Sensational Songbird #6

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ImpurestCheese

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#1  Edited By ImpurestCheese

Sensational Songbird #6

Missed Last Issue? Catch up here

Don't recognise a character? Check out the list of appearances here to catch up

Undisclosed Location

The giant dark skinned man roared as he rushed the young woman dressed in a green tutu, her platinum blonde hair swaying as she ducked under his guard, and punched him in the gut. Looking shocked the giant stumbled back just in time, just as his enemy leapt towards him, sonic talons extending from her nails.

"As you can see Lannie's fighting skill has improved under my tutorage." Taskmaster announced, as he and his employer Dr Lumel Dorcas watched the young woman fight against the three costumed mercenaries in the arena below them. "She's been ordered to incapacitate her foes, whereas they are actively trying to kill her." He added, as a man with a pair of daggers lunged at Lannie, only for a sonic shield to block the attack.

No Caption Provided

"She isn't Lannie, her name is Melissa Gold." Dorcas hissed. "As for these men...what measures have you put in to stop them killing my beloved Songbird?"

"None." Taskmaster answered, as Lannie turned her sonic shield into a pair of scissors and cut through her attacker's blades. "These guys call themselves the Terminators because they only take kill orders. Despite being unknown to most in the business they are good at what they do." He announced as a hail of shurikins flew towards Lannie forcing her away from her disarmed foe. "I trained their leader Death-Stroke myself." He added, as the man dressed in red pushed the advantage with another wave of thrown projectiles.

"And the others? What of their martial prowess?"

"Cutthroat has a brutal reputation, despite his lack of experience." Taskmaster announced, as Cutthroat charged towards Lannie, only for her to vault over his head. "Mangler fought Daredevil a few months back and escaped." He added, as Mangler swung a metal bar at Lannie, the weighted tip sending her slamming into Cutthroat, the hitman pressing a blade against her neck before she could escape.

"Stop them!" Dorcas hissed angrily.

No Caption Provided

"Only she can stop them." Taskmaster replied quietly as Death-Stroke advanced on Lannie, his hand gripped on the hilt of a katana. Squirming desperately Lannie summoned an array of spikes from her back, with multiple punctures stabbing into Cutthroat, the pain giving her a window of opportunity to squirm from his grasp. In response Death-Stroke drew his katana, the blade humming with energy, although he was already too late to hit his intended target, the blade slicing through Cutthroats hand instead.

Snarling with rage Mangler and Death-Stroke went on the offensive, their weapons slashing towards Lannie, her own summoned shield expanding ahead of her to block the blows before collapsing in on the two mercenaries. With much haste Death-Stroke sprung away from the wall of sound, although Mangler was not as lucky, his body now sealed in a tomb of sound.

"You will pay for that Devil-Child!" Death-Stroke snarled, as Lannie took to the air, her body supported by sonic butterfly like fins, the spear in her shoulder forced out by the rapidly forming sonic structures.

"Those fins!" Dorcas gasped. "They are reminiscent of those belonging to fish in the genus Pantodon. So beautiful and graceful." He added, as Death-Stroke threw another salvo of shurikins up at Lannie, his projectiles blocked by a defensive wall of sonic bubbles.

"I thought you'd like that." Taskmaster muttered, as Death-Stroke sprung up towards Lannie using the sonic bubbles, his katana raised for a fatal slash, only for a sonic talon to slash out and slam him into the wall, before dispersing, his body dropping to the floor. "Looks like the rest of her training paid off too." He added, as Lannie looked up towards the box. "You did okay today Lannie, take five and then we'll go over all the mistakes you made in that bout."

"No you won't, you've done your work Mr. Masters, now it is time for me to do mine. By this evening all trace of Elaine Silvers will be gone, consumed by my caged Songbird as I finish moulding her into who she really is." Dorcas explained. "Your fee will be paid at a later date as agreed prior to Songbird's training."

"Just how do you plan to mould her?" Taskmaster asked cautiously.

