Thank you Stewart92, for your help.
Minnie Mouse
PRT Headquarters, stood in stark relief on the edge of the Brockton Bay boardwalk, a monument of hope in days gone by, a symbol of the Protectorate's power in the Bay area.
It was a draw to tourists and the curious alike.
Taylor Hebert, also known as the rogue hero, Keynote, nervously paced in the shadow of this monolith of justice. Amused PRT officers watch as the white hooded clad heroine fidget and talk herself into entering the front doors of the law enforcement offices.
"You can do this," Keynote rambled to herself. "It was a total accident. They can't blame you… Right?" she half heartedly tried to convince herself. One of the newer PRT guards, took it upon himself to walk up behind her, while the agitated and distracted teen hero continued to rant to herself under her breath, and with a deep intake of air, coughed, loudly.
"Eeek!" yelped the surprised Keynote even as she whipped around, keyblade appearing in her hand, and stuttered, trying to speak two spells at once. "FireBolt!"
The PRT trooper ducked, as a red super heated plasma whip, crossed over his head and into the neighboring parking garage where it, in an unfortunate coincidence, sheared the top off of his brand new SUV. Blinking the spots from their eyes, the PRT guards as one turned and looked at the very contrite Keynote, as she clung her weapon to her chest.
"Ummm.." Keynote hedged, eyes darting up and down the road. Spotting a very thin man, who was giving her the evil eye, Keynote pointed a finger at him and all but yelled out, "He did it! Quick activate M/S protocols! Don't let him escape!"
There was silence for several moments, while Keynote edged her way inside the PRT building. Once she was safely inside the building and making her way to the front desk, she lamented to herself, 'Close one. Thank you Mouse Sensei, for all that training in how to bullshit your way out of trouble.'
Outside the building, the taboo had broken and several young officers of the PRT, tackled the escaping Thomas Calvert, dragged him, as he cursed and threatened them, as they brought him to M/S screening room.
Keynote wrung her hands as she stepped out of the silent elevator following her guide through the building, to the meeting in Director Pigot's office.
Her guide muttered, "Teenagers," when he noticed Keynote dragging her heels as they got closer to Pigot's office.
Coming to the Forbidden Door of Misery(™) the guide didn't hesitate, but quickly knocked on the door, before gently but firmly shoving the girl inside the office, and legging it down the hallway himself.
Inside the office, Keynote froze as she came under the scrutiny of the head of the PRT, Director Emily Piggot, as well as the two heads of the ENE Protectorate which flanked her, Armsmaster and Miss Militia.
"Umm… hi?" Keynote managed to squeak out, with all three very important persons staring her down.
A distinctly unimpressed Director Pigot, zeroed in on Keynote with cold, unrelenting eyes. "Good afternoon, Keynote," she began in cold monotone. "Is there some reason you interrupted an already busy day for the PRT, with claims of an accident involving one of our employees or do you just enjoy wasting our time."
Seeing the body-language of their guest become more defensive, Miss Militia caught Pigot's eye and slightly shook her head, silently telling her to back off. "Keynote," Miss Militia gently began, "Could you please tell us what happened today, that you felt warranted a personal visit to PRT Headquarters?"
Keynote took a few deep breaths, calming down slightly, "It happened a few hours ago, when Mog and Ifrit were helping me to learn a new spell set…"
"Wait," interrupted Armsmaster. "When you say 'spell set', do you mean actual spells? As in magic?"
"Um… yeah?" Keynote stammered, taken aback by Armsmaster's dismissive tone of voice.
Keynote jumped in surprise when Armsmaster's fist thundered onto Pigot's desk. "There's no such thing as magic," he state with absolute authority.
Taylor felt agitation well up within her heart, feeling defencive for her teacher, Mog the moogle, who tried to make science and magic a balanced partnership, while Armsmaster tried to claim his own field the only one.
"I can summon demons, control fire, lightning, ice and heal with no need for mass. My Key ignores all physics and I disable all thinkers around me." Taylor shot back and Armsmaster waved her words off.
"Thermal control explains all your attacks, you must be using mass from a different plane to fuel your healing, there is a cape that summons bears as projections, so you're hardly unique, on top of that, you're anti thinker field is just most thinkers manton limit acting up to avoid their heads exploding when they try to figure out your weapon. Everything you do is explainable." he replied crisply.
Taylor wanted to...smack him with her keyblade, every word out of his mouth was so aggrevating. It may have felt right in her emotional mindset, but she be arrested, or giving a commission, depending on Pigot's mood.
