The New Generation: Earth-53

“Heh, yeah… sorry about that,” Rose muttered, kicking a loose piece of concrete from the sidewalk. The little pebble skipped across the street before plummeting down a storm drain. “Guess this just means I’ll have to ride with you tonight. Hope you don’t mind my holding your waist or anything.”

---

“Well, you’ll have to wear a stage magician costume, of course,” Zatanna explained. “Just, you know, not nearly as fantastic or as elaborate as mine. Maybe some kind of mask, too, to keep it interesting… you really should have some sort of disguise while on stage, else people you know might get suspicious if they find out you’re in Vegas four nights a week to perform.”

"Oh yeah, because out of everything we've done together you holding on to my waist is really a problem," Zoe said sarcastically as a smile played at her lips. She really was happy, what had nearly been a disaster turned in to practically nothing. It would take a bit of time and gas to get Rose's motorcycle back, but that was nothing in the long run of things.

"Well we are still in Gotham, still wanna hang out here or did you wanna just call it a night?" Zoe asked as she looked towards Rose.

---

"I didn't even think about that," Neal remarked as Zatanna pointed out that people might realize who he was. After all, Zatanna was a popular magician and there was always the chance that someone from Neal's school would recognize him. Wearing some form of disguise would have to be done. "Well everyone knows you're Zatanna, what if I just work my uniform?" Neal asked curiously. After all, it would make sense that the newest magic user would be working for Zatanna of all people.

“Well, that would be a pretty big waste of a night if we just called it here,” Rose said, stretching her arms out and cracking her back. I mean, we just got here, after all. Let’s see what this place has to offer. I’m good with whatever; a quiet date at a bar, a walk through the park, hitting a club, finding some punk gangbangers to beat the hell out of… you know, the normal things.

---

“Well, you know I can just give you a perfect disguise in an instant,” Zatanna assured, taking a sip from her wine glass. “And I’m thinking… something that no one could possibly identify you from. So, let’s see…” She then briefly muttered a few words under her breath, and instantly Neal’s clothes transformed into that of a stage magician, with the long tailed jacket, fluffy white shirt, top hat, hot pants, fishnets… wait, what were those last two?

“There we go,” Zatanna said, pointing him over towards a full-length mirror on the wall. “Behold, my newest assistant… Nichole!”

"Of course, the usual for us is quite the interesting time isn't it?" Zoe pointed out before hopping up on to her bike and placing her helmet on. "You better hold on tight, you never know when some crazy guy might just try to knock us off the road or something," Zoe said as she waited for Rose to get on and secure herself. "Let's just ride around for a bit and see if anything catches our eye," she said before quickly starting the ignition and taking off.

Course now she was moving a good forty miles slower than she had been before.

---

Neal just stood there as he allowed Zatanna's magic to do her work. He felt the similar effects and looked down at his arms, admiring the comfort and feel of the clothes at first. Course, that feeling only lasted about another half second before Neal was turned towards the mirror, instantly making his eyes wide. Had he only just met Zatanna he would have freaked out immensely, but due to their relationship Neal could actually afford a laugh in this situation.

"For the record, this is the kind of thing that I forget to mention to my dad when he asks how my weekends go....but at least you gave me a nice pair," Neal marked as he felt his chest for himself.

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Rose said, getting on the back of Zoe’s bike and holding her arms tightly around the girl’s waist. She scooted close, taking in a deep breath as they jolted down the road, though much slower than before. They weren’t taking any chances again, after all.

When they rounded the corner of twenty-fifth avenue, a commotion suddenly caught Rose’s attention. The moment they passed one of the buildings, one of the windows exploded, igniting with fire. Within seconds, the entire third floor was engulfed.

“Whoa, shit,” slow down!” Rose called out, looking up at the fire. “Did you see that?”

---

“Well, If I’m gonna turn you into a girl, I might as well make you a hot one, right?” Zatanna mused, with a small chuckle. She took another long sip from her wine glass, forcing herself to hold it in when she saw Neal start to feel his newfound, rather ample chest. “By all means, if you want to play a little with those things, the bathroom is right around the corner. Hell, I could just keep you like this all night if you wanted to get used to it.”

