CHAPTER ELEVEN: DEBUT
It had no name. It did not need one because it simply was.
Zatanna Zatara stood in the middle of the plateau looking into the sky above, knowing that it was not really a sky. Like all things here, it was merely a projection for the benefit of her limited perception. This place existed out of time and dimension from anything that could be explained by the laws of nature. If anything, it existed as the nexus between what could be understood and was had to be taken as a test of faith.
Zatanna had known about this realm. On occasion, she had reason to seek an audience with those who created it. If a contemporary term was required to best describe this place then the most appropriate term would simply be an audience chamber. Here, those who wielded the forces of Magi could communicate with the powers that existed beyond mortality and imagination.
This was the domicile of gods.
Zatanna waited patiently, knowing that they would speak only if they deemed the visitor worthy of a reception. While they were familiar with her, it did not mean that familiarity would automatically guarantee immediate acknowledgement. They made their decisions carefully and she did not doubt at this moment, they were thinking hard on whether she ought to be addressed.
The time of Kali Yuga was upon them and in this age of fire, destruction and madness, the Lords of Order had retreated from the realm of man.
Until this turbulent period of cosmic evolution had passed, they would remain out of the affairs of man until it was their time again. The eternal war was quiet and the battlefield remained open to conquest. The minions of Order still walked the combat zone, protecting what was left from the forces of Chaos. Although the Lords of Order has removed themselves from the fighting, the war they believed to have ended, still raged in spite of their indifference. She hoped their lack of concern did not extend to inclusion of all other matters in the realm.
Realistically, Zatanna knew her chances of gaining their help against the Gray Man were slim. However, she risked little by trying. If nothing else, they might be willing to help her understand how the Gray Man had managed to slip out of his comatose state to become self aware again. That was the one thing that troubled her most of all. The Lords of Order were extremely efficient when it came to disciplining their errant servants. She could not imagine they being so lacking when dealing with one who had challenged their authority so blatantly. The purging of his mind should have left nothing behind that could be considered alive, let alone sentient. There was an unknown element in all this and its elusive origins nagged at her like the Kindly Ones.
She had been waiting for hours now and Zatanna knew patience was a virtue here. It represented the best aspects of order so she could not afford to falter by showing impatience. After her encounters with the Gray Man's slaves, she knew that he had to be stopped. With each mind he infected, he became stronger. Each soul was boost of power they could ill afford him to have. While she had not voiced it to the others, Zatanna feared that he would amass so much power that he grow beyond their ability to combat.
There was another alternative that Zatanna was reluctant to take up just yet. Beyond the Lords of Order, there was a higher voice to which she could appeal. In texts older than the world itself, there were writings about the mythical Seven. Except for he who ruled the Silver City and the entity known to all as Morningstar, the Seven had lived since the beginning of existence, if such things could be measured.
If she could not appeal to the Lords of Order for help then Zatanna had to consider the possibility of seeking out Morpheus.
The Dream King you know as Morpheus has taken the final journey.
Zatanna looked up at the sound of that unearthly voice. A globe of light hovered in the sky above her head. Although bright, it was mesmerising to look at it and she was unable to break her gaze as she heard its voice echo in her ears.
"I come to you for help."
We are aware of this.
"Your servant the Gray Man has become self aware. He is once again threatening the realm of man. You must restore the balance."
We are aware of the Gray Man's role in the disturbance but he is not responsible for it.
"But he has been seen." Zatanna countered. "I sense his presence in the events he has forced to take place and those he has subjugated."
You sense his physical being. You do not sense his soul. The being you call the Gray Man has been purged of its essence. His body functions but his mind is an empty slate. The Gray Man is merely the vessel. The soul within him is not of his body.
"Not his soul?" Zatanna exclaimed. "How can that be?"
There are other levels of consciousness that exist beyond the need for corporeal shape. Many who drift across the universe untethered because they had lost their way in their final journey. They remain within reach of your world but are unable to affect it unless they have a vassal to carry them..
