MoP
Harry Potter and the Myriad of Possibilities: Neophytes
Chapter 4: Zero Hour!
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 and Twenties as screened and includes several 'legacy' and original characters as a result. Any other recognisable characters belong to their copyright holders.
A/N: Thanks to Jon, 6f5e4d and the Young Justice Writers Group for their help on this chapter.
Star City.
August 12, 07:16 PDT.
"Have you finished, Lian?" Artemis asked, reaching for her niece's plate that still had a few scraps that she was playing with nervously.
"I guess so," agreed the young girl, then put down her cutlery on the plate and allowed her aunt to take it over to the sink to wash.
"Have you got everything ready to go?" Artemis asked as she began to wash the breakfast dishes.
"I think so," said the young girl hesitantly as she slipped off her chair. "I'll go check."
"Thanks, honey."
07:44 PDT.
Artemis and Will had just dropped Lian in her classroom and were turning to leave when they were hailed by a middle-aged woman. "How can we help you, miss…?" asked Will, tailing off.
"Sorry, I should have introduced myself," said the woman. "I'm Lisa Smith, the school principal. You're Will Harper, Lian's father… correct?"
"Yes," Will confirmed. "This is my sister-in-law, Artemis Crock."
"Is everything alright?" Artemis asked, wondering why the woman had approached them.
"Do you have a moment?" asked Lisa. "There's one thing I was curious about."
"I've got a meeting with a client at nine," Will admitted. "But I can spare a few minutes."
Artemis nodded her agreement, and the pair followed the principal into her office a few doors down from Lian's classroom. Once they were seated, the principal thumbed through a folder on her desk and then extracted a single sheet of paper. "You submitted a list of emergency contacts and people who are authorized to pick up Lian a few days ago…"
"Of course, that's standard isn't it?" asked Will.
"There are a couple of boxes on the admission form for that, which we require that parents or guardians fill in," confirmed the older woman. "Your list is… rather more comprehensive. I was curious."
Will nodded, then glanced at Artemis, asking her silently if she wanted to take this.
"Both of us have to travel for work sometimes," Artemis informed her. "My mother lives with us and can usually take care of Lian at home, but she's in a wheelchair so picking her is a bit more difficult."
The principal nodded, apparently agreeing that made sense. "I assume that Jim, Roy and Violet Harper are also relatives?"
"My brothers and my foster daughter," Will confirmed. "Harlan Matthews works for us at Bowhunter Security… I wouldn't expect him to look after her for an extended period, but he's agreed to pick up Lian and bring her back home if only Paula's there."
"And Oliver Queen, Dinah Lance and Cissy King-Jones?"
"Ollie and Dinah were our mentors as teenagers, almost like surrogate parents," Artemis replied. "Cissy's a friend that I've been helping coach for the international archery circuit."
The principal nodded. "And Lian's mother isn't in the picture?"
"No," Will confirmed with a sigh. "She… doesn't think she would be good for Lian…"
"Is she right?"
Artemis and Will paused, not quite sure how to explain the complex dynamics of the situation. "I think she… overstates the issue…" Artemis finally admitted, and Will nodded agreement. "She's nowhere near as bad as our father but… she's been a bad place a few times over the years."
"I see."
"Is there anything else?" Artemis asked.
"No, that will be fine," said Lisa. "I'll contact you both if I have any other questions."
August 13, 22:16 PDT.
Artemis shot a line across into a rooftop vent and slid across the gap between her perch and the Royal Memorial Hospital in an easy, practiced manoeuvre, landing confidently on the flat roof. Crossing to the fire escape, she made her way down it until she reached the floor she needed and made her way inside.
When she reached her target, it was empty apart from a single patient and her contact, Captain Quentin Lance, the long-suffering commander of the SCPD's Major and Special Crimes Unit. "Thanks for coming so quickly, Tigress."
"I'm always happy to help, Captain," she assured him. "You said something about the 'Dangers'?"
The ageing detective nodded, then indicated the patient. "Do you recognise this man?"
Artemis peered at the white-haired but well-built man for a moment, then nodded. "He's an Interpol agent called King Faraday. We first met eleven years ago… my team and I went undercover to investigate rumours that Haley's Circus was crooked."
"And you went as the aerialist/archer/strongman troupe called the Daring Dangers," finished the detective.
"We did," Artemis confirmed. "'Dan' still performs with them occasionally when the mood strikes him, but I haven't since we exonerated them."
"And Agent Faraday knew who you were?"
"We revealed ourselves as heroes once we caught the real culprit," Artemis confirmed. "How did he end up here?"
"He was shot at while making his way through the concourse at SCIA a short time ago," Captain Lance replied. "My men chased the shooter but he ran out on the apron and was killed by in a collision with one of the taxing planes."
