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"You sure you don't want to ask Wally for help?" I asked Artemis, the girl sitting on the opposite side of the dining room table from me amid a pile of books. "I mean, I'll totally help you with your science homework, but he's the chemistry expert."
"Yeah, well," she made a vague gesture with the hand that was holding a pencil. "I have no idea where he goes in his free time, and I don't feel like owing him favors right now. Besides you're the super-science guy on the team, I'm sure you're good enough."
"If you insist," I said, pulling one of her worksheets towards me. A little surprised that the girl needed help with her homework so early in the year, but I guessed the curriculum at her new school was different from her previous one. "You should know that I was more of a physics guy in high school, though."
She made a small sound before she paused and looked at me with a cocked eyebrow. "I just realized I have a hard time imagining you in high school. I mean, not the grey shapeshifter thing, but you just… being a normal student. Feel like you would build an automatic trebuchet of doom in the machine shop or something."
I chuckled. "My engineering habits are a recent thing. Before all this I was… moderately intelligent. I did consider becoming a scientist proper back then," I shrugged and my lips quirked. "But then I realized that would be really hard, so I became a programmer instead."
"Well, good thing you swung back to the hard stuff. That gear you made really helped when we took on the Terrors." She said. "Just make sure you don't go all mad scientist on us."
"Oh, you don't have to worry about that." I said as I flipped through sheets. "Originally when I started this superhero thing, I had planned on dedicating my life to one of pure science. However, a certain red haired temptress distracted me and has led me astray from that noble cause." I was met with silence, and when I looked up I saw Artemis looking at me flatly. "What? She seduced me!"
"Pretty sure she didn't have to try very hard."
I grumbled, but shuffled over next her and started to help her pick apart the assignment. There was a lot of me dredging up memories of high school chemistry (and doing some on the spot googling), but the two of us managed to make some headway in solving the list of formula equations. I messed up a lot when it came to diatomic molecules though, just like in high school. I cursed my arch-nemesis Professor Hofbrincl many a time (much to Artemis's confusion).
I had gotten so focused that it took me a while to notice that Artemis's homework papers had the school emblem in their top-right corner. I looked at it for a moment before I cast her a sidelong glance and said, "So, Gotham Academy, huh?"
Her head snapped toward me in alarm, and I gave small tilt of my head back at the paper. She looked back and saw the emblem, letting out a groan. "Ugh… all right, fine, I live in Gotham. But don't go telling everyone."
I leaned back. "I won't, but why not? It's not a big deal."
"I just… want to keep things separate, you know? This whole superhero thing is great and all, but I like having a normal life to go back to at the end of the day. And that gets kinda hard when you show up in my neighborhood."
"Aww, but I wanted to show up to your school and embarrass you in front of your friends."
She snorted. "Bette would probably too busy fawning over you to notice. You should see the looks she gives the guys on the lacrosse team."
"Oh hey, you did manage to befriend someone." I said in pleasant surprise.
She shifted in her seat. "Yeah… she's a nice person. Haven't really gotten to know anyone other than her and her friends though. Things are pretty cliquey there."
I leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, "Have you made anyone cry yet?"
"…Maybe." She mumbled as she shrunk down in her chair a little.
"Yes! High five!" I exclaimed and extended my hand, palm presented.
She ignored me for several long seconds, scribbling away on her paper. Eventually she looked back up at me, finding me unmoving. She rolled her eyes and hi-fived me back. "I can't tell if my mom would think you're a great or terrible role model…"
"I contain multitudes," I remarked.
A little while longer and we were mostly done with her chemistry homework. We got chatting about the upcoming week and everyone's schedule, and when I brought up how Kaldur had been making regular trips back to Atlantis to get some extra magical training, a thought occurred to me. "Oh yeah, how's the search for Fate's replacement going?"
Artemis scowled and looked back down at her paper. "It's not." She said flatly.
I rubbed my chin. "Yeah, you probably don't meet a lot of mages in your day to day life. Well, the magical world is one of the bigger blind spots when it comes to the League database, but I'm sure I could help-"
"No I mean I'm not doing it. At all."
I blinked. "Wait, what? Why not?"
