A Knight of Shadows
A few weeks after the events with Magenta the city was preparing for the upcoming election. So while most of the crew was preparing for the final stretch of campaign events a certain redhead CEO had something else on her mind. Not many people knew this about Kate Kane, but she was a major fanatic of medieval and Arthurian history since she was a child. It was her guilty pleasure to say the least, and with the help of Diana she was able to convince the National City museum of Medieval Art and History to host an exhibit from her good friend Jessica Blood. Jessica and Kate had bonded many years ago over their mutual love and respect for the period and of course anything and everything related to King Arthur. They had kept in touch over the years, and Kate had kind of been her patron sponsoring archeological digs and so on for Jessica. Before she came to National City Jessica came to see her about funding for a dig. A dig that Jessica said would be one of the greatest finds in Arthurian history. They met over Lunch in Gotham at Kate's mansion and Jessica told her the importance of this dig " Kate I got a call yesterday morning from a friend of mine in Europe. He says that some hikers in the Black forest of Southern Germany stumbled onto what my friend and I believe to be the ruins of castle Le Fay." At the mention of the name Le Fay Kate instantly knew why Jessica was going crazy and why she wanted to get started as soon as possible.
Castle Le Fay was the castle belonging to the sorceress and arch enemy of King Arthur Morgan Le Fay. After the final fight between her and King Arthur resulting in the defeat of the sorceress Arthur would not allow anyone to go near the castle and over the centuries the castle was forgotten to even the pages of history. Jessica was part of a very exclusive club of scholars that knew anything about Morgan Le Fay. Jessica had always had a fascination with the Arthurian sorceress. Jessica continued to tell Kate about the find " Kate it looks like this could be the real deal Kate. Do you know what this means? It means we have a fantastic opportunity to find the Amulet of first magic, the legendary item that is the source of Morgan's powers. The only item that can rival the power and significance of Excalibur. However something that was thought lost with everything else having to do with Morgan after Arthur decided to purge her from the pages of history. This maybe the find of a lifetime." before Jessica could continue with her ramble kate put her hand up causing the other red head to stop " Jessica when have i ever said no to funding one of your expeditions, and especially when i know your probably the biggest fan of Morgan Le Fay in the world so before you continue its a yes off course i will fund your expedition." Jessica almost jumped out of the seat and tackled the red headed CEO. That was two years ago, and after those two years and all the sweat, tears and Kate is sure some blood was also involved Jessica found the Amulet of First Magic as well as a plethora of artifacts and knowledge on the sorceress that know one in the world knew about making Jessica the foremost expert know on a side of Arthurian legend long since forgotten. Jessica was getting ready to debut this never before seen exhibit in Gotham City, but reached out to Kate to debut the exhibit in National City feeling that Kate deserved to be there for the grand opening because without Kate's support both financially and morally Jessica would never have gotten to this point. So after Kate and Diana worked everything out with the Museum the exhibition was set to open the following evening. Kate had arrived at the Museum and found the exhibit, and Kate had to admit it was hard to not let her nerd side out. She made her way to the centerpiece of the exhibit, the Amulet of first magic and admired its devine magnificence. Kate was broken out of her revelry by a voice she knew all too well " i knew i would find you here" kate turned to see Jessica and smiled at the approaching redhead " you bitch i can't believe you actually did it find the artifact that everyone said was a myth, destroyed, or lost to time. Wouldn't you know that a woman from the Narrows would be the one to prove everyone wrong. I am so happy for you." the redhead gleamed with joy " honestly i owe you everything kate your unwavering support and belief in me meant everything, and the least i can do is have you be here with me to unveil the exhibit." Kate gave her the raised hand " Jessica thats what friends do and honestly even Diana was intrigued by the prospect of having this exhibit here knowing a little herself about the history. I am just glad everything finally worked out." As Kate finished her statement both redheads looked at the Amulet.
The following evening the Museum was crawling with people there to see the grand opening. National City's elite to the average Joe's as Jessica was adamant that this was an event for all to experience and take part in, not just wealthy donors. Kate and Pam who after much insistence from Kate agreed to go with her knowing that this was a big deal for Kate The Pair saw Diana and Kiara had already arrived, and moved to greet their friends. After they talked amongst themselves for a while they were approached by Jessica who they greeted warmly. Kate made the introductions " guys this is Jessica Blood my good friend since college and fellow nerd about medieval and Arthurian history. Jessica, this Diana Prince, the person who helped me convince the Museum on the exhibit and her girlfriend Kiara Wagner." Jessica turned to them and shook their hands " Mrs Prince, Mrs Wagner so great to finally meet you to finally thank you personally for your help in getting the exhibit up and running. Kate then continued " Jessica this is my girlfriend Pamela Isley." Jessica smiled at the redhead " So nice to finally meet you Dr Isley Kate has told me so much about you, and I must say I often wondered what kind of extraordinary woman would get Kate Kane the rebel to finally settle down in a relationship, and now I have the answer." Jessica marked a little when she saw both red heads turn as red as their hair. The group continued to talk amongst themselves till it was time for the grand reveal. Everyone assembled in the grand whole in front of a crimson red curtain. Jessica and Kate both made their way on the dais that had been erected for the event. Jessica began the address " ladies and gentlemen thank you for coming and being intrepid enough to be here. In today's world mystery and wonder have become more and more difficult to find because someone has already found them. However, today I have here before you proof that their are still mysteries out there just waiting for someone to discover them and bring them into the light. After years of searching, and with the help of my good friend Kate Kane whose funding was invaluable I bring you a treasure that many people believed only existed in myths and legends relegated to the shadows of and gentlemen i give you the Amulet of First Magic." with that jessica stepped to the other side of the curtain and at the same time Kat and jessica pulled the curtain down revealing the glistening amulet. The crowd stood and clapped at the reveal of the artifact. After the speech the event started to wind down and guests started to leave. Outside of the Museum Jessica, Kate, Diana, Pam, and Kiara gathered to say their goodbyes and went their separate ways.
