If OL's at a loss for words, however momentarily, you know it's a mess.
Actually, I'm not sure what it would have come from. It's a mixture of Hephaestus's forge, Cadmus's Science Basement and Doctor Frankenstein's laboratory. Translucent jars contain not g-sprites but the impaled remains of Sheeda spine-riders, runes traced on the glass and on the solid metal mechanisms which serves as the active part of the device. The controls are purely mechanical; solidly welded leavers and cranks can bring various parts to bear and a simple steam engine powers the whole thing.
And I am
amazed he's not thinking of Hex, from the Discworld. It sounds like all it needs is a goat skull to complete the aesthetic.
But that-.
Ah, I see. The Sheeda aren't merely pinned open like anatomical specimen, they're in some sort of fluid which is being pumped around the thaumically active parts of the device.
Sounds... meaty.
The whole thing is a weirdly primitive form of techno-magic. If I hadn't spoken to Magnificus myself… This doesn't look like anything I've seen the Sivanas build before. I'm getting
Thirteen Ghosts flashbacks again.
Before I looked at the video, I immediately thought 'The Thirteen Ghosts of Scooby Doo'... the original cartoon, not the modern movie.
And that's leaving aside the fact that I've no idea how they got it into the Breed Building's basement. Though I suppose if you're going to perform morally dubious magic it's best to pick somewhere that can't really taint any worse than it already is. We put monitoring devices down in case Mr. Gotham's boss turned up here looking for him This being here is professionally irritating. And from his general attitude I can see that Batman feels the same way.
Surprised to see OL and Batman on the same page for once.
"Will it work?"
Dr. Balewa doesn't look around as he continues to slowly examine the machine.
"I am… Not familiar with this method of opening portals. Some of the mechanical and biological substitutions make sense to me, but I have never seen anything quite like it."
Which must be refreshing to him, at least. After thousands of years, there
must be days when he thinks he's seen it all.
A cog in the machine clanks into a new position.
I'm just waiting for the faint '
ping' of something deep inside releasing tension... And everyone assuming something broke.
"It is quite disquieting."
"Doctor Fate?"
Calling in all the guns for this one, eh? His book learning should be helpful, at least...
John raises his hands, a translucent ankh appearing in each one. Golden threads trail off each and are sucked into the machinery at various points and are drawn inside. He and Dr. Balewa carefully watch where they go.
"Huh."
"Mm."
"Aaaah..."
Oh, I'm sorry. I thought we were just making thoughtful noises for fun.
Another clanking transition.
"Hate to rush you, sirs, but if we don't use this in the next few minutes then we have to wait eight months."
Honestly, it might be worth waiting that long, if only to be sure it's safe. From the description, this thing sounds like it'll pop something when it actually spins up to speed.
Batman glances my way, then returns his full attention to the two magicians. "If we have to wait eight months then we have to wait eight months, but I need your verdict. Is it safe to use?"
"Betman, we cannot give you an answer with complete certainty. Not within the time available. I do not believe that there are any treps and I am happy to risk my safety with it, but there are things about it that I do not completely understand."
Well, then... Why not try the 'suck it and see' approach? You're going to have to try sooner or later.
"…concern, Diana, but I have been fully recovered for some time."
Diana and Mr Zatara walk into the antechamber where I shot Strega's leg off.
I do hope they at least cleaned the stains up in the months since.
"And since it.. sounds-"
Mr Zatanna's eyes alight on John's helmet, prompting a deep inhalation and a slight hesitation.
Yeah, that's not bringing back bad memories or anything, nosirree.
"-like my colleagues could benefit from my abilities, I will offer my assistance."
"J-Giovanni." John nods a greeting while Dr. Balewa raises his eyebrows slightly in mild surprise.
...Yet another surprise for Doctor Mist. What a day.
Mr Zatara steps up to the machine and raises his arms.
"Laever spart."
A wave of dull gold light passes over the machinery and then vanishes. Mr. Zatara nods.
Yay for the most hax magic available to the League being back in action.
"There are no deliberate traps, though I will bow to my colleagues' expertise on whether it will function as intended."
