Zatanna
Batcave
Midnight

She looked around at the team. Wonder Woman, Flash, Batman, Batwoman. In a vacuum, it looked like a group that could solve any problem and take on any foe.

Then why am I still so damn scared?

Remembering the heat from her vision, she took her jacket off and laid it across the rail on the stairs. She figured she would be sweating enough without the extra layer on her costume. Batman walked toward her as she wrung her hands nervously.

"You ready?"

"Yep." She didn't trust her voice to sound remotely "ready" if she said anything more.

"Get us there, track him down, get us out. Easy as that." He held his hand out and handed her a small object – Maroni's lighter. "Worked the last time. Maybe it will give you a hit again tonight."

She forced herself to smile at him.

"Just don't put it on your thigh," he said low enough for only her to hear.

This time, she laughed as he grinned and walked away. She slipped the lighter into her pocket and walked behind him to join the group. He handed other small objects to the team and looked to her. Following his train of thought, she stepped forward and held her hands out.

"Okay...stcejbo dnif rouy renwo." The light from her fingers jumped from object to object, ending back at her pocket. "The object should light up and fly to him if you get within 100 yards or so."

"When you find him, you'll stop where you're at and call the rest of us. We go in as a team, get him, get out," Batman said. Everyone nodded and tucked the objects away before moving into a tight circle around her.

"Ekat su ot Nátocalt." The glow engulfed them and the familiar feeling of moving faster than the speed of light pulled at her. They reappeared near a grove of trees a few hundred yards from the small town.

"Holy hell, it's hot," Kate complained. The Batsuits always looked way too heavy for warmer environments, and Zatanna was glad for her bare arms and lightweight pants.

Not as useful if bullets were to start flying.

"Okay, Barry...head to the south. Diana, north. Kate, you're going east. Zatanna, you're taking west. I'll start moving across the roofs in town." Everyone nodded and The Flash and Wonder Woman were out of sight instantly. Kate was slower, but still ran effortlessly to the west. Just as she was about to start her systematic transporting in 50 yard jumps, Batman grabbed her arm.

"No unnecessary risks, okay? If you find him, you call. We're getting out of this without any fuss." His voice was low and steady, but the tight grip on her arm made her anxiety go even higher. Maybe he was still unsure about how ready she really was. Maybe she was, too.

She nodded without looking at his face. "Got it." Turning from him, she looked to the west. "Hcraes."

Batman
Tlacotán

He moved from roof to roof in the dark. No one was out at that time of night, so he didn't worry much about being seen; he could imagine the terror a giant bat would cause in a small village. Zatanna had described a tiny room with a dirt floor and bright light and the outskirts of town were dotted with small, rundown buildings that could fit the bill. He stopped on the roof of each one, listening and watching. After half an hour, he had almost made it back to his starting point with no sign of anything out of the ordinary. He heard a voice in his ear.

"On me. I've got something." Wonder Woman said; she sounded out of breath. He turned to the north and started in her direction as quickly as he could.

"I'm with her," Barry said after a few seconds.

He suddenly felt his stomach drop, and he was engulfed by a glow. In an instant, he was standing with the whole team.

I guess that is a pretty handy trick.

He gave Zatanna a quick nod and turned to Wonder Woman. She pointed toward a small, wooden shack that was barely visible in the dark.

"Okay, take it slow and stay with me. I can scan for trouble while we move."

As they moved toward the shack, a stench started to surround them. It smelled like shit and blood and rot. A glow was coming out from the bottom of the door.

Must be the place.

He cast a quick glance around to the others before he kicked in the door.

"Holy fuck," Kate said under her breath. He could hear Zatanna and Barry coughing and gagging.

"Goddess," Diana said quietly when he moved aside, allowing them to see the horror that had been left in the shack.

Maroni (or what he assumed was Maroni) had been hung from the ceiling. His abdomen was slashed open and his organs were hanging out, intestines reaching to the floor. The walls were covered in blood and the floor was covered in shit that Maroni had been lying in. His face had been slashed beyond recognition, eyes gouged out with teeth broken or missing. He scanned the body to confirm the DNA and check for anything that might have been implanted as a tracker. It seemed secure and the area was quiet.

