"Another great practice Wayne. I don't know if we're gonna let you pitch as the state tourney is coming up, but keep that arm loose." Coach Gibson reminded him
He and Damian were standing at the edge of the Baseball Diamond. They hadn't left yet even though practice ended over 20 minutes ago. The Marauders were now 7-0 and State didn't seem like a pipe dream anymore. Now however Coach Gibson was worried about any injuries and protecting Damian's arm for state.
Really Coach Gibson should have been worried if he was planning on doing anything reckless as Robin anytime soon.
"Of course Coach. Shouldn't be a problem. But my arm feels great and I'd like to pitch the last game if I can." Damian replied
"Like I said Damian. Will see. Now go and do what you teens do and party or whatever. Kent and your girlfriend have been waiting for you since the start of practice." Coach teased
"Not my girlfriend sir." Damian called as he walked to his friends.
"Let's see, goes to all your practices, goes to all your games, Wears number 51's jersey in the bleachers, belting out your name every inning. If she's not your girlfriend kid, then I'm not addicted to tobacco." Coach Gibson said and started to laugh
Damian didn't have anything to say to that, and just continued to walk away. And to be fair, Coach Gibson did love his chewing tobacco. It seemed like these days everyone was concerned with his love life.
"Damiannn." He heard Jon call in a sing songy voice. Oh brother.No doubt Superboy had been listening in to his and Gibson's conversation. If that Kryptonian said anything dumb he and Alfred were hightailing it out of there.
"What now Kent?" Damian asked annoyedly
"Nothing." Jon snickered "Just Lyta and me, your two best buddies here to support you at another practice."
"You were great today." Lyta complimented with a bright smile.
"As per usual." Damian shrugged, really focused on whatever Jon was planning. And by the devious smirk on his face, they both knew what was coming.
"What's with the staring contest you two?" Lyta questioned
"Oh nothing." Jon sighed happily, "Just two old friends, sharing a telepathic connection."
"Can it Superdolt." Damian insisted "Not another word."
"Hmph." Lyta took a good hard look at each of them "I'm not exactly sure what you two are doing, but I don't think I like it."
"Relax." Damian put an arm around her shoulder pulling her away from the Baseball field, and momentarily freezing her in the process. He hadn't ever done that before."Jon and I are just joking around...Telepathically."
Lyta pulled Damian's arm off of her and looked at the two boys "Yes well, I'd like to know what you were joking about. Telepathically of course."
"Well you see Lyta-" Jon started
"Some jokes are meant to stay on the inside." Damian cut Jon off "We were just about to drop it."
The look Damian gave Jon made him feel like he was about to cross the proverbial edge. He didn't want to provoke his friend anymore. Lest he find kryptonite shards in his suit. Maybe this would push Damian to actually talk to him about it soon.
"Weirdos." Lyta mumbled under her breath. "Anyways are we going to the Fortress?"
"You two can." Damian told them "I can't make it today."
"Again?" Jon questioned "I thought you were free."
"I've got business in Gotham." Damian admitted "I know I've been a little busy lately, but I promised Suren and Maya I'd do this."
"If you say so." Jon shrugged "Nothing we can say will change your mind, so I guess all I can say is hurry up."
"What is it that you promised them?" Lyta wondered
"Hmmm…" Damian thought about it "I'll tell you later." It seemed they had gotten very close to Damian's helicopter without realizing it. He hoped in, and Jon and Lyta looked on, curious to what this new development for their friend was.
"I'm going to see you guys tomorrow at least. Don't cry." Damian teased
"Funny Damian." Lyta said unamused, "Just come back quickly."
After that Alfred took off, and that left Jon and Lyta alone at the baseball field. "Back to the Fortress?" Jon questioned
"Guess so." Lyta agreed.
The two heroes took their time getting to the Fortress, not sure what was in store for them today.
"Do you wanna just patrol Metropolis?" Lyta asked, since there was nothing to do.
"No, my dad's there. It will be too easy." Jon disagreed "Maybe we just wont patrol today."
"Maybe." Lyta agreed "We can go to my house, watch movies."
"Sounds like a plan." Jon nodded, but before they could get ready to leave there was a loud alarm sounding from the computer.
"What is it?" Lyta asked excitedly, Jon zoomed to FORTI and started scanning for whatever this could possibly be.
"Seems like it's a level 5 threat." Jon murmured, as he scanned the computer "All the way in Turkey."
"Level 5? I could have sworn we were only allowed Level 4 threats." Lyta said with uncertainty
"Yeah that was true before, but the rules have recently changed. Level 5 and I think possibly some Level 6 missions can be approved for us. I think it was after the mission in the future."
"I guess there is still the problem of getting to Turkey. It's pretty far, and it seems unlikely we could get home in time if we flew there." Lyta explained
"You're right." Superboy agreed, though he could have made it "But it's not a problem. With the addition of new threat levels we've also been connected to the Justice League's Teleporter. We can make it around the world in no time." Jon told her
"That's perfect, well what are we waiting for!" Lyta said excitedly. Jon typed in a few things and stood patiently with Lyta waiting for the Teleporter to activate. Soon enough it did and they were transported in a flash of blue light, and in seconds were in Turkey.