Later as the museum was empty just guards making their rounds of the exhibits. Two of the guards stepped into the castle Le Fay exhibit and stepped towards the Amulet " Hey Johnny get a load of this. This is the thing that had everyone buzzing early. Can you believe it everyone losing their minds over a stupid little rock and we get minimum wage to watch a piece of jewlery." the other guard turned to his partner " That's the job we signed up for Harry love it or hate it you need the job just like i do" As the guards went to leave the exhibit hall the Harry tripped on the curtains and fell into the amulet knocking it over causing the Amulet to fly out. Harry immediately started freaking out about the accident " oh my god Johnny what are we going to do if I damaged the Amulet i am doen." Both men started to pick up the pieces of the case. Harry picked up the Amulet to stick it into the case but as he picked it up the Amulet started to glow a bright scarlet red causing Harry to drop it on the floor. The Amulet started to shake violently " HARRY WHAT DID YOU DO?" Harry looked at Johnny " I DON'T KNOW I JUST PICKED IT UP AND IT STARTED TO GLOW AND SHAKE." Before the guards could continue a beam of energy shot out of the Amulet and from it walked a raven haired figure clad in gold plating from head to toe wrapped in a purple cloak. The two guards standing frozen in fear looking at the figure. The figure paid them little attention. " At last, after centuries hidden away in the amulet, I can return to reclaim what is rightfully mine." The figure raised her hand and the amulet rose from the floor. " I may love I have missed you so for years you protected me from that fool Arthur even saving me before the final blow could be struck." the Amulet attacked itself to the necklace around the figure's neck. The figure then looked around unfamiliar with her surroundings " this is not my castle what sorcery is this" the figure turned to the two men standing like statues " you two what year is this?" the two men to stunned to answer. The figure stepped forward menacingly " I SAID WHAT YEAR IS THIS." Harry shook violently " its 2022" he quickly said " 2022 i have been in the Amulet for over a millenia. She looked at the men again. "Where is this place?"the scared men looked at each other terror lacing their response "National City, California." The figure looked at the men, her eyes pits of darkness that would shake even the strongest of men to the core. "Tell me where is the arrogant man King Arthur Pendragon?" the men again looked to themselves again " we don't know where he is. He has been dust for years." the figure turned away from the terrified men, and let out a yell of rage and frustration laced with venom and started to talk to herself " curses that fool he has evaded me and now death has robbed me of the satisfaction of pulling that fool heart from his body and giving him the pleasure of watching it stop beating. No matter this is an opportunity without that medalsom fool to stand in my way I have an opportunity to rebuild my kingdom and take what is owed to me, and bring this world to its knees. I can feel the magic force that once lined every inch of the world has all but faded, and I will turn this city into my new kingdom." However, she needed her book of spells for this task, but she requires one of her artifacts, the Philosopher's stone, to perform the ritual." she turned to the men again " you fools collected items from my castle where is the Philosopher's stone?" The men looked at each other " we don't know all this is what they put out for the event, but the person who found everything here didn't display everything yet, just some of the more important pieces for the grand opening." the figure leaned in " who and where can I find this person?'' The men trembled even more in fear " it's Jessica Blood i think, but i am not sure where she is staying in town." the figure walked away from the men " it looks like i have to pay this Jessica Blood a visit and reclaim what belongs to me." she looked one final time at the men " you peasants have been useful, so i will give you a reward for your service." the last thing the men heard was a sinister chuckle coming from the figure and she raised her hand, and the last thing the halls of the museum heard was the shrieks of terror of the two men.
The next morning Jessica was joining Kate and Pamela for breakfast partly to catch up, and also to talk about the exhibit and the plans Jessica has for the discovery of a lifetime. The three were having a pleasant meal. Pamela enjoyed listening to some stories about her girlfriends younger years, and Kate enjoyed having her good friend back after so many years after a bit over talking Kate got a call from Maggie and Jessica got a call from the museum. Both answered the respective calls. Kate began to talk with Maggie " Morning Mags do not like you to call this early in the day unless something is wrong so whats up?" Kate could tell something was wrong because she could tell that Maggie is measured like she is thinking about how to tell Kate what she needs to. " Kate, something happened at the museum. It looks like someone stole one of the items from your friend's exhibit. Weirder still the guards were found in the exhibit dead turned into stone." Kate's eyes went beyond wide and any wider than that her eyes would be rolling on the floor, and judging from Jessica scream of what her phone call did not go any better. Kate spoke up again " Mags Jessica is here with me and Pam we will be there as soon as we can thanks for letting me know." After Kate hung the phone she entered the room again to see Jessica with a mix of emotions ranging from anger to depression. Kte turned to Jessica " I am guessing your call was about the museum break in?" Jessica looked at me, allowing me to continue " the police commissioner is a personal friend of mine and wanted to let me know I told her that you and I would be on our way immediately.'' With that both women left kate of course giving Pam a goodbye kiss before speeding away in her Aston Martin.
