Chapter 53

Halloween, in the afternoon, Harry Kent had a couple of hours to kill before he was due at the Happy Harbor High Halloween party. Before then, Harry had been interested in an exhibit which had been held at a museum, which caused his interest to be piqued.

Harry smiled when catching Diana's eye. Beside Diana stood another attractive woman, dressed in her professional best. She had her hair pinned back, brunette, and wearing eye glasses. Harry recognized her from news reports, although this is the first time Harry met her in person.

"Diana, how are you?" Harry asked.

"I'm doing well," Diana said. "This is Doctor Helena Sandsmark and Helena Sandsmark, this is Harry Kent."

"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Kent," Helena said.

"Please, Harry."

"Then, I insist you call me Helena."

Shaking hands, Harry greeted Helena Sandsmark with a smile. And Diana greeted him with a warm hug. The only thing which prevented her from doing any more was a surprising amount of restraint. Of course, Diana had some of the most restraint of most of his girls.

At least until they got to the bedroom, and then all bets are off.

"Diana mentioned to me you came across an amazing discovery," Harry said.

The expression of Doctor Sandsmark brightened up, when looking at Harry.

"Yes, I didn't think that I would come across something so amazing, but there it was. When I was on my latest temple run, I came across it. But, the fabled Sword of Beowulf, rumored to be wielded by the hero himself. And a sword of infinite power, although one of those who are pure of heart. And I'm unveiling it to the world today this press conference...and speaking of which…."

In came the reporters to get a closer look. They had come in from all over the country, by the looks of things. Helena just moved in. She had given press conferences before so the woman knew how to handle it.

Helena turned to discuss the information about the sword with the reporters. Their eyes flashed with intense eagerness. Among the reporters, stood Cat Grant and Lois Lane. Both of the women caught Harry's eye and smiled. It had been the first time all three of them had been in the same place since the aftermath of the charity event with Perdita.

"Behold, the infamous Sword of Beowulf," Helena said. "I had not went into the tomb expecting to find such a priceless artifact. But it was held by the legendary hero. And is of immense power."

"And with great power, there comes great security risk, right?" Lois asked.

Harry smiled, leave it to Lois to pretty much put things in perspective. Helena looked pretty pleased about this find, and Harry thought it was a long time coming. Diana looked proud of her colleague and Harry could not help and be happy for both of them.

"Well, there is a risk with any artifact," Helena said. "But, what is life truly, if you live in fear? Such an object should be celebrated, and not feared. And the legends state only one pure of heart could wield the sword of Beowulf."

Hopefully so, although Harry knew there were many ways to purify a heart. Technically, those who were completely evil with no scruples were pure of heart. It's just the purity came around in the other direction. Still, Harry knew Diana would likely take this seriously, so was there anything to worry about?

Helena fielded even more questions. Most of them had been common knowledge to Harry. Still, Harry found it interesting to hear Doctor Sandsmark's perspective about the artifact. And she was quite knowledgeable. Although, she had been no closer to pinning down anything about Cheetah's affliction.

"Mr. Kent, I almost didn't recognize you there," Cat said with a smile. "What do you have to say about the rumors that you're working on a top secret project at Starrwave?"

"Now, Cat, if it was top secret, then it would be bad form if I told you about it, now wouldn't it?" Harry asked.

Harry gave Cat that smile which moistened the knickers of every woman he laid eyes on. Cat was very persistent in asking her questions.

"Well, how about the rumors that there's going to be a bidding war from every major university in the country and some elsewhere in the world to have the prestige of a young prodigy such as yourself?" Cat asked. "Given that you have the highest ACT scores on record, when you entered Happy Harbor High School."

"I'm considering my options," Harry said.

"Maybe we can discuss those options over breakfast."

"No, because Harry's joining me to discuss his future over lunch," Lois said. "Aren't you?"

The two reporters locked eyes with each other. Harry chuckled, quite glad looks could not kill. Because, he was very fond of Lois and Cat.

"Sorry, ladies, but I'm afraid Doctor Sandsmark is who you want to direct your questions to," Harry said. "She's brought to you an amazing find...one in a lifetime find in fact. I don't think anyone has ever seen artifact like this before or ever again."

Harry smiled, after their encounter a few weeks ago, he realized one thing. There had a deeper competitive fire stirred between the these two reporters. A part of Harry realized he might have done his part in encouraging it, just a tiny little bit.