As Jon and Lyta looked around in wonderment, It became clear to Fury by looking at their surroundings that they were in Bursa, Turkey. One of the country's biggest cities.
The most jarring thing about the Teleportation to this new country was the sudden time change, one moment it was the afternoon, the next moment it was night time. And the two heroes could tell there was a bad omen in the air.
"Yolu açın! Bu bir polis sahnesi." (Clear the road! This is a police scene!) One older man clearly dressed in a police uniform told the large group of crowding people. "Hemen yeri boşaltın!" (Clear the place now!)
Jon and Lyta were confused as they knew nothing of the language the man spoke, however it was clear through his actions he wanted them to move. Instead the people stood there paralyzed in shock crowding around the police scene. Men, women, and children sobbed as whatever crime took place, had clearly broken the hearts of the people of this city.
Superboy couldn't figure out much, but a word he commonly picked up on was Allah. Making him wonder what was going on for the people to call on the God for help.
"What can you see Superboy?" Fury questioned her friend softly, she couldn't see through the crowd, but she could trust her nose. The place already had a pungent smell of blood and death. And who could miss the fear looming around the city, settling in as if it was invited here.
"There's a body and...Great Scott." Superboy exclaimed as he used his X-Ray Vision "Let's just say it shouldn't look like that. I'm not going to sleep for a few days."
"We need to get past the crowd, and inspect the body. Treat this like a crime scene." Lyta told him.
"I'll try." Superboy affirmed, and made a move towards the crowd with Fury following "Hello." he called, grabbing the people's attention "I am Superboy and my friend Fury. We are with the Justice League and are here to help."
Most of the people including the officers looked towards the floating teens with curiosity, most however simply seemed confused.
"I am Superboy." He repeated "And this is Fury. With the Justice League."
"They can't understand us." Fury sighed annoyedly "That will only make this harder."
"Some sort of do." Superboy told her "They recognize Superboy and Justice League well enough, but the rest is foreign to most of them."
"Does anyone speak English?" Lyta yelled to the crowd, it was quiet for a long while until a woman in her 20s spoke up, albeit quietly.
"Me...I-I do."
"Perfect." Lyta said and nudged Jon to follow her to the woman. But the Superboy had plans of his own.
"You take the lead on the crime scene Fury. I'll be back." Jon insisted, and started to fly away.
"Wait!" Fury called "Where are you going?"
"To learn Turkish. Be back soon." Superboy called and zoomed away, He estimated he could speed read through a dictionary in 2 minutes. Now where to find one.
With Fury she pushed her way through the crowd uttering apologies, that didn't seem to matter as few understood the english she spoke. She didn't stop until she got to the front of the crowd and was able to see the body Jon spotted earlier. And she couldn't believe her eyes either.
"Athena's blade." She whispered in shock. The Police Officers wanted to move her away, but one look from her had them cowering in fear.
"The english speaker? Where are you?" Lyta questioned
"Right-Right here madam." The young lady called "Why do you call?"
"I need your help translating into Turkish for me." Lyta told her "Tell the people. Civilians and Officers alike that I need them to take a step back. This is no ordinary murder, and the Justice League are on the case."
"As you wish." she nodded and wasted no time, doing whatever Lyta asked of her. She could feel the invasive presence at her back slowly disappear as the woman continued to repeat the orders until the people understood what was going on.
It finally gave Lyta a chance to analyze what she was seeing and she did her best to go into Detective mode. The woman was dressed in a modified red abaya with the turkish national flag on the front of her chest. There was a jeweled belt around her waist that transitioned into her pants, that were nearly all ripped up showing her immense struggles. The hood that headlined her modified abaya was singed, and she wore a mask from her chin to her nose that was torn like the rest of her costume.
As Lyta hovered over her she had to hold back the feeling of turning away from looking at the woman's state. Her throat was slashed so heavily, open for all the world to see. It was hard to tell if her head was still connected to the rest of her body.
There were many slashes of course on the woman's body, but one of the many identifying factors was that the sword sat right in the middle of chest plunged deep into her heart, blood still soaking the already crimson tunic.
The worst part had to be the eyes. The cold, empty eyes, that signified life had long since left the woman's body. Still it didn't stop her from reaching to her side to grab her lasso, wondering to herself if she would heal the woman.
"Fury...can you even do that?" She heard Superboy ask from beside her. She wasn't sure when he showed up, but it was obvious to her that she must have been out of it for a while.
"I don't, I don't know. Superboy I think we need to call the League." Lyta admitted
"I already did." Superboy sighed "Whenever they have the time to send some leaguers they will, but we aren't technically in any trouble and some places actually are. We aren't exactly high on the list of priorities."
"Makes sense." But with Lyta she was still having an internal battle. It wasn't just about if she could help. It was about if she was allowed to. She wasn't allowed, or at least she wasn't supposed to interfere with natural deaths. This of course was a murder of the highest order, but something told her Apollo wouldn't say yes if she asked.
You are right Hippolyta. She heard the man's voice ring out in her head. I'm sorry, but this death is considered natural. For Selma Tolon this death is unnatural, you would be allowed to try and heal the medical doctor to the best of your abilities on the spot. But for Janissary she chose the life of a hero. And as you know, these deaths are all too common in this line of work.