"Are you saying someone else has possessed the Gray Man?" That possibility had not occurred to her. Now that it was present however, it made sense. With all independent will stripped from the Gray Man, it would be relatively easy for some disembodied entity to slip into his empty mind and take control of it. Possession was one of the oldest forms of violation, next to rape. As a Magi, she knew what lurked beneath the veneer of reality. Hers was the world behind the mirror and she understood that such a thing was possible.
Yes. He who was once the Gray Man has been purged from his body. We saw to it that he would not be in a position to threaten either Order or Chaos again. The soul inside the Gray Man now is that of another."
"Can you tell me whose soul it is?" Zatanna asked hopefully.
It is no longer our concern. It is yours.
Fortunately, she did expect them to respond in this manner. As it was, it had been a small miracle that they chose to enlighten her as much as they had. Zatanna realised she should be grateful but somehow, she could not force that emotion to appear. Instead, she tried one last time to appeal for help. "It is still the Gray Man's body and even if this entity is not your responsibility, it is using the Gray Man's powers. People are dying." She pleaded hoping to move them even slightly.
It is the age of Kali Yuga. We have withdrawn from your realm. The moment another took the Gray Man, it no longer became our concern. This is the time of Chaos and we will observe only, how you defend yourselves against it.
It is was a litany of words she was certain they rehearsed even before speaking to her. Despite her anger at their indifference to the situation, she understood that they could not help being any other way. Their ways were set in cosmic patterns aeons before the dust had settled to form the universe. She let out a heavy sigh and moved onto to something else.
"You said Lord Morpheus is dead?" She asked. While personalities of the Seven could end, the aspect of what they were remained always. If Lord Morpheus has died, then it is likely that someone else had taken the resumed his duties.
The Dream King has passed into the beyond. A new aspect now commands the throne of the Dreaming.
"I may need to seek him out." Zatanna said boldly. "He may help me."
Daniel has no more favours left for your world. He has already extended his influence to assist those you call the Justice League.
Figures, Zatanna thought to herself. "Nevertheless, if the situation becomes hopeless, I must try."
That is your prerogative.
**********
Realising the urgency of the situation taking place in the city, the Crusaders made their way directly to Madame Clouseau's Museum. Zatanna had disappeared when they were still in Germany. Apparently, she was attempting to contact the Lords of Order about the Gray Man, with the possibility of obtaining assistance from them. Guy was starting to wonder if it was serendipity that had suddenly caused the emergence of another League enemy or was there something more sinister behind this resurrection of the Extremists.
"This is too coincidental." Ted declared, mirroring his unspoken thoughts as they reached the outskirts of Paris. In the distance, he could see the Eiffel tower and a billowing cloud of smoke that rose from the city like a column of dark marble. "Do you think the Gray Man could be responsible for this?"
"I'm sure of it." Guy retorted. "He probably knows the Extremists are tough bastards who will keep us busy."
"I like to know where the League is." Beatriz complained, trying to see the damage ahead. Unfortunately, the Bug was still too far away from the centre of the emergency. "They should have been here immediately."
"They got a whole world to deal with remember." Ted said sarcastically. "Paris is one city."
"You don't think Booster would take on the Extremists on his own do you?" Beatriz asked.
Suddenly, Guy and Ted exchanged glances and Guy became very uneasy.
"Jesus you don't think so, do you?" Ted looked at Guy for an answer but inside he already had one. Booster would not sit by and watch innocent civilians die when he could help them. However, as capable as he was, Booster would be a fool to take on the Extremists on his own. The group was known for their ruthless brutality.
"I think you better get us there fast." Guy replied, avoiding the question for the moment.
"Who are these Extremists anyway?" Donovan inquired.
"They're super villains from another dimension." Beatriz explained for the benefit of both Sigrid and the General. "Lord Havok is one of them." She replied. Prior to the previous League's demise, Lord Havok's armour had been stolen for an attack in their orbiting headquarters. The attack had failed and the sentience that had been occupying Havok's armour fled, leaving it to be returned to the museum. "After destroying their own world with nuclear weapons, they came here attempting to hold the world to ransom with our nuclear arsenal. The European branch managed to put a stop to them but it was not easy."
