5th November

21:57 GMT -3



I make my way in John's direction as my team mates and the Leaguers gather in the centre of the clearing. He appears to be dangling a piece of burned and twisted wood on the end of a shoelace while walking over to a thick patch of blackened brambles. The piece of wood jerks suddenly.



"There you are."



He looks up and sees me. Yikes, that's a nasty bruise. John points at the wood. "Crack this open for me, would you?"



" And how would you like me to do that, exactly? "



"Well excuse me, but you look just like this guy I know who's got a power ring." I hold it up. "Fuck me, how'd you manage that?"



" Klarion had some sort of magic dust. Managed to bypass my armour construct and Spell Eater. " For a moment I consider tossing it to him and asking him to have a crack at it, but it occurs to me that John Constantine and orange power ring probably shouldn't be mixed.



"Constantine." Ah! How the heck did Batman sneak across an empty field? "You were permitted to accompany us on the understanding that you would offer technical assistance only. At what point did you decide that it would be acceptable to kill Blackbriar Thorn?"



"Just the man I was looking for. You got one of those sharp batarang things?" He holds out his right hand. Batman scowls at him. "See, the thing about Blackbriar is, he doesn't exactly die, does he? It's like shooting the Bog God; put a bullet through his head and what have you done? There's no brain there, just more moss. Only looks Human out of habit." He wiggles his outstretched fingers again to no effect. He rolls his eyes and turns back to the wood, carefully taking a grip on an exposed section of charcoal and snapping it off. I wave him aside and hit the indicated area hard with the butt of my pistol, cracking it further. "That should do it." I stand aside and he sticks his hand in up to the elbow and reaching around inside what appears to be a hollow tree trunk. "Ow! Got the bastard." He withdraws his arm, hand holding a short but surprisingly vital thorn vine. There are a few small leaves along the length and a cluster of roots around the lower end. John looks at it for a moment, then holds it out to Batman. "Used to be I'd hand him over to Alec, but we're not really talking these days. Should take about three months for him to regrow, based on past performance. Make sure he's somewhere secure when he does, right?"



Batman's face eases slowly away from the scowl. He takes the proffered vine, looks it over and then places it inside his utility belt before turning away and heading for the gathering below.



" How the heck did you take down Blackbriar Thorn? "



"Sympathetic magic, mate. I had a bit of his body from last time we met." He holds up a fag butt. "He got close enough, and..." He holds up the piece of wood on the shoelace and brings the two objects together.



" Whaw. Thought you kept saying you were out of your depth with this stuff? "



"I am, you just can't see the blood in this light. Pinned me to that friggin' tree-" He nods at it. "-with his brambles and I couldn't do a thing until the purple supercharge he was getting from that yellow crystal cut off." He turns to look at the huddle. "Hadn't realised he still held a grudge. Come on, I need a lift home."



We start down the shallow incline, stepping over the remains of Blackbriar's signature attack. " What happened to your eye? "



"Got cocky, is what happened. Used an enchantment to make people not want to see me, then snuck in your mountain. Thought I might learn something about what happened. Batman spotted that no one was looking in my direction and punched it just in case." He stops for a moment and looks at me. "And you better have a bloody good reason for getting Gemma involved."



" Mob of Praexis Demons outside her house. " He reluctantly nods approval before starting on again. " We left a note. Though while we're on the subject, what do you think Mister and Missus Masters would say about her going to school in Poseidonis? "



"Terry would tell you to fuck off. Cheryl would castrate you with a rusty spoon. Not sure I'd stop her."



" So that's a 'no'. "



"Of course it's a 'no' you stupid... Those Atlantian kids. You had them in the mountain looking for Klarion, didn't you?"



" Yyyyyes. Not sure how much Gemma saw... "



"'Course she saw, she's a Constantine. Fffffffffffuck. She's gunna use a spoon on both of us."



"Aren't you going to stop him?"



Nabu-in-Zatanna is levitating just over the centre of the former ritual site while Wallace gestures at the place Klarion disappeared. He has a point, but if there's one thing I've learned from our last two encounters with Klarion it's that Nabu doesn't trump him.



"To what end? Klarion is chaos personified. He cannot be contained."



Sounds like someone's not trying hard enough. I seem to remember him saying the same thing about Teekl. Guy nods at me as John and I reach the rear of the huddle. He's running a green strobe over his chest, presumably undoing whatever damage the black beam did.



