“About time. Took you long enough sheesh.” Merlynn greeted Hiro as he emerged into the light of her elaborate laboratory. Hiro stopped to rub his eyes then whistled an appreciative tone. The lab was filled from floor to ceiling with instruments ranging widely from magical to scientific. The latter being what he was most familiar with. He knew of some of the magical items and their functions, like the crystal lined summoning circle off in the corner and the tall vanity mirror for either long distance conversation or travel in some cases.
However, there were several that escaped his fathoming completely. “I knew you were the magical of the two sisters, but I didn’t expect you to dabble in alchemy too.” Hiro spoke as he casually walked up next to Merlynn who sat hunched over a table. Her dirty auburn hair, tied back in a fat droopy bun, twitched as she pressed her face hard into the lenses of a microscope.
He leaned in closer to inspect what she was working on when he winced holding his nose. “Seems you both have that in common too. Seriously wickedly intelligent people who sling more power on most days then some do in their lifetimes, yet soap still escapes you both.” Hiro exaggerated with a gag. “Don’t you forget it buster. Else you could see some of that power right now.” Merlynn retorted without raising from her work. Hiro leaned in the rest of the way to see Merlynn working with tiny tweezers and what looked like to be flare gun shelling. “Whatchu doin?” Hiro asked intrigued.
“I’m currently working on rounds for the Terra Flare. “Merlynn answered as she worked a tiny dense red crystal into the casing. “Terra Flare? Is that anything like Lady Morgana's Nova Flare?” Hiro asked as he handed an odd instrument to Merlynn as she blindly reached for it. “Thank you.” Merlynn replied lifting away from the microscope to look Hiro in the eye with a smile. “Indeed, nearly one and the same really. The only difference being function and color, but otherwise Terra Flare and Nova Flare are the two modified flare guns that Morgana and I made long ago…when we got along better that is.” Merlynn’s smile faded as she remembered fonder memories of her and her sister. “Her hair was auburn like yours back then.” Hiro smiled softly as he too recalled memories from the past. “Back then? Wait you don’t mean your that slime, do you?” Merlynn asked with bated breath.
“Yeah, I was indeed that oversized clear gumdrop that Morgana carried around. I was her first creation, even though I was nothing more than a bit of slime, I did have consciousness to a point and greater awareness both magical and physical.” Hiro answered handing her more materials like the ones she was using currently. “If you were that slime then, how come the theatrics at the bar? You knew for a fact whom I was so why ask?” Merlynn asked turning back to her work with the new materials. “I had to make sure you weren’t another Simulacra. Morgana’s most recent project.” Hiro answered as Merlynn gestured for him to pull up a chair beside her. “Simulacra? What is she trying to build an army or something? Gods I hope not, especially since the stupid legend turned out to be real.” Merlynn grunted as she capped off the shelling then inscribing it with a vibrant thick red gel pen.
“Legend? What legend?” Hiro asked with sincere ignorance. “Okay, makes sense you don’t know. Morgana thinks it's just a silly little myth, but still with how the media loves their Arthurian legends, I’m shocked you haven’t put the bits of truth together. My name is Merlynn for a reason you know…as well as Morgana.” Merlynn answered once again looking Hiro in the eyes her words absolute. “Wait, wait, so you're telling me that you’re THE Merlin? You don’t look that old to me! Plus, Merlin’s well a dude isn’t he!? Wait…if your Merlin…then where is Arthur!? You know him right!? You must! Oh, I’d give anything to meet a Legend like him! That’s why you have Excalibur…wait why do you have Excalibur if Arthur is around…” Hiro’s questions ceased as Merlynn’s expression soured to a somber distant state. “He's dead.” Merlynn bit her lip as if trying to prevent the words from coming out.
Suddenly the sky broke loose and torrential rain swept through the city in sheets. Rain beat against the small windows of Merlynn’s lab. “You're not joking are you…” Hiro asked, his voice quivering on each syllable. Thunder boomed as Merlynn slowly shook her head. “I looked for years, after I discovered the legend was indeed true. I traveled a lot during those years and after meeting the Fair Lady I embarked on her quest earning the sword about a week after. After I had returned to her she gave me a foreboding message that he was in danger. I searched as hard as I could but very few people knew of Arthur Penn or his father, Luther Penn.
Neither one kept a strong online presence and Luther hasn’t been seen since a few years after his wife died. I had almost given up hope till one day those hopes were shattered. Lightning flashed and the wind picked up as Merlynn continued. “It was headline news. Arthur Penn died at twenty-two. A fucking volcano! Of all things, he died after falling into a volcanic tube that had opened while he was doing a survey. His body was never found.” Merlynn crushed an empty shell casing in her balled fist instantly reliving that tragic day. “It was big news for the small town so when the reports came in the media flooded once they pieced together, he was a local.” Merlynn voice rose slightly in anger.
