She crossed her legs and idly tapped each finger of her right hand against the arm of her wheelchair, then crossed her arms.
“Alright, let’s talk.” She said calmly.
“How’d you know it was me?” I asked. She stared at me with a smile.
“Do you remember that night you were on the bridge? I watched you with those criminals.” She explained with a smirk on her face. I almost jumped in my skin.
“That was you!” I lost control of my voice for a moment. She held up one finger over her lips to hush me. I looked her over for a second. “You stopped that thing.” I realized.
“Twas I. It was a mutant freak, just like you. Someone had to put it down. These freaks are dangerous. They’re all violent monsters.” She said with spite.
“Not me.” I said. My head was filling with ideas about how to turn this conversation around.
“Oh please. You got out in the middle of the night and attack people. You’re a violent monster just like the rest. First it’s criminals, tomorrow it’ll be my classmates.” She said with bitterness. Her words forced back memories of the lockdown, and the people I couldn’t save. She let out a little laugh. “You’re even working with criminals now.” I looked past her eyes.
I had originally mistaken them for loathing, but this was something else. This is what Amelia held beneath her mask of the popular girl. I’d always wondered how such an obvious moron could have a perfect GPA and tons of friends. How someone so dull could be on the Academic Team and answer all those questions correctly. The look behind Amelia’s eyes was the look of competitiveness. The eyes of someone ready to meet an opponent, and fully believing they’re going to win.
Her eyes practically cut into me. Her smile never faded. She decided to cut through the silence when I never offered a response.
“Tell me about your mutation. Super strength, speed, and durability right? Plus the claws and tail allow for vertical movement. How do you hide those by the way? Where do you mutants even come from?” She asked.
So she’s not a mutant. Guess those boots do more than just protect her feet from the strain of super speed.
“I was born this way. The claws and tail are retractable. What about you? Where’d you get that speed if you’re not like me?” I lied.
Might as well play along with her imaginary understanding of events, if it keeps her from figuring out how my suit actually works. Don’t want her using that against me.
“Doesn’t concern you.” She said, still staring deep into my eyes.
“I’m not going to hurt innocent people.” I reiterated my point from earlier.
“You will. Your urges get stronger and stronger and eventually you’ll blow. You’ll end up just like all the others. That’s why I have to save you from yourself.” She sounded like she believed it.
“Oh will you stop. You’re not some superhero. You’re just a valley girl brat. You’re not trying to save the world. If you were, you wouldn’t have pulled that stunt back at the gas station. Do you know how many people you could’ve hurt?” I scolded her.
“I-” She started. I didn’t give her even a second to respond.
“You don’t care about anyone but yourself. You’re just another pompous, spoiled, moron. That’s probably why your mom ran off.” I said coldly. She stood up.
Thought you might be offended. But now I control what happens next.
I reached in my pocket and pulled out a ball that looked like a smiley face. I held it up with both hands. I took a step back, closer to the door. She crossed her arms and looked unimpressed.
“Is that a bouncy ball?” She asked.
“This is a fucking bomb. I twist and we both die. Nod if you understand.” I warned her.
She gave me a slight nod, barely lowering her head. Other than that she was motionless. Her eyes focused on me.
“In one hour we’ll meet somewhere discreet, show up in costume, and settle this petty little war of ours.” I listed my terms. “If I win, you turn yourself in. If I lose, you can do whatever you want, I’ll probably be unconscious. Sound good?” I said. She scoffed.
“Thirty minutes. We meet in the street in front of my house.” She said, her eyes locked on mine. “Refuse my terms and I’ll test to see which one of us is faster on the draw. I think I can reach you before you ignite that thing.” She replied.
“Alright, deal.” I said.
“No explosives.” She growled.
“I’ll bring whatever I want. It blows up if it hits the ground or anyone else but me touches it, I wouldn’t gamble.” I said with a smile.
“This might sound dishonest, but I cannot wait for the challenge.” She smiled. I silently opened the door and left the room. I rushed down the stairs as fast as I could. I met Danny at the bottom, and practically dragged him outside onto the lawn, far enough away from the front porch that we wouldn’t be heard.
“I have half an hour to get ready. Then we fight on the street.” I explained to him.
“Woah woah woah. I thought the plan was to get away from the partygoers.” He sounded just as concerned as the look on his face.
“I can play chase once the fight starts, it’s not that important.” I tried to change the subject.
“Dude… She has super speed. You cannot play chase with her.” He said.
“Whatever. That’s not the problem. The problem is how I’m going to fight her.” I started. “Where are the girls?” I asked after a moment’s pause.
“Mar’s in the pool. Emily’s on the couch conversing with Sarah.” A slight smirk grew on his lips. I rolled my eyes.
“We need to get them out of here. If I get injured we’re gonna have to rush back to my lab, and if I disappear right at the same time that…” I looked over at the porch partiers. “The guy shows up… Well I think Emily and Mar might notice.” That seemed to jolt some part of Danny’s memory.
“How’d she know?” He asked with sudden enthusiasm.
“I kind of hung outside of costume with some mobsters the other night.” I explained. Danny’s eyes lit up.
