Dark Temptations

by Eric Alan Williams

  "I've been hit!" Ezra yelled.

  Ezra kept spinning as Marine had Nano-Ants repairing her damaged airfan. "Computer, how much longer?" She asked.

  "Five seconds."

  "I NEED THAT AIRFAN NOW!" Marine screamed.

  "Coming online, in three, two, one… Airfan is operational." The female voice said.

  Marine could feel the propulsion increase. "ABOUT DAMN TIME!"

  Ezra continued to spin. "Computer, bring a landing laser online, now!"

  "Working…" The computer replied.

  Four blue lasers shot out from where his wheels were raised. They began to stabilize his descent downward.

  James changed course, he pulled back on the wheel to cause the van to go upward. He was planning on getting above the skyscrapers, and change course to another air lane once he was on the other side. Given the time it took for Marine's vehicle to repair itself, he was already nearly completing his plan.

  Marine pressed the all-call button. "Assholes just changed course, I repeat, they just changed course. Lock onto my position now, people!"

  Marine increased her speed. She pressed the throttle stick as far as it would go. Her cruiser picked up speed quickly as her engines revved up, and the airfans went into overdrive. She pressed a second button on her steering wheel, activating a laser propulsion boost. It took her ten seconds to clear the top of the skyscraper, and then fly over the top and started her descent on the other side. She went into a spin, and before she knew it, she was back on track.

  James was feeling confident and just kept using his left eye to scan ahead. The girl, Krista, was terrified. She was breathing heavily through the gag in her mouth. The girl was downright petrified. All she could do was look at Joe, who was just glaring at her.

  Joe just happened to catch out of the corner of his eye, a detail worth mentioning. He saw the flashing lights. He stopped looking at the girl and pressed his hands against the glass to the back.

  Joe turned around quickly. "James, that bitch is back on our tail!"

  James rolled his human eye. "Then shoot her out of the sky Joe, we are almost to the rendezvous point."

  Joe pulled the door open again and prepared to aim. This time he started shooting the glass out. Marine ducked. The front of her cruiser started losing power. One of his laser blasts caused a hole in the hood. When Marine rose upward, she could see electrical sparks.

  "Ezra?! Where are you?" She asked.

  Ezra's car had repaired itself, and he was coming around the skyscraper. "I'm just about there, Marine."

  "I need you here now, Ez... My car has fucking, had it!"

  Ezra pulled at his throttle and forced his cruiser to pick up speed. He could see Marine's care plummeting. He pushed in on the steering wheel to force the car to fly downward. He pressed the same laser propulsion button to give an extra boost. He held it as best as he could while grasping the steering wheel tightly. His vehicle was matching Marine's cruiser.

  Marine kicked her door open. Ezra was on the side of her. He was hoping to get under her car and try to break the fall with his laser propulsion, but Marine had other plans. She leaped into the air and landed on top of his cruiser. Her claws quickly grew to lock into the metal. "Marine, what the hell?!" He yelled.

  "Just get me close enough to leap onto the back of that van Ezra!" She yelled.

  "Marine!? Are you crazy? What the hell kinda issues you got going on, girl?"

  Marine yelled. "I" m a black woman that turns into a white werewolf; of course, I've got issues, now get me close enough, Ezra, now!"

  "Okay!" He said. He pulled up to get the cruiser up into the air. Marine was holding onto the roof with her claws dug in, and with their curved edges, they acted like hooks, helping the shewolf stay perfectly in place.

  Ezra flew faster and faster. His vehicle looked like a blur as he tried to get up enough speed to catch up. He had his guns ready. He pressed a button on his steering wheel, prompting a second set to come out of a panel on both sides of the hood of the car.

  Ezra was ready. Marine was ready. His cruiser continued to catch up with the red flying van. "Do you see it?" He asked.

  Marine could see the van. She kicked her shoes off right as her toenails became clawed. "Yeah, I see it. Get me closer!"

