Chapter 35

The Watchtower

The aftermath of Nathan's attack was over and the damage repaired to the city. The heroes had transported up to see if there was any further evidence they could glean from the incident. Rather reluctantly, Clark had finally agreed to go to the infirmary to get the burns checked out. Batman and Lantern decided to return to the park to see if there was anything they had missed. Everyone seemed to be performing his or her tasks like a well-oiled machine. Zatanna stood to the side watching all of this. At first she had been right in the middle of it, relating everything she could remember about the incident and the extent of Nathan's powers. As time slipped by and the adrenalin high of the fight slowly ebbed away, she found herself pulling back from all of it. In all the urgency of the attack, her dream had been pushed to the background. Now in it's aftermath, the strange imagines began to filter back into her mind. Quietly she slipped away.

She wandered the hall towards her little used room on the station. Some of the other new members of the League passed. She could feel their looks and hear whispers after they'd passed. It was uncomfortable having them judging her, questioning her. She let out a sigh of relief when she finally made it to her room. Pressing the door release, she stepped inside. It had been weeks since she'd been here. Standing by the door, she took in the room feeling as if she were looking at another life. She had never been the neatest person in the world. Clothes, mementos, magazines and Cds were scattered haphazardly around the room. A large poster of Edie Sedgwick dominated one of the walls. Zatanna took off her jacket and dropped it on one of the chairs. She pressed play on the CD player and sat down on the bed. All Tomorrow's Parties by the Velvet Underground came booming out of the speakers. A smile crossed her face as she remembered this was a mixed CD from a former boyfriend. Yeah, he turned out to be sort of a loser, but he had great taste in music, she thought to herself.

She let the strange chanting beat of the music wash over her as she reclined on the bed. Her mind drifted back to how they used to sit around his horrible studio apartment, drinking wine and listening to music till all hours of the night. It seemed like it happened a million years ago. Lying there, the strange disturbing dream she'd had earlier came back to her. Dreams were not literal things, she knew, but the imagery of this one seemed so powerful to her. Zee's heart fluttered as she thought about seeing her Father and Mother. They had seemed so real, so alive, but it was just an illusion. The dream only brought back how much she missed them both. The haunting words of the song reminded her of all the things she'd never gotten to do with her Mother. They had been separated when she was so young. She'd been overjoyed when she finally found her again, only to have her cruelly taken away again. If anything, it was even worse to lose her Dad again. That was the story of her and both her parents, moments lost, never to be recovered.

The song changed to Tear You Apart by She Wants Revenge. She remembered dancing in a crowded underground club the first time she head this. It had been jammed packed, shoulder-to-shoulder and felt as if it were a thousand degrees in the hole in the wall nightclub. It had been a weekend long party and in the haze of alcohol, cigarettes and others things, she had let herself go, relishing the moment. That had only been a few months ago. It seemed so innocent compared to what her life had become. As usual of late, her mind shifted inevitably to Clark. There was a sense of pride that she'd held her own fighting along side of him today. As deeply as she cared for him, she had to wonder if this is what their life would be like together? She felt rather naïve when she thought back on how she'd really believed she could just date Clark Kent. It wasn't his fault, but the vast shadow of Superman would always intrude on anything he did. The closer they got, the more she felt that shadow covering her. She had never really considered a long-term relationship with anyone before, but being with Clark brought up those new thoughts. He was a forever kind of guy. Zee's stomach flutter as this thought crossed her mind. Was she really considering something more permanent with Clark? No, no, it's too soon; I'm not ready, Zee frantically thought to herself. It was all happening too fast. Yes, she was in love with him, but was she ready to take that next step? These thoughts rattled Zee and then there was the fear. It had been growing in her mind for days. A mistake she would make would hurt him deeply. The very thought of him hurt because of her sent a shudder through her system. She didn't know what to do. It was all so confusing. She needed some time alone, away from everything. She was facing the biggest decisions of her young life and was more than a little afraid. The image from her dream of her parents standing together in the back of the church came to her.

