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Post by Publicist on Jul 30, 2017 12:44:36 GMT -5
CHAPTER XXV: THE QUESTION OF ANGELS
27,000 FEET
Over Empire CityThe last thing Agent Sloan saw as she looked up into the sky was the ‘angel’ they had been chasing; Hexx, carrying a man with a staff. Why were they chasing them? What did it have to do with any of this? She didn’t have the answer to that question…and it was pretty apparent that she never would.
The wind buffeted Agent Sloan’s face as she tried to scream and her voice was drowned out completely, her body hurdling down towards the earth below. Moments ago, she had jumped from a helo-transport full of meta-humans who had just killed her partner and probably would have done the same to her. She’d snatched their prize, a band…a ring…whatever the hell it was, then opened the emergency door and jumped.
In retrospect…just tossing the band out might have hurt less. They would have killed her anyway, but seeing the looks on their stupid faces…well, not even Grace Sloan could put a damn price on that. The thought comforted her as she squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to see the ground as it rushed up to meet her.
She thought to herself ‘This is really going to hur…’
HIGH OVER...
Empire CityInside the slowly stalling helo-transport, Daria Knight could barely hear herself think. The wind from the open emergency door was drowning out everything and the warning sirens were blaring. She made her way to the cockpit and screamed at the pilot.
“TAKE US DOWN!! TAKE US DOWN TO THE GROUND RIGHT NOW!!”
The pilot was already angling the ship back down, it was unable to match the speed of 'The Angel of Empire City' they were in pursuit of. Daria grimaced at the thought of losing out on catching Hexx and discovering why the band had been attracted to her... "...or was it..." she said to herself as she thought about the man holding the staff that she was carrying.
Either way, she knew that it was connected to one of them...and she would find out, just as soon as they found Agent Sloan's body and the band she had jumped out of the transport with. At this she could take some small comfort in the fact that the bitch died screaming as she crashed into the ground at terminal velocity.
This brought a smile to her face...if nothing else...
HIGHER, STILL… Over Empire City
Hexx strained to carry herself and Staff Master as she finally stopped her steep ascent. Still, her wings beat furiously as she held them both up. She looked down at the man as she held on to collar of his vest. “Tell me this hero… why should I not drop you to your death… even as you sought to do the same to me?”
Staff Master grimaced. She had fallen from the rooftop during their struggle, but he hadn’t intentionally made her fall. “I wasn’t trying to knock you off the building or kill you… I was looking to bring you in for your crimes!”
Hexx laughed, despite herself. “Crimes? I have done nothing against the laws of man, not that I am bound by them! You’re as hypocritical as that fool Superius! Violating the very ideals you purport to protect, while you do more harm to the innocent than you know! Tell me that I’m wrong hero… tell me that it isn’t so!”
Staff Master was silent for a long while before he finally answered her. “You’re wrong… I have the right to make a citizen’s arrest, and why shouldn’t I when there is a murderer on the loose? Speaking of which…it’s not too late for you to turn yourself in…I think I see a police station right down below us!!”
Hexx laughed. “Perhaps I should let you go… so that you can take a closer look for yourself!” With that, Hexx dove down, rocketing at an incredible speed. They seemed certain to impact the ground, but while the man tensed, he did not scream. She pulled up from her dive to look him in his eyes again, but he remained steadfast. She glared at him, "You weren't afraid I'd drop you?"
He shook out his hair and caught his breath before he spoke again, “If you did that… then you wouldn’t be as innocent as you profess yourself to be… now would you?”
Hexx was angry when next she spoke. “PROFESS? With each word you utter… you loosen my grip further… pray that you don’t make an ACTUAL murderer out of me before this day is done!”
Staff Master tightened his grip on his quarterstaff. The feel of it in his hand was reassuring to him, even as he made up his mind about a course of action. “You swear up and down that you aren’t a murder… so why don’t I give you a chance to prove it?”
“Wha…”
Before Hexx could ask the question, she was smacked in the face by his staff. The pain was blinding and instant as an explosion of white light filled her vision. Her hands went instinctively to her face and suddenly Staff Master was in the midst of a deadly fall through the cloud cover and to the ground below. It only took a second for Hexx to regain her composure, but even as she did, she saw the man plummeting towards the ground…and certain death. She swept her wings back and angled for the man even as he fell, holding his staff close to himself. Her wings pushed at the air, driving her faster, until she caught his foot in her hands. Her wings deployed like a drag chute at first, slowing them, then beating at the air, even as the ground was rushing up to meet them. She turned from a direct dive to a rapid, but angled approach. The two of them hit the ground and tumbled wildly. Staff Master continued to roll, slamming into the side of a parked car, severely denting the door and shattering the windows…
ARRRRRH!!!
He recovered slowly, more bruised and battered from the tumbling than anything else. He looked up as he saw Hexx come to a less graceful stop in the middle of the street. He watched as she struggled to get up, then fell back down to a knee. Staff Master’s eyes grew large as he saw what she apparently didn’t.
“LOOK OUT!!!”
A large semi-truck was bearing down on her and showing no signs of slowing down. Staff Master ignored the ache in his body as he made a beeline for the street. He never looked at the speeding truck… even as he dove, grabbing the dazed woman and dragging her out of the path of the vehicle at the last instant. He rolled, finally coming to rest on top of her at the side of the street. “Are you okay?!! I wa…”
She planted both of her feet against his midsection and kicked him up and over, even as she rolled with him, gaining the dominant position… wrapping one hand around his neck as she threatened him with the other. “YOU F*CKING IDIOT!! YOU ALMOST KILLED YOURSELF!!”
Staff Master arched his brow as he grinned, his teeth stained red with blood. “Awwwwe! I wasn’t in danger of dying, but I had to see if you were as innocent as you claimed to be…”
Hexx narrowed her eyes at him. “So… did I pass?”
“You may not be a killer… but that doesn’t change the fact that you’re wanted… and it’s my duty to bring you in to answer the charges. If you keep running… I’m just going to keep chasing you… so… what do you say?”
She seemed lost in thought for a moment, then a slow smile traced its way across her supple lips. “I’ll turn myself in… but only to the butcher of Rome…”
Staff Master was completely confused and taken off guard. “The who of the what?!!”
She elaborated. “The man who slaughtered my people...the man the idiots of this city worship as a god...Superius…”
KINGSTON FOREST
Edge of Empire City
The helo-transport hovered over the heavily forested area as search beams knifed between the branches. From the open emergency door, Vixxxen peered out and shook her head. “I still don’t see anything! If that bitch hit the ground out here we might never find her!”
Vixxxen flinched as Reaver drug the lifeless crushed body of Agent Maya over and pitched out like garbage. The vicious woman grinned as she watched the body plummet down and hit the ground with a satisfying thud. “Good riddance to bad bloody rubbish, aye?!”
Vixxxen rolled her eyes and walked back inside. She posted her hands on her hips, looking at Daria as she knelt beside the still unconscious Gaia, her head wrapped in bloody gauze, a parting gift from Agent Sloan before she took her swan dive with the band. Vixxxen chimed in, “ “Do you think she can find it?”
Daria gave a hard sigh, “ “Maybe…if she lives. It’s probably our only chance at getting it back.” She swore under her breath, “…shit…” Daria had no intention of keeping Gaia alive, but now she had to if she had any chance of finding what was basically a needle in a haystack. She turned and yelled to the pilot, “GET US BACK TO BASE!”
Reever walked over, peering down at the wounded meta, and then to her employer, “What are you gonna to tell those wankers back at the base? They’ll be wondering bout their little agent friends?”
Daria laced her fingers, as she calmly settled back. “I have already messed them, I told them that Sloan and Maya tried to sabotage the mission and kill Gaia. They were killed by my guards instead. Nice and neat…nothing to worry about.”
Daria stared out the window as she wondered if they would ever find that band. The transport lingered for just a few moments more before its engines spun up and it headed off back towards base...
MOMENTS LATER…
Agent Sloan stumbled out of the underbrush and fell on the ground. Her clothes were torn to shreds and her body was mangled and broken, but she was alive…by some miracle. She didn’t know how and she didn’t know why, but she could feel her body knitting itself back together.
Her twisted hand, which was already healing itself, opened and the gold band glinted in the rapidly fading light…
CAST (In order of appearance)
Agent Sloan ... Amy Jo Smyth
Anka … Kenzi Grey
Staff-Master … Justin Spirit
Daria Knight ... Missy
Vixxxen ... Katie Anderson
Reaver ... Melissa Reeves
Agent Maya … Maria Salvatore
Gaia ... Kate Steele
Directed by … DubbleFC
Screenplay by … Ron B.
Produced by … CTN Television Studios
Casting by … Maleek Raheem
Music by … Guilty Pleasure
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Post by Publicist on Oct 8, 2017 8:21:49 GMT -5
CHAPTER XXVI: THE LOST CHAPTER
KINGSTON FOREST
Edge of Empire City
Agent Sloan’s body was healed by the ring…or band…whatever the hell they called it, but she still hurt like hell. One could not simply fall from thousands of feet and then not feel something…magic or whatever. She had found Agent Maya’s body and had tried to use the ring on her, but it was useless. Maybe she had been dead for too long or maybe it just didn’t work on everyone, she didn’t know…but she had tried, failed, and wept over the girl’s horrific demise.
She drug Maya’s body to a place where it would be safe from predators, then struck out towards the distant lights of the city. Her communications and even her weapon were destroyed when she smashed into the ground, she had nothing at her disposal but her wits and her desire to get her hands around Daria Knight’s neck.
It was hours before she reached the outskirts of the city and found a telecommunications pod. She called on the secure line and the agent that answered immediately went into trace protocol, she knew it immediately since she wrote it. Something was wrong, and she already knew what it was. She disconnected the call and got as far away from the area as quickly as she could. She was wanted by her own agency, no doubt Daria had spun some fantastic tale to turn them against her.
She racked her brain to come up with a solution to this new dilemma she now faced. It was difficult to prove your innocence to a shadowy organization that very few people knew existed. If she was going to have a chance in hell of getting to the bottom of things, she would need help from someone on the outside who wasn’t tainted by Daria Knight’s power and influence. She racked her brain, but she could only think of one person…
OLYMPUS LOFTS
Empire City
Detective Stacey Jordan was operating on less sleep than she ever had in her career in law enforcement. She hadn’t closed her eyes for an appreciable amount of time in 72 hours. If leadership had known, they would made her a member of the ‘rubber gun club’ and sidelined her for cause. Fortunately, the brass had bigger concerns than an overworked Detective.
She had intended to get some rest, at least an hour or two, but sleep had eluded her, replaced by thoughts of doing everything she could to slap handcuffs on Anka…Hexx…or whatever the hell she was calling herself these days. She had proven herself to be no better than that murdering meta Gaia after she’d killed scores of people in the S.C. Lewis building, including two of ECPD’s finest. Superius had come within an eyelash of capturing her, but she’d proven to be tougher quarry than even the Lord Protector could manage to bring down. Where he had failed, she wouldn’t…demigod or not.
She had a personal stake in things, to be sure. Hexx had Brandon under her spell with all of that One God nonsense that had driven a wedge between them back when they were a couple, ages ago…before his calling. She couldn’t help but to wonder of Brandon would have fallen so easily under the ‘angel’s’ influence if he were still a cop instead of peddler of cheap fantasies about an all-power man that you couldn’t see who lived in the clouds.
She nearly laughed out loud at the very thought of it as she walked from her apartment and opened the door to her cruiser, muttering to herself under her breath, “…who’s stupid enough to believe that cra…HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!” Stacey whirled around, her gun drawn in an instant as she heard footsteps approaching behind her.
“Jordan…it’s me…don’t fucking shoot!”
Stacey lowered her gun, though she barely recognized the woman that approached. “Sloan?” The woman that had come to her office giving her some song and dance about a mysterious organization that was looking to recruit her came walking towards her. Stacey had thought she was crazy that day, almost as crazy as she looked right now. She was a disheveled mess, hair in wild matted tangles, clothes nearly torn to shreds, and dried blood everywhere. She frowned, “What in the hell happened to you?”
Sloan walked past her, muttering quickly, “…get in the car…” She opened the door and slid into the back of Stacey’s cruiser, closing the door behind her as she slid down in the seat.
Stacey stood there for a moment, then got in the car. Had Sloan not proven her crazy story about ‘The Agency’ to be true by helping to capture Gaia, she wouldn’t have been so trusting. She closed the door and kept her eyes forward as she repeated her question, watching the obviously spooked agent in her rearview. “What happened to you?”
The woman’s eyes were wild and darted back and forth nervously. “Do you want to hear the part before or after I fell out a transport thousands of feet in the fucking sky!”
Stacey turned around and looked at the agent, suddenly concerned for her mental state. “Okay, I…” she paused as she noticed the golden band in the agent’s hand. Not only noticed…but recognized it. It was the very same one that had healed her after she was shot several times by a possessed woman inside a bank vault several weeks ago. “…where did you get that…?”
Grace looked around, the clutched the band to her chest. “Drive the car…we can talk, just keep moving.”
Stacey turned around and sat there for a moment as she digested it all. Sloan had earned her trust after the capture of Gaia, she was obviously one of the good guys…and now she was in need of her help. Stacey started the car and pulled off, listening as Grace Sloan recounted her tale…
The agent told Stacey about how the band had been brought to the Agency to be studied by ‘mysterious financier’ whom she was reluctant to name for some reason. She told her about how the band exhibited a strange attraction that Gaia had been compelled to help ferret out. This seriously raised Stacey’s hackles. Gaia was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of people and had been started the meta insurgency that was ripping the city apart. She remained quiet as Sloan told her how they had found the mysterious source of the attraction and that it was the ‘Angel of Empire City’ they had tracked down as she fought with some staff wielding vigilante before their transport was crippled in an escape attempt by Gaia.
Stacey turned and looked back at Sloan, her eyes wide with horror. “ARE YOU TELLING ME THAT GAIA ESCAPED?!”
Sloan shook her head, looking away. “I put two rounds in her body and one in her head…but with metas, how can you know what will kill them?” She looked down at the golden band in her hand.
“Fucking metas…” she nearly spat out as she turned around, her jaw clenched hard as she remembered the two that came after her in the hospital and blasted her out of a window several stories up. “It was two metas that took that band from me…one tossing fire and another…”
Sloan added, “…with claws…” She nearly winced as she remembered those razors tearing through her back. The wound had been healed, but the pain was still there, aching to the bone.
Stacey gripped the wheel tighter. “I know them…they kidnapped me, they nearly blew my ass all over Gateway Park.” She looked in the rearview, “If you know who they are working for, you have to tell me. I can’t help you if I don’t know everything!”
Sloan was silent as she considered whether or not to tell her about Daria Knight. The woman was one of the most prominent people in the city and she had her fingers in almost everything…maybe even the police, but she knew she trusted Detective Jordan. Perhaps she was right, she had to know everything if she was going to be of any help. “Detective, I…”
Before she could finish, the car’s communications unit flashed, and her image appeared on the screen as an all-points bulletin was broadcast;
SUBJECT: GRACE JOSEPHINA SLOAN
AGE: 36
DESCRIPTION: CAUCASIAN FEMALE | 5’7” | MEDIUM BUILD
CRIME: MURDER | SEDITION
**ARMED AND DANGEROUS – DEADLY FORCE AUTHORIZED**
Sloan put her hands over her face and screamed, “FUCK! This is fucked…this is SO fucked!” She quickly composed herself, as she hit the seat. “Stop the car…I can’t let them connect you to me, not until I find a way to clear myself!”
Stacey narrowed her eyes, looking back at the agent, “I can help you! I can take you in and then we can…”
She cut her off, “If they even suspect that you’ve been in contact with me, you and everyone you know will be a target. I can’t risk that! I have to keep you clear of this…at least for now! Stop the car!”
Stacey pulled over, reluctantly. She turned around, “This is a mistake! If you let me tak…” Before she knew what was happening, Sloan was shoving the band into her hand.
“Take it! Get it somewhere safe…somewhere protected! I don’t know if they will find another way to track it, but I can’t keep if they do.” She opened the back door, “I just need a few days to see who’s been compromised…then I will contact you.” With that, she stepped out and slammed the door behind her.
Stacey was dumbfounded, as she opened the door to chase after her, but was stopped as another bulletin flashed across her comm unit:
SUBJECT: HEXX
AGE: UNKNOWN
DESCRIPTION: ANGEL
CRIME: MURDER
**APPREHENDED**
Stacey froze as she stared at the screen and nearly cheered out loud. She turned to go after Sloan, but the woman was long gone. “…shit…” she swore under her breath. There was nothing more she could do until the woman contacted her again.
She held up the band, staring at it. It was strange that something so small had found its way back into her hands…almost as if by fate…or maybe even by design. She rolled her eyes at the thought and shoved it into her pocket. She’d take the damn thing to ECPD Headquarters and secure it there. She closed the door and turned the car towards headquarters. That was convenient, especially since that was where she’d find that murdering bitch Hexx.
“…one stop shopping…” she muttered to herself as she turned on her emergency lights and gunned the engine.
ECPD HEADQUARTERS
Empire City, Capitol District
Stacey’s unmarked car pulled up on the curve and rumbled to a stop as she jumped out and ran inside. She burst through the doors. “WHERE IS SHE?!! WHERE IS SHE?!!” She stopped in her tracks as she saw Hexx standing in the lobby, surrounded by a trio of officers in full riot gear, complete with helmets...one of them could have legally been classified as a giant. She narrowed her eyes as she started to walk towards them. “I want to talk to you…”
An officer wearing Captain bars stepped in and blocked her approach. “I’m sorry detective…but you are going to have to stop right there!”
Stacey glared at him, angry at being stopped. “I’m the one who put out the original all points bulletin for her! I need to talk to her right now!”
The Captain waved her off. “Sorry Detective…but no one is to speak to her…not until Superius speaks to her. It was a condition placed on her surrender.”
Stacey stared at him dumbfounded. “Condition?!! Since when do we negotiate with suspected murders?!!” She looked at Hexx, and though she never bothered to look up, she knew that she heard her. She turned back to the Captain. “I want her locked in a damn cell at the very least! She’s a potential flight risk…LITERALLY!!”
The Captain looked over at Hexx and then considered what Stacey said. He nodded. “I suppose that’s prudent… at least until The Lord Protector gets here.” He nodded to the officer in charge and pointed to holding. The three officers stood aside, more guiding her than anything else, treating her with more respect than Detective Jordan liked without a doubt. He turned back to Stacey. “Detective…a lot of the men here follow the ‘One God’ faith. I know I don’t need to point out that we need to treat this situation with a bit of delicacy.”
Stacey grimaced at the mention of religion. “Look Captain, I understand that…really I do…but they need to put duty first!”
The Captain shook his head. “Look! My guys are taking a beating out there in the streets! For a lot of them, faith is all that they have. I just don’t want to stress these guys out anymore than they are already! The city is tearing itself to pieces right now…I don’t need my officers doing it to each other.”
Stacey frowned. She knew that he was right. This was a situation that needed to be treated with kid gloves, yet she was itching to hit it with a hammer. She had no hard evidence against the ‘supposed’ angel, but what she did know for certain was that she wasn’t what she appeared, and that made her a danger to someone like Brandon, who was looking for a reason to believe in his ‘One God’ nonsense. She took a deep breath to calm herself, before changing the subject…somewhat. “Superius, huh? Did she say what she wanted with him?”
He shook his head. “Nah…as a matter of a fact, she hasn’t said a single word. Some guy with a stick brought her in. He passed on the message.”
She arched her brow. “A meta?”
The Captain shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. I mean…he seemed normal to me…” He paused. “…except for the stick of course.”
Stacey didn’t delve into it any further. The point of the matter was that Hexx had been brought in. She’d get to talk to the demi god…then the deal would be done, there would be no more conditions and she’d have to answer her questions, or be locked up for good. Stacey didn’t have a problem with that, she didn’t have a problem with that at all.
CRASH
All eyes turn towards the main doors as a garbage can comes flying through the glass. Several officers, including Stacey and the Captain run to the front doors and look outside, only to see a huge crowd of Empire City citizens rioting out front.
The Captain stared out at the sea of humanity wide-eyed. “WHAT IN THE HELL IS THIS?!!” He didn’t have to wait long for his answer as the crowd began to chant in unison.
“LET THE ANGEL GO!! LET THE ANGEL GO!! LET THE ANGEL GO!!”
Stacey shakes her head with a grimace. “You have got to be shitting me!”
A hail of rocks came flying into the front of the station, forcing them back. Stacey pulled out her gun as she gritted her teeth in anger. The Captain grabbed her arm and stopped her. “THEY’RE JUST PEOPLE, WE AREN’T GOING TO GO OUT THERE AND START SHOOTING!!”
Stacey swore as she holstered her gun. The people outside the building were misguided as far as she was concerned. Anka...or Hexx as she now preferred wasn’t an angel…and she was more meta than human…even though she had galvanized the ‘One God’ believers into thinking otherwise.
She pounded her fist on the floor in anger. In a time when the city was in utter chaos…this was the last thing that Empire City needed…
OUTSIDE ECPD HEADQUARTERS
The Streets…
The mob was thick with One God supporters as they watched the station with angry eyes over the imprisonment of ‘The Angel of Empire City.’ News had spread quickly and people were gathering in an unprecedented show of support…support that had already begun to turn violent. The people refused to believe the story about the angel killing people in the S.C. Lewis building, writing it off as ‘meta propaganda.’ This only heightened tensions as more and more people began to chant for the release of Hexx…and meta blood.
Moving in the crowd, were two familiar faced…Arella and Athena. Athena was nervous as she covered herself with her hood, she was uneasy around this many humans…especially those calling for the blood of her kind. She was deep within enemy territory and she didn’t know why Arella had brought her here.
She leaned down and whispered to her, “…what are we doing here…” she looked around, “…these people are NOT our friends…”
Arella reached out and took her hand to calm her new charge. “…PEOPLE are NOT our friends….” She moved silently to the edge of the mob, her dark eyes on the station. “…my mother is inside…and I have need of her…”
Athena looked down at her, “…your mother is a cop…?”