  Joe saw the cruiser with the woman on top of it. By now, Marine was standing as if she was a surfer, using the flying car to ride the currents. Her clawed toes had dug in just like her finger claws had. She was ready. "Dear fucking god, that crazy-ass bitch is back, James!"

  "Do you want to drive?" James asked calmly.

  "You know I can't fly for shit!" Joe replied.

  "Then get rid of that bitch now…" James told him while diving the van downward.

  Ezra's cruiser was getting closer. Joe held tightly as he attempted to shoot at Marine. Ezra fried. Joe fell backward to evade being hit. "JESUS!" Joe yelled.

  Ezra kept a constant steady suppression fire going on to keep the driver's friend from shooting at Marine. He wasn't taking any chances. Marine yelled out. "Ezra, can you mind-control those assholes?"

  Ezra kept his hands on the wheel, one his thumbs were on a targeting button he was holding down, shooting low voltage laser blasts. "ON IT!" He yelled.

  Ezra reached out with his mind. He was targeting the driver first. Instantly Ezra had a headache as James had a built-in neuralizer built into one of his cybernetic implants on the inside of his skull. Ezra was at least able to get an imprint; he could tell cybernetic implants were lighting up all throughout the driver's body when he attempted a mind-link. Ezra wanted to rub his temples but couldn't "NO GO MARINE, BASTARD HAS A NEURODAMPINING DEVICE! AND THE FUCKER IS A CYBORG SO BE READY FOR ANYTHING!"

  "Great!" Marine mentioned while cocking an eyebrow. "JUST GET ME CLOSER!" She yelled.

  Ezra got within twenty feet of the flying van. Marine hunched down. Her heart started racing. Her eyes turned solid yellow; her claws became a bit longer. She didn't need to fully transform, only enough to increase her strength and agility. Once her muscles were primed. The shewolf took a step, landed on the hood of Ezra's cruiser, and yelled as her feet went forward. She was airborne.

  She landed on top of the red van and went into a roll. She used her right hand to rip into the top of the van to stop her from rolling off. She swung around and used her clawed toes to dig in. "WHAT THE FUCK!?" Joe yelled.

  "My turn assholes!" Marine punched her left hand through the top of the van. Joe fell to the floor. He could see her clawed fingers, and hints of white fur. The man almost shit himself.

  "SHE'S ONE OF THEM!" Joe yelled.

  James turned around and saw the clawed hand. "You gotta be fucking kidding me! A FUCKING IMMORTIUM AGENT?!"

  Marine punched through again, swiping at Joe. Joe dropped his gun and fell again. Marine withdrew her hand and punched again, this time trying to grab the steering wheel. James was startled. Her hand grasped the wheel, but he had a trick of his own. Two forked blades emerged as he made a fist with his right hand and punched forward. The blades went right through Marine's forearm. She let go of the wheel and pulled upward. "MOTHER FUCKER!" She yelled while holding her arm.

  Joe managed to grab his gun. He started firing at the roof of the van. Marine felt a blast go through her right shoulder. She rolled over; she fell but caught herself on what remained of the driver's side rear wheel that hadn't fully retracted. She swung, grasping the undercarriage of the van. She didn't have time to bleed or care about the wound. She was close, and this was her only chance to stop this.

  She wrapped her injured arm around a beam on the undercarriage and pulled her feet up to lock her claws into what she could. "FUCK YOU ASSHOLES!" Marine used her hearing; she could tell exactly where Joe was standing. She reached up, punching through the undercarriage of the van, and grasped onto Joe's leg, pulling his leg downward.

  Joe screamed in unimaginable pain as his leg ripped on the metal, and her claws pulling on it violently. Marine pulled hard, hard enough to
not only pull his leg through the hole she had made but hard enough to do more than just dislocating it at the hip joint. Joe's leg plummeted to the city streets.

  Joe fell over gasping. He instantly went into shock caused by both pain and rapid blood-loss. Marine's arm and shoulder had healed. She used the beam to work her way around until she could swing herself up. Her claws caught the left side. She pulled herself up. James had a blaster pistol installed inside his left palm. He began firing. He missed her. Marine was on top of the van now.

