[05th November 2010]
[Wizards Sanctum, Off the Quays, Dublin]
"...okay, I'll be there soon. Guys get in touch with everyone you can. Robin whatever lists Batman has on prospective heroes, villains...I don't care. Get their contact details and starting ringing them now. I'll be there soon I...I have to retrieve some things to be effective first, guys...Just do what you can to make sense of this and I'll...have a plan soon. Okay. Okay. Thank you Kaldur" I finished thumbing off the phone connection to the Team across the ocean in Mount Justice. Gemma was sitting nearby on the sofa watching me, the wards were still agitated, and it seemed this was a planet-wide magical effect. That was...
'Insane' my mind supplied. That was Epic God Tier magic, beyond Epic God Tier in truth as whatever had happened had simply worked around my wards, and those of seemingly every adult spell-caster on the bloody planet regardless of power. Including Kent Nelson and Doctor Fate as well by the fact I couldn't reach either by means magical or conventional. Atlantis was effected exactly the same according to Aqualad in the still rather brief period of time that had passed, and I'd no way to check Themyscira to see if their wards had held or was it empty entirely. Wonder Woman being gone too indicated it'd probably be the second option.
Thing was...I was fully sure the adults were alive. Mostly now that I'd calmed down and placed on a Ring of Calm and a Ring of Intelligence I'd managed to think through the fact those I'd placed tracking sigils on were still alive. Ma and Da, Artemis's Mother and Sister, Constantine himself along with all the other spell triggers he himself had placed to activated if he was dead. Which obviously they all weren't which meant...we were up against someone who could just casually plane-shift billions of people somewhere else with little to no warning...
'And this is a world of children, a broken husk of an army to fight with, and everywhere filled with fear. I can't..." I stared into the reflection in the window of the skull mask and black-clad armour that inspired fear in the enemy in battle, with all the best physical protections of all my suits "...wear this. I can't just be some soldier or small group commander. End of the World Seanie me boy and a leader who tries to led by fear alone is poor one. And never one to rally a broken army...or one of raw recruits'
I glanced at my still somewhat red-eyed apprentice in her pyjamas, though at least the tears had stopped now and fear subsided. There wasn't anywhere safe I could put her, and she very clearly would not leave my side it seemed without a fight, so she needed to get into protective gear as much as I needed to change into robes reflecting the fact...there didn't seem to be anybody else in charge anymore. Anywhere really...just a world filled with children who were dying even as I tried to think on what to do...
--
[05th November 2010]
[SHIELD Headquarters, Beneath Custume Barracks, Athlone]
Something was wrong with this place I found, even beyond the fact it was absolutely deserted. For instance, my 'senses' told me that Constantine was here, but physically it was just myself and Gemma striding into the secure armoury of the underground facility.
Options, I didn't have many options really till I knew what was going on beyond 'all the grown-ups go bye-bye' and that meant getting more power, and getting a summons, or divinations...or whatever the fuck worked if need be. Because this was the Omega Protocol implantation time...assuming I could find anyone to boost up the damned spell-work with me...
But first I cracked up the cases before me and I pushed one or two of them to before my apprentice "Gemma, okay put these on...and these, these and these. I'm going to change into these over here. Sorry now but we need to be quick, I promise I won't look at you till your ready"
I grabbed my own needed cases from the metal lock up and began stripping off my armour and mask and pulling out that inside the cases. We'd already grabbed the Omega Protocol Contingency for a (General) Wildfire Scenario, and more importantly the lists on it. Mostly useless I knew with the adults gone, but there were some under the age of whatever was affecting the world hopefully; even untrained and half-trained people like the girl behind me would do.
But...it was the middle of the night here, and finding a way to get in contact with any of them was not as it should be. No police to bang on doors, no news channels to make people aware, no military units to secure ritual sites...
I placed the blue cloak bordered in runes and sigils around my shoulders, securing the blood-red sword clasp to hold it place over the lightly armoured vest equally sigil and rune marked around the insignia of my patron and the one above that in the hierarchy of things. Belief and symbolism were often important when doing the madness I was about to try pull off, and even if nobody knew them or somebody did...well, the world was fucked right now and I was getting rather desperate despite the enforced calm of the enchantment I'd cast.
So it was grab and stuff every scroll and emergency store I'd created, or the others had, into my pockets and bag of holding before performing a planar summoning for answers - with a barely trained apprentice, someone else's barely trained apprentice, and lastly, one who'd dual classed from wizard to fighter. That and the USB Key with name lists, the ritual sites and all the general plans for doing what needed to be done if this was the precursor to an invasion from Darkseid. Though that seemed out of character my mind reminded me, as well as against the feel of the power permeating the air around me...
