Mount. Justice
August 19
"Initiate: Combat training," The female robotic voice announces as Kaldur and Superboy begin their sparring session. "Three...two...one…"
We are in the cave, waiting for a mission to pop up. None have come around for a week or two, and I, along with everyone else, am getting cabin fever.
Although I don't live in a cabin.
And I don't have a fever.
These phrases are quite confusing.
Artemis, M'gann, and I are watching Superboy and Kaldur sparr on the light floor. No one bothered to suit up in our uniforms, so we all just hang out in our civvies.
"Kaldur's, uh, nice, don't you think? Handsome. Commanding. You should totally ask him out," Artemis says, gossiping with M'gann, watching Kaldur and Superboy.
"He's like a big brother to me, but you know who would make the cutest couple? You and Wally," M'gann notices, glancing over to Wally and Nash who were stuffing their faces with burritos.
"You're so full of passion, and he's so full of...uh...of-" M'gann tries.
"It?" Artemis finishes.
We all laugh.
"What about Addie and Nash?" M'gann tries again.
"I agree entirely," Artemis approves. "You two would be so adorable! Especially because of how he acts around you."
"He acts a way around me?" I ask. "What does that mean?"
"He's protective, and sweet, and funny… You two would be so perfect," M'gann agrees.
"In case you've both forgotten," I remind. "I'm an Amazon. Amazons do not get involved with men."
"She has a point," M'gann says after a moment.
"Fail: Aqualad," The voice announces.
"Black Canary taught me that," Superboy states proudly.
Then, the ceiling hatch opens up, only for Red Tornado to swirl down to the ground floor of the cave.
"Do you have a mission for us?" Wally asks excitedly.
"Mission assignments are the Batman's responsibility," Red Tornado replies.
"Yeah, well, the' Batman's' with the 'Robin' doing the 'Dynamic Duo' thing in Gotham, but you're headed somewhere, right? Hot date or a-a mission?" Wally asks with an accent.
"If we can be of help," Kaldur adds.
"This is Kent Nelson, a friend," Red Tornado says, bringing up a picture of an elderly man with a cane. "He is 106 years old -"
"Guy doesn't look a day over 90," Wally jokes.
"- And he has been missing for 23 days. Kent was a charter member of the Justice Society, the precursor to your mentors' Justice League."
"Of course, Nelson was Earth's Sorcerer Supreme! He was Doctor Fate," Kaldur states in awe as R.T brings up another picture, but this time it is the same man, But wearing a helmet and armor of gold.
"More like 'Doctor Fake'. Guy knows a little advanced science and "Dumbledore's" it up to scare the bad guys and impress the babes," I hear Wally whisper to Artemis and I.
"Dumbledore?" I ask puzzled.
"He's a character in a book. He's a Wizard," Nash explains, throwing an arm around my shoulders.
"Kent may simply be on one of his walkabouts, but he is caretaker to the Helmet of Fate, the source of the Doctor's mystic might, and it is unwise to leave such power unguarded," Red Tornado states.
"Great Hera," I say in awe moving towards the screen. "He is much like the Goddess of Victory, Nike. Very powerful, and victorious. I would consider it an honor to help locate such a magnificent power source."
"He's like the great sorcerer priests and priestesses of Mars. I would be honored to help find him!" M'gann agrees excitedly.
"Me, too. So honored I can barely stand it. Magic rocks," Wally plays off.
"Take this," Red Tornado says, holding out a key for Kaldur to take. "It is the key to the tower of fate."
"What are the chances we both so admire the mystic arts?" Wally flirts with M'gann and I.
On the Bioship
Salem
"So, Wally, When did you first realize your honest affinity for sorcery?" Artemis questions, suspiciously.
"Well, I-I don't like to brag, but, uh, before I became Kid Flash, I seriously considered becoming a wizard myself," He plays off.
"We've reached Tornado's coordinates, but-" M'gann begins as we fly over Salem.
"Nothing's there," Superboy says.
"Take us down," Kaldur orders.
"Search the area. Make sure that there is nothing here," Kaldur orders us.
"Nothing," Wally states, as he finishes speeding around the area. "This isn't simple camouflage,"
"So what do you think, adaptive micro-opto-electronics combined with phase shifting?" Artemis asks, hoping to get Wally to slip up.
"Absolutely... not!" Wally covers himself. "Clearly mystic powers are at work here!"
"A test of faith" Kaldur repeats, observing the key. "Stand behind me."
