One Month Later
Kathryn was about to bite into the slab of Chess Cake she just finished baking. The loft smelled like the food in front of her and she thoroughly planned to enjoy every bite. The bruise on her cheek protested her stretching jaw but Kathryn suppressed the pain. It was all about the cake!
Then her cell-phone rang as her teeth touched the soft delicacy. The beep was specially chosen to represent Nikki Johanson. She didn’t call unless it was important. Kathryn stopped short of quickly stuffing the desert and answering with a muffled snort. That wasn’t very professional.
She sighed on the second ring and set the plate and fork down. Reaching for the device, the third ring almost seemed impatient. She flicked it open with one hand and jerked her hair away from her face. “Scarlet.”
“We have a problem. Get to the station. And I mean five minutes ago.”
Kathryn looked at the confection somberly before replying. “On my way.” The line was abruptly disconnected. She stuffed the piece in her mouth anyway and savored the sweet taste as she changed into her costume.
It was a simple suit and something she put together herself. She didn’t want it to be flashy like Statesman or menacing like Barricade. She undressed from her jeans and bra and replaced them with a sport supporter and torso suit. The suit was a single dark orange piece that looked more like a one-piece bathing suit than a hero costume. The tactical visor was something she picked up from the black market and was a marvel of technology from her perspective; its white visor was a stark contrast to her hair and was opaque to anyone looking at her. The scars kept from behind it but it also hid the fact she was blind in one eye. She pulled her thick bright red hair from under a black jacket and teased it to be presentable. Two dark khaki, metal-studded gloves were pulled tight, followed by over-the-knee black leather stiletto-heeled boots. Finally, a red belt ringed her waist.
She gave herself a last look in the mirror and made final adjustments, tugging and pulling here and there. She nodded and gave the mirror a thumbs up then briskly moved to the elevator.
----
Johanson looked up from the paperwork and photos with only her eyes as the Scarlet Scorpion entered her office and glided into a well-worn leather chair. Nikki Johanson made a circle in red ink on a photo and passed it to Kathryn.
“Sorry to be abrupt, even rude, but this just came to my office and so it had to come to you. Our Ramparts Division stumbled upon a scene reminiscent of Soviet-era POW camps in a warehouse downtown. The figure I circled was caught by security cameras in the district.” Kathryn finally looked at the blurry photo. Most of the person was behind some scenery and the quality of the photo was very poor. It was a close-up of a larger photo. Kathryn shook her head.
“I didn’t think you would recognize her.”
“Her? Now Kathryn was interested. Her targets had always been male and Kathryn regarded that as status quo.
“Yes. This one is a serious sicko. Homeland Security has classified the type of carnage at the scene as a “super-powered crime”.
“Homeland Security … wow, that is surprising.” Kathryn was also impressed and it showed on her face. “What’s the ceiling on this one?”
“Down to basics, eh Scar? Alright, seven figures. It is absolutely essential this one be brought in.”
Kathryn smirked. “Am I covered by the Damage Plan?”
Johanson sat back in her chair and rested her arms as if exhausted but never removed her stare from the Scarlet Scorpion. “More than that.” She pulled a small envelope from her vest and tossed it casually to Kathryn who grabbed it by stopping its flight in mid-air and resting it into her palm. If it weren’t for the buzz of the office outside, Johanson would have heard Kathryn humming a note.
The contents were spilled into her hand. The only item was a hard laminated card and Kathryn’s eye almost popped out its socket.
Johanson smiled. “I know. Who would have thought the government actually issues License to Kill documents. That is just in case the situation absolutely warrants its use. You will need some protection if you have to go as far as killing this bitch to keep her from doing what she did to those people in the warehouse again. Keep in mind: bring her in breathing if you can. If you can’t, then it had better be for a damn good reason.”
Kathryn was still stunned. Her career as a super-powered bounty hunter just turned surreal. “Who is this villain?!”
“She goes by the moniker, ‘Nyxen’.
