Searching for Magic

"Find a magician?"

Diana hovered in midair, the wind stirring her long hair.

"The world of magic runs deep. Most magicians keep to themselves and don't like outsiders disturbing them."

Shane held a hand against his breast pocket. His fingertips could feel the faint warmth of the Golden Apple, a sign that its magic had not yet fully subsided.

"I know. But luck played a bigger part in my victory over the Goddess of Discord this time. Maybe the arrogance most gods can't help showing mortals played a part too. That doesn't mean I'll be able to hold my own every time."

His voice was firm. Someone who had survived a life-or-death trial on Viltrum would never sit around waiting for disaster.

Diana saw the composure in his eyes and suddenly felt that his unflappable manner made him more dependable than some of the League's more impulsive members.

"All right. I'll contact Batman."

Diana hesitated no longer. She raised her wrist and activated her encrypted communicator. Pale blue light spread across the metal band, and a few seconds later, Batman's deep voice came through, as cold and hard as ever.

"What is it?"

"Shane's run into trouble. Goddess of Discord Eris has her sights on him, and he's taken her artifact, the Golden Apple."

Diana explained the situation briefly.

"We need to speak with some magicians about how to counter it and prepare for Eris's revenge when she revives. Do you have any leads?"

There was a moment of silence at the other end. Then Batman spoke, a trace of gravity in his voice.

"The Golden Apple? Eris's personal artifact?"

"Yes. Shane just confronted her and crushed her mortal vessel, but her true self is still in the Divine Realm. She could revive at any time."

Diana added one more question.

"We'd like to talk in person. Should we come to the Batcave?"

"No."

Batman's refusal was absolute.

"Don't bring him to the Batcave."

Shane raised an eyebrow, catching the wariness in Batman's tone.

Diana was surprised too.

"Why? The Batcave's security is more than adequate."

"During your encounter with Eris, the surveillance system I installed in Boston lost its signal for exactly four minutes and twenty-three seconds."

There was a chill in Batman's voice.

He paused, then addressed Shane directly.

"After that, I heard your entire conversation. Shane, what you showed me was completely at odds with your apparent age."

Batman's meaning was clear.

Shane's reasoning, foresight, and grasp of the situation made him a perfect fit for the role of an alien operative.

His threat rating on Batman's watch list had just gone up again.

"You're going to say all that in front of a child?"

Diana was familiar enough with Batman's ways by now, but she couldn't help speaking up.

"Do you really think he's still a child? He acts more mature than Green Lantern and Shazam put together."

Shane did not seem to mind at all. He spoke calmly into Diana's communicator.

"We have a problem in common right now. Let's deal with the immediate threat first."

The other end fell silent. Batman seemed to be weighing his options.

A moment later, he proposed a new plan.

"Meet me at the Watchtower. I've sent the coordinates to your communicator."

"The Watchtower?"

Diana blinked.

"Didn't you say it was still under construction?"

"Bring him here."

Batman offered no explanation and ended the call.

Diana put away her communicator. Though puzzled, she nodded to Shane.

"Let's go. Can you function in space?"

"...Teacher Prince, I come from a spacefaring warrior race. Did you read my file at all?"

Diana felt almost helpless. Sometimes Shane reminded her of Batman, and his young appearance made his questions even harder to answer than Batman's.

"I only knew someone needed help, so I came."

They accelerated together, broke through the clouds, and flew toward outer space.

Before long, a massive space station hovering in geostationary orbit came into view.

The Watchtower was silver-gray and sleekly futuristic. Its enormous solar panels gleamed in the sunlight, while several energy shields encircled it with a faint blue glow.

They passed through the shields and entered the Watchtower.

Diana murmured something in admiration of the technology. Shane was less impressed.

Viltrum had satellite fortresses far grander than this.

Precision instruments lined both sides of the spacious corridor, and holographic projections flickered in midair. The entire station ran smoothly, without a trace of anything "still under construction."

Diana's frown deepened beneath her amazement. As they followed a guide robot toward the conference room, she grumbled under her breath.

