Previous Chapters: http://www.comicvine.com/forums/fan-fic/8/ravager4s-fan-fic-archives/660884/#1
Disclaimer: I do not own any DC characters or locations. All rights belong to DC Comics.
Rating: T+
Note: And now THIS one got deleted too -_- What. The. ****. Anyone want to leave a comment? Anyone who's reading it? Anyone at all? If I bump this again tomorrow and it gets to deleted again, I think I might go freaking insane.
Rose Wilson: The Ravager #28
Int. S.T.A.R. Labs Storage Warehouse – Day
The warehouse is a good place to start, at least by Ravager's estimation. That ninja guy had to have come here for a reason, but she and Becky stopped him before he could finish whatever he was trying to do. If she can find out just what the guy was after, maybe she can start piecing together what his purpose was. And of course, if that doesn't work, she can always go investigate the guy's home and see if she can find anything suspicious there.
Moving through the rows of stacked crates and pallets, Ravager examines each container closely, looking for anything out of the ordinary. It seems like just a normal warehouse full of goods, but then nothing is that simple in this world. With nothing really to lose, she heads over to a random crate and inspects it.
Wonder what's inside...
Drawing one of her swords, she swings the blade horizontally, cutting through the top of it like butter and causing it to pop open. A lot easier than trying to pry the thing apart with a crowbar or something. Leaning forward, she takes a look inside, but only finds what looks like a bunch of old computer parts. Whatever she's looking for, it's definitely not in this one. Putting the lid back on the top, she turns from the crate and moves on to the next one.
She continues like this for the next half hour, looking inside every container she can find, but most of the contents are nothing more than scrap metal or spare parts. She supposes that a place like S.T.A.R. Labs wouldn't leave really important or valuable stuff lying around in a warehouse, but still, what had that ninja broken in here for then? Letting out a small sigh, she walks back towards the front end of the room, away from the rows of containers.
Guess it's time to try Jason's place.
Before she has a chance to leave, however, she sees an attack coming in from behind her, precog once again saving her hide. She ducks low, the spinning bolas sailing above her head and colliding with the far wall. Turning around immediately, she takes a defensive stance in preparation to defend herself against another attack. Standing behind her is man she did not hear approach, or in any way notice before her precog went off.
The man is tall and well built, but still agile in appearance. From his face, she can tell he's from some Asian descent, probably Chinese or Japanese, with his long black hair pulled back into a braided ponytail. He wears a black and white martial artist's uniform, a dragon patch on the shoulder. For the moment, he just stands there staring at her.
Ravager: Hey, buddy, the hell you doing?
Man: Studying you.
Ravager: Uh... huh. And why are you doing that?
Man: I like to learn about my opponents, naturally.
Ravager: So what does throwing a weapon at a person with their back turned tell you, exactly?
Man: That the rumors are true.
Ravager: Alright, you lost me. What rumors?
Man: You are Silverstone's... 'protector', yes? I believe they called you 'The Blade', at least before your sudden disappearance. Yet, here you are now... I find that intriguing.
Ravager: That's hardly a rumor.
Clasping his hands behind his back, the man begins walking forward, still staring at her.
Man: The rumors I speak of are those regarding your skill. I thought them to be exaggerated, but already you have impressed me. You 'see' things, don't you? Before they happen. That's how you are able to evade attacks that you could not otherwise know are coming.
Ravager: Well aren't you the perceptive one? Now, how about you stop with the analysis and tell me who the hell you are, and why you're lurking around in this warehouse at night?
Shao: Ah, forgive me, where are my manners? The name is Shao Shen, and I am here to test myself against you in combat.
Ravager: And you just happened to know where I was going to be tonight?
Shao: After hearing of your earlier victory over one of our lesser members, I had my suspicions that you would return to investigate, yes.
Ravager flinches, her stance faltering. This guy had already figured out who she was, just by hearing about her fighting another one of his 'members' from earlier that day?
Shao: Relax, please. I won't go targeting your loved ones or anything like that; I am no coward. Though your presence in this city could have great complications to our goals, I would rather defeat you in a fair fight.
