All right, back to the Justice League Unlimited chapters. This'll be a nice one to write, it feels like forever since I wrote a chapter based on an episode.
So, WandaVision though. By the time I'm writing this (03/02/2021) there's one episode left before the season ends. And by the time this gets posted it'll be long since the last one has aired so I'll say this now—Wanda's gonna put her Vision's mind and soul into the white Vision's body. That's how we'll get him back.
(03/23/2021): I was wrong.
(05/20/2021): Holy shit that was nearly two months ago.
Finished Nier Replicant ver 1.22 by the way. Goddamn that game fucked me up, especially Route B. And as someone who's aware of the story of Drakengard Ending E had a big "oh shit" moment, but apparently that specific thing isn't connected, but still.
Now to reply to a review!
Yonatanshahar: Why thank you! Him disguising as a thanagarian kinda just happened, and I'm glad you enjoyed it. And by the time you read this you'll have seen that Eric's already got a kryptonian form.
Triumphant Fun Fact 5: Eric and Esmeralda could have been half-siblings, Ashley would've been their mother, but Daniel would not have been Eric's father.
Anyway, that's all from me up here, on with the story!
Wake the Dead
"Oh, malefic one, your humble servants make you these offerings," a young man in his late teens to early twenties begins. "The ones of wolves ground into powder, fat from the flesh of geckos, rendered into candles. The rune that is your name unspeakable by our unworthy tongues. Oh, malefic one, we beseech thee, grant us the power to destroy our enemies!"
"Especially Brad Turner, who, if I have anything to say about it, has given me my last swirly," a larger, African American teen comments, breaking the atmosphere of the room.
Within said room are three teenage boys. The leader of the group has brown eyes and blond hair with a scruff on his chin and some ear piercings. The second is the African American teen. And the last has brown hair and eyes with some square-rimmed glasses over them.
The three of them wear brown robes with a rope around their waists and are in a room with the lights off, with candles providing the only light, and within the candles is a special magic circle created from the white powder spread about earlier.
The blond looks at his interrupting friend blankly.
"I'm just saying, it's humiliating," the African American boy explains.
With a silent sigh, the leader continues. "We beseech thee, grant us the power to destroy our enemies! We ask this in your name."
In response, the white powder of the circle glows blue with a growl-like sound and smoke from the candles moves towards the center of the circle. A cloud forms, and near the top of it two glowing eyes and a mouth can be seen, the growling coming from whatever is within.
Its eyes scan about and land on the African American teen, who backs up in fear and his foot drags through the now blue powder, breaking the circle.
Bolts of lightning arc through the smoke cloud and the creature cries out in pain before it dissipates. The candles then go out.
"Whoa," the teen says, taking off his hoodie.
"That was so cool," glasses says, stepping into the center and taking off his hoodie as well.
"Yeah, but I don't feel any stronger," the leader comments.
Glasses holds his hands out and looks at them while the bigger teen rests a hand on his forearm. "Me either. Rip."
"Just a lousy light show," glasses complains.
"That's what I get buying a book of spells on the internet," the leader sighs. "I knew I should've bought Zatanna's book instead, it was half-off until yesterday."
"My head's going right back in the toilet tomorrow," the bigger teen whines.
"Wedgies," glasses says with a faraway look in his eyes. "I don't know if I can take it anymore."
"Me either," the big teen agrees. "That's why I stopped wearing underpants."
Glasses looks at him in surprise and the leader steps back a little.
"All right, Alan, guess we'll see you tomorrow," glasses says, now changed out of the robe and leaving with the larger teen.
"And don't forget, these have to be back at the costume shop by 4:00 or we lose our deposit," Alan reminds them before closing the door to his room.
With a yawn, he goes to clean up the pizza boxes and soda bottles on the table. But just as he grabs the first box and bottle, someone knocks hard on his door. "Jeez, Stu, did you forget your dice again!?"
The knocking continues.
"All right, I'm coming!" Alan shouts.
Just as he touches the doorknob, a massive white hand breaks through the door and grabs him by the head. The last thing Alan realizes is that the hands are already covered in blood before the hand squeezes.
Tower of Fate
"It's your move, Hawkgirl," Aquaman states.
In a room in the Tower of Fate sits Aquaman, a hero who's fought a great number of monsters and villains, from the Trench, his own brother Orm, and Black Manta. And yet, none were as aggravating as the former Justice Leaguer.
No matter what he did, the fire that drove her never seemed to light up.
Honestly, Aquaman was half tempted to call Triumph and have him literally attack her in his Heatblast form.
But right now, the two are having a battle of the minds.
There's a chessboard between the two, and Shayera's just looking at it with a blank look.
Also in the room is Amazo, who is currently reading one of the manga Eric let him borrow. It's titled Shingeki no Kyojin, or Attack on Titan, he had translated. Amazo finds the story to be…interesting. And thanks to his mental prowess, he is more than capable of understanding the little intricacies of the plot and watch the chess game with interest.
Finally, Shayera makes a move with one of her bishops, only for Aquaman to immediately use his queen to take it.
"Check in five moves," he says, a confident smirk on his face.
"We'll see," Shayera replies.
Aquaman's eyes narrow as he comes up with a new tactic. "Diana told me you regularly beat Batman. Difficult to believe from the current pitiful level of your game," he taunts.
Shayera stays silent at Aquaman's attempts to anger her.
'Maybe she's been in this tower for far too long,' Aquaman muses to himself. 'Should just have Fate push her into the deep end, staying in safety isn't doing her any favors.'
After a few moves, Aquaman takes her last knight. "I should have known better than to expect a proper challenge from a woman," he taunts again. Aquaman mentally winces, if his wife Mera had heard that, he'd regret it immediately.
But he said that for a good cause, to get a warrior spirit back in the legendary Hawkgirl.
Instead, she just shrugs.
"Such scintillating repartee," Aquaman snarks, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I get better conversation out of the android."
Amazo looks up from the manga.
Are you bringing me into the conversation or attempting to goad a reaction from Hawkgirl?
Aquaman ignores him and moves another piece in response to Shayera's position. "Check."
Ah, the latter.
Amazo returns to reading.
Shayera studies the board, and due to her training and personality has already come up with a number of strategies to win the game. But instead, she knocks her king over, signaling surrender.
"I win again? Huzzah…" Aquaman drawls, resting his face in his hand.
"It's just a game." Shayera points out quietly.
Aquaman glares at her, angry at how easily she's given up before coming up with a new tactic. He shoots up from his seat and tosses the board to the other side of the room. "You disgust me!"
Shayera sighs, frowns, then gets up. "Join the club," she then leaves the room.
"I could have told you that wouldn't work," Dr. Fate says, stepping out of the shadows across the room.
"She was once one of the fiercest warriors I'd ever met. What's she doing here?" Aquaman asks. It's clear to Dr. Fate that the King of Atlantis is confused, worried, and, most of all, frustrated.
