Atlas Park
Argosy Industrial Estate
Saturday 25th October
0330hrs
Darkness reigned throughout the city, embattled only by the sea blue glow of the war walls in the hours before the sun pushed itself above the horizon. Few civilians walked the streets at this hour so few criminals ventured out to mug them and, thusly, few heroes were around to investigate and arrest them. The city was mostly quiet. Those who did venture out, to places like the all night coffee shop, tended to be on the tougher side of indomitable and generated an aura that they only used this sort of place because it was open, not because their coffee made life worth living. Mostly, truth be told, even the proprietor would acknowledge that the best his coffee could hope for was to be hot and knock the edge of the impulse to commit suicide. The black suited woman hed not seen before paid for the two coffees both for her, shed said and left his establishment and made her way to the 4x4 opposite.
Coffee ok? She asked, handing Fortune his coffee. He was wearing an army camouflage jacket and a similarly coloured cape with a half mask covering his eyes and an army Beret covering his hair. Light, camouflaged, gloves protected his hands with Steel tipped combat boots and camouflage trousers completing the look.
Better than their tea, I suppose. He admitted grudgingly. He tasted it. But not much. You put sugar in this?
Nope. She slugged back her own coffee and gasped. Hit the spot. She remarked, looking at his boots. Beats me how you do your karate [censored] in those.
Practice. He admitted, ripping open a sachet of sugar from a pouch on his belt and adding it to the coffee before stirring it with a spare spoon.. LOTS of practice and a few adjustments to the boot. He put the spoon back in the glove compartment and took a drink. Bearable now. He admitted.
So, Markham asked, changing the subject, Nemesis, eh?
Yup.
Kids here?
Nope. Tygers on a night off. Wolfs in school.
Markham looked at him like he was crazy. Which, considering his outfit, he couldnt take as totally untrue. School? At 0345 in the morning?
Croatoa night school. 2300-0600. He shrugged. Crazy but its Croatoa. And I dont want her here anyway.
Why?
That old master she trained under? The one I trained with? He was killed by Nemesis. Shes kinda sworn a blood oath against him. And Id rather take the base leader alive if possible.
Right. She paused. The pause yawned into a gap. One minute. Two. Nice 4x4. Markham commented, desperate for conversation to break the silence since shed taken offence to the night time DJ and ripped the stereo out.
Yup. Hunter drank the rest of his coffee and dropped the cardboard cup into the back of the vehicle. You REALLY didnt notice that each of our teleport points is a secure place with a garage?
Cant say I bother looking. I just head wherever Im needed.
Four AM struck and, like normal, one of the doors began to open.
Shall we knock? Hunter asked rhetorically.
I never do. Markham replied.
Ive noticed that, Hunter sniped, turning the key, and flooring the accelerator. It would be nice if you could knock on the bathroom every now and again.
Four Oclock truck, right on schedule! Markham replied as a small lorry began to become visible in the white light under the door. The 4x4 hit the stop strip before they had lowered to let the truck out. All the tyres blew. Then repaired themselves. Nanotyre technology! Hunter shouted. God, I love being a multi-millionaire! He laughed as the troops began moving behind the truck. The door began lowering. His face became serious. It means I can afford armoured trucks. He muttered.
The impact threw the stationery truck back several feet as the metal door fought with the roof of the vehicle, the doors buckled but the armoured glass held in the windshield. The front was crumpled beyond repair and the struck truck was spilling fuel. Bullets began stitching the air. Markham ripped her door off and exited the vehicle fast, stomping towards the stairs beyond and drawing fire as Hunter followed her, his own door too mangled to open normally. Shed made the stairs. He followed, keeping opponents heads down with shurikens. Normal for the troops. Explosive for the Jaegers. Markham reached the nearest soldier and he tried to stab her with his bayonet. It cut along her suit, drawing blood as she shifted to avoid it. She brought her arm down, through the gun, breaking it in two before hitting him with a backhand that took him off his feet, over the banister and out of the fight. Possibly permanently. Take the door at the top. Hunter ordered. He showed her an explosive shuriken? She looked at him, puzzled but decided to follow him idea as bullets continued to pinprick her. These guys were annoying, she decided. She made her way through the door. Hunter launched himself through. Close the door! He yelled, rolling under a desk and pulling it over. She did so as an almighty explosion rocked the base, followed by a string of gunshots that never seemed to stop and shattered the door around her and impacted on everything, including the desk. The Shuriken. She smiled a grim smile as she guessed what hed done. Hed ignited the gas and thus the truck carrying the newly made Jaegers. And their ammunition.
You killed them? She asked.
Technically they killed themselves. Hunter remarked, getting off the floor and dusting himself down. I just supplied the means. Besides, some may well have survived.
They moved on, down a corridor that led to a cave. How many of these warehouse doors lead to caves? Markham wondered aloud.
Welcome to Paragon City. Hunter replied.
Shh. Markham cautioned. She could hear something. Whirring, clicking. A new voice.
Whats going on above? A voice asked, demanding acquiescence by its very tone.
Unknown, sire. Another voice replied.
Then lead your men and locate answers, commander! You run the risk of displeasing me and that is not a good choice for a long career!
At once, sire!
And start with those two in the next room.
Oh, [censored]. Markham said before Hunter ran past her into the next chamber. She recognised the move immediately. He was almost impossible to hit. But only almost. And there were eight of them. She followed him in to a cavern that she saw was the automated assembly line for the Jaegers. Not that it was totally unmanned.
Six of them were wearing the standard grunt outfit. Stupidly tall hats, red jackets, trousers and long weaponry. Another wore the markings of a leader. The final one. Well
He was kind of the ******* son of the Hulk and a steam train. About nine feet tall, with only his head sticking out of a mass of steam powered cybernetics. Pistons hissed and whined as he turned to face the incomers. Kill them. He ordered.
Ill take them, Hunter declared, jumping into the air and kicking the first of his opponents clear in the face. You take HIM!
Well, DUH! Markham remarked, charging the Nemesis.
Sweep, duck, roll, punch. So the dance went, with new manoeuvres taking over from old at an instants notice as Hunter kept the attention of the grunts. It wasnt easy. Blades had slashed his arms and chest and it was only the fact that no-one was stupid enough to fire into the melee that had saved him from far worse. He fired off his Cobra strike into an abdomen he didnt know whos and straight punched another.
Better than you have fallen at my feet and begged for clemency! The Nemesis bellowed as it threw Markhams bear hug off and threw a fist into her cheek. Her vision swam for a second. She tasted blood. Her glasses survived. They always did. You shall be denied victory by my power!
Will you
Shut up?!? Markham roared, grabbing the hydraulic arm and twisting it. Metal screamed as she twisted it out of its normal way.
You think you can break MY shell? He laughed.
