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Batman 1939: Three's Company

Chapter 18: Discovered

In the hidden room behind the fireplace.

Lord Felix of Faust entered the illusory fire in pursuit of his final prey, an untrained mage and a mundane. Normally such foes wouldn't warrant a tenth of his might, but he had suffered enough from the last mundane, so just to be safe he would annihilate them. He recalled his most devastating curses as he stepped out of the fire. Then his legs exploded.

Faust vanished behind a pillar before he hit the ground, but he wasn't sure what had happened even after the dust settled. His first guess was that a powerful mage had surprised him, but there was no further attack. He did hear footsteps across the room. Faust seethed. It must have been some sort of mundane bomb.

His left leg was missing below the knee and his right leg was scarcely intact. He was in enormous discomfort. The effort of stabilizing the wounds took nearly all of his focus. He certainly couldn't spare the energy for levitation. He was stuck. Faust closed his eyes and considered more desperate options.

A magic spell was a deal struck with a supernatural being to let a mage break a rule of nature. Some deals permitted the mage to break a rule as often as they wished. Others had conditions. For instance, Lord Faust enjoyed a warm working relationship with several forest spirits, having once driven a species of weevil extinct. Faust had won the power to turn people into trees as often as he wished. He had also negotiated permission to turn parts of himself into a tree while still moving like a person, but this spell was pay-per-use. He would owe them a substantial gift the next time he entered a forest. Such was the life of a mage.

At least the technique was simple. Faust brought to mind the potential of an acorn and cast the spell. He smelled pine needles and heard birdsong. Gnarled roots began to sprout from the wounds in his legs. Soon he had new legs and feet covered in bark. Besides a sudden fear of lumberjacks, he felt intact. Faust stood and stretched his new limbs.

He looked around the dim storage room. He sensed the heir nearby, a feeling so loud now that it buzzed in his mind. He had to forget any dreams of annihilating the room in one strike; he didn't have the strength. This would be a hunt. Still, he could make the job easier. Faust looked around and estimated the most flammable corner of the room. Then he cast a rain of burning pitch. Crates and odd machines quickly caught fire. The fire began to spread.

Zatanna Zatara was hiding in a cramped iron maiden when she smelled smoke. Then the iron surronding her grew hot. When she couldn't stand another moment, Zatanna cracked the door and peeked around. The box in front of her was on fire. Zatanna gasped, immediately inhaling smoke. She stumbled out of the iron maiden and coughed, crawling as fast as she could. Clouds of smoke blotted out the ceiling, and the fire seemed to be spreading in every direction.

Zatanna looked around. Rising above the rows of magician equipment was her father's three-story water tank. She could see through its glass that it was filled to the top. Her father's first rule of submersion tricks was to have a hammer nearby. He was a stickler for safety. Zatanna took a deep breath and stood up. Her eyes watered as she rushed through the smoke.

Fortunately there were no big flames blocking her path, and she found a sledgehammer leaning against the tank. Her first swing chipped the glass. Her second swing caused a crack: a spray of water drenched her legs and puddled on the floor. Zatanna turned her head away and swung once again. The hammer shattered the glass. Scores of gallons flooded out of the man-sized hole. The wave crashed through nearby fires, transforming them to steam. It was obvious the water wouldn't reach all the fires, but it stopped a wide area of its growth.

Zatanna had stood at an angle to avoid the worst of the wave, but she was still blasted by the spray and lost her hat. Stumbling away, she coughed and tugged wet hair out of her face. She spared a thought to all the rare magician props she had just ruined but reasoned that they were doomed regardless.

Zatanna turned and stopped. Through the fiery haze, Zatanna saw the far figure of a man shuffling towards her. They locked eyes, and the man grinned, doubling his pace. Zatanna ran. A red beam flashed past her arm and destroyed a popcorn cart.

Lord Faust was quickly finding his footing on his wooden legs. He chased the girl around a corner. Yards ahead, he saw her climb into one of a pair of coffins on a platform. He stopped. Green motes of light surrounded his hands. He bent his fingers and thrust them at the coffin. Green bolts of lightning struck the coffin, obliterating it.

