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#1

"For the Sake of Change"

by David Marshall

 

The Oblivion Bar

"What do I need with the lot of you?" Enchantress asked. "I do fine on my own!"

Blue Devil threw two cards on the table face down. "Hit me."

The smell of cherry pipe tobacco smoke filled the Oblivion Bar, the meeting place of the group known as Shadowpact. The owner of the pipe was perhaps the oddest of the ragtag collection of individuals that comprised the group. Still for a chimpanzee, Detective Chimp was impressive with the cards. He eyed Blue Devil with steely eyes and took a long drag from his pipe before he flipped two cards to his teammate and sometime nemesis. Only then did he acknowledge Enchantress. "You weren't on your own against the Spectre."

"That's different," Enchantress replied. "The Spectre is... well, the Spectre. If I meet any threats of that magnitude, I'll know where to find you."

Ragman tossed three cards onto the table. A large pile of matchsticks sat in front of him. "Give me three, Bobo."

The Detective Chimp dealt him three cards.

Ragman swept the cards from the table and studied them carefully. They were even worse than the three he laid down. Much like the individual members of Shadowpact, they shared nothing in common. There certainly wasn't a play in the hand. "Be careful out there then. Remember Dr. Fate warned us that magic would act differently from now on. You yourself said..."

"I appreciate your concern, Raggedy Andy," Enchantress feigned. "But I can take care of myself. Besides it's been a year now and my magic works just fine."

Ragman shrugged and turned his attention back to his cards and the Tatterdemalion spoke to him. It was Simon Neil. He liked little girls, a sick bastard, the kind that deserved every bad thing that ever happened to him. He was a liar, an adulterer, and a murderer who killed his third wife because she caught him cheating on her! But it was his love of children that relegated him to the purgatory of the Tatterdemalion. He molested hundreds of innocent children through the years. He was also a hell of a poker player.

Ragman threw three matchsticks into the center of the table. "I'll raise the kitty by three hundred."

"Fold," said Nightmaster, proprietor of the establishment and ad hoc leader of the group. "Can you believe this guy? It's every hand!"

"I'm not so sure our friend here is on the level with his cards this time," Detective Chimp answered. "I smell a bluff."

"Hell, I can't afford it either way," said Blue Devil. "Count me out as well."

All eyes turned to Detective Chimp.

"Well?" Ragman asked. "What's it going to be, Bobo?"

"Are you going to just let me walk out the door?" Enchantress asked. "Is a stupid card game more important?"

"Of course not," said Detective Chimp. "But it sounds as if your mind is made up. You're an adult. What are we supposed to do? Beg? I outgrew stupid circus tricks a long time ago. I'll see your three hundred and raise you two." He added five matchsticks to the pile.

"You insolent..." Enchantress's face was seized by anger.

Nightmaster pushed his chair away from the table and walked behind the bar. He poured himself a glass of water. "Perhaps we should listen to June. She's one of our heaviest hitters. We can't do this without her."

"I always knew there was a reason Jimbo was our leader," Enchantress huffed. "He obviously has more sense than the rest of you."

Ragman didn't hesitate to toss four matchsticks onto the table. "And he owns the bar. I'll see your two and raise you two."

Nightshade scampered through the door. She hung up her coat and rushed to the table where the men played cards. "Sorry I'm late! I was held up by traffic."

"Traffic!" said Enchantress. "Who worries about something so trifle?"

"Whoa, Sister Gloom!" said Nightshade. "Who pissed in your Magic Flakes?"

"Bobo and Ragman are more concerned with their childish game of chance than with the future of this team," said Enchantress.

"Skill," Detective Chimp replied. "Poker is a game of skill. I happen to believe our friend Ragman is bluffing but I cannot afford to be wrong. Therefore I must concede the pot to him."

The Chimp laid his cards down on the table - three queens, an eight of diamonds, and a seven of hearts.

