And here's chapter two! Like I said last time, original chapters will be around 10,000 words long. Right now, we're hitting the first of three original chapters, which will show you Eric as a character and expand upon his past.
I'd like to mention somethings that I didn't talk about in the last chapter. Eric's Omnitrix is the one from Omniverse, but there's an evolutionary function (as you saw with Pinball). Also, Eric's a metahuman, his powers give him enhanced physical capabilities, something that also adds to his alien's powers. So, Hecatoncheires is a little stronger than a normal Tetramand. He also has the ability to sense magic, that'll be explained this chapter. Oh, and fun fact: did you know Echo Echo could levitate? I found that out shortly after writing the first chapter. Interesting.
That's all from me up here, on with the story!
Foundations
"First off, Eric, I think I speak for all of us when I say thank you. If it weren't for you, we probably never would have won," Superman begins.
I rub the back of my head and chuckle. "Probably," some of the Leaguers chuckle at my nonchalant answer. "So, what now?"
"Now, we rebuild," Wonder Woman begins. "It will take some time, but once the Watchtower is rebuilt, we hope to expand the Justice League. Recruit many of the heroes who fought in the battle."
"We'd like you to be the first of these heroes," Superman finishes.
I saw that one coming.
Batman speaks up. "But first, we have some questions to ask you."
"Alright, go ahead," I reply.
"Your forms, what are they?" Batman asks.
"They're aliens," I answer.
Martian Manhunter arches an invisible eyebrow. "While the universe is large, I haven't heard of any species I've seen you transform into."
My eyes dart around quickly, something Batman notices. "That's…something that'd be a little hard to explain."
Batman and Superman share a quick glance before turning back to me. "What do you mean?" The former asks.
"I'm not from here. This universe, I mean," I elaborate.
Their eyes widen considerably. Flash shakes his head and waves his hand around. "Whoa, hold up. What do you mean? You have a birth certificate. Your parents and sister haven't shown any sign of being from somewhere else. How would you be from another universe?"
I shrug. "That's the thing, I also am from this universe," they look at me, confused. "I don't know what happened back in my home universe, all I do know is that one day, I suddenly woke up here, in this universe, the Omnitrix on my wrist and my family downstairs eating breakfast."
"Your old family, are they similar to their previous counterparts?" Batman asks.
"Exactly the same," I answer. "I don't know what, but something brought me here, fusing me with the Eric of this universe, and I want to find out who did it and why."
Wonder Woman nods with a smile. "If you join the Justice League, we can assist you. What do you say?"
Guess it wasn't so hard. I look down at the table, thinking over the offer.
If my memory's correct, then Zatanna's gonna be on this expanded Justice League, which might prove problematic. Then again, the League's massive, what are the chances of us running into each other?
I look back up, looking them each in the eyes before settling on Wonder Woman. "Yeah, I'm down."
Flash speeds over and wraps an arm around my shoulders. "Dude! Alright! Oh man, this is gonna be awesome. It'll be like the old days again, me, you, Nightwing, Starfire, Zatanna, and Cyborg!"
Batman coughs into his fist. "They will join only if we agree on it, Flash, and if they accept the membership. Sit down."
The speedster gives me an apologetic smile and goes to sit down in his seat.
Superman smiles and gets up, walking towards me and offering his hand to shake, we shake hands. "Well, welcome to the Justice League, Triumph," Superman announces. "We'll keep you updated as the team rebuilds."
I nod and begin walking to the doors. "You guys are obviously gonna have a private conversation, I'll be in Seattle if anyone needs me."
Some quick goodbyes, and I'm leaving the room. Outside I expect to see Alfred, but he's not there. Strange. I walk over to the main doors, here I find Alfred waiting at the door, three people with him.
The first is a black haired, blue eyed man in his mid-twenties, wearing a black shirt under a green jacket, and blue jeans. Next to him is a tall, orange skinned woman with pure light green sclera, solid green pupils as well. She wears black skinny jeans and a yellow baggy long-sleeved shirt. Around her knee is a small child, similar skin tone as her father. She has black hair and light blue sclera with solid blue pupils. She wears purple overalls and a white shirt with red stripes under.
The girl looks up and sees me, her eyes brightening and a large smile on her face. "Uncle Eric!" The girl runs forward and collides with my legs.
I feel a smile on my face as I bend down to pick up the child. She wraps her arms around my neck and legs around my waist as we spin around. "Well, if it isn't Mari Grayson. You're getting big, aren't you?"
The girl smiles, a space amongst her perfect teeth.
Kory walks over and gives me a hug. "Eric, how are you? We were worried when you didn't answer our texts."
I sheepishly rub the back of my head. "Yeah, sorry about that, there was a lot on my mind is all."
Kory has an understanding look in her eyes. "Ah, I see," she brightens up and grabs Mari. "Come, Mari, let's play with Ace, yes?"
The little girl nods her head vigorously. "Yes, Ace! Yes, Ace!"
Alfred takes that moment to sneak into the kitchen, probably to make snacks for us.
Dick walks over and the two of us do our handshake. "How'd the invasion go for you, man?"
"It was pretty good for me, fought off the Thanagarians in Seattle, then I helped the Justice League fight. All in all, a good day," I answer nonchalantly.
Dick folds his arms. "You see Wally?"
I nod. "Yeah. He's in that room right now."
Dick rests his hands behind his head and looks up at the chandelier. "Now if Vic were here, we'd almost have the original team," he becomes serious as the two of us sit on the main staircase. "What're they talking about?"
"Bruce kinda destroyed the Watchtower," I say. Dick's eyes widen in surprise. "They're probably gonna talk about making another one. League's being expanded, too. You're looking at the eighth member of the Justice League."
"Oooooh, should I worship you now, or after you save the world?" He jokes.
"Heh, after I do something, go ahead," I reply.
Dick's phone goes off. He pulls it out of his pocket, his special police scanner going off. "All units be advised; a group of Forever Knights can be seen at the harbor. Lock off their escape points and await further instructions."
The two of us look at each other and nod. Dick gets up and walks towards the grandfather clock, heading towards the Batcave to change into one of his spare suits. With the Omnitrix, I summon my armor around me.
I walk to the window leading outside, here I see Kory watching Mari playing in the yard with Ace, the child squealing in excitement.
Kory notices my presence and turns around, her face becoming serious once she notices my suit. "What is it?"
"Forever Knights at the harbor, me and Dick are gonna deal with it," I answer.
Kory gets up. "Mari, your father, uncle, and I will be gone for a moment. Be a good girl, alright?"