No. Markham said through gritted teeth. She put her hand into the elbow joint. But I bet I can screw with your hydraulics! She gripped several pipes and pulled. The metal warped and buckled, cutting into her fingers as they broke and she relented. One arm down. She gasped. One to go. He threw another punch that launched her across the cavern into the Jaegers on the manufacturing line.
Grunts down, Hunter thought as he tried to stay upright. Only their officer to go. Well, and the big guy. But he was out of Hunters abilities. Best leave him to the Captain. One to go. Where was he? The pull on the cape told its story as the officer attempted to assault from behind, his rifle lost somewhere in the fracas. Hunter touched his collar and the cape disengaged, sending the officer stumbling backwards. Hes an idiot, Hunter thought, all these weapons lying around and he tries to strangle me? Even with me seeing double, I can take this guy. He fired off a kick straight into the officers privates with most of the fighting strength he had left and powered his elbows down between the mans shoulder blades as he doubled over. Then he handcuffed the mans hands and feet and placed a special tag on him. He looked over at Markham. Want a hand? He offered through the blossoming bruises.
Do I LOOK like I need a ^&$%ing hand, Hunter?!? Markham yelled as she put a deactivated Jaeger between herself and the descending blades of Nemesis good arm. The Jaeger impaled and Nemesis looked at it comically for a second. Markham took the opportunity and gripped the Nemesis at both ends of its chassis. Roaring her rage as her muscles strained to their endurance, she lifted the behemoth over her head and threw it twenty feet down onto the line. The line shattered, Jaegers sent flying into the air as Markham strode over and stood atop the Nemesis. Gotta be a fake. She said breathlessly. No WAY Nem goes that easy. She turned him so he was face upright. Then, before he could swing his arm, she fired off a punch that broke thirteen teeth and his jaw. The arm fell back. She looked up. Hunter wasnt looking at her. He turned around. An empty box. With a radioactive warning on it. Oh, [censored]. She mouthed. Hunter moved over with some effort and pulled something else out of his belt. There anything you DONT have in that belt? She asked, recognising a radiation detector.
Teabags. Hunter replied. Radiations background only now but still above normal. Analyser shows it as
Uranium.
Time to leave. Markham decided, tagging the fake.
Yeah. Hunter agreed. The two left the cavern, Markham helping Hunter. Im gonna feel this in the morning.
It is morning.
I meant tomorrow morning. When you're interrogating that commander at the Consulate.
What you get for the lifestyle. You dont heal any faster than normal people. She paused. And where the hell did you get a pocket radiation analyser from anyway? Markham asked before the pair teleported out. In the rooms above them the police arrived, alerted by a large explosion some ten minutes before.
'You lose more of your femininity every day Doroe. It's very appealing.' - SLEDGEHAMMER!
Woo, must admit i enjoyed reading this.
At times i feel perhaps it could be a bit more spaced out , perhaps double spaced but thats more of a personal preference of mine when reading something thats dialect heavy.
Also i think perhaps some of the descriptive terms might need a little work, for example -
"Metal screamed as she twisted it out of its' normal way."
Metal doesnt tend to scream, but more so screaches.
I like how you convey the action within the story and must admit the teabags line made me smile hehe, the characters seem to be developing nicely and i hope to be able to read more soon.
Keep writing 
Saturday 25th October
Chesterfield Apartments
Galaxy City.
1500 hrs.
Hunter was still in bed but he was still in bed for a very good reason. He could hardly move after the early morning escapades. He wasn't likely to get up before the next morning anyway. It was, he thought, a good thing that his left arm still worked. He could reach the remote control for the television. Although it was kind of a mixed blessing as it was American Daytime television. He'd watched a DVD earlier and it had been a five minute trip to the shelf opposite his bed. A look in a mirror had shown him a bruise looking back out of the reflective surface.
Something tringed next to him. A message on his laptop. He clicked on the link.
<Still in bed?> Wild's voice said knowingly.
"How did you know?"
<I have my ways. Plus the fact you were active this morning and...>
"I'm only human?" Hunter interrupted. He figured he'd look cross if he could move his facial muscles. It was a constant annoyance to him that years and years of training only gave him similar abilities to the lowest ranking mutants. It was the same problem that had kept him out of the specialised Task Force the British Army had set up, using their mutants against the enemy to 'save' the normal troops. It had offended both sides and had been dropped after a couple of months and five operations.
<Something like that.> Wild admitted.
"Tell." Hunter coughed. "Tell me how you knew that truck would leave at 0400 after one night?"
<One night?> Wild chuckled her synthesised chuckle. <I ran the CCTV tapes for the entire week. Camera to the west saw no truck but the one further down the road always showed the same truck passing by at three minutes past Four in the morning and it's two minutes from the target address. Therefore...>
"Something left the area between at Four. Neat."
<Stupid of them. How'd you figure it to be Nemesis?>
Hunter grunted as he reached for a glass of water. "I looked in the window. Dressed as a Hellion, I took a look through their skylight. And then in the room itself."
<You spied through the keyhole?>
"No." Hunter admitted, laughing a laugh that gave him pain. "I saw them as I was going back up the rope to the skylight as fast as I could. The thing was alarmed. Anyhow... What happened in Perez?"
Three hours Earlier
Perez Park
"Gardvard SMASH heroes!" The greenskin roared, pulling a chunk of wall out and throwing it at Wolf. She dodged to the side as it impacted on the floor and chippings flew up, glancing off her helmet as they went. She sprinted inand put her blades through the Older Trolls' abdomen. The Ghost Sabre magic being what it was, this wasn't a killing stroke but it was enough to take him out of the fight.
"Talk English you &^$£ing Hulk reject!"
"You should do the same." Said a voice behind her. Tygerboy. She turned. He still had a troll ganger by the throat and on his knees.
"Hero not swear." The troll said, punch drunk.
"Will you finish that ar$ehole so we can move on or are you planning on taking him on a date?" Tyger punched him out. The two headed for the stairs. The lifts were out of order. Typical troll maintenance, Tyger thought to himself. It it ain't broke, break it. Then hurl a boulder at it to fix it. "Up or down?" he asked.
"Trolls don't fly or use helicopters." Wolf pointed out. "Down." So saying she jumped the bannister and ropeed. Tyger followed suit. He slowed to a hover and noted the wings on Wolfs' boots flapping for all they were worth.
"Still got that altitude problem?" He asked.
"Sometimes." Wolf admitted. Almost impaled a blimp once when I wasn't wearing the boots. Anyway, door."
She pointed to a door opposite on the ground floor and Tyger sighed. "My protective aura doesn't stop ALL pain, you know?" So saying he stood on the ground, focussed himself and hit the door at about fifty miles an hour. It crashed outward and Tyger spun and stumbled after it in a stunned state as the trolls behind ran in.
Wolf liked trolls. It was difficult to avoid being shot when facing a lot of the groups who relied on their firepower above all but the Trolls, with only a few exceptions, liked to prove their intense physical fitness by getting in close. This was great for Wolf and Tyger. "Trolls smash heroes!" At least two yelled.