"They're real berserkers." Ted commented. "They emerged in the Russian embassy and killed most of the staff there and almost killed Metamorpho. I'm glad we're going in with a sufficiently powered team. I would hate to come up short against those guys."
Suddenly Zatanna appeared in the centre of the Bug. "We may not be dealing with the Gray Man." She announced dramatically.
"What?" Beatriz exclaimed. "But Catherine saw him!"
"She did see the Gray Man but I've just come back from a meeting with the Lords of Order and I know now that the Gray Man is not responsible for this."
Of all the things, she could have said to throw uncertainty into this situation, that was it. Zatanna could sense their confusion. To be honest, it was an understandable state of affairs considering what they had been through today. Everything seemed to indicate that it was the Gray Man. However, if they were to survive what lay ahead, this misconception had to be discarded.
"How?" Ted asked, trying to concentrate on flying the Bug, even though his curiosity was piqued.
"You were right," Zatanna explained. "The Lords of Order did destroy the Gray Man's mind during the Teasdale incident. He has been continuing his duties with no independent will. Like a trained animal you might say, performing the tricks he had been taught because there was no rider on his back to show him how to do anything new."
"Meaning what?" Sigrid asked confused.
"Meaning that its not his mind that inside his body. Its someone else." Zatanna said finally.
"How is that possible?" Donovan declared. This was so beyond his understanding that it was difficult to wrap his mind around the concept.
"I get it." Ted stated. "Because there was no independent will inside him, he could not stop anyone from invading his body and taking control of it."
"So whoever is in there," Guy continued starting to see to what she was alluding. "Is able to use all his powers, all his abilities because he ain't there to stop them."
"That's right." Zatanna nodded, pleased that they could understand. When she was in the League, the others had treated her powers like some kind of a fifth wheel. It was part of the reason why she had left the team and gone in search of herself, to discover her real heritage. It was nice to among human beings who could readily accept that the powers of magic were capable of so much. "Someone else is occupying the Gray Man's body."
"So I guess the million dollar question is who?" Beatriz replied.
"Oh my god." Ted exclaimed softly and immediately switched the Bug to auto pilot before putting into a hover position for the moment. He swivelled around in his chair and looked at the others with an expression that could only be described as horrified enlightenment.
"What is it?" Zatanna inquired, suddenly very concerned at the icy chill that had captured his heart.
"I know whose got his body." Ted swallowed. With the Extremists suddenly revived, it made absolutely perfect sense.
"Who?" Guy asked, knowing that Ted had the answer. Whatever that answer was, it sure looked as if it had scared the hell out of him learning it.
Ted had to say only one word before they were all feeling that same fear. "Dream Slayer."
**********
Dream Slayer stood before his companions. He had tasted the sweet essence of the dying and took what was left of their souls into his body. The power had started pounding through his veins with such intoxication that he could not imagine how the Gray Man had managed to fail with such tools at his disposal. He had been powerful before but nothing like this had ever been his to feel or imagine. It made his awakened to possibilities he had never dared to dream but were now his to take.
"You sure look different." Tracer commented as he raked his sharp fingers over the dead body of a museum guard. The man's face was twisted into a rictus of pain now frozen forever. Tracer liked the feel of his talons moving through flesh, it gave off such a tasty scent of salt and iron. "What happened to you anyway?"
Dream Slayer looked into the largest shard of a smashed mirror and saw his face in the jagged piece. His fingers moved across his greyish skin and realised that he did look different. Despite all the power at his disposal, he still wore another man's face and for some reason that bothered him. For a moment, he wondered what it must be like for the Gray Man to be trapped inside a forgotten room inside one's own mind. He shuddered at the thought.
"Its a long story." He mused. "Now, I need power." He stated turning around and facing his comrades again.
"Say the word Slayer," Gorgon replied. "What do you need to juice up?"