When both arrived at the museum it was carnage the entrance had been destroyed but what struck Kate was that the destruction looked like it came from the inside not the outside of the building like someone or something was trying to get out not in. the next thing and more spectacular or frightening depending on how you look at it was that there were five statues, but these were no ordinary statues they were the guards all of them frozen i stone there guns drawn feet away from them were the bullets that they managed to fire before their untimely demise and the bullets looked like they just stopped none of them hit anything. In the exhibit hall two other guards were frozen in stone, but unlike the other these guys were terrified which made Kate think they saw what it was that did this. Finally Kate saw the one thing in the whole hall that was missing was the amulet of first magic so what ever happened here had the amulet at the forefront. Jessica had immediately gone to the museum curator for what Kate know was probably to eviscerate him for what had happened. Kate was broken from her revelry by Maggie who walked beside her and whispered " i see those batwoman gears turning in your head so spill what's it looking like?" Kate turned to the commissioner " for one thing this is not a break in the entrance was blown out not in. those guards outside got shots off but those bullets hit nothing its almost like they just stopped and fell out of the air. With all these artifacts in the museum they only took the amulet of first magic. Finally the guards outside were in battle postures but the two in here looked terrified almost like they saw what it was and it petrified them." Maggie looked at what Kate had pointed out and she did notice the entrance, but everything else you would have to be one of the world's best detectives to realize that. We are going to take a look at the security cameras to see if we can get a glimpse at what we are dealing with. A few minutes later they were in the security office looking at the camera footage for the evening. The occurrence happened a little after midnight they saw the two guards patrolling the Le Fay exhibit and that one of the guards knocked the Amulet over Jessica was about to kick some butt because of that but Kate stopped her because she had a feeling that the event was about to unfold and sure enough as the men scramble to pick up the exhibit. A few seconds after the amulet started to glow and a beam of light shot up and from it the figure walked out of the beam. Kate's eyes went wide and she turned to the only other person in the room that would know who that is to confirm. SO she turned to Jessica, and saw the pail expression on her face to confirm what she suspected standing right there on camera was the dark sorceress herself Morgan Le Fay. kate pulled jessica out of the room " Jessica i want you to be straight with me is that who i thought it was" Jessica took a moment to compose herself " it can't be Kate she has been dead for centuries, but the gold plated armor covering the whole body, the purple cape, black hair it looks like Morgan Le Fay yes." Kate thought about what Jessica was saying " Jessica you know as well as I do that tails of the final battle between her and King Arthur at Castle Le Fay. Arthur never gave Morgan the final blow with excalibur; she disappeared. It was assumed that she died, but what if in a last minute hail mary she hid herself in the amulet till someone activated it, and those guards activated it accidentally when they knocked it over releasing her. " Jessica thought about it and Kate's logic was sound knowing the story as they both do " if that is the case Kate then bad things are to come Morgan Le Fay is one of the strongest individuals in history, and if she is back now who can stop her from rebuilding her kingdom. Jessica decided to stay at the Museum, and Kate decided she needed to tell Maggie so outside they spoke " okay Kate you and Jessica walked out of there quick you know something." Kate looked at the commissioner. " Mags, I hope I am wrong about this, but Jessica and I both agreed that it looks like Morgan Le Fay." Maggie looked weird " wait you mean the person who the exhibit is dedicated to come on Kate." Kate turned to Maggie " this is no joke Maggie the attire looked exactly like Morgan Le Fay and the Amulet of first magic was a strong source of her mystic power, and one of her favorite ways of execution was turning enemies into stone and displaying them so people would be afraid to challenge her." Maggie took in what she was saying. Their conversation was interrupted as Kate got a phone call from Pam " Hey Pam I was actually about to head back to you, but I am talking with Maggie about what happened at the museum, and we need to get the team together because we may have trouble brewing." Pam then spoke " well that good we are all at the DEO Something happened here last night." Kate was now on guard "what happened?" Pam continued it seems during the night " Tala finally woke up Leslie just informed me a little after you left and we are all here so it may be best just to come here." Kate nodded to herself, and told maggie what happened and Maggie decided to go with kate to the DEO to see the now awake sorceress, but if Kate was honest with herself she was unnerved about the coincidence that the sorceress they had laying comatose at the DEO for months now had awoken right when the possibility of one of the most powerful sorceresses in history appeared.
At the DEO everyone was observing Tala now fully awake and talking with Leslie. More so they were observing the former electric villain seeing her the happiest she has ever been. They would all be lying if they said it was easy for Leslie. It was clear that she and Tala got close when she was stuck in the mirror on Themyscira, and Leslie had been with her as much as she could while Tala was in her coma. It looked like it paid off a bit because while Tala refused to let anyone else near her Leslie was the only one who got close to her. So they let Leslie lead the way to at least make Tala more comfortable. Kate then took everyone to the control room because she needed to make everyone aware of the situation that could present itself. So with everyone seated she went to discuss it " so as many of you may have heard the Museum was broken into a little shortly after midnight. From what we know only one thing was stolen and that's what worries me. The item that was stolen was the amulet of first magic.'' The group except for Diana was staring at her so Kate continued " the Amulet is believed to be an artifact of enormous magical strength. In Arthurian legend the Amulet of first magic is the source of power for the dark sorceress Morgan Le Fay and was a kin in strength to Excalibur. Now that in itself is not what worries me, what worries me is what I observed at the museum when I went to see for myself. The first red flag was that no one broke into the museum but something broke out. The second thing I realized was that bullets that the guards fired on the assailant looked like they were stopped in mid air before they could hit their target. However the camera footage was what really made the marrow in my bones go cold. In the surveillance footage you see the amulet come alive and from it a figure walks out of it, and I believe this figure to be Morgan Le fay herself." As Kate finished her statement Diana was the first to respond knowing a bit of the legend from her reading of the period in preparation for the exhibit " Kate Morgan Le Fay has been dead for over a thousand years it can't possibly be her." Kate knew that this would come up " Jessica can fill you in on more about the story because she has the knowledge on anything Morgan Le Fay. However, I know enough about the legend. As the story goes, in the battle of Castle Le Fay King Arthur fought Morgan Le Fay in the ultimate battle between good and evil. King Arthur. Arthur was about to strike the final death blow on Morgan, and when he struck he hit the Amulet, and an explosion of light erupted. When the light died away Morgan was gone. King Arthur being the egotistic man that he was, thought that he had killed her. However Merlin always told Arthur that someone like Morgan would die so easily. Merlin said that with no conclusive evidence to point to her true death that maybe she escaped and hid in something she knew would not be so easily destroyed. Something like the Amulet which they were never able to recover until Jessica found it. I think Merlin was right and Morgan hid in the Amulet till the conditions were right." The group listened to Kate listening and seeing how serious Kate is. Kara was the next to speak up. " Kate if this is Morgan what are we looking at" Kate turned to Kara " if it is Morgan Le Fay then she will most certainly try and accomplish her goals of world domination and with no magic to stand in her way she will be more powerful than ever." Lena asked the next question " Kate other than what happened at the museum and your gut, why don't you think it's someone dressed like Morgan trying to misdirect everyone." Kate had to think about this for a minute and the only other logical answer was Tala " I thought about that and as you all know I don't believe in coincidence from what I know the activation of the amulet happened at 12:24. Can you guys think of anything else that happened around that time." the group thought for a minute before realization dawned on all of them. The group announced in unison " you think that the Amulet activation is the reason why Tala woke up." Kate nodded " it makes sense we were told that she needed to absorb enough magic to wake up, and now the possibility that one of the most powerful sorceresses may have come back to life has to cause a massive magic explosion enough for Tala to absorb it and wake up. We have to prepare for the worst."
