"There's no way she's gonna pull this off"

"She's a fake ninja, these guys are the real deal!"

"This is probably some cheap publicity stunt with actors"

Sherry gleefully chewed on her carrot as Kat sat across from her in the speeding car, reading comments on her social media page while putting on her best impressions based on the profile pictures she saw. It was a publicity stunt alright, the mother of all publicity stunts. The kind to make an overnight splash and let the world know just what they were dealing with.

"Keep reading 'em," Sherry said with a full mouth. "They're gonna look really dumb when the livestream is over. Make sure to get screenshots too, we'll make a collage later."

"If you even get to see later, you mean" Kat mumbled, looking away from the screen. Sherry shot her a look and stopped chewing on her carrot. Their eyes locked, and Kat swallowed hard under the pressure of Sherry's purple stare. "I-it's not that I doubt you or anything. All i'm saying is it's not too late to back out. You know, while you still can." Sherry's stare only worked to increase the pressure Kat felt on her shoulders and throat. Had it suddenly gotten hotter? Was it always this hard to breathe in here? Why was she still talking? "Cancel the livestream, we'll just record some footage and put it up later. We can get some guys in disguises, and do it safely in a studio, you know? No one has to know, right?"

A sudden stomp made Kat jump in her seat and almost drop her phone. Sherry's brows were now angrily furrowed, and her chewing hastened to an uncomfortable degree, suddenly coming to a stop as she swallowed the mouthful of carrot and cleared her throat.

"I'll know," she coldly said. "The whole point of this being live is to get rid of this stench of fakeness that follows me everywhere. No special effects, no wire works, just me being real as real gets! Did you already forget what the point of all this was?"

"Well, no, but-"

"And!" Sherry said, with her tone getting a shade louder. "You don't want me to get the reputation of being a fraud, do you?"

"I don't, but"

"And you respect the audience's intelligence right!?" She asked, her tone increasing with every question. "You understand that trying to pull one over on them won't work, right?! And they'll see it and it'll undo the whole purpose of the thing, right!?"

"Please, Sherry," Kat said in a shaken voice, raising her hands to protect her face.

"I'm not gonna hit you, Kat! Calm down!" she shouted, viciously gobbling down the remnant of her carrot and sitting back in her seat. Kat lowered her hands and watched as Sherry wiped her hand on the seat.. "Besides, if things get dicey, we have the Jewel, remember? I’m sure it’ll activate or something right when I need it, and I’ll blow that gang leader away in no time."

The actresses glanced out the window at the oncoming green signs and pointed. Kat followed her finger at the sign of interest and gulped . The car sped passed the sign for Chai Town, and turned on to the offramp. They had arrived.

It was unusually quiet for a place with the population once boasting several million people to be as quiet as it was, but this was the last thing on Sherry's mind. Kat took a great deal of notice and craned her neck to look out the back window, desperately in search of anyone around to add some normality to the unusual scene.

"You're not worried, are you?" Sherry asked with a confident smirk, as Kat said nothing, and returned to her seat. Lowering her head and staring back at the phone screen, Kat refreshe page and just stared at the dozens of new comments. Doubt and ridicule dripped from every last one, and Kat couldn't find it in her to repeat the things they said about Sherry. She couldn't find it in her to utter a single word. She clenched her seatbelt in her hands, as Sherry's expression shifted into one of concern towards her friend.

Neither spoke another word, and sat in silence in the minutes that followed as the car drove into the town proper and sped through the empty city streets. Sherry tapped the glass partition separating her and Kat from the driver. The partition lowered, and the driver tilted his head to listen to what she had to say. "If you find someone, stop by them and we'll ask for directions."

"We got someone right up ahead, Miss Bennett," the driver said, pointing to a small cafe in front of them, where a single person was sat. The first person the group had seen all day. The driver brought the car to a halt in front of the cafe, where a young woman with an eyepatch sipped from her small coffee cup. As she raised her head, the sight of a red object on her side caught Sherry's attention, and she pulled up the mask attached to her outfit.

