Lex's Plan for Zatanna: The Watchtower Phase

The Justice League Watchtower was actually not a simple, single satellite any longer. It hadn't been for quite some time. First off, there were a number of satellites in orbit around the Earth close to where the main Watchtower stood. Annexes, production facilities, fallback stations -- all sorts of things. Secondly, there was a second Watchtower facility on the surface of the moon. Third, there was the Metro Tower, which was best known as the Hall of Justice, down on Earth. All of these facilities were interconnected through a series of zeta-beam relays, allowing for instantaneous safe teleportation. This allowed League members of all levels of membership -- from honorary through reservist to part-time to full-time to founder, not to mention the various employees and volunteer staff who worked on the stations as support -- to access the League's resources simply and easily from anywhere on Earth.

If, you know, you needed that.

In this particular case, the incoming Justice League member didn't use the Zeta-teleport station. Still, being polite, she made her entrance in and around the same place. There was a sudden flare of light just off the zeta-pads, followed by a sudden sparkle-trail like Tinkerbell were performing an arial dance while drunk.

The Crimson Fox, Booster Gold, Rocket Red, and Green Arrow all paused, startled. Naturally they looked. Which, of course, was the idea.

The burning sparkle became a single top hat, which flipped around and danced through the air, leaving behind a sparkling mist, before landing on the deck... and sloooowly rising up. But now, underneath it, there was the smugly smiling face of the lush brunette mage who was one of the most significant members of the League. She bowed deeply, her hat spilling down her arm and being caught in her hand, which itself had a white cuff from under a tuxedo coat. She stood smoothly, snapping the hat into a cane with a flourish, and set it on the table. She had on leotard-tight panties with cummerbund over the tuxedo shirt which itself was low cut, showing off the woman's generous endowment to the arts. Her hips were as lush, her legs fantastic, highlighted by the fishnets she was so well known for. And most of all, her smile reached all the way to her violet eyes.

"Well hello Justice League!" Zatanna called out, sweeping her arm into a deep bow.

There was smattering applause. There always was. Booster Gold was perhaps a bit over-enthusiastic. Zatanna forgave him his little foibles.

"Not bad, Zee," Green Arrow said, as she walked up to their small group. "If you ever need someone to shoot arrows at you while you're spinning on a board or something, make sure you give me advance warning. I book up fast."

"Oh G-A," Zatanna said, smiling sweetly. "If I ever need someone to shoot arrows at me while I'm spinning on a board? I'll call the Huntress or Artemis. They know how to work a crowd." She winked, sauntering past.

"Is she saying I can't work a crowd," Green Arrow was asking, behind her. "Because I can work a crowd!"

"Stop teasing my man, hussy."

Zatanna arched an eyebrow. Black Canary was coming the other way. She was in the yellow and black leathers with coat, and of course, fishnets of her own. Tighter weave over stockings. Actually designed to turn aside knives and the like. The woman was a fighter first and foremost.

"Oh, did you write your name on him? How droll."

"Shut up. Strumpet."

"Trollop."

"Whitesnake backup dancer."

"Vegas Strip Showgirl."

"MMA Undercard bum."

"Don't get personal."

The two laughed, then bumped forearms. "Fishnets pride!" they shouted in unison.

"Where you all off to?" Zatanna asked, grinning.

"Kasnia. Wondy asked us to look in on a friend. You up for a trip?"

"Up, sure. Able, no. I'm actually here to check out for a few days. There's a confluence of the veils beyond the understanding of the nighttime call and it only happens every thirty-four years, and... you know."

"I have no idea what that even means." Canary grinned. "Have fun with it."

"I will do my level best." She turned and headed into the main body of the station.

"--told me it wasn't me, it was him," Stargirl was saying in the elevator. "Can you believe it? Of all the cliche-- hey, Zee."

"Hey, Zee," Supergirl echoed. "Maybe he's scared."

"Is this our Captain of the Lightning and the Thunder?" Zatanna said with a slight smile.

"Who else?" Stargirl asked, rolling her eyes. "I keep telling him -- if we keep the PDAs out except when he's wearing the normal dude body no one looks twice. But he's so worried he'll 'sully my reputation.' I sullied my own damn reputation years ago, thank you!"

"She did," Supergirl said. "I was there. Totally sullied."

"Six dollars and a comped room at the Stardust says Wildcat sat him down for his patented--"

"'--life on the streets, not between the sheets' speech," the two blonde heroines said in tired unison.

"God, I felt so embarrassed when he started that. It's like -- dude. You're... like... Uncle Grandpa age. Don't tell me about condoms." Stargirl was laughing as she said it.

"Hey! His age has nothing to do with it," Zatanna said. She waited a beat. "I was almost thirty when he gave it to me. And a second degree Tantra instructor."

That made them laugh again. The elevator opened, and the two younger heroes walked out, waving. Zatanna smiled, waiting for it to go up the rest of the way. One thing both Stargirl and Supergirl had appreciated, back when they were underage, was that Zatanna had treated them like people, not children. She was straight with them. Including when telling them they couldn't go on adventures with her. She was still fond of them.

