Krasnaya

by FLASHFAN123

After dealing with Project Guardsman, Svetlana Crimsonoff has rebuilt her home. Now, she must defend it against those who wish to see it destroyed again. Sequel to RWBY & Project Guardsman. Co-written by Mr. Astounding.

30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30: Magical Meeting

Atlas. Then.

"I can't believe I let you two talk us into this." Ciel Soliel groaned as she and "Rachael Red" were dragged down the streets of Atlas towards the Enterprise Theater by Penny Polendina and Jean Purple.

"Oh, come on, Ciel! Live a little!" Jean grinned. "This could be fun!"

"Mmmm, I'm with Ciel on this one, Jean." Rachael remarked. "Going to the arcade like we usually do is fun. Getting dinner is fun. This? This is just a waste of money. All stage magicians just use sleight of hand and smoke and mirrors to make people think it's magic."

"Yeah, but it's still fun!" Jean insisted. "And think of Penny! Penny's never even seen a magic show before!"

"Yes! I would love to see a magic show, sisters Ciel and Rachael!" Penny exclaimed, happily.

"We are not your sisters." Ciel remarked in annoyance. "We are your teammates."

"And besides, we all know it's not real magic," Rachael remarked.

"Oh? And since when were you such an expert on what real magic looks like?" Jean felt the need to ask.

"Since my childhood due to all of the stories my mother used to tell me."

"Wait, what?" Ciel called out, suddenly looking interested. "Stories? Plural? I thought the story of the Seasonal Maidens was the only story involving magic being real."

"Nah, apparently there's this branch of humans who somehow managed to survive the cataclysm that broke the moon so long ago and whose descendants managed to survive to this day, at least according to my mother," Rachael declared with a melancholy grin, drawing the attention of her teammates due to how little she usually talked about her past. "Even claimed to have met one of said descendants shortly before I was born. Never did find out what their name was though."

"Huh that's interesting."

"Yeah but real or not, try and give this a chance, Rachael: might be a good way to make some newer, happier memories. That goes for you as well Ceil."

"Fine," Ciel and Rachael both called out at the same time, much to their mutual embarrassment.

"Ignoring that," Rachael declared with Ciel nodding in agreement before the former cleared her throat. "In any case, and if you don't mind my asking, who is it that's performing here tonight?"

"Oh did I forget to mention that?" Jean asked with a sheepish expression. "My bad. Well to answer your question, you're in for a treat, as you're going to see a genuine Zircon performance."

The medic in training motioned towards the poster depicting a middle-aged woman in an elegant black dress with a tophat and wand. The title of the poster read; "Geneva Zircon, Mistress of Magic!"

Team CPPR entered the lounge and took their seats at their reserved table just as the lights began to dim down. Two spotlights shone from above and circled the stage before landing directly in the middle. A pillar of smoke rose from the wooden floorboards before a sudden flash revealed the visiting magician.

"Good evening, Atlas! I am Geneva Zircon, Mistress of Magic! And tonight, I'll be inviting you all on a journey involving thrills, spectacle, and - if you all believe - a happy ending!" She took off her tophat, circled her wand around the rim, and a flock of doves flew out towards the crowd before transforming into bubbles. "And tonight is a very special occasion. In keeping up with a sacred tradition in my family, I will be accompanied by an assistant! Ladies and gentlemen, making his debut for the very first time, the next Master of Magic - and the sweetest little man I've ever known - my son, Zachary Zircon!"

Another pillar of smoke rose up from the stage to reveal a young boy in a neat tuxedo. Zachary hugged his mother and bowed with her to the audience. And over the course of the next hour, the mother and son act dazzled the audience with their feats of magic; escaping from a straightjacket inside a glass box filling with water, walking on air, pulling rabbits out of their hats, swallowing swords, and making things disappear and reappear. But as she watched the show, Rachael could have sworn that before each trick, the magicians were whispering something under their breath.

"And now, for our next trick, we'll be doing a classic; Zachary will enter the box while I saw it in half!" Geneva announced. With a wave of her hand, a wooden box on wheels rolled onto the stage. She opened the lid with one hand while a large hand-held saw appeared in the other.

Zachary chuckled, nervously, and tugged at his shirt collar. "Is this because I forgot to use a coaster?"

The crowd laughed at the joke as the younger magician crawled into the box. Geneva fastened the locks and began cutting through the box until all the way through. Once she was finished, she spread the two pieces apart, enticing a gasp from the audience.

"Guess I'm not half the man I used to be." Zachary quipped with a smile.

Geneva rolled the box halves back together, tapped it with her wand, and unlocked it. Once the box was opened, Zachary hopped out and bowed to the crowd.

"Oh, my!" Penny whispered. "And I was led to believe cutting people in half was fatal."

"Calm down, Penny." Rachael whispered. "He wasn't really sawed in half. There are two fake feet in the second half of the box and his real legs were compacted in the first one. It's all just a trick."

"Wait, momma!" Zachary held up one hand while placing the other against his forehead. "I sense a disturbance… we have… a non-believer in our audience tonight!"

The crowd searched amongst themselves for whomever the magician was talking about. All while Jean cheekily elbowed Rachael. "Ooooh! You're gonna get in trouble~!" She whispered, playfully.

