|
|
Post by Publicist on Dec 27, 2016 12:26:24 GMT -5
Chapter XVII (Part 2): Everyone Has Their Own Agenda
Argos Square
Downtown, Empire City
The streets were in complete and utter chaos after the attack on the coliseum. Two figures cut against the crowd, avoiding the authorities that frantically rushed in to secure the scene. Arella and the thing masquerading as Michelle Andretti had narrowly managed to escape the collapse of the stage, following Gaia’s bold attack on Superius, which had also spoiled their own plans. They had avoided Anka’s probing eyes, but now they were exposed and desperate to escape unnoticed. Michelle broke the silence, “WHAT HAPPENED?!” she spoke in harsh tone. “We had her! The angel was about to attack Superius in front of the entire city!”
Arella could only shake her head, “Someone else beat her to it. We will find another way to expose my mother.”
Michelle, looked over at Arella, her keen eyes piercing, “What do we do now? How do we salvage this?” She glowered, “I was promised power! Power to replace that which was stolen from this body!”
Arella spoke through clenched teeth, “I will find a way. This is not ove…” A shadow passing overhead caused her to stop as she looked up and grabbed Michelle’s arm. “We need to get off the streets!”
Michelle jerked away from Arella, “I want what I was promised!”
Arella looked up frantically, then narrowed her eyes as she focused on Michelle, “And you’ll have it…but first, we need to get out of sight! I can feel my mother’s presence, do you understand?” She grabbed Michelle and pulled her toward the nearest open building. As the two made their way inside, they passed a stone plaque which marked the corner as 12th and Argos, the location of the Argos Bank…the same bank that Spike Staggs had seen in his vision. The very same bank that he, Detective Jordan, and their winged compatriot were now baring down on…
High Over Argos Square
Downtown, Empire City
The wind whistled past Anka’s ears as her mind raced. Her day had been turned upside down. Once minute, she had been standing face to face with the man she held responsible for the murder of her family…and the next, she was looking into the eyes of a girl she considered family…one that had been dead for hundreds of years…
…Arella…
Was this another cruel joke that was now being played on her? Was the Almighty dangling another carrot in front of her face only to snatch it away when she reached out her hand to touch it? She was sick of being His plaything, but this was too tempting, even for her. She had to know if this was the girl that she had given up her quest for revenge to protect…and ultimately watch die in her arms…another victim of Rome’s vicious greed…or so she thought.
She peered down on the streets and caught a fleeting glimpse of the two women she had seen in the rubble of the stage in the coliseum. The blonde woman…the one who had been shrouded in shadow and Arella…or the girl that looked remarkably like her. The two disappeared as they ran into a nearby building.
Anka swooped down and landed outside the bank. She frowned as she was reminded of the vision that Stacey’s friend Spike had recounted. She absently whispered to herself, “…wings flapping…burning…” She glanced over her shoulder and her wings. She shrugged her shoulders and narrowed her eyes, “…my wings don’t burn…”
She took one last look around as she trotted towards the bank…
From around a nearby corner, a familiar face appeared…that of the firebrand known as Meepus. He stroked his chin as he watched the angel run inside the bank. He kneaded his hands in excitement as she cornered herself for him. She had something that he wanted…something that he intended to take off of her burning corpse! Nothing and no one was going to stop him from taking the ring from her. He was going to be a god…and no one was going to stand in his way!
Meepus moved with purpose as he headed toward the bank entrance. He hazarded one last look around, then flicked his hands, igniting the living fire within him as they manifested around his fists. There was no need to be subtitle…destiny was calling him…
Six blocks away, Stacey wove her car around barricades and groups of people trying to get back to their homes. Beside her, Spike Staggs held on for dear life as he kept his eyes on the road ahead, periodically sticking his head out the window to yell and wave pedestrians out of their path. Stacey pulled up to the corner across from the bank and jumped out of the car. As Spike did the same, she held up her hand. “WHOA! You stand down and let me check this out first! Remember, I’m the cop here!”
Stacey’s gun popped free of its holster and floated in front of her face. Spike grinned, “And you need to remember that I’m the meta!”
Stacey snatched the gun out of the air and re-holstered it. “If you touch my gun with that brain of yours again…I’m going to take your ass to jail!” She turned towards the bank and started walking across the street. “Best case…nothing even happens in there…”
Almost as in answer to her comment, the doors of the bank burst open and a screaming security guard ran out, his entire body engulfed in flames as he collapsed on the ground.
“GODS!!” Stacey started calling for back up and assistance as Spike sprinted towards the building. “SPIKE! STOP!” She grabbed him, “There is a blanket in my car! Get it and help him! I’m going in there!”
Spike starts to protest, but Stacey is already running towards the building.
Stacey drew her gun. She knew she needed to wait for backup, but by the time it arrived, it would already be too late. She swore under her breath, then charged inside, not knowing what she’d find…
First Bank of Argos
A Few Minutes Earlier…
As Arella and Michelle ran into the bank, a security guard was there to stop them. “Sorry ladies…we are closed right now. We are going to need you to…” He paused, and a look of recognition touched his face, “OH MY GODS! YOU’RE MICHELLE ANDRETTI! CHANNEL 8 NEWS!”
The creature inside Michelle started to use its power against the man, but a tug from Arella stayed its hand. Instead, it smiled with lips that weren’t its own to disarm the man. “Sir! Can you please help us? There is a person following us! We just need a place to hide until the authorities arrive!”
The guard nodded as he gestured for the second guard to come over and escort them to the back. “Get them downstairs, I’ll call ECPD!” The guard led them out of the lobby and through the doors in the back. The guard by the door reached over to lock them, just as they were thrown open by Anka, charging in after the two women. The guard fell back, startled as he reached for his gun, then paused, “Wait…y-you’re the angel!”
Anka hated being called that, but after seeing the look in the man’s eyes, she could tell that it would be useful. She straightened herself, to present a more angelic appearance, “Where are the two women who ran in here?”
The man swallowed as he pointed to the back, “T-They said they…n-needed help…”
Anka turned away from him, “Stay where you are…help is here.” She stalked towards the back, intent on finding the girl she thought was lost to her more than 600 years ago. Anka ran pass the offices in the back, finding them empty she followed them down towards basement, where the vault was kept…
Upstairs, the guard stood there scratching his head as he wondered what to do next. He ran back to the door to lock it, when he was suddenly thrown back yet again. This time he did not recognize the person who came through the door…but he did recognize the threat that he posed as flames swirled around his fists. The man raised his gun, but a searing flame scorched his hand and the gun fell to the floor as the guard stumbled back, screaming out in pain.
Meepus walked in, looking around with a smirk on his face. “I am going to ask you this question once asshole! I sincerely hope you know the answer, since the wrong ones will defiantly get you killed!” He charged up the flames that whirled around his hands, “WHERE IS THAT BITCH WITH MY RING?!”
The guard looked around frantically, unsure of how to answer or what to say. “I…I…”
Meepus roared, “I WANT THAT RING!!”
The guard blurted out, “WHAT RING?!”
Meepus narrowed his eyes, “Oooooh, that was so much the wrong fucking answer bro!” Meepus grimaced as he brought his power to bear, waves of flame washing over the man and sending him running through the door, screaming like a macabre Roman candle. Meepus side stepped him with a grin on his face, “If I were you…I would have lied!” Meepus, sighed as he turned, looking for the angel, then headed for the open door that led to the back of the bank.
“HOLD IT RIGHT THERE YOU MURDERING PIECE OF SHIT!”
Meepus turned and found himself staring down the barrel of a gun held by one of Empire City’s finest, Detective Jordan. Meepus swore under his breath, annoyed by the interruption. At least the angel was trapped. He would get the ring from her after dealing with this annoyance. Meepus grinned sadistically, “Wow, you again? I’m gonna bag my limit on roasted pig today!” Meepus didn’t hesitate as he tossed a burning ball of flame in her direction, even as she fired her gun. The two of them dived to the floor, even as their errant shots missed one another.
Stacey moved behind cover as she cursed herself for missing him. “GIVE IT UP! YOU’RE LEAVING IN CUFFS OR IN A BAG, YOUR CHOICE HOT STUFF!”
Meepus laughed, “You’re funny…but you should know something about me…” Meepus concentrated the full potential of his internal fire, “…hot doesn’t even begin to describe me sugar tits!”
Stacey frowned, “YOU DID NOT JUST CALL ME THAT!!” Stacey rolled out from cover, “GET YOUR HANDS UP ASSHOLE!!”
Meepus hurled another fireball at her, and she unleashed a volley of shots…
BLAM
BLAM
BLAM
Stacey kept firing as she emptied her gun at Meepus, but he had only goaded her into shooting to show her the futility in it. He turned up the heat so rapidly that he literally burst into flames, vaporizing the rounds and setting off the sprinklers in the process.
Meepus laughed sadistically as he stalked towards her, the water on the floor boiling away into steam as he burned white-hot. “Play time is over officer…for you anyway!”
Stacey turned her face away from the blistering heat as she tried to reload her weapon, but they were both interrupted…
“So, you’re the Burning Man from my vision!” Meepus looked to the exit at Spike Staggs as he stood there holding a fire extinguisher. “CATCH!!”
Spike threw the extinguisher at him, but Meepus sent out a ball of fire that caused it to explode before it could touch him. He chuckled, “YOU GOTTA DO BETTER THAN THAT SON!! DON’T YOU KNOW WHO I AM? I’M MOTHERFUC…”
THOOM!!
THOOM!!
THOOM!!
Three explosions rocked the room as Meepus fell to the floor, his flames put out by three chemical extinguishers that had been telekinetically hurled at him from behind while he focused on the one in front of him. Meepus choked and gagged as he tried to re-ignite himself, but the chemical agent smothered the flames.
Spike reached down and pulled Stacey to her feet, even as he looked around frantically. “Chelly! Did you see her? Is she here?!”
Stacey ran over and kicked Meepus in the crotch, “I GOT YOUR FUCKING SUGAR TITS!” She rolled him over as he coughed and choked, slapping the handcuffs on him. She stood up, looking to Spike and then the open door, “Through there!” She got to her feet, checking her gun as she stepped over Meepus, “Come on!”
Spike looked down at wounded meta, “What about this guy?”
Stacey glanced up at the sprinklers as they shut off and then down at Meepus, covered in chemical retardant, “He’ll keep. Let’s go!” As Stacey charged through the door, Spike was right on her heels.
Down near the vault, the Security Guard with Michelle and Arella froze as he heard gunshots and a few moments later a series of explosions. The man looked terrified as he pulled out his radio and called for his partner without success. He turned to the two women, with the blood draining from his cheeks and beads of sweat dripping down his face. “S-Stay h-here!” He turned as he heard a noise on the stairs behind him, and fired as he screamed.
BLAM
BLAM
BLAM
Each round was deflected as Anka brought her wings up. She lowered them as the Security Guard stared wide eyed and on wobbly legs. “You should put down the gun and go stand in the corner.” Anka watched as the Security Guard gingerly laid the gun down and backed into the corner, terrified. Anka turned her attention to the two women standing by the vault, her demeanor changing as she stared past Michelle and at the girl standing behind her, “Arella…?”
Arella backed away, then narrowed her eyes as she attempted to use the same power she had employed to control Gaia, Reaver, and Vixxxen. Her eyes clouded over as she attempted to compel Anka to do her will, “Leave this place…NOW!” Arella staggered and fell to her knees, reaching out as darkness stole away her vision…but her power had no effect.
Anka moved towards the girl she had raised as her own child hundreds of years in the past. “ARELLA!!”
Michelle blocked her path, baring her teeth as she did, “NOT ANOTHER STEP!” Shadows darkened around her and Arella as it attempted to consume her completely and she melted from view. Michelle’s eyes fell to Anka’s hand and the ring on her finger. She pointed angrily, “GIVE THE POWER TO ME! GIVE IT TO ME NOW!!”
Anka arched her eyebrow, having no idea what she was talking about at first, then she looked down at her hand. “The ring? You want this?” She looked up at Michelle, “Come and get it!”
As Michelle prepared to square off with Anka, Stacey and Spike came running down the stairs. Stacey wasn’t exactly sure who to aim her gun at as she looked at both of them. “FREEZE! EVERYONE DOWN!”
Not surprisingly, the Security Guard was the first and only person to hit the floor. Anka and Michelle looked at him and rolled their eyes collectively. Anka glanced at Stacey, “Detective…please let me handle this I…”
Michelle seemed to melt into the shadows, then coalesced behind Anka, wrapping both arms around her neck in a vicious chokehold. Anka thrashed about, her wings beating frantically as darkness seemed to envelop her like quicksand.
Stacey trained her gun on them, but Spike pushed her sights off of them, “NO, DON’T!” Spike concentrated his power into a telekinetic push that sent Anka and Michelle flying across the room and crashing into the wall. As they hit the floor, Michelle’s grip was broken and she rolled one way as Anka rolled the other…still gasping for air.
Michelle reached for Anka again, the shadows still choking her adversary, “GIVE ME THE RING!”
“MICHELLE, STOP!” Spike screamed as he forced her back again. “MICHELLE! YOU HAVE TO FIGHT IT!”
For an instant, her eyes seemed to soften into those of the girl he knew, but they darkened again as the entire room grew dark for an instant, then she appeared behind him, kicking him in the small of his back and sending him crashing into the vault door. Spike turned, only to be slammed to the floor as Michelle grabbed him by his throat. “Your friend is gone…and soon, so will you!”
Before she could she could bring her power to bear, she felt the cold barrel of the detective’s gun pointed against her temple. “Let him go bitch!” Michelle paused, but for a moment, then disappeared into a black shadow, only to reappear behind Stacey with the Security Guard’s discarded gun in hand.
BLAM!
BLAM!
Spike froze in shock as he looked over and saw the bullets hit Detective Jordan high in her back. He had hoped that she was wearing a vest, but it was immediately apparent that she wasn’t as two bright red stains blossomed across the back of her sports coat. Michelle was stoic as she stood over the wounded detective.
Spike moved to get to his feet, but he stopped cold as Michelle turned the gun on him. Spike raised his hands, “Michelle…please don’t do this!”
Michelle paused, “Michelle is gone!” She looked down as the police detective wretched, gasping for air, through punctured lungs. Michelle looked back at Spike, the gun still pointed at his head, “Time to die…”
Michelle was suddenly knocked off her feet and sent flying halfway across the room from an unexpected blow. She skidded across the floor, then saw Anka crouched over the mortally wounded detective. She raised the gun and fired, empting the magazine.
TWANG!! TWANG!! TWANG!! TWANG!! TWANG!! TWANG!!
The angel’s wings bellowed like a blanket as she threw them up like a shield. Spike dived for cover as bullets ricocheted all around the room.
CLICK! CLICK! CLICK!
Michelle threw down the gun, vanishing in shadow for a moment, then appearing behind Anka again, but this time she was ready as she ducked around, grabbing the woman around her neck and quickly closing her wings around the two of them. Michelle struggled in Anka’s grip; “You think you can hold me?!” She attempted to vanish into shadow, but this time she could not as Anka’s wings completely encapsulated the two of them…an eerie ethereal light burning within them. She hisses, “WHAT IS THIS?! THE WINGS BURN!!”
Anka held Michelle in a chokehold from behind as she remarked on Spike’s vision of her wings burning, “Maybe they do burn…” Anka held Michelle as she screamed and then one scream became two as the Shadow Thing separated from her, frantically evaporating and reappearing as it burned and sizzled…a smell of brimstone permeating what little air remained.
The Shadow finally expanded with a screech and then burst into nothingness. Anka fell back, as her wings opened and Michelle’s limp body spilled to the floor.
Spike screamed as he held Stacey in his arms. “CAN YOU HELP HER?! SHE’S SHOT!”
Anka got to her feet, walking over and kneeling beside them. Anka frowned as she watched the life ebbing out of the dying police officer. Part of her wanted to just let the arrogant woman die, but she knew that it would have destroyed Brandon. She pulled the ring from her finger and slid it onto Stacey’s, then waited and watched. Her breathing, once shallow and rapid, began to slow.
She groaned in pain, but it was no longer tinged with the gurgle of blood. Spike began to relax as he watched on with wonder.
A sound from behind them made them turn as Meepus stood there, his with the handcuffs melted from his wrists. His eyes burned with desire and hatred, but the chemicals on his skin made it near impossible for him to use the full range of his powers effectively. He staggered back, cursing “You’re gonna to pay for this…you’re all gonna pay for this!” He raised his hands to try to ignite them, but they only glowed white-hot for a moment. The sounds of police sirens in the distance signaled to him that all was lost, for now. He pounded his fist against the wall, then turned and ran back up the stairs.
Anka stood up, frantically looking around for Michelle’s companion, “ARELLA!!” she screamed, but the girl was somehow long gone. Anka ran her fingers through her hair in frustration. She had to find her. She turned to run upstairs, but Spike grabbed her arm.
“Wait!” Spike said, “You can’t just up and leave!”
Anka removed his hand from her arm. “Take care of them…I have to go!” Anka headed up the stairs, not even giving them a second look.
Spike stood up looking down at the two unconscious women as he held his head, “How do I explain this shit?”
The terrified guard in the corner spoke up, “So…you’re not going with the creepy shadow girl just tried to kill us all?”
Spike raised his hands as police swarmed the scene, guns drawn…
EPISODE CREDITS
CAST (In order of appearance)
Michelle Andretti … Delia Darling
Arella … Orchid
Anka ... Kenzi Grey
Meepus … Kaden Kessler
Detective Stacey Jordan … Nina Stokes
Spike Staggs … R.C. Tucker
Security Guard #1 … Billy Burke
Security Guard #2 ... Dot Bridges
Directed by … DubbleFC
Screenplay by … Ron B.
Produced by … CTN Television Studios
Casting by … Maleek Raheem
Music by … Guilty Pleasure
|
|
|
|
Post by Publicist on Oct 8, 2017 7:27:21 GMT -5
Chapter XVII (Part 3): Everyone Has Their Own Agenda
I’m a cop, and if you think you’re bad enough to commit a crime in my town…then I’m obligated to put a foot directly in the crack of your ass…PERIOD!! I’m going to do my duty and get the job done in ANY fight…powers or no damn powers!
I have never felt like I was over my head; not when I faced Meepus inside the prison and not when I faced Gaia outside the Capitol Building. I wasn’t a meta…but I had no intention of letting that hinder me from upholding the law!
