Chapter 29

Bonneville Salt Flats

Nathan stood in the center of the huge underground lake filled with dreamers. His body was twisted and transformed into some vision out of the worst dark primordial nightmare. Primitive drums beating an incessant rhythm heightened the tense atmosphere. Around him the secret priests of Cthulhu formed a circle, chanting their ancient prayers. At the end of each round of chants, an eye would open on Nathan's monstrous body. They'd been at it for hours now. Hundreds of eyes now covered the surface of his grotesques flesh. He screamed in anger and madness, throwing curses at all his enemies, both real and imagined. The energy from the chaos the believers had and were continuing to spread filled the chamber with him, as it's focal point. His body began to grow in jerks and spasms and shimmered in the dim light of the chamber.

"The time is at hand," the head priest shouted. "We must prepare the way for Cthulhu! We must bring his soldiers forth!"

The drums never wavered as a new chant began. It grew and grew into a deafening noise that filled the chamber. All the eyes on Nathan's body were open. A black stygian tar like secretion began to weep from each of them. It oozed down his twisted body and moved into the surrounding water. More and more of it poured out. It seemed to be attracted to the bodies of the dreamers. It crept over them, pulling several into a close-knit pack. The black liquid spread faster and faster, gaining speed as it touched the dreamers. The pull on their bodies cause some of the dreamers to wake but as their eyes opened in confusion and horror, the secretion quickly covered them. When the dreamers tried to scream, the liquid raced into their mouths, cutting off all protest. The dreamers were pulled into groups of twenty or thirty. The ooze seemed to pulling them tighter and tighter together. When they couldn't get any closer, the sickening sound of bones cracking started. Some made a last desperate attempt to struggle, but the black ooze never relented. The water began to churn, as the liquid seemed to harden and contract even more around the dreamers, crushing them out of all recognizable shape.

The chanting continued through this whole process, while the drumming only grew more intense. A scene out of a nightmare played out over and over in the chamber, as the black liquid relentlessly altered the dreamers into something far more primitive and frightening. Nathan's body began to shake, as the power coursing through him peaked. The grotesque eyes that covered his body began to open and close in rapid frequency. As the chanting reached it's feverish apex, Nathan let out a scream that filled the chamber. Energy burst from ever eye on his body, pouring out towards the altered dreamers. The black ooze seemed to burst into flames as it absorbed more and more of the foul energy shooting from the eyes on Nathan's body. The vast chamber light up like a Christmas tree set on fire. The secret priest diligently continued their chanting, caught up in the moment, blinded by the light and energy. The drums beat a maddening, chaotic rhythm. The light increased until it was so bright it washed away every detail. It seemed the very chamber would explode from the raw power coursing though it. Nathan's screams culminated in one from the very pit of his soul.

The energy stopped and as the light faded, the priest barely saw the smoking body of Nathan collapse into the water. The chanting stopped, the drums were silent and the room plunged into darkness.

The Watchtower

Wally was just completing his report on the attack in Central City when the emergence transport signal came in. He along with the others rushed to the console. He, of course, made it first. The shock of hearing Jonn had been attacked didn't stop him from doing the necessary job. He alerted the infirmary and quickly made the site-to-site transport. As much as he wanted to rush over and see how Jonn was, he knew Jonn would want him to make sure the rest of his team was okay first. Many on the team were junior members and without leadership, Wally feared they would split apart and not work together. He established contact with all of them and was quickly caught up with the situation on the ground. Making split decisions, Wally transferred leadership of the group to Vixen, while calling up another team to transport down. When he knew the situation was under control, Wally signaled to Mr. Terrific to take over command. It was all done in just a few minutes, but the transition was smooth and ordered. As he turned to head for the infirmary, Wally saw Shayera standing by the door looking at him.

"How's Jonn," he asked.

"He's going to be okay. The damage was more psychological then physical. The Enchantress is with him now."

"That's good news," Wally said in relief.

"Nice work, by the way," Shayera commented. "You really stepped up to the situation."

"Just doing what anyone else would." He said, dismissing her statement. "I'm going to go check on Jonn."

He dashed off before she could reply. No jokes or boasts, Shayera thought to herself, something must be bothering with him. She was so used to the lighthearted Wally, that his actions and demeanor in this crisis made her wonder if something was on his mind. As she headed after him towards the infirmary, she made a mental note to check on him after making sure Jonn was going to be okay.

Infirmary

When the news of Jonn's attack came in, Clark couldn't stay in bed any longer. Pulling on his uniform gingerly, he started for where Jonn was. Zatanna walked in just as he was about to leave.

"Don't try and stop me, Zee, Jonn's been injured and I'm going to see if I can help," he said.

"No, I wasn't going to stop you, I know he's your friend," she replied. "I knew you'd be up and heading there, so I thought I'd tag along and see if there's anything I can do."

"And here I was all set for an argument." He gave her a playful smile.

"Not this time," she said, teasing back. "Oh, by the way, if we had, you'd have lost."

