[08th December 2010]

[West of Guards Military Facility, Eastern Desert, Bialya]

'All clear here' Robin projected into the mental link as he gazed through the night-vision binoculars upon the military base that was supposedly holding some sort of 'secret weapon' according to what intel the League had received. Activity was pretty high, if obviously undermanned, but that could easily be explained by the quasi-civil war that had broken out in Biayla since the capital having been destroyed by Starro; Queen Bee presumed dead in the blast.

It was a much reduced Team for this mission he found; Fortune had gone largely radio silence and his relationship with the team was still a gray area really, Zatanna was seemingly grounded, and Kaldur needed to help with matters back in Atlantis and was unavailable. And all that was without the nightmare that Speedy...Red Arrow and Speedy...was going through right now; really the mission at least took his own mind off it for a time. Take everyone's minds of things perhaps, as Artemis wasn't particular happy over things, and much of their super-heroing had been with their mentors till now since four of the team were off in strange magic lands.

'All clear here too, scouting the perimeter now' Kid Flash projected back through the mental as they'd agreed before he dashed off into the darkness. While his friend blitzed the outer defences, which didn't seem all that impressive, he himself brought up his wrist mounted computer and began to try access the base's network from this spot above what was an emergency backup hard-line in the event of nuclear war or other disaster. Considering such an attack had actually happened, and this group were one of better organised ones within this desert nation's bad guys, it had worked as intended. Unfortunately for them it gave Richard Grayson, computer genius, access to some of their systems...like communications, and the lights, for instance.

'Guys I can knock out the lights and comms when needed, KF?'

'Everything's clear, two spots to enter without being detected just where we expected...so is there anything here Rob?'

Fingers continued to fly over the interface as he tracked down some information as the delay became translating from the Arabic...and Russian?...strangely enough 'Looks to be KF, Kobra-Venom def, and some sort of tech weapon they bought off the black market and is...going to make the Colonel here King apparently'

'Ugh, of course he thinks that' Artemis almost groaned back and Robin could almost see the face-palm gesture with those words '...because what's better than super steroids and insanity to make your home a better place after aliens nuke it. What an idiot'

'Wannabe dictator, what else can you expect, ok I got...'

'What's that in the sky? It's coming on very fast from the north...' Miss Martian suddenly queried with concern, just in time for Robin to glance in that direction and see bright flashes of light in the night sky roar towards the military base. Then the sky snarled out the roar of a sonic boom, multiple booms, power cutting out in the base below and the communication line he had hacked was jammed. Followed moments later by explosions and panic within the base of the Biaylan Guard; though no sirens sounded, just detonations of parked amounted vehicles and the bases surface to air batteries. Energy beams?...surged out as humanoid figures in armour, or maybe robots like Red Tornado's cousins he thought with concern.

'Guys what's going on?' / 'Holy...do with pull back?' echoed out from Artemis and Miss Martian in shock as somebody went about destroying critical parts of the base's defences, all while roaring our "Surrender" and "Lay down arms" in badly accented, and robotic, sounding Arabic. KF then was suddenly beside him as Robin turned his head perceiving danger from a rapidly approaching, instantly going from faint to loud, engine or rocket sound. Rolling into a defensive stance, just as KF did likewise as Superboy echoed that he was coming over the mental link.

Just in time it seemed for a large humanoid robot appeared, blasting across the sky in trails of fiery light from its legs and back, before coming to hover before them intimatingly. Robin blinked as the desert sands off the hills and dunes fly all around him as he readied himself to fight, before the machine spoke in a terribly mangled sounding version of the English language "Hmmm? Amerikanski? You is Baby Batman da?"

"Robin" he managed to growl softly back to the machine-man as the robot motioned with his hands to indicate lack of hostility as KF actually gave a short bark of laughter despite the situation and appearing ready to move. "...it's Robin, and who are you?"