Zoe continued easily down the street, making sure to observe all rules of the road. While she was one to ignore rules depending on the situation, she figured that after what happened with Montoya they should play it safe for now. Course, that idea quickly left Zoe's mind as a nearby building suddenly exploded and seemed to ignite in flames. Zoe was quick to skid to a halt.

"Did I see that? The building fucking exploded Rose, I think everyone within a mile radius knows," she remarked before looking towards the burning building. "God that's an apartment building Rose," Zoe said before quickly taking off her helmet and hopping off the bike. "We need to get in there, there are probably a lot of people up there!"

---

Neal felt his chest a few more times before putting his arms down. "You make a kind offer but I think that I'm going to pass for the time being," he said with a chuckle as he crossed his arms. God, how did girls get used to these things? They just kinda felt in the way. "If you're okay with it I also think that I should stick to being a guy. My dad likes you but he'd have some serious questions if he ever came to your show and saw me like this."

“Right,” Rose said, hopping off the bike and sprinting up towards the front entrance to the building. She was already half way there by the time Zoe was suggesting it. “Keep your helmet on, should help with the smoke!” At least, in theory. It wasn’t like the helmets had ventilated breathers, but they covered their whole face, which meant that less smoke would get at them.

Rose ran up the stairs to the third floor, where a wave of hot flames met her. She recoiled briefly, holding her arms in front of her. She could hear screams coming from down the hall. “Damn it,” she muttered, running through the flames. It was starting to get hot. Really hot. But she could still hear the screaming, and that spurred her onward.

---

“Oh, I wouldn’t worry too much about that,” Zatanna said, with a smirk. “With this particular spell, your family will still see you as you normally are. Just everyone else will see you actually transformed. So no awkward family conversations required.” She chuckled again, finishing off another wine glass. She’d downed about four glasses so far. “Besides, I’m really rather tempted to see you try to deal with being a girl for a night. But I mea, I suppose if you just weren’t up to it, I could let you go.”

Zoe glanced down at the helmet as Rose made her suggestion. "Good thinking," Zoe said honestly before putting the helmet on. At least they'd be able to see fine and the smoke wouldn't enter in to their lungs as fast. It might give them enough time to do what they needed to do. "Let's go," Zoe said before running in after Rose.

"God what I wouldn't give for a freeze gun of some kind," Zoe remarked as she was already feeling the heat from the flames. They needed to work quickly if they were going to get the people out of here. "Do you see anyone Rose?" Zoe asked as she moved up the stairs. Zoe couldn't guess a timeframe, but she was guessing that it wasn't super long.

---

"Oh I....see," Neal remarked as he looked down at himself. He didn't think that Zatanna was actually serious about keeping him this way. Course, the fact that she had four glasses of wine probably didn't help her judgment in this case. "No no no no, I can handle it!" Neal said quickly as Zatanna mentioned letting him go as her assistant. "I'll take care of it just fine, won't be a problem...not at all," Neal said as he looked down at himself once again.

Definitely not your normal job interview.

“Over here!” Rose called, as she came hurrying back down the hallway, leading a few people to safety. “Take them out the front, I’m going back in to look for more!” And with that, she disappeared back inside one of the apartments. A few more people managed to get out on their own, but not everyone was as fortunate. Others had fallen, flaming bits of ceiling blocking their paths. It was Rose’s job to get to them and get them out. She had no sort of obligation to help these people, yet she knew it was the right thing to do.

Of course, when the stairwell collapsed from the stress of the heat and damage, leaving Zoe no way of getting back up and Rose trapped up on the burning floor, things went from bad to worse real fast.

---

“Good, excellent,” Zatanna proclaimed, with a devilish grin. She actually really wouldn’t have made him do it if he didn’t want to, but a few clever words and she had him jumping to go along with it. She really liked how her almost drunk mind worked. “I’ll have to make you up a whole wardrobe, in that case. You know, for when we arrive before the performances begin, and when we go in public together elsewhere, that sort of thing. Like now for instance… I think we ought to go out for some dinner, don’t you? Hold on a second.” A few more words, and Neal’s – or rather, Nichole’s – clothes changed into a low cut top, short skirt, thigh high boots, and lacy underwear. “There we go.”