Rachael just rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. There's a hundred people in this audience. Do you know the odds of him thinking I was the one who-"

Suddenly, Zachary disappeared from the stage in a puff of smoke. And in the next instant, a second pillar of smoke arose from Team CPPR's table, startling the girls. Once the smoke cleared, the boy magician was standing atop their table, smiling down at them. After the crowd stopped clapping, Zachary knelt down in front of the red-haired huntress in training. With a flick of his wrist, a microphone appeared in his hand

"What's your name, m'dear?" He asked, holding the mic towards her.

The girl was momentarily stunned by the confrontation, but Penny's enthusiastic nod was all the insistence she needed to participate in the act. "Um… Rachael."

"Rachael!" Zachary's smile grew wider. "What a lovely name! Such a shame it's the name of someone who doubts our gifts."

"Alright, Zachary." Geneva wagged her finger at her while she remained on the stage. "Stop teasing the poor girl and get on with it."

"Sorry, momma, you know me; I could never resist a pretty face." The boy sat, cross-legged on the table, reached inside his coat pocket, and pulled out a deck of cards. After a quick shuffle, he held them out to Rachael. "Pick a card! Any card!"

Rachael snorted. "This is how you're going to prove me wrong? Everyone knows how this trick works."

Zachary shrugged with a grin. "Then I guess you've got nothing to worry about."

Rachael rolled her eyes and picked a card from the deck; it was the Seven of Diamonds. She showed it to her friends without letting the magician see it. She then put it back in the deck and watched him shuffle the cards once again. But instead of picking the card out of the deck, Zachary set the deck in the center of the table and walked back to the stage, much to the crowd's confusion. But once he was back on stage next to his mother, he snapped his fingers and the deck was set ablaze. Rachael and the others yelped in surprise before the flames died down. They leaned forward and their jaws went slack at the sight of the lone card resting in a pile of ashes; the Seven of Diamonds.

"Is that your card?" Zachary asked, smugly, earning an applause from the rest of the crowd.

Rachael couldn't help but smile. "I'll give you points for creativity and originality if nothing else."

"I can give you far more after the show if you're interested," Zachary declared with a flirty wink.

"I'll pass: I'd rather not be a part of that sort of cliche," Rachael remarked with a good-natured roll of her eyes.

"Meh, had to try," Zachary said with a good-natured shrug.

After the show, Team CPPR headed out to get some take-out dinner before making their way back to Atlas Academy.

"Well, did I tell you, or did I tell you?" Jean asked, smugly, slurping up her noodles from the cup.

"I suppose there are worse ways to spend a Friday night." Rachael shrugged before taking a bite out of her sandwich. "But I still say that card trick was just a trick."

"Okay, then how'd he do it?"

"I don't care how he did it."

"And I thought Penny was a bad liar." Ciel rolled her eyes and sipped her soup.

"I am not! Hic!" Penny cupped her hands over her mouth in embarrassment.

"It's fine, Penny: no harm done," Rachael said with an easy-going smile before going to take a sip of her drink.

Penny returned the grin before quickly losing it upon noticing the cup in her friend's hand. "Wait, Rachael, that's not…!"

Unfortunately the warning came too late as Rachael quickly learned that she had grabbed Penny's drink by mistake, as evidenced by the spit take she gave after she had taken a sip from the cup in question. "Ugh, did you switch my cup with Penny's again, Jean?!"

"Maybe," she teasingly remarked. "Sorry, not sorry: your reactions are just too funny!"

"Hey, it's not my fault that I don't always like the taste of her drinks," Rachael remarked before turning to her teammate. "No offense Penny, but sometimes it almost seems like you don't even have any taste buds."

Penny merely gave a nervous laugh in reply. "Does it?"

Suddenly, the four girls received an alert on their scrolls from General Ironwood. Much to their shared surprise, Geneva Zircon had been kidnapped and the general needed their help with one suspect he had captured. The team rushed back to the compound where they found Zachary arguing with Ironwood.

"Mr. General, sir, with all due respect-"

"Which means you're about to say something totally disrespectful." Ironwood rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "Go on."

"This is my mother we're talking about."

"What's going on, James?" Racheal couldn't help but ask.

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with," the general proclaimed with a light huff. "Just a civilian trying to get involved in Huntsman business."

"My mother was kidnapped! I'd say this is my business!" Zachary exclaimed before he recognized the redhead of the team. "Hey, you're that cute girl from the show, right? Do you work here?"

"You might say that." Rachael took out her wallet to reveal her Atlas Academy badge.

"Oh, thank the gods!" Zachary sighed in relief. "Okay, so my mom got jumped by a bunch of guys outside her dressing room! I tried to stop them, but they took off in a couple vans and I couldn't tell which one had her in it! So I called the cops, but all they caught was this one guy! And now Grumpy-ass over here won't let me ask the guy where his pals took my mom!"

Ironwood glared at the young magician. "For the record, son, this 'grumpy-ass' is the general of the Atlas military. Meaning I have authority regarding interrogation and processing of any and all suspects in this city."

"Well, has the suspect been interrogated yet?" Rachael asked, feeling sympathetic for the magician.

"Well no, but…" Ironwood began.

"Then I don't see why having him nearby would be a problem. Who knows: maybe his presence will leave the suspect unbalanced." Rachael reasoned with a shrug.

"Ugh… fine." Ironwood grumbled. "You can have five minutes in there. But I'm in charge, you little maggot. Understand?"

In response, Zachary gave an exaggerated salute. "Jawohl, Herr Allgemein."

Ironwood sneered before leading the group to the interrogation room.

"Thanks for earlier," Zachary genuinely remarked.

