Bonus chapter: Colin

When Nabu's calming voice fell silent, Colin's world grew louder. It was the first difference he noticed. All those sounds flooding his volatile mind, unprioritized, unordered. The forest's rustling leaves. The buzz of insects. Birdsong in the air. Wotan's triumphant laughter. Colin had never had to process all that noise himself.

Conner, leaning back on his chair, rubbing his tired eyes. 'How can you ever sleep in a city where you hear every shout and cry and whimper? You have to tune them out, brother – but then, how can you sleep, knowing you did?'

Tune them out. Following his brother's remembered advice, Colin willed his super-hearing to tone down. Almost instantly, the forest noises faded. Only the sorcerer's laughter droned on.

Colin turned his head – he turned his own head! - to look at the gloating wizard, standing across the clearing at the centre of his pentagram, surrounded by a faintly glowing shield.

Shifting through the data files at the Justice League watchtower, Nabu points at the image of a red-clad figure in a long black cape. 'Wotan and I have clashed countless times over the centuries. He calls himself my nemesis. I call him a power-hungry nuisance.'

He looked a bit like Dubbilex, actually. Light-blue skin, dark eyes with red irises, a humanoid body. Only Wotan's black beard and pointy hairstyle did not quite fit the genomorph appearance.

"Do you have horns, too, under all that hair?", Colin wondered.

He had never used his own voice before, never spoken outside. He usually talked only to Nabu, or to his brothers in telepathic conversations.

Another scattered memory, one of his earliest ones. Nabu, sighing deeply. 'We do share one mind.'

Now they didn't. Nabu's presence was gone, cut off by the sorcerer's ritual.

"Horns?", Wotan repeated incredulously. "Cease this mockery, boy. What is your name?"

'You can choose one. I was once called Project Kr...'

"I'm Colin, inside, and we're Doctor Fate, outside, because Nabu is inside, too, and he moves us outside, although right now, he doesn't, so now I'm outside, too?"

The dark sorcerer's frown deepened. "Are you still mocking me, boy? Just take off that helmet already."

'Trappis-1e. That's where you can take it off safely. It's a world with a red sun, so you can't hurt any of the locals with your powers. I'll come with you, brother, during summer break, while Megan is off for her cheerleading practice. I'll help you learn not to hurt them.'

Colin shook his head - his own head! - slowly. "It's still three more weeks to summer camp." He'd been counting the days.

"So it's true that you're mad, then? Listen, Colin, I've set you free! You can do whatever you want now. Just give me that helmet!"

Do what you want?

There were hundreds of temptations. So many sights to take in, so many details to examine. Such a beautiful forest to explore.

'Your curiosity betrays your true age, Colin. I've never had a host with such a youthful mind..."

Nabu would know all the right names. Which tree was that, growing tall between the birches? What was that herb called that lined the edge of the clearing? Would there be mushrooms to be found?

The flutter of a butterfly caught Colin's full attention. Bright orange wings with thin black markings. What type was this?

Carefully raising his hand – raising his own hand! - he beckoned the fragile insect to land on his fingers.

"INCENDE!" The dark sorcerer's spell burnt the precious wings to ashes.

Colin whipped his head around – whipped around fast! - as a feral growl escaped his throat.

'No, brother. Don't let your anger consume you. Whatever you do, always control your rage. Never attack an innocent. I know it's not easy...'

"You poor simple boy, did that scare you?" Something sinister flashed in the sorcerer's red eyes, his lips curling into a cruel smile. "I could do far worse to you, Colin, if you don't give me that helmet."

'It's not always simple to tell right from wrong, Colin, even for a Lord of Order. Yet if someone takes joy in inflicting pain and fear in others, that is a rather certain sign of corruption.'

Colin's snarl faded, as the implications set in.

Wotan was not just a nuisance, he was evil.

That made things so much simpler.

Evil meant they were allowed to fight.

"IGNIS!", the dark mage shouted. A dark red fire ball formed around his hand, glowing ominously.

To his surprise, Colin recognized the incantation immediately. He usually relied on Nabu's knowledge when it came to the arcane, but this spell had been easy to remember.

'There are a hundred more efficient ways to set a target on fire. Ignis only serves to intimidate your opponent – or to boast with your powers. Neither is befit of a Lord of Order.'

Colin felt his face light up, smiling in anticipation. The magic tattoos on his body were freshly charged. He could afford to boast a little…

"IGNIS", he repeated.

Nothing happened. He still felt the warm glow of his skin lines, but found himself unable to access their magic.

Wotan only laughed. "Boy, Nabu is bound! You cannot wield his powers without him."

'Kryptonians have never been able to cast spells. You are special, brother, you're the first of a kind.'