--
[05th November 2010]
[Mount Justice, Happy Harbour, Rhode Island]
"Ohhhh...damn...End of the World right, damn" Wally muttered as the very colourful clad form of John strode, silver and wood staff tapping off the ground, out of the Zeta Tube with a black haired girl dressed similarly just behind him. Okay...the colour scheme wasn't quite what he'd worn in the nightmare-dream-psychic-end- of-world-thingie Mg'ann and her Uncle had put them through, and there hadn't been a girl with him...but it was creepy close. Maybe...maybe...maybe none of this is real? Another bad dream?
"No, its not I'm afraid" Fortune told him suddenly as Wally realised he's actually said that. Robin merely nodded tightly, as did Aqualad a moment later as the arrived wizard motioned at them, then at the girl "Gemma Master's Team, Team this Gemma Master's, my apprentice and John Constantine's niece. Gemma – Kid Flash, Robin, Aqualad and Zatanna. Okay, everybody introduced? Yes, good...where are the others?"
Wally had no idea what to say to that, though he feel himself calming down as John walked over to them and the pretty girl...his apprentice evidently...gave a small wave and nervous smile "Hi"
"You've got an apprentice? Your...she...I mean she...looks my age!" Zatanna asked aloud clearly as startled as the rest of them were. World going to hell in less than an hour and a half had made them all jittery...what with the entire Justice League vanishing before their eyes like that...
"Look Folks, we don't have time to get surprised and explain all the shocking things that'll come up, secrets an' all. World is Ending, and we're here to save if we can. Focus on the mission, worry about other things later. Now where are the others?"
Wally blinked "Uhh...they went out to help people and..."
John nodded, walking up to Robin and Aqualad at the central computer "Call them back now. We need to find and contact the people on this list, Batman's list if Robin's got it, and try and fight this on the larger picture...because we can't save everyone, and the longer it takes to find out what is going on the harder it will be to try and undo it. Aqualad, I need your help...but first I need you to contact Atlantis and get together any student mages that can help with this on the surface"
Robin had taken the electronic device and scanned it into the computer that Justice League had built with a mixture of super-advanced alien technology and the best humanity could create. Before their eyes a map of the British Isles and Western appeared with coloured lines and glowing red dots with indicators on it while beside it a list of names, addresses and numbers started to flow by. Up at the top of the screen was emblazed the acronym S.H.I.E.L.D. with Top Secret, then Omega Protocal: Wildfire Scenario (General) written below it. Wally blinked, frowned and...
"Jjjjjoooohhnnnn...what's SHIELD?" Robin beat him to the punch it seemed as Fortune sighed and motioned at the screen.
"Now, a not-so-secret government organisation I work for and have a plan for something like this. Now filter out anyone over the age of eighteen Robin and start contacting them..."
Wally couldn't help but point at his supervillain teammate "You have...had...a secret Doom Legion didn't you! I knew it! See I was right!" then sighed as the others glared at him "...fine, out of my system. So what's the plan..."
--
[05th November 2010]
[Mount Justice, Happy Harbour, Rhode Island]
"...you can access global television channels from here?"
"Yes"
"Good, then we're going on television and telling all the kids to be calm, and for the older kids to take care of the younger...then we're going to call for anyone with magical abilities to try ring these numbers, email or just text they're willing to help. You, Robin, are the IT and coordination department for this operation. Kaldur, your back and word on..."
--
[05th November 2010]
[Mount Justice, Happy Harbour, Rhode Island]
A flash of light within the summoning circle...
"Oooooooeeeeeeeeee" the young...plant-boy?-girl?-elemental moaned looking around in wonder around the place, then at the four of us sitting cross-legged around the circle as behind the sounds of Robin, Artemis and Kid Flash on phones filled the air along with a half-dozen of the older teenagers I'd had M'gann and Connor grab from Happy Harbour High School. Secrecy really wasn't all that important right now after all.
"Envoy of the Green, we apologise for any offence caused in summoning you"
Plant...person gave a very odd body movement as the head tilted towards me and the body of twisting greenery shifted and twirled as it alternated between looking male and female. Thankfully the Calm and Courage wardings were keeping everyone seated quietly despite the uncanny valley nature of the thing clapping hands together excitedly "Oh Yes! Yes! Hello! Hello! Hello! Knows You! Find You! Talk You! Tell You! One Place Here Another Place There! Young Here! Old There! Meat and Green! Green and Meat! Help!"
