(A/N): Hello there!

I just wanted to thank everyone for their support and apologize for the slower uploads. This semester if a busy one for me so I don't have as much time or energy to write. That and I'm still figuring out where I want to go with this book post season 4.

I would share the direction that I'm leaning towards and the plan that I have laid out, but I don't want to spoil anything so you'll just have to trust me.

I'll do my best to answer any questions without spoiling anything or you can message me directly if you really need to know.

Thanks again and I hope you enjoy.

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3rd Person POV:

*Hollywood, Goode World Studios*

Victor: "Luck? That's all you're going to say?"

Mary, Wondergirl, Blue Beetle, Kid Flash and El Dorado turned to face their leader as he awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

Beast Boy: "It's enough. We're not on the best terms right now."

Beast Boy tucked his phone into his picket and stood up from the driver's seat in the bio-ship.

Beast Boy: "Miss Martian and the Team are following their lead... So we'll follow ours."

Mary: "And what is our lead?"

Kid Flash: "Why are we at Goode World Sudios? Didn't the Team and League search every single one of Gretchen's buildings?"

Beast Boy: "Vic."

Victor sighed, slumping back into his chair and rubbing his eyes. He drew in a deep breath before sitting up and turning to face the Outsiders.

Victor: "Okay, for a while now, I've been struggling to figure out the full extent of my cyber abilities. It all started when I intercepted a text from Violet to Brion..."

Wonder Girl: "You hacked his phone?"

Victor: "No. the cybernetic part of my brain would just intercept stuff at random. Emails, text, the odd phone call... I couldn't control it, and back then I didn't want to. It was like navigating through a thick fog. I heard voices, it sounded like that agents watch, you know, the one who works with Mary."

Mary: "You had ISAC's voice in your head? What was he saying?"

Victor: "Nothing that made any sense. It was random words or bits of protocols. I couldn't understand anything he was saying, I just recognized the voice. But after my recent Mobius-Tech infusion, it disappeared. I couldn't hear ISAC and I've gotten control over my abilities. I can reach out with my mind to anything on the web, or the cloud or.. well anything electronic, really. That's how I sensed Mother Box was in danger at Granny's house and how I found traces of Apokoliptian tech in storage building 16."

Blue Beetle: "The League searched this building already. Why didn't they find any traces of alien tech?"

Victor: "My best guess is they weren't looking for Apokoliptain tech. They probably walked right by without ever knowing it was there."

El Dorado: "Alright, that's enough for me. Let's go."

Blue Beetle: "We're two men short. What about Brion and Virgil?"

Beast Boy: "I didn't want to get Brion's hopes up, plus I think he went with M'gann and the Team. Virgil is still with Jeff, trying to smooth over the whole anti-light mess our "leaders" pulled. So it's just us."

Mary: "If we go in smart it shouldn't matter that we're short handed."

Victor: "No heat signatures in the building, so no people. We're good to go."

Beast Boy: "You don't have to come with us. Once you boom tube us in you can wait on the bio-ship."

Victor: "Yeah, well thanks... but Violet saved my ass more than a few times, so I have to do this."

Mary: "Let's go. The longer we wait the more likely someone catches us."

Less than a minute later Victor had opened a boom tube and the Outsiders were in the warehouse. Kid Flash immediately broke into a sprint and did a quick recon of the building.

When he returned less than a second later, he was dressed in a costume from Beast Boy's old tv series. He wore a giant alien clam head and a purple robe while holding a cartoonish plastic ray gun in his hands.

Kid Flash: "Check it out! I'm a Klamulon!"

Wonder Girl: "Kid, what are you doing?"

Beast Boy: "Besides trying to tick me off."

Kid Flash threw the costume into a neatly stacked pile of props and sighed in disappointment.

Kid Flash: "You guys have no taste. Anyway, I checked the whole place, twice. Nothing unusual."

Victor: "No. something definitely feels weird here."

Victor stepped around the group and closed his eyes, trying to locate the source of the strange feeling he was getting.

Suddenly Mary screamed. She grabbed her head in pain and dropped to her knees. Everyone but Victor rushed to her side as her body started to shake.

