Chapter 9 Trick or Treat

Chapter Nine

Trick or Treat

After ensuring that Flash was all right, the group made their goodbyes and separated for the evening. With a sudden lull in his schedule, the mage transported himself to his quarters and began going through the gifts he had received from the kind Avalonians.

Separating out the more theoretical texts, Harry duplicated the books for his friends before calling Henchgirl on his Zippo.

"Long live King Harry the First!" the questionably insane woman greeted enthusiastically.

Harry rubbed at his temples to relieve the sudden tension while simultaneously wishing that he could conjure coffee on demand. "I am certain that I requested that you not do that," Harry responded steadily.

A throat cleared itself over the magical device. "Uhm… you might've mentioned it," Henchgirl admitted in a more subdued tone.

Harry just shook his head in silent resignation. "Anyway," he spoke up, "I wanted to let you know that I made a trip by Avalon earlier and picked up a few books that you and the Doctor might enjoy reading."

"Avalon?" the female inventor demanded excitedly. "Really? You have to tell me all about it! Please?" she finished in a pleading whine.

"Alright," Harry interrupted her begging. "It all started out with another one of those bloody shopkeepers…"

After many demands for repeats or clarifications, Harry finally finished with, "and after we got Flash straightened out, I came back to my room and called you."

"That's incredible!" his friend exclaimed. "See? I knew that you getting that sword was a good thing!"

"Yes, yes," Harry grumbled, "it did lead me right to Avalon's doorstep."

"That's right!" she said smugly. "Now, about those books…"

Harry blinked. "Oh, right. Here they come," he warned before stuffing the reference materials into the green flame.

"Oof!" the witch replied breathlessly. "That last one weighs a ton! What is it?" The connection went silent for a few moments before she spoke up quietly. "Is this what I think it is?"

"If you are referring to the private memoirs of one of the greatest wizards of all time – who was also apparently the greatest exiled Atlantean cook of all time -, then yes," Harry agreed calmly as he carefully kept his amusement out of his reply.

An odd shrieking noise echoed from the connection and cut off any additional comments he might make. "This is incredible!" she exclaimed distractedly to the tune of pages turning. "There are all sorts of theories in here! Remarkable!"

Harry nodded before realizing that his friend could not see the gesture. "Yes, it is," he agreed verbally. "If you would give a copy of those to the Doctor and the Professor, I'd appreciate it. I think that they'll both get a kick out of it."

"I'll say," she confirmed. "Some of these titles disappeared from the Wizarding World centuries ago! And to think, all this has been hidden away on Avalon for nearly two millennia."

The wizard smiled at his friend's enthusiasm. "I'm glad that I could be of service, then," Harry commented in a pleased manner. "Unfortunately, none of those books can help me with my current dilemma."

"What's wrong?" Henchgirl demanded worriedly.

Harry rushed to reassure the woman. "Nothing life threatening," he supplied. "It's just that Halloween is tomorrow night and Kara wants to have this… costume party."

"Yes…" the woman interjected with far too much interest for Harry's comfort.

"Yeah," he repeated, "and there's going to be dancing and, if she can arrange it, singing."

"Oh, that sounds marvelous!" the inventor squealed happily.

Feeling dejected at the realization that his friend was in the enemy camp on this issue, Harry grumbled, "Except for the fact that I don't have a costume, I can't sing to save my life, and I've danced all of once – and it was horrible."

"No biggie!" Henchgirl replied immediately. "I had whipped up a costume for you months ago. I thought that we might have a little celebration here, but since you're not going to be here with us…"

Harry smiled as one third of his problem disappeared. "You're the best!" he praised.

"I know," the witch replied modestly, "I know, and I'll think you'll like it. I patterned it after a real character, too. It involves taking a potion, though," she added easily.

"You're not referring to that potion that hid everything except my skeleton, are you?" he asked worriedly. "That concoction still occasionally acts up when I get really angry."

"No, no, nothing like that," she said reassuringly. "I made this costume into a bracelet like your disguise bangle. This outfit was patterned after a legendary guardian figure that you remind me of from time to time. The potion just helps you sing… it's sort of part of the character."

"Oh?" Harry asked curiously. "Do I know this celebrity?"

"I don't think so, but I know that you won't be disappointed," she said enthusiastically. "Anyway, once you replace your existing arm band with this one, you can just think of which disguise you want to have. Right now, you can choose from 'Harry Potter', 'Mr. Black', and 'Halloween Costume'."

Hoping for the best, Harry decided to trust the woman. "Alright, Henchgirl, I'll try it, and I appreciate your help. Now if there was just some way to magically learn how to dance by tomorrow night, I'd be all set."

"Hmm…" the inventor mused to herself. "I think that the dancing problem will be easily solved. Just use your universal remote control with my D.D.R. game – that will solve your problem for sure!"

"'D.D.R.'?" the wizard parroted awkwardly. "What's that?"

"Why, Dance Dance Revolution!" she answered in a chipper tone. "I've customized it, of course."

"Of course," Harry murmured in reply as he tried to explain the sudden feeling of dread. "And this… game will teach me to dance?" he asked confusedly.

Amidst the odd sound of two hands rubbing together in glee, the Potions Mistress replied, "Yep! Guaranteed!"

"Alright," he answered resignedly, "I'll give it a shot."

"Great!" she shouted. "One costume and one dancing tutor, coming in!"

A moment later found Harry holding another bracelet in addition to a potion vial and an odd-looking device made out of plastic. The platform object seemed to have numerous indentions set into the top face without any set pattern. Forcing down another wave of uneasiness, Harry confirmed that he received the package.

After some truly disconcerting chuckles, the witch replied, "Capital! Now that that's out of the way, we can discuss the real issue at hand."

Going back over their conversation, Harry was unable to identify any topics that had not already been resolved. Oddly enough, his fine-tuned 'danger sense' seemed to be peaking suddenly.

"What issue are you talking about, Henchgirl?" he asked confusedly.

He could practically hear the wolfish grin that the woman was sporting as she intently asked, "Who's Kara?"

Harry blinked as the reason for his discomfort was announced. 'Bugger!'