"Alright, just be quick about it the flames are spreading too quickly!" Zoe shouted over the flames before escorting several people out. "Just remain calm and follow me we're going to get you out," Zoe said as she lead the people out of the building. They had gotten several out, but there were still more that needed to be saved. "You folks just stay here, help is coming to make sure that you're okay. I'm going to go back in for more," Zoe said before turning around and heading right for the building.

Just as Zoe was about to head up the stairs she heard a loud crash as the stairwell completely collapsed. "ROSE!" Zoe shouted as she realized that her girlfriend was still up there. "Rose the stairway collapsed! GET OUT OF THERE!" Zoe shouted as she started to retreat back. She didn't want to leave, but the flames were spreading too quickly. The smoke was starting to affect her breathing.

---

"Oh come no now you're just being plain mean," Neal remarked as he looked down at himself. Granted he looked amazingly good looking, but that wasn't the point! This was an invasion on everything that he knew! "Don't you think some jeans would suffice at least for going out to dinner?" Neal asked as he was at least trying to get out of wearing a skirt. Something about it was just.....wrong.

“Shit, shit, shit,” Rose uttered, as she stopped in front of the collapsed stairway. The people she was leading behind her were barely hanging on, practically choking to death on the smoke. “Okay, everybody back the way we came. See if we can find a fire escape!” It took a good bit of searching, but eventually they found an apartment with a fire escape outside the window. Of course, getting to it was another matter altogether, as the ceiling was collapsing all around them, as well as the floor.

“Go!” Rose urged, leading them to the window. On her way there, however, a sudden burst of flames spewed up in front of her, knocking her backwards. She hit the ground hard, feeling the backs of her arms burning as she landed in a pile of flaming debris. “Just go!” she screamed at the people she was trying to save. They needed no second invitation, as self preservation took over and they raced for the fire escape. By the time she got back to her feet, they were gone, and the way to the window was now blocked off.

“Fuck,” she uttered, as smoke began to fill her lungs, finally. In seconds, she collapsed onto the floor, barely conscious. So out of it was she, that she didn’t see the dark shadow looming over her.

---

“Oh, alright,” Zatanna said, with a small sigh and roll of the eyes. She changed Neal’s outfit a second later from a skirt and boots to jeans and sneakers. She kept the low cut top, though. “There, is everything alright now? And yes, the shirt is staying. I didn’t give you beautiful cleavage to cover it up, you know.”

Zoe just stood out in horror as she saw the building continue to be engulfed in flames. "Come on Rose come on, there are other ways to get out just find one," Zoe whispered to herself as she held her hands over her mouth. This wasn't looking good. It was only when she saw a group of people escaping from a fire escape she thought that Rose would be among them. However, the group eventually got down the fire escape and Rose was not among them.

"Where is she!?" Zoe asked to no one in particular. It was only shortly later that the police and other emergency response began to show up. Zoe was glad to see one familiar face at least. "Offier Montoya!" she shouted as she ran to the officer that she had met only an hour earlier. "Rose and I went in to help people out and she's still in there! You have to do something!"

---

"Thanks, I guess that I can accept to walk out in public in this," Neal remarked as he looked towards the outfit. While he still wasn't a huge fan of being a woman he knew that he needed to stick with it for now. "So where do you want to go eat anyway? OH! We should go somewhere fancy! You know, like the kind of place that I've never been to in my entire life. The restaurants in Vegas are amazing I hear."

"Good god," said Harvey Bullock, the overweight cop from before, as he stepped out of the passenger side of the cop car. "Stop a robbery, show up to an damn inferno five minutes later."

A sudden explosion of flames burst through the side windows of the apartment building, forcing he onlookers to shield their eyes. Renee, getting out of the driver's seat, looked up carefully at the blaze. "Madre de Dios."

"Out of the frying pan, into the sun, eh Montoya?" Bullock said, moving away from the car. "Alright, everybody back! Cops and Firemen only, ya hear? Come on, move it!"

Just as Renee was about to assist in keeping people back, her attention turned to the approaching Zoe. "Wait, you two what?! I leave you girls alone for en minutes and you go running into a burning building? Oh, Dios mio... Oy, get a ladder up there!" She was calling to the firemen now, who were hooking up a hose to the hydrant nearby. "We got a girl trapped up on the third-!"