"Kat, my sword!" she demanded, reaching out to Kat as she undid her seatbelt and pressed a button to her side. Kat reached into the bag at her feet and handed Sherry a red colored wooden sword to her. As the sunroof clicked, fully ajar, Sherry squat down in her seat and used her powerful legs to jump straight out of the car and onto paved streets, landing with her legs outstretched and one palm on the floor.

The woman at the cafe turned to observe Sherry with her uncovered eye. There she stood, in her white bodysuit with its short skirt and red lightning bolt symbol on the chest. Sherry, with her face partially covered with a white mask pointed her sheathed sword's hilt at the woman sitting mere feet across from her and spoke in a slightly muffled voice. "I am White Bolt! I am here to bring justice to the leader of the Amber Eye Gang! Take me to their leader!"

The woman sat at the table raised her glass and took another sip. With her good eye, she looked Sherry up and down before putting down her cup. She inhaled, as if she was about to speak, but only let out a small laugh. "Hah ha." Sherry held her pose in the face of this mockery, proudly holding her weapon in the face of this stranger. "Is that right? What makes you think I have anything to do with the boss?"

"Your sword there." Sherry adjusted her pointing sword to the object on the other side of the cafe's table. The eyepatched woman glanced down at it, before turning her eye back to the statuesque woman in white. "I happen to know the gang is adept at using close quarters combat. Why else would a lady out for a simple drink be carrying a weapon like that with her? You must be a member of the gang."

"Maybe I just like swords" the eyepatched woman responded, picking up her drink for another sip. Sherry's eyes went wide, and under her mask her jaw went agape. Was this lady being for real? That was the most ridiculous excuse she'd ever heard.

"If you don't know anything, then don't bother saying anything!" Sherry said, pulling down her mask and turning back for the car. "I don't have time for low grade mooks like you. I've got bigger fish to fry."

"Hold on, hold on" said the eyepatch, "if you're after the boss, I can tell you all about 'em. After all, they're waiting for you, Sherry Bennett."

Sherry stopped in her tracks and turned over her shoulder. "Is he now?" Raising a hand to the car's backseat, Sherry made a 'come here' gesture. "Kat, get the camera ready, you're not gonna want to miss this." A shaky Kat emerged from the vehicle's back seat, with a small camera and a tripod stuffed under her arms. She smiled at the eyepatched woman at the table and began to set up her equipment as Sherry suggested. "Where is this boss then? Not waiting tables this shift, eh?" Sherry asked, pointing to the cafe.

The lady in the eyepatch said nothing, merely watching Kat as she connected cables to her laptop and mashed at the keys. As Sherry readjusted her mask and suit, the eyepatch woman stood up from her chair and grabbed her sheathed sword right next to her. "Don't bother with the cameras. You're not gonna want anyone seeing what follows."

"And why might that be?" Sherry asked, raising her own sword.

"Because you're not going to challenge the boss, or bring them to justice. You're not going to do any of that, not today not ever."

Sherry scoffed. "And how are you so certain of that?"

The woman in the eyepatch approached Sherry with her sheathed sword. Once she stepped off the curb and onto the paved street, Sherry took a step back. There was only so much distance she would be willing to give up. The eyepatch woman smiled. "I have a funny feeling you're going to reconsider." Sherry and Kat exchanged a glance before looking back at the gangster. "You see, there are things in this life more important than fame, and television stardom, you know."

"And what might that be?"

"Why, family, of course."

On cue, dozens of doors from the surrounding buildings flung open, and a dirge of people came rushing out. They varied in shape and size, men and women, children of all ages armed with some sort of blunt object. It took them a matter of seconds to surround the cafe and the car that rolled in, effectively trapping Sherry, Kat, the driver, and the eyepatch woman in the middle of it all. Kat was frozen in fear, too frightened by the sudden change of scenery to even shake. The driver's attention was focused on a magazine he had brought with him, and all of the rumbling had no effect in prying his eyes away from the article that had drawn his attention. Sherry kept her composure, and her eyes locked on the eyepatched woman.

"Aren't they wonderful? My family?" The eyepatch woman said, pointing to the sea of people, all with their eyes locked on Sherry and her odd outfit. "Why would you want to fight? Wouldn't you rather join us? You'd be very welcome among us."