"It's no good," Lex Luthor grumbled as yet another experiment to revive Brainiac failed. "It isn't enough! This is the last remnant of Brainiac, but there isn't enough to work with!"

As had happened many times before, the remaining echo of Brainiac spoke directly to his conscious mind. "Perhaps if you constructed a positronic event chamber," the intangible artificial intelligence offered.

"Yes… yes, that could work… but where would I get the money?" Luthor replied aloud, oblivious to Tala's resigned gaze. "Between the government's seizing my assets and the cost of running this Secret Society…"

Tala leaned over to the approaching Sonar and whispered, "He's talking to his imaginary friend again."

"You're a resourceful human, Luthor," Brainiac assured the criminal genius. "I'm sure you'll find a way."

A clearing throat interrupted the bald man's introspection a few moments later. Looking over his shoulder, Lex grumbled, "What is it, Sonar?"

"Are you busy?" the nonobservant villain asked. "Roulette wants to-"

A woman clad in a revealing red dress interrupted him. "I'm more than capable of speaking for myself," the villainess chastised. Moving up to lean against a nearby console, she continued, "Lex, darling, I'm having some serious financial issues and I'm afraid that you're to blame."

"Well, don't look at me to bail you out, Roulette," he replied. "I skim you, remember."

"You know that I don't like to complain, Lex, but… you are taking a much bigger cut of the gross than Grodd ever did, and Metabrawl receipts are down."

Luthor turned back to his terminal and began starting the next trial. "I've seen the books," he responded gruffly.

"Now, don't think me ungrateful," the female fight manager soothed, "but you've been poaching all the best fighters for your so-called Secret Society."

"Pity," he sneered while still outwardly ignoring the brunette. "Cut to the chase, Roulette. What do you want?"

The woman smiled and drew up to Luthor's side. "If I could only have a few star attractions in the ring," she began while rubbing the mastermind's arm, "Bizarro… Sinestro… maybe Bizarro versus Sinestro!"

A flash of purple light shot between the two and forced the scantily clad woman several paces away from Luthor's position. "Back off, Hot Pants!" Tala ordered. "Give the man some space!"

"You're playing with fire, Witch!" Roulette challenged as she crouched in a ready position.

"Who's playing?" the sorceress fired back as she prepared to curse the other woman again.

"Tala!" Lex exclaimed as he stepped between the two feuding females.

"Aw, let them go at it for a minute," Sonar pleaded.

"There's not going to be any fighting!" Luthor ordered. At seeing the man's downcast expression, the genius smiled and added, "At least, not here. Sonar, I think you've given me the answer to Roulette's problem… and mine as well."

Roulette's eyes widened. "Of course!" she agreed as she caught onto Luthor's train of thought. "The new Metabrawl – all girl fights, all the time! We'll call it 'The Glammer Slam', or 'The Belles of the Brawl'."

"Chick-a-palooza!" Sonar threw in pathetically before being cowed by three glares.

"With the right backing, it's a million dollar idea, a cash cow!" Roulette exclaimed. "But even this won't work if the girls are all second-string villains."

Luthor raised one eyebrow sinisterly. "Who said anything about villains?"

"John, I'm starving," Timothy Hunter informed his escort when the man grew silent.

John Constantine rolled his eyes before mentioning, "You can have breakfast at our next port of call – and sanctuary, too, with any luck."

"Where are we going now?" the young potential Wizard demanded crossly. "Another one of your 'old friends'?"

The paranormal investigator smirked. "As it happens, yes."

The younger man sighed before asking, "What's his name?"

"Her name," Constantine stressed, "is Zatanna."

Timothy's eyes widened. "Zatanna? The Lady Magician? I've seen her on TV and everything! You know her? Wow!"

John's smirk widened. "As it happens, I used to know her quite well."

"Oh," Hunter said dejectedly, "oh, dear."

"What's that meant to mean?" John demanded crossly.

Timothy huffed slightly. "Just that judging by the way things have gone so far, she'll be a weirdo who hates you."

John laughed at the boy's accurate summary of their journey to date. "Nah," he reassured his traveling partner, "me and Zatanna, like that we are."

Not to be denied, Timothy continued, "I expect you probably pinched her best trick, or killed her brother or something."

"Father," John answered flatly, "I killed her father – or at least, I was responsible for his death. We were trying to save the world."

"And did you?" Timothy predictably inquired.

"God alone knows, Tim," the older man responded, "and even He's probably still a little uncertain about the final outcome."

John suddenly stopped in front of a modest, two-story dwelling. "This is her house," he supplied when Tim looked at him inquiringly.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" the young wizard-to-be demanded again.

John let out a bark of laughter. "No, but the trench coat brigade would never talk to me again if we gave up now." He rang the doorbell and waited as the sound of footsteps drew nearer. The door opened moments later to reveal the casually dressed form of Zatanna the Enchantress.

"John? John Constantine?" the Lady Magician exclaimed loudly before embracing the man. "John, it's wonderful to see you! What brings you to San Francisco?"

"Um… hullo, Zatanna," John greeted hesitantly in the face of the woman's far more energetic welcome.

Releasing the man, the magician continued, "Come on in. It must be what, two years? Who's your friend?"

"I'm Tim. Timothy. Timothy Hunter," the boy stammered nervously in the face of the world-famous entertainer and superheroine. "I saw you on Jonathan Ross."

Zatanna frowned in thought for a moment. "That guy who does Letterman in England? Yeah, that was fun! So, what are you doing here with my off-white knight, then?"

"Tim has the potential to be the greatest magician that the modern world has ever seen. So me, and Doc Occult, and the Stranger, and the nut from Boston-"

"Who?" Zatanna interrupted.

"He calls himself Mister E," Constantine explained.

"Oh, yeah," the witch exclaimed in sudden recollection.

John continued. "Well, we've got together and we're showing him stuff. The idea is that he learns enough about the world of magic to decide whether that's what he wants from life or not."

Zatanna smiled. "Sounds like fun."

"Only trouble is, people are trying to kill him," he explained, "so we're trying to find somewhere safe to hide up until the whole thing blows over. We tried Baron Winter, but he threw us out."