"You have to go the rest of the way on your own." That was the last thing her mother had said in her dream. That thought scared Zee more than any other.

Bonneville Salt Flats

Nathan had appeared an hour ago and was ranting and raving ever since. The secret priests concern grew with each passing second.

"Things are progressing on schedule, Nathan. Even now, Cthulhu stirs." the head priest offered.

"It's not enough!" Nathan screamed. "I need more power! For the way to be cleared for his arrival, I must be stronger to defeat those accursed heroes! Only then will the soldiers be able to sweep across the lands heralding his return!"

"But you are already so powerful now," one of the younger priests said. "Only the power of Cthulhu is stronger! This is the way of things."

Nathan seemed to stop and consider this for a moment. A smile of pure evil crossed his lips.

"Yes, no power is stronger than Cthulhu and it is the way of things," he whispered. "Perhaps it is time we changed the way of things."

"NO!" The senior priest shouted. ""We, the secret priest of Cthulhu will not go along with your mad schemes any longer. Zod warned us against you. This ends here!"

Nathan slowly turned and looked at all of them. The tension was palpable, as his dead eyes moved slowly from one priest to the next.

"Zod, my old teacher, still striking at me from the shadows."

The black water began to ripple around the group. The priest could barely make out the soldiers moving silently towards them.

"I learned a valuable lesson from Zod, priest," Nathan said with menace. "When a tool has no more use, you get rid of it."

The cold grip of fear came over the priests as they saw the look on Nathan's face. In the next moment the soldiers were on them. There was no escape. Nathan turned away, closing his eyes as the screams echoing in the vast cavern filled his black heart.

The Watchtower

Clark sat impatiently as the burns on his chest were tended to. He had tried to argue that he was fine and only needed sunlight, but the others had insisted. So here he was, back wasting time in the infirmary. The monitors were on and as he waited for whatever test results to come back, he turned his attention to the news. It was the usual trouble in the Middle East and how that would mean everyone would be paying more for gas. As the channel went to commercial the tease was just one word, hero. Clark turned up the sound as the commercial ended to listen. It was one of Lex's surrogates. A picture of Lisa Fremont came up on the screen and Clark involuntarily felt a pang of guilt. As he listened to the man speak, his mood worsened. The surrogate was using Lois' words to make his point, while using innuendo to question Superman's role in all of this. It only got worse as the program continued. One thing lead to another and then the whole Darkseid incident was brought up again. Clark's depression and guilt deepened as they showed the old footage of him brainwashed by Darkseid, attacking civilians. The surrogate finished the segment with the lines "can we ever really count on Superman? Lisa Fremont probably was, and look how that turned out."

Guilt washed over Clark. He absently turned off the monitor, not wanting to hear anymore. The door to the infirmary opened and Ray walked in smiling.

"Got the results back, you're good to go!"

"Thanks," Clark managed to say, before slowly exiting the room.

Metropolis

Lantern and Batman had been going over the whole park looking for anything they might have missed the first time. Bruce had collected several samples of the black tar substance that had come from Nathan. He wanted to run some tests on it to find out exactly what it was. Lantern glided down next to him, finished with his last scan of the area.

"I think that's about it," he said.

"Yes, we should get this back to the lab," Batman replied.

"Must have been one heck of a fight," John offered. "Zatanna held her own."

"Yes." Was all Bruce said.

"She could be a valuable asset in this fight, Batman."

"Is there a point to this," Bruce asked.

"I learned early in the military that not all soldiers respond the same way, Batman. Some need to be ridden all the time, but others need to be encouraged, supported."

"And this relates to this situation, how?"

"Zee," John said plainly. "I think you should lighten up on her a little bit."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Batman snapped. "She's young and inexperienced. I'm just trying to look out for her."

"I know." John nodded. "I understand you feel responsible for her safety, I do. Her powers tend to rise and fall with her confidence. She respects you more than anyone, so a supportive word would mean a lot to her."

