BOOK THREE: ISLAND RETREAT

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: KOOEY KOOEY KOOEY

She returned to the main arena of their confrontation with the Extremists and saw to her relief that both Sigrid and Guy had matters well in hand. Gorgon's tentacles was presently trapped in ice and was no threat to any more. Meanwhile, Lord Havok was being beaten within an inch of his life. While she was mildly concerned if the new General Glory was capable of taking on Tracer, Beatriz brushed her reservations to the back of her mind. If he needed help, he would call her. She assumed by their absence, that Ted and Zatanna were taking on Dreamslayer.

Knowing that frightened her somewhat because the last time they had encountered Dreamslayer, they had lost the Silver Sorceress. Although the new Blue Beetle now possessed formidable powers, they were still new to him. Beatriz remembered the uncertainty she had felt during her first real test with her own enhanced powers. From her own experiences, she knew Ted needed more field experience with his new abilities before he could take on someone like the Extremist. Thankfully, Zatanna was with him. Her reputation as one of the early members of the Justice League of America could not be underestimated. Zatanna would keep Ted safe.

She flew through the main exhibition areas, seeking out Doctor Diehard but he was nowhere to be found. It still nagged at her why he was not with the main group. She normally left such deductions to Ted but at the moment he had bigger problems to deal with. She remembered reading the field reports of Justice League Europe, recounting their encounters with the Extremists and knew that Doctor Diehard would not stay out of a fight willingly.

The museum was in shambles. The small fire she had started during her battle with Tracer was burning down draperies and travelling up the length of the corridor, eating carpet as it advanced. The wax figurines in many rooms were either severely damage or melting from the heat of the fire. Rivers of paraffin were pooling into large, indistinct blobs. Beatriz could not see Doctor Diehard anywhere among the wreckage and she was more certain than ever that he was up to something. Finally after a fruitless search of the upper levels of the building, she decided to investigate the areas of the museum off limits to the general public.

As she had not seen them yet, Beatriz assumed Zatanna had sent the hostages to safety. Just as well, she decided as she travelled down a staircase. The building was heaving and groaning with alarming clarity as its structural integrity began to weaken. Considering the battering it was being forced to endure, Beatriz was not surprised if the entire structure was fast approaching breaking point. Suddenly, as she turned a corner, she started to hear new sounds, sounds that did not appear to be either natural or a result of the fighting above.

She quickly flew down the corridor, a trail of green fire illuminating the passageway as she moved. The closer she drew to the doorway at the end of the corridor, the louder those sounds became. She could hear frantic voices intermingling with these noises. The cracks of the door showed some evidence of what was taking place inside the room, with flashes of light flaring through the narrow fissures.

Beatriz was almost to the door when suddenly, she saw Doctor Diehard emerge from the shadows behind her. She stopped flying and turned around. "There you are." Beatriz said confidently as she started flying towards him. "I wondered why you weren't joining the rest of your friends in the party upstairs."

"I've had bigger fish to fry." Doctor Diehard laughed. There was something about the way he said those words that chilled Beatriz to the bone. "Its okay honey," he grinned as his eyes moved over her in a manner that was not at all honourable. "We can tango now."

"I'm sorry, you're not my type." She retorted sending a blast of flames at him. The Doctor jumped out of the way easily, allowing the stream of green fire to run down the corridor behind him. Suddenly, from the corner of her eye, Beatriz saw movement behind her. She turned around and saw the doors in the length of the hallway starting to shake. Within moments, the sound of wood pounding against the concrete became deafening. Their metal door knobs tore themselves from splintering wood before flying at her.

"You're going to have to do better than this." Beatriz remarked as the metal pieces flew harmlessly through her flamed body and smashed into the walls, leaving deep indents.

"I think I can manage that quite nicely." He replied confidently as she turned around to face him after the momentary distraction.

Suddenly, Beatriz caught sight of an obscure line of white that was meandering through the corridor behind the Doctor. For an instant, she thought it might be rope but it appeared to be too thick for that. She squinted her eyes to try in order to gain clearer vision of what the object was but the flames she had blasted at him now filled the narrow passageway with smoke. Whatever it was, Doctor Diehard was now holding it in his hands. Beatriz advanced on him slowly, her senses now tingling with suspicion. Batman had once said it was never wise to rush into a situation. At the moment, she had a feeling that she had tumbled into one head first.