"Nyet little ones, Dmitri is not here to fight! Here to take back what stolen, all is friends da! Approved by UN Security Council, and here to do our Duty to the Motherland again...also tell your flying teammate not to attack or we will respond with force!" friendly, yet firm and serious as something on the hovering robot's?...armour beeped and a nod was given to where Superboy was flying in from rapidly. Easy to say he came in peace, but hard to believe with the base still being demolished behind them.

'Connor hold off, their talking...saying their allies. Just, be on guard okay?'

'Got it, i'll hold but if he...' Superboy replied with almost a growl, coming to a stop a short distance away as he hovered in the air thanks to that magic ring Fortune had given him. Again Robin reminded himself to get one of those for his utility belt at the next opportunity even as he opened his mouth "Holding back, see...now, why are you...you have approval you say, who are you?"

"Same reason as you Da? Fixing what must be fixed!" the machine-man announced cheerful in that synthesised voice "...before you it seems. To who Dmitri and brothers in arms are? Such youth, such memories forgotten...tell your peoples; The Rocket Red Brigade fly once again!"

And then he was gone, flying upwards, and then to the left towards the burning base in a whoosh of fiery smoke and swirling sands as Robin tried to figure out their next move. Which...seemed to be contacting Batman this very minute to check this UN approval, then likely watch while these Russians took their mission from them, and they headed home with nothing to show themselves except sand and a little more of tan...

--

[12th December 2010]

[Wizards Sanctum, Off the Quays, Dublin, Republic of Ireland]

I grinned at Gemma's success in generating the protective magic, giving a small clap to my apprentice as the faint hymn of law and order pulsed around her to reject chaotic influences. I'd given some basic protective charms against such things, but it was good to see her progress so quickly at such things despite all that happened. It seemed, despite all the bad things happening in the world recently and my own absence, she'd kept studying what I'd given her and was now showing it. Sure it was simple first level stuff, but she adored the 'Prestidigitation Suit' of cantrips as I called them, and considering her family history blessed defences and more 'good' aligned attacked seemed the best starting point.

"Excellent, excellent..." I told her as she bowed to me in an exaggerated manner, and then to Paula who was sitting in the kitchen, eating leftovers after raiding my now refilled refrigerator "...now see how long you can maintain the effect while we take a break for bit. It should cling to you as you move rather than being static, as you kinda want to be moving if you're using it against such creatures"

She grinned, still maintaining the effect but it wasn't likely to last more than a few minutes at best considering her level "You just want to be lazy!"

"It's called a quick break my apprentice, we have been at this all morning if I recall correctly, and we have to meet young Cassandra and her mother in..." I glanced back at Paula. She nodded back to me "About two hours" and I turned my attention back to Gemma "...two hours, so you'll have the whole evening for more lessons and practicing your spell-work. Oh, and you coming with me tomorrow since your off school and having 'work experience' with me so it's not a long break...and yes, I am feeling lazy and have the urge to eat something right now"

It was back on duty time tomorrow, as thankfully no crises had hit during my off duty period, and if things worked out I'd have another week or two off over the Christmas. Considering the visitation dreams, and authorising payment from the dark accounts I'd established for such...religious...matters, I considered it fairly important to keep up and adequate balance in my life. The faint growl from Gemma's stomach, indicated the same as I gave a chuckled and offered to make her a sandwich as well as I stood up and moved to enter the kitchen area of my apartment. Seemed my bodyguard, and chaperone for Gemma, was looking at in a way that suggested she wanted one as well despite already eating one; potentially the lingering effects of the healing, as she seemed both energetic and hungry regularly enough.

"And I assume you'll be visiting your daughter this evening?"

Paula nodded as I began to pull the various fillings for my indulgence of ciabatta bread over the regular sliced pan from the fridge "Yes, Jade first, and then Artemis will be over at seven I believe"

I frowned ever so slightly "Still won't visit Jade?"