Faust sagged to catch his breath. A moment later, Zatanna climbed out of the other coffin and ran away. He growled and gave chase. He whispered another costly spell to add speed to his wooden feet and quickly closed the distance. He spotted Zatanna hiding behind some barrels. The arrogant girl was smiling and wearing her hat again. Faust fired a red beam. It destroyed the wooden cutout of Zatanna from an old circus promotion.

The real Zatanna was hiding on a tall shelf above Faust and trying to be silent. Faust looked around in consternation. He seemed ready to keep walking. Then he suddenly looked up. Faust and Zatanna locked eyes again. In a panic, Zatanna tossed down all her magic weapons: a coin, a hairpin, and an avocado pit. She had entirely forgotten how she was supposed to use them. The coin and hairpin did nothing. The pit burst into a volcano of avocado pulp. Faust was blinded and swept off his feet by a wave of avocado.

Zatanna jumped down and ran the other way. She saw the ladder to the attic door only a few rows away. Zatanna couldn't understand why Catwoman hadn't returned, but the safest bet seemed to be climbing up and joining her. The problem was that climbing a ladder would leave her exposed. She had to distract Faust for a minute or two to have a chance. Zatanna had no idea how to do that. She could only head towards it and hope for a lucky break.

As luck had it, between Zatanna and the ladder was a mirror maze. Faust spotted her running inside the maze and briskly followed. Soon he saw Zatanna cross his path. He fired a red beam at her and destroyed a mirror.

The paths of the maze curved and intersected at strange angles. Occasionally Zatanna appeared running across four or more mirrors, and it was impossible to tell which were reflections and which, if any, was the woman. The thin smoke from the fires and the dim electric lights made the odds of spotting her even worse.

"Stay still, girl," he sputtered after destroying his fourth mirror. "I'll make this quick."

"I'm not dumb enough to fall for that," he heard her say.

"A bluestocking, eh?" He turned a corner and saw five Zatannas, hands planted on their hips. As he tried to squint between them, all five ran away. "Blast," he said.

"Maybe we got off on the wrong foot," said Zatanna. "Instead of chasing me, how would you like to see a card trick?"

"Huh?" grumbled Faust. He ran down a hall of mirrors. Zatanna strolled through them on both sides as she shuffled a deck of cards.

"It's easy! All you have to do is keep your eye on the card. Nothing to it."

Faust responded by destroying three mirrors. He stepped through the gap and found himself in a circle of mirrors.

"Remember," said Zatanna, "Eye on the card."

"Come out now," ordered Faust.

Zatanna walked in, appearing in every mirror. She shuffled her deck once more and fanned out a hand. "Eye on the card."

Faust let out a scream of frustration and shattered every mirror around. Steam rose from his ears.

Zatanna was standing behind the circle. With no more reflections, she seemed very alone.

Terrified, she raised her hands. One hand held her deck. The other held the fanned cards. She suddenly squeezed the deck, firing a fountain of cards in the air. Faust glanced up at it. Her other hand flicked a playing card which flew ten feet and hit Faust square in the eye. He squealed and held his eye. "Ow!"

"Eye on the card," said Zatanna. She flicked another card which hit his other eye.

"Ow! How are you so accurate?"

"Magic," she said as she ran.

She didn't get far. A wave of force knocked her over, along with most objects nearby.

Faust marched up through the shadows on wooden legs, blinking his red eyes. His headdress was missing, revealing thin strings of hair. His indigo suit was almost as shredded as his face, and both were flecked with avocado.

Zatanna looked up at him from the cold floor. She wanted to beg or scream, but her body froze.

Faust looked tired. "If you had but halted, I would have ended you swiftly." A small blue flame hissed like a welding torch from his index finger. Zatanna was wide-eyed and couldn't look away. He pointed the finger at her chest. "I'll still offer a swift end if you confess where your garish woman is hiding."

"Hey!" shouted a familiar voice.

Faust looked up. Catwoman hung near the top of the ladder. Sindella floated beside her, lit by rising embers below. Sindella's eyes glowed with bright moonlight, and twirling blue vapors fled from her outstretched hands.

Sindella proclaimed, "ELAPMI DROL TSUAF HTIW RANUL SEKIPS!"