"Trolls get new record." Wolf replied, scattering her supply of Caltrops - some bought, some taken of an unco-operative Tsoo Eagle - and watched them slow her attackers. "Trolls also get shoes." She added, boot wings keeping her off ground level as she hacked and slashed.
Tyger came around and noted the combat. He chose the ones he wanted to engage and engaged them, fists flying as he used his power over the negative to boost his attacks. One swung a blade which cracked on his armoured jacket. He grasped the arm with his left hand and brought his right down onto the exposed elbow hard enough to break it. He swept the legs out from under his opponent and palm striked him between the eyes. His hands closed into claws and he pulled several deep scars down the Trolls face before kicking him back. A second came in with a mallet strike to his chest and Tyger felt a rib go. Blood entered his mouth. That'd take a few minutes to heal. Just release enough healing power to stay up for now, he thought as he knew the malleter was coming again, a blow to the head on his doubled up form would be a bit difficult to deal with. Tyger just managed to dodge the downward blow and snapped the mallet handle with a downward kick as it landed on the stone floor. An upward punch from Tyger brought the Trolls head back up. Tyger grasped him and pulled him back down, impaling the Trolls chest on his shoulder spikes. The Troll gurgled then fell sideways as blood began to spurt. Tyger slapped a mediport Zig tag on him and watched him fade before he decided to heal himself and heard his rib snap back into place. Not a sound he liked..
Wolf kinda wished the Sabres would allow her to do things like that. She'd defeated her opponents and her own accelerated healing was dealing as best it could with her injuries. She looked around. This seemed to be the last room available to them. A small stockroom. Trolls, she reminded herself, are thick but not stupid. And they tended to 'magpie' things they liked. There were boxes here from Crey, Buchanan, Ostermann and other tech companies. She had no idea what they were... "Heheheh.... Stupid heroes." Said a voice from the floor. She turned. "It gone. Our part done."
"Part of what?" Tyger asked.
Galaxy City.
1500 hrs
"Part of what?" Hunter asked.
<Electronics he said.> Wild replied. <Which isn't good. All the payments to that account were payments FOR something. When added up, you get over ten million dollars. You found Uranium and now we have electronic parts. From the shipping list that Wolf found I'd say they were parts of a detonator and, in lieu of something else, I'd say we have to move fast.>
"Agreed." Hunter replied darkly. "Someone's building an Atom bomb."
'You lose more of your femininity every day Doroe. It's very appealing.' - SLEDGEHAMMER!
Its getting interesting and i must admit im really enjoying the pace and action you incorporate.
I always enjoy seeing how writers interprate villain groups and i feel you have done the trolls justice in your latest chapter.
A line that did make me smile would have to be;
"Talk English you &^$£ing Hulk reject!"
However i would recommend trying to avoid utilising curse words that cause board censorship as in my opinion it can sometimes break the immersion a reader may be experiencing.
For example in a piece i wrote 2 or so months ago i had to reword a certain sentence as one of my lead characters was unable to [censored] a gun due to censorship hehe, if you know what i mean.
Id also like to suggest perhaps spacing dialog out a bit more as sometimes it can get a little confusing regarding who is saying what and what methods they are utilising.
Regardless im enjoying where your taking this and am eager to see how the recent nuclear development unfolds
Please keep writing you are telling a very enjoyable story.
Monday 27th October
Thirty feet under the British Consulate
Atlas Park
0900hrs.
He was uncomfortable, sitting bare on the stone floor in the bare room. Hed lost track of time hed been here so long. His armour had been stripped from him and his hands cuffed behind his back by several troops hed recognised as British Royal Marines. That confused him somewhat. Teleports just plain didnt have intercontinental range! The room theyd thrown him into was black. Just
Black
The door opened and he blinked against the pale incoming light until a shape blocked most of the light. It walked in and the door closed. A second or so and the light switched on. Tears filled his eyes but receded so he could see the woman from Saturday. About five eight in height with a ridiculous straight laced red haircut and wide brimmed glasses. She was wearing a different black suit this time. The rest of the room was just bare stone except for the hanging butchers hook. He wondered what that was for. I understand youve not been fed since we caught you? She asked, laying out a few items on the small table in the middle. He made no reply. Hmm, well, it just proves that government doesnt work weekends. Or at least the catering staff anyway. You look smaller than the last time I saw you. You wear platforms when in armour? And rolled up socks?
My Lord will
No, he wont. This is Britain. Attacking us means an international incident. We protest to our friends in the U.S. and pressure increases on the U.S. army to over-react and do their usual wipe out tactic. Besides. Youre not staying. Youre just stopping long enough to tell me all you know of Nemesiss
Nemesese
the tin clad pillocks operational plans in Europe, his manpower here and what you were doing with that Uranium.
No. He replied, spitting his defiance.
She smiled. Defiance is not advised. She stroked a truncheon. But look at you! All sinewy and all. Pretty as a picture! Matter of fact
She crossed the room behind him, even as he tried to scurry away. She laid a hand on his shoulder. Pictures dont move(!) She admonished him before picking him up with no real effort. This will hurt somewhat, I imagine. She lifted him further up and he felt his arms being pulled upwards behind him even as the rest of his body was released. His muscles contorted and he found himself uttering a cry of pain that lasted several seconds. She walked back around to the front as he struggled against the hook on the handcuffs. He roared again. Sometimes its the simple things that make life so interesting. Now. For one answer that this she patted a small device doesnt believe, Ill break a toe. Then Ill move onto a knee, an arm
no, I dont need to bother with them, do I? Or, if times pressing, Ill go to a more sensitive area. Oh, and the poison tooths been removed by the way. Through the pain he heard her words. He looked at her. Oh, didnt know about that one, eh? Naughty Nemmy. So, we begin. Wheres Nemesis got his European head of operations?
Screw you. He replied.
Markham sighed. Whilst thats not a lie, she said, picking up the 80s police weapon, it wasnt exactly what I wanted to hear. She crossed to him and hit his ribs with a powerful blow. He gasped. A lot of people use power tools these days. She admitted. I prefer the hands-on approach. Its far more
intimate and personal dont you think? She smiled. Wanna try again? European base? European contacts? She tweaked his little toe on his left foot. He squirmed.
It took several more inducements before he gave up an address in Luxembourg and an address in Cadiz. He swore that was all he knew. She wrote them on her pad, glanced at the desk and decided she believed him. Ok. She shrugged. Was hoping for more than that but never mind. Guess he keeps things compartmentalised. Right. Next order of business. Whered you get the Uranium from? He looked scared but defiant. Not gonna talk? She asked politely. He shook his head.
No. You can kill me all you want and youll get nothing. He nodded to the device. And thats an old Game Boy with a few extra bits.
She smiled. Wondered when youd work that out. So, violence wont get me anywhere? She asked. He shook his head.
