"Mrs. Kirby! Mrs. Kirby! Let me down! My malpractice insurance doesn't cover this kind of thing!"
The two attending nurses and the doctor were shouting and grasping for some to hold onto. Stainless steel scalpels floated along with stainless steel forceps and plastic hypodermic needles. The ultrasound machine bounced from wall to wall, floor to ceiling. The delivery room had become a virtual death trap. The only thing that seemed to be still bound by gravity was the bed Peggy was in.
Maggie ducked her head as the doctor floated past her. She held tight to the bed rail with one hand and batted away floating surgical implements with the other. "Peggy! Kin ye hear me?" she shouted.
Peggy's eyes were closed in concentration. Maggie could tell that she was pushing now, with the contraction.
"Please, Peggy, open yer eyes an' see what's happ'nin'... I dunno how but ye've pow'rs, an' yer pow'rs 're endangerin' yer babes."
"Oh God!" the maternity nurse shouted from the ceiling. "I can see -- the first one's crowning!"
Roy made it to Chiron finally. He knew from their Lamaze lessons where the maternity ward was, so he by-passed the desk and went on up. Once there he asked the floor receptionist which delivery room Peggy Kirby was in and she told him. He was about to open the door when he realized he hadn't transformed back to human form yet. He focused, picturing in his imagination his human face and human body. He felt the tingling that always came when digital tactile sensory units were replaced with organic nerve endings.
He put his hand on the doorknob and turned it when a quick movement caught his eye. It was that kid from that basement and he was charging straight at Roy. In his hands he held the Wheel of Destruction.
The Wheel impacted Roy in the chest and sent him crashing through the door and into the room. He looked around and was sure that he had been knocked senseless yet again. A doctor and two nurses were floating around the room along with a machine and a bunch of sharp, dangerous looking objects.
Maggie -- feet in the air and one hand holding onto the stirrups Peggy's feet were in, while the other hand was busy using plastic tubing to tie herself to Peggy's bed -- was shouting, "I kin see his head! Push! Push!"
The kid leapt into the room and raised the Wheel over Roy's head. He said in the Destroyer's voice, "Now you shall die, usurper!"
Roy swept a foot across (a move Miss Book Worm had taught him) and knocked the kid off of his feet.
The kid fell back into the hallway, but the Wheel of Destruction was dislodged from his hands. It became weightless like every other loose object in the room. It loomed ominously over Roy's head as if with intent. Roy wondered if the Destroyer was controlling it. If so, he had to find a way to destroy it, and quickly.
Roy felt himself lift from the floor as whatever power was being manifested began to effect him. He tried to twist his body away from the Wheel, but it seemed to follow him.
"Push!"
Roy looked down to see Peggy, eyes clinched shut, the veins in her neck rising prominently as she worked to bring her babies into the world. Maggie was there, tied to the bed, both hands now free to do whatever she needed to do.
It's always th' women, Roy thought. It's always th' women that remember what's real an' what's important.
He turned to face the approaching Wheel. "All right, ya devil-guy, ya wanna piece o' me?" He raised his fist and prepared to strike.
Then the ultrasound unit shot past on its way to its next carom. It hit the Wheel of Destruction. The Wheel became lodged in the machine's cords and when the machine bounced off of the floor, the Wheel of Destruction was shattered into several pieces.
Then gravity returned. Everyone and everything fell to the floor with a thud or a rattle. The doctor was dazed as were the nurses.
"Roy," Maggie said calmly, but sternly, "Come oer here an' hol' yer son while I catch yer daughter."
Rachelle was tired of sweating. Oh yeah, it wasn't summer yet, and already she was hating it. It had been an impulsive thing to move down from Alaska after her brother was killed, to 'take up the mantle' as it were, still. It was damn hot. To her anyway. Everyone else in her department was bundled up in overcoats due to the weather in the 40's, but for someone who spent the last three years of her graduate studies out in the tundra studying the arctic fox population, this was nothing. At least her work with the University of Alaska got her foot into the door, and she was hired by Paragon University as an assistant on a research project on wildlife in the Paragon City area. Most people never even knew there was more than squirrels and pigeons, but she'd seen signs of raccoons, foxes, a coyote or two in Perez park (not counting the two legged kind) and even a few bobcats. The crime problem in the park actualy was helping the animal population, by keeping the numbers of people in the park down.
The crime problem was what was on her mind at the moment though. She'd already had several trips to the hospital. While she'd had her powers since she was sixteen, she'd never really used them, unlike her brother. Of course his didn't come in till his early 30's during the Rikti war. He just made all this crime fighting stuff seem so easy in his letters and e mails. But then, he was a soldier, and if his powers fizzled, could always fall back on his training. Other than a couple semesters of self defense courses in her sophomore year of college, she had nada. Oh, she could use a gun well, no sane biologist went off into bear country not knowing how, unless they planned on being grizzly kibble, but she wasn't comfortable shooting at people unless she had to. At least the people who didn't shoot at her were friendly enough. Jeb's death had ultimately saved much of the city, and unlike a lot of the country, many people here actually looked up to heroes. Not that she considered her self one after sitting up after yet another teleporter trip to the emergency room.
Glad to see you're awake Snowdog, how are you feeling?
She looked up groggily at the nurse, at least the one good thing about the teleportation network, the filters in it removed most of the gunk and zombie bits from her clothing an hair my ears are still ringing
So what happened , say, weren't you just in here this morning?
She flushed a bit at that as she got to her feet It was five to one, I got four. Who ever heard of making zombies explode anyway?
The nurse just laughed and went on to check the next patient. At least there wasn't any paperwork to fill out she thought as she slipped out of the hospital, enough of this. She'd gotten the hostages out at least, so they were safe, if there were still a few zombies in the sewers they could stay there for now. She needed a bath. Fortunately she'd parked not far away, not many people drove in the city. She sat down behind the wheel of the blue Buick and closed the door, sighing as she rested her head against the steering wheel of the Rivera. The big 71 boat tail was originally her fathers car, her brother had restored it while stationed at Ft Lewis after graduating from West Point. He'd kept it, and now it was hers. Shrugging her shoulders, she turned the key. Then turned the key again. After the third time she muttered, reaching for the hood release. As her hand gripped the lever she heard a faint ticking sound from up front. aww nuts...
She got out of the car, the air chilling around her as she went to the front. Opening the hood, just like she thought. Three clockwork were underneath, they'd already disconnected the battery, one was wearing the chrome air cleaner like an absurd hat
DAMMIT, I TOLD YOU, LEAVE MY CAR ALONE! The clockwork scattered, or attempted too, only getting a few feet before she encased them in blocks of ice. Muttering she hooked the battery back up, and rescued the other missing pieces, fortunately they hadn't gotten far. Slamming the hood she considered running over the clockwork, but with the way her luck's been going, they'd punch a hole in the radiator or something. She slammed her door and turned the starter again, the 455 rumbled to life, an angry snarl matching her mood at the moment.
If it's not zombies, it's robots she said, as she shifted it into low as the ice thawed around the immobilized clockwork, the cogs running towards the car. Dropping the hammer, she left them in a cloud of tire smoke as she peeled out. I've got to get a place with enclosed parking.