The urgency of that situation soon leapt out at her without warning and as she saw the spray rushing at her, Beatriz realised that it should have been blindingly simple. The water splashed on her body, immediately snuffing out the flames. Unless she wanted to become completely extinguished, she had no choice to revert back to her normal state. As it was, she had little time to debate the matter. Beatriz hit the floor as the gush of water splashed into her. The force of the jet was so strong that she was immediately soaked to her skin.

"Never let it be said that I don't know how to put out a lady's fire." He grinned as he continued spraying the jet at her.

Beatriz could barely stay on her feet as the jet forced her backwards. The Extremist was playing it smart. He kept the hose on her knowing that as long as there was enough force behind that jet of water, she could not absorb the oxygen needed to flame on. The door knobs that had moved past her harmlessly earlier, were now flying at her like projectiles. She felt their blunt handles slamming into her body from all angles, until the pain was so intense that she found herself crying out. If she did not get out of his line of fire and reflame, things were going to get very ugly.

When this thought crossed her mind, Beatriz heard an explosion roar in her ear. The force of the detonation had robbed her of any balance she had manage to maintain in the face of that powerful jet of water. She felt flat on her back as she saw the side wall explode outward. Beatriz covered her head with her arms, as debris ran down on her. Once the large pieces had landed, Beatriz scrambled to her knees hoping to stand up and escape before this situation deteriorated any further.


However, the Doctor was anticipating the action. These super hero types could be so predictable, he thought. He changed the angle of the jet and the torrent of foamy water swept her feet from under her. Beatriz fell down on her side with a splash as the jet pushed her farther along the floor helplessly. From the new orifice in the wall Beatriz managed to see what had caused the explosion. A Citroen had smashed through the wall and had managed to enter the corridor. Although badly damaged, there was still enough of its bulk to cast a shadow upon her as it approached. Doctor Diehard was controlling its flight through a magnetic field she could neither see nor touch but undoubtedly promised death, should she be under it when the car fell.

She opened her mouth to scream but felt her throat filling up with water, as she was hit full in the face with the jet. The force of the torrent slammed her into another wall and before everything went black, she managed one soft cry. "Help me."

**************

Zatanna closed her eyes when she saw it.

Ted merely ground his teeth in horror because it was beyond him that any one could commit such an act of barbarism. When Zatanna had teleported herself and the Blue Beetle to the location of the hostages, she had done so with the intention of transporting them to safety, away from the line of fire. However, as she stood in the room where the Extremists exhibit had been, she realised that perhaps it had always been a futile hope. She did not know whether the hostages had still been alive when Booster Gold had made his ill fated rescue attempt. However such questions seemed unimportant in the face of what they were now bearing witness to.

Instead of the absent Extremists figures that were now rampaging the museum, a new exhibit had been put in their place. The exhibit if one could call it that, was a gruesome display of bodies and blood, forced into some sick design, held in place by any object that would suit the purpose. Men, women and children, were crammed into the space that had once been occupied by the Extremists replicants. Age had spared no one. Their faces were a rictus of pain and horror while their bodies resembled a blueprint for torture. Some corpses appeared to be pulverised by powerful tentacles. Others sported deep, black burns. While some appeared crushed and battered. There were metallic objects scattered throughout the room that were covered in blood, hair and skin. However, the bodies that had been dismembered left the most lasting impressions. Powerful talons had done their worst and its victims amputated limbs were hanging on the walls like pieces of macabre art in the gallery of the insane.

"Oh my god." Ted whispered as he tried not to be sick. However as he won his battle with his disgust, he was losing the one with rage.

"God had nothing to do with this." Zatanna replied stonily, her eyes unmoving from the scene. In the depths of a nightmare where she had once tried to save her father, Zatanna Zatara had seen worse. If that could possibly be believed. Despite her composure, she knew that this was going to be an image imprinted on her mind forever.

"Where are you Dreamslayer?" She shouted out angrily. "Where are you damn coward!"

"Where I've always been."

He appeared out of thin air in front of them. As he materialised, the bodies on exhibition floor began to twist and turn, bones snapped as they confirmed to his will. They mutated and slithered about like the clay under a sculptor's hands. By the time he was before them, completely whole, Dreamslayer was able to sit on his throne, fashioned out from the corpses of the dead.