She smirked, “…my mother is ‘The Angel of Empire City’ and we are going to use her to start a war…”
Athena stared at her, eyes wide, “…well…shit…”
CAST (In order of appearance)
Agent Grace Sloan ... Amy Jo Smyth
Detective Stacey Jordan … Nina Stokes
Hexx/Anka ... Kenzi Grey
Riot Officer#1 ... Colt Brady
Riot Officer #2 ... Finn Brady
Riot Officer #3 ... Redd Thunder
Captain Layton Lambert … Wellington Leander IV
Athena ... Cass Baumer
Arella ... Orchid
Directed by … DubbleFC
Screenplay by … Ron B.
Produced by … CTN Television Studios
Casting by … Maleek Raheem
Music by … Guilty Pleasure
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Post by Publicist on Oct 8, 2017 8:22:35 GMT -5
CHAPTER XXVII: TO COMMUNE WITH ANGELS…
ECPD HEADQUARTERS
Empire City Capitol District Despite the commotion and chaos going on outside, Hexx was walked quietly down into holding surrounded by Empire City’s finest; three members in full riot gear. They had been reluctant to allow her to remain un-cuffed, but in the end, Staff Master had given them every assurance that she would comply…so long as she got to speak with Superius. As they led her into the reinforced holding cells and deposited her inside, she unfurled her wings, giving them a generous stretch. Several other detainees in an adjacent cell crossed themselves as others stared at her with dumbfounded fascination. She ignored the stares as she sat down and attempted to wait in silence.
Her eyes roamed the gray bars and walls that made up her confinement. It was not the first time she had been held, though this was the first time she had been a willing prisoner. So many centuries past she had languished this way…dreaming of a time she’d take her vengeance on her jailers…and their hero…their Lord Protector…the Demigod Superius. It was almost comical that she now found herself here again, waiting…wanting nothing more than to destroy him for all that he had done.
Soon…she would get to stand face to face with him again…soon she would have a chance to look upon the face of the creature who had set her on this path…soon she would have a chance to take her final revenge, and in so doing…spit in the face of her creator…
OUTSIDE ECPD HEADQUARTERS
The Streets…
The crowd of protesters demanding the release of Hexx were moved to silence as the mighty Superius strode among them. He was a massively imposing figure, worshiped by most as a god, even by many of those who now claimed to believe in the One-God faith. Superius was a figure of legend, he was the entity who had forged Empire City with his bare hands in ancient times…destroying the enemies of Rome, both real and imagined. The details of his deeds and exploits had passed into legend and all most knew of him was that he was the Father of Empire City…he was the Lord Protector who had gone missing after saving the land from those who would destroy it.
History had nearly turned him into a fable before his return a few months ago, saving the city from the wrath of Gaia along with Hexx. What no one knew was that on that faithful day, Hexx had come within a whisper of killing Superius. Had it not been for the appearance of someone from her past, Hexx might well have bashed his brains out in the rubble of Gaia’s terrorist attack. Even then, as Hexx hit him over and over in the head with a length of solid rebar, his last thoughts were of saving the citizens. They were all that mattered that day…and they were all that mattered now.
He had convinced her to fight at his side to stop Gaia…so he knew there was goodness in her, but he also knew there was a dark brooding hate…and it was for him…it was for what he had done in the past. That was why he had vanished…that is why he had recused himself from the city he built and the people he’d nurtured. He had blood on his hands…and nothing could wipe them clean. He had returned, only to combat the threat to what he had built…but now the weight of his deeds burdened his soul…if Demigods had such things.
He walked into the station and was greeted by Detective Jordan as she paced back and forth, displeasure with this entire situation etched on her face. Most others bowed their heads in his presence, but she marched up to him, forgoing any such pomp and circumstance. “General! If you are going to speak to the murder, I request to be there! The S.C. Lewis investigation flows into one that I have been working on for months; the burning of the One God Churches!”
Superius looked down the brave police officer who singlehandedly faced down a hoard of metas that attacked the city capital. She risked her life when others ran…she saved the Republic. He put a hand on her shoulder, “Constable, I would be honored to have you by my side as I conversed with the…angel.”
Stacey corrected, “…meta…”
Superius walked to the lower holding area as he spoke with the Detective. “You don’t believe in the One God?”
She blurted out, “I don’t believe in any gods.” She grimaced as she looked at him, realizing what she had just said. “My apologies Lord Protector…”
Superius ignores the apology, as they prepare to enter holding. “After today…maybe I’ll start to believe in one of them.”
Stacey couldn’t help but to feel a weird twinge as Superius’s words struck her. What did he mean? The question swirled around inside her mind as she tried to make heads or tails of what he meant.
They reached holding and were led to the cell that held the Angel of Empire City. Stacey was ready to lay into her…ready to get her to confess to her crimes, but this wasn’t her show…not yet at least. She stood back as she let Superius fulfil the condition of Hexx’s surrender. The Demigod folded his massive arms as he addressed the angel as she sat quietly in her cell, her head down and wings folded behind her. Superius started to announce himself, but she spoke first.
“General…I’m glad that you came.”
Superius straightened his back. “I am a man of my word. I said I would come and I am here.”
“So you have.” Hexx rose from the floor and turned her dark eyes on him. “When you chased me…when we fought…you told me that things change…you told me that people change. Did you mean it General…or was that just more Roman lies?”
Superius met her gaze with his own, “There was no lie in my words. I know that you blame me for things in my pa…”
“THINGS?!” she roared, then grabbed the bars. “AAARRGGHH!!” Sparks flew as she was zapped and knocked to the floor, left dazed and disoriented for a moment.
Superius moved to help her, but Stacey grabbed his arm. “General…” She implored him to refrain from touching the bars. “…you may be strong…but less you’re willing to test your limits, I wouldn’t.”
He paused as he recognized the warning, and put his hands back at his side. He called to her as she struggled to shake off the shock. “I am not your enemy…I…”
Hexx got to her feet, tears streaking down her cheeks…hot and wet. They were not for the pain that racked her body and made her bones hum, they were for the hate she felt in her heart for him. “You will always be my enemy.” her voice was a vicious hiss. “How long will it take to wash away the blood of centuries of slaughter General? Rome should have gone to Hell for its transgressions…” She looked up, closing her eyes as she listened for the sounds of the riots outside the building that her keen ears could still hear. “…and at long last…it seems as though it finally will.” She looked at him with her large dark eyes. “Are you looking forward to leading the way General? Looking forward to reaping the rewards you’ve earned for the people you’ve killed…” She grabbed the bars and held them, even as sparks shot from her hands from the electricity coursing through them. Her body rocked and shook, the smell of pure ozone filling the air, “…MY PEOPLE!! CHILDREN OF GOD?!!”
Superius looked to the Stacey and then to the guards, the shock in his eyes implicit, “TURN IT OFF! SHE’S KILLING HERSELF! TURN IT OFF NOW! THAT’S AN ORD…AAAARRRRRGGGGHHH!”
Hexx fell back from the bars even as her wings slipped between the bars and folded themselves around Superius, pulling him into the bars. Even his mighty strength was soon sapped as the lights in the holding area flickered from the massive power surge. Hexx squinted as she watched Superius scream in pain, his flesh seeming to scorch and blister.
The guards yelled as they called for power to be shut off. It seemed to take forever for the power to be cut, but as it did, the body of General Superius slumped down and Hexx stumbled back as her wings pulled back. The guards trained their guns on her, but her eyes were bright and wide, totally fixed on the body of the man she’d swore to kill centuries ago. Her hands were burned black…twisted and gnarled, but there was only a look of pure bliss on her face.
Stacey ran to Superius’ side, screaming for them to get help. She turned to the guards in riot gear, “IF SHE MOVES A MUSCLE, KILL THAT FUCKING BITCH!” She struggled to pull the massive smoldering body of the Demigod away from the bars and the reach of Hexx’s wings. “…shit…shit…SHIT…” she swore as his skin seemed to sluff off in her hands. “She killed him…she killed him!”
“I killed one…” Hexx answered, her wings folding around her like a cocoon, “…that thing killed millions…”
Stacey looked at her, still confused by her words…by the pure hatred in her heart. Their conversation had made no sense to her, none at all, but none of that mattered. If no one believed she was a murder before…they would now. She paused as she remembered the band in her pocket…the one that Agent Sloan had given her. It had saved her life after she fell from a transport plane…it had saved Stacey after she was gunned down inside a bank vault. Maybe it could restore the General.
She fumbled in her pocket and pulled out the band and placed it in the scorched hand of the Lord High Protector. She closed her eyes as she pleaded to some unseen force. “Please…please…”
“DETECTIVE!!”
Stacey looked up as one of the guards yelled and she saw Hexx on her feet, her eyes fixed on her in absolute fury. “YOU’RE NOT BRINGING HIM BACK!! I WON’T ALLOW IT!!” Her wings shot through the bars and the creak of metal was heard as the bars began to bend.
Stacey yelled, “SHOOT THAT BITCH!”
It was chaos as the roar of gunfire filled the confined space. Stacey covered her head and screamed as rounds began to ricochet all around as Hexx’s wings easily deflected them. The sharp wrench of metal failing was heard as the bars were torn from their moorings. The guards were thrown back as Hexx’s broad wings lashed out, striking them, sending the three men rolling to the floor like bowling pins. The larger guard recovered quickly and charged at Hexx with a roar, hitting her and driving her back into the cell, smashing her into the wall. Hexx battered him with her crippled hands, knocking off his riot helmet and revealing his face, covered in an odd red mask. The massive man clenched his teeth as he battered her against the wall, lifted her over his head, then tossed her across the cell and into the wall.
Hexx hit the floor and looked up at him, her eyes narrowed in hatred, “Meta!” Hexx was on her feet as the large man charged. She leapt up, her wings knifing at the ceiling, triggering a collapse as the man was buried in the rubble. She backed away as she turned her attention to Superius.
Stacey stepped away as Hexx exited the cell, looking down at the two other riot guards who were struggling to get up. She sent them flying with a blow from their wings, then she bent down and snatched the golden band from the hand of Superius. She slid it onto her finger, then kicked the man’s burnt body, and spat on him. “…bastard…”
Stacey backed away, her eyes narrowed with anger and trepidation, “If you run…everyone will know you’re guilty! They will know what I know, that you’re a murderer!”
The band was already healing her hands as she eyed Stacey, “Murderer? You dare call me that as you sought to help the greatest mass murderer on the face of the planet? You are a fool Stacey Jordan…a fool to put faith in false gods…” she looked at Superius’ body, then looked up. “…I was a fool to put my faith in the real one…”
She launched herself upward, her wings knifing upwards as she burst through the floor above and alarms blared. Stacey grabbed a gun and took aim, but it was too late. Hexx was free and without its Lord Protector, Empire City was in grave danger of being torn apart…
CAST (In order of appearance)
Hexx … Kenzi Grey
Riot Officer#1 ... Colt Brady
Riot Officer #2 ... Finn Brady
Riot Officer #3/Masked Meta ... Redd Thunder
Superius … Mason Moore
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
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Post by Publicist on Oct 8, 2017 8:23:32 GMT -5
CHAPTER XXVII: TO COMMUNE WITH ANGELS… (Part II)
ECPD HEADQUARTERS
Empire City Capitol District Sirens and alarms blared as Hexx burst up through the floor, sending officers and desks flying in all directions. She landed on her feet, pausing only briefly as the stunned officers stared at her. Only one officer drew his weapon, Officer Nash, but three others grabbed him, forcing him to put it down. She smiled at the ‘One God Followers’ as she nodded and crashed through the window, taking flight as the officers could only stare.
Captain Lambert ran into the area, skidding to a stop just inches before the yawning hole in the floor. He looked around at the confused officers as he tried to make sense of what was happening. “WHAT HAPPENED?!
The officer that had been held broke free of the men that had held him. “If was the Angel, sir! She escaped! I had her in my sights before these fucking assholes stopped me!”
He looked around, “Superius? WHERE IS THE LORD HIGH PROTECTOR?!”
“CAPTAIN!!”
He looked around and then peered down into the hole that led directly to Holding and saw Detective Jordan cradling a body in her arms. He squinted, then his mouth dropped open. “Is…is that…”
Stacey nodded as she yelled up. “SUPERIUS IS DEAD…HEXX KILLED HIM!”
Captain Lambert fell back in complete shock. He could not fathom that anything could kill a god. “…what do we do now…?”
Nash ran to the window and looked out. He turned back, and called to the Captain. “She’s headed for the protesters! Do you want us to bring her down?”
The Captain nodded, absently as he answered, “Yes…” he paused, the shook his head as he got to his feet. “NO! Order them not to shoot! If that mob sees the police open up on her without the facts, they will attack this station!”
Nash tried to protest, “But Captai…”
“I WILL NOT INITIATE A SITUATION WHERE COPS ARE SHOOTING CITIZENS!” He roared, then quickly calmed himself. “Monitor her…someone get me the mayor…he must be briefed!” His hand shook as he raked it through his hair, then looked back down into the Holding area. “…gods help us all…”
OUTSIDE ECPD HEADQUARTERS
Empire City Capitol District
In the crowd, Arella and Athena had been biding their time, unsure of what was going on inside. There was a commotion at the side of the building and then everyone looked up as Hexx sored into the sky. Athena’s eyes grew wide as she balled up her fists and lightening arched. She looked down at Arella, “…I can blast her…”
“…no…” she whispers, then glanced over and saw a young boy watching them with wide and terrified eyes. She placed her finger to her lips and smiled, “…shhhhhh…” Arella put her hand on Athena to calm her, leading her away from the crowd. “Not yet…we have to turn the mob on her…not on us!”
The two disappeared in the mass of humanity, blending in, even as they all gazed up at the angel as she circled high overhead and everyone watched in awe. Hexx finally descended, her massive wings striking an impressive sight as the crowd gasped. She eyed them all for a moment, then turned her attention back to EPCD Headquarters…a wicked smile touching her lips as she saw that they were not coming after her.
She muttered under her breath, “…smart choice…” She turned back to the masses as she prepared to address them…
ECPD HEADQUARTERS
Empire City Capitol District
Stacey charged into the lobby after getting the body of Superius secured. She was nearly shaking with rage. She looked around, her eyes frantic. “WHY AREN’T WE GOING AFTER THAT MURDERING BITCH?! I need a gun…I NEED A FUCKING GUN RIGHT NOW!!”
The Captain grabbed her and pulled her aside. He had been tolerant of the young detective’s passion, but this time she had taken things too far with her outburst. He stuck his finger in her face. “YOU NEED TO CALM YOURSELF DETECTIVE!!” He looked around to make sure that no one was too near them. “Look! I want her in a cell…in a damn body bag even, but you need to think about the BIG picture here! There are hundreds of people outside, ready to storm this building! There are police snipers with orders to shoot if they do! What’s more important to you Detective?!! Collaring Hexx or preventing the deaths of scores of Empire City citizens?!!”
The Captain didn’t wait around for an answer, he knew that she’d figure it out. She was struck by her behavior after she finally took a moment to think about it. Her emotions had gotten the better of her. She needed to see the big picture, just as he said…she needed to recognize that she was there to protect lives and she couldn’t do that wearing her heart on her sleeve.
She sat back in the corner, shaking her head as she tried to reconcile why she was so unhinged. This wasn’t her first time tracking down a killer, but even before she had exposed Hexx she was consumed with putting her away. Stacey wondered if she was taking this personally for the wrong reasons. She knew that she was…and for that she felt more ashamed than she ever had been in her life. This wasn’t only about the ‘angel’ being a killer…this was also about Brandon Knight…gods help her…she was still in love with him!
“Detective!”
Stacey looked up as the three riot officers who were with her in Holding walked out. Stacey stood as she looked up at the large man who had battled Hexx inside her cell, he was obviously a meta. He had gone toe to toe with her and had part of the ceiling dropped on him, but he had survived, completely unscathed. She took a hesitant step back, unsure of what to expect. She eyed the big man and then the officer that had spoken, “You know what he is…right?”
The officer nodded, and looked around to make sure they were out of earshot. “We know…just not everyone else.” He leaned in, “Deimos is a good guy…he’s not like the others…you know? He's one of the good ones.”
Stacey looked up at the giant as he peered down at her, flipped up his shield to show a large, awkward smile. She returned it with one of her own. “Fine …I won’t say anything. Just have him keep that under his hat…errr…helmet. She turned and walked to window to look outside at the mob, “Believe it or not, his kind isn’t very popular right now.”
OUTSIDE ECPD HEADQUARTERS
Empire City Capitol District
Hexx looked up, her keen eyes spotting the glint of light off the scopes of several police snipers all around her. They weren’t shooting…yet. She turned her attention to the massive crowd that hung on her every word. She flared her wings, and the roar from the crowd hit her like a wave and for a moment, she wondered what she’d say, but the path was laid out for her, and if she was to walk it, she’d have to take this first step.
For a moment, her thoughts turned to Stacey. The look the brave Detective had on her face as she stood over the body of Superius was filled with determination, even in the face insurmountable odds. The woman had faced all manner of threats, both human and superhuman, but she had never wavered…not once. She was a hero in every sense of the word…a champion that would stand and fight until the last breath left her body…just to do what was right…
…no doubt…just like Brandon…she was probably one of God’s favorites…
… the fools…
She steeled herself as she stood before the crowd, gesturing for silence. “Good people of Empire City…children of God…do not despair! Though I have languished here, confined by your brethren, I did so willingly, in the name of our Father.”
Words of praise washed over the crowd as many spoke in unison… ‘AMEN’
“I stand before you, accused of a crime I did not commit, the death of innocents within the S.C. Lewis Building…made out as the villain to God’s children by the enemies of Heaven. Demons…agents of Hell…you know them as…Metas!”
Murmurs washed throughout the crowd, but she didn’t stop.
“The end times are upon us…and soon we will have to make a stand against those who seek to take paradise from us. Satan has unleashed his minions upon the world to slaughter God’s children…but fear not! The Almighty has not forsaken you.”
She spread her arms wide along with her magnificent opal colored wings.
“His righteous hand will work through me…and salvation will come for all of His children…once the scourge is wiped clean of his good earth, but I cannot do it alone. I need your faith…your strength…your belief…your conviction…”
“Speaking of conviction…shouldn’t you be in jail right now?!”
Hexx narrows her eyes as she recognizes the voice as the staff wielding man who had convinced her to turn herself in. As he stepped out, Hexx folded her arms and narrowed her eyes at him. “Do you mind? I’m addressing the people!”
Staff Master stepped forward, twirling his staff. “What you’re doing is stirring the pot! That’s not what the city needs right now! You agreed to turn yourself in and speak to Superius…I suggest you stop dividing the city and talk to the Lord High Protector.”
Hexx stepped forward, a smirk on her face. “That’s going to be hard…” she leaned in close to him, whispering, “…because I just killed him…” she looked at him, the smirk turned into smile as she twisted the knife, “…thank you for sending him to me…”
Staff Master’s jaw went slack and there was no hint of mirth anywhere in him. “You lie…YOU LIE!” Staff Master lashed out with his staff battering her with a lightning fast combination, driving her back and sending her to her knees. He raised his staff and brought it down looking to crack her in the head with a mighty blow that was sure to scramble her brains.
CLANG
Both Staff Master and Hexx look surprised as the staff is stopped cold in her hand…the same hand bearing the band she had taken back from Stacey. Staff Master tugged at the staff, but it didn’t budge. His eyes widened, as he stared at her in disbelief, “WHERE DID YOU GET THAT?!”
Staff Master tugged at the staff, but again it didn’t move as Hexx stood up, still gripping it and feeling power course through her arm and through her entire body. She stared at the staff and then at Staff Master, “What is this? What is this weapon?”
“It’s something that was never meant for this world.” Before Hexx could react, Staff Master plucked a canister from his belt and sprayed it right in her eyes.
“AAARRRRGGGHH!” She screamed and let go of the staff and she clawed at her eyes.
The crowd rushed forward to stop him, but Staff Master whirled around, his staff dragging the ground and sending a hail of shattered bits of concrete flying up, stopping them in their path. “STOP! I AM NOT YOUR ENEMY!!”
Hexx got back to her feet, her eyes red and stinging as she blinked to try to clear them. “CHILDREN, THE LORD GOD COMMANDS THAT YOU KILL THAT META…AND BRING ME THAT STAFF!!”
Staff Master ran as the mob was after him, screaming and shouting for blood…
“KILL THE METAS!! KILL THEM ALL!! IN GOD’S NAME!!”
Arella and Athena were knocked around as the crowd became a mob and they attempted to find their way out. As they got to a nearby alleyway, they looked at one another, shocked at the turn of events. Athena stared at Arella, “What do we do now? She just turned the entire city against us!”
Before she could answer, she looked up and saw the young boy who was watching them from the crowd pointing at the two of them. A mob of fanatics charged after them, screaming for blood. Athena raised her hand and lightning arced out, hitting several of the mob members, but not stopping enough of them. Arella screamed, “RUN!!”
The women took off in different directions as the blood thirsty army that Hexx had stirred up rioted, looking for meta blood…looking to take vengeance on the meta threat that had once threatened to destroy the city…at the behest of ‘The Angel of Empire City’ ECPD’s Most Wanted…
CAST (In order of appearance)
Hexx … Kenzi Grey
Officer Nash … Ryan Callaghan
Captain Layton Lambert … Wellington Leander IV
Detective Stacey Jordan … Nina Stokes
Athena … Cass Baumer
Arella … Orchid
Riot Officer#1 ... Colt Brady
Riot Officer #2 ... Finn Brady
Deimos ... Redd Thunder
Staff Master … Justin Spirit
Directed by … DubbleFC
Screenplay by … Ron B.
Produced by … CTN Television Studios
Casting by … Maleek Raheem
Music by … Guilty Pleasure
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Post by Publicist on Oct 8, 2017 8:25:54 GMT -5
CHAPTER XXVII: TO COMMUNE WITH ANGELS… (Part III)
“Police officials issued a statement just moments ago stating that…” she paused, looking off camera for a moment, her face white with shock. “…is this right?” After getting confirmation of the report, she looks back into the camera, the color drained from her face. “Police officials are…telling us t-that…General Superius…was killed by Hexx during her escape from police custody.”
