More...from the Valentine Event
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Slings and Arrows, Part 1
Ganymede did not appreciate the humor of the situation. He liked the smirk Sugar Rush gave him even less.
So, Sugar blinked and let her grin get a little too wide. Aphrodite lost her... what?
The entire situation bordered on absurdity. Here she stood in a floating transdimensional dance club beneath flashing lights, underscored by chest thumping techno music, talking to a guy in a toga about the mislaid unmentionables of deities... or superheroes themed from deities, anyway. She didnt for a moment really believe he was working for Eros anymore than she believed Scratch over there was the personification of the devil, though both of them attempted to look the part. Since someone declared Greek the new black this winter, Ganymede wasnt the only one in the place dressed like the touring cast of Antigone but he managed the flashier ensemble - from the laurel wreath around his curly hair to the perfectly laced sandals on his feet. If she looked at him just right, he even seemed to sport a golden halo.
It was not so much lost as stolen. And its an item of great value and power. We need it back. If you cannot retrieve the girdle, I will seek someone else who can.
No, no, she assured him. I can get it. Ive just never been sent out to recover undergarments before you know, for a goddess and all. His glower cut her short. Alright, just give me an hour and Ill go get it.
He steepled his fingers in front of his chest and considered her. You cannot do this alone.
On the contrary, Im a pretty good sneak. Trust me, I can get this thing back to you without Arachnos ever knowing I was there.
No. He shook his head finally. Your heart is too pure. The girdle is kept under safeguards that can only be broken by someone who walks a darker path. A hero such as yourself could not do it.
Sugar crossed her arms and looked at him from beneath knitted eyebrows. Youre saying I need a villain?
Indeed.
Both heroes and villains crowded the dance floor and bars of Pocket D. It wouldnt be difficult to recruit one of them to aid her, provided she could offer something in exchange. Differences in currency between Paragon City and the Rogue Isles prevented a direct payment in cash, though, and there was no way shed let a villain take a blank IOU to use against her sometime later. That did put some serious limits on her options.
I think, Ganymede suggested with a sideways nod, You may find someone willing to do this for you.
Sugar followed the direction of his nod and found herself staring at the back of a man, darkly dressed from head to toe in glaring contrast to the bedsheet and grapevine fashion of the night. He wore a black cowboy hat, military fatigues strapped with ammo packs and hid the lower half of his face under a black bandana. Her path and the Malta Group had not yet clashed but enough stories had drifted down from her more experienced compatriots to know what they were all about - most of it involved coercion, kidnapping, and shadowy undermining of government and international laws.
She stared at Ganymede in disbelief. You have got to be kidding me. The Greek only shrugged. Thats just not possible. There is no reason at all that I should even be talking to a gunslinger, much less asking one to come along to find a rare and priceless garter!
Girdle.
Whatever. I mean, you actually want it back dont y
Ow! Something jabbed her just inside her left shoulder blade. Sugar spun around. Son of a
watch it, will you
Her voice trailed off as she failed to find anyone to berate. Must have been a speedster who clipped her on his way past. Sugar rubbed the back of her shoulder with a wince and turned back but Ganymede had drifted off elsewhere.
Terrific.
Certainly she didnt have to solicit the gunslinger for help. Somewhere within Pocket D there could be a more amiable sort of villain, leaning more toward the grey than the black in the spectrum of good and evil, who would be a more appealing teammate and less likely to turn on her at the last moment, run off with the girdle, and perhaps even leave her for dead.
Optimistic tonight arent you? Sugar sighed. But the fact that Ganymede singled this one particular man out of the entire crowd piqued her curiosity. And she felt like an idiot loitering around completely alone in the middle of the room. Steeling herself with a long breath, she zipped over to an open place at the window beside the gunslinger.
Hiya.
At first he glanced at her with a dismissive nod. Then something caught his attention and pulled his gaze back to her. Sugar chalked it up to the hair. When the rest of the 31 Flavors were around she didnt stand out all that much. With no other vivid shades of red, orange, yellow, or even green to dimish the effect, her frost blue gamin cut had impact. His just showed a little between the brim of his stetson and the top of the bandana a much more normal shade of auburn. And brown eyes. Perhaps it was because these were his only physical features left unconcealed that they drew her attention so much. Odd how DJ Zero could keep the volume of the music limited to the central dance floor. From the edge here it seemed miles away.