"I grew a horn." she fired back, Piggot and Miss Militia groaned as if this was the worst thing to say.
"Changer aspect to merge with your projection based on your imagination." he answered quickly and Taylor pointed at him, her finger shaking, in an oddly similar pose that she'd seen Uber and Leet use in the courthouse several days earlier.
"A giant magical key that opens any lock!" she retorted and Armsmaster froze. Piggot did too.
"Impossible." he said before he could stop himself. Piggot shook her head at the words, as if pitying the man.
Taylor grinned.
"Does your suit have a lock in mechanism?" she asked a bit sweetly and Armsmaster seem to think about this.
"Clark's law?" he said with a growl and Taylor nodded, feeling victorious.
"Clarks law." she agreed.
"Ahem," coughed Pigot. "If we could continue."
A touch of red crept up Keynote's neck, "Sure. Right. Of course ma'am!"
(Flashback - A few hours ago)
Taylor stood several paces back from her target, in the alley behind the Dollhouse, her friends Sabah and Ingrid plus the Espers stood behind her well out of her sights as she took her time aiming. Her enemy today for this experiment, was a potted cactus, Ingrid had picked out for cheap from a nearby florist.
"What happened to the cactus?" Armsmaster interrupted again, breaking Keynote out of her narrative.
Keynote blinked in surprise at the unexpected question, not that any of her audience could see it beneath her enshrouded hood… unless Armsmaster has some Tinker gizmo to help him see under it… no , no don't go to that place. Stick to what's in front of you.
"Now that I think about it," Keynote began, scratching her chin with her index finger in thought. "I don't remember seeing the plant after the… incident was over with. I think it may have walked away while we were busy fussing over Mouse Protector."
Armsmaster, Miss Militia and Pigot all gave poor Keynote blank stares. With a groan, Pigot pulled out her phone and sent a message to all PRT personnel, to be on the watch for a Parahuman made walking plant. Putting the phone away, Pigot's eyes bored into Keynote, "Continue," she growled.
(Flashback - continued…)
Taylor takes a few deep breaths before pointing her keyblade at the cactus, and beginning her incantation. Sweat trickles down her face, as the mental fatigue from controlling this spell began to take it's toll. Mog had warned her about this, some spells would be more difficult than others for her to cast. Something about elemental alignment, or how the stars were positioned the day she was born, she had lost the thread of conversation by that point… Damn it! She had distracted herself. Taylor could feel the magic of the spell begin to unravel. Baring down, Taylor grit her teeth as she stabilized the spell matrix away from critical mass. The energy finally started settling down into the configuration she wanted.
Taylor gave a huge grin over her shoulder, towards her friends, as the purple ball of light fully formed at the end of her keyblade.
"Eye's on the target, Kupo!" Mog admonished her.
Taylor quickly turned her gaze back to her target, the innocent little cactus. With a final breath of air, Taylor speaks the final word she needed to and with a pleased smile, released the spell, "Mini!"
Just as Taylor releases her new spell, a red boot falls in front of the cactus and Mouse Protector appears yelling, "Huzzah! It is I, Mouse SQUEAK!"
Back in the Director's office, of the PRT, Ms. Militia and Armsmaster groan and face palm, at the antics of their old teammate.
Piggot glares at Keynote, and with a barely held contempt, demanded, "What happened to Mouse Protector."
Keynote gulps, then reaching into her ever present coat withdraws an impossibly large cage from a small pocket. Placing the cage gently on Pigot's desk and taking a respectful step back. Leaning in towards the cage, the leaders of the Protectorate, gasp in shock at what they see within it.
Inside the cage is a helmet-less Mouse Protector…. Who is now only three inches tall, grown fairly large mouse ears, a tail and is swinging her sword around oblivious to the audience of both her peers and her boss.
"Avast, you lilly livered pirates!" came the high pitched voice of Mouse Protector. "You think you can escape the wrath of my divine blade? Hah! You shall tremble before the cheese wheel of justice! Tremble I say! For my form may be short in stature, but I have Truth on my side. And low, it be a wicked truth born from a wicked tongue." Mouse Protector continued to dance around her cage, fighting imaginary foes and spouting quips, all in the name of justice.
"How long this will last," Ms. Militia asks their guest who was standing awkwardly in the corner.
"I don't know," Keynote replied, shrugging her shoulders.
Piggot just glared at everyone, speechless for the moment.
Regaining on his composure, Armsmaster excuses himself quickly from the meeting room.
When Miss Militia asks where he's going, Armsmaster replies with, "To get my high definition camera. We must document this for blackmail…. I mean, scientific purpose."