“Citizens are urged to…stay in your homes…and to avoid protesters at all costs. If you see the Ang…Hexx…contact the authorities immediately.”
The image faded to black with the number to the police hotline emblazoned on the screen with a picture of Hexx next to it…
ECPD HEADQUARTERS
Empire City Capitol District
As the riots intensified, police suited up, including Detective Jordan, the massive Deimos, his two riot police handlers, and the newly assigned Sergeant Lockley. Stacey marshalled her squad. “Everyone! Non-lethal weapons at the ready and riot shields! No one is to use deadly force unless absolutely necessary!” She eyed her people to make sure they understood. “I know that some of you follow the One God faith, but this isn’t about faith…this is about justice and protection of the public. Whether you like it or not, Hexx murdered the High Lord Protector…killed him in cold blood! She fled custody and she has set a mob against metas and after the man that brought her in…a man carrying a staff.”
It sounded hokey, even to her after all that she had seen, but it was the truth. “I don’t care what you believe…all that matters now is stopping this city from being torn apart. No matter what nonsense the people have been told, those are still citizens of this city! Now…let’s go out there…and kick their asses!”
The officer’s cheered as she led them out…hoping that they could win the day without any loss of life. The officers grabbed their gear and ran out the door, following after Stacey as she headed out into the city that was now in complete anarchy…
SEVERAL BLOCKS AWAY…
Staff Master ran for his life as the mob chased after him…or more importantly after his staff. His mind swam as he thought back to his fight with Hexx just moments ago. He had beaten her down with his staff, only to be stopped cold in her hand. He saw the band on her finger…a piece of an ancient weapon…just like his staff. The two pieces were kept separate for a reason. How did she get the band? Had she killed her sister and taken it?
A brick whizzed by his head, missing him by inches. The mob was closing in, and if they cornered him, he would have to fight. He didn’t want to hurt anyone, but if Hexx gained control of his staff, coupled with the power she already possessed, the whole of humanity would be in danger…mortal danger. He had no choice, he would have to fight.
Staff Master gripped the staff tightly as he cleared away the protesters, whirling the staff and pushing them back, doing what he could to cause no harm, even as they spat, scratched, kicked, and punched at him. It was all that he could do to hold his augmented strength in check behind the mounting wall of anger that was growing inside of him. He had never dreamed in a million years that he’d be fighting the very people he had sworn to protect…but here he was.
“GIVE US THE STAFF!! THE ANGEL NEEDS IT TO SAVE US!!! GIVE IT TO US!!! GIVE IT TO US NOW!!!”
Staff Master tensed as he faced down the mob. His grip tightened as he answered. font
“I can’t do that..."
As he prepared to a fight, a police van pulled up and several officers poured out. The mob was undeterred as they still came at them. Staff Master wondered if there wasn’t another way to prevent what was happening. He knocked aside a legion of the mob with the staff in hand, even as the other officers fought hand to hand, being punched and kicked without mercy. Staff Master knew that he could do much more damage with the staff in his hands, but the faces of the people…ordinary men and women…some children…caused him to stay his hand. He felt himself being dragged under as he wondered if this was how it would end for him.
POW… POW… POW… POW
Gun shots sounded from the roof tops and several protesters dropped like sacks of wheat, while others screamed and scattered.
POW… POW… POW
More shots rang out and more fell…more still ran. One of the officers was Detective Jordan and she screamed into her radio. “CEASE FIRE!! STOP SHOOTING!!” Stacey directed the officers to help the wounded.
Staff Master kicked the last man away from him with the gall to try and rip the staff from his grasps. He looked around at the scene and his heart dropped. Several more policemen lay battered and bloody…but even more citizens littered the streets…shot down by snipers. Staff Master fell to his knees, fighting to hold back the tears of both sorrow and rage. Was he to blame for this…or perhaps the people who had done this in the name of the ‘One God?’
Perhaps there was another…
The wind hit his face like the down draft of a hovering helicopter, forcing him to cover his face against the flying debris. The beating of massive wings left no doubt about who was the source of this new disturbance. Hexx stared down at the carnage below her as she pointed to Staff Master. “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!! WHAT IN GOD’S NAME HAVE YOU DONE?!”
Staff Master got to his feet and pointed up at her. “YOU!! YOU ARE THE CAUSE OF THIS!! YOU AND YOUR MANIPULATION!!” He held out the staff. “ALL FOR SOMETHING YOU KNOW NOTHING OF!!”
Hexx’s eyes widened as all of her attention was drawn to the staff…the rest of her pretenses forgotten. “THE STAFF!! GIVE IT TO ME!! GIVE IT TO ME NOW!!!”
Staff Master’s grip tightened as he narrowed his eyes. He was filled with rage…and this was his chance to finally unleash it…no more holding back. His reply was as soft as a whisper…but somehow knew that she would hear him all the same. “Come and get it…bitch…”
Quicker than the eye could follow, Hexx dove down and tackled Staff Master, driving him hard into the ground, but Staff Master was ready and he coiled like a snake, rolling with the attack. She fought stupidly, grabbing for the staff, but Staff Master easily kept her away, then uncoiled as he violently kicked her off of him. Hexx flew through the air…and not in the way she was accustomed…smashing back first into the police van with such force that the vehicle nearly overturned.
Hexx gasped from the impact. Her wings had absorbed much of it, but her body could only endure so much, not being as durable as her seemingly indestructible wings. She staggered to her feet, determined not to let this chance slip through her fingers. “YOU WILL GIVE ME THAT SPE…”
She never finished the sentence as Staff Master charged at her, using the staff to vault himself at her. He met her with a well-placed kick to her body that sent her hurdling through the air, knocking down a light pole as she struck it. A shower of sparks fell as the light seemed to explode overhead. Hexx hit the ground and tumbled in a heap, rolling to a stop against an adjacent building. Blood ran from the corner of her mouth as she struggled to get to her feet.
CRACK
Hexx was hit with the staff and did a complete somersault in the air before smacking into the pavement. Staff Master stood over her, ready to deal her further damage if she tried to attack him.
“THIS IS YOUR FAULT!! YOUR’S ALONE, AND I’LL SEE THAT YOU ANSWER FOR IT!!! YOU ARE UNDER ARRE…”
Staff Master was hit from behind and grabbed by a throng of protesters who drug him to the ground. Staff Master easily threw them aside, yet for every one that he sent flying, two more attacked him.
“DON’T… MAKE ME… HURT… YOU!!!”
Staff Master felt himself lift into the air, as several of the protesters fell away. Hexx had him firmly in her grip as she took him up higher and higher. Her bruised and blooded face stared at him in an absolute rage. “THIS TIME I’LL DROP YOU FROM THE CLOUDS!” Hexx made her way towards the heavens, with Staff Master in tow.
Down below, Sergeant Lockley drew her gun and pointed it at Hexx, but Stacey grabbed her arm and pulled it down.
“LOCKLEY, NO!! YOU MIGHT HIT THE MAN WITH THE STAFF!!” Both women turned as they heard a mighty roar.
They looked just in time to see the enormous riot officer known as Deimos leap into the air nearly four stories and grab one of the ‘angel’s’ wings, bringing all three of them down to the pavement with bone shattering impact.
Deimos hit the ground, cracking the pavement around him. A few feet away, Hexx hit the ground and went rolling yet again and Staff Master landed in the opposite direction, the staff being jarred from his hand by the impact and clattering away from him. The protesters ran for it, even as Detective Jordan and Sergeant Lockley rushed over to check on Staff Master. The two women helped him up as he waved them off. The two women continued to ignore him as they helped the stunned man to his feet.
Staff Master shook his head to clear the cobwebs. Suddenly he began to look around in shock and confusion. “The s-staff… THE STAFF!! WHERE IS IT?!!”
The trio looked around franticly, but it was a grunt from Deimos that finally drew their attention. They looked at the masked man as he nodded his head across the roadway as Hexx as several One God followers ran over and held the staff out towards her. Staff-Master groaned as he looked at the officers.
Sergeant Lockley spoke up, “I’m going to assume that’s a bad thing…”
Staff Master stood up and answered, his eyes focused on Hexx. “Yes…a VERY bad thing!”
Hexx could feel the ring augmenting her already greatly accelerated healing ability…working hard to repair the considerable damage that Staff Master had done to her. As she reached out and touched the staff…she felt her body course with so much power that she nearly laughed.
BLAM, BLAM, BLAM
The staff flew from her hand, causing the people to scatter, even as three bullets ripped through her hand and arm, nearly tearing it off. Hexx hit the ground and screamed in a mixture of agony and rage as the staff rolled away, coming to rest underneath a parked car. She could feel her hand already healing itself even as she crawled towards the staff.
Stacey held her pistol in the ready position even as she moved across the street, flanked by Staff Master, Lockley, and Deimos. Staff Master yelled to them. “WHATEVER YOU DO!! DON’T LET HER GET AHOLD OF THAT STAFF!!!”
As Hexx reached for the staff, another series of shots rang out, hitting the car and the pavement, sending One God followers diving for cover.
BLAM, BLAM, BLAM, BLAM, BLAM, BLAM, BLAM, BLAM
Hexx felt several rounds enter her exposed shoulder and thighs, but she ignored the pain, even as she reached under the car and the very tips of her fingers touched the shaft of the mighty weapon.
Deimos and Staff-Master grabbed her legs and pulled her, but they were both knocked clear as the hovercar seemed to explode into the air and hurdle into the side of an adjacent building, knocking loose a massive chunk of concrete.
As Staff Master hit the ground, he saw that his worst fears were being realized. “NOOOO!!!”
Lockley and Stacey both lunged at Hexx as she started to stand, with the staff in hand. Hexx slapped both women away in opposite directions with her wings, sending them flying through the air like pieces of paper caught in a summer gale. Hexx’s long dark hair swirled around her head in a violent torrent as she glared through the twisted locks at Staff Master. “You cannot stand in the way of God’s will!”
Staff Master and Deimos both charged her, but her movements were so quick that they hardly had a chance. She brought the staff up and swiped it down across the pavement in front of her. The concrete was shorn away as easily as loose laid gravel and sent flying up at them, knocking them both down. Hexx pointed the staff at Staff Master with a queer and almost psychotic look in her eyes that now seemed dark and luminous all at the same time.
“Tell me Staffman…what is this weapon? What is the source of its power?” she asked.
Suddenly, the ground shook with such force that everyone standing was knocked down, including Hexx. Staff Master looked up, just in time to see the building that Hexx had damaged, buckle and begin to fall. He reached out to grab her and pull her to safety…knowing that he’d never make it, but Deimos tackled him and drove him away from the falling ruin as it buried her beneath tons of falling debris.
They hit the ground just as a massive cloud of dust rolled over them. They coughed and gagged as they looked around at the people frantically running in all directions. Deimos grabbed Staff Master, giving him a hard shake. Staff Master waved him away, signaling that he was okay. Staff Master shook his head, still staring at the massive pile of rubble where Hexx’s body was. He covered his mouth and coughed. “I-I… I’m f-fine… CHECK THE GIRLS!!”
Staff Master stood up and surveyed the scene. It was utter devastation as bodies littered the street, citizens and police officers alike. He turned to render what aid he could, but suddenly he fell to his knees as he was peppered with debris as the remains of the partially collapsed building seemed to explode outward. Hexx emerged and she was in a most foul mood. Her dark eyes appeared as pitch black pools as they focused on him. “…you…”
The other two riot officers, Deimos’ handlers ran to Staff Master’s side, guns at the ready. The two men raised their guns and fired at her. Hexx raised her wings and deflected the bolts, even as she charged them and unleashed a mighty swipe of the staff that shattered part of the first officer’s helmet as well as his skull inside it. The other officer screamed, but an even more vicious blow knocked his head right off his shoulders, horrifying onlookers.
Hexx twirled the staff over her head, and held it up as she prepared to smash Staff Master with it next. “Your time upon this earth has come to an end if you will not tell me the secret of this weapon!” Hexx flapped her wings once and rose up and zeroed in on her target…but she never made it…
THOOOOOOOOOM
The sight was almost comical as a car, hurdled through the air by the enraged Deimos, hit Hexx, sending feathers flying. The car crashed into the side of an adjacent building. The earth shattering noise was enough to rouse Staff-Master as he got quickly to his feet. Staff Master’s eyes fell on the staff as it stuck out from the wreckage like a flagpole. The ‘angel’ was nowhere to be seen… but that was not a surprise. Staff Master reclaimed the staff as he looked up the street and saw the giant that was Deimos kneeling over the bodies of his fallen comrades.
Staff Master moved to check on them, but as he did he could hear the sound of the approaching mob. He knew that if they saw him, they would be right back to square one…so he did he only thing he could do to prevent more loss of life, he ran. He needed to get the staff someplace safe, at least until he could figure out where his sister was, and how Hexx had managed to get it from her.
He ran into a nearby alley, disappearing just as Hexx staggered out of the debris. “THE STAFF!! WHERE IS IT?!! WHERE IS IT?!!” She was a bloody mess and even her wings looked battered and worn. She looked at the scene of destruction all around her with complete bewilderment etched across her face.
Deimos got up in a rage as he charged at Hexx, but she dodged him and rose into the air. Her wings struggling to keep her aloft in their battered state. She screamed in frustration as she flew off in search of Staff Master.
Detective Jordan and Sergeant Lockley limped over to Deimos as they attempted to console the enraged giant…
CAST (In order of appearance)
Pam Dawson … Francesca Hayward
Detective Stacey Jordan … Nina Stokes
Deimos … Redd Thunder
Riot Officer#1 ... Colt Brady
Riot Officer #2 ... Finn Brady
Sergeant Lockley … Ashley Marie Chase
Staff Master … Justin Spirit
Directed by … DubbleFC
Screenplay by … Ron B.
Produced by … CTN Television Studios
Casting by … Maleek Raheem
Music by … Guilty Pleasure
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Post by Publicist on Oct 8, 2017 8:27:52 GMT -5
CHAPTER XXVIII: THE GHOST OF MEMORIES END… (PART 1) OLYMPIA HEIGHTS
Empire City Luxury District Staff Master had managed to escape the Capitol District and elude the mob that the so-called ‘Angel’ had set after him. He gripped his hand tighter around the staff he carried that augmented him and gave him great power that he used in his quest to fight for good…but a chill ran down his spine as the thought of might have happened if Hexx had actually managed to take it from him…especially while she was in possession of another piece of the great weapon. The question he had was how she had gotten it, and if she had killed her sister to get it.
He made his way to her home, and considered forcing his way inside, but before he could, the door was thrown open and Michelle Andretti ran out, throwing her arms around him.
“ERIC! I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!” She held him for a moment, then looked around as she pulled him inside and slammed the door.
Eric grabbed his sister, holding her by her shoulders as he looked her up and down, a look of relief on his face. “Chelle, it’s good to see you…but…this isn’t a social visit, we have a problem!” He looked at her hands, then back to her eyes, “Where is the band?”
Michelle shook her head, she had hoped that it would be found and returned to her by Detective Jordan, but it had not. “I lost it Eric…”
He snorted, “Well, I found it and the crazy bitch who has it…that Hexx thing, nearly took the staff from me!”
Michelle’s eyes grew wide. “Does she know? Does she know what it is?!”
Eric let out a hard sigh as he plopped down on the couch. Deep worry was etched across his face. “I-I don’t know…I don’t think so, but when she touched the staff…I think she got an inking. She sent half of Empire City’s ‘One God’ nuts after me! We need to get this staff out of the city. We can’t allow either of the three pieces to come together!”
Michelle nodded, “Fine…let me get a few thi…”
Before she could finish, the door burst open and Reaver and Vixxxen stepped inside; Reaver with claws at the ready with a sadistic smile on her face…Vixxxen with her hands aflame.
Eric brandished his staff, as he pulled his sister behind him. “I don’t know what you want, but you want, but yo-“
CRASH
“ERIC!!” Michelle screamed as part of the roof collapsed on top of him. She ran to him, but her body collapsed to the floor as she was held there by a crushing force that she couldn’t see…but she remembered in horrifying detail. Her eyes turned as she watched the meta terrorist walk into the room, “…G-Gaia..”
Gaia moved gingerly, one arm in a sling and a patch over her eye, a gift from Agent Sloan before she threw herself out of the plane at 30,000 feet. The meta held Michelle down, using her power to slowly crush the life out of her as she screamed.
Vixxxen ran over and grabbed Gaia’s arm, stopping her, “HEY! Daria wants at least one of them alive to tell us what that stick does! No more killing…for now!”
Gaia paid her no heed as she continued to crush Michelle. Across the room Reaver grabbed the staff from the bloody hand sticking out of the wreckage. She twirled it around, then leaned on it like a walking stick as she watched the two with a broad grin on her face.
Vixxxen charged up a fireball, her eyes narrowing, “Last chance Captain Ron! Let the girl up or I’ll burn your ass to a crisp, right here, right fucking now!”
Gaia stopped, her one good eye glaring at Vixxxen. She grunted, turning and walking away angrily. She had been denied revenge against the woman who had shot her and taken her eye, and now she was being denied the chance to kill another human. This was really starting to grate on her nerves.
Vixxxen looked back at Reaver as she struggled to pick Michelle’s unconscious body up off the floor. “You couldn’t back me up?”
Reaver grinned, twirling the staff around and marveling at the power she felt coursing through her. “ “You looked fine Mate! Didn’t wanna step on yer toes!” She walked over and grabbed Michelle with one arm and lifted her with ease.
Vixxxen arched the brow, “The stick doing that?”
Reaver grinned, “No! That’s all me you stupid sot!” Reaver giggled as she walked out with Michelle tucked under one arm and the staff in the other hand...
ECPD HEADQUARTERS
Empire City Capitol District
Brandon Knight walked into the battered ECPD building, taking great care to step around the shattered glass and debris that littered the floor. He walked up to the Desk Sergeant. “Excuse me…I was told that I could find Detective Jordan here.”
The man told him to wait there while he called her. Brandon nodded as he looked around the crowded lobby, filled with bruised and bloodied officers and civilians. It seemed like only yesterday that the biggest threat in the city was the metas and now it was the people themselves, his people…the followers of the ‘One God’ faith.
“Brandon…”
He looked up as Stacey walked over. Her left hand was bandaged and there was a nasty bruise on the left side of her face. A look of surprise and concern spread across his own face. “MY GOD!! WHAT HAPPENED?!!”
The question nearly made her laugh. Not because it was funny, but because the answer made her point so perfectly that she hardly needed to explain her feelings. “Why don’t you ask your little runaway ‘angel’ what happened to me? She’s the one responsible for all of the damage out there…all of the lives lost!”
Brandon shook his head. “ “Stacey! You know as well as I do that Anka isn’t a killer!” He looked around, then pulled her in close. “You’re right…she may not be an angel…but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t serve the will of God!”
“Believe me Brandon…she aint serving anyone but herself!” She shrugged his hands off of her, then paused for a moment and put her hands on her hips as she cocked her head to the side. “Hey…didn’t I have you in protective custody?”
Brandon folded his arms. “You had me detained without cause Stacey! You were deliberately keeping me off the streets so you could further sully Anka’s name and paint her has some sort of villain!”
Stacey felt her cheeks flash white-hot with anger. “YOU’VE GOT SOME DAMN NERVE!! I haven’t had to do a single thing except sit back and give her enough rope to hang herself with! She’s the one that set fire to the churches around Empire City!!”
Brandon shook his head. “You’re grasping at straws! Anka had nothing to do with that!”
She countered. “She killed scores of people inside the S.C. Lewis Building!!”
He rolled his eyes. “Come on Stacey!! Motive? Evidence? She was there…but that doesn’t make her a murderer!”
Stacey raised her eyebrow, as she prepared for a ‘gotcha moment’ of epic proportions. “Hexx…murdered Superius when she escaped from holding! She electrocuted him…right in front of me! She started a riot outside, telling those fucking nuts that listen to your bullshit to kill metas! GODS! She killed two cops right in front of me Brandon!”
Stacey turned and looked over at Sergeant Lockley as she consoled Deimos, who’d been completely despondent since watching his friends murdered in the street by Hexx. Lockley looked over at Stacey, giving a slight shake of her head to let her know that he still wasn’t any better.
Stacey turned back to Brandon, “Face it, your little pretend angel is no better than that bitch Gaia! You’d better believe, the next time I find her in my sights, I am going to blow her godsdamn head off!”
Brandon could hardly believe his ears. “I don’t know what you saw Stacey, but I heard about the police sharp shooters that opened fire on the crowd! You’re not going to tell me that was her doing as well, are you?” He paused as he shook his head in disgust. “You don’t know her history…what she’s been through. She’s not a killer Stacey!! I feel it in my heart…why can’t you?”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Because I’m not blinded by the same insane religious bullshit that you are!” She spoke in a mocking tone, “There’s a man sitting in the sky that we can’t see who made everything around us. If we are good…he’ll bring us up there with him and we can all be together forever, but if we are bad…he’ll send us underground to the bad red man with horns and a pitchfork!! GODS!! I’ve heard stories that make more sense during the Saturday morning Cartoon-Fest!” She laughed. “You actually have people believing all that nonsense…and that makes me wonder Brandon…who’s really more dangerous? Your nutso girlfriend…or YOU!!”
Stacey’s words had cut him deeply, but he wouldn’t back down from his point…no matter what she said. “Fine Stacey! Believe what you want…make an Imperial case out of it if you like…but you’re wrong about her! Anka would never harm anyone. I just hope that I’m there when it’s proven to you!”
He turned and started to walk out as she called out to him, causing him to stop. “Hey Brandon…for your sake…I hope that you’re not…”
He didn’t even turn and look back, he just walked out the door. Stacey stood there in silence, staring as Sergeant Lockley walked over to her. “I didn’t know that you actually knew Father Knight?”
She looked at the officer and shook her head. “No…I don’t know him…not anymore.” She glanced back at the door. “Have a tail put on him…I have reason to believe that Hexx will try to contact him.”
