It was dead cold in the middle of the night. The chill cut through her outfit with ease. Voidwaltzer freely leaped through the air, floating through the air like gravity had forgotten to judge her. Trailing a moving SUV, her target was locked in sight, She stuck to the shadows, these types would shoot before questioning.
The car slowed down, near a broken traffic light. Headlights switched off. A shady individual standing under a street light, their whole body covered with thick layers of clothing and a full balaclava. Pocket knife in his jeans.
A gang of three get out of the SUV, armed to the teeth. Visibly carrying a shotgun and two handguns, possibly knives too, judging by the thick parts of their clothing. They nodded to the waiter, moving swiftly to the rear. One of them is standing on the lookout.
The trunk of the car flew open, retrieving several containers from the back, they put them on the sidewalk. The lookout checking for any suspicious activity near their de facto border of operations. They darted in her direction as if feeling shadows watching.
Completely silent and moving like a spook above the building she stood watching, as she tiptoed closer to the scene. Voidwaltzer could see Inside the containers from above the content: Several packs of powders and pills, drug tools and plastic bags, pipes, and the like. They likely had anything from bath salts, fentanyl, methamphetamine, enough drugs to poison a city.
‘Degenerate trash!’ she thought. Her muscles are tightening.
As the buyer went to peruse the wares, she made her move in the dark. Her first step was to startle them and instill fear and confusion in their hearts. She accelerated into the air, zipping into the street light without the noise of her movement, crushing it with a swift kick, An explosion of glass and electrical sparks, plunged the area into darkness.
“What the fuck is that!” a hooded member screamed, fumbling for his weapon. Gun aiming at the air at the street lights.
“Who’s there!” another shouted, spinning his handgun around.
All of them were on high alert, the buyer started panicking, motioning to get away. They point the gun at him. “Where the hell do you think you’re going.”
“I got nothing to do with this man, this spooky shit ain’t part of the deal.” he stammers, backing away slowly.
“Where the fuck do you think you’re going?!”
“You tryna set me up…”
“Set who up, don’t even fucking move.” The shotgun was pointed at him. “Jeffrey start the fucking car!”
“On it,” Jeffry yelled, running towards the driver’s seat.
Her second step was to immobilize their means of escape.
Accelerating like the wind, by removing all gravity around her and then multiplying it at the last minute, she stomped the door in like a truck, Denting the driver’s door inwards, Jeffry stumbled back. With a storm she kicked her heel into the passenger’s side door, crushing any hopes of additional entry.
“Fucking cape!!!”
All four of them pointed a gun at her, their eyes wide, bloodshot red. Clearly, they must have taken some of their own supply. Despite his shivering hands, the scrawniest of the bunch, wasted no time shooting her.
She extended her hands concentrating, an invisible made around her, where only she could control gravity. The bullets nearly stopped mid-air and glided at a snail’s pace. She watched the projectiles with irritation.
The one she assumed was the leader, circled around her, flanking her from a different angle, unloading heavy shotgun slugs at her. “Die in hell bitch!” He cried out.
She tilted her head like a detached doll. “Only after you,” she replied.
The two at the back, the buyer and the one called Jeffery seized an opportunity to flee the scene. Jumping out of the barrier like a mad acrobatic, she chased them down first. The very moment she left the area-of-effect, gravity resumed normally and the bullets ricocheted off the pavement and the SUV.
A bloodcurdling scream nearly shook her. “Aaaaahhhh, my leg.” She couldn’t afford to pay attention.
Landing in front of a pair, she knocks the two over. Swiftly with a kick in the face. Another round of shells was unloaded on her, nearly catching her off guard, and she spun away. Launching herself into the and knocking the injured ‘ boss’ over with a punch to the face. The scrawny one threw his gun down, done on his knees. Begging for his life. He took off his mask.
“Please…please…please…don’t kill me. They forced me into this shit!”