The girl runs forward and hugs her mother around the legs before hugging me. "Okay! Beat their butts for me!"
I chuckle and offer a fist bump. "Just for you, kid."
We enter the manor. "Alfred?" Kory calls out.
"Of course, ma'am," he replies.
We walk back to the Batcave, the two of us coming downstairs just to see Dick putting on his left glove. "Mari?" He asks.
"Alfred's watching her," Kory answers. She then grabs a spare suit as well and goes to change.
The Nightwing suit is almost completely black, a blue bird on his chest, its wings going over his shoulders, connecting to a V on his back. He has a silver utility belt, also connected to his suit, a silver circle with a blue dot inside of it in the center.
As Dick and I stand nearby his bike I chuckle. "I promised Wally he could help me deal with the Forever Knights after the invasion. That's not happening right now."
"Sucks to be him," Dick says. He looks at the screen on his bike. "Hm, that's strange…"
"What is?" I ask, leaning over his shoulder to look at the screen.
"They aren't doing anything," he answers. "All they're doing is staying on the defensive. They're protecting something, too."
"Can't let them keep it," I comment.
Kory comes from the changing area. She wears tight, purple, and silver pants, green gems on her hips. She wears a purple and silver crop top with long sleeves, a green gem in the center of her chest and one on each wrist.
"Let's go," she says.
Nightwing gets on his motorcycle. Starfire flies in the air, and I transform into Astrodactyl, a dinosaur-like alien of an unknown species.
I look like a cross between a bipedal Pterodactyl and a glider. I have a large, yellow beak-like mouth, orange eyes, and muted red scales. I have black and orange clothes over my shoulders and chest and black shorts, a white belt around my waist. There's a jetpack-like structure on my back, my retractable wings that look like gliders connected to it. The Omnitrix crest is on my left shoulder.
As Nightwing rides his bike out of the Batcave the two of us fly with him. We turn the corner and Nightwing looks at the screen. "Crap. There's a ship incoming, and the Forever Knights are moving towards it."
"And the GCPD?" Starfire asks.
"They're slowing them down, but the Forever Knights superior tech is overwhelming them," Nightwing answers.
"Okay. Starfire, do what you can to take out that ship, we can't let them escape. Nightwing, secure the object. I'll take 'em out," I strategize.
"Sounds good to me," Nightwing agrees as we quickly approach the harbor.
Starfire lifts up, flying over the harbor and heading towards the rather massive escape ship the Forever Knights were going to use.
Nightwing sees some coincidentally shaped debris. He smirks and throttles his bike, eventually using the debris as a ramp. His bike lands on one of the Knights, the tire leaving skid marks on his armor before speeding forward. Nightwing jumps off the bike at the last minute as it breaks through the doors of the warehouse, lasers slamming into it.
Some of the Knights try to shoot at him. With the slot on my right forearm, I create an energy whip, hitting three of the Knights aiming at Nightwing. I then land on top of two Knights, the impact knocking them out.
I get this familiar tingle in my chest. I sense magic. And it's coming from the warehouse.
Another Knight tries to cut off my head, but a well shot bullet stops him.
The Knight falls over to reveal GCPD Commissioner Gordon, one of Gotham's few good cops. He's a man in his early fifties, his red hair greying at the temples and a thick moustache on his upper lip.
He stands next to me and shoots at another Knight, his police officers slowly pushing in. "Thanks for the assist," he begins. "But I gotta ask, where's Batman?"
"Busy with the Justice League right now, you understand," I answer. In the distance, an explosion erupts. Looking up, we see Starfire flying towards us, dragging along some lifeboats with knocked out Forever Knights in it. "Nice job, Star!"
The fighting in the warehouse intensifies, laser beams shooting through the glass. "Nightwing," Gordon whispers. "Bullock! Montoya! You're with me! The rest of you, keep these goons busy!"
The three cops, and Starfire, enter the warehouse to assist Nightwing. Leaving me and the other police officers to deal with the Forever Knights.
I open my mouth and fire a beam of energy in an arc, taking out many of the Forever Knights. Using my speed, strength, and flight, I move around, tackling any Knight I can. The cops would pick up the weapons of the fallen Knights and use their own weaponry against them, quickly changing the tide of battle.
What few Knights are left standing quickly realize their situation and drop their weapons, dropping to their knees and putting their hands behind their helmeted heads. Definitely recruits. Higher ranking Knights would fight to the death.
"Nicely done," I compliment a nearby cop.
She just nods before going to handcuff the Knights, her co-workers following suit.
The back of the warehouse explodes outwards, knocking all of us off our feet.
Shaking my head to get rid of the ringing, I slowly get up and walk towards the warehouse, calling out for Nightwing, Starfire, and the three members of the GCPD. After a moment, the five come walking out, Montoya and Gordon helping Bullock as they walk out, their forms covered in ash and soot.
I run forward place my hands on Starfire's and Nightwing's shoulders. "What happened?"
"A few of the Forever Knights managed to escape with some weird magical charm," Starfire explains. "A suicide bomber prevented us from following."
"Damn," I mutter. "You're sure the charm was the magical item?"
Gordon nods. "We may not deal with a lot of that crap here, but I think I know magic when I see it."
The six of us go over to the paramedics, Bullock and Montoya slowly lowering Gordon on a cot. I turn to my two friends. "What did it look like?"
Montoya thinks it over. "It looked like a little gray charm, about the size of a half dollar coin. There were some gold lines along it, they lead to a circle, a dot in the center."
That sounds familiar, but the description isn't enough. "Dammit, I got nothing."
"Well, we'll keep an eye out. Thanks for the help you kids," Gordon says.
Nightwing gives him a salute as the three of us walk away. Starfire grabs Nightwing's hands and the three of us take flight. As we return to the Batcave the orange sky sets a calming mood for us.
"My bike was destroyed," Nightwing suddenly comments.
Starfire and I share a quick glance before looking back at him. "Yes, and?" She asks.
Nightwing lowers his head. "Those things are expensive. Bats is gonna kill me."
"If they cost a fortune, they should be tougher," I reply.
Nightwing looks up at me. "Dude. Explosion."
"Get tougher bikes," I counter.
Nightwing grumbles. Starfire chuckles and shakes her head. "Boys, please, you're adults, act like it."
The three of us fly in comfortable silence. Eventually, we enter the Batcave, once we land, I transform back to normal, the other two going to change out of their suits. As they change, I look around the cleaned Batcave. What is it that they smuggled out? The description sounds so familiar. It's on the tip of my tongue as well, greatly annoying me. I think back to the Ben 10 series, seeing if I can find my answers there.