Beast Boy: "Sergeant Marvel?!"

Wonder Girl: "Mary what's happening?!"

Mary: "I-I don't know! It's magic! It's out of balance! Zatanna's tought me how to detect changes in the mystic plain... E-even small ones. She said they can help me focus my power and keep the area around me in balance at all times..."

Wonder Girl: "What's out of balance and how do we fix it?"

Suddenly Mary's eyes widened as the pain dissipated.

Mary: "The Lords of Order... they're all here..."

Blue Beetle: "What? What do you mean they're here?"

Mary looked up and past her teammates as Victor uncovered a massive Apokoliptian machine previously hidden along the warehouse wall.

Mary: "The Lords of Order have come to the mortal plain..."

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"This is not the end. You know this to be true."

"You must tip the scales back towards order."

"Save yourself, you are the most important person on this space station."

(Y/n)'s eyes shot open and he gasped. His vision wasn't blurred but everything surrounding him had a purple tint to it. He was still on his back staring up at the metal ceiling.

Granny: "YES! RISE MY CHILDREN! TAKE YOUR PLACE AT DARKSIED'S SIDE!"

(Y/n) was horrified to find that he had no control over his body. He watched as his body stood up and slowly started walking towards the Justice League.

He felt sick to his stomach, pain surged through his body and he felt like he was about to violently throw up.

His vision focused on Zatanna, Tigress and Nightwing. They all looked like they were in just as much pain as he was, and they were using every bit of strength they had left to follow Granny's orders.

The servant of Darkseid continued to laugh at the display of helpless heroes before her.

(Y/n) wanted to free himself, but he couldn't even shift his gaze in any direction. He was completely helpless.

Granny Goodness hastily collected data from her machine as the Anti-Life equation continued to spread like wildfire.

Suddenly a bright golden glow appeared less than two feet away from the helpless agent. (Y/n) recognized the source of the glow almost instantly. A dark wooden cane with a gold handle. It once belonged to Kent Nelson, the former Doctor Fate.

The voices erupted inside (Y/n)'s head once again, urging him to grab the cane and save himself before it was too late.

"You are the key."

"You can't let darkness win, you must escape."

"Save yourself."

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*Tower of Fate*

Dr. Fate was in the center of the Tower, looking at an old portrait of Kent Nelson.

Though the god was standing in complete silence, a brutal verbal battle was waging inside the Helmet of Fate.

Some of the Lords of Order were reaching out to (Y/n), planting the voices in his head in an attempt to urge him to resist the equation.

Despite his intense worry, Zatara sat in silence, watching the Lords bicker over a course of action now that the Anti-Life equation was spreading.

"There is still another way, the Outsiders have started to battle Gretchen Goode. We could aid them and set them on the right path."

Dr. Fate: "They already are. That battle will be won, the Outsiders do not need our help."

"But it is the time it will take to be won, that is most concerning. The longer the agent is enslaved, the higher chance the forces of Darkness will identify him, and realize his importance."

Nabu: "Then we must move to the agent's aid swiftly. He may be able to free himself."

"No. We were too late, he does not possess the will or the strength to free himself from the Anti-Life equation. We must explore other options."

Zatara: "No. He does possess more than enough skill and strength to free himself, but you're pushing him in the wrong ways."

The Lords fell quiet. Zatara could feel their gaze upon him and he quickly stiffened his resolve.

Zatara: "The boy was raised by people who's only thoughts were personal gain, greed, and selfishness. It wasn't until he was rescued by Alani Kelso did he start down this path to becoming your "agent of order". If you truly have been watching him for years, then you'll know it was the time on the Justice League's covert ops team that truly changed him."

"What are you saying?"

Zatara: "I'm saying that his entire childhood people were pushing him to think and act for selfish reasons. Once he joined the team, he found a reason to fight for something other than himself. He's found a family, and nothing will get him to fight harder than fighting for them. If you want to motivate him, that's how you do it."

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Time seemed frozen in place. (Y/n) was certain that he'd been staring at Kent Nelson's cane for several minutes but nothing had happened.

