25 July 2010
Jump City Bank, Jump City
The weeks following their first 'official' mission was spent in a variety of ways, though those mostly consisted of training under Black Canary's guidance, team building exercises as dictated by Red Tornado and the occasional little stint into a neighbouring town/city for a mission. Not to mentioned their regular gigs as sidekicks to each chosen hero. All in all, there was not much to write home about save for Wally's incessant eating habits and M'gann's not-so-secret crush on Conner.
In fact, it wasn't until June had bled into July that things really started to get interesting again. There had been a string of bank robberies around Jump City and it was only through the individual's magical trace left behind at each crime scene, that they'd figured out who it was. Mumbo Jumbo (a washed-up stage show magician) had created a name for himself by using stage show magic via the use of his conduits—the Conjuring Hat & Wand—despite not having any magical power of his own. He'd quickly become one of the many who'd been really pushing Fate's buttons.
But with Fate's wielder, (Kent) out looking for a replacement vessel, the job of catching Mumbo had fallen to the Team. Which was why Raven currently found herself here, hovering above the tiled floor of the Jump City Reserve Bank whilst she stared down the business end of the magician's wand. "…And for my next trick! I, the amazing Mumbo, shall make all of your money vanish into thin air! Hocus pocus!" Mumbo cried as a torrent of dollar bills flooded into his top hat. "I just love a captive audience!"
"They may be captive now, but you're the one who's getting locked up!" Kid Flash cried uselessly as he struggled against the handkerchief chain wrapped around his body like a straight jacket.
"You forget, I'm an escape artist!" Mumbo chuckled, dramatically rolling up his sleeves before palming several smoke bombs in their direction and consequently at the hostages who'd been lumped together, unable to move. Thankfully the bombs were either redirected or encased in inky blackness before they could harm anyone.
Robin returned Mumbo's fire with several exploding batarangs (a response that the magician did not like) and soon found himself being thrown backwards across the room & into Aqualad who had stood behind him, all thanks to a tsunami wave of playing cards. Raven didn't think it was possible to drown in playing cards, now she knew better. With a wave of his wand, Mumbo's handkerchief (the other end not attached to the speedster) quickly became entangled around Superboy's legs, tripping him up as the two came together with an almighty thud.
"Is that all you got?" Raven sneered as she spat out a rather soggy fake flower. She barely had to think before she flung back the rubber ball thrown her way; though a small smirk pulled at her lips when she noted how easily it was to decapitate the man with his own ball. An expression which was quickly wiped clean when said appendage popped back up into place in his imitation of a turtle.
"Alakazam!" Mumbo cast in retort, this time trapping Raven within several brass rings that held her tight & dug into her skin.
"Ah!" She gasped, struggling to free herself.
"Raven!" Worried Ms Martian from where she sat trying to pull herself out of the crater in the floor. Ever since the Santa Prisca fiasco some weeks prior, the entire Team had been walking on eggshells around the young witch. She'd healed since then, obviously or Kent would've never let her out of the Tower again, but they just didn't seem to get it. It was getting to be way too much. Whenever she so much as sneezed, they were on her like a pack of fleas. At first Raven had thought it sweet that they'd cared, but as she'd complained to her friend, Billy (they'd met through their guardians who were both part of the same single parents' guidance group), it was so bad that she willingly sought sanctuary with Red Tornado, of all people.
"Cute trick, ready to see some real magic?" Raven drawled, wriggling around far enough to get her hands free. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Her black magic ebbed from her hands like ink and moved to grab ahold of the broken pillar where it lay languishing off to the side, behind Mumbo. Quickly snapping both wrists down, she hauled the large object over towards her in an attempt to throw the magician off of his feet. It was not to be, but at least she was able to use her magic to escape from the rings.
"Trying to steal the limelight, eh?" Mumbo sighed disappointedly as he escaped in a cloud of smoke. His voice echoed about them, before reappearing off to her right with that blasted wand gripped tightly in hand. "Then I guess I'll just have to make you part of the act!"
