Countdown. Part 11

This whole thing is insane, Holly thought. What's so "purifying" about encouraging untrained, emotionally damaged girls to beat each other up?

She considered trying to break up the fight in front of her, but before she could intervene, the female dynamo embodying Comedy leapt between the two women. Kicking out her legs in midair, she nailed both women with her steel-shod heels, then landed adroitly on her feet a few yards away from Holly, who couldn't help being impressed by the stranger's agility. The masked woman triumphantly spun the cudgel above her head before taking a bow. She faced Holly across the suddenly silent arena. Holly realized belatedly that they were the last two women standing.

Holly tightened her grip on the bullwhip. Fine, she thought. If Funny Face isn't going to back down, then neither am I. Perspiration dripped beneath her helmet and armor. Adrenaline coursed through her veins. To be honest, part of her was enjoying the workout; it had been a while since she'd kicked a little b.u.t.t. Athena wants a show? Okay, let's give her one.

Holly imagined Athena's cool gray eyes gazing down on them, but couldn't risk sneaking a peek at the balcony to see how their supposed benefactress was reacting to the spectacle so far. Wounded gladiators crawled away to the fringes of the arena, getting safely out of the way. Discarded weapons littered the ground. The hot sun shone down through the gla.s.s dome overhead. Naturally, the coliseum was not air-conditioned. The stuffy atmosphere reeked of blood and sweat. Holly figured she didn't smell too fresh either.

She and Funny Face warily circled each other, taking each other's measure. Holly briefly wondered what the other woman's story was before pushing the thought aside. Win first; ask questions later, she reminded herself. Remember what they say about curiosity and cats.

The masked woman made the first move, swinging at Holly with the weighted end of the cudgel. Holly darted to the left, dodging the strike, and came up quickly behind Funny Face. Holding on to a length of whip with both hands, she wrapped it around the other woman's throat like a garrote. "Ha!" she gloated as Funny Face let out a strangled gasp. The club slipped from her opponent's grasp as her fingers clutched at the oiled rope around her neck. Holly grinned victoriously. It was just like Selina always said: When in doubt, fight dirty.

Of course, she also said, Never drop your guard....

Funny Face jabbed her armored elbow into Holly's side hard enough to dent the metal cuira.s.s. The pain loosened Holly's grip on the lash and the masked woman yanked the rope away from her throat. Springing forward onto her hands, she slammed the soles of her feet into Holly's lower jaw. Blood sprayed from a busted lip as Holly reeled backward, letting go of the whip, even as her acrobatic enemy flipped back onto her feet. Panting hard, both women a.s.sumed defensive positions as they circled each other once more, this time unarmed. Holly's whip lay on the ground nearby, tantalizingly out of reach, along with the fallen club.

d.a.m.n, she's good. Holly wiped the blood from her lips. Need to switch tactics and move this fight inside. Her eyes narrowed as she looked for an opening. The molded steel armor felt like it weighed a thousand pounds. She pined for her black leather catsuit. . . .

"I have seen enough!" Athena announced from above.

That's it? Holly thought. The fight's over? Just to be sure, she waited until Funny Face lowered her guard before doing the same. The two combatants turned toward the balcony. Athena smiled down upon them.

"You are among the lucky ones," she declared, "who have pa.s.sed this sacred test. You, along with a few select others, will be making the pilgrimage to Paradise Island to achieve full citizenship among the Amazons!"

Holly gasped. She'd heard of Paradise Island, of course. Everyone had. That was where Wonder Woman was from: a mystical realm, hidden somewhere in the Bermuda Triangle, inhabited only by a race of immortal woman warriors. Like the underwater city of Atlantis, or the Bottle City of Kandor, it was one of those legendary places you read about but never expected to visit in your lifetime. Was Athena serious about taking them there?

"Awesome!" Funny Face squealed in delight. She removed her helmet to reveal the beaming face of Harley Quinn. She grinned exuberantly at Holly. "We both made it!" She sounded like they had just won the grand prize on some bizarre TV reality show. "Are you excited? I'm excited! We're going to Paradise Island!"

Holly had to admit that it sounded like a dream come true.

CHUNG LING SOO SQUARE. CHINA.

The bustling village marketplace, hidden away in rural Mongolia, made Zatanna's spooky mansion look like Main Street, USA. A packed dirt road led between rows of outdoor stalls hawking all manner of occult artifacts and curios. Paper lanterns glowed brightly in the middle of the afternoon, and wind chimes tinkled in the breeze. Graceful temples and paG.o.das loomed behind the wooden booths and stands. Silk banners advertised potions and love charms in Mandarin, while the shoppers patronizing the merchants were just as exotic-looking as the wares they were haggling over. A genuine Chinese dragon, complete with a s.h.a.ggy red mane, prowled the market, but n.o.body seemed at all alarmed by the beast's presence. A stooped old woman walked a saber-toothed tiger on a leash, and a glamorous Asian sorceress in a cherry red kimono glided overhead on a cloud. A plant elemental, who could have been Swamp Thing's skinnier cousin, was composed entirely of twigs and vines, and a slinky foxwoman walked hand in hand with a samurai warrior.