Twelve spikes of ghostly moonlight appeared around Faust. He raised a feeble shield, but the spikes plunged through it, piercing him in a dozen places. Faust clutched himself with a wet snarl. He dropped to his wooden knees, then fell to the floor and was still.

For a moment, the snap of flames was the only sound in the room.

"That was easy," said Catwoman. She slid down the ladder with Sindella floating after her.

Zatanna hadn't seen the new arrivals. She remained fixated on Faust. Even as she struggled to her feet, she couldn't take her eyes away.

Faust was still, but she was wrong to believe him dead. He would not stop for Death so lightly. His mind was leashed to flesh like any mortal, but Faust had spent lifetimes gathering lifetimes, and his leash was loose. His thoughts continued in another place for a little while longer.

In this other place, Faust remembered acquaintances far more dangerous than forest spirits. Most mystical beings were elusive, treating humans with indifference or disdain. These were the safe ones. The few who were eager to do business invariably had a taste for human misery. A mage could easily bargain away freedom, sanity, or life if they weren't careful. Wise magi avoided these predators at all costs. But true masters kept them in mind for emergencies.

Seventy years ago, Faust summoned one particularly sinister beast who offered life insurance. In exchange for an unspeakable favor, Faust could call upon the beast to ensure his life with a boost of vitality and strength, redeemable at any time. The favor earned him access to this service, but actually using it would cost Faust his firstborn child (or his firstborn's firstborn, and so forth). The beast set these terms unaware that Faust had traded away rights to his potential firstborn many times. He had also traded away his ability to have children. If Faust redeemed his insurance, his trick would be discovered, and the beast and all vicious brethren in its company would hold a grudge forever. And they might share the news to all other spirits who had a claim on his firstborn. Such was the life of a mage.

In this place of thoughts beyond life, Faust called in his policy. His features flickered dark blue like a photo negative. The spikes through his body blinked away, then he disappeared.

This happened so fast, Zatanna would have missed it if she hadn't been watching him all along. She stared at the vacant patch until she heard a high-pitched buzz overhead. A woman in a black dress hovered in a lotus pose twenty feet off the ground. A sphere of rainbow energy vibrated between her hands, so bright it hurt to see.

"No!" shouted the woman, her voice impossibly loud. "LAEVER EREHW TSUAF SEDIH!" The sphere fired out in a rainbow arc. Shelves toppled and crates flipped, scattering props as the energy crest swept the room. Even the walls shook. The woman made a furious noise through gritted teeth. She began another energy ball when Catwoman appeared on top of a stack of crates and yelled, "Hey!"

The woman let the energy dissipate. Catwoman gestured down at Zatanna. "Look."

Zatanna had fallen to the floor again and watched the scene in abject horror. She was easy to see in the center of a light.

"Oh," the woman covered her mouth. "Oh, tatlım. Oh, dear." The woman descended and began to cry. She landed nearby, but Zatanna scurried away, trying to make herself as small as possible.

Catwoman moved between them and pressed firmly against the woman's shoulders. "Hold on."

For the briefest instant, an ugly look creased the woman's face, but it passed.

"Catwoman?" Zatanna asked.

Catwoman helped her to her feet and gave her a hug. "Sorry I'm late."

Zatanna looked past her. "What … who's that?"

Catwoman hesitated. "Meet Mrs. Sindella Zatara. Your mom."

"What?"

"Listen, I know this is absurd and unfair, but we-"

"What?" Zatanna was suddenly annoyed and pushed her away. "No. Who is that?"

Sindella stepped into the light. "Zatanna?"

Zatanna tensed, her features rapidly changing between confusion, surprise, and dread. Zatanna looked Sindella up and down. Her eyes widened the longer she noticed their uncanny resemblance. She began to shake her head. "No."

Sindella stepped closer. "Zatanna, please."

"No." Zatanna stepped back and raised her voice. "No. You're not- No!" She sniffed, holding back a sop. "Stop!"

Catwoman moved between them again. "Sindella, find Faust."

Sindella frowned but nodded. She raced into the sky.

Catwoman held Zatanna's arm. "It's okay. Breathe."