Granny Goodness hadn't seemed to notice its appearance and had stopped yelling mid sentence.

After a brief moment of silence, the voices started back up again. He braced for the booming echo to ring throughout his head, but found a soft, familiar voice whispering to him.

"You're the only one who can save us."

"Please, I know you're strong enough to get us home."

He wanted to look at Zatanna. He was certain the voice wasn't her's, despite it sounding exactly like it. He could barely see the magician out of the corner of his eye and wanted nothing more than to run to her side.

With every bit of strength he could muster, he tried to  take a step forward. All that he managed to accomplish was a small limp.

The glow emanating from the cane was warm and inviting, like it was doing everything it could to pull the agent in.

(Y/n) felt sweat start to drip down his face as he fought against the overwhelming power of the Anti-Life equation.

Once his gaze focused back onto the cane, he managed to outstretch his hand after putting every last bit of energy into it.

His heart was pounding and (Y/n) felt like he was about to pass out when the cane suddenly flew into his hands.

He gripped it and felt control over his own body return as the golden glow encompassed his body. His clothes changed to the same suit and tie Kent Nelson wore before his death but tailored to fit the young agent's body.

(Y/n) felt his energy rapidly return as the golden glow projecting from his body brightly illuminated the tunnel entrance.

Suddenly everything around the agent went dark. He was left standing in a small circle of light while Kent's cane floated a few feet off the ground. (Y/n) was shocked to see the cane floating in the air and to have control over his own body.

(Y/n): "Where am I? What is this?"

Nabu: "We have summoned your spirit so that we may talk uninterrupted."

(Y/n): "Nabu?! Who's we? What's going on?"

Nabu: "The Lords of Order. We have summoned you."

(Y/n): "Why?"

"To grant you our power."

The voices boomed from all sides, but the agent kept his gaze glued to the cane.

(Y/n): "Why... why me? Why now?"

"For millennia we have kept watch over the galaxy, and vowed never to intervene. We ensured order prevails throughout the galaxy."

(Y/n): "What kind of order?"

The void grew silent. Even Nabu's spirit, which had appeared beside the agent, stayed silent. Deep down in his heart, (Y/n) hoped that Zatara would make an appearance in some shape or form. The veteran magician would know what kind of questions to ask and what not to agree to.

Despite all the talk of order and stability, (Y/n) didn't trust the Lords. Though he had only dealt with Nabu, he had developed an understanding of how they operated. They're cold, calculating and see themselves as above the mortals they claim to protect. Mortal needs are lost on them in favour of what they call the greater good.

Nabu: "What do you mean?"

(Y/n): "I'm not stupid. I know order can come in many different forms. I want to know if you're on my side or if you're going to use my body to support something like what Granny Goodness is doing with the Anti-Life equation."

"That is stagnation. It is not order."

Nabu: "Agent of the Division-"

(Y/n): "The Division's gone! I'm not an agent anymore!"

Nabu: "(Y/n) (L/n), with or without the official label, you are an agent of the Division. You embody what they stand for. You are a hero and an agent of order. You have our word, we will not impose control over your body, nor will we force you to do anything you don't wish to."

The agent's heart was pounding. He didn't have a good reason to refuse the Lord's of Order, but something was bothering him. He knew Zatanna would be horrified if he accepted the Lord's power permanently. Dr. Fate would disappear for weeks at a time and nobody in the League would have any idea where he went. The last thing (Y/n) wanted was for him to be forced into some magical realm for weeks at a time, made to fight some monster or devil clawing away at the mortal plain.

(Y/n): "Fine. I'll accept your power. But I don't want to become your servant. I have my own life and a mountain of problems to deal with."

"That is of no concern. No mortal can wield all our power for any significant length of time. The power you gain from us will drain over time if we were to permanently leave it with you."

Nabu: "Once you have defeated Granny Goodness and set events back onto the correct path, we will relieve you of the powers."

(Y/n): "Fine. What do I need to know about Granny's device and how do I fight with your magic?"

Nabu moved to the agent's side and grabbed his head. (Y/n) instinctively brought his hands up to defend himself but quickly calmed down when the god spoke.

