*'Everybody Wants to Rule the World' by Lorde begins playing*
As Arcane and Lunatic began flying through the city, both boys couldn't help but gasp in horror. The sky was choked with smoke, and everything seemed to be moving in slow motion; Arcane could see people screaming below the pair, holding the bodies of loved ones who lay unmoving in their arms.
"Looney, did we cause this…?" Arcane asked in a small voice,
"It…. It was just a prank…. We were just making merry…." Lunatic replied, his trademark smile gone and replaced with a look of absolute sorrow as they flew over a dark-skinned man sobbing as he hugged the body of a woman.
Before either could say anything else, they were suddenly blasted out of the air by a blinding yellow light that caused Arcane to lose his grip on Lunatic, and sent Arcane crashing into a parked Jeep. Lunatic luckily managed to grab ahold of a lamppost as he fell, crying out in pain as his arms were given a savage jerk.
As Arcane shook away the dizziness from the attack, he raised his head to see Sinestro floating several feet above him, arms crossed and smirking in a way that promised nothing but pain.
"Today must be my lucky day," the Yellow Lantern sneered, "I had all but given up on Grodd's foolish plan and was about to leave this accursed city when the two boys I'm hunting fall right into my lap."
"Grodd did this…?" Arcane asked in horror as he slowly leveled himself back to his feet, using the Jeep as support, "All these innocent people!"
"No, boy," Sinestro replied cooly, "YOU did this. You and your mad little friend angered the wrong man, and this destruction is the result. If you wish to blame someone, boy. I suggest you look in the mirror. Personally though, I'm impressed, to manage so much death and yet still be a child is amazing to behold. If you're capable of this as a child, who knows what atrocities you will inflict as you grow older."
The words hit Arcane like physical blows, and for a moment, he was once again trapped in a vision of the future where he killed the whole world.
"NEVER!" Arcane snarled as he shot into the air with such speed that it caught Sinestro by surprise; before he could bring up a suitable defense, Arcane poured as much power as he could into his arm and leveled a powerful sucker-punch to the Yellow Lantern's jaw, sending him flying into the distance. Arcane groaned in agony as he felt several bones in his arm break from the power he had put into the punch; falling to his knees, Arcane felt his left arm fall uselessly to his side. Lunatic, by this time, had managed to make his way down from where he'd been hanging, groaning as his arms shook with pain from being nearly torn from their sockets.
"That won't stop him for long," Lunatic groaned, "And neither of us are in any fit state to take on someone of his power. We should get the hell out of here while we still have the chance."
"Agreed," Arcane replied as he reached behind him and began to rub his shoulder from where he'd hit the Jeep.
"Filthy human!" Sinestro roared as he suddenly tore out of the sky, his nose bleeding heavily from Arcane's last attack, "Neither of you are going anywhere!"
"I have had it with you assholes repeatedly saying that!" Lunatic snarled, suddenly conjuring a cartoonishly large baseball bat; Arcane immediately snapped to his friend's side, and the two swung the bat as hard as they could. Sinestro, not expecting to suddenly face a baseball bat the size of a small yacht, could only gape for a moment before the bat connected with an explosion of energy that caused a gust of wind and sent the Yellow Lantern disappearing into the sky.
*Song ends. *
Snapping his fingers, Lunatic made the bat disappear before both boys collapsed to the ground and began to gasp for breath.
"Th… This is your hometown, Harry…" Lunatic gasped from where he lay on all fours, "Where…. Where is City Hall…?"
Struggling to regain his own breath, Arcane raised his head and took a quick glance around as he tried to get his bearings; seeing the Titan's favorite restaurant not far away, Arcane released a gasp of relief,
"That's…. That's Tony's Pizzeria, so City Hall should be two blocks up and one block over…"
"Then let's get there…" Lunatic replied as he struggled to his feet before reaching down and helping Arcane to his own, "I don't know how much longer I can keep using my powers… I'm running on fumes here."
"Same…" Arcane replied wearily, "And I left my wand in my trunk…"
"Wand? Trunk?" Lunatic asked in surprise, "What are you talking about…?"
"I'm not supposed to tell anyone…" Arcane replied as he threw his arm over Lunatic's shoulder.
"I'm not just anyone, though, am I?" Lunatic growled back, "I thought I was your best friend."
