CoH: Call to Arms - Girls Night Out

Kunhaussen crept up behind Alice, “I really think we shouldn’t have come here alone.”

“You’re not alone, you have me,” Alice said with a smile.

Sarcastically Kunhaussen replied, “Yeah that’s comforting,”

Alice ignored her crimson partner’s response as she made her way through the dark alleyway. Her sling shot drawn into ready position, she attempted to hide her weariness while they made their way through the rougher side of Sterling City.  The streetlights illuminated the working spots for well underdressed prostitutes while the dark corners concealed the shady business of drug dealers.

“The beacon’s showing that he’s on the next block over.” Kunhaussen’s face glowed from the light of the tracker she peered into as they crossed the street. “Alice, I really think we should have called for…”

As they made their way into the next alleyway Kunhaussen was cut short when Alice threw up her arm in Kunhaussen’s path. “What now?” Kunhaussen snapped.

Alice shushed her accomplice and held her hand up to signal for Kunhaussen to stay behind. The heroine approached two figures barely lit by a dim light shining over the back door of a business. Kunhaussen watched from the distance as Alice encroached upon the two, a man who was seemingly making an exchange of cash with a young boy who she could safely assume was out past his curfew, if they even had a curfew in that part of town.

Alice shouted, “Hey, what do you think you’re doing?” The young boy was startled by Alice’s sudden appearance.

The dealer looked at Alice from the ground up admiring her scandalous apparel. “Yo baby, just wait your turn, daddy’s got enough for you too.” The dealer reached out and smacked Alice on her thigh. In a blur Alice grabbed the dealer's hand and spun him around, pinning him to the door. With his arm twisted behind him Alice applied pressure, causing the man to scream in pain. Turning to the boy, Alice demanded” Go, now.” Scared to a pale white the boy turned around and ran down the alleyway. “And say no to drugs!” Alice yelled after him.

She turned her attention to the subdued drug dealer’ “Now as for you, as if you weren’t stupid enough just selling drugs to a little kid, you have the audacity to try and mistake me for some kind of hooker?” Alice tightened her grip once again, and the man let out another cry in pain. “You wont even be able to brush your teeth once I’m through with you.” A crack echoed between the walls of the alleyway as Alice snapped the dealer’s arm.

“Sparxx!” Kunhaussen yelled at Alice as she quickly approached. Her fragile demeanor subsided by her authoritative tone. “That’s not how we do things, now release him.” The arch in her brow caused the blue orbs where her eyes would be to carry a disappointed look.

Alice released the dealer from her grasp, he stumbled over the trashcans and clutter filling the alley as he ran from his suppressor. “I’m sorry, Kay, I don’t know what came over me.”

“Let’s keep going.” Kunhaussen picked back up her tracker and kept her opinions to herself.

Alice sensed an offset tension as she felt the need to explain. “Kunhaussen, listen I should explain. I just…”

Kunhaussen turned and placed her hand on Alice’s shoulder, “Let’s just do what came here for.” Kunhaussen pointed to the warehouse at the end of the alley. “That’s the place, it has to be.”

Alice and Kunhaussen entered the building through a busted out window. “I still think we should have waited” Kunhaussen whispered as she treaded carefully behind Alice.

Alice’s paid no attention to her partner’s worries as her thoughts were still set on that young boy who ran off into the night, questioning what could have brought him into this life at such a young age. She reached into her pouch and pulled out a large marble, then while holding it in her outstretched palm, after a focused charge, it began to glow as though it were a dwarf star.

“Maybe we should have contacted Daliah, I’m sure she would have helped, we could have even called…”

“Who Alex?” Alice scrunched up her face from disappointment. “He only cares about himself.”

“Aahhh” Kunhaussen let out a muffled shriek

“What!” A panicked Alice turned around ready to defend against their attacker.

“I think a rat just ran across my boot!” Kunhaussen stiffened and closed her eyes

“Really, you’re scared of a little rat?” Alice looked down at Kunhaussen’s feet to see dozens of rats covering the floor. Alice lied to bring Kunhaussen some comfort,“There’s nothing there, it must have ran off.”

