Salem -- Fate's Watchtower

[doctorfatejsa.livejournal.com]

Hector Hall sits alone on a throne of stone in his tower, blood pulsing through his temples. The Helm of Nabu whispers dark things at him, but he pushes the skittering voice aside. He will not fall to chaos. Doing so is unthinkable.

So why don't you just cast off the helm? says the voice. He has no answer. The misery has gripped him since he returned from Bete Noir. His magic is wild, now. Sloppy. Things do not happen with the precision to which he's become accustomed.

"My soul is imperiled," he whispers to no one, and as he speaks, he realizes that they are the first words he's spoken in hours ... maybe all day.

Rose Psychic left them to seek assistance. She believes she has an answer for him. And Gemma ... Gemma has surely become concerned, by now. His absences and solitude are nothing new, but there is a shadow fallen over this tower. He doesn't know how to find the light again.

Comments

[doctorfatejsa.livejournal.com]

Hector laughs bitterly, but underneath the helmet it sounds hollow, echoing.

"I can feel it gnawing at me, Gemma," he says. "The voice of Nabu is silenced. There's something dark shouting it down. It wants Fate to itself. It wants me gone."

[gemma-masters.livejournal.com]

She holds out a hand to him and wishes that Lyta were here.

"Touch m'hand Hector. Feel it, you're still human under there an we won't let you give in ok?"

[doctorfatejsa.livejournal.com]

Fate clenches her hand. Lyta's in Los Angeles on a job for a few days -- Hector hasn't called her. Stubborn man.

"Rose Psychic says she has an idea, but she needed to summon help. I don't know who Dr. Fate calls for help."

[jla-goldenage.livejournal.com]

"Why, the Justice Society, of course," says Rose Psychic's no-nonsense voice. Beside her stand the young Jakeem thunder and the senior Flash, Jay Garrick.

Who may be confused, because when they left, it was Dr. Occult who was beside them.

[gemma-masters.livejournal.com]

"Well he can call on me for one." She unclenches his hand long enough to strip the glove off, he's human under all that and that's what she's trying to remind him of.

"Uncle John in a pinch, Rose an Occult some of the time. Bunch of bloody heroes in capes that like Hector quite a bit. They're out there, sometimes they might not seem like help like when we took Zard along for the ride."

[jay-garrick.livejournal.com]

"In short," Jay adds, stepping forward to place a hand on Hector's shoulder, "you call on your friends."

[doctorfatejsa.livejournal.com]

Fate takes Gemma's hand and rises unsteadily to his feet.

"Jay? Jakeem?" he says, sounding a little surprised and a little grateful. "It is good to see you."

[jay-garrick.livejournal.com]

"And you," Jay smiles. "What is it you need help with?"

[gemma-masters.livejournal.com]

"He's all full of chaos magic, somethin' weird is up as usual." She's sticking by his side with a slight jut to her chin.

She knows people are going to try to leave her out of this.

[jla-goldenage.livejournal.com]

Rose folds her arms, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Indeed. Somehow, something is affecting the fundamental nature of Dr. Fate. I think we can agree that's it's unlikely to be for anythign good."

The mysterious woman's face is inscrutable as she examines those gathered. It's probably fewer than she'd hoped for, but she's never been one to complain.

"When I was in servitude to The Seven, I learned of an amulet, hidden away in a temple, that could be used to balance order and chaos in an individual. It would be particularly useful if we are to return Fate to his normal state."

[gemma-masters.livejournal.com]

"Do we even have a guess on why this is happenin' to him?" She's of the opinion that something to fix it if they don't know why it's happening probably is pointless.

"Not that I'm not up to an Indiana Jones trip an all."

[doctorfatejsa.livejournal.com]

Fate glances at his young apprentice, and then to Rose Psychic, who seems resolved.

"Something ... has changed at the core of my powers," he says. "I do not know how, or even when. The hawk manifestations ... the dark voice whispering in my ears."

[jla-goldenage.livejournal.com]

"Indeed," says Rose. "And I believe this is tied to the vision of you that Mr. Garrick and I saw outside of time. The vision of The Witch Queen."

Her voice is icy as she speaks the name.

"Whomever that is. Nonetheless, it's imperative that we travel to the very heart of magic itself in this world. Atlantis."

[gemma-masters.livejournal.com]

"Witch Queen? Wait want to explain that one to me?" Sometimes Gemma hates feeling like she's a half a chapter behind the other mystics.

[jla-goldenage.livejournal.com]

"I'm afraid I don't know," says Rose, pursing her lips with displeasure. "The Justice League, accompaneid by our Mr. Garrick, travelled outside the boundaries of time on a mission, and there saw a vision of a mysterious woman, some 20 years in the future, controlling Fate and devestatign Earth's heroes."

She's attempting to keep clinical.

"I also received said vision, probably as a reaction to such a massive force being revealed to our world, which is why I journeyed to Bete Noir to fetch you two."

[jay-garrick.livejournal.com]

"Well, Hector?" Jay turns to face Dr. Fate. "Are you up for a visit to Atlantis?"

[doctorfatejsa.livejournal.com]

Hector nods.

"With Rose and Gemma steadying my magics, I can both transport us and see to our protection fromt he depths."

He turns toward Jakeem.

"The Thunderbolt will be of much use to us, here."

[jla-extras.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, didn't think you wanted me along to sign autographs."

He pulls out the pen. "You want him now or later?"

[jla-goldenage.livejournal.com]

"Now would be best, I'd say," says Rose, watching the young man with great interest. She has a distinct air of school teacher about her, detached, but always watching. "It's been many, many years since I've seen the Thunderbolt in action."

[jla-extras.livejournal.com]

"He might be a bit...different." Jakeem says.

Then he clicks the pen. "So Cool..."

Electricity fills the air, and the pink form of the Thunderbolt emerges...

looking just like the original "master" of the Thunderbolt, Johnny Thunder.

"Jakeem, Jakeem, teammate supreme!" He looks around. "Whoa, ton of mystics. We got bad juju?"

"Bad juju, Johnny." Jakeem says. He then looks toward Rose. "What's the plan?"

[jla-goldenage.livejournal.com]

"Astonishing," says Rose, looking at the Thunderbolt. "It has been a long time. Since you aided Richard Occult to save Earth's mystics from Stalker, I'd wager."

She says it conversationally, but she knows both Jay and the Thunderbolt will well remember that was when Occult sacrificed his own soul to stop Stalker ... and when she sacrificed part of her own to save him.

"Dr. Fate, steadied by myself and Ms. Marsters, will transport us to Atlantis. Young Jakeem, you and the Thunderbolt will be charged with protecting us from the ocean's depths, and to act quickly should things go wrong."

She doesn't need to say that things inevitably go wrong.