"Why not? Why
not?!" Her head snapped up and she looked at me incredulously. "The damn thing held me hostage until I agreed to do what it wanted! The
hell I'm going to actually do it, and expecting otherwise is bullshit! And even if that wasn't the case, I refuse to condemn another person to being that bucket's prisoner!"
I was struck silent by her tirade, not sure what to say. I… honestly hadn't thought about the whole Fate thing too much. As always, I had more immediately pressing things to worry about. And to be fair, I had assumed that after we found a suitable candidate, we'd hash things out with the Lord of Order so that the person wouldn't just be a slave. But Artemis refusing to do even that on principle… well, wasn't actually unreasonable. "I… guess you have a point." After a few moments thought, I decided that if we wanted to deal with this, we'd have to do something first. "I suppose we're going to have to negotiate with the bucket then."
----------------------
It was later that evening that I found myself in the main hall of the Mountain, the rest of the team gathered around me. It had felt like ages since all of us has been together, even if it really had only been a few weeks. This wasn't a mission though, so everyone was in their casual clothes. Robin gave me an arched eyebrow from behind his sunglasses. "So, what this about? Are you going to be sending us on missions now?"
I shook my head. "No, if everything goes right, you guys shouldn't have to do anything at all. But, we don't have a good track record for things going right, so here we are. The long and short of it is, we need to do something about Helmet of Fate. Artemis has pointed out there are some ethical issues with doing as he asked."
Wally let out a low whistle. "You can say that again. Giving up the rest of your life so that a hat can wear
you? That's messed up."
"I'm fine with just leaving him in the box," Artemis offered.
"While your position is understandable, I would prefer a different solution." The group turned to see Red Tornado approaching us, the android drifting down from his room to land next to me. "There is no denying that Fate's actions towards you were… questionable, but he had been isolated from all contact for sixty years. That would make anyone behave rashly when faced with the prospect of returning to said isolation."
"It's more than 'rash'," Artemis muttered before she glanced at me. "So, the League knows then?"
"Red Tornado knew Doctor Fate personally," I said. "The two of them were in the Justice Society together. I figured that having a familiar face around will help keep Fate calm. Also, Red Tornado lives here, so no real reason not to let him know we're doing this."
Kaldur's brow furrowed a little. "You're implying that you mean for one of us to put the helmet on. So that we can negotiate with him."
"Yes. Specifically, I mean me."
Artemis gestured in frustration. "Which is stupid! You shouldn't risk yourself for something as dumb as this. Can't you find another way to talk to the damn thing?"
"Not as far as I could find out," I replied. "I called Zatara to get his option on it, and he said that the helmet was made to prevent outside tampering. The only way to properly interact with Doctor Fate is to put it on."
"But are you sure-"
"For the last time, yes." I said. "If we're serious about getting Fate a new host, we need to know how much leeway they're going to get, and that's going to require some talking. And out of all of us here, I'm the least likely to end up getting body-jacked by the man in the process. Both because I'm synthetic and have magic that protects me from control. Assuming that this even works at all."
Kadur got back to the matter at hand. "But if it does work, what do we do if Fate is unwilling to release control?"
I shrugged. "Beat me up and tear the helmet off. Speak off which, Wally." I turned to the teen. "You have a special role to play in that."
"Really? Oh I get it, because I'm the only one fast enough to take you out!"
"Something like that. But, I made you a special weapon that I think will help." I reached behind me and pulled a two foot long tube off my back. I grasped the handle at one end of the tube and pulled, revealing it to be a sword and sheathe. And not just any kind of sword either. "This is a High Frequency Blade," I said, the cross guard folding out of the hilt. "Just finished making it. Pull this trigger here to make the edge of the blade to vibrate fast enough to dissolve the molecular bonds of whatever it touches. It pretty much cuts through anything. This one is specifically made for you, as it has contacts in the hilt that can draw electrical energy from your suit."
Wally took the blade from me, holding it out at arm's length. "Whoa, majorly cool… also kinda terrifying, but cool." He glanced back at me. "But, how's this supposed to help?"
"If things go wrong, I want you to cut off my head."
"What?!"
