It was a truly bizarre afternoon for our group. For the past four months, they had been training under Drell to try and find Atticus' missing parents to rescue them from King Sombra and his villainous allies, but the villain of today was the weirdest of all: the Music Meister, who apparently had the power to make people obey his orders and talk-sing whenever he sang.
"So... Can we go now?" Cherry asked as she stood with the others. "We should really get going."
"Hmm..." Drell paused as he took out his timer. "I guess you guys have been here for a while... All right. You might as well run along."
"Score." Lionel smirked.
"See ya." Atticus said.
The group soon went off to leave the Other Realm gym.
"Oh, uh, my weekly clue?" Atticus asked as he briefly came back.
"Huh? Oh! I can't believe I forgot," Drell chuckled. "Man, that probably would've killed you to wait an extra week until you get the next piece of the puzzle, huh?"
"Yeah, yeah..." Atticus said as he tried to be patient.
"That would probably feel like murder." Drell smirked as he delayed a bit.
"No, you think so?" Lionel asked. "Also, you're stalling."
"Oh, am I? Gosh! I'm out of touch today." Drell replied.
Atticus took out a pillow and screamed into it from the suspense.
"Here you go." Drell said as he took out the next clue.
"Ugh... At last, after 10,000 years..." Lionel muttered as he took it.
"Why do you torture us so?" Atticus groaned a bit.
"At least it's worth it," Drell replied. "The puzzle should make more sense once you have this piece."
"Thanks, Drell," Atticus said. "I'll put it together after this villain is stopped."
"Yeah, just in case though, get some sort of ear plugs so you don't get forced to sing along with the song." Drell advised.
Lionel snapped his fingers, plugging everyone's ears with headphones. "Done and done." he replied.
"All right," Drell said. "Run along now."
"What?" The group replied.
"RUN ALONG NOW!" Drell repeated a bit louder.
"Fun thong bow?" Cherry asked. "Drell, what you do when we're gone is your own personal business."
Lionel wrote something on a sign and held it up. It read "He says we can go now".
"Ohh..." The group replied as they left.
"Kids these days..." Drell rolled his eyes a bit.
They soon left Atticus's closet as Atticus placed the puzzle piece on the board before they changed their clothes to meet the older heroes who would be waiting for them.
"We're on the way," Cherry said as she texted Batman. "How are Green Arrow, Black Canary, and Aquaman?"
"They seem to be hit already," Batman texted back. "Wear ear protection."
"Got us covered." Lionel remarked.
"Thanks for letting me come by the way," Atticus said as he lifted up a headphone flap which had the others do the same to hear him. "I guess I could use a little fresh air."
"Yeah, same here," Lionel replied. "After that whole fiasco with that Hush weirdo, I'm glad things are brightening up a little."
"That was a dark time indeed," Atticus remarked. "Especially with Cherry's parents. I wish I could've helped them with their problems because they seemed like really nice people whenever they didn't have arguments with each other."
"Especially when they came to visit on her birthday," Lionel nodded. "I thought they seemed so nice... And that her father was going to gut me like a trout for dating his daughter."
"I guess they just had some issues they couldn't help behind closed doors," Atticus sighed. "You gonna be okay, Cherry?"
"I love my parents very much, but this might be for the best," Cherry replied. "Especially since I live with Aunt Selina now."
Lionel nodded. "It's nice living there."
Atticus gave a small smile as he slipped on his mask.
"Let's go." Cherry said as she did the same.
"Right!" They agreed as they dashed off.
And so, the team headed off to fight the Music Master. Batman hid away with his own little Bat Plane as he took a look at what was going on with the others who were at a warehouse.
"So, what exactly is our plan here?" Bat-Mite asked.
"Well, he's clearly up to something with his music and singing," Batman told the kids. "Though I'm not fully sure what just yet."
"It looks like a musical alright." Lady Gothika collected.
"Yep. Any more and we might just win a Tony award!" Bat-Mite added. "So let's go bring down the curtains!"
"If you guys are ready, we'll try to stop him." Batman advised.
"Let's get this over with." Lady Gothika replied.
"Agreed." Saiya Man nodded to them.
They soon dashed off as the Music Meister had a reign of terror with those involved, including some villains as he seemed to put them all to work.
"Keep on working, to complete my plan!~" sang the Music Meister. "In order to put an end to the Batman!~"
"This concerto of crime is over!" Lady Gothika glared as she appeared.
"Ah... The Baby Bat..." The Music Meister smirked. "I'm sorry, but my work's not quite done yet!" he then tried to shoot at her.
Lady Gothika dodged and ducked on cue before grabbing a hold of him.
"Well done." Batman approved of her new skills.
"And now, for your final number, Music Moron!" Bat-Mite added. "For I am the terror that flaps in the night... I am the jolt of lightning from the skies themselves... I AM DARKWING... DUCK!"
"A duck, huh?" The Music Meister raised an eyebrow with deadpan.
"Yeah, that's right!" Bat-Mite remarked. "And I'm quackin' up your evil plans once and for all!"