Kunhaussen opened her eyes and continued to walk carefully behind Alice. “I’m just saying I would be a little less worried if we would have brought some extra muscle.”

“As you should be” A voice came from the darkness. The lights of the warehouse flew on, momentarily blinding the two women. As their blurry sight became clear they saw a pale, shirtless man standing in the open of what the women could now figure to be an industrial warehouse full of old rusted factory equipment. Massive hooks hung from the ceiling and tall standing pyramids of varied sized metal rods were stacked up creating a miniature labyrinth.

Kunhaussen could now see that the floor was covered in rodents. “Eww, gross,” she shrieked

Alice’s eyes were set on the mystery man. His creped appearance unsettled her stomach as his boney arms and protruding ribcage gave him the appearance of death. Surrounded by dark circles his soulless eyes that were blacker than coal and through black lined lips contrasting his pale white skin, the man said “Welcome Public Defenders, how nice of you to come knocking on death’s door.”

 “What have you done with Vetis?” Alice demanded.

With one hand grasping tightly to the metal handle of a large scythe, the man reached out his free hand and dropped a small blinking tracking device to the ground. “Looking for this?” He exposed a disturbing smile with his unnaturally sharp incisors.

Alice drew back her sling shot and charged a marble inside. “I’ll ask you once more, where is Vetis.”

The man began to walk towards the women, dragging his scythe’s oversized blade that was at least three feet across at the base. “Don’t you wanna know where you boyfriend is first?”

Alice tried to hide her confusion about the statement. “Stay where you are, I have no problem with blasting you into yesterday.”

“That’s right, we know who you are, Miss. Alice Marlowe and we have your precious boyfriend as well.”

“Keep your head Sparxx,” Kunhaussen interceded.

“She’s right, I’m gonna need you in top shape for when you face off against us.” The skeleton like man said. 

“For I am the Reaper, and I’ve come to take your souls.” Reaper leapt into the air holding high above his head the nightmarish scythe.

“Move” Kunhaussen shouted as she pushed Alice out of the way and dived in the opposite direction. Tumbling to safety, Kunhaussen unsheathed her sabre. The alien engravings glistened as the sword’s hidden beauty had once again been exposed to the light. A blue marble handle housed the silver colored alien metal, the curvature of the blade seemed to wrap it’s self around back towards it’s bearer.

Reaper followed up with an attack against Kunhaussen, the metal of their weapon’s met as the small woman put up her blade to parry Reaper’s blow. Sparks flew as their weapons collided repeatedly with such an astonishing force that it left Kunhaussen doubting her ability to guard against each following attack.

Suddenly Reaper lunged back and spaced himself from his wavering opponent, then waived his scythe in the air while chanting an unfamiliar language, “Vawe fo doshaws, I leraese ouy.” Reaper then struck the ground, creating a small chasm that quickly traveled towards Kunhaussen erupting from it a rushing wave of specters that engulfed the crimson hero. She screamed as they reached inside of her and pulled at her from within.

With his attention focused on Kunhaussen, reaper was then struck in the side of his face by a small explosion. Alice filled back up her slingshot and fired again at her now off balance target striking him in the center of his chest. The cloud of specters surrounding Kunhaussen began to dissipate and Alice ran to Kunhaussen’s aid.

“You good?”

“It felt like, like they were reaching in and pulling out my essence.” The shaken up Kunhaussen struggled to catch her breath.

Alice noticed Reaper rising back to his feet, she stood and reached into her pouch.

Reaper looked up to notice the approaching balls of light rolling in his direction. Then the sudden explosion marbles like a dozen tiny grenades caused him to cover his eyes.

Acknowledging their chance to live and fight another day, Alice aided Kunhaussen to her feet and the two girls made their way to the large factory doors. Reaper remained shrouded in smoke as the girls arrived at the metal doors. Alice and Kunhaussen pushed to open them but to no avail.

Alice shook the door in frustration and could hear the metal chains clanking outside the door that hindered their escape. Kunhaussen turned back towards their opponent and peered into the smoke that had begun to settle, she then unsheathed her sword once again.

