ic A Performance to Die For

[R. Bluefish]

Sensing what was coming an instant before it came, Starlight tried to hurl herself backward through the air, towards the hole she had created in the wall. She was too late - Card lunged with hideous speed, crossing the room in an eyeblink. In the space of an instant, she felt like arms close around her, holding her with a grip like iron. One of Card's arms fastened itself around her throat, crushing her windpipe - not that her windpipe mattered much to her these days - while the other ensnared her own right arm, twisting it painfully behind her back.

 

"Get...the &$#%...OFF!" snarled Starlight, forcing the words past the constriction in her throat, struggling in his grasp. He ignored her utterly, his inhumanly strong muscles not so much as twitching despite her efforts. "You try to bring the sun to my home?" roared Card, staring at Shrike over Starlight's shoulder. "I will rip out your friend's glowing heart and devour it while you watch!"

[Heritage]

Gretchen was extremely satisfied with how things were going so far; bringing Lynn in to help coordinate had really paid off. And the sight of Sam blowing through the window and turning these bastards to ash was something she would cherish for the rest of her life.

 

The battle was far from won; one of the vampire skanks was still alive and kicking (sort of), and Alec the Annoying was clearly one tough mother. Moving too fast to follow, he now had Sam in his clutches; this would not stand!

 

Wrapping her right hand around her left wrist, Gretch drew a bead on his hate-filled, twisted face. "Shut the #### up, you evil, tacky ####head!" The crimson blast hit him right between the eyes.

Edited July 7, 2016 by Heritage

[R. Bluefish]

Card's head snapped back like a speed bag from the impact, has mouth flying open wide in pain and shock. His grip on Starlight slackened and she broke free, clawing reflexively at her throat. Card was obviously stunned by Gretchen's blast, reeling visibly and scrabbling at the wall to remain upright. "You will...pay for that!" he spat. His trendy sunglasses had been shattered to pieces by the shot, and his yellow eyes glared wildly at the two heroes.

 

Seeing Shrike's attention focused on Card, the girl with the pink-and-black hair was on her in a moment, raking viciously at her throat with fingers that seemed suddenly closer to claws. "Die!" There was an audible screeching noise as her finger-claws skated harmlessly off the magical protection afforded by Shrike's enchanted cloak, and she recoiled in frustration.

 

Starlight, meanwhile, wasted no time in taking advantage of Card's state. "#$%@ing try that again," she snarled, spinning away from him while at the same time making a fluid, sweeping gesture with her right hand. Instantly, the shadows in the room thickened and grew darker - then lashed forth in seeking tentacles, coiling themselves around Card's arms and legs, holding him fast. Starlight's eyes had lost their white glow - they had now gone completely black.

Edited July 9, 2016 by R. Bluefish

[Heritage]

Gretch spun around to take a shot at Poodle Girl, but she was long gone; damn, these vamps were fast! All her blast did was leave a nasty scorch mark on the wall. It looked like Sam had things under control at her end, at least for the moment, so the young barista did her best to track her quarry.

 

Wait a second. The Helm alerts you to threats. Let it tell you where to shoot, then shoot.

 

Staring straight ahead with her arms at her sides, Gretchen did something really really didn't like to do; she put her faith in magic.

[R. Bluefish]

The vampire girl was on Gretchen again in an instant, striking out with her arms, trying to grab her from behind. Gretchen sensed that one coming, and was able to duck, the girl's arms closing on empty air.

 

Anger made Starlight grind her teeth together. Gretch seemed to have her hands full with Hair Chick, and every one of Starlight's instincts told her to help - but if Card got free, that might be it for both of them. Like it or not, only thing to do was take him out of the equation first, and fast. Channeling her frustration, she let loose with another white-hot blast of energy from both palms, striking the struggling Card square in the midde of the chest. Could you stake a vampire with a laser beam? There was only one way to find out.

 

The beam of energy hit his chest and burst, scattering spikes of light in all directions. "Ha!" roared Card, his shirt all but destroyed now. "You'll have to do better than that, woman!" Even as he spoke, his form seemed to be growing...thinner somehow. Smokier. Wisps of mist were creeping forth from his body.