Nothing. Dammit.
"Yo."
To my left I see the Graysons standing next to me, wearing their normal clothes, and looking at me with some concern. "You good?" Dick asks.
"Yeah, just wondering what that item was, is all," I reply.
"If you don't know maybe you can ask Zatanna?" Kory asks.
Dick and I wince. "Uh, that might not be the best idea," I gingerly reply. "She's been pretty busy lately, don't wanna add to her workload, you know?"
Kory nods. "Okay, if you want, I can ask," she heads towards the stairs, leaving me and Dick in the Batcave. "I'm going to be with Mari, see you later."
As the door closes behind Kory, Dick and I sigh. He sits down in the chair; I lean on the batcomputer. It's silent for a moment before Dick turns to me. "Have you tried talking to her?"
I roll my eyes. "No, in the two years I haven't once spoken to her," I sarcastically reply.
"Yeah, that was dumb of me," Dick relents. He swivels the chair forward, activating the batcomputer. "Okay, so, the Forever Knights had some weird charm thing in their possession. But what was it?"
"Again, no idea," I reply, turning around and resting my hands on the computer. "All I do know is that they want it, so it's gotta be something we can't let them have," I look at Dick. "Did you see their escape vehicle?"
He shakes his head. "No, the explosion covered their tracks."
"Crap."
A red blur stops on the other side of Dick. The two of us turn to see Wally with a wide smile on his face, his cowl down. "Dude! You should've told me you were here; we could've hung out!"
Dick gives him an apologetic smile. "Sorry, man, but you were busy with your Justice League stuff. Didn't want to interrupt. Hey, what were you guys talking about, anyway?"
"Oh, just which heroes to recruit to the League and what the new Watchtower should have," Wally answers. He looks up and nods at the footage of our fight with the Forever Knights. "They were in Gotham?"
I nod. "Yeah, there was this weird charm they smuggled out of here," I answer. "Must've been important too, one of them blew himself up to stop Dick and Kory from pursuing the ship."
"Holy…" Wally whispers. "Do you know what they took?"
Dick and I shake our heads.
"That's not good," Wally whispers. He pulls his ringing phone out of…somewhere. "I gotta go, Captain Cold and Heatwave are doing their thing again," he puts on his cowl and prepares to run out of the cave, but before he does, he turns around. "We should hang out sometime, the four of us."
Dick smirks. "I'll be sure to tell Vic. Good luck."
I just grunt.
With a sigh, Dick gets up from the computer and logs off. "If I find anything, I'll tell you, can you do the same?"
I nod. "Of course. I'm gonna head home, tell Mari and Kory bye for me, alright?"
Dick narrows his eyes but complies, nonetheless.
I transform into XLR8 and run to the other side of the United States, thoughts about this magic charm plaguing my mind during the run.
Seattle, Washington
I run inside and transform back to normal in the kitchen, startling Esmeralda out of her meditations, her books flying all over the place. "Gah! Eric! Don't do that!"
I smirk as I walk over and hand her the spell book. "My house, my rules."
"Ugh, you sound like Dad," she mutters while rolling her eyes.
"Speaking of, have you been able to get a hold of them?" I ask. As she resumes meditating, I look in the fridge and pantry and grab some ingredients to make some dinner.
"No, communications are still down. I was barely able to call my friends on the other side of the city," she answers with a sigh. "I'm worried about them."
I back up a little as the oil in the pan pops. "Can't you just teleport to them?"
"Teleporting that distance takes a lot of energy, I've told you that countless times," she replies.
"Okay. But can't you see them with a…mirror or something?" I ask again.
"Unless you want the mirrors in the bathrooms to constantly be doorways into everything Mom and Dad do, you really don't want that," she replies with a smirk.
"Yeah, I don't want that."
I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket. Pulling it out I see a message from a group chat for me, Victor, Dick, and Wally.
Blue Bird: Next week. Friday. 7:00 PM. There's a new club in New York. And guess what? Entrance fees go to helping the community recover from the Thanagarian invasion.
Mr. Roboto: Oh, I. Am. So. Down.
Fastest Man Alive (heh): Let's do it. Eric?
I look at Esmeralda, meditating. She's a kid, I don't like leaving her alone for too long unless I have to. Yesterday was the Thanagarian invasion, so of course I had to leave to fight, and today was supposed to be a quick meeting with the League before the Forever Knights attacked.
"Hey," I begin. Esmeralda opens an eye and looks at me. "Can you take care of yourself next Friday?"
Esmeralda smiles. "Are you really gonna leave me alone for a long period of time? You're gonna stop babying me?"
I roll my eyes. "You're still a baby," I smirk at her cute pout. "Wally, Dick, and Victor wanna hang out at a club next week," I sigh. "No, never mind."
Esmeralda stops floating, her feet slamming onto the floor. She runs to me and grabs me by the shirt, shaking my upper body around. "No! You're gonna go and have fun, alright? I mean, the four of you haven't been together in almost two years."
"How do you know?" I ask with an arched brow.
"Because I have Dick, Wally, and Victor's numbers, remember?" She counters.
She and I play the staring game. Eventually, I lose. "Fine. But I'll call Kory, see if she and Mari can stay with you."
"Nope. As much as I love them, I'm staying home alone," Esmeralda states, literally stomping her foot. "Either I'm staying home or I'm gonna come with you to this club. And trust me, I'll find a way to sneak in."
She's just as stubborn and stealthy as me. Crap.
"Fine, but this is a test. If you can't properly take care of yourself, if I come back to find anything broken, if I return to the ashes of my home," I lean down, getting in her face. She just looks at me with an innocent façade. "It'll be your last time. Got it?"
She nods and hugs me around the neck. "Got it. Thanks bro, love you!" With that, she runs up to her room, grabbing her books, no doubt to meditate in there. She then comes back to the edge of the stairs. "Oh, and you better have fun!" She runs back to her room.
I turn around and look at my phone, I pick it up and reply.
Me (Xenomorph): Yeah, sure. When and where will we meet?
Mr. Roboto: ALRIGHT!
Fastest Man Alive (heh): The four of us are back together again!
Blue Bird: I have a penthouse there; we'll meet thirty minutes before. Make sure to be dressed nice, it's a pretty high-end club.
Mr. Roboto: I'll be sure my ID Mask is working perfectly. Don't want it to spaz out and risk exposing your identities.
Me (Xenomorph): Alright, see you guys later.
I put my phone down and continue to cook. A few minutes later, my phone vibrates, flipping it over, I see that I've received a text message.