Zatanna stared blankly at Catwoman. "It's a trick. It's a bad trick. That can't- I haven't-"

Catwoman sighed. "I'm sorry. Forget that for now. Let's find cover. Faust could be back any second."

Zatanna wiped her nose with her arm and let herself be led away. "I'm not sure he could."

"What do you mean?" Catwoman peered around, keeping her dagger at the ready.

"Faust seemed … sluggish. Not at all like before. He chased me on foot."

At the far side of the room, they heard Sindella shout, "Found the devil!" Bolts of colorful energy and plumes of fire cast lit up the room.

Catwoman watched the show. "He seems peppy enough. Where's Batman?"

Zatanna looked down. "The plan was for the boys to stop Faust in the study until you arrived. Since Faust made it here, well, I guess they didn't."

Catwoman narrowed her eyes. "Let's check."

"Wait, what about the sleeping spell?"

"Change of plans. Your mom is the spell."

They felt the blastwave of an explosion across the room. Zatanna shielded her face. "Does she know about the sleeping part?"

Catwoman shrugged. "She knows Faust by reputation. She assured me he can take a few hits."

They heard another explosion. Zatanna ducked as a box sailed over their heads. "Will she stop at a few?"

"Of course," said Catwoman. There was a third explosion. "Absolutely."

They hurried to the fireplace, but the dueling magi arrived first.

Lord Faust was making a fighting retreat. His head was flaming like a matchstick and his left arm was a goose. He was trading spells with Sindella who was surrounded by green halos. Faust's new lease on life still left him half-exhausted from the night's abuse, but even impaired he ought to dominate a youngster like Sindella. The problem was her maniacal onslaught. Magi who survived long enough to develop any skill usually fought very cautiously. But Sindella was ignoring the most basic defenses to press her attack. One strike would bring her down, but they were almost matched so long as she kept the momentum.

His goose honked tactically, deflecting a hail of razors, but again this assault pushed him back. He threw up a tidal wave of sand and finally escaped through the fireplace. Sindella dived through the sand, letting it abrade her as she pursued.

Catwoman and Zatanna hid a distance away.

Zatanna pointed at the fireplace. "So. Do we …"

Some bricks fell out of the wall. A ceiling light had shattered on the floor, surrounded by sand and craters. A box was encased in a pyramid of Jell-O. The last standing shelf suddenly fell over, scattering a pile of birdcages. They heard another explosion.

"Maybe give 'em a minute," said Catwoman.

"Yeah," said Zatanna.

They waited. Catwoman looked at Zatanna. "What happened to your hair?"

"It got wet, but the fires dried it off. How'd you get that knife?"

Catwoman held up the dagger. "Parting gift from the house."

"How about the black eye?"

"What?" Catwoman gently touched her eye. "Great," she muttered.

"Get in another fight?"

"Bad first impression."

They continued to wait.

Zatanna gestured vaguely where Sindella had left. "Is … is she really …"

"Pretty sure she is," said Catwoman. "First thing she did was ask about your dad."

"But it could be some disguise." Zatanna said earnestly. "We've seen all sorts of hooky jibber-jabber here."

"Maybe. But I think she's the real deal."

"Where'd you find her?"

"Just a little room. She was sleeping."

"Hm."

They waited. Shrill goose noises echoed through the fireplace.

Zatanna gave her a reassuring smile. "He'll be fine."

"Huh? Oh." Catwoman sounded forcefully nonchalant and started to pace. "We'll see." She stepped on the edge of a book. It had a blue leather cover and gold engraving. There were similar books scattered across the floor around a collapsed bookshelf.

She picked one up and read the cover aloud, "Little Mage's First Primer, Volume Three."

"Oh, heck." Zatanna slumped against a box. "Just throw it in one of the fires."

"What's wrong with the book?"

"Shadowcrest said my dad brought these special textbooks so I could learn magic."

"Okay?"

"And I don't-" Zatanna's voice caught, clearly upset. " Ugh, forget it."

"Sure." Catwoman nodded carefully, then asked, "So these are supposed to teach you magic from scratch?"

"Yep." Zatanna rolled her eyes. "A billion books in the library, but apparently these are the tip top best."

They waited.