"You are, Looney!"
"Then why won't you tell me where you've been for the last few months!" Lunatic growled, "Do you have any idea how worried I was! I came to see you, and the Tower was empty, and no one would tell me where you'd gone!"
Unseen under his hood, Arcane worried his lip for a moment as he thought of what he should do. Lunatic was his best friend, but it was against the law for Arcane to tell him anything in regard to the Magical World. But seeing the hurt and betrayal in Lunatic's eyes made Arcane's decision for him; taking a deep breath, Arcane faced his first friend and spoke quickly before his nerve failed him.
"Okay, look. There's a hidden world that I belong to."
"What kind of hidden world?" Lunatic asked as the pair began to limp down the street, "You mean you went to space? No wonder I couldn't find you…"
"No, not space," Arcane gasped as a wave of pain shot up his arm, "I went to Scotland."
As the pair slowly limped their way toward City Hall, Arcane told Lunatic all about his adventures over the past year; he told his friend about Hogwarts, about Voldemort, about how most of the Wizarding World viewed Harry as the second coming of Merlin, and about how Raven would not be letting him return the following year due to Dumbledore's manipulations. By the tale's end, the pair had only another block to go, but Lunatic looked furious. After several tense moments of silence, Arcane wondered if he'd made a mistake in keeping it from his friend.
"I'm sorry, Looney…" Arcane said softly, "Please don't stop being my friend…. Please…."
Lunatic started at that and looked down at Arcane in surprise for a moment,
"Do you truly think so low of me, Harry…?" Lunatic asked in a hurt voice, "That I would abandon you because you kept this from me? Yes, I'm a bit upset that you've basically kept the fact that all the wonderful things I've read about in Mr. Tolkien's books is, in fact, real. But now that I know why, how can I possibly be mad at you?"
Arcane couldn't help but release a sob of relief at that; he'd been so terrified that Lunatic, the little boy who all but worshipped J.R.R Tolkien as his god, would see Harry's reticence to tell him about the Wizarding World as the ultimate act of betrayal, and no longer want anything to do with him. Hearing otherwise brought Arcane a wave of happiness that nearly sent him to his knees.
Instead, he wrapped his only good arm around his friend and hugged him for all he was worth, an act quickly copied by Lunatic, who held his friend close for a moment before both released their hold and continued to slow limp toward City Hall.
"Make no mistake, Harry," Lunatic continued in mock annoyance, "If we survive this battle, I fully intend to grill you about everything concerning your new world! I've always wanted to ride a Centaur, and now that I know they're real, you can bet your ass I'm going to do it!"
Arcane snorted at that, remembering what his Care of Magical Creatures Professor had told him about how proud Centaurs were and how they would rather die than allow a human to ride them. He almost felt sorry for Lunatic when the poor boy discovered that there was no way any Centaur would ever allow him to ride them like a horse.
"No, what I'm angry about," Lunatic continued, "Is the fact that your Headmaster, who is basically a glorified high school principal, thinks he can manipulate my best friend like that! After this, I will have to make a trip to Scotland and teach him some manners! And don't even get me started on that 'Voldemort' douche. I'm gonna enjoy playing with him…"
"Please don't!" Arcane suddenly gasped in panic, "Please, Looney! He took my parents. I couldn't bear it if he took you too!"
Lunatic was quiet for a moment at that before finally turning to his friend and speaking softly,
"Very well, then. But if the day ever comes when you must face him again, know that I will be by your side. Always."
"You're my best friend, Looney," Arcane sniffled, "You always have been."
"Shut up," Lunatic snarked back, though Arcane could see the boy's eyes tear up a bit, "How much further is it?"
"We should be nearly there," Arcane replied, "I think it's around the next corner if I have my bearings right…"
"Good, no offense, but you're really heavy. I think you need to lay off the sweets."
"You're such an ass, you know that…" Arcane growled back, causing his mad friend to cackle with delight as they rounded the corner.
XXXX
Grodd snarled with rage as he swiped at J'onn, only for his fist to pass harmlessly through the Martian; J'onn retaliated with an uppercut to the gorilla's jaw that sent Grodd crashing through the ceiling for several feet, tearing the drywall to pieces, before finally, he came to a rest at the far end of the hallway.
