Chapter 44

Harry leaned against the wall. Both Cheerleader Practice and actual Football practice happened at the same time at Happy Harbor High School. The last traces of summer faded as the weather still remained warm, but there were leaves on the tree which indicated that seasonal weather, fall was coming.

Anissa came out of practice, along with several other women, and a few of the remaining boys on the football team. She caught Harry's eye and broke away from the rest of the team. The two of them broke apart from the rest of the group and made their way up to the field where the Bumblebees practiced.

The longer they walked, the more that Harry noticed that Anissa had one of those looks on her eyes. Harry put an arm around her and she smiled at him. The two made their way up the bleachers, and settled down, watching the practice wind to a close.

"I wonder if Coach has gotten worse than last year," Anissa said. "He was always a bit of a hard ass, that guy who couldn't cut it in the marines, but really wanted to be there. Why is half of the gym teachers or coaches like that?"

Harry answered with a shrug, he did not know.

"He's gotten worse since last year, then?" Harry asked.

"Yes," Anissa answered shaking his head. "I mean, over half of the team is new. And that's not counting the usual turnover from JV after the old team members graduate."

"Didn't his son die in the attack last spring?" Harry asked.

Anissa's expression suddenly darkened. She moved closer towards Harry, while keeping the eye on the cheerleaders and their movements. Although, her eyes locked onto Donna for a long moment.

"It would explain all of his ranting about how those damn Amazons are the problem," Anissa said. "Man's entitled to his opinion and I know I shouldn't be too hard on him...but at the same time….it's really awful to tar people with the same brush. I mean, just because a small group of people parade around in white hoods, it would be unfair to say that all white people are racists and worse than Hitler."

"Some people would disagree," Harry offered.

"Well some people are idiots," Anissa said. "But, seriously, it was one Amazon, one Amazon who took the teachings the wrong way. And from what I heard...she had some bad experiences. We all have bad experiences, but when you start killing people...you know there's something that's wrong, that you can't justify. Thankfully, all Amazons aren't like that."

Harry put his hand on Anissa's knee and she grabbed his hand with a firm grip. The athletic girl looked Harry dead in the eye.

"If Coach didn't have tenure, he would be out the door and on his ass," Anissa said. "Although, he's pushing his luck out there every day….hopefully we do well in the first game. That might get him off of my back."

Cheerleader practice finished up, and Donna, Megan, Karen, and Wendy all parted ways from the rest of the team. One of the Cheerleaders, a blonde who stuck her nose up at everything, looked at Megan with disdain, and also Anissa, although she did make googly eyes at Harry when she had the chance. And her expression went sour, when Harry kissed Megan and then Donna.

"I can't wait to see your new moves in action," Anissa said. "Hopefully it inspires us to victory, and gets the Coach off of our back."

"Oh, we've been putting in a lot of hard work,' Wendy said. "Haven't we?"

"Oh, despite Walker and her Princess attitude, we have," Karen said. "Then again, unless you're pretty, blonde, and rich, she doesn't want to give you the time of day. Just because her Daddy's a big backer, she thinks she runs the show."

"Yeah, well some people are born ignorant," Anissa said with a shrug.

Wendy just smiled and turned over to Harry and Anissa.

"We were talking about the Halloween Party the other day," Wendy said. "And Megan and Donna agreed to help me and Karen set up….I was hoping at the two of you would want to help."

"Love too," Harry said.

"Oh, I'll be there," Anissa said.

The six left, as the blonde cheerleader stared daggers at Harry when he left.

"He blew me off the other day," she said.

"Don't worry about it Kitten, he'll come around eventually," one of the other girls said. "I mean, you just have to show him that you're smart and sophisticated...and like so totally right for him."

"Unlike that Megan chick, what a weirdo?" one of the other girls said.

"I know, right, Dora the Explorer seems more her speed," another girl said savagely.

After hanging out with Anissa, Karen, and Wendy for the better part of an hour, Harry, Megan, and Donna returned to the cave, and they were not the only ones that were there. Artemis and Helena arrived a few seconds later.

And right behind them, Sara, Dinah, and a beautiful blonde woman who looked like she could be their older sister arrived with them. Harry broke out into a smile.

"Donna, Megan, this is Sara," Harry said. "Is Mareena and Whitney around?"

"Here!" Whitney yelled. "Sara, it's good to see you again."

"Hey, Whitney," Sara said as she hugged the speedster in response.

"It's an honor to meet you," Mareena said.

Harry turned to the other woman with Dinah and then smiled.

"Oh, I didn't know that you had an older sister," Harry said.

The older woman just smiled.