"Well, someone's feeling pretty confident. Maybe a little too confident." he replied. "We're going to have to discuss this later in private."

"You're playing right into my hands if we do, Clark," she whispered. Before he could reply, she gave him a quick, smoldering kiss and then headed out the door.

"Maybe in private, isn't the best strategy," he said absently, watching her walk away. Shaking his head to push those more personal thoughts away, he started towards where Jonn was.

New York

Morgaine and Zod had checked into The Plaza and were planning their next move, when Morgaine suddenly screamed and crumbled to the ground. Zod raced over to her and helped her onto the couch.

"What is it," he asked.

'There's been a great disturbance in the mystic sphere. Something old is awake," she said.

"Cthulhu?"

"No, but something associated with him, demons probably," she replied.

"Nathan," Zod said with bitterness. "I had hoped to deal with him much later, but I can't allow him to raise the old Gods."

Morgaine chuckled at this, as she pulled herself up into a sitting position.

"You once told me you would standby and let the world burn. Now you want to stop him? What has changed?"

"Nothing, Morgaine," Zod said coldly. "I still would let this world burn if it was anyone other than Nathan behind it. I neither forgive nor forget his betrayal. I promised myself before my transformation that one day he and I would settle all scores."

"How will you stop him? Magic is your weakness, like all Kryptonians," she said.

'True, but if we continue to build the pressure on the heroes, they will confront him. When he's busy with them, it will be my time to strike."

"So which hero do we strike at next,' she asked.

"It doesn't matter, pick one at random,' he replied. A cold smile came to his face as Zod turned and walked towards the terrace.

"Let's pick an easy one this time, so we can hurry back here," Morgaine whispered. Zod chuckled but didn't turn around.

The Watchtower

Superman had scanned Jonn to make sure there were no physical injuries, but Enchantress was working to relieve the mental turmoil he was suffering. As she probed his consciousness, the image of fire came to her. His attacker seemed to know just what his weakness was. Dr. Fate was assisting, while the Atom was keeping track of all the medical monitoring equipment. Outside Jonn's room, several heroes were gathered. They had been in and out since his arrival, waiting for more concrete news. The door opened and Vixen walked in.

"How is the situation on the ground," Batman asked.

"Contained," she replied, wiping away the dirt from her brow.

"Do we know who's behind this," Lantern asked.

"The first attack was from the believers and we were able to minimize the damage. Just when we thought we had the situation under control, Nathan Occult blindsided Jonn. It all happened so fast, no one could get to him before he disappeared again."

"You're sure it was Nathan," Zee asked.

"Not much doubt, really, it was as if he wanted us to see him," Vixen replied.

"Good work on the clean up," Lantern said with a smile.

"Thanks, how's Jonn doing?"

"Their working on him now, but it looks favorable."

"Thank God," she said.

As the others continued to talk about Jonn and the aftermath of the attack, Zee's hands clinched as she thought about Nathan Occult. He had attacked another of her friends. It was plain to her that he was doing this to get at her. The others had told her it wasn't her fault, but with each attack her guilt seemed to grow. First Dr. Occult and Rose, then Black Canary, followed by Clark and now Jonn. She couldn't let him continue to hurt the people she cared about. Bitterly she remembered how he had dismissed her when they had met. No matter what the others said, she knew she was the one that had to stop him She couldn't live with the guilt if another member of the League was injured because she had done nothing. Slipping away from the group she headed towards the command center. Batman was at the monitoring station and looked up as she walked in.

"How's Jonn," he asked.

"Doing better, but not out of the woods yet," she replied.

"So do you want to be transported back to Metropolis for your show," he asked.

"No, Fort Worth,' she replied.

"That situation is under control, Zee, why don't you leave it alone."

"You said you deal with all this with anger," she whispered to him. "I'm angry, Bruce. Nathan needs to be found and I'm the best one to do it right now."

He looked at her and saw something new there. A determination and yes, anger seemed to radiate from her. Bruce suddenly realized she wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"All right, but stay in contact," he said to her. "And Zee, be careful, please."

She nodded, but didn't say another word as the transporter energized and she disappeared.

Infirmary

Clark felt useless standing by watching the others work on Jonn. He knew they were the best people for the job, but he wished he were doing something. He'd heard that the attack was by Nathan Occult and this only added to his guilt. If he hadn't been so preoccupied with Lois and their conversation, he would have been ready for Nathan at the Daily Planet. Because of his mistake, Milton and Lisa were dead and now Jonn was injured. He tried to put a brave face on for the others, but inside the guilt gnawed at him. Yes, magic was a vulnerability to him, but he'd faced it many times before. This whole incident was just one more item for his troubled mind. Was his being a superhero detrimental to those around him? Would Lisa and Milton be alive if the paper wasn't so closely associated with Superman? Would Ma's health be failing if she weren't constantly worried about him? Would Pa still be alive if he hadn't become Superman? The doubts and fears seemed to reverberate around in Clark's head. The longer he thought of it, the more connections seemed to be made in his mind. Then there was Zee, he thought. She shouldn't be involved in this life. She never set out to be a superhero; she was only looking for her missing father. The more she's around me, Clark thought, the more she's going to be pulled into this. The thought of her being injured or worse unsettled Clark. In the short time they'd been together, he'd come to care for her deeply, perhaps even love her. This was a life he'd chosen, not her. He knew the risks out there. Monsters and maniacs wouldn't care that she was new to all this, they would see it as a vulnerability and attack her for it. The thought of her at the mercy of psycho make Clark's insides churn in distress. It was up to him to protect her, he thought. Too many people close to him had been hurt already; he couldn't let it happen to her.