 

Starlight realized what he was doing in a moment, and lashed out her hands, flexing her fingers in command. The bands of shadow that held him tightened, snaking around his eyes, jerking his head from side to side, anything to break his concentration. Her improvised tactic seemed to work - his form pulsed, then solidified again. "Stop that!" howled Card in frustration.

[Heritage]

The edges of her vision went red, telling Gretch the threat was coming from behind, so she ducked and twisted out of the girl's way, ending up facing her. She clucked her tongue and shook her head as she brought her ring up and aimed it right at the vamp's snarling face.

 

"And to think you have to die wearing that hideous outfit."

 

kra-KOW!

Edited July 15, 2016 by Heritage

[R. Bluefish]

The Helm of Truth steered her aim truly. The vampire's head exploded in a shower of ash, and she was blasted backwards into the wall, only to slump onto the floor and dissolve fully away into smoking cinders. Alec Card was now apparently a one-man band. And the janitor was surely in for a fun time.

 

His eyes now completely blinded by Starlight's conjured bands of shadow, Card continued to rage and fight against his unnatural bonds. "Release me! Release me, mortal!" Ignoring him, Starlight took the opportunity afforded by his incapacitation to take stock of the situation. Seeing the pile of ash that was once the pink-haired vampire, she nodded to Shrike. "Nice shot," she said, casually making a fist with one hand, which glowed brighter and brighter with each passing second.

 

Card continued to rave. "Human worm! Release me! I will feast on your firstb-"

 

Without looking, Starlight slammed her fist into his chest and released the pent-up energy. "Shut the #&$@ up." There was a blinding flash, the faint smell of cooking meat, and Card's entire body buckled. Say that again. I dare you.

[Heritage]

As she watched the girl crumble into ashes, part of Gretchen genuinely felt sad for her; she thought she was going to be pretty and live for ever, just like many kids hoped to do. But then she remembered that hungry look in her eye, and the way she called her 'it', like a piece of meat; whatever had been good and decent about her died a long time ago.

 

So it was with renewed purpose that the young heroine turned her focus back on Mister Alec Card, the last vamp standing...sort of. She cracked her knuckles and rolled her shoulders before raising her left fist, the ruby on her ring glowing like an baleful eye.

 

"Technically I don't believe in Hell. But I kind of hope this sends you somewhere close to it."

 

kra-KOW!

[R. Bluefish]

The crimson bolt of energy speared Card straight through the center of the chest, burning a hole in the shadow bonds Starlight had conjured as it passed. For a moment, nothing happened. He stared down at his own chest with a mildly bemused expression frozen on his face. Starlight half-turned, looking at him over her shoulder, tense. Is he...

 

Card spasmed. Instinctively, Starlight released him from the shadows - which melted away in a heartbeat - and stepped back. He dropped to his knees, clawing at his chest. A fist-sized scorch mark could now be seen in the middle of his torso. "My...heart," he said blankly, with an almost comical lack of surprise. Then: "My...heart!"

 

He rose suddenly to his feet and lurched forward, but before either of them could react, he dropped to his knees again. "To a mortal," he hissed. Was it a trick of the light, or did he look older? More gaunt? "After all this time...to a mere mortal?" His hair was greying, thinning. The skin on his face was growing drier and more papery by the second. He no longer looked remotely handsome.

 

He tried to rise again, planting one hand on the ground for support. The hand dissolved away into grey ashes. He stared at it for a moment, then slowly brought his gaze up to stare straight at Gretchen with naked hatred in his eyes. "You..." he growled.

 

With the same terrifying speed he displayed before, he lunged, arms outstretched and seeking. Even as he moved, he was crumbling apart. He made it halfway across the room before his legs broke away and he fell, snarling incoherently. The moment he hit the ground, whatever resilience he once had was gone, and he burst apart into a cloud of ash.

 

Starlight looked at the remains of Alec Card for a moment, then coughed, waving a hand in front of her face to waft off the clouds of dust. Great, I got vampire in my nose. "Well, I guess it wasn't a bogus tip after all."