"Not a problem: believe it or not, I know exactly how you feel." Rachael smiled, warmly.

"Ditto." Ciel added.

"I can only imagine how I'd feel if it was my father who was taken," Penny said with an understanding nod.

"I mean, I know what it's like to be angry, if that helps," Jean said with a helpless shrug.

"More than you know," Zachary remarked with a genuine grin.

Unfortunately, the interview with the criminal had gone absolutely nowhere with the two agents already attempting to get information from him. Ironwood dismissed the agents and took a seat across from the criminal. Rachael took out her scroll to record everything while her mentor placed his gun on the table and leaned forward in a menacing fashion.

"I've been working in law enforcement for a long time now. So I'm no stranger to any of the methods." He began. "Good cop, bad cop. Stare down contests. Threats. But why don't we avoid wasting time by having you tell us where your associates took Geneva Zircon?"

"Oh, please, as if I've never been interrogated before." The criminal remarked, smugly, much to the ire of Zachary. "Face it, coppers, you've got no evidence, no warrant, and no reason to think I had anything to do with the alleged kidnapping. Now, I want my lawyer, or I'm gonna sue you all so bad that-"

Zachary angrily slammed his hand on the table and leaned towards the crook. "Llet su tahw uoy did htiw ym ammom!"

"My associates and I ambushed Geneva Zircon outside of her changing room and knocked her unconscious! We then gagged her, blindfolded her, and tied her arms and legs up so she couldn't escape! The rest of my associates - three in total - took her to an abandoned warehouse in the business district on 33rd Blvd while I deliberately distracted your men with a car chase!"

Ironwood and Team CPPR stared in awe at the sudden confession. Zachary hastily made his way out of the room while the criminal cupped his hands over his mouth in utter shock. "W-wait! What just happened?!" He spluttered.

Ironwood noticed that Rachael had recorded the entire confession and quickly capitalized on the situation. "Ciel, detain the suspect. Jean, read him his rights. Penny, prepare the cell."

"Wait! Wait, what did that kid do to me?!" The criminal shouted while Ciel restrained his arms behind his back and pulled him out of the seat. "Th-this is a violation of my rights! I want my lawyer! This isn't fair!"

Jean fumbled with a notecard as she followed Ciel and Penny out the door. "Um, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you-"

Rachael turned towards her CO. "Sir, permission to check on the witness?"

"Granted."

But when the Rushland native made her way into the hallway, Zachary Zircon was standing there waiting for her. "Somehow I knew you'd be the one to want to question the witness further."

"Am I really that obvious?"

"Not really: I just had a gut feeling, you know?" Zachary replied with a shrug before giving a teasing grin. "At any rate, have you come to take me up on that offer from earlier?"

"Actually I was hoping to ask how long you've been able to use real magic."

Zachary merely chuckled. "Glad I made a believer out of you, but you give me far too much credit."

"Is that so?" Racheal asked with a raised eyebrow while revealing a camera she had hidden up her sleeve. "Then I guess you won't mind if I post a video of your performance while taking extra care to focus on the lips of you and your mother for signs of you talking backwards like you did with the earlier interrogation: see how many times the backwards speak matches up with the spells that we saw."

"Of course I won't," Zachary declared with a bead of sweat on his temple before scrunching up his face a bit. "Excuse me: my allergies are acting up. Ah…AH…Esare egatoof!"

Rachel merely snorted at the fake sneeze. "'Erase footage', eh? Shame that I'm not bad at backwards speech myself…and shame that I never actually used this specific camera here due to my friends talking me out of it. Don't worry: I wouldn't have actually exposed you anyway."

Zachary blinked in response. "You mean you…?"

"Yep, I was just bluffing so as to put you in a position to hopefully be more willing to answer my question. After all, I'd have thought you of all people would know that misdirection is a big part of magic, Z."

"...Z?"

"Yeah my late mother had a deep wealth of respect for legends of individuals with real magic like yourself, so I'm hoping the two of us could be friends."

"I'd like that a lot, Red," Zachary replied with a smile slowly appearing on his face. "And for the record, I've been doing the magic bit since a little before the tragedy of Rushland…which is oddly fitting, seeing how my mother apparently met some bigwig from the city before I was born."

"Huh, what are the odds?" Racheal replied with a bittersweet grin while silently marveling at how she and her mother had apparently both managed to meet up with members of the Zircon family. "At any rate, would you care to stick around and catch those associates our suspect mentioned?"

"As fun as that sounds, I don't think the General would like a civilian getting involved in Huntsman business any more than I already have, not to mention that I currently have a few too many eyes on me for my liking, but don't worry: I'm sure we'll team up for real someday," Zachary said with a grin.

"I think I'd like that," Racheal admitted with a grin of his own.

New Rushland. Now.

When Svetlana heard that Zachary Zircon was going on tour around the kingdom of Vale, she pulled some strings and had her company's entertainment branch reach out to his manager to schedule a show in New Rushland. She and Mikhail were just getting dressed for the occasion when Cyan hopped down from the stairs.

"You and Zachary Zircon were friends when you were training in Atlas, right?" Cyan asked.

"Sort of." Svetlana shrugged, adjusting the broach pinned to her dress' shoulder strap. "But I was a different person back then."

Mikhail snorted as he helped zip up the back of his wife's dress. "Yes. Back then, you were passionate, driven, moody, self-destructive… I'm sure he'd hardly recognize you, today."

