Spellbound
At night in Gotham
Max and Melanie's friend Chelsea returned home from a date with her new boyfriend, Rick, who seemed like a far better guy than Mason was to her. When Rick asked if she was alright walking alone the last few feet to her door, she assured him that she was and reminded him that her father was probably already home from gun practice, with Rick agreeing with her as nothing ever happened around their block.
After sharing a kiss, Chelsea began to walk to her home. But before reaching her house, Chelsea noticed a strange wind picking up and was approached by a man dressed in a strange orange and black costume.
"Don't be afraid. I don't bite." The costumed man told her while raising his left arm and drawing out a glowing eye from his hand.
"What is that?" Chelsea asked curiously.
"An adventure." The man answered before flashing Chelsea with the eye.
Chelsea then suddenly found herself wandering through a jungle before entering an ancient temple and picking up a small idol in the center before she then followed the strange man to a pool of lava and dropped the statue down. But in reality, she had actually entered her home, picked up a statue from her father's study, and dropped it off the riverbank outside her door.
That was when her father came out and ran to his daughter. "Chelsea? Chelsea, what are you doing?!" He asked while grabbing her arms before his daughter snapped out of the trance. "What's wrong with you? That was an original. Cost me 80 grand!"
But Chelsea, being in a hypnotic state, didn't remember what she'd just done.
"Get back in the house!" Her father said furiously before leading her daughter into their house, while the costumed man was watching from a distance with the statue in his hand before he flew away.
The next day at Hamilton Hill High
Max and Melanie were walking with their friend Jared, who's mother was getting married in a few nights. But Jared didn't seem too happy, which both lovers noticed. "Come on, Jared. It's your mom's wedding. Big bash, lots of food then you get the house to yourself for 3 weeks." Max started.
"Whatever." Jared said enthusiastically as they got to his locker before he grabbed some books for the next class.
"You don't like him, do you, Jared?" Melanie asked.
"My mom goes through husbands like popcorn. I don't bother to get attached." Jared answered before looking at Max. "And what about you, Max? You used to be the big player for all the other girls, but since she came along, people been takin' about you finally finding the right one."
Max smiled before wrapping her arm around Melanie. "That's because I have. My one night stands are over, Jared."
Jared was very surprised at this, as he couldn't believe that Max Gibson, the Dark Knight and player for the other girls of their High school, had actually found the one for her. "Wait. You're sayin' that... it's the real thing between you 2?"
"It is. Max and I are in love and now that she's found me, no other girl in this town can have her... because we gave ourselves to each other a while back." Melanie answered while she held her lover close to her.
"Well, guess the school's gonna have to find a new girl to call the player of all the other girls. But what about your other rep here? That gone, too?"
"No. And it never will be either." Max answered.
"Well, hopefully your new girlfriend will at least be able to calm you down more when you get angry, especially with the Jokerz gangs. Man, people are really worried about you in that regard, Max. Everyone around the school is." Jared said with worry for Max, as her anger really scared everyone in the school, students and staff alike.
But suddenly, Commissioner Barbara Gordon and a uniform cop were walking to the school psychologist, Dr. Ira Billings, which Max noticed. "What's that about?"
"Gotta be Chels. You guys didn't hear about her zoning out at her old man last night? She bugged and tossed some pricey statue of his in the river." Jared answered before the bell rang, signaling the next class was beginning. "Aw man, late again." Jared complained before walking away to get to class. "See ya, guys."
When Jared was out of sight and Max saw Gordon walking into the office, she and Melanie walked up to the door and Melanie opened it a crack so they could hear.
"We wouldn't even look into this 'mystery man' story, but the girl's father has influence and he asked that we check it out. I wanted your opinion first." Gordon told Billings.
"To be frank, this is Chelsea's pattern: she commits these destructive acts for attention and then claims they weren't her fault. Unfortunately, by humoring her stories, her father encourages her behavior." Billings answered professionally.
Gordon seemed to buy that. "In other words, she made the whole thing up."
"That would be my opinion." Billings said before getting up and shaking the Commissioner's hand. "I'm sorry you wasted your time."