I, um
Her thoughts seemed to stick together in her head. The look he gave her wasnt expectant, merely surprised. Perhaps if she could press the question before he thought about it this whole thing might be easier. I need your help. Theres this box, you see, and I cant get it open. Its magic. Or magically locked, really. And I think you could. If you arent busy, of course.
He took a long time considering it. Sugar felt a sudden flush of embarrassment. Was he deaf? Wait, a deaf gunslinger? No, that couldnt be right. Maybe English wasnt his strength and he was still translating that deluge. At last he blinked, stood up a little straighter, and cocked his head as he regarded her with a more focused look.
I dont know anything about magic. Midwest accent. Why did she think that was so sweet?
You dont need to. Its got a spell of some kind that keeps me from opening it. You should be able to get into it without any problem.
I see. He leaned on the rail that ran along the windows, a sleek figure framed by the red skies outside. Part of her mind, distant as the music, screamed warning sirens. Here it came: the bartering. You know where its being kept and who has it?
Yes. Had they skipped a few steps in the negotiation there? Sugar edged in a little closer. He smelled a little like gunpowder and something else she couldnt figure out not quite floral. A sharp, green scent. It reminded her of the garden box Ruth kept in the kitchen window last year. What was that stuff? Arachnos. I can take you there.
His eyes narrowed a touch. He might have been smiling. Good. Lets go.
This item he has locked up, the gunslinger looked sidelong at her as they walked over to the portal. How valuable is it? One of a kind sort of thing?
Sugar hesitated to divulge too much information to an enemy, even one she needed. But lying to him wouldnt help either of them very much. Yeah, she admitted. You could say that.
Then Arachnos is going to have more than just a fancy lockbox guarding it. Are you up for pretty heavy resistance?
The dancing light from the portal only widened the mischievy in the grin she flashed back at him. Always.
Again...
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Slings and Arrows, Part 2
It wasnt the least bit surprising that Lord Recluse liked the dark. Sugar Rush crouched down against the wall and waited for her eyes to adjust to the dim light, listening for sounds of any patrols over the electrical hum that filled the room. The gunslinger sat next to her, readying his revolver.
Nice little place, he mused quietly. You heroes have got a flair for Valentines. Bring all the guys here?
Just the ones I want to drag through extreme peril.
Aww, honey, you shouldnt have. Next time I get to pick the place, ok?
She grinned playfully. Shut it, cowboy, or we can end this date in Sirens Call.
Promises, promises. He finished his preparations and hunkered down, regarding her. I suppose I should have asked this before, what exactly do you do?
Im registered as a kinetics defender. I pull off energy and use it.
Hm. Not much help to me directly then.
Oh, really? Sugar broke their huddle and stood. Put the gun down. Only for minute. This can sting a bit and I dont want you shooting me in shock.
He complied slowly, getting to his feet and holstering his revolver. As soon as his hands were empty Sugar reared back and thrust her hand toward him. Though her hand never made contact with him, the gunslinger reeled from the impact. She folded her arms and leaned against the wall, smiling at him.
There you go.
What? I dont feel anything.
Try something. Draw!
His hands blurred as he drew his revolver again. That is something, he mused, spinning it smoothly in his right hand, then his left, and back to the right again. How long will it last?
A few minutes. Ill try to keep it on you as much as possible. By the way, she held out her hand. Im Sugar Rush.
Mississippi Delta. He caught her badly suppressed amusement. Well, it could be worse...
INTRUDERS! A streak of red cannoned toward there.
Blood widow. Delta took aim and fired on her, breaking her stride momentarily. She wont be alone.
Strange shapes came into view in the gloom at the end of the hall hazy orange crescents bobbing alongside each other. Sugar focused on the blood widow, taking some of the stalkers speed and strength for her own before she crumpled to the floor in front of the approaching crescents. Each was a tall, fiery leg of a massive mechanical spider. In spite of its size, it agilely skittered toward them and spat.