In the med bay Leslie was staring at the purple haired woman in front of her. This is all she wanted for months and finally it was here, and for the first time in her life she was at a loss for words. Tala was still rather defensive, waking up in new surroundings after so long being able to do that to someone. She was the only one that Tala would allow anywhere near. Tala had noticed that the other woman had barely said a word since the others had left. The reason Tala had allowed Leslie to be near her was because she knew that the woman was the one that had spoken to her for months while she was in her magic sleep so Tala trusted her, but she also wanted to know why she did that for her. Yes she did remember that it was her who would talk with her while she was in the mirror. It was she who comforted her and tried to pick her spirits up when she knew nothing but darkness in that mirror prison. So Tala turned to her " May I ask you a question Leslie?" Leslie looked at her and stumbled over her words not expecting the question " sure whatever you want." Tala looked her straight in the eyes " why did you always stand by me. When I was in the mirror it was you that comforted me, and when I was in my dormant state it was you that stayed with me." Leslie knew this question may come up eventually she had hoped to come up with a decent answer, but she figured the truth was the best way " I got to be honest with you Tala when I met you you looked like you needed a friend. I have been abandoned by everyone, no one to talk to or care for me. It is one of the reasons why it was so easy for me to become a villain. It was not until kara came to me for that mission when we were trying to stop Reign a few years back did i realize how it felt to have some stand by you and now i am part of the team. I figured you could use that someone to care for you so I took it upon myself to do it." Tala was touched by what Leslie had said, truth be told in her long life she had never had anyone care for her like that Felix was the first in centuries but after it all he just wanted to use her. However Tala could feel that Leslie was not telling her the whole truth. " I sense you are not telling me everything Leslie. One of my powers is being an empath. I can sense people's emotions. I sense that you have told me the truth, but I also sense you are not telling me everything." Leslie looked wide eyed that Tala was able to see that she was holding something back. Leslie saw no other opportunity and maybe it was for the best that things come out now instead of later " honestly Tala i have been alone for a long time i look at all my friends they are in great relationships and i am happy for them of course it just sucks that i am the odd one out. I never really felt anything for anyone in a romantic sense or really liked anyone like that till you came along. I felt a closeness to you I had not felt with anyone, a sort of protectiveness towards you. I really started to care for you, some may even call it love or at least a crush on you. Honestly I would like to get to know you and maybe see if something could come of it." Tala was touched truth be told love had always escaped her when you set out to be a powerful sorceress things like love or starting a family becoming mute points. The kindness and conviction in her words moved Tala in a way she had not been moved before, but Tala was not even sure what love truly was or if she even deserved it after all the evil she had committed to acquire her power. More to the point she had nothing from her old life for all intents and purposes she was a ghost, a relic of yesteryear. This woman cared for her and protected her when no one else would so Tala was at least certain she could trust the other woman. So she turned to the other woman, Leslie. You must understand I am a complicated person defined by my demons and my lust for power. I did not know what it is to have a loving family or a lover. I have been alone for over a thousand year and I gave up on all those things centuries ago in pursuit of power. The only person I had any contact with was Felix and that as you know ended badly. He betrayed me and my trust for the first time made me feel loved and wanted, made me feel vulnerable, and all he wanted was to tap into my power." Leslie could tell just how raw and vulnerable the woman was and it made her despite Faust even more. Tala was holding back the tears holding herself not wanting to show weakness. Leslie did the only thing she felt she could do and walked up behind Tala, and hugged the woman. To her surprise Tala did not pull away like she thought, but instead cuddled into her embrace. Tala turned around in the embrace this emboldened Leslie " I know what it's like Tala to have no one, to have demons, to have that chip on your shoulder i understand better then anyone how lonely things can be, and maybe thats the reason why i grew attached to you Tala because we are two sides of the same coin. If you will let me i would like to prove that you are worth loving, and your not just the sum total of your demons and your past." Tala listened to Leslie's declaration she would be lying to herself. Tala would be lying to herself if she said that she didn't feel anything for the other woman. Every day Leslie would talk to her, Tala would listen to everything, and she got to know her. However could she let herself feel again? Could she let herself trust again. Her powers allowed her to see that Leslie was being honest with her, perhaps more honest than anyone had been in her whole life. Maybe this was her chance to start over, maybe this was her chance to be different and to live differently. She had risked so much to gain more power, but never for love maybe this was the time to change that. She pulled away from Leslie so that they were both staring at each other " Leslie I can't promise you courting me would be anything more than trouble for you. I can't even promise I can love you, but if you're willing to see where something like this can go I will give it a chance. I owe you that much leslie. Leslie, feeling even bolder than before leaned forward and kissed the purple haired sorceress. Unknown to both women the whole group was watching the scene unfold. After months of seeing mopey Leslie they were happy that things may be turning around for her friend for the better in the relationship department.