"This happened recently," Kate had finally entered the room with her hand covering her nose. She was touching the blood on the wall. "Batman..."

He'd been so focused on examining the crime scene that he hadn't considered the time frame. After weeks of torture, Maroni had been killed and displayed within the last few hours...just for them. His heart began to race. "They knew we were coming. Zatanna, get us out. Now!"

She looked green and was still gagging, but ran to him and threw her hands out.

"Ekat su kcab ot eht evactab!" The light engulfed the shack and they were back in the cool air of the cave.

Maroni's body hit the floor with a wet thud. Zatanna turned and walked away, putting her hands on her knees and taking deep breaths before sitting on the steps. He realized she had probably never seen anything so gruesome before. When he thought about it, he wasn't sure if he had, either. This was torture and mutilation on another level. Whoever did this had patience and a complete lack of conscience.

"Bruce...who could do this?" Diana's voice was quiet.

"I don't know. It's definitely Maroni. My scans confirmed it."

"This is a message," Kate said, not looking at the body.

"Or a warning," he added. "It's going to take some time to do the autopsy. I'll take him to the tower and get J'onn to help. Thanks, everyone. Go get some rest."

Barry left first, having not spoken since they had found the body. Diana and Kate silently walked out together. Zatanna remained on the steps, still pale and sweating. Bruce removed his cowl, gloves, and cape before walking to a cabinet and pulling out a tarp. He unfolded it and covered Maroni's corpse; it helped with the stench. He turned to the steps. Her eyes were closed and she was taking slow, even breaths; in through her nose, out through her mouth. She didn't seem to notice him approach until he reached up and brushed her arm.

"You okay?" He asked, already knowing the answer. She shook her head slightly.

"I should have gotten him out." He could barely hear her.

"What do you mean?"

"Yesterday. I should have tried. When I saw him in my vision I should have transported there and gotten him out." She was staring at her feet, hands clasped together in front of her.

"I wouldn't have let you," he said.

"You couldn't have stopped me." He knew she was right. "He was alive and I didn't go. I was too afraid."

"Stop it. This isn't your fault. None of this would have happened if I had taken you with me in Vegas. I was..."

"Shut up," she raised her head and gave him a sharp look. "If I can't blame myself, then neither can you."

He stepped closer and she leaned her forehead to rest against his stomach. He ran his hands through her hair and rubbed her shoulders until she relaxed a little.

"I'm going home," she mumbled after a few minutes.

"You can stay longer if you need to." He wasn't sure she should be alone yet.

"Thanks, but I need to meditate and clear my mind. Let me know if you find anything."

She stood and walked up a few steps.

"Annataz emoh."

Zatanna
Shadowcrest

Stumbling to the bathroom, she leaned over the toilet and retched up the bile that she had somehow been holding down since they found the shack. The room was spinning as she collapsed against the bathtub and sank to the floor, curling into a fetal position. She'd seen horrible things before...both of her parents had died before her eyes. Never had she seen someone slaughtered like an animal and put on display. Coupled with the overwhelming stench, it caused nausea that had wracked her body and still wasn't easing despite her now-empty stomach. She crawled to her bed and managed to get on it before passing out.

Her dreams were chaotic.

-One minute, she was in the shack with Maroni. He was pleading for her to save him as he lay on the floor in his own blood and waste.

-The next minute, she was holding her father's hand as it burned; the flames engulfing him as she screamed. "Too late..."

-Now she was in a dark room, bound and gagged. There was a sound that reminded her of metal scraping against concrete. Over and over. Closer and closer.

-A flash of light and she was with Dick in his room in the manor. His hands exploring her body as his tongue slid in and out of her mouth. Rubbing their noses together; "I love you, Zee".

-Her mother's voice. "The knowledge... that secret... is the only magic you need to defeat the ultimate enemy."

-In the Batcave. Bruce's hands pulling her clothes off. Entering her with a moan. Water from the shower running over their bodies.

-Maroni again; squealing like an animal as the knife plunged into his eye socket. Slicing his stomach. Castrating him.

-A man screaming; not Maroni...the voice unfamiliar. The sickening sound of bones being broken.

-On a roof. Screaming. Writhing. A bright light and excruciating pain.