He was young, a little younger than she was. Barely still a teenager. A flash of a memory buzzes in her head, and her cold demeanor settles. Two years ago, she was in the same position as he was. Selling narcotics to get by, forced into a gang, so she could ‘just’ survive. That all changed later violently.
“You, goon, gather up your friends here and pile them over there. Now!”
He sprang up obediently, scrambling to his feet, nearly tripping over. Dragging the unconscious group of three together into a pile.
“Hurry the fuck up before I lash you.”
“Y-yes, ma’am.”
Waiting until he was done, she stood over him. “Which group do you operate with?”
“B-bu-bu-black street cartel ma’am.”
Black street cartels weren’t numerous, but they were a nuisance, one of the more unsavory of the small gangs that rule Core Pacifica. She hated each and every one of them. Black Street in particular was a depraved association. They were a good comparison to the gang she once was a part of.
Approaching the men on the ground, the scrawny dude started shivering as he stared at her. She ignored him. Taking a picture of the downed individuals, she sent them to an anonymous police hotline, pictures of the stash, of their faces, labeled “care package.”
“You throw your clothes in there most of it, leave your underwear.” he whimpered but did it immediately. Grunting and whaling. He Stacked it on the narcotics.
Taking a lighter, which was more akin to a miniature flamethrower from her pocket, she ignited the clothing, starting a fire in the SUV.
Initiating the destruction of very expensive narcotics at least several hundred K.
“Now get lost…” she growled, her voice coarse. He started running like the hells were after him.
Something stirred within her mind, and she trailed after him and pinned him to the ground with a slam.
“Take my advice, Go home, sell everything you have, get a haircut, smuggle yourself out of town, leave, don't come back. Never ever come back”
He nodded reluctantly, face full of snot and tears. She kicked him for the heck of it, and he sped away half-naked.
The authorities would probably be here soon, she stared at the burning of the car. Her mind was all jumbled up. Fire was something that unnerved her, yet she was drawn to it.
Something else bothered her too.
Her brief fight with the cape she encountered bothered her, she’d made a judgment call, assumed the worst, and possibly made an enemy for life. She couldn’t help but feel doubt. However, she did not regret fighting her, that thrill she got out of it. It was mesmerizing.
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Turning to weak prey she dispatched. Sometimes she wondered if it was even worth fighting crime on the streets. There had to be a better solution to beating them up and locking them away. Like taking them out permanently.
She liked to ‘hunt’, to chase people, it kept her alive. But rules held her back, she can’t ever hurt them too much. Never. The cape girl who tried to steal her powers was interesting, she was fun. She wanted to hunt her again for the sake of feeling something. She took her blows and fought back. She had given up near the end of it. Hoping to bring her in, so she doesn’t end up like she did.
But right now, She felt empty.
Her lips briefly curled, then faded quickly, a hollow ache in her heart.
The crackling of the fire takes her back to her childhood days, her childhood home fire, her parents inside, her mother’s screaming, and the fall her brother took trying to get out.
She heard sudden footsteps behind her, snapping out of her head.
“Annemarie!”
She gritted her teeth, she hated being called by her name when in uniform. She turned her head with annoyance.
A tall man dressed in cybernetic armor stood behind her, a sheathed but dull metallic sword clasped in his hands. Metal ronin. Or as she knew him in person, simply John.
She sighed. “What do you want, John samurai?”
“There you are, you’re late, we were supposed to have a meeting an hour ago, the boss is pissed off, needs us all there. Asap, we're making big moves into villain territory the day after tomorrow. Shadow district.”
“yeah?”
She blinked and checked her phone. There was indeed a meeting schedule, but hundreds of notifications she ignored. She swiped through them casually.
“Oops, my bad. Guess I was preoccupied with taking out the trash.” she motioned to the gang members on the ground...
He swiped his sword at the burning trunk of the car killing the fire.
“That car could fucking explode!” he snapped.”You’d kill these criminals and or start a fire through this neighborhood. The civilians, Voidwaltzer.”
“I was gonna put it, was simply burning the narcotics, oh well.”
“Still playing the lone wolf huh, how’d that work out for you this year.”