"I'm not here to join your dumb family!" Sherry said, garnering boos and metal cans tossed in her direction. She effortlessly dodged them as Kat fell to the floor with her hands over her head. The cans clattered useless against the car's body and windows, with nary a reaction from the driver inside. The eyepatched woman raised a hand, and the crowd suddenly quieted down and returned to their calm, staring state from before. “I’m here to raise my stock at the expense of this gang’s leader, and judging by the level of control you have over these goons, that must be you.” Sherry grasped her wooden sword with both hands and took a deep stance. “Make it easier for the both of us. Unsheathe your sword and show me what the big deal is about this gang of yours.”

“I’m not really in the mood for a fight myself. It’s a bit early if you ask me” The eyepatched woman tiredly said, crossing her arms and pointing a thumb to her left. “But I think he might be able to give you your fix.”

Sherry followed the gang leaders point, and her eyes landed on a very tall hyena, wearing a denim vest and cutoff denim shorts. Over his shoulder was an oversized metal baseball bat, and sprawled over his face was a malicious looking smile. “I’ll give you this chance to reconsider my offer," the gang leader said with a smirk. “The family is always willing to open its arms to even the most difficult of misfits.”

Tightening her grip, Sherry stepped towards the bat-wielding hyena, who in turn, raised his weapon on high and swung it over his head like an overzealous fan swinging a shirt at a concert. With a single high-pitched howl, he stamped his foot into the pavement, and swung the bat downwards with the intent of smashing Sherry’s head like a watermelon. Sherry needn’t even look at the incoming attack. It was a textbook attack from an untrained brute using a weapon he wasn't familiar with. The likes of which she regularly studied early in her martial arts training. The scale was different but the fundamentals were all there, and with how many times the lesson was beaten into her head, she wasn’t about to take a hit from the oldest trick in the book.

Sherry stepped to one side, dodging the tip of the bat and letting it clatter harmlessly against the pavement. As the hyena doubled over and tried to reestablish his grip on the bat, Sherry followed through her dodge with a swift toe kick to the assailants nose. The hyena released the bat and pulled his hands to his face for only a second, but that was all the time Sherry needed. With the opportunity presented, Sherry plunged her wooden sword into the hyena’s exposed abdomen, driving all the air out of his body and rendering him unable to even stand anymore. As he crumpled to the ground and clutched as his injury, Sherry turned back to the eyepatched gang leader and pointed her sword at her.

“Your turn.”

The gang leader put a hand to her chin and smirked even wider. “Reflexes and quick movements like that would take you very far in the gang.” Snapping her fingers, a pair of gang members swarmed around their leader, expected hands held out to grab what she gave them. She unzipped her jacket and handed both it and her sword to their awaiting hands. She wore no shirt underneath, but instead had bandages wrapped tightly around her chest. “Get him some medical attention. Even wooden swords can do serious damage in the hands of a well-trained fighter such as this one.”

She snapped her fingers again, this time a gang member emerged from the mob presenting another wooden sword to be presented to the boss. She examined the weapon carefully, and ran her fingers over the edges to look for any imperfections. “Care to see the kind of damage I can do with one of these?”

Sherry began to breathe heavily. This was it, the moment she had been waiting for. No more waiting around, no more planning, no more distractions. Superstardom, fame, money, all the roles in the world were waiting on the other side of this one-eyed wall, and Sherry was more than ready to burst through her to obtain it. “Kat, is the livestream ready yet?”

“Just about.” Kat said, nervously punching away at keys on her laptop, as the members of the gang behind her stared over her shoulders to see what was taking so long.

“What do you mean just about? Did you not see me take out the goon in 2 hits? What are you waiting for?”

“It’s their fault!” Kat said, pointing behind her. “I don’t want them to see my passwords!”

“For Pete’s sake, Kat! You have two-factor authentication, who cares if they have your password?” Sherry said, taking her eye off the gang leader and stamping her foot. Unbeknownst to her, the gang leader reached for her eyepatch and pulled it down to her neck where it dangled like a necklace. Slowly, she opened her covered, silver eye and stared at Sherry, her smirk now evolving into a full-on grimace.