From Zatanna.
I feel my heartrate pick up. I unlock my phone and my thumb hovers over her name in the messaging app. With a deep breath, I press it. Okay, I should have expected that.
It's a simple thumbs up.
I lock my phone and put it back down. Honestly, why did I expect more? Dammit, man, she broke up with you two years ago, get over it.
Well, at least my food won't stomp on my heart and refuse to listen to me. I love you, food.
New York City, New York
The next day I find myself in front of the door to Dick's New York penthouse. I'm wearing black dress pants and a form-fitting black suit jacket over a red dress shirt.
"YO, YO, YO!" A loud, boisterous voice shouts as I go to knock on the door.
Looking down the hall, I see a large African American male, around my age, walking towards me. His arms are spread out as he saunters forward, wearing the opposite to my clothes, white dress pants and suit jacket with a light blue dress shirt.
"If it isn't Eric Mercer!" He comes over and wraps me in a tight hug, lifting me off the ground and squeezing my back. "How've you been, man!?"
"Good," I strain. "I'd be better if you put me down, though."
Victor laughs and lets me down. I fix my suit before playfully punching his shoulder. "Victor Stone. I've been good, man. What about you? Anything happen to you?"
"Eh, not much," he says. "I've just been upgrading my tech. Oh!" He shifts into his now natural Cyborg form. His chin, part of the side of his head, and the left part of his face just above his nose is cybernetic. He then shifts back into looking fully human. "I've found a way to integrate the ID Masks into my system, pretty cool, huh?"
The door next to us opens, Dick, wearing black dress pants and a black suit jacket over a dark blue dress shirt, smiles at us. "Y'know, Vic, I honestly forgot how loud you were, thanks for reminding me."
Dick steps aside, letting the two of us walk in. We go over and stand around an island in his kitchen. Dick reaches into the fridge and pulls out three cans of soda, he hands them to us. "Now we just gotta wait on Wally," Dick comments. "How long?"
"An hour," Victor and I quickly reply.
The three of us look at each other. Dick and Victor break out in loud laughter as I have a more subdued chuckle. "Fastest Man Alive, yet always last one around," I wryly comment. "Any theories?"
Victor lifts his palm upwards, a hologram appearing from it. "I've actually had some theories and equations. One really sticks out, though. I think it's the universe's way of compensating."
"Makes sense," Dick says, tilting his can at the hologram. "So, how're your love lives?"
"I've gone on some dates," Victor admits. He then looks at me with a smirk and an arched brow. "Eric? Any…magical ladies?"
I roll my eyes and groan in annoyance as I slam my face into the marble island, ignoring the small twinge of pain that comes from it. "Madre de Dios. Why does everyone have to bring up Zatanna? We split two years ago and that's it. Alright?"
Victor and Dick share a glance before looking back at me. "Uh…I wasn't talking about Zee. I meant Charmcaster."
"Oh," I say. "It wasn't that deep of a relationship. We went on a few dates as I was helping her out of the villain life. Eventually we realized we'd be better off as friends and had a mutual break up."
"No one since then?" Dick asks.
"Nope."
"How many ladies do you know with magic powers around your age?" Victor asks.
"Just those two, why?" I ask, not liking where this is going.
They look at each other before looking back at me. "You've got a thing for mages," they both say.
I look at the two of them before slowly bringing my can to my lips, finishing the drink. The three of us continue to talk for a long time. "Hey, what time is it?" Dick asks.
The Omnitrix's disguised form as a wristwatch appearing. "7:58. Where the hell is he?"
A knock resounds from the door.
"That's gotta be him," Dick says. He goes to open the door, eventually he comes over with Wally. The speedster wearing red dress pants and a red suit jacket over a white dress shirt.
Next to him is John, wearing black dress pants and a green suit jacket over a black dress shirt.
"Hey, hope you don't mind my inviting Green Lantern," he wraps an arm around John's shoulders and pats his cheek with his other hand. "Thought he'd need it."
John glares at Wally for revealing his secret identity to Dick and Victor. The latter deactivates his ID Mask, revealing his true form. "It's all cool, man. I'm Cyborg," he then becomes sheepish, the complete opposite to his normal personality. "You're an inspiration to me, sir."
John smiles and shakes Victor's hand. He then turns to Dick. "And you are?"
From out of nowhere, Dick tosses a wingding by John's head, the blue and black specially shaped shuriken embedding into the wall behind the Lantern. "Nightwing."
Victor reactivates the ID Mask and palms his fist. "So, we gonna party or what?"
Dick leads us out of the penthouse, the five of us heading towards the elevator. The former Boy Wonder points at the elevator. "Onwards, friends! To the party!"
The five of us sit on a circular couch in a private room, a bucket with some champagne in it. Before we got it, John made sure to figure out the age of myself, Victor, and Dick, and once he realized that I'm twenty-one, Victor's twenty-two, and Dick's twenty-five, he barely relents, allowing for Dick to call in the alcohol.
I groan in annoyance as the "music" of the club beats on my eardrums.
John chuckles as he drinks his champagne. "Not a fan of the music?"
"No. Besides, enhanced hearing, makes it even more annoying," I answer.
"Oh, look at me, I'm Eric Mercer and I have an enhanced physique. My enhanced hearing makes me hate music. Ow," Dick mocks.
The others laugh at his horrible attempt at my voice. I tsk. "I don't sound like that."
"That's what you think," Wally says with a sing-song voice.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I am your DJ! And it's that time of night again!" I groan in annoyance at his loud voice. The console in front of us turns on. "After this next song finishes you can request your own song to play. We'll then play five guest chosen songs. Just know, if your song plays you gotta come and dance!"
We all look at each other in silence. Slowly, Wally reaches for the console. Just before his finger can touch it a green clamp comes from John's ring, stopping him. "No way. I came here to relax, not dance in front of countless people."
"Come on, John, it's one song of countless others. What're the chances they play ours first?" Wally counters.
"0.001%" Victor instantly answers.
Wally points an arched brow at John. "See? It's unlikely they'll even play our song."
John's still adamant. "Wally, knowing our luck, our song will be the first one to play."
Dick's hand shoots out and clicks on a song, locking it in. John glares at him. The former Boy Wonder raises his hands in mock surrender. "Sorry," he's not sorry.
With a sigh, John deconstructs the clamp. "What song did you pick?"
"Friday Night. The one from Yakuza 0"
Oh, son of a bitch. Memories of playing Yakuza 0, both in my previous life and this one, hit me. I sigh deeply and pinch the bridge of my nose. "They play that song here?"