She gave a sad smile "She's thinking of it, but not yet...she did not visit me either during my time, and she has other matters to think on for the moment"

"What can you do, and how are you finding downstairs now that it's been renovated?"

"Oh it's certainly better than our place in Gotham. Now if I can only get both of my daughters to live there with me"

I gave a snort, joy to that; Artemis living in the rooms below me with Paula? Tolerable, enjoyable even despite issues I could see arise. Somehow see Cheshire released early and have the dangerous assassin I kept turning in a cat living right next to my Sanctum? Or near her sister on a daily basis?

"Well that...sounds like fun, if they don't break all the furniture when they clash over...well, being family and career choices"

"Oh I'm sure I could manage it, though it will be some time I know before my Jade can be gotten unto a better path"

"Oh like Uncle John?" Gemma queried strolling over to sit into the tall chair on the other side of the kitchen counter "...Mom says he's doing better, having a stable job or something like that. And Artemis seems very nice, she could go to my school too if she moved over here!"

'Or summoning demons...much, and causing massive collateral damage' popped into my mind, but in fact Constantine had improved alot, both in those ways as well as in his magical training, so it was unfair to complain on that right now "Aye he is, so maybe Jade'll take the chance offered to her and come out the end of it"

"As her mother I can only hope she will...oh thank you for your generosity young master" Paula replied taking the proffered sandwich from the large plate of them I placed between us "...rather an improvement over my past experience as bodyguard and servant to the young and powerful, or the old and powerful either"

"Hmm?" not it probably wouldn't happen, but the sudden thought of Lex Luthor making a sandwich for a confused Mercy Graves amused or me for some reason "Well, their more established and have actual cooks I guess..."

I glanced at an expectant Gemma "...and No, I'm going to magic up dinners on a regular basis, it's rather a drain and waste of magical talents when food is plentiful"

"Ahh...but Summon: Chicken Vindaloo would be such a useful spell John..."

--

[14th December 2010]

[Dublin Airport, Collinstown, Republic of Ireland]

I waved a hand in greeting as 'Connor Kent', 'Dinah Lance' and 'Diana Prince' came into view along with the rest of the crowd of getting off the international flight. The rest of the Team, in civilian attire obviously, who taken the shorter, unofficial, way here via Zeta Tube were grinning at Connor as he came into and I brought down the 'Kent' sign I'd been holding up in my official capacity. Not that I'd complain about that, it was far better than the whole hunting down supernatural predators, or chasing down idiots in rain and mud; instead getting to make a friend's day all in all.

Rather last minute really, but they'd told me Monday Superboy was now in the citizenship queue...and that meant getting the Naturalisation Ceremony tomorrow along with like three thousand other people. Certainly one way to 'hide' it amongst the general surge of new citizens and it was certainly a Christmas present for him. Then we could have nice big party afterwards in a nice fancy restaurant, so I'd end up getting paid to relax and talk to friends in the end. Oh, and two of the more attractive members of the Justice League of course, but that was less appealing that it might have sounded once upon a time, and with official things to talk to them about.

Because there was always official things to talk about, what with SHIELD out in the open, me kicked off the Team, and apparently other nations supposedly responding to the recent crises like Russia and China. Seemed poor Rocket had joined the Team, as her mentor joined the Justice League, just in time to be dragged off to a foreign country and feel slightly isolated as Connor had his status as an actual person secured. Oh, and did I mention the 'glare John Fortune to death' talk yesterday with Giovanni Zatara from not a few hours ago when he turned up with Zatanna and Team in tow?

'Cuz that was super fun times' I thought remembering the general awkwardness of protective wizard dad before he departed for Justice League business through the Zeta Tube. Not that I hadn't expected it at some stage, and at least it had been Finn with me rather than Constantine, but it was still...awkward, especially for red faced Zatanna. But I pushed that aside, grinning as my teammates, former teammates, semi-engulfed Connor and began to tease him over the journey here, and on the day itself. Now I just had to herd this group to the waiting mini bus and get the show on the road...

--