Chapter Twenty-Two — Misplaced

"Don't go where I can't follow."


Back in the caves hanger and unloading what they had all bought from the back of the bio-ship, Arley laughed at the corny joke Wally had told her for no other reason than the fact he'd knew it'd make her smile. Conner, with a large wooden crate restive on his shoulders rolled his eyes at the smiling couple as he walked off of the ship.

Arley could see Hal, with his arms crossed over his chest and his shoulders laid back as he spoke with Batman, Zatara and Red Tornado. The female Lantern couldn't hear exactly what the four Justice League members were talking about but she saw the ends of Zatara's lips twitch and though Batman only blinked Arley supposed— from Hals calico-like grin —her adoptive father had said something funny.

As M'gann began to use her powers to levitate the boxes of food they'd bought Arley used her ring to create a platform under the boxes of cleaning supplies they had gotten and like she would've done if she were using a handle truck, the Lantern began to walk the several boxes off of the bio-ship.

"Did you get everything?" Batman asked the Martian girl and M'gann smiled as the boxes were slowly set down in between herself and the Dark Knight.

"Everything on your list Batman, plus groceries."

"Plus cookie fixins," Wally chimed in as Arley set the box of cleaning supplies next to the boxes of food. Conner put the large wooden box that he had carried off the bio-ship off to the side as Kaldur began to tie it together with the other box of medical supplies they had picked up.

"Snickerdoodle cookie fixins," M'gann said more precisely. Wally, with a lopsided and appreciative grin, smiled at the Martian girl,

"M'gann you're the best, totally rock my world."

"You're such a dork, I mean seriously, who says rock my world?" Arley said with a snort.

"A lot of people," Wally cried out with a laugh, "The Flash does!"

Off to the side of the room the elevator door opened up and Artemis— who had been sent to retrieve Zatanna from the zeta-tube room —and the homo-magi stepped out of the elevator. .

Hal let out a laugh only to poorly cover it up with a cough; the sector leader smirked at the speedster.

"Sorry to tell you this Kid but your uncle's also a dork."

Wally's shoulders wilted and Zatara pointed the golden end of his cane at the boxes of cleaning supplies and food. Arley ran her hands through Wally's red hair as the illusionist said something— some kind of spell —and slowly one by one the boxes flew into the air and began to fly towards the elevator. And then suddenly, as Hal began to turn towards the crates Conner and Kaldur tied together he disappeared.

All the adult heroes in the Mount Justice hanger disappeared into a flicker of light.

"Hal!" Arley cried— M'gann gasped and Conner and Kaldur turned from their conversation, alarmed —just as Zatanna called out to her father and Dick had called out to Batman. The boxes Zatara had spelled to the elevator fell to the hangers floor with a crash leaving the eight teenage heroes to gape at the spots the four older heroes had been.

Arley lifted her ring to her face; "Aniell call Hal."

I cannot, Arley's ring replied, Green Lantern Hal Jordan is unable to be contacted.

Arley's head jerked back; the rings were supposed to be able to the Guardians and her fellow Corpsmen no matter how far away from one another; it shouldn't have mattered if Hal was at the edge of the universe, her ring should have been able to reach him.

"What do you mean he's unable to be contacted?"

I mean it is as if his ring has never existed.

And Arley's knees wobbled, the team looked to Arley and Arley continued to look at her ring.

"But it did, Hal existed-Aniell we both know that." The team stepped closer to the female Lantern and her ring, almost as if they would be able to hear the words floating through the girl's mind too.

"What's your ring saying?" Artemis asked; Arley just shook her head and focused on what Aniell was saying.

Perhaps. But you asked what I meant by Hal Jordan is unable to be contacted and I told you, I cannot contact Hal Jordan because his ring's signature disappeared from the universe. It is as if, he and his ring had never existed.

Arley looked up at Wally and then at Conner, Dick and Zatanna, and lastly, she looked at Kaldur.

"Aniell says Hal doesn't exist, neither does his ring and I'm betting neither does Zatara, Batman or Tornado."

"What do you mean Hal doesn't exist, of course he exists," Dick said with a high pitched note in his voice, and Arley shrugged.

"I know that," Arley said, her voice taking on it's own slightly panicked tone, "But Aniell can't get in touch with Hal or his ring because apparently they don't exist. Rob, if Hal was at the other end of the universe I should be able to call him but I can't because apparently our adoptive fathers were mass hallucinations!"

