Unlike the Chaos Lords,
the Lords of Order rarely descended to Earth...
Instead, they would empower
a human being to act as their agent.
The theory was that a mortal's earthly ties
would allow for a greater understanding
of the problems that Chaos created among humankind.
Though perhaps, in truth, the Lords of Order
simply hesitated to dirty their hands on our chaotic world.
Arion was the first such agent
empowered by and for the Lords of Order on Earth.
But Chaos's partnership with a mortal,
not to mention their sinking of Atlantis,
represented a significant escalation of the conflict.
And Arion's resulting death, forced Order to reassess.
Thus, they took a moment to observe the architect of all this chaos.
Varl'jat...
Soon to be known as Marduk.
Sync & corrections by emeline-whovian www.addic7ed.com
_
We. Are. So. Moded.
Fixing this would take a lot more than
bending a branch back into shape.
Teg aremac ydaer!
You know who I'm going to see.
So you and Blood should go on a recruiting tour, too.
We're gonna need all the help we can get.
Rehtaf, ediug ruo yenruoj hguorht S'etaf Yloh Hkna!
Thanks, Doc.
I'm not a doctor yet.
Nope. Not yet.
Is she all right?
There's a cost to magic.
She's drained her vim vitae, her life force.
Using the ankh always takes it out of me.
Huh?
That spell usually takes me to the stairs.
I wonder why we wound up here?
- Aunt Inza? - Oh, that's why.
And where is here, exactly?
Oh!
Whoa!
Nice entrance.
Daughter of Zatara,
you invoke our ankh and invade our tower.
Take these children and get out.
_
Yes! Mission time.
Beast Boy?
Garfield?
Huh? What?
The mission.
Did you seriously not hear the Troub-Alert?
Sure. Yeah, yeah, of course.
So, are you coming or what?
Nah. You got this covered.
"You got this covered"?
Is that our catchphrase now?
7,586 years after the fall of Atlantis,
came the rise of Babylonia.
But ruling this new kingdom came with its own challenges.
Marduk found himself frustrated
with his Babylonian generals
and their pernicious independence of mind.
Guess who?
The Chaos Lord Klarion arrived, without invitation,
but with an offer of help.
Marduk's son, Nabu, argued fiercely
against giving the Witch Boy free rein.
But Marduk, ignoring his son's advice,
was intrigued by Klarion's offer.
The result...
Klarion brought a Starro-Creature from Deep Space
to Ancient Babylon.
I can't leave. A new Chaos Lord threatens the Earth.
Yes. She calls herself Child.
Do not waste time telling Fate what's already known.
Then Fate knows we need his help.
We are not inclined to intervene.
I know exactly what you're thinking.
We doubt that.
I do, because I had the exact same thought.
Two Chaos Lords at each other's throats sounded like a win.
Right up until their conflict sank half of Roanoke Island.
We can't wait for the final outcome.
We have to stop the fight itself.
And you plan on doing that with these children?
Yes, while you confront Child and Klarion,
my Sentinels can covertly strike from the shadows.
Your "Sentinels" are not ready for this fight.
- We so are. - We've been training really hard.
- We're ready for anything... more or less. - Kind of.
They'll do great, Nabu. You just watch.
Let us test that premise.
Observe.
Ugh! Great.
Now, I guess I'm supposed to prove myself.
You don't have to prove anything to me, Trace!
Who are you?
- I'm your boyfriend. - You're a puppet.
- I'm your puppet boyfriend. - And I'm your puppet mentor.
And I'm your puppet idol.
Terrific. Who's controlling you? Why are you here?
We're here to cheer you up.
I don't need cheering up.
Of course, you don't.
What would be the point, loser?
- Who was that? - Ignore the whispers.
- They're nothing. - Nothing, like you.
Noted.
A mystic test to draw out my insecurities.
What do you have to be insecure about? You're terrific!
All your friends think you're great.
They just don't trust you to have their backs.
You've got the coolest powers, too!
Too bad you still haven't mastered them.
That's why I invited you to join the Outsiders!
That's why he was relieved when you turned him down.
That's why I wanted you as my protegee!
That's why she pulled in Khalid and Mary to replace you.