The Sanctuary

Shayera slowly entered the room wondering why Wally was down here. She found him sitting alone, looking down at his hands, deep in thought.
"Wally? Is everything okay," she asked tentatively.

"Yeah, just great," he replied. She moved over and sat down next to him. She was concerned by this change in him.

"Talk to me, Wally," she said.

"It's nothing really, Shayera, I've just had some things on my mind today."

"Tell me, I want to know," she said.

He seemed to be reluctant at first, but then decided to talk to her. He wasn't finding any answers on his own.

"When Nathan attacked in Central City, I was knocked out. The whole shipload of kids and hospital workers were in danger, but I wasn't there to help."

"Wally, you can't blame yourself for what happened," she said. "We all try to do the best we can, but sometimes it isn't enough. It isn't your fault, it's Nathan Occult's."

"I know and thank you, but that's not what's been bothering me," he replied. "While I was out, ordinary, everyday people stepped up to help. The doctors and nurses rescued the kids, but others, that didn't know any of them, jumped in and helped."

"That's a good thing, isn't it," she asked.

"Yes, it's great," he replied. "I can't tell you how proud I was that the people of my city would help each other like that. They didn't have to, but they were heroes out there."

"I'm afraid I don't see what the problem is, Wally?"

"Well, just as it was drawing to a close, the local television and newspapers arrived. They didn't seem to care that average citizens had saved the day. They only wanted to report on me, the superhero. I tried telling them it wasn't me, that the real heroes were all around them, but they wouldn't listen. They didn't care. It got me to thinking about what we do. I started out to help people, to be an inspiration to others that there were good people in the world. I saw those people today, but because I superhero was there no one paid any attention to them. That isn't what I'm about, Shayera. I've always thought I was using the media attention I got to help others, but now I'm wondering if they've just be using me this whole time."

"Wally, I believe you are making a different," she said to him. "The world needs the Flash and superheroes."

"Does it? Are we still making a difference or have we just become more celebrities for the television shows, gossip magazines and newspapers? What if what people care about isn't what we stand for, but how we look or the newest gossip on who is dating who? What if we're just another reality show for the masses amusement? What do we do then?"

Shayera started to disagree, but found she had no answer for him. The two of them sat there silently, as Wally's troubling thoughts haunted them.

Bonneville Salt Flats

The chamber was in complete darkness. The secret priest of Cthulhu held on to each other, as strange noises began to emerge from the water surrounding them.

"D'aB'iYQ - D'aMSHaMSHiYN - CtHuLHU," came a whisper from the darkness. The priests had been preparing for the return of Cthulhu for ages, but the things moving about them in the water were not their Old Gods. The priests didn't know what they were, and fear began to creep into their minds. The ripple of the water only broke the stillness of the great cavern. In desperation, one of the youngest priests broke ranks and madly thrashed through the water towards the exit. The others could see nothing, but they could hear new movement in the water. A scream pierced the air and then a violent struggling noise came. The young priest called out desperately for help, but then his voice was cut off. The next sound was something submerging in the water.

"D'aB'iYQ - D'aMSHaMSHiYN – CtHuLHU.' The whisper came again, only closer this time. Panic was starting to set in among the other priests. The eldest struggled to find a torch that had been lying at his feet before the lights had all gone out. The whisper came again; only this time it had multiple sources. The priest managed to find the torch and with a quick incantation, he set it on fire. The small island the priests stood on was illuminated, but do the size of the chamber it was only a faint light. In some ways the light only made their fears grow. Now with the dim glow they could see the movement in the water. Black objects moved all around them, like sharks searching for prey. There was no sign of the young priest.

"D'aB'iYQ - D'aMSHaMSHiYN – CtHuLHU." The whisper came again, only this time it seemed all around them echoing off the walls. The priests trembled in fear as the dark creatures began to advance towards them. There was no escape. Suddenly a ring of fire erupted around the island.

"D'aB'iYQ - D'aMSHaMSHiYN – CtHuLHU." The creatures again whispered, moving ever closer to the priests.

"I am his messenger!" A voice shouted in the darkness. As the priests turned towards this new sound, Nathan Occult stepped through the ring of fire. Gone were the eyes that had covered his body. The black tar like ooze covered him from the waste down and dripped from his fingers. His eyes were pure red and there was a cold smile on his face.

"The soldiers of Cthulhu have arrived," he said.