“You did what?!” He hollered. The porch partygoers all stopped talking at once and stared at us. I waved at them with a smile.
“Shhh!” I hushed Danny.
“You did what?” He asked in a hushed, but surprised voice.
“Just get the girls on their way home. I’ll get changed, and we can talk strategy with the time we have left.” I commanded.
“You’re going to give me answers when all of this is over.” Danny nodded and headed off towards the house.
I had other priorities. I ran off to a nearby house that we’d passed on the way there. It had a for sale sign out front, all the lights were off, and there were no cars in the driveway. Instead of walking through the front door, I climbed over the side fence to the backyard, then tried the back window. It was locked. I ran over to the darkest spot in the backyard. None of the neighbors were watching.
I stood under a dark patch under a tree in the backyard. I took my shirt off. My bare skin was met with the warm night air. I almost felt relaxed. My shoes flew off with ease. Next came the jeans. I was wearing black shorts underneath for decency’s sake. I took the suit out of the bag and laid it down at my feet. I shoved my normal clothes in my bag and zipped it back up. I ran my hands through my hair and took a deep breath.
Here we go again.
…
Steven didn’t like parties very much. He was only here because a friend told him it’d be a good way to get his mind off things. That and he thought that Amy was cute. But Amy was upstairs talking to Jacob, and Steven’s friend was in the pool. Which left Steven all by himself in the corner listening to music. He clutched the sleeve of his leather jacket with his fingers tight. A nervous habit he picked up, years ago. The jacket had belonged to his dad. The old man had worn it everywhere before he was killed in a random car accident.
Then Steven’s uncle had moved in. He gave an eight year old Steven the leather jacket, and told him that he was the man of the house now. He told Steven that the jacket would keep him safe. As long as he wore it his dad would always be with him. Always helping guide him to making good decisions. Steven’s uncle got arrested a few months after that. He was sent to prison for manslaughter and Steven never saw him again. Steven’s mother lost her mind after his father died. Steven’s sister was pretty and popular. She never had time for him, after everything. She found comfort in cheerleading and hanging out with her friends. Steven found comfort in his leather jacket.
But now she’s dead. The cops never found out why the Cement guy had attacked their school. Not that knowing would bring her back. Steven’s trance was broken by a tap on the shoulder. Steven looked over and saw one of his classmates, Jack Golding. He was a senior. He had an infectious smile and startling grey eyes. He seemed to prefer to keep to himself, which made it all the more strange that he was here at all. Let alone talking to Steven of all people.
“Excuse me, I’m sorry for bothering you.” Jack apologized. His white teeth shined through his smile. “You’re Steve, right?” He asked. Steven nodded. Jack put a hand on his shoulder. “I heard about what happened to your sister. I’m really sorry, man.”
There it is. Steven thought.
Just another apology, from someone wanting to feel like a better person. Well no amount of apologies will ever fix my life. So just keep them to yourself.
“Thanks.” Steven said, a little loud so Jack could hear him over the music. Jack looked at him as he took his hand off Steven’s shoulder.
“Look, this isn’t the best place to talk. Wanna walk with me outside for a minute?” Jack asked with that same smile. Against his better judgement, Steven silently agreed and followed him out into the dark.
…
I was sitting in a crouching position in the street. About twenty feet in front of me standing with her arms crossed, was my dear friend Amelia. She was rhythmically tapping her feet in full costume. Her giant metal legs caught my attention the most. The darkness only made them seem even more menacing. Her suit was padded in one way or another, probably to keep her from being damaged by her own speed.
Which meant it’d be harder for me to damage her. People were gathered out on the porch. Practically the whole party. They were watching and talking. I spotted Danny at the front of the crowd. He was standing next to a few football buddies of his. I looked over and saw that house lights were turning on across the street. Neighbors were peering through windows and walking onto porches.
“We don’t have to do this.” I yelled across the street.
“I don’t want to fight you.” I added.
I changed my voice so it sounded deep and confident. She replied by charging forward. I knew she could move faster than my eyes could track so I dodged and rolled to my right side. I landed on all fours and tried to figure out where she was. I felt a pressure on my tail. I looked and saw her, both hands wrapped around my tail.
Then I felt her tug, and she started to spin in a circle. The problem was that she spun at super speed. I was off the ground before I even had time to think of a way to combat her. When she let go I was sailing through the air like a cannonball. I slammed through a bystander’s window.
I only stopped after hitting their couch hard enough to send it flying. One of the pictures on their wall fell with a crash. I was upside down, deep in the ruined mess of someone’s couch when I looked up and saw a middle aged woman calling the cops in her living room. I yanked the phone from her hand with my tail and stuck it in my own, then I hung up on the cops. I shook my head while dislodging myself from her couch.
“You just crashed into my house!” She shouted. I quickly leapt back through her window.
Get your head in the game… Or you’re gonna die.
I made my way back to the spot I’d been launched from, but Amelia was nowhere in sight. I did a full three sixty check around myself, trying to find her. But I couldn’t see her, I couldn’t even hear her. It was like she vanished. I looked over the crowd to see where they might be looking. I saw more than one eye on the roof.
