MoP

Harry Potter and the Myriad of Possibilities: Contagion

Chapter 4: Outbreak

Disclaimer: This is solely a not-for-profit fan activity and does not intend to infringe on copyrights held by Time Warner, DC Comics, Bloomsbury et al, and JK Rowling. Any characters that are original to this work remain the property of the author.

A/N: The Myriad of Possibilities Series primarily uses the background from the Harry Potter books but some elements and scenes have been borrowed from other sources – including the movies, Pottermore and my own headcanon – that will be covered where they fit into the narrative. The timeline of the DC Comics elements borrows heavily from Young Justice (2011) and may adapt elements and characters from the comics and several additional other media instalments – including but not limited to Smallville (2001) and Superman and Lois (2021) – and relocates events of Young Justice to the Eighties and early Nineties rather than the New Tens as screened and includes several 'legacy' and original characters as a result. Any other recognisable characters belong to their copyright holders.

A/N: Extended content added to Chapter 3.

A/N: Thanks to Jon, 6f5e4d and the Young Justice Writers Group Discord for their help on this chapter.

Star City.
August 12, 10:00 PDT.

Artemis' phone beeped, she pulled it out and glanced at the screen. The number was blocked and the message was short.

Need to meet. Grant Park, fifteen minutes. We're all Hatters here.

"Can you manage lunch, Mom?" Artemis asked as she slipped her phone back into her pocket.

"Is everything all right, Artemis?" asked her mother.

"It's fine," Artemis replied. "I just need to go out for a bit to talk to someone."

She must have looked more confident than she felt, as her mother didn't comment, not even asking who Artemis had to rush out to meet.

10:16 PDT.

"If you just wanted to catch up, you could come to the house, Jade," Artemis told her sister as she dropped down onto the older woman's park bench.

"You know why I can't do that, Artemis," Jade snapped. "And anyway, this isn't a social call."

Artemis sighed. "I had a feeling it wasn't."

"As you know, even though I'm out of the Shadows, I still have some contacts in the business…"

Artemis nodded.

"Well, when I heard about your clash with those cultists last month, I decided to do a bit of digging," she paused as she caught Artemis' expression. "Don't give me that look! You and I might not exactly be on the same side, but you're my sister, I don't want you dead… and I definitely want to cut off – literally if necessary – any threat to my daughter."

Artemis grunted in agreement. "Did you find anything?"

"Nothing about those Boches whackjobs targeting you, Mom or Lian," Jade admitted. "I'm not sure the rest of their group – and there are a lot more than the cell that you clashed with – even know that it was your group that foiled their Leesburg plot rather than the Feds."

"That's good," said Artemis, then frowned when her sister didn't agree. "Right?"

"It would be, if part of the reason wasn't that they were busy cooking up something worse…"

Royal University.
Star City.
10:32 PDT.

Artemis slipped onto campus through a side gate and navigated around to the abandoned gardener's hut that she'd claimed as her own within a month of getting the job.

"Recognized, Artemis B-Zero-Seven," whispered a voice as familiar as her own as she gripped the door handle and turned it.

The battered Gotham Academy-issue HoloBook that she'd stashed there powered up as soon as she stepped inside. She slipped into the chair in front of the work bench, pulled the device towards her, then tapped a few keys and waited.

Barbara was the first to connect. She raised an eyebrow, taking in the backdrop behind Artemis. "I take it this isn't a social call?"

"I'm afraid not," Artemis admitted. "Can you take a look at something while we wait for Batman and Black Lightning?"

"Of course,"

Artemis fished the thumb drive that her sister had given her out of a pocket in her jacket and connected it to the HoloBook, which scanned it for any infections and then presented it. Artemis copied it over to the chat and waited.

The two men logged in almost at the same time as each other. From the backgrounds of their feeds, Jeff was on the Watchtower and the Dark Knight – who had connected via audio only – was probably currently otherwise occupied in his other persona.

