Zatanna
Shadowcrest

The buzzing coming from his wrist woke her. She was on her side, Bruce's body wrapped around her from behind. He was snoring softly in her ear, oblivious to the communicator's alert. She tried to shift to look at him, but was tangled in the sheets and trapped by his weight. I thought "Batman never sleeps".

"Bruce? Hey...wake up." He didn't move. "Ekaw pu."

"Huh?" His head snapped up and he rolled slightly off of her, dislodging a sleeping Asshole in the process. Damn cat had decided to take up residence on his legs.

Maybe I can teleport him to the Batcave to live.

"Your watch is going off," she said, able to turn to look at him now. He was groggy and rubbing his eyes.

"Just my alarm. Sorry, I guess I really passed out."

"I noticed," she said, turning to curl back up with him. "So did I." She winced as her tight muscles screamed at the movement.

"Sore?"

"I plead the fifth."

"Right. Here," he said, sitting up and shifting himself to straddle her. Pushing her shoulders, he flattened her onto her stomach and sat down on her upper legs. His hands started to knead her muscles, loosening them as he worked his way from her neck down.

"Mmm. Yeah, I'm sore," she mumbled into the pillow.

"I'm all for hard work and pushing yourself, but everyone has limits."

"I know."

He was quiet for a few minutes while he continued his slow massaging.

"Why were you angry last night?"

Shit. Can't I just be content for a minute?

She opted for silence, hoping he would let it go. It wasn't long before his hands went still and she knew he wasn't going to continue until she talked. He hadn't gotten to her lower back yet and it was begging for the same attention the rest of her muscles had received.

"Please don't stop," she was still talking into the pillow, not wanting to move until he finished.

"Pay up and I'll finish."

"This is blackmail," she whined. "Fine. Get back to work."

His hands returned to her back and she took a deep breath and tried to decide how she could tell him something without telling him everything.

"I've been having a hard time sleeping. Nightmares...visions...reliving old memories."

"Visions of what?" Of course he's going after that one.

"I'm not really sure. They're just flashes."

"Tell me what the flashes are."

"No." His hands went still again, but she knew this was where she had to draw the line. "Fine. Don't finish. You need to leave for work anyway, right?" Her frustration was starting to make her muscles tense again.

"It's only 8:00."

The silence didn't last long before his hands started to move again, finishing with her back before he reached up and ran a hand through her hair.

"Turn over," his voice was quiet as he lifted his weight so that she could flip onto her back. "I wish you would talk to me."

"I wish you wouldn't interrogate me," her voice was harsher than his, tired of being grilled for information that she couldn't give him.

He stretched his body on top of hers and buried his face in her neck.

"Not everything is an interrogation, Zee. I just want to know what's bothering you."

"I told you."

Taking a deep breath, he nodded and turned her head to face him. He pressed his lips to hers and stroked her cheek with his thumb. Shifting his weight to position himself between her legs, he lifted her hips and entered her with a sigh. He trailed his lips along her jawline and down her neck, his stubble causing her skin to burn. His thrusts were slow and lazy, but just as effective. Soon, she was moaning and raising her hips to meet his. He grunted when he came, holding her body against his before reaching down and letting his fingers stroke her to orgasm. She gasped, letting herself enjoy the sensation as her eyes drifted closed. When she finally looked at him, he was studying her intently, brow furrowed.

"I can't always tell you things," she said quietly.

"Do you not trust me?"

"You know I do. And you need to trust me."

After a long moment, he nodded and rolled onto his back.

"I will." His eyes had softened when he looked back to her. "I have to go to work."

She pulled the covers back up and let her mind drift while he milled around the room, gathering his things. The cat was following him around like a dog and she secretly hoped he would sneak in the Zeta tube with him when he left. As Bruce went into the bathroom, she wondered if this would be the right time to end things. He was frustrated with her anyway, and they would have a few days to avoid each other before the next League meeting. She also felt like it was only a matter of time before he wore her down and she told him what her visions were...something she needed to avoid at all costs. Taking a deep breath, she sat up in bed and waited for him to come out, trying to decide how to start the conversation. She lost her resolve when he exited the bathroom, cradling Asshole and rubbing his head.

"I don't get it. He seems fine to me," he said, grinning down at the fuzzy little jerk.

"To you. He likes you." She looked at her feet, trying to find her willpower again. "Bruce..."

"Yeah?" His face still had the goofy grin when he looked up and her heart twisted in her chest.

"Have a good day," she tried her best to smile convincingly. It must have worked, because he set Asshole on the bed, gave her a quick kiss, and stepped into the closet. The sound of a zap signaled his exit.

Chickenshit.

Bruce
Watchtower

"Let me fly over...use my x-ray vision to see if I can identify what's below the surface." Clark was ready to move on the information from the drone.