"Why, of course you can stay here," she inferred. "I'd be delighted to have you. Tim can sleep in the spare bedroom…" Zatanna train of thought wavered for a moment before she announced, "Oh, and John, there's a letter for you on the table over there."

"A letter?" Constantine repeated confusedly.

Zatanna nodded in confirmation. "Yeah. The envelope was there when I came down this morning. Weird, huh?" As the man went off to read his mail, the witch turned her attention to her other houseguest. "Great looking owl, Tim. Did you make him yourself?"

"No," Tim shook his head, "Dr. Occult did." The fanboy's attention soon drifted back to the celebrity in question. "I couldn't believe it when you made the flowers grow out of Jonathon Ross's ears."

"Bugger. Blast. Damn. Fleching heck…" Constantine cursed. Walking back into the room, he addressed Zatanna. "Look, take care of Tim until I get back, can you, Love? Bloody hell! Honestly! You can't leave them alone for five minutes…"

"John?" Zatanna called out in confusion. "Wh-where are you going?"

Not pausing from his swift march towards the exit, he called back, "India. Calcutta, probably. Seeya, Darlin'. Bye, Tim."

"India?" the witch screeched. "John Constantine, you limey dork…" Settling down, she sighed. "Oh, what's the use?"

Timothy looked uncomfortable. "Look," he said, "I'm sorry about this. I can go."

"No," she discarded his suggestion immediately, "you're twelve and they're trying to kill you." Changing topics, she asked, "When did you last eat?"

The boy looked thoughtful for a moment. "I'm not sure," he finally admitted. "Traveling with him, time goes really funny, if you know what I mean."

"Mm," Zatanna deliberated, "and I doubt you've had a shower since you left England. So, if you head upstairs, you'll find the bathroom on your left, and I'll have breakfast ready for you when you come down."

Black Canary sighed in relief as the perpetrator she was perusing ducked into a dead alley. It had been a long night, and she was tired of chasing the purse-snatcher all over Gotham's seamier side.

"Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide!" the blonde woman called as the man skidded to a halt at the imposing block wall. Jumping off her perch on the fire escape, Dinah Lance approached the other individual with plans of quickly dispatching the thug and then catching some sleep.

Unfortunately, she had to postpone her relaxation plans when the person got a lucky shot in to her jaw that floored her smaller figure. Grimacing, she climbed back to her feet and tackled the man to the floor of the dingy alley.

As Dinah was struggling to overpower the larger figure, the sonic siren heard a catty, "Need a hand, Canary?"

Looking up, the blonde woman caught sight of a casually lounging Huntress, who appeared to be enjoying the spectacle before her. "Not from you, Huntress," she growled. Her momentary distraction proved unwise, however, as the male criminal took the opportunity to punch the woman again and attempt an escape.

"Suit yourself," the brunette crime fighter acquiesced as she crossed her arms and leant against the concrete block wall of the alley.

Seeing an apparent opening, the man took off and rounded the first corner out of sight.

"I've never seen you so sloppy," Huntress chastised the other woman. "What's the deal?"

"Get out of my way!" Canary shouted as she tried to catch the fleeing criminal.

Huntress ignored the blonde, however, choosing instead to send a nearby trashcan lid colliding into the back of the man's head Frisbee style. With that particular problem unconscious, the black and purple clad woman turned her attention back to the obviously impaired Black Canary.

"I don't need your help, Huntress!" Dinah insisted heatedly.

"Riiiiight," the other woman drew out sarcastically. "You were doing an excellent job of getting your butt handed to you. What'd he do, anyway?"

"Stole a wallet," Dinah admitted groggily.

That comment brought a smile to the other woman's face. "Shut up!" Huntress exclaimed cheerfully. "You got creamed by a pickpocket?" When the normally waspish reply was replaced by a small moan, she asked, "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Worried?" the other woman bit out as she forced herself erect.

"Curious," the masked Helena replied.

"Right," Dinah muttered as she swung a leg over her motorcycle. As she pulled her helmet on, the blonde-haired woman added spitefully, "I didn't think you cared about anyone!"

Convinced now more than ever that something was definitely wrong with the blonde crime fighter, Helena tagged the other woman's motorcycle with a tracking beacon. Making sure to stay out of sight, the former League member trailed Canary across the city before arriving at the blonde-haired woman's apartment. With the blonde-haired woman showing every sign of turning in for the evening, Huntress began settling in for a long night.

Between experimenting with his costume and the strange dancing instructor from Henchgirl, Harry had nearly forgotten to meet Kara for his first run of monitor duty.

While the two were walking towards the monitor womb, the blonde girl took the opportunity to remind him of the basic procedures in the observatory. As the pair passed another group of League members – where all but one of their party were staring at both Harry and Kara incredulously -, Harry tipped his hat in their direction before catching back up to the distracted Kara.

"What were you doing, Joe?" the blonde girl asked as he returned to her side.

"Oh, just giving the 'tip of the hat'," Harry answered.

She looked back down the way they had walked but saw no one. "To whom, yourself?"

Harry just smiled at her puzzled expression and asked whether monitor duty included a coffee supply.

After quickly scaling a building across the street from Dinah Lance's apartment to continue her surveillance, Huntress contacted her current love interest to see if he had any explanation for Dinah's weird behavior.

"I'm telling you, Q, Canary's totally off her game," the brown-haired woman concluded. "Think she's moonlighting? Maybe she's stepping out on Green Arrow."

"The deeper mystery here is why you even care," the Question responded to the telephoned query. "Isn't this the woman who beat the snot out of you a few months back?"

"She got a lucky shot in!" Helena exploded. At the detective's heavy silence, she admitted, "Okay, five or six lucky shots. Anyway, that's not the point!"

"Ah ha!" the man suddenly exclaimed. Before she could inquire, he added, "Thirty two flavors!"

Rolling her eyes at her boyfriend's suspicious nature, she ignored what was most likely a convoluted scheme on the Question's part, instead commenting, "There's something wrong here, Q. I can feel it."

"I'm the conspiracy theorist, and even I don't see anything," the faceless man disagreed.