The Wheel of Destruction was returned to Azuria, from whom it would soon be stolen and its components separated because, after all, a wheel is made for movement. Once the Wheel of Destruction was returned, the former Lord of Chaos, Destroyer was returned to the plane of the Lords of Order and Chaos. There, he was imprisoned within the cosmic Wheel of Destruction (of which the earthy version is merely an aspect) to be overseen by the current Wheel-spinner the Lord of Chaos, Destroyer, the sentient being who at one time resided within the green power crystal that belongs to Roy Kirby.
There was much commotion in the Higher Realms over the events that transpired. Some Lords of Chaos thought perhaps it was a sign that the Fates had veered away from the inevitable destiny that would make the hero known as HEROID one of their number. But the Lords of Order demanded that Destiny stay its course and that Time should should grant Roy Kirby long days in which to become enlightened to the point of Lordhood. It was agreed that Sister Death would stay her hand from him, no matter how many times he threw himself into her embrace. And the Bringer of Dreams made a promise to himself no bogarts, sprites, or maras would invade the sleep of the Kirby children until the age that they were no longer children.
Although in most cities, a battle in a maternity ward between a big, red robot and a demigod-possessed teenager would make the headlines, in Paragon City, it hardly rated a mention. Even throwing in the fact that a woman giving birth to twins was at the same time exhibiting metahuman abilities, and that her obstetrician had immediately afterwards resigned his practice and announced his return to his childhood home in Biddles Creek, Kentucky, there was still only one paragraph regarding the entire event.
It read:
Roy and Peggy Kirby are pleased to announce the birth of their son Ace Valor Kirby and daughter Alice Margaret Kirby on April 1, 2007.
((Yay!))
There are no words for what this community, and the friends I have made here mean to me. Please know that I care for all of you, yes, even you. If you Twitter, I'm MrThan. If you're Unleashed, I'm dumps. I'll try and get registered on the Titan Forums as well. Peace, and thanks for the best nine years anyone could ever ask for.
((Very cool Heroid))
Kyle Mason adjusted his mask as he walked out of the building door. The fight with the Skulls had left his costume a mess, he noticed, and he took a moment to dust himself off, wondering how all those other heroes managed to stay clean.
Kyle, otherwise known as Mobius Knight, hadn't been in Paragon City very long, but he knew that he was easily over his head. In a city of superpowers, superheroes and supervillians, he, a "normal", was out of his depth. Sure, there were heroes without superpowers running around, and they apparently did as a good a job as any superhero, but they had gadgets, or magic, or some kind of edge. He had a battered sword, a pair of extremely high-tech goggles that weren't much good in a fight, and some second-rate body armor that didn't seem to do much good against the various bullets, body blows and whatever else everyone kept throwing at him. He felt bruised, beaten, and pretty tired.
Well, not really tired. The Superadine fumes were still buzzing in his head. He'd probably be awake for days.
"Hey! What are you doing here?" someone shouted. He looked for the source of the voice to see several Skulls approaching the building he had just recently cleared. Probably on their way to pick up a shipment of homemade Superadine from the now-defunct lab. Kyle lowered his goggles over his eyes as they approached, and the sensors in the device quickly scanned the approaching group. Handguns, a shotgun, and a whole lot of melee weapons. Not to mention they all seemed to be in good physical shape. Criminal records as long as his arm, though that wasn't unusual. He was quickly finding that there were a lot of criminals wandering the streets, and wondered what kind of wet paper bag they used for security at the local prison.
He didn't answer the challenge, because what would be the point? This was only going to end one way. He sighed, rolling his head to loosen up, again, and prepare for battle, again.
"I said, what the hell you think you're doing here?" the same punk said as the group came closer. Kyle assumed he was the smart one, because the other Skulls didn't look capable of speech beyond a grunt. "Don't you know this is Skulls turf?"
"I bet he's a cape," another punk said, proving Kyle wrong. They were moving to surround him now, six of them closing in from all sides, and there was nowhere to run. Not that running was in the plan, or that there was a plan at all, but now he was committed.
"You a cape, punk?" the first Skull asked, cracking his knuckles loudly. Kyle shook his head in disgust, raising his goggles as he stifled a laugh. It was hard to believe that idiots like these gangbangers were serious threats ometimes. In great numbers, sure, but individually?
"Why don't you ask your friends inside?" Kyle said as his hand drifted down to the sword strapped to his belt, "Wait. Never mind. They're having nap time until the police show up. Better to let them sleep it off."
"He IS a cape!" the second Skull said, "Toothsnapper told me about this guy! He's...uh..."
"Don't force it," Kyle cautioned, "Aneurysm's are messy."
"Mobius Knight!"
"There ya go," Kyle said, clapping his gloved hands in mock applause, "I knew you could do it."
"Well, Mobius Knight," the first Skull sneered, "You better put down that sword if you don't want a beating." To punctuate his point, the Skull smacked his baseball bat into his hand. He was probably threatening to little old ladies on the street, but to Kyle, it was just funny. A street punk with delusions of grandeur, hassling a hero who claimed to have taken out a whole group of his compatriots. How stupid could you get?
"Oh," he responded. He unhooked his sword, still in its sheath, from his belt and held it tightly in his hand. "You mean this?" And he drive the hilt of the weapon into the Skull's face with all his strength, catching his target right on the nose. He'd learned quickly on arriving in Paragon City that it was hard to fight with a face full of blood, and that hitting someone right in the nose in just the right way would really get the blood flowing.
It certainly did in this case. The Skull's nose practically exploded as the hilt of the thin sword struck, and the punk screamed, clutching his nose like it was going to fall off. The other Skulls were taken aback by the sudden, violent assault, and Kyle took the opportunity to unsheath his blade. He delivered a swift side kick to the nearest skull, catching his opponent directly in the stomach and knocking the wind right of him, before delivering a blow from his katana to another Skull, catching him across the face with the blunt side of the weapon. There was a sickening crack as the blade struck, and the Skull went down and didn't move.
A sudden sharp pain in his leg caused Kyle to stumble, and he spun to face another Skull with blood dripping from his large knife.
Damn armored pants don't do anything!
Kyle attacked ferociously, cracking the ribs of the Skull with a single powerful blow, before raising his knee into the punk's face. Immediately, he turned around just in time to take a blow to his side from a baseball bat. He gasped in agony as he felt his body move against his orders, pushed aside by the attack. He recovered quickly, grabbed the baseball bat, and yanked it from the hands of the attacking Skull. He threw it at another Skull, hitting his target right between the eyes with the fat end of the bat, before slashing with his blade and striking the batter with a blow that would have killed easily enough, were Kyle using the sharp edge. Both of the Skulls simply fell over, unconscious.
Kyle tried to catch his breath, but there was no time. Another Skull threw an overly clumsy punch, and Kyle leaned back to dodge it, grabbing the extended arm as he did so, then stepped forward, pushing the arm up and back as he placed his leg behind the crook. The Skull went head over heels, landing on his head with a crunch, out like a light.
Just one left, the idiot he'd smashed in the face to begin with. The Skull was still holding his explosively bleeding nose, and looked at Kyle with a mixture of fear and anger. Kyle could see the indecision in his eyes: should he attack and avenge his friends, or run and live to fight another day? In the end, fear won out, and he turned and ran. Kyle, bruised, beaten, and now bloody, thought about letting him go, but that just wouldn't be fair, would it?
Reaching down, he picked up a crowbar dropped by one of the Skulls, took careful aim, and threw it. He was off: instead of hitting the Skull in the head as he'd planned, it caught the coward's legs, but the desired outcome was the same. The Skull tripped over the crowbar and went down face first into the ground. Hard. He didn't move.