She sighed and grasped two items. Sure? She asked. His eyes widened as she picked up a concrete banana and a brillo pad.
Twenty minutes later she emerged from the room and spoke to the commander of the British Forces outside. Commander Graham. She observed.
Captain Markham. The other officer replied, returning the salute shed not made.
She gripped his saluting arm, brought it down flat and slapped the notepad into his palm. Get the information to the European Justicierie Force quickly so they can move. Tell them it came from MI6.
Maam.
And get him cleaned up, dressed and tped to the Zig.
Maam. When can we expect the next occupant?
She shrugged. When we catch a Tsoo boss, I suppose. Or someone equally international. She left the way shed arrived.
Wythenfields Industrial Estate
Galaxy City
20 minutes later
Markham stood in front on the others, relaying what the officer had told her. Basically theyre working together on this one. She told them. Nemesis, Family, Trolls, Sky Raiders, Crey and others, sending their money to that bank account in return for items that would attract too much interest if shipped together. They get what they pay for. Who pays most gets the most expensive part. Then they assemble them in a central location and things go mushroom shaped.
Wolf looked confused. Why buy when they could steal the items anywhere? She asked.
Fortune, still looking like a walking bruise, educated her. Its not the money. Its the working together. Someones promised them a piece of the pie each if they work together. Question is
Who?
<Want an answer?> asked the prancing pony on the screen. <Someones just made a withdrawal on that account.>
Who?
<Well,> the voice admitted, <it took a lot of digging but it eventually led back to a company account in
You wont like this.>
Tell us. Fortune told her.
<Valletta.>
Hunter put his head in his hands. Malta.
'You lose more of your femininity every day Doroe. It's very appealing.' - SLEDGEHAMMER!
Some good stories there. The four main characters you've got in the stories are excellent, and the plots work well, both in isolation and for expanding the characters backgrounds.
I've included a bit of editing below which you might find useful. There are also a few times when you don't follow the norm for writing speech ("Here's an example with a comma at the end rather than a full stop," he said."), but I didn't know if that was intentional or not. If not and you're unsure how to portray speech, by all means shout up.
There were two things that I found made it a bit difficult to read. One was the lack of separating lines on paragraphs. Adding some white space in there just make it easy for the reader and as it's hard enough to get people to read stories rather than look at pictures, you want to make it as easy as possible. If you're using MS Word 2007 in its normal settings it will make you think each paragraph has a blank line after it when it, in fact, doesn't. To solve this just change the style to one without spacing between paragraphs. (The same goes for some other word processors.)
The other thing I found slightly more confusing was the shifting of tense in a couple of instances.
While I can understand why you've done it's as it makes for more a more comic or film style, it can be a bit frustrating for the reader - they won't know who's thinking or from how's point of view the story is being told and it is always important not to let the reader get lost.
Hope this is all useful for you. Apologies if you didn't want the crit', just let me know. I'm more than happy to comment only on story or not at all.
If something doesn't make sense then just PM me or shout up in the forum.
Some examples of editing:
She pointed to two characters on the comic book page as the proprietor of the store kept a close eye on them. Too many 'eye's in that bit. I'd suggest changing a couple to words such as 'watched' or 'observed'.
Ah, yes. The boy responded, But HE points at the smaller of the two knows the other would never do that. It depends what style you want to do the prose in, but in most formats I'd be tempted to put the descriptive text outside of the speech marks.
The paragraph which starts with the next noted above reads like you're trying to avoid mentioning characters under copyright, and because of this the conversation reads rather stilled. Generally you should be okay using existing toons if you're not making any money out of it, but if you're not comfortable with that just make up your own.
A small flash of silver lodged itself into the wheels 'of the left foot shoe
' on the left boot maybe?
Sunday 2nd November
2471 Platinum Street
Founders Falls
1750hrs.
Wolf leapt backwards over the operations officers fire and stuck her blades into the back of a Gunslinger whod been drawing a bead on Tygerboy as he assaulted no less than three Tactical officers at once. Markham and Hunter were on the floor above, having taken the express route to the higher floor. Wolf and Tyger were the other operatives in a pincer strike. Four nights of broken bones, repaired organs, blood and internal injuries had brought them here, to where operative Zero-Kappa-seven was hiding. He was a teleporting assassin with a record as long as Wolfs arm and a trigger finger as short as Tygers temper. She recalled Tygers cape had been burnt off in the last battle and hed taken it out on a Zeus titan, beating it until it toppled. With his fists. It had taken two hours for his hands to regrow.
Wolf turned sideways down the corridor and waited for the first thing to poke its nose around. It was the turret. Her enchanted blades cut it in two. Cant harm flesh, she recalled for the fiftieth time this weeks, can cut steel like marmalade. Frikking enchantment. She took the operations officer out and turned as the Gunslinger fired a shot at her. It hit her helmet and she felt a dizzy experience as it spanged off into the wall, the tear in the plastic exposing the titanium underneath as she charged the 'slinger. She hit him hard in the stomach, winding him and making him drop his guns. She back butted him in the chin as he doubled over and ran him through with the blade, inflicting their, suddenly psionic, damage on his gut. Done? Tyger asked.
Dusted. She replied as a Hercules Titan fell past the window.
Elizabeth Markham watched it go before she turned. Hunter had his hand on a Sappers weapon, she noted. The rest of him was above it, putting a steel toed combat boot into the guns owners masked face. The eyepieces fractured as Hunters toes felt cheekbone and teeth give way under it as Hunters full weight swung itself the rest of the way over and landed on the floor to deliver and extra sweep kick and take his opponents feet out from under him. A tactical got off a shot as he jumped high in the mans direction, bringing his foot down square in the enemys forehead before somersaulting backwards. Markham watched him land before she returned her attention to her own underling and threw him through the nearest window. Malta, she noted, were NOT an Equal Opportunities Employer. Still, wouldnt be as much fun hurting them if they were. An auto-turret opened up and Hunter found himself diving behind the wall as Markham walked slowly towards the item. Bullets flared off her, breaking skin and fabric as her strength carried her through. She reached out a hand, balled it into a fist and exploded the turret. Im NOT Super-woman, you know? She called back to Hunter. I DO bleed!
Not as much as me. Hunter replied, pulling himself off the floor and helping himself to a few knives from the Malta ops belt and the sapper gun from the Sapper before he got zigged out. I hate guns.
Tyger and Wolf made their way up to meet their senior colleagues and found themselves near the window that the others had come into by cable from the opposite roof. The harpoon and steel cable Markham had thrown were still just visible in the wall, having penetrated the room beyond before it stopped. She was banned from the Olympics, wasnt she? Tyger asked.
Hmm. Wolf smiled. She impaled a judge in the Javelin. He was judging a swimming competition half a mile away.