"Wha—?" Raven puzzled, brows pinching together in confusion. Aside from the sleight of hand magics aided by his magical conduits, there was really nothing impressive about Mumbo, he was only very annoying. Sure the conduits were built similarly to the Helmet of Fate, but only in that they needed a vessel to work and were passed on to another when the vessel…'ran out of juice' Otherwise it was just a top hat & a wand, which honestly looked like they belonged in a Party City store.
"Mumbo Jumbo!"
"Ugh!" Raven grunted when the pillar she had been holding onto suddenly thudded to the floor and transformed itself into a flock of doves. They flew towards her, encircling her in a tornado of snow white feathers (something which made her inner demon gag in disgust) as she was tossed about. "Ah!"
She desperately scrabbled for a reach or a hold, really anything that would stop her from being sucked up into Mumbo's hat. The sneer which had been present for most of the mission vanished from her face as a look of panicked danced across her face instead. "Help—!"
"Raven!" Robin cried, surging forward to wrap his hand around her wrist as he dug in his heels against the linoleum.
"Robin!" Aqualad latched onto the young detective as he skidded across the floor.
"Dudes!" Kid Flash came next after he finally untangled himself & Superboy from their binds.
"Kid!" Ms Martian wrapped her arms around the speedster's waist, much to his delight, and growing several extra limbs, tried to grab a hold of anything close by. That thing happened to be Superboy who stood at the very end of the chain of sidekicks. But the gale was too strong, even for the kryptonian, and they all quickly found themselves being swallowed up by the gaping maw of the top hat.
Raven shrieked, high & loud (her own mixed with Ms Martian's & Kid Flash's to create a cacophony of noise), as she fell feet first into the never ending spiral of darkness that was Mumbo's hat; only Robin's grip on her wrist let her know they were still there, that she wasn't alone. But even that grip was starting to slip. Down and down they went, like Alice down the rabbit hole until the force of their fall made her choke of her own screams. Tears were ripped from her eyes and her cloak pulled taught against her throat, until finally even Raven's own grip on her teammate's hand disappeared, leaving her alone in that strange place.
Between this breath and the next, Raven lost sight of the brightly coloured suits of her teammates, their capes fluttering like feathers on the wind. Landing flat on her back, an almighty huff of air was forced from her lungs and a few precious moments were spent floundering about as she tried to regain as much of that sweet oxygen as she could, before she was able to push herself upright into a seated position on the floor with her cloak splayed about her like wings. "This'll teach you not to heckle the headliner!" Mumbo crowed, his voice echoing about the large cavernous space and catching her off guard. "Presto change-o!"
"Koff—koff!" Raven coughed, waving away the smoke that tried again to choke the air from her lungs, only when she did, she caught sight of her hand…which wasn't her hand. At least, not exactly.
Instead of the five-fingered ivory appendage she was used to seeing or the crimson taloned one that occasionally made an appearance, she instead found herself staring down at a pair of fuzzy white paws. Flexing her right hand moved the right paw, flexing the left did the same to the other. "What the hell…?" Raven breathed, turning her appendages over & over as if the answer would be there, hidden amongst coarse white fur.
There was also something upon her head (other than her cloak's hood) which made it feel much heavier than usual and she found herself listening to sounds that she normally couldn't hear. Hesitant paws reached up to feel around & see what was going on up there, but it wasn't until the newest additions flopped down in front of her face, did she recognise what was going on. "I'm a—a…" The air felt like it had been knocked from her lungs once more. Of all the things to happen to her, being transfigured into a little white bunny was not what Raven had in mind. She was just glad that Klarion couldn't see her right now, he'd have a field day! "Why am I a bunny?!"