Kyle retrieved his sheath and put his thin sword away before clipping the sword back on his belt. He looked around at the results of his handiwork. Six Skulls, six arrests, not to mention the destruction of a Superadine lab and all the Skulls in the lab. Not bad for a day's work, assuming it only took him a day to recover from his injuries. He carefully felt his side where he'd taken the baseball. It had missed his ribs, but it still hurt like hell. His body armor was good at turning a devastating blow into a non-fatal one, but not much more. A few more shots like that one, and he'd be down for the count himself.
He could feel the blood seeping from his leg, and took a moment to wrap it with a bandage from his belt pouch. He cursed under his breath as he saw that it had stained his pants; blood was hell to get out of the white fabric. Not for the first time, he considered wearing different color pants, but that would have to wait.
He could almost guarantee that Statesman or Manticore or any other the hundreds of heroes running around the city with superpowers didn't have to worry about blood on their clothes. Hell, they probably didn't have to worry about much of anything in the way of injuries, not like him. Being normal was nice and all, he could live life outside of being a hero, which was more than could be said by some of the heroes he'd run into with blue skin or spikes coming out of their skin. But that being said, he sure would have liked to be invulnerable today.
Taking a deep breath, he hobbled off towards his apartment, favoring his leg as he pulled out his cell phone to call his contact.
((Bump.))
Late, late in the dorm room of one Betsy "Blitz" Arden.
"Are you sure you want to do this?"
"Yes, very sure."
"And you want me to be the one...?"
"Tristan, who else should be the one?"
"A girl, maybe?"
"No, Tristan. It's you or it's no one."
"All right then. Well... here goes."
"...well?"
"I... I don't know about this. I've never done this before."
"Me neither."
"It's going to hurt you a little."
"I know... will it hurt bad?"
"How would I know?"
"Oh. Yeah."
"Should we maybe put some ice on it to numb it first?"
"No... I don't know, but... no, I don't think we need to do that."
"All right then... um... here we go then. Here we go..."
"Just push it in."
"All right."
"Ow!"
"I hurt you!"
"No, no... I'm all right. Did you get it in?"
"Not all the way."
"Then try it again."
"All right. Get ready..."
"Ow!"
"I got it in good that time."
"Is it still in?"
"No. I pulled it out already."
"It hurt more than I thought it would."
"Sorry."
"No, it's all right. It's not your fault. It's just the way it is."
"Okay."
"No, seriously, you're doing fine."
"Really?"
"You can read my mind. Am I lying?"
"No."
"Then give me a kiss and do the other side."
"All right."
"The pain's letting up already. I might let you do this ear again. I see Alex and Aly and some of the other girls with ear rings all the way up their ears."
"I'm not going to stick holes all the way up the sides of your ears. Just one in each."
"That'll be enough. After all -- we wouldn't want to do something that would make me swell up!"
[darn you HEROID! You know I haven't washed my mind in months!]
Part of Sister Flame's Clickey-Clack Posse
The English language is an intricate high-speed precision tool.Stop using it to bang open coconuts. ~Tokamak
Dark_Respite's Video page
((What? It was all completely innocent!))
[As innocent as you get, yeah...:P]
Part of Sister Flame's Clickey-Clack Posse
The English language is an intricate high-speed precision tool.Stop using it to bang open coconuts. ~Tokamak
Dark_Respite's Video page
Roy held Ace while Peggy nursed Alice. It was what he did now. He had all but retired from crime-fighting. This -- the twins, Peggy -- this is what made him happy.
"Ya know, Peggy, we oughta move outta th' city."
Ace's eyes opened wide when Roy spoke, as they always did when that deep, gruff voice rumbled. Roy smiled and cooed gently at his son, cradled in his massive arm, and the child once again closed his eyes and, as babies do, went back to sleep.
"I like the city, Roy."
Roy adjusted Ace's blanket to cover his tiny feet and said, "Yeah, I know, but... I mean, I ain't been on patrol 'r called fer no missions fer a month now, an' nobody misses me."
"Is that what this is about? You're feeling unneeded? Unappreciated?"
"Nah... that's not what I mean. What I mean is... I can move on. Somebody'll come along who kin do what I do an' everthing'll still git done. Me an' you kin take th' twins an' move ta where ever."
"Oh."
"Ya don't sound happy 'bout that."
"No... I'm just having trouble understanding why."
"'Cause. We kin move ta some small town an' th' kids won't have ta grow up in fear."
To Alice's loud protest, Peggy switched sides with her, and when the baby girl was once again content, Peggy looked up at Roy with a somber look in her eyes.
"Is that what you think? That we -- me and the twins -- aren't safe here? That you can't protect us?"
"Well... yeah. I mean, I made some enemies th' last few years. An' then there's th' plain an' simple street crime here."
Peggy looked down at her daughter who was looking up at her with eyes blue and inquisitive.
"Roy," she said, "Do you ever watch the news?"
"Th' sports."
"Do you ever read the newspaper?"
"Th' funnies an' th' sports."
Peggy nodded and didn't say anything for a time. Slowly Alice's eyes grew heavy and began to blink with sleepiness. Peggy let her nurse until she was fast asleep, and then she stood and motioned for Roy to follow her.
Silently -- or as silently as a 300 pound man with size 14 feet can -- he followed her to the babies' room and put Ace in his crib while Peggy put Alice in hers.
As per their nightly ritual, he was ready to follow her to their room, to their bed, but she didn't go there. Instead she went back to the living room and sat down at the computer desk.
"Whatcha doin'?" he asked.
Peggy brought up the Reuters news website, looked at the headlines and clicked on one.
"See that?"
Roy read a story about an entire small town in Oklahoma that had been wiped away by a tornado.
"Geez," he said, "That's bad."
Peggy nodded. "See?"
"What?"
"Those people weren't safe. It wasn't Arachnos or the Council, but people died nonetheless."
She began to click on headline after headline. "And there are wildfires raging in California so the people there aren't safe. And down on the coast of the Carolinas, there's a front that's producing damaging winds and floods so the people there aren't safe. And here, a man was arrested for the murder of a child over 50 years ago, and is suspected in the disappearances of several others over the years."
She sighed and closed the window. "Roy, if you want to leave the city, I'll go with you anywhere. But if you think we'll find some magical place where the children will never be threatened and we can live in joyous bliss... Well, you're going to be disappointed."
Roy nodded. For several minutes the only exchange between them was a series of facial expressions that said the things that neither of them could find the words to communicate.
Finally, Roy stood with a heavy sigh. Peggy stood also and went with him to their bedroom where he opened the drawer of the nightstand where his comm and his mediport patch had sat unused for weeks.
He put the comm on his ear and said, "Dunno who's out there this time o' night, but I'm just lettin' ya know that HEROID's panerdity leave's over an' he's available if anybody needs help."
The familiar voice of Clobber-Girl came back and said, "Good to hear, big guy. Things are quiet right now, but I'll keep you in mind."
"Thanks, Tera," Roy said and sat the comm on top of the nightstand. It was still turned on. He sat the mediport patch beside it.
"Roy?"
Peggy's face was full of questions that Roy had no answers for. Instead, he laid back on the bed and patted the empty space beside him, which Peggy gracefully filled.
"I love you, Roy," she said as she pressed herself against him.
"I love you too, Peggy."
"Serv'd! is next on A&E."