"Calm down," Kaldur told the two dark haired teens, "We will figure this out." Kaldur looked to Dick, "Try to get in touch with the other heroes, just because someone has taken Batman, Green Lantern, Tornado and Zatara that does mean they have managed to take every other hero in the world."

"And if they have?" Artemis wondered darkly, "What do we do then?"

The simulation— losing Artemis, losing Kaldur, her own death —played in the back of Arley's mind.

"Our jobs, I will go to Atlantis-my King is supposed to be there, and hopefully he is," Kaldur paused, he looked at Arley, "Try to get into contact with other Lanterns, John and Guy—"

"—If I can't?" Arley asked, fear tugging at her gut. This all felt so much more real then the simulation had. "If they're gone too should I go to Oa and see if I can get Kilowog and Kat and other reinforcements?"

If they were even there; Zatara and Tornado had been taken with Batman and Hal and neither of them had been human, whatever had snatched the heroes could have been universal not just Earthly.

"No," Kaldur shook his head, "Not yet."

Arley nodded and Kaldur stepped away from her, the Atlantean looked at Zatanna whose arms had cured around herself and whose grey eyes had been glossed over. Kaldur put a reassuring hand on the magical teen shoulder.

Zatanna looked up, her lips parted as she blinked away her unshed tears.

"We will get your father back and stop those who have taken him and the others from us." Zatanna smiled— it was a tight closed lip smile that didn't reach her eyes —and nodded.

"Right-right, of course."

...

Arley stood in the hallway, just outside the Mount Justice caves Meeting Chamber; Dick and the others had gone inside the room in order to try and contact the other League members scattered across the world— and at Watchtower —while they waited for Kaldur to get back from Atlantis, though with the zeta-tubes worryingly offline none of them knew exactly how long that would take.

"Aniell call Guy," Arley told her ring.

I cannot, Guy Gardner and his ring do not exist. Arley had been punched a countless amount of times but no hit she had ever taken had knocked the breath out of her more then those words.

Just like Hal, Guy was gone.

"Aniell call John."

Alright, Aniell said and Arley sucked in a deep breath of relief as a tiny, holographic John Stewart appeared in the center of her ring. John wasn't in his uniform but rather baggy pajama pants and a tank top and even though the John in front of her was nothing more then a tiny green hologram Arley could see the exhaustion on his face; and yet he smiled at her.

"Hey Arley, I was getting ready for bed, what's up?"

"Oh thank Nortz you're okay," were the first words out of Arley's mouth, John seemed to straighten at that, any trace of exhaustion slipped from his face.

"What do you mean I'm okay, what's wrong?"

"Hal and Guy are gone," Arley said.

"Gone?" John repeated, "Like—"

"—I don't know," Arley said before John could finish his sentence, "One minute Hal, Batman, Zatara and Tornado are helping the team and me unload the bio-ship and the next their gone."

John breathed and right before her eyes the hologram changed; John was no longer in his pajamas but rather in his standard issue Green Lantern uniform. "Have you tried calling them? Tracking them?"

The Meeting Chamber door opened and Arley turned to see Wally step out of the room. The grim look on the speedsters face told Arley all she needed to know; the Lantern pressed a hand against her stomach and turned back to the tiny green holographic figure of John.

Arley nodded, "I have nothing though, Aniell says she can't track them because neither of them exist."

"Alright," John said, "I'm coming now—"

"—You can't," Wally said as he cut of John, "Right now there's no adults anywhere-maybe Atlantis, Kaldur's still not back yet, but all the adults on the surface disappeared. We don't know what'll happen if you come to Earth. Whoever took everyone else could take you too."

John let out an angry huff, "I'm not just going to leave you kids to fight someone who took all the adults on Earth." Heroes didn't wallow, they fought and they trudged through whatever they were going through; heroes didn't wallow, they won.

"You're going to have to," Arley said, "I'll call when Kaldur gets back, and I'll keep you updated but John we don't know what we're up against—"

"—Which is why I should be there—"

"—I'm not going to lose you too!" Arley said loudly over the man, "John, please just stay on Oa until we know what we're dealing with, please."

It was silent for a moment, John nodded, he pointed, though— at Arley —and wagged his finger at her.

"The minute you know what we're dealing with here you call me. And if you need help-Arley—" John said the girls loudly as she opened her mouth to say something else, "—I don't care about who's doing what and who's behind this, if you need my help call me or Kat or Kilowog."

