34 Chapter 33
-[Unknown Location]-
Dante stood in front of the cosmic force that was…him? It was all confusing yet not at the same time.
He couldn't explain it but he'd noticed it when he first stepped into the room. With each passing second, he felt the connection between him and this force grow stronger.
He had one question that was burdening his mind. "Earlier you said you were an artificial force. The other forces grant specifically tailored sets of abilities to their conduits. If that is true, then what is our set of abilities?"
[The other forces focus more on the physical aspect of power while we represent the metaphysical. That which cannot be reached by normal means.] It answered.
Sensing that the answer wasn't enough to satisfy the question, it continued speaking. [As you are aware, the sage force governs telepathy and the likes.]
A nod of confirmation allowed it to continue. [In this case, the sage force can be described as, in mortal terms, an inferior model of what we are.]
"But how can an artificial force be more powerful than a natural one?"
[Make no mistake. Artificial does not in any way mean weaker. While the Sage force focuses on the mind, we have brief contact with the entirety of the forces, evolving us past what we should be.]
Things were starting to make sense. In a way, this force seemed to integrate a piece of the other forces to empower itself.
[That Is correct. Though your body will be greatly strengthened, it is not our forte.]
Nodding in understanding, he processed everything. At that moment, he felt something that made him pause.
He looked towards the glowing orb in front of him, rather, he looked past it to see a smaller orb of yellow color, floating behind it in a serene manner.
"What is that?" He asked.
[In this matter, I am almost as knowledgeable as you.] It said, causing Dante frown in slight offense.
[It has been here as long as I have. I perceive it to be magic, though which variation it is isn't to my knowledge.] As it said that, a memory played in Dante's mind.
'Could it be…?'
Putting it out of his mind for the moment, he asked one more question that plagued his mind. "How long have we been here?"
[That is even more complicated. In here, time exists yet it doesn't at the same time. What could be minutes here could be days out there and what could be days here could be minutes out there.]
With a frown, Dante could only hope that it was the latter.
-[Unknown Location]-
In a room with eight monitors laid in a circular manner, seven of them were operational.
"It seems something has happened to Klarion. Will it be a problem?" A male voice asked through one of the monitors.
"It is of little consequence, though he will return soon. We have more important things to worry about." An aged voice said as attention focused on the blond man in a hockey mask standing in front of the seven monitors. "Sportsmaster has informed us of the events leading to his incarceration."
"The children have indeed become a problem. Santa Prisca, The Amazo, The fog and the titan serum." A female voice said.
"Though it appears that they did not play a hand in Klarion's disappearance, it doesn't negate the annoyance they have caused." Another male said, annoyance clear in his tone.
"More importantly, Sportsmaster has received confirmation from Red Arrow. Project Mars has truly begun." The aged voice from earlier announced. "When the time comes, you will bring him into the fold."
"Of course." A female voice said.
"Sportsmaster, you will lay low while gaining intel from Red Arrow. The heroes cannot be allowed to suspect that you have escaped."
Sportsmaster only nodded in acceptance. He was the light's enforcer and he would do as he was ordered.
"With Project mars temporarily out of the picture, I believe we should take the opportunity to move on to the next course of action."
•••
-[Mount Justice]-
Batman stood in front of the holographic computer in the mission room. It had been three weeks since the incident.
There had been no change in Dante's condition and Black Canary hadn't left the cave ever since.
What made it all worse was that the one man who could find out the most about Dante's condition was avoiding his calls and requests to visit the cave.
Batman knew that Dr fate was hiding something but he didn't know what it was. What he did know was that it was important and Dante was the center of it.
His eyes ran through the screen in front of him. In North Carolina, there were reports of local residents saying that there were monsters in the forest. He sent the team to investigate it.
He frowned at the headache that came with the latest addition to the team. After Dante's report from the previous mission, he'd approached Zatara about letting Zatanna join the team.
Apparently the girl had been doing the same from her end. It took some time to convince him, especially after what happened to Dante. Had he not brought Diana along, Zatara wouldn't have changed his mind.
While he was thinking about that, the cave alarms went off.
«Warning! Warning! Unknown Energy Pulse!» The female voice of the cave system announced before continuously repeating it.
'Unknown energy puls-!' Before he could complete that thought something else occurred.
*Boom!*
He immediately accessed the medical bay camera feed only to find it destroyed.
-[Dante]-
He could feel everything.
He could SEE everything. If he could describe it in one word, it would be 'sublime'.
Floating above ground in the middle of the ruins that was once the medical bay, he felt powerful. He suppressed the instinct to shut his eyes.
Even while in the medical bay, he could see Batman who was in the mission room and Dinah who was sleeping in one of the rooms in the cave.
'Where is the team?'
Turning his attention back to Batman, he noticed the aura surrounding him. It was the same as the one surrounding Dinah.
'So that's what life energy looks like…amazing.' He was like a child who was being let out for the first time, a wide grin on his face.
He saw Batman run out of the mission room, most likely heading towards him. Like a dvd player, images began to play in his mind.
'So I've been out for almost three weeks.' Without even realizing it, he had sifted through the dark knight's recent memories.
'So that's where you are.'
Batman reached the med bay just in time to see Dante hovering in the air with a grin on his face. Before he could say anything, a force pulsed outwards, raising up dust.
By the time the dust settled, Dante was nowhere to be seen.
-[North Carolina]-
In a forested area, Superboy, Robin, Aqualad, Artemis, Miss Martian and Zatanna were surrounded by giant living vines.
Robin and Artemis threw their disks and arrows respectively, the projectiles exploding using reaching the vines.
It destroyed them only for the vines to regrow before their eyes, regaining its size and strength.
M'gann had her hands full fending off the human sized vultures that attempted to feast on them from above.
Aqualad had his water swords out, slashing at the vines only for them to regrow. Superboy was doing the same but I'm a different way, ripping and pulling at the vines and tearing them apart.
"Are you sure you don't want me to burn them up?" Zatanna asked as she finished chanting a spell.
The vines facing her were forced to wrap tightly around themselves, struggling to loosen themselves as new ones rushed forward to take their place.
They met the same fate but the entire situation was a standstill which would soon change. The plants didn't seem to be tiring but Artemis and Robin would soon run out of Ammo and Zatanna couldn't continue tying them together forever.
Kaldur shook his head, refusing the offer. "We can't risk starting a forest fire. We need to get out of here and regroup. M'gann, Superboy and I will-"
*Snap!*
Time seemed to slow down as the sound of a finger snapping rang through the air. It was followed by another phenomenon.
*Boom!*
There was an outward explosion of force around them. They stood unaffected in the center as the force completely ripped through the plants and trees in a 20 meter radius.
They froze in shock, trying to understand what happened as the dust settled.
Kaldur's mouth hung open. "What the…?!"
"It seems I used a little too much there." A familiar voice rang from above.
Gasps went round as they all turned their heads to the blond haired teen who floated leisurely above them, his blue eyes glowing brighter than they'd ever seen.
Chuckling at their shocked faces, Dante lowered himself to ground level, his ethereal looking eyes scanned his team.
The first of them to react was Zatanna who rushed forward at him. "Dante!"
In his eyes, she was moving in slow motion, giving him more than enough to react but he stayed in that spot, a grin on his face as Zatanna crashed into him, immediately sealing his lips with her own.
