Constantine's POV
"Bloody mess?" I said, puffing cigarette smoke into the magic-infused air as I looked over a crater the size of a small village.
My eyes scanned the edge of the crater. It was a perfect circle—the type you could only get through a modified cutting spell or... a powerful barrier.
My gut told me barrier, and a True Sight spell confirmed as much.
The picture of what happened was becoming clearer and clearer. Vandal Savage must've trapped her in here and set off a powerful—I'm assuming—device, because I couldn't sense any magic at the center of the crater itself, only heaps and heaps of corrupted soul energy that those sorcerers fling around.
I panned the horizon and then came back to the crater. I skipped over a crack in the ground, then immediately doubled back and walked up to it. Dropping to one knee, I took a closer look, blinked, and traced an invisible line to a spot right at the epicenter of the crater.
A raucous laugh escaped me.
"Oh, he got her good."
Say what you will about the ten-thousand-year-old fossil, but he does not fuck around.
"That's your professional opinion?" Wonder Woman asked somewhat testily. "That he got her good?"
I looked up at the Amazonian demigod and rose to my feet, dusting off my knee.
"Yup. And I bet you my good loafers that the pompous bitch didn't see it coming."
"Did he kill her?" Green Arrow asked directly.
I read conflicting emotions across his face. Part of him wished he had, and a greater part wished he hadn't so that he could do it himself.
Perfectly understandable, but worryingly dark for a professional do-gooder.
"What? No. Just split her," I said, taking another drag from my cigarette and puffing out the smoke.
The members of the Justice League looked at me in confusion. Most of them had been able to make the trip: Superman, Batman, Captain Atom, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Arrow, and Red Tornado.
"That's a good thing," I clarified. "It means she can't use her Domain Expansion. Or Idle Transfiguration on other people, and at least two of her other techniques. This is your window to take her out, if you can find her, that is."
Wonder Woman's eyes lit up.
"We can get our satellites right on it and execute our strike immediately. It would mean contacting the children and the sorcerers, but it can be done. All of that depends on how long this weakness you spoke of lasts."
"A day? Five months?" I shrugged. "It would help if I knew exactly what Savage hit her with."
"Apokoliptian technology," Batman said. "The energy readings I'm getting are similar to the ones our satellites picked up when the New Gods visited, but distinct in a few key ways."
"New Gods?" I hummed. "I've heard about them before. Don't they hate Darkseid?"
"According to the Lanterns' archives, their relationship is more complicated than that."
Batman raised a hand and activated a holographic projector embedded in his gauntlet. It displayed captured images of the New Gods and Apokoliptians.
"They hail from a sister world to Apokolips and share races, culture, and technology. We've been wondering how Intergang was getting supplied. Maybe Savage is our answer. He might've cut a deal with Darkseid."
My jaw fell open, and my cigarette nearly tumbled out.
God, that makes so much sense.
It explained why any of us were here at all. And why the planet hadn't been invaded a thousand times over. It didn't matter that the ancient Homo Magi, metahumans, gods, and Atlanteans were powerful. Most advanced races were stronger and possessed technology that might as well be magic.
We'd been under Darkseid's protection without realizing it.
Hell, we're probably still under it now.
What did Vandal have to promise the god?
"To answer your question," Batman said, drawing my attention back, "I think he transported her—or at least a part of her."
"Right," I muttered. "Knowing Savage, he probably tossed that half of her far away. If we're lucky, it's out of our solar system, or at the very edge of it. Either way, we've got a week at least, maybe even more, before the other half of her makes it back."
And if we're really lucky, Savage flung her so far away that she has no conceivable clue how to get back to Earth. That would force her to do her space self in, letting the Earth half regrow the missing chunk of her soul.
Recovery will take months, even for a freak like her.
"I don't have to tell you not to underestimate her," I said. "Even without her Domain Expansion and two of her techniques, she's still got an army of sorcerers and metas, the powers of Superman here, and half the world in her pocket. She's going to make you work for the win."
"Don't we always?" Flash shrugged.
"We'd have it no other way," Wonder Woman agreed.
"Alrighty then," I said, taking a drag from my cigarette and puffing. "Decide among yourselves how you want to proceed, and then call me when it's time."
"No," Wonder Woman said, surprising me a touch.
I raised a brow.
"You have an alternate plan," Batman said plainly. "And Julius is at least involved. I'm not certain about the other deserters, but Dr. Fate sensed a significant swell of Order magic in Japan two days ago. You're recruiting."
Damn Batman.
I sighed.
"Guilty as charged. They were always going to go after her. Figured I'd play nanny. Keep them from getting themselves killed—or killing too many people."
"And I'm sure the decision had nothing to do with being her soul slave for nearly a decade," Wonder Woman said, and I nearly bit into my cigarette.
Fuck her.
"If it makes you feel any better, they don't want her dead," I said, earning a few surprised looks. "I managed to secure a cozy little cell down below where she can spend eternity in agonizing torment."
Saves us the trouble of killing her, really.
"And by down under you mean?" Superman asked carefully.
"Hell," I said bluntly. "I figured you wouldn't be too upset by it."
I shrugged and watched them carefully for reactions.
Batman and Red Tornado were unreadable—no surprises there. Superman and Flash looked uncomfortable, while Green Arrow seemed almost pleased. The rest ranged from mildly interested to neutral.
"So, I was right then?"
"Not so fast," Wonder Woman said, folding her arms. "We might be somewhat divided on your solution, but we do not approve of your methods."
"Methods?"
"The children plan to cut a bloody swathe through her forces until they reach Artisan, don't they?"
"Ah?"
I didn't see how else they were supposed to get to her.
In a perfect world, I would've liked to cleanse each and every one of them, but even Fate could not pull that off. It would also mean asking the kids to focus on restraining them instead of winning—and that was likely to get at least one of them killed, not that they'd ever agree to it.
The only way their little charity project works if we removed Artisna permanently. Lucifer had assured me her Vows would shatter the moment she was transported to Hell, since she'd be technically dead there.
"Her army is made up of orphans, the desperate, and victims," Batman said. "We'd like to give them a chance if we could."
"What do you suggest, then?"