5th Column Comics: Dark Water #3
A big thank you to the gallant @knightofthechronicle for his assistance
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First Street, Indigo City
Police sirens, flashing blue lights, these things are not new to Indigo or any other city around the world, the nature of the crimes however, well they are very different. Looking over the tape I notice Ed kind of bobbing up and down, it’s obvious that he’s uncomfortable, either with being at a crime scene or with the thought of facing Dead Water after the creature almost killed him last time they fought.
“Excuse me officer, but may I speak to your commanding officer.” I ask one of the uniformed patrol men guarding the edge of the scene.
“Peacekeeper?” The officer gasps, either from surprise or to hide any kind of sigh he was going for. “I can get Cartwright for you, although he’s not going to be pleased.” He adds, before walking into the boutique that has been cordoned off.
“Like that’s a surprise to us, face it Cassie nobody likes you” Terra sneers as she sits, dressed in a police officer’s uniform, on top of the coroner’s wagon, her legs hanging off the edge. Sensibly I decide to ignore her, right now popularity isn’t an issue, not with the results of the hormone analysis I did on Dead Water’s tissue. I had assumed the attacker had been male, turns out there was an incredibly high level of pregnancy hormones in the creature’s blood, one that is not a good sign for both water quality and any riverside community within the rivers catchment area.
“Miss Williams, what do you want this time?” Cartwright asks, as the coroner brings out a body bag on a gurney. “We’re on top of this case before you stick your nose in.”
“Actually I’m more interested in the riverside attacks.” I state, before reaching back and grabbing Ed by the arm and pulling him forward. “I found a specialist who knows the area Dead Water is hiding in, I just need a way out there.”
“Dead Water?” Cartwright states before glowering at Ed, “I assume he goes by an equally silly name as well?”
“I’m Diver.” Ed murmurs, “And it’s not a stupid name. All we came to do is ask to borrow a boat from you, if we don’t act more people will die.”
“Yeah I understand, it’s just we have one problem. Our friends in the CBTF have established a no-go zone across the metropolitan section of the river. Any vessel out there not under their jurisdiction will be boarded and sunk, and the occupants arrested, they even included our boats in that criteria. “Cartwright states, as I spot Torres on the phone.
“Oh go on,” Terra coos, as I give her an awkward wave. “Who knows maybe this time she will say yes. Or maybe you can get your heart ripped out, either way I’m overdue a laugh.”
“…we all on the same side?” Ed asks, his words causing me to shake my head, before I see Cartwright give me an odd look.
“Your friend here is quite naive, he doesn’t seem to realise that the CBTF has an agenda, just like whoever woke up this morning, picked up a sniper rifle and shot our victim as he brought an engagement ring.” Cartwright states, before he covertly hands me a piece of paper with an address on. “Have fun on your fishing trip, and if anyone asks, the ICPD knows nothing about you stealing a boat from us.”
**
On the River, Sometime Later
The 30 foot long ICPD ‘Thresher’ Patrol Ship handles like a dream, and while I have limited nautical experience, the auto-navigator made finding the general area Dark Water’s lair is in fairly easy. Dropping the anchor and firing the sonar, Ed and I watch as a radar image of the bottom forms, each crevice and hollow mapped on the screen before me.
“That one there, that’s the largest of the caves.” Ed states, as he points to a very large indent on the screen. “And while I don’t think we need a bigger boat, I don’t feel comfortable going down there without backup.”
“And who do you suggest we get?” I ask sarcastically. “Unless I became part mermaid in the last twenty minutes, we are the only ones out here.”
“Did you become…” He begins to ask, before I give him my well-honed ‘stop being an idiot glower’. “What about the CBTF?”
“Not to be trusted.” I reply coldly. While I could explain that the CBTF stays in business by making sure there are carrier threats, I doubt he’d take the news well, and I need Ed concentrating on the matter at hand. Walking to the ship’s armoury, I use the key to open the locker and remove a spear gun and an acetylene torch. “These should help you.” I tell Ed, before handing him the weapons. “As should this, it measures the nerve impulses rate of firing, it should help me detect any increase in your blood toxicity.” I add, as I strap on a neural band around his shoulder.
“Still don’t know why I have to play shark bait all by myself.” Ed moans, as I walk to the back of the boat, and the ad-hoc crane on the rear, its stainless steel line shining in the mid-morning sun.
“This guy’s a whiner, let him die, nobody will miss him.” Terra states, as she lounges against the crane, a coconut with a straw in her hand. “FYI, we are allergic to coconuts.” She adds, before shooting me a wicked smile.
“Oh just shut up!!” I yell, my voice echoing around the river.
“Uh okay, wasn’t saying anything but okay.” Ed states, his face looking like that of a puppy that’s just been yelled at. I instantly feel a little guilty, but I quickly burry it under all the other complex emotions I am usually so adept at keeping below the surface. “Hope I don’t die or anything,” he adds, before slipping into the water. Shaking my head I curse myself for letting Terra get to me, before rubbing the painful welt on my back. It’s almost as if my anger at myself has caused this physical wound, almost as if every time Terra pushes to the surface, she’s breaching through my skin in a desperate attempt to reach the outside world.
Pushing those thoughts away, I walk back to the armoury and pick up a four pronged net-gun, before picking up a respirator, and slotting it into the modular interface of my helmet, before stripping my breastplate to reveal the black scale like mesh underneath, although I decided to keep my stab proof arm covers just in case Dead Water feels like biting. The plan is simple, monitor Ed and my own vitals with my helmets HUD, let him draw Dead Water out of hiding and then incapacitate it in the stainless steel net. As I drop into the water however, I feel something cold run through me, I just put myself in my enemies element, and I’m relying on an idiot to keep me safe in it.
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