Nabu: "Hold still. I shall grant you all the knowledge you need."

The gods hands glowed a bright golden colour as (Y/n)'s eyes widened.

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All Mary could hear was the screams of her friends. The X-Pit was pure torture. Her entire body felt like it was on fire and she could barely see her friends a few feet away.

El Dorado tried to teleport in to rescue the team, but he wasn't able to escape the pocket dimension once he teleported in.

Mary desperately tried to channel in power. She tried to reach out and feel the Ley Lines running throughout the X-Pit. But unlike the real world, the pocket dimension had no invisible channels of mystic energy to draw from.

Gretchen's laughter echoed throughout the X-Pit as she descended down to the Outsiders.

Mary took note of Gretchen's position and looked out at her friend's suffering. Fearing she had no other option, she reached out and started draining energy from the rest of the Outsiders.

Kid Flash: "Sergeant Marvel! Don't..."

Beast Boy: "Mary... please..."

The heroes continued to cry out in agony as Mary took as much energy as she could, robbing her friends of the ability to brace themselves for the continued torture.

Gretchen: "Oh my... would you look at that. How interesting."

Mary: "Power of Zeus!"

Mary shot the blast of magical energy at Gretchen, only for it to explode on impact with the red cube surrounding her.

Gretchen: "You... you are worth keeping an eye on my dear."

Breast Boy was pulled from the X-Pit and forced into Gretchen's red box. The second he hit the holographic floor he started gasping for air. Sweat ran down his face as the screams of his teammates echoed throughout the pit.

Breast Boy: "Let'em go Granny..."

Gretchen: "And why would I do that? It's your fault they're in this position. Such a willful child. But then again, I always was too soft on my favorite star."

Beast boy jumped up, turning to face his former employer the second he caught his breath.

Beast Boy: "Don't pretend to care! You only pulled me out so you could watch me watch my friends suffer!"

Gretchen: "Then I appreciate the value of your suffering and that makes me an excellent Hollywood producer. But in this case, I'm trying to do you a favour. You need discipline only your Granny can provide. So I offer a fair fight. Beast Boy versus Gretchen Goode. Winner take all."

Beast Boy: "Deal."

Gretchen: "Good. Though it's a shame I won't be able to record this. The numbers would kill."

Beast Boy transformed into a rhino and rushed Gretchen the second she got into a fighting stance.

The leader of the Outsiders easily closed the distance and crashed into Gretchen. To Beast Boy's horror, Gretchen wrapped her arms around his head and easily stopped him in his tracks.

Gretchen: "Like I said Garfield, you really have no idea what I am."

Before Beast Boy could comprehend what was happening, he was thrown through the air and crashed into the far wall of the holographic box.

Gretchen: "You see child, that's why you need this lesson. No matter how nasty you are, there's always someone nastier."

Remaining determined to save his friends, Beast Boy transformed into a gorilla and charged forward to meet Gretchen. He landed several solid punches before the Hollywood Producer grabbed his extended arm and pinned him to the ground.

Gretchen smashed her fist against Beast Boy's face over and over again, causing blood to leak out of his gorilla mouth and splatter across the floor.

Gretchen: "You need to learn from your mistakes!"

Suddenly the red cube faded away and everyone was pulled out of the X-Pit. Gretchen looked up in confusion, calling out for her Apokoliptian computer aid Overlord and demanding to know why he brought them out of the pit.

Gretchen: "Overlord! Who told you to end the lesson?!"

Suddenly Wonder Girl jumped to her feet and wrapped Gretchen with her lasso.

Beast Boy: "Lesson one. Never come to the party alone."

Wonder Girl: "I am so pissed right now."

Gretchen: "You naughty children! Do you think this changed anything? MY MASTER WILL MAKE THIS WORLD BURN!"

Mary: "POWER OF ZEUS!"

Mary lunged forward, her fist charged with yellow lightning. She smashed her fist right into Gretchen's face and sent the Hollywood producer flying through the air. The agent of Apokolips crashed into the far wall and collapsed.

Victor: "Blue, over here! We can shut down Granny's tech!"

