as that franchise was. Americans could over do things so badly when they tried. Fortunately, this was nothing of the sort and could almost be called cosy. Other than the memorabilia, it looked like any other bar and restaurant.
It appeared that the restaurant was abbot to open because Sigrid could see waiters preparing the tables for patronage. Glasses and dining implements were being laid out while the bartender tended to the task required behind the bar. None of the staff seemed surprised or bothered by the superheroes in their presence and Sigrid supposed that in this place, costumed heroes were common place.
Her observations were cut short when she heard a male voice calling out. "Hiya doing Sigrid." Guy Gardner greeted as he came down the stairs from the upper portion of the building.
Although there was tension in his face at the sight of her, Guy Gardner seemed civil. Sigrid let out an invisible sigh of relief because she knew how difficult it was for him to accept that she was not Tora, even though she carried the name of Ice Maiden. During their initial meeting, Guy had accused her of being an imposter but Sigrid understood his outburst for what it was. Pain at believing someone he loved so dearly, could be so easily replaced. His behaviour now was marked difference. She could see he was making an effort to be polite and tolerant.
"Nice to see you again Gardner." Sigrid answered, grateful at his efforts. "I like this place." She remarked allowing her gaze to move over the restaurant again. "Although I never thought of you as a restaurateur."
Guy broke into a proud grin. "I am a guy of many talents." He replied and then became a little more serious. "Everyone is out back," he motioned them to a door at the corner of floor. It was almost hidden by the bar counter. "We'll be able to have some privacy without everybody staring at us like we were a sideshow attraction."
*************
As this was a meeting to deal with the Gray Man, Catherine was not present. While she had been the one to suggest the formation of the new team, as always, the former UN liaison preferred to handle the administrative side of things whenever it was required. Guy had yet to officially assume the role of team leader although he was far from making any decisions. At the moment, the Crusaders were still at a seminal stage. Other than himself, Ted, Booster, General Glory and Bea, they did not have a fixed roster. He gathered Sigrid was here at Bea's request. Although it was difficult to accept that she was Ice Maiden, Guy knew she was not Tora and therefore, not a replacement. Besides, Sigrid seemed like a nice kid and he knew what it was like to be considered second best for most of one's life.
However, he had hoped their first mission together would have been something less dangerous than having to deal with the Gray Man. Their team, if you could call it that, was really untested. Sure, they had worked together years ago, but that was exactly the point. The years had a habit of making people rusty and they had never been very good team to begin with. Guy made a silent oath to himself that this time it would be different. They were going to be a team because he knew they had in them to do it.
God Gardner, listen to yourself. You sound like Jonn.
That thought froze his insides cold.
Meanwhile greetings and introductions were being exchanged with the heroes present. Sigrid who had only really ever worked with Beatriz closely, seemed unsure at how to take Ted and Booster. General Glory who knew none of them was even more uncertain although Beatriz seemed to be taking him under his wing. Guy never thought of her to be maternal type. Then again, Beatriz was also playing the same role to Sigrid as she had done when Tora had first left her father's ice city.
"I thought Catherine said she was tracking down Zatanna for us." Ted declared.
"Catherine found her." Guy replied. "Zatanna is supposed to be here."
"You mean the Zatanna?" General Glory asked. "The one who used to be in old League?"
"The same." Ted replied. It was hard to remember that this was not the same General Glory that they had known previously. That General Glory had possessed supreme confidence and an honest wisdom, Ted was going to miss. The new General seemed to be very nervous and unsure of himself, not much more than a kid really. In some ways, he reminded Ted of himself when he had first began in this business and that memory warmed the Blue Beetle to the new General Glory quickly.
"I use to read about her in the papers." He remarked. "She's like a witch, isn't she?"
"I prefer the term magician." Zatanna Zatara answered coolly as she walked through the door. She was in full costume of fish nets, tights, tuxedo jacket and top hat.
"We're glad you could make it." Guy offered extended a handshake in her direction. Most of them knew Zatanna by reputation but none could confess to ever having worked with her. Although she was in the League far earlier than any of them, she was in her late twenties. In fact, he was surprised how different she looked from the pictures in her League dossier. Maybe it was the tights.
"Ms Colbert said you needed my help." Zatanna replied. She could sense the apprehension in his voice, not simply because he did not know her but because he was masking his insecurity behind a facade of false confidence.
It appeared that Guy Gardner's reputation as being a rabid was well in the past. When Catherine had come to her about the Gray Man, Zatanna had confessed to some trepidation to working with these ex-Leaguers. Much of this opinion was influenced in part by Gardner's notorious behaviour and the juvenile antics for which Booster Gold and Blue Beetle were infamous. However, now that she was in their immediate presence, Zatanna had to admit that these preconceived notions might have been ill considered. The room emanated with an atmosphere of warmth that was due to the people in the room. Despite their contrasting natures, they considered each other more than friends but like family. It was a nice feeling to be included in some a tight knit circle. Zatanna sensed that this was not always the case.