"I've looked over their song choices," Victor says. "They have a lot of songs. Even Koi no Disco Queen, Machine Gun Kiss, and Baka Mitai."
Whoever's in charge of music must be a Yakuza fan.
But how do you dance to Baka Mitai? I notice a microphone next to the console. Oh, karaoke for private booths.
Dick laughs at the dread I'm feeling, no doubt John has the same feelings as me. "You guys are way too serious. Calm down and enjoy yourselves, we just beat back an alien invasion after all. And think about it like this, if we do have to dance, it'll make people feel better at least."
John and I look at each other before shrugging. "Fine," we both say.
The current song ends, meaning it's time for the guest chosen songs.
"Alright, ladies and gentlemen! It's that time of night again! Your songs will be played, and if it's yours, well, you gotta come down here and groove. Are you ready?" Everyone else in the club shouts. The five of us turn around, looking out of our little balcony. A pit forms in my stomach.
"And our first song is…" a drumroll comes from the speakers around the club. The lights all turn off. "the aptly named Friday Night!" Our balcony lights up, everyone in the club looking at us.
I feel my face heat up in embarrassment as I sink down in my seat, trying to be as small as possible. John goes for the more aggressive approach, glaring at our grinning friends. "0.001% my ass."
Me and John stay rooted to the couch, not moving no matter how much the others try. The DJ notices this and gets on his mic. "Now don't worry, all we need is two of you to come down here and dance! That's all. But we ain't movin' on."
Wally gets up. "I'll go."
The other two turn to us. Me and John share a glance and play a game of rock-paper-scissors. He wins the two rounds.
With a curse, I get up, Wally and I exiting our balcony to the applause and cheer of the other club-goers. As we walk my face heats up even more, Wally has a giant smile on his face.
Once we step on the dance floor it lights up, illuminating the two of us, Wally standing to my left, his massive smile still on his face. "You know the dance?"
I grumble. "Esme made sure to beat it into my head."
With a grin, Wally turns around and gives the DJ a thumbs up, starting the song.
With the opening beat, Wally and I walk towards each other with exaggerated movements, leaning forward and back with each step, our arms raised and bent at an angle. Once we cross each other, we lean back and extend our arms outward before moving backwards. In our starting places, the two of us snap our fingers, right hand over left waist, snap, left hand over right waist, snap, moving with the beat. Despite my earlier feelings, I feel a smile grow on my face as I get more used to the music.
Wally and I then spin on one leg before spinning our fists in a circle in front of our chest. When I would point my right finger upwards in stereotypical disco fashion Wally would point his left finger up. We switch off a few more times before sliding away from each other, one arm angled down and the other above our heads.
With the added distance we breakdance, enjoying the cheers of the crowd.
We get up and make eye contact, snapping our fingers as we move back into position. Once in place, we stand with our backs to each other, our arms extended out and swinging up and down. With a clap, we face each other and do the same move. One more time back-to-back again before we face forward, again, snapping our fingers, occasionally pointing upwards, our hips moving to the beat.
Me and Wally then step towards each other, our legs crossing together from a certain angle. The two of us walk backwards, shimmying our shoulders before spinning around, moonwalking back in place.
As the song nears its end, we breakdance one more time, spinning on our hands for longer. We then pose low on the ground as the song comes to an end.
The crowd immediately erupts in cheers as Wally and I get up, the smile still on my face. The two of us bow deeply as we head back to the balcony.
"Wow!" The DJ shouts. "Those two sure set a high bar to beat! Alright, next up is…" his words fade as I stop listening.
Wally and I return to the others, the three of them applauding as we sit down. "Damn, Eric," Victor says in awe. "Had no idea you could move like that. Tell me again, why are you so against dancing?"
John nods as he takes a sip of his champagne. "He's right, kid, you've got moves. Kinda glad we got picked now."
I look at him with a raised brow. "Would you be so glad if you went down to dance?"
John snorts. "No."
The rest of us laugh at his blunt response. Once I calm down, I look at Wally. "I had no idea you could dance."
"When you have superspeed and time on your hands, you tend to pick skills up," he shrugs.
I shake my head before getting up. "I gotta go to the bathroom," I announce, already leaving the balcony.
"Yeah, you go do that, Disco King!" Victor shouts. I hear the others laughing at that. God, I hope that doesn't become a nickname.
I do my business and exit the bathroom, but when I do, I bump into a blond man wearing a trench coat who smells strongly of alcohol and cigarette smoke. Magic energy wafting off of him. "Sorry 'bout that, mate," he mutters before entering the bathroom.
I look at the bathroom doors with narrowed eyes before feeling my pockets. Nothing taken and he didn't put anything in my pockets. Good.
Satisfied, I head back to the balcony, running into someone else as I turn the corner.
Before the person falls down, I grab them by the wrist and lift them back up. "Sorry about that. Are you o…" My voice trails off.
Of course. Of goddamn course.
The person I bump into is none other than Zatanna Zatara.
And she happens to be wearing a tight, black top that does nothing to hide her curves, her cleavage is also on display. Don't look Eric. She has an expensive looking necklace around her neck and some more makeup than usual on. Although, she never needs to wear makeup in my opinion. Her black skirt stops just above her knees and she wears purple…pumps? I think that's what they were called. A purple bag over her shoulder.
Her eyes widen before darting away. "Thanks," she mutters.
"Uh, yeah, no problem," I lamely reply. The two of us stand around awkwardly, the countless people around us doing nothing to help alleviate the tense air. With a deep breath, I break the silence. "So, what, uh, what're you doing here?"
"I came to…party, you know. Unwind from the invasion. You?"
"Same. Same," the awkward air returns.
Zatanna purses her lips. Her eyes dart around, a sign that she wants to say something but doesn't know how to continue. Eventually she looks me in the eyes, and I'm lost in those ice blue orbs again. "You've got some pretty good dance moves," she compliments.
My blush returns tenfold. Great, she saw that. Now I really wanna die.
"I noticed you were dancing with Wally," Zatanna continues. "Is it just the two of you?"
"N-no. Dick and Victor are here as well," I answer.
Zatanna's eyes widen slightly in surprise. "Hey, if Kory were here, we'd have the old gang back together."
"Yeah…" Again, the silent air returns. What do I say? Zatanna's carrying this conversation. Oh, got it. "Hey, Zatanna?"
"Y-yeah?" She asks, slightly startled that I used her name, I think.
"I never got to say thanks for helping me. During the invasion, that is. If it weren't for you and your dad, I probably wouldn't have been able to help the Justice League," I continue.
