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 As a friend and team member, Sigrid had withdrawn from Bea's life.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."