Inside the bank, I underestimated Meepus and he nearly burned me to a crisp! Maybe it hurt my pride a little that Spike had to step in and take him down…maybe that hurt my pride and made me reckless. When the Shadow got the drop on Spike, it was my turn to return the favor.
I put the barrel of my gun to the Shadow’s head after getting the drop on her, but I made a stupid mistake. I take the time to slip in a quick quip, “Let him go bitch!” I was so full of myself…and before too long…I regretted it.
She was too fast…so fast that I never even saw her move, she just dissolved. Before I knew it, she was behind me with a gun in her hand. I curse myself for being a prideful fool…then I hear the sounds of the gun as it goes off twice…
BLAM
BLAM
Funny…gunfire has never sounded that loud before…but what the hell do I care anymore? I fucked up…and now I’m dead…
It hurt like hell and I couldn’t wait for it to be over. When I opened my eyes…the face I saw wasn’t the one I was expecting…its fucking Anka, wings and all, just staring down at me with those big-ass, Gwendolyn Parr, serial killer eyes of hers! I figure she came to take me up to Heaven…because that’s what angels do…isn’t it?
The bitch doesn’t take me to Heaven…she just sits there and watches me die, just holding my hand…
“…angel, my ass…”
Empire City General
Downtown, Empire City
Stacey stared at her hand…the same one that Anka had been holding, only now on her index finger was a shiny new ring. She took a deep breath and her lungs protested mightily. She coughed, and wretched so hard that she thought she’d pass out. The feeling slowly passed and she felt the tingle of the ring as the pain ebbed away. She should have died in that bank…and she knew she would have.
She looked up as the door opened and a group of doctors walk in. Stacey was shocked and surprised, to see such a large group. The one in the front, an older balding man walked over to Stacey, an immense smile on his face. “Officer Jordan…I hope that you don’t mind, but a few of my colleagues wanted to come here to see you as well.” Without even waiting for a reply, he stood by her side and addressed the crowd. “Ladies and gentlemen, our patent was brought in with two gunshot wounds to the back. The bullets passed through her, puncturing her heart and lung.” He turned back to her and reached down to open the front of her hospital gown.
Stacey grabbed his hand and glared at him. “Ahhh…NO! I don’t think so!”
The doctor smiled apologetically at the others, before bending down and whispering in Stacey’s ear. “Please Detective… they are doctors…you don’t have anything that they haven’t seen before.”
Stacey’s expression never changed. “They haven’t seen MY anything before Doc…and I prefer to keep it that way!”
The doctor pleaded, “PLEASE MS. JORDAN!! Trust me…your virtue will remain intact.”
She rolled her eyes as she took the liberty of carefully rolling down the front of her gown, barely exposing the bandages. She sighed, muttering under her breath, “…assholes…”
The doctor reached down and carefully peeled back the bandages as the crowd came forward and looked at what remained of her exit wounds. “As you can see…this is all quite remarkable. The exterior tissue damage is almost completely healed. There is still some internal damage…but for the most part her body has all but repaired itself.”
A middle aged female with a long gray ponytail lowered her glasses as she stared at Stacey suspiciously. “Are you certain that we aren’t dealing with a metahuman…a mutant of some kind?”
Stacey glared at the woman, causing her to avert her gaze, but she remained silent. The doctor nodded as he answered her question. “Detective Jordan is a normal and extremely healthy human female. All of the standard tests were performed and she passed them all. There is only one explanation for her rapid recovery…” The crowd seemed to wait in breathless anticipation, along with Stacey. When the answer came, Stacey nearly became unglued. “…she’s been touched by the hand of God.”
Stacey nearly came out of her hospital bed, “WHAT IN THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU FUCKING PEOPLE?!! GET OUT!! GET OUT OF HERE RIGHT NOW!!”
The doctor looked at her in shock and dismay. “Ms. Jordan!! Please… calm down!! We were just making a…”
Stacey continued to yell, “GET YOUR ASSES OUT OF HERE RIGHT NOW, BEFORE I HAVE YOU ALL ARRESTED FOR PISSING OFF A POLICE OFFICER!!”
The doctor was red-faced and embarrassed, but he did what he could to put the best possible face on the situation. “She’s a little emotional, and that’s completely understandable, given the circumstances. First the incident in Gateway Park a few weeks ago and now this…”
As they left, Stacey shook her head angrily, while she tried to lay back and relax, but to her dismay, the door opened again and Brandon and his sister, Daria walked in. Daria stood bad impassively, she had only come to make sure that her brother stayed out of trouble. Brandon walked over to Stacey’s bedside. “Thank God!! Stacey…I was so worried about you! Are you okay?”
“Brandon…I’m fine, so you can leave now.” She nodded to the door. “I think you’ll find quite a few new sheep for your gathering flock out there!”
Brandon didn’t know what she was talking about, but he ignored it as he walked even closer and stood at her side. He reached down and attempted to touch her hand, but she quickly withdrew it. He signed. “Stacey…I was worried sick about you, and when Anka never came back, I thought the worst!”
“Anka?” she questioned. “You sent her to follow me?” She seemed to boil just under the surface, but even she wasn’t stupid enough to look a gift horse in the mouth. She pulled the ring off her finger and shoved it rudely at him. “Give this THING back to her and tell her that I said…thanks” the last word, oozing with sarcasm.
This peaked Daria’s interest as she watched Brandon handle the ring, looking at it and then turning his attention back to Stacey. “Stacey…I don’t know what…”
Stacey looked away from him, folding her arms, “Could you please just leave…NOW!”
Brandon, started to protest, but Daria put her hand on his arm to stop him. “Brandon…give her space. She’s hurt.” She glanced down at the ring, enormously curious about its significance.
Brandon stared at Stacey, then sighed as he nodded. He walked over laid the ring on the table next to her bed. “Well…I’m glad that you’re okay…my prayers were answered.”
Stacey added, still not looking at him, “Yeah, it looks like you finally got everything that you ever wanted.”
Brandon felt a prick deep down in his gut as if he’d just been hit there, but he didn’t reply. He took a deep breath and turned and walked out the door. Daria lingered there for a moment longer, “For the life of me, I will never understand why my brother loves you so much. You’re an unconscionable bitch in my opinion.”
She cast one more longing look at the ring, then turned and walked out of the room.
Stacey’s eyes immediately welled up with tears. She fought to contain them as they overran her self-imposed barricade and flowed down her face, hot and sticky. “…fuck…Fuck…FUCK!!!” She swore as she wiped roughly at her cheeks.
She hated Brandon Knight…almost as much as she still loved him…
Ruins of Madison Chapel
Madison District, Empire City
Anka perched herself on the soot blackened steeple as she replayed the events of the last few days over inside her head…the confrontation with Superius and then seeing Arella. All of this couldn’t have been coincidence. In her experience, there was no such thing. She had pursued Superius for years as she sought to end him, at least before she found Arella. Thoughts of revenge had been forgotten…at least until the soldiers of Rome captured them and murdered the girl right in front of her. Up until the moment she laid eyes on her the pain of the girl’s death had cut like a knife and the wounds were still flayed open…bleeding and raw.
Why was God doing this to her? Dangling Arella in front of her when she was again so close to getting revenge that she could taste it!
The mighty Superius had been laid low before it and despite his fabled strength and durability, he was at her mercy inside the ruins of the town hall stage. Anka lashed out at him with savage bloodlust…incensed…enraged! His life was hers for the taking…until she saw Arella through the dust and ruin.
Anka already knew that God hated her. What else could explain the reason that she had been forced to endure while the ones that she loved moved on into paradise? She had sinned greatly in God’s eyes and her punishment was eternal. For a time she had believed that keeping the priest safe was the key to her redemption…her eventual ascension into the Kingdom of Heaven. Then she thought that destroying Superius was what God desired of her…only to have ‘her daughter’ dangled in front of her like a water before a man dying of thirst in the middle of a burning hot desert.
This was no coincidence…this was the same game God had played with her since the beginning…scratching the scab from her wounds to cause her even more pain and fuel her rage. It wasn’t a quiet ember…it was a raging fire deep down inside of her, threatening to consume her. She had so many questions and she had never gotten an answers. Now…there was even more questions for which there were no answers!
She spread her wings and soared from the roof of the burned out chapel which was being rebuilt, as she made her way high into the approaching nighttime sky…
Knight Estate
Trinity Hills, Empire City
Daria Knight sat in her study, pouring over the blurry photos of ‘The Angel of Empire City.’ The pictures were horrible…hardly anything could be gleaned from them, but she had seen her in the flesh…and that was far more impressive. Still, these pictures were something tangible…something that she could hold in her hand…much like the ring that Stacey had given to her brother earlier.
She had believed that her brother was a crackpot…with his deluded idea that there was only one God, but now…everything was different. Perhaps there was a lot more to this ‘One God’ thing than she had once thought. Maybe there were things…possibilities that she hadn’t considered.
Damian looked over as his intercom flashed and his manservant spoke to him. “Ms. Knight…I relayed the information, just as you requested. Empire General Hospital, room 2108…”
She smiled, “Good work Drexel.”
Daria sat back and laced her fingers as she picked up a drink and looked off into the distance…her thoughts still on the ring Stacey had tried to give to her brother. Daria didn’t know what secrets or power the ring might have held…but she wanted it…and she was going to get it…or more precisely, someone else was going to get it for her!
The Bowels
Underneath, Empire City
Reaver grinned broadly as she looked at Vixxxen, “Looks like we’re back in the game luv! You and I are gonna pay an old friend a ‘ospital visit!”
Vixxxen arched her eyebrow, “An old friend? Does that mean we don’t get to kill them?”
Reaver shrugged, “We’re not supposed to…but this is a special case Luv…and accidents do ‘appen…”
The two women shared a laugh over their second chance at ending the life of Detective Stacey Jordan…
EPISODE CREDITS
CAST (In order of appearance)
Detective Stacey Jordan … Nina Stokes
Doctor … Keith Tobey
Female Doctor … Agnes Lesshead
Brandon Knight … Ace Watson
Daria Knight … Missy
Anka … Kenzi Grey
Reaver … Melissa Reeves
Vixxxen … Katie Anderson
Directed by … DubbleFC
Screenplay by … Ron B.
Produced by … CTN Television Studios
Casting by … Maleek Raheem
Music by … Guilty Pleasure
|
|
|
|
Post by Publicist on Oct 8, 2017 7:28:54 GMT -5
Chapter XVIII: The Merits of Being Super
Empire City General
Downtown, Empire City
Brandon scoffed as he looked at the latest edition of the Weekly Citizen. He read the part of the paper that he found to be so ‘humorous’ aloud. “…it was thanks to the mighty god Superius that more innocent lives were not lost in the attack by Gaia on Caesar’s Coliseum…” He shook his head and tossed the paper aside. “Superius! As if he had done it all himself…saved the world…”
Yes, Superius had indeed held up the massive pillar which would have brought the entire structure down and killed dozens or even hundreds, but what was lost on everyone is that Superius himself had been the target. Had he not 'returned' there would have been no attack...no more loss of life. Brandon didn’t understand how people could put so much faith…blind faith…into something or someone. Superius wasn’t a god…he was just a man…a super man perhaps…but a man all the same. No man was greater than God…and no man was worthy of being worshiped. The people of Empire City had forgotten about God…had replaced God with mere men…men like Superius.
Superius had cast a long shadow over the city since he returned…all too long and equally untimely…at least in the minds of some. What impact would the sighting of an angel have had on the masses had Superius not returned when he did? Likely, the impact would have been greater…more immediate, much more profound. In the end, Brandon was no less happy about the timing than one would have thought. What better way to show the glory of God when compared side by side with the imperfection of man.
There had been many converts since the sighting in Gateway Park. There had been a resurgence of the ‘One God’ faith…yet…out of all of those who had become followers, the one that he cared for beyond all others resisted at every turn. Stacey Lynn Jordan…one of Empire City’s finest and the recipient of not just one but two miracles. Lifted from the jaws of certain death in Gateway Park then spared again from critical injury after being shot in the back at point blank range during the incident in the bank. If there was anyone in Empire City who should have seen the power of God and embraced Him…it should have been her.
Brandon sighed to himself as he dressed and adjusted his collar. There would be plenty of time to dwell on the reason why Stacey fought against the truth the way she did, but now was the time to tend to those who did believe. He walked to the balcony overlooking the street and out at the masses of people gathered there…all waiting to hear him speak…all waiting to receive the word of God.
Empire City General
Downtown, Empire City
“Thank you so much for calling Spike…you take care of yourself…and give Michelle my best…” Stacey Jordan smiled as she hung up the phone. If nothing else, she got a good feeling from having played some small part in helping to save Spike’s friend. There had been questions over whether she had actually been shot by Michelle, but Stacey had given a statement to absolve her of any wrong doing. Of course, she omitted the part about the girl being possessed by a Shadow Demon…or whatever the hell that thing was. The point was she had done her duty and one more person in the city had been saved. Maybe she didn’t have powers like Spike, but she had done what she could…all without the merit of being super.
She glanced over at the table beside her bed at the golden ring that had saved her life. She had to admit that she would have been a lot more help if she had super powers…but would that have been a blessing or a curse? Perhaps it was more the latter. Spike didn’t seem to revel in his powers. As a matter of a fact he seemed to go out of his way to hide them. No surprise really, seeing all of the attention the supers got. Some good…some bad…a majority of it annoying.
Stacey looked up as she heard a knock on her door and one of the nurses stuck her head inside the room. “I’m sorry Ms. Jordan…but you have a pair of visitors here insisting on seeing you. They say that they are…old friends…”
Stacey shook her head. “I don’t really feel like seeing anyone right now…I…” She paused as she looked a little closer at the nurse and she realized that the woman was sweating profusely and seemed to be scared out of her wits.
The woman looked nervously behind her and then back to Stacey. “Ms. Jordan…I…”
Before she could do anything, the woman was shoved violently into the room, and sent skidding across the floor. Stacey looked down at the terrified woman, then reached for the call button and began pushing it quickly.
“You can call for help all you want little Miss Piggy, but I wouldn’t hold my breath while waiting for it. You’ve got something that we want…and you’re going to give it to us…or you’re gonna burn sweet cheeks…you’re gonna burn!”
Stacey Jordan looked in the corner at the nurse cowering there in fear and then into the villainous eyes of the two intruders who had forced their way into her room. Stacey’s eyes grew wide as she looked at the pair with surprise, recognizing them instantly as Vixxxen and Reaver, the two women that had strapped explosives to her and tried to blow her ass all over Gateway Park. She continued pressing the call button frantically, but Vixxxen merely extended a single finger and sent a stream of fire across the room that burned through the cord.
“Come on lady! Who in the hell do you think is going to be able to help you against us in this place?”
She paused as Reaver tugged on her arm to get her attention, “Maybe Doctor Strange, do you think he works 'ere Luv?”
As the pair laughed, Stacey rolled out of the bed and grabbed her chest, still feeling the pain from her gunshot wounds. She felt completely naked without her gun…helpless…powerless…not that it had done her any good last week. All the same, at least she would have been armed and she would have had a fighting chance. She pointed at the pair. “LOOK!! I don’t know what you want…but if you don’t want to end up in a shit storm, you might want to turn around and walk out of here!”
Reever spoke up, “Shit storm? Luv, you’re th' only one in a bloody world of shit right now!” The woman flicked her hands up as long vicious looking claws appeared.
Stacey flinched as she remembered the pain of being skewered by one of those wicked barbs, but she remained as defiant as she could…given her situation. “Just let the nurse go…then we can talk about what it is that you want, okay?!”
Vixxxen produced a massive fireball in one hand and pointed to the nurse with the other. “You are in no position to negotiate bitch!”
Stacey stumbled across the room and threw herself in front of the nurse, shielding her with her own body. “YOU ASSHOLES NEED TO LEAVE, NOW!” Stacey trembled with fear, but she wasn’t going to give them the satisfaction of seeing her grovel.
The terrified nurse that Stacey was trying to protect began to scream out. “FOR GOD’S SAKE!! JUST GIVE THEM WHAT THEY WANT!! I HAVE A FAMILY!!”
Stacey turned and glared at her. “Damn it! I don’t know what they want…but I know these two, and trust me…they will kill us anyway!”
Despite the warning, the nurse shoved Stacey aside and ran over to the pair. “PLEASE DON’T KILL ME!!”
The pair looked at one another and then grinned sadistically. Vixxxen put her arm around the nurse, “Tell me a story sweetness…what do you know about the Detective? I mean like personal stuff, like…does she have a boyfriend, or is she married? I don’t see a ring on her finger, but…you get it, right?”
The woman was on the verge of hysterics. “I-I don’t know! S-She’s only had o-one visitor since s-she’s been here…BRANDON KNIGHT!!”
Reaver arched her eyebrow, looking at Stacey with a rye grin, “You shagging th’ Holyman you naughty little piggy?”
The woman grabbed Vixxxen, “Please!! Will you let me go? I told you what I know!!”
Vixxxen stared at her and stood aside and pointed to the door. The woman looked back at Stacey, with tears in her eyes. “I’m s-sorry… I-I have a f-family…”
Stacey’s eyes dropped to the floor. She didn’t want to see what happened next. The woman reached for the door and opened it, just as Vixxxen turned and hit her squarely in the back with a massive ball of fire. The woman screamed as she burst into flames and stumbled into the hallway. Vixxxen snickered as she called after the screaming woman. “I think there’s fire extinguisher down the hall on the right!” She turned back to Stacey with a vicious smirk on her face. “Oops! It’s really on the left! Now Detective…what to do with you?”
Stacey got to her feet and backed away from the pair. “You two crazy bitches are going to jail…I promise you that!”
Vixxxen snorted, “Tell me officer…how do you like your bacon?!!” Vixxxen threw a fireball at Stacey. There was a tremendous crash of glass as she fell through the window…with the entire frame up in flames.
Vixxxen chuckled to herself as she turned and looked at Reaver. “Let’s go downstairs and check her ashes for the ring Daria sent us here to get.”
Reaver grinned as she scooped the ring up from the table, whirling it around her elongated claw. “No need Luv! It looks like Ms. Piggy left it here for us! Nice of ‘er, eh?”
Vixxxen smiled as she walked over and plucked the ring from her partner and patted her on the backside, “Maybe we should go see the priest? I feel like I should confess or something!”
The pair laughed as they left the hospital in the midst of screams of terror…
EPISODE CREDITS
CAST (In order of appearance)
Father Brandon Knight … Ace Watson
Detective Stacey Jordan … Nina Stokes
Nurse … Lupita Sanchez
Reaver … Melissa Reeves
Vixxxen … Katie Anderson
Directed by … DubbleFC
Screenplay by … Ron B.