I nodded. Good, that backed up what the Archon said, and it seems to be 'talking' to the other half in some manner. Okay lets confirm...
--
[05th November 2010]
[Camden, New Jersey]
"You the guys on the Television?" she asked biting her lip nervously and glancing around for trouble while watching the screens of the said televisions in the storefront.
"Yes, and if you have any..."
"Look my names Jinx...I've got magic or sumthin...things just happen when...ya know use. And I could read that weird card thing the wizard boy was holding so..."
"Great! We've got your location, just wait there and we'll be there in a few minutes. With your help we can get your parents back..."
"Don't wan'em back! Dad's a bastard! TV says reward and I want away from them! That's the deal! I don't help otherwise...
--
[05th November 2010]
[Mount Justice, Happy Harbour, Rhode Island]
"Yes Billy I know who you are, it's why the Zeta Tube let you in. Now I need you to go and tell the Justice League. Try to stay whelmed man..."
"Oh...Fuzzynuggets!"
"I've...never heard that one before...wasn't me that knew it, was the maybe-supervillain over there..."
--
[05th November 2010]
[Mount Justice, Happy Harbour, Rhode Island]
"Timothy Hunter, okay got your location...we'll meet you on the way..."
"No way we'll everyone will fit in the Bioship!"
"We'll Zeta Tube them to nearby and then we'll teleport in groups the rest of the way..."
"King Sha'ark I did not think you would trust in surface magic. My King would be...'
--
[06th November 2010]
[Stonehenge, Amesbury, Salisbury]
It was a rather bizarre assembly of teenagers, and honestly children in many cases playing at being mature, but that didn't matter as I started burning through precious scrolls to ready the ritual ground. Well, that and *calmly* calling out instructions to those around me. Hard to do when the only illumination was a hastily thrown up Mage Light spell and whatever other small light sources we could grab.
Two hours and forty minutes in and we still hadn't managed to break through the anti-scry wards on whoever had done this. Though that was less our side than on the Adult Side of things. I did not have the resources to waste trying to do multiple things all at once like a search for the enemy, recruit and organise who we could, and then prepare a massive ritual in under an hour and a half after coming to it cold!
'Now, now, the basics are all outlined in the briefing. We can do this...even if this is a terrible idea it's the least bad of bad options now that cover is blown. Hope burns eternal after all' I remind myself pushing myself back up tiredly with my staff and the gem held at the top pulsed with soft light over us all. After all the very air stank of magic right now – Global Level Epic Casting masked by so much energy in the air finding the source was not easy at all. Because yes - the whole idea was absolutely insane on the part of whoever had done this – World Division and Creation? That was just...
Insane in terms of both power and mentality...
Tens of Thousands of Children were dead now, or dying with each minute we spent in not ending this monstrous crime that was masquerading itself as a spell. Which was why everyone here was willing to do along with a plan the Atlanteans clearly considered absolutely insane; in the end, they were just as desperate as the rest of the world's children and this was the only option on the table. Of course...I had a bit an unfair advantage in knowing how to brute force magic rituals into a Wish, well, multiple Wishes to achieve an end result...
Billy Batson re-materialised with a "Shazam!"
The unhappy look upon his face told me what the answer was even before he opened his mouth "They've started on the other side, and they've got Gods and Demons and Scary Guys and..."
"Actually the Devil, yes you mentioned already I'm afraid Billy" I replied calmly taking a breath and raising my voice as I moved over to the laptop and readied the preset. Modern Budget Magecraft at its Finest that.
"Okay! Everyone take position in your groups! Follow the chant of the loudspeakers and just focus on letting your magic flow. Nothing Else! Focus and Cast and we shall be victorious even on this most dark of night's. M'gann, I'll be linking to you and you'll project outwards to everyone like a psionic amplifier and then..."
Gemma, Zatanna, and Kaldurs two friends Tula and Garth were the focuses from the outer team 'leaders' to myself at the heart of the ritual, with area been filled with dozens of spell-casting youths; a pink haired girl, future Merlin, even Shark Dudes in armour standing guard who I'd had to cast spells on with the two skilled Atlanteans. Just like the spell-casters my hastily assembled 'guard units' were a mishmash of Atlantean City-State warriors, some summons, and a couple of lads from gun clubs and military families that had volunteered. Because once this started the world would feel the effects...
--