"Great." Lyta gritted out angrily "Thank you for lending your knowledge Apollo."
"Hm? Apollo?" Jon questioned
"Apollo has just told me that there are no revivals for Janissary. It's not possible. This death in the eyes of my Gods is considered natural."
"Janissary. The extremely loyal servants of Turkey." Jon said in wonder with his newfound knowledge "Is that what she's called?"
"Yes." The Turkish woman spoke up for the first time in a while "And she was the greatest hero our country has ever known."
Lyta sighed and said a little prayer for Janissary before shutting the woman's eyes and pulling the sword out of Janissary's chest. Both of the actions seemed to shock the woman.
"Do you think you would be able to tell us what you know of Janissary?" Jon asked the woman.
"Y-yes." She stuttered once more "From what I've heard It all started 4 years ago in Izmit, Turkey. Where a young woman took on the challenge of helping thousands in an earthquake, and becoming the Janissary."
TRINITY
Damian was in Gotham, specifically the streets of the city watching from above how the city navigated mid day. Usually he didn't go out as Robin midday and today this was no different.
He stood at the top of the rooftops garbed in a grey tunic very similar to his assassin clothing, but with a lot less knives, swords, and things that would make you go boom.
For what he wanted to do today he didn't want to be Robin. No for now he'd be something else, he was still taking a risk in doing this and he needed to limit as many mishaps as possible.
"Suren and Maya wanted me to get trained in the Mystic Arts...So I guess that journey starts today." He told himself
Truth be told he was just a little worried. He knew what his future self was supposed to use his magic for. He also simply knew how dangerous magic could be. On the mind and the body. He didn't want to be the next John Constantine, or Zatanna. He didn't want to be Doctor Fate, or Doctor Occult. He really just wanted to be Damian Wayne. Robin.
Unfortunately Damian Wayne Robin wasn't someone who could see past power. Maybe that was the Al Ghul in him, but he simply knew when a good opportunity presented itself. Practicing magic instantly made him the strongest member of the Batfamily and he was sure of it. Practicing magic made him feel like there wasn't a person in the world he wouldn't be able to take in a fight.
His genius IQ, natural fighting ability, and the endless possibilities that came with practicing arcane arts, instantly in his mind put him in the top 10 superpowers in the world. Genuinely who could stop him?
But it was just never that simple. Magic was one of those things science could not explain, and many human minds just wouldn't be able to fathom. His own father refused to get too deep into analyzing magic, as it just annoyed him to no end. The bats didn't try and mesh with Magic too much and he was about to break that one rule.
"You two better have known what you were saying." Damian told himself once more. He jumped down from the rooftop with ease, landing in an alleyway not sure he was ready for what he was about to do...but he couldn't turn back.
He closed his eyes and cleared his mind attempting a technique he had been practicing of late. This would hopefully attract a lot of attention. He only hoped it attracted the right one first.
As he focused his hand bubbled and crackled with a dark orange energy, growing bigger and bigger as he willed it so, until it suddenly disappeared with a zap just as fast as he created it.
"There, that should do it." Damian said with a confident smirk. He waited a little bit. 10 seconds, 20 seconds, 45. And suddenly a portal came out and with it a blast of energy as well. Damian easily dodged, bouncing off the side of the building, barely refraining from sending a kick at the man.
"Wait." He called before he even saw his assailant. "You don't want to do this."
"And why in the bloody hell do I not?" The youngish voice called in it's thick british accent. Damian smiled because indeed who he was looking for came through the portal.
"Because I'm not your enemy." Damian told him quickly "Timothy Hunter."
The portal closed and out came a teenaged boy that looked like he could be a little older than him, despite the obvious lack of weight on the boy. He wore a simple red coat with a white shirt and he had a pendant over it. He had a grimace on his face and his thick rimmed glasses almost hid the clear look of knowledge on his face. Almost.
"You know my name." Tim said in clear surprise, before straightening himself out "I guess that makes up for me knowing yours. Al Ghul."
Damian wanted to frown but it made sense, he couldn't expect himself to be the only one who made sure to know what he was getting himself into.
"I remember." Tim confirmed "How could one forget stumbling upon Ra's Al Ghul and his band of merciless goons?"
"More than just stumbled upon. If I remember." Damian retorted "You stole an artifact."
"Recovered." Tim corrected "The bloody thing was an heirloom anyway."
"Sure. Regardless I think we both know why I'm here." Damian told him.
"Yeah, unfortunately I do." Tim sighed, "Now come on. You created too much of a commotion as it is."
Tim opened up a new portal and hopped through it. Damian gave one more look around Gotham before hopping into it as well.
As the portal closed after Damian, a horde of spirits enclosed on their location, disappointed and more importantly, angry at the fact they had missed an opportunity to find whatever great magical power was waiting to be used.
"A true conduit." They hissed in glee. They'd find the both of them. And when they did it would be glorious.
With Tim and Damian they stepped out of the portal nearly simultaneously, landing on the cobbled ground.
It only took a few seconds for Damian to realize they were in the United Kingdom. It made sense as that was Tim's home country. In front of them was a small building. It was almost like a house And on the outside it was very ugly. It looked broken down, and useless.