She has a tentative smile on her face. "Oh, it was nothing, really," she rubs her arms and looks around. "How's Esmeralda?"
I feel a smile on my face. "She's great, still practicing her magic. She even kept the book you gave her for her tenth birthday," I notice her faint smile. "She told me you guys went to check up on her. How'd you know where she was?"
"Magic," Zatanna simply answers. A noise can be heard from her bag. She opens it and pulls out her phone. "I gotta go."
And without any preamble, she's gone.
Well, Eric Mercer, you've just had an awkward conversation with your ex at a club. Nice.
With a deep sigh, I head back to join the others. Once there, I find them looking a little restless, especially Wally. "Ugh, dude, finally. Where've you been? Were you taking a dump?"
I roll my eyes in annoyance. "No, I just had a talk with an…old friend. What are you guys flipping out about?"
"We came to a club and so far, all we've done is sit around and talk in a private balcony-" Victor begins.
"Wally and I danced," I mutter.
"-we need to do something. I vote, we mingle! What do y'all say," Victor looks around at us.
"As long as no one flirts with me, I'm all for it," Dick says, standing with Victor.
"You know I'm down," Wally stands next to them, he then looks at John. "Come on, man, join us. After Shayera-"
The mood sours immediately. Wally winces as John flashes him with a quick glare.
"Dude," I whisper.
"W-what I mean is-"
John sighs and stands up, clapping Wally's shoulder rather hard, the speedster winces, but a smile is still on John's face. "Don't worry, man. I understand," the four then turn to me. "Well?"
I look at the time on the disguised Omnitrix, 10:18 PM. It's getting pretty late, but Esme told me to stay out for as long as I want. Doesn't mean I still won't worry. I look back to their expectant gazes. "Yeah, sure," the four pump their fists in victory. "Just let me go outside and call Esmeralda really quick, I wanna check up on her."
"Alright. But you better not flake on us," Wally warns.
"Of course," I wave as go to exit the club.
Once outside, I look for a relatively empty area around the club. When I finally find one, I sit down and pull out my phone, calling Esmeralda. After a few rings she picks up. "Eric! Having fun?"
I let out a chuckle. "Yeah, actually. Thanks for forcing me to come."
"What kind of sister would I be if I stopped my brother from living?" She says with a dramatic air about her. "What's up?"
"Nothing, I just wanted to check up on you, make sure you're okay," I answer.
"Yeah, me—and your house—are totally fine. For the past few hours, I've just been watching TV and playing some video games, that's all," she replies.
"Did you get something to eat?"
I hear her sigh. "Yes, Mom, I got something to eat. That's enough talking to me, go have fun. Shoo!" She ends the call.
Well, at least she isn't dead, that's a positive.
I get up and head towards the club doors, but the sound of a confrontation catches my attention.
"The hell did I say about coming back here?" A rough voice says.
"If I came back, you'd gut me like a fish and hang my body up in your office," a bored voice responds. "That was what you said, right?"
"Don't you disrespect the boss like that!" A high-pitched voice shouts out.
Curious, I peek around the corner to find a black haired, blue eyed guy in his mid-twenties with a light scruff surrounded by three people. A thin man with a butterfly knife to his left, an average-sized man with a pipe to his right, and a large, muscular guy in front of him, the wall to the black-haired guy's back. The large man is sneering down at their cornered prey, cracking his knuckles.
With a sigh, I walk around the corner. "Hey!" The four look at me. "Mind telling me what's going on here?"
The man with the pipe points it at me. "This here's a business deal, man. Just go inside and enjoy your night. Make sure you forget all about this, too, why don't ya?"
"Now, I may not know a lot about running a business, but I'm pretty sure cornering someone and threatening to gut them isn't how things are done," I reply. "Then again, I do hear that the world of the rich is rather cutthroat, so I could be wrong."
Pipe Man walks forward and pokes his weapon into my chest, surprised at my lack of stepping back. "Get. Out. Of. Here."
My arm strikes out and grabs him by the wrist, I then squeeze, causing him to shout in pain as the pipe falls out of his grip. "No. Way," I then punch him in the face with my other fist, knocking him out.
Once he falls over, I see the other two coming at me, the smaller one with the butterfly knife moving around like a crazed monkey on five-hour energy. I dodge an attempted stab and grab his outstretched arm, spinning him around and slamming him into his boss. Knocking the little one out and disorienting the big guy.
I quickly step into the big guys personal space and hit him in the sternum, causing his eyes to bug out and forcing him to gasp for air. I then move behind him and kick his legs out from under him, the big guy falls flat on his back. I then stomp on his stomach, allowing for him to breath and knocking him out as well.
"You've got skills," the guy compliments. He has magic energy emanating from him as well.
I get a better look of him. He has black dress pants and a black trench coat over a white dress shirt with a black tie. He walks up to me and we shake hands. "Nick Necro."
Oh.
Wait. Zatanna, Nick Necro, was that blond guy-
"Nick!"
We look down the alley to see Zatanna running towards us, skillfully avoiding the knocked-out thugs on the ground. She pushes past me and wraps him in a tight hug. She then backs up and gives him a quick kiss. "Are you okay, baby?"
I avert my gaze and breathe deeply. Yup, that hurt.
"Don't worry, babe, I'm fine. Besides," he nods in my direction. "My new friend helped me. My new friend who's name I have yet to learn."
The two turn to me, Zatanna's eyes widening slightly. "Eric?"
Nick looks at us. "Oh, you two know each other?"
"Uh, yeah. Name's Eric Mercer, Zatanna and I are…old friends," I answer.
"Bloody hell, what happened here?"
Turning around, we see a blond man in his early twenties walking towards us. He's wearing khaki dress pants and a similar colored trench coat. He has a black tie and a white dress shirt as well.
So, it is John Constantine.
"Eric Mercer meet John Constantine. John, Eric here just saved me from these barbarians," Nick introduces.
John looks at me, studying me with narrowed eyes before nodding. "Yeah, right. Look, Nick, I have an idea about where it is."
Zatanna's and Nick's eyes widen. "Really?" Nick asks in a whisper.
"Yeah. Come on, I don't know how long the trail will last," John says before turning around.
As Nick walks by, he claps my shoulder. "Thanks for the assist, Eric, if we ever run into each other, know that I owe you a favor."
I nod as the three walk away. But as they walk, Kory's idea about asking Zatanna about the charm comes to mind. And hey, now's as good a time as any, isn't it? "Wait," the three turn around. "Can I talk to Zatanna. Alone?"