She stared at her. “You think that the angel will go after him?”
“Not the angel…the murderer…”
DOWNTOWN
Lower Eastside, Empire City
Anka struggled to stay aloft, but her wings were ravaged and nearly shredded in the conflict that took place in the Capital District only a few hours prior. Finally, she came down to a not so ginger landing, nearly falling over the edge of one of the piers as she hit the ground. Her body had begun the healing process in earnest, thanks to the ring she wore on her finger, but her wings…they were an entirely different matter.
She looked down at her reflection in the water…her large white wings suddenly looked mangy and worn. It was strange…ever since she could remember having them…they had never looked that way…they had never been damaged…
Not through fire…
Not through cold…
Not through any known weapons…
Nothing had ever damaged them. All the same…after centuries and centuries of punishment…now they had begun to lose their luster…their durability. For the first time since she had been given them…she was actually distressed over their potential loss.
She stood up, still looking down at her reflection in the water. She had never wanted the wings…never asked for them…had always viewed them as a curse put upon her by God. Something more to separate her from the rest of humanity.
Things could have been worse…
With a bit of focus…her ruined wings seemed to simmer with the light, then fade from view…normalizing her appearance. She was willing to bet that without the wings, very few people would take notice of her…all but the most astute.
So much the better for now. She needed to lay low and regroup. She had lost her chance at getting her hands on the staff, but there would be another chance and when it came, she’d not be denied again. She had a legion of agents throughout Empire City…One God followers who would do her bidding whenever she asked…
…and she would ask soon…very soon indeed…
In the meanwhile, she walked the streets on her own, looking for signs of the missing staff or the one that had taken it. All she could do was cross her fingers and hope that he would be cornered and captured.
Rumor had it that scores of metas had been taken by the Alans… a cleansing so they called it. She didn’t care what it was called or what it entailed… so long as she got what she wanted… they could turn their resources on the human populace next.
God didn’t care…so why should she?
He had forever been cruel…even in His gift to her…her beautiful wings…there had been sort of cruel joke. It pained her to think of the past…even one so long as hers. It was better to focus on the moment and what would hap…
Anka was nearly knocked down as a panicked young girl bumped headlong into her. It was only for the most brief of moments that their eyes met…but that was all the time that was needed to freeze her in her tracks. The girl seemed scared and in a hurry…running away from something…someone…
…for a moment…she thought that her memories had gotten the better of her. She closed her eyes and opened them again as she watched the girl disappear down the alley. It was at that moment she found her voice as she spoke the girl’s name…
“Arella…”
In an instant, memories flooded back…threatening to wash her away like a tidal wave. She had believed the girl dead for hundreds of years until she saw her during the attack on the city by Gaia. She had seen her in the wreckage and had pursued her, only to lose her again later. She felt the tears well up in her eyes and she choked them back down. Before, she had thought it was a dream…some sort of trick. Arella was supposed to be long since dead…wasn’t she?
The sounds of an angry mob approaching jarred her out of her memory…breaking her focus. Her tattered wings burst forth…their sudden emergence even giving her a start. She quickly enveloped herself within their protective folds and hoped that they could still work some of their old magic.
She faded from view… cloaked within…
The mob ran past her in pursuit of the young girl…they had bloodlust in their hearts, a bloodlust that she herself had put there…and it hung in the air around them. This was too much for her…too familiar…
much too painful to live through again.
Tears rolled down her cheeks as she looked up and begged him…
“YOU B*STARD!! NOT AGAIN!! DON’T YOU MAKE ME GO THROUGH THIS AGAIN!!!”
CAST (In order of appearance)
Staff Master/Eric Andretti … Justin Spirit
Michelle Andretti … Delia Darling
Vixxxen … Katie Anderson
Reaver … Melissa Reeves
Gaia … Kate Steele
Brandon Knight … Ace Watson
Detective Stacey Jordan … Nina Stokes
Deimos … Redd Thunder
Sergeant Lockley … Ashley Marie Chase
Hexx/Anka … Kenzi Grey
Arella … Orchid
Directed by … DubbleFC
Screenplay by … Ron B.
Produced by … CTN Television Studios
Casting by … Maleek Raheem
Music by … Guilty Pleasure
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Post by Publicist on Oct 8, 2017 8:28:51 GMT -5
CHAPTER XXIX: THE GHOST OF MEMORIES END… (PART 2) BLACK OPS FACILITY
Undisclosed Location…
Tears streamed down her face, but she shook her head, resolute in her determination to tell them nothing of the nature of her brother’s staff. She spat in Reaver’s face, “FUCK YOU! GO TO HELL!”
Reaver wiped the spittle from her face, nodding as she licked her hand and drew back her claws, “YOU FIRST LUV!”
Vixxxen grabbed her arm, stopping her before she could slash the woman’s throat. “Let’s not screw ourselves out of a chance to find out what she knows, okay Babe?”
Reaver gave her a sullen and petulant look, then sighed as she backed away, glaring at Michelle, and blowing her a kiss that was filled with the promise that she would eventually kill her. “Soon Luv…very soon.”
Vixxxen leaned down and put her hand on the woman’s open wound. After a moment, her hand burned white hot and Michelle screamed again, but Vixxxen covered her mouth with her free hand. “Shhhhhh! Trust me…it’s going to get worse before it gets better, the sooner you start talking…the sooner this will all be over.”
Michelle could only squeeze her eyes shut tight against the pain as she prayed that she could keep the secret of the true nature of the weapon she and her brother were entrusted to protect hidden from the likes of these people. She prayed that she would die before she told them…she would take the secret of the Holy Lance to her grave…
The blonde woman, glowered as she turned and walked pass the interrogation room. The high heel shoes of Lois Monroe echoed through the complex as she walked into the large office that once belonged to Agent Sloan. It now belonged to her employer, the true power behind Empire City, Daria Knight. “Ms. Knight, your guest has been secured in holding.”
Daria looked up from her desk, sitting back as she laced her fingers, “Has she talked yet…has she said anything about the staff? What it is…how it works?”
Lois shook her head, “Not yet Ma’am, but she will. It’s only a matter of time.” She paused, frowning a bit as she glanced over her shoulder to ensure that they were alone. “I worry…that your associates…Reaver and Vixxxen may…go too far in their interrogation.” Daria sighed, “Lois, I don’t concern myself with the affairs of murderers…they do as they will to get me what I want, I only care about results. Right now, I am interested in learning the nature of that staff, and I don’t care what they have to do to find out.” She turned her attention to the monitor in her office that showed the news as they reported on the unrest throughout the city…and in particular its newest threat...'The Angel of Empire City.' Daria laced her fingers together, pointing at the screen. “She has something to do with this…Hexx…it’s all related. I’m going to find out how…I promise you I will…”
“Good evening, I’m Pam Dawson. Empire City remains under a state of emergency as riots have claimed the lives of scores of citizens amidst clashes with police and attacks on suspected metas by One-God activists. At the center of this unrest is the so-called ‘Angel of Empire City’ Hexx. ECPD has officially charged Hexx with the murder of at least two of its officers and the City’s Lord High Protector…Superius.”
“Citizens are urged, if you see Hexx, do not approach her. Contact your local police immediately! She is considered to be extremely dangerous!”
The video monitor clicked off as Detective Jordan stood alongside Captain Lambert in the morgue as the body of the once mighty Superius lay on a slab before them. The mood was somber as the pair struggled to find the words. There were other bodies around them as well, including the two other ECPD officers that Hexx had killed in her battle for the staff. Deimos stood in silent rage as Officer Lockley attempted to console the giant, who stalked away, with vengeance on his mind. The Captain turned back to Stacey.
Lambert broke the silence, “I don’t understand why she did it. I mean…what did she say? You were right there. Why would she kill Superius?”
Stacey arched her brow, “Being crazy isn’t enough?”
The Captain looked at her, he could tell that she had a score to settle, even beyond these deaths. “Detective…you were there when Hexx spoke to Superius…you and Demios, but he isn’t talking. There has to be a reason for this…try to remember what they said.”
Stacey sighed, turning her thoughts back to the confinement cell. “Hexx accused Superius of being a murderer…accused him of killing…her people.” Stacey had no real reference for this…she had no idea what any of that truly meant. Superius was the one who had forged Empire City with his bare hands centuries ago…a protector of the people…at least, that is what history told them. Stacey shook her head, “It doesn’t matter why she did it…she just did it, and now the city is tearing itself apart and it’s up to us to find her and stop her before she kills anyone else!”
The Captain nodded, reaching up and pulling the sheet over Superius’ body. “I didn’t think she would kill him…”
Stacey looked at him, “Sir?”
The Captain shook his head. “Superius has lived for centuries. We don’t know everything about him…about his past, but it didn’t seem possible that anyone could or would want to kill him.”
Stacey folded her arms, looking around at the bodies that were starting to pile up around them. Police officers, innocent civilians, metas, and even One God fanatics. “She called Superius a murderer before she killed him…but she is the only murderer I’ve seen in all this! I am going to get her Captain…I am going to put that bitch in handcuffs or I am going to put her in the fucking ground!”
Stacey walked away, her hands curled into tight fists as she clenched her jaw. Hexx had killed her people…and if it was the last thing she ever did, she was going to get her revenge…no matter what it took…
DOWNTOWN
Lower Eastside, Empire City
Hexx watched as the bloodthirsty mob chased the young girl…her Arella. Killers…murderers…savages. They wanted her blood…they wanted revenge…no matter what it took…
She closed her eyes as the echoes of her past called to her…bringing her back to a time when she also hungered for revenge…no matter what it took…
THE FAR DISTANT PAST
The Wastelands…
The wind lashed at her face as the bitter cold seemed to bite into her. How long she had followed in the shadow of the Roman Legion she no longer knew, but the one thing that she was certain of was that she was now closer to them than she had ever been before…
…closer to the most powerful military power on the planet…
…closer to its leader, a great and mighty leader…
…closer to her goal of getting a chance to kill him for all that he had done…
How long had it been since she had been freed from her Roman captors after a prison term that eclipsed three-hundred years? Anka didn’t know…and she didn’t care. Freedom…so long and unremembered a dream was now hers…yet she was still as much a prisoner of her rage and anger as she had ever been before.
Rome had mercilessly crushed her people…murdered her family…slaughtered thousands, maybe millions as they sought to expand their borders…and yet God did not punish them. No lightning struck their ranks…no fire fell from the sky decimating their base of power. Rome and her armies roamed unchecked…led by a fearsome commander that was fast becoming a legend…maybe even a God…Marcus Superius Regulas!
To Anka…he was another arrogant Roman…another pompous Centurion…another rapist…another murderer. He sat at the head of Rome’s deadly army…and she hoped to sever its head…the cost no longer mattered…especially for a girl that could not die.
Her innocence had been stolen away…her faith had been shattered…all that she had ever known was burned to ash; the one constant in what remained of her life had been her hatred of Rome. She longed to see it fall…desired nothing more than its demise. There was no other reason for her existence that she could see.
She crept into the camp of the enemy…it was no great feat…they were busy celebrating another glorious victory in the name of their many pagan gods. Drunk on mead and thinking only of merriment…and how they would celebrate the razing of the next village that sat in their path, their defenses were easily breached.
It was a sight she had seen before… countless times. Entire townships…cultures…lands were decimated…wiped from the face of the earth. They could join the great empire that was Rome…or be ground into the dust. The village she had just passed fell into the latter category. Mongol bodies were everywhere…men, women, and children alike. Stabbed, hacked to death, burned…all manner of death and destruction had been visited upon them. When the bodies were gone…so to would any evidence of their ever having been.
So much like her own township…she was all that remained. She had dared to denounce the son of God…dared to curse the Almighty when he didn’t save her and her people. She would have died gladly on that day has He allowed it…but that did not come to pass…and she was left to wander aimlessly and alone.
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…in her mind, 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 Great 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 tunic. 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 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…
DOWNTOWN
Lower Eastside, Empire City
Hexx snapped out of her trancelike state that her memories had carried her into. She couldn’t get the girl’s face out of her mind…the way she had looked up at her…then only a few moments ago. The same face…wrought with fear. Had her mind been playing tricks on her? Had she just seen a ghost from her past?
Certainly the girl she had just run into wasn’t blind…but the resemblance was uncanny. No…not uncanny…impossible!
She unfurled her wings and dropped away her camouflage, even as she turned to continue her quest for the staff. Yet, inexplicably, she stopped and turned back as she listened to the screams. They were killing her…the girl was going to die…
…again…
“Arella…no…NO!!”
She couldn’t explain why she did it…only knew that she couldn’t stop herself. How many centuries had passed since she failed to save the last person she had ever loved on this planet? She didn’t know…
…but she would save her this time…and no one would stop her. Superius and his thugs had stopped her from saving Arella before…but the Great General was dead now…and no one would stop her now…NO ONE!
EPISODE CREDITS
CAST (In order of appearance)
Michelle Andretti ... Delia Darling
Reaver ... Melissa Reeves
Vixxxen ... Katie Anderson
Lois Monroe ... Trixie
Daria Knight ... Missy
Pam Dawson ... Francesca Hayward
Detective Jordan ... Nina Stokes
Captain Lambert ... Wellington Leander IV
General Superius ... Mason Moore
Demios ... Redd Thunder
Sergeant Lockley ... Ashley Marie Chase
Hexx/Anka … Kenzi Grey
Nude Bloody Corpse ... Christina Millar
Decapitated Centurion … Parker Van Peters
Neck Stab Centurion ... Gleason Dodd
Scarred Centurion ... Chris Andrew
Blind Girl (Arella) … Orchid
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Directed by … DubbleFC
Screenplay by … Ron B.
Produced by … CTN Television Studios
Casting by … Maleek Raheem
Music by … Pedos Candy & Guilty Pleasure
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Post by Publicist on Oct 8, 2017 8:30:17 GMT -5
CHAPTER XXX: THE GHOST OF MEMORIES END… (PART 3) DOWNTOWN
Lower Eastside, Empire CityArella was in a panic as the mob bore down on her, hurling rocks, bottles, and whatever else they could find. The screamed for her blood…
“META SCUM!”
“MONGREL!”
“PIECE OF SHIT TERRORIST!”
As she ran into a dead end, she turned to face them, she tried to reach out with her power to control them...her eyes shaded over casting her into blindness, but her powers only worked on those with power. She screamed as a bottle smashed against the side of her head, knocking her to the ground.
“SHE’S DOWN!! KILL HER!! KILL THAT FILTHY META BITCH!!”
They closed in, ready to kill the girl…ready to do as they would to one who was not of their kind. Suddenly a massive gust of wind blew in, knocking many off their feet. They covered their eyes, expecting a hovercar to land, but instead Hexx descended, landing not so gracefully on tattered wings.
‘The Angel of Empire City’ struck and imposing figure as her wings fanned out, covering the width of the alley, her body was stained with blood from her battle with the police, and her hair hung over her face like a wet veil. Her voice as gravel as she spoke in a malevolent tone. “Do not touch my daughter!”
The mob suddenly confused, unsure of what was happening as Hexx walked towards them. Those few that saw her eyes through her twisted black mane knew that her thoughts were elsewhere…knew that death was coming for them…
THE FAR DISTANT PAST
The Wastelands…Sometimes, to do what’s right, we must give up the things we want the most…
To Anka…that seemed a perverse joke…all the same, the truth that lay beneath it could not be denied. Superius, deemed a murdering Roman dog and made a symbol of all that she hated most was her white whale. She had pursued him relentlessly as he waged wars against the ‘heathen’ peoples who rejected the right of Rome to expand throughout the known world. How many people had he killed in the name of the dream that was Rome? She didn’t know, but she had seen so much death and slaughter that it no longer affected her, as it affected others…
…until a most unlikely turn…
Anka had never been as close as she had come on this day…never had a chance that was so perfect. His guards would strike her down, but not before she looked the devil in the eye and spit…running him through with his own sword. She’d watch him die a slow and painful death…perhaps even as his legions sought to do the same to her. It didn’t matter, she’d smile at him all the while…her job done…perhaps then there would be a finality to her end, to rise from death no more…
…it all came crashing down, with but a single look upon the face that stared blankly back at her behind cloudy eyes…dimmed and then darkened forever. A young girl whose tragedy mirrored her own so perfectly now lay helpless before her, and so too did a choice.
She could condemn the girl to her fate and do what she had spent countless days and nights dreaming of, decapitating the head of the Roman war machine…or…she could turn her back on the burning hatred she felt, and try to save a life…a life that might one day end up like her own if left to fester and rot in the tidal wave of hate and malice that had formed around her. In the end, she made a fateful choice…one that she would both live to covet and regret at the same time.
As the last of the three murdering Centurion dogs that had sought to defile and murder the girl lay moaning in the very filth he had so callously wrought, his life ebbing away through a ghastly wound she had dealt him in his crotch, Anka reached out and grabbed the girl by the scruff of her tattered clothing. She yanked the girl to her, half carrying and half dragging her as she did.
She looked over her shoulder at the command tent that undoubtedly housed Superius…it would be the last time that she would come so close. She had made a selfish choice…given up the greater good for the life of a single victim. How many more men, women, and children would Superius and his army crush? Anka couldn’t know…but their deaths would hang over her head as surely as they would the great General himself. They would be accomplices in mass murder on an unimaginable scale, Superius doing what he did for the lie that was the glory of Rome…Anka doing what she did for the lie that was the salvation of her soul.
Anka fled the camp and trudged through the bitter cold holding the girl that was of no relation to her, and yet, the girl had become more akin to her than any could ever be. How long would it be before the bodies were found and the legions came after them? She didn’t know…but if there was a chance that she could escape and save the girl…and possibly herself…she would gladly risk it, and risk it she did.
How long had she pushed through the snowcapped hills? She couldn’t count. Day and night she drove herself…urging the girl on…hearing the marching soldiers at her heels…looking for revenge for their own murdering comrades…looking to defile the girl she now protected.
Hours passed into days…days passed into weeks…then into months…
The girl soon grew to call Anka mother, though they were not at all so very far apart in age…and she called the girl Arella…the Hebrew word for angel…
…a certain sort of irony in that as well…
Anka knew that they were hunted, even though she never once saw the gleam of Centurion armor at their backs, she knew they were there…she sensed it. Moving…always moving…the two never lingered longer than a few days before moving on. She knew that they were an odd looking pair and attracted attention wherever they went. Her light bronze complexion with her long black ringlets of hair…the young Mongol girl with the almond colored skin and blind unseeing eyes.
They would be hunted down like dogs, it was only a matter of time. Rome was everywhere and everywhere was Rome…everywhere except for the ‘Savage Lands…’ the lands from which Arella’s people had come. They had stood against the might of Rome, prompting rumors of a great wall being built to keep them at bay. If they could make it there, to those savage lands, they would at long last be free of the ‘Evil Empire’ that had taken so much from them.
The danger that had once come from behind, by the unseen pursuing legions now shifted to the front. The nearer they came to the outskirts of Roman power, the greater the risk of getting caught in the middle of a border skirmish. Anka and Arella avoided towns and villages, taking to covering the Mongol girl to hide her features when it was unavoidable. They were close…close enough to see the mountains…and the Mongol lands beyond.
Anka could not remember when last she had prayed…really and truly prayed, yet now she did. She got down on her knees and she begged…not for herself…but for Arella. The girl had not known peace…not known joy…known only pain and loss. She prayed that the girl would not end up the same way that she had…jaded…mirthless…and thirsting for revenge. Give her the happiness that she deserved…let her be a child…the little angel for whom she was named.
God seemed to answer her prayers…for once…
As they crossed into the mountain passes, not a soul did they encounter. All around were signs of great battles fought between Roman and Mongol armies, but no more than that. Two and a half weeks passed until they crossed out of the mountains, out into the Savage Lands…freedom was theirs at long last…
…they had escaped Rome…
Anka and Arella kept to themselves and stayed off the beaten path. When they were unable to do so, they took every precaution. This time it was Anka who was forced to hide herself from view with a makeshift veil. All the same, in the end, it was all for not. They were discovered by a Mongol unit as they marched to the border.
Anka much preferred the inquisition she got from the Mongols to what she knew they would have received from the Romans.
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. Not only had he recovered, but he had also been promoted by General Superius…for his ‘heroism’ of all things. Flavaious was given command of his own regiment and sent to bolster the defenses against the Mongols. Of course he had a secret agenda, one given to him by the Emperor himself. While he was recovering, Flavaious had told tales of the girl whom he had dealt a mortal blow to, yet she had not died. He had found himself brought into a great secret of the Empire, and given an even greater duty…to prevent that secret from getting out.
Flavaious had pursued Anka relentlessly, and once he had found out where she was going, he had struck a deal with the Mongols. In exchange for the girl, the incursions on Mongol lands would cease. The great wall would be finished, and the war for the ‘Savage Lands’ would end.
Again…another great irony…the lives of thousands, maybe even millions would be saved…not because she had killed Superius, but because she had dared to save the little girl instead…
…for a little while at least…
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…
When he had finally satisfied his bloodlust…his thirst for revenge…he did the Emperor’s bidding and he buried the secret of ‘the girl who would not die.’ The secret of the ‘One God’ religion would threaten the Empire no more…
The only question was how to get rid of a woman who would not die…
A FEW HOURS LATER...
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…
EPISODE CREDITS
CAST (In order of appearance)
Arella ... Orchid
Anka … Kenzi Grey
Centurion Flavaious ... Chris Andrew
Directed by … DubbleFC
Screenplay by … Ron B.
Produced by … CTN Television Studios
Casting by … Maleek Raheem
Music by … Guilty Pleasure
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Post by Publicist on Oct 9, 2017 20:57:55 GMT -5
CHAPTER XXXI: THE GHOST OF MEMORIES END… (PART 4) 
“Police have issued an all-points bulletin for Hexx, and citizens are instructed to keep off the streets and to immediate contact authorities if the ‘angel’ is sighted. If you see her, DO NOT approach her! She is considered to be EXTREMELY dangerous!”
