Issue Four – Five Stories of Peril
Prelude
"Chase what the hell is this?"
"It's my new piece," replied the vivacious red head, standing across the desk from her editor. She was tugging nervously on the hem of her denim half jacket, which she wore over a form fitted, black and white stripped dress.
"Where's the damned Danvers piece?" he barked, scanning the stack of papers she'd handed him.
Ever since her ordeal with Tom Danvers the young reporter hadn't been too keen to write about him, not to mention her lack of desire to author a piece decrying the virtues of the Scarlet Dove, her own crimefighting alter ego.
"Well, I hit some dead ends in my research," she said, not entirely untruthfully. "But I noticed we don't have any style or fashion related pieces, so I banged this out...thought it might help boost female readership?"
"Goddamit, Chase," he snapped. "I like where your head is at!"
The young reporter couldn't repress a smile.
"I'm going to rush this to press for tomorrow's edition!" the editor went on, surprising her even more. "I want to run it weekly, congratulations you just became my goddam glamour girl!"
"Oh, well I'll still get to cover real stories too, right?" Starling stammered.
"Think I'm going to pay you for one article a week?" Ed balked. "Now get back to work!"
Starling walked out of the glass walled office, to find the bullpen area oddly vacant. Only Charlie from the mailroom was meandering about. Seeing her, he pushed his little cart her way, brandishing a stack of letters.
"Morning miss Chase!"
"Morning Charlie," she replied taking the mail. "Say where is everyone?"
"They're over jammed in the break room," he said. "Guess there's something important on the TV."
Charlie headed away, and Starling turned towards the breakroom. Sure enough she could see people actually spilling out through the doorway.
"Lacey, what's going on?" the red head asked, seeing her friend jockeying for position at the doorway.
"Something serious is going on down at the courthouse," the brunette reporter said.
Starling pushed in next to her friend, unable to get a good view of the TV, she listened intently. "...this breaking news comes with a frightening report from the Warden City court building." The anchor person blared in manufactured alarm. "During a bail hearing for several of the men affiliated with the notorious Scarpone family, the alleged hitman known by the alias Creole Creed staged a deadly escape! Two guards lost their lives trying to stop the dangerous assassin, and the court stenographer was taken hostage. Warden City PD has launched a city wide manhunt, however the whereabouts of both the fugitive and his hostage remain unknown."
"Can you believe this?" Lacey sighed. "It's like something out of a movie..." She turned to where Starling had been standing, but the red haired reporter was gone.
The Roof
Baker was in his would be office, in the back of the little diner just off the corner of Salt and Addy. He was cutting and bagging his newest batch with the help his new bodyguard, Filthy Larry. Suddenly his door burst open, and a stunning young woman strode through it!
Candy red hair fell around her soft, bare shoulders in thick lustrous waves, framing her face which was partially obscured by a white feathered mask. She had a pair of perfect, perky breasts tucked into a skin tight white bustier, sporting a golden dove emblem on the right side. She had toned, slender arms, with a pair of golden bracelets, which matched the belt wrapped around her trim waist. Below that, a pair of white bikini bottoms clung to her delectable hips, leaving her statuesque legs smooth and bare, down to about mid-calf where they disappeared into a pair of golden high heeled boots. The outfit left generous amounts of her porcelain skin on display, while clinging exquisitely to her hourglass figure.
"Alright Baker, time for your friend to hit the bricks," declared the Scarlet Dove. "I'm here for information!"
Starling did not want to be there but she had little choice. She had already nearly exhausted her list of contacts, and none of them had been able, or willing, to provide any information on the whereabouts of Creole Creed. Baker might be her last hope. Of course, this time she was coming in her superheroine persona, with no intentions of negotiating with the two-bit dealer.
Baker and a fat man who looked like he hadn't seen a shower in a few days, picked their jaws up off the floor and glanced at each other. The two-bit dealer gave a nod, and the fat man turned towards her.
"Boss don't have no appoint...OULPH!"