"Alright," Arley promised.

"And kids?" John said to both Arley and Wally.

"Yeah?"

"Be careful, the both of you. All of you," John said.

"We will," Arley said and with that the holographic image of John Stewart faded. Arley turned to Wally, "So the League, they're all gone?"

The speedster nodded.

"Yeah, I tried my parents too but they're not answering, and neither are Grandpa Jay or Grandma Joan."

"We can check," Arley told the boy, "If you want, Rob has a hundred plans at the ready. But I doubt he has one for this, so it might take him a minute to come up with a game plan before Kaldur gets back."

"Why should I?" Wally asked "We both already know what we'd find if we did, they're gone too." Arley placed a hand on Wally' arm,

"We'll get them back." This wasn't like the simulation, the people they loved weren't dead and they wouldn't fail. They couldn't; not when this was real life.

The Meeting Chamber rooms door opened once more and Conner stuck his head out, he looked at Arley.

"Did you get in contact with Guy?"

Arley shook her head, "No, but I spoke to John, whatever is happening is Earth-centric."

"Right," Conner nodded, "Robin wants us to set up a refugee center at the High school for all the kids who can't take care of themselves at least until Kaldur gets back."

"Does he want us to go in uniform or not?" Wally asked as he pulled at the grey undershirt he was wearing.

"Ourselves."

...

Arley, being the only team member to have actually ever been around and have taken care of younger children before, had gotten unanimously elected by the rest of her team to stay at the school with the gaggle of young children and toddlers that were steadily streaming into the local high schools gymnasium as they and other teens went around Happy Harbor picking up and rescuing children to young to take care of themselves.

M'gann stayed with her due to the fact that it was her high school the team had set up as the refugee center.

A dozen children, all between the ages of three and seven sat in front of Arley on the blue mat M'gann had laid out for them. Other children, all of them older— with books, ipods and DSi's kept themselves busy —sat in the bleachers while M'ganns fellow cheerleaders— all of whom had some sort of food in their arms —instructed several of the football players where to put the table they'd taken from lunchroom.

M'gann had thought it was best if they didn't try to herd a bunch of young children into the lunch room and instead had them eat in the gymnasium where they could be watched.

In the far off corner of the room there was a mat of sleeping infants being looked over by M'gann's friend Marvin.

"Okay," Arley said cheerily, she forced a smile on her face as she looked down at the kids in front of her, "If that's not how the song goes how dose it, because I swear I remember it going like Twinkle, twinkle little star yes, sir, yes sir three bags full."

"But it's not!" A tiny blonde boy in front of her giggled, the dark skinned girl with large poofy pigtails shook her head.

"Yeah!" The girl laughed, "That's Baa Baa Black Sheep!"

"Is it? I don't know-you know, I bet you all know a whole lot better than me."

"We do!" Another little girl giggled, "Twinkle twinkle little star—" she began to sing. The other children in the group joined in and Arley turned at the waist when she saw M'gann and Wally walk into the gymnasium. Wally had a dark haired toddle in his arms.

The group of young children continued to sing as Wally and M'gann walked up to Arley; the Lantern stood and the little boy in Wally's arms, with a smile, held up his yellow and blue sippy-cup to the speedster's lips.

"Oh for me?" Wally asked with a silly voice as he took the sippy-cup by the handle out of the toddlers hands. Wally smiled softly as his emerald green eyes flickered between Arley and the group of singing children, he handed the boy over to Arley and the toddler wrapped his arms around Arley's neck.

Arley tried not to wince as the young boys sticky hands clutched at her hair as he buried his face into the crook of her neck.

"You'd make a really good preschool teacher one day," Wally said and Arley snorted.

"Handsome, I taught these kids seven new swear words just on accident so I doubt that would ever work out." M'gann's eyes widened.

"Seven?" The Martian girl hissed, "It was four when I went outside to chase off the teens spray painting the school."

Wally pressed his palm against his lips as he smothered the bark of laughter he let out.

Artemis and Conner, both covered and children and looking distraught and tired as the children they carried continued to hang off of them entered the gymnasium.

"Got five more," Conner said before he let the boys that were in his arm down onto the floor. Both boys took off towards the still singing and giggling children and Artemis hiked the infant that was perched on her hip higher up.

...