A bigger explosion erupted behind them this time, causing almost half the building to crumble away. All they could do was watch as the burning debris plummeted down to the ground and burying anyone caught within.

---

"I'd agree to that," Zatanna said, tapping her fingers to the side of her cheek, "but you know, if we were going some place fancy, you'd have to dress a little nicer than jeans and sneakers. I got a few places in mind, but they're mostly... dressier." She paused a moment, then stood up and cast another spell, this time turning her silk robe into a stunning, sparkly dress. "And you're the one who wanted to dress down."

"Hey hey we were trying to help people because no one else was around. You're welcome," Zoe said in a bitter tone. She wasn't exactly in the mood for a scolding considering that her girlfriend was trapped in the building and had little or no way of getting out. For all they knew a burning piece of debris had fallen on her or something! They had to send someone up there now before it was too late!

Course, it already was too late. The explosion sounded just a second later, causing the building to crumble in on itself. Zoe quickly turned towards the building. "NOOO!" she screamed as she saw the building come down. There was no way that anyone could survive that......an entire building falling upon them? Rose must have been able to get out. "Where is she?" Zoe asked to herself as she looked to the crowd, as if hoping that she had only just barely missed Rose.

---

Neal scratched the back of his head. Zatanna made a good point. "Fine but just don't go for anything too short. I really am not digging this setup we have," he admitted as he looked down at himself. "Just no mini skirts. I....I can't handle that yet."

Renee just stared at the building for a long moment, unblinking. She didn't really know what to say or how to react to that, considering, as far as she knew, the girl she'd just tried to help out earlier had been lost in a building fire. That kind of shock wasn't exactly easy to handle. "I... I don't know," she said, finally, having no other way to answer Zoe.

"Montoya, look!" Bullock shouted, pointing into the alleyway. A dark figure stood there, a dark suspicious figure hat appeared to be dressed in some kind of metal suit. A second later, the figure took off, and Bullock was in pursuit. "Hey, freeze!"

"Damn it, Bullock, you'll never catch him!" Renne called back, sprinting after her partner. She passed him in seconds. "How many times I gotta say, cut out the donuts!"

---

"Fine, fine," Zatanna said, snapping her fingers. A second later, Neal was dressed in a long black dress, with a V cut that extended down past the breasts, exposing a good deal of cleavage, as well as having no back to it. It was very revealing, yet somehow tasteful and sleek, elegant almost. "There, you look downright stunning."

Zoe just stood there and shook all over. For all she knew whatever was left of Rose was burning up in the flames right now. Rose was probably dead in there, and Rose wouldn't even be able to recognize the body after it was cooked in there. Tears streamed down the girl's face, something that very rarely ever happened.

It was than that the dark figure was pointed out. A strange looking man that appeared to be on the run. IF anyone had reason to run from this fire.....they were probably the cause. It wasn't long after Montoya took off that Zoe herself took off at a quick run. She didn't care if any cops saw her blow this man's head off.

He was going to pay for taking Rose.

---

"Wow....you really know how to plan on the spot don't you?" Neal asked as he looked at himself in the mirror. While he still wasn't too cool with having lady parts, at least they were nice looking. He gave a small spin in the dress to look at himself before stopping and turning to Zatanna. "So, where are we going to eat tonight?"

"Oy, stop!" Renee shouted, turning into the darkened alleyway. She could just see the dark figure running from her in the distance. Already, she had her gun drawn and ready to use at a moment's notice. Whoever this guy was, she wasn't going to let him get away, especially if he was the cause of the fire.

Unfortunately, as soon as the guy made it to the other side of the alley, a burst of fire exploded behind him. A second later, and he began rocketing through the air, allowing Renee to get a better view of him. He was indeed in some kind of metal suit, with big wing-like structures jutting out from his back. The fire came from a built in jet pack, lifting him through the air. Slowing to a stop, Renee just stood and stared, watching the man disappear into the night sky. No way she could catch him now.

"¡Maldición!" she shouted, lowering her gun. She couldn't even get a clean shot from this distance. Within seconds, they guy was gone. "Sick and tired of these freak criminals."

