A/N: what's this? Two chapters in less than a week of each other? With our team now at the size where we can run two missions at once, we thought we'd try something different for once! Now, while Black Panther takes the others to Coast City, let's see what Wally and the others got up to! Cowritten and edited by Batmarcus, Ghost Fire 6, and Lord Zeppelin.
New Orleans, July 27, 21:52 CDT
The Big Easy was as lively as ever, with various people just having a good time. Except for one man, an older man dressed in a suit and using a cane to assist his walking. He approached a shop that read 'Madame Xanadu's Home of the Occult ', sighing to himself as he read the sign.
He pulled out an old pocket watch and checked the time, his eyes becoming momentarily clouded with sadness and longing as his eyes went over an old picture of a woman on the inside of the watch. He took a deep breath, before stepping into the shop. It was quaint, all things considered, but the man didn't have much time to look around before the shop's proprietor, a young black woman dressed in clothing that evoked an older time, stepped out from behind the curtain.
"Greetings, Monsieur. How can Madame Xanadu help you?" She asked, but before the older man could respond, Madame Xanadu seemed to figure it out. "Ah, you wish to speak to someone, no? Your wife, perhaps?" At this question, the man subconsciously gripped the pocket watch tighter, before he nodded.
"Yes. My Inza," He stated, she gestured to a table in the center of the room.
"Please. Sit, and we will begin," She beckoned, the two were seated at the table. They were silent for a moment, before Madame Xanadu cleared her throat. The man was curious for a second, before he realized she was holding her hand out.
"Ah, of course. My apologies." He replied, pulling out a roll of bills and handing them to Xanadu before securing the money in a secure spot on her person.
"Now that that's taken care of, we shall begin. Tell me, monsieur, what is the name of your beloved?"
"Inza. Inza Nelson."
"Very well. We shall begin." Xanadu stated calmly, closing her eyes. The light seemed to drain from the room, as the crystal ball in the room began to glow with an ethereal light. The table seemed to levitate, as Xanadu's hair unraveled and flowed behind her. "Oh, my darling. It has been so long, and I have been so lonely without you…" She spoke in an otherworldly voice, the man was silent for a moment… before he burst out laughing.
"Is that the best you can do?" He asked, and the table fell back down to the floor.
"Imbecile! You have broken the connection! The spirit world and your beloved are lost to us!" She spat out.
"Don't get me wrong, as far as acts go, it was awfully impressive. Tire jacks under the table, dimmer switches, fans behind the curtains… I'm sure the tourists eat it up." He examined amusingly, pulling out his watch and glancing at the photo inside. "But my little spitfire would've torn me a new one for wasting money on something like this. A shame, too. You've certainly got the potential for the work." The man gestured around as he pointed out the various parts of the illusion. Xanadu glared at him, folding her arms.
"Sir, nonbelievers are not welcome here. I'm afraid you'll have to leave," Any trace of an accent was gone, and the man sighed as he picked up his cane.
"Trust me, my dear, I'm quite the believer," He rose from the table. "I would've given anything to see my little spitfire again…"
"Be careful what you wish for." A voice stated, and the man's eyes widened as green smoke filled the room. However, he barely had time to turn around and see his green-clad attacker's fishbowl-like head before he got a facefull of green gas, knocking him out. "And with that, I bid you adieu, Madame!" The green-clad man called, before vanishing in a flash of light. Madame Xanadu was trembling in the corner, and was about to call the police, when the old man's cane began to glow and float, before vanishing in a flash of golden light. And with that, Madame Xanadu had a completely rational response: she fainted.
Happy Harbor, August 13, 1802 EDT
Kaldur, Wally, and Artemis were gathered in the lounge, watching the latest Gray Ghost movie. At least, Kaldur and Artemis were trying to watch the movie. "Ughhhhh…" Wally groaned, slouched across the couch. "UGHHHHHHHH…"
"Your groaning isn't gonna make a mission show up! Now shut up and watch the movie!" Artemis snapped, getting a sigh out of him.
"I'm just bummed out. I mean, the Black freakin' Panther shows up to give us a mission, and he benches half of us!"
"And moping about it isn't going to fix anything. Now be quiet, or I'll use you as target practice." Artemis threatened, and Kaldur sighed.
"I'm starting to think I should have stayed in Atlantis…" He muttered under his breath. Not too far away, Laura and Jason were in the kitchen area of the lounge, Laura watching Jason fix her up a sandwich.
"Look, X, I'm just saying, you haven't eaten until you've had Alfred's cucumber sandwiches. I don't know how he does it, but he'll make you taste heaven." Jason offered, Laura shrugging at the idea.
"Food is food. I don't really need anything fancy." She stated, he sighed as he finished the sandwich.
"Look, I'm just saying there's nothing wrong with trying to add a little variety with food. I'm not as good as he is, but I fancy myself quite the sandwich chef." Jason said, looking around the counter. "Now where'd I put that knife…"
Snikt! Laura popped one of her claws, using it to slice the sandwich in half. "And there you go." She stated, taking a sandwich half and taking a bite. "Oh wow, that's pretty good." Jason just stared dumbfounded.
"I...wha...have you been using those to cut your food?" He asked, she shrugged.
"Yeah, why?'
"I...Laura, the knives you keep in your hands aren't exactly sanitary."
"I've never gotten sick."
"You have a healing factor!" Jason protested, but Laura, again, just shrugged.