Victor and Blue Beetle rushed off to the large alien device sitting a short distance away. They immediately began shooting sonic blasts all across the machine. Ominous rumblings echoed throughout the building as sparks and small fires shot out in all directions.

Kid Flash and El Dorado stepped up to Mary who was fixing the Kevlar padding that (Y/n) insisted she put in her Sergeant Marvel suit.

Kid Flash: "Hey, we need to talk about what you just pulled in there."

El Dorado: "Draining us of our energy to feed your own power, while we're all being tortured? What were you thinking?"

Mary: "I was thinking that I could attack Gretchen and free us from that hell hole. I'm sorry you got hurt, but I was doing it for the good of the team."

Kid Flash: "Just don't do it again without asking."

Suddenly the alien machine started to explode. A massive fireball formed as large sections of the device fell apart in a massive blaze.

Gretchen screamed in pain as an ominous sound boomed out from the machine.

Gretchen: "NO NO NO!"

Suddenly Gretchen disappeared. Vanishing in a bright flash and leaving everyone but Victor completely stunned.

Victor: "If I hurry I can follow! She'll lead me right to Violet!"

Before anyone had a chance to respond, Victor opened a boom tube and sprinted into it. The Outsiders called out and told him to wait for backup, but it was too late. Victor jumped into the boom tube and it snapped shut the second he was in.

The warehouse was immediately covered in a strange silence as the Outsiders struggled to comprehend what just happened.

Kid Flash: "Blue nearly died, Gar got his but kicked, we didn't find Halo, Gretchen escaped and now Vic's vanished. So... did we just lose?"

Wonder Girl: "Yeah... I think we did."

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Granny: "What?! How are you resisting the power of the equation?!"

(Y/n) stumbled forward, gripping Kent's cane as tightly as he could. Though the dress clothes he wore were incredibly nice, he felt strange and a little helpless without ANNA and his combat gear.

The cane continued to glow and chased the purple light a few meters away from his body, creating a safe aura of golden magic for the agent to breath and get his bearings.

(Y/n): "I'm going to give you a chance to surrender."

Granny: "You will bow before my master! You naughty child, you and everything you love will burn!"

The agent didn't care to respond. He'd heard that threat before, from Keener, the Reach, the Clairvoyant and the Hunters. It should've bothered him, given the fact that so many powerful people wish him harm and that this latest addition was the second in command to the largest evil empire in the galaxy. But with the powers of the Lords of Order flowing through his veins he couldn't care less.

With one swift strike the agent sent a blast of golden magic shooting straight for Granny's small red box. The blast easily cut through her holographic box and sent the second in command of Darksied's forces crashing into a nearby control panel.

(Y/n)'s dress shoes clicked on the cold metal floor as he landed on the catwalk and rushed inside Granny's safety field. He took a quick look at the control panel, hoping to find a way to deactivate the device on Violet's face and free everyone from the Anti-Life equation.

Suddenly Granny started screaming in pain as a boom tube snapped open a few feet away from the agent. (Y/n) immediately got into a fighting stance and summoned a golden magical shield to protect himself but was surprised to see Victor rushing out of the portal.

(Y/n): "Victor?!"

Victor: "Uhh... Agent (L/n) right? What's with the glowing suit?"

(Y/n): "Never mind that, help me shut this thing off! I'll distract Granny while you... what the fuck is that?"

To the complete horror of the agent and the former football star, Granny Goodness was standing beside Gretchen Goode. The two old ladies looked identical and were being pulled into each other, their skin melting and bodies merging while screams of terror rang out. Red lighting wrapped around both Gretchen and Granny as they merged, their screams reaching a level that would scar both men for life.

The heroes couldn't pry their gaze away from the horrifying sight. Soon Gretchen Goode and her expensive suit were completely absorbed into Granny Goodness. The Apokoliptian general was left panting on the ground as (Y/n) finally stepped forward, cane glowing in his hand.

(Y/n): "Vic, free Violet now!"

Victor: "On it!"

The agent pointed the handle of the cane at Granny as Nabu's cross appeared behind him. (Y/n)'s entire body started glowing a blinding golden light as a giant cross formed above Granny's body with a sharp point at the bottom.