Artemis glanced over the man, checking his vitals on the monitoring board and casting an experienced eye over his condition in general. "That's odd, but hardly seems enough to call us in, particularly if the threat is over."
"That's the thing, I'm pretty sure it isn't," replied the detective, darkly. "He was in pretty bad shape when my officers got to him, but he was desperate to find 'the Dangers' and 'gone hoe'…"
Artemis paused for a moment. "Do you mean Con hổ?"
"Maybe, what does that mean?"
"It means 'The Tiger Shrike' in Vietnamese," Artemis replied. "Which gives me at least one idea who he might have been investigating…"
"Who?"
"A chaos magic cult called Die Geiergesellschaft also known as the Vulture Society."
"Weren't they behind…?"
"The Clench," finished Artemis. "They were. Which gives you some idea what their capabilities and MO are."
"Not good."
"Not good at all," Artemis agreed with feeling.
The Hall of Justice.
August 14, 06:30 EDT.
Artemis glanced around the room as she exited the Zeta Tube, clocking that most of the heroes who she'd summoned had already gathered – her old friend Miss Martian, the beast-mimicking Animal Man, the psionic illusionist Raven, the demonic-looking fire-breathing teleporter Red Devil, the New Genesisian hybrid Halo, and the cybernetic weapons expert Arsenal – all but three like her in civilian clothing.
Seconds later, the system spun up again, bringing in the last of the heroes she'd been expecting. "Recognized, Citizen Steel B-Two-Nine; Vibe B-Three-Eight… Mary Marvel E-Zero-Eight."
"Thanks for coming, everyone," Artemis began, then turned to the main console, activating it. "Oracle, did you get the packet I sent you?"
"I did," confirmed the red-head. "I'm pretty sure we're looking at two different players here, particularly given what 'Defenseurs de la nuit' found when they rolled up the Paris cell."
"That's what I thought. What do you think about the original lead that the Bratva were trying to expand into Indonesia?"
"Maybe…" said Oracle, not sounding entirely convinced. "Looking at the data, they're definitely up something, but maybe not that. Inspecteur Masse thinks that a second party wants everyone looking at the Bratva so that they can act elsewhere."
"The Tiger Shrike."
"The Tiger Shrike," Barbara confirmed.
"Who?" asked someone, but the two women ignored him.
"So, we split our forces," Artemis turned back to her team and paused for a moment to think. "M'gann, you've got Beta… take Nate, Cisco, Mary and Aboki to Europe. Start in the Netherlands… see if you can find out what the Bratva are up to."
M'gann nodded and lead her assigned trio back to the Zeta-Tube.
"Recognized, Miss Martian B-Zero-Five; Citizen Steel B-Two-Nine; Vibe B-Three-Eight; Mary Marvel E-Zero-Eight; "
"Eddie, Linda, Roy, Violet… you're with me on Gamma," she declared. "We're going to follow up on Interpol's leads in the Far East. First stop…"
Singapore.
August 14, 19:16 SGT.
The Super-Cycle exited the Boom Tube over the bay and swooped down to land in a secluded park.
Artemis dropped down to the ground and then waited as the rest of the squad dismounted. "Violet, can you stay with the Super-Cycle in case we need a quick escape or air cover?"
"Of course, Artemis."
"Oracle to Gamma Squad."
"Standby Oracle," said Artemis. "Linda, can you hold an illusion over Eddie and maintain a physic link at the same time? I don't want to risk anyone blocking or intercepting our communications."
"Not over a long distance or in combat, but…" Linda paused. "I think so."
"Illusion first," instructed Artemis. "Oracle, report."
"Beta Squad just rolled up the Dutch cell. I'm coordinating with Interpol techs on the scene to analyse the data."
"Okay, have Beta hold in the Hague until we have anything more to act on."
"Will do."
"Can you bring your memories of your old form to the front of your mind? I can use it to shape the illusion," said Linda once she'd examined her teammate for a moment. Once Eddie had agreed, Linda concentrated for a moment with her fingers braced in a pyramid, then extended one hand and pointed at him. "Gedachten tonen zijn herinnerde vorm!"
The first change was to the other teen's horns and tail, which shimmered out of sight, then his skin lightened and his hair darkened to a sandy blond… then his eyes turned from his usual demonic golden-yellow to a more human blue.
Linda took a few deep breaths to steady herself, then cast her second spell as her eyes glowed red. "Gedachten dragen onze woorden…!" she declared. (Telepathic link online.)
(Okay, you two can take position somewhere nearby while Roy and I go into the Pelikaṉ kiḷap.)
Linda considered the question for the moment. (Looks like there are a few all-night cafés in the neighbourhood… the one in the next block over on the other side of the road seems like the best choice.)
(Makes sense to me,) Artemis agreed. (Let's go.)