"The same way she was moulded before." Dorcas snarled, as a Polynesian man walked into the arena carrying a dart gun. "With pain, loss and cruelty."

**

Melissa's Apartment, Washington DC

Melissa walked into the hallway between the kitchen and her bedroom, dressed only in a robe, her unkempt hair sticking up as she bent down and picked up the mail. Walking robotically into the kitchen she threw the three letters onto the pile of post, before taking a swig out of the open whisky bottle.

"A little early for that isn't it Melissa?" A snide voice announced. "Then again with your family history I'm surprised you haven't drunk yourself into oblivion long ago."

No Caption Provided

"Shut up Karla!" Melissa hissed, her words slurring as she stumbled into a chair, her body hitting the floor with a thud. Seconds later cold hands slid under her arms and hoisted her onto another chair, before focusing her head upwards to look into the ocean blue eyes of the blonde haired woman dressed in a grey business suit. "Go away, I don't want to listen to your lies." She moaned, before pathetically trying to pull Karla's hand away.

"If you won't take my lies than perhaps you'll take the cup of coffee you so desperately need." Karla sighed as she levitated a cup of coffee over to the chair. "And since you refused the former I'm free to say that I never liked you, in fact I despise you, I despise that insipid mewling quim Screaming Mimi, I despise the self righteous and superior Songbird and I despise the stinking heap of self loathing s**t sitting before me."

"I despise you too." Melissa groaned as she slumped forward out of the chair. "I despise all the Moonstones."

"Very good." Karla yawned. "I take it the search for the girl isn't going well." She added dryly, before pushing Melissa into a sitting position. "That's good, I knew that you'd fail, you always fail when you're on your own!" She hissed maliciously. "You failed the girl, failed your team-mates, failed Abe, no wonder he couldn't love you, your nothing but filth given a human form!"

"SHUT UP!!" Melissa screamed, her voice exploding outwards into a sonic shock-wave that shattered the bottles and ripped through the mail. "Shut up!" She repeated, as she got unsteadily to her feet and looked round the destroyed kitchen for Karla, only to find no trace of her harasser in the room. Behind her something fluttered, and Melissa grabbed it clumsily before it reached the floor. "With great sorrow you are invited to the funeral of Rachel Leighton...it's tomorrow, I didn't know...she died for my cause, and I almost missed it." She mumbled to herself. "Rachel may be lost... but her sacrifice won't be forgotten."

**

An hour later Melissa left her apartment dressed in jogging pants and a tank top, her hair pulled into a scruffy ponytail and a leather bag slung over shoulder. In a hurry she failed to notice the figure camped out on the roof adjacent to her apartment watching her through a scope mounted on his compound bow.

"She's responded to the message we delivered and is heading to the florist." Taskmaster stated. "When she gets there deliver my message. I read Miss Gold's Initiative file, I know the kind of things that shaped Screaming Mimi and I'm not eager to see them inflicted on my student."

**

Undisclosed Location

"Kei my boy, I see you have done great work with our little Songbird." Dorcas hissed as he ran his hands over the cuts and bruises on Lannie's skin, the young woman flinching in pain at his touch. "Now listen Melissa, these bruises came from an abusive relationship with your father." Dorcas stated, as Lannie looked down at the cuts on her arms. "After he attacked you with a knife you ran fearing for your life," Dorcas continued, as Kei dropped a backpack at her feet, "you ended up here in my lab."

No Caption Provided

"I don't understand why daddy would do this to me?" Lannie sobbed, as Dorcas offered a hand to her. "Can you help me Doctor?"

"Of course darling." Dorcas purred in a friendly voice. "Wait in the next room while I brief my assistant." He announced. Nodding Lannie left the room, allowing Dorcas to address the handsome Polynesian man dressed in bloody scrubs standing in the corner. "Give her a dose of the neuro-toxin before the next session. I will make sure she is presentable for the lessons you have to teach her."

"Is this legal?" Kei asked. "I'll do many things for you doctor, but I won't do that."