Colin just shrugged and stepped forward – his first step! - out of the shade of the forest.

"Cease this, boy." The red glow of the flames flickered threateningly across the wizard's pale features. "We both know you're no match for me without your master."

'We shouldn't call him Match. That's what Cadmus called him.'

"My name is Colin."

He took another deliberate step onto the clearing, sensing the unused potential of his body's Kryptonian strength and speed.

Without further warning, Wotan threw his fireball, aiming straight for his face.

Colin caught it easily, smothering the flames between his fingers.

Another fight, another fire blast, another gloating opponent. 'You think your golden shields can protect you forever?'
'They don't have to.'

For once, Wotan fell silent. With a wordless gesture, he strengthened the blue glow of the barrier spell surrounding him and his pentagram.

A flickering blue glow on a desolated mountainside. 'This is the 'blue fortress', Colin, one of the strongest arcane shields we can cast. It's a perfect sphere, airtight, practically impervious to physical attacks. Even with your strength, you shouldn't be able to break it – should we still give it a try?'

In one rapid dash, Colin closed in on the dark wizard. It felt great to finally leap to full speed – Nabu always moved them so slowly!

"You think we are less powerful, now that you bound Nabu?"

Wotan scowled but did not flinch away. The shield between them shimmered brightly.

The same mountainside, strewn with debris, cracked boulders scattered around them. 'Impenetrable, just as I thought. Yet even the blue fortress has a weakness. It is not anchored in space by anything but the weight of the soil it encompasses. If we cast a portal large enough, or a strong levitation spell, it can be moved...'

Colin's grin showed all of his teeth, as he placed his hands onto the gleaming barrier. With a soft push – just a fraction of his strength! - he lifted the glowing globe from its depression.

Easily dodging Wotan's next two spells – Dormi and Conglacia, sleep and freeze – Colin crawled under the Earth-filled half of the shimmering sphere.

It felt so natural to simply rise into the air – why would a Kryptonian need magic, anyway?

Basking in the joy of his first free flight, Colin barely noticed the weight of the sphere on his shoulders.

Only Wotan's startled yelp reminded him of the dark wizard's presence.

Now, from what height should he drop him?

How often?

"That boy is mad, Nabu! How can you possibly function with a host like that?"

The Lord of Order blinked slowly, trying to shake his disorientation. Wotan was standing right in front of him, both hands outstretched.

The last he remembered was stepping out of the forest portal, straight into the ancient wizard's trap. A searing pain, a rupture, then darkness.

"He used a tree to batter me around, like a baseball, and he was laughing all the time! And then he stopped mid-flight, just to ask me if he was swinging a beech tree or a hornbeam? That boy is crazy, Nabu, he's utterly insane!"

Colin was still laughing silently. To Nabu's great relief, his host seemed unhurt. Not even their magic reservoirs were depleted.

Reflexively, Nabu fastened his strongest binding spell around Wotan's exposed wrists. The dark sorcerer sighed in relief.

'How much did I miss?', Nabu asked his young host silently. 'Did anyone get hurt?'

In reply, Colin showed him a memory of a small lepidopteran with orange wings, bursting into flames.

'That was a monarch butterfly', Nabu answered the unspoken question. 'They migrate in swarms.' Quickly sorting through the whirl of his host's most recent memories, he smiled in wonder. Colin had not even considered taking his helmet off! And he had only attacked his opponent after pondering the ethical implications?

To think that just a year and a half had passed since the poor boy had first been freed from the cloning facility, pained and broken and barely able to form coherent thoughts…

'You did very well today, Colin. I'm truly grateful, and I'm sure your brother Conner will be proud.'

His host beamed happily in response. 'We win!', he echoed a much older conversation, remembering his brother's treasured praise.

'If you want, we can go look for a monarch swarm tomorrow, after clearing up whatever ritual Wotan used to disrupt our connection? It's supposed to be a marvellous sight.'

Colin nodded enthusiastically. Plants and animals were his young host's most recent passion. Last month, Colin had been obsessed with instrumental music, and the week before that he'd been intrigued by comparing the different colours of other people's eyes. Who knew what would catch his interest next?

Nabu began casting the portal spell that would transport their captive to the astral dimension, still pondering Colin's newest experiences. Had he really failed to move them at 'full speed' so far? All of his former hosts had been human, it would be a difficult habit to break...

"By the way, that tree was a hornbeam", he added audibly. Outside, his face betrayed no emotion as he watched the ancient Wotan squirm. Inside, Colin chuckled heartily, and Nabu grinned along.

Author's note:

This is just a small spin-off, not directly connected to Mary's story at all. I hope you still enjoyed it! As always, reviews are greatly treasured. Please let me know what you think, and whether you'd be interested in other snippets like this?