With a knowing smile, Harry indulged them a little bit. And would indulge them a bit later. At least he would if something had not caught Harry's interest out of the corner of his eye. Harry used the chaos of the press to take his leave to one side.

A young girl stared at Harry from the shadows with a very haunted look. Harry could feel the chill go through him. He stepped closer to the girl. Something about her seemed off….and how did she sneak in? She looked around school age, middle school if Harry had to make a guess.

"Are you lost?" Harry asked her in undertone. "Where are your parents?"

"Secret," the girl murmured.

One minute the girl pointed at the sword to push Harry's attention towards it. Then she stopped pointing, and then disappeared. As if into mist.

"Harry, are you alright?"

Harry honestly had no idea how to answer Lois's question. The weirdness of Halloween reared its ugly head one more time. The thought something supernatural lingered in the air put Harry on a greater edge than earlier.

Harry shook off the sighting the day earlier. Megan and Donna met with him in the cave for the three to make their plans to attend the Happy Harbor Halloween Party. He wondered about whether or not to share with the team what he saw. Because, to be honest, Harry saw the ghost.

Megan dressed in bandages, doing her best impression of a Mummy. Donna dressed as some kind of warrior princess. Harry moved across the cave, to get his costume. Nothing special, just your stereotypical wizard with a white beard, and twinkling eyes. Not to mention the purple robes and the hat.

"Still, think you should have gone as Superman," Donna said. "And not….Galdolph…"

"Gandalf!" Whitney corrected.

Harry shook his head, that was not Gandalf...whatever a Gandalf was anyway. He had not been completely with the conversation. After returning from the museum, Harry's mind had been a mile of moment.

After a second, Megan put her hand on Harry's shoulder and shook him. Harry jolted out of his thoughts, as Megan gently grabbed him by the shoulder. Naturally, Megan would be the one who would be able to sense something off.

"You okay?" Megan asked.

"I think I'm just working a bit too hard," Harry said.

Donna could buy that one, as could Megan. There are times where Harry worked so hard, they both wondered when he would find any time to sleep. Of course, neither minded his stamina, in many respects.

From the kitchen, the scent of a fresh baked plate of cookies came out, with a smiling Captain Marvel. Mary crossed the kitchen, apron swaying when walking towards them.

"Cookies are r….eady!"

Whitney got her hands on the cookies before Mary could properly announce their readiness. The fastest girl alive gobbled down the cookies in a very vigorous manner. One of these days, Harry swore Whitney was going to choke on something. She had not yet, but the day was coming.

The speedster polished off her cookies, the grin growing wider.

"Keep em coming," Whitney said with a smile.

"Glad you like them," Mary said with her usual sunny smile.

Whitney checked her watch and her body slackened. Oh, how could she forget? It seemed unbelievable, but yet it happened. Still, the first year without….Whitney shook her head and tried to focus.

"Oh, I'm due in Central City, like five minutes ago, "Whitney said. "Flash thing...Kid Flash thing too….yearly tradition...see you later!"

With those words, Whitney ran off distracted. Harry did a mental check of where the other team members were. Helena and Sara were back in Gotham to visit family members. Mareena was in Atlantis, and this left Zatanna and Artemis in the cave before Harry, Donna, and Megan walked off to the Halloween party.

The two disappeared, as Artemis looked out. She had been very bored. But, to be honest, she was happy to avoid Gotham on Halloween, especially after a bad experience from last year.

"Well, we could go out," Zatanna said. "I mean see if there's any trouble."

"It's Halloween," Artemis said. "Bound to be some kind of trouble out there."

Zatanna just smiled at Artemis's very blase statement. Oh, the poor girl did not know how much truth was to those statements. Given how there seemed to be a stronger concentration of magic in the air, for Halloween.

"Sure, why not?" Zatanna asked. "It could be fun."

Regardless, the duo of young heroines suited up and stepped out. Surely, they would run into some trouble here on Halloween night. Even if it was just some assholes taking advantage of the holiday to cause some chaos and devastate people.

Two guards moved around, one short and older, one tall and younger. Their eyes fell on the newest exhibit in this museum. The fabled Sword of Beowulf just brought feelings which crept them out ever so much.

"I don't know, being here just gives me the creeps," the younger guard said. "Especially on Halloween...you don't know what kind of crazies are out there on Halloween."

The younger guard voiced his complaints to the older one. A knowing smile crossed the face of the older guard. He patted the younger guard on the shoulder.

"You a Metropolis boy?" the older guard asked gruffly.

"Yeah, born and raised," the younger guard said.