When they heard the police coming out, Max and Melanie turned around and began walking away as Barbara looked at them before walking away herself, not noticing the knowing look Max was giving her.
Later that night at Wayne Manor
Max and Melanie were talking to Bruce, who was going through some old books, about Chelsea and her story. "I don't buy it, Bruce. Chelsea isn't stupid or crazy. She wouldn't make up something about a guy with a magic eyeball, not if she really saw what she says she saw."
But Bruce thought differently. "Leave it alone, you 2. She's just a troubled kid lashing out at daddy. Nothing you both need to get involved with."
"Maybe. But I'm not so sure this is something Chelsea would just make up just for attention. If she were, she'd say something a bit more believable." Melanie said with doubt.
Meanwhile, at an auction building
The auction manager, Mr. Deakins and 2 guards were preparing to lock up for the night, with the manager saying. "I tell you, boys, I feel awful leaving the office at night. Each of dear Audrey's gowns are so precious, it seems wrong to leave them alone."
The guards, while being professional, were a bit weirded out by their bosses' love for those gowns, as they were just outfits for women to wear. "Oh yeah, Mr. Deakins, we feel exactly the same way."
But as Deakins was preparing to leave, the man who hypnotized Chelsea appeared and flashed his eye at the auction manager and soon after, the manager knocked one of the security guards unconscious and locked himself inside.
A bit later
As the police arrived, and tended to the guard, Deakins dragged a valuable dress (once belonging to Princess Audrey) up to the roof. In his mind, he was in the middle of a jungle war, dragging a wounded comrade to safety while trying to evade the enemy. But in reality, he was on the roof as the mystery man was waiting, where Deakins saw his vehicle as a rescue helicopter before loading the dress onto the craft.
But that was when Batgirl and Nightwing, who'd been watching from the other building close by flew onto the roof and saw the man Chelsea had told Gordon about.
"What the hell are you?" Batgirl asked with a glare.
The costumed man saw the 2 Dark Knights and told his victim. "Behind you!" Before reaching into his craft and handing his hypnotized victim a gun.
"I'll hold them off as long as I can!" Deakins yelled before starting to shoot at Batgirl and Nightwing, which they avoided as the mystery man escaped.
Batgirl then threw a batarang at him, disarming him and allowing Nightwing to get behind him and hit him on the head, snapping him out of his hypnosis. "Hey, you alright?"
"Y-yes. Thank you." Deakins said while adjusting his glasses.
"Who was the one in the spooky getup?" Batgirl asked.
"I...have no idea." Deakins answered truthfully, as he couldn't remember anything.
Later on at the manor
Max, Melanie and Bruce were watching the news about what happened earlier with Mr. Deakins. "With this 2nd report of a 'Spellbinder' hypnotizing people, the police have reopened the case involving Chelsea Cunningham." Before Bruce turned the TV off.
"Sorry, Bruce. I wish we were wrong." Max said.
"It's alright, Max. I'm glad you and Melanie were right." Bruce said with an assured smile.
"Thanks, Bruce. But now we're going to find out who that bastard is. And we know exactly where he'll strike next." Melanie informed her new mentor.
"Where?"
"Our friend Jared's mom's wedding is tonight. And from what he's told us about his new stepfather, the groom's is very rich." Max answered while showing Melanie and Bruce a dark blue dress in her left hand and a rose red dress in the other. "I bought these with some of our money you paid us last week. I was planning on surprising Melanie with them for a special date night, but now I think that wedding will have to do."
"It's okay, baby. I'm just glad you thought about us when you bought them. Besides, we can always save these for that date and pretend to wear them for the first time." Melanie said with a sweet smile, making Bruce smile as well before he walked away.
Later on
The wedding of Jared's mom was beginning and even Jared seemed happy as he stood beside Max and Melanie, who were both in their dresses as they raised their glasses.
"Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to introduce your hosts, Mr and Mrs. Jim Tate." The announcer said, making everyone cheer as the bride and groom came down the steps as cameras took pictures of the special occasion.