John and Nick narrow their eyes, the former in suspicion and the latter in intrigue. Zatanna's face is apprehensive. "What about?" John asks.
"It's private," they still aren't convinced. Doesn't matter, Zatanna's the only one I'm trying to talk to. "It's important too. I know you guys have somewhere to be, so I'll make it quick. Promise."
Zatanna sighs before looking at the two. "Go, I'll catch up."
The two reluctantly leave, Zatanna and I being the only ones here now. "What is it? I've got something important to do right now, you know," she folds her arms under her chest, pushing it up. Don't. Look.
Don't push your luck, too, Eric. "Last week, the Forever Knights were in Gotham, they managed to smuggle something out."
"What?" Zatanna asks, her apprehensive face becoming serious.
"It was a charm, or something, the size of a fifty-cent coin. It's grey with three golden lines that lead into a golden circle with a dot in the center. Sound familiar?" I ask.
Zatanna hums. "I'll need to check the books at the library at Shadowcrest," she looks at me. "But it might take some time, I'm pretty busy right now."
"Yeah, of course. If you find anything could you tell me, please? I'll be sure to do the same," I say.
Zatanna looks apprehensive again. You pushed your luck, Eric. "Yeah, sure," she agrees. Oh, guess you didn't. "But it's going to be strictly professional, got it?"
"Got it," I nod.
"Does anyone else know?" She asks.
"Kory, Dick, and Wally," I answer.
"I'll tell them too," she looks down before pointing her thumb behind her. "I'm gonna go."
"See ya."
She doesn't reply. She just walks away.
Esmeralda's gonna find out about our conversation and blow it out of proportion. That girl always finds out.
Dick comes from out of nowhere and puts his hand on my shoulder. "The others sent me to come find you," he explains. "Ran into Zatanna and her new friends on the way."
"She's gonna look into the Forever Knights, that's all," I shoot down any theories he has brewing in his head. "Come on, we came to party, so let's do exactly that."
Dick smirks as the two of us enter the club. "Now you're talking."
Seattle, Washington
For another two hours the five of us party at the club, forgetting any problems in our personal lives. At around twelve I leave, uncomfortable with the idea of leaving Esmeralda alone for any longer. The others agree and we all go our separate ways, content with the day.
I arrive home and unlock the front door, finding Esmeralda sleeping on the couch, the TV on a random channel as her books lay open on the coffee table. With a smile, I pick her up. "You have fun?" My sister mumbles.
"Yeah, I did. Thanks again for forcing me to go," I answer.
She just mumbles and falls asleep again. With a smile, I bring her up to the guest room that she's pretty much claimed as her own at this point. After putting her under the covers I go downstairs and grab her books, bringing them up to the room.
I then return downstairs and sit on the couch, my shirt unbuttoned as the TV continues, some rerun going on right now.
I let out a breath and stare up at the ceiling.
Let's see, hung out with the guys, danced, ran into Zatanna, oh, John Constantine and Nick Necro as well. Necro's gonna be a problem in the future, what with his obsession with the Books of Magic. And I can't just call Zatanna and say, "hey, your boyfriend's kinda obsessed with ultimate knowledge, so you should keep an eye out. Just thought you should know"."
I mean, how do I even explain that? I'll have to keep an eye on him, don't wanna just leave her out to burn when I know I can do something, doesn't sit right with me.
My phone rings. Pulling it out of my pocket, I see the call is from my Dad, so I hurry to pick it up. "Dad!?"
"Eric! Oh, finally, your mother and I were worried sick when we couldn't call you two," he replies. "How are you? Are you and your sister okay?"
I smile. "Yeah, we're fine. How's Ireland?"
"Things are fine. We weren't hit as hard as London or the States," he answers. "I know you fought, but did Esmeralda?"
Even though he can't see it, I shake my head. "No, I made sure she stayed home. In fact, she used her magic to make the house unassuming. She's getting stronger."
"That she is," Dad whispers. "Your mom wants to talk to you."
There's some shuffling before the phone becomes stationary again. "Eric, my baby boy, how are you?"
I groan at the nickname. "Mom, I'm twenty-one, I'm not a baby anymore. But I'm fine, how are you?"
"Eric," she says in a low tone. Crap. "Did you know the age gap between us has always stayed the same? You know what that means?"
Memories of what I said to Esmeralda last week comes back to hit me in the back of the head like a boomerang. "What does it mean, Mom?" I ask.
"It means you'll always be my baby, now accept it," she jokes. "But like your dad said, we're fine. Right now, we're helping with the clean-up. We have to go soon but I have to ask, did you really help the Justice League?"
"Yeah, the se-eight of us took down the Thanagarian capital ship. I'd tell you more, but I'm not sure what Batman would do to me if I did," I answer.
"Ooh, what's he like?" Mom asks.
"Tall, dark, and brooding," I answer.
"Like you?" Mom jokes.
"Ha. Hilarious, Mother, I am dying of laughter. Oh, how will I ever recover?" I reply in the most monotone voice I can muster. Which is pretty monotone, if I say so myself.
Mom chuckles. "You're an ass."
"I get it from you."
"That you do. We have to go. Once flights are back up, we'll be coming back. I love you, and tell your sister we love her too," Mom says.
"I love you too. Bye," I reply.
The call ends and I put my phone on the table.
Alright, what now?
As I sit down, bored, I rest my elbow on my knee, my head resting in my hand. I look around to find the living room surprisingly clean. Okay, let's inspect the house, see if Esmeralda kept it clean.
And sure enough, she did.
The house is exactly as I left it. Well, some plates have been moved around, evidence of her using them, but there's nothing wrong with that. All in all, Esmeralda's definitely proven herself. Doesn't mean this'll be a regular occurrence. That girl's too energetic sometimes.
As I stand in the dining room, I find one of her magic related books on the table, this one about magical artifacts. I decide to look through it, maybe I'll find whatever it is the Forever Knights smuggled out of Gotham.
I sit down and open the book, the magical energy from it radiating off of it.
Crash course: I may not be able to use magic, but I can sense it. I honestly don't know why, but I have a theory that, like Ben, Gwen, Ken, and Sunny, Esmeralda and I may have an alien grandmother who practices in magic. I mean, our paternal grandmother disappeared when Dad was a kid, so my theory makes sense so far.
Anyways, I open a random page of the book, first thing I see is Excalibur, King Arthur's sword. I've never seen it, but I've heard a lot about it. I also know that it's one of the main goals of the Forever Knights to have it under their possession. Definitely can't let that happen.