What is this place? Mary thought. Her magic word had restored her powers. She strolled aimlessly through the bizarre bazaar, taking in the sights. And what am I doing here?

"You look lost," a boyish voice addressed her in English.

Grateful to hear her native tongue, she turned around to see a slight young boy, scarcely past p.u.b.erty, approaching her. Strangely, he was dressed like a Pilgrim from a Thanksgiving Day pageant. His severe black clothing, white collar, leggings, and buckled shoes looked extremely out of place in the remote Chinese village. His pale blue skin looked as though it rarely felt the touch of the sun, and his dark black hair and pointed ears, which reminded her of Black Adam, put Mary on guard. A plump ginger-colored cat with a singularly evil-looking expression perched upon the boy's shoulder. Its slitted green eyes regarded Mary with palpable disdain.

"Maybe," she conceded.

"My name is Klarion," he volunteered, "and this is Teekl. We're from Limbo Town, home to the lost population of Roanoke. I'm a Witch Boy."

"Good for you," Mary said suspiciously. She remembered hearing about Roanoke in school; the first English colony in the Americas, its inhabitants had vanished mysteriously over five hundred years ago. Guess that explains the Puritan getup, she thought, a.s.suming he's telling the truth. "I'm Mary Marvel."

Klarion gestured at the sprawling bazaar around them. His soft voice had retained his ancestors' British accent. "What are you in the market for, Mary Marvel?"

I wish I knew, she thought. "To be honest, I just kind of stumbled onto this place."

That was true enough; ever since getting kicked out of Shadowcrest, she had been flying around the world at random, trying to figure out what to do next. She felt bad about the way things had turned out with Zatanna, but that didn't change the fact that she still needed to get a handle on her new magical powers. Maybe the Fates had led her to this place for a reason?

"Chung Ling Soo Square is a very insular community," Klarion observed. He stroked his familiar's furry head, eliciting a purr in response. "I'm quite surprised no one has tried to kill you yet."

Maybe they know better than to mess with me, she thought. "I recognized the concealment spell from above, but you're the first person to speak to me." She reached out to pet the cat, but backed off when Teekl hissed in warning. Orange hair rose up along the feline's spine. What a nasty p.u.s.s.ycat! "So far I've only been cursed at in Mandarin and gotten some real dirty looks." She shrugged her shoulders. "Nothing I can't handle."

Klarion nodded as they wandered through the market together. "Clearly you possess some ability in the art of magic; otherwise, you wouldn't have found this place."

A trio of ghostly giants, as huge as they were immaterial, stepped over their heads. Enormous bags of bones were slung over their mammoth shoulders. n.o.body in the market gave them a second look. Mary watched them slowly fade from sight.

"Let's just say magic and I are old friends, but I'm in the market for some new tricks." She decided to lay her cards on the table. "Maybe I've come to the right place?"

Klarion considered her words. "The problem with magic freely given is that it is never valued as much as that which is gained at a price."

Was that why things didn't work with Zatanna? Mary wondered. Zee probably took her magic for granted; she couldn't possibly comprehend how hard it was for Mary to keep control of Black Adam's unexpected gift. "I guess that's what happened with the last person who tried to help me."

Klarion seemed to understand. "Some rare folks are born with magic in their blood. Altruistic types are happy to share their abilities, but every other magic user has to barter."

Like I bartered with Black Adam? she thought. What did I lose when I gained his power?

They paused in front of a wooden stall hawking jade amulets and bracelets. Charms and incantations were engraved upon the talismans. Laughing children chased a walking corpse through the street behind them as a white-haired wraith floated by.

"What could I possibly barter with anyway?" Mary asked. Intrigued by the magical jewelry on display in the booth, she stepped closer for a better look.

The Witch Boy chuckled slyly. "You'd be surprised what pa.s.ses for currency around here."

Swirling strands of ectoplasm issued from his fingertips, trapping Mary inside a glowing sphere. The boulder-sized globe spun about madly. "Hey!" she cried out, tumbling head over heels inside the sphere. "What the h.e.l.l are you doing?"

"Don't worry, Mary Marvel," Klarion said. "And cover your ears."

"What?" She tried to break free from the translucent sphere, but its constant spinning threw her off balance. Dizzy and disoriented, she bounced clumsily against its walls.

