A/N: I wake up at 6:30 for my 8am Italian test, get caught outside between buildings in the rain when I get 5 different alerts feom my weather apps informing me of the Tornado Warning followed by the very loud activation of the tornado sirens on campus, run to the ground floor doors of a nearby building only to find them locked, run up the stairs still outside in thundestorm to the first floor doors which are open, run down to the asement and park it there for 40 minutes. Nothing significant happened after that except my Italia test and subsequently the class was cancelle because only 5 people out of ~25 were ableto make it to campus due to their dorms being on lockdown because of the Warnings, the busses not working due to the Warnings, and the geeral lack of desire to go out in the weather. Now I have 3 hours until all of my Italian homework is due and my test is tomorrow morning. Yay...

Background Checks and Insurance

Diana knelt before her goddess in the Temple of Artemis in Themscyra, responding to the summons with due haste. "You called, my goddess," she said, keeping her eyes respectfully cast down. "What are your words?"

Artemis did not speak right away, instead studying her Amazon princess thoughtfully. "I wish you to keep watch on this mortal with the dark power you spoke of," she said. "Do not attack him if it can be avoided. Find out what pantheon he adheres to, which god or goddess he worships."

"I will, my Lady of the Hunt."

"Do not underestimate him," Artemis warned, her voice cool. "If he is who I believe he is, you will be no match for him in magic."

Diana stilled in surprise. "If I may ask, who do you believe he is? Any information you can give me will help me be more prepared should things escalate."

Artemis nodded. "I and Athena believe him to be a holder of a power long lost to human history. The wielders of this power answered to three monstrous gods known to us as the Dark Ones of which only one name is still known by us for certain: Ra."
"So the Egyptian pantheon, then," Diana murmured.

"Not the one known by modern man," Artemis countered. "This pantheon is older than that, darker and more dangerous. The power was lost when a nameless Pharaoh sealed it away. Tread with caution."

Pharaoh, Diana thought. What a coincidence, she thought sardonically. "I hear and obey," was all she said aloud.

The silence that followed assured her of her goddess's departure. She lifted her head and stood. She had to prepare to return to the Watchtower with this new information. Her mind was filled with possible ideas for who this strange young man and his cohorts were. If they did indeed turn out to be who her goddess implied they could be, then she was not sure how to react.

She knew her gods were not the only ones out there; to think otherwise would be folly. But the Egyptian pantheon was not exactly well known or well-studied in the modern day on Earth, and Artemis had said the pantheon Kaiba possibly followed was older than that. There had to be at least some information regarding this pantheon of Dark Ones to be found somewhere.

She knew nothing could ever be completely erased from history. There was always some evidence left behind. And she knew the perfect person to ask.

The moment they stepped out of the main aquarium into the vast atrium at the entrance, the three Shadow users' cell phones began beeping and dinging indicating the reception of multiple text messages and voicemails. Jounouchi flailed and tried to reply to all the text messages he had received from Honda and Tea. Then his phone vibrated and blared out an obnoxiously loud ringtone in the middle of his reply to Tea startling him. He fumbled with the small device before grabbing it firmly and answering before checking the caller ID.

"JOUNOUCHI KATSUYA!"

Jounouchi flinched, holding the phone away from his ear when the shrill female voice blasted through the speaker. He pulled it back hesitantly and said, "Hi Mai."

"Don't you dare 'hi Mai' me, you crazy idiot," the woman on the other end commanded. "What the hell happened? I called you six times and it went straight to voicemail every time. Even Yuugi didn't pick up and Kaiba is unreachable."

"I know," the blonde groaned, running a stressed hand through his mussed hair.

"You know? You know?!" Jounouchi winced at Mai's furious voice. "Jounouchi-kun, tell me what happened right this instant. I want details."

"Well," he glanced at Yuugi cautiously before speaking, "it's kinda hard to explain. See, Kaiba was there one minute then gone the next."

"Gone how?"

Jounouchi scratched the back of his head as he tried to put what he was feeling into words. "He just...vanished. I couldn't feel him. It was like he..."

"I know," Mai said, voice lowering as she regained control of her frayed temper. "I felt the same thing. I had to pull over on the side of the road in the rain to catch my breath." She sighed. "Just tell me this, is Kaiba alive?"

"I... Yeah, yeah I think he is," Jounouchi said. "I know he's still here in the city, but I can't feel him anywhere. It's like he's-"

"Shielding," Mai finished. "He's always had a knack for that." She leaned on her motorcycle parked under an overpass and watched the cars go by, forcing her anxiety to come down to a tolerable level. "I just felt..." She bit her lip. "He's my Regent and when he vanished..."