"You're just jealous." She teased, and he sighed as he pushed the other sandwich half towards her.
"Here, take the other half of your weird, hand knife sandwich." He insisted, when the Cave's intercom chimed.
"Team, gather in the mission area. Civilian clothes." The voice of Captain America said, and Wally broke out in a grin.
"Yes!" He said, zooming off towards the briefing area as Artemis sighed.
"At least he is not complaining anymore." Kaldur stated, as they headed to the mission area, where Captain America was standing with Red Tornado.
"Hey, Cap...tain, what's up?" Wally asked, trying and failing to hide his enthusiasm.
"Well, I was just dropping in to talk to Red Tornado, and there's a matter we think you could help with." The Sentinel of Liberty stated, and Kaldur stepped forward.
"Whatever you need, we will help however we can." He stated, and Cap looked at Red Tornado, who seemed to nod. Cap waved his hand in the air, but nothing happened.
"Ah, damn holograms…" He muttered, and eventually got the keyboard to appear. He pulled up a file displaying an image of the man from New Orleans. "How many of you have ever heard of Kent Nelson?" He asked, and Kaldur's eyes widened.
"You mean Doctor Fate, former Sorcerer Supreme!" He exclaimed, and Steve nodded as the image changed to a man in an elaborate gold and blue outfit with a golden helmet. "They taught us of his exploits at the Conservatory in Atlantis."
"Oh please, more like Doctor Fake." Wally whispered to Jason. "Anyone can use advanced science to manipulate energy to make it appear like magic. Doctor Strange, Zatara, Thor...they do it all the time."
"I assure you, Kent is the real deal." Steve stated, causing Wally to gulp nervously. "You might know about Doctor Fate, but what you don't know is that Doctor Fate was simply an avatar used by Nabu, one of the Lords of Order. The way Kent explained it to me, the Lords can't exist on this physical plane, they require avatars to channel their powers. At Kent's urging, Nabu joined me, Red, and the other heroes of the 40's to form the Justice Society to fight against the Nazi's special science division in World War II."
"Wait, that guy was in World War II?" Artemis asked. "He barely looks like he's 70."
"In actuality, he is 115 years old. The magical energies of the Helmet of Fate have reduced Kent's aging process drastically." Red Tornado explained.
"We haven't heard from him in weeks. While he does go on these little 'walkabouts', they never last this long. We're afraid something might have happened to him." Cap said. "While he hasn't worn the helmet since the JSA was forced to retire, he's still quite the sorcerer. So if something happened to him, we'd like to know what."
"So the big mission is… a house call?" Laura asked.
"That is merely one part of the mission. Should something have happened to Kent, we would like to make sure the Helmet of Fate is safe. An artifact of such magical power cannot be left unattended." Red explained.
"If he's a big magic guy, why doesn't Doctor Strange handle this?" Artemis asked.
"Believe me, he was my first call. Apparently he's… well, he's in Hell." Cap answered.
"Zatara?"
"Helping safeguard a Giganto migration off the coast of Central America."
"What about that British dude in the trenchcoat who's always smoking?" Jason asked, and Captain America couldn't help but place his head in his hand.
"John's being…John. And Kent thinks is best that he and the helmet don't meet." He replied. "I'd do it myself, but Red and I are busy tracking the Brain."
"We would be honored to help you, sir." Kaldur replied, and Steve reached into one of his pouches, pulling what looked like an ancient key and handing it to Kaldur.
"Take this. It's the key to the Tower of Fate, the fortress that holds the Helmet." Cap said. "I hate to cut and run, but I can't let the Brain's trail go cold. Good luck out there. You'll need it."
Salem, 19:58 EDT
They stepped out of the Salem Zeta tube housed within the wall of an abandoned building adjacent to the town's square. Using a small GPS, they made their way out of the alley and towards the park.
"According to this, these should be the coordinates that Cap and Red Tornado gave us," Jason said, double checking that he entered the right coordinates as well as giving the device a light pat with his palm to make sure it was working properly.
"Well someone must've screwed up, because there's nothing here." Wally said, somewhat indignantly. "Gimme a minute." He said before zooming off and began searching the area for the tower.
However, little did they know that their actions were not going unnoticed. Sitting in a dark alleyway was a slim, ginger cat with slightly disheveled fur and crimson red eyes, glaring at the young heroes from where it hid.
Seeing what they were most likely up to, the cat made its way out of the alley and walked to a nearby abandoned theater where a young boy sat in the audience enjoying the show of Mysterio torturing Kent Nelson.
"Tell us how to get into the Tower of Fate, old man, or I'll be forced to use other means," Mysterio said in a slightly over the top tone of voice as he shot small bolts of electricity through his gloves at Kent, causing him to groan in pain as he endured his torture.
"Meow," The cat said as it hopped up from the floor into the boy's lap.
"Shush! Not now, Teekal. It's just getting to the best part!" The boy said as he continued to enjoy the show.
"Is that all you got? I've had heartburn that hurt more." The caretaker of the Healmer taunted. "You just wait and see, fishbowl head. Sooner or later, my friends will come and help me," Kent said, keeping up a bit of bravado before Mysterio delivered another round of electricity into the old man, causing him to yell in pain and for the boy to applaud and cheer in glee.
"Bravo! Bravo! Encore! Encore!" He cheered and laughed before his cat meowed once more, "Oh, what is it?" He said in slight annoyance at the ginger tabby. It responded with another meow as the boy seemed to understand what it was saying as his eyebrow raised and a sinister grin crawled onto his face.