"I need death." He smiled. "Death on a scale we've never even dreamed of in our best schemes. I mean destruction until all that is left alive on this planet are the bugs!" He declared bombastically and then broke into a laugh devoid of any humour.
"An interesting plan," Lord Havok remarked. "However, a world to rule without bodies to torture is no different then what we left behind."
He was always the smart one, Dream Slayer thought to himself. Unfortunately, he also happened to be right. "Perhaps nothing that grand." He recanted. "Maybe just this city."
"Now that's being realistic." Doctor Diehard added. "We can manage that with little less than a 5 megaton bomb. Remember, this world has some lovely nuclear weapons."
"Yes." Dream Slayer smiled. "I think I should like to see that very much."
*********
Although Ted was not a frequent visitor to Paris, it did not require navigational genius to locate Madame Closeau's wax museum. One simply had to follow the screaming sirens and the trail of police who were evacuating the locals from the area. The nucleus of all this pandemonium was of course, the museum itself and the surrounding district. Police cars were scattered around the perimeter of the museum grounds, along with fire engines and emergency services truck who were attempting to clear the damage after their initial engagement with the villains.
"What a mess." Sigrid commented as the group looked out the observation window of the Bug into the scene of destruction below. When the call had come in from Catherine, none of them had expected to see this. Upon witnessing the sight however, what else could they come to expect from the Extremists?
"I see bodies." Donovan added as he saw an emergency worker pull a battered body from under an upturned car.
Guy's stomach hollowed at the sight of corpses being pulled out from the debris. Emergency workers were digging through the rubble with spades and shovels, trying to locate the injured or the dead. As he saw the bodies being placed in sombre black bags, he felt a swell of rage build inside him. "Land this thing." He told Ted. "We need these people out of here before we go in."
"They're not going to be easy to convince." Ted pointed out. "There's a lot of damage down there and people who have yet to be found."
Guy turned to Zatanna. "Is there something you can do to get the wounded away from here?" He asked the sorceress.
"Yes," she nodded. "I can remove them."
"Good." Guy retorted. "We can't have anyone in the area when we go in."
"I hear you." Ted agreed. "The Extremists don't have any problems using innocent bystanders if they feel threatened."
The Bug landed a short distance away from the police line. The immediate area was too cluttered with vehicles to provide a large enough clearing for the cruiser to land. Their arrival however, did not go unnoticed and when the hatch to the Bug slid open, Guy and the others emerged to find a sea of uniforms before them. At the head of the group was Inspector Cadmus, whom he recognised as being the former Interpol liaison for the League. It would make sense that the French authorities would send Cadmus into this situation because of his affiliation with the League who had once defeated the Extremists.
"Maybe he has seen Booster." Ted remarked as they made their way down the ramp. He was still concerned about his best friend who was infamous for reacting without using his head. Booster's overriding thought would be for the welfare of the people under threat, not his own safety. Ted hoped Booster did not do anything stupid. Only a quirk of fate had saved Booster from being a cripple and Ted did not want to see him face that again.
"Its has been a long time, Monsieur Blue Beetle." Cadmus spoke as they reached the ground. "But I am glad to see all of you."
That was easy to believe, when one took a closer look at the wreckage around them. The district looked as if it was a page from a World War II history book. The front of the museum had been demolished, with a mountain of debris forming a path to the gapping hole in the structure. Steel girders, protruded from the undamaged sections of the walls, along with live wires dangling about perilously. The surrounding buildings had the same kind of wounds, although most of them had been completely destroyed instead of simply being gutted. Small fires had broken out during the initial attack that had quickly become a raging inferno. Suddenly, the whole idea of moving away the injured was no longer as simple as a quick spell.
"What's the situation?" Guy asked deciding that small talk could wait until after the crisis had passed.
"The Extremists replicants have been reactivated." Cadmus answered automatically. "They murdered most of the museum staff and visitors. These include children." He said trying to restrain his anger as the words left his mouth. "Those who managed to escape, contacted us. We answered the call with a full task force but as you can imagine, we were no match for them." He let his gaze sweep over the site of the short battle for effect. "So far, we've got a confirmed body count of 52 people." He continued. "We believe there may be hostages inside the building but the Extremists are not interested in negotiating for their release."