The Huntress huffed at the man's dismissal before a mischievous smirk crossed her face. "So… what are you wearing?" she asked breathily

"Blue overcoat, fedora," came the immediate and characteristically dry response.

"You really stink at this," she said bluntly.

"Orange socks?" the Question offered hesitantly.

Huntress shook her head before hanging up the phone. Not a moment too soon, it turned out, as the sound of a motorcycle starting suddenly drew her attention to the ground. Canary apparently decided against resting after all, as she was currently merging back into traffic. The other woman again shadowed the blonde, this time ending up outside of a well-lit arena in Bludhaven. Helena stealthily followed Black Canary through an underground car park and watched as Dinah met up with the costumed Brazilian woman Fire at a secured elevator.

After the two women had ascended to a higher floor, Huntress set to work picking the electronic lock in an attempt to follow the two League women. Unfortunately, she was quickly interrupted by an elevator full of armed security guards.

Smiling saucily, she sauntered into the small available space and asked, "Going down?"

It was the work of only a few seconds for the skilled martial artist to dispense with the squad of thugs. When the elevator opened once more, the Huntress stepped out into a lush lobby, leaving the now comatose security team inside the stall. Seeing the high-class atmosphere, Helena ducked out of sight and rapidly changed out of her uniform and into a backup dress that she kept upon her person.

Stepping into view, she casually strolled through the milling throng until she came upon what appeared to be some sort of high-class betting arena. Her speculation as to the object of the gambling was soon answered by the appearance of a well-known criminal. Roulette, who was currently wanted in seven states on a wide range of charges, appeared on the giant television screens above the arena and began introducing 'Metabrawl Glammerslam'. Helena felt the uneasy feeling in her stomach growing as the female super villain announced that the next fight was between Fire and Black Canary.

What followed was one of the most savage fights that Huntress had ever witnessed between two supposed allies, with Dinah finally defeating the flamboyant Beatriz. After it was finally over, Helena snuck out of her seat and went below to catch up with the female metahumans and get some answers.

Finally finding Dinah as she attempted to leave the latest incarnation of the Metabrawl, Huntress rushed up and grabbed a hold of the other woman's shoulder. "Geez! What's wrong with you?" Helena demanded once Dinah turned around to face her. "You almost killed Fire back there! Are you under cover? Is Roulette blackmailing you? Talk to me!"

Canary's reply consisted of a flying roundhouse kick that sent Huntress flying into a concrete support pillar. "You've got worse than that coming!" she threatened before spinning around again.

Helena dodged the second attack, however, and rolled a safe distance away from the out-of-control woman. After several brutal exchanges, Huntress finally got the upper hand. As Canary was staggering from a jab to her throat, the other woman removed her comm. link.

"Better call the League in on-" Huntress started to say before Dinah kicked the electronic device out of her hand. Another couple of blows sent her backing away from the blonde woman and inadvertently breaking the communicator beneath her heel.

"Terrific!" Huntress complained, not noticing that Canary suddenly seemed disoriented with the device's destruction. As the blonde woman approached her unsteadily, Helena unleashed a right cross at Dinah's unprotected chin, sending the other woman to the ground.

"Thanks for saving us the trouble," a male voice called out from behind her. Huntress spun around to find Sonar flanked by another half-dozen security men – all pointing weapons at her.

"We really appreciate it," Sonar added sarcastically.

"You know," Kara spoke up in an offhanded tone, "I don't consider this very stimulating either, but at least I pretend to pay attention to the monitors."

Harry grinned from behind one of his recent literary acquisitions from Avalon. "I'm paying attention," the wizard protested lightly. "Really."

"Sure you are," the girl agreed sarcastically. "Prove it. What's on Monitor 37 right now?"

Without noticeably looking up, Harry replied, "Nothing. Steel hasn't finished repairing that feed yet. With the exception of that small jewel heist in Cairo – which looks like it just got resolved, by the way – there's nothing on the scopes that requires the League's attention."

Kara glanced over at the corresponding video output before staring at her partner in shock. "How did you do that?"

"Magic," Harry fired back through a grin.

"I'll bet," she muttered good-naturedly. "Look on the bright side; it looks like you'll have a peaceful Halloween for once!"

Harry groaned. "Not after you just jinxed it, we won't," he disagreed.

"Oh, you're just being silly," Kara protested. "You can't jinx something just like that… can you?"

Harry glanced at the girl in silence for a moment before flashing screen behind her head caught his attention. "Oh, no?" he demanded. "Then explain that."

Supergirl studied the personnel locator map for a moment before she saw what Harry had found. Apparently, there were five League women all at the same location in Bludhaven. However, what had caught her eye was the strange distortion that their comm. signals were registering.

Before jumping to conclusions – a few of the things John had attempted to teach her had stuck - Kara attempted to contact the women directly in order to discover the source of the problem. As she soon found out, however, none of the women could be reached.

She turned back to Harry to meet an intent gaze. As he raised one eyebrow, she spoke, "I'm sure that it's nothing major. Probably just a glitch-" Black Canary's signal suddenly died "-or not."

Harry stowed his book back in his coat and stood abruptly. "I believe that this warrants further investigation. I'll contact you soon with what I find."

"Hold on just a second, Cowboy," Kara said quickly. "I'm not sitting here if this is part of your typical Halloween freakiness. Just give me a second." Before he could reply, Kara had already activated her communicator and contacted the costumed Wally West. She had no sooner mentioned that she needed him to cover them for a few minutes then a red blur skidded to a halt in front of them."

"So… what's up?" the Flash asked.

Kara shook her head. "I'm not sure. Maybe nothing, but Joe thinks that there's a problem down in Bludhaven. We're gonna go check it out real quick."

"Yeah, that's cool," the Scarlet Speedster replied easily. "I can finish off your shift and still be ready to party tonight with time to spare."

"Thanks again, Wally," Kara mentioned. Harry added his gratitude as well before extending one hand towards the girl. Drawing her closer, he Apparated them both to the approximate location where the signal anomaly originated.

"How was I supposed to know that you'd snapped out of it?" Helena asked her unwilling cellmate. "I mean, I couldn't be sure."

Dinah just looked at her and glared before focusing her attention back on the grimy corner of their prison.