"That could work," Bruce responded, just as curious about what was under the sand as what was in the crates, at this point. "Anything from the cameras in Guadalajara?"

"They knew what they were doing, because there aren't that many cameras in that area of the city. All I could get was a shot of the car going into an underground parking garage. No luck with security cameras there, but I'm still working on it." Kate replied.

"Okay. That means our best hope for finding the crates is finding out what downed that drone. Let's do it at night...there, of course." Bruce paced back and forth, considering all options and potential complications. "I think you should have backup."

"You just want to go," Barb said, still not approving of the idea.

"Not me. Someone who can keep pace with Superman. J'onn, for sure. Anyone talked to Billy Batson recently? Or John Stewart? I know they're on reserve right now, but they'd be the best options for a third."

Barb nodded in approval of his more conservative approach. "I'll see if I can get one of them on board. How soon?"

"I can go whenever," Clark responded. "See if one can spare a few hours tomorrow or the next day. We'll leave at 5 pm and be back before bedtime...assuming it's Shazam."

Laughing at the dig at Billy's age, Barb turned to the computer and started pulling up their contact information. "I'll send them messages. Kate, can you follow up? I'm on patrol tonight."

"You got it, Batgirl."

"We should get Zee to help monitor from here. She can link in with us and see if she feels anything from the mystic realm at play," Clark added, to which everyone nodded in agreement.

"Okay, we'll see everyone here when we're ready to go."

Bruce took the seat when Barb left, ready to start his monitoring for the night. He yawned as he looked through news feeds; the endless day of meetings at work had sapped his mental energy...and most of his will to live.

"I'll be back to relieve you at 1:00," Kate said, stepping into the tube and disappearing.

He was grateful for the quiet moment. Nothing interesting was happening on the feeds, so he pulled up a search engine. Prying was a bad idea, but his curiosity was getting the better of him. Typing "Giovanni Zatara" into the search bar, he started scrolling through articles. He had studied and fought with the best magicians against the evils of the world for years. When Zatanna was born, it seemed like he was content to focus more on his stage career and being a father, but still stepped in to fight when his skills were needed. He finally came to articles about his death. It was...violent. Horrific. He had burned alive at the home of Baron Winters, a sorcerer and former member of the Night Force. Unsurprisingly, there wasn't much info on how he had been burned. He dug a little deeper into the police records from the scene. The death itself was still unsolved, but one thing was certain...Zatanna was there to see it all. The firemen who came to assess the scene had found her in a corner, screaming and crying; her right arm was severely burned. Another sorcerer's body was found among the carnage: John Sargent. No one was sure how Zatanna had survived or what had caused the fire. The report described her as "hysterical and incoherent". Ambulance reports stated that she vanished before they reached the hospital.

From there, he knew that Zatara's funeral was held several days later. A large part of town had attended, but Zatanna was rarely seen, staying in her room most of the time. Alfred had gone to represent the Wayne family. He felt a twinge of guilt now that he hadn't gone, but she likely wouldn't have noticed at the time. Dick had stayed with her for several weeks before things went sour again. After that, Zee had shown back up at Justice League meetings with renewed fervor. She kept her head down and helped when asked, but didn't draw too much attention to herself. Of course, that had all changed when he started training with her.

"Hey, Batman. Can you monitor? I'm chasing a car of idiots who just broke into an electronics store downtown." Batgirl's voice was a much needed interruption of his nosing into Zatanna's past. He quickly shifted his focus to work.

"I've got you."

The Ally

He didn't like the plan. He was betraying the trust of an old friend and selling out to save himself. The girl seemed kind...but she was powerful. That level of power would always be lusted after by those who were lesser. Now that she was with the Justice League, the target on her back was growing ever larger. Zatara was wise to place her there among other powerful allies. At least, it was wise until now. Now it meant that she was a pawn to be used to weaken them all.

He wasn't without a conscience. He had been assured that her suffering would be minimal; nothing like what he had witnessed with the mobster. His only job now was to secure her. Easier said than done. If he knew Zatara (and he had known him quite well), he would have taught her to protect herself at all times. He would have to catch her off guard and away from the League. The element of surprise would be on his side; she was sure to remember him...and not consider him a threat. Not until it was too late.

Zatanna
Gotham City

It had been weeks since she had been to the theater. Her curiosity finally got the better of her and she called off practice for the afternoon to go check out the progress. It would also give her a chance to sign the contract for the opening shows. She took the long way, enjoying the cool, crisp air. In fact, she took such a long way that it was late afternoon before she arrived at the theater. She knocked on the office door, hoping that Mr. and Mrs. Brooks were still there, but the room was dark and no one answered. Using her key, she went in the front entrance. There were few lights on and the place was still a mess, but she could see the finished product starting to come into focus. She felt a hint of excitement at what opening night would be like.