He places the key into the middle of the air, and turns it. Not a moment later did the large tower appear into our vision.
"Okay, that was cool," Nash interjects as we enter the tower.
"Uh, where'd the door go?" Superboy asks as we enter a room that gave the effect of a medieval-castle-like feeling.
"Greetings. You have entered with a key, but the tower does not recognize you. Please state your purpose and intent," A man says.
"Yo, chill," Nash says. "That's trippy…"
'He looks like Nelson…' I think to myself.
"We are true believers," Wally steps forward. "Here to find Doctor Fate."
The hologram frowns, then disappears.
'Good to know that we're not the only ones calling B.S on Wally's crap,' I think.
Moments later, a 'cracking' is heard from beneath our feet, then, we are dropped down into the floor.
And this floor, just happens to have a lava pit at the bottom.
Artemis grabs hold of me, and shoots up an arrow from a hidden crossbow, and we swing to the side of the cave.
"Yaah!" Superboy yells, clinging on to the side of the wall, his shoes melting in the lava. "Those were my favorite boots. This Nelson guy better be worth it."
"Having trouble maintaining altitude," M'gann pants. "I'm so hot."
"You certainly are," Wally flirts.
"Wally!" Artemis and I yell in unison.
"Hey! Inches above sizzling death, I'm entitled to speak my mind!" He defends.
"My physiology and M'gann's are susceptible to extreme heat. We must climb out quickly," Kaldur states, keeping hold of Nash, as they try to stay on the small ledge that Kaldur has caught on to.
"Nash!" I yell. "Use your ring!"
"I... uh... yeah... about that... I may and may not have... left it at the Cave..." He admits.
"YOU DID WHAT!" I yell.
"We were sent to check on a glorified helmet. Excuse me for thinking that I wouldn't need it!" He defends.
"Hello, Megan! We never truly answered the question. Red Tornado sent us to see if Mr. Nelson and the helmet were safe!" M'gann yells up to the hologram of .
The floor of lava closes up with a solid metal replacement floor. I land with Artemis, and M'gann on to the floor.
"This platform, it should be red-hot, but it is cool to the touch," Kaldur observes, running his hands across the metal to examine it.
"Don't worry, Megalicious. I got you," Wally says, helping M'gann up.
"Enough! Your little 'impress Megan at all costs' game nearly got us all barbecued!" Artemis verbally attacks, shoving Wally away from M'gann.
"When did this become my fault?" Wally asks defensively.
"When you lied to that… 'whatever-it-was', and called yourself a 'true believer'," Artemis answers.
"Wally, you don't believe?" M'gann asks softly.
"Fine! Fine! I lied about believing in magic, but magic is the real lie, a major load," He says, crossing his arms.
"Wally, I studied for a year at the conservatory of sorcery in Atlantis. The mystic arts created the skin icons that power my water bearers," Kalder says.
"On Paradise Island, we, the Amazons, were shown the ways of the Mystic arts, and Wonder Woman can hear the prayers of Goddesses. And not only that, Wally, but I've seen the Gods will's worked out with my own two eyes," I try. "Wonder Woman asked Hera for her wisdom, then the clouds converged over the temple, and lightning striked the alter!"
"Dude, you ever hear of Bioelectricity? Hey, in primitive cultures, fire was once considered magical, too. Today it's all just a bunch of tricks," He defends his point. "And I'm sure that whatever it is that you saw with the Amazon's is just an occasion of fantastical weather occurrences."
"You're pretty close-minded for a guy who can break the sound barrier in his sneakers," Artemis notes.
"That's science. I recreated Flash's laboratory experiment, and here I am. Everything can be explained by science," Wally states.
"Let us test that theory," Kaldur says, lifting the floorboards of the hole.
"Wait! The back-draft from the lava will roast us alive!" Wally yells.
"It's snow," M'gann says, as the white powder like substance out of the panels.
"I think it's official," Nash begins. "We should have a snowball fight."
'A what fight?' I wonder.
"Do you ever get tired of being wrong?" Artemis asks, jumping into the hatch with M'gann and the others.
I look wearily into the snowy hatch.
'Is this supposed to be safe?' I wonder.
"C'mon princess," Nash says from inside the hatch. "I'll catch you."
I roll my eyes, and jump into the hatch, and into Nash's arms.
"See?" He says placing me on the ground. "Told ya I'd catch ya."
"Well?" I hear Artemis pester Wally, waiting for his explanation.
"Ever hear of string theory? We're in a pocket dimension," He explains.