Stop it! It's not gonna work.
Come out here and face me.
Is it Fate? Is Nabu pulling your strings?
We're hand puppets.
We have no strings.
Besides, there's no one back there.
You're afraid to face the ugly truth.
I'm not afraid to face ugly you!
What the hell?
Funny you should mention hell.
Here's your ugly truth, Traci.
You're a fraud. You don't belong here.
You're not ready for this fight.
Marduk was not prepared for the gifts Starro brought.
Instantly, it became clear
Starro was no solution to Marduk's problems,
as the alien creature put the Babylonian army
under its own control, not Marduk's.
As for Marduk's son Nabu,
it was his fate to die,
fighting the enemy his father had unintentionally raised.
And his death, under these circumstances,
left the Lords of Order intrigued.
Where am I?
- What in the... - What are you doing?
You should be making hospital rounds, diagnosing people,
helping them.
I am helping people.
I'm trying to become a doctor and a hero.
It's the same thing, just different methods.
Your methods are magic.
I thought you were Muslim.
Mom, I... I am Muslim.
You're not behaving like one, Khalid.
You should rely on God alone.
I gave up magic when I converted to Islam.
Look, magic is a tool I'm using to do good.
I mean, that's what our faith is all about.
If you were a good Muslim,
you would listen to your mother.
That's... that's not fair.
You're using religion to bully me into doing what you want.
What I want is a better life for you. A safer life.
He's following in the footsteps of your uncle, Jane.
He's Homo Magi.
He has to honor his genetic heritage,
even if it means giving up the study of medicine.
Dad, I'm not giving up medicine.
I can do both, forge my own identity.
We don't get to choose our destinies.
You have a responsibility.
And this is responsible?
He can't play at being a hero, Muhammed.
I'm not playing. I'm training, studying.
Time taken away from training and studying to be a doctor.
I know, but...
Your father and I didn't work hard our whole lives
to put you through medical school...
I know, but...
only to have you run off.
You cannot abandon your true calling.
I know, but...
Admit the truth. We are drowning in your doubts.
You're killing us both, because you're not ready for this fight.
We run an entire mission against the Headmaster,
and he hasn't moved an inch?
Hey, Beast Boss! Have you been sleeping this whole time?
What? No. I'm awake.
Kinda not!
So what?
First, you guys say I don't get enough sleep.
Now, too much?
There's just no pleasing you.
It is on, Nabu.
Say it. I want you to say it.
No. We don't say that anymore. We can't.
Help!
Say it and save me.
Speed of Mercury!
Not that way.
Help me! Save me!
Say it, please!
Strength of Hercules!
That's not the way.
You're not doing it right.
I know, but I can't. I promised.
If you won't say it, I will.
- Don't... - Shazam!
You don't have what it takes.
Stamina of Atlas!
What are you doing?
You're not a hero. You're not a sorceress.
Courage of Achille...
You call that power?
This is what real power looks like.
Stop dabbling in half-measures!
You're pathetic.
Afraid to be your true self,
and without enough imagination to become something new.
Without me, you're not ready for this fight.
The Babylonians had believed Nabu to be a God of Wisdom.
He was already, in his own way, a Champion of Order,
willing to defy his father, Marduk,
Chaos' immortal mortal ally upon the Earth.
What better candidate for Order's purpose?
So the Lords of Order recruited Nabu's soul,
now free of the limitations of his fragile mortal form.
Elevating it to a higher calling,
they gave purpose to his once pointless death,
and revealed the dangers resulting from the Chaos
of the Klarion-Marduk alliance.
Gaining an oath of Nabu's fealty to Order,
the Lords forged something new.
Not simply an agent of Order on Earth,
but a Lord of Order,
created from the soul of mortal man
and Nabu's own helmet.
The Helmet of Fate
would act as the anchor for his spirit
on the mortal plane.
The only thing required was a human host body,
capable of channeling Nabu's mystic power.
Such hosts were not always easy to come by.
Yet, Nabu became the Lord of Order,
known as Doctor Fate,
who has for centuries
defended this world from Chaos.
Bad luck magic.
You're as likely to curse friends as enemies.