The world knew five young heroes by face and name from their days as sidekicks, it was why once Kaldur got back from an adult less Atlantis four of those five young heroes— Arley, Aqualad, Robin and Kid Flash —stood in front of a camera that Dick had patched into every satellite.

There was a ball in Arley's throat as she was once more reminded of the simulation.

"Attention children and teenagers of Earth," Aqualad said, "I am Aqualad, these are my friends, Green Lantern, Kid Flash and Robin."

"We are using Justice League tech to cast and stream this to every TV, radio, computer and smartphone on the planet," Robin said.

"We know you must be scared and angry," Wally said. Out of frame his and Arley's hands were tangled together, "And we know with your parents missing there's a temptation to run wild, but we're asking you not to. Please just stay calm."

"Because we will find a way to get the adults back," Arley promised the children of Earth, "But until we do we also asking the oldest among you to step up. Care for your younger siblings and care for the kids who have no one. Protect them."

"It is up to you," Aqualad said before signing off.

...

Ever since Dick and Zatanna had come to the conclusion that whoever had stolen all the adults in the world had done so by using magic Wally had been in the trophy room. He was still suited up from the broadcast and he was looking at the Helmet of Fate.

Arley however, was looking at him.

That night months ago, Wally had for the first time in his life seen someone die. He had seen death throughout his years as a hero but he had never seen life fade from someone's eyes as he had seen the light leave Kent Nelson.

It was something Wally didn't want to talk to her about. He had spoken to his uncle about it and he had talked to Canary because Batman had made him; but just as she never went to him about the aliens she had killed he refused to come to her.

Arley rested a hand on the speedsters back and though she didn't say anything she tried to convey in a look that he could always go to her.

Kaldur walked into the room, the bare pads of his feet pitter-pattered along the Mount Justice cave flooring.

Wally turned away from the Helmet.

"I got through to Atlantis, they too have started setting up a refugee center in the palace."

"So," The speedster wondered, "Just how desperate are we?" The three of them looked back to the Helmet, "I mean this thing, could definitely come in handy."

"Maybe but would it be worth the cost?" Arley asked, Kaldur rolled his bottom lip between his teeth. Sometimes the ends justified the means but as Arley continued to look at the Helmet in front of her she wasn't quite sure whatever sacrifice they'd have to make— whoever they would have to sacrifice —would be worth the end result.

She'd have Hal and Guy back but she would lose Kaldur or Wally or Dick or Artemis or someone else she continued family. To save the world she would have to lose someone and Arley wasn't sure she could bare it.

Unless she put it on.

Do not dare Aniell hissed, You have promised me I would not be silent again, you will not leave me.

But Hal and Guy and everyone else would be alive and back and safe and the world would be saved and as a hero wasn't that her job?

But they would not have you, Aniell said. You left Conner once, you made him watch you die, would you leave him again? Could you claim to love him or anyone else if you did?

"Arley is right, we all know that anyone who dons the Helmet of Fate and allows Nabu to possess him may never be released from being Doctor Fate."

"So not that desperate," Wally said.

"Not yet."

"Guys," the three heroes jumped and turned to see a worried looking Zatanna leaning against the door frame, "I'm ready to try my father's locator spell."

"Right," Arley said as she moved forward, she grabbed Wally's hand in hers as Kaldur stepped forward; though not before he turned to look back at the Helmet of Fate.

Arley and the two young male heroes followed Zatanna to where, hours ago, the whole mystery started. The team was suited up and lined up outside the bio-ship. Zatanna took out a wand, one that looked no different then something you'd find inside a beginners magic kit.

"Arley," Dick said and like she had done before their fight with the Injustice League Arley raised her hand and imagined a glowing green globe. A large green globe appeared from Arley's ring and hovered in the air. Zatanna raised her wand.

"Etacol retnecipe fo yrecros." A red dot marked the globe and Arley zoomed in on the spinning globe.

"Roanoke Island," Arley said to the team, "Whoever is behind this is—" Arley frowned, why were villains always so dramatic, "—Right near where the lost colony disappeared."

"Then let's go," Kaldur said.

"Wait," Zatanna said, "I just-bathroom, two minutes-promise," the magical girl said before running out of the hanger, Arley's eyes followed after the girl until the ding of the elevator could be heard and she was out of sight.

The Lantern turned to Artemis, "Any idea what that was about?"

