by Tom Andry
The floating super turned to Tay, her every word accompanied by a puff of smoke, "But, he's a yellow. We're not supposed to..."
Tay turned on them and started cursing. Some of the insults I understood, though many were super specific, comparing them to tippys' mothers and such. But the supers didn't move. I glanced down at my USB, thankful I'd chosen yellow.
Suddenly, the room had a slightly red tinge.
Tay's cursing stopped and his mouth dropped open. I glanced down at the USB and saw that it had changed to red. I grabbed at it, trying desperately to get it to cycle back to a different color. But it wasn't responding. I cursed under my breath.
Tay's voice broke in a screech, "Kill him! Kill Bob Moore!"
"Wait!" I put my hands in front of me, "What about him?" I motioned over my shoulder. I turned when I noted the quizzical looks on the faces of the supers. Ted was gone.
Damn him.
The muscled super pushed the others to the side, smiling. "Bob Moore, huh?" his voice was congested and nasally. "You may have heard of my brother, Swell." He slammed a fist into an open palm, turning to Tay, "You should have told me this was Bob Moore. I'd have done him for free." He turned back to me, "I'm going to enjoy this." The super flipped his hands over and cracked his knuckles loudly. He started to lean forward as if to sprint or jump toward me.
Before anyone could react, a sword slid through the center of the muscled super. The supers all turned toward their largest member and took involuntary steps away. The large super fell forward with an impact that sent a huge crack through the ice floor and caused two tables and several chairs to shatter. The bar behind him also split, sending two full shelves of liquor crashing to the ground.
As the large super fell, my grey-cloaked sentry was revealed. From under her hood, she hissed, "Flee!"
I didn't wait to see what happened next. I sprinted toward the door, my legs feeling sluggish in the cold. I glanced down and noticed that it wasn't the cold that was numbing my legs, it was some sort of black smoke. It clung to me like a net and pulled me back. The Dampener would have no effect on something that was grabbing me like this. Where my hands passed through the black cloud, it felt like I'd run them through a campfire. The scent that wafted up from them was all too familiar to me. A quick look told me all I needed - acid. Some sort of acid smoke. My clothes would protect me for a while, as long as the black cloud didn't run up my pant leg, but I had no idea if the super controlling it could make it stronger. More powerful.
I pulled my hands away from cloud as I looked back. Tay and his super had disappeared in the confusion. Chevalier was a blur of motion. The identically dressed supers had somehow melded into one being. It was as if one had stepped inside of the other in a right angle. There was a single head, but now there was a face on both sides. There were two sets of arms, legs, and shoulders, but they were all at right angles to each other. I imagined that, from the top, the being looked like an 'X'. Of course, now all four of the hands had different weapons. The super - creature for lack of a better descriptor as it didn't look human any longer - cartwheeled around on its four legs, two swords clanging against Chevalier's one, two guns trying to shoot her down between thrusts.
I narrowly avoided an ice table as I circumnavigated the large, glass sphere in the center of the room. I lowered my head and pumped my legs, trying to get to some sort of safety from the acid smoke. The smoke was all around my legs, grabbing at the pants. The resistant properties hadn't lasted long, already I could see...
My legs disappeared from under me. I fell, sliding on my belly into a chair. The acid was eating through my pants. My replacement leg was already visible, but the acid had no effect on the metal. My other leg was burning and the smell was horribly familiar. I grabbed onto the ice chair leg and tried to pull myself under the table, spinning over onto my back but I couldn't get away from the acid tendrils. The smoke-covered super was floating toward me, weaving the smoke between her fingers. I didn't see a costume other than the cloud of black vapor. It probably would have been alluring but for the grin on her face. Somehow a mix of lust and violence. Or lust for violence. Or blood. I didn't want to find out.
The super pulled and my pant leg gave way and dissolved into threads. Smoke tentacles snaked up my legs and toward my body. I pushed my feet against the ground, my metal heels, free of my now dissolved shoes and the stuffing within, finding little purchase on the ice. I pulled myself forward, desperate to get away, using the metal toenails to grab at the ice. The smoke lashed at my exposed skin, sending waves of pain and more of the ungodly smell toward me.