"Trying to find her way," Dr. Fate answers. "Leaving the Justice League was difficult for her. I provided her sanctuary, a place to meditate on her life and future. We must allow her the time she needs to…" he trails off and touches a hand to his helmet.
"What is it?" Aquaman asks, his arms now folded.
"Excuse me," is all Dr. Fate says before disappearing in an ankh portal.
"Thanks for the answer," Aquaman mutters.
His attention is captured when he notices the board and chess pieces floating back to the table and returning to their default positions. Amazo then gets up and sits down in the seat Shayera was just in.
New game?
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
The other side of the ankh portal appears in a clearing, just in front of a lone grave.
As soon as he steps out, his worst fears were confirmed. "J'onn? It's Dr. Fate. We may have a problem."
Someone's resurrected Solomon Grundy.
Tower of Fate
Within the meditation garden that Eric found her in all those months ago is where Shayera finds herself yet again, but immediately she realizes she wasn't the first one here, Inza was.
Inza looks up from the plants. "I wasn't expecting you back so soon. The garden needed work."
Shayera stops Inza before she goes to leave. "Don't go, Inza; this is your place, I'm just a visitor here."
Inza smiles softly and places a hand on Shayera's shoulder. "My husband and I offered you our hospitality, we respect your privacy. Treat this area as you would your own home."
As Inza begins to walk away, Shayera speaks up. "Aquaman and Esmeralda think I've been here too long."
Whenever she would visit, Esmeralda would always spend some time with Shayera whenever she could, spending the time talking about the times Hawkgirl would inspire her and her friends, and how she was one of the many heroes that had a hand in the birth of Victorious.
"And they both have different ways to get you out," Inza says. "Esmeralda reminds you of what Hawkgirl did to inspire young women all over the world while Aquaman reminds you of the warrior within. Flowers bloom when they're ready, Shayera; not before."
Shayera looks down at her feet. "I'm no flower. I don't know what I am. I'm not Lieutenant Shayera Hol of the Thanagarian Empire, not anymore. I've been stripped of my rank and exiled from my home world. I'm not Hawkgirl, that was always a sham," she continues, on the verge of tears. "Most people on Earth will never trust me again and I can't blame them. When I do my job, people get hurt; people I care about."
"And what happens when you don't do your job?" Is the last thing Inza says before leaving Shayera alone in the garden.
Gotham
Zatanna
"Well, shit."
I stare at it.
It stares back.
I close my eyes for ten seconds and open them again.
It's still there.
I rub my eyes hard, eventually getting sent to that weird spot dimension you get sent to when you do that.
I open my eyes and blink out the spots to see that it's still there.
"Si tahw m'I gniees eurt?" I chant. Nothings off.
I pinch myself really hard on the arm.
I cry out in pain and rub the spot I just pinched only to see some blood there. Man, I've got some really sharp nails. Well, that or I just have paper skin.
But then I look at the counter next to the sink and see the pregnancy test on it. Two lines, which means I'm pregnant.
…
I take some deep breaths and look at my reflection. Yeah, she looks just as frazzled as me. I mean… Holy shit.
Now that I think about it, how'd I miss all the signs? Morning sickness, missed periods, sudden weird cravings that I've so far succeeded in pushing down. It was all staring me in the face, and I just ignored it. Yeesh, I'm not the shar-
CRAP!
Back in the Hidden City I got hit in the abdomen with that force spell! Oh man, oh man, oh man!
Is the baby fine!? How would I know!?
The door to my bathroom is knocked, interrupting my little breakdown. "Zatanna? Are you okay in there?" Mom asks.
Heh, it's still surreal to hear Mom's voice. Every time I wake up, I half expect it all to be some cruel dream, that I'll get out of bed and she won't be there. But here she is, asking me if I'm okay after my freak out about my pregnancy test.
My eyes widen and I quickly toss it in the trash just as the door opens. "Mama! Hey! How are you?" I ask, already hugging her tight.
Mom hugs me back and I melt into the hug. "I'm fine, beloved. But how are you? You've been in your bathroom for a long time, is everything okay?"
"Me? Yeah, I'm fine! I am a-okay!" Dammit, Zatanna, dial it back. "Coooool…"
Mom studies me with an arched brow and I feel the sweat run down the back of my neck. I'm honestly surprised she can't see the water works.
Eventually she shrugs before standing next to me, taking my arm in hers. "If you say so!"
I let out a silent sigh of relief before telekinetically grabbing my bag and let Mom lead me out to the living room where we find Dad and Rachel waiting.
My sister looks up from her phone and hops off the couch. "Finally. What took you so long? Were you puking your guts out again?"
"Trust me, Little Bird, if I were puking my guts out, you'd know," I say with a dangerous smile.
Rachel studies me with squinted eyes before they widen and narrow dangerously. "I swear, Zatanna, if you puked in my bathroom, I will-"
"Do absolutely nothing!" Dad interrupts. "Come on, stand close together, now! Daniel tells me that his father-in-law has yet to arrive, so now's the best time for us to teleport there. Hold hands."
Dad holds Mom's hand, I hold hers, Rachel holds my other, and she holds Dad's remaining hand. Rachel squeezes my hand as tight as she can, but I just smirk and squeeze even tighter, she grits her teeth and holds back a cry of pain.
I lean close to her ear with a smirk. "You really shouldn't shirk your physical training, sis, maybe you'll eventually be as strong as me."
"Zatanna…" Dad says in a warning tone. I just give him the same disarming smile I've used for all my life and he backs down with a sigh. "Ekat su ot eht recreM emoh."
And we're teleported away.
Seattle
We appear in the living room and immediately smell some amazing food being cooked.
"Tamales are almost done!" Eric says from the kitchen.
"All right! Esmeralda, get the drinks from your dad's car, they're almost here!" Ashley shouts.
"Got it, Mama!" Esme replies.
She flies down the stairs and rolls to a stop before blinking in surprise as she notices us. "Oh! Hey you guys!"
"Hey, Esme," I wave with a smile.
Ashley and Eric's heads appear from around the corner and they both wave, ingredients on their hands. "Oh! You must be Sindella! Let me go wash my hands really fast," Ashley says before they both disappear.
"Where's your dad?" Rachel asks Esmeralda.
"He's at the store right now with Abuelo Victor. They went to buy some candy to leave out for the trick-or-treaters," she answers.
"How will you stop them from getting more than one?" I ask.
"Silver Bolt will act as a guard of sorts," Esme answers.
And, as if called, the little Galvanic Mechamorph Synthezoid comes downstairs, wearing what looks like a Dracula costume. His eyes and orange marks even shifted to red. "Greetings," he waves.
Mom coos and reaches down to pat his head. "Well, aren't you just the cutest…android…thing I've ever seen!"