Alice noticed Kunhaussen putting up hear guard. “What are doing?” Alice turned to see Reaper emerge from the smoke. “Son of a…” Alice started as she reached at her hip for her sling shot.

Kunhaussen held up her hand, “No, we need an exit, I’ll hold him off.”

“What am I supposed to do?”

“Charge the door,” Kunhaussen demaded.

“I could blow the entire building.”

“Come on!” Kunhaussen yelled at Reaper as she charged towards him.

Alice looked at the door and breathed deeply. Okay, just give it a little juice, Alice rubbed her hands together and breathed deeply once again. Charging small marbles is one thing but charging a door without the rest of the building was a different story, especially with her being in it.

Kunhaussen swung her blade through the air at Reaper, his slim physique was quite limber as he nimbly evaded Kunhaussen’s strikes. Reaper taunted the heroine, “Such fury from what would seem to be a timid little creature, I’m almost in admiration.”

Becoming frustrated Kunhaussen screamed, “Shut up and fight back!”

Kunhaussen took another thrust at Reaper but instead of evading the blow, he caught the sword by it’s blade. Kunhaussen attempted to jerk her blade away but it was steadfast in Reaper’s grasp. Blood dripped from his hand as he tightly grasped the sharp alien blade, Reaper cocked his head to the side and with a fiendish grin he said, “Alright then, let’s fight.” Reaper released Kunhaussen’s blade as she made one last jerk at the blade. The heroine stumbled backwards onto the ground and looked up to see Reaper’s scythe bearing down on her, she dived out of the way, narrowly escaping the razor tip of Reaper’s weapon.

Alice held her hands firmly against the door as energy sparked around her point of contact with the cold steel. “Not too much, not too little,” Alice closed her eyes and her face contorted as she forced the destructive energy from her body into the door. The wave of energy could be seen as it crept through the steel. Alice  opened her eyes to see her progress and suddenly developed a worried expression as he looked up the wall, “Oh shit.”

Kunhaussen’s heels dug into the ground as she tried to keep balance after being knocked back by Reaper’s blow.  “Is that your best?” Reaper asked.

Kunhaussen breathed heavily and fast as she tried to catch her breath. “Not…Quite” Kunhaussen’s eyes became consumed by a yellow light and she raised her hand towards Reaper. As Reaper stood with a confident smirk he was struck in the face by one of Alice’s charged marbles.

Alice ran to Kunhaussen’s side and fired two more shots in rapid succession then grabbed Kunhaussen’s raised hand. “Hold that thought,” Alice said. The yellow in Kunhaussen’s eyes faded. Both the girls turned their weary heads back towards the door which was glowing brightly from the energy but to their dismay so was the entire wall, two stories of aluminum and steel shrapnel charged and preparing to explode.

“What did you do?”

Alice defended, “Don’t blame this on me, I knew it was a bad idea.”

Kunhaussen’s eyes began to glow again and she pulled Alice close and embraced her. The wall exploded in a bright and fiery light. Metal shards went flying and the steel beams stacked high tumbled down as the girls were engulfed in flames.

The sound of the heavy explosion echoed throughout the night shattering the windows of adjacent buildings. Through the blazing flames a figure could be seen. The fire began to die down slowly and revealed the figure to be not one but the two girls holding each other tightly. Alice held her eyes shut tightly as Kunhaussen was entranced with glowing eyes while maintaining her shield that covered Alice and she.

Alice opened one eye and looked to see a clear path where the fire had receeded. “Alright Kay, you can let go now.” Kunhaussen remained silent and Alice pulled against Kunhaussen’s tight embrace. Alice raised her voice, “Kay, you can let me go now!”

Kunhaussen’s eyes returned to their normal blue. “Oh, sorry, I was concentrating.” She scanned the wreckage, “Woah, this is intense.” Kunhaussen stood in awe at the devastation caused by Alice’s powers, she knew they packed a punch, but this was more than she had ever imagined.