Produced by … CTN Television Studios
Casting by … Maleek Raheem
Music by … Guilty Pleasure
|
|
|
|
Post by Publicist on Oct 8, 2017 7:30:01 GMT -5
Chapter XIX: Just Have a Little Faith
Empire City General
Downtown, Empire City
“Tell me officer…how do you like your bacon?!!”
The words echoed inside her head as Vixxxen launched a massive fireball at her. Even as she backed away, she knew that these were her final moments on earth. She had hoped to at least die with the satisfaction of knowing that she had denied them the satisfaction of seeing her grovel for her life, unlike the nurse that now lay in the hallway, burned to a crisp.
‘Yeah… let’s see God get you out of this one moron…’ she thought to herself.
It all came together in a flash. The fireball was hurled at her, just as she fell back and braced herself against it. Her body fell against the window, and then crashed right through it. Even as she toppled over, she felt the heat lash across her and explode all around.
She thought to herself; ‘Not only do I get to burn to death…but I get to take the express all the way to the ground floor!’
Stacey reached out instinctively, her hands grabbing for purchase wherever they could find…even as she saw the world spinning wildly out of control beneath her. Suddenly, inexplicably her decent stopped, then she felt a hard jerk at her shoulder as her right hand found a jutting piece of concrete. The pain exploded in her arm and she nearly cried out, but she stifled it, even as tears rolled down her cheeks, betraying her secret heart.
She hadn’t hung there a second, when she realized that the remnants of her gown were aflame and no matter what she did she’d not escape death on this day. Her free hand beat at the flames, but it was no use she’d burn until she let go, and once she did she’d fall five floors to the ground below. Oddly, the only thought she had in her mind at the moment wasn’t of how hot the flames were or how hard the ground was but how silly she’d look in the crime scene photos.
‘FUCK! I’m not wearing any underwear…aint this a bitch!’
She could feel her fingers slipping…first one…then two…three…finally she dangled by a single finger. She looked up, not wanting to see the ground as it rushed up to meet her. This was as good a moment as any other to commune with Brandon’s God…especially since she was about to find out if he was real or not…
“…I…” The words caught in her throat, even as she slipped and tumbled down.
She lost her breath as she tumbled and felt something hard strike her side. There was a loud ‘POP’ and something scratched her face, arms, and legs…even as she once again found herself hurdling down. Her body, caught and hitched, even as her she held her eyes shut tight against what had to be the unenviable end.
“UMPH!!!” Her body hit, then caught on something, hanging awkwardly as she slowly opened her eyes. The ground was only a few feet away…but what had happe…
CRACK!!
Stacey slammed into the ground with a muddy splash, landing on her back and staring up through the tangled mass of broken tree limbs above her. As she lay there, she reached down and found that the flames had been doused by the mud…sparing her further injury.
She didn’t move for a minute or two more, staring up as she took quiet inventory of all of her body parts and powers of deductive reasoning. She rolled over slowly, pushing herself up onto her knees, even as she spoke aloud. “This doesn’t mean that I believe in you…”
A clap of thunder pierced the sky and a sudden downpour seemed to come from nowhere, soaking her almost instantly. Stacey shook her head as she struggled to get to her feet, then staggered and fell against the side of the tree. Her body was still a wreck…and suddenly she had second thoughts about her previous desire to give up the ring so quickly…
‘…the ring…’
Stacey thought back to the moment that Vixxxen and Reaver had come in. She had believed they had come to kill her…to finish the job they hadn’t in Gateway Park. However, there seemed to be more to their visit…they wanted something from her, something more than her death. They had come after the ring, there was no other explanation. She had to get back up to her room to see if it was still there.
She rubbed her aching shoulder, moving it as she did. That was a good sign…if nothing else. A broken shoulder would be the last thing she needed. She stood up slowly and began making her way towards the nearest entrance. She needed more time to recuperate, but time was no longer a luxury that she could afford. She needed to be certain of what she already knew, the ring was gone…and that meant one thing…someone had sent those murdering bitches after her, and she only needed one guess to figure out who had done it…
…Daria Knight…
Gateway Park
Empire City
The bronze 100 foot tall statue of Superius gleamed in the bright summer sunlight, before it was a mass of people on the damp grass of a park that had seen its fair share of disaster over the last month. At the feet of the enormous bronze statue was a pulpit and 3 large picture frames, across the front was a picture of each and every police officer, soldier, or ordinary citizen lost in the past month. From there was the crowd, the first rows of people were the direct mourners; the real losers in this past month of conflict. Friends, family and loved ones of every unnamed cop, soldier or civilian. After them were throngs of people assembling on the lawn, all the way to the street en masse; halting traffic and stopping city businesses eager to resume 'business as usual' in these unordinary times.
Moving up before the pulpit was Brandon Knight, the good book grasped in his left hand, greeted by an uproar of cheers at his presence. Empire City it seemed needed God now more than ever. "Good Morning. Thank you for coming. On this day of remembrance." Brandon Knight spoke calmly, pacifying the humongous gathering before him. "In our world of science...and technology...and supers...it's easy to turn a blind eye towards a God most of us might not feel exists; and I assure all of you I'm not here today to try to convince you otherwise. I'm here to lay to rest hundreds of brave souls who some might feel have been sent to the cold hard ground before their 'time', their lives extinguished like the blowing of a candle flame never to be heard from again. There is no comfort to be had in such an idea, my friends. So, I'm here to tell you that science itself supports the idea of an afterlife, even when it won't support the idea of One God; for all humans be they super or not, are composed of energy...and my friends energy is something that cannot die even if the shell around it withers...it can only change form. Like boiling water turns to steam, like burning wood turns to heat and smoke, these people, as we know them are dead, but what was within them...they're...spirit, their soul or whatever you'd like to call it...is not."
Sniffles began, as the onlookers bowed their heads out of respect, others looked upon the images emblazoned on the plaques as Brandon spoke.
"By meeting here today we do not condemn them to an eternity in the ground, we set them free to experience existence in some way that we as mere mortals won't yet get a chance to. As a minister of faith, I'm inclined to tell you, that I believe all things happen for a reason. This...tragedy...isn't for naught. This is a chance for all of us to see the mistakes we've made and act upon them. Violence doesn't always have to beget violence. It's so very easy to feel the need for vengeance in this terrible time. It's so incredibly easy to feel hatred and anger for those that would do us harm. These are all HUMAN emotions, be you calling yourself superhuman...or just plain ordinary human, I assure you, we're all just HUMAN in the eyes of God. It's also very easy to turn our minds away from God, after all...without Him we can have our fast money, our fast cars, and our aimless deaths. But today I encourage you, all of you not to do what is easy, but to do what is hard. It's hard turning the other cheek and moving on, it's hard forgiving those that have wronged you, it's hard to let go of our old fears and prejudices. I know this. History has proven that we as humans have simply done what is easy, and not what is hard. I'm asking everyone to consider this tragedy of life not as an excuse to hate, but as a reason to love."
--------------------
His voice sang out over the masses who listened intently; on the fringe of the mob, in the midst of a tiny walkway between two buildings stood Arella, quite unnoticed by the people gathered just feet away from her. Her brow was furled and her face hard with concentration as she watched and listened to the man who was now the most powerful minister of faith in all of Empire City, a man she had ironically led to that very position after her encounter with him when he was an officer of the law. She had not known the purpose for leading ‘the lamb’ into his true calling at the time…but it was not her place to know her Father’s will…only that Brandon needed to hear ‘the call’ of God so that he could fulfill his potential. When she ‘died’ yet again, Brandon heard the call and committed himself to the One God faith, ripening his spirit for the harvest that would soon come.
Brandon’s crisis of faith in the wake of the church burnings and the resurgence of meta worship had all been part of her Father’s plan. The Lamb would be the key to unlocking the gates that would allow her Father and his vast army to enter the Kingdom and finally bring about the End Times. Everything had gone according to plan…until Anka had appeared, emboldening not only Brandon but the city itself to rally to the One God. Faith was now running rampant and faith strengthened the Kingdom and its barriers. Faith would need to be broken if her Father’s aims were to be realized.
She whispered to herself, “Father, I will not fail you again…” She stepped back, her dark almond shaped eyes scanning the crowd…seeing deeper than any human eyes could see as she sought out those with power, those who could be turned to her will. She had lost one ally in the struggle with her ‘Mother’ but Empire City was a near endless wellspring of meta humanity now…souls that she could possess if they were weak enough.
Arella smiled as she found one such plaything…a young girl on the fringes of society, a runaway gifted with power…shunned as a freak by her family and friends. Arella could feel the power coursing through her…like a gathering storm ready to break. She had come here hoping to find solace and reconnect with humanity…maybe to find an answer to why she had been made different…and for what purpose. Arella had a purpose for her…a glorious purpose.
Arella focused her power on the girl, or more precisely her pain and discord. It shown like a beacon even as her eyes clouded over and she was cast into darkness.
The Shadow gathered…crawling up through the earth as it took root inside a new host…perhaps more powerful than the first. This one called herself Athena…how appropriate…
---------------
Athena stood at the edge of the crowd, listening to the priest as he talked about God, souls, and spirits. She had never been a believer in the One God, she hardly believed in anything, especially since she had nothing. She had been shunned by her family because of her abilities. They had been avid believers in the One God, so much so that they branded her an abomination. She fled from her home and lived in the streets, a lost young girl looking for meaning and purpose. She thought for a time she had found it in Gaia…a woman who reveled in her power and sought to liberate those like her from human oppression…but Gaia had been defeated, and now she was again cast out into the dark and choppy seas like a rudderless ship.
Perhaps religion was the answer…like her parents had always said. Perhaps if she asked the One God to take away the curse He had placed on her, she could have her life back. She listened to Brandon talk and talk about humans and metas and how they were all one in the same, despite the brewing disharmony between them. People needed to accept one another for who and what they were…but how could they when those who shared the same blood could not accept their own?
A single tear coursed down her face as she realized that it was only words…just like those her parents had bombarded her with. They meant less than nothing because there was no God…or more precisely, none that cared for those like her. The tear sparked on her cheek, popped and evaporated like water on a heated skillet as the anger inside her festered and boiled over…
---------------
The Shadow Arella summoned was called to the girl’s broken spirit and took root inside her, reveling in the sorrow inside of her…feeding on the anger.
The girl was a shattered vessel and darkness greedily filled those cracks and blossomed inside her. Arella had her new charge…one that would help turn the people shatter the fragile truce that the Lamb sought to build.
At the pulpit, Brandon continued on, "...we pray for their souls. The bodies of the deceased will be remembered...in one mass monument."
Arella couldn’t help but to smirk as the girl turned to her purpose…and her powers were unleashed…
The air coursed with static and the crowd felt the hairs on their heads raise up. There was an uneasy feeling among the people as they looked around. Brandon stopped and glanced around, people in the crowd doing the same...panic it would seem was all too familiar to these people, glancing around with worried glances. Brandon tried to continue, but a sound like thunder knocked many to the ground as lightning pierced the ground around them.
Brandon held his hands up, to try to calm the flock, as they stood gripping those close by. He searched the sky, but it was bright and clear, not a cloud to be seen anywhere. Frightened voices from the crowd rose…
"What's happening?" a woman cried.
KRACK!!
Lightning hit again, knocking the three stands of photographs over in front of the procession, Brandon himself falling onto his back on the platform the entire crowd starting to run in a panic.
A large man in the crowd held his hand up and pointed, “IT’S A META!”
All eyes turned towards Athena as she rose from the ground, lightning arcing from her body and striking not only the ground but panicked people as they stampeded like frightened cattle. The entire crowd seemed to scream the kind of scream you might hear in a grade school classroom, only with a lot less glee. The funeral gathering turned into a mob instantly, fleeing for their respective lives.
Athena hovered up, glancing around as she lashed out at the people around her.
Her eyes furtively darted around her at the crowd as some fled, others stayed, tossing rocks at her, in seconds the police had rolled out in force in full riot gear, quickly dissuading any civilians from taking action. Gritting her teeth, she took one final look at Gateway Park, the ground littered with the writhing bodies of her victims, people screaming, crying at the travesty of seeing yet another meta attack. She shrugged, and rose higher out of the reach of their hurled rocks and the weapons of the police as they attempted to stop her. In an instant, she was gone…leaving only devastation in her wake.
Arella’s vision slowly returned to her as she watched the scene of chaos all around her…and she smiled…
---------------
Brandon stared at the chaotic scene all around him even as he did what he could to allay the fears of the people, but it was of little use. The events of the evening had galvanized the crowd…the mob…and now it was beyond his ability to quell. Anti-Meta sentiment spread rapidly as the people shouted at the top of their lungs…
“SACRILEGE!”
“THEY SHOULD ALL BURN IN HELL!!”
“THEY ARE EVIL!! EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM!!”
Brandon wanted to tell them that it wasn’t so…that their fear and hatred had gotten the better of them, but in fact it had gotten the better of him as well. Brandon pursed his lips as he closed his eyes and turned his face up towards the heavens. “God…I know that you work in mysterious ways, but this…this will tear the city apart! Set brother against brother…us against them!”
He opened his eyes and looked back down at the devastation. He could feel it…the tide was turning here. Once…people ran in fear of what they didn’t understand…but now? Who could say…
Empire City was as Rome was before…a mob. Once, Rome burned…how long would it be before the whole of Empire City did the same?
Brandon turned and looked to the sky…even as it now suddenly began to turn black with thunderheads. “Anka…where are you?” He sighed. “We could all really use a little faith right now…”
EPISODE CREDITS
CAST (In order of appearance)
Vixxxen … Katie Anderson
Detective Stacey Jordan … Nina Stokes
Father Brandon Knight … Ace Watson
Arella … Orchid
Athena … Cass Baumer
Directed by … DubbleFC
Screenplay by … Ron B.
Produced by … CTN Television Studios
Casting by … Maleek Raheem
Music by … Guilty Pleasure
|
|
|
|
Post by Publicist on Oct 8, 2017 7:31:22 GMT -5
Chapter XX: Where There’s Smoke…
Knight Corporate HeadquartersEmpire City
Daria Knight’s personal assistant, a demure female looking all of 20 years old, looked up as the door's to the suite slid open, "Good afternoon, can I hel..."
The woman's voice caught in her throat as she saw the hulking brute that towered over her. She cowered behind her desk as the massive half-man half-machine glared at her.
The giant looked around, then placed one of his massive hands on her desk. “Yes, I'd like to see Daria Knight...RIGHT FUCKING NOW!”
CRASH
The desk in front of the woman exploded into a thousand shards of broken oak as he drove his fist through it. He glared at her. “Right now I pay you people a disgusting amount of money to ensure that I maintain a lucrative following!! MY PLACE WAS VANDALIZED YESTERDAY!! NO ONE HAS SHOWN UP TO GIVE TRIBUTE…and I want to know what Daria Knight is going to do about it…?!”
Even though this last sentence was spoken softly, she had no doubt that it contained the most malice. “Look Sir…I-I want to help you…b-but Ms. Knight is in a m-meeting right now…”
The hulking brute stood to his full height, nearly touching the nine-foot ceiling with the top of his head. “Tell me sweetheart…is the person she’s meeting with capable of turning this building into rubble with his bare hands?!” The woman continued to cower, and he took that as an answer in the negative. “Then I suggest that you go get her…NOW!!”
The women disappeared inside Ms. Knight’s office, then immerged a moment later with the woman herself in tow.
Daria glanced down at the shattered desk, then up at the massive man standing in front of her. “Kraksis…I believe I’ll have to send you a bill for that.”
The cyborg threw back his head and laughed. “Knight…you won’t be getting another denarius from me until you live up to your contract and put asses back into the seats of my synagogue!”
Daria shrugged her shoulders. “What can I say? We are all in a bad patch at the moment…especially after the attack in Gateway Park, there is just so much anti-meta sentiment…”
“I AM A GOD TO THEM!” He corrected, rather forcefully.
Daria nodded. “All the same…as you are well aware, our contract doesn’t extend to compelling the masses to support you. You have to bare that responsibility on your own.”
Kraksis roared. “I DON’T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT CONTRACTS!!! YOU HAD BETTER DO SOMETHING…OR YOU’LL REGRET IT YOU BITCH!!”
Daria arched her brow at the man. “Careful…I’d hate to think that you’d be stupid enough to threaten me.” She waved the man off as she turned her back on him. “Show yourself out now…you’ve taken up enough of my time here today.”
The electronic eye in the center of Kraksis’ forehead glowed even more intensely as he clenched his fists and began stalking after the CEO. “YOU SELF SERVING BITCH!! WE AINT DONE TALKING YET YOU STUPID CUN…”
Kraksis’ words hung in the air as they were the last that he uttered. Only a gurgle escaped his throat as he felt to his knees, his hands going up to the ragged hole that now spewed a mixture of blood and some milky white substance that had once sustained the cybernetics that enhanced his already enormous strength.
From behind him, Reaver stalked, flicking the gore from her clawed hand.
A low drone filled the air as the lights in the entire building flickered for a moment and Kraksis froze in place. Reaver sighed as she glanced at Daria, “I think that bloody sot was about to call you a cunt!” She shook her head with a smirk, “Filthy bastard!” She raised her booted foot and kicked the cyborg down to the floor.
The floor shook with the impact of his massive body and Daria’s assistant screamed as sparks erupted from the cybernetic implants throughout Kraksis’ body.
Daria looked over her shoulder, then arched her brow. “It took you long enough. Do you have what I sent you for?” Daria stared as Vixxxen walked in, stepping over the still sparking body, tossing the ring to her. Daria caught it and smiled as she walked back into her office and sat behind her desk. She eyed the two women, “I take it there was no problem?”
Vixxxen shrugged, “Nothing a little fire and a 10 story drop couldn’t rectify.” She looked at Reaver and the two of them shared a chuckle.
Daria rubbed her temples, “Tell me that you didn’t kill Detective Jordan…”
Reaver spoke up, “We could tell you that…but it would be a bloody boldfaced lie.”
Daria pounded her fist on the desk in anger, not that Stacey was dead, but that she would now have to listen to her brother whine and cry about it until the day he died. She looked at the two women, “Seriously, you two are like human sledgehammers!”
Reaver rolled her eyes, “Relax Ms. Moneybags! Trust us when we tell you, the pig ‘ad it coming! Now, all you ‘ave to do is say the word, and we will take care of the priest next!”