Back with the team, Wally had just returned to the group with a small frown.
"Okay, so I just grid searched this entire area from top to bottom and I'm telling you guys, there's no Tower of...well, anything here." He said in annoyance.
"Nothing here, either. Judging from the grass, there hasn't been anything here in a while." Laura stated, as Aqualad looked down at the key that Captain America had given him. Turning it around, he found the word "Insert" engraved on the side of the key.
"A test of faith." He said before stepping forward, "Stand back, everyone," He ordered calmly before inserting the key into the air itself. Turning the key clockwise, they heard a lock turn as a massive stone tower that was at least three stories tall materialized before them, causing some of the team's eyes to widen in surprise.
"Holy Hogwarts, Batman…" Jason gasped out in astonishment.
"Well, Wally? How do you explain this then?" Artemis asked, and the skeptic speedster's brain rebooted from the sight.
"Obviously it's some form of adaptive microelectronics mixed with phase shifting." Wally explained in a know-it-all tone, causing the blonde archer to groan in slight anger at Wally's bullheadedness. In the building behind them, Klarion turned to Mysterio with a smirk.
"Hey Mysterio, aren't you using adaptive microelectronics and phase shifting?"
"...Yes…" The master of illusion said in slight shame.
Meanwhile, Kaldur grabbed the key and twisted it again, opening the door to the Tower. The Team entered the door, only for it to shut behind them as soon as Jason walked through. This wouldn't have been overtly concerning if it hadn't been for the door vanishing as soon as it shut.
"Whoa!" The Speedster yelped out, and Artemis and Laura went to where the door had just been.
"I'm not seeing any seams. It's like it was never here at all." Artemis stated, when a golden light appeared and shaped into a golden copy of Kent Nelson.
"Welcome. You have entered with a Key, but the Tower does not recognize you. State your name and your intent." The image stated, and Wally rolled his eyes.
"Oh, a spooky hologram. Never seen that before. Truly, this is sorcery. You think Stark set him up with that?" He asked Laura. "Might as well play along."
"Wally, don't-"
"Oh noble spirit, we have come to seek an audience with the great Wizard!" He taunted, and the image of Kent frowned before it vanished. Wally was about to make another smart ass comment, when the floor creaked. This turned out to precipitate the floor shattering beneath their feet, sending them plummeting towards a pit of lava just below them. Robin and Artemis thought fast, pulling out grappling hooks and firing them at the rock walls as the former grabbed Wally. X-23 extended all of her claws and dug them into the side of the rock, as Kaldur used his waterbearers to do the same.
"You just had to open your mouth, didn't you?!" X-23 yelled at Wally, as they all held on for dear life.
Back outside the Tower, Mysterio was affixing a collar with an eye-shaped symbol on Kent's neck, making sure it was secure. Once the former special effects artist had it secured, they ventured into the tower, being greeted with a lavish parlor, complete with a fireplace, chairs, and a portrait of Kent's late wife. "I must warn you, even with me here, the Tower doesn't take kindly to intruders." Kent warned.
"Let us worry about that. Now, quiet on set, please." Mysterio said, tapping a button on his gauntlet and causing the eye on Kent's collar to turn red. The older man tried to speak, only for it to emit a low level shock. Not enough to cause any pain, but enough to keep his body from talking.
With Kent now effectively muzzled, the three stepped forward, the golden image of Kent appearing before them. "Greetings, Kent. It's unlike you to bring visitors to the Tower. Who are they, and what is their purpose?" Had Kent been able to speak under his own power, he would have told the projection that Klarion and Mysterio had captured him, and had nefarious purposes in mind for the Tower's contents. However, the collar around his neck prevented such a statement, allowing Mysterio to tap a button that turned the collar green.
"My-friends-here-to-help-me." The edited recording of Kent's words from earlier played from the collar, and the projection seemed to accept that. The wall behind them seemed to melt away, and Kent couldn't help but frown as they proceeded even deeper within the tower.
Meanwhile, back at the Lava Pit, the Team was desperately trying to hold on for dear life, to little effect. Jason could feel the spot where his grapple was hooked start to give, and noticed Kaldur sweating immensely. "Uh, guys? Kaldur isn't looking so hot!"
"My… physiology… not meant… for heat…" The Atlantean groaned out, as Artemis cast a scowl at Wally.
"We wouldn't be in this mess if someone didn't run his mouth!"
"Hey, how was I supposed to know this would happen? All I did was answer that stupid question!" Wally defended, and that's when a lightbulb went off in Laura's head.
"Question… we didn't answer the question!" She muttered to herself, and looked up towards where they fell from. "We were sent here! Captain America and Red Tornado wanted us to check on Nelson and the Helmet!" She called out, hoping it wasn't too late to buzz in with her answer.
Suddenly, a metal floor closed over the lava pit just as everyone's climbing apparatuses gave out. Landing with a thud, they were surprised to find that the metal floor that they were standing on was not burning as hot as a frying pan, but was in fact cool to the touch. Seeing they were safe for the time being, Artemis decided to take said time to chew Wally out for his idiotic move not a minute ago, shoving him against the wall. "Hey!"
"For once in your life, stop talking." She cut off. "Ever since the cave, you've been treating this like a joke. Your little stunt just now almost got everyone killed! If you had taken this seriously and answered the question, we could've avoided this!"