“I understand that you recently were hit by one of the Jewels,” the gang leader said to break the silence.

Sherry and Kat looked at each other before Sherry turned around and stood between Kat and the gang leader. The last thing she needed was Kat's expression giving the game away. “Hmph, you read too many of those tabloid magazines.” Despite her flippant response, the gang leader’s statement sent a cold shiver down her spine. The Jewel was going to be her ace in the hole, how did it become common knowledge so soon?

“I certainly hope it’s just a baseless rumor, I would be so disappointed if the great Sherry Bennett showed up to fight with nothing more than her wooden sword. You would need far more than your own physical skills to take on the gang.”

“My physical skills are plenty,” Sherry responded, not only to the eyepatch woman, but to herself in an attempt to calm her frazzled nerves. The small shake in the wooden sword alerted her that it was probably not working.

“Alright, we’re live in 3… 2… 1… Now!” Kat said, pointing to Sherry. “It’s the White Bolt, live in action!” Kat announced in her best television presenter voice, as Sherry regained her fighting pose and stared down the gang leader. She noted that the eyepatch was gone, and could only question the purpose of it if both eyes worked just fine. “We’ve got over eight hundred viewers and counting! Let’s get a ‘WB’ in chat!”

With the camera on her, Sherry felt her strength grow substantially. There was no way she could lose with this many eyes on her, not with the pressure that each set of eyes compounded onto her shoulders. The gang leader took on a fighting stance almost identical to Sherry’s, and like a pair of old-western gunmen, they stood across from one another, waiting for the other to make the first move. Kat swallowed hard, and the surrounding Mob all held their breath.

With excitement and adrenaline surging through her body, Sherry made the first move, leaping forward and thrusting her sword towards the gang leader’s head. As she got closer and closer, the gang leader remained motionless, just as Sherry had against the hyena only moments ago. And when the tip of the wooden sword came an inch or so away from the gang leaders silver eye, everything changed.

In a flash, Sherry found herself flying backwards away from the gang leader and towards her hoard of followers on the opposite side of the street. The sea of gangsters parted, and allowed Sherry to smack against the cobble pavement, rolling over from the impact. Kat, who had been momentarily distracted by the livestream chat could only double take. The gang leader had hardly moved, from what she could tell, but whatever movements she did do was enough to do that much damage?

Sherry groaned and rose to her hands and knees. She could hear the patter of the gangsters around her, pointing and laughing at her impotence in the face of their incredible boss. “Just… Just shut up” Sherry said as she finally got to her feet. “This isn’t the end yet, I’m only getting started.”

Staring down the gang leader down and gripping at her rib, Sherry raised her wooden sword and gripped it tight. She circled the gang leader in an attempt to give off the air of searching for an opening. In actuality, the purpose was to get closer to Kat and her computer. “Kat, I didn’t see what she did, what happened.”

“I don’t know, I was looking at chat when she attacked.” Kat pointed to her laptop, and gently threw a hand up to cover the screen when Sherry tried to glance at it. “Let's focus on the fight for now, yeah?”

Sherry growled as she looked back at the gang leader, who had now turned away and given her back to her opponent. This act garnered a sea of ‘Ooohs’ from the onlookers, each of them looking to see how Sherry would react to this insult. Sherry could feel the back of her head getting hot, and her teeth gritting together in frustration. This was meant to be her time to shine, and this gangster was turning it into a big joke for her peanut gallery. “This is not a joke,” Sherry said, breaking into a sprint towards the neglectful enemy. “I am not a joke!”

Sherry raised her wooden sword high, and with every ounce of her strength, she swung it down at the gangster’s shoulder. As if she had been expecting the attack, the gang leader took a small step to the side, letting Sherry and her attack swing harmlessly through the empty air she had once occupied. Sherry stumbled to regain her footing, but didn’t let the gangster’s sudden dodge get to her head. Still facing her back, Sherry readjusted her grip and swung towards her opponent again.

It was a forward step this time that got the gang leader out of the way of Sherry’s attack, but unlike last time, there would be no stumbling from Sherry’s side. Landing with one foot on the ground, and the other reared back like an award-winning sports star, Sherry swung with a soccer kick to the gang leaders back. She was about to show the jumping wasn’t the only thing these legs were good for.