"This is a pretty calm night for Gotham," the older guard said. "But, don't worry about it. We'll be fine...we're just the eyes and the ears. Let their new fangled security do the rest."

The Halloween jitters were a very real thing. Especially in an old museum like this, especially late at night. And especially with an ancient mystical sword which all of the nutcases would want. Granted, neither guard could even predict what the sword could potentially do, in destructive hands.

Something hissed from the shadows. The younger guard took a closer look, shining his flashlight in the shadows in the direction of the individual who had been hissing. A flash of light emitted, and a knife stabbed into the throat of the security guard. Two stabs connected to the throat of the man in question.

Blood spilled from the mouth of the younger security guard when dropping to the ground. The older one barely could draw a weapon before the sword swipe took him down. The man's chest and neck had been taken down from the furious assault from the warrior.

Three more security guards rushed to engage the mysterious intruder. Smoke filled the air and the intruder hit all of the pressure points. They all dropped down, puppets having their strings snapped severely.

"The sword belongs to Harm," he said. "Harm has been purged. It will not stop Harm."

The case shattered underneath the fist of Harm. The glint, comes into the corner of his eye. Harm sports one of the biggest slasher smiles imaginable. He took the Sword of Beowulf into his hand, the security system only being a minor problem.

But Harm had planned for this for some time, made all of the preparations. And what Harm wanted, Harm got. He disappeared into a puff of smoke, the sword sending Harm off into the distance.

The nice scenery at the Happy Harbor High School Halloween Party showed off the mood to Halloween. Bats, pumpkins, and a very beautifully made scarecrow hung from the ceiling, among other decorations. Donna, Megan, and Harry arrived early to set up, with Wendy, Karen, and Anissa joining them. The three lovely ladies dressed in their costume.

Donna got a good look at Anissa's costume, which was Catwoman. She nudged Harry and smiled at him.

"She wears it good, doesn't she?" Donna asked.

Harry would most certainly have to agree with that one. The tight latex of the Catwoman costume formed against Anissa's hips and bust. And Anissa just gave him a knowing smile and a wink.

Not to be outdone, Wendy wore a blonde wig to go with her Black Canary costume. She showed off an amazing set of legs. Something which would have caught people's interest more, had Anissa not been in the room.

Karen wore a Bumblebee outfit and the stinger drew attention to the obvious part of her body. The three girls smiled when looking over Harry, although obvious his costume was surprised.

"You should have gone as Superman," Anissa said.

Donna gave Harry a smug little "I told you" look, and Harry just smiled back at her.

"I would have to agree," Wendy commented. "Of course, you do pull off the wizened old wizard look."

"Could be worse, could have dressed up like a vampire and put glitter gloss all over yourself," Anissa said while pulling a face at the thought.

"I'm not sure if he could pull Superman off," Karen said with a small smile when looking over Harry. "He's much too tall and built."

Harry just chuckled in response at their statement. He did think of going as Superman. However, half of the school did go as Superman to be honest. And half of the people who went were women. Although, to be fair, they could be Superwoman as well. Not so much Supergirl, unless they adopted the skirt and half top outfit.

"I'm glad we're here tonight, instead of Gotham," Karen said.

"Really, what's happening there?" Wendy asked.

"Don't tell me it's Grundy again," Anissa said.

"No, not him, just a giant moth attack," Karen said. "Some weird guy in a moth man suit is attacking the Gala."

Curiosity hit Harry as he wondered about Karen's statement. Donna and Megan looked concerned, given that Helena and Sara were out in the middle of everything, having visiting friends.

"Some of our friends are from Gotham," Donna said.

"And so is Batman," Harry said. "And I heard a rumor Black Canary's in town as well tonight...so I'm sure they're more than enough to deal with a giant moth attack."

Harry's confident statement put Megan and Donna at ease. The entire group move through to get some punch and mingle with some of the students. All of the bargain basement Superman costumes, as far as the eye could see. And a couple of vampires which sparkled, which got swoons from the more shallow girls of the class.

To be honest, Harry did not get the appeal, and judging by Anissa's expression, she did not either.

"My sister was into those movies for way too long before she came to her senses," Anissa said. "Praise the Lord for that."

One particular person in the crowd caught Harry's interest.

Natalie Rushman appeared to be catching Harry's eye. It took Harry a second to realize that his teacher was going as a teacher, although a naughty one if the lack of material on the skirt and the tightness of the blouse was any indication. Obviously, Harry knew his homeroom and history teacher was hot. And the ruler hanging from her hand really topped off the outfit, and she wore a very sexy pair of glasses, Harry could not deny.