"I'm the only one taking this seriously! You guys are just eating up all this magic garbage, instead of thinking about this logically!" Wally defended.
"Wally, I studied magic for years at the Conservatory of Sorcery in Atlantis. That is where I received the tattoos that power my water bearers." The resident Atlantean stated, and the Speedster just scoffed.
"Please, ever hear of bioelectricity? Everything that our ancestors think of as magic was just science they didn't have the knowledge to explain back then." The Fastest Boy alive explained, and Jason crossed his arms.
"Never thought I'd see a guy who can break the sound barrier in his sneakers be skeptical about magic."
"Because that's science! I recreated Flash's laboratory experiment, and boom, super speed."
"Well then how do you explain people like Thor and Wonder Woman?" Artemis asked.
"Simple: highly advanced aliens possessing technology way beyond what we're capable of. That little 'whosoever shall be worthy' thing on Thor's hammer? Probably programmed to only respond to Thor's genetic code. Anyone tries to pick it up and it applies gravitons to itself," Kid Flash rationalized, and Artemis was about to respond, when she just let out a frustrated sigh.
"You know what? Forget it. Arguing with you makes talking to my da-" The new girl realized what she was about to say, and quickly caught herself. "-aaaaaamn math teacher feel productive!"
"Weird comparison…" Laura muttered to herself, as Kaldur knelt down.
"If Wally truly believes that everything can be explained by science, then let us test that theory." He grabbed the edge of the floor, and Wally's eyes widened.
"Wait, the backdraft of the lava will roast us alive!" He exclaimed just as Kaldur lifted the hatch. Rather than being blasted by a heatwave, they were instead hit with an arctic wind complete with snowflakes.
"It's… snow?" Laura said in silent surprise as she felt the miniature ice crystals melt on her skin.
Deciding to investigate further, and since there was nowhere else to go, Aqualad jumped into the hole in the floor, followed by the rest of the team, who, upon entering the hole, found themselves falling sideways rather than downwards. Looking around, they found themselves in an arctic tundra, with a blizzard blowing across the frozen mountains in the distance.
"And how do you explain this one, genius!?" Artemis asked over the blustering winds.
"Ever hear of String Theory? We're in a pocket dimension." Wally replied, crossing his arms and holding steadfast to his belief and trust in science. Artemis was about to try and argue some more, before she decided she'd save herself the trouble.
"Uh, anyone got an idea as to what that is?" Jason asked, pointing just behind them to Kent's levitating cane.
"Oooh, maybe it's Gandalf's magic wand?" Wally jokingly suggested, and zoomed over to it just as Artemis reached for it.
"I got it!" They said at the same time, and as soon as they both grabbed it, it began to emit a golden light, and the duo found themselves unable to let go. Before they could react, the cane shot upward, ascending into the sky and taking them with it as it vanished in a golden light, leaving the other three stranded in the tundra.
"So... I guess we're walking then?" Jason asked the other two, who both shrugged and nodded as they all set out to try and find a way out.
Quentin Beck had lived what anyone would call an interesting life. Ever since he'd abandoned his life as a special effects artist for a life of crime as Mysterio, he'd lead the kind of life any one of those screenwriter hacks could only dream of. He'd fought Spider-Man, Batman, the Flash, the Justice League, and had teamed up with so many supervillains he'd lost track. He'd had his fair share of trials and tribulations…
All of which paled in comparison to having to spend 15 minutes with a bored Klarion. "Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?" The Witch Boy asked for what felt like the millionth time, and Mysterio's patience snapped as he pulled Kent to him.
"You. Talk. Tell us where the Helmet is. Now!" He ordered, pulling off the collar, and Kent smirked.
"Can't. Having too much fun watching the show." The former Doctor Fate taunted, and Mysterio let out a growl as he unleashed an electric shock from his gloves that had the man crying out in pain.
"You will answer us now, or feel the wrath of Mysterio!" The former effects artist bellowed out, and Klarion just giggled in delight.
"Ooooh, make him scream a little louder! I wanna see how high his voice can go!" He cheered on, and Teekl simply meowed, causing him to frown. "You're right, we do need him alive…" As soon as Klarion said that, there was a flash of light at a staircase above them, and they looked to see Wally and Artemis on the platform.
"Ughhh, what happened…?" Wally groaned out, his vision clearing enough that he could see the villains below him. "Mysterio?!"
"Well, would you look at that?" Kent said with a smirk. He held out his hand, causing the cane to begin to glow with a golden light. He shot past Mysterio and Klarion, grabbing a hold of his cane which seemed to melt the bond harmlessly off his wrists.
Before anyone else could make a move, the former Justice Society member pointed the cane at the wall behind them as an elevator appeared. "In here! Now!" He ordered and neither teen could argue as they sprinted inside.
"No, No, NO! I WANT THAT HELMET! I WANT IT! I WANT IT! I WANT IT!" Klarion screamed like a petulant child, unleashing blasts of red energy towards them which the doors blocked as soon as they closed.
Despite the fact of how indelibly odd the last hour or so had been. Artemis and Wally found themselves riding in what seemed to be nothing more than a fancy elevator complete with music.
The old man in front of them turned with a kind smile. "I'm Kent Nelson, by the way."
"What! No really?" Wally asked sarcastically before getting elbowed hard in the ribs. "Ow!"
"Sorry about him. I'm Artemis, and Miss manners over hear is Wally." She said.