I managed to roll over onto my back and pull my legs up. The smoky super floated toward me, her eyes full of hate, "You don't remember me, do you?"
I glanced over her shoulder. Chevalier had removed one of the super creature's arms, and its costume was in tatters. It didn't seem to be bleeding though, and I could see the bones and muscles on the end of the stump of an arm. Chevalier moved with the sort of confidence and grace that made her superhuman reactions look simple. I'd see the super creature swing a sword or aim a gun and before I could fully register the movement, Chevalier would have already moved, blocked or counterattacked. Each movement perfect. No effort wasted. I couldn't see her face, but I could only imagine a grin on her lips. How could anyone this good at something not enjoy it?
"Uh...you're going to get your feelings hurt if I say, 'no', right?"
She waved her hands, and the smoke reached up and grabbed me around the chest and slammed me into the wall near the door. The Dampener absorbed the impact, but didn't loosen her grip. "I'll show you hurt!" she steamed, smoke streaming from her eyes.
I tried to maintain my breathing as the black ring around me squeezed tighter. At least she was grabbing me through my jacket. The jacket's resistance would give me a few more seconds of protection. All I had to do was hold out until Chevalier could finish with the other. What was taking her so long?
"Okay...okay..." I panted. "Tell me, who are you?"
The pressure decreased as she spoke, "It was three years ago. I was young, in love. He was a tippy, but that didn't matter to me. I loved him. And then you came along. You and your damn camera."
I opened my mouth for a moment, thinking. Then it hit me, "I remember you. Uh..." I paused, as much to stall for time as to remember, "Misty. No, Corrosive Mist. No...it was something like that."
"Acid Girl, you moron! Acid Girl."
"Oh, yeah, that's right. I've always wanted to ask about that."
"About what?" she demanded. "Acid. Girl. What's to understand?"
"Well," Chevalier had taken off a leg at the knee. Still no blood. The leg flopped around on the ground on its own. It was weird. Weird in a 'will you hurry up before this acid eats through my jacket' sort of way. "I've always wondered about the 'Girl' part. I get it for now. You're young. Pretty. But what happens in a few years? Or ten? Are you going to switch it to 'Woman'? Or are you stuck with 'Girl'?"
The mist let up slightly as I said the word "pretty".
"Actually, I get that a lot." A wisp of mist collapsed around her extended index finger and snaked toward me, "See, when you reserve a name with something like 'gal' or 'lad' in it, you often have to make sure the older version is available."
The mist started tracing a line of melted fabric down the front of my jacket. I could feel the heat through it. After a moment, the fabric gave way dripped down onto, and quickly through, my shirt. I winced in pain.
"Ahh...there you are. I was saying?"
"Your name," I gasped.
"Yes. Acid Woman was taken, but Acid Lady wasn't. Now, though, I don't know. I guess I should check to see if Woman is available again. You know, after the Day and all." The snake of mist started melting a second line while the ring around my torso continued to hold me.
"Sure, that makes sense. But if I may make a suggestion?"
Her eyes and the mist tightened, "Yeah, what?"
"Switching them around." I croaked, "Acid La
dy sounds like you just sort of picked the first thing that came to mind. But Lady Acid? Now that has a ring to it!"
A grin touched one corner of her mouth and I found I could breathe again as the mist around my torso loosened, "Lady Acid. I like it."
"Did you consider anything else? Like something royal?"
"Yeah?" she was getting into the conversation now, "Like what?"
"Oh, I don't know. Duchess? Countess? Baroness?"
"Countess Acid?" The name was punctuated by the mist snake melting another line of pain through my jacket, "I don't know; sounds a little formal. I'd probably have to get a new costume."
Or a costume at all, I managed not to say.
I shook my head sympathetically as the acid mist around my torso finally melted past the last of my jacket. The white dress shirt I wore offered almost no protection and my nostrils were quickly filled with the smell of my own burning skin as she sent little droplets of acid flicking at my now bare skin. It seemed that the mist could still hold me without burning. The droplets were bad enough. If the entire mist burned, I didn't think I could take it longer than a few seconds. If that.