She snapped, Rushing at him in a split second, her leg raised ready to strike him. He didn’t flinch or blink. Calm, he locked his gaze on hers, unyielding but emphatic. He raised his brows.
She stopped lowering herself. She clicked her tongue. “Wannabe samurai!”
He smirked. He was indeed handsome, with a rugged but clean-cut beard, sharp jawline, and a chiseled face, a Greek artist would make models of him in a different timeline, his hair tied back. He had an air of mystery. Were it not for his Miyamoto Musashi obsession, he’d be much more attractive to her.
“Shall we go then,” he gestured. “Arkangeal doesn’t like waiting.”
She shoved him aside, walking forward. “As long as you'll stop bothering me, old man”
He chuckled. “Oh silly Annemarie. I’m not that old.”
She scoffs, shooting him a glare over the casual name-calling.
****
Stepping into an underground compound, It was awfully quiet. In a closed-off dimly lit room, with an open window. A lady with flaming red hair sat on a crate under the moonlight tapping her heels on the ground, in a rhythm, smoking a cigar. Her hands were preoccupied with assembling and disassembling pistols, possibly at Olympic speeds. Her arms move like a machine.
Metal Ronin stepped in first, audibly confused, their entire retinue missing.
“Where are the others?”
She looked up at the approaching crowd. Expression relaxed. “They got tired of waiting for you two, I’ll brief you in the morning John. Go get some proper sleep.”
He folded his arms together. “So you sent me all the way for nothing, Here I thought I was the most valued member on the team, not an errand runner.”
“Goodnight John.” her voice was stern but calm. “I need to speak Anne alone.”
“You are…the boss. Goodnight,” he said, holding his hands up. He strolled along the hallways, walking to the other end of the room. Disappearing shortly after.
Arkangeal hopped off her crate, boots stepping towards Annemarie, who stood near the door, looking downwards. Fidgeting with her fingers, her heart beating a bit, avoiding any and all eye contact. ‘
“Anne, you’re late, again.” There was frustration in her voice, but a hint of concern as well.
She was silent, not saying a word, clutching her right wrist with her left hand, Head angling even further down as she stared at her own boots.
“Look at me,” She put her hands on her chin, lifting up her head. Their eyes meeting, Anne struggles to avert the gaze.“Do you hate being here? Annemarie, because you’re making it very hard for me to keep you around.”
She swallowed hard, not knowing what to say. “I’m sorry big sis, I..I’ve been busy.”
“So I’ve heard. ” she pointed to a small table on the edge of the room corner. “Come on, let's sit down.”
“You still have that day job…” she asked.
Scrutiny
“Yes…”
“I thought I told you to leave it.”
Contempt
“It gives me peace of mind.”
The woman shook her head.
Incomprehensibility
“Tell me about this cape you met, keep it brief.” she sighed deeply.
“How do you know about it, I haven’t even reported–”
“Come on Anne, you know I know everything.”
She hesitated. “She’s an adult, around twenty, awkwardly built, kinda plump but thin, brown wavy hair.”
The woman snorted. Her face was partially amused.
“Come on now, I was asking about her powers and behavior, not her measurements.”
She was a bit flustered, she wasn’t good at answering these types of questions. She was getting there. It was hard to be herself around her team. Especially big sis.
“I think she's a power stealer or copier, mistook her for a criminal, she got in a fight with one and displayed powers very similar to Helio-girl. Light powers and the jist. She um…Groped me, claimed she was trying to steal my powers/”
Arkangeal paused at the last statement but leaned forward, interest piqued. Scanning Annmarie for additional answers.
“You think she could be some kind of plant, she just happened to possess powers similar to everyone’s favorite punching bag. Very odd, most capes don’t display similar powers, even then it’s off by thousands of miles usually.” It sounded more like Arkangeal was talking to herself.
“And?” she questioned after a brief period. “ Does she have a strong moral compass? Did you speak with her? or did you jump straight to kicking her ass, like you usually do?”