That meant that it could only be the opposite. The house was hiding something. But what?
Tim walked through the front of the house not even opening the door, clearly using a basic intangibility spell to get in. He was probably thinking Damian couldn't get through. Or he wanted to see Damian's power.
"ytilibignatnI em tnarG." Damian called calmly and instantly he walked through the front door as well. The inside of the house was much different from the outside. For one it was 10x bigger than the outside of the house, and of course it was equally 10x nicer.
It was like the manor almost, not quite as posh as it was nowhere near as clean, but this house was much more than a teenaged boy would be able to afford. He noticed the power the house held as well, the many knick knacks, tons of books and other little pendants that held magical power.
It was like a mini version of Constantine and Zatanna's House of Mystery. He had to say he was a little impressed.
"Like the place? It's not much yet, not nearly enough of the things I need. But it's coming around." Tim told him, seemingly not too interested.
"It's nice." Damian said nonchalantly "What spell is on the door? It's weak."
"Hmph." Tim huffed annoyed at the notion that he created a weak spell. "That's the thing Al Ghul. The spell isn't weak. You clearly don't understand the depths of your own power."
"Explain."
"The spell I've put here could only be broken by a few. Sure it's easy to utter a few backwards words, but just because you know what to say, or what action to make doesn't mean you have enough power to get through. Demons have tried and failed, spirits struggle, It took Jennifer Morgan a few tries before she went through, even the Faerie Queen took pause at the door."
Tim turned to Damian with a very serious look in his eyes and continued to speak "This tells me you don't even understand the depth of your own power. You like me are a conduit for magical energy, that I assume you knew. Or else why call me to Gotham?"
"I know enough." Damian argued "I understand my power is great, I also understand that I don't want it. I've only come to you in hopes to train it. If I have an ability I might as well make sure it's at it's best, so I can use it as needed. Albeit sparingly."
"You still don't understand do you?" Tim laughed "You are mostly a science man. You see science as things that can be manipulated and controlled by you. Done correctly science is yours to wield in whatever way you see fit."
"Magic isn't like that." Damian said knowingly
"Not even close." Tim agreed "Many strive to control Magic. But every single time Magic proves to control you. You don't get to pick and choose when you want to use Magic. Either you accept it or you deny it. There isn't room for an in between."
"Lovely speech." Damian rolled his eyes "But you'll find I'm not your average person. What I want to happen will happen. And you can count on that."
Tim just sighed, understanding just how stubborn Damian was "Whatever. I've done enough warning. Just know you might not feel it in a week. You might not feel it in a month, or even a year. Hell you might not feel in 5 years. But Magic always comes back calling. All magic no matter how big, no matter how small has a price. And you can be damn sure it will come and collect. And it won't be pretty."
"Why are you so relaxed?" Damian questioned "You're a magic man so I'm sure you've dealt with weirder. But normally I wouldn't expect one to be so calm about this. Almost as if you knew this would happen."
"As the Opener I've seen things." Tim explained vaguely "I hear and know a lot I probably shouldn't. Things that have happened a long time ago, and things that people haven't even began to formulate yet. I know our future is at the very least somewhat intertwined. Good or bad has yet to be determined. You don't seem like you want to kill me. So I'll train you."
"Good. We start now then." Damian insisted
"I was thinking the same thing." Tim agreed, he took Damian over to another room that transitioned into what seemed like a training room simulator.
"Show me what you know and don't hold back. It's time to figure out just how powerful you are...Conduit." Tim said with a smirk. And if Damian didn't know any better he'd say Tim was enjoying this.
Damian nodded and his hands crackled with the orange energy once again. "Whatever you say. Hunter. Just don't come calling for mercy."
TRINITY
"And so Janissary has been protecting Turkey ever since. I still remember the day your Justice League came here. It was a day of pride for our country as Janissary got worldwide recognition. It feels like yesterday...when in reality it was over 3 years ago." The woman finished explaining to them.
"So Janissary." Jon started as he held the sword in awe, the craftsmanship was remarkable "This sword belonged to her."
"Yes. And as far as our people knew. No one could hold it but her. Everyone who had tried had failed. Yet you two hold it with ease."
"It feels magical." Fury told Jon "Like my lasso or even my armor. There is something about it."
"Yeah." Jon agreed and handed the sword to her "I get that feeling. My family aren't the biggest magic fanatics, and that sword has me on edge. Maybe there was an enchantment on it. That's why certain people couldn't hold it."
"It could possibly be heavier than normal as well. Maybe we can hold it because we are beyond normal." Lyta theorized.
"Not a bad idea Fury. You said Janissary always had a book with her?" Jon questioned the woman once more.
"Yes a book full of magic." The woman said eyes gleaming with promise "Janissary would use the book and she could fix anything. Raging storms, landslides, it was all within her grasp. She saved us a hundred times over...And now she's gone." The woman started crying again.
"İyi olacak." (It's going to be okay) Superboy comforted the lady, pulling her away from the scene "Bugün bize yeterince yardım ettin. Ailenin yanına git." (You've helped us enough today. Go home to your family.)