"Except for the fact that he only knew me as 'Rachael.'" Svetlana added. "I never did get around to writing back to him like I promised."

"How come?" Cyan couldn't help but ask.

"I'm pretty sure it was right after that that my team ended up going to Beacon for the Vytal Festival, whereupon things got chaotic nearly immediately with the involvement of Project: Guardsmen," Svetlana said with a shrug.

"Oh, right," Cyan remarked with a slight wince, having seen for herself on the news how Cinder had nearly brought Beacon to its knees.

"Eh, it wasn't all bad: after all, that chaos did eventually lead to me and Mikhail being reunited," Svetlana said with a grin as she shared a quick kiss with her husband.

"So, what time are we heading to the show?" Cyan asked with a smile.

"I'm sorry, Cyan." Svetlana shrugged. "But I can't get you a ticket."

"Ugh! Why not?!" Cyan whined.

"Because I got you a ticket." Cyan turned to see Boris standing in the doorway with a smile on his face and two tickets to Zachary Zircon's Magic Show in his hand. "But it'll cost ya… say, maybe, a kiss?"

Cyan blushed and gave her boyfriend a peck on the cheek. "Thanks, babe."

"Don't thank me. Thank Valor Sage from my computer class." Boris replied. "He gave me the tickets in exchange for 'proving that magic-users still exist.'"

Half an hour later, the couples arrived at Memorial Park for the show. The stage had been set up in Memorial Park in front of the New Rushland National Mint as part of the show's grand finale. The mint's director had allowed for the people in charge access to the area for the show on the condition that they'd be compensated in the event that any damage was done to the area during the show for whatever reason.

At last, the lampposts had been turned off and everyone quieted down. A spotlight from the back of the crowd flashed to life and aimed at the center of the stage just as a column of smoke rose up from the wooden floorboards and into the air. A blinding flash of light caused everyone to blink, only to reveal a young man in a smart tuxedo with a tophat on his head, a cane in his hand, and a bright smile on his face. The crowd erupted in cheer as the magician happily took a bow to greet the crowd.

"Good evening, New Rushland!" He beamed. "I am Zachary Zircon, Master of Magic! And tonight, I'll be inviting you all on a journey involving thrills, spectacle, and - if you all believe - a happy ending!"

Over the course of the next hour, the crowd watched in astonishment as Zachary dazzled them with illusions and tricks. And all the while, Svetlana was the only one focused on his lips. Soon enough, the moon was high in the air as the act reached its climax.

"And now, for my last feat, I'm going to tackle a problem I have with money. Well, make that two problems. The first problem is… no one ever lends me any." Zachary's little joke earned a hearty laugh from the audience. "But the second and biggest problem is that I seem to always lose money before I've even made it. And here to help me demonstrate tonight are two esteemed guests; the Director of the New Rushland Mint, Marian Ranger, and famous magic debunker, Dr. Sugar Kain. Welcome, ladies."

"Mr. Zircon. A pleasure to meet you." Dr. Kain nodded, politely. "And 'famous magic debunker?'I take it you must have seen my show before."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Doc." Zachary smirked, playfully. "When I say 'famous' I mean 'notorious' and when I say 'magic debunker' I mean 'stick-in-the-mud.'"

The crowd laughed again, much to Dr. Kain's chagrin. "Charmed." She retorted.

"Just to clue you in, folks; Sugar here makes a living exposing magicians' secrets." Zachary explained to the crowd. "She's personally run a few of my oldest and dearest friends out of business by ruining their acts and stealing the very thrill of magic away from them. So, I've invited her to try and unravel the secret of my grand finale I plan to perform tonight!"

"There is no secret!" Dr. Kain scoffed. "I've personally scanned this entire building from top to bottom. What you're proposing to accomplish is flat-out impossible!"

Svetlana couldn't help but smirk as Zachary carried on.

"Well, folks, impossible is what I'm all about!" The magician lifted his cane and turned to the Mint's director. "Mrs. Ranger, open the doors, please!"

The director nodded and signaled for two security guards to unlock and open the building's two front doors. Inside the crowd could see a large stack of freshly printed lien bills in the center of the mint, as well as several gold bars and jewels. Zachary motioned to the building.

"Ten million lien! And the means to make them! Take a good look, folks. Because you know what they say about money; 'easy come, easy GO!'" With a wave of his cane, Zachary fired a blast of energy directly at the Mint, shrouding it in a dark cloud of smoke. But only Svetlana could see him whisper "yenom raeppasid" under his breath. Once the smoke died down the audience gasped and then applauded upon realizing that not only had the money vanished, but so had the entire building. Zachary took off his tophat and graciously bowed to the audience once again.

Even Dr. Kain clapped as she approached the magician. "Bravo, good sir." She smiled, respectfully. "It was a pleasure to finally be proven wrong."

"Thank you, Sugar." Zachary smiled and shook the doctor's hand. "And, just so Marian doesn't have a fit, I'll bring it right back as good as new. Yenom raeppaer!"

A second bolt of magic shot forth from his cane, and another cloud of smoke revealed that the mint was once again where it was supposed to be. But while Zachary took another bow to the crowd, Director Ranger was shocked. "But, w-where's the money?"

"The money? It's inside, isn't it?" Zachary asked, only to turn around and see that the mint was indeed empty. "I don't understand. It should've returned. I performed the spell perfectly."

"I'm sure the authorities would love to hear about it." Dr Kain remarked, crossing her arms, "Officers, arrest that man!"