Kathryn was about to bite into the slab of Chess Cake she just finished baking. The loft smelled like the food in front of her and she thoroughly planned to enjoy every bite. The bruise on her cheek protested her stretching jaw but Kathryn suppressed the pain. It was all about the cake!
Then her cell-phone rang as her teeth touched the soft delicacy. The beep was specially chosen to represent Nikki Johanson. She didn’t call unless it was important. Kathryn stopped short of quickly stuffing the desert and answering with a muffled snort. That wasn’t very professional.
She sighed on the second ring and set the plate and fork down. Reaching for the device, the third ring almost seemed impatient. She flicked it open with one hand and jerked her hair away from her face. “Scarlet.”
“We have a problem. Get to the station. And I mean five minutes ago.”
Kathryn looked at the confection somberly before replying. “On my way.” The line was abruptly disconnected. She stuffed the piece in her mouth anyway and savored the sweet taste as she changed into her costume.
It was a simple suit and something she put together herself. She didn’t want it to be flashy like Statesman or menacing like Barricade. She undressed from her jeans and bra and replaced them with a sport supporter and torso suit. The suit was a single dark orange piece that looked more like a one-piece bathing suit than a hero costume. The tactical visor was something she picked up from the black market and was a marvel of technology from her perspective; its white visor was a stark contrast to her hair and was opaque to anyone looking at her. The scars kept from behind it but it also hid the fact she was blind in one eye. She pulled her thick bright red hair from under a black jacket and teased it to be presentable. Two dark khaki, metal-studded gloves were pulled tight, followed by over-the-knee black leather stiletto-heeled boots. Finally, a red belt ringed her waist.
She gave herself a last look in the mirror and made final adjustments, tugging and pulling here and there. She nodded and gave the mirror a thumbs up then briskly moved to the elevator.
----
Johanson looked up from the paperwork and photos with only her eyes as the Scarlet Scorpion entered her office and glided into a well-worn leather chair. Nikki Johanson made a circle in red ink on a photo and passed it to Kathryn.
“Sorry to be abrupt, even rude, but this just came to my office and so it had to come to you. Our Ramparts Division stumbled upon a scene reminiscent of Soviet-era POW camps in a warehouse downtown. The figure I circled was caught by security cameras in the district.” Kathryn finally looked at the blurry photo. Most of the person was behind some scenery and the quality of the photo was very poor. It was a close-up of a larger photo. Kathryn shook her head.
“I didn’t think you would recognize her.”
“Her? Now Kathryn was interested. Her targets had always been male and Kathryn regarded that as status quo.
“Yes. This one is a serious sicko. Homeland Security has classified the type of carnage at the scene as a “super-powered crime”.
“Homeland Security … wow, that is surprising.” Kathryn was also impressed and it showed on her face. “What’s the ceiling on this one?”
“Down to basics, eh Scar? Alright, seven figures. It is absolutely essential this one be brought in.”
Kathryn smirked. “Am I covered by the Damage Plan?”
Johanson sat back in her chair and rested her arms as if exhausted but never removed her stare from the Scarlet Scorpion. “More than that.” She pulled a small envelope from her vest and tossed it casually to Kathryn who grabbed it by stopping its flight in mid-air and resting it into her palm. If it weren’t for the buzz of the office outside, Johanson would have heard Kathryn humming a note.
The contents were spilled into her hand. The only item was a hard laminated card and Kathryn’s eye almost popped out its socket.
Johanson smiled. “I know. Who would have thought the government actually issues License to Kill documents. That is just in case the situation absolutely warrants its use. You will need some protection if you have to go as far as killing this bitch to keep her from doing what she did to those people in the warehouse again. Keep in mind: bring her in breathing if you can. If you can’t, then it had better be for a damn good reason.”
Kathryn was still stunned. Her career as a super-powered bounty hunter just turned surreal. “Who is this villain?!”
“She goes by the moniker, ‘Nyxen’.
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