"He's a keeper," she said. "I'm Sara and Dinah's mother….Dinah Drake-Lance…."

"Sorry, to hear about your husband," Harry said.

"Yes, well he didn't suffer and he died a hero," Dinah Drake said with a smile. "And I have to say, you're quite handsome...and no stupid goatee either."

"I know, right," Sara said with a smile.

Dinah just took their comments in good grace, along with her mother checking Harry out. Those eyes raked over Harry for a very long time before she pulled away from him.

Harry did much of the same, and Dinah Laurel Lance knew that her mother was quite fetching, especially now that she was getting herself back into prime shape. She would have to, helping run the Gotham City Police Department, after James Gordon had been elected to Mayor, and she rose up to be Commissioner.

"So what brings you here?" Harry asked.

"Well, given that my youngest daughter wants to join your team, I think it's only fitting that I have a look around," Dinah said. "And it's...very impressive."

She had been the original Black Canary, and it made her long for those days. Although, Dinah Drake had more than enough to go on.

A flash of light came up and Giovanni Zatara came out, with his daughter Zatanna. She caught Harry's eye and smiled before walking over.

"You made it," Helena said.

"Yeah, I'm surprised."

"Hello," Giovanni said to them in a slightly weak voice. "It's an honor to meet the team that Batman speaks so highly of...you are truly the future...and we're going to need it...and Dinah...nice to see you again."

"John," Dinah Drake said with a smile.

It had obviously been a rough last couple of months for the former Justice Society members.

"So, Zee, are you going to join the team?" Helena asked.

"Well, yes, but it's only a trial to see if I fit in," Zatanna said.

Zatara responded with a very rough sigh. No matter how much he fought this, tooth and nail, back and forth, there was a need to let his daughter take the next step.

"I realize that you're more than ready," Zatara said. "I've taught you everything that I can, and maybe it's time to pass the torch….while I'm still able to."

The older man, looking rather ragged at this point, leaned down. He grabbed his daughter in a hug.

"I'm going away for a while, but Sara and Dinah have agreed to take you in," Zatara said.

"It's fine, and I really hope that you find what you're looking for," Zatanna said.

Zatara paused and stopped before turning around. He pulled out a locket and put it in his daughter's hand.

"This belong to your mother," Zatara said. "She would have wanted you to have it when you were a grown woman...but...he who hesitates."

Harry frowned and Giovanni Zatara had the air of a man who had considered his own mortality, dead on in the face. He dragged his feet, edging towards the nearest exit.

"So, Mom, I'm heading to meet some of the girls for lunch," Dinah Laurel said. "Do you want to come?"

"Are you sure?" Dinah Drake asked.

"They'd love to see you again, I mean, you're a legend," Dinah Laurel said.

The two made their way out, following Zatara, and left Zatanna and Sara, two potential new team recruits in the cave. The only League Representative was Captain Marvel, who was baking a fresh plate of cookies, wearing an apron.

"Who wants cookies?" Captain Marvel asked. "Eat them while they're…."

The word "hot" barely left her mouth when Whitney moved in, to snatch the plate of cookies, and began shoveling them down.

Harry, Zatanna, Sara, Artemis, and Helena walked around the cave. Donna, Megan, and Mareena all left to visit family members, or friends as the case had been.

"Wow, it's a nice place," Sara said.

"Yeah, but mostly it's just a place for Batman to give us missions, or other League members," Harry said.

"We're meeting out of Harry's Penthouse most the time," Artemis said.

Harry felt the need to correct her.

"Technically, it's Karen's penthouse," Harry said.

"So, did you hear what happened with Red Tornado?" Zatanna asked. "I...overheard my father and Batman talking about it the other day."

Harry had not heard that particular news, and he wondered what the former minder of the cve had gotten up to.

"Apparently, it was his old creator, who sent a pair of super powered androids after him, and created a third android, Red Volcano," Zatanna said. "It took the entire League to take him down...and I mean the entire League. And it turned out that TO Morrow...Red's creator...he was an android himself."

Harry was sure that Karen would tell him about that, the next time they talked. But, he did wonder.

"So, they finally found out who was targeting Red," Helena said. "So, what now?"

"Well, his real creator is out there, the closest thing Red has to a father, and he's a frail old man," Zatanna said.

"Oh, that's a lot of junk," Sara said.

She pointed to Whitney's wall of souvenirs, and Artemis's lips twitched at Sara's assessment. She noticed an old arrow, a broken Monkey drone, and other items amongst the souvenirs.

"That's Whitney's souvenirs," Harry said. "A monument to past missions, both good and bad."