Ragman scooped his haul to him and showed his hand - a two of clubs, a six of hearts, a Jack of spades, a four and ten of diamonds.

Detective Chimp slammed his fist against the table. "Dammit! I knew it and still let him get away with it!"

"So we've decided to stay together as a team, huh?" Nightshade asked. "I suppose I could do the team thing again and you did rescue me from the Society. So who's going to foot the bill for the fancy headquarters and the sleek jets? Neither of us have a S.T.A.R Labs charge card handy."

"Exactly!" said Enchantress. "We can't operate out of this dump!"

"Hey!" exclaimed Nightmaster. "Don't talk about the old girl like that! She's sensitive!"

Enchantress walked behind the bar and into the kitchen. She returned with a dirty dish she retrieved from the sink. Clumps of hardened food stuck to it like baked-on enamel. She made a show of holding it up for all to see. "My apologies! I wonder how many dishes with week-old food crusted on them the Justice League have in their sink?"

"Three days old!" Nightmaster shot back. "There's a story behind that one."

"And I'm sure it's riveting," Enchantress replied. "But our headquarters doesn't rack up many style points."

"Okay, so it's no Watchtower but it's no Mist Woods either and if you can hob-nob and do the trade convention circuit in the middle of the woods then you can meet here," said Blue Devil. "It's a hell of a lot better than say... hell!"

"If you don't wish to stay with the team then go," said Detective Chimp. He pointed toward the door. "I refuse to coddle you. There are a hundred other magic users out there who can take your spot and not give us half the attitude."

A bolt of energy shot from Enchantress's hand and flipped Detective Chimp over the back of his chair.

Nightshade grabbed Enchantress. "Come on, June. You don't want to lose control again."

The others rushed to Detective Chimp's side to ascertain his injuries. He brushed them off and retrieved the pieces of his broken pipe. "I'm fine! I'm fine! But look what the witch did to my pipe! This one was one of my favorites too! You don't find a curved, amber stemmed briar of this quality just anywhere!"

"Talk to me in such a manner again, monkey and I'll break more than your smelly pipe next time," said Enchantress. She pushed her way past Nightshade and made her way to the door. The knob exploded in her hand. The blast sent her reeling into Blue Devil's arms. She was dazed but shook off the effect of the blast. "What the hell was that?"

"Justice," huffed a rankled Detective Chimp.

Suddenly it was as if the bar itself disappeared and Shadowpact was transported to another plane of existence. It was like being in deep outer space, but it wasn't cold or airless. Ragman marveled that floating in such a void didn't make him sick to his stomach. "Where are we?"

"Please accept my apology for the disturbing manner in which you were called away," said a voice that echoed from everywhere at once but maybe wasn't even spoken aloud. It was hard to tell. Did it originate from a point far away or was someone speaking directly into Ragman's ear? One thing he knew. It didn't belong to any of the souls that inhabited the Tatterdemalion.

Visual cues were little help. There was no near or far, only there. Ragman's teammates were with him and appeared every bit as disoriented.

A speck of light rushed toward them from the void. It grew larger but still looked light years away. It continued to grow and was upon them so suddenly Ragman couldn't help but wonder whether it truly was far away to begin with or a speck that hovered before them and exploded to full size.

The speck took the form of the Phantom Stranger. No longer a mouse, he wore his familiar gray suit and hat. His eyes were hidden beneath his hat but Ragman knew the Stranger was looking at him. He even felt damned souls of the tatters recoil from the unsettling sensation.

"I wouldn't have called if you weren't needed once more," said the Phantom Stranger. "You must warn them!"

"Warn who?" asked Nightshade. "About what?"

"The Tenth Age of Magic is upon us," Phantom Stranger replied. "We have little time so please listen carefully. The new magic is wild like that which escaped the Rock of Eternity a year ago. Decisions must be weighed. A price must be paid for that which is as natural as breathing to some. You can't allow magic users to use their powers so frivolously."