She jumped out of bed, still screaming, when she woke from the onslaught of dreams. Were they dreams? It wasn't something she had experienced before. Vivid dreams weren't new, but these were too realistic; some were memories, but those that weren't felt just as real. She could still feel her hand burning and smell the stench of the shack. Her skin felt warm where Bruce's hands had run down her stomach. She could taste Dick's tongue against hers. Taking slow, deep breaths again, she slid down the wall she had slammed herself against. She pulled her knees to her chest and started to chant the only phrase that would come to her mind.

"My heart will guide me. My heart will guide me. My heart will guide me. My heart will guide me. My heart will guide me. My heart will guide me. My heart will guide me. My heart will guide me."

The Buyer

When you adapt, you overcome. He had adapted perfectly. His ally's assistance had gotten the Justice League's attention. The witch had solved the puzzle, as expected, leading them to Maroni...or what was left of him. Now the game was on and the stakes were high. The Batman would be calling on everyone and everyone would come running.

"Things are in motion?" The voice asked.

"Yes, I am moving the crates while the Kryptonian is off world. Meet me at the facility in one week to examine the contents. I think you will be pleased."

"Good. Do we need anything else?"

"Not at this time. I will be tracking the Batman's movements and adjust as needed. His morality is predictable, but his mind is not," he said, disconnecting the line.

With the lengthy task of torturing Maroni completed, he was looking forward to going somewhere cooler. He boarded the plane and closed his eyes as it took off.

So much to be done.

Bruce
Watchtower

After four days of gathering evidence and examining and cataloging Maroni's injuries, Bruce and J'onn had a clearer picture of what had happened to him in the days following the ambush. The wreck itself caused a head laceration and likely a concussion. Three broken ribs and some of the many cuts and lacerations were healed enough that they likely occurred before the torture began. Everything else was inflicted afterward. Multiple instruments had been used. He had been cut, burned, beaten, sprayed with chemicals, and poisoned. It certainly got the point across; whoever they were dealing with was a monster. They hadn't been able to search the area for evidence, and this was likely to slow their pursuit, but the risk of returning was too great.

Bruce was glad to be finished with the gruesome task. It was all he had thought about for two days and it would take weeks to scrub the images from his mind. The Monday meeting was somber, with J'onn providing most of the updates. Those who had been there in Mexico kept their eyes down and spoke very little. The pictures on the screen told the story well enough. Zatanna had called in sick. He texted her and she said it was just a stomach bug. Unlikely, but he hoped she just needed time to recover before she jumped back into things. He didn't want to push her after seeing how affected she was by the horror of Maroni's death.

Now it was time to find the killer. The corpse had provided very few clues, but they were able to gather some trace evidence. Bruce set about running it through databases to see if the DNA matched any known criminals. As the tests ran, he leaned back in his chair and tried to think of something else.

RECOGNIZE: RICHARD GRAYSON

Turning his chair, he saw Nightwing exit the Zeta tube and walk toward him.

Just what I need right now.

"I heard you found Maroni in Mexico."

"What was left of him, yes. Whoever was holding him knew we were coming," he replied, wondering how long this cordiality would continue.

"Any idea how?" He asked, looking at the computer screens.

"Probably the way we found him. We tracked him with a book that was in his storage unit." He was hoping he could get through the conversation without Zatanna coming up.

"Tracked him with a book? What was in it?"

"Contacts. Hundreds of them written in Arabic. Names, addresses, phone numbers."

"I wouldn't have pegged Maroni as someone who knew Arabic," he replied, still staring at nothing on the monitors.

"He didn't. It wasn't his handwriting."

He finally turned his head to look at him, brow furrowed. "So how did it help you find him if it wasn't even his?"

So much for avoiding the topic.

"It was...hexed. Once we figured out a way to get past that, it showed us his location."

"You mean once Zatanna figured out a way past it, it led her exactly where it wanted her to go." He continued to stare at him, jaw tight and arms crossed stiffly across his chest.

"Yes."

"And you took her there."

"She took us there. And got us back."

"You took her there, walking into what was clearly a trap. Or have you lost your ability to use deductive reasoning?" His voice was harsh and Bruce could tell he was trying to get a rise out of him.

"She took us there because it was the safest way to get Maroni out."

"Great job there. I saw the pictures on the League database. Helluva a rescue."