If he could blush, I bet he'd be red. Silver Bolt chuckles and plays with one of his fangs. "Oh, why thank you! Heh. Well, the proper term for me would be a Galvanic Mechamorph Synthezoid."
Mom blinks in confusion before nodding. "Okay… That's nice!"
"Yes, it is," Silver Bolt then looks outside. "The children will begin to trick-or-treat. Enjoy Día de los Muertos!" Silver Bolt then heads outside and begins his sentry duty.
Eric and Ashley come from the kitchen and his mom takes my Mom's hands. "You must be Sindella! My name's Ashley Mercer, I'm Eric's mother and I've heard so much about you."
Mom smiles and shakes her hands. "And I've heard so much about you as well. Thank you, for being there for Zatanna and Rachel when I couldn't."
"Of course," Ashley nods. "Come with me, I can catch you up on all of Zatanna's embarrassing moments while we leave the kids to talk."
"No! Wait- Aaand they're gone," I sigh. "Great."
Dad laughs and hugs me tightly with an arm. "I'll go with them, fill in any blanks Ashley leaves."
"Daa- ammit he's gone too," I sigh. I feel my face heat up and run a hand through my hair. "Crap."
Rachel turns to Esmeralda. "Hey, there are drinks in your dad's car?" Esme nods. "C'mon, let's go get them."
The two head over to the garage and leave me and Eric alone in the living room.
I feel my blush intensify as I avoid eye contact with him. Oh man, how do I bring this up? Now's not a good time, this has to happen in private. But when?
I stiffen a little as Eric rests his hand on my cheek.
I look up to see a concerned look in his eyes. "Hey, you okay? You're a little out of it, you know."
My eyes are wide, and I quickly break eye-contact. Great, it's like the night he asked me out all over again, I'm just a nervous mess. "Uh, y-yeah, yeah. I-I'm fine. Nice apron," I hope that changes the topic.
He tilts his head and studies me a little more. "You're not. But obviously you don't wanna tell me now, so I can wait."
I let out a sigh of relief before walking forward and hugging him tightly, smiling as his arms wrap around me… He can't hear the baby's heartbeat, can he? I know he could hear mine if we were in a room together, so could he hear the baby's too?
Suddenly, our earpieces go off. "Eric, Zatanna, there's a situation," J'onn says.
"What is it, J'onn?" Eric asks.
"Solomon Grundy has returned and is attacking Baton Rouge; I'm sending you two along with Green Lantern and Vixen to stop him," J'onn says.
Huh, Mari's always wanted us to go on a double date, guess this could count. But I can't exactly go.
"Isn't the four of us overkill?" Eric asks.
"It is necessary, Grundy has already killed three teenagers, and many more are in danger," J'onn says.
Okay, maybe I can come over and hit the zombie hard and faaa- Oh man.
I stumble a little and hold a hand to my head, my stomach acting up. "Crap…"
"Zatanna? Are you okay?" He asks in concern.
Mom and Ashley come over from the kitchen and help me over to the couch. "Oh, yeah…I'm fine… J'onn, I won't be able to make it."
J'onn's silent for what feels like forever. "Understood. I'll send in Dr. Light in your stead."
Eric takes off the apron and activates his armor and looks at me concerned. I give him a nod and he nods back before raising his mask. He teleports away shortly after.
Baton Rouge
Eric
I arrive in the city and the first thing I notice is the screaming.
I notice a group of civilians running away, but a flying police car appears out of nowhere, and considering its trajectory it's going to hit them. Just before I can transform to get the car out of the way, a white beam of energy hits it away.
"Hello, Triumph," a woman's voice asks.
I turn around to see a Japanese woman wearing a mainly black suit with white boots and gloves and a white belt that's made up of multiple circles around her waist. She has a starburst on her chest that leads to white shoulders which is connected to a white cape. And to complete her suit she wears a white headpiece with a white pearl in the center of it.
"Dr. Light, hey," I greet. "Manhunter catch you up on what's going on?"
She nods. "Solomon Grundy has returned and you, me, Vixen, and Green Lantern have been called to deal with him. He told me about the three teenagers killed by the zombie, but doesn't this group seem like overkill?"
Like before, my memory was doing its thing when I got the call from J'onn, so I know this was an episode in the show, but I don't remember what happens exactly.
"Manhunter isn't the type to aim too many guns at one target," I tell her. "If we're all here, we need to be here."
"Well said," Green Lantern agrees as he and Vixen stand next to us.
"Hey, T. No Zatanna? Shame, this could've been a double date," Vixen greets.
"Yeah, she looked a little sick back home," I tell her. "But Dr. Light's here, she can kick more than enough ass."
Green Lantern nods. "That she can. Now come on!"
I quickly transform into Icarus and the three of us fly down the street, Vixen hopping from car to car to keep up.
As we get closer, we notice a bus filled with people slowly raises into the air.
Below it is a massive pale skinned man with white hair. He's about ten-feet-tall and six-feet wide, wearing an old and tattered gray suit, with the pants stopping halfway down his calves and the dress shirt open.
"Aw man, don't do it," Green Lantern silently warned, his ring glowing as he prepares a construct. But with a roar, Grundy tosses the bus.
Vixen, Dr. Light, and I speed up and zero in on Grundy while Green Lantern stays back and catches the bus.
Dr. Light opens with a blast of light that hits Solomon Grundy in the face and forces him to stumble back. And before he can recover, I coat my right fist in fire and punch him with a right hook, forcing his head aside. I then coat my left leg in high-pressure water and kick him in the chin, sending him stumbling back even further.
But then Grundy recovers faster than I expect and claps his hands in front of me, the shockwave forces me back. I grunt as I bounce across the street before a green pillow stops me.
"You okay?" Green Lantern asks.
I shake my head and flex my wings a little. "Nothing I can't handle," my eyes then widen in surprise. "Wait, something's off about Grundy."
"What is?" Lantern asks, studying the zombie carefully, occasionally sending in missiles and rocks and whatnot.
I close my eyes and feel a spike of mana in Grundy's direction. Ah, hell. "Magic was used to resurrect him."
Green Lantern tilts his head in confusion. "Meaning…?"
"Not sure yet," I reply before shooting forward, my body covered in fire.
I dodge out of the way as Solomon Grundy hits Vixen with a hard punch that sends her flying back before I aim my fists forward and punch him hard in the chest, a burst of flame shoots out behind him.
But then, Grundy grabs me by my sides and lifts me up, bringing my face close to his. His eyes narrow and he studies me for a moment, ignoring the attacks from Dr. Light before roaring and tossing me towards her.
I quickly recover and flip over her, standing back-to-back with her. "He's powered by magic, I'm not sure what it's done to him though," I tell her.
"Understood," Dr. Light nods.
A blur of green light flies by us. "Triumph, melt the ground around him! Light, blind him!"