I bit my lip, trying not to cry out, "I don't know," I swallowed back a scream of pain as more acid rained on me, "you might consider one of those mist and acid combinations. Seem like a more mature name."
She nodded, "Yeah, I hadn't considered that."
I managed a pained smile.
"You know, I never really wanted to kill you. That was all Tay's idea."
"Oh," I gasped, "I vote for not killing me."
"It never would have worked out between me and Jason anyhow. Plus, I generally don't..." From behind Acid Girl, Chevalier appeared silently and struck her on the back of her head with the butt of her sword. The mist disappeared and Acid Girl fell to the floor in a heap.
I landed on metal feet and immediately slipped and fell to the ground. Walking on ice was hard with the proper footwear; with smooth metal feet, it was nearly impossible.
Chevalier helped me up and put one of my arms around her shoulder. The burns all over my body started to pulsate with pain and I just wanted to lie on the ice and roll around. Chevalier examined my wounds and helped me over to Acid Girl. She shaved off pieces of the furniture around us and placed them over the girl's body. They roughly corresponded with my burn injuries.
"What are you doing?" I gulped back another whimper as Chevalier moved me away from the girl and toward the door.
"We deal injuries in kind. As she has injured you, so have I injured her."
I stared at her blankly.
She sighed, "The ice. It will burn her."
"Ugh...fine. Whatever. Can I lie down for a second? I can still feel the acid on me."
I could hear a smile in Chevalier's voice, "Let's find you a healer." We arrived at the door. "Good job on keeping her occupied."
"No problem. Supers love to talk, especially about names. I've seen fights that started with supers throwing each other through buildings and ending with them going shopping together because one saw a cape that would 'just be perfect' for the other." I shook my head, gritting back a yelp from the movement.
"Your reputation for inventiveness is well earned."
I paused, looking back. The super creature was shuffling toward the back of the room, as far away from Chevalier as possible. "What about that guy? You going to leave him like that?"
"It isn't a guy. It's a brother, sister team. They combine to make that...thing. They had planned on tearing your arms and legs off."
I frowned, "How could you know that?"
"History. They're known for that. But, don't worry, I know."
"And the big guy?"
"He was going to kill you."
I shook my head, "I still don't get how you know all this."
She ducked her head, deepening the shadow under her hood, "I know."
"I know. I know," I mocked. "You sound like a mother talking with her annoying child."
I stopped and Chevalier slowly turned to me.
"Yeah," I admitted, "I sort of set myself up for that one. So, you said something about a healer?"
"Should be able to find one outside." She pushed one of the doors open and led me through.
Standing in the street was a line of supers. They stared at Chevalier and me with a kind of intensity usually exhibited by old men in strip clubs. Chevalier shrugged my arm from her shoulder and took a half step in front of me. Her sword was held at her side, pointed at the ground. She moved it in front of her and I heard a scraping sound. When her hands returned to her side, she had a sword in each hand.
"You had two swords?" I hissed. "This whole time? You could have saved me long before!"
Her head moved back and forth, scanning the line of supers. "You're fine. Plus, I wasn't sure about the mist girl. I didn't want to damage her more than I had to."
"You know what, that reminds me: where were you when I was being dangled over that hole, huh?"
She tsk'ed, "You were never in danger."
"So, planning to kill me isn't the same as attempting."
Again, I could hear the smile in her voice, "No."
"So Tay can tell every super on the planet to kill me and you'd stop all of them, but you'll never hurt Tay."
"I didn't say that."
"What are you saying?" I demanded.
"Dawg, dawg, DAWG!" Tay appeared out of a negafield that rose up from the ground in front of the line of supers. His pet super stood behind him, his arms crossed. "You're like a slippery eel guy or something. Right?" He looked around at the supers for support. Most ignored him; a few shrugged. "Or greased pig. Yeah, that's it, Moorster. You're like a greased pig."
I called out from behind Chevalier, "Um...thanks?"