'She should really consider getting a new hero name, other than her actual name.' Wally thought.
"Ah, well Artemis we're all up against an opponent with tremendous mystic power." Kent said seriously.
"What? Mysterio? I mean sure he's no joke, but Spider-Man and Flash proved he uses a combination of high quality special effects and future tech to simulate magic. He's all show, no biz." Wally shrugged.
"Right you are young man. Beck is a charlatan. A good one, but a charlatan nonetheless." Kent said nodding.
"Huh, I thought he knew at least some base level magic." Artemis said surprised.
"No, but Klarion, the kid with the cat, he's a problem, a true Lord of Chaos. The sworn enemy and greatest danger to a Lord of Order like Doctor Fate."
"Right, you're clearly a Lord of Order." Wally said carefully.
"Oh no, not me. Think of me as an old coat that Fate used to put on,until my wife Inza convinced me there was more to life. Since then, it's more like Fate and I put each other in storage just in case." He said smiling as he produced and old pocket watch and stared at a picture within.
"She was a real pistol, my Inza. Anywho, long story short, Klarion's after the Helmet. If he gets his sticky little hands on it, he'll be able to turn the world into his own personal playground of pandemonium." Kent said as the elevator began to slow.
"If this helmet is that powerful and dangerous, why not give it to Constantine or Doctor Strange?" Wally asked.
"Constantine is, at his core, a good man. That said, I wouldn't trust him with the Helmet of Fate anymore than he would take it. Nabu and his ways don't suit the way John does business. As for Strange, well, he and Nabu have been arguing over who's truly Earth's Sorcerer Supreme for the last half-century or so, a feud that started centuries ago with Strange's teacher, the Ancient One. Together, they could be a wonderful force for good, but Nabu refused to be placed in his care at the time and Stephen has other concerns," Kent said. "Trust me, we're lucky that they're only here for the Helmet. The Tower is host to things older than the universe itself, things that, if someone like Klarion got a hold of, could spell the end for all life in the universe." He finished, as they stopped at last.
As they exited, they found themselves staring at a large golden bell. Approaching it, Ken reached out, until a door opened in the ceiling above them and Jason, Kaldur, and Laura all fell out. Laura the only one managing to land on her feet.
"Friends of yours?" Kent asked with a small smile as Artemis made her way over to them.
She was about to ask if they were ok, when a streak of green light flashed by, barely missing Wally and Kent. The others were forced to dodge as Mysterio and Klarion appeared, bizarrely, on a staircase that jutted from the wall.
"Friends of yours?" Wally asked as Kent approached the bell, held out his kane and struck the golden handle against the bell. As it rang, the bell glowed and Wally and Kent stepped in as Klarion took to the air and flew after them.
"That helmet is mine!" He yelled out, following them into the golden light.
When Wally's vision returned, they were on the rooftop of the Tower, with the Helmet of Fate floating in the center of the rooftop, with Kent softly smiling as he looked at it. "Hello, old friend. It's been a while, hasn't it?" Kent said, seemingly talking to the helmet, and he reached for it…
Only for a red blast of energy to hit Kent in the chest, staggering him as Wally's eyes widened. "No!" Before Klarion could fire any more blasts of energy, Kent grabbed his cane and raised it above his head. He spoke a few words in a language so ancient it didn't have a name anymore, and slammed his cane onto the ground, causing a golden bubble to appear around them, which Klarion's blasts harmlessly bounced off of.
"No no no no!" The Witch Boy shouted, as Wally caught Kent before he could fall.
"The… Shield of Arion. An old favorite of mine… should… keep us safe long enough to…" He groaned out, clutching at his chest. "Heh. Guess ol 'Doctor Fake' isn't immune from time after all…" Kent groaned out. "Bubble...should keep us safe long enough for you to do what you need to…"
"I don't know even know what I need to do!" The speedster protested, and Kent grabbed his shoulder.
"Have faith… in what you can't explain. Believe in what you can no longer deny…" The sorcerer rasped out, as his breathing grew more faint. His hands trembling, he reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out his pocket watch and opening it to see the picture of his wife. "Inza…" With that, Wally could feel the last vestiges of life leave Kent Nelson's body, the pocket watch clattering to the ground.
"No no no no!" Wally cried out, setting Kent on the ground and beginning chest compressions. He counted out, just as Flash had taught him how to do when he became Kid Flash, but he knew that it was no use. Kent Nelson was dead, and if Klarion kept up his barrage, Wally knew that he would be next unless he figured out what to do.
With The Others
Back within the Tower, Mysterio was doing his best to hold his own against the other Team members, so far using his energy blasts and levitation boots to avoid the attacks of Robin and X-23. However, whenever he took to the air, Artemis would fire on him with her crossbow and Kaldur let loose a waterwhip, sending him back on the ground. As soon as he touched down, Robin and X rushed him, grabbing his arms and pinning him down. "Might wanna learn how to fight, fishbowl head!" Robin taunted, and Mysterio simply chuckled.
"Oh, when it comes to stunts, I choose to leave that to the professionals." He retorted, pressing a button on his belt and causing green gas to spray from the eye medallions on his shoulder. Laura and Jason both got a healthy dose of it to the face, forcing them to release Mysterio. Jason fell to the ground, his vision tunneling for a second.
"Hell is that stuff…?" He coughed out, and when his vision returned, his eyes widened as he saw who was standing across from him. It was an older man in his late forties, with unkempt dark hair, a five o clock shadow, and a mechanic's overall that read 'Willis.' "Dad…?"