The two of us nod and fly forward. I fly around the zombie and shoot streams of fire at the street below Solomon Grundy, melting it and causing him to sink into the street. Dr. Light stays back a few feet and hits his face with a barrage of light bursts, aggravating the zombie.
I do some intricate maneuvers and manage to avoid his wild swings before wrapping a water whip around his neck and pulling tightly. I fly back as hard as my wings let me, but Grundy's strength comes back, and he slowly manages to pull me towards him.
Eventually, he grabs the water whip and flips me over, causing me to land on Green Lantern. Then, with another shockwave clap, he sends the three of us flying back.
"Owww…" I moan as I recover first and see Vixen helping civilians get away.
Green Lantern gets up and rubs his head in pain but is quickly knocked out by a thrown car door.
"Shit! Lantern!" I yell.
Vixen snarls and activates what sounds like cheetah powers before she shoots forward in an orange blur towards Grundy. "Vix, wait!" I shout. "Dammit! Light, can you create hard light constructs?"
She nods quickly. "Yes. Not as powerful as Green Lanterns, but I can."
"All right," I nod. "Lock up Grundy, limit his movement as much as you can, I'll help Vixen," I look to see Vixen down, Grundy standing over her, his arms raised high. "Double shit!"
Just before Dr. Light or I could move to help, I hear a sonic boom, then, a blur of green, blue, and red shoots past us. Grundy's sent flying down the street, and Dr. Light and I watch as Superman slams Grundy into the street, holding a green Volkswagen Beetle.
I hold back a smirk at the familiar sight as we run over to Vixen.
"Are you okay?" Dr. Light asks.
Vixen nods and wipes some blood away. "Pride's a little hurt, but nothing I can't handle. How's John?"
I focus my senses on him before replying, "he'll be fine, just knocked out. Get him out of here, Light and I'll help Superman."
Vixen nods and runs towards him while Dr. Light and I fly forward.
Well, let's see how well a magically enhanced zombie does against Dr. Light, Triumph, and Superman.
Seattle
Zatanna
Shortly after Eric was teleported away, Rachel and Esmeralda came into the house, with Daniel, Victor, and Ashley's sister's family, effectively getting the night started.
The first person I notice is a young woman around my age with short, shoulder length hair wearing black jeans and a dark green dress shirt. I wave in greeting and her eyes widen in surprise before she hides behind her dad.
Oh, that's probably Jessica. Remember, Zee, be careful with her.
The younger girl, who's around Esme's and Rachel's age, runs over to me with a big smile. "Whoa… Y-you're the Zatanna Zatara! M-my name's Sara Cruz, nice to meet you!"
I smile and pull her into a hug. "Hey, Sara! Nice to meet you too!"
She lets out a gasp before looking at Esmeralda. "I'm hugging Zatanna Zatara!" She whispers excitedly.
Esmeralda shrugs with a cocky smirk. "I've been hugging her for years," she boasts.
Sara pulls out of the hug and glares at her cousin and the two go off to argue, Rachel getting dragged along. I then walk over to the other two and finally meet Johanna and Hector Cruz.
And yeah, Johanna and Ashley are twins, but Ashley has long hair, and Johanna's is cut short, like her older daughter's.
"So, you're my nephew's love," Johanna greets. "He's got good taste."
I chuckle and scratch the back of my neck. "Oh, thanks!"
Hector, a big, muscular man, comes over and pulls me into a big hug, lifting off of my feet and squeezing me a little. "Get used to hugs like this! When you officially join the family, you'll get a lot more of them!"
I swear my face is on fire.
Johanna slaps him on the shoulder and forces him to let me down, I instinctively rub my stomach. "Sorry about my husband, he can be a moron at times."
I chuckle a little. "Heh, just like Eric."
Johanna nods with a smile. "Just like Eric. Where is my nephew anyway?"
"Fighting a zombie in Louisiana," I answer. They both look at me with wide eyes and I smirk and deactivate the glamour spell. "Stage magician Zatanna is the same person as superhero Zatanna."
Hector blinks a bit before facepalming. "How did we not make the connection?"
"Magic," I shrug.
"Johanna! Quit being a good for nothing bum and help me in the kitchen!" Ashley yells from…well, the kitchen.
Johanna's face shifts to a snarl and she yells back, "I'm a guest you moron! Get off my ass!"
"Don't care! Get in the kitchen, dammit!" Ashley shouts back.
Johanna grumbles before taking off her shoes and heading towards the kitchen, grumbling the entire time.
Victor shakes his head before sitting down on the three-cushion couch. "(They'll both be my age and still argue like children,)" he mutters.
I'm so glad Eric taught me Spanish.
"(That's just how they are, Victor,)" Hector chuckles. Victor pins him under his gaze and the large man looks uncomfortable. "I'll be in the backyard with Daniel…"
Victor turns on the TV and just leaves it on the news, and I look to my left to see that Jessica's here with me, standing in front of the door still.
She notices me staring and fidgets a little in place. "Uh…h-hi," she says softly.
I smile gently again. "Hi. You must be Jessica. Eric's told me a lot about you, constantly tells me how proud he is of you."
She blinks in surprise before rubbing her left arm. "O-oh, really? Well, he's told me a lot about you too."
I smirk and flourish my hair. "Well of course he did, I'm perfect."
Jessica snickers. "Told me to expect some narcissism from you."
I have a fake frown on my face as I slowly move over and put an arm around her shoulders. Jessica stiffens a little before loosening her muscles. "Well, how about I tell you some of his moments of narcissism."
"Some?" Jessica asks with an arched brow.
I laugh myself as the two of us head towards the other living room. "Oh, we're gonna be great friends, I just know it, Jessica."
After about an hour of getting to know Jessica and her sister, the celebration is about to get started, but just before Ashley can get things started, there's a knock on the door.
Hector and Esmeralda share a confused glance. "Is there anyone else we were expecting?" He asks her.
Esme shrugs. "Not that I know of. But then again…" she heads over to the door and opens it, revealing Morrigan on the other side. "Abuela! Hey!"
"Esmeralda, hello!" She greets with a hug. "I hope I wasn't too late."
"Oh God…" I hear Daniel whisper.
"Uh, no. We were about to start, actually. Come on!" Esmeralda says, leading Morrigan over to the backyard with us.
The two join us, and Daniel begins to look uncomfortable. Dad and I share a concerned glance and Mom looks between Daniel and Morrigan, confused.
Well, this won't explode in our faces. Nooo, not at all.
Tower of Fate
Checkmate. You are improving; this time it took me sixteen moves to defeat you.
Aquaman glares at the android.
That's nearly double the moves it took last time.
Aquaman sighs. "Set up the board."
But before Amazo can, an ankh portal flares into existence, and Dr. Fate returns. Something they both notice is that even with the helmet he seems greatly disturbed.
"Solomon Grundy's grave is empty," he announces.