"Damn, the PTA's going to pop a blood vessel," Karen said.

"I think half of the boys in school are going to pop something," Wendy said with a grin.

"Not just the boys," Anissa murmured appreciatively.

Of course, Donna and Anissa, both being very bisexual, noticed and approved of their teacher's choice of attire as much as Harry did. Only, Harry was a bit less subtle of staring than they were. And Natalie's eyes locked on him, slowly licking the her lips, and smiling, with the yardstick wavering between her fingers.

Artemis and Zatanna hit the rooftops to scout out trouble. So far, so good, things had been surprisingly quiet for a Halloween night. Artemis's average night in Star City was much more eventful. She thought about calling this off as a lost night, although the fresh air did a good job at refreshing you.

"Slow Halloween much?" Artemis asked.

"Oh, I wouldn't be sure," Zatanna said.

Never failed a pair of assholes would harass someone.

Of course, a pair of goons hassled a woman for her purse. Instantly, Artemis jumped off of the rooftop and drew back her bow. The thug raised his hands in the air and tried to attack Artemis. Which was not a good idea for him.

One arrow took the man down onto the ground, with the impact slamming them down onto the ground. The second man swung the crowbar at the back of Artemis's head. She had been seconds away from turning around and laying the smackdown on her.

The crowbar ripped back and smacked onto the back of the man's head. He staggered around, punch drunk, from Zatanna's attack. Zatanna turned the crowbar into a cobra and chased the hoodlum down the alleyway until he tripped up and fell into a trash can like the clumsy goon he was.

"Well, that was easy."

Artemis regretted saying it instantly. She picked up the purse and slipped it back into the hand of the trembling woman. Gratitude swam through the woman's eyes.

"Thank you, Speedy!"

Artemis would have normally corrected her on the faux pas. However, chills ran down her spine, and she noticed someone shifting, watching them, stalking them. It was a feeling which sent chills down Artemis's spine.

The figure on the rooftop caught the attention of both Artemis and Zatanna. Something else caught Zatanna's eye and she pointed to the man on the rooftop. Artemis followed the progress.

"Isn't that the sword that Doctor Sandsmark found?" Zatanna asked.

"The Sword of Beowulf," Artemis murmured. "Shit...you shouldn't have to be able to use it unless you're pure of heart, right?"

"Well, there are other ways to purify yourself," Zatanna said. "My father said that people who are pure evil are technically pure of heart. Pure black of heart...but never mind….we need to take him down before he causes any damage. I mean, he didn't just take that sword because he wanted to collect it."

Artemis's nod showed her agreement with Zatanna, with her repelling to the rooftop to join Zatanna in chasing the individual down. The individual appeared to have disappeared in a blink of an eye. That frustrated the archer, and made her wonder what way she went.

"It is very foolish on it's part for it coming after Harm."

Seconds passed before Artemis just barely dodged the full capabilities of the sword on the back swing. She rapid fired arrows at her enemy. Each of the arrows vaporized from the magic coming from the sword.

"It does not present too much of a challenge," the individual said. "But, it will serve Harm's purpose nicely.

The rapid fire arrow shots reflected from the sword. Harm spun the sword around with a huge flare of energy right towards Artemis. The impact would have caused Artemis great pain had Zatanna not stepped in.

Zatanna blocked it at the last minute with a well formed shield. The concussive wave of magical energy caused her to nearly buckle at the knees. Somehow, Zatanna blocked it, biting down on on her lip. The enchantment barely held into place.

Another blast and this might suck if Zatanna did not slow their descent on the way down.

The two girls tumble over the edge, just avoiding slamming all the way to the pavement. Out of the corner of her eye, Artemis notices someone standing, staring at them. A young girl, dressed in white, with a permanent vacant stare in her eye.

"I think she wants us to follow us."

Following a ghost girl on Halloween, bad idea. However, Artemis would rather take her chances with that, then the nutcase with the mystical blade.

Artemis and Zatanna gave chase to the girl in the alleyway, who lead them in a very weird direction. But, it was away from the man who attacked them. That much was for certain.

The two heroines ended up on the rooftop, breathing heavily. The girl cocked an eyebrow and stared straight at them.

"Where are you taking us?" Zatanna asked.

"Secret," she replied with a finger to her lips.