(Y/n): "The Lords will have their justice! You have disrupted the balance of the universe with your masters schemes!"

The cross of fate slammed down, crushing Granny's body and leaving a large dent in the floor as dust shot up in a small cloud around the impact area.

Victor shot the alien device off Violet's face with a precision attack, freeing the captive hero from Granny's control. Violet stumbled around, eventually catching herself on the railing and looking out at the enslaved Justice League and Team.

Violet: "I-I have to heal them."

Victor: "Violet, wait! I know you want to help them, but-"

Violet: "Yes, I remember everything. I've been repolarized. If I simply act on my instincts, I'll continue to enslave everyone to the Anti-Life equation. But I can't leave any of them like this. And I believe there is a way."

Victor: "You better find it soon! I don't know how long Vanguard can stall for us!"

(Y/n): "I will hold out as long as I need to! Just hurry up!"

(Y/n) wrapped Granny with magic before swinging the cane like a baseball bat. The magic tightened and threw Granny into the closest wall at an alarming speed.

Violet flew a few feet off the ground and closed her eyes. Her body started glowing a mix of different colors that morphed into a rainbow. She spoke in the tongue of the old gods and shot rainbow energy in all directions.

The blinding rainbow light washed over everything and removed the Anti-Life equation from the surrounding space.

The heroes groaned as they were quickly cleansed of the equation. They all looked around in confusion, studying their surroundings and trying to figure out what happened.

Suddenly their attention was pulled up to the catwalk when they heard Granny scream in rage.

Zatanna's jaw dropped when she saw (Y/n) holding the glowing cane. She instantly knew what it meant and her heart rate skyrocketed. Fear gripped her body at the thought of losing her fiancé just like she lost her father.

Granny: "You naughty children! You've ruined everything!"

Granny charged at Violet, dodging (Y/n)'s strike and avoiding Victor's follow up attack.

Victor: "Violet, look out!"

Granny swung at Violet, a small staff charged with red electricity in her hand. Violet managed to dodge just in time and trap Granny in a red bubble shield. The Apokiliptian woman screamed in rage as she smashed her staff off the bubble to no effect.

Violet: "Do not worry about Gretchen, I have a few lessons to teach her. But first, help me destroy this!"

Violet started attacking the large device in the center of the room. The rest of the heroes quickly join in with anyone who could stand attacking the device.

Superman: "It's working! Keep pouring it on!"

The machine started to spark and heat up as small sections of the roof started to cave in. The entire asteroid base shook as the machine was engulfed in small fires.

Victor: "Uh, we may be doing too good of a job! It's going to blow!"

(Y/n): "Get back!"

The agent jumped into the air and landed on a golden cross, similar to Dr. Fate's. He slammed the cane down as the handle began to glow. A fraction of a second later, a golden box encompassed the entire device just before it exploded. The muffled sound of the explosion rang out and (Y/n) dropped his shield a moment later, letting the magical construct disappear.

Large slabs of metal and other rare materials crumbled to the ground as smoke slowly rose up from the center of the rubble.

(Y/n): "All clear. You're welcome."

The agent immediately turned his attention back to Granny who was still trapped in Violet's bubble shield. He landed gracefully on the catwalk and slowly approached the panicked servant of Darksied.

Granny: "Children, please. Everything Granny did was for your own good. If you only knew what was coming, how pointless it was to try and fight, you would thank me."

Violet: "Enough! Your words are poison!"

Granny: "Insolent girl!"

Granny smashed her staff off the bubble shield and managed to break free, rushing towards Violet only to be met by a powerful blast of golden magic.

The blast sent Granny flying through the air and crashing into the ground, digging up a large section of the catwalk as the agent continued to pour more and more of his energy into the attack.

When the agent finally let up, Granny's Apokoliptian armor was mangled and riddled with dents. She gasped for breath as (Y/n), Superman, Superboy, Violet and Captain Atom landed in a circle around her.

Violet: "I know how to destroy the ghost dimension, so there's no point in rebuilding your X-Pit."