Aquaman shoots up, his face shrouded in anger. "Tell me where to find those responsible, then dig more graves."
Even if Solomon Grundy was a villain, he at least sacrificed himself to save the universe, for that, he deserved a peaceful rest.
Dr. Fate shakes his head. "We are dealing with something far more sinister than mere human avarice; Grundy's grave was forced open from the inside, and the site reeks of Chaos magic."
Amazo's head perks up.
He left under his own power?
"Far more power than he ever evidenced before. Behold," Dr. Fate holds out his hand and a live feed is shown of the Justice Leaguers and their fight with the resurrected zombie.
Vixen is sent flying back and a now conscious Green Lantern flies in, firing some blasts of energy with Dr. Light assisting, one arm hanging limp at her side.
Triumph, still in his Icarus form, flies in and kicks Grundy in the back of the head, both of his legs on fire but the zombie grabs both legs and swings him into Superman, sending the two flying away.
Aquaman winces at that. "They need our help."
"So does Grundy," the three look to see Shayera walking up to them. "Let's try and get there before the League kills him."
Amazo watches as Grundy slams Superman's face into the ground and punches Dr. Light away into a car.
That scenario seems…unlikely.
Silently, Dr. Fate agreed. "In any case, are you certain you're up to this?"
"Doesn't matter," Shayera says with a shake of her head. "Bad guy or not, he sacrificed his life to save ours. We owe him the benefit of the doubt."
"Very well," Dr. Fate says with a nod. He holds out his hand, and a white hole appears. "I've learned the hard way what the energy-dampening properties of this device can disrupt fundamental forces, so I've kept it hidden in a pocket dimension, away from magic that must flow freely in my home. But if you are truly ready to take up the fight again…"
For a moment, Shayera hesitates, she then reaches in and her hand wraps around a familiar handle. She then pulls it out and in her hand is her mace.
She hefts it in one hand and waves it around a bit before nodding.
"I'm ready."
Baton Rouge
Eric
The magically enhanced zombie's doing pretty well against Dr. Light, Triumph, Green Lantern, Vixen, and Superman.
I splatter all over a car and groan in annoyance before I slowly reform under my UFO device. Currently I'm my Polymorph form, Goop.
In this form I'm an orange, humanoid, 200-pound, single-celled-organism. My feet are flat and elephant-like, while I have three fingers and a thumb on each hand and my left shoulder has a spike on it. My head also has two spikes on top of it, the left one also bigger. My eyes are surrounded by a black border. Floating above me is a silver and black UFO-like device with orange lights emitting from it, the Omnitrix crest on top of it.
Superman slams into the ground next to me before quickly hopping up. "Ow…"
"This is getting bad," I comment. "Goop's not it," I slap the Omnitrix dial and transform into my Galilean form, Gravattack.
I'm a large, humanoid, living planet. Most of my body's dark orange, with black lines along my back and a tan stomach, my center has a red core. I wear black and orange shorts with white bars going vertically up the sides. The Omnitrix core is in the center of my forehead.
"Who's this guy?" Superman asks.
I aim my hands at Grundy, and the zombie, and some nearby cars, suddenly float before he can get in a hit at a stunned Green Lantern. "Gravattack," I answer. "Pretty obvious what I can do. Lantern! Get Vixen and Dr. Light outta there!"
Green Lantern does so. Once they're out of the way, I turn to Superman. "All right, hit him."
Superman nods and flies froward, his fist reared back for a powerful punch. But just before he can hit Grundy, the zombie grabs the cars and smashes Superman in between them. He then throws the cars at me, but I quickly increase the gravity around them, making them drop to the ground hard.
Which makes the bridge swing dangerously.
Because yeah, this fight between heavy hitters moves to a bridge with some civilians still on it. That won't end badly at all.
With a roar, Grundy slams his foot down on the bridge, knocking a few of us over and causing the bridge to begin to break apart.
I reach out and nullify gravity as far as I can, but it doesn't really matter, since a giant octopus rises from the water and stabilizes the bridge, Aquaman standing atop it.
I let out a sigh of relief before I hear the worst sound ever. The Omnitrix's power-down sound. After a few seconds and a flash of red light, I'm back to being Triumph. Crap.
One of the octopus' tentacles reaches up and deposits Aquaman on the bridge right next to me. "Triumph, you looked like you were having fun."
"Ugh."
"Heh."
I look to my left as I hear a car begin to teeter over. Aquaman and I run over to get a woman and her daughter out, but there's a quick flash of movement before the two are slowly put down, Shayera standing over them.
"Shayera?" Green Lantern asks, his voice clearly shows he doesn't believe what he's seeing.
Shayera studies him for a moment before pointing at his chin. "I hate the beard."
Superman, Vixen, and Dr. Light then land next to us.
"You okay?" Green Lantern asks our Kryptonian friend.
Superman shoots him a look and motions towards his torn suit. "Do I look okay?"
"Hey, Shayera," I greet with a small wave. But I wince as my ribs flare up. Oh, I think there are some hairline fractures there.
"Oh, hey, Triumph," she greets.
Green Lantern's eyes dart between the two of us before focusing on Grundy. "We can catch up later, now we've gotta kick Grundy's undead a-"
"Perhaps we can be of assistance," Dr. Fate says as he appears in front of us with Amazo.
"Amazo, hey. How're you enjoying AoT?" I ask the android.
Amazo looks at me and waves a little.
Greetings, Triumph. I enjoy Shingeki no Kyojin, thank you for exposing the series to me.
"No problem," I nod before turning to Superman. "So, what's the plan?"
"We throw our big guns at him: me, Amazo, Triumph, and Green Lantern," he then leans towards Dr. Fate. "You let him out of the Tower now?"
"I was curious to see if you would try to dissuade him," Dr. Fate replies.
"Hold up," Shayera says. "Before Golden Boy teleports him into the sun, I want to try talking to him," without waiting for a response, she flies off.
"Shayera!" Green Lantern calls out in vain. "Damn!"
I notice Vixen study him with an arched brow before sharing a concerned glance with Dr. Light, who also noticed.
"They're really not going to do this now, are they?" Light whispers to me.
"I hope they don't," I whisper back.
"Come on!" Superman orders before flying away, the rest of us follow after him.
Okay, round three, let's go.
Seattle
Zatanna
Things got awkward.
Hell, even Bruce, one of the most socially inept people I know, would see this awkwardness as clear as day. Then again, he is a detective.
Anyway, during the little remembrance ceremony we finally got to remembering Carter Mercer, and after Morrigan said some words, Daniel more or less exploded.
"Okay! That's enough!" He had shouted, interrupting her.
"Daniel…" Ashley said, a clear warning in her tone.
"No! No… You don't get to say a damn thing, Morrigan," he said, completely ignoring Ashley. "You left. I don't even remember you! While all the other boys had their mothers tend to their scraped knees or tell them what girls liked or didn't like in a boy, I had to deal with an ideal! No mother to be seen!"