"That's what I'm here for," a deep voice said, from the shadows.

Renee spun around quickly, pointing her gun towards the sound of the voice. "Show yourself!"

A second later, Batman himself stepped out of the shadows. Only, he wasn't alone. In his arms, he carried an unconscious girl. An unconscious girl with long white hair. It was Rose, pulled from the fire just before the collapse. At the sight, Renee lowered her gun, eyes going wide.

"Is that...?" she started, unable to finish the question.

"Rose," Batman confirmed. "I found her inside, just before the collapse. She's alive... but she needs medical attention. Get her to an ambulance."

Renee holstered her gun, then took the unconscious girl from Batman. "Of course... right away." Her eyes drifted down to Rose's face. The girl looked peaceful, almost like she was sleeping. Chances were, though, she was in a lot of pain. Then, Renee's eyes flickered back upwards. "Wait, how did you...?"

But Batman was gone, vanished back into the shadows. Renee just blinked, confused. "...know her name?"

---

"I have just the place," Zatanna said, giving Neal a little wink. A few words later, and they were standing outside an almost ridiculously fancy French restaurant at the top of one of the tallest buildings in Vegas. The entire far wall was made entirely of glass, allowing a full view of the Vegas strip beyond, glowing brightly against the night sky. "Welcome to the Alize."

With the introduction out of the way, Zatanna led them over to the entrance of the restaurant, where a gentleman in a tuxedo stood behind a podium. The man instantly lit up, smiling broadly at them. "Ah! Mademoiselle Zatanna, welcome!" He immediately walked up to her and gave a kiss to each cheek, a customary French greeting.

"Good to see you again, Pierre," Zatanna said, with a warm smile of her own.

"And who might this young Mademoiselle be?" Pierre asked, looking to Neal. "She is absolutely stunning. Elle est Magnifique!"

Zatanna's smile broadened, holding back a chuckle. "This is Nicole, my new assistant."

"Ah, Mademoiselle Nicole, welcome to to the Alize!" Pierre exclaimed, then giving Neal the same greeting he gave Zatanna. "Any friend of Zatanna is a friend of Pierre's!"

Zoe hadn't gotten quite the head start that Montoya got, so she was quite late to most of the action that had taken place. By the time she had finally turned the corner the only thing that she saw was Montoya looking around as if she had lost something or someone. Where the hell had that metal suit guy gone anyway? Of course, upon seeing who Montoya had the previous question immediately left Zoe's mind.

"ROSE!" Zoe shouted before sprinting forward and coming to a stand next to Renee and gently placing her hands around Rose's face. She looked okay, but she needed medical attention just to be safe. Zoe quickly moved her hands to Rose's neck and waited for a movement of any kind. "She has a pulse, but I think we need to get her checked out just to be safe," Zoe remarked before suddenly growing curious and looking to Montoya. "Where did you find her?"

---

"The Alize?" Neal asked as he looked out the amazing window and saw the whole view of the Vegas strip. It was a beautiful sight, and Neal could see why there were so many stories and legends about this place. It was truly a one of a kind city wasn't it? Neal just found himself looking out for another minute before Zatanna lead him to the entrance of the actual restaurant.

As Zatanna and Pierre greeted each other Neal just stood by and let them meet. He had nothing to say after all, it wasn't like he knew the guy well enough to kiss his cheeks. Course that didn't seem to stop Pierre who was quick to move forward and give a kiss to either of Neal's cheeks. Neal had no fucking idea what to do! What was appropriate in this situation? Neal gave a light return of each kiss and an awkward smile. "Nice to meet you Pierre," he said simply and left it at that.

The sooner they could go and sit at their seats the better.

“I really hate it when he does that,” Renee muttered to herself, turning back around just in time to see Zoe come racing around the corner. She didn’t do anything to stop the girl, considering that she was holding the girl’s unconscious friend in her arms. “I, uh… I found her here,” she explained. In spite of the fact that Batman was apparently on a first name basis with Rose, Renee wasn’t about to go mentioning Batman’s involvement in this. After all, the relationship with Batman and the Gotham PD was shaky enough already.

A second later, Harvey Bullock came half jogging, half hobbling around the corner, taking in deep, heavy breaths. “Jesus, Montoya,” he uttered, sucking in a large breath through his nose. “You run track in high school or something?”