"Nonsense, spook!" said Enchantress. "As you say, I breathe magic as easily as others breathe oxygen into their lungs. Do men not choke when the air is spoiled by noxious fumes? Surely I would recognize this change!"

"Consider carbon monoxide, June Moone!"the Phantom Stranger replied. "It is odorless and tasteless yet thirteen-hundred souls succumb to its poison each year in the United States alone. You must listen while there is still time."

"Time for what?"

The Stranger held up a hand. "This dimension exists outside your own realm. The New Laws of Magic do not apply here, but I can only keep the door ajar for a precious few minutes. You must warn them - all of them! Magic is no longer an ally but a bitter tyrant that demands retribution. Each spell and incantation comes with a price!"

"What kind of price?" Nightmaster asked.

The Phantom Stranger touched the Tatterdemalion. At his touch the individual strands flickered and those trapped within its folds appeared as tiny sprites covering Ragman's body. "Each new soul represents a potential risk as does using the souls at your disposal!"

It was a peculiar sensation. For a brief moment every soul trapped in Ragman's tatters rejoiced when the Stranger touched them. Some of them had been trapped so long he'd forgotten what they looked like. He also felt their sadness when the Stranger moved his hand away. They were like addicts crashing hard from a high. He cursed the Stranger for stirring the souls. So in touch with them was he that Ragman could feel their crash multiplied many times over.

The Stranger touched Detective Chimp. "Others were truly born of magic. The Fountain of Youth blessed you with eternal youth, but is there a price to now pay? Sadly I do not know, old friend. That is your journey. I wish you well."

"Are you telling me that every time I banish a demon something bad can happen?" asked Blue Devil.

"I'm telling you precisely that, Dan Cassidy. You must choose your battles well," replied the Phantom Stranger. "I must go now, but you must warn the others!"

The Stranger began to fade.

"Wait!" said Nightshade. "Who are we supposed to warn?"

The Stranger's final words hung in the air as the Oblivion Bar came into view once more. "The magic users! Everyone!"

Shadowpact looked around. It was as though they never left the room.

"Dibs on hugging the toilet!" said Blue Devil.

"That spook has some nerve!" said Enchantress. "Who does he think he is plucking us away like that and feeding us a hokey story about magic?"

"I don't know, June," said Nightshade. "The door knob exploded in your hand after you hit Bobo with a blast of magic."

"That's right!" said Detective Chimp. "And if either of us has known the Phantom Stranger to be a liar before, raise your hand now."

The Enchantress looked troubled. "But what will we do? Those of us who rely on magic, I mean. I can't consult a price guide every time I hurl a spell."

"An excellent quandary," Detective Chimp replied. "This certainly changes everything. I suggest we find out why this is happening and investigate every possible angle to see if the phenomena is reversible."

"We should have asked that spook more questions," said Enchantress.

"You heard the man," Nightmaster replied. "His time with us was limited. Who knows what it cost?"

"So where do we start?" Blue Devil asked. "And since I can't pull a JLA teleporter out of my butt, how do we get there?"

Somewhere in the Middle of the Night

"This is humiliating!" said Enchantress.

"For once I have to agree with sourpuss," said Blue Devil. "Something smells funny too."

The Shadowpact were packed into the back of a taxi headed to San Francisco.

Nightshade pushed against Blue Devil but there was nowhere to retreat. One of his massive arms was around her and her nose was at armpit level. She prayed for death. "From where I'm sitting that would be you, Little Boy Blue."

The Devil sniffed his other armpit. "Yeah, I guess you're right. You'd think someone would make a line of grooming products for seven-foot spawns of hell, but noooooo....."

"What kind of party you cats headed to again?" asked the cab driver.

"A talking animal convention," Detective Chimp replied dryly.