Ravager: Well gee, how reassuring. Then what are you waiting for, huh?
Shao: To discuss the terms. Firstly, no weapons. I would do this purely hand to hand.
Narrowing her gaze slightly, she reaches back to draw her swords and tosses them off to the side. She's plenty confident in her hand to hand ability.
Ravager: Fine, anything else?
Shao: Yes, actually. When I win, I would have you leave this city, or at the very least give up your costumed identity for good.
Ravager: First of all, when you win? And second, why in the hell would I agree to that?
Shao: Because if you don't, I will simply kill you.
Ravager: Right, sure. Let's get this over with, then.
The two square off briefly, circling each other and waiting for the other to make the first move. Growing impatient, Ravager comes in first. She unleashes a flurry of attacks, punches mixed with kicks, some elbows, and a few backhands... but to her shock, she never hits him. Somehow, he is able to dodge or block each one of her strikes. Baffled, she takes a step back and glares at him.
Ravager: Okay, so you're pretty good.
Shao: Allow me to show you just how good.
Ravager isn't even sure of what happens next. She knows that Shao came in with a series of attacks, and she knows that her precog predicted all of them, and she knowsthat her body reacted to defend herself. And yet... she still somehow finds herself on the ground, staring straight upward with every part of her body aching with a dull, throbbing pain. She could only keep up with the first few attacks, after that everything became a blur.
So... fast.
Groaning, she slowly starts to roll over and push herself back up to her knees.
Shao: That was... disappointing. I would have expected you to at least provide a bit more of a challenge; I didn't even have to try.
Ravager: So you're really good. I get it. But I'm not done.
Shao: Actually, you are.
With a swift blow to the back of Ravager's head, he knocks her out cold, dropping her straight to the floor. Letting out a small sigh, he holds a hand to his chin and contemplates what to do with her know. He knows she won't comply with the terms, it's not in her nature. But still, she'll be an annoyance if allowed to continue her activities, and he really doesn't want to have to kill her. He could control her, but the devices are still in development and might end up killing her, which would be waste. Instead, he comes up with a better solution.
Ext. Silverstone City Streets – Night
Becky drives along, alone in the cruiser. Very rarely does she ever work these hours, but since she needs to make up for time she'll be missing on Friday, she doesn't mind too much. It's been a fairly quiet night so far, and her shift is just an hour from finishing up. Then, she can head back to her apartment and get a few hours of sleep before waking up and going back to work in the morning.
It is quite a bit dull, though, without a partner to talk to. As her thoughts fall back on Rose, she lets out a small groan and brings a hand up to her head, shaking it. That had been one hell of a stupid slip up earlier, calling Rose cute. Becky made a point after the initial mishap to try and not noticeably come on to her partner again, especially since Rose herself was not into women. Because of that, continuing to have a crush on her is pointless, and yet at the same time she can't help it. She's never met anyone quite like Rose; smart, funny, strong, caring, sexy, adorably cute, and with ninja skills to boot.
Ay carumba, easy there, Beck, she thinks to herself, taking in a deep breath. Gotta stop thinking like a lovesick puppy. It's never gonna happen.
She's called from her thoughts a moment later when her radio goes off, grabbing her attention.
Dispatch: Attention, all units, we've just received an anonymous tip that The Blade is back again and seen down by the S.T.A.R. Labs storage warehouse. I repeat, The Blade is at the S.T.A.R. Labs storage warehouse. All units, please respond, we're taking her in.
Becky's heart immediately jumps, a surge of adrenaline pumping through her. Sitting up straighter, she flips her sirens on and turns onto a new street. This is what she's been waiting for, a chance to finally take in that masked vigilante running amok around the city. The odd fact that The Blade is down at the same building where she and Rose were earlier that day only passes briefly through her head; her focus is elsewhere, as she mentally prepares herself for the job to come. From what she's heard, taking this person down won't be easy, so it's bet to be ready for anything.
Becky: Alright, espada, we're coming for you.
