5th Column Comics: Peacekeeper #10
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The Crypt Nightclub
“What did you do to these people?!” The blonde haired woman gasps, as the other patrons of the underground rave club started coughing and spluttering, their skins turning grey.
“Calm down Cassie, can I call you Cassie, you and I are safe.” I tell her as I watch the Bartender spasm on the floor, massive tumours forming all over his body. “I’m Terra by the way, and those are Blights.”
“I know that, I know what they do.” Cassie gulps as I eat the olive from a now abandoned Vodka Tonic. “And how can we be safe?”
“Oh well I am, thanks to my kick ass immune system.” I reply, although it’s more down to a little bit of genetic engineering, if I’m being completely honest. “As for you Cassie,” I announce before seductively biting my lip. “You’re safe because I want you to be safe.” It’s true, I want Cassie alive but not because I care about her, despite what the tone of my voice suggests.
“You’re insane!!” Cassie screeches, and to my surprise I feel hurt, if only for a second. Not that it matters, Cassie is so unlike me and that makes her perfect. Alexander will be hunting me, and I say let him, pretty soon I won't exist. In fact my body is minutes away from being never found again. “I'm leaving and calling the CBTF!” Cassie screams, her words galvanising me into action, and with a lunge I tackle her to the floor, the transforming blight infected patrons all turning to look at me, as I stab a concealed hypodermic into Cassie’s neck
“No I’m you.” I whisper to her, as I let her go and take a step back as the blights advance on their downed prey. “Or I will be soon.”
**
Scahill Hall
It’s often said an Englishman’s home is his castle, and that certainly is true of the former home of Director Tori Scahill of Scahill Technologies. But like other castles, a well planed siege can take a seat of power from its original owner, and if that seat of power is abandoned…well then it’s asking to be usurped. As I walk inside my ‘comrades’ are waiting and ready, also totally surprised by what I see. I walked out a red head with the body of a twenty one year old, and I have returned as a blonde with well the body of a twenty one year old. That said height, hair colour, breast size and a dozen other variables have changed, luckily for all concerned I gave them fair warning this may happen.
“Terra I see your little outing was successful.” Clive hisses the stink of formic acid on his breath. He knows what I did tonight is for his benefit, but it still doesn’t seem to quell his anger.
“Yes the genetic reconfiguration worked like a charm.” I answer before stopping, while I should have expected it, even my voice has changed. “With the work I’m doing on the Cr Formula we obtained from Xiphos, combined with this I can isolate the Zeta mutation and successfully override Sarah’s genetic structure. “Still it may take some time,” I tell him, and while it may be a lie, it’s enough to get him to believe it. The actual process could be done in a week, maybe two but I have other priorities to take care of first.
“I talked to Jose earlier this evening.” Siwang announces; her hands clenched round a slip of paper. “He says he can get what you need, for a price of course.” Honestly I’m not surprised, Jose Catalo has the ability to teleport objects under 50kg anywhere he wants. That ability now made a skilled thief one of the best in the world, and he knows it and as such charges accordingly.
“And I will pay him.” I answer, the truth is whatever he wants I'll pay; there is no reason to alienate such a useful asset. The only problem is, how do I get the money for the fee he’ll charge. The answer is simple, and that’s why I need Cassie’s body, I’m going to make her a star, and while she shines on the streets, I'll be on the other side of the coin, making this putrid cesspit of a city wish they had never heard of me.
**
Contrary to popular belief, the step between deciding to become a hero and realising that dream, is terribly hard. I had nothing to work with, no martial arts experience, no fancy carrier powers, no high tech weapons and armour, just a brain and the knowledge on how to survive in the company of the worst of humanity. Gradually, after a week and a half of poking around the Phoenician Exchange I found what I was looking for, at a price I could afford, one that also helped cover my tracks for anyone hoping to track me.
“You know,” I sigh as I sit next to the cocooned form of Clive’s daughter, “this façade, well it’s going to make our lives a hell of a lot better,” Sarah doesn't respond, and personally I'm glad, I have no idea what she’d say to me, but I assume like most people she would be disgusted. My plan is simple, fool the public with the hero routine, grab what I can and funnel it into my own coffers; be it genetic samples, cash or ideas, and finally get influence. The word of a fugitive is nothing, the one of a woman who’s a known manipulator, but the shining light of Indigo City, well that’s very different.
**
Fortuna Lane Open Air Market
Like everything I do, I choose my moment carefully. The local Indonesian crime syndicate have been getting restless, as their rivals consolidate their power bases. And restless men are desperate men, as their sudden attack on Fortuna Market, deep in the Macedonian faction’s territory suggests. Dressed in a bullet proof vest, helmet and impact resistant arm and leg coverings I feel far out of my comfort zone, but now is the time to strike. The CBTF is pre-occupied, and that idiot Wand Buster, is nowhere to be seen, and I have seen enough men armed with rifles and machetes in my past to know how to deal with these thugs.
What I hadn't banked on was the ‘dragon’ they had brought with them. The creature is amazing; it was obviously once a normal varanid lizard which had been subject to some genetic manipulation. Now at least twice the size it had once been, and clad in armour the creature was being directed by a handler armed with a stun stick. Not for much longer, I muse as a thug dressed in suit trousers and a hooded sweatshirt opens fire into a stall, its owner hiding behind it.
Now is my time, and I try an think of something witty to say, but all I can muster is a guttural half curse, half joke in Malay, a language that I’m not fluent in, but one my opponents are. At least four of them turn to face me and laugh. A quick flash from the strobe lights mounted on the cheeks of my helmet stop that, and I take the chance to get in close, my first mistake. While my first few punches takes down one of the gangsters, the others recover enough to reach their weapons, the first to do so had a machete and he brings the blade down on my arm, the Kevlar covering doing just enough to keep him from taking my arm.
“You die now idiot.” He barks in accented English as the chatter of an AK-47 sounded, the rounds burying into my vest, causing me to recoil. Desperately I try and think of something to get me out of this, it’s clear I made a bad mistake to try this hero stuff as the machete comes down again, this time aimed for my neck. Stupidly I reach out to intercept the weapon and that’s when it happens, I catch the blade clumsily and push back, my attacker laughing in Indonesia at the silly girl trying to be a hero. What he didn't expect was to be struck on the side of the head by a rotten tomato.
“Who did that?!” He bellows in rage, giving me the opportunity I need to rip the weapon away from him. Still shocked by the intervention, he only realises I’m still here when I sink my fist into his groin. His friend with the AK-47 notices seconds after that, just as I move out of his line of fire, bullets flying everywhere until his weapon clicks, the magazine now dry.
“Wait, wait!!” He cries as I charge towards him, my run ending in a clumsy tackle that sends us both headfirst into a skip, I get up, he doesn't but even still I kick his weapon away. I get a five second reprieve before the man with the stun stick thwacks the lizard in the cheek, the shock causing it to swing its head in my direction, a foot long tongue darting out, before it swaggers towards me.
“Kill her quick, the Doctor wants money we get her money.” A thug yells at the man controlling the ‘dragon’. “We can't let CBTF peacekeepers stop us or she’ll end contract.” He adds. In all honesty, he probably shouldn't have said that, his mention of a doctor intrigued me, was it possible that someone else with my skill set was walking around IndigoCity. All I knew was that, to find out first I'd have to fight through half a metric ton of mutated komodo dragon, armed with nothing but my brain, a few smoke grenades I’d brought off the exchange and a flare pistol. I’d always loved challenges; this one would be no different.
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