Kate stepped inside the room with Tala and Leslie " i hate to break up this moment Les, but i need to ask Tala a question only she may know the answer to. Both women broke apart curious at what Kate could want to ask Tala. the sorceress gave her accent to Kate " Tala when we pulled you out of the mirror and you fell into deep sleep. It was said that only if you acquired enough strength to wake yourself up or a strong magical event that influenced the magical forces of the area would wake you up." Tala then nodded her head this is the correct information, but then Tala continued " A great force of energy was released yesterday that I was able to tap into and reawaken. I felt the disturbance when this being emerged and I still feel this disturbance. It's one that I have not felt in a long time, but I am not strong enough yet to be certain who this being is. What I can tell you is that this being is a member of my old coven the night sisters. That however should be impossible because I was the last one of my coven. Once the once and future king struck down the other members I went into hiding for centuries. It was not till Felix Faust found me that I reemerged." Kate was shocked to say the least and that never happened. Tala was part of a coven with Morgan Le Fay. She needed to know for sure " This coven member that King Arthur killed was it Morgan le Fay?" At the mention of the dark sorceress name Tala completely shifted " what do you know of Morgan Le Fay?" Kate sat opposite them now " Tala'' a few hours ago at a Museum in the city where there was an event. Looking at the security cameras the guards activated the amulet of first magic which I know to be the source of her power. From the footage a figure walked out of the amulet that looked like Morgan Le Fay. clad in gold armor plating, a purple cape and skirt, hair and eyes blacker than night. The guards at the museum were turned to stone like statues which i know is one of Morgan Le Fay's preferred manner of torture. In addition to that Morgan Le Fay was an expert in deception, and in the legend Arthur never confirmed that he killed Morgan but that she disappeared in an explosion of light. I think she escaped into the Amulet waiting for the right moment to reveal herself. So i have to ask you Tala what are the chances that Morgan Le Fay walks the earth right now" Tala listened to what the other woman had said impressed with her knowledge on the subject, but it would confirm what she had thought only some one like Morgan could be strong enough to create a magic event that could reawaken her. Furthermore from the description and the evidence it would suggest that her old coven mate was alive. Tala turned to her and nodded " yes I believe it to be her." This confirmed Kate's worst fears. Kate asked one last question " Tala what would Morgan do first?" Tala looked at the red head again " she would try to rebuild her kingdom and for that she would need the Philosopher's stone." Kate remembered that was one of the items that Jessica brought back but they did not put it in the exhibit not wanting to take it away from the Amulet. Kate immediately walked out and pulled out her cell phone, and called Jessica, but the call went to voicemail. Kate was worried, and went to the ops center to put a trace on Jessica's phone. The group gathered around her and Alex was the one to say " Kate was not your usual Kate self." Kate looked at them " Tala mentioned that Morgan needs the Philosopher stone to restore her kingdom. Jessica brought the philosopher stone with her. She was going to display it later on but did not want anything to overshadow the amulet. She had it and some other things in a special facility that the museum provided her for storage. The way Tala described things there is a force that all magic users can tap into and sense. If that's the case I have a feeling Morgan can sense the stone, and that puts Jessica in danger." Kiara then made a comment " Well how about let's track her down, and make sure she is safe plus we secure the stone. If Morgan Le Fay wants to rear her ugly head then we can kick her ass like all the other bad guys we have taken on." Kate could not deal with the hubris so she slammed her fist on the table " I don't think any of you appreciate the kind of villain we are up against. Villains like Von Doom, Doc Ock, The Phantasm, She-Bat are all villains bound by human restrictions. Morgan Le Fay is not just cold, ruthless, and unforgiving, she is a master of bending reality, illusion, deception. I know some of us are used to using your brute strength or your intelligence to outwit your opponents, and I can tell you that is useless against the power we are up against. This will be the fiercest and most dangerous villain we will face, and she will not hesitate to kill any of us." the group took in Kate's warning acknowledging. Kate pings Jessica's phone to her temporary residence while she is staying in the city. This had to also be where Jessica was keeping the remainder of the artifacts like the Philosopher's stone. The team prepared for the fight ahead. On route to Jessica house they picked up a call for help from NCPD officers. Maggie had put some units of Jessica for her protection. What this signaled is that Kate was right Morgan was going for the stone and possibly even Jessica. Maggie had ordered back up for the units. However while everyone looked confident because of the strength in numbers advantage Kate had a grim thought on her mind that it would not be enough.
They got to the location Maggie had arrived with swat and about half a dozen patrol units. Wonder Woman, Overgirl, Iron Maiden, Batwoman, Poison Ivy, Livewire, Supergirl, Martian Manhunter, Alex and a unit of DEO agents arrived. In front of them the carnage of the futile effort the protection detail put up. Squad cars flip over glas everywhere. The door of the building had been destroyed much like the museum. Kara and Kiara used there x ray vision to see inside the building and found two figures inside. One of them in one of the upstairs rooms hiding which they assumed to be jessica. The other downstairs stationary with items levitating around her which they assumed to be Morgan herself. The group was interrupted by the wall in front of them blowing out, sending debris all over the place. As the smoke cleared a figure levitated through and landed in a regal manner in front of the group. Everyone readied themselves for the fight in front coming their way. The figure looked at the group in front of her " Ah if it isn't the heroes of this realm i have heard of you as a gathered information. It saddens me how fools still cling to the false hopes of these idols just like the people of Camelot did with that fool Arthur. However if there is one thing i like to do is show fools like him and fools like you the futility of it all. Then once I find the stone this world will finally be mine as it should have been over a millennium ago. I will give you a chance to tell me where the stone is and maybe I shall make you my pets in the new world order." Diana stepped forward. We don't have the stone and even if we did, giving it to you is the last thing we would ever do." the figure turned to Diana " hmmm I sense great power in you, but you're not the force i felt when i woke. However no matter how strong your magical essence is, none of you are a match for a master of the dark arts. Now you all will die." Diana got into a battle stance " fat chance of that" without hesitation Diana threw Triam right at Morgan. However before it could strike, Morgan raised her hand and stopped it dead in its tracks. Before anyone could react Morgan threw it right back at them. Everyone dodged the shot and the weapon destroyed one of the DEO transports. Alex and Maggie ordered their respective squads to open fire on her. The Amulet started to glow and the figure uttered the word " Descenortia" an invisible barrier formed in front of the figure and every bullet that passed through disintegrated on impact. The figure then uttered another spell " Pesesco Tormenempra" and out of no tornado like funnels descended on the group laying waste and injuring many of the officers and agents. Overgirl and Supergirl flew right at the figure. Before they could strike Morgan uttered again " Obactum Persoucio" Kara and Kiara were then stopped dead the piped underground started to come to