"Calm down, I'll be fine," I assured him. "I've had my head blown off before. It's part of the reason why I'm the one doing this. If worse comes to worst and Fate takes over my body, you guys can solve it by cutting the proverbial Gordian Knot."
"Which is
literally your neck!" The boy insisted.
I sighed. "Yes it is. Just trust me on this one, alright? Also, I need you to head to the common room until Kori gives you the signal. If things go south we'll want the element of surprise, which will be a lot easier if Fate doesn't see you hanging around with a sword."
"This is seriously messed up…" he muttered. A moment later the boy blurred out of sight.
I glanced back at the rest of the group. "Alright, I'm going to go get the helmet." With that, I jumped into a nearby vent and started crawling my way through the ducts. After make a number of turns I came to a section that looked the same as the metal around it, but after I emitted a signal a seam opened up in front of me. It revealed a small hollow section with a case inside. I took the case and headed back to the main room, dropping back in front of the people waiting for me. I placed the case on the ground and opened it, pulling out the Helmet of Fate from its secure padding.
Blue lines traced all over my body as I engaged
Core-Loop Reinforcement Protocol, but before I could put on the helm, a thought occurred to me. Looking into the empty eye holes, I said "Fate, I am putting on the helm just to talk to you. I do not want to be your host, and I do not consent to you taking over my body after our conversation is done." I had no idea if just saying that could actually stop him from trying, but it was worth stating my intention nonetheless. And without further ado, I put the helm on my head.
I then had a sensation that was both foreign and familiar: the sensation of a square peg trying to be forced into a round hole. It was very similar to a lot of the work Serling did while trying to crack my compiler code, but… on a different axis, if that made sense. With Serling, I had felt it against my imaginary brain, but this was causing the
Algorithm to react. Given that this was magic, I guessed that the helmet didn't normally interact with entities like myself.
"So… did it work?" Artemis asked hesitantly.
"Not yet. Need to resolve some compatibility issues." I replied before mentally diving into dataspace, cutting off everything other than the sensation I was feeling. In a moment it was just me and a point of golden-yellow light in a dark void. I stared at it for a long moment, turning the light this way and that, but nothing new happened. I could feel the 'force' it was exerting, but it just wasn't having an effect. Left without much else to do, I extended my hand to touch it and started poking at it with magic.
Specifically, I started leveraging the parts of the
Algorithm that dealt with information. I had gotten a lot of practice in analyzing stuff with it, and since my session with Queen Mera I had taken whatever chance I could to use it on magic (mainly Kaldur's). It was strange and difficult, but there were certain 'patterns' I could recognize. Right now I needed to find some common ground between myself and the energy in front of me. Which should be possible. After all, it was order magic, and number could be pretty orderly.
The blue lines that made up my hand spread onto the point of light, tracing over its surface and rippling in a specific pattern
. So, how about we start with some basic Set Theory? The golden light started to pulse in the same rhythm in response
. Ok, I've been doing a lot with compliers lately so let's see if I can use that. The blue framework around the light started to grow, folding outwards into a tall, flat structure.
Good so far, let's dive right into computation semantics, shall we? The golden light's rhythm changed in response to my own, and after each pulse it grew into the framework I was making for it.
The back and forth increased in pace until suddenly the golden light bloomed, spreading out to my left and right. When everything settled, there the outline of a large, flat rectangle in front of me, the edges glowing in gold and faint traces of
Algorithm patterns across its surface. There was now a vague impression of a floor beneath my feet, and I felt the energy in front of me stretching out into the darkness on either side. So, a barrier then, separating me from Fate.
I started to reach out to the barrier, but I stopped when I saw my form had changed, or at least my appearance. I now wore jeans and a dark overshirt, and at first glance I appeared to have a normal human body. But, the longer I looked at myself the more I noticed something was off. The colors were too smooth, the lighting on my body too distinct. And the closer I looked I swore could see a countless number of small dots-
"Oh come on!" I yelled in exasperation. A mix of cell shading and dot shading? Really?