"Right," the cab driver replied. "I suppose I've had weirder passengers. I once picked up a couple in San Diego who sold leather and bondage gear. They called it an alternative lifestyle. I say they were just freaks. He was dressed in a baby diaper and smelled not unlike your big blue friend here. She must have weighed three hundred pounds and was in a leather outfit that showed off way too much skin for a woman her size, if you know what I mean. Anyway, they wanted me to take them to...."

"How much are we paying you again?" Detective Chimp interrupted.

"One-fifty one way," said the cabby.

Detective Chimp climbed onto the back of the seat. "We'll give you one seventy-five if you spare us the chatter."

"A wisenheimer, huh?" the cabby asked. "Sure, Mac! You're the customer, but kill the pipe smoke. This baby's a classic and I don't want the smell caught up in the leather."

"It's vinyl," said Nightshade.

"Leather, vinyl, whatever," the cabby answered. "Just put the pipe away."

Nightshade couldn't say she was sorry the cabby made the request. The chimp constantly puffed away on his pipe and she was tired of the smell. Who the hell taught a chimp to smoke a pipe in the first place?

Enchantress insisted on sitting in the front passenger seat. Nightshade passed it off as more posturing from her former Suicide Squad teammate. Now she wished she thought of it. Maybe the trunk was more comfortable?

Shadowpact didn't exactly travel in style. She was just glad it was dark and that no one could see five gaudily-clothed bodies jammed into the back seat of an nineteen eighty-five Oldsmobile with another woman in the front wearing a witch hat. Even the youngsters once known as Young Justice traveled with more dignity. Of course if magic worked the way it was supposed to, she could just teleport the group. Instead, they were resigned to the Oldsmobile Express.

"Ragman? May I sit on your lap?" Nightshade asked.

Enchantress whipped her head around. "Why Ragman's lap? Nightmaster's lap is just as empty!"

The unexpected outburst shocked Nightshade. "Don't get your pointy little hat into a bunch, witch! I don't care as long as my nose is no longer shoved in Blue Devil's armpit. I'd have to climb over everybody to sit in Nightmaster's lap."

"Sure," said Ragman. "And maybe Bobo can sit on Blue Devil's lap. That way we'll only be three wide."

The cabby laughed. "You sure are the funniest bunch of super heroes I've ever met."

"We're not super heroes," Enchantress hissed.

"Villains then," the cabby replied. "Don't you get no wrong ideas now! Momma Moses didn't raise her little boy to be an accessory to no crime! I'll turn this car around right now if you tell me we're going to do something illegal! Break my mama's heart if I fell in with a band of Rogues like that bunch in Central City!"

"We assure you mister, er... Moses, that we aren't criminals," said Nightmaster. "We stopped the Spectre."

The cabby laughed. "Momma Moses didn't raise no fools either. You expect me to believe the bunch of you beat the Spectre? Oh! I get it! Am I on some crazy hidden camera show or something?"

"My colleague stretches the truth of our contribution a mite," Detective Chimp answered. "But we assisted in the battle."

"Hells bells! Make it one twenty-five! You fools are worth it for the entertainment value alone!"

"What do you suppose she'll do?" asked Ragman, trying to steer the conversation back to the reason for their trip.

"Mindwipe us and make us forget the indignity of this trip?" Blue Devil answered.

"Devil..." said Detective Chimp.

"A demon can always hope," said Blue Devil.

"Who knows how she'll react, but it's as good a place as any to start," Nightshade replied.

San Francisco

The cabby dropped Shadowpact in front of the apartment building. "I'll wait here."

"I thought you said this was a one-way trip?" Nightshade asked.

"Sister, I wouldn't miss the return trip for nothing," the cabby replied. "Momma Moses's baby boy does enjoy a good laugh."

Great! Their team wasn't much of a hero outfit but if they ever got desperate they could do the comedy circuit. Or maybe they'd be a hit on prime time. Nightshade decided she wanted to be the Rachel of the bunch. That meant Enchantress was the Monica. God knows she was neurotic enough!