life and grab them wrapping them up in a tight vice grip. They used their strength to break them or their heat ray to cut them apart, but more kept coming and coming making resistance untenable subduing them. Ivy called the trees and plants to their aid and wrapped the figure with their roots. Only for here to chuckle " Fierortia Sataniate" the roots and the plants all caught fire and began to disintegrate releasing her. J'onn tried to surprise the figure and rose from the ground behind her, and tried to access her mind. Without even looking back " ah you have an telepathy among you who thinks just because your invisible means you have an advantage " Exteus" J'onn was immediately expelled from her mind causing him to scream from the crippling spell causing him to writhe in pain forcing him to become tangible again. Leslie and Lena started to fire shots trying to get any hit on the sorceress. Lena fired a beam shot and Leslie fired a bolt of electricity, but once again Morgan used her powers again " Araindo" both attacks were changed directions causing Lena's attack to hit Leslie knocking her out, and Leslie's attack hit Lena causing the armor to fail and shut down immobilizing Lena. Morgan surveyed her handy work defeating this city's champions with ease. Before she could do anything She raised her hand and stopped the incoming attack by Diana with her sword. She turned to face the Amazon " you have my respect for coming that close to striking me very few have managed that." Diana gave a vicious feral scream, and Morgan pushed her back several feet. Diana immediately charged at Morgan. Morgan dodged her shots with ease, impressed by Diana's aggression and fighting skills. Diana felt something start to pull her sword from her. She fought with all her strength to not lose her grip on the sword, but to no avail and her sword was plucked from her hand hovering over the ground in Morgan;s invisible grasp. Before Diana could do anything She felt her sword plunge into her leg causing her to scream in pain. Morgan looked down " it was a valiant effort but did you really think you could beat a master of magic." Morgan then turned to leave and disappeared in a fog of smoke leaving the group decimated, but not just decimated they were crushed not even scoring a single successful blow, Inside the building Kate went to check on jessica. Diana agreed that while they kept Morgan busy Kate should secure Jessica. Kate found Jessica huddled up in an upstairs closet. Jessica did not hear Kate come in and was startled when Kate reached for her shoulder. Kate tried to calm her down " don't worry she is gone. I am here to get you out of here. "The two redheads walked out of the building and were stunned by the destruction in front of them. This was what Kate was worried about: they were no match for Morgan. Some of the world's greatest heroes looked like rookies in comparison to the power of Morgan Le Fay.
The carnage was evident; they had lost four DEO agents, and the team had a variety of various injuries. The DEO med bay looked more like a MASH unit tending to the injured. In the command center the team was trying to figure out what to do in response. It was clear they did not have the means to fight Morgan especially now that even Diana was out of commission. The question going through everyone's mind was how do you defeat someone one who could even manipulate reality itself. Kate, Pam, Kiara, Kara, and Leslie were the only ones that escaped major injuries from the battle. Kate had taken Jessica to the DEO for her protection. What they needed to find out was where the philosopher's stone is. It was clear that Morgan did not find the stone earlier, but Jessica of course had to know where the stone was. They made the decision to question Jessica, and agreed that Kate should be the one to question Jessica about it. A few minutes later Kate walked into the room and sat across from Jessica who was still shaken by the events of earlier. Kate just went for it " Jessica i know you're scared believe me i am scared as well from what i saw earlier we all are and it's just going to get worse. She was looking for something at your place, but it looks like she didn;t find what she was looking for. From what we know she is looking for the Philosopher's stone. Now the Philosopher's stone was not on display at the museum yet, but it is one of the items that was brought back for display. We went there tonight to see if we could retrieve it and keep you safe but Morgan got there before us." At the mention of the sorceress's name Jessica looked up " so you know who you're dealing with?" Kate nodded, causing Jessica to continue " then you know you have no chance. I have imagined my whole life what it would be like to know or see Morgan Le Fay. I idolized her for years and I studied her for years. What I saw tonight scared me in a way I have never been scared before. Everything I have studied could never have prepared me for what I saw today." Kate had known Jessica for years and she had never seen the usually unshakable female this petrified before. Kate had to press on " Jessica do you know where the stone is right now because it's imperative that we find it. Jessica looked at her again " do you really think you can beat her?" Kate leaned forward on the table and took a deep breath. " I have to tell you I don't know, but I will also tell you I will die trying if I have to. Which is better than the alternative and Morgan enslaving the world." Jessica looked at the hero looking at how serious she was. She reached into her pierce and pulled out a red box " I was going to give it to a good friend of mine Kate Kane." She opened the box and there was the Philosopher's stone. Kate was a little shocked that Jessica was actually planning on giving the stone to her as a present. Kate took the stone and stood up and moved to walk out, and turned to Jessica one last time " i will get this back to you so you can give it to your friend after all you have my promise. After leaving Jessica Kate returned to the command center Pam and Kiara Where still there. Leslie went to be with Tala, and Kara went to be with Alex and Lena. Kate was sure Kiara would be there as well if not for the fact she wanted revenge and Diana was under heavy sedation to not injure her leg even more because everyone knows that Diana would more than likely be up and about walking on it if she was not. Kate showed them that Jessica had the stone with her the whole time. They also know a decision has to be made about how to stop Morgan and keep the stone safe. After bouncing ideas off of each other it was Pam who strangely came up with a bold plan. Kate and Kiara looked at Pam " So indulge me here for a minute. We saw what happened when we took her on and she beat us on every level, and even the strongest of us failed to even get a significant hit on her. So we have nothing I can see that can defeat her, but she did say she sensed a powerful presence she had not felt in centuries. It just so happens that we have a sorceress that woke up now and had to be admitting magic energy. In addition to that they were from the same coven as she said earlier. I think Tala is our only chance of defeating Morgan at this, and we have what Morgan is looking for. I don't think it will take much to bait her considering she thinks she has the advantage." Kate and Kiara were intrigued by Pam's idea of a sort of let them fight scenario. Kate saw a few flaws in her girlfriend's plan that needed to be addressed " its an interesting idea Pam but I see two issues. The first being we don't know if Tala is strong enough to be Morgan Tala woke up only a few hours ago she may not even be close to full strength. So sending her in could be suicidal, and second your going to have to deal with Leslie and i don't think any of us want to have a fight with Livewire." Pam turned to Kate " What choice do we have Kate he is the only one that has the experience and the powers necessary to win this fight. As for Leslie, if Morgan wins what relationship can she possibly have with Tala when the world is enslaved. At the end of the day it has to be Tala's decision to make because she is taking on the risk and danger." It was true their collective options were limited, and the choice was clear they needed to at least propose the idea to Tala, and they know Leslie is not going to like it at all.