She expected to be encased in webbing. Instead, she smoldered. The smoke burned her nose and throat, forcing her to cough and stealing her focus. The gunslinger sidestepped to put himself in front of her as she struggled to breathe just as another monstrous figure darted out from behind the spider and charged. From its back, long arms curled around him, reaching for them with menacing points. Sugar raised arms that didnt want to move and hurled it back with a burst of energy. It rolled and began to get back to its feet beneath the shelter of a second set of those fiery legs. Delta ripped something out of one of his pockets and tossed it, encasing the thing in webbing of his own.
Time to shift things in our favor. She inhaled and stretched her arms up over her head, reaching to feel the energies in the room. Catching the sensation, she clenched her fists down on it and pulled. Raw force gushed out of Lord Recluses minions and crashed over them. Sugar took careful aim at the fire tarantula, blasting it the same moment she heard the gunslingers report. Its glowing legs wobbled and the floor shook as it collapsed. The second fell quickly behind it. Seeing things not going well for his side, the Longfang turned to flee.
Stop him before he gets help. Delta sprinted after him, reloading. Sugar held back, extending her arm. Keeping aim was difficult and she needed to prop it with the other hand. She drew a sharp breath and pressed the energy forces within her into a compact ball around her hand. The longer she held it, the denser and more powerful it became. Eventually it would reach the point she could no longer sustain and she allowed it to rocket out the narrow breaks of her fingers. It hit the Longfang square in the back, knocking him once again to the floor. This time, he didnt get up.
Father down the hall stood a defensive line of Wolf Spiders and, of all things, a Fortunata. Sugar and the gunslinger barely had a moment to catch their breath before the first volley of red tinged murk from their weapons exploded around them. The metal walls of the complex rang with the din of combat so loudly that they had given themselves away to their enemies long before they reached them.
So now that were here, Delta yelled across the hall as they set up the next attack, can you tell me what were here for?
Though her first instinct was to keep him strictly on the need to know, she couldnt resist shouting back Its a girdle!
His wide eyed double take made it all worthwhile. A what?
Come on, didnt you read at least a little mythology? Aphrodites girdle. Inspired lust and passion in anyone around her. Or it. I cant remember which.
So Recluse is that hard up for a date? He sprung across the gap between them, firing as she ripped another layer of power away from the mob of wolf spider tac ops.
Oh, I dont even want to know
I thought the whole inciting love and passion thing was restricted to Cupid. He glanced back over his shoulder, reloading his pistol.
Dont know. Sugar dammed up a well of energy with her arm and swept it at the minions running for them. The tide knocked each and every one off their feet. All I remember is everyone accidentally scratching themselves with his arrows and falling into ill fated love. The last of the opposition fell under the combined effect of ballistics and power blast. Bet they were passing them around Olympus like ecstasy at a frat party.
This ought to be it, Delta announced as they reached the elevators. Get ready.
She expected an ambush waiting for them as the elevator doors slid open so the utter silence took her off guard. Above them, the blood red banners of Lord Recluse filled the ceiling of the hallway, swaying ever so slightly. Nothing else moved.
Her stilettos clinked as she stepped forward. She could only hear the sound of her pulse pounding in her ears as she walked slowly down the hallway. The gunslinger craned his neck around, checking behind the banners above them, through the metal grating below them, cocking his hammer at sounds or shadows that never materialized into an actual threat.
I dont like this. Sugar whispered as softly as she could but still her voice seemed to echo off the walls and amplify around them.
Me either. Its like theyre just waiting for us to spring a trap.
The hall emptied into a single, sunken room, empty except for the dais in the center. A faint glow surrounded it, emanating from the glass case or, rather, from the box within the case. It floated there in it confines, casting a soft white light, countering the dull red that pervaded the rest of the complex. Sugar felt it draw on her, insinuating a sweet sense of peace, confidence, and something slightly more raw. This was going to be a piece of cake after all. She stepped down into the room.
The trap sprung. Half a dozen gray spheres popped up from the floor around the dais and split open, revealing the barrel of a gun. In unison they pivoted toward her and opened fire.
Son of a
Sugar tried to leap backward but only collided with the step up to the hall. She reached out to siphon off the closest gun. It didnt make sense that she could heal her wounds off a lifeless thing, but it worked briefly. Everything hurt. Seared. She tried to pull herself up into the hallway again.