"Your ears!" Klarion called out helpfully. He demonstrated by sticking his fingers into his own ears. Teekl buried his head beneath his paws. "Like this!"

Firecrackers went off loudly. Pyrotechnic green flames blasted the sphere, hurling it into the air away from the booth. Inside the careening prison, Mary was buffeted and tossed about. The noise of the firecrackers drowned out her indignant yelps. Startled shoppers gazed at the spectacle in alarm.

"There, there, brave Teekl," Klarion cooed to the agitated feline, who clearly did not approve of the racket. "Everything's fine!"

An aged Chinese wizard, awash in a flowing emerald robe, dashed out from the endangered stall. Golden dragons were embroidered on his garments. His long white beard flapped in the wind.

"Self-defense!" he shouted to his worried neighbors. "She approached my stall uninvited. Her raw magic disturbed my spells!" Greedy eyes a.s.sessed Mary through the shimmering walls of her prison. "I demand compensation!"

"Compensation?" The bouncing globe finally came to a stop upon a stretch of cobblestoned pavement. Regaining her balance, Mary tore her way out of the ectoplasmic sphere, which came apart into shreds of formless vapor. "For nearly nuking me?"

Charging across the street, she grabbed on to the old man by his collar and yanked him off his feet. The snow-white strands of his beard frizzed out from his face as a powerful jolt of mystical lightning shocked him to his bones. His eyes rolled inward until only the whites were visible. A whimper escaped his lips. Smoke rose from his robes.

"I'll give you payback, you wretch!" Mary snarled.

Klarion tapped her on the shoulder. "Mary?"

She glanced back at him in annoyance. "Yes?"

"Pardon me for interrupting," the Witch Boy said, "but I believe he will trouble us no more."

Huh? Mary turned back toward her victim, who was now trembling helplessly in her grasp. A twinge of guilt p.r.i.c.ked her conscience as she realized for the first time just how frail and frightened the old man looked. His bloodless face was as white as a ghost's. His creased skin was as thin as rice paper. Rheumy eyes pleaded for mercy. Holy Moley, she thought. He's scared to death of me.

She let go of his collar and the vanquished wizard dropped awkwardly onto the ground. Gathering his singed robes around him, he scurried away from her as swiftly as his ancient bones could carry him. So intense was his need to escape that he abandoned his wares without a backward glance, frantic prayers spilling from his mouth.

"Wait!" she blurted, anxious to make amends. "I'm sorry.... I didn't mean . . ."

"Forget him, Mary Marvel," Klarion urged her. "You have more important things to consider . . . such as how to thank me for saving your life."

That got her attention. Whirling around, she confronted the boy and his cat. "And how exactly did you do that?"

"By shielding you within that protective coc.o.o.n, of course," he said, as though that should have been selfevident. "I knew that your interest in those jade trinkets would provoke a hostile reaction."

"Uh-huh." Mary knew she was being hustled. "No way. I could have handled that geezer just fine on my own." Her hands rested confidently upon her hips. "I'm not letting you blackmail me."

Klarion clutched his chest, as though deeply hurt by her accusation. "You'll find only charity in my heart, Friend Mary, not malice. All I ask in return for my service is just the tiniest, barest, most insignificant fraction of your power."

"Is that so?" she asked. "And what's in it for me?"

"A simple trade," he a.s.sured her. "For the merest taste of your occult puissance, I'll help you master the forces that rage within you."

At least he's up-front about it, she thought. Unlike Zatanna, who promised me everything, then threw me out the first time I screwed up.

She gave his offer serious thought. Certainly, she still needed help controlling Black Adam's tainted magic; look at the way she had just blown her top at that old man a few minutes ago. Why not make this deal with Witch Boy here? She had so much magic in her now that she could afford to spare him a spark.

"All you need do is take my hand," he explained.

Okay, Mary thought. She reached out to him until their fingers were less than an inch apart. "Just a touch," she reminded him.

Klarion wanted more, however. To her surprise, his slender blue fingers stretched like rubber and wrapped themselves around her wrist and upper arm. Latching on to her like leeches, the sinuous digits refused to let her go. Mary felt a sharp stinging sensation. Static electricity crackled beneath the Witch Boy's hungry fingers.

Teekl hissed in excitement. The cat's green eyes glowed with demonic glee. Claws extended, he lunged at Mary.

"Yes, Teekl," Klarion promised the familiar. "You can have her once she's drained."

Dammit, Mary thought. I should have known this was a trick! Her temper flared as she knocked Klarion away from her with a vicious backhanded blow to his face. His ductile fingers came loose, tearing away bits of skin beneath her black gloves. Teekl sank his claws into her shoulder, but she yanked the snarling cat from her flesh and flung him after his duplicitous master. The fiendish feline let out a caterwauling screech as it tumbled through the air, finally landing on its feet on the other side of the market.