Daria raised her hand, “NO! That will do…for now.” Vixxxen and Reaver looked at one another, disappointment coloring their cheeks. Regardless, Daria didn’t want them harming her brother. Daria waived for her frightened assistant to come into the office, “Lois, please arrange payment for these two ladies, and…” she gestured towards the sparking remains of Kraksis, “…be a dear and have someone get up here and get rid of that.”
Lois looked down at the unmoving giant, then back to Daria. “Shall I call the police?”
Daria shook her head, “No…call up maintenance, maybe they can salvage some of him for scrap. I don’t care what they do with the rest.”
Lois nodded nervously, then waved for Vixxxen and Reaver to follow her out. As they left, a tall thin man walked in. The man regarded the downed giant with only a passing interest, then stepped over him as he walked into Daria’s office. “It appears as though the natives are growing restless Ms. Knight.”
Daria chuckled. “Yes Drexel…very nervous in deed. With so many people turning against Supers…Meta…Gods or whatever they want to be called this week…it’s only a matter of time before I get another call from our mysterious partner…urging me to do something to either quell or enflame it.” She sighed “I’m weary of his constant prattle! I’d sever ties with him…if it wouldn’t bring me to financial ruin.” She sneered, “He was wise to maintain his anonymity.”
Drexel nodded. “On to other matters of interest ma’am.” He smiled as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a series of blurry photographs and handed them to Daria.
She took the pictures and looked over them. “The battle against the red-headed gravity witch?” She looked at the pictures, most of them of Gaia…but a few with a winged blur in them. Daria raised her eyebrows. “The Angel of Empire City…? Not particularly photogenic…”
Drexel shook his head, “No…but trust me, you’ll find the last photo clear enough I’ll warrant.”
Daria tossed aside all but the final photograph. She stared at it for a long while, then looked over at his manservant. “Is this a picture of what I think it is?” Drexel nodded and Daria smiled as she put the photo down, apparently showing Gaia perched along side a blurry winged apparition days before the Coliseum battle. “Angels and Demons acting rather cozy together…my, my, my…what would my little brother think?! This is a VERY interesting development…”
Drexel nodded. “I thought you’d be intrigued.” He asked, “Will we be contacting our mysterious benefactor and apprising him of our recent findings?”
Daria was silent for a moment as he considered Drexel’s question. Slowly she shook her head, even though this was exactly what the man wanted, evidence to discredit the Angel. Once that was done, he would order her brother killed. She wasn’t ready for that extreme. “No…not just yet. I’m starting to see other possibilities now…”
She smiled as she laced her fingers in quiet contemplation.
Madison District Police Station
Empire City
Detective Jordan walked into the police station, still wearing her half burned hospital gown, covered with mud. With her own clothes blooded and booked into evidence, she was thankful that one of the uniformed officers that had responded to the hospital had a spare jacket for her. Sergeant Bradinski’s mouth fell open as he stared at her from behind his desk. He started to speak, but Stacey stared at him through her stringy wet locks of hair. “NOT a single word Al! I’m not in the mood for any more fucking pig jokes…not today!” She started to walk back towards her office, then she stopped and turned back to him. “I want you to send units over to Madison Chapel and to Knight Estates and have them bring in Brandon and Daria Knight. I need to question the both of them.” She paused, then added, “I want them to keep an eye open for a pair of rouge Metas…females, both brunets.”
Bradinski smiled a bit. “What’s their power? The uncanny ability to sling mud at half naked women?”
Stacey cut a look at the Desk Sergeant that immediately shut him up. “One has claws…claws that nearly ripped me to pieces and the other tosses fire! If you’re looking for a witness, check Empire General…there’s a nurse burned to death on the 10th floor! Anymore stupid fucking questions, Sergeant Bradinski?”
He lowered his head as he answered, “Errr…no…no Ma’am.”
Stacey didn’t stick around as he dispatched the requested units. She walked into her office and slammed the door as she collapsed down into her chair. She should have gone home to recuperate, but she was too pissed and her mind was racing over the events of the last few days. “What in the hell is the damn deal with that ring?!”
Stacey knew the answer to that particular question…in fact she had felt the ring’s power after she’d been shot during the bank hold up. The ring had saved her life but that didn’t change the fact that it had come from Anka Jarius, the woman with eyes like Gwen Parr…the eyes of a woman that could snap at any moment. Stacey didn’t like her and didn’t trust her, and as far as she was concerned the responsibility for the death of the nurse in the hospital was shared by her as well as the two psychopaths that had come after her…likely after the ring.
It was Anka’s fault that Brandon was in the middle of all of this, and she had no doubt that it would lead him to a bad end… just like his obsession with Gwen years earlier. Anka wasn’t an angel or anything of the sort…she was trouble…pure and simple. For all she knew Anka was responsible for burning down Madison Chapel…
She paused for a moment as she turned and looked at the board with pictures of the Gateway Park incident pinned to it. She looked at the ‘angel pictures’ and she noted how they image blurred whenever someone tried to photograph her. Stacey narrowed her eyes in deep thought, then she opened her drawer of open case files. She flipped through them all until she found the one she was looking for. She pulled it out and laid it on her desk, staring at the name she has scrawled across the front of the folder…
One God Church Fires
Stacey flipped open the file and looked over the pictures of burned out churches throughout Empire City. They all looked the same in the crime scene photos…so many piles of burned timber. These were the pictures that all of Empire City saw, but these weren’t all the pictures that there were. There were random pictures taken by surveillance video and pictures taken by bystanders, pictures that she had poured over endlessly when the investigation first opened. She had spent hours looking at the photographs, hoping to find something…and finally, she had.
She stared at one picture…and then another…and another…and another. The pictures were all different, taken at different times and different places but what was the same was the strange blur that seemed to be in a majority of the pictures. She had chalked them up to imperfections in the prints but now she saw that it was anything but.
She reached up and pulled the picture of ‘The Angel of Empire City’ down from her board and laid it next to the others… and the blur was practically the same. Stacey’s breath caught in her throat. Anka or Hexx or whatever the fuck she called herself had been at the One God Church fires…there was no mistaking it.
She pounded her fist on the desk as she looked at the clock. It had only been a few minutes since the patrols had been dispatched to pick up Brandon and his sister. Now she did her best to will them there faster.
Stacey hadn’t trusted Anka from the start and now she knew why! The woman…if you could even call her that, was bad news. The trick was to make Brandon see it before it was too late…
EPISODE CREDITS
CAST (In order of appearance)
Lois [Monroe] … Trixie
Kraksis … Yohan Thornburg
Daria Knight … Missy
Reaver … Melissa Reaves
Vixxxen … Katie Anderson
Drexel … Oliver Mann
Detective Stacey Jordan … Nina Stokes
Officer Bradski … Todd Berryman
Directed by … DubbleFC
Screenplay by … Ron B.
Produced by … CTN Television Studios
Casting by … Maleek Raheem
Music by … Guilty Pleasure
|
|
|
|
Post by Publicist on Oct 8, 2017 7:33:15 GMT -5
Chapter XXI: Faithless… (Part 1)
Madison ChapelEmpire City
Father Brandon Knight approached the pulpit of the newly restored church and he felt his collar tighten around his neck. It had been a wonderful blessing to see the outpouring of support for the One God Faith, but now as tensions rose in the city, people were flocking in droves looking for something, anything that they could latch on to for hope. His church had reached max capacity and now video cameras had been added to project the word of God throughout the whole of Empire City. That was a lot of pressure…and he hoped that he would be equal to the task.
As the people traversed back and forth through the sprawling metropolis, they all turned their attention towards the massive video screen overlooking the downtown area as Brandon appeared there. Throughout the city, the image of the “One God Church” spiritual leader appeared inside the homes of people who believed in his religion and those who didn’t believe as well.
Down in the streets, people who hated him and people who adored him all stood together…transfixed by what he would say. His words cut to the heart of the issue that was now tearing Empire City apart…
“Ladies and gentlemen…humans and metas…good people of Empire City. Right now, we are in the midst of would could amount to a civil war, pitting brother against brother…daughter against mother…and father against son. Senseless hate…senseless violence…senseless killing…and all for what? Because of foolish differences? Look at the person next to you…GO AHEAD! LOOK AT THEM!”
Everywhere, people turned to look at one another. Loved ones…relatives…complete strangers.
“Ask yourself…why do I hate this person? Why do I fear that person? Why do I accept this person? Why do I love that person? Is it because they are or aren’t like you? Is it because they care or do not care about you? Is it because they were or weren’t born different from you? There are a million questions that I can ask to each and every one of you…be you human…be you meta, it makes no difference! In the end we must all find a way to get along and exist together…as one!”
The people looked at each other, then back to the screen as Brandon continued.
“I’m a human…a norm…whatever you want to call me. I don’t have special powers…secret abilities…anything like that. I live my life as best I can, one day at a time. I came into this world and I soon learned that my days upon it would be numbered…just like each and every one of you. I had a choice to make…spend that time wallowing in hate, fear, and mistrust, or holding my head up high and embracing my fellow man, celebrating our differences, reveling in our similarities. Life is short people…it’s too damn short to waste like that…far too precious a gift to throw away.”
He shook his head in disgust.
“I know that a lot of you fear the metas among us…you mistrust them, but ask yourself…do they not have cause to fear us as well? Why do many feel they need to hide their abilities, hide themselves from us? The answer is simple…it’s just human nature. Why do we live in an age of plastic surgery? Because we want to change or hide what we don’t like…or worse…what others don’t like about ourselves. IT’S WRONG AND IT’S AMORAL!! I don’t care if you believe in One God…many gods…or NO god! We were all made special…all made unique…and all made from the very same primordial ooze that birthed the very first of us!”
The congregation and hundreds in the streets and at home nodded and cried out in agreement with his wise words.
“I’m made from the very same flesh as the rest of you…and we are made from the very same flesh as people such as the great General Superius! Why should we hate that which is ourselves?”
He paused, looking out at the masses.
“Yes…some metas have hurt us…some have killed us…”
A voice rose up from the back…
“LIKE THAT BITCH FROM THE FUNERAL SERVICE!!! DIRTY FILTHY META BITCH!!!”
Some murmured in agreement and other gasped in shock. Out on the streets, the very same woman the masses railed about walked among the masses, her face hidden under a hoodie as she listened to the words of the priest. Athena smiled...knowing the part she had played in all of this...and the part she still had left to play.
Back inside Madison Chapel, Brandon looked out over the flock and continued to speak, but more directly now to the militant portion of his listeners…
“…have we not done the same to them? Have we not killed their kind as well?” He opened his collar and revealed a nasty scar across the side of his neck. “…have we not done the same to each other?”
He replaced his collar and more mummers came from he multitudes…
“We must end this strife between us before it ends us all! I’m calling for a citywide stop to the violence and hate. I’m asking each and every one of you to come together in peace…so that we can work out our differences, once and for all! I want no more division between us, no more distinction between what is normal and what is not! We are all the same…brothers and sisters…citizens of Empire City…”
As he finished, he walked to the back of the church and was stopped by a uniformed officer.
He nodded towards the priest, “Brandon Knight, sir…would you please come with me?”
Though it was phrased as a question, there was no questioning the intent. Brandon stared at the officer, “What is this all about?”
The officer responded, Detective Jordan has directed that you be placed in protective custody…she believes that…that you are in danger.”
Brandon sighed and threw up his hands. “Son, right now, we are all in danger…so, let’s go.”
Brandon was loath to leave the chapel, but Stacey had sent a unit for him, so she obviously thought that it was serious…he just didn’t know how serious…
Black Ops Site
Undisclosed Location
Daria Knight tapped her foot impatiently.
“Well? Can you tell me what it is or how it works?”
The young woman looked up from behind the monitor, revealing the familiar face of Agent Maya from the Agency.
She shrugged, “I can tell you that it is old…really old!”
Daria sighed, “Wow…I’m pretty sure I could have guessed that part myself.”
She shrugged, “Okay! How about this…the thing is totally lousy with gulons…like I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Daria stared blankly at her, “What is that?”
Maya grinned, “Gluons are particles which transmit the strong force between quarks, binding them together into baryons and mesons. Some of theorized that gravitons…”
“What language are you even speaking right now?” Daria interjected. She waved off Maya’s convoluted explanation. “So, it’s creating an attraction…for what?”
Maya shrugged, “Can’t rightly say Ms. Knight.”
Daria sighed, “Well…if I’m not mistaken, there is an expert here in gravity. Why don’t we have her to look at it?”
Maya’s expression grew more serious, “You’re talking about Valentine, aren’t you?”
Before she could respond, Agent Sloan walked in, “No one is doing anything with Gaia without my express permission! She is dangerous and I won’t have you or anyone else tinkering or playing games with her!”
She glared at Daria, “I know you dangle the purse strings around here with the Mayor Ms. Knight, but a lot of people were hurt and killed by that little red haired monster, I’ll be damned if I’m going to give that genie a chance to get out of the bottle!”
Daria considered threatening the Director to get access to Gaia, but it was apparent that it would take intervention on behalf of the Mayor to get any access to what she wanted. She would get it, in time. She plucked the ring off the table and stuck it in her pocket. “Well, I guess I’ll have to revisit this later.” Daria walked past Agent Sloan, remarking; “You’ll be hearing from the Mayor very shortly…Grace, I assure you. Have a fine day!”
As Daria walked out, Agent Sloan stood there, staring after her. “I’d give anything to be that rich and utterly unlikable…”
Maya chimed up, “One out of two aint bad!”
Agent Sloan cowed her down with a stern look, “Just be ready to incapacitate Gaia when the wicked witch comes back with her executive order from the Mayor. I don’t want that bitch getting out of here, okay?” She didn’t wait for an answer as she headed for the exit…
Madison District Police Station
Empire City
Michelle Andretti and Spike Staggs walked into Stacey’s office, greeting the Detective with a pair of warm handshakes, but she could already tell that this was not a social visit. She gestured for them to take a seat as she did the same. “So, how can I help you guys?”
Michelle looked at Spike and he nodded for her to go on and speak.
She turned to Stacey, wringing her hands nervously. “First off…I want to thank you for everything you did to help me. Spike told be how you believed in him and you risked your life to save me. I will never be able to repay that.”
Stacey held up her hand to wave off the thanks. “Ms. Andretti, I was just doing my job. Spike is the hero here. He kept bugging me until I finally brought in.” She chuckled, “You don’t owe me a thing.”
Michelle forced a smile and then looked nervously at Spike then back to Stacey. “I’m glad you feel that way…truly glad. You see, Spike told me that you have something…something of mines…something I need to ask you to give back.”
For a moment, Stacey was confused, but then she noticed the woman looking at her hands…looking for… “The ring? It was yours?” Stacey frowned as confusion took hold of her. “I thought that it came from…the Angel?” The last word in that sentence nearly made her vomit.
Spike shook his head, “I gave it to her…the night Hexx saved you in Gateway Park…”
Stacey spoke up quickly, “Correction! YOU saved me that night…not her! Not ‘the Angel of Empire City’ and not ‘the One God!’ It was YOU Spike!”
Spike blushed a bit as he slid down in his seat, trying to play it off. Michelle put her hand on his shoulder, speaking more urgently to Stacey. “Thank you for that Detective…but, I really need it back!”
Stacey ran her fingers through her hair as she sat back, “I would…if I could, but I don’t have it. It was stolen from me in the hospital…a pair of metas…they nearly killed me to get it!”
Michelle’s mouth fell open, but no words came. She stared at Spike, then looked back at Stacey. “Who…do you know who?!”
She could only shake her head in response to Michelle’s question. “No…but I am following up on a lead. I’ll find it Michelle…I will find it!” Stacey sat forward, “I’d like to know…what is it? How does the ring work?”
Michelle shook her head and started to get up, but Spike grabbed her arm to stop her. “Michelle…you have to tell her…it might help her find it.”
Michelle stood there for a moment, wrestling with the thought until she finally sat down heavily, letting out a heavy sigh. “Okay…I’ll tell you…but this information is not for public consumption!” She waited until Stacey nodded before she continued, “First off…it’s not really a ring at all…it’s a seal.” Michelle reached inside her jacket pocket and pulled out a museum brochure. She opened it and pointed to one of the artifacts. “Do you know what that is?”
Stacey looked at the picture she was pointing to, then shook her head. “I don’t know…it looks like a knife…a really old one.”
Michelle shook her head, “After hearing you talk about the One God religion, I should have known you wouldn’t recognize that.” Michelle sat back in her seat, “That is the Spear of Destiny…the Lance of Longinus…” When Stacey still showed no sign of knowing what she was saying, she rolled her eyes, “That is the spear head which pierced the side of Jesus Christ as he hung on the cross.”
Stacey stared blankly at her, “So…more One God stuff.”
Michelle arched her eyebrow, “One God stuff that saved you from two point blank slugs in your back.”
Stacey folded her arms, unable to argue with that logic. “Okay, so this rin…I mean, this seal…it’s connected to this knife or spear thing somehow. It has the power to heal people?”
Michelle shook her head, “The seal…it has curative powers, but I believe that it is just fortunate coincidence that it does. The seal, when brought into contact with shaft and the spearhead binds the two and completes the Lance…but the Lance does not heal…it obliterates, utterly.” Michelle wrung her hands, “That is why the three were separated and why now…the seal must be found.”
Stacey sighed, finding it hard to swallow all of this as fact. Yes, the seal or whatever it was had healed her, but to say that it was just part of some ancient One God mumbo jumbo was crazy…wasn’t it? “How many people believe this?” Michelle smirked and Stacey held up her hand defensively, “I didn’t mean it like that! I mean, how many people know about this and how many would try to get their hands on it to put it all back together?”
Michelle answered, “Very few…no more than 10…most of them are my family. The pieces were divided up hundreds of years ago, to keep it out of the hands of the enemy.”
“The people NOT in your family?” Stacey asked.
Michelle’s answer was simple and direct, “Demons…like the one that possessed me. They are attracted to its power…like moths drawn to a flame that would consume them.”
Stacey ran her hand over her face as she tried her best to not look like she thought Michelle was ready for the nuthouse, but she couldn’t help it. “Michelle…come on…demons?! They aren’t real!”
Michelle smirked, “Real enough to put two bullets in you!” She stood up, “And if that seal is not found…the will be real enough to do a hell of a lot more than that!”