Artemis and I scoff in unison.
"Duuude…" Nash groans.
"What's that?" M'gann asks, pointing to a floating staff in the middle of the tundra.
"Ooooohh… Maybe it's Nelson's magic wand," Wally teases, speeding over to it at the same time as Artemis.
"I got it," Artemis and Wally say in unison, grabbing the walking stick at the same time.
"I can't let go!" They yell, as they start floating, only to disappear.
"Okay, bye!" Nash yells angrily at the sky where Wally and Artemis disappeared to.
"I don't understand Wally. It's almost like he needs to believe the impossible can't happen," M'gann contemplates.
"Wally uses his understanding of science to control what he cannot comprehend. Acknowledging the existence of magic would be to relinquish the last vestige of that control," Kaldur explains.
"And he likes being a 'know-it-all'," Nash adds, as we trudge on through the snow.
"Are you not cold!" Nash yells at me after a moment as he starts to shiver.
"On Paradise Island, we-" I begin.
"Say no more," Nash silences me. "Just the 'Paradise Island' part explains everything."
With Wally and Artemis:
"Abra Kadabra!" Wally notices, appearing in a stair space.
Abra Kadabra can be explained as looking like a man from Miami, Florida. His hair is in a low ponytail, opened up white, button down shirt, and black business man slacks.
Klarion looks like his could be a businessman, if it weren't for the gaunt features of his face, the strange, orange and brown cat with red eyes, the devil horn shaped hair, and the painted black nails.
There is another man with them though, he is of Oriental origins, and he is dressed in the strangest things. Bright, yet, dark red hair, shaved on the sides, and sweeping in front of his right eye, which have some sort of black eyeliner around them. A red Magician's blazer with blood red sequins everywhere, except for his collar, cuffs, and jacket pockets. Those were black. His shirt is a low cut black t-shirt, and he wears a deep red tie, over a black ribbon choker. His pants are a shiny, red leather, and his shoes are shiny and black.
"Well, would you look at that," Nelson replies.
He starts glowing, along with his staff. Seconds later, he is flying towards the staff and Wally and Artemis. Once his hands touch the staff, his binds melt away, and he opens an elevator in the ground.
"In here," He urges Wally and Artemis, who follow quickly.
"I'm Kent Nelson, by the way," He introduces once in the safety of the elevator.
"No, duh," Wally replies. "Ow!" He cries out as Artemis hits him.
"I'm Artemis. Miss. Manners here is Wally," Artemis introduces.
"Well, Artemis, we're up against an opponent with tremendous mystic power," Nelson states.
"Abra Kadabra?" Wally scoffs. "Flash proved he uses futuristic technology to simulate magic. Guy's all show and no biz."
"Right you are," Kent agrees.
"He is?" Artemis asks.
"Abra is a charlatan, but Klarion the Witch-boy, the Kid with the cat, he's an actual lord of chaos, the ultimate enemy of a Lord of Order like Doctor Fate," Kent explains.
"Right. You're a Lord of Order," Wally says, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms.
"Oh, no, not me. I'm just an old coat fate used to put on, until my wife, Inza, convinced me there could be more to life. Ah, she was a real pistol, that Inza," Nelson recalls.
"But if the first guy is using technology from the future, and the weird guy with the cat is a Lord of Chaos, then who's the Criss Angel reject?" Artemis asks.
"I'm not sure," Nelson admits. "In my time as Doctor Fate, I don't believe that I've ever met him before… Anyhoo, Klarion's after the helmet. If he gets his sticky little mitts on it, He'll turn the planet into his own personal playground of pandemonium."
Back with Addie, M'gann, Nash, Kaldur, and Superboy:
We hear a strange folding noise to our side. We turn to see that a new doorway has opened, and a warm, bright light floods the surrounding area.
"A way out of the Tundra? Count me in!" Nash exclaims, running over, and into the doorway.
"Wait!" I yell. " You could be falling into a-"
"OW!" We all hear his exclaim from the other side of the door..
"-Trap," I finish, as the rest of us follow.
"Friends of yours?" I hear.
I glance up to see standing with Artemis and Wally, perfectly alive and well.
" !" I exclaim, as a blast of lightning was shot his way.
"Friends of yours?" Wally asks, shoving Nelson out of the way from another blast from Abra.
We are all forced to jump out of the way of the blasts, as well.
A loud 'Gong' sound, is heard throughout the room, as, and Wally walk through the bell into another undisclosed location. The Witch Boy following after them.