"Oh, great... Gorilla Grodd, Black Manta, and Clock King." Saiya Man said as he saw the villains at the scene of the crime.
"Well, it's good to see you, Bat Family and Superman's brat, I'm sorry, but my work's not quite done yet!" The Music Meister told them before he began to sing which made the heroes and villains surround them with menacing snapping. "You better tow the line you see, because your wills belong to me, And now my friends, you have the chance... To show your pals how well you dance!~"
"I'm afraid I have two left feet." Lady Gothika said as she attempted to dance fight against the villains who were there.
"Then it looks like I'll have to guide you!" Bat-Mite replied, morphing into a flamenco dancer next to her. "Trust me."
Lady Gothika stepped back. "Oh... Nah..."
"Go on, LG, it might be fun." Saiya Man smiled.
"Go for it." Batman added.
The heroine glanced at them before she looked over at Bat-Mite again as the others took care of the brainwashed heroes and villains. Bat-Mite held out his hands, a hopeful yet patient expression on his face.
"Meh." Lady Gothika shrugged as she came towards Bat-Mite to get the dance over with.
Bat-Mite let out a little 'eep' of glee and began leading Lady Gothika in a furious combo of dancing and fighting. She started off a bit rocky, but she soon managed to get the hang of it and move with him.
"I won't be defeated so easily." The Music Meister told them firmly.
"Good, because neither will we!" Bat-Mite replied... Right before he snapped his fingers a few times, inserting noise-blocking earplugs in the ears of everyone else.
"Oh... Damn... You just pull everything out your butt, don't you?" The Music Meister glared.
Saiya Man slid in suddenly as he kicked him away like sliding into the home plate from baseball.
"What can I say?" Bat-Mite shrugged. "It's a gift. And your number is up!"
"It's time for the final curtain on you!" Lady Gothika added.
"Maybe you could sing some show tunes in the prison shower." Black Canary smirked a bit.
"...Just remember to keep a good grip on the soap, or else you'll be hitting a high note!" Aquaman added as the cops soon arrived.
"Nice one." Lady Gothika snickered from Aquaman's remarked.
"Thanks!" Aquaman replied.
Lady Gothika shared high-fives with Bat-Mite and Saiya Man.
"Alrighty! That's another villain thwomped!" Bat-Mite proclaimed. "Now to see our most recent clue!"
"Is this pretty major?" Batman asked Lady Gothika.
"Yes, we have to go NOW!" Lady Gothika replied. "Drell says this could be it!"
"Alright then!" Thunder Boy exclaimed. "Let's transform and roll out!"
The young heroes bolted off as they changed back to normal.
"Even if I didn't do anything." Thunder Boy pouted.
"Oh, come on, you busted some pretty good moves." Lady Gothika replied.
"Yeah, never took you for a dancer." Saiya Man added.
Thunder Boy beamed from that as he felt helpful again.
They soon came back to the Kent house as Atticus took out the puzzle piece as he ran to the board to put it in the puzzle to finally solve the family mystery.
"Okay... Let's recap what we have done already." Mo declared.
"Right," Atticus replied. "This U and R together make up 'Your', then a married bride and groom could make up 'parents', then there's a tie but with a minus T with a plus L to mean 'lie', then the letter N with a heart which we thought meant love, and now this piece which looks like a spooky gray area, almost like a graveyard."
"Your parents... Like... In... The heart of... Gray Area...?" Lionel put together. "What in the Matrix is the Gray Area?"
Jessica soon came through the door with groceries.
"Hey, Jess!" Atticus beamed at his sister before helping her with the groceries.
"Hey, Atticus," Jessica smiled. "Oh, you look excited."
"Drell gave us the final clue of the puzzle!" Atticus beamed.
"That's GREAT!" Jessica exclaimed. "Now we'll get to see Mom and Dad again!"
"One question though," replied Lionel. "It mentioned something about a Gray Area. What's that all about?"
Jessica's hair seemed to turn white.
"Jess...?" Atticus asked.
"Your parents lie in the heart of the Gray Area..." Jessica said to herself, looking a bit sick to her stomach. "I should've known..."
"Well? What's the Gray Area?" asked Lionel. "Don't keep us in suspense. I particularly despise that."
"Could you wait a few seconds?" Jessica asked.
Lionel groaned, but excused her as she went to get a glass of water.
Jessica took a drink to relax herself as she looked a bit scared to death from that name. "The Gray Area is a very dangerous, forbidden, and deathly part of the Netherworld in The Other Realm." she then finally explained.
The group looked at one another.
"So... What exactly makes it so dangerous... And forbidden?" asked Mo, curious.
"There's a lot of dangerous creatures there that could catch you and possibly even kill you." Jessica replied.
"Heh... So much for a family reunion." Cherry shrugged bashfully.
"Young witches and warlocks should stay away from there unless they have adult supervision," Jessica continued. "It's no place for those still in-training."