"Hear, hear." Jared said with a happy smile.
"Thought you were against this wedding?" Melanie asked with a grin.
"I was... until my new step dad bought me a car." Jared answered while they looked at his mother and new step dad.
Max noticed the jewelry around the bride's neck and was very impressed. "Are those from the groom, too? The guy must be rich."
"He is. Not Bruce Wayne rich, but rich enough. Go, mom!" Jared explained with excitement.
However, as the bride was walking down the stairs with her new husband, a magic eye concealed in a video camera hit her and she suddenly saw herself in a nest of gigantic insects, making her run in terror as Jim and Jared ran after her.
Max and Melanie were also confused before they caught a glimpse of Spellbinder in the crowd, making them turn serious before they tried to run after him but he got to his aircraft and flew away, making Max and Melanie run to the cycle they shared and quickly suit up into Batgirl and Nightwing.
Jared's mother, still In terror, jumped off the hotel balcony despite Jim and Jared trying to prevent her from doing so. But as she was falling presumably to her death, Batgirl and Nightwing appeared and saved her. But because of her still being under the terrifying illusion, Jared's mother saw them as ugly insects too and tried to escape from them by ripping what she thought was webs but was really her dress before Spellbinder flew in and attacked the 2 Dark Knights with his craft, making them let go of Jared's mother.
But fortunately, she landed on a building but saw that her jewelry was insects as well and ripped them all off of her before she was a giant insect, which was really a train coming at her. But Batgirl and Nightwing quickly saved her before the large transportation vehicle could hit her. And that was when her illusion finally ended before the 2 Dark Knights got the bride back to her husband and son.
Batgirl and Nightwing then quickly chased after Spellbinder as he collected the bride's jewelry and proceeded to try to escape before Bruce contacted them. "Both of you turn on your vid links. Let's have a look." He told them, making them do just that.
As Batgirl and Nightwing caught up to him, Spellbinder turned and zapped them with his magic eye!
While Max tried to fight it at first by placing her hands on her head and fighting hard to resist, it was too strong, even for her as she had trained her mind to resist hypnosis. When Max opened her eyes, she and Melanie saw themselves on the top of a tall beautiful tropical waterfall, while they were completely naked. They smiled at each other and embraced before the lovers took a high dive toward the pool below. But in truth, they were falling towards the street!
Fortunately, Bruce managed to snap him out of it. "Max. Melanie, what are you both doing?! Wake up!"
As soon as Max and Melanie heard their mentor's voice, they snapped out of the illusion before they hit the ground, though their escape was narrow and their suits were damaged in the process.
Later at the Batcave
As Max and Melanie were patching up their minor wounds, Bruce spoke to them while showing the video of what happened to them earlier. "The vid link captured that flash of light just before your little romantic vacation, so I took a closer look." He said as the screen showed the new Dark Knights the image that they saw while they were hypnotized. "Somehow, despite Max trying to resist, this information was fed directly into your brains, where it then played back before your eyes."
"I swear I could smell the water, we both do." Melanie said, while remembering that the illusion seemed so real, she and Max could both actually smell the water.
"I tried to fight it, but whatever technically he's using, it's incredibly powerful that even I couldn't resist for more than a few seconds." Max added, remembering that she actually resisted, even if it was for a few seconds.
Bruce turned to his protege and her girlfriend. "With such advanced technology, and his knowledge of the human psyche, this madman should be considered very deadly."
"Which means I have to rely on my resistance training a lot more than I have before. But it's gonna take everything I have just to have a chance." Max said with concern.
"Then let's get started. I know a few mental resistance techniques that could help you." Bruce said as he stood up.
"We can't right now, Bruce. School starts again in just 4 hours and besides, I think I know just who this Spellbinder is but I need to be absolutely sure." Max said with a serious look.
Later in the afternoon at the high school
Dr. Ira Billings was waiting for Max and Melanie, having called for them to talk. After the classes were over, the 2 lovers opened the door to the office. "You wanted to see us, sir?" Melanie asked.