The doors opened again, and she walked out onto the command deck. She looked around. Shayera was talking to Jon Stewart and Hal Jordan. Wonder Woman and J'Onn J'Onzz were leaned into a somewhat tense looking conversation with Mister Terrific. Back in the shadows, the Batman was entering in codekeys on a secondary terminal. On the other side of the room, Aquaman looked supremely bored.

"Well! This looks like a happy day!" Zatanna said, cheerfully. "Anything urgent?"

Wonder Woman turned, smiling. "Perhaps not. I've just sent a team down to Kasnia, if you--"

"You are not the person who makes those assignments, Diana," J'Onn said. "Unless you are the only senior League member available and Mister Terrific is incommunicado. There is a system--"

"Which I followed. Neither you nor Mister Terrific had the time to discuss it. So I made an executive decision. You wouldn't question it if Batman did it."

"If I did it, they'd never know I'd set up the mission," Batman said, absently. "Hello, Zatanna."

"Bats. You look... mysterious and intimidating. I like the new ears. Very broody." She smiled a bit. "Well, I won't interrupt for long. J'Onn? Michael? I need to check out for at least four days -- probably best to do it for two weeks."

"Is there a problem?" J'Onn asked.

"There's a confluence of the veils beyond the understanding of the nighttime call and it only happens every thirty-four years, and..."

"You could simply save time and say 'I have a mystical affair to attend to,'" J'Onn said. "Since we will not understand what you are saying regardless."

"But then it sounds like I'm keeping secrets."

"Oh, well then," Wonder Woman said. "We wouldn't want a teammate who kept secrets."

"Funny," Batman said.

"Hm." Mister Terrific said. "That's... odd."

"Odd?" J'Onn asked.

"Yeah." He typed into his panel. "Superman's late checking in."

"Who's got fifth dimensional imps in the pool?" Shayera asked.

"What was his last known heading?" Wonder Woman asked, turning back to Mister Terrific.

"The Atlantic -- cargo ship rescue. That was... hours ago. He waved and headed off, but then... nothing."

Zatanna frowned. "I'd rather not invade his privacy," she said, "but better safe, I suppose. Si namrepuS erehw em llet!" She gestured dramatically, feeling the rush and flow of magic through the discipline she always marshalled when spellcasting... her sight within focusing--

"Ow!" she snapped, putting a hand on her brow. "I got knocked out of the scrying."

"What could do something like that," Hal asked.

"Lots of things. In this case... it was... in the Atlantic Ocean. Deep. Like... a temple. But... here." She began to artistically move her fingers and arms. "Lleps ym dekcolb taht elpmet eht su wohs!"

There was a shimmering, and what looked almost like a hologram formed in the room. Deep in the ocean, of course... a mountain with what looked like collapsed columns and spires that had fallen in long ages past.

"Wait... where is this supposed to be?" Aquaman asked, frowning as he walked closer.

Zatanna walked over to Mister Terrific's station and punched in coordinates, which appeared on a map of the Atlantic.

Aquaman frowned more. "No... that shouldn't be. That's a Third High Age Atlantian temple, devoted to and consecrated for Poseidon."

"Sounds appropriate to me," Jon Stewart said.

"You don't understand. The region this is in? Before Atlantis sank beneath the waves, this area was mid-continent. It was a desert. This wasn't within two hundred leagues of a seacoast. Why would a temple to Poseidon be built there?"

"Perhaps a different aspect to his divinity?" Wonder Woman asked. "Horses, perhaps?"

"Those aspects emerged after the Fall of Atlantis. And the iconographic nature of the front facade indicates the Stormweaver God. This should not be there."

"So... it's a fake?" Batman asked. "And Superman may be in there?"

"A fake it is indeed," Aquaman said.

Zatanna sighed. "Right. I'll cancel my reservations. Who needs--"

"Wait, Zatanna," Wonder Woman said. "Did you say this ritual didn't happen very often?"

Zatanna shrugged. "What's thirty-four years, anyway? It's no big."

"Big enough," J'Onn said. "I believe we have sufficient expertise to track this down. If we must, we can call upon Doctor Fate."

"He's right," Aquaman said. "It's likely this wouldn't be a magical threat so large as to warrant your involvement in the first place, Zee."

"If it's big enough to suck in Superman--"

"Superman's **** to magic," Batman said. "That's not a problem Aquaman, Wonder Woman, or Shayera have. Add in a Green Lantern..."

"...all right. But... it feels funny letting this go."

"That's because you're a good friend," Wonder Woman said with a smile. "Enjoy your trip. All this will be here when you get back."

"It better be. I left a spare jacket in my locker. All right. Bye, all, and thanks!" She struck a dramatic pose. "Srebmahc mutcnasrednu driht ym ot em yrrac!"

With a flush of magical power, Zatanna was no longer on the Watchtower. It had gone perfectly -- but then of course it had. It bothered her that she wasn't helping find Superman, but after all, she had a mission of her own. Now, to disable all of her contingency spells and report back in to Lex.