MADISON CHAPEL
Madison District, Empire City
Madison Chapel was almost completely restored. All evidence of the fire that had destroyed it months ago were gone. The church had now become a Mecca for ‘One God’ followers…and as it turned out, wayward ‘angels.’ Brandon Knight stared at Hexx, with a distraught look on his face. The young girl she had brought in, sat silently on one of the pews, just out of earshot, rubbing at a wound on the side of her head that she had received from a bottle thrown at her by rioters.
“Anka…what’s going on here?! I mean, I haven’t seen you in weeks then you are accused of murder…and now you’re here with this girl…” He paused as he looked her up and down. “Is that…blood?” She was practically splattered with it from head to toe. With the distraction of finding Arella, she hadn’t noticed. She frowned and backed away from him, but he reached out and seized her by the arm. “Anka!! Tell me…what’s going on here?!! THIS IS BLOOD!! ISN’T IT?!!”
She jerked her arm away from him as her eyes grew dark. “THEY WERE ATTACKING HER!! THEY WERE GOING TO KILL HER!! NOT AGAIN!! NEVER AGAIN!!”
Arella looked over at the commotion, but she said nothing. Only stared at the strange pair, taking everything in. Brandon grabbed Anka and pulled her to the back of the church. “Anka…I want to help you…I really do, but you’re not making any sense right now! Kill her again? What does that even mean?! Who is that girl? Do you even know her?”
“YES!! No…” She shook her head as she knelt down on the floor, putting her hands over her face. “I don’t know…”
Brandon knelt down beside her, as he put a caressing hand on her shoulder. “We’ll find a way to get through this Anka. We just need to trust in God’s plan and have faith that He will guide us in the right direction.” She merely stared at him, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly at the mention of God. She looked away again, choosing to remain silent. Brandon removed his hand and looked at the blood that now stained his own hand and frowned. “Until then…we need to contact the authorities. If there are people somewhere…hurt…we need to…”
She finally turned to him and what he saw gave his heart a start. Her dark colored eyes seemed to shimmer and go completely black for a moment. “People?! They weren’t people…THEY WERE ANIMALS!! MURDERING DOGS…they will trouble her no more! I made sure of it…”
Brandon’s heart continued to beat faster as he listened to her, its trip-hammer pounding threatening to drown out her voice. He swallowed hard as his hand moved up and grabbed the crucifix around his neck absently. “Anka… is that girl a Meta? Was she being chased by one of those mobs?” He held his tongue in check, not wanted to mention that she was actually the one that had allegedly incited the mobs.
She glared at him, stiffening as she lifted her chin. “She’s a girl…just a girl…” She stood up, her wings arching out for a moment, then folding away behind her. “…they were a bunch of murdering mongrels…and I dealt with them like the animals they are!! They won’t threaten her again…they won’t threaten anyone again…NOT EVER!!”
Brandon had known when he first laid eyes on her that she had killed…this only confirmed it in his mind. She may have tried to justify it by saying that they were killers…but killing was killing…human or Meta. Suddenly the words that Detective Jordan had said to him about him being a danger, no longer seemed so ludicrous. He stood up and she glared at him, even as he backed away. “Anka…we have to call someone…someone who can help…”
Anka couldn’t read his mind, but she could read his emotions perfectly. Revulsion…regret…fear. This angered her…but at the same time, it invigorated her. She stepped closer to him, blocking him in. “Stacey Jordan? Is that who you want to call? Is that who you think that you need?” She leaned in close, her mangled wings nearly enclosing the two of them. “She’s not even one of God’s followers Brandon! She rejects Him…and she rejects you. You offered her knowledge and salvation in exchange for her love…and she wanted nothing to do with you!” She reached up and caressed his cheek with one bloodstained hand, leaving a bloody streak there. “God loves you Brandon…that’s why He sent me here. He loves you…” She held him and pulled him down, kissing him gently. “…I love you…”
DOWNTOWN
Lower Eastside, Empire City
Athena wasn’t use to running, especially since falling into the company of Arella. The young girl had told her that the world would be taken back for her kind…meta-kind. The humans who had rejected and shunned her would be wiped from the face of the planet. She had believed her…she had put her faith in her. It all seemed possible until they had encountered ‘the angel.’ Arella had said that they needed her for some great plan…they would turn the humans against the angel and she would serve her purpose. In a cruel twist, the angel had turned the humans against them…drove them to flee.
The two of them had gotten separated by the One God fanatics that pursued them. Despite her great power, she was unable to protect them both against such numbers. Athena had run for hours, ducking attackers and fighting back when she was cornered. After she had lost her pursuers, she doubled back in the hopes of finding Arella…but what she found instead was a massacre. Bodies of humans littered the alleyway and blood dripped into the sewers like rainwater.
The angel had done this…she had turned the humans on them…and then she had slaughtered them like cattle. She had left most unrecognizable and none alive…but more importantly, she had taken Arella…and now Athena meant to find them both…
MADISON CHAPEL
Madison District, Empire City
Outside the church, two police officers sat inside an unmarked car. The officer in the passenger seat looked over at his partner. “We should check around inside there Lou. I’m pretty sure if she’s in the area at all, she’d be near that church. Are you gonna call in that we are checking it out or should I?”
The other officer stared at the church then looked back to his partner.
“Ben…you know as well as I do that this is all complete bullshit!! Fucking metas are behind the scenes, pulling strings and trying to hide the truth!! Who in the hell ever heard of an angel committing murder?!! It’s just like she said, metas are just Hellspawn…looking to condemn us all!! I won’t be a part to this…and you shouldn’t either!!”
Ben looked at his partner and shook his head. “Lou…you’re insane! You’re taking this to the extreme! I mean…I might not believe in the same stuff that you do, but I think that the idea of there being one God that watches over us all is nice and all…” he paused for a beat, “…but what could be in there…” he pointed towards the church, “…isn’t sent down by anyone’s god! That thing is wanted for murder…and we have a job to do!!”
Ben reached down and grabbed the radio, but his partner snatched it out of his hand, ripping the microphone out and tossing it out the window. He glared at his partner. “NO!! We aren’t doing this!! It’s wrong!! IT’S AN OFFENSE TO GOD!! I AM NOT HELPING THE METAS SEND US ALL TO HELL!!”
“Lou… what in Superius’ name is wrong with you?! YOU’RE CRAZY!!” Ben opened up the car door and jumped out, even as his partner started up the car and sped off. Ben Lightman shook his head in disbelief. He and Lou had been together for almost two years and he thought he knew him well. Lou and his family had always been devout ‘One God’ followers and while they had differed on a few things, this was something that was completely off the charts. When Detective Jordan had directed them to follow Brandon Knight in the hopes of finding the ‘angel’ he knew that there would be issues between them… but nothing like this. Ben reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his cell phone and dialed into the Desk Sergeant. “Hello? Yeah…this is Lightman…get me Detective Jordan on the line! Tell her that I think her ‘angel’ is at…OH MY GODS NOOOOOOOOOOO…”
THUMP
Ben had no time to react as he looked up and saw the car bearing down on him…the face of his partner, Louis Barone, looking twisted and irrational. The car hit Ben at well over sixty miles per hour…killing him instantly.
Lou stopped the car and got out with tears streaming down his face. He walked over to the mangled body of his partner and fell to his knees, even as he turned his face heavenward. “God…please…please forgive me!” He got slowly to his feet, half walking, half staggering to his car as he pulled out his own phone and dialed in. “HELP ME!! SOMEBODY HELP ME!! THE METAS!! THE FUCKING METAS JUST KILLED MY PARTNER!!!” After calling in, Lou tossed his phone aside and staggered off towards the church.
Inside, Arella sat in a pew, still holding her head after the attack by the mob. The flight over had been jarring since Anka, the woman she had once called ‘mother’ had clutched her so tightly. She cut her eyes over to her as she spoke with the priest, and a hint of a smile touched her lips. Things were coming together…fate had brought them back together and their purpose would soon be fulfilled. Anka…Hexx to the masses, had been a glorious destroyer in that alleyway…and soon she would do her part to destroy the entire world.
Now watching the priest…the lamb that he was, it nearly made her laugh out loud. He was trying so hard to fight the evitable, but he was powerless to stop it. After the kiss, he drug her further toward the back of the church, taking her behind closed doors. Their body language had spoken volumes. An argument. He was a man of God, and she…she was done with Him.
While she was musing, the policeman burst into the church screaming hysterically to find the Angel and warn her to get out. “GET OUT!! TELL HER THAT SHE HAS TO GET OUT NOW…THE POLICE ARE COMING!!!” The man ranted that the police had been called and something about his partner being killed by metas. It shocked her into immobility for a moment, until he screams at her again. “GO!! FIND HER!! DO IT NOW!!!”
She rose from the pew and ran to the back, where she and Priest had gone. She burst into the door, still holding her head as she spoke. “The police...they are their way. You have to leave him.” As she issues her warning, she watches the priest for his reaction and readies herself to intercede if he becomes a nuisance…
Outside the church, the officer staggered back out to the sidewalk. He had done this all in the name of the ‘One God.’ The ‘angel’ had said that the forces of darkness were conspiring against God in the form of Metas. He didn’t intend to stand by and become a pawn in their vile schemes. He’d convince everyone that he and his partner had been attacked by metas…metas who were intent on attacking Madison Chapel…destroying God’s house…killing his messengers.
He’d find a way to make them believe…he had to. God needed him in the war against the demon-spawned metas…and he had answered…
All over the southeast side of the city, police radios broadcast the urgent message. There was an officer down in the vicinity of Madison Chapel…apparently attacked by metas. Moments before, the fugitive ‘angel’ had also been sighted in the area. Lights and sirens blared as they raced to the scene…among them…Officer Lockley and her new charge, Deimos. When the call went out, the enormous man had been the first out the door, he still had vengeance on his mind and Lockley could only hope to contain the man’s rage.
The police van had barely come to a stop before Deimos was out the door, his eyes wide behind his red mask as he saw the winged monster that had killed his friends. She wouldn’t get away…not this time. He swore on his life…she would die today, even if it meant he would die as well.
Hexx stopped at the chapel door, holding Arella by the arm as the Empire City Police closed in. Brandon chased after them, pleading with her not to keep running. “ANKA!! You have to stop!! If you run and don’t stop and confront this…you’ll always be running!! Don’t do this…DON’T DO THIS TO THE CHILD!!”
This was enough to stop her in her tracks. She looked at Brandon and then down at Arella. The reluctance in her eyes was clear, but she knelt down and looked at the young girl. “You have to stay here…they are after me…not you! The Father will take care of you…” Arella seemed unconvinced and started to protest, but Hexx shut her down quickly. “NO ARELLA!!! I won’t have those dogs after you again!! I’ll return…as soon as I can…”
Brandon reached out and put his arm around the girl, gently pulling her back, as Hexx stepped outside. For a moment, Arella considered imposing her own will on the situation…but at the risk of displeasing her ‘mother’ she remained silent.
Hexx ran outside, but before she could get airborne, the plain clothes officer who had alerted her to their coming, stepped out in front of her and waved his fellow officers off. “NOOOOOO!! STOP!!! LET HER GO!! SHE HASN’T DONE ANYTHING!!” This seemed to give them pause, though their guns were still drawn. The officer pointed to his partner’s body across the street on the sidewalk. “WE WERE ATTACKED BY METAS…AND SHE SAVED US!!” Even Hexx had to raise an eyebrow at this lie, but the man’s intent was made clear as he turned to her and whispered. “…go…fly…I will hold them here. Don’t worry…we are with you!!”
Hexx deployed her wings and started to fly, but before she could, she was forced to dodge as Deimos launched himself at her, swinging a haymaker that grazed her, sending her tumbling to the ground. She rolled and squared off with the large man, her eyes going dark as she crouched low and her wings fanned out behind her.
Officer Lockley drew her gun, as she yelled at Barone. “OFFICER!! THAT WOMAN IS STILL WANTED FOR SEVERAL CRIMES… INCLUDING SEVERAL MORE COUNTS OF MURDER!!”
The plain clothes officer stepped in front of Hexx as he blocked Deimos from launching another attack. “YOU’RE MAKING A MISTAKE!!”
Lockley moved the muzzle of her gun off of the officer, but kept it at the ready. “I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing at officer…but I’m more than certain that your fellow officers here aren’t as willing as you are to let a murder suspect, just FLY away!!”
Hexx backed away and started to fly off in the other direction, but Deimos was ready as soon as she cleared Officer Barone. He leapt in the air, clearing the distance that no mortal man could as he seized her by her leg and whipped her back down to the ground with force. Barone’s eyes grew large as he watched. “A META! HE’S A META!”
As he went for his gun, Lockley tackled him, wrestling him to the ground as several other officers ran to her aid while Deimos continued to battle Hexx. Deimos let out a primal roar as he charged Hexx, but this time he was met by slap of her wings that caught him under his chin and sent him flying through the air.
CRASH
Deimos landed on top of one of the police cars, shattering the windows as he landed hard. The officers stared at Deimos as he laid there motionless, stunned by the blow. Hexx moved to press her advantage, but the remaining officers raised their weapons in unison and fired.
BLAM, BLAM, BLAM, BLAM, BLAM, BLAM, BLAM, BLAM
Hexx threw up one of her wings to block the incoming rounds. Bullets deflected off in all directions, but couldn’t penetrate her defense despite her wings beleaguered look.
Inside the church, Arella started to move towards the door, but she was thrown to the floor at the last moment by Brandon as several bullets ripped their way through. Brandon shielded the girl with his own body as he mumbled a silent prayer.
Outside, Hexx shrunk back and completely enclosed herself within the protective folds of her wings…then slowly faded from view. The shots stopped as she seemed to disappear completely.
“HOLD YOUR FIRE!!”
The officers stopped shooting as they looked at each other curiously as they wondered what happened. “Did she melt?”
“How in the heck should I know?!! Maybe she went up to Heaven or something!”
The officers moved cautiously up to where she had been, as they looked all around them. As they got near the place the ‘angel’ was last seen, there was an incredible blast of wind that knocked the men off their feet, sending them flying in all directions.
WHOOOOOOOOOSH
Hexx reappeared, right where she had been. Her massive wings sweeping out around her as she spun back into view. She looked at the officers who landed hard, most losing their weapons.
“HEATHEN DOGS!! YOU DARE TO STAND IN MY WAY!! I…”
TWACK
Hexx flew backwards and smashed through the front doors of the church as Deimos struck her with a mighty blow just under her chin. He ran inside and squared off against her, having put her inside the building and taken away her mobility edge.
Hexx rose slowly, wiping the blood from her mouth, her eyes narrowed on him. “You…meta…you’re an offense to Him.” At this close distance, she easily picked up on his blind rage and hatred. “You play a dangerous game monster. It’s time for me send you back to Hell!”
Hexx rushed at him, but he quickly blocked her attack and countered with another punch, driving her backwards and stunning her. As she staggered backwards, he charged and kicked her backwards, sending her rolling down the aisle, slamming into the front altar. As the back of her head hit the altar, stars exploded in front of her eyes, blinding and disorientating her. Deimos moved quickly, looking to finish her in his blind rage, but as he did…his legs slowed and his will seemed to ebb away…bit by bit until he collapsed to his knees.
With the last bit of strength he had, he looked back over his shoulder and saw the Priest staring at him in surprise, with a young girl behind him… her lips moving slightly as if praying or talking to someone…her eyes ghostly white and unseeing. Deimos’ will was no longer his own…he closed his eyes and saw it…a demonic entity rushing up from the bowels to seize him…
Hexx got quickly to her feet and stared at Deimos as he knelt there, unmoving. She kicked him in the chest, knocking him over as she ran up the aisle, grabbing Arella away from Brandon as she headed to the door. Arella cried out as she stumbled in the darkness…her powers of possession having temporarily robbed her of her eyesight. Hexx ran outside, dragging Arella as she flailed, disoriented.
Brandon ran to the open door to chase after them, and he was knocked off his feet by a thunderous explosion.
BOOOOOOOM
Brandon crawled to the door, unsure of what he’d find. As he got there, the sight baffled and shocked him. Hexx was laying on the ground, her body seeming to smolder as Arella lay several feet from her, attempting to claw her way back up. Brandon looked up as a blonde woman in a hoodie walked towards them, an oddly colored glow surrounding her. Athena went to Arella, but the girl was terrified in her blindness, unsure of who was there and what was happening.
Officer Lockley and the other remaining officer’s moved to take cover as Athena turned her rage on everyone. Lightning flared out striking in all directions, hitting the chapel and the roadway outside the building. Athena quickly bore down on Hexx. “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!”
Hexx stood up even as she saw the sky begin to brighten above her. The lightning came down just as she moved away, but the lightning blasted the ground around her, sending her flipping end over end. Lightning rained down in a hellish concentrated burst as it bore down towards Hexx and she threw up her wings to shield herself. The bolt came down and hit with devastating power…blinding all in the area…all but the one whose vision was slowing returning.
She blinked as the crackle of electricity filled the air all around her. At the center of the maelstrom, the strained face of Hexx looked over at her. Arella strained to see as Hexx attempted to withstand Athena’s rage.
“D-Don’t w-worry Arella…m-mother is h-here!” Her body shook and shuttered as even as it burned with unnatural light, her wings enveloping her. As the brutal assault finally ended, she collapsed down and lay still for a moment, then slowly she rose again and turned to face Athena…her eyes turning to blackened pools as she did. Her skin seemed to bubble and boil, then settle and repair itself.
Athena regarded this with curiosity. “You’re a resilient one…aren’t you?” Athena summoned her power as Arella tried to yell for her to stop. The girl’s cries were lost in the wind, even has Brandon grabbed her and pulled her inside. Athena spread her arms and lifted into the air, static crackling all around her.
Hexx tightened her fists, feeling the band on her finger speeding her recovery as she did. The clouds above her rolled and brightened once more, but this time she launched herself up and through the buffeting winds, hitting Athena at full force. The two women flipped and rolled through the air as they struggled with one another in a pitched aerial battle. As the two women fought, Hexx grabbed Athena by her throat and squeezed. Her face was a twisted mask of rage and anger…her eyes seeming to be no more than pools of black tar. “I’LL TEAR YOU TO SHREDS WITH MY BARE HANDS BEFORE I ALLOW YOU TO TOUCH HER META-MONGREL!!”
Athena did the only thing she could do and called down an even more devastating lightning strike…right on top of herself. The entire block rumbled and shook as bolt after bolt hit them, knocking them from the sky. Arella uttered the prayers that she reserved for only the most powerful of shadows to come to her, but her powers were spent. She watched helplessly as Brandon held her back and Athena and Hexx fell from the sky. Shew was helpless to stop it.
As they hit the ground, the lightning only seemed to intensify, striking Hexx over and over again. Arella watched on in horror as the power of the lightning storm seemed to blast the woman who had saved her to bits. Pieces of her wings seemed to fly off…even her very flesh. One massive bolt struck her hand, tearing it off her body, and sending the ring that was on it flying off into the night.
Arella fell to her knees and screamed her prayers…begging them even as her misguided ally tore Hexx asunder. For a moment, it seemed they would again go unanswered, but Deimos rose to his feet, the darkness now inside him, guiding his actions. Arella directed him and he charged at Athena, launching himself at the raging storm goddess, flying right into the hellish maelstrom she created to stop her before she destroyed the entire city block.
Athena fell from the sky along with Deimos, both of them hitting the smoldering ground in a heap. Athena was stunned, but Deimos was charred and unmoving, having given his life to stop the assault. All around them was deathly silence as disoriented officers crawled around on the ground, some blinded and other trying to restore their hearing.
Arella scrambled past Brandon, running to Hexx’s side. The woman was a mangled, charred, and bloody mess…but her eyes brightened as they fell on her. She struggled to smile…her ruined face was a terrible sight, but it was clear that her only care was for the girl she called her ‘angel’ so many centuries ago. “G-Go…you r-run…my little a-angel…”
Her body went limp as her last breath escaped her. She was dead, having sacrificed herself. Arella was filled with rage and anger, even as she saw Deimos, a smoldering ruin and Brandon running towards her.
Athena got to her feet and shook her head, blinking as if to clear her vision. She looked around at the carnage all around her. She had lost control and nearly destroyed everything in sight. She started to walk towards Arella, but the girl warned her away with a vicious glance. “Wha…what is this? I…” She backed away…running back into the alleyways, stealing back one final glance before escaping.
Officer Lockley hustled Brandon and the remaining onlookers into the relative safety of what remained of Madison Chapel.
EPISODE CREDITS
CAST (In order of appearance)
Pam Dawson … Francesca Hayward
Anka … Kenzi Grey
Brandon Knight … Ace Watson
Arella … Orchid
Athena … Cass Baumer
Ben Lightman … Himself
Louis Barone … Gray Malone
Deimos … Redd Thunder
Officer Lockley … Ashley Marie Chase
Directed by … DubbleFC
Screenplay by … Ron B.
Produced by … CTN Television Studios
Casting by … Maleek Raheem
Music by … Guilty Pleasure
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Post by Publicist on Oct 16, 2017 18:08:30 GMT -5
CHAPTER XXXI: THE GHOST OF MEMORIES END… (PART 5)
MADISON CHAPEL
Madison District, Empire City…Brandon sat on the steps of the church, staring off into the distance, just as he had for days since Hexx…or Anka as he had known her, sacrificed herself for a young girl she had saved from the alleyways from a bloodthirsty mob. She had called her Arella, and when the blonde haired woman had attacked, hurling lightning like the fabled Roman gods and goddesses, Anka gave her life to protect them both. She had been blasted to pieces right before their eyes, nearly burned to a cinder.
“Brandon?” He looked up as Detective Jordan walked over, surveying what remained of the terrible destruction.
It had been a few days since the incident, and the air still smelled over ozone from the battle. She stopped, standing beside him. “Are you doing okay?”
Brandon didn’t look at her as he answered, “You didn’t come here to ask me how I’m doing. You know how I’m doing Stacey.” Finally he cut his eyes to her, “You came to ask for her body, and I am not going to tell you where it is.”
Stacey gave and exasperated sigh, “I could…arrest you for obstruction…for tampering with evidence…for…”
Brandon shot to his feet, holding out his wrists, “THEN DO IT! ARREST ME!!”