"No, wait!" Zachary protested as the police escorted him off the stage and into their patrol car.

Meanwhile, Svetlana and Mikhail made their way away from the confused crowd and headed for the parking lot.

"He's innocent." Svetlana declared.

"Obviously." Mikhail agreed. "But so long as he's the only suspect, the police have to detain him."

"Giving the real thief plenty of time to escape." Svetlana remarked as she activated the remote transponder in her broach to summon the Warthog to her location. "And I can't let that happen."

"Not to mention, you can't abandon an old friend." Mikhail added, assuringly.

Once the Warthog arrived, Svetlana changed out of her dress and into her costume. Now as Krasnaya, she began her investigation at the scene of the crime. Using her Huntress Eyes, she detected a few scratches on the floor near where the money was supposed to be. Cat Burglar watched with interest as his wife paced the floor, pointing to multiple areas one-by-one.

"You've got that look." He remarked. "You've figured it out already, haven't you?"

"These scratches on the floor suggest that a cart was wheeled through here. A cart with a very heavy load. And look; there are mirrors strategically placed on all corners of the building. I don't think that the money was ever actually in the mint at the time of the trick. I think someone stole it, then used these mirrors to project an image of the money inside while Zachary performed his trick."

"Hmm, only a magician would think to try that." Cat Burglar reasoned. "Or someone who knows a magician's trade secrets. I think we need to pay a certain Dr. Kain a visit."

Krasnaya smiled and patted her husband's back. "You read my mind, dear. But first, we need to get Zachary out of jail. Magenta, think you could contact Cassian for me? Officially he's the only civilian who has worked with me in some capacity, so him passing along a message to the police won't raise too many questions."

"You got it, boss," Magenta said with a nod as he took out his phone. "But if you don't mind my asking, is there a particular reason you couldn't contact him yourself?"

"I could, but Cassian is more familiar with you, not to mention he might be more comfortable talking with someone closer to his own age," Krasnaya remarked with a raised eyebrow, making it clear that she was aware of how Boris and Cassian had a bond with one another.

"Ah, gotcha," Magenta said with a curt nod at the subtle reminder of how Krasnaya knew his identity. "Besides, it's not like we have any other ideas as to how to handle this."

"Well I think that…" Azure began.

"No." Krasnaya interrupted.

"I didn't even say anything!" Azure pouted.

"No." Krasnaya repeated.

"Oh, so you know what I'm thinking then?" Azure crossed her arms.

"Yes." Krasnaya nodded.

"Okay what number am I…?"

"Six."

"...lucky guess." Azure muttered.

Meanwhile, Cassian received a text message from Magenta about the current situation. Taking advantage of his sister and her boyfriend being distracted by each other, he snuck out of the apartment and headed straight for the police station. In a few minutes, he arrived at the station and immediately grabbed the attention of the first group of policemen he could find.

"Sorry, kid, the commissioner and her son ain't here."

{"That's not important right now!"} Cassian signed, frantically. {"I have an urgent message from Krasnaya! She has proof that Zachary Zircon is innocent!"}

"What's going on here?" Cash asked, bringing Zircon along with her.

"The mute kid who hangs around the commissioner's kid showed up and he's waving his hands around all crazy-like."

{"I'm trying to help you, you idiot!"} Cassian signed with a frown, only to be met with blank stares.

"Doesn't anyone else know sign language besides the commissioner and her kid?!" Cash grumbled to her fellow officers.

"Oh, for crying out loud!" Zachary forced his way past the officers and placed his palm over Cassian's mouth. "Kaeps!"

Cassian angrily pushed the magician away. "Unhand me, you piece of-!" However, the boy paused in shock at the realization of what he'd just done, rubbing the scar over his neck. "Is… is that my voice…? Is that my voice?!"

"Whoa!" Cash gawked in surprise. "He's cured!"

"Not exactly." Zachary remarked. "It isn't permanent. It'll wear off in a few hours. Just enough time for him to tell us what he needs to say."

"Hang on!" Cassian held up a finger at the group and took out his scroll to record himself. "Cynthia! I know we sign to each other all the time so you always understand me, but you deserve to hear this with my voice; I love you and I appreciate everything you've done for me! And I think you need to forgive mom for what happened to me! I already did a long time ago, and it'd be nice to see her again! Mom, I love you and I never blamed you for my voice being lost!"

While the officers gushed at the boy's sweet gesture, Zachary pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "Yeah, yeah, this is really sweet, but I believe he had something important to tell us?"

"Oh, yeah!" Cassian nodded and pocketed his scroll. "Ahem, Krasnaya has discovered the real criminal behind the robbery. Mr. Zircon was framed and she has proof."

"What's going on here?" Jane asked as she entered the precinct. "I got a text from my son saying someone had a message for me."

"Commissioner Maroon!" Cassian cried out, happily. "Krasnaya sent me with an urgent message regarding Mr. Zircon's innocence!"

"Cassian?!" Jane gawked in surprise. "You're talking?!"

"Yeah! Mr. Zircon put a spell on me to give me my voice back!"

"Wait, what?" Jane called out in disbelief before shaking her head. "No, wait, I'll worry about that later. Anyways, what was the message?"

"Mr. Zircon didn't steal the money from the mint!" Cassian explained. "Ms. Kain used the tricks she learned from other magicians to make everyone think the money was there before Mr. Zircon did his magic trick, but after she already stole it!"

"Hm… I wondered why Kain was so quick to accuse Zircon." Jane admitted.

