ISSUE #6 (October 2018)
Written by John Cheese Featuring: Dare
|
Katherine Dawson pulled up to the mansion at Lanely Point and stepped out of her cruiser, the rain running down her coat as lightning flashed across the sky. Stepping out towards the parked cruiser, its door left open, Katherine had to step back just in time as another police car came barrelling down the drive and out towards Bludhaven's industrial zone. Recovering Katherine thought she'd seen a glimpse of a red-haired woman dressed in yellow, slumped unconscious on the back seat.
Walking back to her car she took the radio from her partner. "Dispatch this is Car Two-Five-Eight, we were almost ran off the road by Cruiser 0571, where is it headed over." "Car Two-Five-Eight, this is dispatch, Cruiser 0571's GPS tracker is currently switched off, over." The dispatch officer answered as Katherine started the engine and turned the siren on. "Katherine where are we going?" Wallace asked as the car skidded away from the mansion and after the police cruiser. "Where ever they're going." Katherine answered as she checked that the dash cam the car was equipped with was recording. Municipal City Dump, Bludhaven Gabriel Morrison hauled Aliki's body out of the car and dropped it onto the floor with a crunch. He wanted to get this over and done with as soon as possible, the other freak Pathfinder was out there, and Morrison wanted to see how he stacked up against the metahuman assassin. "Jeez Gabriel, don't dump her in the doorway." His partner Jack Reyes sighed as he walked round to the other side of car, and at least make sure she's still out." "She's out." Morrison stated as he looked down at the body, only to see a fist rise up and slam him in the groin. Cursing and recoiling he backed up a few steps before reaching for his gun. Already in motion Aliki pulled herself under the car, her paralysed legs just about dragged to safety as a gunshot rang out. "Get her Reyes!" Morrison yelled as Reyes stuck his shotgun under the car and fired a riot round into the darkness. "Got her?" Morrison. "Got her!" Reyes replied as he pulled the shotgun back. As he did Aliki crawled out from under the bonnet and grabbed Reyes from the side, the SWAT officer pulled off balance before falling to the floor. "Reyes!" Morrison yelled as Aliki pulled herself up to her feet. In an instant the officer was on her slamming her face first into the car before repeating the motion over and over again. Her legs not recovered, Aliki flailed as she tried to free herself, but all it got her was a brutal throw to the floor as Morrison pointed his handgun at her. "Any last words bitch!" Morrison snarled. "I have some." Katherine stated as she got out of the car, her own weapon pointed at Morrison. "Aliki Marceau AKA Dare you are under arrest for vigilante actions in the city of Bludhaven. As for you Morrison, I'd lower your gun, it might just convince me this was required force rather than police brutality." "We have our orders!" Morrison replied. "To Protect and Serve, now straighten up and protect what's left of your rapidly disappearing career and lower the gun." "Whatever you have on us won't stick Rhioden, that's how things work here." Reyes stated as Morrison holstered his weapon. "You'll regret today's actions very soon." He added as Katherine holstered her weapon and handcuffed Dare before gesturing (Name) to put her in the back of their cruiser. "Is that a threat?" Katherine asked as she holstered her own weapon. "Nah." Morrison snorted as he glowered at her, his face grotesque, almost mask like, in the half darkness. "That's a promise." Bludhaven Law Enforcement Centre, Bludhaven Handcuffed Aliki sat in the interview room with a warming blanket over her shoulders. This wasn't how her attempt at playing hero was meant to play out, but all things considered it could have ended a lot worst. "Ms Marceau." Katherine stated as she walked into the room and took a seat at the table. "I'm Detective Rhioden and we're here to talk about your career change from costumed thief to costumed vigilante." "I'm not going to prison. As soon as one of us steps out of this room I'm as good as dead." Aliki answered as Katherine looked at the young woman sitting across from her, a look of resignation about her fate on her face. "Your vigilante actions are the root cause of that particular outcome." Katherine replied, her earlier confidence slipping. She knew exactly what Aliki was talking about. Sure, Blockbuster and the Countess were threats, but it was the people inside the police station that the vigilante was referring to, the number of clean cops she knew could be counted on two hands, the situation was bad indeed. "Can I ask why the change?" Katherine asked as she changed the subject despite the worry about her own safety as well as the prisoners growing in her head. "No." Aliki replied as she bowed her head. "Ms Marceau you refused to let the state provide you with a lawyer, so you obviously want to talk." Katherine sighed as a particularly loud clap of thunder sounded overhead. "Now tell me why, at least tell me something." "My reason...it's about family, how the last person I cared about was taken from me by Blockbuster and his girl Friday, the Countess. My reason is finding where they left Margot and letting her