Bruce was tiring of the game Dick was playing and stood up.

"Is there a reason you're here? I have work to do." He had wanted to talk things through with him, but the timing clearly wasn't right.

"If you need help finding who did it, I'm available." Bruce was surprised by the offer. "Just leave Zatanna out of it. This is...don't take her near this again," he said with a softer voice.

"She's not a child," he said, remembering the words she had spoken to him in Vegas, "And if she wants to help, there isn't much you or I can do to stop her."

After a long moment of staring silently at the screens again, Dick finally turned to leave.

"Thanks for offering to help, Nightwing. I'll keep you in the loop," he said, hoping this would at least be a truce.

Dick stepped in the tube silently and was gone.

Zatanna
Shadowcrest

Calling in sick to the League meeting seemed like a minor sin. She knew the focus would be almost completely on Mexico and Maroni and she knew well enough what had happened. No need to sit through a complete rehash; the others could do that just fine. She had decided to spend the day at the park, instead. Fresh air and sunshine to help clear her mind. After walking several miles and stopping to eat at her favorite deli, she returned home and sat down in the library. One thing she felt she could safely look into without trying to vomit and pass out again was the hex that had been placed on the diary. It was powerful, but not so much so that it could penetrate her protection circle. She called down book after book on dark magic and spells that could attack when an object was tampered with. Her father had kept obsessive notes on everything related to the mystic arts. That included a list of known magic users in the world, categorized by the apparent side on which they fell: good or evil. It was hundreds of pages long. Even minor magicians were listed. She knew it would take her forever to go through them all, but it gave her something to focus on that she felt might help the League. Autopsies sure weren't her thing. Deep down, she felt that finding who hexed the book was a vital part of finding who was behind all of this. She didn't bother to tell anyone else (Bruce) because it would likely get brushed off.

Magic is easy to brush off until it has you by the throat...or flying across your bedroom.

She winced at the memory, absentmindedly running her hand along her right side. It would be nice to do whatever possible to avoid another unscheduled flight and being able to identify the same magical energy was a good place to start. Her list was getting longer as she went through the names her father had written.

Are you a good witch or a bad witch?

After an hour and a half of reading, the ringing of her doorbell brought a welcome break in her concentration. She opened the door and was greeted by a face she hadn't expected.

"Hey, Zee," Dick said, with a small smile on his face that didn't reach his eyes. His beautiful, gray-blue eyes. Eyes that she had lost herself in so many times before. Now they looked distant, unsure.

"What are you doing here, Dick?" She didn't mean to sound angry, but he had caught her off guard. Spending the last several days on-edge likely wasn't helping, either. Her nerves were frayed and the last thing she wanted to do was argue.

"Just checking on you. I heard about Mexico...saw pictures." His voice was gentle.

"Yeah, it was bad. We were too late."

"You shouldn't have been there," he said, voice still quiet, eyes still unsure.

"Oh, for God's sake, not you too. Did he tell you to come here? More people to tell me I'm a stupid child who can't handle things."

So much for not arguing. Let's fucking rumble.

He held his hands up defensively at her sudden outburst. "No! Who? No one told me to come, I was just worried about you, Zee."

She searched his face to determine his sincerity. "I'm fine," she lied.

"You shouldn't have gone."

"And you should mind your own business. If you want to be part of the Justice League, then join. Why are you only interested now?"

"Because you willingly walked into an obvious trap and you're smarter than that! And Bruce let you do it," his voice rose and he clenched his fists.

Taking a deep breath, she weighed her options: show off her new combat moves or just close the door in his face.

"Go home, Dick. You've done a great job of not giving a shit about me for months. Don't break your streak." She started to close the door, but he stopped it with his foot.

"You know that's not true," the anger had left his voice and his eyes held hers for a moment. After a long silence, he finally moved his foot. "I'm sorry. I didn't come here to fight."

Closing the door, she leaned against the frame and closed her eyes. She could feel him standing outside for several minutes before he finally walked away. Getting so angry around him felt like a knee-jerk reaction at this point. Leaving wounds to fester and rot was definitely not healthy, but she didn't know where to start in mending things with him. She turned back to the library and resumed her work on the list. For once in her life, a tedious task felt like an escape.