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Kiri sat at the bench in an open-air artist display that littered the city. The structure before her was four steel beams made into a three-dimensional X. She somberly hovered her chopsticks over her store-bought sushi. The clouds in her mind had cleared, and she knew something was happening with Jill and Valk. Her mind was brought back to the present when there was a loud CRASH that pulled everyone's attention. She looked over to see a massive man dressed as a football player charging through a building. Deadguy was on his back, trying to hold onto the helmet. Behind them was a woman in a black cloak.
She quickly threw her lunch away and grabbed her Shock-Ra bracelets from her purse. “Time to get to work,” she muttered as she ran off to join them.
Deadguy gripped the sides of Rampage's helmet, trying his best to at least steer the unstoppable human train wreck. “Have you ever thought about doing something more constructive with your abilities,” he asked.
“With my felony record,” Rampage shot back, smashing through a concrete bench.
“There's websites that can help with that,” DG replied, pulling to the left to prevent the armored antagonist from hitting a city bus. The two instead crashed through a glass bus stop.
Rampage reached back and grabbed Deadguy's head. He pulled the Hero off and slammed him on the ground. He was about to stomp on his head when a massive shock of electricity shot through him.
“Who...” Rampage roared, turning to see Kiri standing behind him. She gave a small wave and a cute smile. He was about to attack when a shot of purple energy. The attack caused him to fall to one knee.
Deadguy quickly ripped Rampage's helmet off and knocked him out with one punch. The behemoth fell like a tree. The necromancer began her incantation, causing a crimson-colored orb to rip away from him.
Lilith held out a crystal, trapping the crimson soul inside. Deadguy and Kiri stood a few feet apart from each other. Our Hero had his arms crossed. The Techie looked like a child about to be scolded by a parent. They stared each other down. A smirk twitched onto Deadguy's face. He started to laugh. Kiri began to laugh as well. The two Heroes joyfully hugged each other.
The necromancer politely cleared her throat.
“Right,” DG said. “You remember Lilith?”
“I remember,” Kiri replied.
Deadguy gently nudged Kiri's head up. “Eyes are up there,” he stated.
Lilith ignored this. “Thank you Kiri, for aiding us,” she said.
“Sooo, what's going on?”
“Deadguy and I are hunting down the Bound Nine,” the necromancer explained.
“The what?”
“Nine souls that shouldn't be here,” Our Hero explained.
“Which means the more time we waste talking, the more powerful they become,” Lilith remarked. She held up Gregory. “Where to next?”
“,” the skull uttered.
“It talks,” Kiri squeaked.
“,” the skull complained.
“What did it just say,” she asked Our Hero.
“Not a clue,” he replied. “The subtitles are going by too fast.”
“He's Gregory. We're going after Passive next,” Lilith huffed. “Any other questions?”
Kiri raised her hand.
“Yes?”
“Can I come along?”
The necromancer threw her hands up in defeat. “Yes. Fine. Whatever.”
The Heroes tried to forge their way through a hoarder's paradise. Newspaper and magazines from the past fifty years were stacked from floor to ceiling. Empty cups and bags from many fast food restaurants, some long out of business, lined the hallways like paper and plastic sentries. Insects of various types scurried and flew, unaware of their long dead brethren. Tattered remains of wallpaper clung in places.
“Deadguy,” Lilith called out, her voice muffled by her hand over her nose and mouth. “Why are you narrating?”
“Not a clue,” Our Hero responded. “Hey Kiri? You find anything?”
“Yeah,” came a reply from somewhere above them. “Think I found where all those missing socks went.”
“Where are you,” the necromancer questioned.
“Look up.”
Deadguy and Lilith looked up to see a giant hole in the hallway ceiling. Kiri was peering down, her Mecha Maiden helmet on her head. She smiled and waved.
“That's cheating,” DG remarked.
“What? The helmet or my mad ninja skills?”
Deadguy made a face that showed his annoyed disapproval, then continued after Lilith. “Are we sure whoever lives here is still here,” he questioned.
“I didn't detect any spirits outside of the one we're looking for,” she answered. “Tam Williams is the only resident here, and he is still alive.”
“If you can call this living,” he remarked, trying to step through stack of news magazine criticizing Ronald Reagan's first term in office. “It feels more like entombed.
Snoring came from somewhere near the back of the townhouse. The sound of Kiri crashing through the ceiling soon followed. The two rushed to find Kiri getting up while a rather large individual was laying out on a couch with the television blaring.
“That Tam,” Deadguy asked.
“I presume so,” Lilith replied.
Tam woke up and watched the television, completely oblivious to the Heroes.
“I thought you said we were looking for a guy,” Our Hero whispered.
“Are you sure it's not,” Lilith whispered back.
“Nope. Her name's Tammy,” Kiri answered, looking over an expired driver's license.
“Just put the food on the counter over there,” Tammy grumbled, not taking her eyes off the television.
“Let's just get what we came for and get out of here,” DG said.
Tammy's head spun quickly to face them. A look of fury clouded her eyes. “You're not taking anything from me,” she roared.
“Oh trust me, you don't want what we're after,” he replied.
There was a rumbling from deep in the bowels of the pile of human flesh that occupied the couch. “This is mine,” she yelled. Before anyone could react, she was up and charging at Deadguy.
“Gah,” he exclaimed, barely dodging the attack in time.
Tammy slammed into a pile of clothes. “You won't take my stuff,” she complained weekly.
“You're up, Lil,” he stated.
The necromancer pulled out another crystal, calling the beige energy from the woman. “All right. Let's go.”
“What about Tammy,” Our Hero asked. “We can't just leave her there.”
“My stuff,” Tammy whimpered, then began to snore.
“Kiri,” Deadguy sighed. “Could you put her back on the sofa, please?”
The Techie was in full Mecha Maiden armor. “On it!”
“,” Gregory ordered once they were outside the dilapidated townhouse.
“We need Lust,” Lilith announced.
Deadguy's eyes grew wide. “I knew this day would come. I'll get the wine. Kiri, go grab a Marvin Gaye album.”
“Excuse me,” Kiri protested.
“Fine. You get the wine and I'll get the album.”
“No,” Lilith said slowly.
The two Heroes looked at each other. “Think she's more of a Barry White girl,” DG questioned.
“Every girl's a Barry White girl,” the Techie replied.
“Let's just go,” the necromancer huffed as she stormed off.
To The Nines Page 3