Issue 6 - One Long Night in Warden City
Chapter One
"Listen li'l homey, you wanna be down wit' Da Squad ... this is what it takes!"
The young boy looked across the street, watching as the elderly woman ambled toward the bus stop. He had never seen her before but something about her reminded him of his granny. He loved his granny. He looked back at the three men standing behind him.
"B-but she's just an old lady," the boy said.
"See Mac, I tol' you this li'l bitch wuz soft as baby shit!"
"Shut the fuck up, Willy," the one called Mac barked. "I see potential in this one."
"How ... how do we even know she has anything?" the boy asked, beginning to fidget.
"Twotime says so," Willy pointed to their third companion. "Says she got a pair o' Benjamins in that purse for her electric bill."
"And you best hurry," Twotime said, nodding. "That bus coming any minute."
Mac squatted down, getting eye to eye with the boy. "Now I know you wanna do what's right for your family. Do this thing and we'll be family, li'l man ... you wanna be part of my family, right?"
The young boy nodded, then hesitantly turned back towards the mouth of the alley. This time he couldn't see the old woman or the bus stop. Standing in the way was a beautiful red haired woman, dressed in white and wearing a mask with feathers around the edges. She smiled down at him and it was just about the most beautiful smile he'd ever seen ... something about it reminded him of his mother ... on those rare occasions when she did smile.
"You hear that little voice in the back of your head, right now?" she said. "The one telling you this is the wrong the place to be, the wrong thing to do, and the wrong people to be with?"
The young boy nodded. He'd been trying to ignore that voice. Of course, he knew the Scarlet Dove, Warden City's resident superheroine, but he'd never seen her up close.
Mac straightened, his eyes narrowing as they climbed up the heroine's sexy figure. He had never seen her up close before either. She was wearing golden high heeled boots that came not quite to her knees, leaving the rest of her long, shapely legs bare. A pair of white bikini style bottoms clung to her curvy hips, topped by a gold belt that matched her boots. Above that was a white spandex bustier, trimmed in gold and sporting an elegant dove symbol on one side. Her mask covered the top half of her face but could not hide her big green eyes. Her hair was candy apple red, falling in thick waves past her bare shoulders. Her arms were toned and bare, save for a pair of golden bracelets, and she stood in a cocky pose with her dainty fists resting on her hips.
"Listen to that voice ... always!" the heroine told the young boy firmly. "Now run home."
She smiled reassuringly, and stepped aside to allow the young boy to run past. He turned and headed up the street, away from the elderly lady waiting on her bus.
"Who da fuck dis bitch think she is?" Willy blurted.
"She's the Scarlet Dove, stupid!" Twotime snapped. "Donchu know nothin'?"
The Scarlet Dove, whose real name was Starling Chase, turned back to the trio, her beautiful face twisted into a scowl. Crossing her arms under her breasts, she could feel her stomach knotted up in disgust. "I've heard that misery loves company, but don't you think it's a bit pathetic to try and bring such a young boy into a life of crime?"
"Wha'chu know about it, bitch?" Mac said facing the gorgeous heroine. "Who else gon' watch out for that li'l man? You?"
"Oh is that what you were doing?" Starling smirked sardonically. "You were 'watching out' for him by trying to have him rob that old woman? Don't make me laugh. You're just a sad twisted soul, trying to spread your misery around!"
"You don't know shit about me," the thug snapped. "You don't know shit 'bout that li'l boy, and the next time he ain't got no dinner cuz his mom too cracked out to cook, he's gon' come running back to me!"
"And the only way you know how to help him is by teaching him to steal from defenseless old women?" the young heroine replied. "How pathetic!"
"I'll show you pathetic," Mac growled.
The thug reached behind his back and pulled a large gleaming pistol from his waistband. The other two followed suit, drawing guns and assuming almost comically stereotypical tough guy poses.
The nice thing about common criminals,
Starling thought, almost grinning,
Is that they never make you feel bad about beating them up.
"Why don't you boys put those toys down," she began. "Act like real men, and do something positive for your community instead?"
"Why don't you bring them fine white titties over here," Mac replied. "And I'll show what a real man act like."
"Why are all men such pigs!" the heroine groaned, covering her breasts with her already crossed arms.
"Shit, why do all women think they know how to tell a man how to be a man?" Mac shot back. "Bitch, I'm a give you till the count of ..." Growing tired of the conversation, Starling used the new Electrolaser tech on her upgraded bracelets and zapped the gun right out of Mac's hand! "-AH SHEEIT!" he yelped.
Willy began to lift his pistol, but his movements were absurdly slow in contrast with Dove's superhuman reflexes, and she zapped him too! Then whipping her bracelet towards the one called Twotime, he lost his nerve, dropped his weapon and held up his hands.
The new bracelet used a cutting-edge technology to form electrically conductive laser-induced plasma channels (LIPC). A powerful electric current was then sent down this plasma channel and delivered to the target, thus functioning overall as a large-scale, high energy, long-distance version of the Taser. She had the voltage dialed down so it only zapped their hands, but Briana le Croix claimed the highest settings could kill ... good to know, but not an option the heroine intended ever to use.
"I heard about you bit- err, I mean, ma'am," Twotime mumbled. "I just don't wanna go to jail tonight ... my mammy'll whoop my ass, if she gotta bail me out again this month!"
"You fuckin pussy!" Willy snapped, rubbing his hand where it'd been singed.
