Bruce
Batcave

There isn't a lot to do when someone ditches you in another dimension. You yell and throw punches and sit around your cave trying to figure out how someone who loves you could leave you.

"Bruce, I'm sorry," J'onn said for the fifth time. "She was going to do it no matter what I did."

"You say that as if she's more powerful than you."

"She's just as powerful in a different way. Would you have me incapacitate her to stop her? Exploit her weaknesses? Control her mind? Is that ethical? Because that's what it would take. And those are lines I will not cross with a friend and colleague."

"But you'll drag me by the neck, kicking and screaming!" He stood and stormed off, ready to suit up and resume his patrols. I pity the criminals who cross me tonight.

"Bruce, wait. You're just going to leave?" Diana followed him down the stairs.

"I have a job to do...if I'm allowed. You said she's young and that she's going to make mistakes. Am I one of them, Di?"

"Of course not. How could you think that? You're one of the best men I know."

"She just sent me away. No discussion, no hesitation." He sat and began strapping his boots on.

"Tell me something: have you tried to consider this from her perspective? A young woman with no family...two parents who died to save her life. Imagine the guilt she carries with her every single moment of the day."

"None of that was her fault."

"I know that. You know that. But she doesn't. I've talked to her, and believe me, she acts like she's fine, but she isn't. She hates that she couldn't save them...that she's here when they're not. She blames herself. Imagine you had a chance to stop the worst thing that's ever happened to you from happening again. What choice would you make?" She put her hand on his shoulder as she finished, emphasizing her point. He lowered his head and let her words sink in.

"And what about the life she has now? It's not worth fighting for?"

She sighed and stood, heading toward the door before turning to him one more time.

"I'd be willing to bet she'd give anything for this life, too. Maybe even use the last bit of her power to save someone she loved...instead of herself." The words hung in the room like a dense fog after she left. Diana had been there on the roof with them that night. She'd watched Zatanna use her power to heal him instead of herself. She'd been the one to bring her back to life.

How do I bring her back now?

Zatanna
Iceland

Subtlety is usually a good approach when infiltrating an enemy base, but today was going to be a major exception to that rule. As Zee stood in the hotel room getting ready, she wanted to make sure that everything about what she was going to do was memorable and terrifying.

"Gnikrow sehtolc." Her usual costume appeared, complete with jacket and top hat pulled low across her forehead. Even so, she worried that she would be recognized...or that Zanna would. With a small smile, she turned back to the mirror. "Tab ksam no." The bat-shaped mask sitting across her eyes and nose didn't exactly match her magician theme, but it partially obscured her face.

If you want to go for dramatic, imitate the best.

Looking out over the pure white snow, she took a deep breath and gathered her courage.

Showtime.

A chill ran down her spine as she began to tap into the energy she had stolen from the beasts again. It made her blood run cold, but it forced her mind in the right direction.

"Ekat em ot eht stsaeb." She reappeared on the roof of the facility. Peering in the skylights, she could see the movement of the monsters in their cages. Pacing...waiting...wanting to kill more of her people. When another wave of anger hit her, she clinched her fists and dropped to one knee.

"Nwod." The skylight beneath her shattered into a million tiny shards, and she dropped into the facility. Alarms were already blaring before she landed with a thud that would have made Superman proud. She lifted her eyes and saw them...all of them...snarling and fighting against their bars to try to get to her. "Hiya, fuckers."

Twenty was definitely a low estimate. There were at least forty cages filled with the writhing, stinking monstrosities. A select few were already missing, courtesy of Black Adam. At least those are already dealt with.

"Igam ot emoh." Her people were the first priority...always. The rest of those residing in the facility should have been well aware of her presence already. Looking up to the ceiling, she saw dozens of cameras capturing her every move. A slow smile spread across her face. Look on my works and despair.

"Lla cigam ni siht noisnemid, emoc ot em. Lla srewop fo doog, nehtgnerts em. Cigam, ekat kcab ruoy rewop morf eseht stsaeb dna tnarg ti ot em." It was a slow, steady buildup. At first, she thought her spell had been ineffective...until she felt a warm breeze start to rustle her hair in the still of the facility. The beasts began to groan while the walls shook and lights flickered. The groaning built to a familiar shrieking sound as the ground trembled under her feet. Bracing herself for the onslaught, she held her hands out and tried to steady her breathing. Even so, there was nothing that could prepare her for what she felt when the magic of dozens...hundreds...of magi suddenly ripped away from the flailing beasts and entered her body. She let out a deafening scream, the light of the power blinding her. There was no discerning pleasure from pain...pain from power...power from madness...madness from ecstasy. She dropped to her knees and let the blazing of the magic course through her veins. As she started to adjust to the onslaught, she felt the power...all of the power...tingling through her like electricity.