"Do you have something for us?"

"Maybe," Artemis replied. "I got a text from my sister about half-an-hour ago asking for an urgent meeting…"

Jeff's glasses didn't entirely hide his surprised expression. "Doesn't she normally avoid Star City?"

Artemis nodded. "But she wanted to get some information to me as soon as possible."

"What sort of information?" growled Batman.

"A video that she was sent by one of her 'business contacts'."

"Is it genuine?"

"I'm not sure," Artemis admitted. "I'm sure she believes it is, but…"

"I've just finished a preliminary analysis of the footage," reported Barbara. "If it's a fake, it's a good one."

"What have you got so far?" asked Black Lightning.

"Archive footage of a bio-warfare test subject running amok and then being executed by armed security," she reported. "I can't figure out a location just from the small video clip that I've got, but it looks like it's associated with something called the 'Order of St Dumas' so I'll do some digging."

"Concentrate on Africa and cross-check anything you find with everything we have on Die Geiergesellschaft," Artemis added. "My sister was looking into them when she received the information."

"Will do."

"There's something you're not mentioning," Batman declared. "I assumed that it's the reason why you contacted me."

Artemis nodded. "Her source couldn't say much about where the footage was taken, but they did say that someone else has been infected and is on the move heading towards..."

"Gotham," finished the Dark Knight, his tone grim, even by his usual standards.

Taos.
August 13, 19:32 MDT.

"What do you think?" asked Dr Dorado as he, Dinah and Artemis watched several of the meta-teens sparing.

"I'm happy to clear Andy for field work," offered Dinah.

"What about Vic's find, Cisco?" asked Artemis. "He's got some skills."

"Maybe…" Dinah mused. "He's a little indecisive, not much confidence in anything or anyone… particularly himself…"

"But?"

"You're right, he's shown some skill at hand-to-hand and even Dr Roquette down in Star City says he has 'some potential' in engineering and computers…"

Which is high praise coming from her, Artemis reflected.

"I believe he has far more potential than even he knows," offered Dr Dorado. "He's not ready to go public, but the Team…"

"Might give him the structure and support that he needs to develop that potential," finished Dinah.

"Exactamente," confirmed the doctor, nodding emphatically.

Artemis considered their words, still doubtful. Andy Nash is one thing, she has the skills due to her Shadows training… then she paused and nodded as she flashed back to a few months earlier on the Watchtower:

She stood by one of the massive bay windows of the Watchtower's mission room, flanked by Violet and Tara when her attention was drawn to the back of the room where Dick and Batman were standing when they summoned two massive holo-screens.

"Can you hear us on the Javelin?" asked Dick."Roger that," confirmed Guy Gardener over the comm-link. "You've got three Lanterns, two Hawks, a Martian, a Captain, a Doctor, a Devil, Magog, Steel, Icon, Fire, Ice and Flongated Man."

"That's Elongated Man!" interjected the body-morphing detective from off-screen.

"I hope you Poozers will make it worth our while."

"How about at the Batcave?" Dick continued.

"Metamorpho here," confirmed a voice that Artemis didn't recognize. "With Batwoman, Katana, Hardware, Plaz, Spoiler, Arrowette and Orphan."

"That's just about everyone," Dick observed. "Wasn't sure they'd all respond."

"You command more respect than you realize," replied the Dark Knight.

"Yeah, starting to get that," Dick agreed. "Still, everyone's here except the one guy I really need."

Artemis wondered who he could be referring to, but then the Zeta-Tube spun up again, answering her question.

"Recognized, Pierce-Comma-Jefferson, G-Zero-One."

"Glad you could make it," Dick told the older man. "Gladder still you're staying in the game."

"Yeah, well..." Jeff replied, an edge to his voice that she couldn't quite place. "It's the right thing."

"You're sure about this?" asked Batman.