She walked to the stage and sat down. Closing her eyes, she tried to remember the first time her father had brought her there. It had been at a very young age, but she still remembered being in awe of the bright lights and flowing curtains. The stage had drawn her in, even then, and it was the first place he had allowed her to perform a solo show. She smiled at the memory of the local crowd (mostly her schoolmates and friends of her father) cheering at the end of her set while she beamed with pride. It was a warm, happy memory and it made her smile.

"Zatanna?" The voice made her jump, crashing her little trip down memory lane. Deon the architect stood ten feet away from her, a look of concern on his face. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, sorry. I was just thinking about the good old days here. I guess I got caught up a little. You owed me a scare, anyway." Standing and brushing the dust from her jeans, she walked down the steps to stand in front of him. "You said you wanted some input, right?"

"Of course. I wasn't sure you would actually take me up on that; it's been a while. Let me show you around a little," he smiled, leading her backstage. His shirt was off and he had clearly been working when she arrived. He was slender, but strong with lean muscles.

"I thought you were the architect. Don't architects hire people to do the heavy lifting?" She asked.

"Some do. I like to get my hands dirty. Drawing blueprints is fun and all, but so is using a table saw. I have a couple of guys that help me during the day."

She smiled and nodded as they arrived at stage left. He picked up a nearby blueprint and held it in front of her.

"I'm going to widen this area. It's four feet now; I'm thinking six would be better. What do you think?"

She suspected he really didn't need her help, but after examining the area, she decided to provide her input anyway.

"Six is better. It's plenty for someone like me with a small stage crew and few performers. Try to get a chorus line or a choir in here, though? Sardines in a can."

"Ten feet maybe?" He took a measuring tape out and looked at the area. "Eh, not quite, but I could pull eight off. And the people could breathe a little easier. I might have to extend the stage out a bit more than I had planned, but I haven't gotten to that yet, anyway. Thanks. See? Aren't you glad you came by?" His smile was infectious.

"Very," she stated honestly. He had gotten her mind off of things, even if just for a few minutes.

"Now, come see the dressing room. I think you'll be happy."

They walked back to the room and she smiled wide when she saw the improvements. It was twice the size, bright, and comfortable.

"It's perfect!" She said, again feeling a twinge of excitement about playing there.

"Thought you'd approve. It wasn't exactly hospitable before."

"I love it," she said, looking around at the plush furniture and huge vanity. "I was hoping Mr. or Mrs. Brooks would be here so we could look at an opening date. I want to make sure I clear my schedule." Assuming I live that long.

"They left around 5:00," he responded, leading her back out into the main theater.

"Geez, I didn't realize how late it was. What are you still doing here?"

"Addicted to work," he said...with that smile. "But I could be talked into a drink...if you have time, that is."

She was caught off guard by the offer. Not that she hadn't been admiring him, but her mind was so filled with the general insanity of her life that she hadn't noticed he was interested. Realizing it was taking her too long to answer, she finally blurted out a response.

"Yes! I mean...yeah. Sorry, I was trying to think if I had anything else going on, but I don't. A drink sounds nice." He didn't seem bothered by her rambling.

"Great, just let me find my shirt and jacket and we can get out of here. There's a little pub down the street."

Locking the theater, they headed to White Heart Pub.

Bruce
Watchtower

Shazam was on board to help out. They were leaving within the hour and had met to coordinate the plan. Zatanna had arrived early, drawing another circle of runes in the center of the monitoring room.

"Protection?" Bruce asked as she crawled around, face focused and serious.

"Not exactly. Just strengthens the connection I'll have to Superman, Manhunter and Shazam. I don't want a bad signal right in the middle of the mission. I guess it could provide protection, if needed, but I'll be here, so no worries." She finished and stood, looking up at him. "You're not worried are you?"

"Not about you...this time," he smirked. "Just worried about what they'll find. Whatever downed that drone was powerful and didn't leave any trace of who or what they were."

"Almost sounds magical," she teased, wagging her eyebrows.

"Let's not jump to conclusions," he shook his head and walked toward the rest of the group.

"We're ready," Clark said. "Zatanna? What do you need from us?"

Zee walked to the group and held her hands out.

"This may feel a little weird, but you'll get used to it quickly. I'm not reading your thoughts, just feeling energies around you."

She mumbled some backwards words and the glow from her hands flowed from Superman, to J'onn, to Shazam before dissipating. Zatanna's eyes were glowing when she sat down in the circle. It made her look otherworldly and Bruce caught himself staring at her a little too long before he finally turned to Clark.

"Okay, I think we're as ready as we can be. Zatanna is going to get you close. No need to waste any time."

Clark nodded and turned to his team.

"Maet raeppaer revo Oriac."