"Is that the Helmet of Fate?" Zatanna asked.

"Yes," Harry said.

Helena had been meaning to ask Harry something important.

"Have you had any luck finding anyone to hold it?" Helena asked.

"The Team would be the first to know," Harry said. "I haven't found anyone with the right aura…."

"Other than you," Zatanna said. "Um, no offense, but I think that you can wield the Helmet of Fate, if half of the stories that Artemis and Helena say about you is true."

Harry just shrugged that off. Wielding the Helmet of Fate would be a bad idea, and Nabu would not like that, and Harry would not be too fond of it either. Then again, Nabu already did not like that Harry saddled him with Kent.

"Well, I think this might be Harry's favorite of Whitney's collection," Artemis said with a knowing smile on Cheshire's mask.

And then, Cheshire's mask, right before their very eyes, turned into a Cheshire Cat. Said cat began to do a softshoe routine. Sara's eyes followed the progress of the cat as it performed a show.

"That's not normal," Sara said.

"No," Harry said.

Whitney came around the corner, in time to see the Cheshire Cat doing a dance, and knocking some of the souvenirs off of the shelf. Whitney almost tripped over her feet to save them, zipping back and forth. And then she grabbed the cat.

Only for the cat to explode into jelly and coat Whitney in it. She had been covered from head to toe, in jelly that tasted like axel grease.

Harry siphoned it off of her. Whitney shook, recovering from that.

"Thanks," Whitney said.

Suddenly, Cheshire's mask dropped to the shelf and an impish looking man appeared in front of them, which caused the entire group.

"Oh no!" Harry groaned.

"What?" Sara asked.

"It's Mister Mxyzptlk," Harry said.

"At your service, Superboy!" Mxy cackled. "You see, this dank cave could use a bit of a different touch, so I'm here to…."

Captain Marvel tried to nab the pest. A snap of Mxy's fingers turned Captain Marvel's outfit into that of a Japanese schoolgirl, complete with pigtails.

"Now, all we need is the tentacles!" Mxy howled with a huge belly laugh.

Whitney zipped in to grab Mxy, but he popped out of the ai and out of grasp.

"Nah, nah, nah, no touchy now!" Mxy taunted them. "Too slow….Flash Girl….oh back...and to the left...back and to the left…."

Harry sent a blast of orange light towards the imp who disappeared and reappeared as a dog. Mxy licked Harry's face and covered it in slobber before disappearing once again as Harry took a swipe on him.

"I've got him!" Zatanna yelled.

Zatanna's attempts to blast Mxy caused her to get trapped in an oversized top hat. Mxy reached into the top hat and yanked Zatanna out, by her ears, with her fur tail wiggling.

"You know, you amateurs are just going to have to try harder if you want to get the better of me," Mxy taunted them. "I've gone head to head with Superwoman before she died...and got better….but the higher ups…"

Mxy yawned when dodging the attempts of Kid flash to take her.

"But, the higher ups didn't want me to mess with Superwoman or the Justice League again...but they didn't send anything about dealing with the sidekicks!"

Artemis fired off an arrow. Mxy turned it into a large boxing glove arrow. With said boxing glove transfigured into a novelty sized pillow arrow.

"You know those stories about genies, imps, and faires?" Mxy asked. "Yeah, all me, because I have infinite cosmic power, so with great cosmic power….comes great cosmic responsibility to annoy the hell out of people."

Harry's attempts to trap Mxy in a rune cage does not work as well as possible. He breaks out and wags a finger at the entire team.

"Here are the rules. Get me to say, speak, or otherwise reveal my name backwards, and then I'll buzz off back off into the Fifth Dimension. But, I'm not going to...because I'm not stupid."

"So, how exactly do we get you to spell your name backwards?" Artemis asked. "I mean, it's not like it's easy to spell it forwards...so if you could just show us, we would be able to know that you're not cheating."

"Well, that's easy, you just spell it…." Mxy said before stopping. "Oh, nice try McGuirk!"

Mxy snapped his fingers and transfigured Artemis's costume into a cupid complete with wings. And she looked pretty surly in the process as well.

An attempt to nab the Helmet of Fate is blocked when Mxy put up a shield. Harry came back shooting fire, but he blocked it as well.

"Still cleaning the sand out of my shorts from the last time I squared off with Nabu," Mxy said with a grumble. "Going to have to beat me fair and square, no gimmicks, no tricks, straight up."

Dinah Laurel and Dinah Drake met Karen, Diana, Shayera, and Iris for lunch. Shayera and Dinah Drake knew each other best, although it was from another life.

"Still with your curse?" Dinah Drake asked her old friend.