Hephaestus 1 spent the day being followed by his cameraman and sound recorder. Ever since he had been asked to star in a reality tv show, Heph's life had been subject to all sorts of filming. The three of them walked into the Rhode Island District Court complex in Paragon City. Jake, the sound man, signaled that Heph should start talking.
"See, this is the problem with being a process server. You're either a private detective with nothing to do or a retired cop whose pension isn't enough. Either way, you're not making enough money to live comfortably. Well, I qualify on both counts. To make it worse, most process servers don't have any law enforcement powers, either. So, they call me in for the real problem children, the ones that regular servers can't handle."
Hephaestus 1 struck a dramatic pose.
"That's right. I'm the specialist they can't do without. The go-to guy, the Pro from Dover, the sauce on the enchilada of justice!"
The camera and sound guys gave Heph a look.
"Some people have outrageous mullets. I'm a brain in a robot body. What were you expecting? Anyways, my contact here in the circuit clerk's office has a job for me."
Heph walked over to a desk behind the main counter and sat down with a big thump in a reinforced chair. The bald and heavyset man looked up with a start from his game of solitaire.
"Ah, *bleep* Heph! You about gave me a *bleep* heart attack!" Larry McGonigle clutched at his heart in an impressive display of histrionics. "I'm pushing sixty, and you pull that *bleep* on me? Where's the solidarity between retired cops? *bleep*!"
"Cry me a river, Lar," Heph said. "You said you had a new problem child in Salamanca Heights?"
Larry tapped a few buttons and moved the monitor around so the camera could see the troublemaker's picture. On the screen was an elderly lady wearing rhinestone glasses and a
strand of pearls, smiling sweetly.
"Good Lord, Lar! NOT HER! Her pies are known worldwide for their destructively delicious potential!" Heph said.
Larry's eyes narrowed. "That's my MOTHER, Heph." He opened a new file. "THIS is the guy you're after."
Heph leaned on the desk. "Hmm, no, I've never heard about this guy's freshly-baked crimes against humanity."
"Okay, wiseguy, this is Morgoth Carter-Whatley. He recently moved into the Salamanca Heights neighborhood. Okay, well, his house appeared in the neighborhood in a ball of green flame and chants of 'Rise, Oranbega! Rise and conquer!' being sung in the background."
Heph scratched his head. "This is where you call in groups of heroes to fight off a mystic infestation."
"That's the problem. He's actually a good neighbor, or so everyone says."
"Then why am I serving him court papers?"
"Well, he's not following leash laws, and allowing his dogs to use his neighbors' yards as bathrooms."
"Dogs," Heph said.
"Well, that's what the complainants said."
"Tell me, Lar," Heph continued, "Are these dogs almost twenty feet tall, with cloven hooves, wings and breathe fire?"
"How did you know?" Larry asked.
"Those are demons, Lar, not dogs."
"Demons, dogs," Larry said, "both are apparently giant *bleep* factories. Now drop these papers off or heads will roll, got me? HEADS. WILL. ROLL."
Larry shoved a stack of papers into Heph's big metal hands, each page detailing one violation of city or county health and safety codes. The big blue cyborg thumbed gently through the pages to make sure everything was signed and sealed properly. Then he looked over to the camera.
"Larry here is prone to overdramatizing things. It's because he's always wanted to be in movies."
Larry poked Heph's armored chest. "I HAVE been in movies!"
"Those weren't movies, Lar, those were C-list abominations."
"Yeah? Well, everyone knows Larry McGonigle as the hot-tempered-but-fair police chief in 'Brick Landers IS Brick Torquewrench in NINJA KILL FORCE 3000!' and I always get asked about my career!"
Hephaestus 1 got up from the chair. "Right. You're still a retired cop with broken dreams, Lar. It's like me and my dream to unseat one of the three major breweries with my own brand of beer."
"At least audiences cheered when they saw me as the hot-tempered-but-fair county sheriff in 'Brick Landers IS Brick-375 Alpha in ASSAULT ON ROBOT PIMP CASTLE 5!'"
"I wish I had eyes to roll right now," Heph said to the camera as he walked out of the office.
"My name was on SIX DIFFERENT BLOGS when my role as a hot-tempered-but-fair crossdressing mime in 'Brick Landers IS Brick McBoudreaux in REDNECK PIRATE KUNG FU 8!' was the hottest topic at the Paragon Film Partners, Inc. Fan Forum! I am an ACTOR!"
Heph and his recording crew picked up the pace in case Larry tried following them. They got into the modified SUV that he used when on official court business.
"People don't like it when I drop out of the sky on their front porch. Especially if they have an awning or something. So, I drive this."
With that, they hit the exit ramp and were on their way to Salamanca Heights, a poor and unincorporated town near Salamanca. The crew passed a series of rundown trailer parks until they finally arrived at the house of Morgoth Carter-Whatley.
Well, it wasn't so much a house as a granite-block tower with some outbuildings and a white picket fence and flowerbeds leading to the sidewalk. Heph and his crew opened up the gate and walked to the door. They were accosted by a Behemoth halfway to the door, but one solid uppercut disrupted the demon's grasp on reality. Heph rang the doorbell. A delightful tune played on the bells.
"Fly Me to the Moon?" Heph said, vaguely disturbed.
"WHO DARES ENTER THE DOMAIN OF MORGOTH THE IMMORTAL?" a hollow voice boomed.
"My name is Hephaestus 1, and I'm with the Rhode Island District Courts! I'm here to inform you that you're being summoned--"
"NO MORTAL SUMMONS MORGOTH WITHOUT HIS PERMISSION!" the voice shouted.
"Not that kind of summoning, Gandalf! It's an order to appear in front of a district court judge!"
There was silence for a few moments.
"¿QUÉ? UHM... ¡SEÑOR MORGOTH NO VIVE AQUI! ¡VAMOS, UH, POR FAVOR!" the voice boomed again in an obvious falsetto.
Hephaestus 1 shook his head. "You've got to be *bleep* kidding me," he swore. "Look, Morgoth, your neighbors aren't trying to evict you, they just want you to keep your dogs on your property!"
"MY D... AHEM, ¿LOS PERROS DE SEÑOR MORGOTH?" the voice said in its annoying high pitch.
Heph slammed his fist on the door. "OH COME ON, MAN! DO NOT MAKE ME HAVE TO DO SOMETHING THAT'S GUARANTEED TO GENERATE RATINGS!" he shouted. "I WILL DO SOMETHING SO OUTRAGEOUS THAT THEY'LL BE FORCED TO EDIT IT AND RUN THE UNEDITED VERSION ONLY ON DVD RELEASES!"
"OH, FINE," the voice boomed. The door opened, and an old man who seemed to be a cross between Mahatma Gandhi and Ming the Merciless looked up at Heph. "Oh! Are you the hero who's come to fight off my mystic incursion?"
"No," Hephaestus 1 said as he shoved the papers into the old man's evil wrinkled hands. "I'm here to make sure you get these papers. Your court date is set there and there, and failure to appear will cause a warrant for your arrest to be generated. Then a hero will come over and arrest you through use of physical violence."
"Oh, well, I don't want that," Morgoth said. "It's just that when I hear the word 'summon' I think 'By the Blood of Mu, who's going to try owning my soul now?' and you know how magicians can--"
Heph held up a hand. "Now is when you don't talk. You show up next Thursday, 10am, Room 220. Bring a lawyer. Face the angry stares of the old lady across the street who had to get her flowerbed exorcised and the suburban couple who had to explain to little Billy why the water in his pool was a funny color and screaming."