“No, I’m just not carrying thirty extra pounds of fried pastries,” Renee responded, walking back out of the alley with Rose still in her arms.

“Now that’s just a low blow,” Bullock declared, straightening himself. When he saw Rose, he added, “She get caught in the fire?”

“Yeah, we need to get her to an ambulance,” Renee said, then looked back at Zoe. “You can ride with her if you want.”

---

“Well then, come right this way,” Pierre declared, leading the two through the restaurant, up into the second floor balcony. It was the table that Zatanna always preferred, the one near the back and next to the window, overlooking the strip below. The man placed a pair of menus down in front of each seat. “Your menus. I’ll be back to take your orders shortly. Enjoy.”

He then gave a bow and disappeared. Zatanna watched him a moment, then looked back at Neal and chuckled quietly under her breath. “You hear that? You’re absolutely stunning. You may not enjoy this form a whole lot yet, but let me tell you, it opens all kinds of doors around here.”

"God this girl is insane," Zoe remarked as she looked at Rose. "Must have jumped from a window or something insane like that," she remarked as she saw that Rose was okay but unconscious. She had no idea that Batman was in the area and thus had no reason to suspect that anyone other than Renee was here. "God thank you for finding her," Zoe said sincerely as her eyes didn't leave Rose for a moment. Zoe seemed to completely forget that Montoya had been chasing a costumed man.

"Yeah I would really like to ride with her to make sure if she's okay. She would do the same for me," Zoe added as she looked up to the officer.

---

"Yeah, breathtaking based on the way he treated me," Neal remarked in a soft voice as he looked over his menu. He was trying to find something good he liked, thankfully the french items also had english explanations as to what each dish was. Neal appreciated that. As Zatanna made her comment though Neal couldn't help but look up curiously.

"Like what? Getting a man to buy me dinner isn't exactly what I had in mind when I took this job of yours."

They had her in an ambulance just a couple minutes later. The paramedics hooked her up to an oxygen mask, strapped her into a gurney, and loaded her in, allowing Zoe to come in and ride with them to the hospital.

"Wish her my best," Renee said, as she backed away from the ambulance doors. She still had to stay and help clean up the scene, but she really did hope that Rose pulled through okay.

A short while later, they were at the hospital. The doctors and nurses took Rose to intensive care to treat the damage to her lungs, while forcing Zoe to remain in the waiting room. Even after they treated her, "only family" was allowed in. Of course, whether or not that actually kept Zoe out was another matter altogether.

---

"Well, you'd never see a guy getting let in backstage at a concert, I can tell you that much from experience," Zatanna said, with a small chuckle. "Show enough leg and they'll let anyone in. This one time, I got backstage at an Electric Monkeys concert, ended up meeting the whole band. That was a fun, fun night, let me tell you... fun, fun night." And then she went off into one of her dazes again.

"I will....thank you for finding her," Zoe said before the doors to the ambulance closed and she was cut off from Officer Montoya. The ambulance quickly drove off, leaving the burning building and everyone else behind. Now they were just heading to the hospital to make sure that she stayed okay. She had still been in the burning building for some time, smoke might have snuck in to her lungs.

Course, the fact that the office staff tried to stop Zoe from seeing Rose only made her angry. She wasn't going to start a brawl here though, so she "agreed" to remain in the waiting room. It was only after about an hour that she decided to use one of the most ancient techniques of stealth. Moving around while no one was looking.

A minute later and she had moved in to Rose's room, quickly hugging the wall and staying out of sight. She didn't care if she was breaking the law, she was going to make sure that someone was here when Rose regained consciousness.

---

"Oh god," Neal said with another laugh as he thought about actually showing leg in order to get in to a concert. Was there nothing that was sacred to Zatanna? "With all due respect I think that I'm going to just sneak in to concerts the old fashioned way.......I mean buying tickets the old fashioned way."

As Neal and Zatanna spoke, the sorceress would start to feel something strange. She wouldn't be able to quite pin what it was, but she would see the general area it was coming from. A new man had just entered in to the restaurant, heading to a table on the other side of the restaurant. He wore a suit and even had a look of another magician. Zatanna would actually recognize him, she had seen posters advertising him coming to Vegas. He was another magician that had managed to get a gig in Vegas.