"Oh, yeah," Dick confirmed confidently as he took a few steps forward, moving closer to the group. "Thanks for coming, everyone… Word's spreading fast, so we might as well get it out in the open. Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Miss Martian, Oracle, Robin, and I have been running a secret task force, coordinating all our Teams and squads in an attempt to beat the Light at their own game. We kept it a secret in a misguided attempt to protect you. We've had successes, failures, compromises, deceptions and betrayals."

"It is now clear, that despite our best intentions, we made a mistake," added Kaldur.

"So, I hereby resign as co-chair of the League," declared Wonder Woman. "Effective immediately."

"As do I."

"I'm stepping down as leader of the Team, as well," M'gann declared.

"Which means we need a new leader," Dick pointed out. "One who has consistently acted as the conscience of the League… and although I'm not a member, I'd like to take the liberty of nominating Black Lightning."

"Seconded," declared Wonder Woman. "All current Leaguers present and in favour?"

"Aye!" chorused the assembled group, with only one abstention.

"And aboard the Javelin?"

"Aye!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa… I don't want this!"

"Maybe not," replied Conner. "But we kind of need you to take it."

Jeff turned and looked at Batman, who was still standing just a few feet from the Zeta-Tubes. "What say you?"

"I don't have a vote…" pointed out the Dark Knight. "Currently."

"If I take this, you're either in or you're out." Jeff declared. "There's no half-way. No behind-the-scenes crap."

"If you take this, we'll fold Batman, Inc back into the League and the Team, on your terms," Batman promised. "It's for the best… for the mission."And that's what it all comes down to for you, isn't it?

"I rejoin the Team," Dick confirmed. "The Team works for the League… I work for you, Boss."

Jeff sighed and then turned back towards the group. "We all believe the League needs course correction, because we're all afraid of the same tired old story… The hero gets lost fighting the good fight and becomes the very thing he or she is fighting against. And, sure, it happens: Vandal Savage; Teth Adam; Ra's al Ghul; and now, sadly, Geo-Force. But it will not happen again, not to any of us. Because from here on out, we will not keep secrets from each other. We need each other to know each other's secrets to keep each other on the straight and narrow. No more making decisions to protect each other from the choices we might be forced to make. In this League, the ends will not justify the means! We will not sink to using the methods of our enemies. We will keep our covert Team, not for the sake of it being covert, but because it affords our young heroes a place to learn out of the spotlight. But, otherwise, like the Outsiders, we must live in each other's spotlights."

The crowd groaned in unison.

"If we fail while doing right, then at least we went down swinging on our own terms," he continued. "But in the long term, we will not fail… Holding firm to our principles will guide us to an honourable victory! Now, let's get down to business."

"I'll meet with them," Artemis declared. "That's what the Team is all about at the end of the day."

Star City.
August 14, 10:48 PDT.

"Artemis, you need to see this!" declared Will from the living room, drawing Artemis' attention away from preparations for the coming academic year.

She got up and raced into the other room, where Will, Lian and her mother were sitting watching the television. "This is Jack Ryder for GNN, rumours are circulating that several residents of the Babylon Towers complex have been infected by a mysterious illness… but this reporter has one question… would our cities' wealthiest sons and daughters be the first to be infected with such a thing? So far, neither the mayor's office nor GCPD have responded to this station's requests for comment… We now return to our previously scheduled programming."

Ryder's many things, but he's not a fool, Artemis thought, and was about to call in when her comm-link beeped. "Go for Tigress."

"Have you seen the report on the outbreak in Gotham?" asked Jeff.

"I have," Artemis confirmed. "I assume Ryder's on the money as usual?"

"Unfortunately, yes. Including his speculation that it's not confined to Babylon Towers."

"How?" asked Artemis. "I thought that place was basically a fortress?"

"It is," Jeff agreed."Which is why the GCPD will be enforcing their quarantine from the outside."

"So how did…?"

"They decided to maximise their food and medical supplies by sending away all their staff apart from a few security guards," Jeff replied. "Including the pilots that flew Patient Zero back from Africa."