The woman nodded, not able to say another word and left leaving Jon and Lyta to their own devices.
"How long until the Justice League shows up?" Fury asked Superboy
"I don't know. They could come in twenty seconds or a couple of hours. Our best bet is to look around." Jon decided
"Alright. You take the left, I will take the right." Fury said and shot off towards the large buildings. Truthfully she was ready to do anything to get away from the smell of the body. She didn't think it was supposed to get that bad that fast.
Jon shot off towards the left, deciding to look for anyone suspicious. But he realized it was a lot harder trying to do that in a foreign country. It just felt like profiling, and that was wrong. He needed to use his surroundings. The environment needed to help them for this one.
"If I were a villain who killed a hero, no later than an hour ago, where would I hide?" Jon asked himself. This was a murder, and of course people were killed for little things, money, food, sport.
But most villains killed for one thing and one thing only. And that was power. Janissary had to have been killed for the power she possessed. She was a magic user, so maybe it was safe to say her killer hadn't left yet, because magic wasn't the easiest to maneuver.
And since it was an International crime, maybe the killer wasn't expecting the Justice League to respond. Or they simply didn't care.
"Which means they might still be in the city." Jon told himself "So where's a good place for a hideout?"
Jon took to the dark night skies and tried to find where the killer could be hiding in the cobbled streets. Things were closer together in Turkey, which was a blessing in itself for Jon. It allowed him to use his X-Ray vision to scan for nearly everything in the large city. He did his best not to focus on appearance, rather those with books. And the results were successful.
After a few minutes Jon eyes zeroed in on the mountains down in Bursa. It was October in Turkey so it was warm though the rain had started to fall. So while the mountain peaks weren't as snowy as usual. The menacing peaks made a perfect spot to hide for a villain. Or two.
"Fury, by the mountains!" Superboy immediately told her through the commlink and shot off to the spot, It didn't take long for Jon to spot Fury behind him, and it was clear she spotted the two he identified as well.
"Down there, they aren't moving." Fury noted.
On the ground were two..teens? No the boy was like a young adult, but the girl was closer to their age. Regardless they both seemed to be in their own little world. The one Superboy took note of first was the boy, because in his hands was a thick old book. He would bet money that it was Janissary's book.
Still the most peculiar thing was the clothing. The man wore a purple armored silk shirt mixture. He had a cape on his back, and a purple cap to cover his long blonde hair. He had more purple armor down to his legs, and he also held a sheathed sword at his side.
The girl also wore a frilly armored shirt, which was more like a corset. But her shirt was a greenish-blue differing from the boy's own armor. The girl wore simple jeans and armored boots but other than that she didn't seem to be all that covered.
The most interesting thing was the cat on her shoulder she seemed to be engrossed in a conversation with. Along with her frilly brown hair and bodacious smile. She didn't seem all that dangerous. Of course appearances could be deceiving.
"The armor I recognize it." Fury told him, and tried to think back to where she had seen it.
"Yeah it's british." Jon agreed
"Not just british. It's Arthurian." Lyta said in amazement "That armor has to be hundreds of years old."
"You mean it's medieval? Goes with the whole witch and wizard motif those two have going on." Superboy noted
"Where do you want to go from here?" Lyta asked
"It seems weird to attack them, they aren't exactly doing anything but...They most likely killed Janissary. We should go talk to them."
"Agreed." Lyta nodded ready for anything "Let's go have a friendly chat with those two down there."
Before they moved the blonde haired boy shut the book and stared at the two heroes floating in the sky.
"Morgana." The boy called aggressively to the girl beside him
"Yes Mordred?" The girl called in one of the silkiest voices Superboy had ever heard. She sounded way too...charming to have done what they might have done.
"It seems we have company. An idiotic Kryptonian and an Amazonian whore." Mordred said haughtily
"What did he just call me?" Lyta questioned in silent seething rage. Superboy's face was almost red from embarrassment. So quick to use such dirty language!
"That wasn't very nice of you Mordred." Morgana told him, though she was more focused on her cat "He doesn't mean it. Will you two come down to play?"
Lyta and Jon looked at each, the former still seething with rage. If coming to play meant punching those two into submission, Lyta was all for it.
Superboy and Fury flew to the ground stopping a few feet away from the two suspected villains and came to a near standstill with them. Just from the aura put out from these two Superboy knew these were the ones who killed Janissary. It made him clench his fist in concealed rage. That had been one of the most brutal murders he had ever seen, and yet these two were as cool as cucumbers.
"Who are you, and what business do you have in Turkey?" Fury asked them angrily.
"Mind your own business harlot." Mordred commanded angrily
"I'll give you one more chance to answer my question, little man." Fury responded with just as much venom "After that I'll let my blade do the talking."
"This one is serious, Mordred." Morgana said with a laugh "Maybe you should stop while you're ahead."
"Quiet Morgana!" Mordred lashed out at the laughing girl. Before turning towards Lyta "You should be wary of how you talk to me, woman." Mordred "You speak to the most powerful man alive, and if you hold your tongue, I may spare your life."
Before Fury could respond once more Superboy intervened, inserting himself into the conversation.
"You two killed Janissary." He said pointedly.