Bruce stood there looking at him for a moment, seeming to digest his words.

"We should probably get back to the lab," he said finally.

"All right," John conceded, "just something I had to get off my chest."

"Feel better now?"

"Amazingly I do." John smiled. "By the way, how are you with this whole Zee and Clark thing?"

"It's none of my business," Bruce quickly replied.

"Oh, come on, man." John laughed.

"All right, just between me and you, I'm okay with it," Bruce admitted. "I'd never tell either one of them this, but they look good together. I just have my doubts it will last."

"For once, I hope you're wrong," John said.

"I do to," Bruce admitted.

"Well, on the upside, it's given everyone something else to talk about besides you and Diana." John smiled.

'That's another reason I'm rooting for them,' Bruce replied with a rare smile.

The Watchtower

Zatanna had left her room and was now sitting glumly at one of the back tables in the cafeteria. Her chin was resting on her arms, as she slumped forward. An ice cold Coke sat hardly untouched in front of her. The first swallow had been perfect, just the right combination of cold and sweet. With each new taste, it seemed to get a little warmer and a little sweeter. Perfection is fleeting, Zee thought moodily to herself. She was finally pulled from her malaise by the sight of Dinah sitting down across from her with a slight wince.

"Shouldn't you be in the infirmary," Zee asked.

"I was climbing the walls in there," Dinah admitted. "I seemed to have a low threshold for sympathy."

"Ollie's going to freak out when he finds out you're gone."

"I know, but he's the worst of the bunch. He acts like I'm made of porcelain."

"He's cares," Zee replied.

"Yeah, I know." Dinah agreed. "I'll go back in a little while. I just needed some peace and quiet.'

The two sat there for a few moments, not saying anything. They both seemed lost in their own thoughts. Diana came in and got herself a cup of coffee. She looked around the cafeteria and then hesitantly made her way over to their table.

""Do you mind if I sit down," she asked.

"Sure, have a seat," Zee said, not lifting her head. Diana slipped into a chair and glanced around again.

"May I ask the two of you for some advice," she said, barely above a whisper. Zee looked over at her and noticed she seemed nervous. This was Wonder Woman, she never seemed nervous.

"Yeah, okay, Diana, what's a matter?"

"Yes, you seem nervous." Dinah observed.

"I am," Diana admitted. This caught both women's attention and they quickly urged Diana to tell them what the problem was. She informed them of her dinner date with Bruce and then went on to inform them about how her conversation with Wally and Shayera had unsettled her. Zee had to smile as she could just picture Wally and Shayera teaming up to tease Diana.

'They were just having some fun with you, Diana, don't let it get to you,' Zee offered.

"I know that, but it highlighted something in my mind," Diana replied. "This is my first date and I'm unsure of what to do."

"It's dinner, Diana, just relax and enjoy yourself," Dinah said.

"Well, that's just it," Diana replied. "I find myself having all these questions and doubts. I was raised on an island of women. What you take for granted, I have no experience at. You've been dating Ollie forever and you, Zatanna seemed to have been on hundreds of dates."

"Hey!' Zee protested, "It hasn't been hundreds! God, what kind of reputation do I have around this place?"

"You make me sound like the ancient married hero, Diana," Dinah groaned. "Is that what people think? We've been dating forever?"

"I might have phrased it wrong," Diana said. "I was just suggesting you two have more experience at dating then most on the station, not that you're a whore and a sexless old matron."

The two of them sat there stunned. It took them a moment to realize Diana was actually not trying to insult them.

"Glad-Glad you cleared that up, Diana," Dinah absently said, still a little shocked by her statement. "How-How can we help you?"

"I was hoping you could give me some advice on what to do on a first date,' Diana seriously asked.

"Aren't you afraid I'll tell you to sleep with him," Zee sarcastically replied.