"You cannot win this fight, Grodd," J'onn stated simply, "It would be in your best interest to surrender."
As Grodd climbed to his feet, he wiped his nose and growled as he saw blood on his fur. Raising his head to glare at the Martian, Grodd issued an ear-shattering roar of rage before turning and fleeing down the dark hallway. J'onn paused for only a moment before he sped after his opponent, determined to capture him before the gorilla could escape.
XXXX
A few moments later, after both combatants had disappeared, a dark figure suddenly dropped from a hole in the ceiling and carefully looked around to ensure they were alone. Slowly, the figure made its way to Harry's room and began to search through it, ripping open his drawers and tearing through them before moving on to the next one. Finally, the figure seemed to find what they were looking for and held up what appeared to be an ordinary piece of paper.
"Harry Potter…" The figure breathed as a smile spread across its face, "So, that's who you are, Arcane… My master will be so happy to meet you."
Carefully, the figure folded the paper from somewhere called 'Hogwarts' and pushed it into their pocket as it left the room before anyone could discover that they were there; their mission complete.
XXXX
"Where could he have gone…?" J'onn thought as he slowly floated down the darkened hallway, the only light coming from the flickering bulbs overhead and giving the hallway an eerie look that would not have been out of place in a horror movie.
"You cannot escape, Grodd," J'onn called out, his voice echoing down the hallway, "Come out and surrender!"
As J'onn rounded the next corner, his eyes shot open in alarm as he saw Grodd standing at the entrance of the Titan's weapons room, holding a flamethrower; before J'onn could do anything but stare, Grodd pressed the trigger and unleashed a devastating wave of fire that quickly passed over the Martian and caused him to shriek in agony for a moment before collapsing to the floor, unconscious.
Sneering in derision, Grodd threw the flamethrower to the floor before slowly making his way toward the fallen hero. Seeing his adversary was not moving, Grodd kicked the unconscious hero once in the side before quickly making his way out of the smoking hallway and back toward the boats in which he and his allies had arrived. Arcane and Lunatic might have escaped him, but that was only a temporary setback, one which he would quickly rectify.
XXXX
"How are we supposed to get through that!" Lunatic hissed as he and Arcane peeked around the corner at the literal battle that was currently happening between the National Guard and a horde of Supervillains and their hired thugs. As the pair watched, KGBeast suddenly rose from behind a destroyed truck and hurled a grenade at a group of unsuspecting soldiers; before it could do any damage, however, Superman suddenly appeared and grabbed the grenade, crushing it between his hands and causing a billow of smoke to emerge from between his hands.
Before the criminal could react, Superman delivered a devastating punch that sent KGBeast crashing into the wall of a nearby deli, where he slowly slid to the ground, unconscious.
A second later, Mammoth appeared as though out of nowhere and sucker punched Superman, sending the hero disappearing into the smoke.
"There's no way we can get to City Hall through all of that…" Arcane replied softly, "Not with us both running on fumes, as we are."
"So, what do we do?" Lunatic asked, loathe though he was to admit it; he was running dangerously low on power.
"We'll have to double back," Arcane replied thoughtfully,
"How far?"
"At least four blocks…"
"Four blocks?!" Lunatic cried out, "The whole city is a warzone, and you want to walk another four blocks! I can barely create anything at this point! And with your broken arm, you're in no better shape!"
"Unless you want to try and make our way through that!" Arcane replied as the pair watched Wonder Woman appear from the smoke and begin to fight against Cheetah, "I don't think we have any other options!"
With an exaggerated groan of annoyance, Lunatic took off his top hat and ran his hand through his long red hair.
"Let's just get this over with," Lunatic replied as he put his top hat back on, "Before one of these idiots realizes we're here."
Throwing Arcane's arm back over his shoulder, Lunatic began to limp back down the alley they had just come from as the sounds of battle faded behind them.
XXXX
As Grodd's boat flew across the water at speeds that were DEFINITELY not safe, he snarled in fury at how badly his carefully planned strategy to capture the two brats had failed. As the boat slammed into the wooden port, creating a shower of broken wood and twisted metal, Grodd jumped into the air and landed with an 'oomph' before running as fast as he could toward where he knew City Hall was. He'd heard the Martian tell the two boys to head there, and unless Grodd managed to head them off, all hope of recovering the bounty on their heads would be lost.