Okay, so the things they were talking about were charms, maybe if I look in the C's I'll find it. Flipping the pages, I hit the C part of the book. I turn page after page, eventually hitting the specific page of the charms.
And I don't like what I see.
All the charms are gray and gold. The design on one has three lines, two on the bottom, one on top. In the center is a Y like design, although the top of the Y is round, and the lines from it go to the edge of the charm. Another one looks almost exactly the same, but the top part of the Y is square-like. The third looks just like the one Montoya described. The fourth has the same three lines as the first two, but along the sides are two lines that travel down the charm, going down at an angle before bending straight down. The fifth is the most complicated of the bunch. The same three lines, two square-shaped U's on the sides, and a circle on the top. And the last has two lines, one on top, the other on the bottom, a square-shaped U over the bottom one.
The Charms of Bezel.
Oh, crap.
If I remember right, they appeared mainly in the original series, and if a mage wielded them then they'd be extremely powerful. Almost like an Infinity Gauntlet of magic. Again, if the Forever Knights want them, I can't let that happen.
Pulling out my phone, I pull up my messaging app, running into Kory's conversation first.
Me: You awake?
Kory immediately replies. That's what I like about her, always there for her friends.
Kory: Yes. How was your time at the club? Did you have fun?
Me: Yeah, but that's not important right now. I learned what those charms were.
I send her a picture of the page.
Kory: The Charms of Bezel? Didn't Zatanna talk about them a few years ago?
Me: Yeah.
Kory: Will you ask her?
Me: Yeah, I will. Tell Dick what I found?
Kory: Of course. Good night.
Me: Good night.
I back out of our conversation and click on Zatanna's name. Considering her request earlier, I go right into it.
Me: The Forever Knights smuggled one of the Charms of Bezel. The Charm of Pyrokinesis to be exact.
I feel magic energy.
Zatanna appears right next to me with a flash of light. "Are you sure?" She asks breathlessly as she looks over my shoulder.
I step aside and point at the specific charm. "Yeah, one of the cops described it perfectly. The Forever Knights want it for some reason, I obviously can't let that happen."
Zatanna turns her head to look at me, her hair whipping in the air, which brings her scent to my nose. Her familiar scent wafting off, roses and strawberries. But her scent's mingled with someone else's, Constantine's. Her hair's a little messy, also. I hold back a growl.
Her eyes flicker to my clenched fists before looking back into mine. "Do you know where Hex is?"
I furrow my brow. "Why would I…" In the original series Hex was obsessed with getting these things, wasn't he? "Oh, crap."
Zatanna nods. "Yeah, he's been missing for nearly a year, and the Forever Knights have escaped with a Charm. This doesn't look good."
"But why would they work together? They haven't shown any sign of doing that in the past, so why now?" I wonder.
"That's how it always is," Zatanna comments. "I bet Batman thought the same thing when Killer Croc and Two Face suddenly worked together that one time," her phone starts ringing. She pulls it out and curses silently. "It's Nick, probably wondering where I am," she steps into the living room and takes the call.
Out of respect, I don't listen in. I decide to keep myself distracted with theories.
Just because villains don't show signs of working together in the past doesn't mean they can't make a deal without us heroes knowing. But why would they work with each other? As far as I can tell, their goals don't align. Hex wants to be the ultimate mage and the Forever Knights want to return to their former glory before getting rid of any alien presence on the planet.
Wait, Eric, you're a moron. For the Forever Knights I just need to capture one of them when possible and force him to talk, that way I can find out their end of the deal. And if I want a better understanding of Hex, I can just call Hope, Charmcaster's real name. Man, sometimes my genius scares even me.
Problem: The Forever Knights are extremely loyal; I can't take the information out of their heads without risking permanent brain damage upon them. And the recruits aren't let in on every secret, meaning it'd be useless to interrogate them. And Hope's pretty hard to contact, what with the Outlaws not staying in one place for too long. Dammit, this is gonna be tougher than I thought.
Zatanna eventually returns. "You think of anything?"
"Of course I did," I respond with a huff. "I was gonna try and interrogate one of the Forever Knights, or if that didn't work, I'd try to pull the information out of his head. Problem is, they have pretty formidable mental defenses, so I'd be more likely to give 'em brain damage than get the info."
"That's not good," Zatanna whispers.
"My other plan was to contact Hope, try to get a better understanding of things on Hex's side. But I realized that contacting her would be pretty hard," I finish with a sigh.
"Hope, huh? Who's that?" Zatanna asks.
"Oh, Charmcaster."
Zatanna folds her arms and looks down. "First name basis? How'd that happen?"
I nervously scratch the back of my head. "We dated for a bit a year ago. It didn't go far."
Zatanna purses her lips and hums. "Okay. Look, I gotta go back, John, Nick, and I were doing something important, so I can't exactly leave them alone for too long, you know? I'm gonna tell my Dad about this, see if he can help."
I grit my teeth at that suggestion. "I'm not sure that's the best of ideas."
Zatanna gives me an unimpressed look. "If you want this done right, he gets involved. Look, I've been here longer than I should've. Bye."
And she's gone. At least she said bye this time.
Standing around awkwardly, I look back at the page of the Charms of Bezel. I take a deep breath as I close the book and head upstairs to sleep.
This probably isn't gonna end well.
That's the end of chapter two! And I have now set up the foundations (Eh?) for the future of this story. One relating to the magical side of DC. Oh, and John Constantine and Nick Necro have appeared. Now, if you don't know, Nick was Zatanna's boyfriend in the New 52 before Constantine, and he also taught her and John some magic. The three of them also happened to be in a three-way relationship, something I hinted at in this chapter. We'll see how that pans out really soon.
Next chapter will jump ahead a year, because according to the DCAU wiki, the Thanagarian Invasion and the beginning of Justice League Unlimited had a two-year time jump, but for this story it'll be one year. The chapter after that will be the first flashback chapter, regarding Eric's arrival in this world and the first year of his career. The plan is to have eleven of these flashback chapters throughout the story, but that plan is subject to change.
But there's one thing I wanna point out: I wrote a dance scene, and not just any dance scene, but one based off of the dances in Yakuza 0. That's a first. I have 0 on my Xbox (haven't played it yet, though) and Kiwami on my PS4 (I'm in like, chapter 6) and I already love the series. It's so intense at moments, and then it goes insane. Mood-whiplash, but perfectly executed.
Well, that's all from me. If you have any questions or want to leave a constructive review you know where to leave 'em! Remember to stay awesome and see you next time you beautiful people!