Good thing it's temporary, because I could fucking get used to this.

The shrieking of the beasts began to die out into whimpers, then silence as the last waves of magic found their way to her. She looked up at the cameras again and smiled.

"Abracadabra, bitches. Lla elpoep edistuo." Once the building was empty, she walked around the holding area, observing the last, gasping breaths of the monsters. "Time for a proper burial. Nrub Meht."

She shot into the air and back through the skylight she used for her entrance. Once outside, she could see the workers huddling together, cowering in fear of her as she emitted a glow that had them shielding their eyes.

"Gnirb siht ecalp nwod." With a flash of light and the sound of twisting metal and shattering glass, the entire facility began to cave in on itself. It was fast, efficient, and utterly devastating. When the sounds began to fade, all that was left was a smoking pile of metal and dust. All their technology. All their money. All their hatred and arrogance and ignorance left to rust in the snow. As a child, she had asked her father once why, if she had all of magic's power at her fingertips, she couldn't just fix the world...make it the way it should be.

"The way it should be for who, sweet child? You? Me? What if someone doesn't want to live in the world you create? What if they don't want to have their futures dictated?" He had asked in return. "If God himself does not see fit to make those decisions, who are we to claim to know better?"

She wanted to fix this world. She wanted to eliminate the hatred in the hearts of those who stared up at her now. The magic raging inside of her was begging for blood...demanding that she put an end those who would seek to suppress it or snuff it out. Taking deep breaths, she fought against the power...holding onto her father's words. "Who are we?"

"I'm nobody." Flying upward, she disappeared into the sky with a boom, moving faster than sound toward Gotham City. It was 11:45 and she had a family to save. The rest of their futures were up to them. Just evening the odds. When she landed outside of Shadowcrest, she could feel its confusion; it let her in the wards, even though she was already there. One more deep breath. She stepped into the house and quickly made her way to the parlor. Throwing the doors open, she raised her hands toward her family.

"Sarataz ot S'annaz esuoh." There was only a brief look of fear and confusion that flashed across their faces before they vanished.

"What is this? Who are you?" Faust shouted at her, shielding his eyes from the glow she continued to emit.

"I'm Zatanna Zatara. Stay if you wish, but I won't force any of you to fight alongside me."

"You cannot be..."

"I am." She willed the glow to reduce and reveal her face. Taking off the mask, she entered the circle and sat down, crossing her legs and placing her hands on her knees. "The ritual is about to start. Join me or leave this place."

Xanadu, Sargon, Occult and Mist all took their places around the circle. Faust continued to stare at her with hesitation in his eyes.

"What have you done?"

"Evened the odds. Sit or leave." She closed her eyes, trying to hold back the fear she felt rising in her stomach. Taking out the beasts was one thing...she knew how to kill them. All she knew about the Darkness she had learned from their previous, failed encounter: it was massive, powerful, and could kill you with only a glance. Etrigan would again be doing the heavy lifting in Hell. At least I can stay here where it's cool...unless it glances at me again.

Faust finally reentered the circle and sat down next to her, grabbing her hand as the power began to build. She could feel it from the other dimension...reaching out. John was there. He had gathered others, but she couldn't identify their energies. It didn't matter. She was supercharged enough for all of them.

"Let's begin."

Constantine
Shadowcrest

It wasn't supposed to be this way. He was supposed to be holding hands with Zatanna, not June Moone. He wasn't supposed to be sitting across from bloody Tsaritsa, grinning her creepy grin while they began the ritual. It was instantly obvious that something dramatic had happened in the other dimension. He didn't just feel Zatanna...she was everywhere. That dimension, this dimension. He felt her more than he felt his own body.

The fuck did you do, Zee?

"No one let go of each others' hands. No matter what. We can't break the circle," he mumbled through his broken jaw. Goddamn Batman.

"Where have I heard that before?" Steve Dayton muttered.

"Just shut up and focus, Mento. We need you to tell us what's happening. Just like last time, but with more power." A lot more. Bloody hell, Zee.

Their enemies didn't have to stay and fight; it hadn't been part of the bargain. Effron and Zor left, but the others had remained. June because she was a nice person when she wasn't Enchantress. Tsaritsa because she was a creep. Brother Night because he wanted to be the one to kill Zatanna. Good luck with that today, mate.

"I can see Etrigan. He's making his way trough Hell. We need to find a way to get him to the other dimension." Mento said, already sweating as he watched the scene.

"Nah. I've already given him what he needs," John said. "We just have to fuckin' hold on."

Zatanna
The Other Shadowcrest

Well...this is fun. Holding hands with Faust, feeling like I might explode in a flaming ball of magical energy. Good times.