Reaching up to his ear, Grodd snarled out,
"If anyone can hear this, Arcane and Lunatic have escaped the Tower! They're headed to City Hall, and if any of you want to get paid, we need to capture them before they do!"
Only static answered Grodd's call, and with a snarl of fury, he ripped the earpiece from his head and crushed it in his hand before throwing the pieces away. Jumping up toward a nearby fire escape, Grodd grabbed onto the ladder and began to climb; if he were to find the two brats before they reached the safety of City Hall, he would need to cover as much ground as possible.
XXXX
Arcane groaned in pain as he and Lunatic collapsed to the ground in utter exhaustion. It seemed like they'd been walking for hours; twice, Arcane tried to fly the pair into the air, only for them to crash back to earth mere moments later as Arcane felt his reserves of power empty. Even Arcane's tentacles refused to come out, no matter how much he willed them to; in addition, his broken arm practically screamed in agony, making the journey that much harder.
"Harry..." Lunatic gasped from where he lay on his back, "I... I can't keep going... We need to find somewhere to hole up and wait for help..."
"No!" Arcane growled weakly from where he lay against a building wall, "We need to get to my sister! If we stay here, we'll die! Or worse, get caught and handed over to Luthor, who will no doubt torture us to death!"
"Harry... I got nothing left... I'm sorry..."
With a snarl of defiance, Arcane leveled himself back to his feet before limping over to his friend, roughly grabbing the front of his vest and pulling him up so that their noses almost touched.
"I did not save your ass just to let you die here, Looney! I'll drag you if I have to! But I'd rather not injure myself any more than I already am, so shut your mouth and get on your damn feet! NOW!"
Lunatic worried his lip for a moment before finally reaching up and unhooking Arcane's hand from his vest; as quickly as his exhausted body would allow, Lunatic then clambered to his feet and shot Arcane a sneer,
"You're mean when you're injured, you know that..."
"You can be mad at me all you want once we're safe," Arcane snapped back, "But until that happens, you keep moving!"
Lunatic said nothing at that, simply threw Arcane's arm over his shoulder again and took an exhausted gasp before the two began to limp towards their destination.
"How... How much further...?" Lunatic gasped.
Taking a look around, Arcane quickly got his bearings and nearly smiled in relief.
"That's Jesse's Joys," Arcane replied softly. "Raven took me there not long after she rescued me from my relatives. It's where I got my first toys from. City Hall is around the next corner."
"Thank goodness..." Lunatic replied wearily, "I feel like I could sleep for the next hundred years..."
"Ditto," Arcane replied, "Let's just get there before anything else happens."
They'd only taken a dozen steps when an ear-shattering roar made them both freeze in place. As their gaze rose toward the nearby rooftop, both boys felt their faces pale in horror. Grodd was standing atop the building in front of them, glaring at the pair in rage. As the boys watched, the gorilla leaped from the rooftop and grabbed a nearby lamp post as he fell, his weight causing the metal to bend as he used the lamp to slow his descent.
As Grodd crashed to the ground in front of the pair, Arcane felt his heart begin to race with panic; neither Lunatic nor himself were in any fit state for a fight, and judging by the way Grodd was grinning at the pair, he knew it.
"I'll make this simple," Grodd growled, "Surrender and come with me willingly, and I promise that no further pain will be inflicted on you. But if you choose to continue to evade me, I will make you both beg for death. Or perhaps I'll see how much CADMUS will pay to have their 'little toy' back. Decide!"
Slowly, Arcane turned to his friend and felt his heart sink when he saw the fear etched on Looney's face.
"I'm sorry, Looney..." Arcane whispered, "I thought we could make it..."
"No..." Lunatic whispered in fear, "I won't go back... I won't let them retake me!"
Roughly throwing Arcane to the ground, Lunatic screamed in rage as he charged toward Grodd, reaching into his coat and pulling a crowbar, which he raised with both hands as though to brain the gorilla. Grodd sneered at the boy's idiotic display of courage and snarled in contempt as he charged toward the boy. As the two grew close, Arcane screamed at his friend to stop, only to watch in horror as Grodd caught the crowbar as Lunatic brought it down.
Using his other arm, Grodd grabbed Lunatic's vest and spun on the spot, hurling the screaming boy through a nearby store window where he lay unmoving, his legs dangling over the window frame while the rest of his body lay hidden within the store.