"He's been lying to us all this time."

Shane asked curiously,

"What do you mean?"

"Batman's always told us the Watchtower was still being built and tested, that it wasn't officially in use. So the Justice League has had to hold every meeting at the Hall of Justice in New York."

Diana sounded resigned.

"But you know what happens when a group of superpowered people gathers in a crowded city like New York. The United Nations sends a warning almost every time, saying we could cause public panic and pose a potential risk."

She sighed.

"Most of the others keep their identities hidden. I'm the only one with an official position as Themyscira's ambassador to the outside world, so every warning lands in my inbox. All the pressure falls on me."

As she spoke, they entered the conference room.

Batman was already seated at the head of the table, his black suit blending into the dim surroundings. Only the bat emblem was faintly visible under the lights.

When they came in, he merely gestured for them to sit. He clearly had no intention of explaining the Watchtower.

Diana was about to demand an answer when Batman cut her off.

"Business first. Do you have the Golden Apple?"

His gaze fixed on Shane's chest.

Shane nodded.

"I do. Teacher Prince told me how dangerous it is, so I'm not handing it over to anyone. That would only invite more trouble."

"You want a magician to break its power, or to find a way to deal with Eris?"

Batman asked.

"Yes."

Shane was frank.

"I need a list of magic users. Since you even keep a fourteen-year-old alien refugee under surveillance, I'd say you're the only one in the Justice League who can give me one."

Batman's eyes darkened, but he did not deny it.

He tapped a few keys on the console before him. A holographic screen appeared, displaying two files.

"I'm not giving you the full list."

Batman's voice was cold.

"Some magicians are every bit as dangerous as Eris. Contacting them would only cause bigger problems."

In short, these two were relatively manageable and, in Batman's judgment, might actually be able to help.

Shane looked at the screen.

The first file was titled "Doctor Fate."

Below it was a location: Salem City, Massachusetts, United States.

The file said Doctor Fate commanded powerful mystical forces, but his whereabouts were unpredictable.

Disturbances suggesting spatial travel had appeared in Salem City, so the file noted that Doctor Fate himself was difficult to track.

Still, Doctor Fate had appeared in public several times and used magic to solve difficult problems. He was also suspected of having ties to a now-inactive team of heroes.

The name caught Shane's attention.

He remembered Doctor Fate from his previous life and knew he was immensely powerful. He had already intended to visit him first; he simply hadn't known where to find him.

Now Batman had given him a precise lead. Shane committed Doctor Fate's name to memory and instantly placed Salem City on the map in his mind.

He turned to the second file.

This one was much thinner. It contained only a blurry surveillance image of a slight figure in a gray robe, apparently female.

According to the file, Grey Robe occasionally appeared in Gotham at night. She followed no fixed pattern and was adept at concealing herself with magic.

"I've been tracking Grey Robe for a long time."

Batman explained.

"She's shown no aggression. She occasionally steals food, but on three recorded occasions, she helped people who were close to freezing or starving on the streets. Of everyone connected to magic, she has the lowest threat rating. She's relatively safe."

Shane studied the blurry image, thoughtful.

Gotham... Batman's territory. If even he couldn't track Grey Robe down, she had to be good at hiding.

"These two files are enough to get you started."

Batman closed the holographic screen.

"Contact me if you run into something you can't handle. But remember, don't provoke other magic users carelessly. Earth's magical world is more complicated than you think."

Diana could no longer hold back.

"Are you really not going to explain the Watchtower?"

"We'll discuss the Watchtower another time."

Batman cut her off again, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"The priority is the Golden Apple and Eris. This meeting is over. You can leave."

Shane glanced between them and stood.

"I'll go to Salem City and look for Doctor Fate first. Teacher Prince, thank you for bringing me here."

With that, he turned toward the Watchtower's exit.

Diana gave Batman an exasperated glare, then followed Shane out.

Silence returned to the conference room. A lone black-clad figure sat at its head, still enough to make the air feel stifling.