"Janissary?" Mordred questioned "I've never heard of it. Don't accuse me of anything Kryptonian. Lest you also meet my blade."
"He means the woman you killed earlier. For the book Mordred." Morgana said lamely "How could you forget something you just did."
"Rrrgghhh, BECAUSE SHE WAS INSIGNIFICANT MORGANA! Now keep your mouth shut!" Mordred raged once more.
But Morgana's reaction was different this time. It was clear by the way her entire face changed, from the cool calm and collected manner she had, to a fierce annoyed look.
"You'd do well not to continue speaking to me like that." Morgana said coldly, and Mordred nodded slowly though he was hesitant.
Her reaction was far scarier than anything Mordred had shown up to that point. You could feel the power emanating off of her.
"Regardless, you killed someone." Fury brought the conversation back "We are going to have to bring you two in for questioning."
"Just try it." Mordred called and unsheathed a sword that still had blood on it, no doubt the blood of Janissary "You will meet the same fate as the other woman."
"Oh I can tell this is just going to be grand! I want the Kryptonian!" Morgana insisted with a bright smile, all too quickly did her mood change.
"Do as you please, But the harlot is mine." Mordred said and moved towards Lyta ready for a fight.
Lyta was the one to make the first move dashing towards Mordred with incredible speed barely giving him any chance to block her attack, but he still managed to put up a magical shield blocking her fists.
Superboy was going to attack Morgana as well, although he was a little hesitant, but she disappeared in a flash, making Superboy wondering where she went.
"Up here Kryptonian!" Morgana called from the mountain's peak "They've taken all the space down there, the atmosphere up here will make for a great battle. Come now Kryptonian!"
It was weird. Morgana didn't exactly sound like someone who wanted to kill someone. But then again she had said that Mordred had killed Janissary. She only seemed to be his accomplice, but that didn't make it much better.
He flew towards the girl ready to stop her at any cost and she seemed to know that. Morgaine lifted up her hands and sent a blast of magical energy straight at Jon that he couldn't avoid sending him flying back down to the bottom of the mountain.
"Oh dear, I thought he was stronger than that." Morgana said in shock, "Well I hope he's alright, don't you Frimost?"
On the ground Lyta and Mordred were locked in hand to hand combat, and unfortunately as much as Lyta hated to admit it, Mordred was good. Fast enough to keep up with her blazing speed, strong enough to counter the force of her hits, and smart enough to know the intricacies of combat.
"You are good. Yield now and I may let you become one of my concubines." Mordred told Lyta as they clashed swords.
"In your dreams." Lyta growled and used her strength to push Mordred off. Yes Mordred was a pretty good fighter, but she was divine. If she pushed deep enough, she felt this battle was hers for the taking.
Fury gave Mordred no time to recover from the harsh push off and flew at extraordinary speeds catching him off guard with a lightning fast kick he barely had time to escape, still it gave Lyta a chance to punch him square in the jaw, sending him flying to the ground. The cracking sound of Fury's knuckles against his face gave her much needed joy.
"Hmph. Don't tell me that's the best from the most powerful man alive." Fury teased the man. Mordred sprung to his feet and wiped the blood from the side of his lip. Seething with rage that she not only managed to hit him, but made him bleed as well.
"That was your one lucky hit." Mordred told her "NNGHHH, IT WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN!" he yelled and charged Fury, bolts of magical energy being sent Lyta's way, these were more powerful than anything else he had shot at her.
Fury was careful deflecting bolts to the best of her ability, and dodging anything else. If she could get through this, then she felt like she would have been through the worst of what Mordred had to offer.
With Superboy he had a little trouble shaking off Morgana's heavy blast. It wasn't often he went up against a villain that actually had the means to hurt him. The last people who were actually a match for him were Validus and the Eradicator.
Still he managed to beat Eradicator, but there was something about Magic that his body just couldn't take.
"I really don't like Magic." Jon grumbled as he got up and prepared to fly over to Morgana.
"Ah very good Frimost! It seems our friend is getting back up!" Morgana cheered happily. She was certainly a character. It wasn't often you saw someone be able to go from happy to sad to mad all in the span of ten seconds.
Superboy flew up to Morgana throwing a punch at Morgana which she dodged with ease, whether she teleported, or just had incredible speed he didn't know. Next was a kick which she deflected with a hearty laugh, and hit him with a palm strike. Sending Superboy tumbling backwards.
"Come on Superboy, you can do better than that!" Morgana encouraged. It was starting to get on Superboy's nerves, this weird way of kicking his ass. What was wrong with her?
He attacked once more, this time leading with his heat vision. It shot quickly through the air but a Pentagram was immediately thrown up in front of Morgana and swallowed up the heat vision.
"How?-
There was once again no time to react for Superboy as the Pentagram showed up behind him and his own heat vision shot out and zapped him in the back sending him flying towards the ground once more.
This wasn't normal. Morgana was strong, Superboy would give her that. But she wasn't stronger than him. Or at least she shouldn't have been. Unfortunately he was growing weaker by the second, which meant that Morgana had done something to him.
"What did you do to me?" Jon asked Morgana, even his voice was starting to sound weak. Morgana hovered over him with Frimost in her hand and a wide smile on her face but it wasn't inherently evil. She just looked like she was enjoying things.