"Hang on, Commissioner!" Another officer spoke up. "How do we know this kid's telling the truth?"

"He snuck away from his legal guardian and ran all the way to the precinct to deliver this information." Jane reasoned. "That makes it very likely that what he's saying is plausible and thus worth investigating. Either way, any evidence we'd have that Mr. Zircon was responsible is circumstantial at best, so he's free to go. Cash, put out an APB for Dr. Sugar Kain. Neon, uncuff Mr. Zircon."

"That won't be necessary." Zachary smirked as he spun his handcuffs on one finger - having picked the locks to them some time ago - and made his way towards the exit.

"That was a very good thing you did, Cassian." Jane smiled and patted the boy on your back. "If there's anything we can do to thank you-"

"Can I borrow your scroll?" Cassian snickered. "I wanna try something before this magic spell wears off!"

"Uh, sure?" Jane arched an eyebrow as she pulled her scroll out of her pocket and handed it to the boy.

Cassian hastily dialed Jacob's number, turned off the video feature, and cleared his throat to lower his voice.

["Hello?"] Jacob answered on the other end of the call.

"Yes. This is the king of Vale. If this is Jacob Mahogany, congratulations! You are officially knighted as Sir-" Cassian moved the scroll away from his face as he blew a few raspberries into the transmitter. Jane rolled her eyes while Cassian bit his lip and held the receiver back up to his ear.

["What?! Who is this?! I've heard your voice! If I ever find you, you're-!"]

Cassian hung up and buckled over, laughing. "Oh, man! I've wanted to make a prank call ever siiiiii… siiiii…"

Jane frowned, sympathetically, as the boy rubbed the scar on his neck. "Aw, sweetie. Is your voice gone, again?" Cassian sadly nodded and handed the commissioner her scroll back. Jane gave him a hug and patted his back. "Come on, let's get some ice cream and head back to your sister's apartment."

Cassian smirked in reply.

Meanwhile, Zachary flicked his wrists to summon his top hat and cane as he made his way down the streets of New Rushland. "You can come out, now." He called out.

Azure and Magenta dropped down from the fire escape and approached the magician. "Krasnaya sent us to make sure you got out of the precinct safely." Azure explained. "She'll be coming along any moment now."

"Hey, uh, excuse me if I sound like a lamebrain-"

"You're excused, lamebrain." Azure remarked, cheekily.

"-but that spell you put on Cassian?" Magenta went on, ignoring Azure's joke. "Why didn't you just make it permanent?"

Zachary snorted. "Yeah? And how about after I pull off that miracle, I just end world hunger? Stop global warming? Or maybe even bring peace to the world? Not even Geneva Zircon could do any of that. And I'm nowhere near my momma's level."

"He has a point," Azure remarked with a shrug. "If magic really was an end-all solution, then the Wizard in the Seasonal Maidens story never would have been weakened after creating the Maidens."

"Quite," Zachary declared with a neutral tone.

At last, the Warthog arrived with Krasnaya and Cat Burglar. "Kain set you up. We're going to bring her to justice."

"Kain. Of course." Zachary scowled before climbing in. "I knew she was a snake and I still let her bite me! Alright, let's go get her!"

"Hey, what about us?" Azure asked, noticing there was no space for them in the vehicle.

To answer her ward's question, Krasnaya tapped a button on the console, summoning two motorcycles to automatically drive up alongside the teen side-kicks. Azure and Magenta cheered, happily, as they mounted their new rides. With that out of the way, the group rode off to find Kain before she could leave the city.

"Not that I'm complaining, mind you, but why'd you go out of your way to help me? What do you want with a tall, dark man in a smart tux?" Zachary smirked, playfully. "Or have I answered my own question?"

"Now that you're a free man again, I suggest you lay low until I've caught Kain." Krasnaya suggested, ignoring his innuendo for Cat Burglar's sake.

"Oh, no! Kain's been ripping off magicians for years! If you're going after her, I want a piece!"

"Are you sure you don't want to at least notify anyone first?" Krasnaya couldn't help but ask. "Friends? Family? A… wife perhaps?"

"Puh-lease. Who's got time for relationships when you're pulling rabbits out for your hat fifty-two weeks a year?" Zachary sighed, sadly, as he gazed out of the Warthog's window. "Besides, someone has to keep up the family business now that momma's gone…"

Krasnaya's heart sank. "I'm… sorry."

"Why?"

"I saw her perform when I was younger. The day you made your debut. You two were amazing. You turned me into a legitimate believer in magic."

Zachary smiled again, his spirits lifting. "Thanks. Y'know, I've got the weirdest feeling that we've met before."

"I… just have one of those faces."

Ten minutes later, the group arrived at the private hotel Kain had been staying at. As she usually did when traveling, she had rented out the entire building, leaving it mostly empty. Zachary rushed inside.

Once Zircon was out of earshot, Cat Burglar spoke up. "You're still fond of him, aren't you?"

Krasnaya sighed, tiredly; she understood where her husband was coming from, especially after he'd met Erin Munsell. "I'm still fond of many men I met while we thought each other dead, my love." She explained. "Men who are no longer in my life. But like I told you before; my heart shall always belong to you. First and foremost."

"Good to know," her husband said with a grin before gaining a blush. "And seeing how this one isn't secretly a terrorist, I actually wouldn't mind a threesome at some point."

Krasnaya briefly gave a blush of her own here before directing a deadpan glare at her husband. "...as hot as that sounds, I'd still rather not be a part of that sort of cliche."