"She said she had to go to the bathroom," the archer said weakly, Arley shot the blonde a dry look and opened her mouth to point out how obviously Zatanna had been lying only for lighting to flash in the hanger and for a boy, no older than ten to appear.

The kid was tiny and bony and he didn't look like a threat but he had appeared in a flash of lighting; the team rushed up to him.

"Who are you and where did you come from?" Kaldur demanded to know. The boy looked to M'gann.

"Quick read my mind!"

M'gann's eyes glowed almost on command only to stop when the Martian girl gasped.

"He's Captain Marvel!"

Mind controlling, three eyed alien warlords Arley got, she understood different species evolved differently. It was weird but Arley could roll with it. Teenage clones, killer clowns and robots with human brains and gorillas wearing red berets and wielding machine guns were odd but those were also things Arley could roll with because they made sense when thought about.

A child however, who could appear from cracks of lighting and claimed to be Captain Marvel was something Arley knew she had to roll with because it was happening but was also somewhere she drew the line. Benjamin Button situations were not something Arley was going to deal with if she had the option not to.

"Yeah okay and I'm Speedy Gonzalez," Wally said pointing at himself. "Look just because he believes he's Cap—" the child— Captain Marvel —smirked and crossed his arms over his chest.

"—Geez Wally do I really have to get you Nachos and pineapple juice just to get on your good side?"

"How?" Arley wondered blinking. Apparently a Benjamin Button-type situation was exactly what she and the others were going to have to deal with, "I mean-you're what, ten?" Captain Marvel— the Captain Marvel she and her teammates knew —had to be at least John's age.

"Eleven actually," the kid version of Captain Marvel said.

"Right sorry but-uh how?" Arley asked with a high pitched voice. Both Wally and Artemis who were next to her put their hands on her back, Artemis' was splayed out between her shoulder blades and Wally's thumb rubbed a circle in the small of her back.

"How am I eleven?" Captain Marvel asked slowly, not understanding Arley's question.

"I think what Arley means is how are you a kid? We all saw you yesterday and well, you definitely weren't eleven then," Dick said.

The kids' hand clasped to the back of his neck, "It's sort of a long story, and it's really not important right now—"

"—I kind of think it is—" Arley muttered,

"—But what is important is the fact that the adults haven't actually been taken. I mean they have been but so have we; children have been taken," Captain Marvel said.

"What do you mean they haven't been taken? That we've been taken?" Wally asked, "They're gone, we're not."

"Technically we are but also technically they're not. The Earth split into two dimensions, one with adults and one without. I can go between the two—"

"—Because you're secretly eleven?" Conner voiced just as confused about the situation as everyone else was, and Captain Marvel nodded.

"Yes!" Captain Marvel said.

"Then I suppose you will have to be our messenger," Kaldur said, "We and the League will have to coordinate an attack; can you let Batman know we have found the source of the sorcery that has caused today's attack? We are not sure who is behind it but we do know it is occurring on Roanoke Island."

"Yeah of course!" Captain Marvel said eager to please as always; Arley thought about the Halloween makeup the usually adult hero had been wearing four days before and the fact he had gone trick-or-treating, suddenly that made sense.

"Shazam!" And with a crack of lighting the child was gone and the Captain Marvel Arley and the team were used to seeing him stand in his spot, before he too quickly flickered away, just as every other adult in the world had done.

"I cannot believe an eleven year old beat us out for the League," Wally breathed.

Arley grinned and she turned to her boyfriend,

"I can't believe an eleven year old managed to keep his secret identity from Batman-I mean, no way Bats knows, right?" The team turned to Dick and Zatanna, who had come back from where she had rushed off to— because she had not gone to the bathroom, Arley was sure of that —paused midstep out of the elevator doors.

"Did I miss something?"

...

On the half hour flight to Roanoke Island Billy Batson— otherwise known as Captain Marvel —had told the team mostly everything about how he had gotten his powers from the strange but mystical and ancient Wizard Shazam to the fact that he lived with his uncle in Fawcett City because his parents were dead and how besides his uncle and the wizard Shazam the only other person in the world who knew about his identity was his best friend Freddie Freeman.

The bio-ship landed a mile or so from where Zatanna and her father had both pinpointed the location of the sorcerer behind the attack. The team and Billy Batson stood from their seats and Arley rolled her shoulders back as Robin produced a holographic map of Roanoke.