Whatever had taken place since the League days had changed their attitudes towards themselves and each other considerably. Zatanna felt slightly ashamed for being so judgemental. Still remnants of the old lingered behind like a shadow. It amused her how the Blue Beetle seemed to be gawking at her like a teenager. Well, a little boost to the ego never hurt anyone, especially considering what her love life had been likely lately.
"Why don't we get settled in and brief those who of us who are new to the party." Ted suggested, trying to get the meeting started. Suddenly, he did not want Zatanna to think that they were all a bunch of amateurs. He still remembered what Hawkman had thought of them and he did not want Zatanna believing the same.
"Good idea." Guy drawled and motioned everyone around the table. The venue for their first meeting was Warrior's private room. The decor was traditionally colonial, with heavy wooden furniture and soft cushions. A fireplace sat unused against one wall and the furnishings were tasteful and designed to put people at ease. At the moment, Guy wished it would work on him. He noticed how Booster and Beetle seemed to be taking a back seat approach, allowing him to take charge because he was used to telling people what to do.
Bastards.
Greetings were made all around as Guy introduced Zatanna to the newly formed Crusaders. Although they had yet to ask Crimson Fox whether she wanted involvement in this new team, Guy figured there would be time for that later. At the moment, it appeared that the Gray Man had counted her among those to revenged, so it was probably wise that she stuck with them until the situation was resolved.
"Beetle, you want to start the briefing about the Gray Man?"
"Sure," Ted rose to his feet to address the others. "As Doctor Fate explained to us at the time, the Gray Man is an agent of the Lords of Order, who use him to collect dream essence from the dead. As Zatanna will tell you, the dream essence is what gives the Lords of Order their power. When we encountered him, the League had only been a few months old. He had taken over a town called Stone Ridge by removing not only the dream essence of the people who lived there but he was actually taping into the energy of their souls. Siphoning the power meant for the Lords of Order made him stronger than he was ever meant to be."
Zatanna knew this much about the Gray Man although the events being related by the Blue Beetle was nevertheless fascinating and she wondered how Nabu had handled the situation.
"The Gray Man captured Doctor Fate who managed to get a message to us. Batman sent Captain Marvel ahead for reconnaissance but we soon lost contact with him when he penetrated the town. When he finally returned, he was under the influence of the Gray Man in some form of mind control."
At that Ted paused a moment to catch his breath. He took a sip of water from his glass before continuing again. "Its hard to say what happened next. We were taken down easily. Fortunately for us though, it appeared that Doctor Fate was not as incapacitated as he seemed. Apparently Fate was hoping to talk the Gray Man to his senses. When he realised that the Gray Man could not be reasoned with, Fate transported the whole building with us in it to this island. Fate explained that it was an intersection point between two realities. Once there, the Lords of Order took care of the Gray man themselves."
"We thought that was the end of him." Guy took up where Ted left off for the benefit of Zatanna and the new General Glory. "Until he turned up again a year later. Except this time, it was a different guy altogether. This one was smarter, he had a partner, some crazy scientist named Irwin Teasdale. Teasdale wanted revenge against Simon Stagg and the Gray Man wanted the serum Teasdale was developing to wreak mass murder. With the essence he would absorb from the dying, he would be powerful enough to take on both the Lords of Order and Chaos. He would have done it too if it wasn't for the Spectre. The Spectre brought the Gray Man's ideas to the Lords or Order and Chaos who promptly cut the creep at the knees. They lobotomised him so that he could do his work but not be a threat to anyone again."
"So how is it that he's back again?" General Glory declared.
"I don't know how he could come back." Booster answered. "Its kind of strange that the Lords of Order wouldn't be keeping a close eye on him after what he's done in the past."
"The Lords of Order have withdrawn from this plane of existence. After all, this is only one reality to them and they have a large cosmic backyard to look after," Zatanna explained, realising that this group had very little knowledge about the realm of the supernatural. "Even though their war with the Lords of Chaos seem to have ended for the moment, it has now become a cold war. Each side maintains the balance of good and evil in the cosmos. Both have their chess pieces on the gaming board and like all players, they sometimes forget what it happening in the rest of the universe. They may not be aware that the Gray Man has become active again."
"Couldn't we just tell them about it?" Sigrid suggested. "If this is their problem, they should handle it."
"They might." Zatanna mused. However, she was sceptical at receiving any assistance from the Lords of Order. "Then again, we are one reality for them, they may not care to concern themselves with our problems."
"Great, "Beatriz groaned. "So we're going to have to clean up their mess?"
"There's something else," Guy stated ignoring her remark. "Catherine has never met the Gray Man but she says he spoke to her as if he knew her personally. The Gray Man never confronted us at any of our embassies, how the hell would he know Catherine at all?"