Int. S.T.A.R. Labs Storage Warehouse – Night
When Ravager wakes up, Shao is long gone, the warehouse now dark and empty. She lets out a long moan, a throbbing pain in the back of her skull. Add to that the pain in the rest of her body and it feels like she got hit by a truck. Then, add to that the fact that a single man did this to her, and through her armored costume no less, and it becomes a thoroughly humbling experience.
Alright... that was embarrassing. Who the hell was that guy?
She emits a sigh and slowly stands up, teetering on her feet for a second before regaining her balance. That's when she hears them; the sirens. Snapping her gaze over to the nearest window, she sees flickers of blue and red light, a lot of it. From what she can hear, there has to be at least half a dozen police cars approaching, already nearly at the warehouse.
Ravager: Sh*t!
Taking off in a sprint, she grabs her swords and then heads for the back of the building, where she parked her bike. She has to get out of here, now!
Ext. S.T.A.R. Labs Storage Warehouse
Ravager bursts through one of the windows at the back of the building, hitting the ground on her feet as shards of glass rain down around her. Instantly, she's off and running straight at her motorcycle, just a short distance away. The sirens are louder now, and the lights bright; the cops are already at the warehouse entrance, she's sure. No time to think, though, just have to act. Hopping on her ride, she puts her helmet on and then guns the engine, peeling out momentarily before flying off around the building towards the street.
The police don't see her coming until she's almost past them, driving up a small embankment and launching herself through the air, right next to one of the squad cars. She can't hear the officers yelling and scrambling to get back in their cruisers to chase after her, but she knows they are. They won't catch her, though, no chance. She's already putting way to much distance between them. Unfortunately, they aren't the only ones she has to deal with.
Ext. Silverstone City Streets – Night
A mere two blocks from the warehouse, another pair of squad cars with their sirens blaring and lights flashing come peeling around the corner, hot on her tail. She glances back momentarily and curses under her breath, then begins weaving around traffic. The fact that most of the other cars are already pulling over because of the high speed chase works both with her and against her. On the one hand, she has an open lane to increase her speed and distance herself. On the other hand, the cops have clear sight of her. If she can just lose them, though, she can find a place to hide until the chaos settles down.
She never gets that chance. As she jolts up the on ramp onto the overpass, another three squad cars come up from her side, already waiting for her. They were prepared for her, guessed she'd try to take the highway. There's more traffic here, but nothing she can't work around. She glides around the cars expertly, gradually increasing her speed more and more. The needle hits one hundred and fifty, about as fast as she's willing to push it; any faster and she'll probably lose control and crash. At least she's losing the cops behind her. A little bit more and she can hit an exit and find a place to disappear.
That's when the spotlight hits her. Ravager glances up suddenly to see a police chopper flying above her and keeping pace. Immediately, her heart jumps with panic, as she focuses back on the road. Her throat goes a little numb, a lump forming.
Crap, they're serious about this.
Apparently, the police really want to bring her in. She knows that she's been pretty high on the city's wanted list, but she didn't realize she was police chopper worthy. Then again, she supposes that any high speed chase is chopper worthy. Still, this greatly complicates things. Now, not only does she have to outrun the ground troops, but the aerial support, too. She has her work cut out for her.
Ravager turns sharply, moving from the overpass and heading down a ramp to one of the city's main streets. She doesn't get very far before she sees a wall of flashing lights, however, a police blockade standing right in front of her. Hitting the brakes, she spins her vehicle around, tires screeching as she changes directions. This catches the cars pursuing her off guard, as they suddenly hit the breaks, as well, trying to continue chasing her. She hears two of the cruisers crash into each other, though fortunately it isn't a serious accident.
While getting away from the squad cars is easy enough, the chopper proves to be astoundingly difficult to elude. No matter what side street she turns on, what new path she takes, the spotlight stays on her. It forces her to go faster than she wants to, almost to the point of losing control from the slightest turns. Still, she has to take chances at this point or she'll never get away. Coming back out onto a main street, she changes direction and heads towards the East District.