"Your name is very fitting. It takes a super effort to stay on your feet after the spell I had conjured for you. Those first magical bolts I hit you with was a little spell I cooked up to zap your energy. It shouldn't take much longer before all that energy in your little solar radiated cells is gone."
"But why are you two doing this? What do you gain?" Jon questioned, it was a struggle to even fly to her level. In a little bit he wouldn't be able to fly at all.
"Is it not obvious, it's power?" Morgana told him, but even she sounded bored at the thought.
"From over here it seems like you already have all the power you need." Superboy pointed out.
"Don't be foolish, we both know you can never have enough power." Still she sounded disinterested and the both of them knew that. There was more to this than that. At least for her.
"I don't need the power." Morgana started to explain "But my Mother and of course my brother are never opposed to a boost in strength."
"M-Mother?"
"Of course!" Morgana exclaimed "You mean to tell me you've been fighting me this entire time and you have no clue who my family is?"
"Afraid not. Who are you?"
"I am Morgana Le Fay!" She introduced excitedly "You may know my mother Morgaine, and of course down there is my brother Mordred. We are the most prestigious family in all of Camelot!"
"Camelot, so you really are from the past?" Superboy realized, and Morgaine Le Fay was no joke either.
"Of course. Though I do appreciate the advancements of this time period."
"And your mother Morgaine Le Fay. She's- she's a certified crazy. A definite baddie." Superboy said more to himself than Morgana. If he had been looking at her he might have noticed the instant change on her face as he said that.
"It all makes sense now I guess. A family of crazy witch people."
Instantly a pair of green magical shackles wrapped around Jon's body, tightened so strongly that in his state he thought he might break a couple of bones.
"You'd be wise to never ever speak of my family like that again. That is your one and only warning." Morgana said coldly.
"I'm sorry but...It's true!" Superboy insisted, groaning in pain as the shackles tightened "Your strong Morgana!" Jon groaned out "Very strong, you said it yourself you don't need it. Your family is just using you. Didn't you hear the way Mordred was talking to you, he doesn't care for you! Just your power."
"Mordred is tough but we are family. And those are some very bold assumptions Kryptonian." Morgana told him, but Superboy could tell he had gotten her thinking.
"Listen Morgana, things don't have to be this way. Your brother killed Janissary, but to my knowledge you haven't done a thing! You don't have to be like your family. I can tell you're different from them. Tell me I'm wrong!"
"I…" Morgana started, but was struggling to come up with a good enough answer "Just because I'm not as barbaric as Mordred doesn't mean I won't destroy you."
"You won't destroy me!" Superboy said confidently "And it's not because you can't, it's because you won't! You've taken me down in the most painless way possible, if you wanted to kill me you'd have just done it."
"That's not true." Morgana insisted angrily. In Superboy's he had her. He wasn't sure if he was bluffing himself but he had to try.
"Well kill me then!" Superboy demanded "If you're so sure of it, then do it. I'm sure your Mother and Brother would have killed me ten times over."
Morgana raised an arm as if to end Superboy's life right there and then, and for a brief moment he was worried, but just as quick as she raised her hand she had dropped it. And Superboy couldn't contain the large smile that came over his face.
"See I knew it! You're not like your family Morgana. Your good! You don't have to be a gross evil witch-
Crack! Superboy's words were cut short as Morgana hit him with a furious backhand, making him cough up blood.
"Quiet." Morgana demanded "Don't confuse my mercy for weakness, keep disrespecting my family and I will torture you til the end of eternity."
KRAKOOM! For the first time in a long time both heroes looked to the ground where Lyta and Mordred were fighting. Though that fight seemed to be coming to an end as Lyta stood over the man, injured but clearly the victor.
"Are you okay Superboy?" Fury called "Once I'm finished down here, I will aid you up there."
"Fury has dealt with Mordred. Come-come on Morgana. It doesn't have to be this way." Superboy tried once more
"It seems we've let this drag on far too long." Morgana ignored him completely, instead she raised her hands in throwing motion and completely catapulted Superboy towards Fury. "Amazon, catch!"
Fury was forced to focus on Jon flying full force at her, not able to stop himself. She flew up into the air and caught him, but it gave Morgana ample time to teleport to Mordred, helping him up even if he vehemently refused.
"Morgana wait!" Jon called futility, but in another flash she was gone completely.
"Damn it." Superboy sighed. There was no telling what they were going to do. Morgaine, Mordred, and Morgana were up to something big. And he wasn't sure what. The book was important enough to kill for and in the hands of Morgaine Le Fay would be very dangerous.
"We need to get you to the medical bay." Fury told him, and hoisted him up carrying the defeated kryptonian. "She really got you. She's dangerous."
"Maybe." Superboy admitted "But I saw the look in her eyes as she left. She's not sure of herself. Not sure of her choices."
"Stop talking Superboy, you're only losing more of your strength." Lyta told him as she flew and got ready for transport.
One more time. If he could talk to her, just maybe he could convince her that she was better than her family. And next time he'd be at full strength to do it.
