"Who are you ... so the Outcasts will know ... who
to hold a grudge against?"
The Outcast "Brick" was panting savagely. The rocks he formed from his elemental ability were crumbling away as his body started to revolt against his will to stay conscious.
"Is that the best threat you can use ..."
The hero stepped on the fading elemental stones and crushed them into powder with each determined step. She leaned down to the Outcast.
"... against the Scarlet Scorpion?!"
Bedrock's eyelids started to flutter and Scarlet kicked his head with the side of her black leather boot. The crack echoed down the hallway and the body rolled several times before coming to rest.
Scarlet listened as the echo died and everything was quiet save her own heavy breathing. She composed herself before approaching the display case. It was made of sturdy brown wood and supported a glass case. Dust covered the top of the transparent vault. She looked back at Bedrock.
"Don't really care for your treasures do you?"
Returning her gaze at the item inside she whispered, "Or maybe you didn't expect me to come and take it from you."
She tried to pry the glass open one way or another and then looked for a way to open it. In her frustration, Scarlet opted for a more direct approach. Brushing aside the broken glass, she reached for the coral bracelet but quickly withdrew as it unexpectedly pricked her finger. Even through the heavy gloves she wore, the pain was very acute. Using a piece of glass, Scarlet lifted the artifact and placed it in a pouch found nearby.
The hero calmly walked through the office building-turned-hideout with plans to turn in the artifacts and get some sleep.
-----
Scarlet woke up by landing on the wood floor of her apartment. She complained trying to get up but even the simple task was made difficult because of her moist hands, arms and legs. She steadied herself before slowly standing, slightly embarrassed. She was a "hero" and well-respected in the meta-community, yet just fell out of bed from her dreams.
"Merrrow?"
Hector had woken with Scarlet and stood patiently at the edge of the bed, looking up at her innocently.
"Thanks for helping me sleep." She had her fists on her hips. Hector started to lick his paws nonchalantly and Scarlet simply smirked.
She turned to walk toward the bathroom to wash her face and relished her cooling skin from the air conditioning. Her eye squinted from the bright light turning on and she winced at the sight of her disheveled hair, slightly damp from the nightmares. She leaned onto to the sink and eventually shed a tear.
"That wasn't enough."
-----
Scarlet opened her eye and she found herself standing in a very pleasant part of Paragon City: Overbrook, popularly known as "Faultline". She immediately got to business. Pulling out a piece of paper from a pocket, she reread the name scribbled by Taffy only a few minutes before. Now he was almost a year into the future.
A short flight above the better part of Overbrook and Scarlet gently landed near Yin's Market. She was warned about the Clockwork having a strange affection toward a young girl in the area and was rewarded with nothing but a robotic stare from the few automatons as Scarlet walked past them to the store. Outside the door stood a young girl in a red sweater-vest, jeans and was reading from a book. One foot rested on the wall and supported her weight.
Scarlet took a few more steps more cautiously toward the girl than she had near the Clockwork, who were still watching Scarlet approach the teenager.
"Penelope Yin?"
The young girl looked from her book and instantly recognized Scarlet, probably from the few articles Scarlet knew was written about her in Amazing Hero Magazine. Scarlet blushed at the thought as the girl spoke.
"You're Scarlet Scorpion, right? Oh, man, did Jimmy Temblor send you? He and Ann, err, 'Fusionette' have been treating me like a little sister since before... Everything... Um, actually, I kinda could use some help. Well, not me, I mean. It's just that my Dad, he's been kidnapped!"
The Outcast "Brick" was panting savagely. The rocks he formed from his elemental ability were crumbling away as his body started to revolt against his will to stay conscious.
"Is that the best threat you can use ..."
The hero stepped on the fading elemental stones and crushed them into powder with each determined step. She leaned down to the Outcast.
"... against the Scarlet Scorpion?!"
Bedrock's eyelids started to flutter and Scarlet kicked his head with the side of her black leather boot. The crack echoed down the hallway and the body rolled several times before coming to rest.
Scarlet listened as the echo died and everything was quiet save her own heavy breathing. She composed herself before approaching the display case. It was made of sturdy brown wood and supported a glass case. Dust covered the top of the transparent vault. She looked back at Bedrock.
"Don't really care for your treasures do you?"
Returning her gaze at the item inside she whispered, "Or maybe you didn't expect me to come and take it from you."
She tried to pry the glass open one way or another and then looked for a way to open it. In her frustration, Scarlet opted for a more direct approach. Brushing aside the broken glass, she reached for the coral bracelet but quickly withdrew as it unexpectedly pricked her finger. Even through the heavy gloves she wore, the pain was very acute. Using a piece of glass, Scarlet lifted the artifact and placed it in a pouch found nearby.
The hero calmly walked through the office building-turned-hideout with plans to turn in the artifacts and get some sleep.
-----
Scarlet woke up by landing on the wood floor of her apartment. She complained trying to get up but even the simple task was made difficult because of her moist hands, arms and legs. She steadied herself before slowly standing, slightly embarrassed. She was a "hero" and well-respected in the meta-community, yet just fell out of bed from her dreams.
"Merrrow?"
Hector had woken with Scarlet and stood patiently at the edge of the bed, looking up at her innocently.
"Thanks for helping me sleep." She had her fists on her hips. Hector started to lick his paws nonchalantly and Scarlet simply smirked.
She turned to walk toward the bathroom to wash her face and relished her cooling skin from the air conditioning. Her eye squinted from the bright light turning on and she winced at the sight of her disheveled hair, slightly damp from the nightmares. She leaned onto to the sink and eventually shed a tear.
"That wasn't enough."
-----
Scarlet opened her eye and she found herself standing in a very pleasant part of Paragon City: Overbrook, popularly known as "Faultline". She immediately got to business. Pulling out a piece of paper from a pocket, she reread the name scribbled by Taffy only a few minutes before. Now he was almost a year into the future.
A short flight above the better part of Overbrook and Scarlet gently landed near Yin's Market. She was warned about the Clockwork having a strange affection toward a young girl in the area and was rewarded with nothing but a robotic stare from the few automatons as Scarlet walked past them to the store. Outside the door stood a young girl in a red sweater-vest, jeans and was reading from a book. One foot rested on the wall and supported her weight.
Scarlet took a few more steps more cautiously toward the girl than she had near the Clockwork, who were still watching Scarlet approach the teenager.
"Penelope Yin?"
The young girl looked from her book and instantly recognized Scarlet, probably from the few articles Scarlet knew was written about her in Amazing Hero Magazine. Scarlet blushed at the thought as the girl spoke.
"You're Scarlet Scorpion, right? Oh, man, did Jimmy Temblor send you? He and Ann, err, 'Fusionette' have been treating me like a little sister since before... Everything... Um, actually, I kinda could use some help. Well, not me, I mean. It's just that my Dad, he's been kidnapped!"
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