" Guy, Kaldur took a pretty nasty hit. He's with a couple of other Atlantians in the bioship, would you mind getting him to an Atlantian hospital? "



"No problem. What happened to him?"



" Klarion redirected steam onto him. Gas at over one hundred degrees centigrade. "



"Yikes. I'll get right on it."



The afterimage of a glowing green filament marks his leaving. Captain Marvel's wrapping the enchanted chain around the unconscious Zard and Faust. They should be weak enough to be contained by it. Kon and Donna are standing with Diana on the far side of the group. They both look fine, but... Ah, there's Robert. Can't tell his expression with the mask on but I know it's pretty unnerving being around this many new people. Especially when the one who decides to talk to you is Batman.



"-k you sir. I-I-I really appreciate this."



"We'll need your parents' approval before this becomes definite, but you've demonstrated the skills and the character that we're looking for."



He just nods as Batman turns away and walks to where Mister Zatara is trying to stare down Nabu. "Fate!" He takes a breath, getting his worries under control. "Great Nabu. Release my daughter."



Nabu stares at him for a moment. Wait, he's not going to- "No." Shit . "Witness the havoc wrought in these hours." He spreads his arms out as if to encompass the world. "The world needs Doctor Fate, and the girl's natural affinity for the mystic arts.. makes her the perfect candidate." Shit .



"You can't do that!" No, Artemis, he can . That's why no one put him on before now .



"She has her own life to live!" Robin, he doesn't care about it . We need an order-based argument, and I'm coming up with nothing . Think think think .



Wallace tries next. "Kent would never allow you to-"



"Kent Nelson did object most strenuously. So I released his spirit to the afterlife. He is gone."



I've got nothing . I've got nothing .



Mister Zatana slumps slightly, then spreads his arms to the side. "Then take me instead. My-"



"No!" John pushes his way forwards. "You! Nabu! Take me."



The venom in Zatana's glare is tempered with surprise. "John, this is not the time to-"



"Shut up." John pokes him in the chest. "She needs you. Well? Magic's run in my family's blood for thousands of years. I'd be a far better host than-"



Nabu glares at him. "You?! No! You reek of Demons and damnation. You are barely less chaotic than Klarion! You are useless to me."



Zatara gently pushes John aside. "But I am not."



"True. In many ways you would be a superior host. But if I remove the Helmet, what guarantee have I that you will don it?"



"My word." Oh gods . This is actually going to happen, isn't it ? "Ekat em daetsni."



Nabu looks down at him for a moment, then floats down to the ground. John isn't any happier about this than I am. "Giovanni, don't do it. We can find-"



Mister Zatara puts his right hand on John's right shoulder. "John... This time, it isn't your fault." He looks at him for a moment, then walks over to Nabu. Nabu looks at him for a moment, then raises his hands and lifts the Helmet from his head. As Zatanna's face is revealed the uniform fades away. Still under Nabu's control, she lowers it to her chest. Her eyes open narrowly at first, then they widen.



"Dad!"



"Zatanna!" They embrace. I don't suppose there's any chance he'll have an attack of common sense and just throw the bloody thing away? From the devastated look on John's face I don't think so. "Remember. I love you ." Mister Zatara kisses his daughter on the forehead, before taking the Helmet from her unresisting hands . He looks over our group . "Take care of my girl."



"You have my word." Batman, that's not going to fix this . Gahh ! If my fucking ring wasn't broken I'd fly that stupid Helmet into the sun !



Mister Zatara raises the Helmet over his head and Zatanna belatedly realises what's about to happen. " No ! It was my fault !" Robin takes hold of her from behind. She struggles, but he's far too strong. " Dad, don't- !" He closes his eyes as he lowers the Helmet. " Dad !"



His eyes blaze golden as Nabu takes control. Then uniform appears, and we all know that's it. Mister Zatara's gone. I'm glad the Helmet hides his face. It makes him easier to hate . He looks at Zatanna for a moment, then turns towards Faust and Zard. "Leave these to Fate." He gestures at them, and then he and they rise into the air before disappearing in a ball of golden light. Zatanna drops to her knees and my team mates surround her to offer support.



What do I do?



No. What do I want?



I walk up to John and put my face close to his.



" John, I'm not prepared to accept this. Can I assume that you're not either? "



The look he gives me, I can see why Demons are scared of him. "Too bleedin' right I'm not."



" Right. Get back to London and get some stuff together. I need to get the ring fixed. Then... " I nod to myself. No doubt at all. " Then we're going to work out how to kill Nabu. "