"They've had you up every night working the arena," the Huntress continued unabated. "No wonder you've been fighting like a girl." At the appearance of a second Canary glare, she added, "You know what I mean."

The sound of footsteps in the hallway outside drew the two heroines' attention. Racing to the cell door, the women could easily see both Roulette and a physician enter the cell across the hall from theirs. A closer inspection revealed the patient to be none other than a very battered Fire.

"Don't remember, do you?" Helena asked the blonde woman rhetorically. "You did that to her."

Dinah's eyes widened. "No way!" she denied hoarsely.

"Where do you think you got that burn?" the brunette inquired while gesturing to Canary's singed wrists. As the other woman rubbed the sore appendages, she added consolingly, "It isn't your fault. They must be using some sort of mind control technology."

"Grodd's," Dinah gasped out a hypothesis.

"Well, wherever it comes from, that stuff's a little too effective for my tastes," Helena stated intently.

Black Canary's eyes widened in sudden comprehension. Gaining the other woman's, the blonde woman pointed to her ear.

Misunderstanding the nonverbal cue, Helena replied, "Your earpiece was wrecked in the fight. We can't phone for help."

Dinah shook her head before pointing to her ear more insistently.

"Yeah," Huntress suddenly caught up with the woman's train of thought, "I think you're right. The League comm. links. That must be how Roulette was controlling you."

The sound of a cell door shutting drew their attention back to the medical efforts across the hall. Apparently, the paramedic was finished with Fire as he was accompanying Roulette back towards the exit.

"If she dies, Roulette, I'm taking you down hard. I promise you that!" the Huntress vowed.

Roulette turned around and approached their cell door. Crossing her arms and smirking in a satisfied manner, the villainess asked, "Now, why would I let a valuable commodity die? On the other hand, you two aren't under my control – which means I'm going to have to eliminate you. In the ring, of course – why just snuff you when I can sell tickets and lay odds?"

"You're scum!" Helena rejoined lowly.

"No, no, my dear," Roulette responded jovially, "I'm an entrepreneur. Let's face it; with some A-list heroes to do the jobs, your deaths will net me millions."

With her ultimatum announced, Roulette spun around and slinked her way back to the announcer's booth.

"So… this is Bludhaven?" Harry half-asked, half-stated as the pair reappeared on the outskirts of the city. Looking around at the low-lit and generally unpleasant surroundings, he added, "I take it that tourism isn't very big here?"

"Not really," Kara answered as she scanned the area. "Barb still calls it the 'Little Cesspool'. Of course, it doesn't hold a candle to the 'Big Cesspool' that is Gotham."

"I suppose that you have a point," Harry admitted after reviewing his trip to the crime-ridden city.

"Found 'em!" Kara suddenly exclaimed as her x-ray vision caught sight of the crowded arena. "I can see them in that building over there. I think that it's another incarnation of the Metabrawl – and it looks like they're in trouble!"

"Well, then," Harry uttered grimly, "shall we go crash the party?"

Kara smiled viciously. "Let's!"

Zatanna and Timothy Hunter whiled away the hours waiting for a word on the developments in Calcutta. When night began to fall without any word from Cosntantine, the twosome was beginning to climb the walls. That was when Zatanna got one of her brilliant ideas and communicated it to her youthful houseguest.

"Where are we going?" the youth in question demanded once more after the woman paid the taxicab driver and stepped back onto the sidewalk.

"Like I said, to a Halloween party," the magician supplied. "I thought that since John was trying to introduce you to some of the most prominent users of magic in the country, I'd take you out and show you a few more of them."

"Right," Tim muttered, "and where are we going again?"

Zatanna smiled. "We're going to a bar called Bewitched. That scuzzball Constantine may not be here, but we'll have a good time, won't we? It's All Hallow's Eve, after all."

"We don't have Halloween in England," the potential wizard mentioned, "not like you do here. That's what I call magic. Ghosts, ghouls, witches and werewolves walking the streets… It's like Constantine said; if you can imagine it, it's here somewhere."

Zatanna smiled in anticipation as she escorted the boy past the door attendant. "C'mon in. I've got a few friends for you to meet."

"An extra added attraction tonight, Ladies and Gentlemen," Roulette announced over the public address system. "Black Canary's had so much fun that she's come back for more – and she's brought the Huntress with her!"

While the crowd cheered, the criminal woman pressed a button on her remote, which unlocked the shackles binding the two women in the center of the arena.

"But they won't be fighting each other," Roulette announced, earning some negative comments from the crowd. "They'll be fighting together - Huntress and Black Canary against two new contenders! Vixen, the beauty with the beast powers, and the Thanagar Thrasher, Hawkgirl!"

Smiling at the renewed cheering, Roulette spoke again. "Ladies and Gentlemen, place your bets!"

A cloud of concrete and plaster suddenly exploded from the ceiling. "I bet that we can stop your little game in ten seconds flat!" Supergirl announced loudly as she literally 'dropped in' on the illegal fight.

Harry flew down through the opening that Kara's entrance had left before getting his bearings and Apparating onto the central stage. "And I'll wager that the little tart'll be regretting this stunt shortly thereafter," the wizard added. Turning to look at the women present, he found Ollie's girlfriend Dinah and who he believed to be the Huntress back-to-back as they prepared to fight Mari and Shayera. Given his many experiences with the Death Eaters' tactics, Harry quickly realized that the latter two women were not acting on their own volition and promptly body-bound both of them.

"Good evening, Canary, Huntress. Would one of you mind telling us what's going on?" Harry asked as Kara battered the arena's force field down and landed at Harry's side.

"You're that Mr. Black guy that Green Arrow was going on about?" Dinah asked once she had recovered from the man's sudden appearance and quick restraint of the two mind-controlled Leaguers.

Harry dipped his head. "Guilty as charged," he admitted. "Now, do either of you know who is responsible for their current condition?" he asked while nodding his head in the other two women's directions.

"Roulette," Huntress growled in an eerie imitation of Batman. "She's somehow using the League comm. links to take control of people's minds. Canary here snapped out of it once I broke her communicator."