"So what do we do now?" Blue Devil asked.

The six heroes stood on the sidewalk outside Zatanna's flat and stared at the door like it should open itself.

"I don't know," said Nightmaster. "Maybe announce ourselves?"

"We mortals use the doorbell," said the cabby who joined them.

"Don't taxi drivers usually wait in the cab?" Detective Chimp asked.

"I don't know what kind of gig you have going here," said the cabby. "But I want in on it. I belong with your group."

"What do you mean by that?" Nightshade asked. "You a comedian too?"

The cabby shuffled into the pale streetlight and bowed his head. The light cast his shadow huge on the sidewalk. "I didn't want to alarm you on the drive up here, but there's something you should know about me."

Nightshade had a bad feeling in her gut.

The cabby removed his baseball cap and slowly lifted his head. His dark brown skin glistened inch-by-inch as the street lamp illuminated his face. The shadow finally receded from his eyes and it was only then Shadowpact understood his secret. His eyes were solid white!

"Mother of God! You drove us up here and you're freakin' blind?" Blue Devil asked. His skin seared with the mention of a religious figure's name - even taken in vain.

"Maybe I should have told you earlier," said the cabby. "My name is Moses Moses."

"Your first name and last name are the same?" Blue Devil asked.

"This coming from someone who calls himself Blue Devil?" Moses replied.

"Touche," said Blue Devil. "Dude, how do you drive blind? And don't it scare the hell out of people?"

"During the day I just wear shades," Moses answered. "At night it's dark in the car and no one can see. But I see as well as anyone. Maybe not the same way but I can feel my way along. Momma used to say it was a gift. I told the good Lord I wanted to change it for another size but he never listened."

Detective Chimp waived his hand in front of Moses's eyes. "Incredible!"

"Says the talking chimpanzee," Moses replied. "And put your hand down. I'm not some science experiment."

"That's a neat trick," said Enchantress but what good will it do us to have a blind chauffeur?"

Nightshade wondered the same thing but didn't want to seem so rude. Leave it up to Enchantress to speak her mind.

"I can see other things," Moses answered. "Things about people."

"What kind of things?" Nightshade asked. Her curiosity was piqued.

"I can see magic. All of you wield it in some form. The angry one is very powerful! Her magic is nearly boundless. The chimp, magic flows through his veins. It sustains him like a life force. Enchanted armor. Mastery over the night and teleportation. And the one you call Ragman is the embodiment of purgatory. I can see even the most faint traces of magic. For example, this building houses a homo magi," Moses answered.

Nightshade was impressed. Perhaps Moses would make a valuable addition to the team. It was possible he could pick up bits and pieces of their conversations and deduce that the team was involved in magic. She knew no one mentioned anything of their business in San Francisco. As far as Moses knew they were going to attend a talking animal convention!

"Would you please keep down the noise?" asked a female voice. It was soft and gentle but raspy in its whisper. "You're going to wake the neighbors. I have a hard enough time as it is!"

Zatanna appeared in the doorway wearing a blue night robe. It was tied around her waist with a belt that didn't match in color or material. Nightshade was encouraged. Even the Justice League wore ill-matched clothes around the house. "What are you doing here?"

"We're Shadowpact," said Nightmaster.

"Yes, I know," said Zatanna. "We worked together at the Rock of Eternity. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

"We need to talk," said Blue Devil. "Can we come in before someone mistakes us for the new Village People?"

Zatanna looked both ways up and down her street and opened the door. "No talking in the hallway. You may wake someone. And keep your voices down when we get to my flat."

Once Zatanna allowed Shadowpact into her apartment, she sat on a bar stool. "Now would someone please tell me what's so important you have to see me at two-thirty in the morning?"

"Magic is fouled up," said Detective Chimp.

"Fouled up? What do you mean fouled up?" Zatanna asked.

