Chapter Thirty

Lois hated magicians. They were imposters of the true weirdness the world was supposed to contain. Still, she would give anything right now to be inside the theatre watching the show instead of skulking around the alleyway. Tickets to see Zatanna Zatara were not cheap, and Lois didn't want to tip Lex off by asking "Julian" for some cash.

Lois had done some research regarding the charity event Lex had hosted for Metropolis General. It had been held at the Metropolis Plaza Ballroom. Tickets were expensive, making most of the attendees those of the Metropolis elite, but a good number had been hard core fans of Angel Warrior. As Jeff had brought up, a lot of the comic community complained about the choice of entertainment being focused on an obscure villain. There had been a costume contest where votes were cast by putting dollar amounts in jars. Lois scoffed at the idea of paying an entry fee for the contest and people voting with money only to win a cheap trophy. But it had been in the name of charity. The food had been catered and all servers wore costumes. A screening of the new movie had been shown, rare comics were put on display behind glass, along with an auction that included items from the live action television show. Lois had watched a few episodes online and it had been corny. And that was being generous.

Using her new skills to hack security footage, Lois had watched the entire event in her pajamas munching on popcorn. Nothing was out of the ordinary. Not even the so-called astounding magician, Zatara. There were no closeups of the show, but it looked like he only did the ordinary magic tasks any magician did. Card tricks. "Sawing" his assistant in half. Swallowing swords. The guy had been popular two decades ago, but actual footage was rare and the ones she had found were low quality. The only exception had been of Zatara appearing on a late-night television show. The magician had gone about doing his tricks with cards, letting them fly in an arch over his head from one hand to another. Lois had to give the man credit; it did look as if the cards had flown. But it was probably wire work. He pulled flowers from his sleeve and made small objects appear with a tap of his wand.

The only incident that seemed out of place on that tape was a small fire breaking out in the right wing. Cameras from one angle showed flames leaping from the trashcan to the curtains, almost setting them ablaze. Zatara never moved but said something incoherent. Immediately the flames were drawn from the curtains and went in a straight line to Zatara's outstretched hand, where he formed the flame into a ball. Then it split into four smaller balls of fire which he began to juggle. After a few seconds each ball of fire turned into a dove and flew away. The host started clapping and soon the rest of the audience went along and applauded as well. Zatara took a humble bow. Articles debated that a stagehand threw a lit cigarette into a trashcan which caused the papers inside to ignite. Other witnesses claimed it had been all a part of the show.

Zatara had gone from one of the world's top-ranking magicians to a has-been. Reasons unknown. All internet searches for a current location came up empty.

All Lois could find was the name and next showing of Zatara's assistant at the charity event: one Zatanna Zatara.

Lois was now waiting for her to exit the backstage so she could talk with her. How the woman got work was a mystery itself. She had a sorry excuse for a website and there weren't any good numbers for Lois to try calling. Finally, the woman of the hour exited the building.

"Great show." Lois smiled, approaching her. "Any relation to the Astounding Zatara?"

"He's my father. You know, I stopped signing autographs inside an hour ago."

"You caught me. Too poor to get inside. Look, I need to ask your father a few questions about an event he performed for Lex Luthor a while ago. It was for Metropolis General. Is there any way I can arrange a meeting of him with you?"

Zatanna gave Lois a hard look. "You're not a reporter. So, what do you want?" What happened next was weird. Lois couldn't understand what Zatanna said, but distinctly heard, "Tell the truth."

"My cousin's dating his younger brother. Maybe. I have reason to believe Lex got something from your father that altered time." She had not meant to say that part aloud.

"You're serious." Zatanna spoke in a way that was not mocking. Nor was she concerned. She accepted what Lois said as easily as if Lois said she had two feet. "Want to get a drink?"

The two ladies walked in silence down the street to the first coffee house they came across. It was alive; the cliental full of Met U students with earbuds in their ears hunched over textbooks and laptops. They were able to get a seat at the counter with two frothy lattes topped generously off with caramel. Soon, Lois found herself telling Zatanna everything about the Kent Conundrum.

"I don't think time travel is likely. Not with my dad." Zatanna looked at the back wall, lost in thought. "He hasn't practiced magic in years. He had started to teach me, but about five years back he stopped. No explanation. I found it so weird he agreed to perform at that event. I don't even think he got paid."

"It was for charity. Maybe he donated it."

"No. He stayed at the event after we packed up everything. I left, he said he was right behind me, but didn't come home until very late. Something definitely happened. I'll see what I can find out."

"Can't I talk with him?"

"He won't talk to you. He doesn't do interviews anymore. Or shows. He just stays in the house now. I guess that's why I didn't ask too many questions when he agreed to the show. I was just so glad he got out of the house."

"Well, thank you." Lois frowned in thought. "Hey, you're saying that this…time travel…is an actual option? You don't think I'm crazy?"

"My dear Lois Lane, magic is very real." Her eyes tinted purple and immediately their drinks filled back up to the brim. Complete with whipped cream and caramel.

"Woah." Lois stared at her cup in fascination. Then she took a sip. "Tastes real."

"It is real." Zatanna laughed. "Magic is real."

"Then why the lame shows? With the stupid tricks. Why not use it to…I don't know. Fight crime?"

"I told you. My dad stopped teaching me. I know a few things, the basics, but after he stopped, I've been having to teach myself. It's been slow going. He hid or destroyed the books he got over the years. I do these gigs every now and then to earn money so I can track down actual magicians. The ones who don't do lame tricks."

They shared a laugh and finished their coffees. Lois sang at the top of her lungs to her White Snake CD as she drove back to Smallville. She had discovered that magic was real! She might get real answers. It wasn't until Lois got back to Chloe's house she saw she had gotten a new email from an unknown address. She tried to delete it several times, but it wouldn't budge. Then the user sent another one.

The subject line read: Hello Lois. This is Brainwave. We should talk.