"I've been looking forward to this day for a long time. I wanted to see you dead, but now I'm thinking I'd rather have you alive. You know, so that we can talk and all."
I swallowed. Tay's voice was wild. Like he was barely restraining himself. "You know he is saying all this for your benefit," I whispered. Chevalier didn't react.
"So, why don't you just tell that little party favor of yours to go home. Okay? No more fighting today."
"Yeah," I called out. "I'm not doing that."
Tay's voice raised an octave, "Come on, Moorster! You and me? We got things to discuss. You know, a number of things."
I inhaled sharply through my nose. Nineteen. Bastard. He knew what button to press. He'd guessed it. He knew I'd taken her. That I must have gotten attached. Could he know that I'd spent every moment since I woke up with a missing leg, foot, and a dead girl on my chest, trying to find a way to bring her back? Or did he just think I had her hidden away somewhere?
I closed my eyes. God, I could still see her. Blonde hair in tight curls. White dress. Little sunglasses with flowers at the hinges hiding her all-white eyes. Eyes that hid a great and terrible power. The power to invade people's minds. To erase their memories. To create immense pain - pain strong enough to hurt The Raven.
Had she manipulated my emotions? Made me feel a connection to her? Maybe. But, dammit, I didn't care. I loved her. I needed her back. I had to take every chance, every opportunity.
Suddenly it hit me; why didn't he have a Twenty at his side right now? He must have had just as hard a time finding Gideon Sans as I. He didn't know any more. He couldn't. "You already told me everything. Don't play games with me, Tay."
I glanced around the side of Chevalier. Tay was standing with his arms spread. There was a sheen of sweat on his brow.
"Did I, Moorster? Did I?"
I pursed my lips and shifted my weight.
"It's a trap." Chevalier didn't move, but her voice was clear and hard. I glanced over and could just barely make out the shape of her nose under the hood. Could she even see under that hood? It seemed to be pulled down far too low.
I sighed, "I know. But I have to..."
What looked to be a four-foot tall beam of light appeared from the far end
of the street and scattered the supers. One of the larger ones took the blast straight on and flew through the air and out of my field of view. All of the supers turned toward the source, and those that could, started firing back.
I turned and saw the bike of Walker speeding toward the supers, the gunsword extended. The blades were splayed wide at a forty-five degree angle from each other, the ball of light between the blades proportionally larger. Another column of light erupted from the ball of light, but all of the supers got out of the way in time. While they dove, the four tubes protruding from Walker's back that didn't have steam coming out of them launched a quick succession of missiles. They soared nearly twenty feet into the air before turning sharply and coming back down.
Tay's super noticed the volley and grabbed Tay and sunk into the ground, surrounded by another negafield. The rest of the supers were still picking themselves up when they hit. The missiles must have had some sort of guiding properties because each of the supers was hit by at least two. When the smoke cleared, all that was left were moaning and unconscious (or dead, I couldn't tell) supers.
John pulled his bike into a slide, the metal runner sending a wave of shaved ice off to the side, and stopped in front of the bar. "Get on, Bob!"
I looked around. Chevalier was gone. I hadn't noticed. Heck, I'd been standing behind her; how could I not notice? I limped down to the bike, trying, unsuccessfully to get my leg high enough to mount it.
"I don't know, man. I'm not feeling so hot."
"Bob," the mechanically amplified voice sounded stressed, "we really got to go."
"What, John?" I growled. "They're gone. I just need a healer or a drink. Preferably both."
"Get on, Bob, now!"
John aimed the gunsword over my shoulder. I followed the line of the gun. The super that he'd hit with it earlier was pulling himself out of a building he'd demolished when the blast had propelled him back. He dusted himself off and looked at us. He didn't look at all hurt. I swallowed and pulled at my leg to get it over the runner.
"Walker!" his voice was not loud. Loud describes something that is not soft. It wasn't piercing. Piercing makes you squint or cover your ears. This sound was completely different. It was as if the sound of his voice were a physical thing. My skin rippled with it. The buildings around us creaked as it passed. Small tornadoes of ice and snow were kicked up by it. The force of it pushed me to the side and my leg slammed into the runner painfully.