"I don't see any reason to get so riled up," A voice echoed from the other side of the barrier, and looking up a saw a figure walking out of the darkness. It was an old man in an old fashioned suit, a cane in his hand tapping the non-existent ground. I had only ever seen him through other people's eyes, but I recognized Kent Nelson as he came to a stop just in front of the barrier. "Most people would prefer the side that you're on. By the way, while it was polite of you to announce your intentions before putting on the helm, don't think that means Nabu can't keep you here." He glanced at the glowing pane between us. "Well, in normal circumstances…"
Artemis had told me how Nelson's spirit had possessed the helm, but seeing the dead man for myself was something else. It took me a moment to compose myself. "Ah… Mr. Nelson. Is this your doing?" I asked as I pressed my hand to the window between us, a soft golden light appearing around the point of contact.
He arched an eyebrow. "It's an odd interaction between the helmet's magic and your own. Though as to why you are so… colorful, I can only guess. From where I am standing, you have a very unusual soul." He tapped his cane against that wall at the same point as my hand, and with a ripple the 'skin' of my arm faded, revealing the line of my dataform underneath.
I pulled my arm back, and the coloration returned. I looked at my hand for a moment before I looked back at him. "Sir… I'm sorry we failed you-"
"Don't." He held up a hand to stop me. "I knew when I put the helmet on that it would be for the last time. The amount of strain on my body from fighting the Witch Boy all but guaranteed it."
I nodded grimly and took a deep breath (for as little sense as that made in this place). "So, I'm here to talk to Fate. Err, where is he?" I was still aware of my physical body, but it felt like it was… wrapped in a heavy blanket. I could move, but it was noticeable.
Nelson looked up at the darkness above. "Oh he's here. He's just not used to these circumstances."
Above him, a deep and resonant voice spoke. "
This is... unusual." Fate said. "
I do not care for this arrangement."
"Don't worry, it's not permanent." I remarked dryly. "Is this… uncomfortable or painful for you?"
"
No. But I am not used to this 'half measure' of control." As he said this, I felt a sort of pressure on my right arm. It was easy to resist, but out of curiosity I let it go, and in response my arm lifted up in front of myself. My hand clenched and unclenched in front of my face with awkward slowness. "
It is… unsatisfying."
Although the sound was muffled to me, I heard Red Tornado say "Nabu. It is good to see you again."
I blinked. "Wait, can they hear us?"
"
Not as such. But Red Tornado recognizes that I am present." Fate said as he nodded my head at the android.
"Ah. Well, you can use my mouth to talk to him if you want. I know it's been decades since the two of you have really seen each other."
"…
My thanks." He said, and my body started to speak in a mixture of mine in his voice. At the same time though, I heard him clearly from the void beyond the barrier. "
I can split my focus, so that we may discuss the reason for your visit."
Nelson hummed. "Never one to take a rest when there's work to be doing, right Nabu?"
"
A lesson that you could stand to learn, Kent."
He's got you there, Mr. Eternity-Can-Wait.
Nelson looked over his shoulder. "Oh quiet you," He said before he looked back at me. "So, you wanted to talk, yes?"
I nodded. "About finding someone to wear the Helmet."
"
Has a new host been found?"
"Not exactly," I said carefully. "The search has been difficult, and more information from you on what exactly you're looking for and what the host can expect of them is needed."
"
I thought I had been clear to the girl," Fate said. "
I require a host with strong magical abilities. Preferably a trained mage, as their body is more accustomed to the use of magic, but I can make due with someone with enough potential. They are expected to wear the helm and be my host."
"Alright, but for how long? Can they take it off if they want?"
"
No. I have been absent from the world too long, and I shall not take any more risks with a fickle host that puts me away at a whim."
I noticed that Mr. Nelson's jaw tightened a little. My eyes flicked to him then back up to the void. "Well, that last part is a bit of a problem. And not just because I doubt we'll find anyone willing to take that offer," I said. "Artemis raised the point that we can't ethically hand a person over for you to permanent possess the body. If they wanted out partway through, we'd have no way of knowing."
"
That would not be relevant. The host in question would have agreed to the terms before putting on the helmet."
"Yes, but what if they changed their mind later?"
"
If they put on the helmet, that would not matter."