Stacey started to respond, but her intercom buzzed and she answered it, “Jordan…”
“Brandon Knight has been brought in like you asked. Shall I have them bring him to your office?”
Stacey answered, “Where is his sister?”
“Couldn’t get her without a warrant. Did you want to call the Magistrate?”
Stacey gnashed her teeth. “No…just see if you can get a rook to keep an eye on her and report directly to me, off the books Bradski.” She knew that Daria was likely behind the rin…seal being stolen. She didn’t want to believe that she would actually send metahuman mercenaries after her, but without hard proof, the Magistrate would order her to get her head examined. She’d find another way to get to Daria.
Spike and Michelle were already on their feet and heading to the door. Michelle eyed her firmly, “Detective…the seal must be found.”
Stacey nodded, “I’ll find it.”
She nodded and walked out as Spike shrugged and gave an awkward wave. Stacey sighed as she waited for Brandon to be brought in. Stacey still felt as if she had been run over by a truck after her second encounter with Vixxxen and Reaver, which had concluded with a spectacular fall from the window of her hospital room. It was a…miracle!
…she loathed to use the word…
All the same, divine intervention or not, she had survived yet another tussle with meta-humans and though she had come through it battered, bruised, and slightly broken, she wasn’t about to let that stop her. In fact, she was now more determined than ever to make a difference in Empire City…her city!
There was a war going on and people were choosing up sides. Stacey’s experiences over the past few weeks had made her choice particularly easy. As far as she was concerned Empire City was better off meta-free…and she’d do whatever she could to make that happen!
Of course there were exceptions; Spike Staggs in particular, but to be perfectly honest she didn’t completely trust him either…not after all that she had been through, and the rather odd visit a few moments ago. She hated that she felt that way, but why should she feel differently? The news was filled with stories of metas killing humans left and right. Certainly that went the other way, with humans killing metas in return…but there was a difference either way you looked at it. If she walked down the street brandishing her gun, everyone could see what a danger she was. Metas were living weapons in most cases, and they looked as normal as anyone. Able to kill with a thought, if the inclination so took them. That wasn’t merely unsettling…that was absolutely terrifying!
The people of Empire City needed protection…and that put her, and others like her, on the frontlines of a war in which they were outnumbered and outgunned. Metas were a menace to Empire City…and no matter what happened from this moment on, Stacey would make damn sure that the line was drawn here and no further! This was war…there would be no quarter asked…and none given.
Stacey adjusted her shoulder sling as she heard a knock at her door. “Come!” She stared at Brandon as he was escorted into her office. She nodded to the two uniformed patrolman and they quickly excused themselves.
Brandon walked into the room, seeming very annoyed at first. “STACEY!! I DON’T KNOW WHAT THIS IS ALL ABO…” He paused in mid-sentence as he looked at her. Her face was scratched and bruised, her left arm in a sling. “My God! What happened to you?!!”
She extended her right hand as she gestured to the empty chair across from her. “Have a seat Brandon, you and I need to have a talk.”
The fact that she hadn’t answered his question wasn’t lost of him, but Brandon knew when to leave well-enough alone. She obviously had more pressing business on her mind, and she meant to get that part out of the way first. Stacey had been a good student and she now she was reeducating the teacher is seemed.
“Brandon…” she began, “…what do you know about Anka?”
He was struck dumb by the question. “Anka? Stacey…what is this all about? I mean…you send three units to my church and drag me down here so you can ask me about Anka?” He shook his head in complete wonderment. “What do any of us really need to know about her, besides the fact that she has been sent to us by the Almighty as a sign that he hasn’t forgotten about his children!”
Stacey began to feel nauseated as Brandon turned to what she believed to be religious rhetoric. She glared at him and for an instant she thought she might actually slap his face. “DON’T YOU DARE GIVE ME THAT ONE GOD CRAP!!"
"I asked you what you knew…not what you fucking thought! You tell me what you know about that woman, and you tell me now!”
This time, it was Brandon’s turn to become angry. He pounded his fist on her desk. “HOW CAN YOU QUESTION ME ABOUT HER…WHEN YOU HAVE SEEN AND FELT GOD’S POWER…THE SAME AS ME?!!”
Stacey burst out laughing, but it was a laugh that was tainted with nothing but sarcasm in the absolute extreme. “Brandon…you’re a godsdamned idiot who’s so completely blinded by his own bullshit that you can’t see the damn forest for the fucking trees!” She leaned in close to Brandon, just to ensure that he didn’t mistake her words for something they weren’t…something FAR from speculation. “Anka…or whatever she wants to call herself isn’t an angel…she’s a filthy META! That’s all she is!!”
Brandon jumped to his feet. “GOOD GOD!! What in the hell is wrong with you? Didn’t you hear anything that I said?!!”
She flared her brow. “Your speech about us all coming together? Yeah…I heard that. It was a great speech, too bad it’s all a damn pipedream! Hey! I have no doubt that there are some good Metas out there…but believe me…the bad far outweighs the good! You going on television and telling everyone that they are all brothers and sisters isn’t going to undo all of the bad shit that has gone on in this town over the last few weeks! You and I have both lost very good friends because of this terrorist insurgency!”
“Stacey…you can’t paint the world in two different shades! Human here…Meta there…good here…bad there! It’s doesn’t work that way! God intended for us to all be different…yet we STILL have to find a way to live together!” He was sorely disappointed in her reaction. “You sound like a racist to me! An intolerant racist!!”
“RACIST?!!” She pointed to her face. “LOOK AT ME!! You want tolerance? Don’t tell me about it…tell the two super-powered assholes that tried to roast me alive, then blasted me out a damn window about togetherness! I was almost killed last week because of your precious little Anka…all over some damn ring or seal…whatever it is!!”
Brandon shook his head, doing a double take, “WHAT?! Someone came after you to get the ring?!”
Stacey chucked, “Yeah…imagine that! By the way, that reminds me, I need to talk to Daria! She’s the only other person besides you that even knew I had the ring!”
Brandon was shocked by her accusation, Stacey…that’s my sister! You can’t be suggesting that I, my sister, or even Anka had anything to do with that?!”
She looked back at Brandon, giving a shrug. “Maybe not you…but that sister of yours!” She paused, “And that reminds me! Don’t you go suggesting to me that I don’t have cause to question little Ms. Angel of Empire City because if you are…you’re wrong! I have EVERY reason to think that Little Miss Innocent…is anything but!” She pulled out her numerous files on the ‘One God Church’ burnings and spread them out in front of Brandon. “Take a look at these surveillance pictures Brandon… you take a real good look at them…” She pulled out the pictures of ‘The Angel of Empire City’ and slapped them down next to the other pictures. “…do you see anything interesting? I do…”
Brandon looked at the pictures of the blurry winged entity…and then at the similar blur within the other pictures of the church burnings around the city from several months ago. Brandon pushed the pictures away from himself. “Stacey…this doesn’t mean anything! This isn’t proof…”
“No…it isn’t proof of anything…” She glared at him. “…it’s probable cause. Enough for me to have her brought in and questioned!”
Brandon’s mouth fell open in shock and surprise. “STACEY!! You can’t be suggesting what I think you are? Not now…not when Empire City needs its faith!! How can you think to do such a thing?!!”
Stacey sighed. “Look…I know you want to maintain your little One God fantasy for the multitudes, but it’s just that…A FANTASY!! Anka Jarius is a fraud…A DANGEROUS FRAUD!!”
Brando stood up, “DANGEROUS? DANGEROUS TO WHO?!!”
She pointed calmly. “To you Brandon…to you.” She gathered up the pictures on her desk. “As of this moment, I am placing you into protective custody until Ms. Jarius is brought in and questioned.”
Brandon fell back into his chair and looked at her in disbelief. “Stacey…this is madness…absolute madness! Do you have any idea what you’re suggesting? Do you have any idea what will happen to the believers if you do this?! This entire city will go to hell…”
“I’ve got news for you Brandon…” She stared at him intently for a moment, then her eyes dropped down to the brochure that had been left on her desk by Michelle, “…hell and all it’s demons is already here!”
EPISODE CREDITS
CAST (In order of appearance)
Father Brandon Knight … Ace Watson
Athena ... Cass Baumer
Uniformed Officer … Eric Weaver
Daria Knight … Missy
Agent Maya … Maria Salvatore
Agent Grace Sloan … Amy Jo Smyth
Detective Stacey Jordan … Nina Stokes
Spike Staggs … R.C. Tucker
Michelle Andretti … Delia Darling
Directed by … DubbleFC
Screenplay by … Ron B.
Produced by … CTN Television Studios
Casting by … Maleek Raheem
Music by … Guilty Pleasure
|
|
|
|
Post by Publicist on Oct 8, 2017 7:38:38 GMT -5
Chapter XXII: Faithless… (Part 2)
High Over…Empire City Anka had not slept or eaten in days, every moment had been consumed by the search for Arella. It has seemed like something out of a dream when she first saw the girl in the ruins of the collapsed stage after Gaia had attacked the Town Hall and nearly brought the coliseum down on hundreds of people. She knew she should have focused on helping to stop the carnage, but all she could think about was the girl she had watched die in her arms inside a tomb hundreds of years prior.
To her, it seemed a perverse joke. Until she had happened upon the young blind girl, her thoughts had been consumed by nothing but ideas of revenge against Rome and their demi-god Superius. She had been so close to getting her hands on the man when she had stumbled on Arella, centuries ago…
Anka moved though the darkness…finding her way around the camp…looking for the banner that would lead her to her quarry. As she saw the command tent, she knew that the general languished inside. It was heavily guarded…a dead giveaway.
It was too much to hope for…the tent left unguarded…Superius asleep in his bunk…no doubt dreaming of rape…murder…conquest. She would plunge his own sword into his chest…or better yet his abdomen. He’d die a slow and painful death…perhaps not slow or painful enough for her liking…but it would have to do. The same for his guards…she’d delight in their deaths as well…so much the better.
For all of her fantasizing about this moment…dreaming that nothing could deter her from it…something did…
She heard the sounds of a wailing girl. Her cries so mournful that she could hardly turn away. Anka reluctantly turned her attention from the command tent, as she followed the sounds of the girl. As she came closer, she heard that the girl not only cried…but spoke as well…and the words, though not spoken in her own tongue, were words that she understood.
Curses to a cruel God…scorn, hatred, and bitterness. It was all so familiar to her…all so painful. She was drawn like a moth to the flame. No longer walking it seemed…almost floating. When her eyes finally fell on the source of the girl’s screaming…it was as if she were reliving a piece of her own history.
A young girl lay over the nude and bloody corpse of a woman…likely her mother. Several other bodies were heaped around…some dead…others dying. The drunken Centurions had had their fun with the rest…and now they turned their attention to the last.
Three was their number…all drunk and stinking of blood and ale. Their manhood no longer stood erect from their earlier abuses…yet what did it matter? It was all just fun and games…and the ending was always the same. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to visualize herself walking away…running towards the tent and doing what she came to do…killing the General, but that image eluded her. Instead, she felt herself being thrown to the ground…her clothing torn from her…her mother forced to watch as her innocence was taken…not by one…but by many.
She cursed God…she begged God…she wanted to be saved…but no one came to her rescue. God abandoned her to her fate…left her to be savaged…to be ravaged…to be torn asunder…
Anka would not allow it to happen to another…not while she could stop it. It was all a blur to her as she charged in, grabbing the short sword from one drunken Centurion and quickly separating his head from his body. The other grabbed for his sword, but found nothing but air. He shouldn’t have dropped his belt along with his pants. She jammed the point of the blade into his throat and a great torrent of blood gushed forth, splattering her as the man’s gurgled cries melted away along with his life.
She turned to the final man…then winced…
She looked down and saw the hilt of his blade sticking out of her. She followed it to his hand and up his arm…all the way back to his face. A cruel scar was cleaved there, from his eyebrow all the way across the bridge of his nose, down through his upper lip. The man growled at her as he shouted and roared with such passion and rage.
Anka reached out and grabbed his arm, pulling him close, even as she drove her own sword directly into his exposed pelvis, slicing into his genitals. She grimaced as she raised her foot and kicked the screaming man away from her. He held on to his sword…dragging it out of her.
She fell to her knees and put a shaking hand to the vicious wound in her abdomen. The pain was vile and she could feel the acrid taste of her own blood rising in her throat. She didn’t have much time before she lost her window of opportunity. Wounded or not…she’d find a way to get to Superius. The girl was safe…and the General would soon be dead.
She struggled to get to her feet, even as the blood flowed from her like a stream. She staggered toward the tent, casting one last look to the wailing child. “Go… RUN!! Get away from this place…”
“I… I… c-can’t…” she replied.
She felt the anger rising in her as she turned to the young girl. “I SAID RU…” The words caught in her throat as she looked down.
The girl’s eyes were covered in a milky haze and stared off into the distance, blind and unseeing…she was going nowhere…
In that moment, she had chosen to forget revenge to save the girl from suffering the same fate she had suffered at Roman hands…beaten, raped, crucified. Anka had survived those horrors, only to endure them over and over again for many more years. She was the girl that would not die…the same would not be said of Arella.
The two of them had run from the Roman camp…evaded capture for months as they made their way to the safety of the Mongol lands…the ancestral home of Arella’s people…the sworn enemies of the Roman Empire. There, they would be safe…they could live out their lives in some semblance of peace, or so she thought. Not long after crossing over into Mongol lands they were stopped by a patrol. They had been held and questioned for days…but it was a far more hospitable than any mercy the Romans would have had for them. Soon they would be set free and Rome would be forgotten…or not…
The two were held and questioned for days on end… over and over, always the same…
…were they spies?
…what were the Romans planning?
…where would they strike next?
The questions held no meaning for Anka and Arella…but as they drug on…an uneasy feeling began to settle over the pair. Anka could feel that something was wrong…and it was something she planned avoid. She formulated an escape plan. The two of them would escape under the cover of night…
…but they never got the chance…
Before Anka could slip her bonds with Arella and make good her escape, she was greeted by the all too familiar face of a murderous Centurion she never thought to ever see again. Before her stood the very man that had made an orphan of Arella…the man with the vile scar across his face…the same man that she had made a eunuch out of.
Romans…Mongols…together…it hardly seemed right.
The Centurion’s name was Flavaious…and after she had attacked him and left him for dead…he had managed to recover…such as one could in his condition.
Flavaious proved to be a TRUE Roman in every sense of the word…affirming all that Anka ever thought of them. Flavaious was a sadist and a pedophile…who had been hell bent on revenge against Anka, for all that she had taken from him. He took his vengeance out on Arella…all while Anka was made to watch. So vile were his acts against the young girl that a few of his soldiers refused to stay and watch…
…later he had them put to death…
Anka did her best to stifle the whimper that escaped her as she held Arella. Her body was broken and left a defiled and bloody ruin. Her tiny lips moved wordlessly, but the words didn’t need to come…she could read them perfectly…and they spelled the word…mother…
Even as she looked down into the girl’s unseeing eyes…she felt that they saw right into her. As they began to dim and grow dark and lifeless…a sound unlike any other burst out of her…a wail that could split the heavens in two.
The Roman’s that gathered there…only those who could be entrusted with such knowledge…turned their heads and looked away. They knew of the story…the girl had been ravaged, beaten savagely, nailed to a cross…and yet…she did not die. For nearly 300 years she was tortured and brutalized…but she didn’t die. Every one of them…each and every one had thought that they would give anything to have the power that her God had granted her…
…as they looked away…inside their secret hearts, they were glad not to have such a power. Living in ignorance was no longer such a bad thing. Her God may have been great…but how cruel He had been to her. Could He not have saved her if He wanted? Why did He not strike them all down? Her God might have been real…but in the end…He was just as uncaring as the many false gods of Rome.
The Centurions watched as the forlorn girl held the bloody body of the dying young angel close to her bosom. The darkness slowly…almost mercifully began to close around them as the sound of stone grinding against stone filled the air. Again they diverted their eyes…
…the child breathed no more…
…the heavy stone was rolled to the front of the cave…
…the secret of the girl who would not die would stay here forever…
Even as the unholy alliance of the Romans and the Mongols sealed her inside the cave, rolling the massive boulder in front of its mouth…her thoughts were not on escape or revenge. She clutched the broken and lifeless body of Arella in her arms, holding her so tightly that the two became as one.
The light ebbed away…and the soldiers outside the cave could hear a most wondrous thing, though they wouldn’t have realized the significance. The girl of the raven hair prayed aloud…speaking to God…pleading to Him for the sake of the dead girl in her arms. The words were meaningless…yet…they all wept to the man.
The darkness came as the stone was pushed into place…and there she sat…unmoving…for an entire age…
That is where the story should have ended…not only for Arella, but for her as well. Sealed in darkness, the two of them rotting together for an eternity. She could not die…but at least she would she would no longer have to live in a world of filth and death. She could stay in this place forever with her grief and the body of the girl that had become like a daughter to her. That was not recompense for all she had suffered, but it was a kindness…of a sort…
…or so she thought…
What power had brought Arella back to life…and for what purpose? She had watched the girl die…she had held her in darkness for so long. What a horror to bear witness to in someone’s final moments…
…but they had not been her final moments…
She had seen Arella once more…she had seen Arella in the Veil…the place between this world and the next…
…it should have been wondrous…yet, to her…it now seemed the most cruel trick of all…
How long had she sat there in the darkness…unmoving? She didn’t know…and she didn’t care. She closed her eyes… still speaking her prayers…even until her end had come.
She opened her eyes and for the first time beheld the face of Raphael…Archangel…Guardian of the Veil…and her eventual jailer.
He smiled as he looked down at her…stretching out his hand. “Anka…get up child…”
She sat still, unmoving. “No…I can’t leave her…I won’t…”
His face softened, ever so much. “There’s nothing left Anka…your burden is lifted.”
She looked down at the tiny body she held, and as she did, what remained fell through her arms and scattered across the floor. Her mouth fell open as she dropped to her knees and screamed.
“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”
Raphael grabbed her by her shoulder and pulled her to her feet. “Anka…do not grieve…God has heard your plea.” He stepped aside and revealed behind him a bright and dazzling light…beyond it an ocean of blue, green, yellow…all the colors of the rainbow…warm and inviting. “Go Anka…take your reward…it is yours…”
Beyond the light, she heard the voices of her parents calling to her. She walked towards it…stumbling on legs that were once atrophied. As she moved closer, she suddenly stopped and turned. Her eyes focusing on Raphael. “Arella?”
He shook his head. “This is not her time now…Heaven is not for her. Our Father has another plan for her…just as He has opened paradise unto you. Go now child…take your reward.”