"So my sister's informant was right?"

"It's looking like it. We're still trying to confirm the source of the contagion, but STAR Labs has some intelligence on the virus itself."

"What do you need me to do?"

"Batman and his team are needed in Gotham, so I need you and the Team to take the lead on the investigation."

"No problem," Artemis agreed, though inwardly she was a little nervous… serial killers, assassins and supervillains she could handle, but diseases freaked her out.

"Garrison Slate is waiting for you at his Los Angeles facility, he'll brief you on the investigation to date."

"I'm on my way," Artemis promised. "Ask M'gann to meet me there and have the rest of the Team assemble at the Hub."

"Will do," Jeff promised. "Watchtower out."

"How bad is it?" asked Will.

"I'll know more soon," Artemis replied. "But let's just say that I'm glad that we don't live in Gotham anymore, and I'm worried for my friends that do."

Will nodded. "If there's anything I do to help…"

"I'll let you know."

STAR Labs,
Los Angeles.
11:04 PDT.

"Thank you for coming so quickly, ladies," said Mr Slate when they entered the medical lab.

"It's not a problem, Mr Slate," Artemis assured him. "My informant suggested that it's bad."

"Bad is unfortunately a massive understatement, Tigress," replied the ageing scientist. "According to information that our military liaison, Lt Jennifer Stuart…" Here he paused and gestured towards the blond-haired woman in military service dress. "… was able to uncover, a better term might be 'potentially Apocalyptic'."

Artemis turned to the other woman. "Lieutenant?"

"Mr Slate's somewhat emotive language notwithstanding, he is essentially correct," she admitted. "Some of the information that you are about to see is classified top secret, but Mr Slate and Captain Atom were able to get us read in on the matter, due to the imminent and potentially politically sensitive nature of the threat."

Artemis nodded.

"How much do either of you know about virology?"

"A little," Artemis admitted. "One of my majors in college was biology, mostly medical. I also volunteered in a couple of different clinics when I was a teenager."

"Almost nothing," admitted M'gann. "I guess it's the study of viruses, but…"

"The study of, and the formulation of vaccines and cures for the conditions they create," confirmed the lieutenant. "In the case, we appear to be dealing with what's known as a filovirus."

Artemis bit back a swearword just in time, "Ebola, Marburg…?"

"Allegedly a variant of the former," replied the lieutenant, grimly. "But only a few of the symptoms match."

"Such as?"

"It has a similar incubation period, spreads through bloodily fluids, haemorrhagic fever…"

"But…?"

"It also desiccates the muscles, shrinking them, deforming them… turning the victim into a gnarled, misshapen cripple whose bones are destroyed under the pressure giving it its name… the Clench."

This time, Artemis wasn't able to moderate her language. "Which means that the usual treatment protocols won't work."

"Almost certainly not."

"Any good news?" asked Artemis. "Like say… a low mutation rate?"

Lt Stuart shook her head. "On the contrary, it mutates extremely fast."

Artemis racked her brain, trying to recall the small number of lessons she'd had on the topic in college. "Which means that even a survivor wouldn't be that helpful."

"Useless for a cure, but it might give us a head start on a vaccine and better treatment protocols."

Mr Slate spoke up. "I've had my research teams scouring all available databases, and there are rumours about an outbreak that I suspect to be the Clench in Cape Heyjadik, Greenland a few years ago. Apparently there was one survivor."

"Tigress to Oracle. Priority Red!"

"Good ahead."

"I assume that you know about Gotham's current 'situation'?"

"The outbreak at Babylon Towers, yeah," confirmed the League's data broker. "I've been looking into similar possible historical events, but I don't have enough data."

"According to the US Army and STAR Labs, there was a related outbreak in Cape Heyjadik a few years ago," Artemis told her. "STAR Labs thinks that there may have been a single survivor."