"Robin and Artemis, you will attack from here," Aqualad said pointing to the southern part of the dirt road intersection where their villain was located. "You will pose as a distraction, Superboy will attack from the West, and Kid Flash you will attack from the East, I will attack from the north."

"And what about Arley, Zatanna and me?" Miss Martian wondered.

"Lantern and you will attack from above, Zatanna you will be out back up, you are the only magic user on the team, you stand the best chance at defeating our foe and undoing what they have done."

Zatanna didn't look too sure of herself but she nodded, "Right of course."

"And what about me?" Billy asked.

"Stay out of the fight," Kaldur told the younger boy, "Until we undo the magic and the two dimensions merge back you are our only link to the Justice League, we cannot have you harmed."

Billy didn't look happy but he nodded anyway and Arley, who had only somewhat managed to swallow the fact that Captain Marvel was actually an eleven year old orphan grinned at the boy and ruffled his hand with her hair. Billy swatted her hand away and Kaldur, with a ghost of a smile straightened where he stood.

"Move out," Kaldur ordered and the team did so, ready to face their unknown opponent.

...

Klarion the Witch Boy; Arley was perched on the leafless branch in one of the many trees that surrounded the intersection that the Lord of Chaos and his familiar stood in. Under the Lord of Chaos feet was a glowing pentagram and in the middle of that pentagram was a glowing yellow crystal.

Her mind was splintered as M'gann linked Arley's mind to the rest of the teams.

Klarion's familiar , an orange cat meowed and ran, and the Witch Boy turned just as Artemis and Robin attacked. Three arrows and four birdarangs soared through the air only to be stopped when they hit a red force field that the Lord of Chaos had thrown up.

"That's the best you can do?" Klarion asked before a burst of red lighting shot out of his hands and blew back both Artemis and Robin. Arley knew that both the archer and boy wonder were okay but her breath still caught in her throat.

"Now!" Aqualad shouted through the mind link. Aqualad, with a war hammer he had formed from his water barers, Kid Flash and Superboy ran at the Witch Boy only for the three of them to bounce back when Klairon threw up a glowing red shield around himself and the pentagram.

Zatanna emerged from the woodwork and moved in front of Superboy, as Arley took to the air and shot a burst of energy at the shield. The shield shook under Arley's attack but nothing else happened; Zatanna raised her hands and said a spell only for nothing to happen.

The Witch Boy laughed mockingly at her.

"Baby magic," Klarion scoffed as his laughter subsided and as he said something else— a spell of some kind —he shooed his hands at the magical teen; Zatanna flew up into the air and into Arley.

Both girls landed on the glowing green air mattress Arley had used her ring to form.

"Are you okay?" Arley asked as she and Zatanna got back onto their feet. The construct disappeared.

"Fine." Artemis shot an arrow at the Witch Boys familiar but wordlessly, with another wave of his hand the arrow turned into a green ball of yarn; the Lord of Chaos grinned evilly from under the dome.

"Show them what the familiar to a Lord of Chaos can do, Teekle." The cat grew and grew until it was about the size of a city bus, it's teeth sharpened and lengthened to a size that would put a saber-tooth tiger to shame.

Superboy ran at the monstrous cat and the feline lunged and batted the clone boy away the same way it would a ball of yarn. Superboy got to his feet and sprang away as the cat swatted it's clawed paw down where his head had been and as the familiar continued to chase and bat around Superboy Arley, with a glowing green lasso in her hands, flew at the monster.

The Lantern— as the cat hovered over Superboy —landed on the monsters back; the familiar jerked back but just as Arley had learned from the annual Coast City carnivals Bull-riding ride she focused on the top of the cats head and squeezed the sides of the feline with her inner thighs as the loop of her constructed lasso slipped around the magical animals muzzle and she leaned forward.

Unable to mewl or hiss, Arley felt the familiar rumble as it continued to try to buck her off; Superboy managed to slip out from under the cat.

Arley was thrown off a moment later when a bolt of lightning struck her and her teammates; the Lanterns construct vanished as she flew through the air and into the trunk of a tree and the monstrous cat hissed in her direction as the girl rolled over onto all fours.

Superboy, as the cat bared its fangs at Arley, attacked the animal from the side and rolled off with the hissing familiar, into the thick wooded forest that surrounded them. Arley groaned as she felt her mind splinter even further then it already had been; she stayed on the ground for a moment as she tried to catch her breath.