"Don't worry Morgana. I see right through your facade." Jon mumbled before drifting off to sleep in the care of Fury. She could only hope that he was right.
TRINITY
"Pitiful and it's all your fault!" Mordred yelled at Morgana in blind anger. It wasn't the first time she had to deal with this, and it certainly wouldn't be the last.
They were at their 'home' or whatever they wanted to call it. A base in the middle of the Penygader Mountain, deep in the country of Wales. It was a very nice hiding spot for the family of sorcerers.
"I'm sorry Mordred, I was acting under the assumption you could handle the Amazon." Morgana told him
"What are you trying to say? That I'm weak!?" He raged, "When Mother gets here, I'm going to tell her all about this."
"That you couldn't beat the Amazon, it's hardly my fault!" Morgana spat back angrily, now just as mad as Mordred was "If you hadn't underestimated your opponent I wouldn't have had to save you. And you would have been able to salvage you frail stupid ego!"
Crack! The force of Mordred's slap actually sent Morgana tumbling to the ground, grasping her cheek in agony. She hadn't been expecting it but it wasn't the first time he had done that either.
"You'd do well to respect your elders." Mordred spat angrily, before Morgana could even think of retaliation their mother appeared, almost out of thin air.
"Mordred's right." Morgaine insisted, no pity for Morgana who was picking herself up. "You should have done better Morgana."
"But I took out the Kryptonian!" She argued.
"Silence!" Morgaine yelled angrily. "You should have never fought in the first place! The first sign of trouble and you should have teleported away. We all know you like to dawdle."
"That she does Mother. I told her we needed to head out. She was more focused on other things, I'm afraid." Mordred told her.
It was a blatant lie and she was sure her Mother knew, but everyone knew she wasn't going to do anything about it. Mordred was her favorite, the normal child. She was the outsider, with a father of low class descent. At times it seemed like she was barely recognized as one of them.
"I'm sorry Mother." Morgana began to apologize. It wasn't her fault of course, not in the slightest but she could never let them know it. Lest she wanted far worse than a slap from Mordred.
"And I'm sorry Mordred, I never meant to put us in harm's way. It won't happen again."
"It better not!" Mordred warned with a cocky grin "Or else!"
"Now. Tell me you still have the Eternity book." Morgaine asked, barely able to conceal the excitement in her voice.
"Of course mother." Mordred responded, and with a few hand movements the book appeared out of thin air. "Now that brutish Fury did try and steal it from me. But I kept it safe for you."
Morgaine took the book from Mordred and it seemed like her mouth was watering as she flipped the pages of Merlin's magical book. It was exactly what she needed!
"Perfect! Good job everything's coming into place!" She said happily. She looked to Morgana and the metallic smile faded away and she coldly tossed the book to Morgana.
"Learn the essentials of the spells I've told you. And learn it well! You are the key to performing most of the spells in the book. Failure is not an option."
"Yes Mother."
"Good you are dismissed." Morgaine shooed her away "Mordred darling, with me."
"Right behind you mother!" He called with glee, casting one last annoyed glance at Morgana but she was already headed to her room. Ready to slave away and get no thanks in return.
"You don't have to be like your family. You're different from them, tell me I'm wrong!" Superboy's voice rang out in her head.
"Maybe there was a little truth to the Kryptonian's words, don't you think Frimost?" Morgana asked her cat.
"Meow."
"I know." Morgana sighed "Mordred keeps getting away everything, and yet he'd be in the clutches of the Justice League if it weren't for me."
"Meow."
"Exactly." Morgana sighed even angrier now, picking up a stray glass and clutching it tightly "No thanks from Mother and yet none of her plans seem to function without me!"
"Meow."
"Right, I'm the irreplaceable cog, and yet I'm treated like the soil beneath my feet." Morgana growled, the stress she was putting on the glass was far too much and it was crushed easily, the pieces making deep cuts into her hand, that stung quite a bit.
Frimost came over and tried to lick away the blood that dripped from her hand, she savoured the pain. Just for a few quick seconds before magicking away the entire mess anyway. "At the end of the day, it's what I get for being the daughter of a low class father isn't it?"
"Meow." This time Frimost didn't seem to agree, and it gave Morgana a chance to smile. Even if her family was hellbent on pushing her away, at least she had Frimost.
"Come on Frim. We've got spells to practice!" Morgana insisted enthusiastically, she wiped away any brewing tears in her eyes, abandoning her sullen mood quicker than the Flash could run suddenly once again ready to impress.
"If we get these spells right, I'm certain Mother will finally accept me fully as her true daughter. What do you think about that?"
"Meow."
"Oh stop being such a negative nancy." Morgana insisted "This will work. It has too. Now keep quiet Frimost, I have to work."
The cat sighed, and hopped on her owner's bed. Curling up for a nap. If she knew anything, she knew it was going to be a long day for her familiar. This was not the first time Morgana tried to win the love of Morgaine, and in Frimost's mind it wouldn't be the last.
The day Morgana understood that family was not supposed to work this way, was the day they broke free of the treacherous witch's hold. Until then, it seemed like her emotionally unstable owner would be in this eternal struggle.
Frim could only hope she took Superboy's words to heart. Then just maybe...maybe they could find some peace.