Urban magic. What does that even mean?
And what if the battle isn't in a city?
You're just a kid playing out of your depth.
You are not ready.
Thanks, Leroy. You're right.
The thing is,
I live with these voices.
I work through my insecurities every day,
but I am not a quitter.
I didn't have to join the Outsiders.
I'm already on the Team.
Yes, I'm afraid, but I get up anyway,
and I'm brave enough to ask for help.
I work, I train, I make myself better.
And I don't fear failure, or let it stop me.
Well, not for long anyway.
I am ready.
- As-Salaam-u 'A-lay'kum. - Wa-Alay'kum-us-Salam.
I am a man of faith, science and mysticism.
A Muslim and Homo Magi.
I am a first-generation American on my father's side
and descended from Mayflower pilgrims on my mother's.
I will forge a new way forward
on a path built by those before me.
I can and will be both a doctor and a sorcerer.
That is my jihad, my inner struggle.
In my world, magic is a science of its own.
Another tool from our creator,
to serve what's good.
My faith will strengthen and guide me
as I walk along this path.
I am ready.
Look at me.
I'm beautiful, I am powerful.
I am better and stronger than anyone and anything!
Why wouldn't you want this?
No. Not you.
Forgot why you gave it up, huh?
Forgot how you traded everything for the power?
Being Sergeant full-time and not living your life as Mary at all?
When Freddy and I came to you, you agreed it wasn't right.
Back then, you knew you had to stop using the power completely.
Quit it. Quit her.
Cold turkey. Or else you'd never give her up.
No. No.
No, you need me. You are nothing without me.
Billy was right. I had to stop.
But that doesn't mean I have to stop being a hero.
I can use my connection to you to become a sorceress.
To be just as important and powerful as you ever were,
without abandoning who I am.
No!
Go get 'em, sis!
I am ready for this fight.
Ha! See? There's a reason why I chose each one of them.
They can handle what's coming.
Is this true?
Are you ready to enter a battle
which could easily cost you your lives?
- I am. - Ready.
Been there, done that.
Perhaps they are ready.
Still, Fate has neither need nor use for them, or you,
as we have no intention of intervening
so long as Chaos fights Chaos.
And thus, a single champion was raised by Order
to battle Chaos in all its forms.
Nabu, why do you tell me what I already know?
So that you may understand
why there is, as yet, no need for us to act.
Let the Chaos Lords fight,
until even the victor has been weakened by battle.
Fate will step forward to bring order in the end,
as we have done for millennia.
Nabu, how can you miss the point of your own story?
You view Fate as a single champion,
a lone warrior, capable of triumphing over any opposition.
But this has never been true,
nor was it your masters' intent.
The Lords of Order planned for Doctor Fate's formation
to require two champions,
Nabu and Fate's host.
Both are equally important.
For if the host fails, so falls Fate.
And for Fate to succeed,
Nabu must draw on his host's diverse strengths.
Yet every host, every person,
finds their strength in their own way.
Look at these three children, whom you tested this day,
finding strength through mentors, family and faith.
Honestly, do you think I would have survived these ten years
as your host and prisoner, without my faith in a higher power?
Our Father, who art in Heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done,
on Earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Amen.
And the victories you so proudly cite,
would they have come without allies such as the League,
or the Lords of Order themselves?
You view cooperation as Chaos.
But it is only in the combined strengths of all these individuals,
in the unity of the disparate,
that Order may truly rise out of Chaos.
You must know this on some level,
Or why else would you have allowed Kent Nelson
to push you into joining the Justice Society,
Or allowed me to keep you in the Justice League?
Great Nabu, step back
from the precipice of your own arrogance,
and heed the words of those who seek only to aid your cause,
lest you fall victim to Chaos,
as you did in your natural life so many years ago.
Start by listening to my daughter.
We need you in this battle.
What more can I say to convince you?
Come on, Nabu,
you cranky old fart, let me in!
- I need help. - You're beyond help.
Flaw, please kill his anchor.
Big talk!
Teekl is my familiar!
She won't be that easy to kill.
Teekl!
Mm, not as hard as you made it sound.
No!
Sync & corrections by emeline-whovian www.addic7ed.com