Esmeralda and I share a concerned glance. "Uh, Papa…?"
But Daniel either didn't hear her, or decided to ignore her, which is a pretty big deal since he always listens to Esmeralda.
"You know Dad tried dating a few times after you left, but he never could move on, you always held him down," he seethes. "Then, years later, Alexander and I joined the military, and you know what happened to my brother? He's a goddamn mercenary who tries to kill my son!"
Oh. That's why they hardly talk about him.
"And speaking of my son, he hardly got to know his other grandfather. Dad killed himself when Eric was eight. Esmeralda will never get to meet him! How is that fair, Mom? How?" Daniel asks, his voice breaking and tears beginning to run down his face.
Everything's silent as all of our eyes dart between Morrigan and Daniel.
"I- I…" Morrigan stutters. She breaks eye contact with Daniel. "I'm sorry," and teleports away.
Victor blinks in surprise and rubs his eyes before looking at where she was. He then looks to Johanna. "(Wh-what? What happened? Where did she go?)"
"(Not now, Papa,)" Johanna whispers.
Ashley slowly reaches over to put a hand on Daniel's shoulder, but before she can he marches through the house and leaves through the front door, slamming the door closed behind him.
"Dammit," Ashley whispers before heading upstairs.
Esmeralda, Nova, and Sarah nod before running out of the door. "Papa, wait!" She shouts.
Mom stands next to Rachel. "Let's go look for Morrigan, yes?"
Rachel nods. "Sounds good," and the two teleport away.
Hector sighs and rubs the back of his head before throwing arms over me and Dad. "Sorry about that. Día de los Muertos usually isn't this…violent."
"It's no problem, really," Dad says. "Honestly with all Eric's told us about their relationship we should have expected this to happen eventually."
Hector nods. "We should have," he then looks at a confused Victor, Johanna and Jessica trying to explain things to him. "Now the old man's in on the secret, huh? Eric's gonna hate this."
As Dad and Hector continue to converse, I begin to wonder, is now a good time to ask Ashley? I mean, her husband did just go off on her mother-in-law during a day in which the dead are supposed to be celebrated.
Screw it, gonna tell her.
I get out from under Hector's arm and head upstairs. "Gonna talk to Ashley," I announce before heading up to her room.
I knock on the door and wait for an answer. After not getting one, I knock again.
"Who is it?" She asks angrily.
"I-it's me, Zatanna," I answer. While I'm more than aware that Eric gets his anger issues from her, I've never seen her actually angry before, so this is kinda scary.
She's silent, and after a few seconds the door opens, and I see that her hair's all over the place and there's an open notebook on her vanity. "Hey, Zatanna. Sorry you had to see that."
I shrug and smile a little. "It's fine, Ashley," I point at the notebook. "What's up with that?"
She turns around before stepping aside and lets me in. "It's just a notebook filled with story ideas. I add new ones every time I get angry and need some way to vent," she hands me the notebook. "Here."
The one she's working on now is a superhero story, about a woman who can shapeshift using her special necklace and her boyfriend who's magic works by speaking sentences backwards. Sounds like a couple I know. I flip through and my eyes widen as I realize most of the notebook's filled, with only half a page left.
Ashley smiles and opens a drawer, showing me that it's filled with notebooks. "I'm not a superhero, so I can't vent my anger by punching muggers and intergalactic conquerors, so I write."
"Well, you should publish these! I know I'd buy 'em in a heartbeat," I tell her. Honestly, I'd even promote them in my shows, and not for the money, but 'cause I genuinely love Ashley and believe more people would enjoy her stories.
She blushes a little and sits down on her bed, patting the spot next to her. Once I sit, she speaks, "that picture you brought with you, who was he?"
My smile becomes sad as I remember my cousin. "Zachary Zatara, my cousin on my Dad's side. He was awesome, would get me the latest toys, tell me all the gossip. If anything, he and I were like Eric and Esmeralda."
"I would've loved to have met him," Ashley whispers. "What happened?"
I bite my lip and clench my fist. "Drunk driver. Stupid, really. All Zach had to do was speak backwards and they'd both survive, but no, as soon as the car hit, he, and the driver, died."
Ashley pulls me into a hug. "I'm so sorry, Zee."
"It's okay, it happened years ago," I affirm. I sigh deeply before getting out of the hug and looking her in the eyes. Okay, Zatanna, this is it, the moment of truth. "But that's not why I'm here. There's something I wanna ask you, something important."
Ashley tilts her head. "Of course, what is it?"
Just say it, Zee. Just say it.
"How'd you know when you were pregnant?"
Baton Rouge
Eric
Round three isn't going so well, and it just started.
After she flew away, we followed and all watched as Grundy, for whatever reason, was trying to push a building down.
"Grundy!" Shayera had yelled. He turned to her with a glare and the Thanagarian woman continued to walk over to him. "It's me; remember Bird-Nose?" Probably a nickname he gave her.
And that's how we got to now.
Grundy suddenly grabs Shayera and slams her into the nearby wall, and while she's dazed, he raises an arm high, ready to crush her. But I quickly transform into Pinball and slam him aside.
I unfurl and catch Shayera before she can fall. "You okay?"
"I- look out!" She shouts.
I quickly raise my left arm and block Solomon Grundy's attack and get sent flying back. But while I fly back, I twist the crest, slam it down, and become Ultimate Pinball. "Okay, even if he had a heroic moment, I'm starting to hate this guy."
"Agreed," Dr. Light nods. "Tell me, Pinball, is your shell reflective?"
I smirk. "Oh yeah."
I furl up and roll in place before shooting forward, my spikes shooting outward. I then feel as beams of light hit against my shell and reflect out, followed by Grundy crying out in pain. When I'm sure he's blinded, I pick up speed and ramp off of some raised concrete, flying through the air and slamming into Grundy's front.
I roll while in place, my spikes digging into him and I hear more screams of pain. Grundy then punches me back and I unfurl, I look on the ground below me to see some blood on it, and at Grundy to see some bleeding marks along his skin.
"Huh, looks like I can use Anam to some extent in alien form too," I smirk. "Cool."
Superman then flies forward and uppercuts Grundy, while Green Lantern flies in and fires energy blasts with Dr. Light. Vixen strikes with her claws when the moment arises, mostly attacking the wounds I caused. Dr. Fate then joins in and fires his own mystic blasts.
But even with all this firepower, Solomon Grundy still isn't going down.
"What happened to him?" Shayera asks.
"I'm sorry," Dr. Fate apologizes. "I sense nothing of the Grundy we know within the shell; he is nothing but rage!"
Then it is time I brought this to an end.
Amazo raises a hand surrounded by a golden aura, but Shayera jumps in front of him. "No! Don't hurt him!" She shouts.
