Teen Titans Roster Day Off (7)

Mentor

Penelope Akk

My vision was red. This was not a result of a filter on my helmet, the images being sent to me were completely clear.
Nor was it a metaphor either, although I felt like I should have been seeing red in this moment!

The Original was monologuing! He sat, smiling for all the world as though he were simply a college professor, in his pressed suit and cape with a small tom bowler hat. Exept it wasn't him! The face under that hat, at least to my eyes now, was a featureless face devoid of nose eyes or anything except an articulated mouth. Words painted over its limbs glowed a menacing red as the maniquin face declared, "so you see, the munciple threat of a massive theological manifestation demands the extreme application of thaumoturgical sub vocabulary warfare! Any body is disposable and every weapon is needed in this ultimate fight!"

The trial had started simply enough, all the evidence being laid in place, multiple strong magic users being expected and able to hold this wizard in place. Until he had taken out the peach.

It had been in a pocket, and after the first bite, something had come over the room. Like a distant drum beat and lilting song from centuries ago! Then he began drivelling nonsense! Religious sounding nonsense, with a smart boy flare for saying nothing while using as many words as possible, and people had listened and been bewitched! They nodded now, chins on their hands, listening intently as though daydreaming, until one by one everyone, including the most powerful magic users in the room had fallen under this spell.

I had taken my gloves off. During the height of the spell, during which I had been entranced just as surely as everyone else, one of my cursed Pennies had rolled out of a pocket and onto the ground.

Talking off my glove, I had picked it up and now I cried blood!

Clutched in my hand, with Raven holding it tightly for clarity, we muttered under our breaths!

"What can we do! Why can't you just break this spell?" Raven's hand shook in my own, from nerves or fear I couldn't tell. She refused to meet my gaze.

"He would notice me! I can't let him see me!"

"I think he can see you fine!" I hissed back.

The terror in the little witch was too real though. "Not Mr Winters, the thing powering him! I can't be noticed here! Can't you at least make a distraction! Blow something up damn it!"

I thought about that. My assets in the room were The Inscrutable Machine, Vera and Bootstrap, and Supergirl and Lena. The trouble was the two dozen super powered heroes and villains who were all mind controlled right now!

Mr Winters, or whatever he was, took another bite from the peach! The peace fell from his mouth pointlessly, after all this automaton had no means of actually eating. It was just a farce! A plan to make us ask forget him, his bad behavior and the way he treated Marcia.

"Sure I might be able to blow stuff up, but I guarantee you we would be arrested in a heartbeat! Then Winters would walk out the door!" We sat in silence for a moment more, thinking over all the bad moves that would get us killed.

The world filled with sparks, and smoke. It started at first quietly, in the space nearest the stage and slightly behind him, like a black mist pouring out from a single point. It took a moment for anyone to notice, with the magic already being worked in the room!

Zantanna noticed first, peering at the space, then awkwardly and stiffly marching towards the Original, "Is that, some kind of dimensional moving spell? Need to guard the prisoner! She muttered, followed by a very clear sentence of nonsense. No, words. "aera siht ni slleps lla etalosI!"

At which point the lilting music and drum beat of The Original's spell ceased! In my blood red vision, auras like halos suddenly filled the room, putting each person using magic in their own right little bubble.

"What the Hell!"
"What have we been doing!"
"How much time, aah goodness!" Shouts went up all over the court, people coming to their senses!

"Well that is convenient!" Raven muttered under her breath, then released my hand with a shake. I knew my crying blood meant something dodgy was happening with the cursed penny, but I clutched it anyhow.

Then as Mr Winters turned around, a shot of electricity burst from the cloud of darkness - hitting first the light fitting and then Mr Winters himself.

The magical doll person looked at the spot confused for a moment before saying "Oh, crap." As a ring of power burst from the centre point! Raw electricity in a dome that filled with black smoke before BANG!

Smoke was pushed outwards by a rush of air!
Half the judges bench was gone, as was the witness stand. The super humans who had manned the bench, seeing the way the wind was blowing, leapt in unison to the side before the arrival.

In the middle of that source now stood a lone figure, waving away the smoke and coughing. She wore a mini-skirt and sweater clad and I took a full five minutes to recognise Marcia in this look!

"Aaaah! How, why, what!" I blabbered wildly, "Miss A! I thought you were with the Hero School!"

I got a sarcastic, hand on hip eye roll of a look before she responded, "I ditched those loosers! I wish I hadn't let you talk me into that! Anyhow, sorry to interrupt. I had intended to arrive near my mentor, but I guess I messed up the location! Outa my way, if you know what's good for you!"

We watched in awe and confusion as Miss A marched from the room, and chaos broke out while the magic users tried to parse exactly what had happened!