Red Wizard: Book 3 (A Zatanna Zatara/OC Love Story)

Antisocial Pathologies

Western Mongolia: January 22: 17:20 ICT

Vandal Savage was standing in his headquarters. He was meeting with the rest of the Light through the monitors. Klarion was present on one of the monitors, having escaped the Tower of Fate, having been trapped there because of Zatanna, who had sent Klarion, Teekl and herself there during the Santiago de Cuba mission. The Light was meeting to discuss what had happened at Gretchen Goode's house.

Gretchen was finishing explaining what had happened. "It was a motley assortment who came to rescue Grayson, Pierce, and Motherbox.  Clearly, Earth's various teams of heroes are cooperating more than they have revealed to the public." She informed the rest of the Light.

Ultra-Humanite grunted. "So it has always been." He told her.

"And I had them all at my mercy." Gretchen sighed. "But they escaped. Thanks to a Boomtube-Boy, Phoenix, and that Halo-Girl." She admitted, recalling how Vic had opened a Boom Tube for the heroes to escape through, and how Phoenix and Violet had worked together to free Dick and Jeff of her mind control.

"You need not concern yourself with Halo." Ultra-Humanite said, as Savage looked at him.  "I already have plans for her capture and beyond." Ultra-Humanite added.

"Ultra-Humanite is not the only one to express interest in the girl. Especially given her link to Phoenix ." Gretchen stated, glancing at Savage, who looked at her. He knew that she was talking about Darkseid and the Anti-Life Equation.

Savage then looked at Ultra-Humanite when he spoke. "Securing her is my operation.  And per the Light's traditions, that gives me first rights to her." Ultra-Humanite reminded her.

Gretchen glanced at Savage again, and he just narrowed eyes slightly at her in response. "I see." She said, having capitulated as she looked away from Savage.

"As it is, you already have plans for Phoenix's capture and beyond." Ultra-Humanite reminded her, knowing that she wanted to use Nick/Phoenix's powers as part of the Anti-Life Equation.

Gretchen nodded reluctantly, knowing that she had plans to capture Nick/Phoenix in order to use him as part of the Anti-Life Equation for Darkseid. She decided to change the topic. "And what of the Markovs?" She wondered.

The Light knew that Nick/Phoenix and Zatanna were married, and that they had adopted Tara as their daughter. The Light saw this as a perfect way to hit Nick/Phoenix where it hurt the most, since he and Zatanna didn't know that their daughter was a mole who was working for the Light through Slade Wilson/Deathstroke.

Hollywood: January 22: 02:21 PST

Tara was in her civilian attire as she walked silently down the street. She knew that her parents were at the Hub, Nick having become one with Phoenix again. Her dad was using his powers to heal her uncle Dick of the effects of the X-Pit that he and Jeff had suffered from, and which Nick/Phoenix himself had suffered from for a week 200 years, before he had escaped. She knew that Zatanna was worried about her husband, and so was Tara, herself, because of how he was using all his power to save Dick, which would end up causing the New God to die and resurrect. Bruce, Barbara, Tim, Alfred, Kaldur, M'gann, Connor, Helga, and Jeff were also at the Hub, so Dick was now with his closest friends and family.

As Tara was walking, she was suddenly grabbed from behind and a hand covered her mouth to muffle her surprised gasp as the person who had grabbed her dragged her. This caused Tara to have an instand flashback of her kidnapping.

Flashback.

Tara remembered seeing her bodyguards' dead bodies, the guards having shot. She remembered a hand covering her mouth to muffle her screams as she was dragged away. The person who had dragged her away was Henchy, who had been holding a gun as he dragged Tara. He had led armed kidnappers in kidnapping Tara, killing her bodyguards when they had try to stop the kidnapping.