19:30 SGT.
Artemis paused as Roy reached for the door of the Pelikaṉ kiḷap. (Is everyone in position?)
(In position,) confirmed Eddie and Linda simultaneously.
(I'm ready,) added Violet.
Artemis nodded to Roy, who opened the door and lead the way in. Artemis finished out a pair of sunglasses with green-tinted lenses and slipped them on, then followed him.
"Table for two?" asked the greeter at the entrance.
"Yes please," Artemis confirmed. "With a view of the stage if possible."
"Certainly, ma'am," agreed the other woman. "Follow me." She led them through the venue to a small two-person table with a good view of the stage. "Can I get you any drinks to begin?"
"I'll take a bandung," said Artemis.
"White coffee for me," added Roy as he slid into his own seat.
"They'll just be a moment."
"Do you know who our contact is?"
"One of the staff, but I'm not sure who," Artemis admitted. "I was just told to get a table facing the stage and to wear these glasses."
"Well, hopefully they'll turn up soon."
19:46 SGT
They'd finished their first round of drinks and were about to order another round and some snacks when one of the dancers paused beside their table. "Nothing is too wonderful to be true, if it be consistent with the laws of nature," she observed idly.
Artemis didn't visibly react, but immediately gave the counter-phrase. "… and in such things as these, experiment is the best test of such consistency."
The dancer nodded, fished a tiny envelope out of her costume, then after a quick glance around to make sure that non-one was looking in their direction, she dropped it on their table and walked off towards the stage.
Roy inspected the envelope, removing a small memory stick that he plugged into his cybernetic arm. "Uploading the data now. Oracle should have something for us shortly."
Artemis signalled to one of the waitresses.
"Yes, ma'am?" asked the young woman when she joined them.
"We'll take another round of the same and one of your tasting platters," said Artemis. "You can bring the check as well."
"Yes ma'am."
20:16 SGT.
"Oracle to Gamma Squad."
Artemis was about to help herself to some yong tau foo soup, but she put her spoon down and whispered an acknowledgement.
"I've taken a preliminary look over the data that Arsenal sent me." Oracle reported. "I need to go over it in more detail to get the full picture, but I have a new destination for you…"
Kowloon.
20:56 HKT.
The Super-Cycle slid out of the Boom-Tube with practiced ease and Artemis brought her smoothly to a landing next to the soccer field in one of the parks. "We'll need to move fast, our contact is based out of one of the local night markets and they close in about an hour," Artemis declared. "Eddie, Linda, why don't you take the lead on this one… even this late, a couple of teens shouldn't attract too much notice."
"We're on it," agreed the red-head and hopped to the ground, then paused to allow Eddie to join her.
"Violet, can you conceal yourself and follow them, just in case?"
"Of course," agreed her protégé, glowing green briefly before disappearing.
"And what do we do?" Arsenal asked once they were alone.
"We wait."
"Wonderful," said the cyborg teen sarcastically."
Vientiane.
23:30 HKT.
Barbara's voice over her earbud roused Artemis from the light doze that she'd slipped into while she waited Arsenal and Halo to return from their latest dead drop. "Go ahead, Oracle."
"I've just completed my analysis of the intel that you acquired in Singapore," Barbara reported. "A senior Bratva officer is currently staying in Athens and another lead for the Philippines."
Artemis thought about it for a moment. "We'll take the Philippines, route Beta to Greece."
"Will do," Barbara agreed.
General Santos.
August 15, 00:30 PHST.
"I hope you've got some good news for me, Oracle?"
"I do," confirmed her teammate. "Have you got any contacts in Vietnam?"
"Actually, I do," Artemis admitted. "But I need to make a few calls. Can you have Beta Squad meet us on Manila as soon as possible?"
"Will do."
Manila.
August 15, 02:16 PHST.
Artemis and her squad stood watching as Baby shimmered into view and drifted down to a landing. Predictably, Mary and Hank as the squad's two psychical heavy hitters, were first down the ramp, with Cisco a few steps behind them. As her team reached the tarmac, M'gann appeared at the top of the ramp, and then caught up with her team by the time the two squads came together.
(Glad you could join us,) Artemis told her. (I've got a feeling that this isn't going to be easy.)
Miss Martian nodded, then shifted to glance at an SUV with Vietnamese government plates that was driving in their direction. (Are you expecting anyone else?)
(Yeah,) Artemis confirmed. (I didn't want any… complications… so I contacted my uncle and asked him to pull a few strings.)
The SUV drifted to a stop and a heavily muscled man got out the driver's seat, with a similarly massive man exiting through the passenger seat. "We were told to report to Artemis Crock?" said the first man.
"That's me," said Artemis, turning towards them. "I assume my uncle sent you?"