"Yeah," Jounouchi sighed in agreement. "I know what you mean. It scared the shit outa me at first. Yami even went out to join the city's Shadows looking for him."

"And Yuugi?" Mai asked, sitting up.

"Right here." Jounouchi flashed a grin at his spiky haired friend receiving a relieved smile in return from Yuugi who was still typing responses to everyone who texted him. The loss of one of the monarchy was sudden and felt by the entire Court. The blonde knew whenever Kaiba deigned to show up again, he would be getting an earful from everyone.

"Good," Mai replied. "Don't let him out of your sight, Jounouchi-kun," she ordered seriously. "You know how he gets with his friends."

"You don't have to tell me," Jounouchi said. "He's not goin' anywhere." He accompanied that statement with a stern look to Yuugi who raised his head to argue before wilting under his friend's eyes. "How long 'til you get 'ere?"

"About another hour or so," Mai said. "I'm close to the city limits but it's rush hour so traffic's already beginning to get nasty. I'm going into town so it's not as bad is the opposite direction, but the rain's making it worse." She pulled the zipper on her biker jacket higher and adjusted her earphones under helmet. The mic on the earphones cord bounced against her helmet chin guard. "Where should I meet you?"

"Uh." Jounouchi mouthed the question to Yuugi who shrugged. Giving his friend an exasperated look, Jounouchi return his attention back to his phone. "I'll text you the address for the hotel we're staying at. It's kinda become our unofficial base for the time being. I'll let you know anything changes."

"Thanks, Joey," Mai said, using her pet name for him.

Jounouchi blushed heavily, ducking his head to avoid Marik's sly grin at his expense. "Welcome," he muttered. "See ya soon. Stay safe out there."

Mai grinned. "Aren't I always?" she chirped before hanging up.

"No," Jounouchi grumbled, pulling the phone away from his ear to text Mai the hotel's address.

"Girlfriend issues?" Marik snarked.

"Stuff it, lunatic," Jounouchi snapped.

Marik laughed and turned back to his screen when his phone dinged again. Bakura and Ryou were inundating his phone with demands for information. They only had one phone but they kept trying to type at the same time. Marik could just see the poor phone being yanked from the tomb robber by his yadonoushi before getting snatched back.

He sent his last text to Ryou before reading the next one from his sister. Ishizu was in a panic because she could no longer feel Kaiba in her Triad and wanted to be sure the Pharaoh and the King had not vanished either. Marik sent his assurances that yes, Yuugi was fine, Yami had gone searching for their missing Regent, and no, Kaiba had not been located yet. She replied quickly with a short message:

/ Sent: 9:38 PM

Received: 9:38 PM

"We're coming."/

Marik grimaced but closed his phone anyway. There was nothing he could say to that. "Ishizu's coming," he said to the King. Yuugi blinked in coming. "She felt Kaiba vanish and isn't handling it well."

Yuugi sighed and pulled out his phone. He pressed a speed dial button and held the phone to his ear. The person on the other end picked up after the first ring.

"King!"

"Ishizu-san I'm fine. Don't worry," he said, soothing the Egyptian Priestess's ruffled feathers. "I'd like you to stay there for the time being."

"But King I-"

"Ishizu-san, please. We need someone to stay there and keep and eye on that part of the world. There are already enough people here at the moment. I'm fine and Yami's not far. We'll find Kaiba," he said gently. "I swear. Just please, stay. I need you to find out what you can about the Shadow Thief."

J'onn straightened, watching Yuugi calmly.

"The Shadow Thief?" the Pristess murmured distractedly. There was the sound of shuffling papers from her end. "I can do that. Anything specific you need to know?"

"Yes," Yuugi replied, eyes hard. "I want to know why he would be interested in a tomb of false descendants of Ra, a dagger with no known importance, and why he's here in Starling City."

"He's there?" Ishizu gasped. Her calm demeanor returned a moment later. "Understood, my King. Is that all?"

Yuugi hesitated, glancing at J'onn. "One last thing. I want you too look into what Lex Luthor's interest is in Starling City. See if he has any connections to the Shadow Thief. Even if it's only periphery, I want to know."

"Understood." She paused. "You should know Shaadi already left."

Yuugi blinked. "When?"

"Not two minutes before you called," she replied. "When I couldn't get a hold of you, he teleported to Japan."

Yuugi immediately grabbed Marik's arm. "Marik, where are Ryou-kun and Bakura-kun right now?" he asked Egyptian blinked in surprise. "Uh, they're preparing to go to the airport. Why?"