"Not today!" I yell, running in after them.
"Addie!" I hear Nash yell from behind me.
As I enter the realm of the bell, I notice that we are placed on the rooftop of the castle tower.
I see Nelson reach out for the Helmet of Fate, only for him to be shot down by a blast of red lightning.
"Mr. Nelson!" Wally and I yell, the later catching him from falling.
He stands himself back up right, and recites a spell in a language that I did not recognize. He slams his cane down on the ground, and a golden bubble surrounds them, protecting them from Klarion's hexes.
"NO!" He yells at the bubble.
"My turn," I smirk, twirling around in a fast circle.
This is something I was taught to do by Wonder Woman. She told me on Paradise Island that while I am acting as a normal person, in civvies, I remain powerless until I can turn into my uniform. She taught me how to change into my suit by spinning in a circle many times, and letting the work of Hera take control of my powers.
I feel my Wonder-Bat uniform grace my figure, my hair untying itself, my crown being placed on my head, and my cuffs circling around my wrists.
A flash of mystic light, and my transformation is complete.
"Get ready for the smack-down of your life," I say, launching myself at the witch boy.
But to my surprise, I was held back by a sudden force, that causes me to slam back down onto the ground.
"It seems to me like you're the one getting a smack-down, princess," A teasing voice calls from behind me.
My eyes narrow.
'That's not the Witch Boy…' I think.
"No, I'm not," He answers as if he heard my thoughts. "I guess you could say that I'm new to the business of villainy, but I have been around for quite some time." He says, lifting me up from the ground to face him.
"Doesn't matter how new, or old you are to the game," I spit. "You're still going down!"
I use my strength to shatter the binds around me. I don't wait a second more to charge at him, using my cuffs to deflect any blasts towards me.
Once I get close enough, I reach out to grab him by the neck, but my hand passes right through him, and I go crashing into the ground once more.
"Very impressive, princess," He taunts, making his hologram disappear. "You have the strength, the grace, the beauty, of an Amazon, but you lack tact."
He uses my disorientation as a distraction as he uses his power to throw bolts of lightning at me.
"And you have the subtle-ness of a Peacock!" I retort, slamming my wrists together to create a loud ringing sound.
Not as loud as when Wonder Woman does it, but it's loud enough to disorient.
He drops his powers to cover his ears.
"I want that helmet, and I want it now!" Klarion yells, shooting the bubble even more.
But I only notice that Wally is using CPR on .
"No…" I say in disbelief. "...He's… dead?..."
"Wally, Addie, we're in trouble. Tell Kent we need Doctor Fate!" M'gann informs through our link.
Klarion creates a hex circle around himself, making his power grow stronger by the second. He raises his arms into the air, and large, clawed hands rise with him, sinking into the bubble that protects Wally.
I try to fly over to them, but I'm held back, once again, but the other red-clad sorcerer.
"Not so fast, princess," He taunts.
"How do you know so much about me?" I ask. "About the Amazons!"
"A story that I'm not too fond of, and that will take up so much of our precious time together," He taunts, bringing me closer to him so he could run his hand gently down the side of my face.
I snarl, and pull away from him.
"Hey, dumb kid," Klarion shouts. "You put that on, you may never get it off."
"Wally!" I shout as he places the helmet on his head, and Klarion shoots a large blast of lightning at him.
Wally is transformed into the armored figure that Red Tornado showed us back in the cave.
"Give it up, Nabu! Order went out of style in the 20th century!" Klarion yells, as he shoots at the Golden Ankh Dr. Fate has placed between them.
"This battle is pointless. You sought to take the helmet before it claimed a host, but you are too late," Nabu informs.
"Shut it, you old fart!" Klarion starts reciting a spell, but is blocked by another Ankh.
Dr. Fate recites a spell, sending a golden blast at the Witch boy, making him disintegrate.
"Take that you gaunt devil!" I rejoice.
"I wouldn't cheer so soon, princess," The red-clad boy tells me motioning over behind , where Klarion was reforming.
Klarion readies himself, and shoots in the back with lightning.
"No!" I shout, hearing Wally's voice in his cry of pain.
Klarion sends a red blast shaped like a predatory bird, at Dr. Fate while he's down. He still manages to dodge it, but Klarion's not done.
"No, he's not done... yet," The boy agrees.
"Who are you!" I yell, struggling against my restraints.
"Do you want my name, or my alias?" He asks happily.
"I suppose it doesn't matter," I say. "You're going down whether I know your name or not!"