The three of them walked into the infirmary a few minutes later, and every agreed that Kate should be the one to propose it, and kate reluctantly agreed to it. They walked to leslie and Tala who were talking amongst themselves. Leslie turned to her three approaching friends, but noticed the grim expressions on their faces so she knew she was not going to like what they were going to tell her. Kate stepped forward " Les we have a plan to try and beat Morgan." Leslie ushered her to continue the thought " it's obvious that we are no match for the kind of power that Morgan has and we got lucky to walk out with our lives because it could have been much worse. We feel are best chance is having Tala fight Morgan. She is the only one that has any type of experience fighting magic of that power, and Morgan could sense her before the fight she even said as much. She was not sure who it was, but it was someone powerful." As expected Leslie did not react very well to the plan, and started tearing into the three of them on all sorts of fronts. However no one realized the expression on Tala's face. She was contemplating the decision put before her. Fighting Morgan Le Fay she remembered the fear in people's voices just a mere mention of her name. Even her coven members were afraid of Morgan for her power, her ambition, her rage, you name it. Cities turned to dust with a mere glance armes burned alive with one movement of her hand. The stories were horrifying, but she thought about her conversation she had with Leslie earlier. This was her chance at another life; she had someone who cared for her and she lived in a time where no one knew of Tala the dark sorceress. She could just be Tala, and thought she was afraid knowing there are no guarantees of victory she owed it to this world to try and save it. So as the other four bickered on the proposed plan Tala finally spoke up " How do you plan to bring Morgan out in the open?" the four turned to her, causing Leslie to respond " Tala you can't be seriously considering fighting Morgan Tala turned to her paramore " Leslie there right i may be the only person alive who can defeat her. You have all helped me so much since finding me on Themyscira, and Leslie has feelings for you. I don't know what they are yet but I would like to explore them. I can't do that if Morgan takes over the world. I know the real legends of Morgan Le Fay not the distorted truth that King Arthur and his knight put forth. I owe it to all of you to at least try and defeat Morgan. So I ask how will you bring Morgan out in the open?" Kate pulled the box from her belt " we use what she has been looking for to bait her." She opened the box and there was the Philosopher's Stone. Tala got up from the bed she was on and her powers started to glow a bright pink. The magical aura enveloped Tala and when it faded no longer was the woman wearing the medical gown she had on previously, but was replaced by a dark blue gown. A slit going up to her waist revealing her slender leg. A v neck formation revealing a generous amount of cleavage, and had pointed tips at the shoulders. After the outfit change Tala turned to the group. I will do it.
After much more protests from Leslie the former villain finally conceded defeat to the woman who she hopes may be her girlfriend if they all make it out of this. The trap was set they had the stone sitting in the open in the old 5th district that was scheduled to be demolished in a few months to keep innocent lives from harm. Everyone was watching from a distance not wanting to get involved in this. After a few hours they started getting perimeter warning that something was coming, and out of the darkness came a red fog rolling down the street, and from the red fog walked out Morgan. The dark sorceress setting her sights on the Philosopher's stone before. As the sorceress approached the stone and reached for it she stopped herself looking up " There it is again that powerful mana disturbance I sensed since I emerged. Only one witch I know could generate such power, but can it be after over a thousand years my old coven mate Tala ." She turned around and looked as Tala walked out of the alley stepping in front of Morgan. Tala looked at the sorceress " it's good to see you Morgan after rumors of your death at the hands of Arthur." Morgan waved her hand dismissively " Like that pompous fool could kill me even with excalibur. Tell me, have any of our other coven mates survived with you?" Tala had a sad look at the mention of their coven " No for centuries i thought i was the last one, but now he you are." Morgan looked at Tala " So you and I are the last ones indeed and let me guess this is your form of tribute Tala." That when she sensed it " ah you didn't come here to join me you came her to try and stop me, and what's this all that for some misplaced affection for one of these commoners. Come now Tala why waste your powers on something so trivial as love." Tala stepped towards Morgan " Morgan i have been alone hiding from certain death for centuries, and what did it get me i was imprisoned by a power hungry mage that just wanted to use my powers for his own gains. What do we have to show for all this power that you and I have nothing. I focused like you for centuries trying to become the most powerful sorceress turning away love, friendship, everything in that quest, and i am tired i want to take this chance and start over just like i think you should Morgan we have both been given the same chance in this new world to be something more than our magic." Morgan gives a sadistic chuckle " Oh Tala the last thousand years have made you soft, But if you feel your powers are that much trouble then allow me to rid you of that burden." Before Tala could do anything Morgan hit her with a powerful mystic bolt sending her flying into an abandoned car. Morgan turned around to take the stone, but was hit by a powerful mystic bolt herself causing her to fall to her knees in pain. She looked back at Tala's extended glowing hand " So Tala you have chosen death well who am i do deny your wish." Without warning both sorceresses send a powerful mystic bolt meeting each other with a sadistic clash fighting for dominance, but not giving an inch. Both put everything they had into the attacks. The attacks started to react with each other causing powerful bolts of lighting to occur striking everything around them sending debris everywhere. Morgan then broke the attack and conjured a fireball with her hand and from that fireball she conjured a giant flaming dragon-like creature that charged at Tala. Tala quickly used a spell that stopped the creature in its tracks, countering and sending a wall of fire back at Morgan which she quickly then parted down the middle. Tala, not wanting to give an inch, then summoned the water from the pipes below, sending it at Morgan before she had a chance to respond, enveloping the other sorceress in a bubble of water trying to suffocate her opponent. Morgan, in a last ditch effort used her powers to Levitate a