She doesn't get very far. As soon as she turns onto a second street, another police blockade greets her, approaching way too fast to simply put on the brakes and turn around this time. No, she has to keep going forward, but she can't just drive straight into the squad cars, either. Instead, she lurches the bike to the side, crashing through a chain link fence on the side of the street, rumbling over loose gravel and rocks, and then hitting a small bump on the ground that sends her flying.
Ext. Construction Site – Night
That brief instant lasts a near lifetime to her, as she flies quite literally through the air, her grip on the handle bars slipping and coming free. The bike skids out from beneath her, and suddenly she's airborne with no real way to land properly. The only thing she can do is tuck and roll, trying to reduce the impending injury as much as possible. When she hits the ground, her body bounces, spinning wildly and head smacking repeatedly against rocks and dirt. If not for her helmet, her skull probably would have split open.
When she finally comes to stop, a long moment goes by before she's able to move, her entire body refusing to work with her. She forces herself up into a sitting position, but the pain is phenomenal. It feels like her entire body is one giant bruise, though remarkably nothing seems to be broken. Taking in a deep breath and groaning, she staggers up to her feet and throws her helmet off. She teeters there for a few moments, everything still spinning around her.
Ravager hears the shouts of the surrounding police officers, as they race towards her location. She doesn't see any of them yet, but they have to be close by. A few moments later, she realizes that she's in the same construction site where she fought Lady Shiva several months before. Though a lot more work has been done since then, the place is still a giant metal skeleton of a building, with a lot of debris piles and shadows to take advantage of. Stumbling farther into the construction site, she disappears into the darkness, evading the incoming spotlight as it sweeps by.
Int. Foreman's Office – Night
Ravager pushes her way inside the transportable office, slamming the door shut behind her and collapsing forward to the floor. She manages to catch herself on one hand and her knees, her other arm coming up to wrap around her side, a sharp pain flaring. But she ignores it, she has to. Crawling forward farther into the office, she makes her way around a dividing wall and behind a chair and desk. Propping herself up against the wall, she takes in deep breaths and grits her teeth, just waiting. As much as she wants to keep running, her body can't take it, not in this condition. All she can do now is wait and hope that they overlook her, somehow.
Several minutes later, she hears voices coming from nearby the office, one officer giving directions and telling the others to go search some other areas. The officer giving those directions then heads up the stairs to the office, opening the door and entering. Closing her eye and holding her breath, Ravager waits, silent. She hears the footsteps approaching, coming around the dividing wall. The flashlight beam sweeps above her head and keeps going, searching elsewhere.
One minute goes by, then two, then three. The officer takes another sweep around the back of the office and then comes to the front again, still closely examining every dark corner. Just when Ravager thinks that she's safe, that the officer somehow missed her, the flashlight pauses and then swings around again, just above her hiding spot.
Keep going, keep going.
But she isn't that lucky. The officer suddenly moves forward and turns the desk aside, shining the flashlight directly on her. Ravager squints, holding an arm up to shield herself from the light. At first, all she sees is a silhouette, the officer standing in front of her with a gun drawn and pointed at her. When she realizes who it is, however, her heart skips a beat and jumps into her throat.
Becky: Got you! Hands in the air, now!
Ravager: Wait-
Becky goes for her radio, clicking the button and bringing it to her lips.
Becky: This is Officer Chavez, I have-
Ravager: Becky, wait!
Her words stop mid-sentence, as she slowly brings the radio down and stares at Ravager. The voice sounds familiar... but it can't be, right?
Becky: How do you...
Swallowing hard, Ravager reaches up and pulls the mask from her head, revealing herself to Becky. Right then, she isn't Ravager, or The Blade. She's just Rose.
Rose: Its me, Beck... Just me.
Becky falters, gun lowering as she takes a step backwards. Confusion flashes across her face, one hand coming to her head while the other holds herself up against the wall, legs buckling. She actually looks physically hurt
Becky: Rose...?
Rose: Rebecca, please... I need your help right now.
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Chapter #29 Preview: Rose's secret has finally been exposed! At least to her best friend, Rebecca Chavez, anyway. Now, Becky is the only one standing between that secret being kept and going public. But can Becky go against her morals as a cop to help Rose? And what will this do to their relationship? Find out next time!
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