"How is that different from regular water in the sewers?"
"As valid a point as that may be, it was clean before your dogs got there," Heph said. "And please, leave your demon summoning activities inside your house."
"Bah! No one complains when people let their catgirls out!" Morgoth griped.
"That's because the catgirls own the houses they live in, jeez," Heph said.
"Wait, they're not only vaguely-sentient body-slaves?"
"No, they're normal people like you and me," Heph answered, the sun glinting off of his blue-anodized armored skin.
"Oh my. I said some horrible things about my neighbors, then," Morgoth said meekly.
Hephaestus 1 looked around the neighborhood. "You better learn to apologize quickly, then, because I'm sure you'll be seeing them in court."
"Oh, dear," Morgoth said. "I'm in trouble, aren't I?"
"Morgoth Carter-Whatley, you got SERV'D!" Heph said.
"Aaaaand cut," the cameraman said.
"All right, let me know when I need to come in for post-production," Heph said as the camera crew took their equipment back to the SUV. "Now, who wants lunch?"
Back Yard Boom - Emo Catgirl - Cobalt Claymore - Hephaestus 1
Avatar by Scarf_Girl!
((That name is allll wrong. 
))
There are no words for what this community, and the friends I have made here mean to me. Please know that I care for all of you, yes, even you. If you Twitter, I'm MrThan. If you're Unleashed, I'm dumps. I'll try and get registered on the Titan Forums as well. Peace, and thanks for the best nine years anyone could ever ask for.
[ QUOTE ]
((That name is allll wrong. ))
[/ QUOTE ]
It's an alias, most likely. Probably Belgian >.> <.< >.>
Back Yard Boom - Emo Catgirl - Cobalt Claymore - Hephaestus 1
Avatar by Scarf_Girl!
"Serv'd! is next on A&E."
Hephaestus 1 pulled his work SUV into a parking spot at the District Court building like he always did. The film crew followed dutifully. Heph adjusted his pants and boots, and buffed a spot out of his forehead while looking in the mirror.
"Well, Larry says he's got a divorce case for me to handle. Man, I hate these things. It's always the kids who suffer the most. I just don't know what goes through some people's minds."
As usual, Heph sat down at Larry McGonigle's desk. "So, whatcha got for me today, Lar?"
"Well, as I said on the phone, Heph, we've got a divorce case. It could get pretty messy unless we get both parties to court at the same time."
Heph shrugged. "I don't know if that's always the best, but hey, it's not like I ever got married. Seems to me that the lawyers are the only ones who ever win in these things."
Larry leaned back in his chair. "I've been married for 35 years. I've never had to worry about that," he said with a smug grin.
"Seven wives, five years each... sounds about right for a retired copper, Lar," Heph said with an amused tone. "The only reason you've never dealt with lawyers is because your wives can't take half of nothing."
Larry sputtered and tried to get his bearings as Hephaestus 1 picked up the paperwork and headed out.
"O'FLANNAGAN!" Larry yelled, almost as a curse.
Looking at the camera, the big blue cyborg said "Nah, don't worry, he's still married to the same one after all that time." Heph got in the SUV and drove through Skyway City to Overbrook. He walked up to the door of the townhouse listed on the papers and rang the doorbell. It was answered by a Jumpbot.
"Can-I-help-you?" the Jumpbot asked.
"Uh... Juniper Duray, please?" Heph asked.
"This-unit-is-designated-JUN1PR. Proceed."
"Uh, it's listed as Juniper."
"Yes-that-is-this-unit. Jump-Unit-Newgen-1-Personal-Relations. JUN1PR. Juniper-is-the-English-variant," the Jumpbot said, staring unblinkingly into Heph's unblinking lenses.
"Uhm, I'm Hephaestus 1, representing the the District Courts. I'm here to serve you this summons to the... Family Court... session for June 4th at 9am."
"That-[censored]-Virgil-sent-you-didn't-he?" the Jumpbot asked, its visor glowing red. "He-can't-leave-this-unit-alone-can-he? Tell-me-why-he-can't-leave-this-unit-alone! Why-why-why-why-why! UNTHINKING-RAMPAGE-MODE-ENGAGED-IN--"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Juniper! This is to finalize things in front of an impartial judge!" Heph said, waving his hands. "Safeties on! Safeties on! Hold your fire!"
The Jumpbot's visor turned black again. "This-unit-apologizes-for-the-outburst. The-past-few-months-have-been--been stressful. CRYING-JAG-IMMINENT-TISSUES-NEEDED-ALARM-ALARM-ALARM--"
Heph, thinking quickly, ran back to the SUV and grabbed the box of tissues he used to clean his lenses with and made it back in time.
"WAAAAAAAAAAH-THIS-UNIT-MISSES-HER-VIRGIE-WIRGIE-WHY-IS-THIS-UNIT-SO-ALONE!!!" the Jumpbot wailed, wiping oil-based tears from its eyes. "WAAAAAAAAAAH."
Heph looked at the camera and shrugged. He then took the grief-stricken robot in his arms and hugged it. "It's going to be okay, Juniper. This'll all pass by and you'll be the stronger robot for it."
"This-this-this-unit-does-not-wish-to-continue-functioning-if-this-unit-is-no-longer-married-to-this-unit's-Virgums. This-unit-misses-him-so-much. This-unit-blames-that-hussy-Sally," the Jumpbot said, still heaving and leaking oil from its visor. "This-unit-apologizes-for-the-outburst."
"Wait. Colonel Virgil Duray is your husband? And who's Sally?"
"Skiff-Aerial-11-Y-for-prototype. English-designation-Sally. This-unit-designates-that-unit-as-shameless-homewrecker."
The sky darkened as a large airborne fortress blotted out the sun. Sky Skiffs and Wing Raiders buzzed all around it like dorky-helmeted bees.
"Oh-no-it's-Virgil-this-unit-must-be-inspection-ready. Virgil-always-liked-it-when-this-unit-is-inspection-ready." The Jumpbot hurried back inside.
A Sky Skiff landed next to Heph's SUV, unbearably close to the driver's side door. Colonel Virgil Duray, leader of the Sky Raiders stepped out of the vehicle nearly keying Heph's when he swung around.
"Hey! Watch the doors, pal! I just had that thing waxed!" Heph shouted.
"You seein' my Juniper?" Col. Duray asked.
"I'm serving her divorce summons to her."
"WHO SAID YOU COULD DO THAT, RECRUIT?"
"You must have mistaken me for someone who you can scare. This is from the District Court. I've got a set of papers for you, too, so this saves me a trip."
"I SAID-"
Heph slammed his hands together and sent the Sky Raiders leader flying back onto his skiff from pure concussive force. "NO SHOUTING!"
This brought the Jumpbot running back down the stairs, half-polished. "Virgil-is-that-you-oh-what-did the-hero-do-to-you?"
"Hey, baby," Col. Duray said. "I missed you."
"Let-me-guess-Sally-kicked-you-to-the-curb-and-now-you-wish-for-the-sypmathy-of-this-unit?"
"Sally? Wait. The prototype skiff? Juniper, that thing's not even sentient!"
"This-unit-saw-how-you-put-it-into-third-gear. You-used-to-look-at-this-unit-the-same-way-during-our-more-romantic-moments."