  She reached over to grasp the sliding door and dug her claws in. She grunted as she pulled hard enough on it to dislodge the door completely. Now she had an entry point. She knew she would need to distract him, knowing he had at least two cybernetic weapons. The blade in his right hand and the laser pistol integrated into his left. This was going to be tricky.

  Marine rolled onto the hood of the van and punched the glass hard enough to crack it. James shot at her. She moved quickly enough to make it inside the open door. Once inside, she grasped James left arm and bent it upwards until she could hear the metal in his arm begin to crunch. James screamed.

  "I ain't playing with you assholes anymore!" She yelled. She punched him, cracking his cybernetic eye. She grasped the back of his head and started slamming it into the steering wheel. He tried to use his blades as they shot out from his fist again. Marine grabbed his arm and forced his hand into the dashboard. The blade hit the navigation controls.

  "We're all going to die, you crazy cunt!" He yelled.

  Marine slammed his head again for good measure. She quickly grabbed Krista and used her claws to cut through the girl's bindings and removed the gag. Krista was scared seeing the she-wolf's eyes and claws. "I'm an agent, okay? I got you!"

  Marine scooped the girl up as the van started to plummet. "HOLD ONTO ME TIGHT KRISTA! I PROMISE I GOT YOU!"

  " OKAY?!" She yelled.

  The girl recognized the black and white suit. She was scared but could tell she was trying to help. The girl nodded as she reached forward and wrapped her arms around Marine's neck.

  Marine held her tightly with her right arm and went over to the open door. Marine saw a skyscraper nearby. She leaped, her left arm reaching out, while her right arm held the girl firmly. Her left hand's claws caught the solatex exterior and clawed into it. Her claws drug downward almost fifty feet until finally coming to a stop.

  Ezra saw where Marine had landed. He could see her holding onto the solatex by one hand. He came in slow and got beside her, he hovered close enough for Marine to easily maneuver herself as his passenger door rose upward. Marine pushed off and made it inside Ezra's transport.

  As for James, he was barely conscious. He couldn't do anything. The red van spun in circles. His right hand was still stuck into the navigation system. There was nothing to stop him from meeting the streets below. His vehicle didn't explode upon impact since it wasn't a fuel-powered vehicle. It simply crushed from the gravitational force. Cyborg or not, nothing could have survived the impact, without regeneration, and that wasn't in the cards for James...

  _____

  City Hall.

  Mayor Helen Brumfield was a nervous wreck. The young woman was pacing back and forth in her technologically adept office while trying to adjust her gray pantsuit. She kept pulling at the collar. The woman also was frequently pushing her brown hair out of her eyes as she kept looking down at her cellphone, waiting on any news.

  Commander Alberta Fentrose was also sitting in the Mayor's office. For a cyborg, the woman was looking nervous. This kidnapping was a big deal, primarily due to the fact that Helen's daughter was the target. She had put Marine and Ezra on it since they were two of her best. Now she could only reflect what would happen if her team failed. Helen Brumfield wasn't exactly known for being merciful to Interpol when they botched a case. Given that it was her daughter involved, Alberta felt that her job was on the line.

  The doors opened to the Mayor's office. An older gentleman with a mustache and a kevlar uniform entered. He was holding Krista's hand. Helen dropped her cellphone and ran to her daughter. She dropped to her knees and held Krista tightly. The woman was sobbing. Krista was whimpering a little. Helen pulled back. "Krista honey, are you okay?"

  The girl nodded.

  Helen looked up at Commander Harvey. The woman's eyes were glistening with joy. "Thank you, thank you so much!"

  The older gentlemen nodded while he gestured to Commander Fentrose. "We can thank Fentrose's team. Her werewolf agent, Marine Evans, made the rescue."

  Helen looked up, curiously. "A werewolf saved my daughter?"