Amazo just moves her aside with telekinesis and attacks Grundy with a barrage of whatever energy he uses. The others move out of the way to avoid getting hit.
In my travels through space, I've attained mastery of forces all but incomprehensible to humans. I- wait.
Instead of getting beat, Grundy got bigger.
"Uh, Amazo?" I say in warning. "That's not supposed to happen, right?"
No, no it is not. Something is wrong! The creature is somehow feeding on my energies! He adds my power to his own!
Amazo falls back with a telepathic cry and I manage to catch him. "You okay, man?"
Amazo shakes his head before getting up with my help.
My presence here puts you all at risk; I will retreat several light-years' distance until I can determine how to counter this effect.
Amazo then teleports away in a flash of golden light. We all stare at where he just was before everyone else flies off to deal with Solomon Grundy.
Superman hits the zombie across the face with a left hook before getting thrown aside when Grundy grabs his cape. Dr. Light then hits him with powerful light blasts, but Grundy raises a car and throws it at her, which Vixen shoulder checks out of the way.
"Tell us something, Doc," Green Lantern asks Dr. Fate.
"Grundy was revived with Chaos magic, which is why Triumph's attack did so much damage," Fate explains. "But he's powered by a cumulative with no known upper limit. My magics are as useless as Amazo's technology."
"Powered by magic, huh?" I say as I transform back to normal and clench my fist and it flashes purple.
Vixen rolls to a stop next to us and wipes some blood from her lip. "Then I say we take him out the old-fashioned way."
She quickly runs to a nearby statue using her powers and tears at the stone. Seeing what she's doing, the others lead Grundy towards it.
While they do that, I run over and hop on Grundy's back, I raise my right hand up and bring it down atop Grundy's head. "Sucks to be you, you Dead Space reject!" I then absorb the Chaos magic from him.
I've never noticed the difference between types of magic. I mean, when I get magic from Abuela it seems…smoother, I guess. Maybe 'cause I'm a quarter alien, and Anodite magic is something I'm naturally attracted to. And when I absorb magic from Zee or her dad, it's filling, but not as great as Anodite mana.
Then there's Esme. Part of it's probably 'cause she's my sister, but part of it has to be because she uses both Anodite and human magic, so the mana I get from her can go a long way.
But Chaos magic? Oooh, baby, Chaos magic is a rush of energy.
Not only that, but Grundy seems to shrink a little bit.
But Grundy doesn't let me on his head for long. His massive hand wraps around my abdomen and squeezes tight before he tosses me aside.
I recover midair and throw my arm out. Hope this works. "Pillow!" I half expected a block of steel or iron to appear, but luckily, a pillow does appear. I land and realize it's super comfy. Too bad I can't keep it for my bed.
I slowly get up to see Grundy getting a hold of Vixen by the leg, his other hand raised high to punch her.
"Put her down!" Shayera shouts as she flies forward and slams her mace, crackling with energy into the side of Grundy's face. Unlike all the other attacks, this one gets a result, and Grundy drops Vixen and shouts in pain.
Shayera hits him with a barrage of attacks, forcing Grundy to take more and more steps back towards the street proper.
Eventually, Shayera flies up high into the air, and with a bird-like cry, slams her mace into Grundy's face, destroying the road below the zombie and sending him into the sewers below.
We all stand around the circle and look down, Dr. Light creates a search light and scans through. "I can't see him," she grunts in annoyance.
"Neither can I," Superman says. "There must be lead in those old sewer popes."
"A guy of that size has to leave a trail. Triumph, can you sense the magic on him?" Aquaman asks me.
I close my eyes and feel the flare of mana moving away from us. I open my eyes and nod.
"All right," Vixen pumps her fist. "You can lead her to him, and Pretty-Polly can bash him with her magic mace."
Shayera looks at her mace in confusion. "Why does it hurt him?"
"It's made of Nth metal," Dr. Fate begins. "Your people's technology was built specifically to repel magical creatures; it disrupts the magic that animates him. The creature knows only rage and seeks only oblivion; your mace or Triumph's Anam may be the only things that can grant him peace."
"What are you saying?" Green Lantern asks warily.
"Your favorite movie is Old Yeller, you know exactly what he's saying," Shayera then looks down to her feet and heaves a deep sigh. "Is this my destiny? To be a destroyer? To betray yet another friend?"
"It's not that simple. It never was," Fate assures her.
"Hey!" Vixen shouts, catching our attention. "How about we discuss another couple of hours, give Grundy time to get away, yeah?"
Aquaman looks to me and Shayera. "Only you two have the power to put the creature out of its misery. To stop more lives from being taken."
I look down in the hole before turning to Shayera. "I can do it. Like Fate said, my Anam's just as effective as your mace. Maybe even more."
Green Lantern steps up to her other side. "Or I could do it, Shayera. Give me the mace."
Shayera studies me for a few seconds before studying Green Lantern for even longer. Her face then hardens, and she hefts her mace. "Forget it, John; he was my friend, it's my responsibility," she closes her eyes. "I'll do it."
"All right, but I'm still going with," I jump down into the hole. "With my mana sense I can find him quickly instead of you spending who knows how long to hunt him down."
"Don't say that. Makes him sound like an animal," Shayera admonishes before she hops down.
"Are you two sure about this?" Superman asks us.
"No," Shayera says quickly.
I shrug. "If it's the only way? Yes."
Dr. Fate nods. "It's merely an empty husk that desires its own destruction. There is nothing inside; no mind, no emotion, save for rage… No soul."
Shayera and I share a nod before I lead her to Solomon Grundy.
Seattle
Zatanna
Apparently, Ashley didn't see where I was going with this, and immediately tells a little story.
"Well, as you know, Eric was born on a military base in Germany—but he was still a born with an American citizenship since Daniel was on military orders—but I found out when I missed my period. See, Jessica was born a month before Eric was, so Johanna told me about what I could expect. But for the next nine months…"
Her voice fades into the background as I stare blankly at the headboard behind her.
God, I didn't think she'd go off like this.
"-And it was around the fourth month when Eric began to kick. And man, he kicked. I was surprised he didn't kick through me. Guess that was my first hint that he'd be stronger than most…"
Aaand she's still going.
"Ashley!" I interrupt her.
She blinks in surprise. "Oh, sorry! It's just that I always get so happy when I remember my pregnancies! And considering what just happened…" She slowly looks down at the carpet with a sigh.
I reach out and take her hand into mine, the two of us now looking into each other's eyes. "Look, Ashley, I asked because-"
"Because you're pregnant," she interrupts.
I stare in surprise before stuttering some responses that fail. "Yeah. Yeah, I am. H-how'd you know?"
Ashley smiles and cups my cheek. "You're glowing, Zatanna. If anything, I'd bet your mother knows as well. That is, if you didn't tell her for some reason."