"That, I will guarantee." Dr. Balewa looks like he wants to ask Mr. Zatara more about what he just did, but then there's another clank and some of the tubing starts to glow. "I believe that this is it."
I take it the system is controlled remotely somehow? OR the Sivanas set up a timer...
They made it, right?
Diana nods. "Wonder Woman to the Justice League. Everyone taking part in the Witch World mission should come to the gate machine now."
I watch as the rest of the mission team walk or fly in. The mission selection makes perfect sense to me. Anyone with a secret identity or a normal job is out. Dmitri can't come because he can't maintain his armour. William Harper can't come because he won't be able to refresh his quiver. Red Tornado can't come because we don't know how the locals will feel about his innate magics. Angelica ended up being cut for the same reason; the Witch Worlders are Puritans, not Yazidis. The idea that a demon might repent is something we should probably ease them into.
Okay, logical reasons all. I suspect anyone operating conventional tech would have performance issues, if only for the weather of Witchworld favouring gloomy and foggy most days...
John Stewart and Alan enter first, personal lanterns in hand since we're not completely sure that subspace pockets will keep working on the far side. Brut lopes through next, Canis sitting tall on his back, saddlebags full of essentials and art supplies. Major Adams walks through the door in his human-seeming form, dress uniform on and a heavy field pack on his back, with Mr Yao and Leonid just behind him carrying a similar pack.
No-one else from the team, eh? Looks like a milk run, for the most part. Good synergy with Stewart and Alan, too.
And that's it. Not too big, powerful enough to deal with most situations without risking being too big a threat to the people we're visiting, and containing at least two people would could get us back if they're totally hostile or not willing to guide us in using their witch-paths.
"…returning to the League."
And I missed Batman moving across the room to talk to Mr. Zatara.
Joy of still working with human senses, OL.
"Yes, I am fully fit, and my powers are recovered. I'm afraid that my professional commitments mean that I cannot take part in this mission, but I am once more available to the League."
"Thank you. It's good to have you back."
Well. Mr. Zatara's a far more forgiving man than I am.
Yeah, I would have taken the whole situation a lot less kindly... Unless the league sat down with Giovanni and explained that they were making plans to free him, but OL got there first. That would
probably go a long way to, if not atoning for it, at least start making up for it.
I step closer to Alan, who's frowning at the machine. "This cockamamie contraption is supposed to take us to a parallel universe?"
"Yes, and I suspect that on the far end of the photosensitive spider web up there-" I nod to the ceiling. "-the people who made it are laughing about hesitant we're being."
Because of course the Witchworlders are watching them. Paranoia and caution go hand in hand.
"How did they even get in in here?"
"I'd guess ritual-based magic teleportation. Those can be surprisingly quiet, mystically speaking. I haven't put much effort into studying them because they're too slow to have tactical uses."
Especially if it takes a day or more to set up and cast. Some things you just
can't rush.
"Huh. And that doesn't worry you?"
"You can't worry about every little thing. That's what Batman's for." Major Adams smiles as he overhears me. "Is this your first time in a parallel universe?"
You do realise Batman almost certainly heard that too? Even if not directly, he's surely got the place bugged.
"I suppose that depends on what counts as a 'universe'. Back in the thirties I went through a hole in near-Earth space to a place that looked like Victorian Britain. I still don't really know if that was time travel or not. The handful of other times I did something like this, it was to little magical… Places. Like Erebos, or things like that." He eyes the machine warily. "This is new. I don't remember the other portals having this many dead fairies stuck on them."
Alan's seen some shit, yeah. Be glad he didn't get sucked into that alternate 'Sliding Albion' from the Authority series.
That was a messed up parallel universe.
"It was built by a supervillain. I suppose they just felt-"
John Quinn turns a dial and pulls two leavers, causing cogs to align with a clank and a flywheel to start spinning.
Old-school aesthetics, man. Got to respect the theatrics of
Science!
"-a certain aesthetic was required."
Blue-white flecks leap from the flywheel and precipitate onto the central platform, causing the space within to twist…
And there's another clank as the portal fully engages.
Cue stargate 'Whoomph' sound. Hopefully not the whole bubbly eruption of warped space...