piece of debris from the floor and sent it at Tala hitting the sorceress and making her break her concentration causing the bubble to collapse and Morgan to fall on the floor. Tala then sent another mystic bolt at Tala while the other sorceress raised a shield to stop the attack. In a fit of rage Morgan then stopped the attack and with a furious scream sent a shock wave around the whole area breaking every window in a five block radius. The shock wave sent Tala flying. Morgan then raised all the newly shattered glass and sent the shards right at Tala. The purple haired sorceress barely had enough time to respond and raised a last minute barrier that turned all the incoming shards into sand. Morgan could not believe that Tala was still standing. She then put her hand to the street and crack and fissures started to form and the floor beneath Tala gave way dropping her into a pit, and Morgan started to pile debris on top of her barring her. Convinced that she had ended the other sorceress " your weakness is why you will never defeat me." Unbeknownst to Morgan Tala was very much alive, and just waiting for Morgan to get over confident and sent a mystic bolt and pushed the debris right back at Morgan not allowing the sorceress time to evade. Tale climbed out of the whole and before Morgan could recover she used her powers and all the debris around her lifted and she sent the stampede of debris right at Morgan many of them striking true. Morgan sent a bust of energy destroying the remaining incoming debris. She picked up some nearby bricks and with a wave of her hand she turned the bricks into stone daggers and sent them to Tala. The purple haired source was ready for it and opened a portal in front of her and another next to her. The daggers entered into one portal and out the other, sending them back to Morgan. She was able to perch the daggers but one of them hit her in the face damaging her golden armor under her eye. Tala pressed the attack and hit Morgan with a powerful Mystic bolt sending her into one of the abandoned buildings. Tala then used her powers and the building came alive and broke from its foundation and started to rise. Tala walked towards Morgan and looked at the other sorceress " a thousand years ago Morgan your were the strongest and most feared magic user in the world, but since you were stuck in your amulet i have spend that thousand years gaining more knowledge and power back then you were the master and i the student but now the student has surpassed the master." without warning she dropped the building on Morgan. The resulting crash caused the building to collapse on itself in a big cloud of smoke. As the smoke cleared Tala surveyed her handy work for any sign of Morgan. Suddenly a pile of debris was pushed out and Morgan was left standing. She dropped to her knee in exhaustion from the energy expended saving herself. She could barely stand and knew she was beaten, and as much as she wanted the stone there was no chance in her state that she could beat Tala. For the first time Morgan recognized that she needed help to beat Tala. She turned to the other sorceress " you may have won this round Tala, but mark my words i will get my revenge on you. I will make you sorry you got in the way of Morgan Le Fay." with that Morgan disappeared in a cloud of fog.
At the DEO Tala is welcomed to thunderous applause for her victory over Morgan Le Fay. More importantly was Leslie rushing her and tackling her with a hug and a hungry passionate kiss causing even more commotion from the crowd. Tala gave the stone back to Kate " I believe this belongs to your friend." Kate gave her a nod but before she left she turned to Diana to make Tala the offer. Diana stood up still shaky from her injury; her leg still had not fully healed from the battle with Morgan. She took a few steps forward " Tala we wanted to ask you something or rather offer you something. Without you today National City and even the world would be threatened by the threat that Morgan posed. You didn't have to help us, but you did. So after you defeated Morgan we all took a vote and we were unanimous that we would like to extend an invitation to you to join the sirens as our seventh member to the team." Tala was touched by the offer. For the first time in a long time she felt truly happy and free to be herself without judgment. She gave a genuine smile " in the past i did terrible things in the quest of gaining more power, and for the first time i maybe able to use my power for good instead of evil. I will accept your offer to join your team." This caused another loud roar from the crowd. The sirens got stronger.
At the Latverian embassy the mode was less jovial. Victoria Von Doom's legion of doom was starting to get restless. Langstrom slammed her fist on the table in front of her " Victoria you promised that we would take down the Sirens and yet we are just here doing nothing while they prance around saving the city. So tell us when are you going to deliver." Erica also concurred with Langstrom. Victoria sat back in her chair " we are not ready for that fight yet both of you are so hell-bent on your revenge you refuse to see the big picture. Everything in my life, my friend. I am a woman of my word and I always deliver on my promises. All I ask is that we keep our heads. The plan to break out Octavia Octavius is prepared for when the moment comes. We need to reinforce our ranks to beat them so we will b " Victoria's logic one out even though she could tell that they did not like it. However before she could continue a voice interrupted her " your wrong now the sirens have seven members." The group of six went on alert looking around to see where the voice came from. Victoria was the first to speak " who are you identify yourself." a cloud of fog started to roll into the room and the voice continued " i am the person who is going to help you in your goal of defeating the sirens if you help me with my goal.'' The group stood side to side in front of the fog. Victoria continued, " what exactly can we help you with?" the voice gave a sinister chuckle. " I want the head of the sorceress Tala on a pike, and in return I will help you get what you want from the destruction of the sirens." The six women looked at each other at this intriguing offer. However they were still wary being that they were talking with a cloud essentially. Victoria again spoke up " what is your name i think we would all prefer talking to an actual person then a cloud of fog." the figure spoke again "very well" as soon as she finished a figure walked out of the fog " you can call me Morgan Le Fay now do we have a bargain" Victoria looked to her side with Erica and Francine both nodded and she turned to her other side and Daniella and Andrea also nodded their assent to the proposal. Victoria turned to Morgan " looks like we have a bargain Morgan."
hey guys sorry about the i hope to get more chapters out now that i am not as busy as I was i tried to make this a little longer for you guys so i hope you enjoy it.