"Well... That's just prime..." Lionel groused. "Atticus' parents happen to be held prisoner in a cesspit of horrible, fiendish creatures that more than likely intend to do us harm."
Atticus sighed and bowed his head.
"Atticus?" Cherry asked.
"I never should've bothered looking for them," Atticus sulked. "Now I'll never see them again."
"He might as well be right..." Lionel sighed. "Last I checked, we're still in-training... And while I wish Atticus could be reunited with his parents, I have no desire to die in the process of ensuring that."
"I'm so sorry, guys," Jessica said to them. "We were so close too."
Atticus walked off.
"Atticus, you gonna be... Okay?" Cherry asked as she grabbed his arm.
"Huh? Oh, yeah... I-I'll be fine..." Atticus said. "I just think I'm gonna finish up my homework and go to bed early tonight."
"And to think we were so close!" Thor groused. "There HAS to be something we can do! We can't just roll over and quit! That... That'd be like telling Sombra we give up!"
"I'm sorry, guys," Jessica said softly. "I'd take you there if I could, but I don't think I'd be ready."
"Well, some big sister you are!" Cherry glared slightly. "If you really cared about your parents, you'd take us there to find them!"
"DON'T YOU THINK I WANT TO SEE MY PARENTS AGAIN, CHERRY?!" Jessica snapped. "I MISS THEM AS MUCH AS ATTICUS DOES, BUT I AM NOT WILLING TO PUT ANY OF YOU IN HARM'S WAY TO GET THEM BACK! IF I DID THAT, I WOULD BE JUST AS HORRIBLE AS SOMBRA!"
Cherry stepped back, a bit startled from that. Jessica glared while panting a bit heavily before she tried to relax herself.
"I-I'm sorry, Jessica." Cherry replied.
"I'm sorry too," Jessica told her. "As much as I'd love to help, I don't think I can."
"...If you can't help, maybe we need somebody who CAN." Thor replied.
"Are you suggesting that we ask Drell for help?" Lionel questioned.
"I was thinking you could make us special suits to tether us to the Mortal Realm and defend us from the Gray Area for when we go in to save Atticus' parents..." replied Thor. "But that's a good idea too. Maybe you could collaborate on the suits!"
"Hmm..." Jessica paused.
"Do you think that could help?" Mo asked.
"Well... Since Lionel comes from another dimension, maybe it would help a little." Jessica advised.
"You'd have to be crazy to attempt something like that..." Cherry replied.
"Sometimes, crazy works." Thor explained. "So... What do you say?"
Lionel pondered for a few minutes. "...Get Drell and bring Atticus up to speed on the situation. And somebody's gonna need to put on a pot of hot cocoa, for those who don't like coffee. This is gonna take a while." he replied.
Thor saluted as he decided to get his uncle. Jessica took the hot cocoa job as it would be her pleasure.
"I hope it'll be okay, Atticus," Cherry said as she felt bad for her friend. "I'm sure it will be."
Lionel looked at her, a smile growing on his face. "Thor was right: we've come too far to turn back now." he replied. "I made a promise... And I very well intend to keep it."
"Hopefully this doesn't affect our time with the Justice League," Cherry replied. "Batman says this mystery has made me a little sloppy in my fighting training, but luckily I got to prove him wrong when we faced the Music Meister."
"Well, they don't need to rely on us ALL the time," said Lionel as he began sketching out the suit designs. "They have no shortage of members on hand."
"I'll try telling him that," Cherry replied. "So, are we all staying a while longer?"
"Looks like it." Mo said.
"All right, I'll be right back." Cherry said as she took out her phone to tell Selina that she might be back home a little late.
"Okay then..." Lionel remarked as he finished drawing. "We got the tools... We got the talent."
Thor soon took that time to get going.
"And we'll have Drell soon." Mo replied.
"Oh, joy..." Cherry mumbled about Drell.
"I know you find him bothersome, as do I, but his presence is a necessity to the success of this mission." Lionel replied as he drank the hot cocoa.
"Well, all right... But he better not breathe my air." Cherry rolled her eyes.
"Which air is yours?" Mo smirked slightly.
"...Yes." Cherry replied.
"I can't make that promise." Lionel replied.
"Argh..." Cherry mumbled.
Atticus waited a bit in his room as he had some time alone.
"We should probably wait until he's ready to come back out." Cherry told the others as Atticus felt very upset right now.
"Good thinking," Lionel nodded. "He'll need some time."
Cherry then took some of her own hot cocoa.
"So, is Selina alright with you staying over?" Jessica asked.
"She said, and I quote, 'Whatever you have to do to help your friends, Kitten. As long as you finish your homework and don't stay up too late'." Cherry replied.
"Sounds like a yes to me." replied Mo as she cracked her knuckles.
"Guess I'll get some shut-eye while I wait for Drell to arrive." Lionel remarked.
"Get some rest," Cherry replied. "Who knows how long he'll take?"
"I suppose we'll see..." Lionel replied as he gave her a kiss on the cheek and shuffled off to the couch.
Cherry gave a small nod of her head.