The night was freezing and the lone woman picked up the pace. She was drenched, her heels clicking on the wet asphalt as she looked round. Still, the dark man was behind. Slowly, gradually, he was beginning to catch up. Running wasn't an option unless her sinister pursuer suffered from a similarly debilitating case of asthma. She turned a corner. The moon was nearly hidden behind black clouds and street lights no longer reached the tiny alley, yet she pushed on. Would he follow again, as he had done before? A cold, sweaty hand still grasped a dead phone. The batteries had long gone and it provided little comfort now.
Another look over her shoulder and the man was nowhere to be seen. She ran. Immediately, her lungs protested, her throat rattled as she gasped, but she ran. Metal, a mesh of wires suddenly came into view and her fingers pulled vainly at the fence. Quiet, she had to be quiet, it was dark he wouldn't follow, he wouldn't even see.
A click came from behind. There was no time to react, the barrel already pushed into the back of her head.
'Valuables,' said the gruff voice. 'Now.'
Shallow breaths came rapidly, but no voice.
'Now!' said the man. 'Turn the fuck around, stupid bitch, you wanna die or something?'
She tore her fingers away from the fence.
'Look at that. What's a classy bird like you doing here all alone?'
Whimpering was all the reply she could muster.
'Dress looks expensive. Tell ya what, how bout you hand it over too.'
Wide-eyed, lips quivering, she shook her head and held up silver and gleaming stones with trembling hands, an offering of peace.
'Was that... was that a no?' the question rang in her ears and the voice returned.
'Help!' she screamed.
He shook his head.
'I don't think so,' he was calm, but the words chilled her worse than the rain.
'He-'
He grabbed her face, slammed his palm in between her lips.
'Poor, lost little bird, so close and yet so far from home.'
There was a tear of fabric. She couldn't scream. Her hand was forced away from her body. She couldn't resist.
A thud, from the corner of her eyes she could see a glowing white letter 'm' on a nearby wall, then a flash of purple spandex in the dark and... a new voice.
'I do doubt the lady had planned on shhhedding her lovely garmentsss yet.'
The man whirled around. Perched on a battered dumpster was a lean feminine figure, clad in a skin-tight catsuit. Despite the cold, her arms and cleavage were bare and so was her head with the exception of a tiny, hardly face-concealing mask. Her long black hair was dripping in the rain and stuck to her cheeks and arms, but she seemed determined to ignore it.
The man growled.
'Reptilica!' he pointed an accusing finger. 'How dare you meddle in our affairs again! Doctor Prostratator shall not suffer your insolence much longer!'
'My blood runsss cold with terror,' she said smiling crookedly.
'Silence!' he raised his gun.
'Mmph!' the damsel attempted a pointless warning.
Three times a deafening bang echoed through the alley, drowning out the woman's muffled screams. There were three clinking sounds as the bullets dropped onto the wet concrete.
'What a sssorry disssplay,' Reptilica shook her head.
From where the bullets had impacted on her pale flesh, emerald scales spread across her body, gleaming in the faded moonlight. It clashed horribly with the bright purple of her costume. Her smile grew broader and finally, a pair of dark wings unfolded on her back.
The man turned the gun on his captive.
'All right, all right!' he shouted. 'Very impressive. Now take a hike or I'll blow her brains out.'
The reptilian maw parted, light glinted off white, sharp teeth and suddenly, something pale shot out. The tongue moved like a blur of pink. It wrapped around the gun before the perpetrator had so much as processed what he was seeing. The weapon hit the ground with a splash and a clatter. A second later, its owner stumbled over his own feet trying to flee.
'I trussst you are not harmed,' Reptilica approached the befuddled would-be victim.
'I- I'm quite all right, thank you. You saved me, I can't believe it, I- ahh!'
She was now close enough to make out her rescuer's reptilian countenance and jumped back reflexively.
The emerald features hardened.