"Ms Gibson and Ms Walker, do come in." He said politely. When they didn't move, he spoke again. "No big deal. I know the past few months have been rough on you, Max, with your family passing and you moving close to your friend Terry's apartment building. And I know it must have been tough for you, Ms Walker: with you leaving your old life and family in a town like Gotham. I wanted to see how you both were doing."
"We're doing fine, sir. I've been living with Max and she's been showing me around the city and I'm even working with her at her job. My life is far better than the life my so-called family forced me to live." Melanie said with a smile before they both began walking away.
But the doctor wouldn't give up. "I don't bite, you 2. Have a seat." He said with a smile.
Max and Melanie, although suspicious of why he wanted to talk to them so badly despite them being perfectly fine, did as he asked and sat down on the couch in the office.
"I hear you're both working part-time for an actual billionaire. That must be exciting. Tell me all about it." Billings said politely while closing the door.
Later in the Batcave
Bruce was bringing up images of the victims of Spellbinder on the Batcomputer to find out what they all had in common. But then the intruder alert sounded, making Bruce get up and go upstairs, preparing to deal with the intruders before he saw Max and Melanie, putting some of his valuable things from the shelfs in a bag, hypnotized into believing that they were contestants on a shopping spree game show.
Bruce tried to snap them out of it by calling to his proteges. "Max! Listen to my voice! Snap out of it!"
Max, still under the illusion, could hear her mentor's voice and slowly dropped the bag of things and punched herself hard in the head, snapping her out of it completely before she saw Melanie and pounced on her before pinning her down and giving her a kiss, leaving Melanie surprised before she closed her eyes and kissed her girlfriend back.
When they finally broke the kiss, Bruce knelt down to their level and whacked them both on the head before he smirked. "Don't ever do that in front of me again, will you both?" He asked with humor, getting a smirk from his proteges.
A bit later
Bruce showed his proteges the images of Spellbinder's victims while also bringing up the image of who they all had in common. "All of Spellbinder's victims had 1 thing in common: Dr. Ira Billings."
"Both Chelsea and Jared were seeing him." Melanie told her new mentor.
"And so was Carey Deakins, the auction manager's son." Bruce added, revealing how Spellbinder knew how to go after the auction manager.
"I knew it was him! Nobody would have ever suspected that the school psychologist would be behind something like this. With his professionalism, he's the last person anybody would look at, even for the cops!" Max said in anger, as she realized that Billings must have been doing this for some time and no one even suspected him of it until now.
"It makes perfect sense how he found out which kids' parents had such valuable things. And with his job and knowing exactly how to talk to them, it's easy for him. But...that means he's-" Melanie said before realizing that Spellbinder might be here right now due to talking with her and Max earlier.
Bruce brought up the video feed from a camera outside and saw that Spellbinder was right outside of the gate. "Out there now, waiting for both of you."
"Well, let's not disappoint him. He's not gonna get in our heads again or any other of our friends." Max said with determination to stop Spellbinder's crime spree before she and Melanie quickly took out their suits.
A bit later outside of the Manor gates
Spellbinder was waiting for his victims to come out with whatever valuable stuff they could get out... before he felt something on the back of his aircraft and looked behind him and saw Batgirl and Nightwing.
"Expecting someone...Billings?" Batgirl asked with a serious look.
"Or maybe you just want to wait for your latest victims, right, doc?" Nightwing asked with the same look.
Spellbinder tried to get the 2 Dark Knights off his craft but Batgirl used an EMP batarang to short it out before he jumped down and ran into the woods, with Batgirl and Nightwing running after him.
When they stopped and looked around for Spellbinder, who was hiding in the trees, Batgirl spoke out. "It's over, Billings! We know who you are!"
"I'm glad that makes you feel superior, but you haven't caught me yet, Dark Knight." Spellbinder/Billings reminded them.
"I don't get you, Billings. You're supposed to be helping kids! How could you take advantage of them and violate their minds like this, huh?!" Nightwing asked with rightful anger.