Harry nodded his head in gratitude. "Righto," he replied before Summoning the electronic articles from both Vixen's and Hawkgirl's possession. With the nefarious devices in hand, the wizard took great satisfaction in using his enhanced strength to grind the gadgets into powder with one clenched fist. The effect was instantaneous; as soon as he destroyed the communication devices, both of the affected women's eyes blinked in confusion. Seeing this, Harry dispelled his two petrifications.

Eyes wide, Shayera muttered, "I don't think I want to know."

"We're all in a cage match, fighting to the death," Dinah informed the redhead.

"See?" the Thanagarian immediately replied.

The Huntress walked to the edge of the platform and looked up at Roulette and Sonar in the control booth. "That all you got?" she demanded of the villainess.

"Oh, no," Roulette replied smarmily as the arena's central elevator was activated. "I've saved the very best for last!" Exactly what the 'very best' consisted of became evident a few moments later as the muscled form of the Amazon princess rose to the platform.

"Yes, that's really Wonder Woman, ladies and gentlemen," Roulette confirmed for the crowd. "It is on!"

Harry just sighed as he saw the same oddness in Diana's eyes as with Shayera and Mari only moments earlier. As Diana came charging towards the group, Harry stepped to the side and grabbed the Amazon's leading arm by its silver bracelet. Before the woman could recover, the wizard gave the appendage a twist to pivot the slightly shorter Leaguer's back to his front. Between the lessons with Thena and Artie, the unexpected side effect of Doctor Schlock's memory implant machine, and a few brief sessions with Wildcat on the Watchtower, Harry did not even think before grabbing the metahuman's other arm in a similar grip and forcing the brunette facedown on the floor with her arms held tightly behind her back.

"Let me go, you insignificant little man!" the not-Diana demanded arrogantly.

"Since I know that you're not quite yourself at the moment, I'm going to let that slide," Harry offered from his kneeling position on the woman's back. Switching both her forearms to a one-handed grip, Harry reached up to her ear with his other hand and retrieved her comm. link. A miniscule exertion of effort later found a very confused Diana in a very uncomfortable position.

"I hope you have a good explanation for this," a not-much-more-cordial Amazon grunted from underneath him.

"Oh, right. Sorry about that," Harry responded as he quickly hopped off her back and offered the woman a hand. "To make a long story short, most of you ladies were under an electronic possession and were fighting each other in a no-holds-barred cage fight. Don't worry, though; I think that we have disrupted those plans nicely."

Another intercom address from the top box interrupted his explanation. "Who – or what – the devil are you?" the brunette criminal demanded.

Harry glared up at the so-called 'Roulette' and another figure in the control booth. His first impulse was to immediately Apparate up there and dispatch the ones responsible in as expedient a manner as possible. Fortunately, for the two people in question, Harry decided that ascertaining Fire's fate was more important.

"I'm something of a guardian angel," the wizard supplied via a Sonorous Charm, "and I am known these days as Mr. Black. Now, be a dear and stay put!" Harry ordered the pair of villains. "I'll be right with you." Turning back to the League women, he asked, "Now, where is Fire?"

"About sixty feet beneath us," Dinah Lance supplied as she studied the mysterious figure that had so timely resolved a rather sticky situation. Apparently, this relatively ordinary-seeming figure was countless millennia old – if the rumors she heard were correct - and Ollie stressed that he was to be treated with the utmost courtesy. Even if the wild tales about the man's… occupation were in error, it did not pay to be deliberately rude to someone who could maneuver Wonder Woman as if she was a small child. "I believe that she's hurt, though I'm not sure how seriously," the blonde woman concluded.

Harry nodded sharply and prepared to phase through the floor in pursuit of the Brazilian woman. Before he went intangible, however, he heard a loud crack and felt something lightly collide with the back of his head before bouncing to a landing. Turning around slowly, the wizard caught sight of a team of suited men – apparently some sort of security detail – armed with heavy caliber weaponry. The man in the lead was staring at Harry in shock, the still-smoking barrel of some sort of assault rifle still leveled at his position.

Harry blinked as he realized what must have happened, though at a loss as to how he survived a direct hit to his supposedly 'unprotected' head. 'Something to ask Henchgirl about later,' he vowed resignedly before fixing the group with a glare.

Stretching out one hand, Harry Summoned his would-be murderer and held the man aloft via a one-handed chokehold. Very purposely, the wizard reached out with the other hand and removed the man's sunglasses so that they were eye-to-eye. "Don't. Do. That. Again," he growled. As the man stuttered out some sort of apology, Harry heaved the figure back through the broken force field pane, bowling over several of the shooter's friends in the process.

The few who were missed by Harry's first foray into ten-pin bowling chambered their weapons and took aim at the Leaguers. Glaring at the nuisances who seemed content to murder his friends, the mage coldly announced, "When all your bullets are gone, you'd better pray that I'm not standing – because you'll all be dead before you reload."

The atrium suddenly grew still before the sound of many automatic weapons striking the floor echoed over everyone present.

Harry smiled grimly. "Excellent choice," he intoned before sending a few quick charms to render the whole assortment of hired thugs both unconscious and bound in unbreakable ropes. Turning his attention to the gawking spectators, Harry cast another Sonorous Charm and calmly stated, "I'll forget any faces I've seen tonight if you all disappear in the next ten seconds."

The crowd seemed frozen in their seats, still mute.

Harry made a show of looking around before drawing himself up and announcing, "One."

Oddly enough, the high-class and otherwise respectable customers suddenly remembered all sorts of engagements requiring their immediate presences elsewhere.

Nodding to himself at a job well done, Harry gave the sunglasses an appraising once-over before donning the article and turned to the other League members. "I'll go check on Fire. If you lot are up to it, see if we missed anyone." Before anyone else could comment, the wizard phased through the floor.

"Just exactly who is that guy?" Huntress demanded. "Some sort of magical Special Forces?"

Kara smiled impishly as she recalled the man's earlier reply to a similar question. "He's just a guy on vacation!" the Argonian chirped brightly.

"Riiiiight," the masked ebony-haired woman threw back sarcastically, "and when he's not on vacation?"