“Seriously! The guy of legends was taken out by falling into a volcanic tube, that’s so lame! What the hell did he do in his free time collect soil samples!?” Hiro whined in disappointment. Merlynn flicked him a dirty look then cleared her throat. “From what I gathered he was doing research on gems or something. I couldn’t find much.” She said throwing her head back with a sigh.
“I never once knew him in person, yet I have always felt like I've known him my whole life. Not like I knew his hobbies or favorite foods but who he was as a person. Then when I watched the news report on the incident, I felt a hole bore into my heart welling with sadness for a man I never knew, never got the chance to know.” Merlynn continued as tears began beading down her cheeks. “It wasn’t pain I was familiar with. I know loss of love and loss of family, but this was like losing my dearest friend. The best friend I never knew I had and knowing I could never know experience that friendship it tore me apart more so than I ever thought possible.” Merlynn dried her tears taking a large gulp from a cold coffee mug then turned to look at Hiro whom was a mess of tears himself.
“I’m so sorry Merlynn. I didn’t know.” Hiro backpedaled in his seat as Merlynn quickly raised a hand stopping him. “Don’t worry Hiro, you didn’t do anything wrong, besides it was over eight years ago. Now let’s dry our tears and make some explosives.” Hiro laughed heartily at Merlynn’s comment smiling widely. “Gladly. Where do we start first?” Hiro asked holding onto the edge of his seat. Merlynn quickly grabbed a piece of parchment then scrawled a few quick notes on it. “Here, take this and gather the materials listed. You will find them all in the lab here and they all should be labeled to boot.” Merlynn smiled turning over the parchment to Hiro. Hiro took the paper readily eager to help. It didn’t take long to gather the materials Merlynn requested and they worked diligently into the night finishing several more rounds for the Terra Flare each with their own color of ink. With a massive obnoxious yawn Merlynn stretched popping and cracking. “That’s all folks.” Merlynn chuckled as she admired their work. They had managed to make twenty additional rounds for the Terra Flare tripling Merlynn’s normal output. “Hiro you were a great help…” Merlynn spoke her voice nearly a purr until she noticed that Hiro had fallen asleep. She smiled softly and quickly tidied up. She then lifted Hiro with surprising ease and carried him back upstairs laying him down on their bean bag couch and pulling a cover over him that was tucked in behind it. Hiro turned swaddling himself in the blanket as he mumbled incoherently. Merlynn smiled softly her heart warmed by the innocent sight. She then bid Hiro a silent goodnight as she walked off quietly heading for Gloria’s room.
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Although old and a bit dusty, the floors of Merlynn’s apartment never once made a sound in all the years she lived there. Her building was older than most and made from skill long forgotten to modern man yet stood seemingly as new and sound as the day it was built. She always loved the building as a child hoping to one day call it home, dreaming of feeling the centuries old wood floors padding her every step, its course mixed brick walls holding her up when she could not, and a longing pang in her heart of hearts to simply exist within its sheltering embrace. She always felt silly as she thought back on those days, but in the end, there’s no place like home. Gloria’s room was as to be expected for a succubus of her age, it was absolute mayhem. Merlynn waded through discarded trash and clothes, tripping on lingerie and slipping on an empty Jager bottle. “I swear I let that girl get away with murder.” Merlynn scoffed thinking to herself. She cursed under her breath as she trudged through the mess where she approached two obnoxious figures snoring like they were doing so through megaphones.
Abbey and Gloria lie disheveled and tangled together in similar patterned pajamas, drool slowly trickling down their cheeks. Merlynn paused engrossed in adoration ignoring the mysterious liquid now oozing onto her foot. She then proceeded to cover them both in a blanket taking extra care to not wake them knowing Gloria was a light sleeper. Both girls cooed a little as they settled into the warming blanket. Merlynn couldn’t help but smile harder as a single tear welled up in her eye. The encroaching ooze she felt earlier began purring and rubbing against her leg. Merlynn looked down quickly without even the slightest squeak to see the Eyed Goo rubbing against her leg harder. She could see within the living bit of goo, slowly digesting candy bars, and chips. “Well, I see you’ve been fed.” Merlynn chuckled softly as she motioned for the Eyed Goo to jump into her arms. The little Goo obliged happily pressing itself hard into Merlynn’s breasts casting its cartoonish gaze up at her. “Your too cute for your own good ya’ know.” Merlynn mused as she pets the Goo causing it to purr more erratically. “Bedtime little guy. Keep them safe for me, okay?” Merlynn asked as she softly set the purring goo onto Abbey’s chest. The goo swirled around a few times before settling down and dropping its eyes into its gelatinous body. She smiled once again then noticed Gloria had rolled partially out of her blanket and began shivering. Merlynn shook her head still smiling as she walked around the bed and tucked Gloria back in. “Thanks Mom.” Gloria murmured sleepily as she softly drifted back off to her dreams. Merlynn felt herself about to break with shear love. She quickly wiped away her tears bending down and kissing Gloria’s forehead. “Your welcome sweetie. Pleasant dreams my love.” Merlynn whispered, watching both girls sleep a little longer before closing the door behind her.