Not a lot had happened yet. Etrigan was making his way to somewhere and the rest of the Hell team was standing around looking rather bored. Or at least as bored as anyone hanging out in Hell can look. Mento was able to project what he was seeing into the circles of both dimensions, but so far all it had gotten them was a landscape view of Hell's barren wastelands. Note to self: not a good vacation spot...and especially not a good permanent home.

"Everyone stay focused. It may not seem like much, but we're making it easier for them to move unseen." She hoped the others weren't getting as restless as she was while they waited. Everything inside of her wanted to jump into the middle of a fight. Any fight. Anywhere.

"I see something happening," Sargon said, getting everyone's attention. "He's...phasing...losing form."

"I don't understand," Xanadu said, "what's happening to him?"

"He's crossing Hell's dimensions," Occult replied. "That's where he's been headed. He's coming to us."

Zatanna could feel everyone take a deep breath and steel themselves against whatever might come next. For better or worse, they were on the front lines now. Etrigan was moving ahead, flanked by a teeming mass of other demons. She would normally be hesitant to partner up with a bunch of demonic creatures, but in this case, they were the only allies that made sense. Hell was their home and they wanted to defend it...even if it didn't seem worth saving to anyone else. Fight this in Hell before it reaches Heaven and Earth.

"This doesn't make sense," Occult said, breaking a long silence. "He's headed here...toward us."

"That's impossible," Sargon said, shifting nervously in his seat.

"Focus. Please." Faust's voice was stern and he was squeezing her hand tightly while the demon continued to work his way toward them. Zatanna's pulse began to race as she realized Etrigan wasn't focused on the group; he was focused on her. Has he betrayed us? She'd only met Jason Blood before, but had always believe Etrigan to be an ally. As he hastened toward her now, her mind began to rethink that assumption. The hoard of demons stopped and their leader stared at her. After a long moment, he finally spoke.

"Zatanna.
Forgive me for this intervention
You don't belong in this dimension."

With that, he reached out and took hold of her foot.

"No! Let me go! Tel em..." Before she could finish, he pulled her downward, ripping her from Earth and into the depths of Hell. Faust and Xanadu tried to cling to her hands, but the demon was too strong.

"Don't let her go!"
"Hold her hands!"
"We can't lose her! We can't break the circle!"
"Zatanna? Zatanna!"

Their voices were fading quickly as she plunged. Falling...diving...tumbling...head over heels...straight into Hell.

Constantine
Shadowcrest

"What just happened?" John looked around the room to his cohorts, who seemed just as shocked and confused as he felt. "Mento? What the hell just happened?"

He could feel her. Zatanna was there in the circle, across dimensions...her power emanating through all of them until, suddenly, she was gone. Etrigan had taken her. He and Jason had spent weeks going over the plan and preparing for this day, and at no point did they discuss taking Zee into Hell.

"He took her." Mento said, stupidly.

"I bloody saw that he took her. How could he even do that?"

"The same way he goes back and forth to Hell whenever he wants. Once he crossed over to the other dimension, he had access to that Earth." He knew they recruited Tsaritsa for her interdimensional expertise, but he really wished she would just clam up.

"Why, then? Who cares how, why would he take her?"

"Isn't it obvious?" June asked. "We all felt the power she was in control of. He took her to use that power."

They continued to argue back and forth for several minutes, still holding hands and maintaining the circle until a sudden wave of loss hit them. There was no longer power coming from the other dimension - no longer power coming from Zatanna.

"She's fallen into darkness," June whispered. A silence fell over the house as the spell faded...everything faded. The house itself let out a deep, pensive groaning sound that echoed through the hallways and rattled the walls.

No. She's not fuckin' gone.

Constantine stood and ripped his hands away from June and Brother Night, drawing gasps from the group.

"Doesn't matter now. This whole thing's buggered." He walked down the hallway, head spinning while he considered what had just happened. Zee was in Hell now. What he didn't know was if she was alive. Her house sure didn't think she was. Stepping onto the front porch, he stuck a cigarette in his mouth and started to light it when a voice made him jump and drop the match.

"Is it done?" Bruce was standing against the railing. From the redness of his cheeks and nose, he would guess he'd been waiting in the cold for over an hour. Oh, good. More broken bones inbound. He leaned down to retrieve his match, carefully increasing the distance between them as he stood and began to light up. Once he was out of easy lunging range, he leaned against the front of the house.

"The plan got changed." He tried to look casual and took a drag.

"Changed how?" He hadn't moved and he was still leaning against the railing, but he was intimidating as hell. What do you see in this guy, Zee?

"My ally in Hell took over. Decided he didn't need most of us, I guess." What are the odds I can sprint past him and escape?