"Hell do you think you're doing, boy? Running around dressed up like an idiot, acting like your anything other than Narrows trash like the rest of us." Willis Todd taunted, pulling out a pair of knives. "It's time I remind you what you are!" Jason narrowed his eyes, and ran at his father.
Laura fell to the ground, her vision tunneling for a second. "Hi there, X!" The voice that said this made Laura's blood run cold, and when her vision cleared, she was greeted with the sight of the one person she never wanted to see again: a woman of Japanese descent wearing a black tactical suit, a sadistic smirk on her face. "Miss me?"
"Kimura? What...how…?"
"Did you really think you could escape me? That you could be something other than what we want you to be?" Kimura taunted, and she smirked. "How's about I remind you what you really are?" She taunted as she cracked her knuckles, and Laura bared her claws as she ran at Kimura.
"What the hell is wrong with them?!" Artemis asked. Jason and Laura had gone to restrain Mysterio, but then had sprayed them with some kind of gas. They'd been dazed and confused for a second, but now they were trying to kill each other. Much like earlier that day, it was clear that Jason was outmatched, barely avoiding deep wounds from Laura's claws, though he was still racking up injuries.
"Mysterio is a master of manipulation and illusion. That gas must have contained a hallucinogen!" Kaldur observed as he watched Jason throw a trio of shurikens at Laura, who sliced them out of the air. However, he noticed that, while such a simple deflection would have normally been child's play for the mutant, one of the shurikens embedded itself in her shoulder. She didn't let it faze her as she leapt at Jason, who rolled out of the way just in time to retaliate to a roundhouse kick to the back. It sent Laura to the ground, but she quickly recovered with a handspring in time to rush him again, swinging her claws and tearing through his shoulder.
However, to Jason, this entire time, he thought he was fighting the hallucination of his father, and to Laura, she was fighting Kimura. However, when 'Willis' managed to slash his shoulder, the flash of pain actually got Jason's brain firing into overdrive. Willis Todd was a thug, a washed up thug for hire who spent his time either drunk or working for some of the worst people in Gotham. Not someone who would have been able to land a hit on someone who'd spent the past two years being trained by, and the past year fighting alongside, the Dark Knight of Gotham.
"It's not him…" He muttered out, his mind racing as he realized what was happening. He managed to duck another slash from 'Willis', relying on every lesson Bruce had taught him to fumble around the pouches of the utility belt around his waist. "Come on, come on…" He muttered to himself, eventually managing to pull out an injector with a blue liquid in it. He grabbed the cap off with his mouth and jabbed it into his thigh, injecting half of the liquid into it. He winced as the antiserum took effect, and the image of his bastard of a father vanished into the sight of a crazed Laura leaping at him, only for one of Kaldur's water maces to slam into her side and knock her back, and Artemis used her crossbow to fire a trick arrow that exploded into a net.
"Well, you guys took your sweet ass time…" The Boy Wonder groaned out, nursing his arm as they ran to his side.
"Couldn't get a good shot. Didn't feel like a good idea putting two rabid dogs in the same cage, y'know?" The female archer justified, and Kaldur morphed his water maces into swords as Laura sliced through the net.
"We need a bigger cage!"
"Uh, what do we do?" Artemis asked, aiming the crossbow at their friend.
"Well, I've got enough for another dose. Should be enough to counter whatever bootleg fear toxin he hit us with. So now, we just gotta go toe to toe with the attractive killing machine in front of us long enough for me to inject her." Any other day, and they would have called Jason on that, but instead they were preoccupied with Laura. She ran at them, but Artemis fired a flashbang arrow that stunned her long enough for Kaldur to knock her to the ground with a water hammer, and Jason took advantage of her confusion to run over and inject her with the remainder of the antiserum. She struggled against them for a second, before it took affect and her vision returned to normal.
"Artemis…? What…" She muttered out, and her eyes widened as she saw Jason nursing his bleeding shoulder. "Oh god, Jason. I…"
"I've had worse. Considering how pissed you were, I'm counting myself lucky that-" Before Jason could finish his reassurance, they all yelled in plan as green lightning blasted them, as Mysterio descended from where he'd been watching them.
"Now now, no sense in the background characters ruining the show. I'm afraid I'm going to have to recast your roles."
Roof
While all that was going on, Wally watched as the golden bubble began to crack under Klarion's assault. "I want that helmet! I want it I want it I want it!" The Lord of Chaos yelled out, dark red runes appearing around him as he raised his hands up. Red energy spilled from them and formed into claws, and Klarion brought them down on the bubble. It began to crack even more, the claws beginning to pierce through the shield. Wally looked at Kent's body, and thought on his words, before looking at the helmet.
"A test of faith…" He muttered, and grabbed the helmet, causing Klarion's eyes to widen.
"Are you stupid?! You put that thing on, you may never get it off!" He warned, and just as the shield broke, Wally took a deep breath, put on the helmet…
And found himself in a black void. "Ok ok, this isn't real. This is probably just the Helmet's control interface…."
"After all this, you still don't believe?" A familiar voice asked, and Wally spun around to see none other than Kent Nelson standing behind him. "Kid, I don't know how you got to be so bullheaded in just 15 short years."
"B-but you're-"
"Yep, but don't feel bad. Once this little brouhaha is over, my spirit gets to ascend to whatever's on the other side of that light at the end of the tunnel, and I get to see my little Spitfire again." Kent reassured, taking out his pocket watch and looking at the picture inside as Wally came to a realization.