know that I've got her, that she is safe!" Aliki snapped as tears ran down her face, her cheeks blushing red with anger at the thought of her missing sister. As she continued another clap of thunder rattled the building. "That's what this is about, that's why I went to Lanely Point. I wasn't letting Pathfinder get away with killing people, it's why I got caught, it's why I'm here." "The few witnesses left are claiming that you and Pathfinder were working together. Body cam footage is suggesting something else, that the pair of you were fighting each other. Your statement supports the later." Katherine told her as the light in the room flickered before going out, emergency lighting taking a moment to come on. "Where is Pathfinder's target now?" Aliki asked as she strained against the handcuffs restraining her arms. "He’s, here isn't he?" "You are not authorised to..." Katherine stated. "That's a yes then." Aliki guessed as a faint scream could be heard. "It wasn't the storm that took out the power it was Pathfinder." "Stay here, I'll get an update!" Katherine stated as the sound of shooting grew louder. Heading to the door, Katherine saw a pair of officers run past towards an oncoming purple glow. Going to open the door she saw Aliki in the corner of her eye spring across the room tackling her to the floor. "Are you crazy." Aliki whispered as through the crack of the ajar door a body in police blue fell to the floor gasping and clutching his chest. Seconds later a boot phased through his head and he screamed only falling silent when the skeletal foot was removed, the officer’s killer moving on. "Are you crazy, I could have saved him!" Katherine spat as she pushed Aliki away and removed her baton from her belt. "And then it would have been three dead cops in that corridor!" Aliki answered as she held her hands up in surrender. "I should have dealt with Pathfinder in that shopping centre before he started killing, let me make up for it by stopping him here, from taking your family." "You'll surrender to the police when Pathfinder's dead?" Katherine asked as she looked at the purple glow departing towards the bullpen. "Unless I'm dead." Aliki answered. Nodding Katherine put her baton on the table and removed her keys before undoing the left-hand manacle. Turning to remove the right, Aliki stopped her. "Do you have my mask?" Katherine slid an evidence bag across the table before reclaiming her baton. "I'll try and keep the others from shooting you if I can." Katherine told her as Aliki slipped the mask over her face. "You'll keep your promise, right?" Aliki hung her head, her head, her gut was telling her to run but her heart was desperately trying to convince her to stay. Through gritted teeth she replied. "Yes." Before walking out the door into Pathfinder's wake of destruction. "Give me Liam Beckett officers, aren't you tired of throwing bodies at this problem and getting nowhere?" Pathfinder asked as he phased through a desk to get at a young police officer taking cover behind it. Reaching down to grab the young man, something impacted with the back of his head. "Aren't you tired of getting nowhere?" A voice behind him stated. Turning the hitman saw Dare standing on the other side of the bullpen, a hole punch in her non-manacled hand. "I know I am." "I knew that I should have finished you off." Pathfinder replied as he ran towards her, his fists glowing purple. Waiting to the last moment Aliki vaulted over him, before aiming a double footed mule kick to her foes back as she landed. "And I should have stopped you at the shopping centre!" Aliki told the hitman as she flipped over a cubicle wall as a glowing hand swiped at her. "Should have stopped you at Lanely Point!" She added as she grabbed a phone off the desk and swung it like a flail at Pathfinder only for the villain to phase his fist through it, the improvised weapon falling apart. "You killed people and I couldn't stop you but that ends now!" She added as she lunged at the villain only for her leg to seemingly buckle and send her crashing backwards. "You're right, this ends now!" Pathfinder roared as he went to slam a first down at his foe, only for her to roll away before clamping the handcuffs closed around his right wrist. "Yes, it does!" Aliki answered as she sprung to her feet and vaulted over Pathfinder's shoulder, his handcuffed fist slamming through his face, the skeletal digits emerging out the back of his cranium. His only reaction was to laugh. "You think I can't phase out of this?" Pathfinder asked, his upper jaw phasing through the arm every time he said a word. "I suspect you can." Aliki answered as she slipped out of her restraining manacle. "But what kind of damage will it leave behind? You have an arm through your head, one that as soon as you phase won't be on a different frequency, it'll be through your brain." With a scream of pain Pathfinder removed the fist from his head and turned to grab Aliki, his foe taking a few steps back. Taking a step towards her the hitman began to sway like a felled redwood before collapsing with a crash to the floor. Aliki hadn't expected cheers to be the next thing she'd hear, but she hadn't wagered on the sound of every gun in the being aimed at her. Putting her hands up Aliki saw Katherine break ranks, a pair of handcuffs