"LOONEY!" Arcane screamed in horror, only to shrink back in fear as Grodd turned his attention to him.
"And then there was one..." Grodd smirked, "Shall we repeat the lesson, brat? Or have you finally decided to accept the inevitable?"
Knowing that there was no way he could beat Grodd in a fight in his current state, Arcane's mind raced with ideas as to what he should do. If he left, there was a very real chance that Grodd would just cut his losses and take Lunatic and disappear, and if that happened, the chances of CADMUS regaining his friend were an even more terrifying possibility.
As though fate was laughing at him, Sinestro suddenly descended from the air beside Grodd, looking injured and extremely unhappy. Seeing his ally had come to join him, Grodd smirked in victory.
"Ah, Sinestro. So good of you to join me, be a dear and retrieve the brat in the window while I capture the other one. It shouldn't take long, given his battered condition."
"I'm afraid not, Grodd," Sinestro replied cooly, causing Grodd to look at him in surprise, "Have you not heard?"
"Heard what?!" Grodd demanded as Arcane stood stock still, trying not to draw attention to himself.
"The bounty on the boy's heads has been rescinded," Sinestro sneered, making Grodd's face pale, "Which means that all this destruction and death has been for nothing."
"You're lying!" Grodd snarled, causing Sinestor to chuckle,
"Believe what you will, monkey man. But seeing as there is no longer any profit to be had here, I shall be taking my leave."
As Grodd snarled at Sinestro for the insult, the Yellow Lantern turned to Arcane and smirked.
"You have a debt to pay to me, boy. And make no mistake, one day I will come to collect. But until that day, grow stronger; I want you to be fit and healthy when I come for you. You will look magnificent in yellow..."
Without another word, Sinestro shot into the air and disappeared, leaving Grodd and Arcane alone in the destroyed street.
You..." Grodd hissed angrily as he lowered himself to pounce, "You filthy human, BRAAAAAAAT!"
With a roar of hatred and rage, Grodd charged forward, causing Arcane to cry out of terror before turning and running down the first alley he spotted as fast as his broken body would allow, Grodd hot on his trail. Lunatic would be fine, Arcane reasoned, as long as Arcane managed to keep Grodd focused on him. As a large green trash can suddenly slammed into the wall next to him, narrowly missing him by inches, Arcane couldn't help but swallow nervously as he limped his body as fast as it could. Without that bounty, there was nothing to stop Grodd from killing him, and as the gorilla's roars grew closer, Arcane suddenly felt more afraid than he'd ever felt before.
XXXX
Lois Lane gaped from where she sat as she gazed down on the destruction that had once been Jump City, now a smoking ruin. She'd been in Los Angeles on another assignment when she'd received word from Perry White, her editor, of what was happening. Not one to miss such an opportunity, she immediately hired a helicopter and flew out to cover the story; Jimmy Olson, her trusted photographer, sat beside her, pale-faced, as he held his camera and tried to take as many shots as possible.
Lois was no stranger to mindless destruction and tragedy; as ambitious a reporter as she was, and given her close relationship with Superman, she'd seen more horrific atrocities than anyone should have to.
From African Warlords killing anyone who crossed them to great battles between heroes and villains that often destroyed entire city blocks, Lois could safely say that not much affected her anymore.
But seeing this? This affected Lois in a way that she could scarcely describe; there was no reason for it, no reason at all.
A sudden movement caught Lois' eye, and she snapped her head to look so fast that she thought she had heard her neck crack over the sound of the helicopter.
Leaning dangerously out of the helicopter's open door, Lois' eyes widened in alarm as she saw the hero Arcane running as quickly as he could from what appeared to be a giant gorilla. As Lois' eyes narrowed on the scene, she could see that Arcane appeared to be heavily injured; his left arm hung uselessly at his side and he appeared to be limping quite severely, which was making his attempted getaway almost laughably impossible.
"Pilot!" Lois yelled into her microphone, "Follow that gorilla!"
"What?" the pilot asked in confusion before Lois smacked his shoulder and pointed out the open door toward Arcane.
"There! See it? Follow him!"
"That's Grodd!" Jimmy exclaimed, "Arcane's hurt; we should go for help!"