“Come on,” Alice pulled at Kunhaussen’s arm.

“What about that Reaper guy, did he make it?” Kunhaussen questioned.

“I’m not sticking around to find out.”

CoH: Call to Arms - Capture the Huntress

Daliah’s body flew through the darkness across the smoke filled room. She collided with the sheetrock and could feel the support beams of the building which had stopped her from flying completely through the wall. As blood dripped from her nose and ears she coughed up a hand full on the floor, not sure of whether it was the beating she had been taking or the ash that was inducing the coughing sensation. Her head filled with what felt like lightning bolts of pain, she struggled to turn her double vision back into one.

Daliah looked across the floor to see the chrome colored metal collar that had been dropped by Shriek. A black gloved hand reached down and roughly picked her up from the ground by the throat, her once favorite red blouse now singed beyond compare, her boots hung a foot above the floor as Daliah was lifted into the air. Hardcore, a mountain of muscle covered in marble skin, stood at what was easily over seven feet, he lifted the young woman to meet his face.

“Pathetic, simply pathetic,” the bass in Hardcore’s voice echoed painfully inside Daliah’s already splitting skull. Hardcore’s rocky skin was covered with fissures from Daliah’s attempts to bring him down. “You know, we were warned about you, told about how you were a force to be reckoned with.” Hardcore began to laugh. A few feet behind him the un-collared Shriek simply smiled at Hardcore’s statement.

Daliah paid no attention to their jeers nor to fact that Hardcore was proceeding to carry her lifted body to the window. The flames from the fire below had finally reached the 12^th floor where her apartment was, the place of this epic battle.  Daliah’s sole focus was to block out the pain, because she knew that with the pain out the way, she could call for help, and if she could call for help, Kopi would come.

“You are nothing, do you hear me, nothing!” Hardcore became frustrated with the silence of the proud warrior and he placed her against the wall next to the window, with his solid fist began to pound Daliah in the torso repeatedly, the pain was indescribable but as long as he stayed away from her head, Daliah didn’t care, because she needed to focus. She coughed up more blood, a punctured lung, some internal beeding, Daliah didn’t care, it would heal on its own later, right now her only concern was that she had it, she had finally regained enough strength and focus to call Kopi.

“What are you smiling at?” The booming voice of hardcore simply was a cause for even more joy in the heart of Daliah, she was always quite fond of the story about David and Goliath.

“You’re about to die” still pressed up against the wall next to the window, Daliah reached her hand out over the glass and into it flew her mighty spear, Kobi. With it’s mystical blade glowing a fiery blue she swiped it between her and Hardcore, severing his left arm, which had her pinned, at the elbow. Daliah fell to the floor as Hardcore stood screaming in shock, she then came up under his chin with all the force she could muster, the bones in her hand fractured from impact of flesh and bone colliding with marble. She sent the towering rock monster crashing to the ground. “Paper trumps rock!”

With Hardcore no longer obscuring her vision Daliah then met eyes with Shreik, he stood fearless, even with the defeat of his brutish ally. “Any last words before I rip your tongue out?”   

With a smirk Shriek opened his mouth and a burst of sonic waves sent Daliah flying towards the window. Daliah managed to grab on to the sill, the sound of Shriek’s voice deafened her ears and shattered all the other windows in the room. Me and my big mouth, she thought to herself. Her feet dangled as the force of Shriek’s voice caused her body to waiver like a flag from a heavy wind. Daliah’s fingers finally gave out and she disappeared out the window.

Shriek walked over to the window and peered out onto the busy streets filled with onlookers and members of the fire department attempting to extinguish the flames erupting from the high-rise apartment building. Shriek scanned the scene for Daliah’s point of impact but to no avail due to a mess of debris below. Suddenly crashing in through the door behind him, Shriek was caught off guard by a member of the Sterling City Fire Department.

“Don’t worry sir, I’m here to help,” said the fireman after seeing Shreik standing next to the window.

Shriek, annoyed by the fireman’s presence simply opened his mouth and took a deep breath. The fireman looked on confused, standing there in the projected path of Shriek’s devastating voice.