"You sick bastard!" Ted shouted and hurled lighting bolts at him. The flash of electrical energy cracked through the air like a whip and lashed at the villain who merely shrugged them off as if they were nothing. Seeing they had little effect on him, Ted took flight and flew towards Dreamslayer like a bolt of blue.

"Beetle No!" Zatanna shouted in warning. The emanations of power exuding from Dreamslayer were astonishing. Zatanna was no longer certain that she was strong enough to defeat him. Somehow, the dead had given him strength and with each life that passed by, he absorbed their dream essence as the Gray Man once had to challenge the Lords or Order. All she could do now was protect him from Dreamslayer's power. "!werop sreyalsmaerD morf mih dleihS"

Dreamslayer was oblivious to Zatanna for the moment because he was focused on Ted. "So you are the insect who would be a god." Dreamslayer looked at him as if he was a lower life form. He flicked his hand open and from it came a bolt of bluish energy that halted the Blue Beetle's advance immediately. Energy, the likes of which Ted had never seen, struck him with such force that he was propelled backwards like a fly into the wall. The force of Dreamslayer's power had driven him into the wall, until there was a huge indent where he had impacted. He should have been dead or at least injured. However, Zatanna's spell had done its work well. While he felt pain at the impact, he was not harmed.

"You are still an insect Blue Beetle." Dreamslayer replied coldly, despite his miraculous survival. "An emerald bauble does not change your nature."


Ted struggled to his feet, the pain wracking his body was considerable but he did not intend to give this savage the satisfaction of knowing that he was hurt. "Neither does that body make you the Gray Man." He returned as he leapt into the air and returned to Zatanna's side.

"We are the Gray Man!" Dreamslayer shouted in defiance, as if their doubt in his identity was a personal affront to him.

"You are Dreamslayer." Zatanna spoke for the first time. "You are a counterfeit who has stolen the body of a servant. You have no right to it and you will not be allowed to remain."

Dreamslayer turned his attention to her as if he had noticed her for the first time. "So you are the new witch they have conjured up to deal with us is that it?"

"I am not a witch." She answered boldly. "I am Zatanna Zatara of the Hidden Ones and your time in this realm is over."

Ted glanced at her, wondering if Zatanna truly possessed the power to take on Dreamslayer. She certainly sounded as if she did. He had guessed that it was she who had saved his life a moment ago and that was nothing to be taken lightly. Having dealt with the Gray Man before, he was aware of how powerful the being could become when allowed to absorb the precious dream essence. At the moment however, Zatanna looked nothing like the woman he was so attracted to, instead her eyes seemed harder as if she was preparing herself for a deadly struggle. Considering their situation, he could believe it.

Dreamslayer laughed. "You underestimate me witch." The man stepped off his throne and turned to a dark corner. "Doctor, are you still with us?"

Doctor Diehard appeared from the shadow where he had been waiting in silence for some time, having slipped away from the battle his companions were now engaged. "I'm right here Slayer." He answered stepping into the light.

"You remember the Doctor, do you not insect?" Dreamslayer looked to Ted.

"Who could forget?" Ted retorted. "The candle lights, the moon, the dinner, drinking champagne out of your hood?"

"You are too entertaining," the Doctor chuckled. "I'm sure you'd forgotten."

Ignoring the verbal exchange between the Blue Beetle and Doctor Diehard, Zatanna turned her attention to Dreamslayer. The self proclaimed Lord of Dimensions was emanating a dark void where his consciousness should have been. For some reason, he was determined to protect his thoughts from her. Why now? His overconfidence had never given him reason to be concerned about her probings before. What had changed? She could not guess the reason, not even from Doctor Diehard. There were no thoughts to be picked up from him because he was a machine. Unfortunately, programming was not accessible to her mystical senses.

"What are you hiding?" She asked finally.

"You are good." Dreamslayer declared. "Insect, I commend you. You found yourself a real life magical witch. Even the Silver Sorceress was not adept at telepathy."

"Well we're all pretty proud of her." Ted said dryly. He hated holding back like this but Ted did not want to do anything rash again. Zatanna had saved his life once and until she gave him leave to act, he was going to stay put. She had a better take on all this mystical mumbo jumbo any way. However, Ted did not miss the uneasiness starting to creep into her eyes and that gave him cause for concern. Even when she had been fighting a town full of Dreamslayer's zombies, did she appear to be afraid.