"Ah, you wanna be my therapist, Nightwing? Is that it?" Spellbinder asked while preparing another eye flash. "Here. Get to know me." He said before releasing the eye before it flashed in the 2 Dark Knights' faces.
"What's happening?" Bruce asked them through their radio receivers.
"He got us again. We're not seeing anything yet but if we do, we'll let you know." Melanie answered... before a pack of zombies burst out of the ground, scaring her a bit.
But Batgirl, trying to fight the illusions, and mostly successful, looked around for Spellbinder, as she knew that if she captured him, the illusions that her lover was seeing would stop. "BILLINGS, YOU FHCKING COWARD! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?!"
As Nightwing was fighting with the illusional zombies, Spellbinder was trying to sneak up behind her while Bruce, who could see nothing through either of his proteges' vidlinks, tried to reach out to her. "Melanie, please, listen to my voice. Whatever you're seeing, it isn't real."
Batgirl saw Spellbinder was sneaking up behind Nightwing before she quickly jumped and kicked him away from her lover before he flashed the Dark Knight again and hid.
But like before, Batgirl fought off the illusions with all her mental power as Spellbinder revealed the motive for his crimes as he tried to sneak behind Batgirl to attack her. "For years, I fought the demons in the heads of those ungrateful little bugs! While their parents paid their garbage men more than me. Now I'm taking what I've earned!"
Bruce saw that Max was about to get sneak attacked and called out to Melanie. "Melanie, he's behind Max! Jump right and block him now!"
Nightwing did just that and blocked Spellbinder from attacking her lover before she kneed him in the ribs and kicked him away, making the zombies she was seeing disappear. "Thanks, Bruce. The visions are gone." She said with a relieved smile.
When Spellbinder tried throwing a rock at Nightwing, Batgirl quickly used her sword to cut it in half before she put away her sword and punched him back. When he got up again, he flashed Batgirl before running. "Damn you, Billings! We're taking you down, you FUCKING COWARD!"
As Batgirl and Nightwing chased after Spellbinder, Bruce's screen was beginning to static, showing that the signal to their video links were breaking up. "The signal's breaking up. I'm looking for another frequency."
When Batgirl and Nightwing got to the cliff overlooking the water, they saw Spellbinder, who was standing on the edge with his hands up. "We got him." Nightwing said before Batgirl stopped her.
"No, we don't. That's not the real one." Batgirl said with frustration as she threw a rock at Spellbinder, which was really another illusion... before she and her lover team punched Billings down to the ground and took off his mask, defeating him before they tied him up to a tree.
A bit later
As Billings was being taken away by the police, commissioner Gordon was asking Bruce, Max and Melanie questions about what happened, which they did. "Then Batman and Nightwing tied that bastard Billings up and disappeared." Melanie said, finishing the half truth story.
But Gordon knew that there was more to the story and knew that they only told half truths before she asked both Max and Melanie. "And you're Mr. Wayne's new assistant, Miss Gibson?"
"Yes. And so is Melanie. She works for Mr. Wayne and helps me on the job." Max answered with a smile.
"And... your family was the one who were... murdered with Mr. Warren Mcginnis a few months back?" Gordon asked, not wanting to hurt Max but needing to know.
"They were." Max answered.
"Why do you wanna know, Commissioner? There a problem?" Melanie asked with a raised eyebrow.
Gordon shook her head before backing up. "Stay out of trouble, both of you." She advised them before beginning to walk away.
But Max wasn't finished yet and walked up to the old Commissioner before grabbing her right forearm and whispered knowingly and seriously in her right ear. "You know our secret, Gordon, but I know yours." Shocking and surprising Barbara before she looked at her. "And one night, you and I are going to have a little talk, predecessor to successor. Be there... unless you've got something better to do with what's left of your time." Max told her before walking back to Bruce and Melanie as Gordon walked back to her car, leaving a smirking Max and a surprised Bruce and Melanie behind.
There you go, my dear friends, the Spellbound chapter is complete. Next is the Disappearing Inque episode, which will be a lot different than what happened in the show. Rate and review and I'll see you all next time, my dear friends and fellow readers and writers.