Catwoman stretched her arm. "Do you mind if I use that handkerchief chain of yours?"

"Why?"

"Tweaked my elbow when I took that tumble earlier. Thought I should put it in a sling."

"Sure." Zatanna plucked the handkerchief out of her tuxedo pocket. She kept pulling and pulling, eventually pulling out nine more tied together. "Here."

"Thanks." Catwoman wrapped the handkerchiefs around her shoulder and forearm, tying the ends and spreading out the fabric to make a sturdy sling. "Haven't heard any destruction in a while. Want to go check on them?"

"Do you really think there's anything we could do to help?"

Catwoman spun her dagger. "We can offer moral support. Unless you want to stay behind."

Zatanna cracked her knuckles. "Not this time."

"Attagirl."

Zatanna and Catwoman crossed through the fireplace in a crouch, ready to retreat at the first incoming energy beam.

They saw Abdiel frozen in a block of ice. They saw all furniture broken across the floor. They saw a tree where there had been no tree. And they saw Sindella and Faust locked in mortal combat, a crackling arc of mystic power bridging between their hands: red near Faust, blue near Sindella. For a moment Sindella strained harder, and the purple center of the arc pushed towards Faust. Then Faust redoubled his efforts, and the purple center pushed towards Sindella. The balance shifted back and forth, but Faust was slowly building an advantage. Both combatants were near collapse.

Faust sneered. "Mirthful follies! Your kin did not expect you here. How swiftly the forgettable are forgotten."

"You talk like a Herald," growled Sindella. Rivulets of sweat rolled down her face. "Despicable."

"You know nothing, haughty foal," crowed Faust, "And you never will. Take heart as I finish what your husband began. I will extinguish the House Cehennem."

Before Faust could extinguish the House Cehennem, a flying dagger plunged into his back. He convulsed in shock, letting the arc of mystic power crash into him. Faust bounced across the floor.

Catwoman whistled. "Nice throw."

Zatanna was stunned. "I was trying to hit him with the handle."

Sindella stood over Faust and swirled her hands. "EVOMER EDALB. DNIB TSUAF. NOMMUS DROWS FO SELCOMAD!"

The dagger slipped out of Faust and slid away. Straps and chains burst out of the floor, pushing Faust onto his back and wrapping around him. His goose morphed into an arm and his head fire extinguished. When he was tightly bound, a small sword appeared in the air with the sound of a menacing chord plucked on an unseen lyre. The sword wavered slightly in the breeze, but its point remained directly over Faust's face. He crossed his eyes to stare.

Sindella stood back and summoned a towel to wipe the sweat off her face.

Catwoman walked up to her, followed paces behind by Zatanna.

"Fantastic," said Catwoman. "Way to go, Mrs. Zatara."

"My thanks," said Sindella.

"Do not ignore me," said Faust, "Nothing fills me with rage like being inconsequent!"

"Did you know they have diapers for adults now?" asked Catwoman.

"No!" said Faust, "Inconsequent! Irrelevant! Without meaning!"

Catwoman stepped on his mouth. "Anyway," she said to Sindella, "I think there's an introduction that's been delayed long enough."

Zatanna stepped forward. "Are you really my mom?"

Sindella ran forward and embraced her. "Yes! Oh, Zatanna. You're so beautiful." Mid-hug, she abruptly turned to Catwoman. "I trust you are satisfied with Lord Faust's defeat?"

Catwoman was surprised by the change of topic, "I mean, you did a great job, so-"

"Kill!" screamed the dagger, newly red with blood.

Sindella scowled at the interruption. Without releasing Zatanna, who was trying to escape now, Sindella sweetly asked, "What were you about to say, Catwoman?"

"One moment," said Catwoman.

"Just a little yes or no would be lovely," insisted Sindella.

"Hold on."

"Mm'nerf off." muttered Zatanna, trying to pry herself from Sindella's hug.

"Kill them all!" commanded the dagger.

Catwoman picked up the dagger and threw it into the trunk of the tree. She wiped her hands. "Sorry. What were you asking?"

"Please take that out," said the tree.

The women all jumped. Sindella summoned motes of energy around her arms, ready to attack. Zatanna finally pushed away and took a deep breath.