She vaulted with strength she didnt realize she had. In fact, her feet completely left the floor and did not return. There were heroes who gained new superpowers in times of stress, so spontaneous flight was possible. But she would have thought shed have more control over it. Or at least not be on her back. Why was it so cold all of the sudden?
Mississippi Deltas face stared down at hers, those bloody banners above him ticking off the paces down the hall as they past them. So he was carrying her. No flight. Well, you cant have everything.
Easy, easy. He knelt by the elevator doors, keeping one arm around her shoulders, holding her against his chest as the fumbled to open a small, silver flask with the other hand. Her body was really starting to protest now. The room felt like ice. Drink this. He held the flask up to her mouth, tipping it up, but she found herself too consumed with shivering to cooperate. He poured it down her throat.
She coughed and thought she might wretch it all back up from the agony that spasm caused. White hot flames ran down her, across her chest and into her arms and legs. The flare engulfed her, growing bright and then quickly dissipating. She blinked and looked down at herself.
What was that?
A little something I picked up from the bartender. The gunslinger considered the empty flask in his hand. I wasnt too sure it would work. Guess Ill have to go talk to him about that aphrodisiac he was hawking after all. He shoved it into a pocket and sat back on his heels, not for a moment shifting that arm around her shoulders. You alright?
Yeah. Thanks. Her blood soaked shirt clung to her stomach and the right leg of her trousers was pretty much ruined. Looks like Im going to need a new uniform
There are some definite advantages to dressing darkly. He combed her hair out of her face with his fingers.
She stared up at him. The profiles of gunslingers were heavily documented: cold, ruthless, devoted to violence. Even accounting for the bizarre attraction shed felt since they met, she could not accept his rescue as reasonable. Im really confused.
His eyebrows came together in thought. To be honest with you, so am I. Dont take this the wrong way, but I normally wouldnt have risked my neck for a hero.
Great, now I dont know whether to be frightened or flattered.
He laughed and lifted her hand up under his bandana to kiss the back of her fingers. Her whole body tingled. There is something strange going on here, he confided. Lets finish this job before Recluse figures out whats going on and send reinforcements. Then, maybe, we can find someplace to figure it all out.
She wished her heart wouldnt race at that implication. He helped her to her feet and turned to look at the room down the hall.
Weve got six, maybe eight anti-personnel turrets in there. But if we play it careful they shouldnt be a problem.
The anti-personnel guns proved to be a minor delay rather than any sort of challenge, though every moment taken in shutting one down increased the risk of being pinned down if anything came up those elevators. They kept one eye on the turrets and one down the hall until the last of the weapons surrendered with an explosive blowback.
At last they approached the case. The gunslinger spun his revolver and took aim. In two shots the glass shattered and fell away. Released, the alabaster box floated out of the wreckage. Again, it pulled on them to come closer. Heart pounding, Sugar reached out and took it. It hummed faintly under her fingers.
So thats it? The gunslinger stepped in close to her.
Yep. Sugar tucked it under her arm. Time to get out of here.
Dont you .. want to take a look at it? Make sure its really in there?
Its there. You can kind of just
feel it. Besides, I dont remember a lot about my greek mythology but I am sure of one thing: Its always a bad idea to open the box.
Not always. He looked flushed. Both of them breathed harder than was necessary. That bandana had fallen down around his neck now. Sure, theres Pandora but Psyche eventually won out, didnt she? So he did know his mythology after all.
No, she died. Aphrodite set her up.
But then Cupid found her, revived her, and they lived happily ever after. He slipped an arm around her waist, pulling her to his chest. And Aphrodite couldnt do a thing about it.
Got to get out of here. We dont have time for this. But the thoughts slipped from her mind before she could hold them. His lips were only a breath from hers.
No kiss had ever liquefied her knees before. She clung to his shoulders, relying on his arm across her back to hold her up. If her feet were still touching the floor, she didnt notice.
Sugars a good name for you. He put her down and stepped toward the hallway. Lets get out of here. We have a lot to do, right?
Sugar stared at him, dazed. Wha..? Where? First I have to go back to Ganymede and give him the .. The box! How he had slipped it away from her during that kiss, she had no idea, but it rested in his hands now. The whole haze that had lingered around in her brain every since talking to Ganymede dissolved in an instant.