She turned, and slowly began to walk into the light…step after step seeming just as heavy as the last. She stopped…staring into the light…her eyes wide. There had never been anything so beautiful…so inviting…so perfect…and yet, she could not bear to leave. She turned back to Raphael, her eyes wet with tears. “I…I can’t…I can’t leave her!”
“You must! You must leave her Anka! You are released of your bur…” He paused and looked back into the light, as if listening…then nodded as he looked at her. “You would stay here…on this plain…you would sacrifice paradise for her?”
Anka looked back towards the light, her legs trembling. Happiness…she had not known it for well over 300 years or more. Now, it was hers and all she had to do was walk. Father…mother…friends, they all waited for her…waited to receive her into their bosom. The girl who had not kept faith with them…the girl who had cursed them for fools and watched them slaughtered before her. In an instant…all would be forgotten…
It took everything that she had in her to turn away. She looked at the angel and fell to her knees…her voice small and barely audible. “…yes…I would stay…”
…
The sounds of sobbing filled her ears…ragged and uncontrolled. It wasn’t until she felt a hand at her shoulder that she realized the sounds were coming from her. She looked up…and her eyes met those of Arella…no longer sightless.
She reached up to touch the girl’s cheek and she seemed to evaporate into thin air.
She looked to Raphael. “Wha…”
Behind her blossomed broad powerful wings…not unlike those of the archangel himself.
Raphael backed into the light as he regarded her with an approving look. “You are blessed Anka…remade for a great purpose…go now…”
Confusion and terror filled her as she screamed, “No…wait…WAIT!! ARELLA!!”
“He cares for you…He cares for us all…” Despite her cries…he vanished…along with the light, leaving her in the darkness…all alone…wondering what that great purpose was…
Anka had wandered the world for ages afterwards seeking that purpose…not knowing that all along the child she had given up paradise for was still here…STILL HERE ALL ALONG!
…why…WHY?!!
God had once again made a mockery of her…but to what end? So that he could torture and humiliate her? No…He’d not get off so lightly this time. He’d have to answer for this…and answer He would!
She turned her gaze heavenward as her wings beat faster and faster, propelling her higher and higher over Empire City. From the ground…she could no longer be seen…from her vantage point, Empire City itself was no bigger than a grain of rice.
Though the higher she went…the more difficult she found it to breathe…still she pushed on…driving on higher and higher still…
The cold gripped her…bit at her face…her arms…her entire body. She shivered fiercely, but anger kept her warm…fueled her accent. She ignored the cold…ignored the pain…she focused on a distant star and watched as it came closer and closer…then dimmer and dimmer.
The air was thin…
So very thin…
No air to breathe…
No further to climb…
Yet climb, she did…
“You…will tell me…you wi…”
She drove herself on, even as her voice failed her and the world turned black. Her eyes rolled back in her head as her wing beats slowed…then came to a stop.
Her body limp…then suddenly falling…tumbling out of control…miles and miles to go…
The Veil
Between Earth & Heaven
The sound of the wind rushing pass her ears faded, even as she stood now in complete darkness and waited…waited for the light that would show her the way…the way towards the answers that she sought.
The voices came first…beckoning and sweet. Faces in the darkness…family and old friends…
She ignored them…she ignored them all. She had come for one reason and one reason only…to speak with God…and no other.
The light appeared and she made her way towards it…screaming at the top of her lungs. “TALK TO ME!! TELL ME WHY!! YOU WILL TALK TO ME!!!”
“ANKA!!”
She stopped in her tracks and turned. It was not the voice of God…it was the voice of the Veil’s caretaker. She narrowed her eyes as she squared herself against him.
“Raphael…this doesn’t concern you, so don’t try to stop me…”
The angelic figure stood there shaking his head. “The light is not for you…not yet. This isn’t your time and you must go back.”
“NO!! I won’t go back there!! Not this time!! Not until He has answered my questions!” She turned to continue her run towards the light.
She never saw him move, but indeed he had for he was now right in front of her. “Anka, you must return to your body…The Lord God has not yet called you home to parad…” She threw herself against him, battering him back. It was more surprise than anything else that caused him to give ground, but it was fleeting. Raphael grabbed her by her throat and lifted her easily as he held her at arm’s length. “ANKA!! STOP THIS MADNESS!! You know as well as I do!! The living do not enter Heaven before their time!!”
He threw her back and she hit the ground in a heap. She screamed at him. “BASTARD!!! YOU FUCKING BASTARD!!! YOU LET ME PASS SO THAT HE CAN TELL ME HIMSELF HOW MUCH LONGER AM I TO SUFFER!!! HOW MUCH LONGER IS HE TO PLAY HIS GAMES WITH ME…WITH ARELLA!!!”
Raphael bristled at her request. “Anka…go back…I…” He suddenly paused as if hearing some distant call, one that only he himself could hear. He nodded as he looked down at her, talking to himself…or perhaps to God Himself. “Yes Father…I shall do as you say…”
He looked down at her. “The Father says that you have a great task yet to perform in His service. A purpose that when served…will gain you admittance into paradise, everlasting.” Raphael reached down to her, offering his hand. “This is God’s covenant with you Anka, for He loves you more than you know…”
Anka’s dark eyes narrowed as she stood on her own, ignoring his outstretched hand. The words Raphael spoke were drowned out by the memories of the past that she had just relived. She had given up paradise centuries ago to save Arella…to send her into the Promised Land instead…but her sacrifice had been in vain. Arella was not in Heaven…she was trapped on Earth…like a rat…just like she herself had been. She had been foolish and naïve to trust God…but no more…NO MORE…
Raphael eyed her curiously as he addressed her once more. “Anka… did you hear me? God holds you earthbound for a great purpose…one that is far greater than you can ever kno…”
She slapped his face, even as she backed away, her dark eyes no longer streaming with tears…but glowering with malice. “Tell Him that I said…GO TO HELL!! I am His plaything no longer…NO LONGER!!!”
She fell back, and in an instant she was gone…
Raphael turned back towards the light. “Father…it is done…”
Somewhere, High Over…
Empire City
Anka opened her eyes even as she tumbled wildly out of control…
…falling…
…falling…
She had brought herself to death’s doorstep…and beyond. She had touched the Veil…made her plea…and as always it had fallen on deaf ears…
For a moment, she considered allowing herself to hit the ground in a spectacular splat, but that would mean going back to the Veil…back to the one place that was so close to Heaven…and yet…not. She had no desire to torture herself further, and she would not.
She struggled to right herself…pitching and rolling even as she saw the ground rushing up to meet her. As she gained some semblance of control, inside…she was filled with nothing but turmoil. She clenched her fists as she continued on her way...on her way…
…on her way where…?
She hovered there for a moment…not knowing where to go, or what to do. The only thing that she was sure of, was that she no longer wanted anything else to do with God’s so-called plan for her. She was done being a patsy for Him…she’d find a new purpose…and through it…she’d get what she wanted. She just needed time to figure it all out…
“YOU THERE!! STOP!!”
She looked up with a start as the booming voice shook her out of her own thoughts. She looked right into the bright lights of an Empire City Police hovercar. She stared at the occupants, even as they stared back at her.
Inside the car, the two officers looked at one another. The younger officer spoke to his partner. “Dude…how in the hell do you tell an angel that she’s wanted for questioning at the station?”
The other officer shook his head. “I don’t know Baxter…but I think you better come up with something before she decides to fly the coupe…AWE SHIT MAN!! TOO LATE!!”
Anka took off and before long the police unit was in hot pursuit, with lights and sirens blazing.
She didn’t know what they wanted, and she didn’t care. She dove down between the buildings and they followed her as best they could…until…
KRACKATHOOM!
The two officers screamed, throwing up their arms to shield their faces as the dashboard erupted into a spectacular explosion of sparks and flame.
From the ground, Athena smiled as the electric charge she had thrown at the car dissipated from her hands.
Athena grinned at her handy work as the car veered off course. “That was rather fun…what do we do next?”
She looked over at Arella as she stood there watching the police car hurdle out of control. “We wait for the city to start tearing itself apart…just as my Father commands.”
EPISODE CREDITS
CAST (In order of appearance)
Anka … Kenzi Grey
Arella … Orchid
Decapitated Roman … Johnathan Nesbit
Neck Stabbed Roman … Ness Farratu
Flavaious ... Chris Andrew
Raphael … Phoenix Chambers
Officer Baxter … Eric Weaver
Unnamed Officer … Dan Extra
Athena … Cass Baumer
Directed by … DubbleFC
Screenplay by … Ron B.
Produced by … CTN Television Studios
Casting by … Maleek Raheem
Music by … Guilty Pleasure
|
|
|
|
Post by Publicist on Oct 8, 2017 7:54:09 GMT -5
Chapter XXII: Faithless… (Part 3)
DowntownEmpire CityAnka watched as the police hover-car that had been pursuing her suddenly veered inexplicably out of control towards the S.C. Lewis building. Even if she had wanted, there would have been no way for her to stop its deadly decent. It had entered a tailspin, and its velocity was much too great. Why had they suddenly gone lost control? They had been following her in hot pursuit. Engine trouble perhaps? Whatever it was, the fact remained that if they died, their deaths would have been her fault. She angled her wings back and arced into a graceful dive towards the building—most likely neither of the officers would survive the crash…but if they did, the least she could do was pull them to safety. At the rate of the vehicle's descent, and judging by the sting of the wind whipping across her face as she dove, that was a mighty huge "if".
Inside the doomed squad car, the two officers radioed for help, sending their location in the hopes that someone…anyone would be able to help them.
Several stories below, Superius, the mighty demi-god who had only recently returned to the city strode among the people, but his mind was elsewhere.
Ever since the confrontation with Hexx…the ‘angel’ who bore such a heated vendetta against him, he had been lost in thoughts of his long history. Her grudge against him for his actions during those centuries long past had weighed on him heavily. He had not been a saint, he had only done what needed to be done in the service of Rome. In all that time, he had never had to confront someone who despised him for his actions…someone who was so…personally affected. He couldn’t get the image of her face, twisted into a mask of pure hatred as she battered him…trying with all her heart to dash his brains out amidst the wreckage of the stage in the coliseum…
Superius lay pinned beneath a collapsed pillar. Its enormous weight was too great for him to easily lift, even for a being of his considerable and god-like strength. He watched as the angel, Hexx she had called herself, stalked him. She wrenched free a piece of rebar and she stood over the trapped General as he strained to free himself. He stopped as he saw her standing over him, her eyes burning with vengeance. “You murdered my people…you killed my entire family…and now, it’s your time to die you murdering Roman dog!”
Superius raised his hand, “WAIT! Do you not hear that? The red witch means to bring down this entire structure and kill hundreds of people! We cannot allow that!”
Hexx screamed, “HOW MANY HAVE YOU KILLED?!” She drew back and smashed the metal bar into Superius over and over, screaming as she put her entire body into it. The demi-god attempted to fend off the blows, but he was left nearly helpless before her vicious onslaught. As indestructible has he had been considered, he soon began to wear the wounds of the savage attack on his free arm and face.
CLANG
CLANG
CLANG
She swung the metal until her hands hurt and sang with the reverberation of bouncing off the General’s bloodied skull. She wanted to see his blood ebb out and cover the earth, just as she had been forced to watch her father’s as he lay dying in her arms…just as she had been forced to watch the blood of her surrogate daughter Arella do the same…all at the hands of Romans…Romans under the command of this false god. Her own hands bled and her arms grew weary, but she screamed as tears coursed down her face in black streaks as it mingled with the dirt and dust that swirled around them…
CLANG
CLANG
CLANG
Each blow sounded like thunder and there seemed to be no end in sight. She did not care how many other’s died today…so long as Superius was among them. He would pay for taking away her family…her father, her mother…and even Arella…
Superius could not know about everything that drove the girl’s own personal hate, but it ran deep. Likewise, his own regret ran equally as deep. Hardly a day passed when he did not think about all he had done for the glory of Rome. Had it not been for the power he had been granted, Rome would have collapsed into ruin long ago…but also, the lives of those who stood in the way of Rome’s expansion might also have been spared. Thousands…millions maybe?
He had justified it in those days…but as the centuries wore on, the blood that stained his hands never seemed to fade. It was one of the reasons he had gone into exile…to roam the wastelands and live amount the few native peoples that still remained. In that time, he had found himself and come to terms with his past. His return to Empire City was meant to stop the violence that had threatened to ruin what he had built…what he had crushed other civilizations for.
Once, he had been a hammer to crush those who did not believe as he did…but now, he needed to be something else. He needed to be the Lord Protector…not just of those who believed him to be a god…but to those that believed him to be nothing more than man with centuries of blood on his hands. This had changed everything…
His brief reverie was interrupted by the uttered moans of some citizens on the sidewalk, followed by some yells and screams. Superius opened his eyes and saw several passersby gazing up at the sky, slack-jawed, and pointing. That was never a good sign. Superius didn't look up, he looked down at his hands…hands that would be needed despite the blood that had once stained them. Begrudgingly, he looked up.
High above him, he saw the squad car careening out of control, spiraling through the air in the direction of the massive Lewis tower. His eyes widened as he thought his mind was playing tricks on him when he saw the angel…Hexx, swooping in close behind it.
A cry from a young girl standing in a crowd of people caught his attention. “THE ANGEL ATTACKED THE POLICE! I SAW HER DO IT!”
That hardly sounded right as Superius raced for the building, casting aside his troubled thoughts. His city needed him…his people were in danger. There had been enough hate…there had been enough death. It was time to start putting things right again…for everyone…
KABOOM
The police car tore into the building with a horrific crash of glass and groaning of steel. Below, Superius heard the impact and looked up. To his horror he saw massive chunks of glass falling towards the streets below. People were already vacating the area, but one woman seemed frozen in shock, watching death's swift descent like a deer caught in headlights. Superius kicked his speed into overdrive and dove for her just as the first of the shards hit the ground to her left. He felt a particularly large piece strike his back and shatter as he grabbed the woman in the middle of the dive, taking her out of harm’s way. The rest of the glass fell, bouncing harmlessly off of him. Once the last of it fell, he rose to one knee to find that the woman was alright—she had suffered some minor lacerations to her legs—but had fainted. He stood and looked up, to see the angelic figure swooping into the smoky opening of the crash site.
He steeled himself against the horrors he might witness above. Horrors which included staring into the eyes of the woman who knew his bloody past…the woman who was supposedly responsible for this tragedy. He cast those thoughts aside and quickly ran through the double doors and into the S.C. Lewis Building.
BLACK OPS SITE
Undisclosed Location
Agent Sloan and Agent Maya shook their head in collective disgust as they stared down at the Executive Order from the Mayor granting Daria Knight access to Gaia. Maya pounded her fist on the counter, “It isn’t right! I mean, I know Knight has money and influence, but Gaia is a terrorist! She’s killed more people than we can even count! We need to be chopping her up in little bitty pieces so we can see what makes her tick!”
Sloan arched her brow at that statement, but she understood the sentiment. One of Gaia’s attacks had left Maya’s cousin crippled and dozens of his friends dead. Sloan had kept an eye on Maya, but the girl had stuck to the Agency oath and she had done her duty. She wondered if she could have done the same if Gaia had hurt or killed those close to her. She hoped to never find out. “I just wish I knew what Knight wanted from her.”
Maya shrugged, “She brought in a little gold ring. The thing was charged up off the scale with gluon particles. It was giving off some serious attraction to…to…something!”
Sloan frowned, “Do you think it’s a weapon?”
Maya could only shrug again, “It just looked like a ring to me Ma’am.”
Sloan gave an exasperated sigh as she folded her arms, staring into the soundproof room were Daria sat Gaia, “If I find out that bitch is up to something crooked, all the Executive Orders in Empire City won’t stop me from busting her ass and locking her under the damn jail!”
Inside the stasis chamber, powerful nullifiers held Gaia in check while Daria Knight sat across from her, crossing her long legs and smiling at the two-way mirrored glass. She knew that Grace Sloan was watching her like a hawk, but there wasn’t a damn thing that she could do about it. Daria had the Mayor’s ear and the Mayor had The Agency by its collective balls. It didn’t take much prodding to get what she wanted…and what she wanted was answers to what this artifact was and what powers it held. She knew it was old…older than anything she had ever had in her possession…centuries old. Apparently it had the power to heal wounds…and while that was enough, it also bore some strong attraction to something else…something that would no doubt be just as powerful at the ring itself. Gaia was the master of gravity…if anyone could sense where and what it was attracted to, it would be her.
Daria tapped on the stasis chamber that held Gaia’s powers in check and the red haired meta opened her eyes and glared at her. Daria smiled, “Hey there sleepy head…rise and shine! My name is Daria Knight and I need you to do me a huge favor.” She pressed the ring against the glass.
Gaia smirked, “You asking me to marry you?”
Daria shook her head, “No…defiantly not.” She tapped the ring against the glass. “I need you to tell me what this little bugger is attracted to. It’s emitting particles that indicate it is part of a larger…something…I’d like to know what that something is.”
Gaia laughed, “So…I just help you with your little treasure hunt and then what? You let the Keystone Cops put me back in a fucking coma? NO THANKS! You should have asked to marry me…you might have had better luck!”
Daria nodded, her voice dropping low, even though there was no chance that anyone else would hear their conversation. “Right now, your chances of ever seeing the light of day again are nil. I am in a position to greatly increase your chances of leaving this place…but only of you cooperate.”
Gaia glared at Daria and then at the ring. She rolled her eyes, “I need assurances!”
Daria sighed as she dropped the ring into her pocket. “You are in a position to demand nothing…while I am in a position to grant nothing! All we have right now is our word…and that will have to do.” She folded her arms, “Do we have a deal?”
Gaia stared at her through her tiny enclosed prison, then laid back and closed her eyes. “FINE! I’ll help…but I can’t do it inside here. Something that small…it won’t be easy…it will take time.”
Daria smiled, “I’ll make the arrangements.” She turned back to the two-way glass and smiled. She couldn’t wait to see the look on Sloan’s face when she told her that she needed to take Gaia out on a little field trip. She was going to absolutely shit…
S.C. LEWIS BUILDING
Empire City
Anka’s wings fanned away the smoke as she landed on the edge of the gaping hole in the side of the building. The first thing she saw was the crashed vehicle, and bodies all around it. The place was a horror scene and there was nothing she could do for the people who lay dead among the ruins. She checked the broken and bloodied bodies, but no one had survived the crash.
