[12th April 2011]

[Saint Columba's College, Ballyvourney, County Cork, Republic of Ireland, Earth-16]

It'd been a good 'rest' teaching classes for two...well, one and a half, days I found as I sat in the library as the sun began to set outside past the protective wards. Sadly I'd come to the conclusion, albeit an early on perhaps, that there wasn't anything directly related in the various histories about whatever this Scion, and these 'Endbringers' might be. Dangerous threats according to the Boss, and being looked at so by SHIELD and the Justice League as certain parties felt some...concern...about future events concerning our new dimensional neighbours. And when those certain parties were deities speaking to clerics, and a few actual, albeit minor, Seers, then best to start figuring out said danger.

Unfortunately it came with the other side of that problem; magic inexperienced with magic viable options being made aware of those options...the silence since the fight with Cain was concerning. I'd expected more questions after the debriefing, at least beyond the daily 'check-ins' on ensuring we were all friendly, and perhaps installing media transfer. I wasn't adverse to that, even if it was nothing to do with me, as long as both sides actually put firewalls in place in-case of nightmare things like info-hazards or cognito-hazards like the Anti-Life Equation, or Music Meister on the more absurd, yet potentially deadly, end that scale. Knowledge was useful, and more we had the better we'd, I'd, be able to deal with any threats.

"Wha'ca studyin?"

I glanced up "Hey Gemma, Maria..." I held up the copy of a rather old book "...book on summoning, though more the theory behind it. Trying to do some research on dimensional travel and portals, and stuff like that...seems I'm expected to be a quasi-expert on the subject, so, reading translation of Old German...well, modern German, that was translated from Old German"

"That sounds confusing John"

I shrugged "Yes Gemma, it is, I blame the Nazis personally, and Wotan, since they're the ones who came up with this particular crazy-crazy"

Gemma gave me an odd look as she and her demonic cousin took seats across from me "What're you readin' Nazi books for? Did Uncle John suggest it?"

"Well, in part because..." I took another, more modern in origin, military report from World War Two up "...I need compare what they think they were doing with what they actually managed to do. We've some hints that whatever happened in Gotham to create that portal might've been of similar idea, save this one is a portal rather than a freaky tear in reality to the demonic realms like we think those idiots did in the Celle Neues Rathaus. See, need to figure out what dimension shenanigans caused all this, now we're not at war, so it's something of a scatter-shot approach. I've spent several hours between today and yesterday skimming old books and figuring out what I can actually read"

Maria glanced at me, bored but maybe also curious "Learn' an'thing, or just borin' stuff?"

"Nothing I didn't know, like the SS occultists were pretty feckin' insane, even if they are the more...scientific, no, that's wrong...let's say have something resembling a record keeping setup that mimics a methodology..." I replied, then sighed "...though, I've not gotten anywhere useful as yet. Well, beyond, the horrible, stupid-evil versions of how arcane reinforcement works"

This Earth's version of World War Two had been pretty messed up on the occult side of things, despite minimal changes in the overall ending setup. Nabu had offered some possible leads, but none of the entities the Nazis had tried to contact matched...whatever the hell the Boss was indicting was on the other side. Elder eldritch things rarely were easy to figure out, and the whole incomprehensible thing seemed to apply to this 'Scion' if It was a champion, or even a physical avatar of one.

I suspected my Patron knew more, but having a second set of eyes review information and offer untainted feedback would be a likely reason to hold back information from me, his chief minion. The truth was the power of para-humans...seemed to be external, like my divine abilities, rather than something internal like the meta-gene, or sorcerer-mages of this earth. If, and it was still on the theory level without bodies other ways to test it, this was the case though...

'Then what or who is granting them?' I mused closing the book as my Apprentice and Familiar began to press me for lessons. Something I was quite happy to do, more time to meditate and prepare spells really, and recent events had prevented me spending time doing just that. Perhaps cynically it also gave me help for writing down a 'Magic for Noobs! Does and PLEASE GOD DONT!'s' to run by the other side. If my Patron was starting to move on the other side...then, well, I'd rather not have to face others using whatever Cain's Master Plan had been before John got him...

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[13th April 2011]

[SHIELD Portal Security, Security Zone, Gotham, New Jersey, United States of America, Earth-16]

"She's a what now?"

Director Waller merely gestured at the file she slid across to me "A Priestess of your God"

I stared at it, opening the file and then shaking my head, largely to myself "That sonofa...right, okay...that would explain certain things of late. Hence why I voiced my concerns, as did Doctor Fate and Mister Blood, about well..."

Then tapped the picture of the girl from Earth-Bet "I won't know for sure, not unless you give me time to commune with my patron, or I meet her directly, but this would...well, it would match up with Huntress, Tommy Moynihan, and general methods of the Shrouded Lord. My God is rather concerned about this other Earth, and whatever those...things...are, after all"

I let out a breath "What concerns me though...this was too fast, she would have had to open the door herself, and they shouldn't have had the knowledge to do that. Not so fast, not without any level of background knowledge. So, to answer the question Director, I was not aware of this, not directly, but I have...well, I've laid out my concerns and dreams as some call them since my return. I...I, need to talk to this girl again and confirm if it's true, and, well, see what she's been granted, knowledge and power wise"

My representative from home, and SHIELD, a Mr. Donnelly, nodded as I took a quick study of the file "There is request from them Madam Director?"

Waller gave a sour look "Yes, a spying mission in all but name in my estimation, irksome as they spent days likely plotting this during their reversion to basic information exchange. They wish to have both yourself, and a delegation, attend their side and brief her, and them, which we will not due currently in the wake of the recent fight, and resulting publicity on their side of the Gate..."

I resisted a wince at that. I'd rather not have to go through yet another inquiry after Belle Reve and then the Injustice League, especially not on an alternate Earth I'd help spy on at the start as Waller continued "...or they would send her, with an escort of three others, over to our side for a...briefing on your abilities"

Mr. Donnelly nodded "And the Irish Government are perfectly willing to acquiesce to such a request, on our terms of course, and we agree fully with your recommendation to avoid further deployments through the Gate with circumstances as they are"

I sighed "Okay then, so what do you want me to? And where to do it? I understand here is the logical location, but, since we're discussing this rather than being ordered, I assume there are concerns?"

"The girl seems to have some sort of...either capacity to judge structures, or is a Seer of some sort according to Doctor Fate, and what we have seen of her other Earth alias based on information downloaded. Allowing her to linger on the base, along with others potentially like her, would then be a matter of concern for Security. It would also be best to demonstrate the international nature..."

I listened as Waller basically laid out an indirect intimation tactic, of sorts, while my government Representative was clearly here to get more benefit of the diplomacy, with me as a side issue. It wasn't really a concern for me, beyond the headache of needing to strengthen defences against True Seeing and other abilities that I'd have to start at, again, to handle this. Fecking Boss and his schemes, though this hinted at other issues, and if this one had information I needed to get it. The question now was where they were going to chuck them...Mount Justice or the School?

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