But the gang leader’s reflexes, or 6th sense, or whatever it was that helped her evade the first two strikes would flare up once again. Without even turning around, the gang leader stuck her wooden sword out behind her back, broadside out, just in time to catch Sherry’s kick and protect her back from the impact.

The kick landed with a dull ‘thud’ and Sherry could feel something in her foot being knocked out of its proper position, but now was not the time to think about pain. A small wince left her mouth when her foot landed back on the pavement and for only a second, she found herself hobbling on one foot. But that second was enough for the surrounding mob to notice, and the gang leader to turn around with a concerned look on her face. “Alright, I think we’re done here.” She said, pointing to Sherry’s foot. “We need to get you some medical attention. Doctor, get over here!”

“Shut up!” Sherry shouted, clutching her sword in front of her. “You’re the one who’s gonna need a doctor in a minute!”

Kat grabbed her mouth as she watched Sherry hobble on one foot, and she had to bite her lower lip as she looked down at the computer screen in front of her. The livestream’s chat was filled with ‘laughing-face’ emotes, and people cracking jokes about the state of her foot. “Come on, Sherry, you gotta turn this around,” she muttered.

As if she heard her plea, Sherry’s hobbling came to a stop and she took a deep breath. She planted both feet on the pavement and raised her wooden sword to the sky. Kat gasped and jumped to her feet, as the chat exploded with ‘shocked-face’ emotes. Bringing the sword behind her back, Sherry brought her hand to her chest, with the tips of her extended fingers resting inches below her chin. “She’s gonna do it? I’ve never seen her do it live before!”

The surrounding gang members all tugged at their collars at Kat’s excitement. Was this some sort of special ninja-art that Sherry had been hiding all this time? Waiting for the perfect time to strike? Even the gang leader’s eyes lit up in anticipation for the incoming attack, seemingly forgetting about the potential injury in front of her.

Another deep breath entered Sherry’s lungs and as she exhaled, she took a knee and looked to the sky. With one final breath, Sherry, like she had for hundreds of episodes of her White Bolt TV series, leaped into the air as high as she could. Every set of eyes followed her movement, with one of the gang members helping Kat raise the camera to keep an eye on the center of attention. With plenty of upward momentum to spare, Sherry brought in her arm and legs and made herself into a ball, using her forward motion to initiate a midair roll.

Her forward midair roll spun towards the gang leader, who stood in awe of just how fast her opponent was able to roll on a single good leg. She almost wanted to put her sword down and begin to clap, but she knew that there would hardly be any time for that.

With inches of space between them now, Sherry unfurled herself and raised her sword high. All of that built up momentum from that spin was now going to come down on the gang leader's head, in a familiar, signature downward slash whose name was known throughout the country.

“Lightning Bolt Attack!” Sherry, Kat, the chat, and a handful of gang members all cried out simultaneously. The edge of Sherry’s wooden sword charged towards the center of the gang leader's head, aiming to give her black hair a very bloody center parting.

As flashy and exciting as this move was, the gang leader had no intentions of letting even a single strike touch her. With her silver eye staring dead into Sherry’s purple gaze, she raised her own wooden sword to counterattack. In an impossibly quick motion, she thrust the tip of her sword into the edge of Sherry’s, producing a loud cracking sound and a considerable amount of heat and light due to the friction.

Sherry lost her grip and what remained of the weapon flew out of her hand and far into the sky. The gang leader dropped her own weapon as Sherry landed and came to a sudden stop mere inches away from her face. With both eyes locked against one another, Sherry froze in confusion as to what just happened, and fear for what this powerful gangster may do to her next.

“My name is Rae Morgan. I am the leader of the Silver Eye gang,” she said, moving Sherry’s hair out of her eyes to get a good look at the frightened expression on her face. “You seem scared, my little bunny rabbit. Not only of me, but of the opinions and ideas that others may have of you.” Rae put a hand on Sherry’s shoulder and smiled warmly, as Sherry’s expression softened as well. “I can make sure you never feel that fear and worry ever again. Join us, the family will never let anyone hurt you again.”