"This can't be for real! It's just another one of Mumbo's illusions" Raven tried, turning her hands—paws—over & over again like that would change what she was seeing. Peering up at the sky, the witch found herself instinctively blocking her sight with one of her long ears as she gazed at a sun which had no right to be there. (She tried to ignore the part of her that was suddenly craving something leafy). It seemed her new appendages were good for something.
"Well, well, well" A rather large playing card sassed from off to the side, catching Raven's attention & making her head snap towards the sound. "Look what the hat dragged in!"
"Um…" Raven blinked, gaze roving over the Jack of Hearts. "Who are you?"
"I'm Any Card!" Any Card introduced himself, his attitude doing a complete 180 as he flipped himself over. "Y'know, 'pick a card, any card' ?"
"Uh huh…" She nodded slowly, "Where am I?"
"You're inside Mumbo's hat!"
"And I'm a rabbit, why?"
"Do you always ask such stupid questions?" Any Card flipped over again, this time allowing his rather snarky twin to speak.
"…That's it! I'm outta here!" Raven huffed, hopping out of the way of the bipolar playing card. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" The incantation was the same as always, the intention just as powerful, but instead of leaving Mumbo's hat as Raven had intended, she instead found herself with her long bunny ears tied up into knots.
"Your magic won't work, Mumbo's the only magician in here!" Any Card chirped. "The rest of us are just for tricks"
"I'm nobody's prop" Raven retorted as she was finally able to unsnarl her ears with a hearty tug that sent her tumbling once more. Despite the confidence in her words, the young witch still felt a shiver run down her spine when she thought of her Father's future intentions with her. To him, she was just that—a prop—a tool for his endgame, something in which she had no say. "So, how do I get out?"
"I can't tell you that!" Mumbo leered as his hand—appearing much larger than real life—hovered over the imaginary sun and descended into the depths of the hat. "A magician never reveals his secrets!"
"The hand!" Any Card panicked, "Scram!"
"Ugh~!" Raven struggled in Mumbo's grip, only just now learning how painful pinched ears really felt, "If you're so amazing Mumbo, what do you need me for?"
"You're going to be my assistant for the big show tonight!"
"I'm not helping you with your stupid magic tricks!" She spat, trying to ignore the tears pricking at the corners of her eyes.
"Silly rabbit, you don't have a choice!" Mumbo chuckled, swinging her about as if she were a yoyo. "My hat, my rules!"
25 July 2010
Mumbo Place, Mumbo Jumbo's Hat
The street they'd ended up on looked like something out of an old Hollywood movie, with its nauseating flashing lights and its posters & adverts all about one individual in particular: Mumbo Jumbo wallpapered everywhere. As worried as Robin was about where Raven had ended up (and silently kicking himself for letting go of her wrist), he still noted how this villain appeared to be a certified narcissist with a superiority complex that ran a mile long. The magical ones were certainly an eclectic type.
"Boy, I knew Mumbo had a big head but I never realised he had such a big hat too" Kid Flash observed as they strolled down the boardwalk.
"I'm not sure it's really that big" Ms Martian hummed in response, "This is the third time we've passed that theatre"
"We've got to find Raven!" Robin worried, fiddling with his utility belt in thought. "She could be anywhere"
"Well, where do you expect her to be?" Superboy huffed, crossing his arms as he tried to listen for the witch. "We've already checked this entire street three times!"
"Oh! If only there were a sign!" Ms Martian sighed despondently. As if on cue, the billboard which sat atop the aforementioned theatre sprung to life, displaying the very 'sign' which the Team had been looking for.
"…That'll do" Robin blinked, his gazing roving over the illuminated words: TONIGHT ONLY! THE AMAZING MUMBO JUMBO AND HIS NEW ASSISTANT RAVEN!"
"Well? C'me on! Let's go!" Kid Flash didn't even think twice as he raced ahead, through the theatre doors in search of their youngest team member.
"Kid—wait!" Aqualad called, though he was ignored.