"Wait, since I'm here, does this mean that I'm-"
"Not quite yet, I'm afraid. You're soul just isn't the one in charge of your body right now." Kent reassured. "See, we're inside the Helmet right now. When you put it on, you got pushed into the back seat of your own body."
"So if I'm not in control of my body, then who is?" Wally asked, and Kent gestured upwards.
"He is." Wally looked up to see the empty Helmet of Fate floating above them, emanating the sole source of light in the void. "That's Nabu, the real Doctor Fate. He's one of those Lords of Order I told you about."
"Cap mentioned something like this in the briefing. Something about how Nabu can't exist in our reality." Wally said, and Kent chuckled.
"Ah, so Steve sent you. That man has probably the most noble soul I've ever encountered, but he was only ever capable of understanding only part of it." Kent mused. "It's not so much that Nabu and the Lords can't exist in our realm. It's that if they did, their sheer, unrestrained power would cause our dimension to implode, and even Lords of Chaos like Klarion have rules by which they are bound. They need avatars through which to channel their power and anchor themselves to the mortal plane."
"And… that's what's happening now?"
"Yeah, Nabu is in control of your body, and he's not doing so bad. Wanna watch?" Kent asked with a smile. A small… Wally hesitated to call it a screen. It was more a floating portal appeared in front of them.
On it, Wally's body, now clad in Blue and Gold, was battling Klarion, who looked more furious than he had before, almost demonic. He was firing off blast after blast of dark red energy which was smashing into a golden Ankh Nabu had produced as a shield.
"Can't you just give it up, you old fossil!? Order went out of style in the twentieth century! This generation was bred for chaos!" Klarion declared.
"This battle is pointless! You were trying to prevent the helmet from gaining a new host, but as always you failed!" Nabu spoke in a deep voice that mixed with Wally's own.
"Ah cram it, you old fart!" Klarion said, attempting to smash Nabu between two giant pillars of stone.
With an almost casual wave of his hand Nabu, turned the pillars to butterflies which flew off into the night before they had even touched him.
"You disappoint me, brat!" Nabu said, firing another Ankh at Klarion, who threw up a shield to defend himself which didn't hold as he seemed to turn to ash.
For a second, Wally thought that was it. It was all over and now all they would have to do was take on Mysterio until he felt a searing electric jolt run through his body. He fell to the ground in shock as the portal showed Klarion hitting Nabu from behind.
"Uh, I just felt that, why did I just feel that!?" Wally demanded.
"Well it is, after all, your body he's in control of," Kent pointed out casually as though this were nothing more interesting than a weather report.
"Then why not let me control it!? With his power and my speed we could easily-" Wally began but Kent shook his head.
"No, sorry kid, but it doesn't work that way. See, a body can't handle having two souls possess it at the same time. Well, most bodies can't, anyway, unless the other person in question has tremendous power of their own. Nabu's in the driver's seat for now though," Kent sighed.
"So, if he loses… what happens to me?" Wally asked.
"If he loses, then you get to see Inza before I do." Kent said seriously. Outside of the void, Doctor Fate conjured an ankh-shaped shield just as a red beast made of energy was fired at him. It dissipated against the shield but the energy circled around and hit him in the back, sending him to the ground. Klarion smirked as he conjured several small balls of energy, firing them at Nabu, who conjured a shield.
"You're out of practice, old man! That ugly little meatbag you shoved yourself into has zero affinity for the mystic arts!" The Witch Boy taunted, as Nabu's shield shattered and he was blasted with the energy. Klarion then held his hand up, and dark storm clouds began gathering above them. Klarion giggled with glee, when Teekl meowed. "What? Can't you see I'm winning?"
"Meow."
"What's wrong with having a little fun? It's not like this old coot can actually hurt me!" Klarion taunted, and Nabu narrowed Wally's eyes as he looked at the cat.
"Not you, I can't." He said, and fired a blast of golden energy that hit the cat.
"Teekl!" The Lord of Chaos called out, and ran over to the cat's side. Picking him up, he turned and glared at Doctor Fate. "What is wrong with you?! What kind of high and mighty 'Lord of Order' attacks a defenseless pussy cat?"
"We both know that is no ordinary cat." Nabu stated, beginning to rise up off the ground. "The Lords of Order and Chaos cannot exist on this physical plane. At least, not without an anchor. I channel my powers through a physical host, but you resort to the use of a familiar," He explained, and pointed his hand at Teekl. "I wonder, how long can you remain here without your precious familiar?" The Lord of Order growled out, and Klarion scowled.
"You no good bully! I'll make you rue the day you crossed me!" Klarion said, him and Teekl both vanishing into a burst of shadows, leaving Doctor Fate alone on the roof.
Back inside the tower, Mysterio cranked up the intensity of his equipment, using his gloves to create cages of electricity that bound the Team. He was about to make them hurt some more, when a golden ankh appeared behind him. Instantly, his costume vanished, leaving him naked save for a very nice pair of Flash boxers.
"What the…?" He said to himself, when he realized a pissed off Laura was getting to her feet. "Waitwaitwait I-" Laura's right hook knocked him out before he could say another word, and Jason staggered to his feet.
"And that's a wrap."