"Wait, wait" said Catwoman. "That voice." She crept around the tree. "Batman?"

"Catwoman."

Now that she was looking from a different angle, she could see his cowled face sunk into the trunk. Catwoman struggled to believe her eyes. "How?"

Batman's expression was slightly more wooden than usual, but he conveyed impatience with a pause before responding, "Magic."

Catwoman pulled the dagger from his trunk and plunged it into the floor instead. Sindella and Zatanna followed Catwoman and saw Batman's face as well.

Zatanna covered her mouth with a gasp. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Who is this?" demanded Sindella. Her attack energy had dispersed, but her posture was itching to bring it back.

"Right," said Catwoman, " Mrs. Zatara, this is Batman. Remember I mentioned Batman? He's not usually a tree. Please don't hurt him. Batman, this is Sindella Zatara. I found her by accident. She's Zatanna's mother."

"I gathered," said Batman. "Mrs. Zatara, we're grateful for your help. I apologize for not announcing myself earlier, but I feared I would distract you."

Sindella cautiously lowered her arms. "A sensible concern. Catwoman has shared that you did much to protect my daughter and my ancestral home tonight. The gratitude is mine."

Batman managed to nod with his forehead. He looked at Zatanna and his face lightened. "I'm fine, Zatanna."

"Are you sure?" asked Zatanna.

"Check on Abdiel and Zachary. If they survived, they'll need immediate care."

"Sure. But you're okay?"

"My condition isn't a priority."

Sindella looked between them suspiciously.

Catwoman snorted. "Idiot. Sindella, can you help this man?"

Sindella circled the tree. "Not easily. Lord Faust could surely reverse the curse."

"Bring him over."

Sindella's eyes narrowed at being given orders, but she bid Faust to join them. Still trapped in his bindings like a half-finished mummy, Faust floated over to the group, the short sword following above his head.

Catwoman rapped a knuckle on Faust's shoulder. "Game time, skippy. Turn Batman back into a person and no funny business."

Faust could not have looked more sour if he had eaten a treeful of lemons, but finally he said, "Disgorge my hands."

Sindella snapped her fingers. Faust's straps loosed to free his arms up to the elbow. He stretched his wrists to several angles then pressed his thumbs and clapped.

A strong breeze twisted around them. A curtain of leaves flew from the tree and began to circle it like a spinning cone. The leaves concealed the tree, but they could see glimpses of something changing inside.

"Batman?" said Zatanna in alarm.

The breeze stopped. The leaves fell at once. In the middle, Batman lay flat on his face. He looked human again, at least as much as he ever did. Sindella quickly reset Faust's bindings. Catwoman and Zatanna crouched at Batman's side, helping lift him to his knees. He let out a long, low groan. Both women saw the giant, fresh burn above his waist and recoiled.

"What happened to your cape?" asked Catwoman.

Batman grunted. "What happened to your eye?"

"So you just ignore the arm?"

"Guys!" said Zatanna. "How did you get that nasty gash on your stomach? Did Faust burn you?"

"I did," said Batman.

"Of course," said Catwoman.

"Excuse me," said Sindella with diminishing politeness. "Catwoman, I truly want to make sure that you were satisfied with Lord Faust's defeat."

Faust spat. "Defeat? Pah! You presume overmuch."

"What an excellent point," said Catwoman. "Let's show him a real defeat."

"You should check on the Cehennems," insisted Batman.

"They'll be fine," said Catwoman, "Or not. Who cares." She stood and looked Faust up and down. "Let's start with the main course."

Sindella smiled. "Do let me."

"Catwoman," said Batman.

"Catwoman?" asked Zatanna, worried.

"Steady," said Faust. "I still have Giovanni. Do not challenge me."

Sindella clutched Faust's chin. "Challenge you?" She slid her hand down, pressing it over his throat, then his chest. She reached into his shirt and pulled out the locket at the end of the cardial chain. "Challenge you? I've drowned rats that had more leverage to stand upon." She pulled on the locket until Faust cringed. Zatanna grabbed her other arm. "Careful."