Then unexpectedly the fireman was jerked back out the door and thrown to the ground, moments before Shriek’s voice blew the door off the hinges. The man looked up from the floor to see the face of his savior.  “Who are you?”

Daliah’s face was too covered in ashes to be recognized by the fireman who would have most likely known her as Felicia Faye, from Channel 8 News. “Someone who just saved your ass, now go, get out of the building while you still can.”  Daliah’s words did not fall upon deaf ears as the man took to his feet and ran for the emergency stairwell.

Shriek stepped out the doorway to see where the fireman had went. “Miss me,” Daliah jested as she hit Shriek in the throat with her forearm. Shriek stumbled back into the room with walls now aflame. “You tried to throw me out of a 12^th story window.” Daliah punched Shriek in the gut, as he contorted she swung and introduced his face to the blunt end of her metal spear. Shriek’s body went rag doll as it tumbled through the air.

As Daliah encroached upon her wincing foe she grabbed his collar off the ground. Once upon him Shriek began to open his mouth for one last attempt at subduing Daliah but was cut off by the bottom of Daliah’s boot on his throat. “Hush little villain, don’t say a word, mama’s gonna buy you a mocking bird,” Daliah began to sing as she revealed the chrome collar to Shriek. “And if that mocking bird don’t sing, mama’s gonna buy you this, silver ring.” Daliah roughly locked the ring in place around Shriek’s neck, then used the heat from the blade of her mystical spear to weld the two interlocking pieces together.

On the streets down below an onlooker warned the firemen as he looked towards the top floors of the burning building “Hey, watch out!” A large chunk of stone fell from the 12^th floor and onto the sidewalk. Firemen and authorites approached it as the rising dust began to dissipate.

“What in the…” one policeman said as he looked on the body of a stone man lacking his left forearm.

Daliah ran down the emergency stairs, holding her mighty spear Kobi in one hand and carrying the unconscious body of Shriek, questioning herself as to why she couldn’t convince herself to just leave the would be assassin to burn in the flames he had set. As she reached the 4^th floor she realized that the fire had poured over into the stairwell and blocked her path. Even with her abilities fire would still cause her a great deal of pain. She kicked open the door to the hallway and noticed the busted out glass window at the end of it. Daliah held her breath and ran towards the window. Through the giving out floor below her feet and above her, Daliah ran down the hall, the heat from the flames melting the plastic leather of her boots to her skin. Reaching the window, Daliah leapt out into the open air.

“Oh God I wish I could fly!” Daliah free fell through the air as her words were muffled out by the rushing wind. 

April's Fool: The End (Chapter 1)

Do you see me?

Prying eyes in an instant find your gaze and I am mesmerized.

Wondering what dreams pass through your mind

And do I accompany them in adoring you.

Kiss me softly with those eyes and let me console you with this gentle look.

Distances divide as I find no comfort in my seat at this time.

Up and in your arms is where I wish to find myself,

Worshipping these moments so sweet.

But for now I sit in silence as voices dissipate into inaudible whispers

Through eyes that long for the burden of your touch.

The cloudy March skies gave the sign of rain, flowers bent in the breeze at the will of strong currents. Kyle pictured the empty seats outside of the café to be a representation of his mind, once full of chattering thoughts clamoring to be heard over the others, but now an empty void. His eyes drew from the window and across the stone wall at the other end of the café to the barista behind the counter. Her stunning brown eyes made his heart skip a beat. Kyle checked himself with the thought that maybe he was doing something embarrassing, like there might have been a booger or his shirt was inside out. He looked back up to find the barista’s gentle smile had joined her stare. Kyle sheepishly smiled back at her then checked behind him quickly to ensure that he would not be caught up in an embarrassing moment where she was actually interested in someone behind him.
            Finding everyone else distracted in their own conversations, Kyle looked back at the now approaching woman and smiled with obvious interest. Her tall slender figure floated gracefully across the floor, her short brown hair brushed gently above her shoulders. Her bright and colorful dress, covered with oranges and blues, stimulated the visual senses “Hi, can I take your order?” Her accent gave hint to a southern upbringing.