Well, Wolf considered, theyd been here. Move on. She followed Tyger into the corridors beyond. Hed scented Malta. They were this way. Tyger was first into them, having cheated and torpedoed them with his super speed. Wolf swung in as fast as she could but Tyger was ahead on the nights takings by ten Malta scumbags. The thunder of cannons brightened Wolfs evening. A Hercules! This was worth FIVE grunts! She leapt into the fray and laughed.
Hunter roundhouse kicked his opponent and he fell. Markham punted hers and Hunter wondered if hed come down in the next building as the man exited a window. He was sweating under the weight of the sapper gun but considered it well worthwhile. He watched Markham move and admitted to himself that he was jealous. Hed been forced to work all his life to gain the skills he had now. Markham and the others had been born with a genetic quirk more pronounced in Tygerboys' case than the others that meant they were either invulnerable or healed faster than normal. He was just a man. But he endured. He was skilled, smart, well off and responsible for others welfare. What more could he want? Super strength, he thought idly. This HAD to be last room. There were no more floors.
The others joined them as Hunter hid himself as best he could. Neat decoration, Hunter. Tyger observed as Wolf sliced through the door. She kicked the door open and took two in the chest as Zero-Kappa-Seven opened fire. She fell backwards, her mutant power working fast to repair the damage. He managed to add another before Markham charged him. He teleported and rematerialised in front of Hunter. He hit the firing pin on the Sapper gun. He almost felt sorry for the boss as the minty blue light enveloped him, draining his power so he could hardly move. Still he managed to spin and fire, just missing Hunters head with an ice bullet. Hunter stepped closer and swung the Sapper gun into his chin. He looked down at Wolf, still fighting the bullets, and dropped the weapon before kidney punching him, Cobra striking him in the throat and Crane kicking him into the room.
When he came to, he found himself strapped into a chair with his hands trapped by manacles on the table. Evening. Hunter said darkly, walking around the table with a revolver in hand. I hate guns. He said. Tyger had the sapper gun now and bathed Seven in its light again. But I can still use them. Yknow, Captain Markham would happily beat you with any number of Cudgels, truncheons or
- He raised an eyebrow at Elizabeth as she stood over the now seated Wolf. A concrete banana. But we just dont have the time. So Im just gonna ask it out. Wheres the Atom Bomb?
He laughed. Like Id tell you? He asked. Go on, shoot me! Shoot me now!
Hunter shrugged. Ok. He said, before placing the revolver just above the first phalange joint on the mans left hand third finger and fired. Bone and blood spattered the table as the bullet tore through both finger and table. Seven yelled his defiance aloud.
Any room in Malta for a gunslinger that cant pull a trigger? Hunter yelled into his face.
Screw you! He replied.
Wrong answer! Hunter replied loudly, choosing another finger at random and blowing it in two. Now, were hunting an Atom Bomb thats somewhere in this city and we dont have the time OR the inclination to play nice! I can keep doing this until you lose all twenty fingers AND toes but can you!?
So, Hunter replied, throwing the gun away into the darkness. Now we know. Talos. And we know when.
We do? Markham asked confused.
In three days time, Statesmans opening a new, multi-million dollar medical centre for the homeless there. Big photo op. Crey putting the shine on. Its his only public engagement on the schedules. We have three days to search a zone the size of the island of Jersey with more underground tunnels.
Happy day. Said Wolf, spitting out a couple of bullets.
'You lose more of your femininity every day Doroe. It's very appealing.' - SLEDGEHAMMER!
For two days they scoured Talos and Oranbega, Wolf and Markham taking the underside city and Hunter and Tyger taking the topside. Hunter found he could use the confused tourist gambit fairly often if approached and floor people when that failed. He stayed mainly around the warehouse districts as Tyger swept through the skies, his over-sensitive ears focussing on words spoken as hed been trained during his enforced military service. No words he heard helped. Nothing that told him of the bomb or who theyd be fighting as he turned south and buzzed New Sparta. Hed lived here for a while, with his sister, and he still liked coming here every now and again. He enjoyed visiting the same shops where he got overcharged over half the time, the same parks where he often considered but never got around to feeding the ducks. The nightclubs hed never gone into and the police station hed visited several times, half the time to visit friends. Good memories, still pulling at his emotions. Not enough time.
<Want a hint?> Said a chirpy voice on Hunters commline.
Exhausted by two solid days of movement, Hunter replied. You got a lead, Wild, then give it!
<Dont take it out on ME, Mr Hunter!> The voice commented petulantly. <Not MY fault theyve got a bomb! Im told theres' been sounds of heavy duty machinery and hints of Nemesis soldiers in one of the buildings behind Exarch Industries. Figure you may want to check it?>
Of course, Wild. And sorry for shouting.
<Ok.>
Whered you get the information?
<Internet talk board. People post sightings. Someone called BigGangsta just posted it. First post too.>
An hour later, the crowds had begun to assemble less than half a kilometre from the eventual epicentre as the four fighters overlooked the building that seemed to be their target. You realise that, if its buried in concrete, we aint gonna get to it, yeah? Tygerboy asked. No-one answered him.
Hunter kept an eye out through binoculars. Nemesis forces confirmed. And Malta. Warhulks and Zeus titans amongst all the others. He lowered the binoculars and sighed. Thisll be close. And weve no evidence we can bring to the table to convince other groups to assist.
Who said we need the licensed? Tyger asked. He nodded down and Hunter looked and understood.
The door buckled and tore from its hinges as Markham pulled it free with a roar. Guns inside opened up and she took the brunt as Tyger waited for them to reload before speeding in and taking all the weapons off the eight soldiers inside. Wolf and Fortune moved in quickly before they could recover and engaged the enemy. Wolf headed straight for the Malta contingent and the tac ops officer as he deployed his auto turret. She vaulted over the deadly drones line of fire and rolled until she was upright again, bringing her blades up in a quick slash from the officers right hip to left shoulder. She took the control device off his hands and turned the drone on the other Malta troopers before they could react. 900RPM versus slow moving slugs with body armour? She muttered to herself. No contest.
Hunter was dealing with the Nemesis contingent. He could feel a blade slice through the skin of his shoulder but found that the pain helped shed the tiredness he was feeling better than the stimulant hed taken and better than the coffee too. He punched one hard in the midriff and roundhouse kicked another in the side of the head as Markham hefted a stone and threw it with uncanny accuracy at the remaining Nemesis. He wasnt remaining for long. The far door opened and then the wall exploded as the Zeus made an unwelcome appearance. Wolf, winged boots flapping furiously, met it head on as Markham stomped through the room after her. A second wall ruptured As the Nemesis equivalent made its appearance. The bubbling engine of steam punk hate called a Warhulk. Tygerboy stared hard at it. I cant take this thing alone, boss. He warned.
Then it pains me to say, hero, that you do not stand alone! The voice almost surprised both of them. Hunter turned. A new force was entering the room. Their leader or at least the one speaking stood lithe and about five feet ten inches in height. His top half was unencumbered by clothing and covered with tattoos.
Fire Striker! Tyger called happily, ducking a blow from the Warhulk as he did so. Wasnt sure youd show!