[Heritage]

Gretchen stared down at the ashy spot for several seconds without saying anything, then she took a deep breath, which she quickly regretted as she, too, got a snoot full of vamp. "Gah! We should probably...ahem!...we should probably do a quick sweep back here, see if we can find anything that might have belonged to any missing kids. Might be able to give some family some closure." Then she looked around the trashed room. "Cops will probably be here soon." She looked at Sam and shrugged. "I can stay and talk with them if you'd rather-" She made a 'poof' gesture with her fingers, then offered her a crooked but sympathetic little smile.

[R. Bluefish]

There could indeed be heard the sound of quickly-approaching sirens, wailing in the night. Starlight glanced out through the hole she'd left in the wall with visible nervousness. Some instincts never fully faded away, and taking out a room full of vampires had a way of setting you on edge. She had to remind herself that even if she had done anything wrong, a pair of handcuffs weren't likely to be able to hold her.

 

Even so...she didn't like cops, and cops didn't like her.

 

"Yeah," she said, turning and walking back towards the hole in the wall. "Thanks." She tapped Gretchen on the shoulder with her fist as she passed, which was about as outward an expression of affection as she ever expressed. "Meet you on the roof after, yeah?"

 

With that, there was a flash of light and she was gone.

 

Barely a minute passed before the sound of footsteps thundered down the hall, and the door burst aside to reveal a half-dozen police officers. Their guns automatically centered on Shrike's chest, before vague recognition crossed the lead officer's face, and she motioned to the others to stand down. Most of the cops in this city had learned to recognize a hero when they saw one.

 

The officer swept her gaze across the wreckage of the room, from the gaping hole in the wall to the piles of ash to the ruined furniture and scorch marks. "Must have been some party, huh?"

[Heritage]

Shrike could only shrug as she deadpanned, "I told them it was dangerous to play with fireworks indoors, but these kids today...they don't listrn." She sighed and shook her head. "I'm the Shrike. My boss Grimalkin got an anonymous tip on her website about kids disappearing at this club, and that the house band 'Black Fang' might be involved. Myself and another crimefighter who prefers not to be named came here to do some undercover recon." She indicated the scorch marks with a casual wave of her hand. "There were five of them, and they appeared to be vampires. Things quickly escalated into a fight for our lives. They burned up if you hit them hard enough, hence the mess." She shrugged again. "Sorry about the lack of physical evidence. I can work with a sketch artist if you want, maybe see if any faces match with any open missing person cases. "

 

Gretch knew it all sounded ridiculous, but these were Freedom's Finest; they probably heard crazier stuff every day. To be honest, she felt a bit sorry for them; it must be hard working under the shadows of so many capes.

Edited July 29, 2016 by Heritage

[R. Bluefish]

GM Post

 

The officer blinked. "Vampires? Glad you showed up before we did." Wooden stakes weren't exactly standard issue gear for FCPD officers. "I don't think the sketch artist should be necessary - we've got plenty of witnesses outside for that. Once we've managed to calm them down, at least." With another glance at the piles of grey ash, she remarked, "Well, at least I'm glad I'm not the one cleaning all this up. Didn't bring a dustpan. Sherman, what's the code for vampires again?"

 

"Eighteen-ninety-seven," responded one of the officers behind her without missing a beat.

 

"Thanks." She raised her radio to her mouth. "Dispatch, we've got an inactive eighteen-ninety-seven down here at the Black Box. Capes took care of it." As the radio hissed in response, she looked back up at Gretchen. "You can probably go about your business. We wouldn't want to hold up a cape." It was hard to say if her words were meant to have a slightly biting edge to them or not. "We can take care of all this. Not our first rodeo."

[Heritage]

The comment stung a little bit, but she understood where the officer was coming from; in a city famous for superheroes, perhaps the Freedom PD did get overshadowed a lot. Shrike started to head toward the giant hole Sam made, but then she stopped with one hand on the shattered masonry and turned back.

 

"Um...I'm not going to patronize you with some sort of 'you're the real heroes' speech. I know those are a dime a dozen. But you are noticed. You are appreciated. Your job is a lot harder than mine."

 

It was as much as she could muster in her awkward way, but at least she meant every word of it. She offered the officers  a sort of half-wave, and then flew out into the night, finding Sam silhouetted against the skyline of the city. She landed gently beside her, knocking masonry dust off her costume.

 

"We're good to go here."