"Your one moral straw in a haystack of depravity." Dorcas sighed. "My other human operatives are out on assignment, and won't be back for days, yet our need for the completion of Songbird's rebirth is dire. Surely there is someone we can rely on to partake in such vile acts?"

"Give me an additional hour." Kei asked as he pulled out a smartphone and connected to the base's Wi-Fi, before opening the Hench App. "I'm sure I can find vile acts and depravity on here..." He announced, "...and all for a reasonable price as well."

**

Masquerade Florists, Washington DC

Melissa walked into the florist, the pungent aroma of the bouquets wafting past her as the shops owner, a young woman dressed in jeans and blouse overlaid with an apron finished arranging a bunch of roses.

"Hello Miss, what can I do for you today?" The shop owner asked as Melissa removed her wallet from the bag over her shoulder.

"I'm looking to buy a wreath for the Leighton funeral please." Melissa stated, as the shop owner ducked behind the counter and brought out a catalogue of wreath designs.

"Take your time in choosing." The shop owner stated. "In the meantime can I have the name of the person paying for the order?"

"It's Melissa, Melissa Gold."

"Melissa Gold?" The shop owner mumbled. "I think we have a bouquet awaiting pick-up for a Melissa Gold. Just let me check while you continue browsing those designs." She added, as she headed into the back-room.

"Do you know who placed the order?" Melissa asked cautiously, as she looked around the room. Not only did the room smell like flowers, now it also smelled like a trap.

"I didn't see his face." The shop owner replied as she returned with a bouquet of twelve black hellebores. "I guess he was a superhero, he was wearing some kind of weird armour." She added, the words causing Melissa to relax as she took the bouquet from the florist.

No Caption Provided

"Abe." She mumbled under her breath as she found the attached card and read the message, the colour draining from her face with every word.

"Miss have you chosen your wreath?" The florist asked, as she picked up the bouquet of flowers she had been arranging earlier.

"Not yet." Melissa replied blankly, not paying her questioner any attention, even as she levelled the bouquet at the former Thunderbolts head, the overhead light gleaming off the tip of concealed metal spike inside the bouquet.

"Take your time." The florist replied, as she squeezed a trigger hidden in the base of the bouquet. "You need to get these things right...after all its a matter of life and death."

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ImpurestCheese

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deactivated-097092725

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"Your one moral straw in a haystack of depravity."

That, right there, is awesome.

You sure know how to leave your readers on the edge, haha. Excellent, as always.

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ImpurestCheese

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@ms-lola: I do, it may even be my speciality...

And thanks, I love slotting the odd metaphor into my work

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waezi2

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@impurestcheese: Nice Work.

... But how can Moonstone be here? Is she part of her imagination?

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ImpurestCheese

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@waezi2: The pair shared a mental link in the past. Add in that Melissa was drinking and it's highly likely that Moonstone was a subconscious aspect of her mind fighting against Melissa's self lothing.

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waezi2

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@impurestcheese: They have a mental link? Why? I thought they never liked each other?

... I have to buy old-school Thunderbolts one of these days...

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@waezi2: They don't, and didn't before they got the link. It was mostly glossed over after the issue before the Osborne Bolts took over, although it was mentioned briefly by either Fixer or Luke Cage...once

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#9  Edited By waezi2

@impurestcheese: Still have to buy old-school anyway. Saw they had it on sale in my comic-shop.

Keep up the good job

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@waezi2: Thanks, have fun reading them

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@impurestcheese: Great issue. Hoping Melissa can get to Lannie in time. Dorcas is a creep.

Death-Stroke? Then again, there is a Man Bat character as well.

I loved the hallucinatory Moonstone stuff. Made me think of John Crichton seeing hallucination's of Scorpius. on Farscape.

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ImpurestCheese

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@stumpy49er: She either will or won't.

Yeah there is a Man-Bat and Death-Stroke in Marvel Comics

And yes Moonstone is back, even if it is only as a sinister figment of Mel's imagination

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cool , sorry have not been on much lately...keep up the good work.

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ImpurestCheese

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