“HEXX!” Anka glanced over as Superius burst into the yawning crash site. He frowned at the devastation all around him, then focused his attention back on her. “What happened?”
Anka ignored him, turning back to the massive hole in the side of the building. Without sparing him a second look, she launched herself into the air.
“HEXX!” Superius roared as he dashed after her and leapt. Anka was quick, but Superius caught hold of her ankle, dropping the both of them into a plummet as she was forced to adjust for the sudden increase in weight.
Her wings beating furiously, she managed to get them airworthy again—and then she began the task of trying to shake him, entering into a series of sharp turns, banks, and dives. When that did little to break his steel grip, she began to bash him into the sides of buildings. She dove nearly straight down, with the demi-god stubbornly attached to her ankle, and angled herself towards an apartment building. She suddenly rose into a steep climb, one that would have her just barely breach the edge of the building. She heard a grunt, a thud, a crash, and felt a tug at her ankles—and looked down, expecting to see Superius dashed against the side of the wall. To her surprise, he was still attached. There was a hole in the edge of the roof where he'd struck, but he looked none the worse for wear. She gritted her teeth, “YOU THINK I WON’T KILL YOU, BASTARD?!!”
Superius began to pull himself up, “I know that you’ll try! But you have to stop!” Anka maintained her erratic flight pattern as she aimed a series of punches down at him, but they had little effect. As he tried to scale her body as their altitude began to swiftly decline. Anka’s blows merely bounced off of Superius, who clung doggedly to her; he landed some blows of his own, but he didn't have the leverage to make them count. They brawled back and forth until the rising sounds of traffic informed them of how close to the ground they were getting. Anka looked up from her attempted gouging of Superius' eyes, and saw that their insane course had taken them into the midst of ground traffic. She was getting tired from the extra weight, and she didn't know if she could lift up into another ascent. Unless…
She aimed for the rail tracks—towards the transport trains. Superius realized their course and yelled, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” She didn't answer, dipping into another dive, this one into the path of a massive oncoming transport. His eyes grew wide and he looked back up at her. “STOP THIS MADNESS, YOU’LL DIE!”
Her course remained steady and she showed no signs of diverting, in fact her speed picked up. She looked down at him, “It has never bothered you before…MURDERER!”
Superius held on, looking from her to the oncoming train and then back again. Her words had struck him at his core and he was powerless against her hatred of him. His grip loosened as he spoke... “Things change…people change…”
Anka suddenly felt her body lighten as she veered up sharply just out of the path of the speeding train. She looked down as Superius hit the ground, rolling off the tracks as the speeding transport missed him by mere inches. Anka angled high into the sky, leaving him behind…though his final words echoed in her ears “…things change…people change…”
A few minutes later several squad cars arrived in the rail yards.
Stacey Jordan hopped out of one of the cars and ran up to Superius, “General, where is she?! Where is the angel?!”
Superius shook his head, “I’m afraid I was unable to capture her Detective.”
Stacey swore under her breath as she keyed her radio, “All units, this is an all-points bulletin, be on the lookout for ‘the Angel of Empire City.’ The charge is murder!”
Superius put his hand on Stacey’s shoulder, a look of concern on his face, “Detective, I would not rush to judgment. There isn’t enough evidence to call her a murderer.”
Stacey narrowed her eyes at the demi-god, “I have over 80 people dead or missing in the S.C. Lewis Building…that is all the evidence I need right now! Hexx…Anka Jarius…whatever the hell she wants to call herself? She’s coming in wearing cuffs or she’s leaving in a body bag! She’s a murder…and sooner or later, all murderers pay for their crimes!”
As the Detective walked away, this time it was Superius’ turn to have words left echoing in his ears; “…sooner or later, all murderers pay for their crimes…” Superius ran his hands over his face as he wondered when his time would come to pay…
EPISODE CREDITS
CAST (In order of appearance)
Anka … Kenzi Grey
Superius ... Mason Moore
Screaming Girl in the Crowd (Arella) … Orchid
Agent Maya … Maria Salvatore
Agent Grace Sloan … Amy Jo Smyth
Daria Knight ... Missy
Gaia… Kate Steele
Detective Stacey Jordan … Nina Stokes
Directed by … DubbleFC
Screenplay by … Ron B.
Produced by … CTN Television Studios
Casting by … Maleek Raheem
Music by … Guilty Pleasure
|
|
|
|
Post by Publicist on Oct 8, 2017 8:12:42 GMT -5
Chapter XXIII: A New Religion…A New Obsession…
High Over…Empire CityAnka’s wings beat at the night air fiercely as she looked down at the city, on the brink of complete chaos. She had narrowly managed to escape the clutches of the mighty Superius…to her, a mass murderer…to most others; protector of Empire City. Granted great power and strength, he had endured through the centuries, nearly as long as she had. Was this also a ‘gift’ from God…like the ‘gift’ she was cursed with? Were she and Superius just pawns in the same game?
Through hundreds of years of pain and suffering she had learned to hate Superius, to blame him for much of the tragedy that had befallen her…but what if he was nothing but another piece on the master’s chess board? The mere thought was enough to make Anka’s blood boil. Was all of this just a sick game? It seemed that every time she turned her attention to earning admission into paradise, another distraction conveniently found its way into her path…
Superius…
Arella…
Brandon Knight…
Everything she believed had been thrown into chaos. Saving Brandon Knight had not opened the gate of Heaven to her. She had sacrificed paradise for Arella as she lay dying in her arms, but the girl had not taken her place in Heaven…she remained here on earth. Then there was Superius, the bane of her existence…a man she thought to be evil incarnate, yet he had risked his life to save hers…knowing of her hatred for him.
She didn’t feel the slightest tinge of guilt for putting him in the path of the transport, but all the while his concern was not for himself, but for her wellbeing. He was obviously a man of principle…a man of conviction…if not one that had helped to cleanse the world of her people. No one was perfect…she craned her neck to the Heavens…especially not God.
But maybe Superius wasn’t wrong…maybe his fault hadn’t been in wiping out her people, maybe it had been in not destroying them all…
Madison District Police Station
Empire City
Brandon sat in his tiny cell…a protective prison made for him by his old friend and former lover, Detective Stacey Jordan. Even though she had explained her actions, telling him that she was doing this for his own protection, he sensed that there was something more behind it all. There was some other agenda…buried just below the surface.
Who was he being protected from? The fire-wielding, clawed maniacs that had attacked her at the hospital…the same pair of female metas that had been responsible for burning down his church? They hadn’t been seen in weeks. No…there was something more to it…and he would make her tell him when next he saw her.
He didn’t have to wait long…
He heard the outer door open and then the whistles and catcalls from the men locked in adjacent cells. The treading footsteps stopped in front of his cell and he glanced up from his bunk into the piercing eyes of his personal jailer. “Are you going to end this farce Stacey? You know that the people out there need me…so why are you doing this?”
She didn’t answer him, she merely held up her police scanner and turned up the volume. Brandon listened and a shock ran through him as the words poured out and filled every dark corner of his minuscule cell…
'Be on the lookout for a flying woman with wings. Looks like an angel. The charge is murder.'
Brandon got to his feet, glaring at Stacey. “What is the meaning of this?!! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE STACEY?!!”
She was taken aback by the fierce response. She had expected some resistance, but not outright anger. This caused her own anger to boil over and she stuck an accusing finger in his face through the bars of the cell. “The question is…WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!! This entire city is in an uproar…and you have been busy touting that META as some sort of savior…some kind of sign from God!” She grinned with a sick sort of satisfaction as she gestured with her hands. “NEWS FLASH FATHER!! Your girl is a murdering whore…and for all any of us know…she was a party to burning down Madison Chapel and every other church in this city!”
“NO!!” He protested. “I was there! She had nothing to do with it! It was the other two women…they burned down the church and killed Jacob! You are playing with the will of God here Stacey…and I don’t know why you’re doing it!”
Stacey took a deep breath and planted her hands firmly on her hips. “Anka is a murderer…she killed dozens of people in the S.C. Lewis Building…and I’m willing to bet that she’s responsible for the church burnings around the city…”
“…no… you’re wrong…” he replied, his voice almost a whisper.
Stacey roared. “I’M RIGHT!! And when she’s brought in…at least part of this nightmare will end!” She turned to walk away. “Now…if you’ll excuse me…there’s a murderer running or flying around loose in my city, and I mean to have accommodations ready for her when she arrives!”
Brandon listened as Stacey’s footsteps treaded away, but he could only hear her parting words echoing in his ears. Anka was no murderer…she was a child touched by the hand of God and given a great purpose. Perhaps she wasn’t an angel…and certainly she was fallible…but an arsonist? A murderer? NO! There was no way! Stacey, whether she realized it or not, was off on a tangent…tinged by some sort of personal vendetta or prejudice.
Whatever it was…it was wrong…and it was dangerous. This was a time for faith and healing…what Stacey was doing would drive the final nail into the coffin of a city already well past the brink…
Brandon jumped to his feet and ran to the bars and began banging on them. “HELP!! HELP!! SOMEBODY!! OPEN THIS CELL!!”
After a few moments, a baby-faced guard opened the outer door and ran down to Brandon’s cell. “What’s your problem?!”
Brandon glared at him. “I need to get out of here right now!”
The man scratched his head. “Errr…sir…you’re in here for your own protection. I have str…”
Brandon waved him off. “Spare me the company line son! I have shoes back at my apartment that have more time in the police force than you! Get me the Chief down here…I’m demanding to be let out right now!”
The young officer stuttered. “B-but…I have strict o-orders from Det…”
Brandon stared at him evenly. “I don’t give a damn what Stacey Jordan told you…get the Chief down here…or get ready to find a new job, rookie!”
The officer lingered for only a moment, then ran back towards the exit. In the adjacent cells, the prisoners all clapped and cheered. ‘YOU TELL EM’ FADDA!!’ ‘SENT THAT PIG RUNNIN’ LIKE A LIL’ BITCH!’ Brandon ignored the cheers as he sat down and waited. The longer he was confined…the more damage would be done outside. Not only to the faith of the people…but to the city itself!
Anka was a lost child…how would she react? What would she do? Time was the enemy now…and for all he knew…it had already run out…
High Over…
Empire City
Anka flew without rhyme or reason, her mind wandering from thought to thought. She wanted desperately to find Arella…to talk to her…find out what had happened to her, where she had been. But those thoughts were always tinged with doubt as she wondered if this was just another distraction…just another way to get her to play His game…
…one she no longer desired to be part of…
Anka veered off at the last moment, nearly crashing into the side of a building as her mind wandered. As she collected herself, her eyes moved to a commotion, just a few blocks north of her. She swooped in, caring little about being seen now. As she flew over, a massive crowd of fifty or more surrounded a young boy, barely out of his teens, if at all. They all screamed and yelled at him, calling him names…pelting him…spitting on him…all because of the color of his skin.
…its blue hue stood in sharp contrast to everyone around him…all of the so-called normals…
The boy was frightened beyond all reason and it showed as blue tinged tears flowed down the sides of his face…his trousers wet and stained blue at the crotch. This was to be a lynching of a sort…payback to Meta-Kind for all that they had done in recent weeks.
No one seemed to notice her there…no one except the boy who turned his face skyward…for the last time. His eyes big and pleading…just before the mob descended on him, thrashing and beating him to death. His only crime…being born different…
This was not her concern…nor was it God’s. Where was He now? The answer was plain, He stood in callous indifference, just as He had when she was raped, beaten, and brutalized over and over for many lifetimes.
She turned to go, but before she could, a loud voice yelled to her. “FREEZE!!”
She turned and her eyes were met by a bright light that blinded her, then her body convulsed…causing her to fall from the sky, down to the pavement below. She hit the ground with a thud as sparks flew from the taser darts that had been fired into her body.
The officer holding the taser gun looked at his partner. “CALL IT IN BERT!!! TELL THEM THAT WE GOT HER RIGHT HERE ON 23’RD AND BRANCH!!”
The crowd gathered around and watched as Anka tried to will her limbs to obey her, but the electricity coursing through her made it all but impossible. The faces within the mob were ashen and confused. They all looked down at her and then at each other.
The officer with the taser walked over and gestured for the crowd to move back. “PEOPLE!! CLEAR THE WAY!! WE HAVE A SITUATION HERE!! THIS…THIS…ANGEL…IS WANTED BY ECPD!!”
This sent another ripple of murmurs through the crowd… the mob… the one that had just beaten a young boy to death…
‘HEY!! LEAVE HER ALONE PIG!!’ ‘YEAH!! SHE’S AN ANGEL YOU FUCKING MORON!!’ ‘WHAT’S YOUR PROBLEM? ARE YOU A RETARD?!!’
The officer took a step back, even as his partner exited the car, unstrapping his weapon. “MOVE BACK PEOPLE!! YOU ARE INTERFERRING WITH OFFICIAL POLICE BUSINESS!! IF YOU DON’T GE…”
A rock flew from the crowd and hit the windshield of the squad car, cracking it and causing him to put his head down. He drew his weapon, even as crowd began to throw more and more debris his way. The officers beat a hasty retreat as they got into their car and backed off.
Several members of the crowd ran over to Anka, even as she finally managed to yank out the darts as they looked at her in wonder. She stood up slowly…her eyes falling on each of them…and then to the blue tinted blood on their hands. She almost laughed as some fell to their knees and crossed themselves. These were God’s children? The ones that He would allow to pass through The Veil and into paradise…all while she and Arella languished here in torment. It sickened her…and yet…it also opened her eyes.
She stretched out her wings, giving them an audible pop as she made herself look as majestic and regal as possible. Here she stood before a mob of anti-meta protesters…a curious look on her face as she considered the irony of it all. Out of the majority of metas in Empire City, with the immediate exception of little-dead-boy blue…she looked the most non-human with her broad wings. All the same, for that very reason, she had attained a level of acceptance here that none of the others could lay claim to. She wasn’t looked at as a meta at all…she was divine…a being truly of God…at least to those who believed.
Deep down inside, she loathed the idea that she was somehow perpetuating the ‘One God’ theory and drawing more followers to the church, but on the other hand…there was no better position for someone with her aims to be in. She was going to do what needed to be done…leading the lambs to slaughter.
Anka took a deep breath as she prepared to do something that she hadn’t done but once before…address the people of Empire City. She had been talked about in many circles…and seen in far fewer. That time was at an end…God had played His game with her, and now she would start with a game of her own…
“Children…the Lord God has sent me unto you in this most desperate of times so that you might have faith and strength enough to enter His Kingdom! He has watched you all…each and every one, and as the time of judgment nears…each of you will have to soon make a choice between right and wrong…good and evil. The question is…would you put your fate in God’s hands when the time comes?”
At first, the voices from the crowd were few, a murmured “yes” with a “amen” or two sprinkled in for good measure. All the same, after a few moments, the crowd began to come together, rallying themselves into a renewed frenzy.
Anka turned to the lifeless blue body that lay on the ground behind her. His only crime was being born different…but what was her crime? Being born at all? She turned to them. “The End of Days are upon us…and the enemy of God has set his minions among you…” She pointed to the dead boy. “…the war for your immortal souls…the war between Heaven and Hell is begun!”
The looks of confusion by some, were turned to looks of utter fear. ‘IT’S THE METAS!! THEY ARE DEVILS!! I TOLD YOU THEY WERE DEVILS!!’ ‘EVIL!! EVIL I TELL YOU!!’ ‘WHAT CAN WE DO?!! HOW CAN WE SAVE OURSELVES? HOW CAN WE SAVE OUR CHILDREN?!!’
Anka smiled ever so slightly. “You must wipe clean the firmament of the unholy among you…make ready the land for His return…”
‘KILL THE METAS!!!’ ‘SEND THE DEMONS BACK TO HELL!!!’
What did God think about Anka’s impassioned speech on His behalf? Did He even care? He didn’t care about the little blue boy lying dead in the streets. Just as He didn’t care about the young girl who was beaten and raped in the streets of Rome so many long centuries ago. He had taunted and teased her…dangled paradise before her…then snatched it away time and again. He had alluded to a ‘GREAT PURPOSE’ for her…and yet…He had only visited more torment upon her.
How long had she groveled at His feet and begged for His love and mercy? How long would He ignore her?
Not for much longer if she had her way…
If He would not allow her to die and end her suffering…she’d make Him strike her down…or watch while His children…human and meta alike butchered one another…in His name…
She was like a petulant child throwing a tantrum all for the sake of getting Her father’s attention. Would it work? How far would she go? Could she stand to have the blood of innocents on her hands? The mob didn’t seem to mind…but Rome was a mob…and the mob was Rome. She had nothing but hate in her heart for what the Empire was…and what remained of it. If God did not intervene…then she had no problem with watching Empire City tear itself apart.
“THAT WAS SOME SPEECH YOU JUST GAVE CRAZY LADY!”
Her eyes turned and finally fixed on a long shaft carried in the hands of a man that stood watching her from the street. “I take it that you’re not a believer!”
The man whirled the staff around, “Oh! No, I believe in a lot of things! I believe the sky is blue, though the sky itself doesn’t actually have a color! I also believe that global warming is real, except in the winter time when it’s colder than a witche’s titty!” He crossed the staff in front of him, “Oh…and this is my newest belief…YOU’RE A MURDERER!”
Anka pulled up short, her brow creased slightly. She didn’t know this man, and she cared little for his accusations. She turned and unfurled her wings as she started to lift herself into the sky. She fell hard to the ground as she felt a blow to the back of her head, to her midsection, and a final one to the backs of her legs.
She turned and glared at the man carrying the quarterstaff. “I told you to hold it right there!!”
Hannah looked to the Heavens as her dark tangled locks fell into her eyes. “Is this your instrument, Father? Is this how you intend to stop me?”
She moved with blinding swiftness, using her wings to sweep him from his feet, even as she sprang to hers. She would not dally with this man…she leapt into the air…even as her pursuer recovered, rolling and leaping to avoid her rabid followers.
He swept the people off their feet and vaulted over the mob, in hot pursuit of his quarry as he scaled a nearby building, moving with a speed and grace that no normal human could possibly possess.
A new game had begun, and in this game, they would both play for keeps…
EPISODE CREDITS
CAST (In order of appearance)
Anka … Kenzi Grey
Father Brandon Knight … Ace Watson
Detective Stacey Jordan … Nina Stokes
Blue Boy … Tommy Thumb
Taser Cop … Nick Tesla
Cop #2 (Bert) … Ernie Street
Quarter Staff Man (Staff Master) … Justin Spirit
Directed by … DubbleFC
Screenplay by … Ron B.