[R. Bluefish]

Sam looked up as Shrike approached. She was crouched on the very edge of the rooftop. Her mask was off, and the glow of the traffic below cast strange reddish shadows across her face. "Hey. Appreciate it. Don't like dealing with cops." Feeling's mutual, too.

 

Getting to her feet, she massaged her back with a faint groan as she surveyed the city skyline. "Good night's work. Got some drinks, listened to some crap music, wiped out some vampires. A lot more productive than most girls' nights out." Not that she knew, this was her first one. But she assumed they didn't all go like this. "Should make sure to let Lynn know you're not fanger chow. She was kinda worried about you there."

 

There was a moment's hesitation from Sam as she chewed on her lip, as though struggling with what she was about to say. Then, brushing her blonde hair back from her eyes, she said, "Were you ever...tempted?" She rushed to qualify. "Not by the drinking innocent blood thing. Just by the...idea of it. Being perfect. Being immortal. Everybody loving you all the time." With a sigh, she shook her head and looked away, as though regretting her question already. "I don't know. I just...I think it was a good thing you went in there, not me."

[Heritage]

Gretch smiled one of her crooked smiles. "She already knows. She said 'thank you thank you thank you a million zillion times', and implied you would be receiving copious gifts. I hope you like cake, because I sense a lot of them in your future."

 

In response to Sam's question, she shrugged, twisted her ring and returned to her normal self. "Not really. I get the whole 'not wanting to die' part, because that's just human nature, but the other stuff..." And here she sighed and looked like she was about do something unpleasant, which she was: talking about herself.

 

"I don't...have a lot of people in my life. And that's mostly on purpose, to be honest, because people are a source of constant disappointment.  But some of it...isn't. Lots of people were taken from me at an early age, so I learned...to protect myself. With music, with...isolation. Life within the castle walls is just safer."

 

Then Gretch began to pace a bit, and she found herself getting angry, but she wasn't sure why. She thrust an accusing finger down towards the roof. "But those things gave up everything to be pretty and perfect and popular, and none of it was real. It was all bull####, and those f###ing morons lapped it up, because they wanted to believe the lie." And now she was shaking with barely suppressed emotion. "All I have, after everthing thing life has thrown at me, is my honesty. My truth. My artistic integrity. That's the only thing holding all the pieces together." 

 

The young musician squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her hands for several seconds before releasing them with a gasp; when she spoke again, she sounded a bit more relaxed. "So no...I wasn't tempted..."

[R. Bluefish]

Sam looked at her for a moment, then looked away, down at the ground far below. "Yeah." I hate it when people younger than me are also smarter than me. She waved a hand vaguely to indicate where they had come from. "That..." she searched carefully for the right words, then sighed. "That wasn't much of a life."

 

Her words sounded inadequate even to her. They had been bloodthirsty monsters that fed on the innocent. But when it came to living fast, irresponsibly, without regard for how it hurt other people, she was pretty much living in a glass house. Or at least she had been. Not that she regretted stopping them, of course not. She just wondered, if things had just fallen a little differently, if maybe she wouldn't have been a million miles away from them when it came to what kind of person she was.

 

She shook her head and at her eyes with her forefinger and thumb. God, she wanted to sleep. "Anyway," she said. "Good night's work. They aren't going to be fanging anybody else anytime soon." She was silent a moment longer, then extended one fist for a sideways fist-bump with Gretchen. "Let's go get you back to Lynn so she can start fussing over you. Maybe get some cake too."

[Heritage]

Gretchen grinned a little grin as she reached out to return the fist bump, which she exploded in slo-mo with a verbalized explodey sound. Then she stopped and cocked her head to one side.

 

"Oh wow. F### cake, she's making us grilled cheese." She looked at Sam and shook her head, eyes brimming with visions of yumminess. "You don't understand. She fries them in olive oil and minced garlic, and uses crusty bread. It's a recipe that took her eighty years to perfect."

 

She stared at Sam intently for several seconds, searching her eyes for comprehension.

 

"Come on." Grabbing her friend's sleeve (because she realized they were friends now, somehow), she began to drag her to the edge of the roof with singular determination, because f### yeah, tonight they'd earned some grilled cheese.

Edited August 17, 2016 by Heritage