That, she held out a hand for the box, goes with me.
Dont worry. He patted the lid. I have it safe. Well ransom it back to Ganymede or Recluse
or whoever pays the most.
Her fists clenched. No.
Oh, dont be like that. Were a good team, you and me. His smile nearly pulled her in and she willed her feet to stay right where they were. We could have anything we wanted.
What? Like arrest warrants? A nice little room with a view in the Zig?
Delta stepped in close, Sugar
He glanced down at the hand she planted on his chest, keeping him an arms length away and all his charm faded. Fine. If thats how you want it
He turned to go.
Delta, the box, she reminded him. He tucked it into his elbow and kept walking.
Sorry, Delta. Sugar caught the flow of his wake in her fingers and pulled back, drawing as much resistance against him as she could. Where before he had ridden the effortless slipstream she created for him, now he found every step weighted. His hand dropped in slow motion for his revolver. Sugar sighed and reached out again. Mississippi Delta sagged as his endurance poured out around him. Without a word she slipped the box from his hands and vanished into the elevator.
Does poor Holly (aka Sugar Rush) the have Spiderman kind of bad luck? You decide
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Consequences
Some days even super powers cant help.
Holly threw open her bedroom door and dashed into the kitchen, balancing her shoes, belt, and various other wardrobe accessories in one arm. The other worked feverishly to towel dry her hair.
Late again? Ruth barely looked up from her paper and tea. As roommates went, Ruth was just about perfect career oriented by day, student by night, never tardy paying the rent and utilities, and rarely home. If she lacked much curiosity about Hollys odd hours, propensity for oversleeping, and the general chaos she left in her wake on a daily basis, so much the better.
Holly tried to say something from around a mouthful of bagel but it got lost as she slid her arms into her jacket backwards. She just settled for a wave, bagel still clenched between her teeth, and bolted out the door. Too much time in the sewers last night, tracking down some clue about the latest Rikti activity led to too little time this morning. Shed slipped in sometime before dawn, certain shed wake up Ruth if only by the stench. A triple shopping bag wrapped bundle of stinking spandex currently lurked in the washing machine and she was counting desperately on Ruths meticulous laundry schedule that it wouldnt be discovered.
And speaking of smell
! A minor crowed Vahz were lurking about in the alley behind her building again. Most mornings she took the time to energy torrent their patchwork butts before they could threaten any of her neighbors. And she was more than discouraged that the daily ritual hadnt dissuaded them in the least. In fact, they seemed to be sending in more for the challenge. But no fun for them today. Willing to take the risk this once, she siphoned some speed off the mortificator and left them far behind her.
She stuck to the alleys and side streets, shortcuts she knew she wouldnt be easily noticed running at superspeed, finally hopping one last fence and popped into the door marked Deliveries Only.
The little man was waiting, arms crossed and scowling. In the past year shed come to think of him as her own personal nemesis: The Arch Villain of the Dirty Duck Bar & Grill. He pulled her off the wait staff the first day she showed up with her hair tied up in a scarf, refusing to take it off, and would have sent her packing then, too, if she werent technically still in physical therapy and therefore able to hint at the potential lawsuits involved. It was a card she still felt sullied about playing but her lack of even a high school diploma limited her job options. Sure, it was a simple test away but there never seemed to be time for it.
Hi Dan! She smiled brightly and grabbed her apron. That my time card? She reached for it but he pulled it farther away.
I told you what would happen if you were late again. Her smile wasnt catching.
Yes, I know. Im really sorry. I just overslept. A little. I swear it wont happen again. Those words were a mistake and she knew it the moment they were loose.
No, it wont, he smirked. Hed been waiting for this a while. Holly, youre fired.
Aw, come on
for being five minutes late? The look in those little piggy eyes assured her that hed kept count of how many times she was five (and ten, and fifteen and thirty) minutes late. She pulled the apron back off. Son of a
Look Dan, I really need this j
And theres a policeman here to see you.
Really? Holly leaned to look around him into the dining room. From which precinct?
That was clearly not the reaction her manager hoped to get. I didnt ask, he spat as he took her apron and nametag from her. She handed them over without a thought, already halfway out the kitchen door and looking for a blue uniform.