"Eye's on the prize, Jimmy," Lois stated, causing Jimmy to stare at her momentarily in shock.
"But Lois! The kid's hurt! He could be killed!"
"Do your job!" Lois snapped, causing Jimmy to pale momentarily as the pair watched Grod pick up a metal trash can and hurl it at Arcane, missing the boy by mere inches before it crashed through the window of a nearby building, showering Arcane in broken glass. With a shaky breath, Jimmy raised his camera to his eye and began to snap picture after picture as Lois watched, worrying her lip. In all honesty, while she may appear callous, Lois was actually hoping that Superman or some other hero would rescue the boy. But until that happened, she would stay on top of Arcane and Grodd, not just for the story but also to ensure that if worse came to worse, she could get the kid out of harm's way in any way she could.
XXXX
As Arcane dove out of the alley, he slammed his knees hard onto the sidewalk and cried out in pain for a moment before he dragged himself to his feet and ran as fast as his battered body would allow.
A sudden crash behind him caused Arcane to look over his shoulder and pale significantly as he saw Grodd run out of the alley with such rage that he slammed into a parked car, leaving a significant dent in the passenger side door. Quickly looking around, Grodd locked eyes with his hated target and issued a roar before he began to give chase on all fours, quickly closing the gap between himself and Arcane now that the walls of the alley no longer confined him.
A loud noise overhead caused Arcane to look up as he continued to try and get away; there seemed to be a helicopter chasing after him and Grodd, and to his anger, Arcane saw that there appeared to be a dark-haired woman in a purple dress staring at him. At the same time, a redhead stood behind her and took pictures on an expensive-looking camera.
"Yeah, go ahead and take pictures instead of helping me!" Arcane thought angrily, "God, I hate reporters!"
Looking back over his shoulder, Arcane nearly cried out in fear as he saw that only a dozen feet separated him from Grodd, and that gap was growing even smaller as Arcane tried to force his body to move faster.
Seeing no other options, Arcane took the next corner he came across, smiling slightly as he heard Grodd curse as the gorilla skidded down the street and tried to regain his momentum as Arcane managed to evade his outstretched hand by mere inches. The loss in momentum seemed to be a godsend, and Arcane used it to great effect as he tried to open as much distance as possible between himself and his attacker.
As he rounded another corner, Arcane suddenly ran full tilt into someone, causing the pair to crash to the ground with a painful 'oomph.'
Slowly raising his head and shaking away the pain that hit him, Arcane opened his mouth to shout at the person, only for the words to die in his throat as he saw who it was.
"No..." Arcane whispered in horror as he stared at the girl in front of him, who was also trying to get to her feet after crashing into the hero.
XXXX
*Flashback: Four years prior*
Harry sat alone under a tall tree, watching the other children run around and scream in delight as they enjoyed recess. Raven had told Harry that the other children would want to be his friend and that he'd make a great many friends in no time. But despite her words, he'd yet to make a single one in the four days since he started school. As he sniffled miserably and wrapped his arms around his legs, he suddenly became aware of someone standing before him, covering him with their shade.
Looking up, Harry saw that it was a girl with black hair and clear blue eyes, wearing a black leather jacket over a pretty purple dress.
"Hello," the girl said warmly as she smiled down at Harry, who stared at her silently, making her smile turn into a frown. "I said hello; it's polite to say hello back when someone says that."
"Hello," Harry said softly, making the girl smile again,
"My name's Cassie, what's yours?"
"I'm H-Harry..." Harry mumbled softly,
"Harry..." Cassie said softly, trying out the name before her smile returned, "I like it! It suits you!"
"It does?" Harry asked in confusion,
"Yup," Cassie replied, popping the P, "Would you like to come and play?"
"You want to play?" Harry asked in surprise, "With me?"
"Who else, silly?"
"Um... Okay," Harry replied shyly as he took hold of Cassie's offered hand and allowed her to pull him to his feet; a moment later, the two were laughing happily as Harry chased her around the jungle gym.
XXXX
*Three years prior*
"A band?" Harry asked in surprise, "You want to start a band?"
"Yup!" Cassie replied, popping the P, "I want to be the biggest singer in the world! Just like Amy Lee!"
"Who?" Harry asked in surprise, causing Cassie to stare at him in shock for a moment before she grabbed his hand and began to tug him toward their classroom.