As he stepped forward to protest, the heroine kicked into a short torpedo strike, blasting him in the chest with both fists and launching him back against the wall. Baker's eyes popped wide as dinner plates seeing the display.
The superheroine turned towards him, placing her hands on her curvaceous hips. "Did he just call you 'boss'?"
"Been having some security troubles lately," Baker replied, his teeth practically chattering. "He's been working as my bodyguard."
"Seems effective," the heroine sneered. She snagged the dealer by the front of his dirty wife beater, and dragged him over the top of his desk. "Now, I'm looking for Creole Creed, so you can imagine I'm in a bit of a hurry."
"Whoa! Whoa! I don't want to keep you," Baker stammered. "I-I can definitely help you with that..."
A short time later, the Scarlet Dove was soaring over the area known as little Armenia. According to Baker one of the Scarpones's safe houses was located in an old building there. She assumed it was a long shot, but it was also the only lead she had. The four story building had been abandoned for some time but it was not in terrible disrepair. She circled several times, ensuring there were no lookouts then landed on the roof.
There was an access door which happened to be unlocked. Starling opened it slowly, careful not to let it make a noise. Beyond was a long dark staircase, draped in cobwebs. Her skin crawled just at the sight of them. Clicking on the flashlight built into her bracelet, she crept down the staircase, trying to keep the webs out of her hair and every so often having to swallow a shriek when she caught sight of an actual spider skittering off into the darkness.
Some brave superheroine I am,
she thought, hurrying the rest of the way down.
Top Floor
The Scarlet Dove burst out of the stairway, shaking her hair out frantically and thoroughly grossed out.
"Bon jour, mon cher," said an all too familiar voice with a thick Cajun accent.
Startled, the heroine jumped back, glancing around. The stair way let out into a short, thankfully spider web free, hallway on the fourth floor. At the end of that hall way, a man with dark hair and a rich complexion was perched on a folding chair. Creole Creed regarded her evenly, absently stroking the thick side-burns on either side of his angular face. He was wearing plain black slacks, with a white tank top and suspenders, not his usual dapperness.
An icy chill ran down Starling's spine seeing the hitman and remembering their first encounter. "Creed!"
"I recon' it'd be you comin' aft'me quickest," he replied.
"Yeah, well, you've got an appointment I'd hate for you to miss."
"Now see, dat's funny," he snorted mirthlessly. "Cuz I was jus'bout to tell you de same t'ing."
The young heroine arched one flawless eyebrow. "Oh really? And what appointment would I have?"
"De one wit' Don Tony," Creed snarled, standing up. "He be real un'appy wit' de way you been affecting his business, broke me out just to bring you in!"
"Now see that is funny," Starling said through grit teeth. "Cause I thought you broke out so I could bring you in...well, back in."
"You dumb as you is pretty, cher!" Suddenly he snapped his arm up, brandishing a pistol.
Fortunately, Starling's enhanced reflexes gave her an edge over his draw. She kicked into a short flight, rocketing forward and turning into a high kick knocking the gun from his hand. He retaliated with a left hook, which she easily dodged. Dropping low, the agile heroine cut his legs out from under him, and as he hit the floor she was already standing over him, shapely hips cocked in an arrogant pose.
"You'll have to excuse me," she snipped. "I just checked my calendar, and I don't have any appointments today!"
"We'll see, bitch, we'll see!"
As Creole Creed scrambled to his feet, Starling stepped back and threw her gorgeous gam in a roundhouse at head level. To her dismay, the hitman caught her kick and lunged forward with vicious upper cut. She twisted awkwardly, narrowly avoiding the blow but feeling the wind as it passed. The heroine managed to wrench her leg free, but before she could regain enough balance to defend herself, Creed's fist blasted her full force in the stomach! All the breath exploded from her lungs, and Starling doubled over clutching her midsection. His knee slammed into her face while she was still gasping for air, and the red head fell back onto her butt. She peered up at the man, feeling the sting in her cheek and sucking in oxygen.