"Tell them Shaadi-san is coming. He should be in Japan by now so Ryou-kun should be able to feel him. Tell them to tell Shaadi-san I'm ordering him to take to take them here with him." Yuugi smiled. "However convoluted that sounded. Gah, English is such a strange language."

Jounouchi snickered, mussing Yuugi's hair fondly at his friend, pointedly ignoring the flustered rejections to his attentions. Marik, meanwhile, burst into a grin and hurriedly texted the message to his lover. Patting his hair back into place, Yuugi focused on the conversation with Ishizu once more. "Ishizu-san, are you still there?"

"I am."

"If you can, try to contact Shaadi-san and tell him to wait for the Thief and the Scribe," he said. "I think their skills might be needed."

"As you wish, my King."

"Thank you and good night Ishizu-san. Or," Yuugi glanced at his watch, "good...morning I suppose?"

The Priestess chuckled. "Close enough."

Yuugi blushed and smiled as he hung up. He went to speak to Jounouchi only to see the blonde wave him back.

"Don' worry, man," Jounouchi said. "I gotcha covered. Honda's aware of what's goin' on and he'll let Bakura's go. Besides," his shoulder slumped, "he and Otogi are still arguing."

Yuugi smiled sympathetically. "Poor Serenity."

"If I may," a deep voice interrupted. The Shadow users jumped, ashamed of forgetting J'onn was still with them. "This building appears to be closing. Perhaps it would be wise if we left as well."

Marik looked around and noticed the steady flow of people walking out of the glass atrium and into the rainstorm outside. He sighed. "Ugh, I hate the rain," he muttered. "It's so weird."

Yuugi laughed. "That's only because you aren't used to it."

J'onn watched his companions walk out of the building and linger under the overhang. They acted friendly with each other, laughing and joking, but he could still see the worry lining their faces making their smiles strained and less carefree. He hung back closer to the windowed wall and pulled out his communicator.

"J'onn to Watchtower," he said softly.

"This is Superman, J'onn," came the reply. "Go ahead."

"You are aware of Kaiba's disappearance, I assume?"

"We are. Hawkgirl reported in a couple minutes ago," Superman confirmed. "Green Lantern's out in the city with Flash in civilian clothes. Hawkgirl is waiting out the storm before going back out."

"I see," the Martian said, watching Jounouchi tease Yuugi to Marik's intense amusement. "And Wonder Woman?"

"She just got back from Themscyra." There was a pause. "Are you alone?"

"No."

"Then I'll have one of the others fill you in later in person," Superman said. "For now, watch your back."

"Anything in particular I should be aware of?" he asked, noticing Yuugi watching him.

"See if you can find out which gods they worship."

J'onn tilted his head curiously. "Why?"

"Just, something Diana said," Superman answered. "It seems her gods aren't too thrilled to find another pantheon that can rival them in power. Quite frankly, I'm beginning to agree. Anything to report from your end?"

J'onn met Yuugi's eyes before speaking again, knowing his request would be overheard. "Do you know anyone named 'Seth'?" he asked, watching Yuugi's reaction.

Yuugi frown in disappointment that strangely made J'onn feel guilty for asking, but he dismissed the emotion. He heard Superman hum in thought.

"No, I don't. But I'll ask around. Why?"

"I believe he was the one who caused Kaiba's disappearance," J'onn replied, still gaging Yuugi's reactions to his words.

"An enemy then," Superman muttered. "Is Seth the one behind the deaths in Starling City?"

J'onn studied violet eyes for several moments before replying. "No, I do not believe so. All I know is something scared Seth and Kaiba vanished. Perhaps Seth is a friend in trouble."

Yuugi said nothing, just watched him.

Superman hummed again. "Maybe. I'll look into it anyway. Got any physical desriptions? Tall? Short? Anything?"

"Only what Jounouchi said."

"Which was?" Superman prompted.

"'A freaked out ancient guy," J'onn said with a deadpan expression.

Yuugi's lips twitched, pressing together to avoid smiling.

"I…see," Superman responded. "I'll ask around. I'll contact you later."

"Yes," was all J'onn said before turning off the communicator and putting it away. He stared at the young King steadily, neither looking away until Jounouchi broke in.

"The rain's eased up a bit," he said. "We should go now while we have the chance. Maybe we can catch a bus or a somethin'."

"That's fine, Jounouchi-kun," Yuugi replied, finally tearing his gaze away from J'onn.

"Yes, but if we do get a cab, you're paying," Marik said pointing to Jounouchi as he strolled away from the aquarium and back to the hotel.