"Well, yeah, although I'm hanging along a bit longer than Katar is this time," Shayera said. "One of the sacrifices from the attack...and one of the few times that Hath-set did not kill one of us...that must burn him alive."

"I'm sure," Karen said.

"So, is Red doing okay?" Dinah Drake asked.

"Well, he's looking over Morrow through his last days," Dinah Laurel told her mother. "I'm not sure when he'll be back, if at all."

"You didn't know what was happening, did you?" Dinah Drake asked. "That someone was stalking him."

She knew Red Tornado, and Red tended to focus on the mission and little more. It was both a good thing and a bad thing if Dinah was perfectly honest.

"Harry brought it to our attention," Karen said.

"If he hadn't noticed those two other androids," Diana said. "The Team might have had to deal with it."

Grim reality set in on Diana when she thought about it. They were all very glad that the Team did not have to deal with it, and if Red was here, he would agree as well.

"Harry really is something, isn't he?" Dinah Drake asked.

"Oh, he is, I think that he'll be in the League sooner or later," Iris commented.

"Well, if he wants to," Karen said. "The League is not everyone's dream."

Iris just smiled. The fact of the matter was, she only agreed to join up with the League, to help fill the void after Barry died. Plus, being surrounded by friends and people who would be able to help her cope was a good thing. But, still, there's a part of Iris who is afraid to move on. The redhead sighed when thinking about that.

"You couldn't have anyone better to watch your back," Dinah Laurel said.

Dinah Drake just smiled at her daughter. For the longest time, she thought that it would be Dinah and Oliver, but Oliver messed up a good thing and that was a pity for him. And there was even more misgivings from Dinah Drake, when her daughter took up the mantle as Black Canary. But, you cannot deny that the need to help people was in the blood.

"How are things in Gotham?" Iris asked her.

"Oh, you know, busy," Dinah Drake commented. "We've lost a few good people. Thankfully, Gordon's as tough as nails and still around, and he's moved up in the world."

While Dinah had given up the costume crime fighting game, after being a mother, and that was not advisable to be on there on the wrong side of forty, edging closer to fifty, she still thought that there was some good. And over the past few months, Dinah Drake felt about as good as she was in her twenties, during the prime of the Black Canary and the second wave of the Justice Society.

Zatanna lost the bunny ears and the tail. She had been left with a sense of frustration. Helena pulled her in, sensing the woman's frustration, and she shared it.

"I'm not sure what magic he has," Zatanna said.

"He doesn't have magic, I don't think," Whitney said. "He's using advanced fifth-dimension science….although it might as well be magic because I can't even begin to understand how he's pulling it off."

"We're going to have to come up with a plan," Helena said.

"Why don't we just ignore him?"

Harry's suggestion caused half of the team to raise an eyebrow in surprise.

"Easier said than done," Artemis said.

"No, Harry has a point," Helena said. "Mxy's a troll…."

Helena ignored the fact that her hair had just been turned a bright shade of pink by Mxy.

"And the golden rule is not to feed the trolls," Helena added.

"Right," Sara said. "So, Harry...do you think that you could work with me on a move that Dinah and I have been practicing?"

"Love to," Harry said.

Artemis and Helena moved over to spar and Whitney moved to the punching bag and began to fire rapid fire punches at it.

Despite Mxy's chaos, none of the Team members seemed bothered by him. He began to hurl cookies at Whitney, and then caused them to vanish before her very eyes. He turned the couch into a dancing penguin, but no reaction.

"MCGUIRK!" Mxy yelled. "Hey, McGuirk, look alive there."

Sara and Harry kept sparring with Harry taking her down with a sweeping motion. Mxy turned Sara into an actual giant canary, but she did not look too bothered by it. Then, Mxy switched Harry into a clown. Then transformed Harry into a pirate. Followed that up by a knight. And then a wizard with a long white beard, vibrant lilac robes, and a twinkle in his eye.

"Sweep to the right," Harry told Sara.

"I thought that last one would work," Mxy grumbled.

Almost an hour later, and Mxy practically had steam coming out of his ears. His head had literally turned into a teakettle.

"COME ON!" Mxy yelled. "I swear….I'll transport you all into the middle of Gotham...naked if you keep this up."

"Did you hear something?" Whitney asked.

"Must be the wind," Harry said. "I think it's raining outside."

"Why don't we play a game?" Sara asked.

"Hey, Captain Marvel, why don't you join us?" Harry asked.

Captain Marvel, still dressed like a Japanese School Girl, joined them. She smiled, sitting in a circle.

"Why don't we say our names backwards?" Sara asked. "Aras"

"Yentihw" Whitney said.