As she looked deeper and deeper into Rae’s eyes Sherry could feel the worry and fear draining from her body. Her muscles relaxed and she could finally breathe properly. Whatever pain ached in her ribs felt soothed, and she could finally think straight again. Yes, all of the fears pertaining to the future of her public image soon left her mind, leaving nothing but the unbridled rage of getting beaten so handily and on camera.

Balling up her fist, Sherry grabbed Rae’s hand touching her shoulder. “As if I’d join you, I have bigger aspirations in life than being your goon!” Quickly launched a punch towards Rae’s silver eye. With one hand on her sword and the other on Sherry’s shoulder, there would be no way to block, and Sherry knew that all too well.

The punch collided with Rae’s cheek, but hardly had any effect to wipe the smile off of her face. It hurt Sherry’s fist more than anything. Sherry tried to step back, but found herself being held in place by her shoulder, and slowly being raised off the ground. “That’s a real shame,” Rae said, as Sherry pulled back her hand to try and free her shoulder. “But I respect your decision. The last thing I want in my family are people who don’t want to be here.” Tightening the grip around Sherry’s shoulder, Rae’s smile grew wider as Sherry yelped through her mask.

“Any time now, Jewel!” Sherry thought as the pain in her shoulder grew more and more unbearable. The storm of Jewels promised incredible abilities to those it struck, a promise that Sherry really needed fulfilled right about now. “Now’s the perfect time to do something!”

“If ever you change your mind, the family will be here to welcome you with open arms. But until then, kindly, get the hell out of my town.”

Rearing back, Rae delivered a hard kick to Sherry’s stomach, releasing her shoulder grip at the moment of impact. Sherry’s eyes nearly popped out of her head as the heel of Rae's boot drove into her stomach. The force from the kick was enough to send Sherry flying backwards, and through the car’s windshield with a mighty crash. The explosion of glass and plastic finally got the driver’s attention, and without a moment’s hesitation, he turned the key and started the car.

“Wait for me!” Kat said, scrambling to get her equipment into the backseat before slamming the door shut behind her. Sherry was laying in the back of the car, splayed against the backseat and unmoving among the sea of glass cubes produced from the broken windshield. As the driver performed a u-turn and got the car back on the highway out of town and Kat brought up the partition between driver and passenger, Sherry began to stir. No words left her mouth, only a hard cough and a red stain appearing on her mask. “Don’t move, Sherry, you were hit really hard, “Kat said, putting a hand on Sherry’s leg.

Slowly, Sherry opened her eyes and looked up at Kat. Try as she might, however, she was unable to look her friend in the eye when she saw the tears starting to form. “I’m ok” she said in a very hoarse voice. “I’m tough.”

“Shh, shh. No more talking,” Kat said, moving her hand to Sherry’s head and giving her a gentle pat. “You just get some rest. I’ll tell you when we’re back at the studio, okay?”

Sherry’s eyes fluttered, and she was about to let herself sleep for the rest of the trip, but they shot right open when she heard a familiar jingle play from Kat’s back pocket. Kat pretended not to hear it, but when Sherry’s eyes locked onto hers once again, she could not keep the facade up any longer. Reaching into her back pocket, she drew her phone, which buzzed and sang with notifications intended for Sherry. Kat’s eyes darted between the phone and Sherry, before she casually slid the phone into her back pocket and continued to pat Sherry’s head.

“The important thing here is that you’re well. That’s what matters in the end.”

With a mighty groan, Sherry pulled herself upright and grabbed the phone from Kat’s pocket, easily wrestling it out her assistant’s grip despite her weakened state. Her eyes landed on the screen just in time to see a sea of laughing faces and jokes being made at her expense. Words like ‘fraud’ and ‘joke’ caught her eye repeatedly, her hand shaking as she speed read through the every message that came to her phone. Her grip tightened to the point where she caused the phones screen to crack.

“This isn’t over” she said, as Kat pressed herself against the car’s partition, in fear of what Sherry might do next. “I’ll show that damn gang leader. She’ll regret this day! They’ll all regret this day!”