She didnt find one. Ben wore plainclothes now and pushed around paper and pencils behind a desk. Something about him, though, still screamed cop from beneath the flannel shirt and faded jeans, a style which contrasted sharply against his age and his veiled, stiff demeanor. Hed found a nice spot up against the wall, looking out over the room with a good view of the front door. Never mind that the place was empty and technically not open until lunch His cane rested against the chair beside him.
You allowed to sit down a while? He didnt even raise his graying head to look up at her as she approached.
Yeah. Holly slid into the seat by him. I dont work here anymore.
Ben chewed on that a moment and decided to say nothing. Yet. She could tell from the flash in his hazel eyes when he finally did look at her that the matter was added to his agenda.
So. He rapped the table with a carefully folded copy of the Paragon Times. We brought in a guy a couple of days again. Assaulted a young woman with a knife. You wouldnt happen to know anything about that, would you?
Um
This day was getting better and better.
Because I find it hard to believe that Nick Sutherlands girl would wander off from a crime scene, unless maybe it was to go to the hospital. Which she did not.
Well, there was this hero
And, Ben continued on as if she hadnt spoken, She didnt go home, either, which isnt any business of mine really except when Im trying to track her down cause her Daddy used to be my partner and I feel more than a little responsible to look after her
Now wait a minute!
EVEN IF SHE DONT WANT ME TO. He shouted her down. The kitchen of Dirty Duck fell suddenly and unnaturally silent. Ben took a long sip of his coffee and continued in a softer, if no less harsh, whisper. Jesus, Holly. You know better than to pull that crap. As soon as that bum dropped your name I was up and looking for you.
Holly stared at the back of her hands. She should have known. Ben never forgave himself for losing her father the first night of the invasion, not getting her mother out of Paragon Heights in time to save her life, and letting their only child get herself knocked into a coma. Hed tried long and hard to make up for it: hed been there in the hospital when she finally woke up; he held her hand when the news that her fathers remains had been found in the Arena construction; he helped her through the insane maze of insurance and medical bills that neither of them really understood. But she couldnt confide in him. Most cops held a dim view of the hero presence in the city and Bens was downright dismal. If she told him shed spent the night turning tricks he would take it better than if she revealed what she really did.
You gonna press charges against this guy?
Against Martin? No way.
He needs some help, Holly. If we turn him loose hes going to crawl back to Gemini Park and get himself killed. Or kill someone and end up in jail on worse terms.
I wont do that to him. Cant you
do something else?
Ben drummed his fingers on the table. I dont know. Theres a group in Kings who specialize in getting the homeless off the streets but I cant force him to go there. And if he hasnt gone on his own already, I cant imagine what might get him to go there now.
Maybe you could tell him I asked him to.
And what makes you think thatll make a difference?
He said he thought I was dead. He was with me at PH Public and I guess he was a lot more impressed with me than I was with him.
Aright, Ben sighed, taking his cane in one hand and pushing up from the table with the other. You want to know what he says? Or just go on and forget about it til he shows up again? Come on. He waved to her with his free hand If youve got nothing else to do you can walk an old guy to the tram.
So, wheres the new job?
He already knew the answer to that one, just like he knew the answers to most of the things he asked her. She still squirmed inside at having to reply.
I dont have one yet.
They went another half block at a snails pace with only the sound of Bens cane thumping the sidewalk between them. Chinese water torture couldnt have been worse.
I think there might be something in the office in Kings. Got the morning free. Why dont we drop by and see J
Wed just be wasting their time, Holly interrupted. Last time they said they wanted to see my GED scores and I doubt thats changed any.
Ben stopped tapped the butt of this cane on the curb in thought. What hasnt changed, Holly, is you still wont even go sit for the damn thing. You lost all of 2 weeks of your senior year two weeks you would have spent goofing off anyhow and youre stuck there.
We all saw people and things we love die and Ive been willing to cut you some slack because you were a little behind on the mourning. But you cant spend your whole life hopping between bad jobs youre too good for. If I thought you was happy, Id let you be. But I still gotta learn I cant make you give a damn. Give me a call later will you?