Superboy: "If you're wondering how we found you, you can thank Vandal Savage. He sent us and wanted you to know."

Granny yelled out in rage as she used a father box to teleport away. The boom tube opened up beneath her feet and she fell into it, the portal snapping shut a second later.

(Y/n): "Well, I'm glad this is over."

Superboy: "Uh, what's with the wardrobe change... and the Dr. Fate powers?"

(Y/n): "Something Zatanna's really not going to like."

Almost immediately after the agent finished his sentence, Zatanna flew up and landed a few feet away from the group. The agent expected Zatanna to be hostile to his newly borrowed powers, but when he saw the fear in her eyes everything clicked at once. He stepped forward and reached out for her hand, to his shock and horror she backed up, slightly increasing the distance between them.

(Y/n): "I-I'm sorry... I didn't have a choice."

Zatanna's eyes began to water and she studied the magical energy surrounding (Y/n).

(Y/n): "It's not permanent. I'm not a prisoner of the Lords of Order. They just gave me the power so we could stop Granny and the Anti-Life equation. You haven't lost me."

(Y/n) let go of the cane and it slowly flew a few feet about their heads before it disappeared in a bright golden flash.

When the light cleared, the agent was left back in his combat gear. Without hesitation Zatanna threw herself at him. (Y/n) lunged forward to meet her and swiftly wrapped her in his arms.

As the agent pulled the magician into his body, Zatanna brought her hands around his back and buried her face into his neck. She let out a stress filled breath that quickly morphed into a light sob as the agent gently rubbed her back.

Zatanna: "I'm sorry... I'm sorry I couldn't keep us safe."

(Y/n): "It's okay... everything worked out. You did your best."

Zatanna: "I-it wasn't good enough..."

(Y/n): "Shh, it's okay."

Minutes flew by and the pair stayed in their embrace as the League freed the hundreds of abducted meta-teens from the space station's prison.

As Zatanna tightened her grip on (Y/n)'s shirt, the former agent watched as the various Green Lantern's arrested the Furies and prepared them for transport to Oa.

As the League prepared to board the Javelin for the return trip to Earth, (Y/n) carefully led Zatanna back to the Team so they could boom tube to the Outsiders penthouse.

Aquaman: "Is this everyone?"

Miss Martian: "I think so. The League is taking the meta-teens back and the Green Lantern's are waiting here for other members of their core. They'll take this massive rock back to Oa and strip it of any intel that could be useful."

Moments later, Victor and Violet opened two boom tubes for everyone to step through. Zatanna took hold of (Y/n)'s hand and squeezed it as tightly as she could.

Though she put on a brave face and appeared to have calmed down, (Y/n) knew she was still terrified. The entire time he held her in his embrace he could feel her heart rapidly beating. Her body was slightly shaking until he started rubbing her back.

————————————————————————

*Outsider's Penthouse*

Mary: "Holy shit!"

Mary was bringing an ice pack for Beast Boy's black eye when the two boom tubes opened up a few feet behind her.

Beast Boy: "Vic! Violet! I knew you'd make it!"

Victor: "Good to be back."

Violet: "Indeed it is."

Miss Martian: "There's more good news. The League will soon return to Earth with hundreds of rescued meta-teens."

El Dorado: "Wow. The youth Center is going to need more beds... maybe even more buildings."

Beast Boy: "And Granny?"

(Y/n): "She got away."

Superboy: "Not before you kicked the crap out of her."

(Y/n): "It was a team effort, literally. But the point is, we've shut down her operation in space."

Victor: "Plus, I've got proof that Gretchen Goode and Granny Goodness are one in the same."

As the Outsiders celebrated their victory and offered Victor a spot on the team, Mary quietly made her way to Zatanna's side.

Mary: "When we were fighting Granny... I felt something. I felt the Lords of order come down to the mortal plain. A-at least that's what I think it was. Did you feel it too?"

Zatanna gently shook her head and Mary's expression saddened.

Zatanna: "I was already corrupted by the Anti-Life equation, I didn't feel anything. But I do know what it was."

(Y/n) awkwardly scratched the back of his head as a confused look formed on Mary's face. Zatanna took in a deep breath and prepared to deal with the dozens of questions that were about to be thrown her way.