"Put it this way," Shayera proposed. "You know how most perfectly ordinary guys get a taste of power and suddenly think they're gods?"

There was a round of somewhat jaded agreements among the more experienced females there.

The winged woman continued, "Apparently, the grass really is always greener on the other side, because he happens to actually be a god who wants everyone to think that he's just an ordinary guy."

Kara looked over at the Thanagarian askance. "You do know that he hates comments like that, right?" she asked the older woman while x-raying the area. "He doesn't consider himself all that different from the norm, save a few small… discrepancies, and really dislikes being put on a pedestal."

Shayera smiled derisively. "Look, sweetheart, I've seen beings with a tenth of his power pass themselves off as gods – successfully. Now, don't get me wrong," she interjected as the Argonian looked as if to interrupt, "Mr. Black's a great guy - and I'm really, really glad that he's on our side - but he's about as abnormal as you can get."

Supergirl rolled her eyes. "Oh, he's not that bad!" she protested. "Sure, he's got a quirk or two-"

The Thanagarian snorted. "Like the 'inability to die' quirk?" she inquired humorously.

"Or the reality warping powers," Diana added as she checked on the bound security thugs. "Of course, the control over space and time is rather impressive as well."

"Yeah, like those," Kara confirmed before a shrill whine interrupted their conversation. An instant later, even those individuals without advanced hearing could detect a loud crash coming from beneath them.

"What was that?" Canary demanded.

Kara looked around for a moment before replying anxiously, "The elevator leading to the top box just came loose and fell!"

"Where are Roulette and Sonar?" Huntress demanded of the only person with X-ray vision, since neither of the two criminals were visible from her vantage point.

Kara followed the shaft down until she found the devastation at the bottom. Wordlessly, Kara winced.

"Did they make it?" Mari asked carefully.

The blonde Argonian blinked at the grisly sight before slowly shaking her head.

Diana and Shayera exchanged a glance over the extremely convenient 'accident' that occurred almost immediately after a certain male mystic slipped out of sight.

"Umm… I just realized something," Timothy Hunter admitted to his female escort as he looked over the crowd of vampires, werewolves, zombies, and other assorted creatures. "The people here… none of them are wearing masks, are they?"

"No," Zatanna answered simply.

Timothy looked amazed. "It's like there's a whole other world - that I never knew existed – side by side with the old one."

"Yes," the Enchantress agreed, "and once you enter it, you can never leave."

"Never?" the young wizard-potential echoed worryingly.

Noticing his stress, Zatanna consoled, "You haven't entered it yet, Tim. You're a guest."

A loud pop gathered the milling throng's attention to the stage along one wall where Tannarak, the black magician Tim had met earlier with hopes for immortality, waited to speak. Once the gathered people and creatures settled down, the club's owner immediately began addressing the crowd.

"Ladies, gentlemen, other entities, I have an announcement," the necromancy-obsessed sorcerer professed. "It seems there's a very special young lad in our audience tonight. Some of you may have heard about him on the grapevine. Others of you might have heard about the current fun and games in Calcutta."

Zatanna's eyes grew wide. "Oh, shoot! I'm sorry, Tim," the witch pleaded. "I should never have brought you here."

As if the League women's suspicions summoned him, Harry rose through the floor with a slowly rousing Fire in his arms. "She'll be alright," Harry informed the women. "She's just a little out of it right now." The wizard's summary was proven valid when the pyrotechnic metahuman from Brazil shortly came alight, washing Harry in harmless green flames.

'Odd,' Harry thought to himself. 'I don't even feel warm, and her report said that she could melt steel! What in the world is going on?'

Dinah Lance raised one blonde eyebrow and asked, "So, you're fireproof, too?" She blinked before adding, "No pun intended."

"It would seem so," Harry answered honestly. "Did you all capture the rest of our friends?"

Shayera huffed irritably. "You already knocked out the hired help; all we had left to do was destroy the mind control stuff. Not to mention, the two morons responsible for this mess just took a six-story plunge in an express elevator. No survivors."

"Ah, yes, that would probably do it, wouldn't it?" Harry responded, nodding at the explanation for the clamor that he had heard while rescuing Fire from her prison cell. He felt distinctly unsympathetic at the ill fates befalling the two criminals who had brainwashed his friends in order to have them kill themselves for money.

The wizard shrugged. "Well, I did tell them to stay put. A very tragic end to two very disappointing examples of humanity," the mage summarized in a detached tone. A heartbeat later, he added brightly, "Well… best not wallow in our grief."

The Huntress looked at Harry askance. "So," the Catholic woman hesitated, "Guardian Angel, huh?"

Harry looked at the masked woman for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, that's part of my job – so to speak." As Beatriz began finally coming around, Harry helped her back to her feet.

Helena looked thoughtful. "I was expecting… I don't know…"

The wizard grinned at the woman's literal interpretation of his comment. "Halo?" he offered amusedly.

"Yes," she agreed immediately.

Definitely entertained now, he again queried, "Inner light?"

The Huntress nodded again.

Harry leaned towards her with an even wider grin and stage-whispered, "I'm not that kind of Angel."

The masked woman matched his smile. "That was a nice takedown on the princess, by the way," the Huntress congratulated. "I didn't quite recognize the style. Kung fu?"

"Thank you," Harry accepted easily, "and yes, that was one of the disciplines that fell out of use a few centuries ago."

"So you know different variants of the martial arts, then?" she asked. At his nod, Helena continued, "Do you mind if I ask how many?"

Harry shook his head slightly. "No, not at all," he confirmed before staring at her smilingly.

The Huntress rolled her eyes at the exact same verbal trap that the Question was always springing on her. "How many different martial arts styles do you know?" she finally rephrased.

The wizard thought back to the memory dump he received from Doctor Schlock. "All of them, I believe," Harry finally answered after some thought.

Before he could comment further, his scar – which had been mercifully inactive since his rather direct disposal of Voldemort – gave a twinge, and he felt a slight pulling sensation to some far-off location to the west. Having an unpleasant recollection of a certain speech from a certain watery tart involving a certain rather innocuous phrase 'Champion of the Light', Harry had a sudden desire to recite every swear word that he had ever heard.