Holly rammed her fists into her pockets and trudged back home. Maybe Ruth could get her a job doing something at the University, just to cover the bills a while. If she were willing to handle the rent this month that might be enough time to earn a paycheck and reimburse her before the next month came due. There were, what, four more hospital payments to go before that was finally taken care of? Maybe five. Crap. Back to the ramen noodle diet.
A taxi driver blocked the door into her building, wrestling with two suitcases and the narrow stoop. Holly helped him negotiate it all without breaking his neck and turned to head up the steps, nearly running into Ruth.
Im sorry Holly. She had a box under one arm and her extra coat slung over the other. Her face was red and tearstained. Ill send someone for the rest of my things later this week.
What
Suitcases. Taxi. What the hell was going on?
I cant stand it here anymore. Those zombies nearly killed me. If it werent for that man downstairs they would have dragged me off for sure. Since I moved here Ive been mugged and attacked and now
She broke down into sobs. You should go too. Its not safe here.
Wait, calm down. It was just one little incident with some Vahzilok, Ruth. Couldnt have been more than 7
Oh, that sounded terrible. She tried to soothe her panicked roommate. Compared to some of the other things around here, theyre total wimps.
Ruth stared at her wide-eyed. Thats what Im afraid of. She pushed past and nearly leapt into the back of the taxi.
If nature sympathized there would have been a sudden congregation of storm clouds to blot out the morning sun and plunge the day into oppressive gloom. But nature didnt seem to notice. Holly climbed the three flights up to her (and now only her) apartment with feet shod in lead.
Maybe I should have just stayed in the sewers this morning
Bump...have much more if anyone wants to read it...
First in a series of stories written by Bookish, comments or both welcome and encouraged. Especially if you'd like to read my by this author.
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Reunion
Take it easy, Sugar Rush reminded herself in that little sing-song voice that never worked. Nice and slow. Just walking home from the grocery store. No need to achieve mach.
She balanced the shopping bag on her hip and tried to imitate a reasonable facsimile of a casual stroll, enjoying the long shadows of the trees and the glow of a soon to be setting sun. Of all the heroes in Paragon, speedsters, she was certain, had the most difficult time waking in civies. It was pleasant to watch the others go by, capes flapping behind them, and never once get solicited for a boost .. but good lord she ought to be home by now. Home, back to the store, and home again by now. If that last experience shopping in uniform hadnt been such a disaster
Hey, I know you.
Damn, thats exactly what that former Outcast bagging her groceries had said that day. Heroes rarely took into account that the thugs they put in the Zig might eventually end up on parole. And most of time the anger management didnt stick.
Sugar turned slowly, hoping her hat hadnt slipped to reveal any distinctive hair. (Most of the 31 Flavors came with flamboyant hair color. She was, so far, the only one who resorted to bleach and dye to fit in the theme.) Shed been counting on a quiet night off, not getting her secret ID blown, especially not by one of homeless guys in Gemini Park. This one was leaning on the back of a bench, head down and peeking up at her from the corner of his eye, ready to break away or already anticipating a snub. But he was right. He knew her, not Sugar Rush. You dont forget the people you nearly die beside.
Martin. She wavered between shock and indecision and gave into blunt. You look like hell.
Yeah. He shrugged and scratched his head self-consciously, shuffling over to sit down. He had lost weight and a great deal more. His clothes were out of season, threadbare, and he clearly hadnt bathed in a very long time. The stench hit her from several paces away.
Sugar sat on the park bench beside him and rifled though her bag for something practical. The closest she could come up with was coca-cola and luna bars. He didnt complain as he wolfed them down.
So, you stayed huh?
Martin nodded and shrugged again. Those vitamin bars had to be agony on the remains of his teeth.
Yeah, Sugar whispered to no one but herself. Me too.
He shoved a rapid Was afraid to say anything to you. between bites. Kept thinking she looks like Holly but they told me you didnt make it after the evac from the school.
Six days theyd been holed up in the old Paragon Heights Public, behind enemy lines a few dozen shattered refugees from the first wave of the Rikti invasion. Martin had tried valiantly to keep her spirit up, telling her stories about his grandparents farm in western Pennsylvania. Hed offered to take her there to get away from the destruction. You have to have somebody, he claimed. The worst thing that can happen is to end up all alone in the dark. But when the heroes came to get them out, and the Rikti destroyer followed to smash the place to rubble, theyd been separated. She wished she had thought of him more often or at all. But shed just assumed he had left on the first opportunity.