"Hey! I'm a broke college student, you crazy lunatic," Jounouchi hollered, chasing after the blonde Egyptian.

Yuugi laughed and followed at a more sedate pace. Eventually, J'onn joined him.

"They are my friends," J'onn said. "My loyalty lies with them first."

"As it should be," Yuugi replied. "I'm not mad, just disappointed."

"May I ask why?"

Yuugi watched his friends bickering playfully ahead of him. "Because I want to keep my friends safe as well. Yami likes you as does Kaiba."

"He does?" the Martian asked, mildly surprised. "I was under the belief he despises telepaths."

"He does," Yuugi said firmly. "And he has good reason to. We all do. But he's not stupid. He doesn't judge someone on what they can and cannot do. He may not trust you, but he likes you. For that reason, I want to trust you. But it's hard knowing nothing we say in front of you is going to remain among us alone."

"I understand," J'onn said.

Yuugi nodded and made to say more when he stiffened, eyes round. "Kaiba-kun!" he gasped.

"He's back!" Jounouchi whooped, pumping a fist in the air.

"What?" Marik demanded. "Already?" He groaned. "I bet he just did it for attention."

"You would know," Jounouchi snarked.

"I beg your pardon!"

Yuugi snickered as his friends returned to their bickering.

"Before, in the hotel room," J'onn said, pulling Yuugi's attention back to him, "you referred to Hawkgirl as a," he paused to remember the exact phrasing. "A 'false descendant of Ra.' What did you mean by that?"

Yuugi stared at J'onn in confusion. "May I ask you something first?"

"Yes."

"What do you know about the Egyptian tomb the Shadow Thief robbed?"

J'onn tried to remember what the report said. "That the two bodies there were not human, but Thanagaran, like Hawkgirl."

Yuugi nodded. "Before the more well-known Egyptian dynasties came into being, two Thanagarans appeared on Earth. The humans saw their wings as a sign of the god Ra and worshipped them as gods. The Thanagarans ruled over the humans as god-kings, conquering other lands and assimilating them into an empire.

"But there was one nation that resisted their rule. It rested along the Nile River in much of what is now modern day Egypt. The Pharaoh refused to submit to these beings who dared call themselves god-kings. He fought their armies long and hard. However, slowly but surely the Pharaoh was forced to retreat until a dark power was created and the false god-kings were pushed back, but at a price. The Pharaoh died leaving the throne to his son.

"The new Pharaoh ruled well, but was beset by a new enemy in sheep's clothing. He fell defeating an enemy too great for any to fight alone forcing his cousin to rule after him. During this third Pharaoh's rule, the god-kings finally fell, betrayed by one of their own court. This third Pharaoh was the last to wield a great power that was never seen again by the human race until recent history."

J'onn listened quietly, never speaking a word until he was sure Yuugi was finished. "And this tomb was where the false god-kings were buried."

"Yes," Yuugi said seriously, rubbing his stomach. He was beginning to feel queasy, probably due to not eating a real meal since he ordered room service when he first arrived at Kaiba's hotel room. He wondered what his Regent would think of that addition to his bill, then again, probably nothing. "So now you know why there was not much protest by Marik's clan," he said.

"And why you refer to Hawkgirl as such," J'onn said softly.

"You have a good memory, Pharaoh."

Yuugi suddenly bent over as his stomach rebelled viciously, falling to his knees at the intensity of the feeling. He quickly slammed up his shields, not that it did much other than help him feel less dizzy. Jounouchi grabbed Marik's shoulder and actually vomited onto the sidewalk, barely avoiding Marik's pants leg. Marik, for his part, was not only confused but disgusted and horrified by his friend's violent reactions.

J'onn had just enough time to take this in before a gray being grew from the shadow cast on the side of a building beside them by the streetlight and struck him in the gut, throwing him back several feet. He took to the air, shifting into his more well-known form.

"Ah, you must be the Martian Manhunter," the shadow said.

"Shadow Thief."

"So you've heard of me. I feel special." The Shadow Thief made a mockery of a bow before sinking back into the wall and rising from Yuugi's shadow, looming over the struggling monarch. "Lucky for you, I'm not particularly interested in fighting. I'm just here to deliver a message and take the insurance."

He reached for Yuugi only to be rebounded by a shining force field that blew him back into the surrounding shadows beyong the streetlight's reach. Yuugi pushed himself to his feet and was joined by Jounouchi and Marik, the three youths standing back to back, waiting for an attack from any direction.

"I don' like this," Jounouchi muttered, face still green from the unnatural sickness.

"I'd agree, if I knew what you were feeling," Marik said, regretting deeply his lack of Shadow powers.