I had to stop myself from pinching my nose. "Fate, if they don't have the option to quit, that is effectively slavery. Which is quite illegal." Hell, even indentured servants have the option to go to jail.
"
The laws of humans do not concern Fate." The voice above droned.
"Well they should, because they concern people that you're potentially body-jacking!" I yelled before I calmed down. "Look, we can make this work, we just need some concessions on your part. A set and regular period that the person can take it off would-"
"
No."
I waited for a moment to see if he hand anything else to add to that, but when the spirit didn't say anything else my mouth pressed into a thin line. "Well, we're at a bit of an impasse then."
"
This is unacceptable. Artemis promised that she would find me a host."
"Yes, she did, while you were holding her body hostage. Do you not see a problem with a promise extracted under such conditions?"
"…
Promises must be kept." Fate replied. "
Besides, Fate must be present to keep the world rid of Chaos's influence. If there is a price to be paid-"
"No." I interrupted. "
That is unacceptable. There is no nation or set of laws on this planet that would recognize such a leonine contract. Hell, do you really think the Justice League would allow that? Your old teammates?"
The voice above was silent, though whether it was actually considering what I had said or just being petulant I couldn't tell. Though given Nelson's expression, I was guessing the latter.
He's an Order spirit, of course he's stubborn, I thought.
I need to try a different approach. But I only had the one other thing. I didn't really want to bring it up either, but Kori had asked me to present the possibility to Fate, so I said, "How about this: Starfire's people have supposedly in their past bound themselves to the spirits of their home world. She doesn't know the proper rituals, but she is willing to see if it would be possible to do something similar with you. If it worked, it should give you some autonomy beyond the helmet."
Fate remained silent for several long seconds, hopefully considering what I had said. Eventually he replied, "
A… curious offer, if one close to the methods of Chaos. I doubt that it would work, however. Her meta-physical form is distinct from humans, and likely the spirits of her world adapted to that. I am not used to dealing with non-human souls in such a manner."
Spirits evolving along with living creatures? There's a novel concept, I thought. "Nevertheless, she is willing to try."
"
What is the exact nature of this bond? Would I have full control over my power?"
I shrugged. "I couldn't say, there are no living examples. From what Starfire has told me, their Spiritcraft was more of a partnership. Both of your power and influence would flow both ways-"
"
Then no. I will only accept full control. Nothing must stop Fate."
I held in a groan, but I didn't bother pushing the point. I didn't like the idea of this uptight prick being bonded to Starfire any more than he seemed to. I folded my arms and stared into the darkness, but before I could come up with a retort, Nelson tapped his cane on the barrier between us. "Unless you have another idea, son, you might want to leave and try again later."
I looked at him in surprise. "Are you sure? I just got here."
"Trust me, I know a thing or two about arguing with Nabu, and I can tell when he starts to dig his heels in." He sighed, but gave me a small smile. "Still, I appreciate you coming in and trying to get a better deal for the next helm bearer. And for Starfire's offer of an alternative, though personally I'm happy he turned it down."
My eyes flicked to the silent darkness above then back to the ghost. "Personally I'm starting to see why you put the helmet down. How did you put up with him in the first place?"
A strange expression crossed the man's face, almost sad. "He... wasn't always like this."
"
Nonsense," Fate said, apparently finding this something worth responding to. "
Fate does not change."
"Really?" Nelson said flatly, the tip of his cane hitting the floor with a sharp crack. "Do you think Nazara would have approved how you treated Artemis?"
"
Do not test me, Kent!" Nabu's voice boomed. "
You are here at my discretion. Do not forget that."
Well that hit a nerve, I wondered. Still, as much as I was curious, I felt that it would not help negotiations in the future if I pried into it now. "Fate," I called out. "It's time I took my leave."
"
So it would seem." The spirit remarked, but otherwise did nothing. I nodded to Nelson before I focused back on my physical body. Though it felt like I was moving through water, I reached up and pulled the helmet off my head, the real world snapping back into focus.
Kori stepped towards me first. "Jacob, are you alright? Did negotiation go well?"
I stared at the helmet in my hands for a long moment before I looked up at her. "This one's going to be tricky."
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