"Don't shout Billy," M'gann said into the mind-link as she pressed her hand over the eleven year old boy's mouth, "I've linked you telepathically to the others."

"That's so cool," Billy Batson said telepathically, "I mean—" the boys voice got more serious then it had been, "—It's the gem at the center of the pentagram, destroy it and we win."

"That's all I needed to know," Zatanna said and Arley's head flew up as Zatanna's plan entered the team's collective mind.

"Zatanna!" Kaldur and Arley both called out,

"Stop!" Wally shouted the same time, but the magical girl didn't listen, instead she continued to slip the Helmet of Fate over her head— "I have to, I have to I have to,"Zatanna had thought almost hysterically —and then when it was on, just like when Wally had put on the night Kent Nelson had died, a light flashed, and suddenly it wasn't Zatanna standing there in the Roanoke forest.

It was Doctor Fate.

Fate flew into the air and an ankh glowed behind her. Arley looked up sorrowfully at the golden hero; she couldn't feel the magical girl anymore through the mind-link and as Arley met M'gann's eyes from across the battlefield Arley knew that their friend was gone.

"Klarion!" Fate shouted; Arley could hear Zatanna's voice under Fates, "This ends now." The ankh faded and Klarion snarled at the Lord of Order.

"Billy tell Zatara!" M'gann said panicked and the younger boy stepped back, shocked at the loud tone,

"Right-yeah," he nodded, "Shazam!" And then he was gone.

Klarion shot a burst of red magic at Doctor Fate but Fate, just like the night atop the Tower, defended themselves against the attack by shooting their own golden stream of magical energy at the Lord of Chaos.

"Arley can you get the gem while Doctor Fate distracts Klarion?" Aqualad wondered, Arley knew the Atlantean boy was thinking of a glowing green drill and the plan he had in mind.

"I'm sorry am I or am I not the best to ever sling this ring?" Arley shot back cockily as she pictured a fast spinning drill around herself. She heard Wally's snorted laughter echo through her mind as she drove her construct underground. .

"That's my girl," Wally said; it'd been months since Arley had gloated about her abilities and talent with her ring, the last time anyone on the team could remember Arley showing off had been before Artemis had even joined.

Arley knew that the team, as she continued to drive her construct underground , pulled Artemis and Robin— both of whom were unconscious —away and out of the Witch Boys reach before attacking the Lord of Chaos.

Arley paused as she saw— through the mind-link —the Helmet of Fate flicker and Zatanna drop in the air not once but twice.

"Ha!" Arley heard Klarion say though the mind-link, "There-see? When the world's divided the Helmet split too. You're not all there Nabu, and you're losing hold of that soon-to-be dead girl!" Klarion giggled. "She gave herself up for nothing."

"No Witch Boy, Fate decrees her sacrifice will not be in vain."

Anger; Arley felt hot from the inside out— it was different then when Aniell would act up and save her by making her go green, this was a burning Arley had grown up feeling —as she drove up to the surface.

First it had been her father and then it had been her mother and then there'd been foster siblings Arley had liked but been swept away from, after them there'd been Lanterns and allies alike who'd fallen in battle and at sixteen Arley was tired; she was tired of losing people she cared about and tired of the universe making her say goodbye.

Arley would be damned if she let Zatanna die; she didn't care if she had to rip the magical tin-can off Zatanna's head with her bare hands to save her because Arley would. She wouldn't go to another funeral or watch another pyre burn in the dead of night. Not if she could help it.

And she could because she was a Green Lantern and they made the impossible happen before breakfast .

The Lantern drove up, into the middle of the pentagram and snagged the magical gem before the Witch Boy could try to grab it; around them the dome fell and Klarions hands glowed red. Arley's eyes widened.

Nortz, she thought.

"Babe!" Arley threw the gem to Kid Flash as she— with a yelp —was blasted back, far outside of the pentagram; Fate threw down a magical ankh and trapped the Witch Boy in a magical pillory, and Kid threw the gem to Doctor Fate who caught it with ease.

Fate, as Kid rushed over to Arley, said some kind of spell and Arley— as Kid helped her up —watched the gem glow bright. Four villains appeared in the other circles that dotted the outside of the pentagram and each of them fell over.

Batman, Captain Marvel, Hal and Red Tornado appeared in the dirt road intersection.