"Oh" Robin murmured to himself as he watched the golden speedster disappear inside and left them behind without a second thought, "So, that's what that feels like…huh"
Chasing after the wayward speedster, the Team soon found themselves in a cavernous room that lay spare except for the large dimly-lit table upon which they stood. The chartreuse table cloth slipped and knotted beneath their feet, making it difficult to move about too much. "RAVEN?" Robin called out in the expanse, from between cupped hands.
"ROBIN?" Raven replied, her voice equally as echoey in the spacious room.
"The Mumbo has made you invisible?" Aqualad puzzled as he searched about for the lost witch. From what they'd seen so far of the magician's tricks, it wasn't that far fetched of an idea.
"Up here!"
Everyone's heads snapped upwards at the call, and the boy wonder could safely say that none of them were expecting…that. A rather large birdcage sat suspended in midair above them, but instead of a bird, like one might expect, there instead sat a rather despondent bunny rabbit in an indigo cloak. To Robin, it almost looked like someone had dressed up a bunny to look like Raven; but stranger still was that it appeared to be able to talk. Anything was possible in the hat, it seemed.
"Uh…why does that rabbit sound like Raven?" Kid Flash blinked dumbly up at the cute little rabbit staring down at them. Robin could hardly blame him, of all the horrid things he'd imagined had happened to Raven whilst they'd been apart, being turned into a rabbit was not one of them.
"Because I am Raven" She replied as Ms Martian flew up to greet her.
"Ooh!" Ms Martian cooed, her hands clasped together as her eyes lit up at the sight of the transfigured witch. "You look so cute—!"
"Grrr!" Raven growled low in her throat, somehow making her four demonic eyes flash across her face, if only for a moment.
"—Uh…Don't worry! We'll get you out in a jiffy!" Ms Martian blinked at the response, before she quickly changed her tune and telekinetically blasted the door off of its hinges, completely bypassing the padlock which had kept the witch encaged.
"Yes!" Raven cheered as she raced for the new hole in her cage, only to be thwarted by Mumbo once more. He was steadily becoming the most annoying person she'd ever dealt with. And that included her brother.
"Sorry~!" Mumbo sang as Raven tried to make a break for it. "No sneak previews! You'll have to wait for tonight's show like everybody else!"
"No—!" Raven quickly backpedalled, her eyes wide with fear as she scrambled for a back corner of her cage in the hopes to outrun the freakishly large hand coming for her. At her cry, Ms Martian raced forward to defend her friend only to find herself on the receiving end of some magic which ultimately resulted in her plummeting back to earth with her feet entangled in a ten tonne ball & chain.
"M'gann!" Superboy raced to helped the martian out of the newly formed hole with worry etched into every line across his face.
"I'm okay…" She called up to him, though it took a fair bit of effort to get out of the trap, more than she'd likely care to admit.
"Give us our friend back!" Robin, meanwhile, hadn't even realised he'd palmed a batarang before it was hurtling through the air and just barely grazed over the glove's knuckles as Raven was snatched up & deposited inside another top hat. Out of sight and out of mind.
"Now you see her, now you don't!" Mumbo chirped as he tapped his hat twice & turned it round to show an ordinary, empty hat, "Ta~da! See? Nothing in my hat!"
"Lemme get this straight, we're inside Mumbo's hat and Raven's inside Mumbo's hat, inside Mumbo's hat?" Kid Flash puzzled, his face all contorted up as he tried to set his mind straight whilst lending a hand to the downed martian.
"Dude! You're making my brain hurt!" Robin complained.
"Dude, I'm making my brain hurt!"
"And just to prove there's no hard feelings for crashing my rehearsal" Mumbo's disembodied conduits & gloves danced about, "I'll show you, I am the bigger man"
STOMP! STOMP! STOMP! STOMP!
With a bang and a flash, Mumbo appeared before them looking gargantuan and grinning like the Joker. As the magician leant over to pick up his top hat from the table (the one which Raven had been deposited into), Robin could see right up his nose, and what a long thing it was. "The bigger they are…" Kid Flash grit his teeth, legs coiled in determination.