  Krista nodded. "Mommy, she saved my life mommy. She killed those bad guys too."

  Fentrose rolled her cybernetic eyes. "Great, no one to interrogate." She thought.

  "I'm so happy you're okay, Krista." She held her daughter tightly. "I was so worried. I thought I would never see you again, baby-girl."

  "I'm okay, mommy, the nice werewolf lady saved me."

  Helen stood up slowly. She nodded while wiping away her joyful tears. She turned around and looked at Fentrose. "I want to meet your werewolf."

  Downstairs on the first floor, Marine, Ezra, Hannibal, and Grace were sitting on a black leather couch. Ezra was feeling pretty good about what they had accomplished. Marine was a little nervous about destroying another cruiser, killing the two suspects, and causing an explosion when she sent James Harpon to his fiery death.

  Ezra could hear her thoughts. "Marine calm down, you saved Krista Brumfield. Don't sweat it."

  Marine huffed. "Ezra, Mayor Brumfield, hasn't been the most well-known elected city official to be all gun-hoe about Immortium, or Aeonians for that matter."

  "Maybe your act of saving her kid could help change that?" He said.

  "Maybe, but still."

  Amanda Thompson, one of the newest city medical examiners, approached Ezra and his team while they sat there waiting. The blond-headed woman was wearing a lab coat, an I.D. badge with her Medical Examiner's badge in plain sight. She was new, fresh out of school, and recently passing her boards. Amanda was a little timid. "Detective Huxley?"

  Ezra stood up. "Yes?"

  Amanda extended her hand. "Hello, Agent Huxley. I'm Doctor Thompson, one of the new Medical Examiners for the Coroner’s office. I understand that James Harpon, and his accomplice Joseph Morgan, were the two perps that you and your partner were pursuing?"

  Marine stood up. "Yeah, that's them, why?"

  Amanda seemed shy. "I, um, finished the first rounds of my report, and I understand Agent Huxley is a sensitive?"

  Ezra nodded. "Yes, why?"

  "Mr. Morgan's brain was no use, but it turns out in Mr. Harpon's brain, there was enough cybernetic implants, specifically a titanium alloy making up nearly 80% In Mr. Harpon's skull to protect his brain from any real trauma. He had additional cybernetic technology which, has kept his brain alive even with his head being severed from the impact. You being an upper level sensitive, I figured you could probe his brain for any information that might be useful to your case?"

  Ezra's eyes widened. "Are you serious? There's that much left?"

  She nodded. "Yes, Agent Huxley. If you head to the coroner's office in city ward nine, I can accommodate you."

  Ezra turned around and nodded to Hannibal, Grace, and Marine. "Guess we may have the information we wanted after all. Make sure you tell Fentrose."

  Marine ushered him away. "Go do your thing, if she asks, I will let her know."

  Meanwhile, the heavier set Agent, Detective Polanski, had been eavesdropping. The man huffed and sarcastically spoke under his breath. "Damn Mind, witches…"

  Ezra might not have heard it as he walked off with the Medical Examiner, but Marine did. She turned around and put her arms on the back of the couch as she looked over. "Polanski? I'm surprised at you?"

  The bald-headed chubby man looked confused. "Huh?"

  Marine's head waved back and forth. "Calling Ezra, a mind-witch. Really?"

&
nbsp; Polanski seemed unphased. He just looked at her rolling his brown eyes. "So what?"

  Marine's eyes almost bulged. "Excuse me?"

  Polanski huffed. "Just mind your own business, Evans."

  :" What the hell is your problem?" She asked.

  Polanski huffed again. "I just miss the good ole days, alright? The days when we didn't have mutants and monsters leading investigations, that's all."

  Marine smirked while her hand moved and opened, speaking along with her mouth. "I miss the days when we didn't have fat racist assholes that smell like they haven't washed their ass in a week, running their judgmental mouths…"

  "Excuse me?" Polanski asked suddenly.

  "I didn't stutter," Marine said while giving him the death glare.