"Have no fear, Zatanna," said Sindella, "I'm addressing a confusion. Lord Faust believes we value your father's life more than retribution. Let's fix that."

Sindella snapped her fingers. An electric light flickered from inside the scraps of a broken shelf nearby. An unseen speaker hummed and crackled with fuzz. Then a nasally announcer spoke.

"Loyal listeners! Welcome back to Candid Psychic Radio, the only station that plays what's really on your mind! This just in: maternal mysteries! Ambivalent ambitions! Rising risk of ribald rendezvous? Soul-splitting spells support subterfugal sentiments; a sacrifice of scant salubrities-"

"Radio?" asked Sindella kindly.

"Apologies, madam," said the radio, "Attention Lord Felix of Faust! Sindella Zatara will certainly kill you. And she will enjoy it!"

Faust looked between the women. "But-"

"Addendum! If you release Giovanni Zatara from captivity in the next twenty seconds, then Sindellia will still probably kill you, but she also might not. Stay tuned!"

"Hold now," said Faust, "With but a thought I could kill your husband. Her father!"

Sindella crossed her arms. "He knew what he was getting into."

"Mom?" Zatanna sounded betrayed. She grabbed Catwoman. "Do something."

Cawoman shrugged Zatanna off. She stood beside Sindella with a grin from ear to ear.

"Catwoman," warned Batman.

Sindella held out her hand. The floating sword fell into her grip. She placed its point at the base of Faust's throat.

"Ten seconds," said the radio.

Faust stared down his nose and began to panic. "Be prudent. Swear in parley to-"

"No deals," said Sindella, "I wonder what afterlife awaits you. Be sure to write."

"Please," begged Zatanna.

"Two seconds," said the radio.

"Stop!" said Batman.

Sindella began to push the blade.

"Cease!" shrieked Faust, "I submit." A moment later, the cardial chain fell loose from the locket.

Sindella held up the locket to admire it. "Lovely. Thank you, radio."

"Madam." The radio shut off.

"Where were we?" Sindella smiled and readjusted her grip on the sword.

"Hold on," said Catwoman.

Sindella reluctantly stepped back. "Problem?"

"Is this the time to deal with him? We have what we want."

"My dear," Sindella laid a palm on Catwoman's back. "Do we?"

"Don't we?"

"Is everyone going to ignore me?" asked Zatanna.

Sindella pocketed the locket. "Love, Faust is a parasite. He's brought nothing but misery to you and yours. And he's ruined a thousand lives before."

Catwoman nodded. "True."

"Crushing this parasite would make the world a brighter place. But deep in your heart, that's not really the problem, is it?"

Faust watched them with a grim expression but stayed silent.

Sindella said, "You certainly can't release him. He'll seek vengeance as soon as he's able, and you won't survive him twice."

"I see," said Catwoman.

"What then? Even if there were a prison to hold the likes of Lord Faust, that wouldn't be fair to all the pain he's caused you, now would it?"

Catwoman considered this a minute, tapping a finger to her lips. Then she took the sword out of Sindella's hands.

"Yes," cooed Sindella. "Good girl. We'll have no doubt of his defeat when you separate his head."

Catwoman wore a calm expression as she weighed the sword in her hand. She took a stance and lifted it back.

Batman struggled to his feet. "Catwoman."

Catwoman prepared to swing.

Batman grimaced. His voice lost its righteousness. "Selina."

Catwoman froze.

Batman took a painful step towards her. "Selina, please."

Catwoman lowered the sword and turned around.

"Ignore him," urged Sindella.

Catwoman held a finger to Sindella and looked at Batman. "So you know my name." Her voice threatened to crack. "Big surprise."

Batman took another shaking step. "I know you're angry. If you do that, you'll never forgive yourself."

Catwoman had a sad smile. "Yeah?" She lifted the sword. "I'll take my chances."

"I'll never forgive you."

She stopped smiling. They watched each other, waiting for anything more.

"Hold it! Hold the phone!" yelled Zatanna. She clutched her head and paced like she was going mad. "That voice! The fighting, the mediocre lockpicking, the speed-reading, the muscles on his muscles, the chin, and the voice. I know that voice." She faced Batman. "John!"

Catwoman's jaw dropped. "What?"