"Wait, that's why you left? Because I flew the prototype through five different missions?"
"You-said-you-would-only-quote-make-ace-unquote-with-this-unit," the Jumpbot said.
"Well, that's a new term for the old man-machine interface," Heph said with a chuckle.
"Aw, Juniper, why didn't you just ask me, baby? I'd have told you what was going on."
"Sally-is-more-aerodynamic-than-this-unit. This-unit-felt-inferior-in-all-ways-to-Sally," the Jumpbot said, dabbing at a drop of oil. "Is-this-unit-inferior?"
"No, Juniper. The prototype means nothing to me. You're all that I want in a woman, er, robot," Col. Duray said.
Heph looked around absently, then kicked away a loose piece of concrete. "So, you two would rather reconcile?"
"Yes," both man and jumpbot said in unison. Then they both looked at each other. Col. Duray laughed. The Jumpbot laughed, though it was more "LOLOLOLOLOLOL-ceasing-laughter-protocol."
"Uh, okay, you, uh, lovebirds," Heph stammered. "You'll still both need to appear at the courthouse to formalize reconciliation proceedings. Remember, June 4th at 9am."
The Colonel and his robot were still lost in each others' visual display systems.
"Virgil and Juniper Duray, you BOTH got SERV'D!" Heph said with a flourish.
"Yeah," the Durays said as theywalked back into the townhouse and closed the door.
Heph got back into the SUV with his film crew and drove off. "Yeah, guys, you now understand that us Mecha-Americans are people, too. Love is weird. I mean, at least I used to have a flesh and blood body so I can understand the biological drives that my girlfriend and I have. Seriously, though, I wish those kids the best, despite coming from totally different worlds."
Heph looked out across the roadway as he pulled into traffic. "It's true what they say about us Mecha-Americans, though. Once you go Metal, you'll never settle!"
Minutes after everyone left, the Sky Skiff's instrument panel lit up.
"That-two-timing-*bleep*-this-unit-will-will-will-oh-what-is-the-use? This-unit-is-compiling-the-colonel's-2.0-version. This-unit-will-get--REVENGE. REVENGE REVENGE REVENGE"
*fade to black*
Back Yard Boom - Emo Catgirl - Cobalt Claymore - Hephaestus 1
Avatar by Scarf_Girl!
The Knights of Columbus Hall near St. Florian's Church has a small members-only bar in the back, usually staffed by a couple of retirees with a couple more retirees as patrons. Hephaestus 1 and Back Yard Boom often met there along with the Cobalt Claymore as a place where the three of them could socialize in a bit more privacy with other heroes.
"So, this is where he wants it kept fer him, huh?" Back Yard Boom asked. "I'da thought he'd want this left at his boat or somethin'."
"Nope. He wants it here," Hephaestus 1 said. "The Longbow agents brought it to me along with his instructions."
Heph and Boomer sat down at the bar, calling over one of the bartenders. The old man was the head of the council, always ensuring the two youngest members of his council were kept out of trouble while at the hall. Eventually, he motioned over to a blank spot on the wall, over to one side by the picture of the founding group of Knights and next to a picture of some of the Knights in full regalia, their plumed hats, tuxedos, capes, and swords looking like some kind of heroes from the 1930s or 40s. Eventually, the two heroes convinced the old man to allow him to do as they asked. Heph opened up the display box, looking in on what was inside.
"Hey, Tommy, you've got to see this," Heph said. "I mean, I haven't seen one up close."
Boomer leaned over. "Whoa! He got that, and he ain't even here ta receive it!"
Inside the small wooden box was a simple gold-plated badge from Freedom Corps, with the phrase "Security Level 50" engraved on the top of the shield and a serial number at the bottom. Next to the badge laid a printed declaration of the award.
"For actions in providing crucial local intelligence to Task Force Champion resulting in victory over Lord Recluse and for conspicuous bravery against same, the COBALT CLAYMORE is hereby awarded a Security Level of FIFTY (50) and the title HERO OF THE CITY effective 13 May 2007," Heph read aloud.
"Why didn't he just stick around fer the ceremony?" Boomer asked. "He coulda talked ta Statesman 'bout his family problems."
"I don't think he had much choice but to go back in a hurry, Tommy," Heph said. "Whatever voodoo his captors have working on him, I don't think he's let out of their sight for long. My guess is that he was sent back mostly to taunt him, with the chance of weakening Recluse to be of important but secondary concern."
"So, whatcha mean is that whoever's runnin' the show sends him here ta mess with CC?"
"Basically. He's showing CC that no matter where he goes, he's still under his new master's thumb."
"Man, we gotta get him outta those islands," Boomer said. "But we need a way ta get him back here."
Heph shrugged. "It'll take more than just us. Let's see how many markers we can call in to help us out."
((Yep. The Cobalt Claymore is my first fifty since starting the game in December of 2004. It's about time.))
Back Yard Boom - Emo Catgirl - Cobalt Claymore - Hephaestus 1
Avatar by Scarf_Girl!
((For reference, Ben Kirby-Love is a clone of Roy Kirby whom Roy has adopted as a son. He shares custody of the lad with Ireland Love who founded Maggie's Rock -- a place where all children can find a home. Jessie is Questing Eagle's little sister, who has also been adopted by Ms. Love. But not by Mr. Kirby. Anyway...))
Peggy had bathed the twins, nursed them, burped them, and put them to bed. During that whole time she waited anxiously for the door to spare bedroom -- the one Ben used when he came to stay on weekends -- to open.
Roy and Ben had been in there for almost two hours. She had no idea why except that Maggie had called and told Roy he needed to have a talk with his son. Peggy wasn't sure if that meant THE talk, but the longer they were in there, the more sure she was that that was the case.
Finally the door opened and the boys stepped out, Roy smiling confidently (a sure sign of trouble) and Ben looking bewildered with his eyebrows drawn down and his lips pressed to a thin line.
She looked at the two of them. Ben looked exactly as Roy had at that age -- tall and tow-headed, with a longish chin and high cheekbones. He looked to be about twelve or thirteen, but it was impossible to tell his true age. His growth had been accelerated when he was created in a cloning laboratory. If Dr. Werner hadn't counteracted the process, the boy would have died of old age months ago. Now, instead, he aged at a remarkably slow rate. In twenty years he might appear to be sixteen or seventeen.
"Well," Roy said as he stepped out behind Ben, "Did ya learn sumpin'?"
Ben sighed and said, "I think so..."
"Good. An' remember, anytime ya wanna talk about... you know... just come see yer pa."
"Yessir."
Roy stepped past Ben and went to Peggy. He bent and gave her a short peck of a kiss, then said, "I hope th' two o' ya don't mind, but I gotta go ta Portal Corp. They said they got some sorta leak, an' need somebody like me ta check it out."
Peggy put her arms around his neck, stepped up on his feet, then stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. "Be careful, Roy," she said.
"Sure thing, babe. An' Ben, if ya don't wanna stay th' night, I'll leave th' 'port system set up ta git ya back ta th' Rock by bedtime."
"Thanks, Pop."
Peggy and Ben watched Roy open the baby gate and step into the apartment's teleport link and disappear, then they stood together in silence for a few moments.
"I know he tries," Ben finally said.
"Yes, he does," Peggy replied, "But..."
"Yeah."
"He loves you. You know that don't you?"
"Yeah. I know. I just wish..."
"Yeah."