"I've offended you, I'm sorry, Zatanna," Diana honestly said to her. "It's just this is all new to me. I thought it was simple at first, but now I find Wally's and Shayera's taunts plaguing me. I don't want to look like a fool."

Zee could see the genuine concern on Diana's face and relented a bit.

"It's okay, Diana, really, you just caught me off guard it all," Zee said to her. "I'll try and help any way I can."

"You've never been on a date before,' Dinah asked, moving on.

"No."

"How about just dinner?"

"Here on the station,' Diana replied. "Oh, and with Kal a few times."

"Nobody else," Zee asked. "I would have thought guys would be lining up to ask you out."

"I believe ordinary men are intimidated by me,' Diana offered.

"Yeah, you are kind of a giant,' Zee said. She saw the look on Diana's face and quickly added, "Tall, I just mean you're tall. Guys are intimidated by tall beautiful women."

"I suppose that is true,' Diana admitted. "This is so unfamiliar to me. On Themyscira when I was faced with a new challenge I would practice beforehand to understand all the ins and outs of the situation."

"Well, the first thing you need to do is forget everything Wally and Shayera said to you," Zee said. "They were just teasing you."

"You know, why don't you do the same thing in this situation, Diana,' Dinah offered.

'What do you mean?"

"Go on a practice date. That way you can have sort of a walk through to familiarize yourself with it, just like you would back home,' Dinah said.

'Wouldn't that just be going on another date, complicating things even more," Diana asked.

"No, just get one of your male friends to help. Explain it to him and then think of it as practice."

"Kind of the buddy system for dating,' Zee said, brightening at Dinah's idea.

"I don't really know that many men,' Diana said. "Most of the ones that aren't intimidated by me are League members."

"Whatever you do, don't ask Wally,' Zee quickly suggested.

"And since your date is with Bruce, he's out of the question." Dinah added. "Lantern?'

"No, too complicated with Vixen and Shayera,' Zee said, shaking her head.

"Jonn?"

"Nice, but a little dry,' Zee replied.

"Arthur?"

"Too pompous, besides, he'd put the moves on her."

"Yeah, didn't think about that,' Dinah admitted.

"You said you'd been out with Clark before, why don't you get him to do it," Zee offered.

"He's dating you,' Diana replied.

"You could go out with Ollie, although now that I think about it, it's been ages since we went on a real date,' Dinah said. "God, we have been dating forever."

"Look, Clark's your friend, right?"

"My best friend,' Diana replied.

"So you'll be comfortable with him." Zee continued. "Believe me, he is good on a first date and he'll be a gentleman."

"I vaguely remember what a first date was like,' Dinah said, her mind off on a tangent. "Now it all makes sense! I look hot, blonde hair, suggestive costume, fishnets, but I hardly get a look from anyone. God, we've been dating forever!"

"Dinah, focus,' Zee said to her.

"Right, yeah, it's not a problem," Dinah replied.

"I would be comfortable with Kal, but I wouldn't want to put you in an awkward position, Zatanna," Diana said. "Surely you two have plans?"

"No, it's okay, I've got a show tomorrow night so why don't you do it then," Zee replied.

"I don't know, Zatanna," Diana said.

At that moment, Clark walked into the cafeteria. He was deep in thought, still wrestling with the guilt over Lisa and Milton's death. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Zee waving him over. Grabbing a cup of coffee, he made his way over to their table.

"Hey, what's up? How you feeling, Dinah,' Clark asked.

"Old and sexless," she absently replied.

'Excuse-Excuse me,' Clark stammered.

"Oh, um, better, thanks for asking,' she quickly said, trying to cover her embarrassment.

"Diana needs you to do her a favorite, Clark,' Zee said.

"Okay, sure, if I can help,' he immediately offered.

"I need you to take me on a date tomorrow, Kal," Diana said.

"Yeah, someplace really nice, Clark," Zee added. Dinah nodded in agreement. Clark stood there for a moment, just looking from one woman to the other.

"Did-Did I miss something?"