Our land is imperilled, short one. You think we would let it fall to ones like these? And we of the Tsoo do not come alone. Others wish to assist. For once. He sent a fireball crashing into the Warhulk, obscuring its vision for vital seconds as, through his Tsoo forces, Mace Warrior Samson lead his force of Warriors into the battle. We all shall hold these. Striker advised. You two must move into the cellars. He pointed at one of his troops. Sorcerer! Go with them! Ensure their safety. With allies like these, Hunter thought to himself. Still, they needed the help.
Hunter led the way down into the underground complex, having reminded Tyger that super speeding in caves only led to hundreds of trips and untold flattened faces. No guards. Tyger noted.
Tyger. Hunter said a little irritably, Youve got an Atom bomb about to go off any minute. Youre not REALLY gonna hang around to see it, are you?
No. Still cant believe the mayor didnt believe you.
No. But torture isnt really a highly regarded method of getting information in western law enforcement. Cant argue it before a judge.
Shoulda killed him. Though I suppose that, by taking both his trigger fingers, you sort of did. Tyger sniffed as Hunter scanned with his radiation detector. The adult pointed left and Tyger nodded. Four of them. Tyger commented. Want me to deal with them?
When in visual. Hunter told him. They edged closer to the cavern. A medium sized cavern in front of them. Four Malta operatives gunslingers all - and one bomb behind them. My turn. Tyger said quietly. He grimaced. Gonna have to take them as quick as I can. Super-fast punches at super-speed. Tears me up but I can get em. Wont be much good for anything other than breathing after. You can defuse it?
Hunter nodded. A year with the bomb squad in Bosnia. I can handle it. Go. He felt the incredible suction as Tyger left and, before he felt the effect cease, all four gunmen were on the ground. As was Tyger, retching up blood and other fluid items. Hunter crossed to the device. A timer. As hed thought. With two minutes to go. A cylindrical detonator, embedded in a metal cocoon. When it came down to zero, spikes would spring out and complete the circuit by touching the exterior wall.
Remove the detonator. Hunter told himself. One minute forty means you dont have time to check for movement sensors, just get it moving. Steady hands to turn it, steady hands to pull it out. Boy, his shoulder was painful. Boy, that timer was ticking down slowly. Pull it; pull it, steady but fast. Fifty seconds. All the time left in the world. Tygers dying, Liz and Wolf are fighting for their lives, the Tsoo and Warriors are united, which may not be a good thing, the crowds are assembling above, the detonator that someone must have stolen from Crey as it had their logo on it was still counting down as Hunter pulled it ever further out. Twenty seconds left and it was so heavy. He could feel his sweat coming down as the dial crossed twenty seconds in a bad direction. How long was this thing? If it was too long then hed never
Its out, yknow? Liz Markham asked, looking haggard and battered as she carefully grasped its underside. Has been for ten seconds. She relieved him of the detonator and hurled it as far away from the device as she could. In case it goes off. She advised.
In another part of the city, a man walked into a boardroom and turned to face the heavily built individual seated at the far end. They got the hint? The seated individual asked. The associate nodded. You wonder why I sent the message to them? He asked. The other nodded again. The seated man shrugged. Call it a crisis of conscience in a win-win scenario. He advised. We hired Malta to wipe Talos from the map for a good reason. The success of that zone was threatening our finances in a way we could not tolerate. Their
intransigence and unwillingness to acquiesce to our demands had to be dealt with. But we had to cover ourselves as well. Hence we paid Malta $20 million to act as though unifying certain gangs was their idea. Then if, say, a hero group got ontta them, well
Malta, Nemesis, Trolls
All of them have gotten in our way an threatened our operations. Now Malta forces have been decimated an Nemesis has lost a good percent of his new Jaegers. Even the Dockers got damaged on the isles as Recluse got clued into their part. They aint gonna be bothering our Peregrine or Skyway operations again for a while AND we got their money in an account ready for us to use. Like I say. Win-Win. Just wish wed gotten the Carnies involved. But you cant have it all. He leaned forward, into the light, showing his white suit and shining head. He smiled. Like I always say, crimes a Family business.
End.
'You lose more of your femininity every day Doroe. It's very appealing.' - SLEDGEHAMMER!
((For now, anyway.))
'You lose more of your femininity every day Doroe. It's very appealing.' - SLEDGEHAMMER!
Epilogue
A few Days Later
Talos Island General Hospital
Tygerboy coughed and noted there was still a bit of blood in there as he lay in bed. Using a superfast attack at Superspeed was dangerous to him as his top half tended to move at ten times the speed of his lower half. At normal speed it meant that his lower half was doing 5mph and his top 50 mph. At speed, it was 50 miles an hour and 500 up top. It kind of tore him up. It was only the presence of the sorcerer and his innate healing factor that had saved his life. Now, here he lay, wondering when he was going to get out.
There was a huge bunch of flowers on the side unit, a 'gift' from his sister who'd made sure they'd all had their scents muted. A number of well-wisher cards dotted the unit along with a book on Tai-chi from Hunter and a new pair of boots from Markham. Wolf had... Just walked in, he realised as he smelt Cinnamon sticks, oil and Henna. He opened his eyes.
"Heya." He said in welcoming.
"Noon, Tyger." She replied, looking at the few, garden picked, roses she'd brought and the Bouquet. She placed them amongst the mass and took up the sole visitors chair. "Figured you'd like to hear the things going on out there?"
"Wh-what happened to the bo..." Tyger re-considered saying 'bomb' in a hospital. "Device?"
"Hunter removed the trigger. Crey are currently investigating the 'theft' of their materials used in making the device." She leaned in closer. "We expect several scientists to commit suicide in the next few days, saying they'd betrayed Countess Crey." She whispered.
"Of course." Tyger grunted. "Got a worse record than Heroing, haven't they?"
Wolf looked at the cards that had been placed from various well-wishers. One from Stateman, she noted - in a card that was a picture of himself. Several from friends and colleagues. One, she noted, bearing I-Ching's on the front. She picked it up and read that it was From Fire Striker and the writing inside wished him a speedy recovery. "The I-chings say 'Get well so we can kill you with honour'." She said in translation.
Tyger chuckled. "Those Tsoo. Such kidders." He paused, looking past her to the elevator where a large, purple, teddybear was making it's way out of the double doors. "Oh, balls. There goes my rep!"
Wolf looked around and saw the being holding the bear. Small. Young. Rat tail, Tiger striped hands, spotty face and wildcat ears in a pink trenchcoat. She recognised her. "Hey, she goes to Croatoa Uni! In the genius class."
"Yup." Tyger coughed.
"She made a miniscule nuclear reactor that powered the science lab for a week..." Wolf paused, thinking of the various gadgets Tyger had been using including the laser eyes. "And she's your sister, yeah?" She smiled.