"Checking now…" said Barbara. "I've got it. A group of Inuit fisherman returned to their village in the spring, they found almost everyone – including a group of college students studying glacier movement – had died of a wasting disease. There was an investigation by the World Health Organisation, but the virus deteriorates very quickly in dead bodies and they weren't able to identify the pathogen."

"Any information on the survivor?"

"Looks like he was a geologist, Kendall Stuart. He lives in Vincennes Tower in Toronto."

"Thanks, Oracle."

"Any time, Tigress."

"According to our data controller, the survivor is a geologist called Kendall Stuart living in Toronto," Artemis reported, then turned to the lieutenant. "Any relation?"

"Not that I know of," replied Lt Stuart. "The only family I've got is my dad and a cousin who's a sergeant in the 67th Armor."

Artemis shrugged… it wasn't really important after all. "Let's go."

"Should we get the rest of the Team?" asked M'gann.

Artemis shook her head. "Given what we're dealing with, I'd rather keep the circle as small as possible," she replied. "We can take Bio-Ship to Toronto and Halo can Boom in the rest as back-up if necessary."

M'gann nodded her agreement. "Mr Slate, Lieutenant… we'll keep you apprised."

"We'd appreciate it."

Toronto.
August 14, 15:48 EDT.

"We're here," M'gann reported as she brought Bio-Ship down to land in a small park near their target.

"Is he at home?" Artemis asked. "Do we have a clear run to his apartment?"

M'gann's eyes glowed briefly. "No-one's looking in our direction," she reported. "But there are dozens of people inside that apartment block, so I can't lock down whether Dr Stuart is home or not or who might be watching."

Well, that would have been a little too easy, Artemis thought. "Oracle does Dr Stuart have any phone numbers on record?"

"Checking now," Barbara replied. "I have the landline at his apartment. Ringing it now."

"Patch it through if he answers."

After a moment, Barbara spoke up. "There's no answer, I don't think he's at home."

"I don't want to risk breaking in right now, and we can't afford to wait around," Artemis mused.

"We could try talking to the building manager," suggested M'gann.

"Good idea," Artemis agreed, rising from her chair, but then had another thought. "But why don't you talk to him by yourself? I have another idea I want to try."

"No problem," M'gann agreed. "If you're saying here, I'll switch Bio-Ship over to manual control?"

Artemis nodded and the two women swapped places, then M'gann shifted into a disguise, a vaguely familiar middle-aged woman with short blond hair in a dark blue suit, and then walked to the rear of the plane and left. "Oracle is there anything about him on social media. Anything about anyone he might be working for?"

"Not as much as I'd expect on the social media side," Barbara reported after a moment. "It looks like he sometimes goes on digs sponsored by the University of Toronto. Someone at the Department of Earth Sciences might be able to help."

Bingo, Artemis thought. "Can you try and put me through to someone there?"

"I can try," Barbara agreed. "But it's the summer holidays, there's probably no-one there."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Artemis retorted. "Anyway, what's the harm?"

"I guess."

Moments later, Artemis heard the click of a phone being picked up. "D-department of E-earth Sci-sciences, Clay Meadows sp-speaking," said a young male voice in a slightly hesitant and bored tone.

Probably a lab assistant, Artemis thought. "Hello, this is Professor Crock from Royal University."

"G-g-ood a-af-afternoon, P-pr-professor. H-how c-c-can I h-help?"

"Clay… can I call you Clay?"

"O-of course."

"I'm trying to locate Dr Stuart," Artemis explained. "He's not answering at home, and I don't have any other contact details for him."

"I th-think he's ex-ex-exploring in Big Kn-knife P-pr-provincial P-pa-park," replied Clay.

"I don't suppose you have another number for him that you could give me?" Artemis asked. "There's an urgent matter I need to speak to him about."

"I don't think that would be appropriate, Professor," replied Clay, sounding more confident now. "However, I will tell him you called if he makes contact. Can I take a number?"

Artemis debated pushing the issue, but decided not to, instead providing him with her cell number and landline number for the Harper house before hanging up.