Merlynn walked out of the hallway leading to Gloria’s room and headed for the kitchen. She yawned as she entered and scratched her backside. She could see the storm from her small window beating against it like it owed the rain money. She then rummaged through the fridge quickly setting her sights on day old Chinese leftovers. Grabbing it without hesitation she began stuffing her face more viciously than she would have thought possible wondering when the last time she had eaten today. As the bottom of the carton quickly revealed itself Merlynn pulled away from the now empty carton gasping for air. She tossed away the carton then retrieved her smokes from the window. As she was about to strike her lighter her phone began vibrating shouting, “Double Bubble Boil and Trouble. Double Bubble Boil and Trouble.”
She retrieved the phone from her pocket fully prepared to chew out whomever decided it was a good idea to call this late. She hesitated though when she noticed who was calling. “What’s up Gigi T” Merlynn answered the phone, a cigarette barely held by the skin of her lips. “Is Abigail there?” the venerable voice of a proud black woman asked in a thick southern accent. “Yeah, she’s passed out with Gloria why what’s up?” Merlynn asked her voice turning serious. “Oh, honey nothing’s wrong. Not yet at least. I just wanted to make sure that silly girl wasn’t out there fighting in them matches again.” Gigi T answered with a chuckle. “Ah no mam, she’s been with me and Gloria since the incident this morning.” Merlynn assured her. “Oh good. Good. You handled that then I take it?” Gigi T asked her voice wheezing as she coughed hard. “With Glory and Abbey’s help, yeah we took care of that asshole earlier.” Merlynn answered raising her lighter trying to strike it.
“Well good, good. Here I thought Gigi was gonna see some action, but these old bones don’t get around like they used to, Gigi felt like showing her ass today, but that girl be too fast for me these days.” Gigi T boasted with a hearty laugh. “Next time we will save Ya some baddies then.” Merlynn chuckled herself finally getting her lighter to light however the flame quickly snuffed as she breathed on it while laughing. “Well girl that’s all I really needed. Y’all should come over this weekend, we will whip this neighborhood into a barbecue quick fast.” Gigi T cackled then hacked a lung and finally spit into a copper tin that rang on impact. “I would Gigi T but I’m heading out of town this weekend.” Merlynn replied with a sad tone. “That’s okay honey, when you get back you let Gigi T know okay. I'll cook a whole hog for ya.” Gigi T suggested with another throaty laugh. Okay Gigi T I will.” Merlynn added as she bid Gigi T goodbye returning to her cigarette. “Finally.” Merlynn grunted as she lit her cigarette taking a long draw and looking at the small ornate clock hanging on the wall. Her cigarette flared brightly as the minute and hour hand clicked loudly closer to midnight. The moment the hands struck twelve the rain suddenly stopped.
“Shit…guess it’s that hour.” Merlynn cursed as she exited the kitchen heading to the lift. While Merlynn’s apartment was close to the top, she was still a couple floors from the roof. The lift creaked upwards slowly as Merlynn profusely puffed on her cigarette wearing a look of eminent disdain as she ascended. As the lift clanged signaling it reached the top Merlynn reached down grabbing the door and slung it upward with all her might. The door slammed as it fully opened revealing the wide-open rooftop glistening with the saturation. A couple air conditioning units rattled on in front of her however Merlynn never looked around once. Instead, she stared at the all too familiar figure of a woman just as tall as she. Her hair just as long albeit bright pink and tied to the sides in ponytails. Her physique fragile and pale like someone whom spent their life behind a keyboard and monitor. Her movements, gestures, and body language familial if not familiar. Behind bespectacled eyes burned a raging scorn through glimpses of hazel as did burn in her own hazel eyes more often than she would like. Lastly the figure walked towards her in a gate perfectly mimicking her own, as she lifted her seething eyes to meet Merlynn’s fully. “Hello dear sister.” The eerily similar woman greeted Merlynn with a mocking bow. Without any hint of hesitation Merlynn immediately drew her forty-five-caliber revolver punching one round straight into the other woman’s face.