"If you're going to be my guitarist, then we definitely need to make sure you're worthy of such an honor!" Cassie growled, "And it starts with educating you on good music!"
"You want me to be your guitarist?" Harry asked in shock, "But I don't know how to play the guitar! Raven's only just started teaching me!"
"Good thing we have years before we start then, isn't it?" Cassie grinned before pulling Harry into the school.
XXXX
*Two years prior*
"Ugh, why can't I get this right!" Harry exclaimed as he hit a sour note on his guitar for the third time; he'd been trying to learn how to play a new song that Raven had shown him a few days ago, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't seem to get it right.
Cassie looked up from her magazine and smiled indulgently at Harry; her sense of style hadn't changed in the two years that she and Harry had been friends and today, she was dressed in a pair of cut-up jeans and a Metallica shirt under a red leather jacket.
"It takes practice to learn the guitar, Harry," Cassie replied, "You'll get it eventually."
"But how are we supposed to become the world's greatest band if I can't even play one stupid song!"
Cassie laughed at that, and Harry felt his face growing red with embarrassment.
"We still have a long time before then, Harry," Cassie laughed, "Don't worry, my faithful servant, I have faith in you!"
"Servant!" Harry cried in mock outrage, "Why am I the servant?!"
"Because I'm the pretty one!" Cassie snarked back, sticking her tongue out at Harry for emphasis.
For a moment, the two glared at one another before they broke into snorts of laughter, which lasted for several seconds before Cassie leaned back in her chair and reopened her magazine, motioning with one hand for Harry to continue to practice.
XXXX
*One year prior*
"Scotland?!" Cassie cried in shock, "Why the heck would you want to go to school in Scotland!"
"It's where my parents went to school," Harry replied, "And I'd like to know more about them..."
Cassie grew sad at that and pulled Harry into a tight hug for a moment before pulling back and wiping away her tears with the back of her arm,
"But how will we start our band if you leave?"
"I'll be back," Harry replied, putting on an impressive Arnold Schwarzenegger accent, which made Cassie laugh and swat his arm softly.
"But seriously," Harry said, shoulders dropping slightly, "I promised you that we would conquer the world together. You with your voice and me standing next to you with my guitar. All we need now is a bass player and a drummer."
"One that meets my expectations," Cassie sniffed, "The last two were awful."
"You picked them..." Harry replied with a smirk that made Cassie swat him again, this time slightly harder.
"Just... Just promise me that you'll keep our promise. That when the day comes, we'll conquer the whole world together with our music."
"I promise," Harry replied, holding his fist out to Cassie, who promptly brought her own against his as the two smiled at one another.
"See ya," Cassie smiled.
*Flashback ends*
XXXX
Cassie hadn't changed much in the year since Harry had last seen her. Her black hair now had streaks of red dyed through it, and she was wearing her favorite red leather jacket over an 'Evanescence' shirt, with a dirty and torn pair of blue jeans. When Harry returned from Hogwarts, he'd immediately tried to see her, only to discover that her parents had apparently taken her to San Francisco for the summer to visit her grandparents.
"Cassie?" Arcane exclaimed, "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be in San Francisco!"
"How... How do you know my name?" Cassie asked in trepidation, slowly backing away from the hero. "And how did you know where I was? Are you stalking me?"
"No, I..." Arcane replied before he heard Grodd roar from behind him; spinning on the spot, Arcane felt terror grip his heart as he saw the gorilla charging toward him. Turning back to his friend, Arcane grabbed Cassie's arms and began to pull her with him as he hurriedly limped down the street. Cassie, to her credit, didn't ask any further questions and instead chose to allow the hero to lead her quickly down the street.
"He's catching up!" Cassie shrieked, causing Arcane to almost whimper in terror at what might happen to his friend should Grodd catch them.
Before anything else could be said, Grod collided with the pair, sending them both sprawling into the street.
As Arcane painfully pulled himself to his feet, he felt the blood rush from his face as he turned and saw Grodd standing not far from him, holding Cassie in the air by the back of her jacket, a large piece of jagged metal pressed against her back, and a cruel grin on his face.
"No!" Arcane screamed in terror, "Please no! Take me! I won't fight you. You can have me! But please, let her go!"