Okay, she was afraid when she went flying with him.

"Since you did not deign to answer my question earlier, I will explain." Dreamslayer decided to continue. "Insect, if you recall, Doctor Diehard once held a thousand nuclear weapons over this pitiful ball of dirt and made your leaders beg."

The mention of nukes immediately sent cold fear into Ted's heart and nothing he could do, prevented that feeling from registering in his face. Instinctively, his eyes darted towards the ceiling. Zatanna, however, remained cool and collected in the face of this news.

"No, no, no." Dreamslayer quickly stated, seeing the conclusion Ted was leaping to. "I have no wish to reduce this world to radioactive rubble. That folly was my former colleagues. No, I have no more taste for global destruction. "

"How reassuring." Ted said sarcastically. He wanted to pound both Dreamslayer and Doctor Diehard to pieces, but he was not going to be like Guy Gardner in the old days. His analytical mind had taken complete control of his rage now and would not permit him to worsen the situation by acting like a hot headed fool.

"What I want," Dreamslayer said striding towards them before coming to a stop directly in front of Ted and Zatanna. "What I want is pure, beautiful revenge. Revenge on you and your kind for sending me into the limbo where I was trapped like a common prisoner. I, Dreamslayer, Master of the dimensions!"

"Aren't we getting a tad megalomaniacal?" Ted shot back.

Dreamslayer's anger got the better of him and he lashed out at Ted, sending that same bolt of energy at the Blue Beetle again. This time, Ted recovered without Zatanna's assistance, mostly because Dreamslayer had not wanted him dead. For the moment any way. "Beetle." Zatanna spoke gently. "Please." Things were critical enough without him aggravating the situation. She was starting to suspect that Dreamslayer may have had enough power to kill him even despite her spells.

Zatanna did not want him to risk his life. "So you have no taste of domination but you want revenge. We are here, why not kill us?"

"Kill you?" Dreamslayer exchanged glances with Doctor Diehard and both men laughed as if she had made some hilarious joke. "Make no mistake, you are going to die but not today. Today I would like you both to take a trip."

"To a tropical paradise." Doctor Diehard added with a laugh.

This was starting to get too weird for Ted. "No thanks, I prefer Aspen myself."


"Always the comedian." Dreamslayer remarked before his eyes narrowed with sinister intent. "We will see if you still find it amusing when I teach you what it is to twist in agony before this day is done! Now!" He ordered Doctor Diehard sharply.

Both heroes turned to the Extremists who suddenly let out a deep breath before looking up at them again. The look on his face was more than sinister. It whispered something terrible to which they were not privy to yet. Even though he had not moved an inch out of their sight, Ted and Zatanna knew the powers at his disposal. They also knew that without even being told, something awful had taken place beyond the walls of this arena. "Well that was entertaining. Are we going there for the fireworks?"

"What have you done?" Ted grabbed him by the throat and lifted him off the ground. The Doctor was still wearing that triumphant sneer on his face despite the fact that Ted could easily tear him apart.

"Nothing you will be able to change." Dreamslayer answered indifferent to Ted's show of anger. He lifted the veil from his thoughts and showed her the picture of what he had done in all its magnificent glory.

Although it had not taken place yet, the event was moments away from unfolding. It exploded inside her mind, showing her clearly the devastation about to be wrought. In an instant, Zatanna saw an entire civilisation die and knew that she could not reach it in time to prevent its end. Dreamslayer was allowing her the knowledge because he knew she would be powerless to stop it. However, Zatanna Zatara would not let him win, not yet. Maybe there was still time, in any case, she was not going to sit by without even trying.

"We're leaving!" She said to Ted, her eyes unmoving from Dreamslayer's face. "Know what it is to make any enemy of me, Lord of the Dimensions." Zatanna said quietly. Each word that left her lips dripped in cold venom.

"We will meet again. "

**********

The next thing that Ted Kord aka the Blue Beetle was aware after Zatanna had made the declaration that they were departing, was the sun shining in his eyes. He had less than a second to adjust his eyes to the sunlight when suddenly, Zatanna who was standing next to him shouted frantically.

"CLOSE YOUR EYES!"