            After a moment of silence, which seemed obviously too long, Kyle came to his senses, “Um, yeah, I’ll have the…” he picked up his menu and fumbled through the pages. The barista brushed off her apron gently with her hand, and Kyle slightly glanced at the hand with envy, wishing that he could be the hand that made its way over the soft curves of her body. “I’ll have the drip.”

            “Alright then.” The barista pulled out her notepad and pen then began to write diligently.

            “Um, pardon me, but do you really need to write that down?” Kyle’s question seemed to fall into the shadow of what the barista was scribbling on her pad. “Not trying to be a jerk, but I would assume that remembering a drip would be pretty easy.” Kyle took note of her nameless badge with MANAGER written across the top.

            “That’s not what I’m writing down.” The she wrapped up the note and provided Kyle with her attention once again. “What are you working on?”

            “Excuse me?” The barista pointed at the notebook in Kyle’s possession. Trying not to sound like any less of a man Kyle said, “Oh, yeah, this old thing. I write a little poetry every now and then.” She muffled a laugh and Kyle reflected on his attempt at sounding secure and sexy, and then realized that it was anything but.

            “Poetry, no shit?”

            Kyle raised an eyebrow at her response, “Yeah, no shit.” He took advantage of her piqued interest, “So I’ve been coming here for some time now and I’m pretty sure I would have noticed you. Did you just get hired on as a manager or have we just been missing each other?”

            “I was out for a while, had some things to take care of. Self discovery and all that Jazz.” For a few moments the barista looked out the window at the passing cars tapping her pen on her pad as though fishing for a subject to change to. “So, let’s hear some of that poetry.” Like an old friend the barista sat down at Kyle’s table across from him and peered at him with her soft Spanish eyes which he could now see a hint of green inside of.

            “I’m not really comfortable with…” She snatched the book from Kyle’s hand. “Hey!”

            “Let’s see.” she began to read after scanning the page, “She’s beautifully damaged, I love the way she…”

            Kyle pried the book from her grasp. “Okay I’ll read you one, just not that one. It’s not finished yet.” He thumbed through his notebook as the barista waited patiently. “Okay, here’s one I wrote a few months ago…wait, never mind, I’ll just…”

            The barista kicked him softly on the shin with her cowgirl boot. “Read it,” she demanded.

            “Blank thoughts of nothing fill my head, my muse is gone, and the melody that flowed through me which inspired my greatest feelings and thoughts has evaporated like drops of water in a frying pan. You are gone, into nothingness, only replaced by an empty page in an empty notebook and a shelf full of music that can’t seem to describe how I feel right now.” Kyle glanced up from his pages to see the adoring eyes of the barista. The mystery behind her eyes left so much to be explored if he played his cards right.

            Setting his eyes back to his pages he continued, “When are you coming back around? Never, I suppose, singing your sweet inspiration into another’s ear, your words that once filled my evenings with thoughts of happy endings and moments you would be…”

            Kyle was cut short by the small piece of paper from the woman’s notepad being placed between the pages of his notebook. “Sorry, I have to go. Here’s my number and email. Call me sometime, or text, I like texts.” The barista stood up from her seat and began to take off her apron. “And don’t try and pull tat three day waiting shit either, I know how you guys operate.”

            “You’re off?”

            “I’ve been off for about fifteen minutes. I was just standing over there waiting for you to come and talk to me.” The barista laughed at her scheme, “So you’ll call, right?”

            Trying not to sound too desperate, Kyle replied, “Yeah, of course.”

            “You better, because I wanna hear how that poem ends.” The barista walked over to the counter and handed her apron over to one of her co-workers. She waived at Kyle as she walked out the door.

            “Kyle sat in his chair and replayed the past few moments, with the question of how this could have happened to him, then he looked at the open pages in his notebook where the note had been placed. “Anonymous@gmail.com.” Really, Kyle thought to himself, then his eyes found what he was looking for, “April.” Her name made him think of what he had become, April’s Fool.