"…The harder they fall" Robin ended, already palming a gatling gun and several batarangs.
"Team! Get that hat!" Aqualad ordered sternly (though there was really no need as they were all going to go for the object which held their smallest teammate).
Grappling up onto the brim of Mumbo's hat, Robin easily sliced through the silver ribbon in the hopes that he could either climb inside or pull Raven out that way. Instead, he found himself with a face of doves. This flock seemed far more vicious than the ones in the bank as they pushed him back towards the edge and before he knew it, he was falling from the brim. It was only thanks to Superboy's fast reflexes that the boy wonder didn't go splat against the table down below.
"Thanks" Robin breathed, trying to regain his breath as the kryptonian set him back down on his feet.
"Mmm" Superboy grunted in reply (He was one of few words) before both turned to focus back on the magician where it seemed nothing they did worked on him. Not Aqualad's twin water bearers (which only scoured his gloves), not Ms Martian's attempts to knock the hat off of his head (it simply transformed into a cannon & shot the martian across the room where she landed upon a circus wheel), not Kid Flash's kindergarten-approved trip & fall, not Robin's batarangs nor Superboy's punches. All they really served to do was annoy Mumbo with every attack.
"Pesky powers!" Mumbo cursed, "I know just the trick to take care of you!"
"Hey! What did you do with them?!" Ms Martian demanded as she spun around & around on the wheel she was strapped to, unable to move & trying her best not to be sick.
"Tell ya what I'm gonna do" The magician grinned as four opaque cups sprung into being and quickly shuffled back & forth in front of her eyes with the kind of speed that would put Kid Flash to shame. Ms Martian's eyes tracked each movement of the cups, eyes lighting up each time that she spotted one of her teammates beneath the offending objects. At least they were safe, for now. "Guess which sidekick is under here and I'll give you your little friend back!"
"Uh…Superboy—no! Kid Flash—no! Aqualad—no! Robin!" She panicked, feeling queasy.
"You're only half right—presto change-o!"
"What the—?" Robin gasped in disbelief when he found himself shrunken & transfigured into that of a monkey.
"Hocus pocus!"
"Mrrow~" Kid Flash chirped, blinking rapidly at the change in light before the noise he just made seemed to dawn on him. "Did—did I just meow?"
"Alakazam!"
"Ugh! C'me on!" Superboy groaned as he was revealed to be an overgrown mouse in a bowtie.
"Mumbo Jumbo!"
"Why am I wearing a tutu?" Aqualad asked, completely perplexed as to why a bear would need such a garment, real or not.
"How'd you like the menagerie now?" Mumbo presented the anthropomorphic Team to her like they were an act at a sideshow carnival. "But we're still missing something, aren't we?"
"Oh yeah?" Kid Flash scoffed as his eyes tracked his own tail. "Well, whatcha gonna do to her? She can already turn into animals!"
"Hm?" Poof. Mouse. Poof. Duck. Poof. Dog. No matter what Mumbo tried, M'gann was always able to shapeshift back into her usual humanoid self. Though animals weren't usually her forte (she was still learning how to imitate most people), it didn't mean they were out of her wheelhouse. That didn't mean it didn't feel weird to be forced to shapeshift into them though.
"Ha!"
"Good point" Mumbo sat back contemplating his next move, allowing Ms Martian to breathe a sigh of relief. At least until she too, was quickly enveloped in smoke and transfigured into something else. That something else being a rather green beaded lamp. "Abracadabra!"
"Nice going, Kid Mouth!" Robin snarked as he stared down at the martian-turned-lamp at their feet.
"Ah…oops? My bad!" Kid Flash rubbed his nape sheepishly as Superboy bent to pickup the piece of furniture & cradled it close.
"Well, sidepets, let's see you try to stop me now!" Mumbo chuckled darkly before disappearing in a cloud of smoke & casting the room in darkness. "On with the show~!"
