Teen Titans Roster Day Off (7)

Weeks Ago

Marcia Bradly

"All training involves pain." Mr Winters scolded, he sat calm and collected as ever, the eye of the storm in his dress tux, pump sneakers and the tie with the Peruvian symbols. He wore no jacket right now, showing the magical tattoos that went up his arm. They covered most of his body, I'd seen them often enough, and were the reason he was unbeatable.

"I know sir. I promise I'll do it right this time!" I responded, normally I only got one chance. My rash decisions during the Inscrutable Machine encounters though had added up.

I'd botched the Sting at the school Gym, where Bad Penny pinned me to the wall with her tech, then trashed the school. I'd embarrassed him in the fight against Reviled, then I'd sided with the villains in the Memorial caper.

I was literally on my last lifeline.

"You have been successfully letting this Mr Bodger on for months now. You know your objective?" He talked casually, almost a murmur, a though this wasn't important enough to worry about. Instead he scrolled and tapped on his phone.

I clenched the nice linen dress I was wearing into bunches in my fingers, caught myself, smoothed them out, "Yes Sir. I have my weapons and the tracker hidden, short of being completely naked he won't find them, and by then it will be too late. I'm positive this guy is the vamp you've been tracking!"

He nodded, the car stopping and I got out. We were a while off, just a little away. If Danny Bodgers was watching, we'll then my 'Owner' had dropped me off. If not, then all was good. Putting on the collar I used for these missions, it had a tracker in it, and my best game face I stepped out of the car, walked through the alley and looked for the cafe where I was supposed to meet him.

Bodgers was a tall, softly dressed man with strong eyes and clothes designed to make him look younger than his years, sitting under the canopy in front of the cafe. The cafe stood so that the setting sun was behind it, putting the shop entrance and most of the street here in heavy shadow. This guy screamed vampire, or at the very least - not safe to be around impressionable young girls like myself.

Which was why I was here.

We made small talk, I played the part, barely listening. I was the schoolgirl he had approached online, he was in control here. I had lemon meringue, and iced-coffee. He had an ice-cream float.

"So, I was wondering if I could show you the collection I talked about?" He finally got to, the sun was already set by now and I nodded, gushing, "Nintee's hero Merch! You bet! Some of that stuff must be worth so much!" The trick was making him think my plan was to steel something.

He led the way through the streets, the Original would be tracking me but would not interfere. Most likely we wouldn't even reach a house or apartment, he'd jump me in an alleyway. Except, as we moved towards the entrance of one building, he clearly was taking me somewhere.

"Hey, HEY! Mar - - - MAR!" I blinked at a voice yelling at me, heard rushing footsteps. I tensed, here? Who? Was this just a mugging? "It's Me, from School!" a boy's voice called and I hesitated, my target had stopped to look as well as this lanky, lean and muscular brown kid chased up, stopping right behind me.

"What is it. Nerd Boy!" I growled, then wondered if that sentence would be out of character, too late now.

"Mar, Are you okay cause this looks kinda sketch. I saw you're dad drop you here earlier, but who's this?" Ray was acting as though he knew me better than he did. I tugged my dress with agitation, then stomped my foot, "I'm working, Nerd Boy!" I hissed at him, trying to see what Mr Bodger's opinion was of all this. I raised my voice, "Mr Bodgers has some classic Hero merch he want's to show me!" I tried to imply my cover story. I was here to either buy or sell.

Ray seamed stunned at first, looked over myself and my face, then over Mr Bodgers, "Oh Well! You should have said, you know full well I am the Ultimate Hero Nerd!" Ray struck a goofy 'point to the sky' pose. "And I have a lot of the same knowledge you do. So, I insist I come along with!"

AAAAARG.

Wait, no. This was not a horrible idea. Ray had recently started taking the ninja training course I was being forced to re-take. He was strong, capable. If extremely annoying. Arguing with him might also scare off the target, so I sighed dramatically and sagged, even more so. Playing this up as an act, as though Ray and I had planned this!

When we went upstairs, there were two more men waiting in the unit.

Two more, who were already demon form out, ready to pin us down with supernatural strength.

The fight was, short. Ray had not come prepared, but between mixed screams of "AAAR, You Didn't say he was a Vamp!" and "The Table!" Which Ray promptly splintered, obtaining a sizable wooden stake, he managed, beating back one of the vamps by using the leg like a club to brain the monsters.

I used my collapsible javelin. The blade was tipped stainless steel tipped with mercury and spun in smooth prescribed arcs as I went after my direct attacker, slicing into him with cuts that seared his flesh! He backed awat to where Ray could get a hit. The boy must have hit hard to leave these monsters confused like that, most went to their knees and my attacker flew halfway across the room. I sliced at a stunned one, then another. Heads rolled.

Blood spread across the floor in pools as the bodies began to rapidly age, going straight into rigor mortis, as though weeks long dead.

While Ray took a chair, glaring at me with a confused, scared expression I called back the Original and a clean up crew entered the apartment.

"Marcia, you're fourteen! How often do you do this!" Ray asked eventually.

I just sighed. "If you mean, slaying Vampires, that's new, but I've been playing bait like this since I was nine! By the Original's side, I've been taking out predators on the street since I was 11!

Ray still looked scared, but now more angry.

"Look, I didn't ask you to come! This is the life of a super heroine, you're just an ordinary school kid! Go back to your normal world! Forget about it!" That was a cool line, I gave his shoulder a squeeze, gently pulled him up out of his seat, and shoved him through the apartment door before closing it in his face.