"That's a good point." Ted agreed, looking at Guy. "Now that you mention it, something else has been bothering me about this. The Gray Man has no real reason to take revenge on us. Sure, we got in the way of his plan a couple of times but the ones who really hurt him are the Lords of Order. Even when he was rampaging around the place, his anger was always directed at them and not us. He did not seem to take offence at us personally, we were just meddlesome human beings who got in his way."
"You will find most immortal creatures think that way." Zatanna responded.
"Catherine also said he referred to himself as 'we' not he.."
"We?" Ted looked at Guy in surprise. Now that was a variation in the Gray Man's behaviour that was not consistent with what they knew of him. "Is Catherine sure about this?"
"Well, she said the Gray Man actually corrected her when she referred to him as a single person. He said that 'they' were together now. That means more than one of them."
"He never did that before." Ted stated firmly.
"But he did split up into several hundred Gray Men." Booster reminded.
"Yes, but those were like extensions of himself. He could project himself in a dozen different places but he was still the mind in control."
Zatanna was impressed by the Blue Beetle's acumen. When he was not being a childish prankster, it appeared that there was a formidable intellect in residence behind those yellow goggles. "The Blue Beetle is correct." Zatanna added her voice into the discussion. "I find it difficult to believe that an entity with the Gray Man's aspirations would refer to himself as anything but in the singular. This requires investigation."
"How do we do that?" Ted asked, pleased that he seemed to have impressed her a little.
"Not easily." She confessed. "Not until he comes after us."
No one seemed to like that prospect at all but Ted still seemed concerned and Guy could hardly blame him. While they were certain they were dealing with the Gray Man, there was something about this that nagged at the back of his Vuldarian senses. Something was wrong. He just could not place what that was exactly.
"So do we just wait for him?" General Glory inquired. As it was Donovan Wallace was questioning his reason for being here. He had joined the League to fight the rent lords and drug dealers who preyed on the seamy underworld that had made him a paraplegic, not going off to fight some powerful supernatural being. "May be we should go looking for this guy."
"That's easier said than done." Guy replied. "The man is like smoke."
"We could go to Stone Ridge." Ted suggested. "That's where he began the first time."
"Nothing we've heard about him would indicate that he'd go back there Beetle." Booster pointed out. "Like you said, he never took anything personally."
"No, but there are lines across the planet that direct cosmic forces." Zatanna replied, deciding that there was more to this Blue Beetle than met the eye. He certainly did not deserve the reputation of being labelled a buffoon. "There are places that attract it like nails to a magnet. Leesburg for example. Stone Ridge could have the same kind of energy flow. If he is to be found anywhere, I suggest that is a good a place as any to look."
"All right," Guy agreed with that assessment. "In that case, Zatanna, Beetle and should check out Stone Ridge. The rest of us can go to that town on the Austrian German border where he turned up the second time."
As dumb as Ted could some times behave, he was no amateur and neither was Zatanna. However, Sigrid and Donovan was something else entirely. In comparison to the rest of them, the new Ice Maiden was not Tora whose freezing abilities had been formidable. She was also relatively new to the game and Guy was not going to be responsible for any other heroine named Ice dying. He wanted Sigrid where the rest of them could protect if she got in over her head. He realised he was being unfair since she had proved herself in battle. When the League had gone up against the Tormocks, Sigrid had shown what she was made of. However, a part of him would always feel responsible for being absent when the Overmaster had torn Tora to pieces. He was not allowing the same for Sigrid Nansen. If she wanted into this group, that was going to have to be the rules.
The same thing went for the new General Glory. Fighting thugs who carried automatic weapons and grenade launcher was one thing; being able to handle yourself in mystic combat was another thing entirely. Guy, Booster and Bea had experience enough to watch over the new arrivals for the moment.
"Sounds like a plan." Beatriz offered him a proud smile. She never thought of Guy with leadership qualities but now she understood why Ted and Booster were pushing him to accept the role as team leader.
"Hey," Booster spoke up. "Shouldn't someone be looking out for Catherine?"
Catherine was in danger too, Guy realised. The Gray Man had sought her out specifically to deliver his message of their impending doom. There was no reason why he would not use her in the same manner when he finally chose to carry out his threat. Booster was right, she did need protection. "Good idea Beetle," Guy agreed before a smile stole across his face. "What about you Booster? You can use your 25th century charm on Catherine. I seem to remember you made a great impression on her once."
"Me?" Booster exclaimed remembering that incident all too well. "Guy I don't think this is such a good idea."
"Not me buddy," Ted retorted, barely able to contain the laughter that was struggling to escape from his lips. "I think its just swell."
"Are we missing something?" Beatriz asked, having not heard this story before. However, judging by the embarrassment on Booster's face, she decided it was a story worth hearing. She made a mental note to get the story out of Guy later.
"Are you people always like this?" Zatanna asked.
"Actually," Sigrid smiled. Despite joining the Justice League in its last days, she knew just how zany things could get. "This is one of their more serious days."