"I am!" Said the newcomer, in a light voice. "Name's Juniper." She smiled a bright smile, placing the giant bear on Tyger's bed. He kicked it off irritably. "The press call me Wild Child." She offered a hand.
Wolf took it and stayed for a while.
'You lose more of your femininity every day Doroe. It's very appealing.' - SLEDGEHAMMER!
((This uses several of my toons that I've used over the years, including an NHU'er.))
Thursday 23st October
Swanson shopping centre
Seafront
Talos Island.
Four thirty in the afternoon in the island in the city. Children had left their schools an hour ago and were thronging the shops, some waiting for their parents, some having fun with their friends and some watching the mall cops and attempting to make sure they werent being watched by the officers in turn. They were hanging around the fast food outlets, the sports outlets and the comic shop, where one in particular was keeping an eye on her sports bag as she argued with a ginger haired teenager in a damaged leather jacket. How the hell, the cinnamon coloured girl asked her associate, can you say that hed beat him in a fight!? She pointed to two characters on the comic book page as the proprietor of the store kept a close eye on them. One punch and hed kill him!
Ah, yes. The boy responded, But HE points at the smaller of the two knows the other would never do that. Plus, whereas hes got the strength and the endurance, HES got the tactics and the skills. They match each other but you can bet hes planned ahead and has some sort of trick whereas the tank relies on his invulnerability
Yes, but The shopkeeper wondered if they were ever going to buy the magazine. Or realise that someone with a power ring could wipe the floor with both of the people they were talking about.
Adults were there too, of course, thronging the clothes stores and the hardware outlets, arguing over the prices of clothing and comestibles as much as the kids. One woman was examining a suit and wondering exactly how much of her weekly budget she could use to supplement her clothing budget and afford this. It seemed to be tailored. Not to her normal standard, of course, but she was wanting to look normal here. She was about five seven in height with red hair and spectacles. The attendant didnt think the suit would work for this woman at all but, as usual, lied. She turned as she heard a noise outside. An old woman being helped off the floor.
Three more kids, rollerblading past the comic store with someone elses bag. Confident, free, unencumbered by morals or the chasing mall cops. A small flash of silver lodged itself into the wheels of the left foot shoe of the boy holding the bag. He sprawled across the floor, loosing the bag from his grip and his friends skated off and left him to the compassion of the locals in blue.
They paid no attention to the man in the coffee shop across the way, sipping one of the strange concoctions the Rhode Islanders called coffee. He ran an import/export business here amongst his other , less well known, escapades and he had been thinking over income and possible sales deals whilst hed been sitting here but, now, he was mostly wondering how he was going to dig through this armoured foam without the spoon hed brought. Hed been here for fifteen minutes now and hed still not touched his Danish. Here he could see the entrance from the street as well as most of the shop fronts. Now he was looking at a new face entering the mall. About five feet and ten inches tall with black hair and a blue guards outfit. Well, it was close enough to a guards uniform. Close enough to make sure that no questions were asked but not enough to attract the attention of the guards themselves. He pulled his lapel slightly closer to his mouth. Fox in the chicken coop. Do not respond. He continued to drink his drink as he kept an eye on the man. Now passing Miss Paragon. He added in a low voice. The red haired woman moved out of the shop as the man passed by and waited a few seconds before she began walking in the same direction he was. The two teenagers were outside the comic shop now, examining cards as the target passed by, walking to the security door next to the shop. He tapped in a security code and entered the door, closing it behind him. 21479 the boy said aloud. And now I need the toilet. He added. Same. Said the girl, before the two moved off and the tall man from the coffee shop joined the red haired woman.
Captain, he said quietly, If you please? She nodded and tapped in the code shed been given. The door swung open and the two slipped through into a lengthy bare corridor that sloped downwards.
So, fortune hunter the woman replied before he interrupted.
Cant teleport them in here. He told her. Its too narrow. He smiled. And, if youre INSISTANT on code names, please say mine like its got capital letters, eh, Captain Markham? Youre not my ranking officer anymore.
And yet you still call me Captain. She led the way down to the far doorway. They could hear machinery beyond. Id rather we could have avoided using teenagers. She told him. One seems to have been trained in military tactics, the other studied under a master I trained with. Neither is afraid of killing but understand we only go there when theres no other way. That makes them good to have. Plus they know these streets better than we do. He held a hand for silence and listened at the door. He could just hear talking. Voices talking of their next shipment to Europe. Seems we were right about this place. He said. Its an ocean front property, linking directly to the sea. Hidden harbour. Good place for the family to shift their goods. Safer than the rogues and quieter than their usual operations. He stood back and observed the armoured door. Elizabeth, the keys please? He stood back as she balled a fist and crashed it into the door.
The door broke and fell off its hinges and the pair looked out onto a submarine dock. Explains it. Captain Markham grunted, picking up the door and using it to shield the two from the flying bullets. Get the others in. Her compatriot hit the recall button on the tech he was holding and the two teenagers arrived on the scene, neither looking much like they had a few minutes before. The boy had turned furry with golden yellow fur over his face and hands. His hair had turned more into a Lions mane. He was wearing red battle armour with light blue tribal markings and a similarly coloured cape. His shoulder pieces both had three nasty looking spikes coming through the pads. Tygerboy. The girl was wearing black and Purple with armoured pads underneath an open military vest and a swallow type cape. Her helmet looked plastic but Fortune Hunter knew it hid its strength well as did the twin blades she sported. The rapiers that were, paradoxically, called the Ghost Sabre blades. Wolf Blade. Tygerboy takes the left, Wolf the right. Fortune Hunter declared, readying a salvo of beeping shurikens. Liz, clear us a path through the centre. Keep your wits, people. Tyger almost didnt see him move as Fortunes free hand swept down into his other pocket, retrieved a normal throwing star and threw it into the arm of a Family hood to the left. A second to the upper chest. Liz! He yelled, running into the fallen goons group mates. Clear a path and sink that sub. He dove full length as bullets stitched the air above him, rolled swiftly, rose to a crouching position and swept the legs out from two of his opponents. Long range fire scattered and stopped as an armoured door arced its way towards them through the air at speed and landed with an almighty crash amongst them.
Wolf Blade launched herself into the group ahead and to the left, slicing her way through her opponents, Chi strikes adding to her strengths as she tried to hit every non fatal weak point she could think of. Tyger, she noted almost enviously, had no such qualms. His style of fighting wasnt so much Ballet as back street junkyard. No élan, no, class, just flying fists wrapped in that darkness stuff shed heard about. No attempt to evade the blows of the others either, she thought as she parried a blow and rode another before sweeping low and cutting the tendons of an opponent at the knees. Captain Markham dove into the central group before they could reassemble themselves from the thrown door and commenced thumping as a white suited man with a distinct lack of hat or hair climbed walked from the office at the back. This wont do. He said aloud as the last of his people fell. He closed his eyes and Wolf felt herself rise into the air. She looked around. Markham and Tyger were captured in the same trap. Where was Fortune... You really thought Id be caught this easily? He sneered. You really thought that just four heroes could take ME down?