"Thanks, Zee, we're here. Heading to the coordinates. We'll stay as high as we can for now and let you know what we're seeing," Clark provided the update as they moved. It wasn't long before their trackers showed that they were over the coordinates where the drone had lost contact. Bruce became impatient after they had made several passes.

"Clark? What are you seeing?"

"There's a massive underground bunker. It's empty, as far as we can tell from here. Lots of rooms, but nothing in them."

"Maybe they abandoned it after the drone flew over?" Shazam's voice came through the headset.

"Maybe. It's a hell of a base to give up that quickly, though," Clark responded.

"I'm not sensing anyone in this area," J'onn said.

"Bruce..." Zatanna's voice from behind sounded concerned and he quickly snapped his head around. "Shit! Teg meht tuo!"

"No! Shazam!" Clark yelled at the same time.

A bright flash of light filled the monitoring room and the trio were back on the Watchtower. Billy Batson, no longer in his Shazam form, was being carried by Superman. J'onn quickly turned to attend to him. He didn't look injured, but was unconscious.

"What happened?" Bruce wasn't sure who he was asking.

"There was a bolt of lightening. He transformed back, but it wasn't his doing," Clark said.

Zatanna walked over and placed her hands on each side of Billy's head. "Mlac. His mind is a bit scattered, but I think he's okay. Scared, but okay. He'll come around when he's ready."

"You felt something before it happened." Bruce looked to her.

"Yes. I don't know who or what it was, but it was angry. I felt it right before Billy got hit."

Clark picked Billy up and carried him to one of the sleeping quarters before returning.

"Clark, you said nothing was in the bunker?" Zatanna asked.

"No, it was vacant. No furniture...nothing. Why?"

"Because that's where the flash came from. Something's there. I don't know why you couldn't see it, but that bunker isn't empty."

"We have to go back and get in there," Bruce said, frustrated with being outmaneuvered again.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea. Not until we know what we're dealing with. I mean...they took Shazam out without us even being able to react." Clark moved to sit down at the monitors, pulling up a map of the area. "Besides, I don't even know how to get in aside from breaking through the roof. There didn't seem to be an access point on the surface."

"I could get in," Zee's voice was quiet.

"No," Bruce said, not turning to look at her this time.

"Yes. I can hide myself with a spell, get in, and look around."

J'onn walked toward them.

"It's not a bad idea. She's the only one who can effectively hide. She teleports in, finds out who's there, and teleports out. If it works, no one even knows she was there."

"If it works? I said no. We'll find another way," Bruce's voice was rising now.

"Clark, you could be nearby to help me if something goes wrong. Can you bust into the place, if it comes to that?" Zatanna was ignoring him now, concocting a ridiculous plan that would get her killed.

"I can. If you're sure you can hide," Clark said, considering the idea for some stupid reason.

Bruce slammed his fist into the desk.

"No! We are not sending her in there alone, goddammit. Figure out another way."

Clark's eyes narrowed as he studied him. Eventually, he cast a glance at Zatanna before nodding and standing.

"Zee, be ready in case we need to use it as a last resort," he held a hand up as Bruce was about to speak again. "Last resort. We need to know what's down there, but let's try to think of another plan before we send her in."

Sighing, Zatanna nodded and walked to her protection circle, a wave of her hands causing it to fade away.

"Tell Billy I'm sorry I couldn't warn him in time. I'll make it up to him."

"None of us saw it, Zee. Wasn't your fault," J'onn said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "He'll be fine."

She smiled at him before looking quickly to Bruce. He wanted to talk to her, but knew it wasn't the time or place. Making her mad wasn't his goal, but he seemed to be doing it a lot lately. This wasn't the right situation for her to play superhero, though; they had no idea what they were dealing with.

"Annataz emoh."

J'onn returned to his quarters and Bruce walked to the tech room. Clark followed closely behind. He leaned against the door and crossed his arms.

"You can't protect her from everything, you know. Not in this line of work." His voice was calm as he watched him fiddle with a broken communicator.

"I know." He didn't look up from his work. It was the first time Clark had broached the subject of him and Zatanna since the day Dick had punched him.

"If she wants to help..."

"She can. As long as it's reasonable. Going into that bunker blind isn't reasonable. It's insane."

"Would you say that if it were Diana wanting to go? Or me? What if she could get you in the same way?"

Bruce finally looked up and leaned against the workbench.

"You did go. Shazam went and got blasted out of the sky."

"She's not Shazam. Her skills might allow her to get in and out easier than any of the rest of us," Clark said, voice still calm.

"Yeah, words like 'might' and 'if' don't really sell me on the idea, Clark. I'm just being cautious." Bruce wasn't going to budge on the topic.

Clark nodded and opened the door.

"We'll work on a different plan, then," he said, though he didn't sound confident. Pulling the door closed behind him, he left Bruce to his work.