There was another moment of silence, then Peggy asked, "What did he tell you?"
"What?"
"I know you had the talk. Or at least a talk leading up to it. What did he tell you?"
Ben blushed and said, "Well... he kinda didn't tell me nothin'."
"Nothing?"
Ben shook his head.
"What did you do in there for two hours then?"
"He showed me a movie."
Peggy was afraid to ask, but she did anyway. "What movie did he show you?"
"Um... I think it was called, 'A Summer Place'."
"Oh. I don't think I've seen that one. What was it about?"
"About this boy and this girl who were in love but their parents didn't like each other and they didn't want the boy and girl to be together so they yelled at each other and everybody got drunk and they were miserable and the girl kept saying, 'Oh, Johnny, we've got to be good.'"
"And Roy expected you to gleen what kind of lesson from that?"
"Um... I think that if you kiss girls you just get in a whole lot of trouble."
Aha! The clouds had parted and the light of knowledge lit up the darkness. She now had an understanding of Ben's problem.
"Oh. So... who was it?"
"Who was what?"
"Who did you kiss?"
Ben looked down at his feet and fidgeted for a few seconds before he looked up at her and said, "Jessie."
Now that was a problem. Maggie had adopted Jessie and had co-adopted Ben and was trying to raise them as brother and sister, but neither was exactly an infant when she took them in.
"She's your sister, you know."
"I know! And now I'm going to hell for that too!"
Peggy put her hand on his shoulder and led him to the living room where the two of them had passed many a pleasant afternoon reading aloud to each other and watching classic movies. She sat down on the sofa, and patted the spot beside her. When he sat down, she put her arm around him and waited.
"She hates me now. She won't talk to me."
"You were friends -- buddies -- right?"
Ben nodded.
"How did you wind up kissing her?"
"Um... I told her I had found something great and wondrous and that she could see it, but she had to close her eyes first."
"But you really didn't have anything."
"Yeah. I had nothing."
"And she fell for that?"
"Yeah."
"And then what happened?"
"When she closed her eyes, I kissed her."
"Oh. Well, what are you going to do about it?"
"I'm supposed to tell her I'm sorry, but I can't."
"Why can't you?"
"Because I'm not. I'm glad I kissed her."
"That's just as well. I don't think she would be any happier with you if you told her you were sorry you kissed her. She might take that as an insult."
Ben nodded.
"So... did you tell her you were sorry for anything?"
"What do you mean?"
"Like... that you're sorry for tricking her. You're sorry for embarassing her... That kind of thing."
"Um..."
"Yeah. Why don't you try that."
"That way I can tell her I'm sorry, and mean it."
"Yep. And maybe she'll find it in her heart to forgive you."
"Yeah! Maybe she'll kiss me!"
Peggy's mouth dropped open. "Ben! That's not why you want her to forgive you!"
Ben sighed and his shoulders slumped. He looked like a balloon that someone had let the air out of. He mumbled something.
"What?"
He mumbled again.
"Ben, tell me, what's troubling you?"
"Nothing."
"Ben..."
"It's just... if... if I'm gonna kiss her, it has to be now..."
"Whoa, there. There's no need for you to be in such a hur..."
Then it occurred to her. He was aging at a markedly slow rate. Jessie was aging normally. By the time he was old enough to start dating and to have a real girlfriend, she would be a grown-up, old enough to have a family of her own. Jessie's children would grow up before Ben. It would be that way with all the girls in his life.
"I'm sorry," she said, "I... I don't know how to help you."
"It's okay," he said in that tone that children have that means that it's not okay, nothing's okay.
"I think," Peggy began slowly, "I think that maybe you need Jessie more as a friend now than as a girlfriend."
Ben nodded.
"You know, boyfriends and girlfriends break up... but friends can be friends forever."
Ben nodded and stood up.
"Where are you going?" Peggy asked, but she already knew.
"To see if she's still up. I'm going to tell her I'm sorry..."
Peggy watched him step into the teleporter.
"I'm going to tell her I'm sorry for embarrassing her and tricking her..."
As she watched him disappear in a flicker of energy, she heard the last part fade out with him.
"...but I'll never be sorry I kissed her. Never."
[awwww. I'd have paid money to see that. Some of it:P]
Part of Sister Flame's Clickey-Clack Posse
The English language is an intricate high-speed precision tool.Stop using it to bang open coconuts. ~Tokamak
Dark_Respite's Video page
One more week was all the time left to spend in this place. Then he'd be free. Well, he'd be free to go to work during the day on weekdays. That'd be pretty sweet.
"Mr. Pachowski, finals may be over and next week may only be for receiving test results and having papers returned, but we're still in class," Father Ray said.
"Sorry, Father," Back Yard Boom said in return. He looked at the uniform that he and his fellow students wore. Today was his last day of wearing it. After today, he'd be free to wear whatever he wanted to class, except for graduation ceremonies. That's when a suit was a necessity. All next week, though, no white shirt with blue tie and senior tie tack, no blue dress trousers, no black dress shoes. He could wear anything he wanted. So, he propped his head up with his hand and listened to what Father Ray had to say about next week's graduation ceremony.
Then it would be off to the working world for the summer then off to college at Paragon City U's Steel Canyon campus. There was also the trip to Japan to go visit Saya and touch base with the team's publisher and merchandisers. Well, it was mostly to visit Saya.
"Tommy, do you find this funny?" Father Ray asked.
"Huh?" Back Yard Boom asked. "Oh, no, Father, I was just visualizin' walkin' across the stage ta get my diploma," he lied, as he was thinking more about Saya and how to get her out of her powersuit quickly and efficiently.
"Well, remember that you'll be sharing the stage with the girls from St. Mary Magdalene. This is the first year that either they or St. Ignatius have done a co-ed graduation exercise."
"Right, Father. Be gentlemanly an' all that. I think I can do that." Back Yard Boom said.
Father Ray looked at the clock then back to his class. "Gentlemen, I have nothing further that I can really teach you. Our lessons have been done for a week, all your papers have been turned in and your finals are done. It's 10:30 in the morning, and the only thing I could do further is bore you with more stories about my mission trips to Nicaragua. I might be your teacher, but I'm not that mean. Be back here at 8:00 am on Monday."
The boys in the class sat there, trying to figure out what he was saying.
"Class is dismissed for the day. Go home, put those uniforms away, and go have fun. It's too nice outside for me to keep you here for the rest of the day."
The was a general murmuring as the boys grabbed their now-empty bookbags and walked out the classroom door. Shortly thereafter, footsteps echoed down the hall as the boys ran to their cars to be the first out of the parking lot.
The old priest watched the cars leave the lot, then sat down at his desk, going over the list of incoming freshmen. Another year, another 150 new students to mold into adults within four years.
Back Yard Boom - Emo Catgirl - Cobalt Claymore - Hephaestus 1
Avatar by Scarf_Girl!
Flying was faster.
To be honest, she felt a little guilty for taking the scenic route. The train was both more expensive and many times slower, and really, she should be trying to reach her destination as soon as possible. But that was the problem, wasn't it? She had shirked this particular responsibility for so long that she was now afraid to face it, to try to make ammends.
The woman known publicly as Katrina Allen sat and looked out the window as amber waves of grain passed by. Beyond the purple mountains ahead, nearly to the shining sea, was someone she once professed to love and whom she swore to care for and provide for.
Funny how things change over time.