Course, that wouldn't explain why Zatanna got a strange feeling from the man.

It was mostly quiet in Rose's hospital room, when Zoe entered. Save for the steady beeping of the heart monitor, nothing else made a sound. At least, until an intimidatingly familiar deep voice spoke from the shadows.

"What are you doing in Gotham?" A second later, a large, looming figure stepped into the dim moonlight from the window, the only source of illumination in the room. The familiar cape and cowl of Batman stood out quite clearly enough.

---

"Sure, sure," Zatanna said, with a wave of her hand. "But you'll never actually meet the band that way." She smirked, taking a sip of water and leaning back in her seat. She still hadn't quite gotten over Neal's new, feminine voice. She was sure to give it a bit of a high pitch, along with a sort of sultry tone to it. It really was rather amusing.

As she started looking over her menu, though, a funny little prickling sensation began to run up her spine. She narrowed her eyes, glancing up from the menu and glancing over across the room. The source of that odd sensation met her eyes a moment later, a man she recognized. She couldn't quite remember his name, but she did know that he was a new, up and coming magician, just got his first gig in Vegas a little while ago.

But why was she getting this feeling from him?

"JESUS!" Zoe nearly shouted at the top of her lungs as the voice came from practically out of nowhere. Zoe's attention had been so focused on her girlfriend that she hadn't even come close to seeing Batman show up. Zoe had heard rumors about Batman, and so far his creepy factor was proving true.

"God don't do that," Zoe muttered as she worked to get her heart back to beating at a normal speed. She finally decided to respond to Batman as she calmed down. "We live nearby now. We just wanted to come in and have a fun night on the town. We were just trying to find something to do when the fire broke out. We couldn't just stand there, there were kids and whole families in there. We stepped in but Rose got locked up there for a while. Her lungs got pretty messed up, but if I know Rose at all it isn't going to slow her down for long," Zoe explained as she looked towards the dark figure.

---

"Hey are you okay?" Neal suddenly asked as he couldn't help but notice that Zatanna seemed to be distracted by something. "You look like something's bothering you," her student pointed out. Neal was used to Zatanna spacing out, but this wasn't another space out. Something else was on her mind and he couldn't tell what it was.

As the man took his seat a female waitress went up to him with a menu. With a small flick of his hand the menu suddenly flew out of the girl's hands and right in to his own. A few of the people sitting near him took notice and turned their attention to him. As the man realized that he had a miniature audience he decided to have a bit of fun. He mumbled a single word and caused the flames on the candles in front of him to rise up two feet taller than they should, causing several claps to come from those watching.

As the tricks were performed Zatanna would suddenly realize what the feeling was. It was one that she had felt a little more than six months ago. Not only was it a feeling of magic, but it felt exactly the same as the magic that Neal used.

Batman was quiet for a few moments, then started walking across the hospital room, to the other side of the bed. He looked down at the unconscious Rose and took in a small breath. "Wanting to help people is a fine goal," he said, turning towards the open window. "But only when you're equipped to do so. You shouldn't go running into burning buildings in civilian clothes." He paused momentarily, as he poised to jump out the window. He glanced back at Zoe and asked, "If she had died, would it have been worth it?" And then, he was gone.

---

Zatanna stiffened in her seat, as she watched the man's antics. She knew most every other homo magi of relevance, at least in the western hemisphere. Sometimes, one slipped through the cracks, mostly those just discovering their power, like Neal. Those that had been around a while, though, those that had already gained a keen mastery over their magic, she knew them. It was just the way it worked with her kind, magic users. They all shared some kind of connection through the mystical arts, no matter where they pulled their source from.

But this man... she'd never known of him before. She didn't know he had magic. There was no mistaking what he was doing right now, of course. It was magic, plain and simple. Those were not illusions or parlor tricks. And one thing about it, above all, had her full attention. This man pulled his magic from the same source as Neal.

"Pots emit," Zatanna whispered, instantly freezing everything around her to a stand still. All except the person she wanted to remain normal. With time frozen around them, Zatanna stood up and narrowed her eyes at him. "Who are you?"