"Let me remind you that you're the one who's tied up," He growls, bringing me even closer.
Close enough to head-but.
"OW!" He yells in shock, releasing me from his spells, yet again.
"You're out of practice, Nabu, and that pathetic host body," Klarion notices. "Zero affinity for the mystic arts."
Klarion creates a large cloud over the top of the building, making lightning strike out at , who tries desperately to shield himself from the blasts. It hits his bubble shield, making a rainbow-like, spark effect.
"Ooh, rainbow power!" Klarion notes.
His cat meows from behind him.
"I am paying attention, you stupid cat," He yells at the cat.
The cat meows again, but this time even louder.
"In case you hadn't noticed, I'm winning!" He replies.
"It is difficult for a Lord of Order or Chaos to maintain a presence on the physical plane," Fate explains, literally bursting his bubble.
I don't know how Klarion could get any creepier, but he did. His eyes turned into a beady red, and he yells out, creating large blasts of red energy, launching them at Fate.
"I am bound to the helmet and use a human host. But that is not your way,"
"You're babbling, Nabu!" Klarion yells.
"Am I?" Nabu challenges. He shoots a blast of gold out, making it seem like he was aiming for Klarion, when he was aiming for his cat instead.
The cat gets hit with the full force of Fate's power, knocking it back a few feet.
"Teekl! I can't believe you would assault a defenseless pussycat," Klarion pouts, defending his mangy cat.
"We both know that creature is no cat, witch boy," Fate states as the Witch-boy starts to fade in and out of the physical plane. "And without your familiar, you have no anchor in this reality."
"Bully! Killjoy! Geezer! Holy carp!" Klarion yells, nearly dodging a blast form Fate.
He appears above Teekl, taking the cat in his arms.
"We're outta here!" Klarion yells disappearing into a portal.
"I suppose that means that the fun is over," The red boy sighs. "I'll meet you again, princess. Very soon."
"Wait a minute now-" I yell, as he starts to walk off.
"Scarlet Magician," He says. "It's what I go by."
And with this, he disappears into the air.
'You bet we're going to meet again,' I think. 'And next time, I'll be ready to take you out."
I look back to see that Wally has taken off the helmet, and is sitting over Kent Nelson's body.
I walk over to him, and place a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
Mount. Justice
"You never said what happened to you when you put on the helmet," Artemis notes.
"Energy from the thing rewrote my brain's beta waves. I was bio scripted into becoming Doctor Fate for a few minutes. No big," Wally explains.
"Wait. You're still claiming There's no such thing as magic? If that's how you feel, why keep it at all?" Artemis asks, dumbfounded.
"Souvenir," Wally defends.
"Geek!" She exasperates, storming out of the room.
I laugh, listening to their exchange of words.
"Speaking of speaking," Nash states, appearing by my side. "What happened to the Criss Angel reject?"
"The… who?" I ask, puzzled.
"You know, leather pants, cequin suit? That guy," Nash explains.
"Oh," I realize. "He...he got away."
"Aww, it's alright. You'll bet him down next time," Nash tries to reassure, throwing his arm around my shoulders.
"And who says that he didn't get a beat down? He may have gotten away, but he didn't get away without with bloody ears," I smirk.
"That's my girl!" Nash shouts.
Then, a Bird-arang shoots out from the shadows, lodging itself in the wall right between Nash's face, and mine.
But way closer to Nash's face.
"Robin!" I shout, running to welcome my half-brother back to the cave.
"Good to see ya, Addie," He welcomes back, giving me a hug.
"Yeah, good to see ya too, Robin," Nash says, voice shaking, and still not moving from the spot on the wall. His eyes examining the Bird-arang centimeters away from his face.
Hey-ya!
I know, this is waaaayyy early for an update, but I wanted to make sure that you all were sent for when my exam schedule is over, and I'll be back to regular homework, and teachers, and stupid people who roam the halls at the speed of molasses, and think that they're cool... sorry... I got ahead of myself there... lol
Anywheeeeeeysss...
Comment! I like comments! You don't have to fave. the story or anything, that doesn't make me as happy as comments do! I like peoples opinions! Unless you're a terrible person. In which case, leave. You're fired. From what, I'm not quite sure, but you're fired.
P.S! (important stuff!)
So, I've decided that I want to start answering some questions from the comment section, and replying to them, so, if you have a question in the comments, please ask! Although, I will not be giving out many spoilers for my plot. (notice the 'many' in that sentence ;))
Okie! Gargoyle77 out!