Focusing on the location he sensed with some urgency, Harry addressed his female colleagues again. "Sorry to cut this short, Ladies, but there's a problem that requires my attention. Kara, use your comm. link to request transport for everyone back to the Watchtower and I'll look you up once things are settled."

"I don't think so, Mister," the blonde girl vetoed immediately. "If I let you disappear now, you'll just get distracted and then blow off our party later – and you are taking me dancing." The Argonian had the audacity to smile at him! "Besides, you might need my help."

At hearing similar comments from several other heroines present, Harry dug in his pocket for a Black Hole, all the while muttering something sounding suspiciously like a rant about 'bloody stubborn women' under his breath. "Fine," he replied to the blonde powerhouse sharply, "but if you get your pretty little bum cursed off by some dark wizard, don't come crying to me!"

Kara smiled at him mischievously. "You think I have a cute butt?"

The wizard slowly raked one hand down his face before stalking through the now-opened portal. He noticeably withheld comment.

"Another point to me!" the young superheroine exclaimed happily before following the mage through the inky portal.

"As you know," Tannarak said intently, "there is a price on his head – which need not be attached to his body."

"This boy is under my protection," Zatanna announced as she shielded Tim from Tannarak with her own body. "Anyone who wishes to hurt him must first reckon with me."

The black magician smiled wickedly. "My dear Zatanna, face facts. There's one of you, and over a hundred of us. The child is history."

"Is that so?" Harry asked coldly as he exited the Black hole in the wall behind the other man. The wizard caught the gist of the last exchange and thus had a good idea of what was about to befall his friend Zatanna.

Once the fate of an innocent child became involved, no one who knew either Harry or Mr. Black should have been surprised that the goateed magician immediately met the scarlet glare of a Reductor curse directed to center mass.

Harry looked down at white-clad form in derision. Even with the giant bleeding hole in the man's torso, the incumbent figure was somehow still alive – if the pain-filled moans and twitching were anything to go by, anyway. "Let me guess," Harry addressed the magically-supported almost-corpse, "you did something very naughty and created a Horcrux with part of your soul, didn't you?"

Harry shook his head sadly as the League women exited the Black Hole behind him. "Why you people trade away your souls for a little thing like a longer lifespan, I will never understand. Now, I wonder if you were foolish enough to leave the trinket lying around here somewhere."

The wizard engaged his mage sight and followed an inky black line leading away from the fallen dark sorcerer. The magical cord terminated behind what appeared to be a warded safe hidden behind the man's portrait over the bar.

"How clichéd," Harry grumbled as he fired a Blasting Hex at the portrait, eliminated the safe's concealment. Summoning the receptacle to the stage, Harry phased his arm through the warded container and retrieved a small Egyptian figurine. Confirming that it was indeed a Horcrux, Harry finished, "Not to mention pointless. All of the pain and suffering you inflicted on others to escape Death's grasp, and now you meet him regardless. Ah well, give the Devil my regards when you see him in Hell."

The wizard flung the porcelain statue down on the stage, where it shattered and released the spell anchoring Tannarak to the world of life. As the unlamented sorcerer and alchemist finally – and perhaps, mercifully – died, Harry looked up at the mob who threatened Zatanna and her charge only a few moments prior to his… altercation.

Casting another Sonorous Charm, Harry addressed his dumbstruck audience. "Now that I have your attention," the mage calmly stated, "allow me to introduce myself. I am known these days as Mr. Black." He smiled tightly at the nervous whisperings that flew through the crowd at his announcement. "Yes, that Mr. Black, and I'm rather annoyed that you lot are threatening my friend Zatanna and her young companion."

Harry smiled more openly when the throngs of dark creatures immediately gave the addressed duo a wide berth. "Now," he continued, "we can settle this one of two ways. You lot either clear out of here this instant and tell all your little friends that the young man is now under my protection, or… you can all stick around and I will answer any challenges you might have offered to Lady Zatanna."

Needless to say, it was bedlam as the gathered dark creatures and magicians fought each other to flee the imposing figure the fastest. Once the cacophony had left, Harry casually strolled past Tannarak's remains and approached the magic duo.

"Hey, Zee," Harry greeted, "how's it going?"

Zatanna the Enchantress smiled. "Hello, Joe. Not to be ungrateful or anything, but I could have taken them."

Harry waved off her comment. "Hey, what are friends for? Besides, I was in the neighborhood – relatively speaking." Turning to the young boy at her side, Harry extended one hand. "Hello, I don't think we've been properly introduced. You may call me Joe Black."

"Tim Hunter," the potential wizard responded while shaking the proffered hand. "How did you know to show up right then?"

Harry smiled while rubbing his temple, whose painful throbs were now thankfully receding. "Magic?" the elder wizard presented with a shrug. Looking around, he mentioned, "I'm just going to go make sure that your playmates aren't planning any more mischief this evening. I'll be back in a moment." He mentally changed his coat to the more concealing black cloak and, before anyone – especially Kara – could intervene, he Apparated onto the roof of the club and checked the surrounding areas for signs of trouble.

Back downstairs, Tim turned to Zatanna and said, "I've seen him before, back when one of the trench coat guys showed me the beginning of time. After we watched as Lucifer and the other Fallen Angels were kicked out of Heaven, there were these Archangels as big as worlds. I think I met Raguel, the Angel of Vengeance, at Corrigan's Detective Agency with Constantine earlier today. That Mr. Black guy though… with that cloak, he looks a whole lot like Gabriel, the Lord of the Cherubim and the Seraphim."

"Really?" Huntress voiced interestedly.

Timothy nodded. "Yeah," he confirmed excitedly. "Before today, I used to think that all of that were just stories. Now, I wonder just how many other mythological figures are out there."

Zatanna felt compelled to add, "Well, Joe mentioned that his brother Xander was stationed on the Hellmouth, a chaotic portal to the different Hell dimensions."

"Xander?" Black Canary questioned. "You mean, as in 'Alexander', the Defender of Mankind?"

"Well," the masked Helena huffed, "I guess that explains where Michael, the Archangel who is set over Chaos, has been hiding the last few centuries."