"What?" He exclaimed, her sudden cry startling him.

"Do it now!" She ordered, the panic in her voice told him to argue no further.

Obeying immediately, Ted closed his eyes tight, wondering what was the reason for this action. His goggles were made of high density polyurethane, even a bullet would have trouble penetrating it to harm him. His eyes were closed when he suddenly felt heat wash over him that was completely alien to the warmth of the sunny beach they had materialised on. He was tempted to open his eyes when suddenly the darkness before him flared so brightly he was forced to abandon the idea immediately. Even through his clamped eyelids, every dark corner of his universe became filled with an blindingly white light.

"!su tcetorp lliw taht dleihs a tcerE" He heard moments before an almighty roar tore through his ears. The words made no sense to him but the gust of wind rushing up at him did.

The ground beneath him shook and for a moment, Ted thought they might have been in the epicentre of a most violent earth quake. However, he soon decided that if this was an earthquake, it rated two thousand on the Richter scale. There was nothing natural about this calamity, if he believed in spiritual connection to the land, Ted Kord believed he would have been able to hear the earth scream in agony.

Zatanna dropped to her knees beside him and slid her arms around his neck, suddenly needing his embrace to sustain her through what was coming. She could have taken them away from here but there was no time to speak the spell that would remove them safely. Even the forces of mysticism had to adhere to the will of nature sometimes. Teleporting was a serious business and attempting to do it in the rapids of such psychic turbulence could kill them both. However, she was also bound by more human reasons. A part of her needed to see this, needed to ride out the storm in a vain hope that there could be survivors who would benefit from immediate help.

Ted could not contain his curiosity any further, he had to see what was happening even though the scientist in him had already shifted through the evidence and came up with the answer. Realistically he should be dead but all he could feel was tingle of warmth against his skin. Whatever Zatanna was doing to protect, was working quite effectively. There was some discomfort physically but none that could compare with the knowledge inside his mind. He felt Zatanna's arms around him, holding tight as she buried her face in the crook of his shoulder. He could feel tears seeping through his uniform. Even though she was probably saving both their lives, she still had reason to weep. Ted had to see why. When he did, he wished he had listened to her.

The sky was on fire.

The rolling cloud of nuclear fire rumbled towards them a terrible scourge from god. It thundered towards the island from the near by ocean, with the ultimate forces of destruction leading the charge. Ted was almost tempted to pray but he knew it would not matter one damn bit if Zatanna's mystical shield did not hold. As it was, they should have been killed during the initial impact, now it seemed they had front row tickets to the shock wave.

Everything in the path of the fiery maelstrom was obliterated. Trees, sand, water that sizzled into steam, all destroyed in the most prolific example of why nature should never be trifled with. As it descended upon him, he buried his face in her hair, deciding that maybe he did not need to look anymore. He felt the soft strands of her luxurious hair against his cheeks and savoured a deep breath of its fragrance in his nostril. If he had to go, Ted could live with going out this way.

Still, he hoped his this was not his last memory of her.

********

When the storm had come and gone, the island of Kooey Kooey Kooeey was no more than a patch of radioactive dirt in the middle of a poisoned sea. For a long time, they stood inside their bubble, looking out like gold fish in a bowl. Beyond the mystic shield Zatanna had erected to save their lives, there was nothing. Not a blade of grass, not a living thing whose bodies were not burned into the sand. The beautiful beach was now covered in fused and crude dark glass. It was now possible to look at the island from one end to the other without having to walk across it. The vegetation in between was completely obliterated. The island had been flattened into submission.

Ted did not even want to touch the grief that stemmed from calculating the human loss in this tragedy. The names slipped into his mind despite his best efforts not to think of them. They stole into his memory like a thief in the night and Ted found the full measure of sorrow reach up and claim his heart with each recognition.

"The Chief, Herb, Puck." Ted whispered as he stared beyond the shield. His eyes starting to mist with tears. "They're all gone."

Zatanna rested her head on his shoulder, sharing his pain even though the faces in her mind had no names. "I am sorry." She replied, trying not to cry herself. "I did not know he would do this."

"Its not your fault.' Ted answered quickly. "You couldn't know." Rage had yet to take him but Ted knew it would, sooner that later. "He picked this place for a reason."

"The Sorceress died here didn't she?" Zatanna guessed.

