LOOTING DC #46. The Spider's Web 1
Both stepped into the familiar chambers of the JLD headquarters. But she couldn't hold it in anymore. She needed to know.
"We could have just taken him," Zatanna said to Wonder Woman.
"No. Too risky," Wonder Woman stuck by her decision. "And inefficient."
She walked to the tactical table where the map was still open, but now the blood had converged into a single drop.
"Why?" Zatanna asked, moving to the other side of the table to face her. "I'm pretty sure he wouldn't be that hard to take down. He already has us underestimated."
"True," Wonder Woman said. "Other than his mysterious connection to magic, the Spider can be easily taken down."
"He hasn't used it offensively," Zatanna pointed out. "That can only mean it's not much different from your divine connection to magic."
"I still think we could have handled him," Zatanna pressed. "Should have handled him."
Wonder Woman looked at her. And smiled.
"Wh-... why are you looking at me like that?" Zatanna asked, after the staring stretched a little too long.
"Just not used to seeing that fire in you," Wonder Woman said with a kind of warmth that dictated mother, not warrior. "Especially since-..."
Her smile dropped at the thought. Zatanna looked down, looking depressed too. No one said what they were thinking.
"Ahem. The Spider," Wonder Woman cleared her throat. "He has a way of bringing out fires in people... and taming them."
Zatanna looked at her, puzzled.
"Wouldn't hurt to watch on that," Wonder Woman said.
"He can't be that mysterious," Zatanna argued. "He's just an arrogant prick."
"Who's broken into the BatCave through the front door successfully, saved Lian when we couldn't... and has this ability of exploiting the rifts between us. First Artemis, Raven, and now potentially Constantine," Wonder Woman said, raising her eyebrow. "I'd bet he's that mysterious."
"I'd put a pin on that last one. Constantine wouldn't..." Zatanna paused mid-sentence. Wonder Woman gazed at her.
"Well I mean..." Zatanna struggled to find the words.
"You know he doesn't take orders," she found a resemblance to what she meant to say. "Constantine and the Spider working together? I just don't see it happening with much traction."
"Maybe," Wonder Woman said, busying herself with the table, folding the map while mumbling.
"We won't be needing this now he's gone." She rolled it and threw it into a cabinet across the room, where it attached perfectly, like being pulled by a magnet.
"But we have to be prepared for such a possibility," Wonder Woman said. "The Spider is clearly up to something big."
"You mean the Crimson Moon?" Zatanna asked.
"Not just that," Wonder Woman said. "He's got some powerful force rallying behind him. Probably calling the shots on everything he's doing."
"You sound convinced," Zatanna said, tightening her brows.
"I know of nothing in this world capable of corrupting the Lasso of Truth," Wonder Woman cited. "And not just that. He did promise Constantine freedom from eternal damnation. Not to mention, Trigon referred to him as a herald."
Zatanna's mind opened up, connecting the links. "That's why you didn't want us to capture him..."
"Yes," Wonder Woman nodded, smiling that she was catching on. "We can't risk the possibility of this external force or being choosing someone else. We need to use the Spider to get to it and stop it."
Zatanna felt impressed by Wonder Woman's capacity to think things through. She looked up to her. She was inspired by her. More than a mother figure, Diana was her best friend.
"Well... what's the plan?" Zatanna asked.
Wonder Woman touched the table, and a mechanism opened, revealing a much larger three-dimensional arcane map underneath.
"I'm calling in our other operatives to stay on high alert," she said, her voice falling into a whisper. "We are not charging into the hornets' nest just yet, but I'm sure - almost sure - that we are closer than we think."
"We might finally end the Magic War before it even starts," Wonder Woman breathed with hope.
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"A little to the left."
"No. Too far."
"Just a little more..."
"Stop."
"I think that's it."
Raven floated closer to where the Spider had stopped.
"This will work, right?" the Spider asked, holding perfectly still.
"I'm still not exactly sure what we're doing," Raven admitted.
"The simple version? I need you to get Trigon's energy off my back," Jake said. "The long version? There's this sacred place I need to reach, and I can't risk dragging Trigon's influence with me."
"If it's about keeping Trigon's energy from following you directly, you're currently aligned with one of Earth's Order leylines, according to my readings," Raven said without digging too deep. "Once I cast the spell, it should repel the energy. There's a good chance it'll work."
"Okay," Jake said. "But was standing on my index finger really necessary? Not that I'm complaining, but..."
He was upside down, clinging for dear life atop a small protruding structure in the middle of a scorched magma field left behind by the earlier demon invasion. He looked one wobble away from a plunge straight into Hell.
"We're short on Order magic these days," Raven said. "That's the only leyline I could trace."
"Opposites attract, likes repel," came the familiar British-accented voice, not far from them. "Same principle applies to magic... with a twist."
"I thought you left with the others, Constantine," Raven said.
"And miss out on..." Constantine gestured vaguely at Jake's position. "...whatever this is?"
"What do you mean it applies to magic?" Jake asked. "The law of magnets?"
"Try not to limit it to magnets," Constantine replied. "What I mean is, using Order to repel Chaos invites a full-on collision. They don't mix well - but they do mix."
He pointed toward Jake's perch.
"For what you're trying, you'd be better off using Chaos leylines."
"Mh... Insightful," Jake muttered, finally peeling himself off the awkward stance.
"Be careful with what he says," Raven warned. "He has a reputation."
"True," Jake nodded, then turned to Constantine, blunt as ever. "So, are you trying to trick us?"
"Got nothing to gain from that," Constantine said, smoke curling from his cigarette with a smirk.
"Turning me in is one thing," Jake said, watching him closely.
"Maybe," Constantine shrugged. "But you've got potential. I like potential."
"Alright," Jake said. "But I'm guessing you won't share your knowledge out of the kindness of your heart."
Constantine's smirk grew into something sharper. "Second time you've made me say this - I like you, kid."
"Your price?"
"Let me tag along for now," Constantine offered. "Could be fun, compared to what I'm used to."
"Works for me," Jake said without hesitation.
"Just one thing you should know," he added. "I'll see any tricks coming from a mile away."
Constantine chuckled. "Sounds like the Devil's job has a new contender."
"You were saying something about opposites and likes?" Raven cut in, grounding the exchange.
"Right," Constantine said, slipping into his business tone. "Let me teach you both something about dark forces."
"Take an exorcism, for example," he began. "To cast out a demon, you usually use a cross or some questionable dark arts. Neither works because they have holy energy - they work because they repel."
"The cross was bloodied during the crucifixion. The dark arts methods often involve twisted rituals. Nothing sacred. But they work because they're similar to the demon's energy."
"Now, the alternative is purification through divine magic - or Order, if you like. But when Order meets Chaos, they don't just repel. They clash. They fight. And if that happens inside a host at great magnitude, guess what becomes of them?"
"They can't contain it," Raven answered. Jake nodded. "They die."
"Exactly," Constantine said. "That's why most priests and occultists favor casting demons out instead of purifying them directly."
"In your case, trying to repel Trigon's energy with Order won't work in your favor. There's not enough order around to overcome. It'll clash, fail, and the energy will still follow - maybe without you even knowing."
"So, what should we do?" Jake asked.
"Use Chaos instead," Constantine said. "But with a twist, of course."
Streak? Day 2/10
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