Stacy swore under her breath, “…damn it Brandon…” She paced a hot circle, her frustration evident. “…this is crazy! Why are you pushing back so hard? It’s over…she’s dead! Lockley and even that crazy One God nut, Lou Barone confirmed it. I just…”
“JUST WHAT?!” Brandon took a moment to try to calm himself as he ran his fingers through his hair. “You made her public enemy number one! You pushed and you pushed and you set all of this in motion! There was finally proof to the people of God’s glory, and you wanted it stamped out!”
Stacey shook her head. “That’s not true! You know that’s not true! She killed people Brandon…I saw it, I watched her kill two officers, right in front of me!” Stacey folded her arms in front of her, “I don’t know what she was…but she damn sure wasn’t an angel or proof of anything other than pure fucking evil!”
Brandon stiffened at this. “If you’re not going to arrest me…please leave. NOW!”
Stacey stared at him for a moment, then nodded. “Fine Brandon. You win! I’m not going to arrest you and throw the city into even more chaos. The religious nuts are finally calming down. I won’t incite them again.” She turned and walked back towards her car, stopping for a moment as she called out over her shoulder. “…if it counts for anything…I’m sorry for the way that it ended…” She waited for a response, but none came. She headed to her car and drove off a moment or two.
Brandon stood there, watching her drive off in silence. After she was out of sight, he turned and looked around for the girl, the one Anka had died for. She was usually always underfoot, but this time she was nowhere to be found. He turned his attention to the crowds that still came to gather across the street. The place had become a kind of mecca for One-God followers since the incident, that alone was all the more reason that Anka’s body needed to be hidden away.
He walked back into the church, calling her name as he looked all over for her. She was gone, and that gave him a very uneasy feeling. She was the only other person who knew where he had taken her body, and now she was missing.
“God, please.” He grabbed his keys and ran out to his car. He hopped inside and peeled out as he headed towards Gateway Park. He could only hope that neither one of them were followed…
THE VEIL
Somewhere Between Heaven and Earth…
“Anka…get up child…”
Her eyes slowly opened, then focused on the face of Raphael…Archangel and guardian of the Veil…the place between Heaven and Earth. He looked down at her, with an angelic face that she had seen on more than one occasion…only this time there was something distinctly different in those features.
“…you must leave this place…go from here, forever.”
She stood and glared at him. “What’s wrong Raphael? No more fairytales for me? No more lies about how God favors me and will someday grant me a place within His kingdom?”
Raphael looked away. “You’ve taken life Anka…taken many lives without conscious or regret!”
“AND GOD DOESN’T DO THE SAME?!!” She roared in reply.
“GOD DOES NOT KILL!!!”
She laughed. “So…what? He ALLOWS death to happen, so His hands remain clean?!”
Raphael glared at her, his eyes burning fiercely. “I WILL NOT DEBATE WITH YOU ANKA!! YOU WILL LEAVE THIS PLACE!!”
She continued, ignoring his righteous outrage. “How convenient for Him Raphael…to divorce Himself so completely and to condemn us with such arrogance!! We are merely His playthings…for Him to raise up, lay down, and cast aside at His leisure.” Her mood darkened even more. “None of them know as I do…having been cast out of grace for so long!”
Raphael reeled as if struck as he gazed at her. “Anka! You were favored above all…none have been gifted and blessed such as you…” Her wings arched out behind her, as if in answer to his comment. Their usual magnificence was diminished, but they were still there all the same. Raphael walked up to her, looking down, as she appeared lost in memory. “Your sacrifice for the child…not your own…so moved our Father that He blessed you…remember…?”
Somewhere, deep in the back of her mind, she heard Raphael speaking to her…but her thoughts were elsewhere…in a cave at memories end…
THE FAR DISTANT PAST
The Wastelands…
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 child in her arms. The words were meaningless, yet…they all wept despite themselves.
The darkness came as the stone was pushed into place, and there she sat…unmoving…for an entire age…
How long had she sat there in the darkness…holding the frail body in her arms? 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. “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 ground. Her mouth fell open as she dropped to her knees and screamed.
“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”
Raphael grabbed her by her shoulders 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 again…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 enter. 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…in her stead?”
Anka looked back towards the light, her legs trembling, 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…”
…
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 white wings… not unlike those of the archangel.
Raphael backed into the light as he regarded her with an approving look. “You are blessed Anka…remade for a great purpose…go now…”
“No…wait…WAIT!! ARELLA!!”
Despite her cries…he vanished…along with the light, leaving her in the darkness…all alone…
THE VEIL
Somewhere Between Heaven and Earth…
Anka snapped out of the memory from her past, the agony of it was like bile in her mouth. Raphael’s words cut her anew.
“You were blessed Anka…blessed before all that came before you…but now…”
She threw herself against him, battering him as she did…yet he stood fast, unyielding like granite. All the same, she railed against him, screaming as she did. “WHAT DID YOU DO?!! WHAT DID YOU DO?!! I GAVE UP EVERYTHING FOR HER…WHAT DID YOU DO?!!”
Raphael grabbed her and lifted her off the ground with a single powerful hand as he stared at her. “I told you Anka…Heaven was not for her…it never was.” He paused with a look of regret. “Now… the same is true for you.”
He reached behind her and grabbed her damaged right wing, his grip was powerful and firm. Anka screamed as the crunch of bone and sinew being torn filled the air. The wing was ripped off and tossed aside without any reverence…even as the remaining wing was grasped. Again she wailed as it was torn brutally off her body and tossed away. Raphael held her up even higher.
“You are banished from the light Anka…leave now…and never return…”
He let her go and she fell back…falling down further and further…down into darkness…down into the earth…
…buried alive…
THE COLD, COLD EARTH
Gateway Park, Empire City…
She gasped for air, but all she got was a mouthful of cold earth. Dark and cold…she struggled and tried to scream. This was all familiar to her…painfully familiar. When she was left alone in the cave…blessed as she was…she was forced to climb out on her own. She dug and clawed with her bare hands, pulling out handfuls of dirt and earth until she finally reached the surface…breaking through into the light…
This time, there would be no breakthrough into the light…nothing but the darkness of the cold, cold earth. Like the darkness surrounding her cold, cold heart…
…her struggles lessened moment by moment. She opened her mouth for air…but got nothing but dirt as her reward. There would be no escape for her. Banished from the presence of God…with nowhere left to turn…
“…mother… take my hand…”
She tried to open her eyes, but earth held them shut. She flexed her hands…slowly…then they closed on another. Small and warm, she felt their pull…their power and strength beyond comprehension. Slowly…slowly…she was lifted up. The earth falling away…
EPISODE CREDITS
CAST (In order of appearance)
Brandon Knight … Ace Watson
Stacey Jordan … Nina Stokes
Raphael … Phoenix Chambers
Anka … Kenzi Grey
Arella … Orchid
Directed by … DubbleFC
Screenplay by … Ron B.
Produced by … CTN Television Studios
Casting by … Maleek Raheem
Music by … Guilty Pleasure
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Post by Publicist on Nov 13, 2017 13:56:39 GMT -5
CHAPTER XXXII: UPHEAVAL
MADISON CHAPEL
Madison District, Empire City…
While he had been a rousing success at his first attempt at murder, all of his efforts to help the angel escape had been for not. She had been killed right before his eyes…blown to pieces by a filthy meta, an agent of evil, just as the angel had said. Their symbol of belief in ‘The One God’ had been destroyed, but their cause was not yet ended. There would have to be a reckoning…and the metas would have to pay…each and every last one of them! Their avenging angel had been taken from them, but it wouldn’t end like that…God would have his revenge, and he would be sure of it.
Lou looked down at his phone as it rang in the center console of his car. “This is Lou…” He paused for a moment, a look of excitement spreading across his face. “A young Asian girl and with Father Knight? YES!! Where are they?!!” He listened intently, knowing that they were the last ones who had been with the angel before she’d been killed.
Lou had been told stories after the incident, and one those stories was of great interest to him. Right after the riots had begun, a young girl…a meta, one who very much fit that girl’s description had been pursued by the One God loyalists. Hours later, all of them were found slaughtered in an alley. Lou didn’t know what had happened, but if a filthy meta was involved, it wasn’t anything good.
After being told that the girl had been spotted slipping out of the church, Lou nodded. “OKAY!! Get as many people together as you can! Follow her…maybe she will lead us to the angel’s body, before they defile her even more!”
He hung up the phone and gripped the steering wheel tightly as he turned his car towards the park. Was Brandon Knight part of the meta conspiracy? He didn’t know, but if he was…he’d have to answer to God…personally!
GATEWAY PARK
Arella made her way to the secluded area of the part where they had buried the angel, buried her mother…buried the instrument of her father’s wrath. After the battle at Madison Chapel and Anka’s apparent death at the hands of that idiot, Athena, everything had been put in jeopardy. However, if history had taught her nothing, it had taught her that death was not the end…especially for Anka.
As she got near, she could see that the earth had been disturbed where she and Brandon had hidden her body. Her heart raced as she approached the pseudo-grave. The ground was in upheaval, but more disturbing was the state of the foliage around the gravesite, all wilted and dead.
She steeled herself as she walked closer. Her eyes suddenly grew large as she saw what appeared to be a hand sticking out of the ground…blood streaked and caked with dirt. “MOTHER!!” She broke into a run, coming to the grave and grasping the hand and pulling for all she was worth. Slowly, the body below broke the surface as she pulled.
“ANKA!”
Arella turned as Brandon ran over, his face filled with panic as she saw the angel being pulled from the grave he had dug. He came to her side, his own heart thudding like a trip-hammer in his chest. To his horror, he saw her face sticking just above the ground and streaked with dirt. “Is…is she alive?”
Almost as if in answer to his question, her eyes fluttered, and he dropped down next to Arella. She dug at the earth around Anka with her bare hands, even as he pulled her free of the cold earth. Arella was the first to notice something odd about Anka as she came out of the ground…her wings were gone, and only bloody streaks remained.
Brandon held her in his arms as he shook her. “ANKA! ANKA! TALK TO ME!” When she didn’t move, he laid her on the ground and moved his hands up to wipe the dirt from her face, but he paused and stared at his hands strangely for a moment as he felt then tingling. He looked at them and at the blood that was on his hands.
“It’s hers. From her wings. They’re gone…” Arella added grimly.
Brandon wiped the blood off and started to wipe the dirt off of Anka’s face, but just as he touched her face, her mouth opened and she gasped for breath. Arella sat back in shock and amazement at the sight of her…somehow still alive. She had hoped that she would have somehow managed to survive, but to bear witness to it struck her dumb. The revelation that she had just returned from a most gruesome death had affected her in a way she hadn’t expected. She thought to herself, was this her Father’s plan…or was this truly the power of the Almighty.
She patted the Father on his shoulder, “…father…we have to go…”
Brandon held Hannah in his arms. She was breathing now, even though she still hadn’t opened her eyes. He rocked her in his arms, “Soon, she needs to gather her strength. We all do.”
Arella turned his head, “No…NOW!”
He looked over the rise as a crowd approached, all looking on in wide eyed disbelief.
“ALIVE!! SHE’S ALIVE!!! LOOK EVERYONE…THE ANGEL IS BACK!!! THE GOOD FATHER HAS BROUGHT HER BACK!! PRAISE GOD!!”
“WHO IS THAT WITH THEM?!! A META!! GET HER!! KEEP THEM AWAY FROM THE FATHER AND THE ANGEL!!!”
Brandon’s heart thundered again as he saw a throng of One God followers making their way through the park. Arella hid behind Brandon, suddenly afraid. She had nearly been killed after being cornered in an alley by these fanatics, the angel had saved her…the angel had slaughtered them, but she was in no condition to help anyone now. Brandon wanted to say something to comfort the girl, to make her think that everything would be okay, but he couldn’t…he was just as afraid as she was.
Arella clung closely to the side of Brandon, as fear gripped her. Her power to control metas was useless against the throng of holy followers of the One God. The same followers that had cornered her in an alley and savagely beaten her until Anka came to her rescue. There was no one to protect her this time, no one to save her from the hands of the mortals that were ready to finish the job the others had started.
Anka moved in Brandon’s arms, and the crowd gasped…whispers threading their way through them. Hands clasped together and many falling to their knees.
“…the angel arose from the dead…”
Shouts of praise arose from the dozens upon dozens of people. Many solemnly walk around the upturned earth, tears of joy staining their faces.
Arella whispered in Brandon’s ear, “…priest, I’m not very comfortable here…”
Brandon tried to reassure her, even as he realized that he was being looked at as a hero. He had seemingly brought the angel back from the dead. He looked at the young girl, “It will be okay.”
Arella glanced around nervously, there were so many humans, so many of them with hatred in their hearts for her kind. She grabbed Brandon by the wrist. “Father...WE NEED to get out of here!”
“THAT WOMAN IS TRYING TO TAKE THE ANGEL AWAY FROM US!”
The crowd of One God followers suddenly turn hostile, even as Brandon tries to calm them. “No! She’s not attacking anyone!” Brandon pleaded with them, “She is just a girl!”
“…father…please, help me…"
Brandon turned to Arella, trying to calm her, “Everything will be fi…” Brandon froze as he realized that the girl was not talking to him at all. Arella was turned away, her head turned to the heavens.
“…we have her…I just need a little help to bring her to you…”
Brandon had no idea what was happening, but it happened fast. The followers of the One God screamed out in shock and protest. Those more inclined to violence leapt forward, their arms reaching out for the small Asian girl…the meta.
They never got a chance to touch her. One of the One God Followers screamed as sharp barbs impaled him and he was lifted off the ground, then flung away. The mob screamed as Reaver began slashing and hacking away at the terrified mob with her deadly claws.
A man with a gun raised it to shoot, but he burst into flames as a massive fireball struck him. He screamed as he turned, his gun firing and hitting several other One God Followers. Vixxxen threw fire at everyone who dared to come at her, a twisted grin on her face.
Brandon’s eyes grew huge as he recognized the pair and he tried to carry Anka away. He yelled to Arella, “COME! WE HAVE TO RUN!”
_________________________
Arella had no idea what was going as chaos erupted all around her, but she did as the priest said and ran. They ran through a copse of trees, trying to escape when suddenly a shot rang out, startling her.
BLAM
She stopped and looked down as she felt hot liquid spilling down the front of her shirt. She looked down as blood blossomed from a hole in her stomach. “…father…” She fell to her knees and hit the ground.
“ARELLA!” Brandon screamed, running to the girl’s side, but he was stopped as he found himself face to face with Lou Barone, gun in hand.
The man’s eyes were hard and his grip on his gun was tight. He looked down at the dying girl and spit, then turned his attention back to Brandon. “Father Knight…what are you doing with our angel…what are you doing with that meta scum?”
Brandon was confused, he looked at Arella as she gasped for breath. “Meta? She’s just a girl! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!”
Lou struck him in the head with the gun, knocking him down. “You’re a traitor! I should kill you…RIGHT NOW!” He holstered his gun as he picked Anka’s unconscious body off the ground. “Lucky for you, I am only killing metas today!”
Brandon held his head as blood trickled down the side of his face. He yelled for the man to stop as he carried Anka off, but he had no choice but to let him go as he heard the young girl cry out at his side. “Arella!”
Brandon pulled up her shirt and grimaced as he saw the bullet wound in her abdomen. He put a hand over the spurting wound and she screamed. “FATHER, PLEASE!!”
Brandon, tried to calm her. “Everything is going to be okay! I just have to stop the bleeding and then…”
Arella hissed as her back arched up and her eyes opened wide. A long gasp escaped her and she settled back down, her eyes darting around as her breath came in sharp hitches. She looked at him, disbelief in her eyes. “Wh-what did you do?”
Brandon was confused, but as he withdrew his hand, he saw that her wound was gone. It was healed and only a massive bruise remained there, and even that was starting to fade. He looked at his hands, still streaked with Anka’s blood when he had pulled her from the earth. “…my God…”
He stood up, looking around in amazement over the miracle he had just witnessed. He started to run after the man carrying Anka, but he stopped as he heard the screams of people behind him, then more gunshots. He balled up his fists at his side, then he made the hard choice, the only one he could. He turned and started running back towards the park.
Arella screamed at him, “WE HAVE TO GET THE ANGEL! WE HAVE TO STOP HIM!”
Brandon could only shake his head. He wanted to save Anka as well, but there were people being hurt…maybe even killed and he had to help in any way he could. He bolted away, leaving the girl behind.
Arella sat up, then grimaced as she held her stomach. She pulled her way to her feet, using a nearby tree, narrowing her eyes in hatred as the priest ran off. She turned her attention back to what really mattered, finding the angel for her father. “…I won’t fail you father…I swear it…”
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The scene in the park was absolute chaos as Brandon Knight burst back out of the woods. There were injured people left laying all around following the attack on the One God Followers by Reaver and Vixxxen. Police and medical personnel were all over, attending to the frightened, the injured, and the dead. Brandon staggered out, looking at the scene in disbelief. People were scattered everywhere, crying, moaning, and screaming. He looked around, trying to find the pair that had done this, but they were apparently long since gone.
He made his way through the crowd of first responders, then one face among them that was quite familiar to him caught his eye. He ran over and grabbed Detective Jordan by her shoulder. “Stacey!!”
She shrugged him off, pointing an accusatory finger in his face. “Damn it Brandon, THIS WAS WHAT I WAS TRYING TO PREVENT!” She looked around, then turned back to Brandon, her eyes hard and angry. “Where is she Brandon? Where is Hexx?! That…that…THING, has killed people here in Empire City and I’m trying to make sure she doesn’t get a chance to kill any more!!”
Brandon looked past her at the carnage all around them. “Stacey, Anka didn’t do this!” He put his hand on her shoulder, For God’s sake Stacey!! There are people out here who need our help right now…can you put aside this obsession you have and actually help someone…PLEASE!!”
Stacey looked around at the frantic scene and frowned. There were people in need of help, and she had to admit, he was right, that was more important…for the moment at least. She sighed and called for more officers to help with the wounded. Brandon nodded in thanks, then started to go and help as well, but she stopped him. “Brandon, look, I’m sorry that it has to be this way, but she’s dangerous…and I’m going to get her off the streets. I know that you think that she’s something send down from God, but I think that deep down, you know better than that! I…”
Before she could finish, a frantic young woman ran over to them and grabbed Brandon by his arm. Her face was red and wet with tears and streaks of blood. “FATHER!! FATHER PLEASE!! MY BROTHER!! HE’S DYING!! COULD YOU PLEASE…PLEASE…BLESS HIM BEFORE HE PASSES!!! PLEASE!!!”
There were so many hurt and injured, people who might make it if they moved quickly enough, but sometimes faith was no less important. If he could heal this woman’s grief with a few words to her dying brother, then he would do it. He nodded and followed her back to where her brother lay. His torso was punctured and he didn’t have much longer to live. Brandon knelt down beside him and took his hand.
“My son…in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spir…” Before he could finish, then man suddenly groaned loudly and arched up. For a moment everyone thought that the man was having a seizure, but Brandon had seen this before, when his touch had healed Arella.
The man’s sister stood up and stared down at the incredible sight in front of her, then collapsed heavily to the ground. Stacey ran up to see what the problem was and she was stopped suddenly in her tracks. Right before her eyes, the man’s wounds were healing…his body stitching itself back together.
Stacey staggered back. “H-How is this p-possible!!”
Brandon shook his head as he watched the man be made whole once again. The man sat up, looking at his side and then looking at Brandon in amazement. “MY GOD!! YOU HEALED ME!! YOU SAVED ME!!! MY GOD!!! MY GOD!!!”
Brandon stared down at his hands still streaked with Anka’s blood…and still tingling from the jolt he felt when he pulled her out of the ground. A large crowd had begun to gather around him, people clamoring for his healing touch. Brandon didn’t know how long this would last, so he wasted no time as he went from person to person, laying hands on them and healing their injuries.
Stacey ran up alongside him, muscling her way through the crowd. “Brandon! What’s going on here?!! How are you doing this?!”
“I… I don’t know. I had Hannah’s blood on my hands and then…” He paused for a moment, staring at the blood on his hands, then looked at her. “Stacey! Go find her! I don’t know how long I can keep this up… but we may need more from her if we are going to help everyone! An officer took her, the same crazy one from the chapel!”
Stacey narrowed her eyes, “Barone?”
Brandon nodded, “YES!” He pointed towards the trees. “He took her body…he ran off through the woods with her…HURRY!!”
Stacey backed away, her mind was a jumble. This made no sense to her. That woman was a killer…a murdering meta, yet somehow her blood had given Brandon the power to heal people. She shook her head. It didn’t matter, there would be time enough to sort this all out after she was safely behind bars. She called in an all-points bulletin for Officer Barone…and the so-called ‘Angel of Empire City…’
________________________
Louis Barone made his way through the woods and into the clearing where he had parked his car. Things had worked out even better than he had hoped. He hadn’t just found the final resting place of God’s angel, he had found her…alive and well. He looked at her blood stained back, where her wings use to be. “…fuck…” He winced, “…sorry…I shouldn’t have cursed.”
“I don’t know bout’ that luv, some cursing might be in order.”
Lou spun around, gun in hand as he drew a bead on Reaver and Vixxxen. He clenched his teeth as he felt the hatred inside him boil up. “Metas!”
Vixxxen held her hand up, and it burst into flames, “There’s no need for name calling officer. We only want the angel. Give her to us, and you can just walk away…”
Reaver snorted, “…running would be better…”
Lou held his ground, “You think I’ll let you freaks touch her? You’re crazy!” His finger tightened on the trigger. “You won’t get her, promise you that! I…” In an instant, Lou Barone’s life flashed before his eyes. Everything that he had ever done…graduate the ECPD academy at the top of his class, marry his high school sweetheart, start a family, and kill his partner. He couldn’t help but to wonder what his partner thought right before he died. Did he see the same thing? “Oh God… I…”
Lou’s words caught in his throat as Hexx slipped from his arms and he doubled over, backwards, his spine snapping as his body seemed to crumble from within. He opened his mouth to scream, but it was too late for that…he was already dead.