"Yeah," he nodded. "But that's not the reason." He declared bitterly. There was a bad taste in his mouth that would not be eradicated until Dreamslayer met his maker once and for all. Blue Beetle was going to see to it. His gaze swept over the devastated landscape trying to imagine if the villagers of this island had any idea at all what had hit them. "He was defeated here." Ted explained swallowing the lump in his throat. "We beat him on his this island once before. The islanders helped us and now look at them."


Zatanna could look because there was nothing to look at. The people of Kooey Kooey Kooey no longer existed. Dreamslayer had seen to that. He had proclaimed his vengeance would make Ted twist in agony before the day was done and he was right. It did.

"We did not know this would happen, Beetle." She said taking hold of his arms and making him face her. "If we had, nothing would have kept us from helping them. You know that."

Ted nodded mutely and pulled his goggles off his face. Suddenly, the mask seemed redundant in the aftermath of what had taken place in this once beautiful paradise. There was no one left from whom to protect his secret identity. Despite their protection behind the mystic shield, his mask felt confining and when he stripped if off his face, it was moist with sweat.

Zatanna took a moment to study his face, her curiosity in this matter finally satisfied. He was not at all what she expected. While it was a handsome face, it was not the face of a superhero. It was the face of an ordinary man who had set extraordinary goals for himself. Ted Kord would never be the subject of an artist's effort but there was warmth in his features that could breathe life to any painting or statue.

And he had nice eyes.

"My name is Ted," he introduced himself. The horror around them made the idea of a secret identity trivial and Ted knew he could trust Zatanna.

"I am pleased to meet you Ted." Zatanna smiled, sensing that trust. "Most people call me Zee."

"How are we going to live with this Zee?" Ted looked sadly at the ruined landscape.

"One day at a time, Ted." She answered and let out a deep breath knowing this moment could not last. They had to move on to prevent Dreamslayer from doing this again. Until now, she had believed the Crusaders could stop him but it was starkly obvious that Dreamslayer had no moral limitations. The Crusaders might be able to defeat him eventually but not before he destroyed everything that meant something to them. Strangely enough, Zatanna did not want to see them endure that.

In the short time she had come to know this group, Zatanna had learnt one thing; she cared about them. She cared because they were unpretentious and unashamed to be exactly who they were. Staying true to themselves meant more than any facade they chose to display for the outside world. Zatanna who was used to playing facades, could appreciate the sincerity they dared to show.

These were people she could call friends.

Even if she had no such feelings for them, Zatanna was realistic about Dreamslayer's intentions. When he was done with the Crusaders, she had no doubts that his claims to disliking global conquest would fade. Dreamslayer and others like him were creatures of habit. They were drawn to power like a moth to the flame. It would become an obsession. Unfortunately, Dreamslayer was too formidable an opponent to allow such ambitions to grow fruit. He had to be stopped and he had to be stopped now. When she had made her threat, she had not done so lightly.

"I have to send you back." Zatanna said finally.

"Send me back?" Ted looked at her. "What about you?"

"I will join you and the others shortly." Zatanna answered. For a moment, she sensed stark terror in him because he believed she was about to do something foolish, like facing Dreamslayer on her own. It surprised her to sense that he could not bear the thought of her death or the possibility of never seeing her again. Zatanna could not help feeling flattered at engendering such passion from a man who barely knew her.

She placed her hand on his cheek, an intimate gesture that surprised him to no end. Zatanna smiled faintly as she saw his eyes widen in surprise. All thoughts about Kooey Kooey Kooey had been driven from his mind by that one act. "Zee, are you coming on to me?" He asked sheepishly.

"Would you mind?" She asked with a twinkle in her eye.

"No." He tried to sound cool but did not manage it. "In fact, I would be surprised. Very surprised, no, no, astonished actually. Its not like this happens to me all the time you know, I can't remember how long its been since a beautiful woman came on to me. No, really I don't think its every happened to me. Ever. " Now he was babbling. "Am I making any sense?"


"Perfectly." She replied and then added a more serious note so that he would understand better. "He needs to be stopped Ted and Lord help us, I don't we can do it alone. We need help."

"From the Lords of Order?" He asked puzzled. "I thought you said they refused to help."

"They did." Zatanna said shortly. "I meant someone else."

"Who?"

Zatanna Zatara did not answer.