"They don't negotiate for hostages." Ted said firmly. "They liked to torture and brutalise."
"I remember." Cadmus answered bitterly. He had been in Paris when the Extremists had made their bid for world power, holding the United Nations to ransom with a nuclear arsenal poised in orbit. These were no ordinary super villains. They were monsters. The memory of the police confrontation with group was still vivid in his mind. They had not only been powerless to stop the superhumans but they had also been easy prey. It galled him to know that the Extremists were clearly out of their ability to fight. In such circumstances, only another group of paranormal could remedy the situation.
"All right," Guy said breathing in deeply and recalling the strategy they had formed before landing. He had to say what thing about this new group, they were more organised than they had ever been. Guy would have to think hard on why that was later. For now they had work to do. "Cadmus, get your people out of here."
"We cannot leave." Cadmus protested. "There are casualties to remove and fires to put out."
He was not exaggerating either, Guy decided. The place looked like a postcard from down town Babylon shortly after an American air strike. However, this issue was not up for debate. While Guy empathised with Cadmus, all the Crusaders knew that unless the ordinary humans in the area were vacated, they would only be a liability when the group faced the Extremists. Still Cadmus was right. The immediate situation needed resolving before they could even think of confronting Dream Slayer and his replicants.
"We can do that." Guy replied. "Ice, see what you can do about the fire. You should be able to snuff most of them out."
"Right," Sigrid had been considering the problem even before Guy had mentioned it. While smothering the flames could produce the effect they needed, it would take time. Sigrid had a formulated a faster and more efficient way of attacking the fires. She turned to Beatriz. "I could use your help on this. I have an idea on how we can put these fires out fast."
"Certainly," Beatriz said eagerly. She was glad Sigrid was starting to take the initiative. During her short tenure with the League, Sigrid had been too afraid to do anything on her own and it was mostly Beatriz's fault. One of the reasons, she had stayed away from Sigrid was to give the woman a taste of independence so she could discover herself as a person. Beatriz was delighted that Sigrid had made that step and even more pleased that Sigrid had asked her for help. "Fire and Ice together again." Beatriz answered and followed Sigrid as the Norwegian led her to the blaze.
"General, Beetle, help with the wounded. Get them loaded as quickly as you can. The Extremists don't know we're here yet but I'll bet that ain't gonna last for long."
"Just a minute," Ted spoke up before he went to carry out Guy's orders. He still had one thing preying on has mind and he needed it answered before he could do anything else. "Have you seen Booster Gold?"
The look that suddenly appeared on the inspector's face told Ted immediately that he had. Cadmus' face darkened and Ted felt a stab of fear, as the worst possibility leapt into his mind.
"He has been taken to hospital" Cadmus explained. "When he learned that the Extremists had hostages, he tried to retrieve them. Unfortunately, he never reached them. The Extremists found him first. He managed to escape but his injuries appear to be severe."
"Those bastards!" Ted swore viciously and spun around towards the museum.
"Where the hell are you going?" Guy demanded as he watched his friend stride purposefully towards the building. Inwardly, he already knew the answer.
"I'm going to go wring their lousy necks!" Ted shouted back in response. "Then I'm going to kill them."
The venom in his voice indicated that his threat was real. Guy who used to ride periphery of such rage knew that Ted had to be stopped. These days, he had more than enough powers to make such a declaration a reality. Guy was not going to allow him to become a killer, that was not for what Ted Kord or Blue Beetle stood.
"Freeze pal!" Guy grabbed his arm and held firm. Ted turned around and was about to pull his arm back when he saw the look in Guy's face. "Booster is alive and those Extremists will get pay back, you can bet the Bug on that but not right now. We have a job to do first and that is to protect these people who will die if they get caught in our cross fire with the Extremists, you got that? This is not the time for lose your damn head. Come on Beetle. Didn't you use to rag on me about going in without thinking? Well I'm telling you now, think!"