Gaia descended from behind him, the power still coursing through her hands. She stood over the ruined body of the One God Follower and the unconscious angel, her single eye hard and uncaring.
Reaver walked past her, to collect the angel, as she remarked; “Such a bloody show off!”
Gaia paid the two women little attention as she stared off through the trees. There was a familiar pull, but she ignored it…for now. There was no need in giving her new benefactor more than she asked for. Besides, it was only a matter of time before she figured out a way to regain all that she had lost…and then the humans would pay…every single one of them, including her new ally, Daria Knight.
The trio gathered the angel and carried her off…
EPISODE CREDITS
CAST (In order of appearance)
Louis Barone ... Gray Malone
Arella ... Orchid
Brandon Knight … Ace Watson
Anka/Hexx ... Kenzi Grey-Lacklan
Reaver ... Melissa Reeves
Vixxxen ... Katie Anderson
Stacey Jordan … Nina Stokes
Frantic Young Woman ... Angie Vaughn
Frantic Young Woman's Brother ... Steven Holmes
Gaia ... Kate Steele
_____________________________________________
Directed by … DubbleFC
Screenplay by … Ron B.
Produced by … CTN Television Studios
Casting by … Maleek Raheem
Music by … Guilty Pleasure
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Post by Publicist on Nov 19, 2017 17:25:41 GMT -5
CHAPTER XXXIII: THE RESOURCEFUL ONES
MADISON CHAPEL
Madison District, Empire City…
Detective Jordan sat down beside him, looking at his hands. She started to put her hand on his shoulder, but she hesitated, then pulled it back.
“I…I don’t know Brandon.” She paused. “Maybe you’re a…a meta.” Brandon looked at her and a slow smile spread across her face. “I’m just joking!”
He wanted to laugh, but he couldn’t, try as he might. He had gone through too much in too short of span of time. The death of Anka, right before his very eyes; finding her half out of her own grave. The death and destruction at Gateway Park and then the sudden healing properties of his hands…stained with the angel’s blood. He looked at her. “Any news on Anka or the officer that took her?”
Stacey’s features hardened. “We found Lou’s body. Hexx killed him.”
“WHAT PROOF DO YOU HAVE OF THAT?!!”
Stacey roared right back. “WHAT MORE PROOF DO I NEED?!!” She took a breath to calm herself. “She has killed before Brandon, why can’t you see what I see?!! I’m trying to keep you safe…and you…” Again she raised her hand and held it over his shoulder, as if she was afraid to touch him. Finally she let it fall lightly down his back. “…you don’t see that I’m only doing what I think is best for you.”
Brandon turned to her. “I know that Stacey. I’ve always known that, but this… this thing with…”
“The meta…”
“Anka…” He corrected her. “She has a name Stacey, but this isn’t all about her, it’s about why…it’s about God’s plan.”
The mention of ‘God’ was almost enough to send her over the edge. In her mind, ‘God’ was the one who had come between them, and He was the last thing she wanted to hear about. “Plan?!! What plan?!! If there is one god out there…surely He’d not stand by and let all of this killing go on…unchecked.” She shook her head. “Who is this plan for? Certainly not us!!”
Brandon felt his heart sink at her lack of faith. “After all that you’ve seen…after all that you’ve experienced…how can you say that?”
Stacey frowned as she remembered the incident at the hospital when she had been attacked by a pair of metas. She had survived the attack and subsequent multistory fall in what had to be the biggest fluke ever heard of. She remembered looking into the sky and questioning what was apparently divine intervention…only to be answered by a torrential downpour. In that one moment she had an inkling that not everything was as it seemed, but she locked those feelings down deep and focused on what she knew…catching criminals. Anka…The Angel of Empire City…Hexx…whatever she was called, she was no angel, and even more than the thousands in Empire City that believed she was, nothing bothered her more than Brandon being in her thrall. She still loved him, and that overrode everything else in her eyes. She had focused everything on putting Hexx behind bars, just not for the right reasons. She understood this now, maybe for the first time , and it shamed her. She stood up and walked away from Brandon, unable to even look at him.
Brandon stood up and walked beside her, put his arm around her. “Stacey…God loves you, even if you don’t love Him back.”
Stacey turned and looked at him. Her eyes focused and clear. When she spoke, it was with a conviction that she hadn’t had in quite a long time. “What about you Brandon? Do you love me?”
He spoke without realizing the truth depth of the question. “Yes…of course I love you I…” He paused as he realized the depth of the question. “…oh… I…”
Stacey reached up and touched the side of his face as she forced a smile. “You love us all…I get it.” She let her hand drop as she walked past him and headed towards the exit.
Brandon started to say something to stop her, but the words caught in his throat when he did. If he could have called to her to stop…if he could have made her turn and look at him again by sheer force of will…he knew that he would say those three simple words. All he needed was a chance…just one…
Stacey stopped at the door as she reached for the knob. She turned and looked back at him…across the yawning distance between them…
…this was it… this was his moment…
“Call the police if you see Hexx…or…Anka…”
He nodded, then spoke his three words. “I’ll call you…”
She nodded and walked out of the church, leaving him alone with his regret…
DARKNESS
…
Arella knelt down in the darkness, tears streaming down her face. She swallowed hard as she clasped her hand. “Forgive me Father…I did all that I could to ensure the success of your plan. I…found my moth…” she paused, as she nearly called her ‘mother.’ She wiped her face, “…the angel, I had her…but she was taken from me.”
The figure in the shadows chuckled malevolently before speaking with a voice that was hallow and cracked with the weight of the ages it had seen. “Do not fear little one…nothing has changed. The angel will still serve my purpose. The End Times are upon them all.”
Arella wrapped her arms around herself, there was more news…news that her Father would not be so easy to dismiss. “Her wings…they…they have been taken from her.”
This revelation was met with silence…a long and brooding silence. For a time, Arella thought that he would not speak again, but he did. “…distressing news…but, it changes nothing. The angel is…resourceful. She will still play her part…”
Arella hated not knowing. “How Father…we don’t even know where she is.”
“Have faith in your Father…” again, the malevolent chuckle as his face came into the light…a familiar face, one centuries past…
“…I have never failed to find her…or you. Anka de Jarius will serve the purpose she was cast into muck for…my purpose…”
____________________________
Arella walked out of the darkness, and found herself by Athena’s side. She put a nervous hand on Arella’s shoulder. She wasn’t sure what to expect after she had attacked the angel outside the church, blowing her to pieces. She thought that Arella needed her help. “I’m sorry…I didn’t know…I thought…”
Arella raised her hand, “It doesn’t matter. Nothing has changed…other than the fact that we need to find her again…we need to make sure that she serves her purpose.”
Athena’s mouth hung open, “She’s…alive?!”
Arella paused, echoing her ‘Father’s’ words, “My mother is…resourceful…”
BLACK OPS FACILITY
Undisclosed Location…
Agent Sloan gripped the butt of her weapon tightly as she bypassed security and made her way through the halls of the facility she was once in charge of. The Agency had been turned against her…turned against its mission of protecting a city that didn’t even know that it existed. Now, it was being used by the woman that financed it…Daria Knight, for some vile purpose…one that she would stop, no matter what it took.
All of her contacts had been turned against her or had vanished…likely murdered for all she knew. No one was left to side with her…to help her warn the city of what was happening. She was all that was left…the only person who knew that a madwoman was now in control of Empire City’s last line of defense against whatever or whomever threatened it. She had failed to find anyone who would help her…so all she could do now was take matters into her own hands…do what she could to cut off the head of the snake.
She moved in the shadows, hoping to catch Daria unaware…hoping to get to the woman before she could summon her meta collaborators…the monsters that threatened everything she stood for. All she needed was a chance, just one shot…she would take it and end all of this.
As she made it to the main building, she stopped at the edge of the inner complex, readying herself to storm the most heavily fortified portion of the Agency.
“…help me…please…”
Sloan turned, her gun pointed in the direction of the voice, ready for any trickery. She narrowed her eyes as she saw that it wasn’t a trick, but a blonde woman who had been severely beaten and tortured inside one of the rooms they use for interrogation.
“…my name is Michelle Andretti…and I you have to get me out of here…PLEASE…”
Agent Sloan frowned, recognizing the name. “The news reporter? Why are you…”
Michelle placed her hands on the security glass, her face frantic. “You have to get me out of here! I have to stop them…we have to stop them!”
She weighed her options. The two of them stood a better chance than just her alone. She put away her weapon and went to work on the security panel, bypassing the alarm as she opened it. The woman fell to the floor, at her feet. Agent Sloan picked her up, “We have to get to the administrative area…once we do we can…”
Michelle shook her head, “NO! We have to get out of the City…we have to get to Hoffburg!”
“Hoffburg…?” She was utterly confused. “…what’s in Hoffburg?”
Michelle swallowed, her face soaked in sweat and look of panic on her face. “The remaining piece of the Holy Lance…we cannot allow it to fall into the wrong hands.”
Agent Sloan had no idea what a ‘Holy Lance’ was or why this woman was so frantic about it, but if it was as serious as it seemed, then maybe a suicide mission wasn’t going to be the way that things ended for her…today at least…
_________________________________
Daria stood in what was formally Agent Sloan’s office, staring out into the night with her fingers laced in front of her. The news of the events in Gateway Park had been foremost on her mind. Her agents had secured the angel and were on their way back with her. Things were coming together.
Daria’s assistant knocked on the door, then stepped inside. “Ma’am…there’s a problem…there’s been an escape from confinement. Security has locked down the facility and I…”
Daria raised her hand to stop her, “It doesn’t matter. We what the weapon is…and we know where it is. Andretti is no longer an issue.”
Lois wrung her hands, “She had help…the agent helped her.”
Daria smirked, “She fell out of plane…she just refuses to die.” She turned, giving a heavy sigh. “The nerve of some people, but it will be rectified soon enough Lois.” She turned back to the window, “We are a resourceful lot…more than they know.”
EPISODE CREDITS
CAST (In order of appearance)
Brandon Knight … Ace Watson
Stacey Jordan … Nina Stokes
Arella … Orchid
“Father”/Flavaious … Chris Andrew
Athena … Cass Baumer
Agent Grace Sloan … Amy Jo Smyth
Michelle Andretti … Delia Darling
Daria Knight … Missy
Lois Monroe … Trixie
_____________________________________________
Directed by … DubbleFC
Screenplay by … Ron B.
Produced by … CTN Television Studios
Casting by … Maleek Raheem
Music by … Guilty Pleasure
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Post by Publicist on Nov 27, 2017 19:25:12 GMT -5
CHAPTER XXXIV: REVELATION… (Part 1) BLACK OPS FACILITY
Undisclosed Location…Daria’s mercenaries brought ‘the angel’ to her, just as they were instructed. Anka had been semiconscious for much of the trip, but now she was wide awake…and wondering where she was. Gaia had assured her that everything was okay as she left her with Daria and stepped out of the room.
Gaia stood outside for a moment, as she considered her new predicament. She had once been the most feared person in all of Empire City, and now she was reduced to being nothing more than Daria Knight’s one eyed errand girl. The thought alone was enough to make her blood boil. She clenched her teeth as she did everything in her power to hold herself in check. Daria had sought her out because she wanted to find an object of power. She had found it, but in the process she had lost another of the pieces. Gaia had felt the pull of that power when she was in the park collecting ‘the angel.’ She knew what the source of that pull was and she knew where it was right now…and more importantly, who had it.
Daria might have forgotten about it now that she had the angel, but she hadn’t. She would take that power for herself…power she would use to free herself from the control of the humans. The war against humanity was about to start anew, and she’d build the foundations of that revolution over the ashes of Madison Chapel!
Gaia focused her power and lifted off into the sky, leaving Daria to the distraction of her new plaything…
_______________________
Daria grinned thinly as she pulled the doors to her office closed and turned to Hexx. “My brother’s angel…welcome.”
Anka folded her arms as she eyed her pointedly. She knew enough to be wary of her since the first moment she laid eyes on her in Brandon’s apartment. This woman had darkness in her…deep and dark…and while she no longer had the power to read her, she still knew enough to keep her at arm’s length. She crossed her arms. “I have no idea why your mongrels brought me here, but speak your peace and be done with it!”
Daria nodded as she held her arms out apologetically. “I’m very sorry…” she paused as she waited for ‘the angel’ to volunteer her true name, when she didn’t Daria shrugged and continued on. “…I suppose we’ll just get to it then.” She laced her fingers behind her as she walked back to her desk. “All my life I have lived, knowing that there was something more to the world than the constant drivel that we are always handed about…” She gestured broadly. “…what lies beyond! Yet, there was never any real proof. Statues of Roman deities…scraps of paper with stories of creation…until now.” She looked at her. “Proof positive that the stories were all true.”
Anka held out her arms. “There you have it…so are we done now?”
Daria smiled, as she was both amused and annoyed by her dismissive nature. “We aren’t done…not even halfway done…” She smiled. “…and it’s of halves that I wish to know about.”
Anka arched her brow. “Halves?”
“Yes! For every positive…there is a negative…where there is light…there must surely be dark!”
Anka’s blood ran cold as she stared at her. “What you speak of…I cannot tell you.”
“Can’t…or won’t?” Daria asked.
She raised her head defiantly. “It matters not, for I can tell you this…God doesn’t need a dark adversary…He has enough darkness in Him without devils and demons to stir your imagination!” She turned away. “Now…I would take my leave of you. Our business is done.”
She watched her as she walked to the balcony and threw open the doors and stood there for a few moments…seemingly waiting. Daria sat back in her chair and laced her fingers together with a smile. She knew what had just happened, and it amused her to no end. She no longer had the gift of flight…and she had forgotten that very fact.
After a moment, Anka turned back to her and took a deep breath. “Knight, did you bring me here to find out the secrets of Heaven and Hell?”
Daria sat forward, “I was thinking, perhaps a bit of quid-pro-quo. You have something that I want, and I think that I have something that you want as well.”
Anka tilted her head to the side as she stepped back into the office. ”Unlikely Knight…what could a human have that I could possibly want?”
Daria keyed a button and a wall panel slid open revealing the staff she had attempted to rip from the control of Staff Master during the Empire City riots. Anka went to the panel and put her hands against the protective glass, and banged her fist against it. She stared at the staff as her mind wandered back to the moment she held the staff in her hand and felt the power coursing through her.
Daria watched her as she stared at the weapon. “I know what it is.” She grinned, as she thought of the knowledge she had gained from Michelle Andretti, before she escaped confinement. “I’m willing to give it to you…if you’re willing to tell me what you know of the world, beyond this one.”
Anka turned back to Daria, folding her arms as she glared at the woman. “I have seen a great many things in my time here upon the earth…” She paused. “…I would tell you all that I know…if you will do the same…first.”
Daria grinned, with her fingers laced in front of her. She considered pressing the angel, but there was no need. “Very well.” She gestured to the staff, “You are looking at the shaft of the Spear of Longinus…”
Anka’s eyes grew wide as she turned back to the panel and put her hands on the glass. “The spear that pierced the side of Christ!”
Daria shrugged, “Until you arrived…it was nothing more than an fable. Broken pieces of an ancient weapon scattered to parts unknown…until now.”
“You know where the remaining pieces are?”
Daria nodded, “We lost one of the pieces, but Gaia will be able to find it again, in time. As for the spearhead, it isn’t in Empire City. It’s in the Hofburg Palace in the Austrian region of West Rome.” She sat back in her seat, “I started negotiations with them to purchase it…though, admittedly, they don’t seem particularly interested in parting with it…yet.”
Her jaw tensed beneath the smooth bronze skin of her cheek. “I will tell you what I know…then perhaps I can help you with your…negotiations…”
MADISON CHAPEL
Madison District…
Brandon’s knees ached as he knelt before the altar. He couldn’t remember the last time he had prayed so long and so hard for a sign. He knew that the Lord worked in mysterious ways…but this was simply too much. The healing ability in his hands, Anka disappearing, the One God followers clamoring for him to lead them…calling him the new messiah. He had never wanted that…he had never wanted any of it, but here it all was, laid out before him.
“God…I don’t know what you want of me…help me to see what I must do!”
He was greeted with silence…and it was no surprise. Brandon crossed himself and stood up slowly as he rubbed his face. He was tired and he needed rest. For all he knew, when God finally came to him it would be in a dream. The truth was, if God had showed up on a frosted graham cracker dressed as Cesar, he wouldn’t have hesitated a moment in doing what he said. Thank goodness that wasn’t the case.
Brandon walked back to his private rest room and ran handfuls of cool water into his hands and splashed them into his face, hoping to wake himself up enough for the trip home. He reached for a towel and dried his face briskly. As he lowered the towel, his eyes grew wide and his breathing stopped. He stared in the mirror as if he had just seen a ghost…but he wasn’t staring at himself…rather he was looking past himself into the hallway behind him. Brandon turned around and stared in disbelief. His voice trembled as he spoke. “J-Jacob…?”
“Hello Father…”
Brandon nearly fainted dead away as he looked into the face of Jacob Phills…the young boy he had rescued from a life on the streets…the very same boy he had watched die on the floor of this very same church just three short months ago at the hands of Reaver and Vixxxen.
He stuttered as he tried to ask him a question. “H-How…Jacob?”
He shook his head. “My time is short here Father…shorter than you know.”
Brandon saw a flicker in the boy’s eyes. Was it pain…regret…fear? He didn’t know and he had no time to wonder about it.
“I come to you now to warn you of the gravest of threats…even as we speak, events are being set in motion that may tear Heaven asunder and cast a dark shadow upon the face of the world.”
Brandon shook his head. “Jacob…I…I don’t understand! What’s happening? How can I stop it?! Are you talking about Anka?!! Is this about her?!!”
He shook his head. “I…I don’t know. There is so much…so much!” He closed his eyes and tried to see it all, but it only came in pieces to him. “Sacrifice is the key to cleansing her soul once more…” He paused. “…the gates of Heaven may yet be thrown open with an offering of the angel’s blood…” He struggled to see more, but it would not come. He shook his head as he stared at Brandon. “I was given this one chance to come back and warn you, but I cannot see more than that Father, the rest is a mystery to me.”
Brandon moved towards the boy. “Jacob… I…”
The boy had already began to fade. “I know that you love me Father…just make sure that I’m not the only one who knows it…”
Jacob was gone the next instant and Brandon was left in just as much confusion as before…perhaps even more. The cryptic phrases that had been left for him only seemed to confuse…the only one that didn’t was the last one…the one that told him to make sure that people he loved, knew how he felt…
…Stacey…
Brandon continued staring at himself in the mirror. It was written all over his face and he could see it. He loved Stacey…in fact…he had never stopped. He had always looked at his devotion to God as being put before all other things in his life without regard…but now…
He tossed the towel aside and walked back to the private study. He picked up the phone and dialed Stacey’s number. As the phone rung, panic gripped him that she might not answer and he’d miss his chance forever to reveal how he felt. Just when he thought she wouldn’t answer…it came…
“Hello?”
“…”
Brandon dropped the receiver back into its cradle and pushed the phone away. He couldn’t bring himself to do it…not over the phone. He stood up and grabbed his jacket. He’d tell her to her face…at long last.
If Heaven was about to be torn apart…it would be the least that he could do…
BLACK OPS FACILITY
Undisclosed Location…
How many hours had passed while Anka had told her story and all that she knew? Daria couldn’t say and didn’t care. Her tale was finally done…and she honored their agreement as she opened the panel and allowed ‘the angel’ to take possession of the staff. Anka held the shaft in her hands, feeling the power flow through her, though it felt muted…not quite as powerful in her hands as it was before. She wondered if it was because of her missing wings.
“You know…if you’d told me before that angels existed and that my brother could heal people with a touch of his hands, I wouldn’t have believed you. Maybe those One God fanatics are right, maybe my Brandon is the messiah.”
Anka narrowed her eyes as she turned to Daria. “Brandon healed people?”
Daria glanced up at the heavens, a bit mockingly as she wiggled her fingers. “With a touch of his magic bloodstained hands.”
Anka looked away as she considered this, wondering how he could have this power. Did God really favor him or was it something…she paused, glancing down at her own hands and the ring that was missing from her finger; the very same band that had given her the power to heal. Brandon had found it, and had probably not even known its significance, that was how he was healing people.
Anka looked at Daria, “I need a ride…to Hofburg.”
Daria gave her a surprised look. “All alone? They aren’t going to just hand you the spear.”
Anka arched her brow, “I’m surprisingly persuasive.”
Daria looked at her for a long moment, then nodded. “Very well. I will arrange a flight for you on one of my private aircraft. It will get you to and from Rome, avoiding those who might have questions.”
Anka, nodded. “Thank you. I will need to make one stop first, if you don’t mind. I need to see a friend…”
________________________
Daria made the arrangements, and sent ‘the angel’ on her way. She sat in her chair, contemplating all that Hexx had told her. Stories from a millennia ago, tales older than any she had read before or cared to believe, yet here it was, proof positive that the One God existed…and where there was light, there was most assuredly dark…
BEEP BEEP
Daria was roused from her musing as the tell-tell beep of her video teleconference phone went off. Daria stroked her chin as she hesitated to answer it, already knowing who it was. She took a deep breath to steel herself before she pressed the button, activating the screen from which the dark hooded figure answered.
“Is it done?”
Daria nodded, “She is on her way to Hofburg to retrieve the spear. Though, I doubt she’ll be able to convince them to part with it.”
“Have faith Ms. Knight…”
The image winked off and Daria sat back in her chair, turning to the window as she laced her fingers and stared up at the darkening sky, wondering what she had just unleashed on the unsuspecting world…
________________________
Anka stepped into the car that Daria had arranged for her. The driver glanced back and asked her where they were going and she clutched the staff tightly in her hand as she told him…
“Madison Chapel…hurry…”
EPISODE CREDITS
CAST (In order of appearance)
Gaia ... Kate Steele
Daria Knight ... Missy
Anka/Hexx ... Kenzi Grey
Brandon Knight … Ace Watson
Jacob Phils ... Casper Spectre
Hooded Figure ... DubbleFC
_____________________________________________
Directed by … DubbleFC
Screenplay by … Ron B.