J'onn noticed the ground move before the Shadow users did from his elevated perspective. "Marik," he called in warning.

The Egyptian tensed and threw a punch at the oncoming enemy, earning him sore knuckles and an annoyed shadowy creature. Jounouchi joined in, attacking the creature with his fists as best he could. He was not sure he could safely summon a Shadow Monster himself without a Duel Disk at the moment, but he could buy Yuugi some time to do it instead. Speaking of, he heard a familiar muttering in hieratic followed almost immediately by a blast of green magic. He did not have to look to know the Dark Magician had arrived.

"Fascinating," J'onn murmured, gazing at the humanoid being in purple armor and wielding a long green scepter. Then he dove into the fray, throw his own punch at the Shadow Thief.

He heard the villain cry out seconds before it withdrew back into the shadows. He heard Jounouchi gag and saw Yuugi stagger, leaning against the purple armored being's back for support. The being placed a hand on Yuugi's shoulder and hefted his staff, ready to defend the King. He should have been surprised when the being spoke, but he was not. He was surprised it spoke the same language of magic Yuugi, Kaiba, and the Pharaoh shared.

"What is this thing, my King?" Mahaad demanded, attempting to position himself between his master and the attacker. It vanished into the shadows but it was not Shadow magic. Or if it was, it was a severely bastardized version of it. Just watching the creature do such a thing disturbed him to his core. It was then he noticed the Pharaoh was gone.

"Where's Yami?" he said more urgently. The Pharaoh should be here with his other half.

"He's with Kaiba," Yuugi gasped.

Ah, that made sense. He had felt the sudden imbalance in power, all of the Shadow Realm had. It had not been a pleasant sensation for any Shadow denizen.

"What do you want, Shadow Thief?" J'onn called to the still hiding villain.

"Yeah," Jounouchi added gasping. "You said you had a message to deliver. So deliver it."

"Very well," the Shadow Thief replied, rising from Jounouchi's shadow until it stood, if it could be called standing, a good several feet taller than the blonde. "A mutual acquaintance would like to parlay."

"Par-what?" Jounouchi parroted in confusion.

"Parlay," Marik said, elbowing the blonde. "Why?" he demanded.

The Shadow Thief laughed. "Because you have something we want," it said.

"Oh yeah?" Jounouchi growled.

"Yes," the creature hissed. "Give it over and the deaths will stop."

"And if we refuse?" Yuugi asked, forcing himself to stand tall and step in front of Mahaad to the magician's displeasure.

"Then the deaths will continue and we'll still get what we want."

"And what would that be Shadow Thief?" J'onn demanded, holding his thumb down on the talk button on his communicator, allowing his fellow Justice League members to listen in on their conversation.

The villain clucked and shook his finger in a demeaning way. "Now, now, no giving away too much too soon. Promise to meet us and we'll discuss a trade."

"What could you have that we would possibly want?" Jounouchi sneered.

"Careful, my King," Mahaad warning in hieratic. "I smell a rat."

"Ah, so the summon speaks," Shadow Thief said, turning to the Dark Magician who crouched in an attack position, ready to defend his King. "Purple armor, green staff, and answers to the Pharaoh… Yes," the villain murmured. "You must be Mahaad, the Dark Magician."

Mahaad flinched back in shock. He had not heard his name spoken by any other than those who once knew him in millennia.

"I take that as a yes," the creature laughed. "My acquaintance, a Shadow user like myself, has told me much about you."

"If you're a Shadow user," Marik said, "then I'm a Light."

"Oh, but I am," the Shadow Thief said, the grin unseen but audible in its voice. "Our mutual acquaintance gifted me with this power. Isn't it glorious?"

"It's sickening," Jounouchi snapped.

J'onn used the distraction to read the Shadow Thief's, hoping to find a way to counter it before it attacked again. His eyes widened. "Protect the King," he called, flying down to attack the Shadow Thief before it could enact its plan.

He never made it there. The Dark Magician yelled something in the known language and a bright blue magic circle appeared around the Shadow Thief, imprisoning it.

"Mahaad," Yuugi yelled, taking control. "Attack with Black Magic!" he commanded his most loyal monster in hieratic.

Mahaad obeyed immediately, blasting the creature with a glowing green flare of magic from his scepter. Unfortunately, the attack never connected. The creature melted back into the shadows in the ground, avoiding the explosion.

"I may not get the insurrence I preferred," it hissed, "but I can settle for second best."

That was all the warning they received before Marik was suddenly yanked into the unnatural Shadows below him cutting off his cry of surprise abruptly.

"Marik!"