Produced by … CTN Television Studios
Casting by … Maleek Raheem
Music by … Guilty Pleasure
|
|
|
|
Post by Publicist on Oct 8, 2017 8:14:08 GMT -5
Chapter XXIV: The Winds of Change
Over…Empire City As Anka lifted off, leaving the mysterious man who assaulted her with his staff behind, she wondered if and how the other ‘so-called’ heroes in Empire City would oppose her. Certainly, after what she had just done, she would not be endeared to any meta who crossed her path. All the same, she didn’t particularly care. She had been abandoned by a cruel and unfeeling God…and now it was time for everyone else to have a taste of what she had been forced to dine on for centuries past.
In truth, why should she care about anyone at all? The only other metas that she could honestly say that she had ties to were Spike and Gaia. Spike had been helpful to her…but she owed him nothing, in the end, he only cared for his precious Michelle...
…Gaia was a different matter…
She felt that she owed her for opening up her eyes. There was a kinship there…but after what she did, helping the police to capture her, she’d be hard pressed to explain why she did it. Gaia claimed to be fighting for a cause, the freedom of metas everywhere. Conversely, Anka had just branded metas as evil, hell spawned, demons that needed to be wiped out. Would Gaia understand why she had done it? She hoped that she would…but in the end…what did it really matter? She was gone…captured, maybe even dead for all she knew.
She could feel it hovering just below the surface, and it tasted like bile in her mouth threatening to make her vomit. It was jealousy…envy…the green-eyed monster. The rest of these people would just waft out…just like a candle being extinguished in the wind when their time came. They’d be called home to Heaven, or sent down to Hell…either way, it was an ending. For her…it never ended…and it haunted her terribly, it frightened her beyond reason…made her angry beyond words.
Jesus Christ was betrayed by Judas for a handful of coins; he hung himself and died. Was her crime so great that she deserved to suffer in life for all eternity? It was torture to be set apart from everything and everyone…watching them grow old and pass on, as she lingered. Even the cruel men that murdered her family, raped and crucified her, got to grow old, withered, and died; their ashes were long scattered to the wind...and she remained. The longer she watched, the more hateful she grew.
Now things had simply come to a head for her. This was the straw that had broken the camel’s back. Why be a victim when you might at least gain some sense of satisfaction from being the victimizer for a change?
Even that notion seemed to be no more than a lie to her. If she could have accomplished her aims without bloodshed, she would have done so. Admittance into Heaven was her goal…but she’d gladly settle for a spot in Hell if God continued to deny her. This was the equivalent of a foot stomping, hair pulling, full-bore tantrum on her part. If she made enough noise, she could force His hand for better or worse…long before she passed the point of no return…
…but who would blink first? She knew the answer already…but she had to try…
There was a far better question that begged to be asked. If God ignored her, would she have the guts to carry through with her plans? Would she lead innocents to their deaths? She hoped to not find out the answer to that question. All God had to do was strike her down…give her the peace she desired above all else.
Then, what about Brandon Knight…?
God’s favorite Holy Roller. He could prove to be a fly in the ointment if she let him. Even worse she loathed the idea of explaining herself to him…having to endure his critical glares and preaching. Despite it all, she still did admire him. He was a fool for his blind faith and conviction, but he was a hero for sticking to his guns. God loved fools…so His love for Brandon must have been the greatest of all!
Even as Anka continued her lazy flight across Empire City, lost in her own thoughts…there was someone else that was completely focused…and he had the unwary ‘angel’ dead in his sights…
It was his primal yell of both fear and exhilaration that finally got her attention. She turned just as she saw the man with the staff leap from the roof of an adjacent building, flying at her like a human missile. She barely had time to twist her head away as he swung his staff at her. The staff caught her high on the backside of one of her shoulders, knocking her off course and sending her tumbling from the sky. Her body crashed onto the rooftop of an apartment complex.
The staff wielding man landed hard on the same rooftop, his momentum carrying him as he went rolling and nearly fell over the edge of the ledge at the other side. He peered over, some twenty or more floors below, “…the things I do for justice…astounding…”
He turned, kipping up to his feet, as he brandished his staff, whirling it around defensively in front of him. “Alright! Enough running…errrr…flying away! You’re wanted for murder…and I’m making a citizen’s arrest!”
He paused, “Well…technically, I am not a citizen of Empire City, so this might just be a regular arrest…”
Anka looked across the rooftop at the man as her dark spring-like locks of hair obscured her face and tumbled down her shoulders. She threw back her wings and rose slowly to her feet. “Look…hero, I haven’t killed anyone…YET!”
The man bristled at the threat. “You think you can kill the Staff-Master? I’d like to see that!” Anka smirked at the name, and the man shrugged, “Best I could come up with at the time…seemed appropriate…you know, staff and all!”
She ignored his quip as she braced herself as her wings beat at the air violently. At first, Staff-Master thought that she was preparing to take to the sky again and he rushed her… but this proved to be a costly mistake. As he broke from his stable base, the winds hit him like a gale from out of the blue… tossing him back… pushing him towards the edge of the building. Even for a man of his considerable strength, he found the winds tremendous. He struggled for purchase, even as he felt himself being pushed closer and closer to the edge of the building…and the perilous fall below.
Anka balled her fists tightly as she bared her teeth. She had no desire to kill him, but she saw this for what it was…a test…a test of her conviction and force of will. She turned her eyes heavenward, even as her hair whipped and swirled around her. She yelled out, screaming over the violent winds. “IS THIS IT? YOU MEAN TO SEE IF I WILL KILL TO SPITE YOU?!!” She looked back as the man was pushed closer and closer to the edge. She sneered as she narrowed her eyes and furled her brow. “…I’ll kill him…if you make me…” Inside…she prayed that He would not let her kill him…that God would somehow intervene and stop her.
Staff-Master finally managed to plant his feet, but it only slowed his backward momentum. He turned his face away from the buffeting winds and looked behind him; he was only a foot from the edge and getting closer by the moment. He gripped his quarterstaff tightly in one hand as he held up his other to block the fierce winds. He’d only have one chance at this…and one chance only. If he was off a fraction of an inch…he would be in for a fall that only Humpty Dumpty could fully appreciate. He hoisted up his staff…holding it over his shoulder and pointing it directly into the wind. He hazarded one last glance at his target, then let his staff fly…
23rd Street and Branch Avenue
Empire City
When Stacey Jordan arrived on scene, the area had already been taped off. She ducked under the tape and stood there looking down at the brutally beaten body of the teenaged boy. His blue blood was everywhere, even staining the pavement, but its alien color made the scene less real for everyone there.
A uniformed officer scratched his head. “Damn! Cause of death…Smurf Bukkake!”
The other officers standing around the body laughed at the man’s sick joke, but one stare from Detective Jordan was enough to quiet them. She walked over to the officer and got right into his face. “YOU THINK THIS IS FUCKING FUNNY OFFICER NASH?!! THIS IS A DEAD KID LAYING HERE IN THE STREET, IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR CITY!! Tell me…what do you find so fucking funny about that?!”
The officer tensed as he looked down at her. “Geez Detective! It’s just a dead meta! It’s not like it’s a REAL kid or something!!”
She stared at the man and held back the urge to hit him, then she turned to the other officers. “I want witnesses, I want evidence collected…no more laughing and joking about this shit! I don’t care if you like or love metas, we are the line that protect the people of this city…regardless of color…or genetic orientation!”
One of the other officers spoke up. “Ma’am, we have statements coming in already. There was a mob…20 or 30…maybe more. They beat the met…” he paused, correcting himself, “…the kid…they beat him to death right here in the street.”
Stacey’s jaw tightened. “What about the Hexx sighting? I got the call that the angel was here. Was she in on it?”
The man shrugged. “Not sure…she damn sure didn’t stop it…” He looked down at the corpse. “…that’s for sure…”
Stacey nodded as she turned and stepped back under the tape. Anka Jarius…Angel of Empire City…Hexx or whatever she called herself, was involved somehow, she could feel it. She might not have done the deed herself, but there was blood on her hands all the same! She was a killer and Stacey would personally see that she was brought down.
She opened the door to her car as she heard the dispatcher calling in a sighting of Hexx ten blocks north, being chased across the rooftops by a man with a stick. Stacey frowned as she picked up the radio. “Dispatch…repeat…did you say being chased by a man across the rooftops…with a stick?”
A moment of silence, then static filled the air. “Roger that Detective…could have been a pole…”
She shook her head as she tossed the mic back into the car and twirled her finger over her head and pointed north. “EVERYONE NOT COLLECTING EVIDENCE, PACK YOUR SHIT! LET’S GO!!”
As the pursuing officers left, the ones that remained to square away the crime scene looked at one another. The one named Nash shook his head and looked down at the dead boy. “I don’t believe in all that angel and God crap…but if it’s real and she’s out there killing off metas…fuck it…I’ll be a believer!”
The rest of the men were silent for a moment, then one of the others spoke up. “Hey Nash…what in the hell is bukkake?”
High Over…
Empire City
Agents Maya and Sloan were stewing in their seats aboard the Agency Helo-Transport as Daria Knight sat across from them with a broad grin on her face, flanked by a pair of personal security guards in full body armor. Unable to restrain herself, Agent Sloan sat forward, looking Daria right in the face, “Once we are done with that stupid little goose chase of yours and that red headed nutcase is locked away again, I’m going to arrange a personal meeting with the Mayor to discuss your actions.” She gave a wry smile, “Just wanted to give you fair warning.”
Daria nodded grimly, “Well…Grace…”
She corrected her, “You can address me as Agent Sloan!”
Daria bristled, but nodded after a fashion, “Fine! Agent Grace Sloan, I finance and outfit this little dog and pony show, so I suggest that when you go to complain to the Mayor that you also have your office packed up as well.” She smiled, “You see, you’re expendable and replaceable…if, gods forbid, something happened to you, I’d just write a check and a brand new Agent would be here…maybe sitting in that chair like you are, only they will be respectful, because they will know about what happened to you!”
Maya got to her feet with her fists balled up, “ARE YOU THREATENING AGENT SLOAN?!”
The two guards were on their feet quickly and Agent Sloan grabbed Maya and put her back in her seat. She glared at Daria, “Tell your goons to back off before I make them walk home!”
Daria gestured at the two and they settled back into their seats. She shook her head and chuckled, her eyes boring a hole right through the two agents. The look left little doubt that sooner or later things were going to come to head between them.
“If you wankers are done, I think I have something.” The three women turned as Gaia sat, heavily restrained with a dampening field around her to prevent the use of her full range of powers. In her hand, she held the ring.
Daria smiled, “Are we close to whatever it’s being drawn to?”
Gaia shrugged, “Hard to tell…maybe if you had this field turned off, I could…”
Maya rolled her eyes, “As if! No! You’re going nowhere!”
Gaia eyed Maya with murderous intent, then turned back to Daria, “East, tell them to keep heading East. Whatever this thing is drawn to…you’ll find it there.”
Daria smiled as she rubbed her hands together. Whatever it was, whatever power it held, it would soon be hers…
Rooftop of 33rd and Branch Avenue…
Empire City
Staff-Master’s throw was perfect and his quarterstaff cut through the gale winds like a knife as it struck Anka right in the face. “Arrgh!!” She dropped to a knee and the winds came to an abrupt stop. She squeezed her eyes tightly against the pain. She blinked, seeing the staff on the ground, she reached down for it, only to be blasted in the face again, by a flying knee this time.
“DON’T TOUCH MY STAFF!” he quipped, as he toed the ground underneath it, and kicked it up into his hands. “Incidentally, that is number 2 on the list of things I thought I’d never say to a girl!” He smiled, “You care to hear what number 1 is?”
TWACK
Anka bounced off the ground as Staff-Master brought his quarterstaff down across the back of her head, “Sorry Miss, but no head on the first date, thank you!” He paused, with a chuckle, “I am both crude and hilari…!”
Staff-Master was upended as one of Anka’s broad wings, swept him off his feet, “You talk too much!”
Anka got to her feet as Staff-Master spun off his back and into a defensive position, staff at the ready. “Baby, this relationship is doomed without communication!” He ducked another swipe from her wing, and returned the favor with a sharp upward thrust that caught Anka under her chin and lifted her off her feet and down to the ground. Staff-Master prepared to attack again, but Anka rolled away and suddenly disappeared as her wings enveloped her.
Staff-Master skidded to a stop, looking around in utter confusion, “OH MAN! HOW DID I JUST LOSE AND ENTIRE ANGEL?!” He peered into the sky; “…did God just send her to her room...?”
Obscured by the power of her wings, Anka lay still, just feet away from the man who had attacked her and seemed to be doing more than just very well against her. She brushed her hand across her nose and mouth and felt the warmth of the blood that smeared across her knuckles. “…okay then…” she said as she watched him turn around, glancing into the sky.
Using only her powerful wings, she propelled herself off the ground, casting aside the glamor of invisibility. Anka lashed out and caught Staff-Master right in the jaw with a punch that lifted him off his feet. She caught him in midair and rocketed straight into the sky, her speed incredible and Staff-Master only able to hang onto his quarterstaff as he screamed and flailed. Anka wasn’t sure if he was merely acting afraid or if he was truly frightened, but she continued her rapid accent…
On the streets below, Detective Stacey Jordan, along with several other officers pulled up to the scene, just as the winged fugitive was seen blasting off into the sky with a man in tow. The detective jumped out of her car and peered into the sky at the rapidly disappearing pair. She swore as she pounded her fist on the roof of her car. “DAMN IT!! SOMEONE GET SOMETHING IN THE AIR THAT CAN FOLLOW HER!! SHOOT HER DOWN…I DON’T CARE!!”
One of the uniformed officers approached, looking towards the East, “Detective…is that one of ours?”
Stacey turned and squinted as she peered up at the black Helo-Transport as it headed on a path right towards Hexx. She shook her head, “I don’t know who that is, but if they stop her…I’ll buy them all a steak dinner!”
Aboard the Helo-Transport, Gaia spoke as she continued to track what they were chasing, “It’s moving…very fast…up…going straight up!”
Daria ran to the front of the craft and peered out the window, seeing a rapidly ascending contrail, and at the head of it, Hexx with a man in her clutches. Daria pointed, “FOLLOW THEM!”
The pilot looked back, “Ma’am…they are really moving. I’m not sure we have the power to keep up!”
Daria kicked the back of his seat, “THEN YOU FIND IT, I DON’T CARE FROM WHERE!” She watched as the pilot pushed the craft to its limits, but still they lagged behind. He adjusted power settings, boosting the engine power. When that wasn’t enough, he started drawing power from the various systems on the craft. The lights dimmed, but the Helo-Transport blasted forward, its speed equaling and then surpassing that of their objective.
“KNIGHT! WHAT IN THE HELL IS HAPPENING?!” Agent Sloan ran to the cockpit, grabbing Daria by her shoulder.
Daria pointed, “There! We are chasing that!”
Agent Sloan looked out the window and saw the angel carrying a man holding staff, rocketing into the air. Daria shrugged off the agent’s hand and held on for dear life as their pace dramatically quickened. She grinned as they closed the distance, but her grin faulted as the transport began to vibrate. Daria and Agent Sloan turned as they heard a scream behind them.
Agent Sloan drew her weapon and ran to the back, then stopped cold as she saw a terrifying sight, the dampening restrains on Gaia were shattered and the meta terrorist was free. Her eyes turned to Maya as her body was contorted horribly on the deck, her back broken in two and her eyes staring up blankly.
BLAM
BLAM
BLAM
Agent Sloan let loose a volley of gunfire as she screamed in fury at the sight of her friend, dead at the feat of the meta terrorist. Gaia lurched back as she was struck twice, high in the shoulder, the third shot hitting her in the head and sending her tumbling to the floor. She charged at the fallen meta, intent on finishing her off, when she was hit in the back, “ARRRGGHHH!”
Agent Sloan fell on top of Gaia, bleeding heavily from her back which had been viciously scored by razor sharp claws. She turned to bring her weapon to bare on her attacker, only to have her gun kicked out of her hand by one of Daria’s guards. She crawled after it, scratching and clawing, until she was impaled by four sharp barbs, ripping right through her body. She opened her mouth to scream, but there was only the gurgle of blood. She clawed for the gun as her vision blurred…reaching, clawing, grabbing…fingers curling around…
“BLOODY PIG CUNT!”
Blood splattered the side of the transport, as a swift boot to the face, shattered her jaw and her head lolled to the side, her eyes fluttering.
The two armored guards removed their helmets, revealing themselves as Reaver and Vixxxen. The two stood over the gravely wounded Agent, tossing her gun away, and then kicking her without mercy.
The transport shuttered and the engine whined and began to lose speed. Daria screamed at the pilot, but it was no use, the transport could not keep up. She ran to the back and stared at the bloody scene before her. “Gods!” She ran to Gaia’s side and turned her over, “OH!” Blood poured from the empty socket where her right eye had been, and her chest heaved as she struggled to breath, despite the two gunshots in her chest. Daria called to Reaver and Vixxxen, “Help me with her!”
The two women rushed over to help. Vixxxen seemed repulsed by the sight, but Reaver couldn’t contain her grin, “Is she going to kick over mate? 'Er eye looks like a bloody cat’s arsehole!”
Daria, looked around frantically, “She’ll be fine, we just need the…”
The three women were forced to grab a hold of something as wind buffeted the inside of the cabin. Eyes turned to the port door as it slid open and Agent Sloan, an even bloodier mess uttered a muttered curse, holding up the golden band as she gave Daria the finger and fell through the open door.
Daria screamed, “NOOOOOOO!!”
Her scream was in vain as the agent’s body, and more importantly, the band hurdled towards the earth…out of sight…out of reach…
EPISODE CREDITS
CAST (In order of appearance)
Anka … Kenzi Grey
Staff-Master … Justin Spirit
Detective Stacey Jordan … Nina Stokes
Officer Nash … Ryan Callaghan
Agent Sloan … Amy Jo Smyth
Agent Maya … Maria Salvatore
Daria Knight ... Missy
Gaia … Kate Steele
Pilot … Liam Sully
Guard 1/Reaver ... Melissa Reeves
Guard 2/Vixxxen ... Katie Anderson
Directed by … DubbleFC
Screenplay by … Ron B.
Produced by … CTN Television Studios
Casting by … Maleek Raheem
Music by … Guilty Pleasure
|
|