Produced by … CTN Television Studios
Casting by … Maleek Raheem
Music by … Guilty Pleasure
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Post by Publicist on Dec 3, 2017 20:00:46 GMT -5
CHAPTER XXXIV: REVELATION… (Part 2) MADISON CHAPEL
Madison DistrictGaia spread her fingers as she sensed the pull, the same pull that had drawn her to the band that Daria had enlisted her to track several weeks ago. That pull had led them to the staff…and more importantly, at least for her, the so-called angel. At the time, Gaia saw the partnership with Daria as a way to gain her freedom, but the cost was too high.
She had lost an eye to Agent Sloan and her war against the humans was all but over. She was no more than a slave, where once she had been the most feared person in all of Empire City. She had led an army of metas to the brink of supremacy, only to be stopped by Superius…and an Empire City Police Detective…Stacey Jordan. That had been humiliating, but it paled in comparison to being a slave to Daria Knight…but those days were soon to be over.
While Daria was distracted with her new plaything, Gaia was seeking out the band in order to claim whatever power it possessed. She had felt its pull in Gateway Park when they had taken the angel. No one knew it was close, but she did…and she knew exactly where it was and who had it. Nothing was going to stand in her way from taking it for herself…nothing was going to stop her from finding a way to destroy the humans, once and for all…
_________________________
Brandon stepped outside as he dialed Stacey’s number for the third time, and received no answer. He tucked the phone away as he headed to his car. After his encounter with Jacob Phils, ghost, dream, or whatever…he was now convinced that he needed to correct the mistake he made when he didn’t tell her how he felt about her. Nothing was going to stop him this time…nothing at all.
“FATHER! WAIT…CAN I TALK TO YOU?!”
Brandon turned and was surprised to see a tall blonde running up to him. It took him a moment, but he recognized her from Gateway Park. He had healed her wounded brother’s injuries. “I’m sorry…Miss? Is something wrong? Is your brother okay?”
The woman nodded gleefully as she took his hand and kissed it, “Thanks to you Father, my brother is alive…he is alive and well! I-I just wanted to come here and…thank you for the miracle that you performed that day.” She looked down at her hands, wringing them nervously, “I wanted you to know that because of you, my faith will never been shaken…never again.”
Brandon couldn’t help but to smile at this. His faith had been shaken once…until the angel had revealed herself to him, now he would never doubt again. He put his hand on her shoulder, “The power of faith is a glorious one my child. I am glad that you no longer doubt the power of the One God. I…”
“YOU ARE A FRAUD!”
Brandon looked up and his eyes grew wide as he saw the meta terrorist Gaia descending from the sky. He pulled the woman behind him, and held up his hands. “LEAVE THIS PLACE! WE HAVE NO QUARREL WITH YOU!”
Gaia smiled malevolently, her one eye glued to him. “Of course you don’t, but I have one with you…human! You have something that I want, and I mean to take it from your cold dead hand!”
Brandon turned and pushed the woman away, telling her to run and save herself. He turned back to Gaia. “I don’t own anything…anything at all. Anything that you want, you can have without hurting anyone.”
Gaia gave a hard sigh. “You’re really going to make me do it, aren’t you?” She raised her hand and dark energy dripped from her hands like tar. Brandon turned as he heard the woman scream as she was lifted into the air, nearly eighty feet. Gaia peered at Brandon, “Give me the band.”
Brandon looked back up at Gaia, falling to his knees. “PLEASE! DON’T DO THIS I…”
“AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHAAAAAAA!!”
Brandon turned as the woman plummeted to the ground, smacking the pavement with enough force to crack it. Brandon screamed as he ran over to her broken body, then cradled her in his arms, praying over and over for her to come back…praying for her to be made whole again. Gaia watched as he held her and slowly…the woman’s body began to heal itself. Shattered bones mended, a gaping hole in her side mended itself, and she gasped as breath filled her lungs again. Her eyes sprang open and fixed on her savior.
“…father…my-my messiah…”
Brandon shook his head, “My child, this is God’s hand, not mi…” He was cut short as he was yanked off the ground, his body twisted in the air as Gaia held him there. “P-Please…stop t-this!”
Gaia laughed, “You should stop lying to innocent people who follow you to slaughter like blind, stupid sheep!” Gaia held out her hand and a chain that Brandon wore around his neck flew off with the ring he had taken from Anka’s severed hand after she was ‘killed’ a few days ago outside the church. Gaia snatched the ring out of the air and held it. “You think you have power over life and death? I will show you power…”
Brandon fell to the ground as the woman flew into the air again. Brandon scrambled up to his feet, holding up his hands. “NO! STOP THIS, PLEASE!!”
Gaia smiled, “I showed you my power…and when I drop her again…this time on her head, you can show me your power!” Gaia glanced up, and the girl began to fall.
“AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHAAAAAAA!!”
All Brandon could do was watch as the woman fell to the ground. He averted his eyes, unwilling to see her splatter onto the ground a second time…
“Father…hold this.”
Brandon opened his eyes as he heard Anka’s voice. His heart leapt as she held the woman in one arm and a staff in the other. Even without her wings, she was a magnificent sight. The woman’s eyes were large as she stared at Anka and then threw her arms around Brandon.
Anka turned to Gaia, twirling the staff in front of her. “Gaia…you look different.”
Gaia smirked at the little joke, “Eye didn’t notice.” She chuckled, pointing back at her, “You look different as well. Did you lose weight?”
The two circled each other as Brandon took the woman and ran to the back of the church to get away from the battle that was about to erupt. The woman grabbed him, holding his arm. “THAT WAS THE ANGEL! SHE CAUGHT ME! SHE SAVED ME…SAVED ME FOR GOD!” She looked around, “God must have a plan for me. I was saved twice. His plan…it…it must be great!”
Brandon held her face. “God loves you…but right now…He and I would really love it if you ran away from here, okay?” The woman ran as Brandon hid, watching as Anka faced off with Gaia.
Gaia rose into the sky, hovering in the air as people gathered around, watching the specticle, despite the danger. She looked around at the humans watching her, and then down at Anka. Her face was contorted with rage. She spat her words down at her angrily. “You’re a fool! Why are you helping them…ANY OF THEM! They are enslaving us…murdering us…I WON’T ALLOW IT AND YOU WON’T STOP ME!”
Anka narrowed her eyes, “I didn’t come to stop you…I came for the ring.”
Gaia laughed, “Really? You…the wingless angel?” Gaia looked at the band, tossing the worthless chain to the ground. “Why would I give up the one thing that will make sure that me and my kind are never enslaved again?”
Anka stared up at her, “Because…” her answer was plain. “…I will kill you if you don’t.”
Gaia raised an eyebrow at this, “Are you fuc…” Gaia stopped as a rock stuck her from behind, thrown by one of the people watching from ground. Gaia whirled around, angry as her hands oozed with her black matter powers. “WORMS! I’LL CRUSH YOU ALL, I…”
Anka was already moving before Gaia could finish her sentence. She planted the staff into the ground and vaulted herself into the air, just as she had done before when she had caught the girl. She may not have had her wings, but she still knew how to soar through the air. She landed on Gaia’s back and quickly drew the staff across her throat, choking her with it. Gaia struggled to throw her off, but the staff augmented her strength and made it impossible. She did the only thing she could do, rise even higher into the air, carrying Anka up.
She struggled to speak as they went higher and higher, “...won’t…survive…fall...”
Anka squeezed harder, whispering into her ear. “…one of us won’t…”
She heard the pop of bone and cartilage and a moment later, they were falling to the earth. The ring flew from Gaia’s hand and Anka grabbed for it, but missed, but to her shock it latched itself onto the end of the staff. Even as she fell, with the wind whipping through her hair she marveled at the power she suddenly felt coursing through her, it was like nothing she had ever felt before…well…perhaps only once...when Raphael tore off her wings.
CRASH!
Anka lay on top of the shattered roof of a car. Her body hurt like hell, but she was remarkably uninjured. She rolled over and looked down at the body of Gaia on the pavement, her neck broken. One of them truly had not survived the fall.
Anka rolled off the car and got to her feet as a crowd gathered around her. She pushed her way through them as Brandon ran over to her. “ANKA! ARE YOU HURT?!”
Anka looked at him, unable to help the smile on her face. “You never think of yourself…always of others first. He doesn’t deserve you…”
Brandon blinked, “What?”
Anka touched the side of his face. “I hope that you’ll forgive me…in time.” Brandon was confused as he tried to stop her, but she was already crossing the street to the car that Daria had arranged for her. She got into the back and locked the doors. “Get me to the airport…I have a flight to catch.”
“ANKA! ANKA!”
The car pulled off as Brandon ran behind it and Anka watched him. She turned and sat back in the seat, her hands clutching the staff. Her eyes darkened, going completely black. “…I’m coming Father…”
EPISODE CREDITS
CAST (In order of appearance)
Gaia ... Kate Steele
Brandon Knight … Ace Watson
Devout Girl ... Angie Vaughn
Anka/Hexx ... Kenzi Grey
_____________________________________________
Directed by … DubbleFC
Screenplay by … Ron B.
Produced by … CTN Television Studios
Casting by … Maleek Raheem
Music by … Guilty Pleasure
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Post by Publicist on Dec 10, 2017 10:50:01 GMT -5
CHAPTER XXXV: REVELATION… (Part 2.2) HOFBURG PALACE
Western RomeAnka stood outside the palace, her eyes scanning for a way in, the staff strapped to her back. Daria had directed her to this location…the place where she would find her destiny, but she hadn’t told her how to breech the palace’s defenses or where to look when she did. This was an operation that involved a great deal of planning, skill, and delicacy.
…none of which she planned to employ…
This was Rome…the cradle of civilization to the modern world, the mother from which all else had come. To Anka, Rome was no more than a diseased murdering whore that should have been put out of its misery centuries ago.
…perhaps there would still be time…
She reached behind her and drew out the staff. As she held it in her hands, she felt it’s power coursing through her and what felt like a distant echo at her back, reminding her of powerful wings that were once there, but now were stripped from her. It was of little consequence now. As God no longer cared for her…she believed…she no longer cared about anything at all…with one exception.
…revenge…
She turned to the immense wall that surrounded the palace and vaulted over it with graceful ease, using the staff like a vaulter.
…moments later the shooting began… and then the dying…
CARLTON HEIGHTS
Empire City
Stacey sat back on the couch of her living room, cupping the drink in her hand as she stared at the door. It had been over an hour since Brandon had come knocking, then left. Her phone had rung repeatedly, over and over again, yet she merely stared at it. She couldn’t put into words the reason she had failed to answer…only that she didn’t want to be hurt again.
Opening up to him the way she did in the church had been difficult, but she had done it all the same. What had she hoped would happen? He would take her into his arms and forget about his faith? She thought that he loved her still, yet he could not or would not give voice to it. Another reason for her to hate his god she surmised.
She tossed back the rest of the drink, letting the burning liquid flow down her gullet like a seasoned drunk as she tossed the empty glass on the table. She stood up on unsteady legs and walked back to her bedroom, slamming the door shut behind her, even though she was the only one there to hear it.
She crawled under the covers, content to sleep off her binge drinking and start tomorrow… fresh…
“…this just in on the attack in Western Rome. Witnesses describe the assailant as matching the description of the woman known as ‘The Angel of Empire City’”
Stacey’s eyes flew open as she sat up and stared at the television. A grainy image of military units surrounding a large palace as citizens fled in all directions was shown. As the news reporter continued to report the story, her words were lost…drowned out by her own inner thoughts. She jumped up and reached for her phone, quickly dialing Brandon’s number.
Ring… Ring… Ring… Ring… click…
…
She stared at the receiver for a moment as a jumble of thoughts ran through her mind. What was happening? Why had he come to her only an hour ago…so insistent? Did he know something? Did he need her?
Fear and panic suddenly gripped her. She suddenly had an awful feeling of foreboding. Something bad was happening…or was about to happen and she had to do something…anything!
She picked up the phone and hurriedly dialed another number. She gripped the phone tightly as it rung. “Pick up the phone…PICK IT UP!!”
BLACK OPS FACILITY
Undisclosed Location
Daria sat silently in her viewing room watching the news from Western Rome as sketchy reports poured in about an attack on a palace or museum in the Austrian region. She laced her fingers and watched through narrowed eyes…a slow smile creeping across her face. She didn’t think that the angel stood a chance waging the assault without her divine powers, but the fact that she had thrilled her to no end. After the stories she had told of her past she was certain that she was venting a rage that was no doubt…epic.
…so much the better…
She had from the angel what her heart desired most…knowledge of the here-after and what dwelled down below. Soon, there would be no more time for pretenses and the world as we all knew it would change.
“Ma’am…?” Daria turned and looked as her assistant as she stood at the door. “You have an urgent phone call from a Ms. Jordan.”
Daria arched her brow, then waved her off. What reason would Brandon’s ex-girlfriend have to be calling her at this hour? She had other more pressing business to attend to. “Tell her that I’m busy and can’t be reached.”
Lois stood in the door for a moment longer. “Ma’am…she says that it’s about your brother.”
A look of exasperation flowed over her features, but Daria stood up and walked to the phone all the same. She pressed the flashing button and took a deep breath before she answered. “Stacey…what’s going on? I…"
She cut him off, half babbling so that she could hardly understand her. “The news? Yes!! Yes…I saw the news and I…" She shook her head. “No… he isn’t here, but I…”
She held the phone away from her ear and stared at it for a moment, before slamming it down. She looked over at her assistant. “Get the car…she’s going to the chapel to look for him. She thinks that Brandon may be in trouble…”
HOFBURG PALACE
Western Rome
Alarms blared all around her as she stood before the massive case that housed one of the most holy relics in all the world. She looked at the spearhead as it hung suspended in the case with lights shining all around it. It looked magnificent…and yet…
She looked around the room that housed several other artifacts and then at the room itself which was little more than a tiny warehouse. The filthy Romans had tucked these objects away, hoarded them and hid them from the populace…just as she had been hidden away for over three centuries.
She reached up and touched the thick glass case…caressing the smooth surface…
“It’s no use…you’ll never leave here with it…they won’t let you!”
Anka turned and looked down at the curator’s battered face as he lay in the corner like a broken marionette…scattered among several others dressed as guards. She had spared none that had sought to block her path, putting the power of the staff to great and terrible use.
She walked away from the case and knelt down beside the man, whose eyes now seemed to grow large with fear. He might have tried run…had his back not have been broken. Anka grabbed him roughly by his bloodied face. “You…and your kind are a plague upon the earth…Roman!” She spat out the last word, making it sound more like a curse word than anything else.
She gestured to the many items of great religious worth around the room. “Because you and your kind fear the truth about the origin of the world and its creator…you have done little more than seek to hide it from everyone else!” She laughed, but it was both cold and mirthless as she stood over him. “The great irony of it all? God cares so little…that it doesn’t even matter!”
She turned and brought down the staff down onto the case, shattering the protective glass polymer that was easily at least six inches thick. She walked over and stared reverently at the spear that had once pierced the side of the son of the creator…yet…in a way, were we not all His children? She put that thought out of her mind as she reached out and started to grab it.
“WHAT DO YOU MEAN TO DO WITH IT?!!”
Her hand hovered over the spear inside the case for a moment as she turned and looked back at the man. It was strange, she really hadn’t considered what she would do, because she didn’t know what was going to happen. She turned back to the spear and grabbed it off of its cradle…
…in the instant she felt power course through her entire being…filling her with its power…filling her with knowledge…understanding…
She held the spearhead in her hand and stared at it…looking into it. She turned an eye to the curator and walked over to him, kneeling next to him. She laid the staff at her side as she held her newfound prize in her hand, then raised it over her head.
The man’s eyes grew large as he watched her. “NO!! D-DON’T!!”
She stared down at the man. “You shouldn’t fear death…”
She brought down the spearhead and drove it home, sending blood splashing across the floor in a great torrent. The man moaned as he stared at the spearhead…sticking out of the woman’s chest. Anka stared down at him as she put both of her hands on the end of the spear. “…you should only fear what happens afterwards…”
“AHHHHHH!!!” The man tried to turn his head away, but he couldn’t as she pushed it further in…her face remaining eerily placid as she falls over…a pool of blood spreading out across the floor…
THE VEIL
Between Heaven and Earth
Raphael stood over the motionless form that appeared before him. He glared down at her with a look of surprise and aggravation on his face. “Anka…I don’t know how you came to return here…but…”
She moved with a speed that caught Raphael off guard, pulling the spear out of herself and driving it into him. He staggered and fell backward, even as he reached down to pull the weapon out of his chest. She held the spearhead with both hands and pushed for all that she was worth, knocking him over and falling on top of him…sending it deeper.
He threw back his head and roared, even as she crawled over him and looked down into his eyes. “Your time at denying me is at an end Raphael…if Heaven will not be given to me…THEN I WILL TAKE IT!!”
She pulled away and started to stand, but Raphael reached up and grabbed her, pulling her back down to him. His face was contorted horribly as blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. “…remember…a-all things s-serve His will…even you, Anka…”
She pulled away from him, looking down at her trembling hands…wet with his blood. She stood there, staring at the light before her…even as she took a tentative step towards it. She stopped and looked down at the body at her feet, even as his final words echoed in her ears. She furled her brow as she knelt down beside him and grabbed the hilt of the spearhead. “Not everything…” She pulled the spear out. “…not everything…” She turned away from the light. “…not everyone…”
HOFBURG PALACE
Western Rome
Reximoff VanBurhausen had been curator at Hofburg Palace and keeper of this secret treasure trove for a great many years. He had known that these objects had been of great value to the Roman hierarchy, but for what reason he was never really sure. He had heard tales of ‘the girl who would not die,’ but he had only thought they were only that, merely tales. Now…he believed…no…he KNEW differently.
His eyes watched as the young woman twitched, almost imperceptibly, then suddenly her hand seemed to reach up and pull the spearhead from her body, letting it clatter to the floor. She sat up, even as the hole in her chest seemed to seal itself. She reached over and grabbed the fallen spearhead in one hand and the staff in the other…standing slowly.
Reximoff’s voice cracked as he watched her. “You are her…t-the girl…who would not d-die…blessed b-by the One God!”
She turned and looked down at the curator…her dark eyes shimmered and turned completely black, even as large billowy wings spread out behind her. “No longer Roman… no longer.”
“FREEZE!!!”
They both turned to the door as Agent Sloan advanced into the room with several heavily armed soldiers, and Michelle Andretti by her side. Michelle eyed Anka as she held all the pieces of the Spear of Destiny. She signaled for everyone to remain calm.
“You have no idea what you are dealing with!”
Sloan chimed in, whispering, “…I have no idea what I am dealing with either…”
Michelle ignored her as she continued speaking to the angel. “My family has taken great care to keep those relics separate for centuries. You are meddling with forces that are beyond you.”
Anka canted her head to the side as she watched them, “Beyond me? How?”
Michelle moved closer, hands up. “That weapon is not meant for this world. In the wrong hands, it could…mean the end of…everything.”
A long slow smile spread across Anka’s face. “Well…let’s hope so.”
Anka brought the spearhead up and slammed it into the end of the staff where the ring fused the three pieces into one, sending a shockwave through the room that shattered display cases in all directions.
“STOP HER!” Michelle shouted as Agent Sloan and the rest to the guards opened fire.
Rounds deflected in all directions as she raised a single wing to shield herself. She leapt into the air, sweeping the spear across the ceiling in a broad arc. Stone crumbled and sparks flew as the ceiling gave way above them. Their screams were abruptly cut off as massive chunks of stone and debris fell down, crushing them.
Anka looked back down at Reximoff…his eyes open…and yet closed forever, a hail of stray bullets having found their way into his body. She turned her eyes upward and rose up with a single beat of her wings leading with the powerful Spear of Destiny and shattering the remains of the ceiling above her…
_____________________________
At the far corner of the room, Agent Sloan coughed as she rolled off of Michelle, having pulled the two of them to safety at the last possible moment. Sloan retrieved her gun as she started to head to the exit, but Michelle grabbed her arm to stop her.
“It’s too late.”
Sloan stared at her, “What do you mean?”
Michelle shook her head, “She will be unstoppable now. It’s over…everything is over.”
Sloan looked up at the enormous hole in the ceiling and listened as it sounded like thunder tearing the upper floors to pieces…
_____________________________
Even as Anka continued to fly upward, her body moving like a living missile…smashing though floor after floor, she could feel power radiating out from her in all directions. She burst through the roof of the palace in an explosion of flames.
She hovered there for a moment, her entire body seemingly aflame as she looked down at the numerous military units, which surrounded the palace. There was a moment where the two sides seemed to stare at one another, but that pause was ended in a hail of gunfire. Anka twisted in the air, looping out of the way as she headed right down towards the soldiers…flames trailing behind her. She swooped down over them, engulfing them in a wake of fire that seemed to incinerate them all where they stood.
Anka circled for a moment, and then dived down and drove her body like an arrow through a series of buildings…some modern…some ancient beyond memory…all destroyed.
She rose back up and hovered there, watching the destruction she had just caused, she turned and looked out over the rest of the city…the rest of Rome as fires burned out of control. She looked up towards the heavens…
“Was this your will Father? If it was…you were centuries too late by my count.” She watched the fires burn with a small sense of satisfaction…a satisfaction that would have been all the more sweet if she could have shared it. A small smile touched her lips. “I wonder what your favorite son would say Father…shall we find out?”
Fire trailed behind her as she turned towards Empire City…toward Madison Chapel…and toward her destiny…
EPISODE CREDITS
CAST (In order of appearance)
Anka/Hexx ... Kenzi Grey
Stacy Jordan ... Nina Stokes
Pam Dawson ... Francesca Hayward
Daria Knight ... Missy
Lois Monroe ... Trixie
Reximoff VanBurhausen ... Bruno Alexis
Raphael ... Phoenix Chambers
Agent Sloan ... Amy Jo Smyth
Michelle Andretti ... Delia Darling
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Directed by … DubbleFC
Screenplay by … Ron B.
Produced by … CTN Television Studios
Casting by … Maleek Raheem
Music by … Guilty Pleasure
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