Out of the corner of her eye, Artemis noticed the man, Harm ,coming after her. Drawing her bow, Artemis prepared to fire. She did not aim for the man with the sword, but rather the ground below him. The concussive blast fired out and rocked the ground.

The explosive arrow should slow him down. Stopping this individual was another matter entirely, and one which Artemis and Zatanna needed to regroup to get in front of this situation. The two women breathed heavily, not sure where else they could go from here.

"What was that?" Artemis asked. "Who was she?"

"I don't know," Zatanna said.

And there their mysterious ghost girl was about, standing on the rooftop about two blocks away from where they first encountered Harm.

"And there he was, with Flash completely at a loss of what to do. The big stinky Gorilla known as Grodd had the device which would bring Central City to his knees. When suddenly, Kid Flash zoomed in and took Grodd off of balance...long enough for Flash to free herself. She took Grodd down and slapped an inhibitor on his knee. And put Grodd back in his cage. It turns out he was a bad monkey, and he will get no banana tonight."

The children broke out into laughter at Kid Flash's story. She supposed it was the very animated way that the story was told which got the children laughing. And given how sick some of them were, they could use a moment of good laughter.

"Well, I'll be back in a minute," Kid Flash said. "But before I go...who wants candy?"

Everyone cheered, and Kid Flash passed out the candy to the children in a blink of an eye. With the children happily distracted by their sweets, Whitney left them.

She stood out in the hallways of the Central City Children's hospital with a big smile on her face.

Stepping out to check to see if Iris turned up, Whitney noticed a dark haired woman who stepped out of the elevator. Linda Park, her best friend, walked over.

"So, carrying on that tradition?" Linda asked.

"Yep, it made them happy," Whitney said.

"And you shared your candy with them," Linda said.

"Well, I filled up on cookies," Whitney said.

"I don't think you've been full in two years," Linda teased her.

"Well, Captain Marvel makes some pretty damn good cookies," Whitney said. "She's...amazing...not that the other members of the League are amazing….but...despite all we do ,as a Team, there's just something about this...helping these kids, which seems much more real."

Linda broke into a smile and patted Whitney on the shoulder. Given all that had been happening, it was good she always remained in such good spirits. And the smiles on those children's faces, it put a smile on Whitney's face as well.

"They need hope, in these dark times," Whitney said.

"All of us could use a little hope," Linda said. "Flash and Kid Flash...they bring that to Central City."

Hope was one of the things which brightened some of the darkest days as far as Whitney had been concerned. Some of those kids lived extremely rough lives, being through more in a few years than most had been through their entire life. And as Linda rightly pointed out, Flash and Kid Flash, they brought that hope to Central City.

As if on cue, Iris turned up at the edge of the stairs, in all over her Flash glory. A small smile broke out on Whitney's face.

"You made it," Kid Flash said.

"Sorry, got a bit tied up, literally, but you knew I would not miss this for the world," Flash said. "You know….it's a tradition and….it matters a lot."

"I really does," Kid Flash said. "Barry would be happy and pleased with what you're doing...you've carried on the legacy, and you're just not a mere placeholder."

"And I couldn't do a lot of this without you," Iris said.

The two agreed with each other. They were not just the low rent replacements. They just managed to continue a great legacy. But, enough patting each other on the back. The kids wanted to see Flash, and well Iris would not disappoint them.

After moving around, Natalie caught Harry's eye and motioned for him to come and follow her over to get a drink. She poured Harry a glass of punch and one for herself. Natalie drank it first and looked over Harry for a long minute.

"Your work is exceptional," Natalie said. "If more people put half as much work as you did, then there would be a very bright future."

Harry wondered exactly what this had been all about. She must have pulled him off to the side for a reason, other than to talk to him about good grades. Which was only one measure of success in Harry's mind.

"Thank you, Ms. Rushman," Harry said.

"Yes, but there's more I wish to discuss with you," Natalie said. "I would like to involve you on an advanced project that I'm working on. It could change how we perceive the history of mankind."

Natalie smiled, and waited for his answer. Harry did not know what to say, but he had been extremely intrigued by Natalie's statement. His curiosity bubbled over to the surface and Natalie pressed a hand onto his shoulder, smiling.

"I'll think about it," Harry said.

"I hope you consider it," Natalie said. "You are an exceptional student, but I think your talents will flourish even more outside of conventional study."

Anissa broke out into a smile the minute which Harry rejoined the entire group. Harry would be blind if he did not notice how big Anissa had been grinning.