(Artemis, the building manager just told me that Dr Stuart is out in Alberta, he's not sure where.)

(According to an assistant at UT, he's exploring in Big Knife Park,) Artemis reported, she pulled up a holo-map. (The park's less than a square mile in area so he should be easy enough to find.)

(Agreed. On my way back to you.)

Artemis dismissed the holo-map and opened a channel to the Hub. Cissie answered almost immediately. "How's it going, Boss?"

"Dr Stuart isn't at home," Artemis reported. "But we think we know where he is. We're heading there now."

"Do you want us to meet you there?" Cissie asked.

"No, standby at the Hub for now," Artemis replied. "I'll let you know if I need any help."

"Standing by," confirmed Cissie. "Hub out."

Alberta-Saskatoon Border,
15:16 MDT.

"Crossing the border, now," M'gann reported. "Airspace is clear all the way to Big Knife."

Artemis' console beeped. "Okay, thing's just got a little more complicated."

"How so?"

"Barbara's just confirmed a rumour that the residents of Babylon Towers have put out a bounty on our man, so we might have some company on-site."

"That's not ideal," M'gann agreed. "Hopefully we can get to him first."

Artemis nodded, then her attention was drawn back to her console. "Governor Stonefellow just announced that he's deploying the National Guard to Gotham."

"Thing's must be getting pretty bad then," M'gann observed. "Calling out the Guard is a big step."

Artemis nodded. "If Mayor Grange and Commissioner Gordon had been able to contain it to Central Gotham, then he wouldn't have moved this fast, but last time I checked there have been sixteen confirmed cases outside that perimeter… six in Kane County, three in Litchfield County and another seven scattered throughout the rest of the state. It doesn't seem to have left Connecticut… so far anyway."

M'gann made an inquiring noise.

"They're several days behind in the quarantine, and if history has taught us anything, even the best people don't co-operate all the time."

"And Gotham doesn't have 'the best people'?"

"A few, like anywhere," Artemis conceded. "But far fewer than say… Metropolis. It's been said that 'being a nightmare' is what Gotham does and I don't really disagree."

"Well, maybe this will be the exception?"

"I doubt that…" Artemis retorted, her mind wandering to old friends and extended family trapped in the benighted city.

Alberta.
15:21 MDT.

"The area looks pretty desolate," M'gann reported. "I only see one small shack."

"He seems to be pretty much off-grid… I'm not detecting any phone or any radio signals, or mains power for that matter," Artemis observed. "We'll have to take the direct approach."

"I'm taking us down," M'gann reported, then paused. "I think there's someone or maybe something trying to hide themselves from me."

"Tigress to the Hub."

"Go ahead," said Cissie after a moment.

"We're about to make contact, but we might have company on the way," Artemis informed her. "So, I want you, Citizen Steel and Halo to be ready to deploy at a moment's notice."

"Say the word and we'll be there, Boss," promised the younger archer as Bio-Ship floated to a stop a few yards from the shack.

The two women rose from their chairs and stepped out of the vessel, then crossed to the shack and knocked on the door.

"Come in!" called a voice from inside.

Artemis turned the handle of the door and pulled it open, allowing M'gann to precede her.

"Who?" asked the professor, a heavily-bearded, stocky redhead.

"I'm Tigress, this is Miss Martian," replied Artemis. "STAR Labs sent us to find you."

"What do they want with me?"

"A plague has broken out in Gotham," Artemis told him. "They think that it's related to the same one that you survived in Greenland, so they want you come in for some new tests."

"Okay," agreed the older man. "I'll just find my journal…"

"I'm not sure we've got time," Artemis suggested.

"They'll want to see it…" insisted the geologist, then broke off as a fist-sized object flew through his window in a hail of glass. "What?"

That's a hockey puck… thought Artemis immediately. "Get down!"

A breath later, waves of sound erupted from the device and her world went black.