Martin turned a delicate shade of green and leaned over, holding his head in his hands. Food did not settle well on his stomach. Thought you were dead.
I What? I fell in with a group of crazy teenagers like myself who voluntarily scavenged the city for any alien tech we could find and smuggled it around in an old ice cream truck to various locations for the Vanguard to pick up and research? I got ambushed by Rikti on one run, nearly died from a toxic dose of who knows what and lay there in a coma for 18 months? I woke up with a dramatically altered metabolism that allows me to siphon and blast energy out of my hands and now, after a hell of a lot of physical therapy to get the rest of me working properly again, I run around in a mask and frost blue hair? All of it true, none of it willing to be brought out into the late afternoon light of the park. Sugar fished for something vague. I was in the hospital a long time.
He winced. Could he sense the evasion? Dont like hospitals, he whispered and gathered his ragged flannel jacket in fistfuls across his chest.
Sugar felt a chill in her fingernails an odd sense of trouble, but who was she to argue with it. Martin came out sharper than she intended and she watched the pupils of his eyes shrink with alarm. Crap. Willing her voice to a softer tone she added, I hate them too. Theyre too noisy and bright. It wasnt working. He just got more agitated, shaking his head and muttering.
No ones going to take me back there wont go not me I wont go I wont go IwontgoIwontgo!
She should have been ready for the knife. In retrospect a few lessons in acrobatics might have come in handy too. Since donning the role of superhero, Sugar Rush had faced everything from advanced weaponry to sledge hammers. Being stabbed in the side still took her breath away.
Son of a Turning at the last second saved her from the worst of the attack, but it still hurt like hell. She grimaced and clapped a hand over the bleeding gash, staggering up to get the bench between herself and Martin. He yammered on, getting louder and brandishing his discolored Bowie. Good god what concoction of bacteria and slime had he just injected into her? He lunged at her again but this time he missed. The dodge pulled painfully on her side, though, and she felt a fresh spread of blood between her fingers. If he were Vahz, a thug, a sky raider, a Crey agent, she could just reach out and draw off him, heal herself, slow him down, weaken his attack to strengthen her own, knock him off his feet but he wasnt. He was just nuts, which didnt make him less dangerous. It only narrowed her options.
Wheres a hero when you need one? Sugar avoided another attack and slid back around the bench where the contents of her grocery bad had spilled out. She reached down and hefted one of the vegetable cans in her palm. Martin I am very sorry about this...
It took two cans of peas and one new potatoes to send him down the hill toward the pond, limping from one badly aimed hit with the potatoes. Sugar fumbled for her cell phone with shaking, slippery hands. Of all the stupid, careless, naïve
A wave of green light passed over her, drawing out the pain and chill.
Are you alright, miss? Her anonymous tardy wished-for hero gave her a concerned stare. Green and white spandex with a huge red cross on his chest. Subtle.
Yes, Sugar rubbed her side carefully. Im Im fine. Thanks. Theres a fellow down there who could use some help, though. Be careful, though. Hes not going to appreciate it.
Ill take care of it. You might avoid cutting though the park in the future, miss. Galaxy City might be better patrolled than other districts but its still pretty dangerous for an average citizen. He nodded his sandy head and took off down the hill.
Heh. Yes, yes. What would I do without you. I hope my kid grows up to be just like you Sugar scooped up her groceries and shoved the crumpled bag under her arm. It went, unpacked, into the fridge in her apartment after she locked the doors and dropped the DVD she rented on the coffee table. She didnt feel like watching it anymore.
Holly flopped on the sofa, hung her feet over the padded arm and watched the sun sink behind the warwall. If she craned her neck to ignore the aqua glow above, she could almost imagine the old skyline of Paragon Heights drawn in the distant lit windows and streetlamps a world that wasnt anymore.
Her cell phone lit up on the table behind her, casting long shadows around it in the dimly lit kitchen. She gave it an askance glare. This was supposed to be her night off but, well, what the hell.
Sugar, sorry to bother you but weve got a little Rikti problem in Bricks
Ill be right there.