"What are you smiling about?" Harry asked.

"Oh, come on, it's obvious," Anissa said to him. "The long looks, the fact she drops things in front of your desk at least twice a week, and makes sure to keep you after exams to talk to you more often than not. It's obvious she has a thing for you…."

"Wouldn't that violate teacher-student ethics?"

"Well, technically you're eighteen and only until your graduate," Anissa said. "And besides, are you the type of person who would turn her in, or brag to every idiot about how you scored with her?

Harry doubted he would, because that would ruin what could be a potentially good thing. Anissa and Harry moved back, and Anissa licked the purple punch from her lips. She put a hand on Harry's shoulder and pulled his beard to the side, to reveal Harry's face.

"There's more to her than meets the eye," Anissa said.

"Well, there's more to you as well," Harry said.

The moment they shared had been interrupted with the scream of Wendy coming from the room. Anissa pulled her hand off of Harry's face. Thankfully, she was not really Black Canary, because otherwise, the entire gym would have been taken down.

"Batgirl did it, Batgirl beat Killer Moth!" Wendy cheered.

"Batgirl?" Donna asked.

"Don't they mean Batwoman?" Anissa asked. "And didn't she retire about five years ago?"

"That's what Jack Ryder said over the radio, it's Batgirl."

"Yeah, it's Batgirl, wow...she kicked some serious ass...whoever she is."

From across the gym, Donna and Megan gave Harry a long and significant look. They had similar ideas regarding what was going on. Of course, Harry hated to assume.

Zatanna and Artemis ran all about New York in search for Harm. In particular, Artemis felt slightly miffed and for good reason. She stopped short of the latest dead end their little mystery friend had gone on.

"She could be leading us on," Artemis said. "I wouldn't be surprised if she was leading us into some kind of trap. You know it...it could be happening."

"It could be," Zatanna agreed.

Oh, Zatanna could feel Artemis's pain. However, there was a minute where Zatanna felt the most morbid sense of curiosity. Something highly mystical came through the air and caught her attention.

The young girl flickered back in life in front of a magic shop. And then disappeared. Artemis turned around three hundred and sixty degrees. This is where the girl lead them.

"So, she must have brought us here for a reason, right?" Zatanna asked.

Because of course, they were going to step into the creepy magic shop and have a look around. Why would they do something like that? Actually, in their line of work, why would they not do something like that?"

"So, we're supposed to be here for a reason," Artemis said.

The second they got a good look inside, a loud growl hit them. Harm appeared in front of them, brandishing the sword and looking particular manic. He looked close to spitting fire even.

"You dare desecrate Harm's sacred burial ground!" Harm howled. "What does it know? It will not ruin Harm."

"She set us up!" Artemis yelled. "Creepy ghost girl was working for this idiot!"

Zatanna did not share Artemis's sentiments one hundred percent, but they hard far worse things to deal with. Namely the crazed madman with the sword. Who attacked them with a fury. He cut through Zatanna's charms like a hot knife through butter.

Both Artemis and Zatanna laid on their back and breathed heavily. Harm raised the sword and something stopped him, a prickling feeling.

While Harm could destroy them utterly, something else hit him. Exactly how did they find it? This question struck Harm suddenly. He settled for knocking them out, as opposed to sacrificing them to keep his purity intact. For now at least.

"Harm must know how it knows before Harm terminates it." the crazed young man said.

After a quick trip to the Bathroom, Harry moved over to the sink to wash his hands. Something very peculiar stared back at Harry. Not his own reflection, but the reflection of the girl who he met at the museum earlier that night.

"You do realize this is a boy's bathroom," Harry said.

"Secret," she said.

Harry's reflection came off in the mirror, with the girl putting a hand on his forehead. She was cool to the touch and images flashed through Harry's mind. Images of Zatanna and Artemis out on patrol, and then encountering them. Then they shifted to a man stealing the sword after slaughtering the night security guards.

The images of some nutcase stealing the Sword of Beowulf flashed through Harry's mind. Along with Zatanna and Artemis tracking down the man. And then getting attacked and held captive by this man. Torture loomed in their distant future.

"Harm will know what it knows."

That was the last image which flashed through Harry's head. He clutched the side of the sink, heavy breathing following.

"I hate Halloween," Harry grumbled.

The moment he turned around, the girl vanished. Harry sighed and started to vibrate to create a time remnant to rejoin the party. And then once Harry was sure his double was out, it was time for him to go.

This looked like a job for Superman.