"Hell yeah!" Wally cheered from the void, watching Fate humiliate Mysterio. He smirked triumphantly, expecting to be back in his own body any second now… only for nothing to happen. "Uh...what's going on? We won, so why isn't he taking off the helmet?"
"Because the world needs Doctor Fate." The voice of Nabu echoed throughout the void, coming from the Helmet above them. "For too long, I have been locked away; powerless. But now that I have a host, it is time to restore order to this world."
"You can't do that!"
"He can, but he shouldn't." Kent stepped forward. "Nabu, listen to me. It doesn't take an all knowing Lord of Order to know that this boy is not a suitable host. His soul belongs to science, not magic."
"I do not care!" Nabu bellowed out. "For decades, I have remained here. Powerless, useless… alone. I will not allow this to happen again!"
"Then I'll stay here with you." The old man spoke up, causing Wally's eyes to widen. "The only reason I'm here anyway is because, after spending so many years around you, my soul was bound to the helmet. While the kid looks for a worthy host, I might as well stick around a little longer, keep you company."
"But what about Inza? Weren't you just talking about your ascension?" Wally asked, and Kent chuckled.
"Well, looks like someone's a believer after all. Don't sweat it, Wally. I'll spend a few millennia here, and then I'll see Inza. The thing about eternity is that it lasts forever, and it'll be waiting forever." Kent reassured, looking at his picture of Inza as Nabu thought over the offer.
"The bargain is acceptable. Go forth, child of speed."Nabu said, and Kent smiled at the young speedster.
"Give my regards to Steve and the others. Oh, and a word of advice? Find your own little spitfire. Someone who won't hesitate to call you on your crap. Why not that Ar-"
And then Wally was back in the tower, the Helmet of Fate in his hand. He let out a breath and turned to Kents body. He picked up the man's pocket watch and closed it tightly in Kent's hand as he made his way inside to regroup with the others.
Mount Justice August 14, 03:48 EDT
As they all arrived back at their base, they found that the other team still had yet to return. Which wasn't exactly shocking. Even by the bioships impressive speed, they had been going to the other side of the country.
Wally headed to the trophy room, and with great care set the Helmet of Fate beside the other trophies they had gathered so far. He smiled at it for a little while thinking of Kent Nelson. Then he heard someone clear their throat.
Turning, he found Artemis staring at him, a small, but almost concerned smile on her face as she spoke. "Kaldur just heard from Alpha Squad. They're on their way back now."
"Hope they brought me back a good souvenir." The fastest boy alive remarked, but Artemis could tell his heart wasn't in the joke.
"So, you never really said what happened to you when you put on the helmet."
"Yeah, right. Well energy from the thing rewrote my brain's beta waves so that the helmet's AI could take over my body. I was bio-scripted into becoming Doctor Fate for a few minutes. No big, really." He shrugged.
"So after all that, you still believe there's no such thing as magic? If that's how you feel why keep it at all?" Artemis asked.
"Hey it might not be magical, but it is powerful. Besides, it makes a good souvenir." Artemis shook her head and walked away as they could hear the bioship touching down.
As he walked away Wally looked first to Artemis then the Helmet, and back. He could almost hear Kents voice, "Find your own little spitfire. Someone who won't hesitate to call you on your crap."
He thought about that for a moment, and though he could hear M'Gann at the hallways end. His thoughts turned to Artemis.
'I need some time to think. But later,' He thought before rushing off to welcome the others back.
Meanwhile, Jason was in the infirmary, wincing as Red Tornado applied the stitches to his shoulder. "Ow!"
"This medical procedure only hurts due to unnecessary movement during application. By remaining completely still, you will ensure the procedure can continue with minimum discomfort." Red Tornado stated, and Jason sighed.
"Dude, your bedside manner sucks…"
"Hey." A voice said, and Jason looked over to see Laura standing in the doorway. "You ok?"
"I mean a few cuts and bruises. Might've broken a rib, but nothing that a good night's sleep and some stitches won't fix. Though if Tornado keeps applyi-OW! Applying the stitches I'm not sure about that." Jason said with a small smile.
"Oh, right listen I'm sorry about… all of those injuries. I didn't… that is to say… whatever he sprayed me with was really messing with my head. I thought you were someone else."
"Who? Because whoever I looked like, you looked angry, but also kind of scared. I didn't think anyone or anything could scare you." He said, and she seemed to fidget for a second. "Hey, you don't have to tell me if you don't want. Whatever bootleg fear toxin Beck whipped up probably-"
"It was… the person who is mostly responsible for making me what I am." She admitted after a short pause where she had seemed to be lost in her own thoughts.
"Oh, I'm sorry that you had to think about that Laura. If you ever want or need to talk about it, you can always come to me." Jason offered, with a smile as she looked over and returned the smile.
"Thanks Jason, that means a lot more than you might think." She said before offering him a very brief hug. As they parted her face turned into a somewhat devilish smile.
"So, Artemis said that you called me attractive?" She asked carefully.
Jason's face went dark red, almost as red as Tornado, "Uh, well, I uh… that is I… I should get going! I'm sure Batman's worried about me, and will want a debriefing. Yeah! So, uh, see you later Laura!" He said before, sprinting best he could out of the infirmary.
Laura stared after him, the corners of her mouth turning up just slightly as she got up and headed out to meet this new team member the others had evidently bought back.
A/N: things are starting to get interesting! The seeds we're planting now are preparing to bloom, in ways that are both readily apparent and will be shown waaaaay down the line. Until next time, folks!