"Fair enough."

With that, the couple joined the rest of the group at the building's entrance.

"You sure this is where Kain has been staying?" Zachary asked as they climbed up the stairs.

"That's what I've been able to pull up from the city records, if nothing else," Magenta said with a shrug. "So at the very least it gives a place to start looking for her."

"Then let's make haste." Cat Burglar declared as he expertly picked the locks to the door and tapped it open with his foot.

"Impressive." Zachary complimented as Cat Burglar held the door for him.

Cat Burglar simply shrugged with a smile. "Not everything requires magic."

Once they came upon the stairs, the group split up to catch Kain by surprise. Krasnaya and Azure went up the left flight of stairs while Cat Burglar, Zachary, and Magenta went up the right. As they climbed higher and higher, they still couldn't find the thief. Eventually, they all met up at the penthouse suite and Krasnaya signaled for the group to hold off. But Zachary was impatient and kicked the door in despite Krasnaya's protests.

"It would seem I have guests," Kain's voice echoed through the halls, as the group stumbled upon a room with a lone chair next to a fireplace. "Please, come in and join me by the fire. Don't be shy now: you've obviously figured out what I've been up to and I wish to congratulate you face to face."

Zachary snarled as he raced over to the chair and turned it around. "You won't have a face when I'm done with…" …and that's as far as he got before gasping, having discovered that voice they had heard was just a recording and that the woman in the chair was just a dummy.

"Such a shame that I'm unable to do so," the recording continued as the door suddenly slammed shut and a set of bars closed it off. "Now, I realize that this is all a tad cliche, but one can't deny its effectiveness nonetheless. It's only a shame that while I'm off to enjoy more comfortable surroundings, you won't have the chance to enjoy even your momentary victory. Still, I don't wish to be a poor host, so if you'll pardon yet another cliche, I shall be sending you off with a bang. Adieu."

Before they could question what Kain had meant, the group heard a hissing sound fill the air, alerting them to the canisters of gas around them that were quickly filling the room with their contents.

Realizing the true purpose of the fireplace and thinking fast, Zachary quickly brought the group together and yelled out "Tcetorp su lla!"

Just as a spark from the fire ignited the gas, an invisible forcefield materialized around the group.

"That was a close one," Zachary remarked with a relieved sigh even as the magical force shield that had protected the group from the resulting explosion began to dissipate.

"Yeah, too bad it doesn't help us figure out where Kain has gone to." Cat Burglar remarked.

"Not necessarily," Krasnaya declared. "Kain's recording mentioned that she was heading to more comfortable surroundings, and I'm fairly certain I saw some pictures of an airfield that she frequented before the place went up."

"It might take some time, but I should be able to narrow down which airfield Kain was most likely to head to," Magenta called out with a determined nod even as he brought out his tablet to look up possible locations.

Azure meanwhile blinked upon seeing the tablet in question. "Huh, my boyfriend has the same sort of tablet."

"Well your boyfriend has good taste then," Magenta readily replied with a proud grin.

Zachary blinked upon hearing this before turning to whisper to Krasnaya. "Are those two aware that…?"

"Not yet, but it's not my place to tell them," the Crimson Crusader remarked with a "What can you do?" sort of shrug.

Zachary merely winced at the implications. "Ooh, that's going to be an awkward conversation once it finally happens."

"I've got it!" Magenta called out, only to frown under his mask once he discovered the address. "Damn it! It's all the way on the other side of town! We'll never get there in ti-"

"Ekat su ot taht dleifria!" Zachary shouted, causing the group to instantly appear in front of the airfield on the tablet.

"-me!" Magenta rapidly whipped his head around in astonishment before putting his tablet away with an exasperated sigh. "Ah, yes. Silly me."

Krasnaya immediately used her huntress eyes to scan the planes to see which ones had heat signatures. "There, that's the one," she suddenly called out as she pointed to one plane in particular.

"How can you tell?" Magenta couldn't help but ask.

"Ah, that's right: you don't know about Krasnaya 'Huntress' Eyes' Semblance," Azure remarked with an understanding nod. "No doubt she spotted our targets' heat signatures."

"That and I recognize the plane from those pictures I mentioned," Krasnaya called out in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Either way, let's not keep them waiting." Zachary remarked as he bolted towards the plane. "Senigne llats!"

The engines to the plane spluttered and refused to activate, giving the magician and the Dynamic Duo a chance to jump onboard. Cat Burglar and Magenta tried to follow, but the engines finally turned over and the plane lifted off, leaving them in the dust. Cat Burglar angrily whipped up an empty fuel barrel and flung it aside with his whip out of frustration.

"Geez, tell me how you really feel." Magenta remarked.

"Don't start with me, son." Cat Burglar pointed at the teen, sternly.

Meanwhile, aboard the plane, Krasnaya drew her hammer and sickle, Azure drew her electrified escrima sticks, and Zachary flicked his wrist out to summon his cane. "Sorry about Cat Burglar and Magenta, by the way," Zachary called out. "I'd summon them with my magic, but I'm trying to conserve my energy and concentration for when we face Kain."

"It's fine: time is of the essence and besides, you yourself have said that magic isn't the solution to every problem out there," Krasnaya said with a shrug.

However, once the trio found their bearings, a blinding spotlight landed on them.

"I must say that I'm impressed, Krasnaya: you do indeed live up to your reputation," Kain said with a wicked grin. "Such a shame that this is one trap you won't be able to escape from."