Enchantress made herself comfortable on Zatanna's sofa. "The monkey oversimplifies things. The Phantom Stranger whisked us away to a void dimension after my own magic blew up in my face."

"Or her hand to be precise," said Blue Devil.

Nightshade took a seat beside Enchantress and looked around the apartment. It wasn't quite what she envisioned the home of one of the world's most famous magicians would look like. It was much too normal, save for the pictures of Zatanna with the Justice League on her mantle. Most were from a simpler era when the League used the satellite as a base.

"Don't be silly," said Zatanna. "I haven't felt in a disturbance in....."

"The force?" asked Blue Devil. "Neither did Enchantress."

"The Stranger told us that the nature of magic changed," said Nightshade. "It obviously still works, but now comes with a price."

"A price?" Zatanna asked. "Let's say for one minute that you're right. Do you understand what this means?"

"Not to rush anyone but the meter's running," said Moses.

"Who's he?" Zatanna asked.

"Moses Moses," Ragman answered.

"Are you stuttering or does he have two first names?" Zatanna asked.

"My first and last name are the same," Moses replied.

"Okay, but who are you?" Zatanna pressed.

"I'm the cab driver," Moses answered. "Or official team chauffeur. Take your pick."

"A blind chauffeur?" Zatanna asked.

"He sees magic," Detective Chimp replied.

"Interesting, but can he see the road?" Zatanna asked. "An important detail if one is going to drive a vehicle."

"This is getting us nowhere," said Detective Chimp. "We came here to ask you to not use your powers and to help us spread the word."

"I can't make that kind of promise," Zatanna replied. "Perhaps you're overreacting? The Phantom Stranger often speaks in riddles. What he says and what he means are often very different things."

"How do you explain the doorknob blowing up in Enchantress's hand?" Nightshade asked.

"What was she doing when this occurred?" Zatanna parried.

Nightshade cringed from the awful truth but there was no other way. Perhaps Zatanna could see something the rest of them missed. "She was trying to kill Detective Chimp."

Zatanna's face wrinkled in confusion as she looked from Enchantress to Detective Chimp. "You guys sure are..."

"Different?" asked Blue Devil.

"An excellent choice of word," Zatanna replied. She turned to Enchantress. "Why were you trying to kill a teammate?"

Enchantress shrugged. "He was more interested in his poker game than in me."

Zatanna arched her eyebrows. "I'll be the last person to judge you for your taste in men. But I still don't see what this has to do with me."

"My taste in men?" Enchantress shot back. "You think... Me? And that... that? No! No!"

Nightshade enjoyed her teammate's discomfort. She knew better than to look at Blue Devil or they would both laugh.

"Look," said Enchantress. "We came here to warn you because that's what the Stranger told us to do. What you choose to do from here is on your shoulders. If you don't believe us then we're wasting our time!"

"I have to agree," said Detective Chimp. "We've delivered our message. The ball is in your court, homo magi. Team?"

The team filed out of Zatanna's apartment building and squeezed into Moses's cab.

"That went well," Nightshade dead-panned.

"Magic users won't readily embrace our message," said Enchantress. "I'm still not sure I believe it myself."

"We should know something any second," said Moses.

"What do you mean?" asked Ragman.

"Zatanna just used magic," Moses replied.

"How do you know?" Enchantress asked.

"I saw a fluctuation in magic centered on the apartment building we just left," Moses answered.

Blue Devil tried to make himself as small as possible but still took up most of the Oldsmobile's backseat. "How do you know we'll be able to see the consequences?"

"The magic force that left the building was greatly out of proportion to the energy that returned to it," said Moses.

"Meaning what exactly?" asked Nightshade.

Zatanna's apartment building crumpled to dust. The sorceress stood in the rubble the bathroom once occupied. A towel was wrapped around her waist and her hair was wet. She eyed Shadowpact and looked apologetic. "All I asked for was a towel for my hair!"