"You had your chance to surrender," Grodd growled, pressing the metal pipe deeper against Cassie's back and causing her to whimper.
"Please, I'll do anything you ask, just don't hurt her!"
By now, the helicopter above Arcane had been joined by several others, each with a different camera crew filming or photographing all that was happening below them.
"Anything?" Grodd growled cruelly, "Very well, then. Kneel."
"What?" Arcane asked in confusion.
"You want this human to live," Grodd demanded, pressing the pipe harder and making Cassie cry out, "Then kneel to me, boy! Kneel to your better!"
As Arcane watched the tears run down Cassie's face, he felt terror like nothing he had ever known well up in him. As the whole world watched (courtesy of the cameras), he immediately dropped to his knees, causing Grodd to grin in victory.
"Do you know what I hate the most about you so-called 'heroes'?" Grodd sneered, "It's the fact that you actually believe that you can put on some outlandish costume and fight beings like me without facing the consequences of such a choice."
"Please," Arcane begged, "I did what you asked, please don't hurt her!"
"You cost me half a billion dollars, boy," Grodd snarled, "Let this be a lesson to you about what happens when you challenge a superior being!"
Before Arcane could do anything other than open his mouth to scream, Grodd shoved the jagged pipe into Cassie's back, causing her to scream in absolute agony, before throwing her to the ground as he began to cackle.
Despite his body screaming in agony, Arcane suddenly felt a wave of rage course through him that seemed to fill him with more power than he had ever felt. With a roar of hate, Arcane slammed into Grodd with such force that the wall behind him cracked into a spider web-like pattern that knocked the gorilla's breath out.
Before Grodd could recover, Arcane was beating him with his good arm, slamming his fist into the gorilla repeatedly until Grodd's face began to resemble a plate of spaghetti. Even after Grodd's cries turned into whimpers, Arcane continued his attack, determined to beat the gorilla to death for what he had done. It was only when a hand clamped down on Arcane's raised fist that he stopped to see who had dared to end the punishment he was inflicting on Grodd.
Cassie, despite having the pipe still jammed into her back, had somehow managed to crawl towards the pair and stop Arcane before he could finish beating Grodd to death.
"Don't do it," Cassie gasped in pain, "Don't let him turn you into... into him."
Horrified at his friend's rapidly paling face, Arcane jumped to his feet and wrapped his arm around his friend; she was losing too much blood, and if something weren't done soon, she would undoubtedly die from blood loss.
"Don't worry, Cassie," Arcane said hoarsely as he held his friend in his lap, "I'm going to get help, and you'll be fine, I promise! You'll be fine and We'll make that band, and everything will be fine!"
"...Harry...?" Cassie asked in shock as Arcane looked around for someone, anyone, to help him, "Is that you...?"
"Please, someone help!" Arcane shouted, "Help me!"
The helicopters overhead hadn't moved, instead hovering in place as their crew continued to film Arcane holding onto Cassie with one arm as a pool of blood spread around the pair.
"Harry...?" Cassie said weakly, "You're Arcane...? That's so cool; you're a superhero, and you never... Told me... Jerk..."
"You can yell at me all you want later," Arcane sobbed, "Just please don't leave me, Cassie. We're supposed to take over the world together!"
"I think you may have to do that without me," Cassie smiled as tears ran down her face.
"No!" Arcane snapped, "Don't you dare say goodbye! Help! SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME!"
"Harry..." Cassie replied, her voice growing weaker by the minute, "Promise me something..."
"I ain't promising you a damn thing!" Arcane snapped, "You're going to live, you hear me!"
With a sad smile, Cassie reached up and touched the side of Arcane's hood, where his cheek was.
"Promise me that you'll follow our dream. Make the whole world cheer your name, my cute servant..."
"Cassie... Please..." Arcane begged. If anyone had seen under his hood, they would have seen a boy sobbing as his first friend drew her last breath. Knowing that she had mere seconds left, Arcane swallowed the unbearable sadness within him and whispered, "I promise, Cassie. The whole world will remember you..."
"See ya..." Cassie breathed with a sad smile as the light left her eyes and her hand fell to the ground.
As the camera crews watched, Arcane hugged Cassie's body tight for a moment before he threw his head back and screamed in absolute anguish.
XXXX
Author's Note:
Thus ends the 'Battle of Jump City' Arc