in her hands. "As I promised." Aliki answered as Katherine cuffed her and lead her out of the bullpen. "Would that promise ring true in a year if the corruption was cleansed from the city?" Katherine asked as they walked towards the stairs that led down to Central Holding. "I'm not blind, the one time this city was doing well was when Night wing ran Blockbuster out of town. But when he left Falcone and the Penguin let the rot back in, and when they were overextended Blockbuster and all the old problems returned. Now Night wing is back but I don't have faith that he'll stay after the work is done." "What are you asking of me?" Aliki asked as the pair reached the stairs. "If you'd help clean this city, this isn't an alliance, but it is a way out." Katherine answered as following footfalls could be heard coming down the corridor. "I didn't come here for justice, I came because of guilt and revenge." Aliki replied. "I'm not Night wing, not the hero this city needs, I'm Dare, the grieving sister looking for what's left of her family. I don't know how to be the person this city needs." "Sure, the arrests of Miss Morphine, Pathfinder and Stallion mean nothing." Katherine snorted as two shadows emerged at the top of the stairs. "Riordan, Lieutenant Soames has ordered us to help you take this dangerous prison to holding." A voice yelled. Both Aliki and Katherine recognised it as belonging to Reyes. "You don’t have much time to decide." Katherine whispered as she saw one of the figures remove something from his belt. "I'll keep my promise, both of them." Aliki answered as a grenade came clattering down the stairs and exploded in a shower of bright light and crushing sound. In that instant Katherine felt a tug and seconds later was knocked to the ground. As the light fading she saw Morrison pinning her to the ground. "Hostage clear, target has vanished!" Morrison stated as Katherine wriggled free. "You two are really looking to lose your jobs!" Katherine snapped as she looked around, confident that Aliki had made her escape. "Careful Captain, you may want to show some appreciation about us 'rescuing' you." Reyes announced. "Next time Dare may slit your throat or throw you off a building before we can save you." He added as the lights flicked and the power for the building returned. Melville Projects, Bludhaven Aliki knocked on the window of the apartment, tired and bruised. While the sun was not yet up, this had to be done now. After the fourth rap, Samuel Oken opened the window a bleary-eyed angry look on his face. "Before you call the police I need to talk to you." Aliki stated as she saw Sam's eyes dart to the phone. "I want to say I'm sorry for letting your sister, your entire family down." "I don't care if you're sorry, I want you to pay." Sam snarled as he went to close the window. "You and Nightwing, that's what brought Pathfinder here, the pair of you are responsible for everyone the super freaks kill here." "You're right, we are." Aliki sighed. "That morning I was too wrapped up in my own mission to help those who needed it." She added. "Too focused on avenging my sister Margot to think of anyone else." "Then you know how I feel!" Sam snarled as he slammed his fist down on the window sill. "I'm alone now, Charlotte my little sister will never grow up because of you!" "And that's why I need your help. I'm going to try and make this city better, but I need to remind myself why I'm doing this." Aliki stated as Sam looked at her, his anger still present but fading rapidly. "You want to guilt yourself into doing this? Fine!" He growled as he handed Aliki a photograph of his little sister hanging upside down from some climbing bars. "Punish yourself, castigate yourself for all I care! You are not a hero, not even a vigilante in my eyes, regardless of what you do, you're the person who let my family be murdered! I will never stop hating you." He added as Aliki turned to walk away. "Return to your fantasy world where you actually believe you’re a good person, because down here in the real world, in the Haven, we never want to see you again!" Courtyard Logistics, Waterloo Docks, Bludhaven "We had an agreement, Dare would be left alone until..." "...until I said otherwise Countess!" The hulking grey figure dressed in a suit boomed as he sat in the massive chair at the end of the room, the Countess stood before him dressed in a raincoat over her navy-blue dress. "I chose you as my number 2 because you were brave enough to stand up to me, but that doesn’t make you irreplaceable. Do you understand me?!” “Yes Desmond.” The Countess replied with no hint of sass or defiance, her tone utterly defeated. “The remaining sister will be killed, I’ll recall Guillermo and task him with that.” “That’s a start, I have some Gotham associates coming into town, desperate to escape the deluge drowning the Bat’s city.” Blockbuster stated as he gestured for the Countess to kneel before him. “Introduce them to our problem, see if they can’t make her disappear.” “It will be done.” The Countess replied as Blockbuster put a large hand on her head and began to twist it slightly, pain radiating in the Countesses’ neck as the bones popped slightly. “Make sure it is.” Blockbuster stated calmly. “Or we’ll see how pretty your neck is without your head attached.” |