Could happen. Said a voice from the submarine. Fortune Hunter pulled himself over the parapet and jumped down to the deck. He seemed to be glowing, Wolf noted as the constriction began to threaten her sight and Fortune moved off the sub altogether, jumping to the jetty. I mean, He added, you thought we were after you, didnt you? Behind him the submarine broke in half as several well placed explosive devices detonated inside it. The underboss screamed his annoyance as he tried to trap Hunter. Why cant I hit you? He asked as Fortune swiftly made his way up to the room.
Because Im more focussed. The lanky hero commented dryly before Crane Kicking him ten feet to the left and fifteen feet down. He landed hard on the floor. Sounds like a broken shoulder. Fortune jumped down. There will always be people like you. He added. Trying to fund terrorism via crime and extortion. Thus there will always be people like us. Hunting you. Hunting the money. Trying to stop the terrorism before the bomb, so to speak. Now, before you go to the Zig, I want you to remember that message. And send another too. He walked away, up to the office as his three freed compatriots commenced delivering the message. The safe was easy enough to break. The funds would be easy enough for Tygers' sister to track. And, from there, she could backtrack. Locating more of these cells for them to hit. A good days work.
--------------------
Friday 24th October
Wythenshaw Industrial Estate
Galaxy City
The three Hellions had heard of this place. Supposed to be a lot on money moving in and out of here, a lot of goods in the warehouse. Good stuff from Europe and good stuff for Europe which they intended to make into good stuff for themselves and their pockets. The lock was a toughie and theyd spent a good ten minutes picking it before it relented and they entered the darker interior. Their escape driver backed his open trailer truck to the door, ready for the booty. The three inside started talking about the items they were going to take. DVDs foodstuffs from the continent, German and Dutch electronics, Wines from the old countries for their girlfriends and so on. They paused as someone walked around the corner. Ah. The man said, standing about six five or six with a thin frame and light brown hair. He looked worried, they thought. Well, who wouldnt be? They were rough and tumble gangers. They advanced. He backed off slightly. This, they thought as he fell over a box of Ginger nuts, would be fun. They started the beating.
A fist to the cheek. A kick to the stomach. A knee to the groin, it was mostly a blur of fists and feet as they assaulted the man on the floor, thoughts of profit lost in their desire for bloodletting. His lip split, bloodying the boot of the ganger whod kicked him there. A knife drawn. A strike prepared.
A hand gripping the arm. You guys wanna make much more of a noise breaking in? Tygerboy asked. Even without super hearing, I couldve heard you next door. He launched a punch so hard that the gangers feet left the floor as it struck his stomach. He collapsed to the floor, the knife skittering. Next? Tygerboy asked. The other two ran. Tyger looked towards one. Twin green beams left his eyes and drilled holes through the lower back of a fleeing ganger. New trick. He explained as the ganger dropped screaming. Micro-filaments linked to Contact lenses.
Sis-sisters idea? Fortune Hunter coughed as he forced himself up as Tyger tagged the two fallen.
Yup. Tyger replied, not offering a hand. How long were you gonna let them beat on you for?
About half a second more. The older hero replied, limping slightly as they walked further into the warehouse. Couldnt exactly wipe the floor with them without blowing the secret about this place, could I? Office manager who happens to be a 10th Dan? Like THAT wouldnt be suspicious?
Whereas cit gets saved by hero happens every soddin minute in this city.
Absolutely. Hunter walked up to a wall and pressed on it. The wall swung in as it recognised his palm print and the two walked into a room unlike the rest of the warehouse. A teleport pad with four destinations, interchangeable as needed. Talos, Brickstown, Atlas and Kings Row. A computer with a fifty inch screen, a number of chairs and a medical station over in the corner with cupboards. A three seater settee on the back row already had Captain Markham sitting on it. Whats the next target? Tygerboy asked. Hellions? He added.
No. Hunter replied. And dont worry; Ill get the medical kit. He walked over to the cupboards, which were within Markhams reach, and pulled out a small green box. He applied one of the gels to his still bleeding lip. He examined his face in the small kits mirror. Great. He said as he noted the black eye. Thatll look good out tonight.
Ill apply the make-up later. AGAIN. Markham commented. Now, whats the next plan?
Lets find out. Hunter moved across to the computer as Wolf Blade teleported in.
Your escapees met with accidents and had to go to the hospital. She commented. Whats next?
Hunter looked around, exasperated. Will everyone stop asking me that? He said, spreading his arms. Im about to find out what we learnt from yesterday!
Sorry I spoke. Wolf muttered, crossing her arms.
Wild. You on? Hunter spoke into the computers microphone.
<Of course>, said the animated horse Wild had chosen as an Avatar. <We got a fair bit from Ol Tonys financial records. Several payments to accounts operated by dubious organisations. Arachnos, PLO, Kosovo Liberation Army, Shining path No Al Queida links though.>
Least we have that. Hunter mentioned sarcastically. All we have to deal with are European assassins, a semi-legit terrorist organisation that needs funds and one of the deadliest militant groups in South America!
<And Arachnos>
Yes, and them. You tracked the funds back?
The voice sounded offended. <Of course! Once I had a back door key, it would be rude not to use it, wouldnt it? I have several locations for you, tracking back to operations based in Steel, Croatoa, Atlas, Mercy Island, Perez and Founders. Oh, also to a Crey lab in Skyway.>
Hunter thought, putting his feet up on the console. Tyger, observe the location in Croatoa. You live there so youll be something theyre used to. Anonymity can help you be invisible. Liz, take Steel, youre a shop-a-holic and they have the best shops.
I dont know if youre trying to insult me but A platinum card landed on her lap. But Im grateful youve got a lot of cash I can spend.
Wolf takes Perez.
Joy. She muttered. Vahz slashing.
Ill take Atlas. Wild, see if you can observe the Mercy ones through the security cameras. Release the location to Longbow and, if its not one of his, to Arachnos. He may not appreciate them doing this under his nose. Skyway Im not ready to take Crey on yet as they seem to straddle a line, half on our side, half on the other side. Send them the details. Let them clear it if theyre legit. Send details to the Skyway Post and the Paragon Lancet so Creys' hand is forced. Let them know youre sending the others the details.
<Ok.> The horse whinnied. <Ill send from the Icelandic server again. Then Ill switch to >
Dont need to tell me, Wild. He wouldnt understand it anyway, Wolf thought.
Move out, people. Recon only. Hunter commented before looking around. Tyger and the Captain were already gone. Wolf headed after them. Hunter flipped his mobile phone he refused to call it a cell phone and delayed his date with Candice for a night as hed been assaulted and rescued by a hero. Then he too left the room, closing it behind him.
'You lose more of your femininity every day Doroe. It's very appealing.' - SLEDGEHAMMER!