Mary's blood boiled. It seemed like everyone was out to backstab her these days. Fine, she thought. I can give as well as I get. Lightning crackled about her, setting nearby banners and paper lanterns aflame. "Okay, Witch Boy! You wanted a drink from the fire hose? You got it!"

But it seemed like the little sneak had had enough. "T-Teekl . . . ?" he murmured weakly as he lay sprawled upon the pavement. Fresh bruises added a touch of color to his pallid face. He looked about anxiously for his filthy pet, who slunk to his side. The cat's hackles raised as it glowered back at Mary.

Mary considered eliminating these two once and for all, just to send a message to all the other snakes and liars out there. She was sick and tired of people who thought they could outsmart her.

Yes, Mary, a familiar voice whispered in her brain. Kill them if you like. They won't be missed.

It took Mary a second to realize that the voice was not her own. "Who said that?"

The one you're searching for.

"Right," Mary said sarcastically. She'd heard that before. "Someone else out to take what's mine."

Oh, I'm more like you than anyone. Follow my voice and you'll see what I mean.

Mary launched herself into the air. If nothing else, she wanted to find out just who had the nerve to invade her thoughts this way. Her clenched fists tore through the sky. "This better not be another trick."

Trust me, Mary. You won't be disappointed.

She left Klarion to deal with the angry merchants below.

22 AND COUNTING.

GOTHAM CITY. EARTH-15.

"This is a gross violation of your jurisdiction, brother," the second Monitor declared ominously. "Your intemperate actions, however well-meaning, jeopardize the integrity of the Multiverse."

Although he obviously belonged to the same alien race, Donna noticed subtle differences between this Monitor and the one who had recruited her and Jason. This Monitor was clean-shaven, for one thing, and instead of cornrows, his long black hair was knotted in the back. His futuristic armor looked equally formidable, though, and, like his kinsman, he towered a head or two above the ordinary-sized humanoids populating the park.

"Called it," Jason gloated. "Didn't I say this was serious bad news?"

"Shut up," Donna said. Now was no time to be distracted by juvenile banter. Between the two of them, the G.o.dlike Monitors outcla.s.sed them all in power. She didn't want to get caught in the middle of a fight between them.

"Nix Uotan!" their own Monitor addressed the newcomer. "You do not belong here either. What business have you interfering in my affairs?"

"You forced our hand, Solomon," the new Monitor said. "Your reckless travels have not escaped the notice of the rest of our number. The Monitor of this world originally wished to confront you on her own, but we persuaded her that a more unified response was desired. Therefore I have been dispatched by our a.s.sembly to present our ruling." He crossed his arms over his chest. "You will surrender yourself to my custody and be returned to the Nexus of Realities, there to stand trial for crimes against the Multiverse."

"Crimes?" The original Monitor, whose name was apparently Solomon, raised his voice in anger. "Everything I have done has been to save the Multiverse from a universal threat!"

"That's enough, both of you!" Batman strode forward decisively. He s.n.a.t.c.hed a Batarang from his utility belt. "I don't know which of you aliens is in the right, but this is my city and my world and I want some say in what happens here." Superwoman, Wonder Woman, and the female Atom formed ranks behind him. "The Justice League is taking charge of this situation right now!"

Nix Uotan glanced at the heroes in annoyance. With a wave of his hand, he teleported them away from the scene. "You see," he accused Solomon, "you have already disturbed the native inhabitants of this Earth." He turned his scarlet eyes on Donna and Jason. "Moreover, you have violated Multiversal law by removing these humans from their own Earth and exposing them to realities they were never meant to encounter."

"No harm was done to Earth-One by extracting these two," Solomon insisted. "They are both anomalies who should have remained dead in the first place. They were expendable!"

"What the h.e.l.l?" Jason blurted. "You chose us because we're supposed to be dead anyway?"

Donna was equally stunned by the Monitor's revelation. It makes sense, though, she realized in retrospect. If we die on this quest, or never make it back home, then our Earth will simply go back to the way it was before Jason and I returned from our graves. We are expendable-at least from a cosmic point of view.

Not that this made her feel any less used.

"There are larger issues at stake than the disposition of these two humans," Nix Uotan maintained. "You must surrender to the will of the majority and abandon this forbidden campaign."

"Never!" Solomon said defiantly. "The End Time that was foretold is fast approaching. Only Ray Palmer can avert the Great Disaster!"

Donna recalled that K'Dessa, the pint-sized oracle of the nanoverse, had said the same thing. So Solomon's not the only ent.i.ty subscribing to this theory.

"You are mistaken," Nix Uotan insisted. "This Palmer being you seek is without significance. Trust me, brother, he lives a life of no consequence."