"That is correct," confirmed the man. "While relations between our two countries are… better than they were, but there is still considerable tension, so the colonel decided that you should be provided with an appropriate escort."
"I think you mean 'babysitter," observed Arsenal sardonically.
"Arsenal!" barked Artemis. "Please forgive my colleague. He often speaks before he thinks…"
"I think nothing of it, Miss Crock," said their contact. "I am Gan Williams, and this is my brother Tavis."
"Pleased to meet you," Artemis said. "Have you been able to confirm the intel we sent you?"
"We have, the target site is an abandoned temple off Ha Long Bay," replied Tavis. "I've sent the coordinates to the email you provided."
"I've got them," Barbara confirmed over Artemis' commlink. "Local sunrise is in about three and a half hours. I suggest you plan to strike before then."
Artemis nodded, then turned back to the Williams brothers. "My analyst has the coordinates; she suggests given the isolated and fairly open location that we take the facility tonight."
"We agree," confirmed the brothers.
"Then let's get moving," Artemis declared. "We can Boom to just outside Chinese territorial waters and then fly in below the radar into the bay."
Ha Long Bay.
01:32 ICT.
(Thunder, have you been able to identify any alternative entrances to the temple complex?)
(Negative, Tigress,) her local contact replied. (A frontal assault appears to be the only option.)
(Well, at least as far as a surprise attack goes,) Artemis agreed regretfully. (Miss Martian…?)
(I agree,) agreed her old friend. (Baby and I should still be able to get closer than Super-Cycle.)
Artemis thought about it and was forced to agree after a moment. Martian stealth was far better even the combined illusionary efforts of Halo and Raven and the other squad was also more equipped to defend themselves if the cultists decided to make a fight of it. Which they probably would given their previous history. (Go for it.)
(Boss, just one thing before we strike,) Cisco interjected.
(Go ahead.)
(I've working with Baby on integrating my sonar powers with her scanners and I've managed to get a decent map of the entire complex.)
(Good work, Vibe,) Artemis replied. (Have you found anything useful?)
(We didn't find any other usable entrances; Thunder was right about that…) he began. (But we did manage to pinpoint a couple of large, open spaces inside the facility…)
(Brilliant!) Artemis declared. (Gamma Squad can Boom into one of those once the 'duty shift' is distracted by Beta Squad. If we can get the drop on them, they might not even make too much of a fight of it.)
02:16 ICT.
"They just surrendered?" repeated Oracle incredulously.
"Well, only twenty or so of them are soldiers, cultists, most are scientists doing a job," Artemis explained. "So, when Animal Man and Vibe were able to thwart their little searchlight defence, and then Citizen Steel and Mary Marvel were able to recover in time to drop the big boss like a bad habit, the rest surrendered immediately."
"That makes sense," Oracle agreed. "I've notified Interpol and CAND, and teams are on the way to take them into custody."
At that moment, Roy, Cisco and the Williams brothers wandered over. The redhead spoke first. "Boss, we might need to make a move before they get here."
"Why?" Artemis asked, not exactly fond of the idea.
"We've been looking through Con hổ's files, and we've found two things of interest so far," Roy replied. "Firstly, we've confirmed that he was planning to use the stolen Rhelasian missiles to attack Beijing and hopefully kick off World War Three."
"Well, I think we can all agree that that would have been a bad thing," noted Artemis to a crowd of nods. "And the second?"
"According to one of his more recent entries, he mentions that he was thinking of depositing his 'war chest' in a bank in Montfaucon, Switzerland."
"I know the one," Artemis confirmed. "It's pretty well known in… certain circles…"
"Which is why the interesting thing is why he didn't invest," Roy explained. "Apparently, one of his informants found out that the Bratva are planning a raid on the bank."
Artemis hissed. "That's… risky of them," she declared. "Do we know when?"
"Twenty-two hundred local time… today."
"That's in about three quarters of an hour!" Artemis exclaimed. "Oracle, can you…?"
"Checking with the Watchtower and the Premier Building…" Barbara said, then after a moment, she came back on. "Cyborg is available, should I deploy the Outsiders to Montfaucon?"
"Do it."
Star City.
August 14, 19:16 PDT.
"Auntie Mus, Uncle Roy!" cried Lian, jubilantly as they entered the Harper house.
Artemis smiled and scooped up the little girl into her arms. "It's good to see you too, sweetheart."
Will poked his head out of the kitchen door into the hall. "Is everything okay?"
"Everything's fine," Artemis confirmed. "Two villain plots foiled and the world preserved… at least for a while."
A/N: The bulk of the above story is inspired by 'Zero Hour for Earth!' by Bill Finger (Batman #167, November 1964) by Bill Finger, with some minor details from "The China Syndrome!" by Marv Wolfmann (Batman Vol 1 #333, March 1981).