"I- well- I mean she just came back from being imprisoned for who knows what for a decade, it seemed like too much to tell her she should expect a grandchild in…eight, maybe seven months?" I explain.
At that, Ashley's eyes widen. "Eight to seven months!? Dios mio! Zatanna, when'd you find out!?"
I quickly look to the door and cover her mouth. "Shhhhh! I found out earlier today, just before we got here. I mean, I've been feeling off for a while, but I just attributed that to stress with the Justice League and my shows, I didn't expect I'd actually be pregnant!"
Then again, with how many times Eric and I have had sex I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner.
"Okay. Fine. But you have to tell him and everyone else soon, Zatanna," Ashley tells me.
"I know, I know," I nod. I then sit back down and lay on the bed, my legs hanging over the edge. "Oh my God, I'm gonna be a mom…"
Ashley lays down next to me with a laugh. "And I'm going to be a grandmother… Life moves fast, doesn't it?"
"Yeah," I whisper. "It does."
Baton Rouge
Eric
After about ten minutes, the two of us finally find Solomon Grundy, the complete opposite of what he was back up there. Instead of seeing a raging monster of destruction and chaos, we just see a tired being, waiting for everything to end.
"Thank you for leading me to him, Triumph," Shayera whispers as we watch Grundy.
"It's nothing, Shayera," I whisper back. "But seriously, I could do this, you don't have to."
Solomon Grundy finally notices us and growls lightly.
"He was my friend; this is my duty. But thank you, Eric," Shayera says quietly before she walks over to Grundy. "Shh, it's okay," she gently whispers. "I know what you want; what you need."
Whatever's left of Solomon Grundy understands and it slumps down, eyes closed and ready to accept what comes next.
I silently walk around the corner and lean against the wall, my eyes closed, and arms folded.
"Close your eyes," Shayera gently orders.
After a few seconds, I hear the mace cut through the air and meet with Solomon Grundy's skull.
"-We should go in after them," I hear Green Lantern say as we near the hole.
"You won't need to," Superman replies.
Shayera and I jump out of the hole. The others rush over to us and lower their heads.
"It's over," Shayera says quietly. I nod.
Shayera moves away from the group, and like cockroaches, reporters swarm in on her almost instantly, bombarding her with questions.
"Hawkgirl! Do you think today's acts can possibly make up for your complicity in the Thanagarian Invasion of Earth?" One asks.
"Do you have a comment on your dismissal from the Justice League?" Another questions.
Green Lantern stands between her and the reporters, forcing them to stay back. "Hawkgirl was never dismissed form the Justice League, she can come back whenever she likes," Shayera stares at him in shock. "I recused myself because…well, you know; anyway, Superman broke the tie."
Superman gives her a smile when Shayera turns to him. "I believe in second chances. I believe in redemption. But mostly," he puts a hand on her shoulder. "I believe in my friends."
"Traitor!" A man shouts.
We turn to see a group of people shouting insults and swears and saying some less than savory things all towards Shayera.
Green Lantern and I stomp towards them. I raise my fist to show that black and purple flames are flickering off of it, a few back up in fear.
"Hey, back off!" Green Lantern snaps.
"In case you forgot, Hawkgirl's saved your pathetic asses more times than you'd care to count," I growl, the flame grows in intensity.
"That's enough, you two," Shayera says. "It's okay, I deserve some of that."
She walks off but doesn't get far, as the hand of the young girl she saved earlier grabs hers.
"Thank you, Miss Angel," the girl smiles.
Her mother stands behind her and smiles as well. "If it weren't for you, my daughter and I wouldn't be here. Thank you, Hawkgirl."
Shayera smiles back at the girl then looks to Dr. Light as she throws her arm over her shoulder.
"You deserved that too," Dr. Light says with a smile.
With the sun beginning to rise, we head home.
Seattle
I come to a stop in the backyard as Fasttrack and transform back to normal when I see no one else is outside.
Dammit, it's early morning here, meaning I missed the remembrance. Sorry, Abuela Reyna, sorry, Grandpa Carter.
I carefully enter through the window into the kitchen and find Aunt Johanna and Zatara in the kitchen. They both stop whatever they were talking about when they notice me. "Eric, hey," Aunt Johanna greets gently.
"Hey, Tia," I whisper. "What's uh…what's going on? What's up with this atmosphere?"
Zatara rubs the back of his head as he puts his cup of coffee down. "Eric, did your dad contact you while you were fighting Solomon Grundy?"
I tilt my head in confusion and pull my phone out to see no calls from him. I shake my head. "Why?"
Aunt Johanna scratches the back of her head. "Well…"
After about an hour of driving, I finally end up at the bar he and I went to on my twenty-first birthday. Only reason I even know he's here is because Esmeralda and Sarah told me he was here when they were following almost all last night. The only reason they came back home was because Dad ended up here.
I enter the bar and immediately find him sitting alone in a booth in the corner, one drink in front of him. I maneuver through and sit down across from him, the both of us silent. He takes a sip of the drink before passing it over to me. I take a little sip and hand it back.
He continues to drink little sips and I just sit there, tapping the table with my finger.
One hell of a Día de los Muertos, huh?
And Wake the Dead's done!
Fun little fact: So, in the Ultimen episode (And in Ben 10 and Sandman Unlimited) Long Shadow mentions that he spent Thanksgiving with his dad. I was originally going to have that in this story, but then I thought, "why not have Wake the Dead be during the Day of the Dead celebration?" And so, I changed up that little line. A small change, but one I'm glad I did.
But also, with the loss of life, new life is found! Or whatever… Zee's pregnant! I've had this planned for a while now, really. Those two are obviously a very physical couple, so a kid was bound to happen sooner or later, and so, sooner!
And also, Daniel's exploded, something that's been building up for a while. And now we've learned the names of Eric and Esmeralda's maternal grandmother and paternal uncle. As I've written, Alexander has become a mercenary, and there's one day every year where he hunts down Eric, there'll be a chapter about that. But I'll say this about Eric's relationship with his uncle—it's like Levi and Kenny from Attack on Titan.
Next two chapters will be the Once and Future Thing two-parter, and as I've said before, part two's one I'm really excited to write. You'll see at the end of the next chapter.
So, I just realized that today marks one year since A Sinister Past and a Promising Future went on hiatus. I remember saying that I would rewrite the chapters, as they weren't nearly as good as I thought they were and would replace them, but instead, I've come up with another idea. Instead, I'm completely remaking the story.
The basic plot will be the same and there will be a lot of familiar moments for those that have read it, but I'm also going to add new scenes, remove others, or expand on already written parts. I'm currently rewriting the Jubilee recruitment chapter, but when the first thirty chapters are rewritten, I'll post them one-by-one bi-weekly on the same week as The Vitruvian Man. I'll have a more in-depth look into the rewrite in an eventual author's note chapter on the story itself, I just thought I'd give you guys a little update since it's been a whole year.
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!