Had I not moved at the last second I would’ve died. Not just been injured, or bruised like usual. Amelia’s feet slammed against the road hard enough to shatter asphalt like glass. It left deep spiderweb cracks spreading out three feet from the impact. I had thrown myself onto Amelia’s yard to avoid the impact and I still felt the shockwave.
I rose to my feet without even thinking. I heard the clicking noise that meant her legs were locked. I let out a sigh of relief as I saw the depth at which her mechanical legs were embedded into the street.
That could’ve been my head.
I ran over and slammed my shoulder into her with a tackle. A normal human would’ve died from the impact, but instead I was the one knocked to the ground. She fell to her knees and gave me a glare beneath the visor. She never budged an inch. I heard a click and she ripped her feet from the concrete one at a time. Rubble was pulled out and fell to the ground.
She turned to face me. I went in close to punch her. She swiped at me with her right leg, and I dropped to my knees to dodge. I felt a gust of wind graze my head. As I got back to my feet, I slammed my fist straight into her visor. She stumbled back a bit with the impact. Not because of the force of it, but by her own will, I was sure. She looked up at me and her visor was cracked. She lifted her leg up. I grabbed the tip of her boot and threw myself over her head with my hands.
She grabbed my tail as it whipped past her head. I wrapped it around her wrists in response. She looked back at me, shocked, as I tightened my grip around her wrists. I met her eyes. She screamed as I hit her in the face hard enough to knock her helmet off. Her helmet clacked against the ground and rolled away. Her head went limp for a moment. Her hair became a curtain over her face. Blood dripped from behind the curtain.
People on the porch hollered and cheered. I spotted Danny, watching intently with crossed arms. Amelia knelt down on the ground. I could hear her ragged breathing. More and more blood dripped from her face. I walked closer to her and she stared up at me in rage. And then she turned towards the crowd. Her eyes were full of hate.
“We can stop right now. We can be do-” I didn’t get to finish my sentence. In one smooth motion she grabbed my right hand with both of hers and gripped. It was a fairly weak grip, but it was strong enough. Then she lifted her leg up and kicked. I was so sure that the fight had left her that I didn’t even think to move.
My body bounced as it skidded across pavement. I could feel myself slide to a slow stop. I felt like I’d been shot in the stomach by a cannonball. All at once the pain in my head was back in full force. I was laying on my back in the street, looking up at the sky.
I tried to cough but only gagged, the wind had been knocked out of me. I lifted my hand up. I could hear people on the porch gasping, I could hear the police sirens slowly approaching. But it didn’t matter.
It was already over.
My hand was torn to shreds. Every inch soaked in red. The hand of the exoskeleton had been gripped and ripped off. I’m surprised my arm didn’t pop off. Most of the needles had stayed in the hand of the suit, and thus had raked through my skin.
Hundreds of thin slices all along my hand. My fingernails had been torn off completely. Some of the needles were sticking in at different depths of my hand.
Some were buried so deep that I wouldn’t be able to pull them out. It was frozen in a claw shape, gushing blood like a fountain. I was feeling lightheaded. My ears were starting to ring.
I heard the click of her boot. I was forcibly rolled over by a gust of wind as she approached in a second. Fast enough that it seemed like she was teleporting. I tried to climb to a sitting position without using my hands. I got kicked in the ribs by a giant metal boot for my trouble. My head hit the ground with a clank as my body spasmed.
Then she kicked me in the head. Then the ribs, then she stepped on my pinky finger. The suit protected me somewhat, I don’t think what she was doing would give me another concussion. She only lightly stepped on my pinky finger and I think it snapped. I couldn’t even feel the pain because of a mix of painkillers in the suit and the adrenaline running through my blood.
I heard a whistle.
…
Amelia had won. She’d won, she’d finally won. Jacob wouldn’t be putting up a fight after this. He wouldn’t be able to hurt anyone else like he’d just hurt her. For a moment she had doubted him. She’d wondered why he’d be calling for peace if he was truly a monster. But the way he looked at her when he punched her in the face, hard enough to open up her cheek, that look said it all. Amelia realized this is what she was made for.
She was made to hunt monsters down and bring them to justice. Not just because it was the right thing to do. But because it felt good. This was the best Amelia had ever felt in her whole life. She felt an amazing rush that no amount of parties and boys could ever compare to. Then she heard a whistle.
She immediately turned her head. At the other end of the street, right where the fight had started, was someone else. She kicked Jacob in the side one more time for good measure, and then turned to face the new figure. He was wearing a big gray jacket to obscure his identity. He had his arms crossed. In a blur Amelia ran from one end of the street to the other. She was face to face with him. She could kick him and kill him without much effort, if she wanted to.
He just sighed. Then dropped both his arms. Something small fell to the ground at their feet and bounced. She looked down to see what it was. In the dark she could barely see, so she knelt down to look closer. It was a yellow ball with a smiley face. It was vibrating and playing a sound clip of Jacob laughing. By the time she looked up, the figure was already with Jacob.
She turned around to run away and in that same instant the ball exploded.