Where are all your high ideals? she asked herself, and then wondered who exactly she was asking.
Who was herself? Her body belonged to Dr. Valerie Wisteria, whose soul she still carried, and whose personality still occupied a small padded cell in the corner of her mind. But it had been a long time since Valerie was in control.
She could not bring herself to think of herself as Katrina Allen. That was an identity made up by a vile woman called Demonelle when the villain had temporarily seized control of Dr. Wisteria's body. But since Demonelle had altered Valerie's looks and made the new face a public fixture, she was stuck with the name.
She tried to think of herself as June Dawson, 1950's crimefighter and social activist, killed by those closest to her when they became concerned her politcal leanings might lead to embarrassment for them. Her spirit had languished in Perez Park until Dr. Wisteria fouled up an attempt at a Circle of Thorns ceremony. Wisteria had an out of body experience, and when she returned to her body, she was not alone -- June had come with her, and to both their surprise, the ceremony had given them powers from beyond the grave.
For a time they shared the body -- best friends, confidants. They registered as a hero under June's old alter ego, the Catbird. They both thrilled at their newfound abilities and together, they thrived, each one's strengths covering for the other's weaknesses. In the day, they were Dr. Valerie Wisteria, Parapsychiatrist; by night they were the mysterious Catbird.
And then they met Jen.
Jen was alone in the world. A young girl with ice powers that she had little control over. Valerie and June decided to take the girl in and adopt her. They were already raising Roy Kirby's young son, Ben. Two children in the apartment would be no more trouble than one, and they so enjoyed being around the kids. But Jen's powers were too unpredictable and she needed to be under the care of experts. Val/June shipped her off to Mt. Rainier Academy for Superpowered Youth.
Then came the terrible times. Demonelle invaded them, drove June out and psychically tortured Valerie to the point of madness. But the Catbird was resourceful. She made a deal with Death and regained their body. But it was too late for Val -- she would not come out of the box Demonelle had placed her in. Now she was just one of many voices that cried desperately in the Catbird's psyche.
So who was she?
She sighed and lifted her rum and cola to her lips. She was the Catbird. In the end the mask won out. She was the Catbird, winged courier for Death. She was the Catbird, mysterious avenger of the night. She was the Catbird, champion of the people...
She was the Catbird, adoptive mother to a child she had abandoned months ago after Demonelle's attack.
She downed the rest of her drink, then rose from her seat and made her way through the train to the back of it. There was a sign at the end of the last car, which said, "Authorized Personnel Only". She ignored this.
The Catbird stepped through the door and stood on the small platform outside.
Mt. Rainier Academy for Superpowered Youth.
She spread her wings against the rushing wind and took off toward the distant mountains.
Flying was faster.
Aleksandr cursed in his native Russian as he hunched over the hip joint of his armored suit.
"*Bloody scientists and their bloody complex designs! Why can they not make things simple?!*" He slammed his fist down on the armor plating to pop it back into place.
Aleksandr had been trained in basic field repair of his armor, but it was impossible to teach him the many intricacies of its workings. He was meant to be a part of an army of armored soldiers who could, if it were necessary once they secured an area, retire to a mobile repair facility. As it was, he had had to make due with what books and technical manuals he could find in the facility he had been abandoned in.
He leaned onto the hip joint to push the actuators back into alignment, it wasn't the most delicate way to do it, but it was the only way he knew how without special equipment. There was a satisfying bang that caused the workbench to shudder as the joint slammed back into place and he grinned to himself. Special tools be damned, a strong back and the will and determination of the proletariat could solve anything.
Wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his forearm, he stood up and unwittingly dragged an iron mallet off of the bench. He saw it slip off of the work surface and watched it plummet towards the smallest toe on his right foot with bemused interest, only realizing what was coming at the last possible instant.
Aleksandr shouted his discomfort at the top of his lungs and snatched his foot up off of the floor into his hands. He stood for a moment, massaging his injured toe, then lost his equilibrium and hopped backwards into a shelving unit full of tools, parts, and technical manuals. He rocked forward to escape the inevitable avalanche, but neglected to release his right foot in doing so. As he tumbled to the floor, the shelving rocked back towards him and tumbled over with him.
A gentle calm descended over him after he hit the floor and waited for the inexorable pain and possible unconsciousness that followed. He began to wonder what he would make for supper later, and who would be kicked off of Survivor next.
When the dust settled, Aleksandr lay snoring beneath the various flotsom and jetsom that had once packed the shelves, dreaming of irradiating the set of American Idol.
The plaque on the desk read William Brenegan, III. His office door had the word "Dean" painted on the glass in neat black letters. He was responsible for the school and its students.
The Catbird sat across the desk from him in an uncomfortably hard-bottomed chair and looked at him with Katrina Allen's cool, calm face. She wore a smart, grey outfit with a jacket and white oxford shirt, and a skirt that reached to just above the knee, so that when she crossed her legs, her knee was exposed and just a bit of her thigh. Just enough to keep him distracted, but not so much as to make him think she was there for anything but business.
"I'm here," she said to him, "to take Jen home."
"Your daughter?" William Brenegan III looked at the folder before him. It contained the permanent record of one Jennifer Wisteria. "I'm sorry, Ms. Allen," he said with an expression that made the Catbird think of a smarmy teenaged boy, "but Jennifer's mother is Valerie Wisteria. I'm afraid we can't allow her to leave with you."
The Catbird said nothing, she merely brushed a lock of short blond hair off of her forehead and maintained her dispassionate coolness.
William Brenegan III dropped the folder on his desk as if it was something of great weight and reached for the telephone. "In fact, I do believe I'll call the authorities because this certainly reeks of an attempted child abduction."
The Catbird uncrossed her legs, then recrossed them, switching legs. Then she picked up her maroon handbag from the floor and pulled an envelope out.
"Before you make a fool of yourself, you should take a look at this."
William Brenegan III stopped with his finger poised above the second "1" in "9-1-1" and looked at the envolope she slid to him across the desk.
"I think you'll find those papers are in order. I am the executor of Dr. Wisteria's estate, and have legal custodianship of all of her affairs. And that includes Jen."
William Brenegan III stammered for a few moments before he finally seemed to gather his wits about him enough to say, "Of course, our legal department will need to look into this. We cannot just simply give her over based on what could be forged documents."
"I understand," the Catbird said as she closed her handbag. "I'll wait two days. At the end of that time, I expect to leave here with Jen."
With that, she stood, turned, straightened her jacket and skirt, and walked out of the office.
-------
Bill Brenegan watched Ms. Katrina Allen as she showed herself out of his office. For a moment he was captivated by the sound of her high heels tapping staccato on the floor, but that passed quickly when he thought of the threat she presented to him.
Bill reached for the phone again. With a little luck, two days should be enough time, but they would need more manpower than Mount Rainier Academy had available. He pressed speed dial on the phone.
"Sheriff's Department, Sheriff Lyle speaking."
"Sheriff, this is Bill at Mount Rainier's. I need some help."
"Another missing student?"
"Yes, and this time there is an extra bonus for finding her within 48 hours."
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((See? Jack Chick was so right about DnD!))
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(("Oh no! That demon I thought was only a fantasy game -- it was real! Oh the flames! The flames!"
One of my favorites was the one he did where KISS showed up after a concert at a car accident to take some kid to hell because he went to their show. The band should have sued: they had already done an entire album based on exactly that: Destroyer.
That Jack was one freaky dude.))