"So, it's done. You can go get Zatanna now. What can I do to help?" The foolish hope in his eyes was almost touching, even to him.

"Not that easy. I said that Etrigan decided he didn't need most of us."

"She's stuck in the other dimension?"

"Not exactly." He took another drag from the cigarette, still looking for an escape route.

"Stop being so goddamn cryptic!" With one stride, he closed the gap between them. John put his hands up and braced himself for a blow.

"She's in Hell! He took her to Hell!" He cowered against the house as Bruce began to shake. The cigarette was suddenly knocked from his mouth and he was being lifted off the ground by his collar.

"You're lying," he growled, slamming him against the wall.

"He's telling the truth." June had walked out to join the party. "Etrigan took her with him."

"Is she alive? Fucking tell me!"

"Yes. I think she is," June said, still speaking in a barely-audible voice. "But she's beyond our reach."

"You piece of shit. What did I tell you would happen?" He dropped him to the ground and punched him in the gut. "I'll break every bone in your worthless body."

"Enough!" June's voice was no longer quiet. "Stop all of this now!"

"Let me go before she fucking loses it, mate," John said between gasps. Bruce released his collar and threw him onto the ground. "I didn't know this would happen. I swear. I never would have...I wouldn't do that to her!"

"Oh, so that's where you draw the line? Because from what I've been able to tell so far, you haven't given a shit about what happens to her since you met her."

"Yeah? And what about you? You recruit children to join your bloody leagues or let them play superhero with you in Gotham. Don't act like you're any better." He sat up and groaned, waiting for the pain from the gut punch to fade. Bruce stayed quiet for several minutes, still standing over him with his fists clinched. "Just fuckin' kill me and get it over with."

"No," he said with a gruff voice, leaning down to pick him up by his coat collar. John braced for another blow, but instead of swinging, he let him go and walked back toward the railing. "You're going to get her back."

Casting a look to June, who seemed to be getting herself under control again, he picked up his cigarette and leaned back against the house. "I wouldn't even know where to start."

With a deep sigh, he turned to look at him again. "You sure seem confident of your abilities...until it comes to saving someone other than yourself. She would try to save you. You don't deserve it, but she would try."

"Because she's a better person. I never claimed to be a goddamn hero."

'Cept all the times I did.

Bruce
Shadowcrest

How do you get someone back from Hell? He didn't even understand how she got there in the first place. The one fool best suited to get her back was too much of a coward to even try. Bruce had met a lot of con artists in his day – Gotham was lousing with them – but this guy was in a class of his own. Completely without conscience, completely selfish...his picture should be next to the definition of "con artist". This guy will never help me.

He turned to June now. "Will you help me? Please." The desperation in his voice was starting to grow.

"I don't know how, but I can try. Zatanna has always treated me with kindness...even when I don't deserve it." While they spoke, Constantine slowly eased his way toward the steps, slithering away like a snake. He didn't care; there was no trusting him. "And I have to try."

"Why?"

"When she recruited us, she made us swear to her. We all swore to get her to the other dimension, but we also swore to get her back. Until we fulfill that oath, we're bound to her."

Zatanna, you brilliant lunatic. She had gotten herself neck deep in shit, but had remembered to create a lifeline. Now he just needed someone who knew how to throw that line out so she could grab it.

"Tell them to be ready when the time comes. I can't...I'm no magician. I'm just a man, but tell me what I can do."

"You're more than that. We both know, but I won't tell them. I'll find out what I can, but only if you promise me something." He suddenly wondered if he was talking to June or Enchantress. Warily, he nodded. "Help protect me from the others when it's over."

It wasn't the ask he was expecting, to his relief. Protection, even for someone as duplicitous as her, was something he could manage.

"I promise. I have my own ideas on getting more help. I don't know what my chances are, but it's worth trying. Contact me when you have something. Where will you be?"

"Here," she said in a whisper. Diana had told him that June had taken up residence in Shadowcrest's parlor ever since they left for the other dimension. Strange as it seemed, the house was allowing her to stay, so he wasn't going to argue the point with her. It would also be the least likely place for her alter ego to cause trouble.

"I'll bring you more food and water. Is there anything else you need?"

"No, I have my phone and laptop with me. I can work from here." She headed back inside. Realizing things had very much not gone to plan, Bruce decided to go in and check on things. Nothing seemed out of place. When he got to her bedroom, Asshole leaped into his arms as if he hadn't seen anyone in decades. He'd gained at least five pounds.

"Well, you clearly aren't starving to death," he said, setting him down. He pulled the bedroom door closed again and stepped into her Zeta tube. It was time to actually feel like he was helping in this mess.