"Listen to him." Zatanna said joining them. She knew the friendship between Booster and the Blue Beetle was more like a brotherhood. They were each other's family through the best and worst of time. As much as she hated prying, she could sense the fear inside him that he may lose that. In the short time that she had known the Blue Beetle personally, Zatanna knew one thing for certain. He was no killer and like Guy, Zatanna did not want to see him become one. Fortunately, Ted Kord was an intelligent man. Once the sting of his anger had passed, he could be made to see reason. "He's right and you know it. Before we can deal with the Extremists, we must get these people to safety. Booster would be the first to say this is the right thing to do."
"Once we get everyone clear, we don't have to worry about holding back when we meet this animals. " Donovan added his moral support, understanding how he would feel if it were a friend of his. As a former policeman, this was nothing new for him. Friends went down in the line of fire all the time. Unfortunately, it was the hazards of the life they had chosen for themselves when they swore to protect and serve. Knowing that however, left little comfort to those left behind.
"Okay already," Ted conceded, knowing when he was wrong. "You're right. The people come first."
"Good," Guy retorted. "Now you and the General get going. We don't have much time."
"We're on it." Ted started to walk away from Guy and Zatanna when he turned back on them. "Hey Gardner," Ted said with a wry grin. "You gonna start eating Oreos too, Skipper?"
"Eat this." Guy half smiled as he gave Ted a well-known gesture.
************
It took a little less than an hour with the help of the Crusaders to evacuate the area of all people. Sigrid had put out all fires by forming a thick layer of ice on the roof of all the buildings that were ablaze. Beatriz would then discharge a blast of controlled flames that would force the ice to melt quickly. The sudden torrent of water produced by the melting ice extinguished the fires quickly. The two heroines repeated the process over and over again, until all the fires were doused and the fire trucks could start the evacuation process. In the meantime, Ted and Donovan assisted with the removal of debris and barricades so emergency crews could reach victims without obstacles in their way. They also helped with the loading of the wounded into ambulances, freeing the paramedics to carry out triage detail.
However, it was Zatanna who provided the biggest help. Although it was a spell used once already today, she found that its effectiveness could not be denied. Uttering the necessary incantation, she was able to transport all the injured still buried in debris and rubble to a preordained destination where ambulance crews would be waiting for them.
When the hour had lapsed, the vicinity surrounding the museum had become deathly quiet with the absence of people. Inspector Cadmus was the last to leave with the exodus of vehicles and people moving out of the district. A perimeter had been set along its boundaries, with police and the French militia taking up position and sentry guards to keep anyone from wandering inside the battle zone. Guy would have preferred the whole city evacuated but they did not have that much time. The Extremists were no doubt aware that they were here and he wondered what they had in store for the Crusaders when both groups finally met.
"We have some news." Cadmus said as he was about to get into his unmarked police car. "The hospital reports that Monsieur Gold is alright. He suffered a few injuries and some severe lacerations but the doctor's anticipate he should recover completely. Mademoiselle Colbert is with him."
"Great." Ted let out an audible sigh of relief. "That's good to know."
"Booster is gonna hate missing out on this fight." Guy commented.
"I think he will get over it," Ted remarked with a raised brow. "Especially with Catherine holding his hand."
"You know what they say about French women," Guy gave him a wicked smile.
"What Gardner?" Beatriz's voice suddenly demanded. "What do they say about French women?" She stared at him critically, with her hands on her hip. He knew that stance well. For her, those were fighting words.
"Probably not the same thing as what they say about hot headed Latin women." He smiled sheepishly.
"Nice save." Ted commented before Guy jabbed him in the ribs as they went to join the others.
"The bantering of heroes," Cadmus sighed. "I had forgotten what that sounds like." At that, he climbed into the car and pulled the door shut. Poking his head out the window, Cadmus made a final response as the vehicle's engines roared to life. "Good luck."
"Thanks," Guy answered, turning back to Ted. "We're going to need it."