"Aneleh," Helena said.

"AnnataZ" Zatanna said.

"Simetra," Artemis said.

"Yram," Captain Marvel said.

"Yrrah," Harry said. "Hey, Mxy, it's your turn."

"No, I refuse," Mxy said. "You think you're so smart...thinking that I'd fall for that!"

"Oh I've got it, why don't we say the name of one of our most annoying enemies backwards," Whitney said. "I'll start….Ddorg"

"RekoJ," Helena said.

"Tsuaf," Zatanna said.

" Retsamstrops," Artemis said.

"retsieM cisuM," Sara said.

"Ah, shucks, I wanted that one," Captain Marvel said. "Um...anaviS"

"And don't forget the biggest pest of them all," Harry said. "Kiltzpym"

"HA!" Mxy yelled. "You're a loser pants...you're loser….you're a loser….you can't even say someone's name backwards."

"Oh, I'm pretty sure I'm right," Harry said.

"No, you're not," Mxy said.

"Yes, I am," Harry said.

"No, you're not!" Mxy yelled.

"Yes I am," Harry said.

"YOU'RE NOT, YOU'RE NOT, YOU'RE NOT!" Mxy yelled, practically stamping his feet.

"Well, if you're so smart, then why don't you tell me then," Harry said. "You won't though, because you know I'm right."

Harry smugly smiled at Mxy who grew hair only to rip it out.

"How hard is it, you complete idiot?" Mxy asked. "It's Kltpzyxm!"

It took a second for Mxy's brain to kick in and realize what Harry tricked him into doing.

"YOU SON OF A B…"

Mxy did his best Yosemite Sam impression before he vanished with a pop and Harry waved bye. As Mxy left, everything turned back to normal, and all of the artifacts remained on the shelf.

"Is everyday this interesting?" Zatanna asked after the silence broke.

Mareena returned to the cave, and the Team wasted little time in filling her on on their advantage.

"And it's a shame that I had to miss that," Mareena said.

"Oh, you'll get over it," Helena said. "Although, if I never have to deal with another fifth-dimension pest, it will be much too soon."

"And I heard that there might be another fifth-dimension pest that is more annoying than this one," Mareena said.

"Oh, Batman's biggest fan, don't I know it," Helena said.

"So, did the two of you make a decision about joining the team?" Harry asked.

"You don't have to choose right away," Mareena said.

"I made up my mind before I already got here," Zatanna said. "This should be fun...I want to do what Dad did for the JSA and the League."

"Well, you sold me," Sara said. "I didn't think I was going to follow in Mom or Laurel's footsteps….but...I need some added spice in my life. And you can't deny that there are certain benefits."

She flashed Harry a knowing smile. They both know how Harry sold Sara on the League.

"We keep this up, and there will be more Team members than there are League members,'" Whitney said. "Especially if Supergirl joins full time."

Harry was well aware of that and that was interesting.

In the Fifth Dimension, Mxy let out a stream of cursing that would make Yosemite Sam blush.

"You really hit a new low."

Mxy turned around and saw a beautiful, attractive redhead woman, stacked, with a curvy hourglass figure, and a beautiful face. His wife, Ms. Gsptlsnz, who frowned at him.

"Going after children...and getting outsmarted by them."

Granted, one could argue that Superman was not a child, but Gizpy could not resist rubbing in her husband's failure.

"Who are you kidding?" Mxy asked. "That's the best day of my life….I finally found a worthy adversary, and I can't wait to clash with him again. What to do over the next ninety days though?"

"Well," Gizpy told him. "You could start on cleaning out the garage...which you've been putting off for the last eternity."

"Well, obviously, I mean to to do that, but you know there's never enough time in the day," Mxy said.

"And then, when you get that done, you have all of these to do," Gizpy said.

She threw a scroll at Mxy's face, and the paper on it kept rolling and rolling and rolling down the hallway, with no end in sight. Mxy's eyes bulged at the list of chores that his wife gave him.

"Hopefully, you can handle the gutters a lot better than you can handle Superman," Gizpy said.

"Well, maybe you can try and handle him next time ,if you think you're so smart!" Mxy yelled.

"Maybe I will," Gizpy said. "But, the gutters aren't going to clean itself."

The moment Mxy left, grumbling, Gizpy snapped her fingers and her attire turned into a red lingerie set. She laid out on a luscious bed and came across a view screen, to the third-dimension. Right into Superman's bedroom, where he would be joined by some lovely women.

Some might call this stalking, but Gizpy called it research. She kicked back and tilted her head to the side with a smile.

"Let the shameless smut commence."