"Boy," Klarion said, "They sure don't make evil immortal sorcerers like they used to, oh well." The Lord of Chaos snapped his fingers and slowly the anhk began to vanish; slowly the Witch boy got to his feet. "That was fun while it lasted. Teekl!"

The familiar that had still been battling Superboy slowly shrunk back down to it's previous size and jumped into the Witch Boy's arms, a glowing red portal appeared next to the Lord of Chaos and the Witch Boy waved to Arley and the other heroes.

Hal, as Batman threw the other four sorcerers into a heap, used his ring to wrap a rope around them, tying their still unconscious bodies together.

"See you later armadillos! Unless I see you first!" And with a cackle laugh the Witch Boy jumped into the quickly closing portal. Wally turned to Doctor Fate who hovered in the air and Arley turn to Hal, she met her adoptive father's eye and the pilot smiled at her.

"Aren't you going to stop him?" Wally called out. Dick and Artemis were led out of the woods by M'gann who had her arms wrapped around the other two teenage heroes.

"To what end?" Fate answered back, "Klarion is chaos personified, he cannot be contained." Dick groaned.

"Did we win?"

"At a cost," Kaldur answered as Arley shrugged.

Win or lose they were supposed to do that as a team; what kind of win was it when there was an empty chair at the table?

Zatara approached the heroes and he looked up at the sky where his daughter, under the Helmet of Fate, floated in the air. "Fate!" He called out, "Great Nabu, release my daughter."

Fates head tilted to the side.

"No." Arley saw Zatara's foot step back, "Hear what the Helmet wants in these hours, the world needs Doctor Fate and the girls natural affinity for the mystic arts makes her the perfect candidate."

"You can't do that!" Artemis called out,

"She has her own life to live!" Robin shouted.

"Kent would never allow you—"

"—Kent Nelson did object strenuously, so I released his spirit into the afterlife. He is gone," Fate cut Wally off, the speedster took a step back. Arley looked to M'gann. The mind-link was still active.

"That night on the Tower fate was cornered before he attacked Klarions cat."

"Yeah but Fate doesn't have a cat," Wally thought.

"No, but if we could just get Fate on the ground for a minute—"

"—Someone could probably rip that Helmet off of Zatanna's head," Robin finished.

"Alright," Kaldur said but Zatara, with his arms outstretched, looked up at Fate before Kaldur could formulate a way to put Arley's plan in action.

"Take me instead," Zatara said, "My skills are already at their peak, and my body is physically stronger, better able to withstand the strain of your powers."

"Zatara—" Hal tried to step forward but Batman held out an arm; Zatara held a hand up to the sector leader, as if he didn't want to hear what the pilot had to say.

"All true," Fate said, "But if I remove the Helmet what guarantee have I that you will don it?"

"My word," Zatara swore before saying a spell that seemed to echo throughout the leafless trees. Fate lowered, satisfied, and stood before Zatara. Slowly Fate removed the Helmet from Zatara's head and the magical teenager seemed to almost sway where she stood as the armor Fate had worn faded to reveal Zatanna's usual outfit.

"Dad!" Zatanna threw her arms around her father and the man crushed his daughter against his chest.

Arley found herself turned away, unable to watch.

"Remember," Zatara said to his daughter as he took the Helmet from her hands, "I love you."

Zatara looked to the team— to Batman and Hal and Tornado —as he raised the Helmet to his head. "Take care of my girl." It was an order, a request.

Hal and Batman nodded; "You have my word," Batman swore. And that was enough for the magician because he began to set the Helmet over his head.

"No dad!" Zatanna stepped forward and Arley and Dick moved only for the magical teen to throw their hands off of her, "No please-this is my fault! Don't-dad, please!"

But the man didn't listen and in a flash, Zatara was gone and Fate stood in his wake. Fate turned away from Zatanna— as if she were just some random person off the street —and faced the four, still tied together villains.

Fate said a spell and over Hals construct Fate conjured a glowing rope to wrap around the four villains; Hal dropped his construct. "Leave these to Fate." And with that Fate, and the four sorcerers who had helped Klarion carry out the attack, flew off, only to disappear with a flash.

Zatanna collapsed to the ground and Arley and Dick dropped with her as she stared up at the sky and both Artemis and Wally rushed over to the girl. Arley tucked her under her arm as Dick pressed a hand to Zatanna's back and Artemis placed a hand on the girl's knee; and almost, as if a damn had burst, tears began to pour out of the magical teens eyes.