“The latter.” Lips tightening she hid a frown.
Her ‘Big sis’ yawned. Taking a small cigar out of her pocket and lit it. Smoke cast beautiful shadows under the moonlight. “Of course you did.”
She rested her body on the table, elbows, and hands together as she smoked.
“Do you think she’s recruitable?”
“I...I don’t know. I tried bringing her in. She’s unregistered, it might have been her first night out. She was nervous, finicky, all over the place, talking with herself..”
“Talking with herself you say, not possibly someone over a remote connection.”
“I don’t know,” she admitted, she didn’t pay much attention to sounds around her, during the fight.
“All very interesting.”
There was a silent pause. Before her big sis berated her again. “You don’t seem to know much of anything lately Ann, what’s bothering you?” Each word cut into her heart, she did not respond.
Arkangeal looked away.
“Okay then…I’ll give you a separate assignment while we push into the shadow district. Bring the girl here, she’d be a great asset to our cause.”
“Wait–what” she raised her voice. “I can’t come with you.”
Her mind raced, all the potential capes she could fight, It would satisfy the gnawing hunger she was feeling, hunting Glow Girl seemed much less interesting in comparison.
“No,” her boss said lightly. “You’re head is all over the place, A cape with his mind in the wrong place is a dead cape, you're never here for team exercises, so to prove your worth, bring the girl here, do something productive for once.”
“Big sis, that’s not fair!”
“Fair!” The woman put a finger on Anne’s mouth. “Shhh, Anne, Nothing’s fair in life. You should know that by now.”
Silence fell again, heavy and suffocating. She was choking up, but held it all back. A minute passed. She felt like a little schoolgirl sitting in front of the principal's seat. Her ‘big sis’ piercing gaze hurt more than anything.
“How’s your brother, he woke up yet…”
Images of sterile hospital rooms and the beeping of machines haunted her. Staring at her brother’s pale face, every waking moment a step in the direction of his death. How long could the machines hold him in a coma?
“No…why do you even care! You’re not my biological sister! You don’t get to ask this stuff.”
Arkangeal sighed. “Ann, and... Of course, I care..” she took her by her wrist. “ When I brought you in, I was prepared to give you a chance. But I can’t glue together what you’re cutting apart.”
“You think I don’t know that? Do you think I’m losing control? You don’t know what it’s like to lose everything!”
“I do” her voice sharp, quieting the girl. “More than you think. But running away from your problems will only make it worse.” she leaned closer,
“Anne, if you can’t cooperate I’ll have to hand you off to an agency. We’re independent vigilantes but we still operate under the umbrella of the law. If you keep doing what you want, that reflects badly on all of us. At Least they can give you the life you deserve, free of this.”
Her mind race, thoughts all messed up. Handed off? They shackle her with a lifetime of rules, monitoring her, her freedom strip away, controlled by fuckers in suits and billionaire fiends. Her life as a foster child playing over her head. SHe was shackled for a long time, she was hurt by those experiences, she had to run away from those homes. None of them worked out.
She was not a slave
She slapped Arkangeal’s hand away. Pissed off.
“You’ll get what you want. Give me some time, I have an idea where she is…”
“Good little sister..” the redhead whispered.
She stands up walking away.
Arkangeal watching her with pity and regret.
Stopping in front of the door, she did take notice of the samurai’s sudden presence, she eavesdropped.
“That was needlessly harsh Evelyn,” John said to her.
“I thought you left.”
“Thought I’d stick around, play the role of uncle, maybe big brother, clearly not necessary.”
“If I don’t rein her in, who will? I don’t want her to get hurt. She’s a daredevil” Arkangeal replied. Her voice cracked slightly, but she quickly steadied it. “I just... I don’t want her to end up like me.”
“She’s an adult Eve, she’s also a fighter, hardly the girl you found. She’ll figure it out. Give her some time.”
Annemarie clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. Did they need to discuss her without her presence? Donning her mask, tightly, she fled the base. Going out into the underbelly of the city, The cold crisp air started biting her again.