Just a Little Bit of Magick • ONC 2020 • ✓

Awed Or Annoyed, That Is The Question.

I stood back from the door and watched as a mess of magicks flowed out the door. Several familiar faces waved and I grinned, waving back.

Cap came up behind me and I laughed at the bewildered expression on his face as he asked, 'Who the hell are all these guys, Shock?'

'Friends. Well, ' I amended my previous statement, 'I've met about half of them once.'

'Yeah, of course... Friends.'

Eshe stepped out and I introduced her to Cap. They shook hands and then I dragged Cap off in the direction of a fight.

'Please tell me you've at least met her more than once.'

'Oh yeah! We met for the second time just now when I invited them to this party.'

Cap groaned, 'One, that doesn't count, and two, I don't see how that's a party.'

»--«

At some point, some actual Nazi soldiers showed up. Then it turned into a party.

Just maybe not for them.

With a flick of Fé, the soldier's weapons were on the floor. Cap gaped and I grinned, jumping into the -now hand to hand- combat. Cap joined me and soon we were exchanging punches with SS soldiers, with me sending out streams of fé out every now and then. The magick tripped soldiers up and knocked them into their colleagues, just like a line of dominoes.

Alex eventually found us and helped to clear the rest of the room. Then we skedaddled before more reinforcements could show up.

As we made our way further info the base, we encountered less and less guards. Cap still gaped when I used fé to check the way forward, but Alex didn't seem so amazed.

Maybe he was ignoring that as well as me.

Ouch.

Yeah.

There were more cells in the lower-down levels of the base, filled with German prisoners rather then Allied soldiers. Alex and Cap took out the guards whilst I destroyed the cell locks with fé. The prisoners stumbled out, all thin and bony. Some were disappointed when I led them away from the fighting, but most of them followed me quietly to the magick door.

There were some gasps of surprise when I opened the door and it didn't reveal a storage cupboard or whatever they were expecting. I stepped into the Authority of Magick headquarters in London and beckoned them through.

One of Eshe's lot had very kindly gone on ahead and got permission for me to bring the prisoners in.

Apparently they weren't very happy with me though. No idea why.

You openly used Magick.

Just for the record, I was being sarcastic.

I left them in the care of a Magick who wasn't sure whether to be awed or annoyed. He was in the middle of telling them that they would have to get their memories removed when I stepped back through the door, opening it right next to Cap and Alex, who were hiding from someone round the corner.

'Need some help?'

I swear to Morgana they both jumped about a foot off the ground.

Alex glared and I grinned, raising my hands, 'Sorry, sorry. How was I meant to know where I'd come out.'

That was a boldfaced lie.

Still grinning, I stepped around the corner and sent a stream of Fé at the blockade of Nazi soldiers.

They went flying backwards. Cap walked round the corner and groaned, 'How come you always get to do all the fun stuff?'

I turned to Alex, 'Still think I'm a Nazi spy?'

He folded his arms and scoffed, pushing past me to continue clearing the hallway.

Cap sighed, 'Don't worry Shock, he'll come round.'

I smiled, 'Well I do have pretty much all eternity to get over it.'

Cap just patted my shoulder and continued down the hallway after Alex.

»--«

We found more prisoners a floor down. These ones were less malnourished but also seemed to be German.

They also had a lot more soldiers guarding them.

We fired a couple of rounds at each other, me using more magick than actual bullets.

Then there was a click, and a cry of 'Get down!'

Alex froze. His hands started shaking.

A grenade rolled along the floor towards us. Time seemed to slow down.

I lunged forward, kicking the grenade back towards the guards.

It exploded, sending a shower of concrete dust and metal all over me. As the dust settled, I groaned, 'Damn it Alex, that's the second time I've saved your ass.'

Cap pulled me up and we continued cautiously down the cell block. The guards seemed to have tossed and run. We made ourselves useful and removed the locks from the cages. Then I shepherded them back up to the magick door.

»--«

I stepped around the corner just as a shower of bullets flew in my direction. Cap pulled me back just in time.

Or they were just terrible shots.

'Well, I guess we found the missing guards.'

Cap and Alex returned fire as I moved the prisoners back the way we came. Thankfully we found another way up onto the next floor.

This group's reaction to the door was much the same as the first's and I didn't stick around after handing them over to the Magick in charge.

Alex met me at the door, his face grim, 'Base's all cleared out, but-' he looked down- 'Cap got shot.'

My face paled, 'Wha- what happened?'

When Alex didn't look up, I grew suspicious, 'Alex?'

He looked back up then and I saw he was grinning, 'I'm sorry, that was mean. I just wanted to see what you'd do.'

He saw my confused expression and chuckled, 'Cap talked to me. Said you couldn't be a spy. I guess some of it made a little sense.'

'Only some?'

His face went grim again, 'You lied, Alicia, or Alina or whatever your name is. You lied to me, and to the whole team. That doesn't make you hugely trustworthy in the future.'

'Oh,' I looked down, 'Well, can- can we start over?'

Alex smiled at me, 'Of course. I'd be willing to try again.'

I lifted my hand to his, 'Alina Von Lübeck. And you are?'

He shook it, 'Theodore Wilson, but you can call me Alex.'

'So. Where to now?'

'A drink. I think you owe me at least five by now.'

I groaned, 'I guess we're going to a teahouse then.'

Alex turned, and his grin set my heart dancing, 'Of course!'

»--«

And they lived happily ever after or something like that...

AN: And with that, we're done!

Celebratory Water (or something stronger if you want) all round!