Suddenly, several doors opened up around the trio to reveal dozens of armed men. The hired guns surrounded them, forcing them to huddle close together in the center of the aircraft.

"Sorry: I can't think of any spells that would get us out of this," Zachary reluctantly told his companions.

"You don't have to." Krasnaya whispered. "I have a plan."

"But-"

"Trust me, Z!" Krasnaya whisper-yelled in desperation.

Zachary blinked in surprise. "Z? Wait, are you…?"

"Later!"

"Oh, right: still in danger. My bad."

The gunmen prepared to open fire, only for Krasnaya to throw down a smoke pellet, grab Azure and Zacharay, and fall to the ground. Blinded by the smoke, most of the gunmen shot each other. Taking advantage of the confusion, the trio of vigilantes rushed up the stairs to the next level of the plane.

"Not bad," Zachary remarked with a grin on his face.

"You aren't the only one with tricks up their sleeve," Krasnaya readily replied with a grin of her own.

"Well how about we show both of our tricks to Kain?"

"You read my mind." Zachary took off his top hat and aimed it at a few more henchmen. "Dniwlrihw wolb meht yawa!"

A powerful gust of wind blew out from the hat, knocking several of Kain's henchmen across the cargo hold.

"Get him, you idiots!" Kain ordered.

The first goon took advantage of Zachary's distraction and rushed him. However, just as the magician noticed the oncoming attacker, the thug ran face-first into a plate-glass window that had been stored on the plane, which shattered upon impact and knocked him out. The second thug rushed with a knife, but Zachary stood his ground and waved his hand over the shards.

"Ssalg riaper!"

Miraculously, the glass reformed in front of the magician just in time for the second attacker to smash into it and fall down next to his partner. Kain wisely decided to run back to the plane's cockpit and lock the door behind her. However, such an act was all in vain as Zachary pointed at the steel door.

"Rood nepo."

The door immediately unlocked itself and swung open, much to Kain's utter shock.

"That was awesome!" Azure exclaimed, excitedly. "One day, you've got to teach me how you can figure out those backwards words so fast!"

Zachary gave a sly smile. "Who says backwards isn't my native tongue?"

Azure blinked in astonishment. "Wait… seriously?"

"Enough of this!" Kain suddenly yelled out as she pulled out an assault rifle. "No more tricks, no more distractions. I'm going to kill you, and then no one is going to mess with me ever again. After all, even you can't deal with armor piercing rounds point blank!"

"Want to bet? Eyb Eyb stellub!" Zachary mockingly called out with a grin.

"Interesting choice of last words: I'll be sure to put them on your tombstone," Kain declared with a sneer as she pulled the trigger…only for her eyes to widen in shock and horror as her gun clicked to indicate that there wasn't any ammunition in it. "What!? That's impossible! I know I put ammo in here before you showed up and you never even touched it! How…?!"

"A magician never reveals their secrets," Zachary teasingly remarked with a grin. "And for my next trick! Laeh lla ruo seirujni! Dnal siht enalp! Dna eit pu eseht slanimirc!"

Suddenly, Krasnaya, Azure, and Zachary were restored to full health. Not only that, but the plane began to land itself in spite of the pilot trying to keep it in the air. And Kain and all of her subordinates found themselves restrained once the ropes surrounding them sprung to life and wrapped around them.

"How…?" Kain whimpered in defeat. "How did you do it? It's not possible…"

Zachary shrugged. "Like a famous band once said; 'I've got magic in my bones.'"

It didn't take long for the police to arrive and arrest Kain. And while the criminal was being read her rights, Zachary signed autographs for Azure and Magenta. But once Kain was taken away, the magician shared a soft smile with the Crimson Crusader.

"If you don't mind, I'd like a private word with Krasnaya before I head on home." Zachary directed at Krasnaya's allies.

"That won't be a problem at all," Azure remarked with the others nodding in agreement before walking off to give the duo some space.

Once they were alone, Zachary broke the ice. "So, you never wrote, Red."

"I meant to. Really, I did."

"Hey, it's okay: I can see you've been busy. Just answer an old friend one question."

"Shoot."

Zachary cupped Krasnaya's cowl, a concerned look on his face. "What happened that made you put this on?"

"A painful memory…and a promise."

"Well for what it's worth, you're doing a fairly good job of keeping that promise…and I think your mother would agree with me on that front."

"Your mother would be proud too," Krasnaya replied with a grin before turning away to gesture to the Warthog. "Do you need me to give you a lift?"

As if to answer her question, Zachary quickly disappeared in a puff of smoke. Krasnaya tried to use her semblance to find her friend, but the only thing that turned up was a piece of paper with Zachary's fingerprints on it. It turned out to be a flier for his show with a message on the back.

"Dear Rachael, I hate goodbyes, too. Love, Z. P.S. Don't forget to write."

To Be Continued

Epilogue:

While initially furious at Cassian for sneaking away from her, Cynthia was reduced to a blubbering mess after hearing the heartfelt message he made for her while he temporarily had his voice. However, Jacob frowned as he realized something.

"Hey! That's the voice of the kid who prank called me, earlier! That was you?!" Jacob sneered. "You mean to tell me, that when you temporarily got your voice back, you used it to prank me?!"

Cassian nodded with a smug grin.

Jacob smiled and held out his hand for a fist-bump. "Nice." He complimented even as Cassian returned the fist-bump with a proud smile on his face.