Zatanna: "The Lords of Order froze time and pulled (Y/n)'s soul away right before the Anti-Life equation hit us. They gave him their powers temporarily so he could resist the equation and beat Granny. Fortunately Victor showed up at the same time so (Y/n) wasn't fighting alone."

Mary was strangely silent and had a blank expression sprawled across her face as she struggled to process the news. The outsiders were busy congratulating Victor and Violet, the two young heroes giving eachother credit for the victory.

Beast Boy: "All in favor of Vic joining the Outsiders?"

Everyone cheered out "I" as Victor took a step back in shock.

Superboy: "Whoa, whoa. How about asking whether that's something Vic wants?"

Miss Martian: "If being a public hero is a concern, you're also welcome to join the Team."

Superboy: "But doing something heroic today does not obligate you to join the Team or the Outsiders."

As Victor was thinking over his options, Mary finally processed the news and blurted out her next question a little too loud.

Mary: "Are you a god now?!"

The room fell silent instantly as everyone turned to face the former agent and magic users.

(Y/n): "Uhh no, I'm still my regular old self. I think the powers they gave me were like a last ditch desperate move to save the universe."

Mary: "Oh, well that's good. I was worried for a second there. Sorry Victor, please continue."

Victor: "There isn't much more to say. I'm not afraid of the spotlight and doing what we just did, saving people... it felt right. So I'm in. I'm an Outsider!"

The group cheered and the Outsiders rushed to congratulate their newest member. Mary left her mentors and joined her teammates in celebration.

Geoforce: "Now, you'll need a cryptonym, a, uh, nom de guerre."

Victor: "A what?"

(Y/n): "He's trying to say a code name in French."

Geoforce: "It's an inside joke, and did I get it?"

(Y/n): "The direct translation would be "War name"... so close enough I guess."

Geoforce: "I believe "hot lava" is still available."

Victor was incredibly confused and Violet started giggling uncontrollably.

As the group encouraged Victor to pick whatever code name suited him, (Y/n) checked on ANNA after he heard the watch beep quietly.

Superboy heard it as well and watched as the former agent slipped away to the kitchen so he could check the watch in privacy. Superboy moved to Zatanna's side and the pair watched (Y/n) through the glass as he spoke into the watch.

Superboy: "I thought he shut everyone out of the network. Who could be calling him?"

Zatanna: "He did. He's still on Keener's network and there's only one other person who could be calling him."

Superboy: "Is she alright?"

Zatanna: "I think so. I can't imagine (Y/n) would've agreed to go fight Granny if she was in any serious danger. But I haven't seen her since the JTF base in Victoria so I can't be certain."

————————————————————————

*New York, United Nations*

Kelso walked out of the United Nations and casually stopped down the steps. She kept her phone pressed to her ear as her escort team of now former Division Agents arrived.

Agent: "We got your message. The safe house is being prepared as we speak. Anything else we need to know?"

Kelso: "No, just make sure your passports are ready."

Kelso climbed into the back of a suv and continued her phone call the second the door was shut.

Kelso: "You still there, kid?"

(Y/n): "Yeah I'm here. Are you sure letting this happen is the right play? We could stop it all before it starts."

Kelso: "Kid, I'm sure it's the right play."

(Y/n): "So we kill two birds with one stone?"

Kelso: "More like all the birds with a shit ton of stones. But yeah, more or less. Will you be ready when the time comes?"

(Y/n): "As if you even half to ask, of course I'll be ready. But this plan hinges on Luthor's actions. He may not do what you expect him to."

Kelso: "He will, it's in his nature to be overconfident and bold. He's finally gotten the edge over the Outsiders in the press, he's not going to let the momentum slip away, he's going to double down on something big and we'll be ready."

(Y/n): "Alright, I trust you. But Luthor's not the only one who can be overconfident."

Kelso: "Are you still doubting my play?"

(Y/n): "If you tell me what you're still hiding I'd be a bit more confident."

Kelso: "Kid, trust me, I wrote the fucking playbook. This is going to work perfectly."